Threats More Subtle Than Swords, Part 10
+++++
In the late afternoon, a guard came into the great hall to say that the Earl's wagon had been spotted on the road to the castle.
"Go get the little leper," the Sheriff told Guy. "Make sure she's presentable."
Guy murmured the correct response and went to Laurencia's room. The door was open, and he could see Allan sitting at the table there, entertaining both Laurencia and one of the kitchen maids with his tavern tricks. The maid was the one whom Guy had asked to help Laurencia bathe and dress; she often did the same services for Marian, and he trusted her to know what was right. As Guy came in, they all laughed, and then Laurencia looked up. She froze without speaking, the smile wiped from her face. Seeing her reaction, the maid followed her gaze, saw Guy, and jumped to her feet.
"My lord," the woman said deferentially. "I hope she meets with your approval, and the Sheriff's."
Guy motioned for Laurencia to stand up. She glanced at Allan as though for support, then got up slowly, coming out from behind the table so that he could see what she was wearing. It was the same blue gown she'd had on when she'd arrived in Nottingham; probably the best one she owned, even if it wasn't as alluring at the Sheriff would wish. Guy mused that it probably didn't matter what she wore; she'd never look as alluring as Marian, for instance.
"The Earl is coming," Guy told her. "The Sheriff would like you to come down and meet him."
The maid scurried away, back to the kitchens, and Laurencia and Allan followed Guy outside. The wagon was just coming into the courtyard, and Guy could see that something was wrong. He ran forwards. Though the driver held the reins and directed the horses, he had an arrow sticking out of his thigh. Once he brought the animals to a stop, he let go and collapsed sideways, and Guy was there just in time to catch him.
"The Earl," he gasped. "He's hurt, but … still alive."
Guy handed the wounded driver to two of his men, then got the door of the carriage open. The Earl lay doubled over on the seat inside, his hands curled protectively over his lower abdomen. The arrow had gone deep; the feathers were just visible above the man's fingers. Guy told one of his men to open the door on the other side, and together they heaved the Earl out of the wagon. He screamed when they moved him, and once he was outside, Guy could see that the arrow had hit lower than he'd thought. Even if he lived, the man would never father children.
"What happened?" the Sheriff demanded, pushing his way through the crowd of guards. When he saw the damage to the Earl, he stopped and said simply, "Oh."
"Priest!" the Earl gasped. "Confess—where's—the—priest!"
The Sheriff pointed at one of the guards. "You! Get a priest!"
The man dashed away, and the Sheriff turned next to Laurencia. "Get some water and some cloths, then come and tend your future husband, girl!"
"My lord, I—"
"GO!" the Sheriff raged, and Laurencia scampered away.
"Let's get him inside," Guy ordered, and they began the tortuous journey to the great hall. The servants met them there, carrying supplies, and Laurencia trailed awkwardly behind them, gripping her hands grimly in front of her as though praying. Once Guy and his guard had laid the Earl on the table, the Sheriff came around to speak into the man's ear.
"You were absolutely right to send for the priest," he said in a falsely cheerful voice. "Why wait? We can get you married here and now! Come here, girl!"
Laurencia approached timidly. The Sheriff grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Here she is, Durham."
"My lord," Laurencia whispered, her face white with horror as she tried to keep from staring at the wound.
"Ugly—and—scrawny!" the Earl gasped. "You brought—me—all this way—almost got me—killed--for that?"
Guy watched the Sheriff's expression turn dark, but his voice remained as mockingly bright as before as he said, "If you're refusing to marry my daughter, then you won't be needing this, will you?"
Reaching down, he gripped the arrow, making the Earl scream, then yanked it out. A fountain of blood shot up from the wound, and the Earl's shriek faded abruptly. In the silence that followed, Guy heard Laurencia make a small sound, and then she crumpled, striking her head on the edge of the table as she went down.
The servant woman from the kitchen who tended all the injured men in the castle rushed forwards, pressing a thick pad of cloth against the Earl's wound. The Sheriff stepped away to give her room to work, but almost tripped over his daughter. He snarled, "Gisborne, get this leper out of here."
Guy bent down and pulled Laurencia into his arms, then carried her away to her chamber. As he reached to open the door, she shifted slightly and moaned. He settled her on the bed, but she turned suddenly onto her side and vomited. Although Guy jumped back, he wasn't fast enough to prevent some of it from hitting his boots.
"'M sorry," Laurencia whispered. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up, just give me a moment."
"You are not well," Guy told her. "I'll send up a servant to see to you."
He'd get one to clean his boots, too, but he didn't have to mention that to Laurencia. She rubbed the back of her wrist across her mouth, then put her hand to her forehead and winced.
"You're not bleeding," he said. There was only a bump there.
"I can't stand the sight of blood," Laurencia said, looking up at him. Her eyes were huge and dark in her pale face. "And my fa—the Sheriff was so cruel."
Guy didn't know how to respond to that, or even if he should, so he said nothing and turned to leave the room. Behind him, he heard Laurencia sit up, and her voice made him stop. "Sir Guy, is he dead?"
Guy turned back to face her. "No. Not yet."
Laurencia sighed. "Why didn't he give me a chance? I know I'm not pretty, but I would have tried to love him."
Guy remained silent as he went out, but was left thinking of Marian. He didn't have to try to love her, he already did, but was she ever going to give him a real chance?
+++++
After checking on the Earl, who was still clinging to life, and sending a patrol into the forest to retrieve the bodies of the Earl's men who'd been killed there, Guy rode to Locksley. Although the danger wasn't quite over, he still wanted to see Marian. There was something appealing about the thought of her sleeping in his bed; even if he wasn't sharing it with her just yet, he could still sit and stare at her and dream. Inside his house, he stopped at the foot of the stairs just long enough to command Gunilda to bring supper up for both him and Marian, then went up and opened the door.
Marian lay on her side, facing away from him, and was so still that he worried for a moment she might truly have died while he was away. Slowly, he went around the bed and squatted down so that his face was on the same level as hers. She was still breathing, and he watched the slight movement of her chest with relief.
Gunilda and the cook came up with stew, bread, and ale. Guy stood up, putting a finger to his lips, then whispered, "She's asleep."
But even as he spoke, Marian opened her eyes. "Sir Guy!"
"Marian," he said, smiling.
"I wasn't asleep, I was playing dead," she explained, sitting up and only coughing a little bit. "Is it safe?"
"Safe enough," he told her. "The Earl is dying."
"What happened?" Marian asked.
There was a small table in the room that held medicines; Gunilda and the cook cleared them away and pulled the table closer to the bed so that they could put the food on it. As Marian took her bowl of stew in her lap, Guy pulled a stool closer to the table and sat down. Once the servants were gone, Guy said, "Hood shot him. It will be a miracle if he lives."
"And the girl you were telling me about this morning? The Sheriff's daughter?" Marian asked, taking a spoonful of stew.
"We got her back from Hood," Guy said heavily. He removed the gloves that he normally wore and broke off a piece of bread with his fingers. "And because Hood didn't have her, he shot the Earl instead."
"That poor girl," Marian said, and coughed again, twice. "Guy, could you get me something to drink?"
He took one of the tankards of ale and extended it to her. The sleeve of his jacket slid up his arm and revealed the welts on his wrist that the rope had left. He saw that Marian had noticed them, and when she'd finished drinking, she asked, "Are you hurt?"
"It's nothing," he said, glancing down to where his sleeve covered the marks again.
"It wasn't nothing, let me see," she demanded, and put her own arm out. Because she couldn't reach, she had to scoot over in the bed, which caused her to cough once again. "Guy! Let me see!"
He extended his hand to stop her from exerting herself even more, and she pushed up his sleeve. The feeling of her fingers on his skin made him shiver with delight.
"Is that on your other arm, too?" she asked, reaching out, and Guy let her explore his right wrist as well. "What happened?"
"Do you remember that you dreamed Djaq was here?" he asked. "It wasn't a dream. Allan told me that Djaq could help. I wanted to bring her to you."
"And Robin caught you," Marian guessed. Guy nodded.
"But he let Djaq come," Marian said. "And he wouldn't have done that if he'd been concerned for her safety …"
"Hood and I came to an agreement," Guy said, trying to downplay his humiliation. He was afraid that Marian would think less of him if she discovered how he'd submitted to such a demeaning situation.
"He took you prisoner," Marian surmised, looking directly into his eyes. "And you endured it. For me."
Guy looked back, fumbling for an answer. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, that hadn't been one of them. "You were dying."
Marian bent her head and gently kissed the welts on each of his wrists. "Thank you, Guy."
Emboldened by her reaction, Guy said, "Marian, I would have endured twice as much for you."
Marian smiled, the first true smile she'd given him in a long time. Feeling that he'd achieved something in his renewed courtship, Guy smiled back. He was tempted to ask her to marry him, again, but held back. It was too soon, and he didn't want to risk losing what he'd barely won. He'd have to be patient and build up the fire from this first, weak flame.
If this was what it took to win her, he could almost, almost be grateful to Hood.
+++++
The next morning, Guy entered the great hall for breakfast just behind Laurencia. She glanced over her shoulder to see who it was, and reddened before looking away. Neither of them had the chance to speak, however. The Sheriff had been listening to a servant, but now he jumped to his feet and bellowed, "Dead?"
"Yes, my lord, just minutes ago," the woman affirmed.
The Sheriff fixed his stare on Guy, then picked up his goblet and threw it. Guy ducked with the ease of much practice and steeled himself for the oncoming tirade.
"This is your fault, Gisborne!" the Sheriff shrieked. "Robin Hood killed the Earl because you didn't kill Hood!"
He threw his trencher of bread as well, hitting Guy in the chest.
"You were close enough to spy on Robin Hood and hear his plans, close enough to bring my bastard out of his camp, but you weren't close enough to run your sword through him? You're incompetent, Gisborne!"
He plucked an apple from the tray of fruit and hurled it. Guy ducked again, and the apple sailed over his head to join the goblet on the floor behind him.
"And you!" The Sheriff turned his attention to Laurencia, his searching hand finding a plum and launching it. She was too surprised to duck, and it splattered over the front of her dress as the Sheriff continued to bellow. "You were supposed to be alluring, not grotesque! We could have had you married to the Earl before he popped his clogs, if you hadn't shown him your ugly face! You probably frightened him into an early grave!"
Laurencia had been gaping at him in shock, but then her expression changed to one of fury and she began to advance on the Sheriff. "You were the one who showed me to the Earl, my lord, and if I am ugly, then it is because of you!"
Reaching the Sheriff, she jabbed her forefinger into his chest. "Father!"
She looked and acted so much like the Sheriff that Guy had to work hard at not laughing or even smiling.
"You do not speak to me like that!" the Sheriff shouted, gripping her hand and tightening his fingers until Laurencia gasped.
"I always wished my real father were a good man, but you are cruel!" Laurencia cried. "If I did not hate Robin Hood for lying to me about my mother, I would join him gladly, just to get away from you!"
"One more word from you, missy, and I'll declare you an outlaw!" the Sheriff threatened. "Then you can join Hood in the forest whether you hate him or not!"
They stared at each other until Laurencia finally lowered her eyes and let her shoulders slump in submission. The Sheriff let go of her hand and pushed her away so that she stumbled backwards.
"Well, if you're staying," the Sheriff said, his voice returning to its usual mocking tone. "then we'll soon have to look around for another man to marry you. Hopefully, we can find one who's immune to your face."
With a sense of dread, Guy watched Laurencia lift her head and look straight at him. He hoped the Sheriff wouldn't notice, but he did, and said, "I already have Gisborne's allegiance, don't I, Gisborne?"
"Yes, my lord," Guy said quickly.
"Of course, I could think of rewarding him one day." The Sheriff grinned, Laurencia's eyes brightened just a little, and Guy's heart sank.
Surely it was just another of the Sheriff's empty promises.
Surely.
+++++
That afternoon, Guy announced that they were going to ride to Locksley to bring Lady Marian back to the castle. Allan had already saddled his horse and was preparing the wagon when Laurencia came down the steps and into the courtyard. Seeing the commotion, she approached him and asked, "What's going on? Where are you going?"
"My men are accompanying me to Locksley," Guy said, coming up from the side. Allan didn't miss Laurencia's blush as she gave the man a quick look out of the corner of her eye, then glanced down at the cobblestones.
"I wanted to go for a ride, now that I am no longer confined to the castle, and I was hoping—" At this, Laurencia actually lifted her eyes to meet Guy's. Allan followed her gaze, but Guy didn't even seem to notice that she was practically begging with her expression. Turning to Allan, Guy commanded, "Allan! Accompany Lady Laurencia on her ride."
Allan shot him a surprised look, but Guy was already walking away, and the only thing he could reply was, "Yeah, all right."
He didn't miss Laurencia's slight pout of disappointment, but then she gave him a smile, obviously trying to make the best of it.
"Anywhere," she told him. "Just not into the forest."
Allan led the way in the opposite direction of the forest and they rode in comfortable silence. After they'd returned to the castle and were striding down the gallery overlooking the courtyard, there was a clatter of horse hooves in the courtyard below. Laurencia stopped to stare, and following her gaze, Allan saw Guy riding in through the gate, the wagon lumbering behind him. They watched as Guy dismounted and opened the door of the carriage for Marian.
"What did you want to tell me about Sir Guy?" Laurencia asked suddenly.
Allan frowned. "What?"
"That day we went to the market, when we saw the messenger from Robin Hood," Laurencia prompted. "You were about to tell me something about Sir Guy."
"Oh, that, right. Yeah, I couldn't help noticing that you fancied him, and I thought you should know that he —"
He stopped, and they both watched Marian take Guy's arm for the walk up the steps.
"His heart belongs to her," Laurencia guessed.
"Yeah," Allan said with a sigh. "Sorry. I thought you shouldn't get your hopes up, 'cause it's torture, you know, being in love with someone when they're not in love with you."
Laurencia sighed as well, but didn't turn her head away until Guy and Marian were both out of sight. Then she looked over to Allan, cocking her head slightly. "Do you like me?"
Surprised at the question, Allan replied, "Yeah, I like you well enough."
"Show me some more of your tavern tricks," Laurencia said. "Make me laugh."
"Sure," Allan said, turning to accompany her to the table in her room. She fell in beside him, and a moment later, he felt two inexperienced fingers make a grab for his backside.
"Oi!" he protested, glancing at her in surprise. Laurencia tried to look innocent, but couldn't help smiling, and Allan relented, allowing himself to smile as well. Grinning, they walked down the corridor, a good arm's length between them.
The End.
written 2008
In the late afternoon, a guard came into the great hall to say that the Earl's wagon had been spotted on the road to the castle.
"Go get the little leper," the Sheriff told Guy. "Make sure she's presentable."
Guy murmured the correct response and went to Laurencia's room. The door was open, and he could see Allan sitting at the table there, entertaining both Laurencia and one of the kitchen maids with his tavern tricks. The maid was the one whom Guy had asked to help Laurencia bathe and dress; she often did the same services for Marian, and he trusted her to know what was right. As Guy came in, they all laughed, and then Laurencia looked up. She froze without speaking, the smile wiped from her face. Seeing her reaction, the maid followed her gaze, saw Guy, and jumped to her feet.
"My lord," the woman said deferentially. "I hope she meets with your approval, and the Sheriff's."
Guy motioned for Laurencia to stand up. She glanced at Allan as though for support, then got up slowly, coming out from behind the table so that he could see what she was wearing. It was the same blue gown she'd had on when she'd arrived in Nottingham; probably the best one she owned, even if it wasn't as alluring at the Sheriff would wish. Guy mused that it probably didn't matter what she wore; she'd never look as alluring as Marian, for instance.
"The Earl is coming," Guy told her. "The Sheriff would like you to come down and meet him."
The maid scurried away, back to the kitchens, and Laurencia and Allan followed Guy outside. The wagon was just coming into the courtyard, and Guy could see that something was wrong. He ran forwards. Though the driver held the reins and directed the horses, he had an arrow sticking out of his thigh. Once he brought the animals to a stop, he let go and collapsed sideways, and Guy was there just in time to catch him.
"The Earl," he gasped. "He's hurt, but … still alive."
Guy handed the wounded driver to two of his men, then got the door of the carriage open. The Earl lay doubled over on the seat inside, his hands curled protectively over his lower abdomen. The arrow had gone deep; the feathers were just visible above the man's fingers. Guy told one of his men to open the door on the other side, and together they heaved the Earl out of the wagon. He screamed when they moved him, and once he was outside, Guy could see that the arrow had hit lower than he'd thought. Even if he lived, the man would never father children.
"What happened?" the Sheriff demanded, pushing his way through the crowd of guards. When he saw the damage to the Earl, he stopped and said simply, "Oh."
"Priest!" the Earl gasped. "Confess—where's—the—priest!"
The Sheriff pointed at one of the guards. "You! Get a priest!"
The man dashed away, and the Sheriff turned next to Laurencia. "Get some water and some cloths, then come and tend your future husband, girl!"
"My lord, I—"
"GO!" the Sheriff raged, and Laurencia scampered away.
"Let's get him inside," Guy ordered, and they began the tortuous journey to the great hall. The servants met them there, carrying supplies, and Laurencia trailed awkwardly behind them, gripping her hands grimly in front of her as though praying. Once Guy and his guard had laid the Earl on the table, the Sheriff came around to speak into the man's ear.
"You were absolutely right to send for the priest," he said in a falsely cheerful voice. "Why wait? We can get you married here and now! Come here, girl!"
Laurencia approached timidly. The Sheriff grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Here she is, Durham."
"My lord," Laurencia whispered, her face white with horror as she tried to keep from staring at the wound.
"Ugly—and—scrawny!" the Earl gasped. "You brought—me—all this way—almost got me—killed--for that?"
Guy watched the Sheriff's expression turn dark, but his voice remained as mockingly bright as before as he said, "If you're refusing to marry my daughter, then you won't be needing this, will you?"
Reaching down, he gripped the arrow, making the Earl scream, then yanked it out. A fountain of blood shot up from the wound, and the Earl's shriek faded abruptly. In the silence that followed, Guy heard Laurencia make a small sound, and then she crumpled, striking her head on the edge of the table as she went down.
The servant woman from the kitchen who tended all the injured men in the castle rushed forwards, pressing a thick pad of cloth against the Earl's wound. The Sheriff stepped away to give her room to work, but almost tripped over his daughter. He snarled, "Gisborne, get this leper out of here."
Guy bent down and pulled Laurencia into his arms, then carried her away to her chamber. As he reached to open the door, she shifted slightly and moaned. He settled her on the bed, but she turned suddenly onto her side and vomited. Although Guy jumped back, he wasn't fast enough to prevent some of it from hitting his boots.
"'M sorry," Laurencia whispered. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up, just give me a moment."
"You are not well," Guy told her. "I'll send up a servant to see to you."
He'd get one to clean his boots, too, but he didn't have to mention that to Laurencia. She rubbed the back of her wrist across her mouth, then put her hand to her forehead and winced.
"You're not bleeding," he said. There was only a bump there.
"I can't stand the sight of blood," Laurencia said, looking up at him. Her eyes were huge and dark in her pale face. "And my fa—the Sheriff was so cruel."
Guy didn't know how to respond to that, or even if he should, so he said nothing and turned to leave the room. Behind him, he heard Laurencia sit up, and her voice made him stop. "Sir Guy, is he dead?"
Guy turned back to face her. "No. Not yet."
Laurencia sighed. "Why didn't he give me a chance? I know I'm not pretty, but I would have tried to love him."
Guy remained silent as he went out, but was left thinking of Marian. He didn't have to try to love her, he already did, but was she ever going to give him a real chance?
+++++
After checking on the Earl, who was still clinging to life, and sending a patrol into the forest to retrieve the bodies of the Earl's men who'd been killed there, Guy rode to Locksley. Although the danger wasn't quite over, he still wanted to see Marian. There was something appealing about the thought of her sleeping in his bed; even if he wasn't sharing it with her just yet, he could still sit and stare at her and dream. Inside his house, he stopped at the foot of the stairs just long enough to command Gunilda to bring supper up for both him and Marian, then went up and opened the door.
Marian lay on her side, facing away from him, and was so still that he worried for a moment she might truly have died while he was away. Slowly, he went around the bed and squatted down so that his face was on the same level as hers. She was still breathing, and he watched the slight movement of her chest with relief.
Gunilda and the cook came up with stew, bread, and ale. Guy stood up, putting a finger to his lips, then whispered, "She's asleep."
But even as he spoke, Marian opened her eyes. "Sir Guy!"
"Marian," he said, smiling.
"I wasn't asleep, I was playing dead," she explained, sitting up and only coughing a little bit. "Is it safe?"
"Safe enough," he told her. "The Earl is dying."
"What happened?" Marian asked.
There was a small table in the room that held medicines; Gunilda and the cook cleared them away and pulled the table closer to the bed so that they could put the food on it. As Marian took her bowl of stew in her lap, Guy pulled a stool closer to the table and sat down. Once the servants were gone, Guy said, "Hood shot him. It will be a miracle if he lives."
"And the girl you were telling me about this morning? The Sheriff's daughter?" Marian asked, taking a spoonful of stew.
"We got her back from Hood," Guy said heavily. He removed the gloves that he normally wore and broke off a piece of bread with his fingers. "And because Hood didn't have her, he shot the Earl instead."
"That poor girl," Marian said, and coughed again, twice. "Guy, could you get me something to drink?"
He took one of the tankards of ale and extended it to her. The sleeve of his jacket slid up his arm and revealed the welts on his wrist that the rope had left. He saw that Marian had noticed them, and when she'd finished drinking, she asked, "Are you hurt?"
"It's nothing," he said, glancing down to where his sleeve covered the marks again.
"It wasn't nothing, let me see," she demanded, and put her own arm out. Because she couldn't reach, she had to scoot over in the bed, which caused her to cough once again. "Guy! Let me see!"
He extended his hand to stop her from exerting herself even more, and she pushed up his sleeve. The feeling of her fingers on his skin made him shiver with delight.
"Is that on your other arm, too?" she asked, reaching out, and Guy let her explore his right wrist as well. "What happened?"
"Do you remember that you dreamed Djaq was here?" he asked. "It wasn't a dream. Allan told me that Djaq could help. I wanted to bring her to you."
"And Robin caught you," Marian guessed. Guy nodded.
"But he let Djaq come," Marian said. "And he wouldn't have done that if he'd been concerned for her safety …"
"Hood and I came to an agreement," Guy said, trying to downplay his humiliation. He was afraid that Marian would think less of him if she discovered how he'd submitted to such a demeaning situation.
"He took you prisoner," Marian surmised, looking directly into his eyes. "And you endured it. For me."
Guy looked back, fumbling for an answer. Of all the things he'd expected her to say, that hadn't been one of them. "You were dying."
Marian bent her head and gently kissed the welts on each of his wrists. "Thank you, Guy."
Emboldened by her reaction, Guy said, "Marian, I would have endured twice as much for you."
Marian smiled, the first true smile she'd given him in a long time. Feeling that he'd achieved something in his renewed courtship, Guy smiled back. He was tempted to ask her to marry him, again, but held back. It was too soon, and he didn't want to risk losing what he'd barely won. He'd have to be patient and build up the fire from this first, weak flame.
If this was what it took to win her, he could almost, almost be grateful to Hood.
+++++
The next morning, Guy entered the great hall for breakfast just behind Laurencia. She glanced over her shoulder to see who it was, and reddened before looking away. Neither of them had the chance to speak, however. The Sheriff had been listening to a servant, but now he jumped to his feet and bellowed, "Dead?"
"Yes, my lord, just minutes ago," the woman affirmed.
The Sheriff fixed his stare on Guy, then picked up his goblet and threw it. Guy ducked with the ease of much practice and steeled himself for the oncoming tirade.
"This is your fault, Gisborne!" the Sheriff shrieked. "Robin Hood killed the Earl because you didn't kill Hood!"
He threw his trencher of bread as well, hitting Guy in the chest.
"You were close enough to spy on Robin Hood and hear his plans, close enough to bring my bastard out of his camp, but you weren't close enough to run your sword through him? You're incompetent, Gisborne!"
He plucked an apple from the tray of fruit and hurled it. Guy ducked again, and the apple sailed over his head to join the goblet on the floor behind him.
"And you!" The Sheriff turned his attention to Laurencia, his searching hand finding a plum and launching it. She was too surprised to duck, and it splattered over the front of her dress as the Sheriff continued to bellow. "You were supposed to be alluring, not grotesque! We could have had you married to the Earl before he popped his clogs, if you hadn't shown him your ugly face! You probably frightened him into an early grave!"
Laurencia had been gaping at him in shock, but then her expression changed to one of fury and she began to advance on the Sheriff. "You were the one who showed me to the Earl, my lord, and if I am ugly, then it is because of you!"
Reaching the Sheriff, she jabbed her forefinger into his chest. "Father!"
She looked and acted so much like the Sheriff that Guy had to work hard at not laughing or even smiling.
"You do not speak to me like that!" the Sheriff shouted, gripping her hand and tightening his fingers until Laurencia gasped.
"I always wished my real father were a good man, but you are cruel!" Laurencia cried. "If I did not hate Robin Hood for lying to me about my mother, I would join him gladly, just to get away from you!"
"One more word from you, missy, and I'll declare you an outlaw!" the Sheriff threatened. "Then you can join Hood in the forest whether you hate him or not!"
They stared at each other until Laurencia finally lowered her eyes and let her shoulders slump in submission. The Sheriff let go of her hand and pushed her away so that she stumbled backwards.
"Well, if you're staying," the Sheriff said, his voice returning to its usual mocking tone. "then we'll soon have to look around for another man to marry you. Hopefully, we can find one who's immune to your face."
With a sense of dread, Guy watched Laurencia lift her head and look straight at him. He hoped the Sheriff wouldn't notice, but he did, and said, "I already have Gisborne's allegiance, don't I, Gisborne?"
"Yes, my lord," Guy said quickly.
"Of course, I could think of rewarding him one day." The Sheriff grinned, Laurencia's eyes brightened just a little, and Guy's heart sank.
Surely it was just another of the Sheriff's empty promises.
Surely.
+++++
That afternoon, Guy announced that they were going to ride to Locksley to bring Lady Marian back to the castle. Allan had already saddled his horse and was preparing the wagon when Laurencia came down the steps and into the courtyard. Seeing the commotion, she approached him and asked, "What's going on? Where are you going?"
"My men are accompanying me to Locksley," Guy said, coming up from the side. Allan didn't miss Laurencia's blush as she gave the man a quick look out of the corner of her eye, then glanced down at the cobblestones.
"I wanted to go for a ride, now that I am no longer confined to the castle, and I was hoping—" At this, Laurencia actually lifted her eyes to meet Guy's. Allan followed her gaze, but Guy didn't even seem to notice that she was practically begging with her expression. Turning to Allan, Guy commanded, "Allan! Accompany Lady Laurencia on her ride."
Allan shot him a surprised look, but Guy was already walking away, and the only thing he could reply was, "Yeah, all right."
He didn't miss Laurencia's slight pout of disappointment, but then she gave him a smile, obviously trying to make the best of it.
"Anywhere," she told him. "Just not into the forest."
Allan led the way in the opposite direction of the forest and they rode in comfortable silence. After they'd returned to the castle and were striding down the gallery overlooking the courtyard, there was a clatter of horse hooves in the courtyard below. Laurencia stopped to stare, and following her gaze, Allan saw Guy riding in through the gate, the wagon lumbering behind him. They watched as Guy dismounted and opened the door of the carriage for Marian.
"What did you want to tell me about Sir Guy?" Laurencia asked suddenly.
Allan frowned. "What?"
"That day we went to the market, when we saw the messenger from Robin Hood," Laurencia prompted. "You were about to tell me something about Sir Guy."
"Oh, that, right. Yeah, I couldn't help noticing that you fancied him, and I thought you should know that he —"
He stopped, and they both watched Marian take Guy's arm for the walk up the steps.
"His heart belongs to her," Laurencia guessed.
"Yeah," Allan said with a sigh. "Sorry. I thought you shouldn't get your hopes up, 'cause it's torture, you know, being in love with someone when they're not in love with you."
Laurencia sighed as well, but didn't turn her head away until Guy and Marian were both out of sight. Then she looked over to Allan, cocking her head slightly. "Do you like me?"
Surprised at the question, Allan replied, "Yeah, I like you well enough."
"Show me some more of your tavern tricks," Laurencia said. "Make me laugh."
"Sure," Allan said, turning to accompany her to the table in her room. She fell in beside him, and a moment later, he felt two inexperienced fingers make a grab for his backside.
"Oi!" he protested, glancing at her in surprise. Laurencia tried to look innocent, but couldn't help smiling, and Allan relented, allowing himself to smile as well. Grinning, they walked down the corridor, a good arm's length between them.
The End.
written 2008