A World That Will Not Turn to Ash (English)(From Ashes Vol.1)

Chapter 16 - Imprisoned

The quiet of the road passing through Locksley was disturbed by the clamor of the hooves of a galloping horse. The farmers, who were by now starting to retire for the evening, went out of the doors of their houses, worried.
Since the sheriff had found a new commander, the soldiers often returned to haunt the villagers, demanding each time new taxes or other workers for the mine. The brief respite that followed the death of Gisborne was already over and, if possible, the situation was even worse than before.
Hearing the hoofs of that horse, the peasants were all afraid that a squad of soldiers was coming to the village, but the rider who was galloping at full speed was alone and he didn't wear the colors of Nottingham, but a gray cloak that hid his face.
He stopped the horse in front of the church, pulling the reins abruptly and he unmounted in a hurry, although a little rigidly.

Guy ran in to the church, then he forced himself to regain control and he stood before the altar for a moment to catch his breath. He didn't ride since the day he had been injured and that short gallop had been enough to make his wounds ache, but he wouldn't stop until Marian was safe.
The priest came to meet him, a bit worried.
"What brings you here at this time, son?" He asked, trying to recognize Guy's face, hidden by the hood of his cloak.
"I need to speak immediately with Tuck, the friar. Is he here?"
The priest looked at him, puzzled, the man's voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't figure out who he was and he wondered why he wanted to see the friar.
"I'm here." Tuck said, approaching them.
Guy started to address him, but the friar warned him to be quiet with an almost imperceptible nod and then he spoke again.
"Come with me, son, I will listen to your confession."
He led him into a small room at the back of the church and he closed the door behind him, then he motioned for Guy to kneel with him.
"I never expected to see you again so soon." Tuck said softly. "What happened?"
Gisborne told him everything, trying not to give in to agitation and Tuck listened in silence.
"Tomorrow morning I will go to Nottingham Castle and I will ask to speak with Lady Marian." Said the monk, even before Guy could ask him for help. "The rumors about her could be useful to protect her."
"How?"
"If there are doubts about the maidenhood of the bride..."
"Marian is absolutely innocent!" Guy interrupted him and Tuck waved him to be quiet.
"I said, if there are any doubts, a religious may recommend a period of isolation and penance to atone for sins in view of the wedding. The future groom could not see her until the day of the marriage."
"So she would be safe from Roger of Barrett's attentions at least for a while!"
"Exactly. I will try to buy time for you to find a way to free her."
"Thank you. Again. I sent one of my men at the castle, Allan A Dale, you can trust him."
"Now go, my son. May the Lord protect you."

Robin Hood ignored the voice of Much calling the outlaws to dinner. He was not hungry after the scene they had witnessed that morning and he continued to mull over to find a way to make Roger of Barrett pay for the death of the woman who he had killed so mercilessly.
Djaq came and sat next to him and offered him a bowl of stew.
"Robin, tormenting yourself won't bring her back to life. We will find a way to avenge her, I'm sure."
Robin Hood nodded at her words and thanked her, but he did not take the food.
Much looked at him, anxious and hurt, and he started to protest, but the sound of the alarm bell that was as the entrance of the camp startled them all.
The outlaws exchanged a nervous glance: someone had come to the camp, but who could it be?
Allan perhaps? Or Marian? Or maybe someone had discovered their hiding place?
They took up their weapons in a hurry and they left the camp to surprise the intruder.
Robin stepped around a tree and pointed the bow against the man on horseback who seemed to wait patiently for their arrival. The intruder was wearing a cloak that hid his face and rode a black and fierce stallion.
"Stop!" Robin shouted and the man raised his hands.
"Put down your sword and come down from the horse. Slowly." Robin ordered, still aiming at him "Now get on your knees and keep your hands up."
The man obeyed and Robin approached him.
"Who are you? How did you get here?"
"Hood, Marian is in danger." Guy said and Robin winced at hearing those words. He walked over to him and he pulled back the hood of his cloak, then he stared at him, stunned.
"Gisborne!"
"He should be dead!" Much cried, scared, while Little John had taken a step back, making the sign of the cross.
Robin dropped the bow to the ground, he grabbed Guy by the shoulder and he pointed the sword at his throat.
"He doesn't look neither dead, nor a ghost." He said to the other outlaws, then he turned to Gisborne. "How did you find this place?"
"I think you can guess, Hood."
"Allan. He said he found your body."
Gisborne looked at him in disgust.
"That doesn't matter, didn't you hear what I said? Marian is in danger. Roger of Barrett took her, he wants to force her to marry him."
Robin pressed the blade on his neck, causing him to bleed a bit.
"What is this? A tradition? Anyone who works for the sheriff must try to force Marian to marry him?"
"If you knew what he's capable of, you wouldn't joke, Hood." Gisborne growled and Robin grabbed him by the jacket, hauled him to his feet, slammed him with his back against a tree and then he pressed again the sword to his throat.
"I know it very well instead. What I want to know however is what are you doing here. What are your goals? Did you really think you could take us by surprise?"
"I triggered your stupid alarm on purpose! I came here to talk to you, to warn you against Barret."
Robin looked at him with a skeptical smile.
"By sheer good nature, I suppose."
"For Marian!" Guy shouted, angrily. "I don't care if you believe me or not, Hood, but she is in danger and now you know it. If you care about her, you can't let that beast to get his hands on her! You can kill me, I don't care, as long as you save her."
"This I do not like, Robin." Said Little John. "Are you going to listen to him?"
"He wants to draw us into a trap, master." Much commented, wary.
"And now he knows where our camp is." Will continued. "He will tell it to the sheriff..."
"Tie him." Robin ordered. "Tomorrow we will go to Nottingham and find out whether he lied or not, then we'll decide what to do with him."

Marian sat with her back to the wall in the corner of the cell farthest from the door.
The stone floor was cold, covered only by a layer of smelly straw and the girl did not dare to imagine how many insects and rodents infested the place.
In the cell there was nothing, no water, no food, no blankets, just a stinking bucket backed into a corner and only now Marian could understand how much worse her father's imprisonment could have been if Guy had not challenged the orders of sheriff to help him and make his life in the dungeons more comfortable.
The only good thing of the bars that imprisoned her was that they were standing between her and Roger of Barrett. The man had lifted her and thrown her on his horse to take her to the castle and Marian felt dirty where the hands of Barret had touched her.
Roger Barrett had held her close before throwing her in the cell, touching her body in a disgusting way, then he had her locked up, leaving her with an evil smile and with the promise that she would soon become completely his.
The very thought made her sick and the terrible smell of the dungeon certainly didn't help her to feel better. Marian closed her eyes and stood in her corner shivering with cold and fear.
It didn't matter that she had been proud and courageous when she was the Nightwatchman, now she was really afraid. Roger of Barrett had something inhuman in him that scared her to death.
In the past Guy had treated her with arrogance too and sometimes she feared his wrath, but even in his worst moments, Gisborne eyes had never been cold and dead like Barrett's ones.
To think of Guy made her want to cry.
Only a few hours before she had looked at him sleeping while leaning on her shoulder, and at that moment, she felt incredibly calm: the familiar and reassuring smell of horses was around them, and Marian had been listening to the sounds of the activities of the people of Locksley in the distance, the chirping of birds that had nested in the roof of the barn and the slow and regular breathing of Guy who for once was resting quietly, without being tormented by nightmares.
The late afternoon light filtered through the planks of the barn illuminating the atmospheric dust and Marian had thought that it was a perfect moment, a moment of peace that she would always remember fondly.
Shortly after, the arrival of the soldiers had ruined it, throwing her into a terrible nightmare and now she only wished that Guy of Gisborne would come to take her away from that cell.
Guy.
Marian's eyes widened in surprise as she realized the direction her thoughts had taken.
She was betrothed to Robin Hood, she should hope it was the outlaw to come to her rescue. Only a short time ago, her first thought would fly at him, Robin was the one that she was supposed to imagine how the hero who run to her rescue.
Yet it wasn't him the one that she thought of, it wasn't from his arms that she wanted to be comforted.
She curled up on the straw on the floor and she closed her eyes, trying to evoke the feeling of Gisborne's arms holding her close and that thought made her feel protected.
Guy come to me, please, come back to me again...