The Ghost

Chapter 18 - Epilogue - Nicer Than You

Marian ran into the courtyard, followed by Allan.
The King was arriving, taking his time to reach the gates of the town, but she couldn't wait.
She passed through the broken gate, and she stopped in horror: Guy was lying to the ground, terribly still and pale, with his face covered in blood. Robin was kneeling next to him, holding him with care.
He's dead. The King is coming, Robin wouldn't stay here with Guy if he weren't dead or dying.
Allan stopped at her side, and Marian glanced at him, as to ask for help, but the young man looked to be just as scared and worried as she was.
She was afraid to move and find out that he was really dead, and in that moment she realized that she couldn't stand such a pain, that her heart would surely break.
With a cry, she began to run, dropping on her knees at Guy's side.
"Guy! Don't dare to die, you idiot! If you got yourself killed, I'll never forgive you!" She cried, beginning to sob. Robin looked at her, his look half sad and half amused.
"So you really fell in love with him, didn't you?" He said, and the girl looked at him, startled.
She knew that she was meant to be in love with Robin, that she had always thought that she was going to marry him, but now all that mattered to her was that Guy could be dead and that, if he was, the whole world would look like a barren desert to her, a world turned to ash.
"I do! Forgive me Robin, I think I do!" She sobbed.
Robin took her hand, gently, and he placed it on the wad on Guy's forehead.
"Well, take care of your husband, then. Probably he'll need a few stitches, but he's fine. He fainted like a girl, but he received no serious harm."
Marian looked better at Guy, and she realized that Robin was right: his skin was warm, he was breathing steadily, and all the blood on his face came from that little cut on his forehead. She breathed a sigh of relief seeing that he was just asleep, then she glared at Robin, recalling his words.
"What do you mean that he fainted like a girl? Do you think that girls can't be brave?!"
Robin glanced at the body of the dead servant, still lying where they had put her, covered by Guy's cloak, and he turned back to Marian, serious.
"Today I had the demonstration that they can be as brave as any men. Without the women of Nottingham, probably you would have found us all dead." Robin smiled, looking at Guy. "And he has been brave, today. Very. Like any girl." Robin laughed and stood up. "Forgive me, now, I have to go and meet the King. By the way, how did you find him in time?"
Allan had been looking at the other three, astonished to see that Guy was alive, that Marian had eventually confessed her feelings for him, and that Robin accepted her words so easily, without getting mad at neither of them. Actually, he looked to have grown quite fond of Guy since the last time he had met him.
"Robin," Allan said, seeing that Marian was too overwhelmed by her emotions to answer coherently to his question, "we had been very lucky, actually, but it was also thanks to you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your pigeon. The one carrying a message. The king received it on the ship, while he was about to land, and so he knew that the sheriff and Prince John were plotting against him to take his throne. So, fearing an ambush, he landed in one of the ports in the north instead than in the south. He was traveling to reach London when we met him, and Marian managed to inform him about Nottingham."
Robin thought that it was almost a miracle and that they were all very lucky to be alive, then he walked away, reaching King Richard. He had to talk with him, to explain what happened to the sheriff and why he had been outlawed.
He sighed, thinking of Marian, but he had learned to understand when a battle was lost, and Robin knew that he had been defeated. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt as much as he had expected.

Guy woke up feeling a wet touch on his face.
"Marian?" He mumbled, before opening his eyes, and he heard a soft chuckle.
"That girl can be sure of your love!" Matilda said, and Guy looked at the healer. "Well, you're awake at last."
Gisborne looked around: he was in his room at the castle, lying in his bed. Somebody had undressed him while he was unconscious, he was wearing a warm, clean nightgown, and he had a bandage on his head.
"What happened?"
The healer finished cleaning his face from the last traces of blood, and she smiled.
"You've been wounded while you and Robin were defending the castle. I've heard that you've both been heroic, I didn't expect it from you."
"Well, thank you so much," Guy said, ironically.
"Come on, don't be touchy, now. Just be glad that you survived, and that lady Marian cares so much for you."
"Marian? Is she here?!"
"She is, and I had to fight to send her out of the room so I could examine and treat you. I think that she's just out of the door, anxiously waiting to see you. I heard that she got quite a scare in seeing you lying to the ground, full of blood. Hey! What are you doing?" The healer exclaimed, seeing that Guy was trying to get up from bed.
"I need to see her!"
Matilda stopped him, putting her hand on his shoulders and pushing him, so that he was forced to lie down again.
"Not so fast, my boy. You will see her, but you won't get up yet. That wound is just a scratch, but it bled a lot, and you overexerted yourself. Stay there and I'll let her in."
Matilda opened the door, and Marian rushed into the room. She looked at Guy, who was sitting in bed and looking at her, and she spoke to Matilda, her voice choked with emotion.
"Don't go too far, because you might need to stitch him again. I think I'm going to kill him."
Matilda chuckled and she left them alone.
"Marian..." Guy called her, and the girl rushed near the bed, furious.
"You... You... Utter fool! Leaving in the night, like a thief! Running away from us... to get killed!"
Gisborne stared at her, surprised to see tears in her eyes, and he smiled at her, softly.
"I'm here. Alive."
The girl sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing the fabric of his nightgown with a hand, and punching his shoulder with the other.
"Alive by miracle, you idiot! If you had died, I... I..."
Her voice broke, and she buried her face in his chest, bursting into a fit of sobs.
Guy took her in his arms, trying to comfort her, amazed to realize that she was crying for him.
"Marian? Please don't cry... It's all right. I had to come back, I couldn't live with myself if I had ran away leaving everyone else to die, but I am alive, most of the inhabitants of Nottingham survived, and Robin is unscathed too, we can thank God for this. God... and the King."
Guy blushed to think that the king whom he had almost killed now had saved his life, and he averted his eyes from her, in shame.
Marian sniffled, snuggling against his chest to find comfort in the warmth of his body. She was calmer now that she could hug him, now that she could hear his heartbeat, steady and strong.
After a while she parted a little from him, to lift her head and search for his gaze.
"Never run away from me again. Never. Promise that you won't."
Gisborne caressed her face, tenderly, a sad look in his eyes.
"I can't."
Marian frowned.
"Why not?"
"You can't ask me to stay when our marriage will be nullified, and you will marry Robin. He... he is a friend now, and I won't resent him, nor you. But I think that I'll need some time to accept that I'm going to lose you. I can't force you to love me, but please, let me go."
"No. I forbid it, you don't have to go away. Now promise."
"Marian, please. It would be a torture for me to stay here if you don't love me. I can't..."
Marian put her hands at the sides of his face, to force him to look at her.
"Do you love me?" She asked, serious.
"I will always love you, Marian."
"Then stay."
"I can't..."
"Guy!" She interrupted him. "Are you dumb or what?!"
He frowned.
"Why?"
"Do I really have to say it? I'm asking you to stay because I love you too, you idiot!"
"What? Really?"
He stared at her, in complete shock, and Marian didn't know if she should laugh or hit him.
She shook her head with a sigh.
"Really." She confirmed, and she kissed him.