Hi this is another late uploading but I think it was worth it, although that is up to you to decide I hope that you will agree with me though so read and let me know. Enjoy!

Chapter 8,

They Cannot Take Her,

Madison and Isabella halted their horses outside the bakery, and proceeded on foot around to the back of the shop, where in the shadows they found a man, in a deep hood leaning against the back wall, he looked up and pushed his hood back when he saw who it was.

"Robin thank goodness you're here there is much to tell." Madison began,

"What have you found out about Gisborne?" Robin asked,

"He's not in a good way, and I fear he may be worse off now." Isabella replied,

"What do you mean?"

"When I left his cell Vaisey was just walking in and I can guarantee that isn't going to be a good thing, Justin Lacey is there but I doubt there is anything he can do to stop what that man is intending." She explained,

"Justin Lacey…you mean Joe Lacey's boy?" Robin asked,

"Yes."

"But Gisborne killed his father he hates him." Robin protested,

"Well it seems they have put their differences aside." Isabella informed,

"And how can you be sure of this?" Robin questioned,

"Because I was in the cell helping my brother, when he came in and saw what I was doing, but it appeared he had already made a trip to the kitchen in order to secure some decent food." She continued,

"So he can be counted on to help us when the time comes?" Robin asked, seeing Justin as a source of help from the inside,

"Yes he said that he had already resigned and transferred to my regiment, but not literally because he hasn't said a word to the Prince, as far as I can tell." She answered,

"Do you know how the execution is going down and when…for certain?" He asked,

"Yes unfortunately." She replied,

"Why?"

"Because this is a new low in cruelty even for the Prince…no offense." Isabella said, addressing Madison as she apologized,

"None taken I know what my brother is, but I love him all the same, because like your brother there is a good deep down inside of him, that he doesn't know he has, many times I have been fortunate enough to see it. But he always manages to fall back into the rut he has dug himself…he really just wants to be loved, because he is upset that his brother stole the thrown, and don't think it to be a lie, I was in their family and I know what happened inside it." Madison explained, in a forceful somewhat harsh tone as she recalled what happened to remove her from her own family,

No one spoke for a while as they absorbed what Madison had just said, half because of disbelief and half because she might well be right, but Robin finally broke the silence.

"Can you make him realize what he is doing is no way to go about gaining the thrown?" He asked,

"No there is no chance I fear that it is to late for him, but I will defend him if the time comes, even if it means I have to defend him from you, Robin." She answered, with an 'I mean it' tone in her voice,

"But that is not why we are here…Gisborne is our priority, if you would continue Isabella." She reminded,

Isabella cleared her throat before she spoke, "Prince John has shown me, how he intends to kill me brother…he has a large brass bull, hidden in his storage room." She began,

"A brass bull?" Robin asked nearly shocked by what she had said,

"Yes it's huge, and he intends to place my brother inside it while the feast is underway, he intends to cook him from the inside out, because the brass will act as an oven, and there has to be some kind of fire set around to induce the heat…so before any of this happens I beg you to save him before he climbs into it." She explained, a detectable hint of sorrow and despair in her tone,

"You're right my brother has sunk to a new level of cruelty…but there is nothing I can do." Madison said regretfully,

Just then as they spoke they were interrupted by a panting, Justin.

"What are you doing here?" Isabella asked, while Madison tried to hide a girlish smile that sparked when she saw Justin outside of his usual chain mail armor, and black heavy clothing,

Justin was an orange haired man and had been spared the traditional freckles that came with the color, but his green emerald eyes, shone with heart warming, influence, as they peered straight at Madison. His skin was fair, and mildly tanned despite the well covering, clothing that he wore, but now he had dressed, in a light brown shirt and slightly darker leggings, with an autumn tunic, that complimented his gently features, and carrot hair.

Madison diverted her eyes to Robin, then Isabella, and then unconsciously back to Justin again, who smiled warmly at her despite his immense concern that showed in his constantly furrowed brow, though the others couldn't tell who he was really looking at. She still thought that the way she acted around Gisborne, implied that she had feelings for the man, but it was not like that at all, she only cared about reconciling things with him, for what she did. Because she was often secretly finding herself in Justin's company, and passionate embrace.

"We have a problem." He began,

"What kind of problem?" Robin demanded,

"I just witnessed a girl being thrown into the dungeon for stealing food, I'm guessing she's one of you by the way she acts am I right?" Justin replied and asked,

"Kate...I thought she was gone longer than usual...we have to get her out there's no telling what the guards will do to her because she's a girl and Guy can't defend her his to weak." Robin said dreadfully,

"No my brother might be cruel but he would never allow anything like this." Madison protested,

"And how do you know?" Robin demanded,

"Because you should have been there when I told him what the slave trader had...done to me." She said, her voice falling croaky as she paused slightly,

"Okay say that he would protect her for now, that just means that we have someone else we need to rescue before the feast tonight...and now we have to change everything." Robin explained,

"No we don't, I've seen first hand what Kate is capable of, and she would be a big help in freeing my brother, if she was allowed to stay in his cell, and help him escape when we break him out of that death trap." Isabella protested, "Because he cares about his reputation, just think of how it would look if he put Guy in that thing while the feast was underway, they would begin to question who they are loyal to." She added,

"Isabella is right, and I'll make sure nothing happens…with a bit of Justin's help." Madison agreed,

"Alright but if anything happens to her then I am hanging it over both your heads…is there anything else you want to tell me?" He asked, before he even thought about returning to his gang,

"Yes Gisborne now has a knife wound in his left shoulder, Vaisey stabbed him." Justin informed,

"What…why?" Robin asked,

"He said he wanted to see Gisborne's blood, and was also babbling about loyalty, and incompetence, he said that he wanted to be the one to make Sir Guy pay." He continued,

"We are going to finish him off once and for all, when we rescue Gisborne we kill the sheriff, and this time make sure he's dead." Robin said insistently, before he then turned and returned the hood over his head, before he walked off down the alley way,

"So shall we get back to the castle before we are missed?" Isabella asked,

"Well actually I have the rest of the day off and I was wandering…if the Princess would like to take a ride with me?" He asked, his emerald eyes peering straight into Madison's,

"I would be…delighted." She agreed, trying to find a way to express her happiness in simple terms as Isabella was there,

"Well I hope you two enjoy yourselves, just make sure your back before this afternoon, when the feast starts." Isabella reminded, before she picked up a length of her dress and walked back towards the horses,

Meanwhile in the castle dungeons, Kate was perhaps the only one who refused Guy any help, infact she distanced herself, the whole length of the cell away from him, because she sat in the opposite corner, with her legs tightly placed to her chest. She didn't want to help him because she was ashamed and upset, and despite how hard she could appear to be on the outside, she sometimes tore down her own walls, and broke down.

As she sat by herself, she couldn't stop the tears that streamed down her face; she was upset that her doubting of Gisborne's loyalty lead to the gruesome injuries that he was now sporting around on his body. She buried her head in her knees, with her eyes tightly closed; trying to rid the image of his battered body from her mind, but it didn't work; only causing her to cry harder.

On the other side of the cell Guy was also upset about someone, but not in the form of Kate, because at that moment regardless of who else was in the cell with him, Marian descended beside his lifeless form. She knelt down, the roses still where they were the last time he saw her, her face still as lovely as they last time they had met, the taste of her that was still on his lips made him crave the passion of her kiss once again.

He smiled fondly at her through the pain, and she smiled lovingly back at him, the sheer sight of her made him pay less attention to his pain, and instead the sadness, that he was feeling.

"Why did you let this happen to me?" He asked, while trying to stifle a sob,

At first Kate thought he was talking to her, but she soon noticed that he didn't even make a move to look in her direction, could he be even angrier with her than she thought. And even though he wasn't addressing her, his words stung her heart, like a conviction, because in all truth it was her fault he was here, because she was the one who doubted his loyalty and had indeed resorted to torturing him to find out what was going on. This made her sob even harder than before.

"I told you Guy there is nothing I can do." Marian reminded,

"Yes but you said you loved me…you professed to love me while I was being tortured, and now you let me sit here and await my end?" He convicted, an angelic tear fell of her cheek and landed on his chest, it glowed for a mere moment before it faded,

"If Robin cannot save you Guy then I will do whatever is in my power to save you regardless of the boundaries." She assured,

"As much as I think that is noble of you my love…I cannot allow you to do so, I have only just found you, and I do not wish to loose you for a second time." He protested, not even aware that Kate was listening to his side of the conversation, because she couldn't see Marian,

"You saw how I could look after myself when I was the Nightwatchman…and now I can take care of myself and you as well." She said,

"That is not the point." Guy interjected,

"That is not the reason for my being here Guy…they are coming for you." She said,

"What do you mean…who is coming for me?" He nearly demanded,

"I am not sure if it is just you they are after, it might be Kate." She explained, when Marian had mention Kate Guy instantly turned his head to glance in her direction, she looked so small from his point of view, she was no longer the fighting spirit he knew,

"No they cannot take her!" Guy said in a raised voice, Kate whipped her head up, to see that Guy had his trademark scowl, furrowing his features, what was happening to him? Was he running a fever? Was he delirious?

"She is a woman do you have any idea what they could do to her?" Guy asked, his voice a dark rumble,

"Guy I have already crossed the line once for you, I cannot interfere any further with this life, or risk my own where I am now." She said, regretfully,

"Surely there is something you can do, I would rather die then see her…see her…" Guy trailed off; he couldn't bring himself to say, he didn't want to see her raped or someone forcing themselves upon her; he looked over at Kate who was starring intently at him,

"You know I would do something if I could you know I am not the kind of person to stand by and watch something bad happen because I was too afraid to do the right thing, no that is why I created the Nightwatchman…for that specific reason." She explained,

"I know, and I am sorry I didn't mean it that way." He apologized, as he directed his attention to her once again,

"Do not worry…you forget I can see into your heart and mind, I know you did not mean it that way and I am sorry for snapping at you." She apologized,

"You need not apologize to me; I have yet to apologize ten times over before you offer me an apology." He stated, she simply caressed his forehead with the back of her hand in understanding, and compassion,

"Kiss me." He whispered so that Marian would be the only one to hear him,

"With pleasure my love." She agreed,

She leant over and kissed him first on the forehead, and then the lips, holding it for several seconds, before she then drew away, leaving Guy mesmerized by her heavenly interaction.

"You always had a way with me Marian, why didn't you decide to use it for good long before this?" He asked, still in a whispered tone,

"Because Guy I was a fool…forgive me for what I am about to do." She suddenly broke off into a sorrowful tone,

"Why what's the matter?" He asked,

"For leaving you and…" She stopped herself from continuing,

"And what?" Guy urged, Marian simply kissed her softly on the cheek before she faded into nothing,

Images soon hit him, and he let out a gasp of pain, as his mind switched from this to that, from an image to an event, to a face, to another face, to an outline, and a design, and then it was gone. He had unconsciously raised both hands to his temples to try and stop the pain that radiated there, even though nothing was happening to him, he let out a deep breath as he opened his eyes comprehending what had just happened.

It hit him Marian had just shown him how he was going to die, and in a way what she was going to do, but he just didn't know it, and so he only saw what was going to happen to Kate and himself when they were to be executed. He tried to rise into a sitting, position but his mortal body was giving him much grief as he did so, but his burning spirit forced his thoughts into actions, and he leaned lazily against the wall.

He drew several heavy breaths, while Kate starred at him worriedly, he appeared to be watching the rise and fall of his own chest, trying to regulate his heavy breathing, because it brought misery, finally he looked at her.

Well this is quite interesting isn't it, what will Guy do to keep Kate out of the hands of trouble when he is in a dire condition already, and what will happen to him if he does interfere, will Vaisey be back to teach him another lesson?