"Did you just say…Tristan?" Marian repeated her voice quiet. Robin looked at her and frowned at her terrified expression.
"Yeah, he's a young boy, joined us from the Abbey, said he was an orphan," Allan supplied the answer, still looking drowsy. Marian's eyes grew wide and her hand went to her mouth. Robin was concerned and put a hand on her arm.
"Marian, what is it?" he asked, gently.
"Tristan…I…he…you are his…I think…" Marian didn't know how to tell him. How would he take it? She was certain that the boy they spoke of was her son; she knew one day the past would catch up with her. Tristan, so it had been a boy. She was glad Sally had told her to name the babe.
Marian didn't remember a lot after that. She had lost a lot of blood and she had vaguely heard her maid talking of a second child on the way. The pain had returned, she recalled that vividly, and another baby had been brought into the world. A tiny little baby with dainty fingers and toes that hadn't made a noise. Marian had passed out after that and never thought of what had become of the child until now. Could it still be alive? Was the reason it didn't cry was because it was dead? She hadn't a clue but Sally had left the Manor shortly after and Marian hadn't seen her since. Did she have Marian's missing child?
"Marian? Marian! What is wrong?" Robin's anxious voice brought the Lady out of her memories and into the present.
"I believe that Tristan is my son, Robin." Marian spoke bluntly and all the outlaws could do was stare in shock.
"What?" Robin gaped, his brow knitted in confusion and his blue eyes filled with puzzlement. He seemed not to be able to take in the revelation.
"Tristan, my son, he's ten years old. Ten years ago I gave birth to him and another child. His twin. I had them taken away. I was to be married and they were bastards." Marian explained softly. All Robin could do was stand and stare at her, his eyes filled with swirling emotions.
"You have a son?" finally the outlaw choked out.
"Yes, we have a son," Marian corrected him, "The boy that you have brought into your gang is your own son."
"Wow, that's why he looked so familiar," Allan nodded and several other outlaws did the same. Much on the other hand looked thoroughly bewildered.
"My master and Lady Marian had a babe?" he said.
"Two." Marian replied, "Two babies. Two bastards. Two children that would now be ten and I haven't a clue what gender one of them is. I don't even know whether the child is even still alive." Robin seemed completely dazed and slumped back down onto the floor, leaning on a tree for support.
"I had two children that I did not know about! How could you not tell me?" he looked at the woman before him with burning anger in his eyes. "You kept them a secret!"
"Robin!" Marian cried, "What good would it have done had I told you? They were the products of a one night fling. I was due to be married to Guy of Gisborne, you're sworn enemy who most certainly would've killed me, my father and both children had he known."
"But I could've taken them!" Robin shouted, furious, "They were my flesh and blood. They shouldn't have had to be raised in some poxy Abbey!" Marian let out a short bark of a laugh at this comment, incredulous of the man's stupidity.
"Yes, Robin that would've been a fantastic situation for day old babies to be in: living in a forest with a group of men who can barely maintain their own hygiene and go looking for trouble at any given moment let alone care for children."
"Hey, our hygiene ain't bad!" Allan butted in, "And we did look after a babe thank you very much!"
"For a day! Think about doing that for a week, a month, a year!" Marian yelled, frustrated.
"You still could've told me," Robin whispered, softly, his eyes full of resentment, "I had a right to know." Marian sighed.
"I'm sorry. Maybe I should've but I didn't. It's all in the past. There is now a young man somewhere who could potentially be in a great deal of danger if anyone found out his heritage," Marian replied, "Do you how much Tristan would mean to the Sheriff if he got his hands on him? It would like all his dreams coming true." Robin suddenly realised what Marian was saying and fear crept onto his face.
"We have to find him! Guys, we're going to Knighton!" Robin leapt to his feet again and his friends followed suit, pulling on cloaks and picking up weapons. The gang headed to the nearby tethered horse.
"And I have to find Sally and find out what happened to my other child," Marian muttered to herself under her breath before mounting an offered horse.
Will laid the unmoving, unconscious form of the boy on a bed and stepped back. Sally rushed forward, a bowl in her hand and a damp cloth. Taking his wrist she felt for a pulse and found a thankfully strong although slightly erratic one. Once she was sure he was alive and not in immediate danger she began to dab at some of the wounds in an attempt to remove some of the blood and reveal the extent of Tristan's injuries. She ripped off his torn and bloodied top to reveal a chest littered with livid purple bruises and swellings. She carefully placed her hands on his hot, sweaty skin and pressed gently. The pressure on Tristan's abdomen caused him to buck in pain and cry out but his eyes remained closed.
"Is he going to be alright?" Will asked worriedly as Sally stood and hurried over to a nearby table, grabbing some objects.
"I know a fair thing about medicine and injuries and I am pretty certain that he'll recover. He's young and fit so hopefully his body will heal itself quickly. I'll give him a drink that should relieve some of the pain and apply some paste to the largest swellings and cuts," Sally answered, fiddling around and making up a concoction of ingredients.
"Forgive me for asking but how do you know so much about medicine?" Will asked, not wanting to seem rude.
"My mother taught me some of the basics as a young girl but I mostly learnt it at Knighton Manor when I worked there from the physician that visited," Sally finished her final product and brought it over. "Right, you'll have to hold him down as this causes quite a large reaction from the body and he may struggle."
"Ok," Will gingerly took the boy's shoulders. He seemed so fragile and Will didn't want to hurt him. Sally took his chin and tipped it back pouring the liquid into his open mouth. As it slithered down Tristan's throat he jerked in a violent spasm. His legs splayed out and his fists convulsed. Will had to battle to hold the writhing boy down but it was over as soon as it started and Tristan was still.
"Let him rest now," Sally said and placed the medicine down on a table.
"Mother, is he alright?" Grace, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time stepped forward nervously.
"He's going to be fine Grace," Sally smiled, "Do you want to sit with him whilst Will and I go and have a talk." The girl nodded and pulled up a rickety chair, taking Tristan's hand in her own.
Sally beckoned the outlaw to follow her into the bright sunshine and she halted half way round the side of the house so they were shielded by the building from prying eyes. She didn't want anyone to listen into there conversation. She was almost completely certain that no one would overhear what she was about to tell Will but unfortunately she was very wrong.
As Gisborne hauled himself off the floor, his pride and dignity severely bruised he glared at all the villagers that were watching him. When they saw his fierce look they all left very quickly. He was left surrounded by a few of his guards that had hurried out of his house.
"Well, it's about time you showed up isn't it! You useless load of worthless pigs!" Gisborne spat, looking ready to explode. The guards stood stock still, looking at his half wary half expectant.
"We are sorry, my lord," one spoke up.
"And so you should be, an outlaw came into the village in broad daylight and you did not even notice him! Some guards you are!"
"Would you like some help, Sir?" another guard piped up, quivering slightly.
"Yes," Gisborne suddenly was struck with an idea that made his lip curl, "Fetch me, Ranulf." The guard nodded and backed away quickly, disappearing into Knighton Manor as quickly as a scolded puppy.
He returned several minutes later with a short, skinny man who would not looked out of place on the streets of Nottingham begging for scraps of food and money. He wore a thread bare brown jerkin and trousers not even a rat would want to sleep in. Lathered over his hair was a brown sludge that looked suspiciously like animal excrement and flies buzzed around his head incessantly that would've annoyed a normal person but were just accepted by the disgusting man. His teeth were yellow, stained and gappy and his breath, had anyone been brave enough to venture that close, smelt foul, a mixture of old fish and ale.
If anyone had been watching, though none were, Gisborne having sent them away, then they would've wondered what an earth such a revolting, stomach turning man was doing in the Manor house and why the Lord was speaking to the wretch. The answer was that Ranulf was a spy and a brilliant one at that. He blended in with the background and even if he was noticed no one would approach him for fear of catching a horrible disease. He could slip around unnoticed and hear all the gossip of the village and report it to Gisborne if anything dodgy was going on. That was how most of the plans, schemes and crimes were found out by Gisborne.
Ranulf had arrived in Knighton when he was twelve years old, homeless, freezing and starving. His father had been tried and executed for the murder of his mother, brother and sister. Ranulf was only spared because he had fought back and escaped, just. So he was an orphan, close to death, with no where to go. That had been when Gisborne's men had found him and brought him into the house. Gisborne had not taken pity on him but thought that he could prove a great asset and allowed him to stay. He was fed, watered and had shelter but he had to wear the clothes Gisborne gave him. They were repulsive, nauseating clothes but they kept him alive along with the spying.
Over the next ten years Gisborne had used the boy, manipulated him into doing his bidding and although Ranulf did not particularly enjoying grassing people up he didn't mind it either. They weren't his people, he barely knew them as he never set foot out of Knighton Manor unless it was an errand for Gisborne.
"Ranulf," Gisborne strode over to the man, not put off by the stench radiating from him, "I want you to go on a little job for me. You know Sally Wilson? Where she lives?"
"Vaguely," Ranulf replied.
"Good, an outlaw came by here earlier to rescue an injured boy. They can't have got far and I last saw them with that woman. I want to know the relevance of this boy, why the outlaw saved him. They may say they help everyone but it must have been for a reason. The outlaw risked his life for the boy as the guards could've been out any second," Gisborne said, shooting an accusing look at his guards who quickly turned their eyes to the ground, "Now go. Find out all you can." Ranulf nodded and jogged off into the crowds milling around the village.
Treading carefully, Ranulf tiptoed through the outskirts of the forest, wincing when a twig cracked beneath his foot but luckily the man and woman did not notice, too engrossed in their conversation. He took cover behind a thick tree trunk and then remained silent, listening intently to the exchanged words, his ears pricked.
"…Yes they're Marian's, the both of them." Sally nodded.
"And Robin's?" a man Ranulf had never seen before but supposed must be the outlaw asked, urgently.
"Yes," the uttered word was no more than a whisper and Ranulf had to strain to hear it. What were both Robin's – he guessed he meant Hood – and Marian's? Ranulf was intrigued. Usually all he heard about was how so and so slept with the man in the house next door or who stole some bread from Gisborne's kitchens. This was big; the spy could feel it in his bones.
"I knew it," the man looked gleeful; "This is amazing!" Ranulf could've sworn the young man looked close to punching the air in delight.
"Shh, Will, keep it down," Sally quietened him.
"Robin and Marian! I can't believe it!" Will grinned. Can't believe what? Ranulf desperately wanted to ask.
"But it was ten years ago, remember," Sally reminded him.
"Still, they're both here! Alive! The spitting images," Will answered. Who's he talking about? Robin and Marian? Ranulf frowned, trying to link the information together.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Sally admitted, "Gossip spreads, people will notice and then Gisborne might find out. What will happen to them then?"
"We can take them, into the forest." Will declared. "They'll be safe there. Tristan's already with us." A name! Ranulf frantically searched his vast mind database of all the villagers and people but he knew no one going by the name Tristan.
"But Grace, she's only young, how will she survive?" Sally looked tearful.
"She'll be with her father," the outlaw replied simply and Ranulf suddenly made the connection. Oh god. "Which reminds me, if Tristan was sent to the Abbey why was Grace not too?" Sally cast her eyes down, looking guilty.
"I didn't know there was to be twins. Edward had arranged for a babe to be taken and I hated it. How could Lady Marian give up her child? I would've given anything to keep him. But Sir Edward was final and the child was taken away. Edward told me to clean Marian up and put her to bed. I did as I was told and went back into the bedroom. It was then, when Marian began to be in more pain from contractions, that I knew another child was coming. She gave birth to it just but fell unconscious as soon as the little girl was out. Edward did not know of her, Marian hardly knew of her, no other servants had seen her born so I just took her. I had been recently been married to my husband, Oliver, and we were trying for a child. I figured that it was the will of God to give us this child. I made sure Marian was alive and then, wrapping the babe in my cloak, headed quickly to my own home. I told my husband what had happened and he was delighted to take the child in. Soon after I left my job and got another in the fields. We took the baby under our name and told everyone it was ours. We named her Grace which had been Lady Marian's chosen name." Will stared at her and then nodded mutely.
"I think…that must have been a better life than living in an Abbey," he announced.
"The best life would've been for both children to live with their mother and grow up together with Robin reinstated as a Lord and their father. That should've been their life. Had it not been for the terrible circumstances it would've been. Those two wonderful children deserved a better childhood."
"Well, maybe they can have it now," Will suggested, running a hand through his hair.
"Not with Marian still married to Gisborne they can't," Sally replied quietly.
Ranulf closed his mouth from where it was hanging loosely open. Robin and Marian had two children! That must have been the injured boy, he guessed and Sally's eldest daughter, that was their child! This was all too much information for Ranulf to keep to himself. He had to find Gisborne and tell him the news!
Whoop! That was quite a long one! More description than I realised. Hope you still liked it! Please review!