The Nightmare

An orange haze covered the sky fiery red orbs of light slowly began to sink beneath the horizon. Threads of light lingered across the sky, mingling with the clouds. A soft but chilling breeze made its way through Sherwood Forest causing the leaves to rustle lightly. The sound of birds chirping echoed throughout as they flew anxiously across the sky. In the middle of the forest was an open field of wildflowers, dandelion petals filled the air as the breeze slowly began to pick up. In the middle of the area was a giant oak tree; its branches protrude out towards the sky while its leaves began rustled loudly in the wind.

Beneath the tree sat a man. His back was placed against the bark while his legs were stretched out in front of him. His head was tossed to the side as he slept peacefully. Dark hair came to the base of his neck and was slightly tousled. His hands were placed on his upper thighs as he slept. Suddenly they began to twitch as the breeze made its way through the field. The breeze carried a soft voice towards the male, causing him to stir.

"Guy," the breeze carried, Sir Guy of Gisborne slowly began to open his pale blue eyes. He appeared to be annoyed as he let out a grunt, suddenly a shadow hovered over him, causing him to lift his head. The annoyance vanished from his face once he caught sight of the woman who stood before him.

Her intense blue eyes flashed with mischief, her lips curled up into a wide smirk. As soon as she was there, she was gone. Guy quickly got to his feet. He took a giant step forward. His eyes were searching the field for the mysterious woman, and his heart pounded wildly against his chest. For some reason, he couldn't understand why. He suddenly caught sight of her walking through the field towards the forest.

She slowly came to a halt and glanced over her shoulder. Her smirk never left her lips as she stared deep into his eyes. That was all it took for him to rush after her. Pushing away the tall grass as he hurried towards her still form. As he grew closer, she quickly broke out into a sprint. Her dark brown hair bounced against her lower back, while her long silver-colored dress flowed wildly behind her. He called out for her to stop, but she did no such thing. His anger began to rise. He watched as she hurried into the forest, he quickly raced after her. It seemed no matter how fast he ran. He was never able to reach her. He called out a name, a name that seemed familiar to him.

After the name left his lips, she began to slow down, only to look over her shoulder. The smirk was absent from her lips, and in its place was a wide smile. Her hand gently brushed against the bark of an oak tree, before she quickly disappeared behind it. A sense of relief came over him as he thought he had finally caught her. He went behind the tree, only for the scenery to change.

He found himself in front of Locksley's Manor. A sense of dread and panic overtook him, causing him to look over his shoulder carefully. The village was tranquil, and you could hear the sounds of crickets chirping. The once orange sky was replaced with darkness, the moon and the stars shined brightly. Guy slowly turned back around to face the manor, only to find the front door wide open. He began to reach for the sword that was always strapped around his waist, only to find it not there. He grinned his teeth in anger, and his fists began to clench. Suddenly the soft sound of laughter filled the house, causing Guy to rush inside.

"Hood," he shouted as his eyes darted around the house.

Fire flashed within his eyes when he found no sign of Robin Hood. The laughter continued causing Guy to rush towards the stairs. Up to the stairs and down the hallway was a closed bedroom door. A light flickered under the door, prompting Guy to speed up the stairs in rage. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he hurried towards the door only to fling it open. What he found in the room wasn't Robin Hood, but the same woman from before. Her hair was now pulled over her shoulder in a long braid. She wore a beautiful white lace nightgown. Her attention was drawn to the babe resting in her arms. The babe was wrapped in a white blanket. Its hands were free, causing them to reach towards the woman. Guy's knees buckled when he saw the scene, his anger faded away and was replaced by sorrow. He watched as she slowly picked up her head, she sent him a wide smile.

"Where have you been?" she asked her voice soft.

He slowly began to make his way towards the bed. He felt a bunch of emotions within him as he stared at her. Sadness and guilt were some. He soon reached the bed, and within seconds, he wrapped his arms around her. Her head rested against his chest as she gave a small laugh. Her voice was music to his ears and heart.

"Watch the baby...." Her voice trailed off as Guy began to shake slightly.

"Guy, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

He suddenly breathed in her scent — the sweet smell of lilac. His arms tighten around her, for fear that if he let her go, she would vanish. He held her for what seemed like hours. It was only when she began to grow cold did he move away.

Her skin was ghostly white, her lips a light blue. The babe vanished from her arms. One of her arms was placed across her stomach while the other laid beside her. Her eyes were wide open. The once intense blue eyes were now dull, and showed no signs of life. His eyes widen in shock and disbelief. She was dead. His hands began to tremble, and the only thought that rung throughout his head was not again. It was then when her hand reached up and grabbed hold of his arm, startling him. He stared into her glaring eyes.

"You did this to me," she harshly said as her nails dug into his arm, causing his grip on her to loosen.

"What-"He began as she removed her nails from his arm, only to push him away from her.

"You did this! You killed me!" He stumbled in shock, and his eyes flashed with disbelief and sorrow. He started at her, confused for a moment.

"What? I-"

"You what! You left me when I needed you!"

"As I lay dying, you were nowhere to be found," she added.

"I-," he stuttered, she let out a laugh.

"You what?"

"What I want to know is what the Sheriff wanted," She angrily spat out.

"It must have been crucial to leave your wife during childbirth."

"Stop this nonsense!" He narrowed his eyes at the pale woman.

"You know I speak the truth. As I laid dying, all I wanted was you."

"Robin was completely right about you." She added as she held her head high. That was all it took for him to yell out in rage.

"Do not speak his name! He has nothing to do with this!"

"He has everything to do with this! If I stayed away from you as he said, I would still be alive." Her words hit him hard, causing him to clench his jaw.

"If only I listened," she mumbled softly as her eyes began to water.

"You promised..." she whispered.

"You promised you would be there." She whimpered as she began to lean back.

He suddenly caught sight of blood leaking through the blankets that covered her legs. The dark crimson spread fast.

"I loved you..." Tears began to spill from her eyes before she closed them.

Guy of Gisborne took a step forward. He fell to his knees and grabbed ahold of her motionless hand. His eyes began to water as he brought her hand up to his lips. The guilt was stronger than ever, his heart ached.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there." He whimpered as his tears began to fall.

His eyes snapped open; his hands clenched the bedsheets as he breathed heavily.

"It was a dream..." he mumbled as his heart pounded wildly against his chest.

It ws no dream but a nightmare. A glimpse of the past. How Guy wished he could forget, but he was destined to live with it for the rest of his life. Even now, he could still picture her smiling face, her beautiful laugh that caused his knees to be weak. He would do anything to see her again. Touch her again, kiss her again.