Friday is Guyday on Tumblr, so this update comes at an appropriate time.
funnygirl00: I know I've already replied to you via PM, but I figured I'd thank you here, too. :)
greenveilbride: Yes, Guy is hot and gorgeous, and he'll definitely receive a better fate in this story!
fiamma71: Oh my dear, I'm always so happy to read your reviews. They always make me think, and you always pick up on little hints I consciously or subconsciously drop. :) The parallel you drew between Guy looking over his shoulder at Ajsa and of Thorin looking at Bilbo during the acorn discussion is something I hadn't considered, but I can easily imagine their expressions to be similar. And as for the "symmetrical nature" of the chapter...that was indeed intentional. As you've previously pointed out, I am constantly comparing and contrasting Gisborne and Ajsa, because they are two sides of the same coin.
Sesshomaru's Babydoll: I hope your final papers turned out well! I'm always ready to provide a distraction (since writing these fics is my distraction). :) It's not so much writer's block-I have ideas-so much as lack of will. That, and I've been struggling with emotional issues lately... But don't worry, I will not leave a story unfinished! (I finished Soul Healing, and that was a BEAST)
Maldon: Update posted! Though rather tardy, I fear. :/
Nemascena: There are different types of intimacy, and I'd say Guy and Ajsa have achieved one of them already. They'll get to physical intimacy eventually, though. (This is a slow-burn fic for various reasons)
williewildcat: Yes, Guy feels something, but he can't discern what yet. He definitely feels gratitude-as much as Guy could ever feel gratitude, haha-, but he's awkward with feelings, especially now. And I think he realizes he makes all sorts of allowances for Ajsa, who, for the time period, is a bit of a nuisance. But I think he sees something of himself in her, or at least in her situation. That, and I believe deep down he's a decent person. We've seen him capable of goodness. Marian brought that out, and Ajsa continues to bring it out.
My goodness, the last chapter was popular! Thank you! I hope this chapter is equally pleasing. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 9: Storm
The months had not been kind to Gisborne, nor Gisborne to them. Ajsa watched him sink ever deeper into an abyss of anger and drink, anguish and sleepless nights. He walked around the manor as though he were a shade. He barely ate, barely spoke, and when he was not at the castle doing the Sheriff's bidding, he was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. His passion was extinguished; his ambition, withered. Those sharp, expressive eyes were now dull and cold.
Although Gisborne had sought a semblance of comfort in her, Ajsa actually had very little idea of what tormented him so. The other servants whispered amongst themselves-rumors, most likely-truths, perhaps. They said Alan had rejoined Robin Hood, who had gone rogue after returning from the Holy Land. That much she'd been able to glean from Guy, as well, but precisely what had caused such turmoil, she did not know.
But she suspected.
Gisborne sometimes cried out at night. A woman's name. Marian. When Ajsa had asked him about her, he'd reacted violently. The wall still bore a dark red stain where his goblet of wine had struck it. She held her tongue on the matter after that, and if Guy had been less mired in his guilt and grief, he might have noticed.
It was on a stormy night, exactly three months since the event, that she would finally discover the terrible truth.
"Did you have someone back in Hungary?"
Ajsa looked up, startled, from the shirt she was mending. Gisborne had torn it during a drunken brawl in the tavern. When Vaisey learned of the incident, he'd nearly torn it further with the point of his sword.
"I was...," she trailed off, her glance darting from one piece of furniture to the next. Aside from the time they had commiserated over losing their fathers, he'd shown little interest in her personal life. As a result, Ajsa was at a loss for words.
"I had...family," she finally said.
Instead of the mocking reply she was expecting, Gisborne asked, "And a husband?"
"If I did, I certainly do not anymore," she retorted, with a glare in his direction. However, he seemed oblivious to it.
"Did you love him? Surely you must have." Guy paused, his face transfixed into an expression so tender that it made Ajsa's heart skip a beat. "And he would come after you, rescue you from my clutches. He would take you back home, where you would be together and happy."
His eyes shone with something wistful, and Ajsa realized she had never been the focus of his attention. Grasping this rare moment of calm, she ventured into potentially dangerous territory.
"Where is Marian, Guy?"
He looked at her. For an instant, his features were still soft, and she marveled at that softness directed towards her. Then they hardened in an alarmingly familiar manner.
"That is not your concern," he snapped. "You will address me as Sir Guy, my lord, or master, for that is what I am. How many times must I demand this of you?" Gisborne stood and advanced upon her, looming over her seated figure. A flash of lightning illuminated his sneer. "Do not confuse a moment of vulnerability with equality. You are not my equal, and you never shall be."
Ajsa met his gaze unflinchingly. The fire in his breast had been rekindled, if only temporarily, but she would not balk at it.
"And you wonder why she does not want you?"
A deafening crack of thunder rattled the windows, like a harbinger of her doom. His hand rose, poised to strike. She braced herself.
But the blow never came.
He collapsed at her feet, his face shrouded by the black of his hair. A hitched breath, a sob, and before Ajsa knew what she was doing, her fingers were in those long, wavy strands.
She froze, but Gisborne only drew closer, leaning his forehead against her knees. Her dress quickly grew damp, and he clutched at the bottom of it as though it were a lifeline.
"No, I don't wonder," came his muffled reply. "I know why she does not want me." A harsh, self-deprecating laugh. "And who could blame her? She chose Hood because he's good. He doesn't kill the woman he loves merely because she loves another."
Her hands, which had been stroking his hair, suddenly stilled. Feeling her stiffen, he looked up at her. There was no malice in his gaze, only pain.
"I ran her through," he continued raggedly. "She told me she loved Robin Hood-had always loved Robin Hood-, and I ran her through." His voice broke, and he dropped his gaze. "I didn't mean to. How could I? But the sword was in my hand...she was before me..., and I-"
Gisborne broke off, his demeanor changing.
"Now you know," he said, with a bitter laugh. "I have committed horrendous crimes in the past, Ajsa, but if they have not damned me, this one undoubtedly has. Marian brought peace where ever she went. I bring tragedy."
Not for the first time that night, Ajsa struggled to make sense of her thoughts and feelings. There was disgust, yes, and a hint of hatred. Yet tempering those emotions was a generous dose of pity and sympathy. And Gisborne saw it all.
"The fact that you do not spurn me is a testament to your kindness," he remarked. His grip on her dress loosened, as he composed himself. Standing, he touched her shoulder. "But it is misplaced. I am, after all, the Devil's right hand man."
He fetched the pitcher of wine and headed for the stairs. His foot was on the first step, when Ajsa finally found her voice.
"No, you are not." Gisborne turned to regard her curiously. "You are not the Devil's right hand man. He would not weep into his slave's kirtle."
His lips twitched as he glanced at the dark spots on her light blue dress. Then, with a slight nod at her, he began his ascent.