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

Chapter 68 - Flowers

Guy woke up with a cry as he felt a weight that suddenly hit his stomach. A moment later he found himself staring at Seth's blue eyes, looking at him with a determined expression.
"She said that today I can play with you."
The child pointed to Adeline, standing in the doorway, and she smiled at them both. Guy gave a questioning look at her, wondering what her intentions were.
"Guy, you're his father, it's right that you learn to know each other a little before you have to go back to Locksley. Today Seth will stay with you."
Gisborne moved a lock of hair from his face and looked at her worriedly. Adeline wasn't entirely wrong, he would soon go home, leaving Seth in her care. If he did not want to be for Seth just a stranger who went to see him every so often, Guy would have to try and establish a relationship with him in some way.
"Don't let him get close to me while I'm sleeping, though. Sometimes I have nightmares, I could react in a dangerous way."
Adeline nodded.
"I will remember about it, but today you were as serene as a child, if you were dreaming they had to be beautiful dreams. I was a little sorry for waking you up, but the sun is already high and breakfast will be ready soon, hurry up to get ready, Seth and I will wait for you downstairs. Between your son, Hood and the boys you risk not finding anything to eat if you don't hurry."
The woman had spoken pretending to be serious, but Guy smiled at her, amused. He knew very well that Adeline would never leave him without food. Even as a child, in the rare cases when he was sent to bed without dinner for punishment, the nurse always found a way to get him some bread or a piece of cheese that he secretly ate, hidden under the sheets, while Adeline told him a story or sang for him.
Seth got out of bed and ran to take Adeline's hand, clearly worried at the thought of skipping breakfast.
Guy watched them leave and lay down for a few minutes before starting to get ready. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared at a blade of sunlight that came through the window and stretched out on the wall. Adeline was right, the sun was quite high in the sky already, and for once he had slept well and had woken up rested. The sadness for Annie was always present, Guy suspected it would take a while to fade, but he no longer felt terrified and distressed about Seth's fate. Hood had told him that, and he too was convinced of it: with Adeline, the child was in good hands and Guy could be sure of it.

Marian finished giving orders to the servants and she watched them as they moved the furniture to clean the house thoroughly. The women of Locksley had already made every possible laundry in the previous days and rows and rows of clothes were spread out to dry outside the house.
Allan threw a puzzled look at Thornton and the old servant gave him a slight smile.
"The last time I saw so much movement was when Sir Guy was organizing his wedding. He had the house cleaned from top to bottom, to make it cozy for Lady Marian."
Allan grinned.
"I hope for Giz that this time things will end up better. And I also hope that he hurries to come back before Marian runs out of things to be cleaned, otherwise I don't know what she will think of to pass the time."
"Allan!" Marian called him, approaching, and the young man looked at her, worried that she might have heard their speech, but the girl seemed to be unaware of his words and just put in his hands the swords she had just detached from the wall of the hall. "Can you have them sharpened and polished?"
"They've been hanging over the fireplace for years, I doubt anyone will ever think of using them, what's the point?"
"Just do it." The girl snapped, nervous.
Allan looked at her.
"Maybe you should relax a bit. What's the hurry?"
"I want Locksley to be tidy when Guy comes back," Marian said, then she looked at him with a bewildered look. "Allan? He will come back, right?"
"Are you still asking? You should not have the slightest doubt: Giz will always come back to you, whatever may happen to him."
Marian was about to object that a son was a little more than "whatever" when she saw a horse approaching at a gallop.
Her heart leaped and she wondered if it could be Gisborne, but in that case he would have to be accompanied by Robin Hood. She looked anxiously at the rider, afraid that something might have happened to one of the two men, but as soon as he was closer, Marian was certain that it was neither of them.
She recognized Cedric and she wondered why he came at Locksley. Perhaps he was carrying a message for Guy.
The boy stopped the horse by pulling the reins, and he smiled to see that both Allan and Marian were present.