The Forgotten Keepsake

Chapter 31

XXXI

Is it not strange dear reader, how the human memory works?

For example, as soon as a person is gone, that person ceases to be and becomes another - the person of our memory.

This is exactly what happened with Guy of Gisborne.

As soon as he had left, Guy of Gisborne – the man, flesh and blood, ceased to be and he became many different Guys – a collection of memories and stories, each memory and story particular to whoever was thinking of him.

Memories also change over time.

It is interesting that for many people their memories of a person seem to soften; their harder edges seem to fade, their faults seem to diminish and their more positive aspects come to the fore.

All this happened with Guy.

And in no one was it more interesting to observe than in the man who had always been his enemy - Robin Hood.

Who knows when exactly this change of memory began to occur, but if one could perhaps pinpoint a moment, it would be the moment that Robin watched Vaisey discover that Guy was gone.

The outlaw life had given Robin Hood many good stories to tell over the years and a great many of them were stories told at the expense of the Sheriff, but the satisfaction felt whilst watching Vaisey discover his Master of Arms had abandoned him, made that particular story one of his favourites. And it was thanks to Guy that he got to experience that.

A further change took place upon returning to the outlaws' camp and surveying all that the others had managed to recover of Guy's possessions from Locksley. That Gisborne had taken pains to leave his possessions to Marian had already secured him a certain respect from Robin but then as he saw what he had left her... Guy had surely taken a fair sum of money with him on his journey to wherever but he had also been most generous in what he had left to Marian. In fact, his possessions came to be of benefit to them all for there was much he had left that was a help to them. One example being that Gisborne had over the years, accrued an impressive collection of weapons. Another was that he had an excellent taste in horses and so Marian found herself recipient of yet another handsome horse - the back up for the horse Guy had ridden off upon and although a horse was not entirely useful for a group of outlaws, the money that such a fine horse would bring certainly was. On top of that, there was all manner of papers, amongst which they found a number of documents that Vaisey would certainly not wish to be in possession of outlaws.

Robin could never say that he thought of the man as a friend, no never that, but over time he did develop a certain sympathy for him and sometimes he found himself thinking almost fondly on their old fights.

Of course, he would never admit to any of this.

But Marian knew.

*****

Marian's memories of Guy also changed over time.

At first, they were tinged with sadness for she knew that she was part of the reason he had left. Upon seeing all that he had left for her, she could have wept. The ways in which he was reaching out to her; in letting her go, in leaving her be, in leaving her his things, made her heart ache.

She had not loved him and not wanted to marry him but in seeing how much he could give her despite of that, she couldn't help but ask the question what would he have given her if she had loved him and let him love her in return? It was of course not just things/gifts she was thinking of, the ways in which Guy had begun to change in the time she knew him, coupled with the letter he had written to her, made her wonder how would he have been with her? How would they have been together?

Later the sadness faded and her thoughts turned to Mina. Marian even made the trip to Castlebrook for she longed to talk with another person who cared for Guy, to tell her all that she had not been able to tell her back then and to take Mina something of Guy's; knowing how much she would appreciate it. Alas, Mina was not there – she had also moved on and so it was a wasted journey. Despite not having the comfort of a friend who could understand how she felt, Marian did still derive some comfort from Mina - from her words:

"I cannot explain to you all that he means to me, that I can explain to no one. All I can say is that I am not sorry, no, I am not sorry for any of it, not one single moment that I spent with him and if that is all I am to have then I am incredibly grateful."

Marian could now finally say that she knew exactly what she meant.

Lady Marian, Maid Marian, Marian of Knighton, whatever you wish to call her, went on to become Robin Hood's wife, just as it was written in all the stories.

She and Robin were very happy together, fighting for what they believed in, fighting for England.

She never forgot Guy.

She never wanted to forget him either.