The Forgotten Keepsake

Chapter 30

XXX

Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon could be a very stubborn, pig-headed man.

He was however; smart enough to know when he was in the wrong.

He had been arguing with Allan the entire way to Locksley, so sure was he that despite all evidence to the contrary this must be a trap, when in the yard of the Manor house something captured his attention that turned his whole pig-headed notion entirely on its head.

It was the remnants of a small fire - what looked to be the charred remains of a bundle of clothes. As he recognised the clothes in question, it felt as if somebody had punched him hard in the stomach.

Guy's leathers.

"It seems he couldn't resist leaving Vaisey a message as well." Marian spoke tonelessly, as if in a trance. Robin was startled at the sound of her voice; he was so lost in his own thoughts that he had forgotten that she was standing beside him. He looked from the ashes to her,

"Now do you understand?"

Yes.

He finally understood.

*****

Sheriff Vaisey of Nottingham was busy tormenting his birds when it occurred to him that something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

He had been expecting to hear from Gisborne that something had gone wrong because well, nothing ever went according to plan did it? But he had not seen Gisborne all morning. And now it was mid-afternoon and he had still heard nothing.

He began cursing loudly, tightening his grip on the poor creature in his grasp before roughly depositing the whimpering bundle of feathers back in it's cage. He would have to go to Locksley now and sort out whatever it was that had gone wrong.

*****

His first impressions upon arriving in Locksley were that all was going well. The villagers were gone, the mercenaries had arrived and were settled, even the guards were doing their jobs for once; unloading supplies from a cart into a nearby barn.

But, as we all know; first impressions can be deceiving.