The Nightwatchman (English)(From Ashes Vol.2)

Capitolo 4 - The Perfect Gift (part1)

Marian rummaged in the trunk at the foot of her bed, more and more irritated. She had already looked everywhere, scattering clothes and various ornaments around the room, but she couldn't find what she was looking for.
Her father came to the door and he watched the disorder, perplexed.
"Have we been robbed, or did you decide to thoroughly clean your room? You could have asked the servants to do so."
The girl looked at him nervously.
"There's something I can't find, but I was sure I left it here."
"Many of your clothes are still at the castle, I'm afraid. When Allan came looking for you after you had been taken away by Barret, he needed an excuse to go to Nottingham and he had to pretend to be there to bring you your things."
Marian shook her head.
"I don't care for my clothes, Allan is not stupid, he wouldn't take to the castle what I'm looking for."
"If you tell me what it is, maybe I can help."
The girl hesitated. She knew her father would disapprove and he'd ask too many questions, but now she had said too much to avoid the question.
"My Nightwatchman costume."
Sir Edward looked at her sternly.
"Marian, remember that our situation is very precarious. We can not give the sheriff any excuse to pick on us or it will be the end. What would you do with your costume? Unfortunately we are not so rich that we can help the poor as before. I won't ever deny a meal to a hungry man who knocks at our door, but we can no longer afford to distribute food to the poor of the village..."
"I know." Marian sighed. "But it's not the reason I'm searching my costume. I hear that someone claims to be the Nightwatchman and he goes around helping people. I want to find out who is that man and what intentions he has."
"That's a good thing, don't you think? Someone was inspired by your actions and he started to help people in your place. You should be happy, Marian."
"Yes but..."
"In any case you won't find your costume. I did burn it after Barret took you away. If they found out your secret, for you it would be the end. And for all of us as well."
Marian sighed. She knew that her father was right, but she would miss the very feeling of freedom she felt every time she wore the clothes of the Nightwatchman.
And then she had to find out who was the impostor posing as her. She told herself that she wanted to know because she was concerned about the intentions of that unknown man, but she actually was tremendously curious.
"Marian, don't do anything rash, promise me."
She nodded reluctantly and father smiled.
"Don't forget about it: if this person has bad intentions, I think that Robin Hood will find out soon, otherwise it's better for the people of Nottingham. Rather, do you think of organizing something for tomorrow?"
Marian looked at him, puzzled.
"Why?"
"Tomorrow is the birthday of Sir Guy, don't you remember?"
She shook her head, with a twinge of guilt. She had been so preoccupied with her curiosity about the Nightwatchman that the date had passed completely from her mind.
"Guy didn't mention it at all. In the past he had always celebrated it by inviting the sheriff and the nobles who supported him, but this year he didn't even hint at wanting to celebrate..."
"I think it's understandable. His life has changed so much in just a few months, I guess that he doesn't want to be even more in the spotlight."
"Yeah, I guess so." Marian said, then her father left and she began to put away the clothes that were scattered around the room.
The last words she had exchanged with her father had filled her with sadness, making her think about Guy's past. Once he had told her that he had no one, and only much later Marian had understood how those words were terribly true.
"Now you've got me..." She whispered to herself. "And Allan and my father... You are not alone. Not anymore."
Perhaps Guy didn't want to celebrate his birthday and she could understand that, but Marian was determined to prove in some way that all of them care about him, she wanted to tell him how much he was loved.
But how?

Allan sat in the shade of a tree and he munched an apple, relaxed and satisfied after lunch. The workers involved in the removal of debris and the reconstruction of Knighton Hall were sitting in the shade to eat too, gathering together in small groups.
Finally, after a couple of months working for Gisborne, they seemed to have relaxed a bit in the presence of the former black knight and they not longer looked at him as if he were the devil himself.
Guy made them to work hard, but he didn't treat them badly and the compensation was adequate, and in the end the men got used to him, though they still tended to stay away from him when possible.
During breaks, Gisborne was always on his own or together with Allan.
Now that the work had taken a good pace, Guy returned rarely to Locksley for lunch and Allan had taken the habit to bring him meals and to eat with him. Sometimes, once they finished eating, he and Gisborne treated themselves to a horse race through the fields or trained in combat.
Apparently Guy was taking quite seriously its commitment as Nightwatchman, Allan thought, watching him as he practiced archery.
"Hey, Giz!" He shouted, tossing the apple core. "Try to hit that!"
Guy shot two arrows in quick succession, but neither managed to hit the core, which fell to the ground soon after.
"Too bad." Allan commented, getting up to go to look at the tree trunk that Guy had used as a target. "But you still improved your aim a lot. Robin gave you a few lessons?"
Gisborne put the bow away and he reached Allan, rubbing his right flank.
"Yep. It would be better if it didn't still hurt to draw the bow."
"You'd heal sooner if you'd rest more. With all the work you do at Knighton, the administration of the lands and your nocturnal adventures, I'm surprised that you still have the strength to stand."
"I have no time to rest, you know. I have to make money from my lands in order to pay taxes to the sheriff, I can not afford a delay or a error in payments, and I want to build this house for Marian before asking her to marry me."
"Confess that you have fun being the Nightwatchman."
Guy smiled.
"I have to admit that I'm not sorry to see that people are happy on my arrival, for a change."
Allan put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sooner or later it will happen even without you having to wear a mask."
"Maybe."
"I think so, unless you tire yourself to death before it happens." Allan said cheerfully, then he looked at Gisborne, turning serious. "Seriously, Giz, don't overdo or you will get sick."
Guy stared at him, a bit surprised to see that Allan was really worried about him.
"I'm fine, I assure you. Maybe I'm a little too tired, it is true, but this too has its advantages. It has been so long since I managed to build something instead of destroying it, it gives satisfaction. And then at night I am so exhausted that I sleep deeply, often without even dreaming. Not having nightmares every time I close my eyes it's a relief, believe me."
Allan nodded sympathetically.
"I can believe it."
Marian had awakened early that morning, before dawn.
She couldn't think of a gift for Guy, although the day before she had done nothing but think about it, but she remembered a story her father told her when she was little.
As a child, sometimes Marian asked him to talk her of her mother, she had no memories of her, and once Sir Edward had told her that in the most special days his wife loved to cook for him, to prepare with her hands the dishes he preferred, without the help of the cook.
She had thought that she could do the same for Guy, to get up early to cook something good just for him.
She had no idea what his favorite dishes might be, and just to be sure she had chosen refined and elaborated recipes that he would definitely appreciate.
The problem was that she had greatly overestimated her culinary skills.
Since she had started, she had already burned her fingers three times and she was also able to cut herself with a knife, while the results of her efforts were quite different from what she had expected.
For some reason the flour that she had poured in milk remained lumpy, while the cream didn't thicken and Marian had the impression that a few pieces of egg shell had fallen into the bowl when she had thrown in the yolks.
Then a strong burning smell filled the kitchen and Marian found herself watching with despair a pan of pancakes, charred on the outside and completely raw inside.
Hoping to put a remedy to the disaster, the girl had drowned them in honey.
She looked at the dish that she had painstakingly composed and she began to cry: its appearance was horrible and she was tired, sweaty, covered with flour from head to toe and sticky with honey.
She hoped that at least the flavor was good and that Guy would have appreciated her commitment.
She heard footsteps approaching and she tried to settle down a bit, dusting off her dress to remove traces of flour, but she was disappointed to see that the person who was on the door was Allan and not Guy.
The young man looked at her, puzzled.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
The girl glanced hesitantly at the table and she turned quietly to Allan.
"I wanted to make a surprise to Guy for his birthday. I prepared breakfast for him."
Allan looked doubtfully at the plate.
"That would be the breakfast?"
Marian nodded, hopefully.
"Taste it and tell me how it is." She said, filling a plate for Allan.
Allan sat down at the table and he began to eat, but he stopped after the first bite. He swallowed, poured himself a glass of wine and he drank it quickly, then he looked back at Marian.
"Do you want to poison him, by any chance?"
"Is it that bad?" Marian sadly asked.
"Worse." Allan said, honestly. "And I assure you, in my life I ate everything. If I can give you some advice, make it disappear before Giz wakes up. If he knew you cooked for him he'd insist on eating it all the same, but believe me, you don't hate him so much."

Guy awoke with a start when Robin's arrow planted a few centimeters above his head.
He pulled it away from the head of the bed to read the message attached to the shaft, amazed because of the unusual time. The other times Robin had called him at night, to contact him shortly after dawn something strange had to be happened.
The message didn't say much, only to reach him immediately on the road to Nottingham and Guy hastened to get ready.
He went down the stairs, looking for Allan and he found him in the kitchen, along with Marian.
The girl looked pretty tired and depressed and Guy wondered what could have saddened her, but the message of Robin seemed rather urgent and he couldn't be delayed. While the girl was turned, Guy took the opportunity to show the arrow he had in his hand to Allan, then he hid it behind his back when Marian turned to look at him.
"Hello Guy. I was going to ask the cook to serve breakfast." Marian said with a sigh.
Guy shook his head with an apologetic smile.
"Today I don't have time, I'm sorry."
"There is something wrong?"
"Only a boring question to be solved with one of the farmers. But if I don't do it now, we risk losing a day's work and we can't risk not having the money for the taxes requested by the sheriff. You know that he's just waiting for a mistake to hit me.
He touched her lips with a quick kiss, then he went out the door and Allan hurried after him.
Before leaving, the young man stood in the doorway and he turned to Marian, quietly.
"You'll find something else, but don't cook anymore, it's better."
Left alone, she sighed, then, out of curiosity, she decided to try a bite of what she had cooked. She paled slightly, swallowed and then she took the plate and she went to empty it in the pigpen, pretending it was for them from the start.
Perhaps she'd better just buy him a gift, she decided.
After all it was a market day in Nottingham, perhaps there she could find something that would please Guy.