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

Chapter 44 - In the Shadows of the Night

Robin leaned his back to the trunk of the tree, and waited. Shortly before, he had launched an arrow through Gisborne's window to call him and he was waiting for him at the place they had agreed for their meetings.
As he waited, he checked his arrows and stretched the rope of his bow, then, bored, he aimed at a branch far enough and shot an arrow, hitting the target. A moment later, another arrow embedded itself in the wood, near his one.
Robin turned and he found himself face to face with the Nightwatchman.
"I'm impressed," Robin said, nodding at the arrows planted in the branch. "Until a short time ago you wouldn't even hit the tree."
"I learn quickly."
"And you've become even silent, I didn't hear you coming. You can't say the same about punctuality though, I was starting to think that you wouldn't come."
"I was sleeping, I didn't notice the arrow immediately."
Robin looked at him, raising an eyebrow, sarcastic.
"Incredible, do you also find the time to sleep, now?"
Guy hung his head, a bit embarrassed.
"I'm sorry, forgive me," he quietly said, and Robin stared at him, struck by his repentant tone.
"I know I've exaggerated," Guy continued. "I behaved irresponsibly and I put both of us at risk. I shouldn't have done it, and it won't happen again, I promise."
Robin was speechless for a moment. He had summoned Gisborne to put a brake on his reckless behavior, but it seemed that Guy had subsided on his own before his intervention.
"Why so much common sense all of a sudden?"
"I've decided to leave to you the task of making us to end up in trouble, you're a lot more talented in it than me."
"You've been a good student in that too," Robin said, with a grin.
"Seriously, Robin, I do not know what I was thinking. I just wanted to hit the sheriff without worrying about the consequences."
"And now you don't want to hit him anymore?"
"Oh yes! But only if we can do it without risking our lives."
"Well, I agree. But for the moment it's better to stay calm for a while. From what I've heard, Vaisey is furious. Apparently he doubled the reward on our heads and ordered Archer to discover the identity of the Nightwatchman. For some time, it's better to limit ourselves to the deliveries. In the last few days we have collected a very abundant booty and we can supply the poor for a long time."
Guy nodded.
"I could use some sleep, I have to admit that I'm exhausted."
"Allan will be happy, he was worried."
"Worried for me?"
"Yep. And I was worried too, to say the truth."
"It always seems so strange..." Guy said, with an half-smile. "I'm not used to it."
"You're not used to what?"
"That somebody cares for me. You have seen that, didn't you? At my funeral there were only Marian, Allan and Thornton, and they were still three more people than I would have thought."
Guy spoke casually, but Robin was struck by the solitude that hid behind those words. He put his hand on his shoulder, smiling.
"I think there would be much more people now, but let's try not to find out too soon, what do you say?"
"I agree, I'm not anxious to find out," Guy said, giving him a grateful smile. "Oh, about the deliveries, I think that in the coming days Marian will come to ask for your help for the orphanage of Kirklees. Try to be generous with those kids."
"Guy of Gisborne who cares about orphans? I'd like to see the Sheriff's face if he could hear you speaking like that."
"I just want Marian to be happy and, as I can't help her myself, you'll have to do it!" Guy said abruptly, and Robin laughed.
"Well, I recognize you now. But don't worry, those kids will have a good winter thanks to your recklessness. We will give them the money that we got for the things that you stole from the sheriff. In the end you will be helping Marian, even if you can't tell her."
"One day, when we'll no longer need the Nightwatchman, I'll tell her everything."
"And that day Marian will make you regret of being born for all the lies you told her..."
"I'll make sure to tell her who was my accomplice, so at least there will be two of us regretting to be born. Three with Allan, probably."
Robin shook his head, laughing.
"Now go back to Locksley if you don't want her to find it out before time." Robin wondered if he should have talked about Archer, but he decided not to do it for the moment. Gisborne had suffered a very tough blow with the fire of Knighton Hall and, since then, he had exhausted himself trying to take revenge on the sheriff and to rebuild the house as quickly as possible. Even Robin could see that he was paler than usual and that he needed to rest more. "And try to sleep, you look awful."
"I was doing it, you were the one to wake me up."
"Then go back to bed. I will call you when we will go to the orphanage, but until then I don't want to see you wearing that costume."
"You can count on it. Also because tomorrow I will have to be rested if I want to have some hope of defeating Archer."
Robin stared at him, astonished.
"Are you going to contact him again?"
"That was the plan, wasn't it? Tomorrow I will go to Nottingham and I'll ask him for another challenge."
"I thought..."
"Did you think that after losing my home I would back off? That I wouldn't have the strength to approach one of the people who burned it? I promised that I would try to bring our brother on our side and I will."
"I just thought it would be too painful. I don't know if I could behave friendly with someone who took me something so important to me."
Guy looked at him ironically and Robin frowned.
"What are you laughing about, now? What's so funny?"
"What you just said. Robin, you say you couldn't, but you've already done it. With me."
"But it's different..."
"Not so much. Archer works for the sheriff, it's true, but he didn't order to destroy Knighton Hall. I have been in his position and I know that he can't refuse to execute certain orders even though they force him to do something that he doesn't approve of."
"You can't tell whether Archer approves them or not. Remember that he could be a cruel and unscrupulous person. Even if he now took your place at the castle, he might be very different from you. And not for the better."
"I'm aware of it. But I can't pull back, Archer is still our brother, although he's on a wrong track, he deserves a chance."
"We don't even know if he's really our brother."
"And that's why I'm going to Nottingham tomorrow. I have to find out."
Robin nodded.
"All right, do it. But be careful."

Marian tried to push open the door of Guy's room, but found it barred from inside. She tried to gently knock, but she got no answer and she sighed.
She woke up because of a nightmare, she had dreamed the face of the man she had killed to defend Guy, and that dream had left her with a feeling of cold and desolation that wouldn't get away from her.
She wanted Guy to hold her in his arms to reassure her, she needed to find a safe haven in his hug and let him send away the shadows of the night for her.
She didn't dare to knock louder for fear of waking her father, but she didn't feel like going back to bed without first seeing Gisborne. She remembered all the time she had came home entering from the window and she smiled: she would climb up to Guy's window and she'd call him quietly. If he wouldn't wake up, she would be content to watch him sleeping for a while before going back to bed.
Once she made the decision, she quickly moved: she slipped out of Locksley without making a noise and climbed the front of the house until she reached the window. An old barrel was placed near the outside wall of the house just under the window of Guy's room, and it made it easier to climb. Marian passed her leg over the window sill and looked inside the room.
Empty.
Guy was not there.
The door was closed from the inside, but Guy wasn't there, what did it mean?
More agitated than before, she went down the wall, wondering what to do. Should she call Allan?
Or would it be better to go looking for Gisborne on her own? Or pretending that nothing happened?
She approached the stables to look inside, but Guy's horse wasn't there.
Where could he have gone in the middle of the night?
She was almost determined to talk to Allan, when she heard the sound of the hooves of a horse just outside the building.
The girl hid in one of the horses' stall and shortly after she saw him enter the stable.
Gisborne left the horse in his stall and then he slipped out of the stable, furtive. Marian waited for him to exit before approaching the door to look out, just in time to see him return to his room from the window, climbing on the barrel, just like she had done a few minutes before.
Why, Guy? Where have you been?
The young woman was disheartened because the only answer she could found was suggested to her by her jealousy.
Her first impulse was to run in the house and stomp at Guy's door to force him to open it and ask for explanations, but she stopped before taking a single step.
What if Guy's answer should confirm her doubts? What would she do then?
She did not know if she could accept the truth, but she certainly could not endure the idea of losing him.
She returned home without making the slightest noise, and she dropped herself on her bed, suffocating her tears in the pillow.
The doubt tortured her, but she didn't want to know.