It should not surprise anyone that the outlaws were not able to accept the statement of their leader so easily. This sentence, which Robin had uttered so lapidary, caused a furious argument, but Hood had not expected otherwise. This was the reason why he had hesitated for so long to tell them about his brother and why he had only been able to bring himself to do so when he realized that he could no longer wait.

There were only two people who did not comment on the whole matter. One of them was Nasir. In his case, it was because he felt that it was up to Robin alone to pass on this information. In any case, it was not his place to judge the other man. After all, there was plenty in his life for which he did not want to be judged. He had already been through a lot, much more than the rest of the outlaws, but he also had to answer for much more than they had. He had come to terms with a lot of things, mainly since he could no longer change them, but if he always had to worry about what his friends thought of him, he probably would have gone crazy long ago. Which was not to say that he did not assume he would not have to be held accountable for his actions later on. However, that was all right. This was the reason why he would in no case deprive any of the gang of making their own decisions, even if it meant that he was an exception in the group of his friends. In return, he was able to keep his integrity.

The other person who did not comment was, of course, Tuck, who had known before but had not been allowed to talk about it. He had long since made his peace with this, just as he had done with the other confessions. There was nothing else for him to do but to come to terms with what he was told in this manner, otherwise he would have hardened himself to other people. But if he would be willing to go on in this fashion, then this would not be the life he wanted to lead.

Will, on the other hand, had not wanted to speak to Robin at all. As if the kinship to Gisburne was a contagious disease, he had demanded that the former heir to the Earl of Huntingdon leave the outlaws right away. However, he stood alone with this demand, which did not mean that the remaining members of the group would have accepted Robin's statement so easily.

Much had withdrawn, hurt deeply. After all, Gisburne had killed his father and understandably he could not forget that. It had plunged him into confusion that Robin now had a familial connection to the man. John, who sympathized with the younger man, had at first reacted similarly to him.

That left Marion. Unlike the rest, she did not blame Robin for being Gisburne's brother, for she was well aware that he could not help it. It was something else she could not forgive him for. She was unable to understand why he had hesitated to tell her the truth for so long, when they had not wanted to keep secrets from each other anymore. She had been quite annoyed when she realized how long he had known that his father had another son.

Robin's "confession" caused the group of outlaws to split up. They had retreated to different parts of the camp, keeping an eye on each other even though they hardly spoke to one another. Will had separated himself from everyone else, but that did not spare them from his tirades, as he raged loudly against Robin. His fury had increased after he realized that none of his friends agreed with him in his radical views. John tried to comfort Much, while at the same time he attempted to figure out how he himself felt about the entire affair.

Tuck could have actually joined Robin, but the latter had silently begged him not to leave Marion alone. So, he sat next to her and tried to explain to her why Robin had not been able to tell her his secret earlier. Of course, it would be better if their leader would do that himself, but Marion was not ready to talk to him yet. So only Nasir was left to sit with his young friend, which he had no problem with. He was also ready to listen to him, should the other one feels the need to talk. However, this did not seem to be the case at that moment.

The outlaws, however, had apparently all forgotten that they had watched Herne guide Gisburne through the woods. Robin's secret had obviously completely repressed this, and none of them - Robin himself included - was prepared for the knight to appear in their camp all of a sudden. Of course, this could also have been due to the fact that no one had believed him to be able to locate the camp.

When he so unexpectedly stepped into the small clearing where the outlaws had set up camp, there was an abrupt silence. But only for a brief moment, for Will immediately sprang to his feet, giving the impression that he was about to suffer a seizure. Meanwhile, Much had gone pale. And, of course, all of them had their weapons drawn blank. All except Robin, who hoped the knight would not force him to fight him, for that would have meant he had made his sacrifice all for nothing.

Although Gisburne could not have missed these reactions, he stepped closer - leading his horse by the reins - as if he would seek out the outlaws here every day.

"What do ye want 'ere?" hissed Will.

"I wanted to let you know that I am leaving the forest now," was the brief reply.

"Ye think we wanna know?" Will seemed on the verge of lunging at the other man.

"If you know I'm gone, you don't have to look for me."

The former soldier snorted in exasperation, as if he felt assaulted by these words.

"Then I guess you need a guide to get out of Sherwood?", Robin tried to reduce the tension a bit.

Gisburne shook his head, but before he had a chance to answer, there was already another voice coming from behind him. "He has a guide at hand already." Hearing these words, all of the outlaws except Robin flinched. And then the person who had last spoken stepped into the clearing as well.

Robin did not know who the man was, but his friends' reaction to him could not escape him. From this he could easily tell that he was quite familiar to them. But Robin also immediately realized that none of them had expected to meet him as they all stood there stunned.

"Ye're dead!" blurted Will, while at the same time Much rushed towards the stranger.

"Robin!" he exclaimed and hugged the other man, who immediately smiled at the younger one and returned the embrace warmly. At that moment Robin Hood realized who this man must be, although he could not believe it any more than his friends. After all, they had all assumed that Loxley had died four years ago.

But then he suddenly recalled what Gisburne was supposed to have said. How could he of all people have known that the first Robin Hood was still alive? And why did the two men now turn up here side by side? But then Robin Hood was struck by other questions that were even more important to him than these first two. If Herne's first son was back, what would become of him, his successor? And what about Marion? How would she take her husband's return?

As if the other Robin had read his mind, he addressed his successor now. "You know who I am, don't you, Robin Hood?" He did not wait to see if he would receive an answer. "I am glad you answered Herne's call and took care of my friends after I was no longer able to do so. I assure you, I have no intention of taking your place. You are Robin Hood and Herne's Son now. My time in Sherwood is over and I will not be able to stay here. As sorry as I am not to stay with my friends and with my brother, I was allowed to return for another reason." He paused for a moment and looked around at the group before he continued. "And even though Will probably won't believe it, and even if I hurt Much by saying it, I will accompany Guy to Huntingdon. My place is by his side now, even though that may be hard for all of you here to understand. I didn't understand it myself right away. But now I realize for what reason I have been given the opportunity to return."

"Ye can't leave right away! We just found out you're alive, Robin," John explained, as if he had not heard what the other man had said. But when he turned to his friends to find out what they had to say, his eyes fell on Marion, pale and miserable, standing next to Tuck, who had to support her. At that very moment Robin Hood reached her side and put an arm protectively around her. John immediately flushed. Quite obviously, he had not considered how Marion might feel when he invited the other one. And only then did it apparently occur to the outlaws that the first Robin had neither mentioned nor looked at her. Their confusion was plain to see without difficulty.

It was possible that they felt this issue should be handled between these two people, since neither of them actually wanted to have to choose between the two Robins.

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In the end, however, it was not only John who insisted that Robin of Loxley stayed for a meal with them, even if it meant that the outlaws had to put up with Gisburne's presence as well. They tolerated this - albeit grudgingly - in order to be able to talk to their friend, whom they had all missed very much. This was actually a little easier for them after they noticed that the knight had changed - against their expectations. Although, of course, this did not mean that they could forget what he had done in the past, but it did make his presence a little easier to bear. Still, no one could miss the fact that Much in particular found it very difficult to sit by a fire with this man. In that respect, it was then an advantage that the young man was mostly occupied with trying to understand his brother's decision to accompany the enemy. For this reason, he focused all his attention on Robin and even managed to ignore Gisburne. Surprisingly, the latter also held back and refrained from imposing himself on anyone, which showed the rest - even if only in retrospect - that he was no longer the same person as he had been in the past.

Everyone was astonished to learn that the knight would no longer work for the Sheriff of Nottingham, but would instead go to Huntingdon. They could not quite believe this yet, also because at that point they knew nothing of the Earl's words to make the knight his heir. Thus, it was not obvious to them why Gisburne had left the service of the Sheriff. But both Robin Hood and the knight himself were apparently in no hurry to talk about this, and they seemed to agree not to pre-empt the Earl in this matter. Nasir, who was the only one of the outlaws who knew, would not say anything about it. This was not his way, as he always took the view that it was not his place to make other people's affairs public. Robin had long ago realized this and therefore he could refrain from mentioning it to his friend. He knew it would be unnecessary and besides he did not want to offend him.

Having apparently satisfied his friends' curiosity to a sufficient degree, Loxley detached himself from them and instead joined his successor. At first, the two just sat next to each other and neither of them spoke a word, but then the dark-haired man suddenly smiled at the other one.

"This feels really weird to me right now, so I'm going to assume you're not doing any better." He glanced apologetically at Robin Hood.

The latter shrugged his shoulders. "I've actually felt better," he admitted then. "But I can understand why you couldn't just disappear from Sherwood without letting your friends get to see you."

"That is indeed the main reason for my visit to you guys," Loxley was forced to admit, "though not the only one. But I don't want to think how any of them would have felt if I had crossed their path at a later time. If they had learned in this manner that I had not died, they would certainly have felt betrayed by me." A wry smile appeared on his face. "And then there's Gisburne, too."

Robin had to laugh. "And then there's Gisburne," he confirmed.

The other one laughed as well, but only briefly and then he became serious again very quickly. "You had to know in any case that he was leaving the woods once again. Otherwise you would have had no rest here. It was therefore no question at all for me whether I should bring him here, although I could of course imagine what my friends would have to say about this. I knew beforehand how they would react both to the man himself and to my announcement that I would leave the woods with him."

Once again, the two men remained silent until it was again Loxley who spoke up. "I have spent the last four years in Herne's cave and apparently have been in some kind of very deep sleep the entire time. This was by no means a normal sleep, though, for if there hadn't been a lot of magic involved, I wouldn't have been able to just wake up after that long. But this was probably also the reason why I was not completely cut off from the events in the world. I caught a lot of what was going on here in Sherwood and even some of what was going on in Nottingham. That's how I know you didn't just succeed me as Herne's son." As the fair-haired man was about to interject, Loxley stopped him with a vigorous motion of his hand.

"You mustn't think that I hold anything against you. At least not anymore, because in the meantime I have realized that my path is a different one than previously. However, I must admit that it was not easy for me, but I had enough time to reflect on everything. However, I have only now, after I have been awakened, really become aware of this. After my supposed death, Herne had to put someone in my place, both as his son and as the leader of the outlaws. Of course, at first I was annoyed at being replaced so easily, and by that time I resented you a bit. But only for taking so long to answer Herne's call." Loxley paused for a moment, as if he needed to consider, then continued. "I have just realized that this is not entirely true. I also resented the fact that my friends left the woods, except for Tuck, and you allowed it to happen. But in this matter I had quite forgotten that I didn't want to follow Herne at the beginning either. Even if I was then faster than you, it was only because I hadn't so much to lose. None of that matters now, though, since when it came down to it, you were there for my friends. Both right after they were captured by the Sheriff and Gisburne, and when Marion was kidnapped by Owen of Clun. You were there and afterwards you didn't hesitate to take responsibility, although I can't imagine it was easy for you. It took me my time to understand, though."

Robin looked at him with relief. Listening to the other man's words right now, he could tell that he had actually been worried that Loxley would give him hell for taking almost a year to realize that he wanted to heed Herne's summons. But also, for the fact that it had taken Marion's suffering to set him on the right path.

Loxley was not done, however. "I don't blame you for taking my place with Marion either. She needed someone to help her get over the major loss and you were there to help. In addition, you were also willing to give her time and wait for her. I am sure you would have accepted any decision she made, even if it had been against you. But there is no mistaking that you two were meant for each other." Then he did have to pause for a moment before continuing. "I have truly loved Marion from the moment I first laid eyes on her and her well-being is still very dear to me. But I know now she is not the person I was meant to be with. It's someone else. Looking back now, I realize that I was aware of this even before I allegedly died. But I refused to acknowledge it. It didn't fit into my view of things." He laughed softly.

Once again, Robin felt relief welling up within him. Moreover, he had just realized that he was delighted to have been given the opportunity to meet Loxley. To his great amazement, this was a man he would dearly love to have as a friend, and in that respect he regretted that he would not be staying. And then he understood - and this also astonished him - that it would not bother him to follow the other man.

Loxley had obviously been keeping a very close eye on him. "I can't stay here," he announced, quite as if he had listened to Robin's thoughts. But perhaps these had been visible on his face just the same.

"I was allowed to return for another reason," Herne's first son went on. "There is now a person who needs me. A person I want to protect and that should sit well with you, as it means your father will now get the support he needs. And lest we misunderstand each other, I mean the Earl and not Herne, for that is who you will be supporting. My role now is to stay by Gisburne's side and before you pity me for that, I'll tell you that I'm more than willing to do so. I have ascertained that he is quite capable of change. In the meantime, he is also inclined to do so. He will not desert your father, and not for the reasons that most people will accuse him of. He has managed to get out from under the shadow of the Sheriff and leave behind the legacy of Edmund of Gisburne. He has accepted who he is, even though he may not have fully realized it yet. And I will stand by him."

Robin had listened attentively to the other person, but had said almost nothing himself. At this point, however, he had to speak up. "In fact, I just wished you could stay with us, which surprised me quite a bit. I know how much the rest of us have missed you and so I never imagined there could be a place for both of us here, but now I realize I was mistaken in that regard. However, I find it hard to imagine that there is anything that could be more important to you. And then you tell me that it is Gisburne." He shook his head in disbelief. "Gisburne! I have a hard time following you on that one, even when I consider that it will benefit my father. And even if I am aware that it was I who told the Earl he had another son and who it is."

Loxley smiled. "Trust yourself, Robin!" he encouraged him. "Trust that you were not alone when you came to this decision, not here in Sherwood. You're never alone here, remember that. Sherwood influences all of us, even those who don't believe in Herne's powers. Or rather, those who have long resisted believing in them."

"You're talking about Gisburne, aren't you?" Robin sought to know. And then he recalled something else. "He's the person meant for you, isn't he? And are you the person meant for him?"

Loxley nodded. "I was indeed talking about Gisburne. And I would very much like to answer the rest of your questions in the affirmative, but I have not forgotten that there was a time when I was convinced Marion was the person meant for me. So, all I can tell you at this point is that this is currently true. For me, but also for him. This has become obvious to both of us in the meantime and we have also accepted this. But we have both no idea where this will lead us."

Robin Hood gulped, for this was something he found hard to imagine. Then, all of a sudden, it occurred to him that this path could not be easy for the two men. There would certainly be numerous obstacles in their way.

"Both of you are always welcome in Sherwood, Robin," he thus promised to the other. "Not only you, but my brother as well. There will always be a place here where you can be together without fear."

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After Loxley had finished talking to his successor, he turned to Marion. This conversation, however, was clearly something that neither of them wanted to be observed by their friends. This did not seem to be a major problem for them, however, as they simply withdrew far enough between the trees so that they could not be seen by anyone in camp.

Robin was again on his own, but he took this opportunity to reflect on all that Loxley had told him. Especially his statement that he would never really be alone here in Sherwood. He realized that the other man had not meant their friends, but Herne and his influence on what was going on in the woods. Robin suddenly realized that he had known this all along, he had just never consciously considered it. When he understood this, he was immensely relieved, for now he could admit to himself that his heart had told him earlier that he had reached the right decision. Only his head had obviously not been able to keep up, after all, this concerned a man whom he had always regarded solely as an enemy. After he had learned that there was a relationship between the two of them, he had first attempted to see the knight with different eyes, but had quickly refrained from doing so. Now he realized that the only reason he had not wanted to see him differently than before was that it would have been very hard for him to continue fighting him. For this reason, he had shut up his heart.

Although he was now aware of what he had deceived himself about, and although he had Loxley's example before his eyes, he was not very pleased to find that Gisburne was approaching him. But he was aware that he could no more avoid this conversation than he had been able to avoid the one he already had. Or the one he expected to have with Marion as soon as their guests had left them again.

Unlike Loxley, however, the knight did not simply settle down next to Robin, but waited until the leader of the outlaws gestured for him to sit down.

Gisburne did not give the impression that he liked being here. Neither here in the camp, nor here right next to the man he had only known for a few days to be his brother. He did not seem to like having a conversation with this man either, but still he had joined him.

He was also the one who started the conversation. "I'll just assume that this situation is as uncomfortable for you as it is for me. However, if I'm mistaken, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong about you, so...", he did not speak further, but shrugged his shoulders as if to say: 'What the heck!' And then a lopsided smile showed up on his face.

Robin was taken aback, for it had not escaped him that the knight had just made a joke at his own expense. He had in no way expected such a display from the other man. "No, you were not mistaken," he therefore assured him quickly.

"Then you'll be glad to know that I'll be on my way to Huntington as soon as Loxley has finished all the talking he obviously needs to do." Again, that lopsided smile appeared on his face. "This implies I will keep the promise I made to the Earl. I will try to be of help to him in the fight against fitz Edgar and the Sheriff."

Robin understood all of a sudden that Gisburne was not confident that he could actually be of any help to the Earl. He had just told him right there that he was unsure whether he could master the task that lay ahead of him. Robin had not expected that from him either.

"With you at his side, our father will have a much better chance of meeting the challenge. But of course, it's not possible to be sure of the King's reaction at the outset. The man is just too fickle."

At these words, Gisburne actually had to laugh. "De Rainault could take lessons from him!" But then he turned serious again. "I am well aware that the King might side with fitz Edgar. Still, I will not break my word."

"I didn't mean to imply that," Robin hastened to assure the man. Had he always been this touchy? But then it occurred to him that he probably would not be able to handle it any better if he was not sure whether he could help his father.

"I will try to find out more about fitz Edgar from out here. He needs to make more of an appearance now that he's the Sheriff's steward," he elaborated.

Gisburne nodded. "And the Earl certainly has some men who can dig around in fitz Edgar's past."

Robin nodded as well. He was sure that this was so. Something like this was simply part of being one of the most influential nobles in the realm and wanting to remain one.

"Another point," the knight resumed. "You must expect to see fitz Edgar moving against the villages at this point to exert pressure on you and thus on your father all over again, especially while it has not yet been made known that he has a new heir."

This was something Robin had not even thought of, but as soon as he heard Gisburne's words he realized that the other man was quite right.

"We'll keep an eye out," he then told him, but he could not bring himself to thank his brother.

The other one, however, did not react to the reply, having something else to say though. "That would be all," the knight announced, while he was already getting up again. Without waiting to see if Robin had anything else to say about it, he quickly moved away.

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"Do ye really wanna let 'im loose on yer father?" It was again Will who tossed a question at Robin in his customary aggressive manner, only to follow it up with something more. "Are ye really gonna let 'im take yer legacy away from yer?"

His questions had been prompted by the fact that their leader had, after all, decided to tell the rest of the outlaws that the Earl would be naming Gisburne as his heir.

Robin could not help it, he had to laugh at Will's words. "How many times have you accused me of the Earl of Huntingdon being my father, Will? And now you're worried about me not becoming the next Earl? It doesn't add up."

As the rest of the outlaws laughed as well, Will's flush rose to his face. "That's not what I meant. But we're talkin' about Gisburne 'ere," he tried to explain himself.

"I got it, Will, that we're talking about Gisburne here." Robin smiled at his friend, but the latter, in his agitation, did not even notice. "And we're rid of him here for the time being."

These words could not be missed by Will and he had to laugh as well.

But he was not the only one who had wondered. "Why did Robin go with him?" Much demanded to know. "He murdered our father. Why didn't he kill him?"

At that moment, Robin realized that Much had not understood the relationship between the two men. But he also realized that it would be quite a shock for him when he found out.

"Didn't you ask him?" he posed a counter question accordingly.

"He says he has to do it. That's what he came back for. That way he could help the Earl." Much looked at Robin with wide eyes. "I didn't understand. Why is yer father more important than his father?"

Robin had to swallow, for this was a question he could not answer. And he knew he did not want to answer it either, for no matter what he did say, he would hurt Much, who was already suffering. All he could do was shake his head.

John pulled his young friend into a hug, but he looked confused, too.

Herne's Son surprised himself when he then had an answer after all. "Robin doesn't have to justify himself to us, especially since Herne set him on this path. You know it's not easy for his sons to do what he demands. Robin has been through this already once. At that time, you all believed he was dead. For him, his fate was equally certain. Please try to understand that even now it is not easy for him to follow Herne. Being his son requires sacrifice, as I know from my own experience. Robin didn't want to hurt any of you, just as I don't want to do that. You must believe that. Nevertheless, we must go the way we have been set."