Gisburne rode his horse to St. Mary's at a brisk
canter. While he was anxious to escape his present
predicament, he wasn't overly enthusiastic about
the prospect of being stuck in some church either.
If only I could go to London, he mused. It would
only be for a couple of days. The Sheriff would never
have to know, surely...
No, the Sheriff would know. He'd know the next
time he spoke to his brother, or the Abbot contacted
him. Those two were constantly exchanging information,
trading secrets, and protecting their mutual interests.
It was a beneficial relationship, though hardly a
natural one, not that Gisburne would know: he didn't
have a brother...
"What on earth--?" There was a brief flash just
within the periphery of his vision. Then, his horse
screamed in fright. A stag bolted across its path, and
Gisburne just managed to maintain his mount as the
horse reared back on its hindquarters.
The horse had barely returned to the ground, when
an arrow whizzed past its chest. As the knight
attempted to control the terrified stallion once again,
the poacher who shot the arrow appeared.
It was difficult to discern which man was the
more startled of the two. However, as Gisburne's
skittish horse wheeled around, Will had enough sense
to pull another arrow from his quiver.
"Off!" barked Scarlet.
It took some time before
the knight could comply. Even when Gisburne finally
succeeded, he kept a tight grip on the bridle. Perhaps
I really should have gone to London, thought the knight,
as Will marched him to the camp.
* * * *
"Where can he be?" asked Tuck. "It's not like
Will to wander off like--" Tuck's statement came to an
abrupt halt when he noticed Robin's grin. "No, it's just
like Will to wander off like that!"
"Still, he could have told us," said John.
"Maybe he forgot," suggested Much.
"Aye, on purpose!" said Tuck.
John scratched his beard thoughtfully. "You know Scarlet. He's always going off
half-cocked. He'll turn up."
Then, as if to add merit to John's statement, a twig snapped.
"See, I told you," announced John in triumph.
"Come on out. It's no good hiding from us." The outlaw
felt his friend thump him on the back.
"Where the hell have you been then?" In reply,
Will mussed up John's hair. "Now, none of that, lad!
It won't make a bit of difference!"
"John..." gasped Robin, his mouth gaping wide open.
"Stop it!" said John, when Scarlet's greeting
began to grow a little too affectionate... The tall man
leapt to his feet, intending to introduce Will to
the forest floor. Instead, he came face to face with
an equine muzzle.
"Bloody hell!" shouted John, staring at the black
horse in front of him. "Where did you come from?"
The answer became clear when the outlaws
heard a rustle from the bushes, an outraged yell, and
a rather large thud as two men crashed into the camp.
"Oh, no you don't!" cried Will as his enemy
attempted to elude him once again. Scarlet grabbed
the knight's legs.
"You filthy--" began Gisburne, before his nose
ploughed into the ground.
Will crawled to the prone knight and gloated. "I went out in search of venison and returned
with bigger game!"
Gisburne quietly rolled on to his back.
"Will, watch out!" exclaimed Much.
Will's head
snapped back to his enemy, who proceeded to punch the
outlaw in the face. Scarlet howled in anger when he
too lay sprawled on his back.
John quickly planted his boot on Will's chest.
Nasir poised one of his swords in Gisburne's
direction as Robin and Tuck hauled the struggling
knight to his feet. Gisburne's horse lost interest
in John's tunic and wandered off to the edge of the
camp to nibble on some grass.
"Get off me!" growled Will, glaring at John's
boot. Scarlet had already attempted to attack his
enemy once. Robin had been tying Gisburne to a tree
at the time.
"Do you promise to behave?" asked John, trying to
keep a straight face.
"Yes, I promise," rasped Scarlet.
John studied his friend's flushed angry face for a few moments.
Then he cautiously lifted his foot. Will simply sat
up, but his attention was focused on Gisburne all the
same.
"Has he said anything?" demanded Will, pointing
a grubby finger at the knight.
"No," answered Robin.
"You must know where he was heading at least!" said Will.
Robin tossed a glance at the knight. Gisburne
was concentrating fiercely on a wine stain he had
discovered on his sleeve.
"He hasn't said a word," replied Robin.
"Well, you should have forced him to talk, then!"
"I'm much more interested in how he ended up
here in the first place," stated his leader calmly.
"Well, I captured him, didn't I?" said Will. "I made him get
off his horse and marched him to the camp."
"Was this before or after the fight broke out?"
inquired John in amusement.
"He broke free! If that stupid horse of his
hadn't tried to kick me--"
"Only an idiot would stand behind a frightened
horse!" protested Gisburne, breaking his silence.
"Frightened? What did it have to be frightened
of? I was aiming my arrow at you!"
"Well, if you hadn't pursued a deer on to the
road--"
"What?" said Robin.
Will grimaced. "It broke for the road, Robin. What else was I
supposed to do?"
"You could have killed someone!" cried Tuck.
"Yes, I could have killed Gisburne!" replied Will excitedly.
"So what are you complaining about?"
Robin sighed. "Where were you heading, Gisburne?" said Robin,
hoping that some response from the knight might pacify
his friend. Gisburne raised his head in surprise, but
it wasn't because of Robin's question. Even ears
unaccustomed to the ways of the forest could discern the
sound of movement just outside the camp.
"Robin Hood," called an all too familiar voice.
"No, it can't be!" gasped Robin and Gisburne in
unison. The two men exchanged surprised glances, then
quickly looked grim as they heard the lady again.
"I know you're around here somewhere, Robin
Hood..."
"It's a trap, Robin," said Will earnestly. "It must be. First Gisburne, then her. They're up
to something."
"What, Will?" asked Much curiously.
Will glared at Gisburne, who seemed intent on breaking free
of his bonds. "Perhaps she's meant to draw us out while some
guards come to rescue him."
"Why would she be willing to risk her life for
Gisburne's?" said Tuck. "This is the Sheriff's mother, not some
frightened girl from one of the villages. Besides, when has the Sheriff ever cared whether
Gisburne lived or died?"
"All right, then. Maybe she doesn't give a damn
about Gisburne. Maybe she doesn't even know he's 'ere.
That doesn't mean that she ain't a part of some plan.
There could be a hundred guards out there just waiting
to pounce on us!"
"A hundred guards? My dear boy, I doubt my son
would even consider sparing one!" The outlaws heard
a loud bark of laughter before the lady in question
stepped into the camp. When Will's hand went for his
sword, she laughed even harder. "The only protection I have is my wits...and a handful of dull-witted
servants who I left by the road. However, if I had known that you were going to seize poor Sir Guy,
I might have come better prepared than that." The outlaws stared at Lady de Rainault, aghast, but it was Gisburne who seemed more taken aback by the lady's sudden appearance.
"My lady, why...why are you here?"
"Yes, my lady," said Robin. "Two visits in one day. It's an unexpected...No, that isn't right.
I'm afraid it isn't..."
Lady de Rainault didn't appear to hear Robin's statement, or else she chose to ignore
it. Instead of providing a retort, she traipsed over to Gisburne to analyze the situation. "This isn't good is it, Guy?" In
response, Gisburne lifted his bound hands as high as the taut
ropes would allow. "Well, this is what comes of Robert's interference!"
Gisburne's brow creased. "My lady?"
"Sending you away like that."
"It was a matter of great importance, my lady."
"At St. Mary's? Come, Guy, surely you can do
better than that!" She leaned forward and patted one of
his hands. "Never mind. You're hardly to blame...though
you could have at least said goodbye. It's fortunate
that I came across you here."
"Yes, my lady, but how...how did you end up...
here?"
"Why, I followed you here, of course."
"Followed me? But-but why?"
Lady de Rainault grinned wolfishly, but furnished no reply. She turned
to the outlaws, who were too bewildered by the proceedings to even laugh. "Release him," she ordered.
"My lady!" protested Gisburne, who wondered why
this woman was trying to get them both killed.
"Don't fret, Guy. They wouldn't think of harming
my person, and they would certainly never take
me prisoner."
Gisburne glanced at his enemies who were still too flabbergasted
to contradict her. "If that's true, you must leave here at
once, my lady...while you still can."
"Nonsense!" she replied. "I couldn't possibly
abandon you now. We'll depart from here as soon as
these...these outlaws release you."
Gisburne frowned and Scarlet practically doubled over in laughter.
"You expect us to let him go?" Will asked at last.
"Certainly."
"And why should we do that?" demanded John.
"Because, my rather tall friend, you owe me that
much at least."
"Owe you?" exclaimed Will in disbelief.
"Her prize," explained Tuck quietly, suddenly
understanding her meaning.
"I said I'd return for it," added Lady de Rainault,
gracing Tuck with an appreciative nod.
Will chuckled. "No, you don't mean it. You can't
mean it!" Then, he saw the determined glint in her eyes.
"No!" shouted the outlaw. "You can't have him! He's
ours!"
Lady de Rainault smiled, almost as if feigning sympathy.
Will leapt in front of Robin and accosted him
with pleading desperate eyes. "She can't do this! Don't let her do this!" Robin
gently peeled Scarlet's fingers from his shoulders and
stepped around his friend. "If you do this, I'll kill them before they take
one step out of this camp!" raged Will. "And I'll kill
you too!"
Robin ignored Will's ranting and walked
towards his prisoner. He drew Albion from its scabbard
and laid the blade against the rope. His friends groaned
and Lady de Rainault waited expectantly. Then, Robin
paused and the lady's smile began to fade.
"Does your prize mean so little to you that you
wouldn't fight for it?" asked Robin.
Lady de Rainault studied Robin curiously. "What do you mean?"
"You were willing to make a wager when it came
to safeguarding your purse. Would you not do the same
for your son's steward?" challenged Robin.
The smile slowly returned. "What did you have in mind, Robin Hood?"
"How about another game of knuckle-bones, my lady?"
Lady de Rainault raised an eyebrow. "Do you think that's wise?"
"I do but only because you won't be one of the
players."
"Oh, won't I?"
"No. Gisburne will."
"What?" cried the other outlaws.
"I believe it's only fair that he should be your
champion, my lady," stated Robin. "Especially
considering your kind offer to rescue him."
"Well, as you've been good enough to choose my champion, allow me to pick yours." Lady de Rainault's eyes meandered around the camp, regarding each man in turn. Then they alighted on Scarlet. "I think we should provide him with an opportunity to redeem himself," she said, thrusting her chin at Will.
"Oh, you do, do you?" growled Will.
"Will..." warned Tuck.
"Done!" cried the outlaw before his friends could
stop him. Will held out his hand, and the lady shook it
firmly.
"Untie him, Much," said Scarlet.
"But, Will, you said--"
"Forget what I said! Just do it!"
"Let me," offered Robin. Will handed his dagger
to Robin with some reluctance. Robin proceeded to cut
the knight's bonds quickly before Will changed his mind.
However, it was Gisburne who studied Robin with the
most scrutiny. Even when he was free of the rope,
Gisburne remained skeptical.
"Come 'ere," ordered Will.
Gisburne stood up slowly. "My lady, I know you enjoy...er...gambling, but
are you certain that--"
"Sit down, Guy," Lady de Rainault answered, handing Will the
red velvet pouch. "You can't play standing up."
"You can play, can't you?" asked Will.
"I'm a soldier," declared Gisburne, as if this
statement alone was an adequate answer. Will nodded.
It was. He had once been a soldier too.
