Chapter 12 - The Bright Light in Her Eyes

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The inhabitants of Clun were gathered at the center of the village, and they looked at Gisborne and at the guards, worried.
They knew that it was too early for the taxes, but they also knew that they couldn't do anything if the sheriff had decided that it was time to pay: he had power and they didn't. But if they weren't much surprised by the ruthless decisions of the sheriff, they were astonished to see lady Marian at Gisborne's side, a chain linking their wrists.
"Poor woman, she must be his prisoner. I wonder what he's going to do to her," one of the girls of Clun whispered to her neighbor, but the older lady shook her head.
"She doesn't look like a prisoner. Look, she his holding his hand now, and she smiled to him."
"But why are they chained?" A third woman asked, and the first one giggled.
"Maybe Gisborne is the prisoner."
"Shut up, fools!" A elderly lady intervened, her face grim. "You are here gossiping, but we are in danger. Gisborne is the sheriff's man, you know very well that he's dangerous."
The women stopped talking, now afraid.
Gisborne was standing in front of the gathered crowd, his face stern. At his side, Marian was quiet and serious.
"People of Clun! I'm here on behalf of the sheriff and of England itself. The King needs funds for his Holy War, and we are all called to do sacrifices for the Crown. So I'm asking you immediate payment of this month's taxes."
An elderly man made a step forward, trembling.
"But Sir Guy, it's too early. We are not ready."
"You should be. But I'll be generous, I'll give you some time to gather what you need." Guy nodded at the guards, and two of them carried a big hourglass, placing it on the ground. "You have time until midday, When the sand stops, you'll have to pay or suffer the consequences of your non compliance."
Marian gave him a worried glance: now there was no trace of the caring, gentle knight, and Guy looked just like the cruel henchman of the sheriff.
She was afraid that he could really carry on his menaces if he couldn't find another solution.
No, I have to trust him. He is a good man.
The villagers scattered, going back to their homes to frantically look for a way to pay their taxes.
Guy put an arm around Marian's waist, with a possessive, sensual gesture, and he pulled her closer, stooping a little to kiss her neck, hungrily.
Marian winced, aghast.
This was a different kind of kiss, not loving or passionate, but just aggressive and unwelcome. She tried to pull away from him, but Guy didn't let her go.
Around them, the guards sneered and laughed at her reluctance.
"Guy?" She called, uneasy and afraid, as if a harmless puppy had suddenly turned into a ravenous wolf.
Gisborne grinned at the guards.
"I'll be back for noon. Don't disturb us," he said, then he lifted Marian in his arms, and started walking towards the line of trees. The girl tried to get free, but she was still chained to him, and Guy was holding her tight, and she couldn't move.
"Let me go!" She shrieked. "Guy! What are you doing? Let me go!"
The knight didn't listen to her, and he carried her far into the forest before stopping and putting her down. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Marian lifted a hand to punch him.
Guy moved to dodge her blow, but he couldn't avoid it completely: she missed his face, but she hit his shoulder. She tried to hit him again, but this time Guy stopped her hands, grabbing her wrists.
"Wait! Wait! I'm sorry! I have no intentions to hurt you!" He hurried to say. "It was just an act!"
Marian looked at him: now he seemed to be again the same Guy she knew.
"An act?"
"I needed a good excuse to disappear in the forest for a while. If they think..." He hesitated and blushed, averting his eyes from her. "If they think that I'm taking my pleasure with you, they won't dare to follow us and they won't ask where we have been. I'm not doing anything like that, of course!"
Marian looked at him, reassured, but still irked.
"What are they going to think? People will believe that you are a beast!"
"They already do. I'm sorry, I didn't think that I would ruin your reputation, but it was the only idea I had to get away from the village for a while without having to give an explanation to the sheriff. Please, forgive me."
Marian sighed, Guy seemed to be really sorry and she wondered if he had a plan.
"Do you actually have an idea to save the village?" She asked, and Guy nodded.
"I do. But I need your help."
"Explain."
"They don't have money, I'm sure of that, but, if they don't pay, I'll have to burn their houses. I can't show myself pitiful or the sheriff will put you into the dungeons and he will still burn Clun. So, at noon they'll have to pay."
"How? You just said that they can't!"
Guy took a bag he was carrying at his waist, hidden under his cloak, and he gave it to her.
"If they don't have money, the Nightwatchman will give it to them."
Marian stared at him, dumbfounded, then she opened the bag and she found a hooded cloak, a mask and men's clothes similar to the Nightwatchman's costume.
"Really?"
Guy grinned, pleased to see her surprise.
"I took these clothes with me before leaving the castle because I thought that I could order Allan to wear these and show up, so we'd have to chase him instead of collecting the taxes, but it was too dangerous, and then it wouldn't solve the problem. When you told me that we could find a solution, I had a better idea. The people of Clun need money, right? I know where to find what we need."
"Where?"
"I know where Robin Hood hid some of the gold he stole from the sheriff. We'll go and take it, and the Nightwatchman will deliver it to the inhabitants of the village. You can reach the houses without being seen from the guards, can't you?"
"Yes... of course I can... But Guy... You can't rob Robin! And how do you know where he hid his gold?"
"I found out," Guy said without saying that he had seen it in the outlaw's memories, "and I won't be robbing him, let's say that I'll help him to redistribute that gold. Isn't that what he always does? Robbing the rich to give to the poor? Well the people of Clun are poor."
"We could ask him."
"Look, there is no time. We have to go and take the gold, then you will take it to Clun and you'll have to reach me in the forest and we'll have to get chained together again and go back to the village. And we have to do this before the time is over."
Guy took an hairpin, and he gave one to Marian, and they both opened their manacles.
The girl glanced at Guy.
"Do you trust me to do this?"
"It will be dangerous, I know. But I know that you can do it." Guy smiled at her. "I could never catch the Nightwatchman, I expect that my guards can't do better than me. I told Allan to distract their attention, but you'll have to be very careful. If they discover you, I'll come to defend you, but if we are caught, we'll all be hanged as traitors."
Marian stared at him, in disbelief.
"Guy, this plan is as crazy as Robin's ones!"
Gisborne sighed.
"You think it will fail..."
The girl took his hands, smiling.
"No, I think it can work! It will work! You found a way to save Clun! Let's do it!"
Marian ran behind a bush to change her clothes, then she came back and took Guy's hand.
"Show me where is the gold," she said, and Guy smiled at her, glancing at their joined hands as they ran deeper in the forest.
"Look, I finally caught the Nightwatchman," he said, happily, and she laughed, giving a friendly squeeze to his fingers.
"Actually, I caught you."
"Oh, yes. And I've no intention of running away. Not even if you punch me again."
"You deserved it. You scared me."
"Sorry. You have a powerful punch, by the way: my shoulder hurts, and I still have the scar of the first one you gave me."
"I am not going to apologize for that."
Guy nodded, ashamed. He had burned her house to the ground as a revenge, of course she didn't have to apologize!
They reached Robin's hiding place, and Guy looked around, afraid that the outlaw could stop them, but Robin didn't show up, and he and Marian hurried to fill a bag with gold coins.

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