"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3) by Gratiana Lovelace, 2015 (a Wattys2015 Nominee)

Ch. 29: Departing and Arriving Near Leicester in Early July 1199

"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3), Ch. 29: Departing and Arriving Near Leicester in Early July 1199, May 11, 2015 Gratiana Lovelace

[An Original Fan Fiction adaptation of the characters from the BBC's Robin Hood;

& a Sequel to "Sir Guy's Dilemma"(Book 2) by Gratiana Lovelace]

(All Rights Reserved; No copyright infringement intended)

[From time to time, I will illustrate my story with my dream cast of: Richard Armitage as Sir Guy of Gisborne, Clive Standen as Lord Archer of Locksley, Emma Watson as Lady Roseanna Gisborne, Tommy Bastow as the young Seth Gisborne, Lucy Griffiths as the spectre of Lady Marian, James McAvoy as Lord George Middleton, Toby Stephens as Prince/King John, Dakota Fanning as Lady Caroline Havorford, Chris Hemsworth as Sir Roderick Merton, Tamsin Egerton as Lady Rebecca Oxbridge Merton, Lee Ross as Sir Jasper, Sir Derek Jacobi as Fr. Bale, Judi Dench as Mother Superior, David Harewood as Brother Tuck, Kevin McKidd as Lord John Oxbridge Earl of Leicester, and Lucy Griffiths as Lady Anne/Marian, etc.]

Author's Mature Content Note: "Sir Guy's Atonement" is a story of romance and intrigue set amidst Medieval times. As such there will be some passages in this story involving heartfelt love scenes (S) and some passages involving highly dramatic moments (D). I will label the maturity rating of those chapters accordingly. Otherwise, the general rating for this story is PG or PG-13 due to some mature situations and topics. If you are unable or unwilling to attend a movie with the ratings that I provide, then please do not read the chapters with those labels. This is my disclaimer.

Author's Recap from the previous installment: Brother Tuck met the Lady Anne (nee Lady Marian) before their journey from the Holy Land to England was to begin. Lady Anne does not want to leave the safe cocoon of the convent-for she thinks that the only future before her as a barren woman is to be a nun. But Mother Superior cautioned Lady Anne to view her journey home to England as a chance to possibly reclaim who she really is. Though no one will tell Lady Anne who she is, which frustrates her as she told her now good friend Lord John Oxbridge when she visited him before retiring for the night. She found him wistful and melancholy-feelings that she can understand. Lord John and Lady Anne each have feelings of more than friendship for each other. But they will not express it-for he is the married Earl of Leicester, kin to Lord George Middleton, and Lady Anne is to take her holy vows if she does not remember who she was.

So they will also be taking with them on their journey to England, an injured knight from the crusades-a Lord John Oxbridge, Earl of Leicester and cousin to Lady Roseanna Oxbridge Middleton Gisborne on her mother's side. Br. Tuck hopes that the path to Lady Anne regaining her memories and her identity as the Lady Marian will not be frought with distress for her or for Baron Guy of Gisborne and his family with Lady Roseanna. But Br. Tuck guesses that there will be repercussions of the revelation that Lady Marian is alive, that not even he can think of. However, the news that Lord John Oxbridge Earl of Leicester is alive will bring almost as much initial shock.

"Sir Guy's Atonement" (Book 3), Ch. 29: Departing and Arriving Near Leicester in Early July 1199

The two month long journey from Jerusalem in the Holy Land to England mostly by ship-a journey of some 3,121 miles-was long, tedious, arduous, and exhausting for Lord John Oxbridge, Lady Anne/Marian, and Brother Tuck. They passed the time in conversation, some entertainment diversions involving a deck of cards that Br. Tuck scandalously produced from his nap sack, and napping. Though Lady Anne/Marian revealed some of her disturbing dreams to Br. Tuck-of a smiling boy good with a bow and arrow whom she disdains for some unknown reason; of a dark haired handsome man in black leather with no face whom she both fears and is drawn to; and of being caretaker to a sickly old man whom she thinks she loved as a daughter would-her discussions with Br. Tuck about them did not lead her to remembering who they were, nor who she was, who she is.