The Ghost

Chapter 9 - Chained

Allan was silent, riding his horse just a few paces behind Guy and Marian. They were all following the carriage of the sheriff, surrounded by the guards, as if they were under arrest.
Gisborne was staring in front of him, his face grim and bloodied because of the cut left by the sheriff's ring, while Marian had tears in her eyes and her cheeks hot, ashamed because the sheriff didn't allow her to get dressed before leaving Locksley.
She was still wearing just a chemise, mercifully covered by a old cloak belonging to Guy that Thornton had succeeded in giving to her while she was being marched to the stables.
The journey to the castle seemed to be longer than usual, but at last they arrived.
Vaisey went out of his carriage, grinning, then he whispered something to one of his guards. After a while, the man came back with the jailer, and Allan saw Guy shuddering, clearly afraid that the sheriff was going to punish them, somehow.
Vaisey kept grinning, and he turned to the people in the courtyard.
"I just found out that Gizzy misbehaved, telling that he was sick while he was spending his time bedding his leper friend."
"My lord! I didn't..." Guy began, but Vaisey silenced him with a single, cruel glare.
"You didn't what, Gizzy? Shut up now and let everyone keep the illusion that you are a man, after all."
Guy lowered his gaze to the ground, not daring to answer to the sheriff's insults, and ashamed to look at Marian.
"You tried to lie to me and I should punish you, but I'm feeling generous, Gizzy. Today it's your birthday, isn't it? I'll be more than generous, then: you can keep your bitch, as a gift. But every dog needs a leash."
The sheriff nodded at the jailer, and, before they could react, the man closed a manacle around Marian's right wrist, and the one at the other end of the chain around Guy's left one.
The sheriff laughed at their astonished expressions, and he kept talking to Guy, without even looking at Marian, as if she didn't exist.
"You wanted her? Well, now you have her. We'll see if you'll still like your leper friend after being forced to share with her every single moment of your day. Go, now, take her away from my sight."
The sheriff dismissed them, and went inside the castle, leaving them in the courtyard.
Guy stared at the manacles that tied him to Marian: the chain was long enough that they could be a couple of steps apart from each other, but not much more.
Eventually, he dared to glance at the girl: she had tears in her eyes, but she was trying hard not to cry, and she was shivering, partly because her chemise wasn't warm enough for the day and her hair was still wet after the bath, and partly in rage.
Guy sighed, thinking that she had to be mad at him for his weakness, but Marian lightly touched his bleeding cheek.
"Maybe we should better get inside, this wound needs to be treated before it gets infected."
Her voice was bitter and defeated, but her tone was kind.
Guy led her through the corridors, to his lodgings, while Allan went to search for remedies and bandages.
"I'm so sorry," Guy said, in a low voice.
"Why?"
"I did nothing to stop him. I let him insult you, do this to us."
He shook the chain, furiously, and Marian took his hand, to calm him down.
"You didn't have any choice. To defy him would have been foolish. I guess that we can only let him have his fun, and hope that he gets tired of it soon."
Guy pushed open the door of his room, with another sigh.
"I'm afraid that he'll enjoy our discomfort for some days at least. He can be very single minded, and he'll make sure that I won't lie to him ever again. And he's always happy when he can humiliate people."
Marian pulled the chain to lead him near the ewer, and she poured some water in the basin, then she dipped a clean towel in it, and she began cleaning the blood from Guy's cheek.
"You shouldn't work for him."
"He'd never set me free. I'm like one of his little birds, he'd rather crush me to death than letting me fly away."
"You should have avoided him from the beginning." Marian said, sternly, but she softened her tone when she noticed of dejected Guy was. "But, well, I guess that now we don't have many choices. There's no use in reproaching, I think that we should better get along with each other, since we are stuck together."
She gave him a little, encouraging smile, and Guy smiled back.
"Guess so," he said quietly, and he stood still while Marian finished cleaning his wound.
"You will be missed." Guy said, after a while, in a flat tone, and Marian looked at him.
"What?"
"Hood. By now he will be wondering why you aren't back to the camp."
Marian turned her back to Guy, and she walked to the window. The knight was forced to follow her.
"Marian? Did I say anything wrong?" He asked, and the girl hit the frame of the window with her free hand, with a gesture of frustration.
"I wish he would notice. Maybe he will when he'll have finished robbing the sheriff. But only after feeding the poor."
Guy frowned.
"Is he going to rob the sheriff?"
Marian was startled: she had forgotten that she was still talking with the Master of Arms of the castle.
"Well..." She began, uncertain, but Guy stopped her putting a finger on her lips.
"Don't lie to me, please. If you want to protect him, and you don't trust me, just keep silent, but don't tell me more lies."
"I trust you."
"But Robin wouldn't, and you don't want to betray his confidence. I don't care, actually: he's always trying to rob the sheriff, anyways," Guy touched the manacle around his wrist, "and today I'm inclined to think that the sheriff deserves it richly."
Marian sighed.
"However you are right: they will realize that I didn't go back at the camp... I must find a way to tell Robin what happened."
Guy thought that Robin would surely rush at the castle to 'save' Marian, and that his presence was the last thing he needed, but it was right that Marian wanted to warn the man she loved, and he couldn't deny that to her.
"We could send Allan to Matilda's hut, and then she can talk to Hood."
Marian nodded, a little relieved.
"I'll write a note to Robin, I'll explain what happened." She glanced at Guy. "I'll write that it isn't your fault, don't worry."
Guy thought that Robin wouldn't agree and he hoped that he wasn't going to get an arrow through his heart.
I surely hope that she won't write that she was taking a bath in my house or I'm done for. And she'd better not mention that kiss...
Guy blushed at that memory, and Marian gave a questioning look to him.
"What's up?"
"Nothing."
"Now who's the liar?" The girl asked, with a little smile.
Gisborne couldn't avert his gaze from her lips, unable to counter the desire to taste them again.
"I was thinking of our kiss," he said, unexpectedly direct, and Marian held her breath for a moment.
"Why?" She blurted, her heart beating faster.
"Because probably it's wrong, but I want to do it again," he said, his voice so low, that she could barely hear his words.
She lifted her free hand to grab his shirt, pulling him a little closer.
"It would be a mistake..." She said, but she did nothing to get away from him.
"I know."
Guy stooped a little, and Marian closed the distance between them.
God forgive me, but I want this too!
They kissed hungrily, with passion, but there was also tenderness between them. Marian closed her eyes, yielding to those overwhelming emotions.
She felt incomprehensibly safe in Guy's arms and the touch of his lips could send away the sadness and her fears, at least for a few moments. When he kissed her, she couldn't think, and lately her thoughts had always been so sad and grim that she welcomed that oblivion.
"I don't want to be funny, but this is becoming a habit." Allan said from the door, and both Marian and Guy got away from each other with a jump, only to realize that they were still chained together.
"You should knock!" Guy said, with a sort of growl.
"Had my hands full," Allan said, nodding at the bandages and at the little vial of ointment that he was holding. "For your wound, Giz. And the sheriff wants you to get to the hall to dine with him." He glanced at Marian, who was still wearing just her chemise, and grinned. "Probably you should get changed for dinner."
Marian glared at him, but she had no time to rebuke him. She hurried to write the message for Robin, and Guy ordered him to go to the forest and give it to Matilda.
As soon as he left the room, the girl turned to Guy.
"I think that he is right. I should change my clothes, but how, if we are tied like this?"
At last, Guy called one of the maids of the castle, and, with her help, Marian managed to wear a sleeveless dress over her chemise. But if Marian's dress was made of two parts laced together, there was no way that Guy could wear his leather jacket while he was chained to Marian, so he just donned a cloak over his shirt.
They reached the sheriff at dinner, and Guy noticed with dismay that Vaisey had invited to dinner some of the other nobles, surely with the purpose of having an audience while he humiliated him and Marian.
Guy and Marian sat side to side, hiding their chained hands under the table, while Vaisey grinned widely at their discomfort.
He had fun at them for the whole long, interminable dinner, forcing the other nobles to laugh of them, then, when the last dishes had been served, Vaisey looked at Marian for a few moments, then he turned to Guy.
"You can go now, I think that your leper friend needs something, maybe you should take your dog out for a walk, hm?"
Guy frowned, unsure of the meaning of his words, but Marian was quick to stand, and to take leave from the room. Guy followed her while she hurried down the corridor, and he wondered why the girl was so tense and red in the face.
"Are you alright?" He asked, a little worried.
"No, I'm not," she answered harshly, blushing even more.
"What's up? How can I help you?"
"Can you get rid of this chain now?"
"No, I can't. I could try to talk to the sheriff again and if I plead and humiliate myself for a long enough time, maybe he will accept to free us."
"I have no time," Marian said, close to tears now.
"Why?"
The girl stopped abruptly in front of a door, and nodded at it, annoyed that he wouldn't understand without her having to explain her problem.
"Because I really need to use the privy!"
Now it was Guy who blushed.
"Oh. Maybe I can stay just out of the door..."
"The chain is too short! Get inside, hurry."
She dragged him into the small room, and Guy closed his eyes.
"I won't look, I promise. And you'll do the same when it's my turn."