After bathing, I prepared myself for the council of nobles meeting. I decided upon wearing a deep red dress with a leather cord running up the front.

I was struggling with my corset when I heard a knock at the door.

My heart stopped.

I dashed to my bedside and retrieved the green robe and threw it on, wrapping myself completely in it, covering any possible traces of my undergarments.

I stepped forward and opened the door.

Lady Marian greeted me. Seeing that I was seemingly half dressed, she quickly turned to leave.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll come back later."

I stopped her before she walked away.

"No, please stay. Come in, I could use your help."

She entered my bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"What do you need?" She chuckled mildly to herself.

I removed my robe and turned around.

"Would you help me tie this up?"

"Of course," she walked forward and began synching up the ties on my corset.

"How is that?" She asked me after it was all fastened.

"Perfect, thank you," I commented as I reached down to grab my dress. I put it over my head and tied off the front.

I liked Marian, I could tell we were going to become good friends; we both shared the same quiet demeanor.

"I came to fetch you for the council meeting. Now that you are ready, shall we go together?"

I nodded my head and we set off to the meeting.

On the way there, Marian told me of the surrounding forests and described some exciting places to visit locally. She promised to take me to some of them within the duration of my stay here.

When we entered the great hall, I glanced around the room, searching for Guy. I finally spotted him at one end of the long table. His eyes and attention seemed fixed in our direction. Since I was standing next to Lady Marian, I could not tell who his attention was drawn to.

He rose from his seat and came toward us.

"Marian," he nodded at her.

Then he looked in my direction.

"Rebecca," he reached down and clutched my hand, pulling it once again to his lips. I noticed he was not wearing gloves this time. He did not let go of my hand, but rather held onto it as he walked me to the table. I was seated on his right hand side; Marian on his left.

The sheriff called attention and the meeting began. For the next hour, he addressed and discussed the many problems within Nottingham that I knew nothing about; therefore I cared not about them. His rambling was ended by a brief introduction and mention of the reason for my visit.

As he dismissed the council, I stepped forward and addressed the sheriff.

"Where is Lord Weston?"

"He is away on business, my lady. For the next two weeks, Gisborne will look after you."

My muscles tensed. Gisborne would be in command of me for the next two weeks? That was not going to aid in discharging my budding affections for him.

All the nobles gathered together at the table once more and feasted. The food was refreshing after so much time on the road.

I engaged in some shallow conversation with an older man sitting across the table from me. I was actually enjoying myself. I glanced over at Guy several times throughout the course of the evening. Every time I saw his piercing blue eyes staring at me, forcing me to turn away quickly.

At the end of the feast, I excused myself from the table with Marian. We walked back to my room together and I changed out of my tight red dress. It had been worth the discomfort in order to feel his eyes staring at me in that way.

I lay down on my bed and beckoned her over. I wanted to talk more with her, learn a bit more about her past.

She began her tale by informing me of all the ancient myths and stories told around Nottingham, laughing at many of them.

We had been talking for about an hour when she began questioning me about the woods I had traveled in, asking if I had noticed them on my way into Nottingham.

I nodded my head.

"In those woods lives a man," her voice trailed off.

"A good man." I thought I heard her mumble.

Her face was twisted with a subtle pain. I knew it was there, although she tried not to show it.

"You love him?"

She sighed.

"Tell me about him," I asked with a hint of commandment.

"Robin of Locksley, or Robin Hood, as you will commonly hear mentioned, was engaged to marry me. We were betrothed before he went to the Holy Land to join the Crusades."

She looked down and the tears began to fall.

"Power and glory," she muttered as she shook her head.

"I waited for him for five years. I had to sit by and watch as Gisborne moved into my lover's home. I remained silent as a new sheriff gained power, overthrowing my father. After three years, I had decided Robin wasn't coming back."

She took a breath and wiped her eyes.

"By the time he had returned, things had changed. I had grown up. I believe his absence has strengthened me in many ways, but I would trade everything I inherited to put things back the way they were before he left."

I extended an arm out to comfort her. I knew little of romance with a great distance between you and the one you loved. The little empathy I had, I gave to her.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

"Why is it you two can't be together?"

She chuckled at this question.

"Robin is an outlaw; if he steps foot inside Nottingham, the sheriff has the authority to imprison him. Could you see me abandon everything to go live in the forest with his band of outlaws? It is dangerous for me right now, and running off to be with the most wanted man in Nottingham would not exactly help my difficult position."

"Why is Robin an outlaw?" Her mention of this had sparked my interest.

"A while ago -I forget how long- the sheriff had arrested four men for stealing. He sentenced them to hang the next morning. Robin attended the hanging, at the sheriff's command, and realized the injustice. He saved the lives of those four men; two of them are part of his band of outlaws. The sheriff hates Robin and despises anyone who helps him."

The room was silent for a few moments; then I attempted to break the silence.

"What about Guy of Gisborne? Where does he stand in all of this?"

Marian rolled her eyes and put on a subtle look of disgust.

"Guy is on the same side as the sheriff; he will do anything for power."

She hesitated a moment and then continued.

"I was forced into an engagement with him. He told me he could not protect me if I were not his wife. I reluctantly agreed to the marriage, but I left him standing at the altar on our wedding day."

"Why did you leave him?" Was he really a terrible man?

"It's complicated; I shouldn't be the one to tell you about it. Just be careful around him, he has been known to become quite dangerous."

"Thanks for the warning; I will take it to heart."

She smiled and stood up.

"I will leave you now. It's getting late and you're tired. It's been lovely chatting with you."

She stepped forward and embraced me.

"I'm so glad you're here."

I already was quite comfortable around Marian. She seemed to radiate a warming glow when she talked to me. I truly enjoyed her company.

She turned towards the door and prepared to step outside.

"Marian?" I called after her.

"Yes?" She turned back to face me.

"Thank you."

She smiled and opened the door, closing it lightly behind her.

I was alone at last. I blew out the candles and climbed into my bed. I tried to dissect what I had just heard.

What was it that Guy had done? Surely he couldn't be dangerous?

In that moment, I made it my goal to delve deeper into Gisborne's character and find out what he hid so internally.