The Forgotten Keepsake

Chapter 25

XXV

Allan a Dale often regretted having changed sides.

He tried to make the best of it, he really did, but it wasn't easy - if life in the forest had been difficult, it was a picnic compared to his current situation in the Castle: His superiors here, well actually one superior in particular was slowly driving him mad.

He slunk off to the Castle kitchens, one of his favourite places to keep out of the way of a certain bad tempered man in leather, when he suddenly had an idea.

"Hey Sarah, I was wonderin'..."

Sarah worked in the kitchens of Nottingham Castle. She was one of the servants who was... how shall we put it... more generous with her affections.

"Yes Allan?" her tone was affectionately suspicious.

"Would you mind doin' me a favour?" Sarah rolled her eyes, if she had a coin for every time he asked her this...

"What kind of favour Allan?"

"It's err... it's about Gisborne..." her face darkened upon hearing this and her expression could now be described as unaffectionately suspicious, "...would you err... keep him company for a bit?"

She scowled – she knew exactly what he meant by 'keep him company'.

"No I would not you cheeky bugger!" The food she was currently preparing was now bearing the brunt of her ire, Allan hoped it wasn't for the Sheriff; the last thing he needed right now was having the Sheriff's breakfast being thrown at his head.

"Aww come on! He's been unbearable lately an' I reckon you'd cheer 'im up no end!" Allan tried his most charming grin, Sarah wasn't going for it though;

"No Allan!"

"Aww please Sarah, ever since Maz went to the convent he's been a nightmare..."

"Well then, perhaps you should go runnin' off to the convent an' all!"

Rosie, a fellow servant who was eavesdropping nearby, laughed so hard at this she nearly dropped a tray full of dishes.

"Very funny." He had to admit that it was quite.

"I'll have you know I'm good with nuns!" he grinned broadly,

"I bet you bloody are!" Sarah retorted, quirking one eyebrow. They were all grinning now.

"So err... will you think about it?"

"No I will not Allan!" she barged past him and stormed off towards the main hall with the mangled meal she had just prepared in hand. Allan stood there for a moment wondering whether to follow her but then upon noticing he was not alone in the room turned his attentions to Rosie who was busy washing the dishes. She cut him off before he could say a word,

"No Allan! Not a chance! Forget it!"

"Aww please Rosie! He's not so bad y'know? He just needs a way to unwind..."

"Unwind? From what I heard he was off out all night 'unwinding' a few days back and it hasn't cheered him up at all has it?"

"You what?" Allan wondered if he was hearing correctly.

"Yeah, out all night - stable lads saw him riding in the other morning."

"Nah. He would've been at Locksley."

"He wasn't. Thornton hasn't seen hide nor hair of him all week."

Well this was most interesting.

Allan was for once dumbfounded.

He knew that Gisborne had been staying at the Castle since Sunday and so if he hadn't been to Locksley then where...?

He stood there in the kitchen a few moments longer before deciding to go and check this out for himself.

He had heard the rumours about Gisborne, that he had a lover and that was where he was always riding off to, Allan had however seen no evidence of his boss riding off anywhere recently, in fact the Master of Arms had been infuriatingly present at all times - 'mooning over the leper' as the Sheriff would put it, and becoming increasingly stroppy the longer Marian stayed away.

He couldn't help but be intrigued by all of this - he had always considered himself astute when it came to people and their motives but Gisborne was different and it seemed that just as he thought he had managed to work him out, something happened to change everything and he felt he really didn't know the man at all. For example, if anybody had spent a lot of time with Gisborne lately, as Allan had done, they could only conclude that the Knight was crazy about Marian. But now he was hearing that Gisborne had been out all night and why else do people stay out all night if not for...?

Allan would've gone to the stables to enquire about the matter there but then the man he was currently so puzzled about appeared and demanded that he go with him to Locksley.

He wondered what terrible tasks awaited them, expecting the worst and of course, he was not to be disappointed...

...he and the boss had a birthday party to organise.

*****

Guy thought that it might be time to give up on organizing any kind of events or celebrations.

Despite all the care taken in the planning, it always somehow ended up nothing like he'd imagined.

At his party for the King's birthday, where he had announced that Marian had become his betrothed, all the guests and his intended were robbed by outlaws.

At his Wedding, his bride-to-be had punched him in the face and run off with another bloke who just happened to be one of the aforementioned outlaws.

His birthday party today had, he supposed, gone well for the most part, except that it had to be quickly abandoned in favour of going searching for a special pigeon.

You couldn't script it really could you?

Ah well, at least he got a decent present. He smiled as he thought of Marian. Hood had left her up in a tree - practically gift-wrapped for him.

Thank you Locksley. A most thoughtful gift. I'll take good care of her for you.