The Nightwatchman (English)(From Ashes Vol.2)

Chapter 51 - Untouched by the Flames

Guy slowed the black stallion to stay alongside Robin's horse. The outlaw had the face covered by the hood of his cloak, and the two men ignored each other, as if they were just two travelers riding along the same road.
"I saw your arrow near the camp entrance," Robin said without looking at Guy. "Something happened?"
"It's three weeks since you don't call the Nightwatchman. Yet I know you've taken away the latest supplies headed to Nottingham's kitchens. Without me."
"You are injured, should I have called you all the same?"
"Three weeks, Hood. There's barely a scar left of the stupid scratch you left on my arm."
"It wasn't so stupid if people could hear your screams of pain from the other side of Locksley."
Guy snorted, irritated.
"Like it's such a big village..."
"In any case it wasn't just a scratch."
"So? It's completely healed by now. What is it, don't you trust me anymore? That's the reason? Do you think Archer has a bad influence on me? Yet you must know it's part of the plan."
Robin stared at him.
"Stop it, Gisborne, don't be stupid. If I didn't call you, it's just because I was worried about your health. In the end I was the one who hurt you."
Guy looked at him and smiled sarcastically, pointing his finger at him.
"Ah!"
"Ah! What?"
"I get it." Guy said, pleased.
Robin glanced at him.
"Let's hear: what would you have understood?"
"You're afraid of Marian. I don't know what she told you or what she did when she came to talk to you, but you're just scared of her."
The outlaw stared at him in surprise for a moment, but he immediately recovered.
"Go figure. Are you sure you didn't also hit your head during that famous ride? Why should I be afraid of a girl?"
"Why do you think I haven't even tried to go near Nottingham all this time? The next time I'm dealing with Archer it will be better not having too many witnesses around."
Robin laughed, and Guy grinned.
"I should better go now, we're almost in sight of Knighton and it's better not to be seen together."
Gisborne nodded. It would have been far better to avoid attracting the sheriff's suspicions and his resentment.
"Hood, don't you dare to leave me aside: next time, I want to be there too."
"You're bored, aren't you?"
"Mortally."
Robin shook his head, laughing, and turned his horse back to the forest, while Guy went to Knighton.
Gisborne had just passed the first houses of the village when the hoofs of a galloping horse made him turn. He pulled the reins, and waited for Allan to reach him.
"Giz, why didn't you wait for me?"
"When I left you were still sleeping."
"So? You have never cared if you had to throw me out of my bed." Allan gave him a suspicious look. "Or do you have any other secret that I shouldn't come to know about?"
"I was in a hurry, that's all."
"Hurry to do what?"
Guy looked at him, puzzled.
"You never asked me all these questions, Allan."
"And you have never behaved in such a strange way."
Gisborne didn't answer right away. He knew that Allan felt hurt and excluded and that he was worried about his behavior toward Archer, but for his own good, he shouldn't know that secret. But Guy could still tell the truth about everything else.
"I went to the forest to call Robin, I wanted to talk to him," he said, lowering his voice, so that only Allan could hear him.
"Why?"
"It's time for the Nightwatchman to come back in action, I told him that I want to be part of the next mission."
"Are you sure, Giz? Maybe you should take it easy for a while."
Guy frowned.
"Why?"
"You've been hurt, Giz, the reason seems obvious to me."
"What's up with you all? Once it had been properly cared for, this wound was little more than a scratch, certainly not the most serious or the first one I ever received."
"What's up with us?"
"Robin also behaved like an anxious mother hen."
"Is that really so strange for you?"
"What?"
"People worrying about your health."
Guy thought for a moment and concluded that for him it was strange. For years, since his parents had died, no one had ever cared for him. For Vaisey, a disease or wound was just an excuse for not doing his duty or a weakness to be laughed at, and Guy had learned to keep for himself and bear quietly any kind of ailment. He wasn't used to being surrounded by people who were concerned for him.
"Come on, Allan, when I started being the Nightwatchman I was in a much worse condition than now."
"And in fact I always thought you were crazy."
"But I'm fine now, really. And I'm bored."
"See? You are crazy. And don't let Marian to hear you saying that."
Guy grinned.

"You haven't told me what she said to Robin last time."
"No, and I will not. I swore to not tell anyone, included you. Especially you. Robin was very specific about this."
"Ah. Now who is the one who's having secrets?" Gisborne asked, chuckling.
"I won't tell you anything, but believe me, if you had seen and heard her, you would run to burn your Nightwatchman costume for fear that she could find out how many lies you have told her."
Guy laughed.
"But since I didn't see or heard that, I think I won't burn anything, and that the Nightwatchman will go back to help Robin."
Allan laughed, shaking his head with a resigned air.

In fact, he felt relieved: if Gisborne felt the need to risk his neck to feel alive, it was better that he did that following Robin Hood's gang, rather than associating with a sheriff's henchman like Archer.

Guy turned to one side, embracing the pillow, and smiling in his sleep. For once his dreams were not tormented by nightmares, and, indeed, they were quite enjoyable.
He was dreaming about Knighton Hall, finished and finally inhabited. He had brought there some of Locksley's furniture, and he had asked Will to build some other and to decorate them with the coat-of-arms and the colors of his family.
He looked out of the window, and smiled as he saw Marian at the foot of the apple tree, trying to pick up a fruit.
The girl raised her face to look at him and smiled at him, happy. Guy hurried to reach her to help her pick the apples growing on the higher branches.
"You can do very well some of the things I am not able do, " Marian said, smiling.
"And when we do things together, it's even better," Guy whispered, putting the basket of apples to the ground before taking her in his arms and kissing her.
Even after the end of the kiss, Marian didn't break away from him, but they remained embraced in the shade of the apple tree, contented by just being together.
Guy woke up at the early lights of dawn and found himself smiling, hoping that the dream could, sooner or later, come true.
I have to plant an apple tree at Knighton Hall. Maybe right there.
Once, he would have got up immediately, eager to return to work as soon as possible, but in the last few days he had decided to stay in bed, even though he couldn't sleep, so he wouldn't force Marian to get up too early.
He looked at the sky, changing from pink to blue, and he thought about his dream. It would have been wonderful, really wonderful, to find that serenity again and to pass the rest of his life at Marian's side.
It was more than he thought he deserved, and he felt almost guilty to hope in such a beautiful future.
He hoped that Robin would decide to call him. Since they had talked, another week had passed and Guy was dying to do something good. And, if at the same time he could have the chance to hit the sheriff, it would be even better.
As evoked by his thoughts, Robin's arrow came from the window and hit the wooden headboard of the bed.
Guy sat up with a smile, took the message wrapped around the shaft, and hid the arrow under the bed to prevent Marian from seeing it.
He unrolled the parchment, and he was surprised to find that the writing was not Robin's, but one that he had never seen before.

Robin didn't have time to write, so he asked me to do it.
There are news, keep ready to act, but wait to wear your costume until Robin tells you.
Bring Allan with you.
Enter the tavern and sit at a table, one of us will give you the instructions of Robin Hood.
Probably I'll be the one coming. In that case don't look too amazed to see me and don't attract attention on us: maybe they are not looking for me anymore, but it's better to avoid any risk.
I''ll wait for you tonight at Nottingham's tavern, the one near the city gates.
Don't be late,
Meg

Guy read the message again, a bit perplexed. So far, the girl had only been hiding in the outlaws' camp, but now it looked like she had become a gang member in all respects. Recalling the too fierce attitude of the girl, he hoped that Robin was able to keep her at bay, and prevent her from endangering herself and the other members of the gang.
I just hope she doesn't scratch me again.
Gisborne got up from the bed, put the flame of a candle at the corner of the message, and he threw it into the fireplace, then he decided that it was late enough, and he got ready to have breakfast with Marian.
He dressed in a hurry, and he smiled hearing the sound of something falling to the ground, followed by a cry of disappointment. He knew that he would find a small disaster in the kitchen and he was curious to find out if this time the breakfast would be edible or not.

Not that it was important, after all.
He closed the door behind him, and walked down the stairs without realizing that Meg's message didn't burn completely: a fragment of it hadn't been destroyed by the fire, and it fluttered in a corner of the fireplace, in a point where the flames didn't arrive.