The Queen Of Arrows

Chapter 52 - Desperate Deeds

"He says he has come to speak with Robin Hood, the King of Thieves," said the two bandits who had escorted Guy from Gisborne, and Guy acknowledged these words with a curt nod.

"That you dare to come here!" immediately, Scarlet was heading in Guy's direction.

"Wait!" Robin's voice made every one pause. Slowly he stood up, patted the dust from his robes, and strolled towards the newcomer.

"Scarlet is not wrong. It was death-defying and stupid to come here. To arrest us, a surprise attack would be much wiser - like in the forest. The fine gentleman knight must have a damn good reason to show up here alone. You did come alone, didn't you, Gisborne? Because by God, I swear, if your men are waiting in the undergrowth, it will get downright bloody this time! Wolves cornered, bite hard, and don't let go. Don't they, men?" A short growling sound rang out from each bandit; one or two even howled like wolves to the moon.

Robin saw that Guy was unarmed and clearly intimidated. At lying and pretending, he knew Guy was piss-poor. No, Guy had thought this through, and Robin guessed why he was here. He had known it ever since he had averted his eyes from Marian with a terrible feeling in his stomach.

"What brings you to the outlaw camp, Sir Guy of Gisborne?"

The sheriff's son stepped closer and let his gaze slide warily from one to the other. To go into the outlaws' camp was genuinely death-defying. For once, Robin was correct in everything he said - and Guy would have preferred anything else had he had a choice. But there wasn't. Not for him. He opened and closed his fingers, clenched them into fists, and jutted his chin in a deceptive semblance of self-assurance among all the filthy murderers and thieves. "Marian is charged with treason to the crown and country for helping you escape and threatening the sheriff," he told the bandits.

"And so what! Her fine father, the Earl, will ransom her with enough money they pulled out of our pockets, after all!" said Will Scarlet bitingly, and Robin gave him a severe look that silenced him immediately.

"As I said before, you are mistaken," Guy repeated at this point. "Even the Earl or I can no longer help Lady Marian in this case. Nor can the sheriff. There are too many witnesses to the incident. He must make an example of her. And he will judge her according to the law."

Robin's stomach turned. He opened his mouth when John suddenly jumped beside him and stepped towards Guy. Guy's hand immediately slid to his side, where he still suspected his sword, which, with good intentions, he had left in the castle.

John, however, stopped in front of the man. He examined the sheriff's son closely and slowly from top to bottom, then his eyes bored into the Guys. He recognized honest concern for the woman who had helped them and saved his life. "You love her and want to save her," he stated in a full-throated voice. With Robin at his back, Guy did not notice how the latter bared his teeth in annoyance at these words.

"How can we help her?" the giant then finally asked.

The question sagged briefly; the bandits fell from all clouds, and the calm Robin had just provided collapsed again.

"Why would WE help the noble's daughter?" the first asked.

"Yeah, we didn't ask her to threaten the sheriff!" objected another.

"She should have shot him!" grumbled a third.

Then John turned indignantly to the others. "Because we thieves stick together," he said seriously, looking from one to the other. He recognized astonishment in the men's faces, and John felt the sweet taste of superiority for the first time in a long time. This time, however, it tasted bittersweet.

"The young Lady has always spoken up for the people since she returned. Lord and Lady De Burgh often distributed the leftovers from the feasts to the poor or gave out donations. Even grain from their own storehouses for sowing." John glanced briefly at Guy, then folded his arms before his chest. "Robin and the Lady even freed little Samuel Hughs from the dungeon. And now the Lady has risked her life for us - for the scum we are in the eyes of other nobles!" opined John. "Are you really going to betray these deeds with indifference?" he asked, looking reproachfully around.

"John is right," Alan-A-Dale now joined in. "How can we accuse the nobility of treachery and selfishness when we abandon those who stand up for us?"

Robin couldn't believe it. To hear virtual strangers, and some street bandits at that, standing up for Marian... perhaps the hope that the people of England would stand together when it came to what was right was indeed not in vain. So he, too, turned to Will Scarlet and tried to appeal to his reason. "Lady Marian's father, the Earl, has been supporting the people for a while now, Scarlet. Not all nobles want only bad things for the people."

"Robin is right, Will." John sought his friend's gaze and smiled pleadingly. "She did help us escape. Twice. Without Maid Marian, none of us would probably be alive."

Scarlet groaned then, ran his hand over his face, and rubbed his beard on his chin. You could tell it wasn't easy for him to jump over his shadow, but..."When even the sheriff's son puts up with outlaws for the wench," he growled, and the surrounding faces brightened.

Robin approached Will, patted him on the shoulder, and then turned back to Guy. He was reluctant to trust or engage with this man. But indeed, it was the same the other way around. Sometimes, however, enemies could find a common goal more important than old feuds. And both wanted nothing more than anything else: Not to see Marian die. As it seemed, this was even important enough for Guy to get involved with those his father hunted so fervently... and to forget the differences between them. Maybe, yes, just perhaps, this friendship was not in vain.

"So Gisborne. What's the plan?"