As soon as the knight actually faced this ... entity called Herne - somewhere in the heart of the forest, in a cave that could only be reached by boat - the thought suddenly occurred to him that this was sheer madness and he had better do without it. But he was not sure if he was in a position to do anything about it. He was also not sure whether this was a situation in which he was allowed to resist.
"Shouldn't you take care of the Earl first?" he nevertheless made an attempt to stop the whole thing. He was aware that this was no more than half-hearted, but he had not come up with anything else in a hurry.
Hood glanced at him from the side and probably could not - or would not - prevent a hint of a smile from playing around his lips. "Don't worry. I've already sent someone to deliver the warning to him. You don't have to assume I didn't take you seriously. Moreover, I would not risk the life of my ... the Earl just because you are the one who pointed out the threat to me." He paused and looked once more at the knight, as if to assess how the other was faring at that moment. Yet, Gisburne would definitely not have expected his next words. "I have some troubles, too, whenever I am asked to go on such a dream journey," he admitted, surprisingly, perhaps in an attempt to reassure the knight.
Gisburne was about to tell him he was not afraid when he realized that would be a lie. Of course, this would not be his first lie and he could well claim that he had practice in not telling the truth - although the Sheriff always denied him that ability - so he was now certain he would only be saying this since he had always acted like this in such a situation. As soon as he became aware of it, he shut his mouth once again - which he had already opened - for it seemed better to him to refrain from uttering anything. He had simply to accept the fact that he had once again gotten himself into an inconvenient situation.
"Entwined are the paths that fate hath laid out," Herne announced rather unexpectedly, holding up an ornate drinking horn from which steam was rising.
Gisburne sighed, for he assumed that the other one would now hand him this horn, but instead the ... man turned around and poured the brew into two cups that stood ready on a kind of altar. Only then did he turn back to the outlaw and the knight.
"Drink!" he urged the men, thereby surprising both of them. Hood obviously had not expected to participate in this 'dream journey' and Gisburne had not assumed such a thing either, for it made no sense to him. After all, the outlaw could hardly participate in his dream. Or was he mistaken in this respect? But that would not be surprising, for he had no inkling of such things.
On the other hand, the younger of the two men had gained so much experience with Herne that he knew it would be of no use if he protested. For this reason, he grabbed one of the cups, put it to his lips and downed the contents, failing to suppress a grimace.
"I must warn you," he turned to Gisburne afterwards. "As usual, this tastes pretty awful." He grinned, set the cup back on the altar, and settled down at once on a pile of skins. "And it takes effect rather quickly."
All at once the knight realized that Hood's grin was somewhat infectious. This, however, was not what prompted him to reach for the other cup to swallow the brew himself. But he had remembered what had brought him to this place, and after forcing himself to push aside his doubts that had arisen once more, he now wanted to get it over with. In the hope that he would actually learn something that could help him.
First, though, he had to admit that Hood was right. "Not even the worst wine the Sheriff serves tastes this awful," he tried to joke, but he then felt himself getting a little dizzy suddenly. Apparently Hood was right about the other thing, as well. The knight settled down quickly next to the outlaw, who had already laid himself down in the meantime. Gisburne decided to follow his example. No sooner had he lain down than his eyes closed as if of their own accord.
xoxoxox
xoxoxox
Once again he found himself in the forest that was familiar to him from so many dreams and yet he did not know it at all. Once again he felt the exhaustion that had gripped him after a full day of fighting, and once again he felt relief at being able to recover for a moment. This time, however, he was aware of what awaited him, which provided him with yet another reason to take advantage of this opportunity.
When he looked around, he noticed all around him his comrades - who were also exhausted and in some cases injured - but it was difficult to make them out in the ever-denser mist. There must surely been magic involved here, making it difficult for them to evade the enemy and find their way back to their allies. Although this time he knew what was coming, he still felt himself hoping that his father was still alive, otherwise everything they had gone through and suffered during that day would be in vain.
But he also knew that they could not remain here. They had to move on and could only hope that they had chosen the right direction. Unfortunately, there was no way for them to confirm this.
xoxoxox
The woods looked different from what he was used to, but that did not change the fact that he and his comrades had to keep moving. Obviously, the enemy had used magic to make it harder for them, so they had to be even more alert now to avoid being caught off guard. Any mistake in this regard could lead to their defeat and they could not afford that under any circumstances. There was too much at stake for that.
If they did not prevail in this today, the whole realm would come to an end, at least as they knew it. Untold numbers of people would lose their lives, not only himself and those close to him, but a great many more, even people who had not consciously chosen to fight - or to take sides.
xoxoxox
Although he had known what was coming, he was surprised as the other fighters suddenly emerged from the mist. Obviously, he could not use his knowledge to prevent the course of events. Unfortunately, he had to accept what was about to happen. Yet again he crossed blades with a man he could not really identify, and he could only assume that magic was involved in this case as well. How else could everything have unfolded like this?
The spell was broken the moment he embedded his blade in the other man's body. To his great horror, he – again - realized at that moment against whom he had fought and all his strength left him, so that he sank to the ground just like the other one.
"Father!" he exclaimed in dismay, although the absurd thought occurred to him - quite unexpectedly - that while the man was as dark in appearance as Sir Edmund, he otherwise bore no resemblance whatsoever to his mother's husband. Not to mention that he would never have called this man 'father'. He had never been able to detect anything but cruelty and contempt on the face of the detested crusader, but the man with the grayish beard, who was now facing him, showed him nothing but understanding ... but of course pain as well.
"What have you done?" he was suddenly approached by someone else from the side. With an effort, he raised his head and caught sight of another - also older - fighter, who at that moment took off his helmet, revealing his dark shoulder-length hair and a handsome face.
xoxoxox
"I didn't mean to," the young fair-haired man brought out in a cracked voice. If his face had not been distorted with pain, he could have been called handsome. "I failed to recognize him." He seemed to be despaired.
"Let him be," the injured man interfered now. "It's not his fault. My sister has quite obviously cast a spell over these woods." He coughed, but fortunately there was no blood. Perhaps the injury was not as serious as he had previously thought.
"Let me see that wound, my King," he begged the other one, kneeling down beside him.
xoxoxox
"There is no time for this," his father objected, clutching the arm of the other fighter. "My Friend, you must take my son and my spouse to safety. Only to you will I entrust them."
"But the battle, Father," he brought forth.
"The battle is lost. We must now salvage what we still hold, my Son," the other admonished him in an astonishingly firm voice. "You are injured as well. You and I have both accomplished quite a feat." The grin that played around the other's lips seemed rather out of place.
The words caused him to look down at himself and only then did he notice the blood pouring from a wound in his side. However, he still did not feel any pain. Nor did he consider his life to be more important than that of his father. Or than the outcome of the battle.
"If we run now, we will let the people down. And we also know very well what lies will be told about us."
The other one coughed again, but still there was no blood staining his lips. "They will tell these lies about us even after we are dead."
xoxoxox
He realized that the King was right, even if he did not like it. "What will become of you, my King?" he wished to know then from his friend.
"I'll stay with him," another voice rang out at that moment, and then the King's foster brother knelt beside the injured man. "You take the rest away. If it is possible for us, we will follow you to your home."
With a nod he gave his consent, for suddenly he experienced an immense exhaustion. However, he looked once again with affection upon his injured friend and then - quite unexpectedly - he observed how his facial features were changing. All of a sudden he seemed much younger, his face was narrower, he no longer sported a beard, and instead of brown eyes he looked at green ones.
Then, with a start, he heard the prince gasp for air, and his eyes turned at once to him.
xoxoxox
"What is going on here?" he exclaimed, alarmed, when he saw his father's features change and he instead beheld a different face, but one that was well known to him too.
"I don't know," his father's friend replied, sounding as surprised as he was. When he looked up, however, he had to realize that the man had changed as well. Instead of the straight dark hair that until just a moment ago had brushed his shoulders, he was all of a sudden fair-haired. And he had seen the face only a short time ago.
"You," he only managed to utter at that moment, for he no longer understood anything at all. What was Robin Hood doing in his dream, and even twice?
xoxoxox
Now it was his turn to gasp in shock when, instead of the young man kneeling beside his father, whom he had injured, he suddenly spotted Gisburne staring at him in dismay. This made no sense at all. Why was he even in the knight's dream? That should not be possible. Herne had a lot to explain to him.
xoxoxox
xoxoxox
Once again, the knight had the impression that he had to fight his way to the surface of the water, and he had to do it before he ran out of air. He knew all too well how it felt to drown, after all, he had been through that many years ago. Back then when Loxley had ...
Loxley! Abruptly, Gisburne sucked in air while simultaneously widening his eyes. But instead of the trees he expected to see at that very moment, he was looking at the roof of a cave. Then he heard someone else gasping for air next to him, and suddenly he recalled where he was.
"What were you doing in my dream, Hood?" he snapped at the outlaw as soon as he had caught his breath.
"Why did you bring me into your dream, Gisburne?" the other one posed a question to him at the same time.
"The paths do cross time and again," Herne let himself be heard. His words silenced both men, who only at that moment realized that they were still lying next to each other on the skins. And they were both trying to get back on their feet. Which in both cases required some time.
"Which paths?" the knight demanded to know, his tone suggesting that for an instant he seemed to have forgotten where he was.
"Don't expect a straight answer," Robin Hood muttered, all too familiar with the ways of Herne.
Gisburne snorted. "The Sheriff doesn't always express himself clearly either. In those cases, I always pretend not to understand. That's turned out to be a good tactic. Especially in regard to my health." He then surprised the outlaw with an outburst of laughter, for he had never heard anything like that from the other man. And he would not have expected it at that very moment.
He was about to comment on this when at the last moment he thought better of it and turned to Herne instead.
"What does it signify that I have appeared in his dream?" he tried to get an answer now.
"And Loxley," Gisburne added, reminding Hood of the other man who had also undergone a change of appearance in the dream. He had not known who this was, since he had never met his predecessor.
"This was Loxley? The ... King?"
"King?" Now it was the knight's turn to wonder. "That's right, you called him King. But to me he was just my father. But who were we supposed to be in the dream? I can't wrap my head around it, I just think it is immensely important. Not only for me."
"The past and the future are entangled and cannot be separated from one another. What once was, will be again," Herne let himself be heard anew.
"What once was ...", Robin Hood repeated, while at the same time trying to recall something else. It was something he had been through, but which he believed was related to the knight's dream. But he got distracted by another thought, for suddenly he recalled that Gisburne had to bring the Earl before the King. Back then, when his uncle Edgar had tried to take his brother's place, although he really had no part in the succession of House Huntingdon. Of course, the knight knew nothing of this familial relationship, and yet Robin was sure that the events in the dream had something to do with it as well. Even so, the outlaw was not sure if Gisburne would have cared if he had known who he was placing in chains. In stark contrast to the reaction of his dream-self. Apparently, the Gisburne in the dream was not identical to the one in real life. But had he not already undergone a change?
"A father and son facing each other in battle..." the knight suddenly voiced his thoughts aloud. "But why should I keep dreaming about this?" Obviously, he could not believe it and he was not able to conceal this from the other two.
"Of course!" they both exclaimed at the same time and then looked at each other in amazement. It was only then that they realized that they were still sitting next to each other.
"But ..." the knight stammered. "I always thought the King and his son were at war." He did not seem to know what to make of what he had now had learned about his dream.
"This was all so long ago, so it's not surprising if the tale has since been told wrong. I just have to keep in mind all that's being said about Loxley, and that was only a few years ago."
"That may be so, but why am I dreaming about it?", Gisburne revealed again that he could not believe what he had learned here.
"There are people who walk the face of the earth more than once," was Herne's contribution to this, but apparently this was of no help to the knight. Perhaps this was due to the fact that it did not fit with his Christian faith. At least that would explain a lot for Robin.
Suddenly the other man leapt up and ran out of the cave. Hood glanced quickly at Herne - who did not seem the least bit worried - before running outside himself. He expected the knight to have already gone to the boat and be on his way to the opposite shore of the lake, but then he realized he was mistaken, for Gisburne was crouching on the narrow ledge, his face hidden in his hands.
"Guy," he addressed him in a soft voice.
The other one lowered his hands, but did not look up. "That's more than I can stand," he finally brought out.
Robin hesitated briefly, but then settled down next to the other one, though he remained silent, mainly since he had absolutely no idea what to say about this. The dream had shaken him too, especially who they had represented, if he wanted to say so. He was pretty sure he knew who he had been, though, and did not consider that to be a problem, but he could well understand Guy's discomfort with it. Not only was he obviously horrified to have injured his father, he had also come to realize that what he thought he knew about the persons appearing in his dream did not correspond to reality. It seemed to make no difference that this reality - and Robin had as little doubt as the knight that the dream represented the truth - had turned out to be a better version.
"You didn't hurt your father on purpose and he understood that. He was very concerned for your safety," he tried to console the other one somewhat. But that did not change the fact that he still could not explain what the dream was all about. Was he supposed to believe that he was a reincarnation of...?
"But what does this have to do with me? Why have I dreamed of this all my life?"
Robin could only shake his head. "I don't know," he had to admit. "I don't know what this has to do with me, either. Or with my predecessor."
"Loxley!" groaned Guy. "The man haunts me even ten years after his death. But he's always been persistent."
This was so unexpected that the outlaw could not suppress a giggle, which then turned into a laugh. And then he heard - also not expected - how the knight joined in this laughter.
It took the two men a while to calm down once again. After that, they remained sitting mutely next to each other for a time, until a thought struck Robin.
"Maybe the dream has come to an end now," he opined.
"Why? Because I took the warning seriously? But that wasn't the first time. The only difference is that I didn't have the chance to do so in Nottingham previously," Sir Guy replied.
"Why couldn't you? You knew it was a warning," Robin was unable to contain his curiosity.
The other one grimaced and the outlaw expected to get no answer. But in that respect he was mistaken.
"Because I realized very soon that it wasn't going to do me any good. I was never in a position to change anything."
Robin would never have thought of hearing this from the knight's lips. At the same time, he realized for the first time that he had never before given any thought to what life in Nottingham would be like for his brother.
"Why did you choose to stay?" He had already posed the question before he had a chance to think about whether it was a good idea to ask the other one about this subject.
But contrary to Robin's fears, Gisburne did not react aggressively, and then he even responded to him. "Because I have nowhere else to go." Then he added. "And now I'm stuck in Sherwood."
"But you can't stay here." Once again, Robin had just said what was on his mind without thinking about it.
"I figured as much." The outlaw had the impression that Gisburne seemed far too calm, and that worried him.
"I meant that life in Sherwood is not for you. You're not cut out for that kind of thing. I didn't mean I'm going to run you out of here," he hastened to explain, which earned him an astonished look from the other.
"Then I have no place to stay, for there's no way I'm going back to Nottingham," he only stated in a resigned voice, however.
"That's not true," Robin disagreed with him immediately, for something had occurred to him. And he was of the opinion that he had to help the knight in the process of changing.
"Is not?"
"You could go to Huntingdon." Not so long ago, there would have been no way the outlaw was going to make such a suggestion. But then he would not have believed that Gisburne was capable of changing either.
"To Huntingdon? Why should your father take me into his service?" the knight demanded to know.
"Is your warning not a strong reason?" the leader of the outlaws raised a counter-question.
"In order to do that, he would have to know that it came from me," was the reply.
Now it was Robin's turn to give the other man an astonished look.
"Did you believe I would withhold that from him?"
The knight nodded. "The Sheriff would have definitely kept something like that to himself," he explained then.
Hood snorted. "I resent being compared to de Rainault," he insisted, and he meant it.
"I'm sorry," the knight replied, thus surprising Hood once again, who had never heard Gisburne apologize in the past. He tried not to let his surprise show, however, and therefore he continued straight away.
"You should leave for Huntingdon as soon as possible. In secrecy, of course. Once the Earl has taken you in, he can also see to it that the Sheriff grants you your release. And since de Rainault doesn't know that you've been eavesdropping on him and the King, he won't assume that you've warned the Earl. The events that have occurred recently should suffice as an explanation."
The knight nodded. "De Rainault tried to sacrifice me to save himself. Maybe he figured out on his own that we'd better part ways. Without bloodshed," he voiced his thoughts then.
"The Earl is good at that sort of thing," Hood tried to encourage the other man to go to Huntingdon. Even though he did not want to tell him anything about his real motives at this point. But he was now hopeful that he could, after all, eventually tell the other one who his father was without it resulting in disaster. He could not deny that Gisburne had changed, as surprising as that was. Especially when he considered how quickly this had happened now. Still, Robin was of the opinion that this change would persist.
Suddenly he realized that he had to point something out.
"I just meant that the reason the dream may no longer haunt you is that now you know more about it. You've been able to see more than you had before."
"And if not? I won't say I wouldn't like it, though," the other one wanted to know.
"Then we will both have to embark on this journey yet again together," Robin commented offhandedly, extending his hand to the knight to affirm this.
The other gazed into his face for a long moment, as if to assure himself of his true intentions, but then he took the hand offered to him.
The two men were unaware, however, that Herne was watching them with a pleased expression on his face as they shook hands.
"You've earned some respite," he murmured then, but those words were meant only for himself. He had no intention of depriving them of the peace of mind they had just gained. There was, after all, the possibility that the whole issue was settled with this. It was not completely out of the question.
He turned and went back into the cave, knowing he could leave the two men to their own devices. With their paths now having crossed in a peaceful manner, neither of them wanted to change that again. Herne was content.
