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

Chapter 74 - Three Nuts

Archer shook his head in disbelief.
Normally he would have called liar anyone who told him even a small part of the stories he had just heard from Guy of Gisborne's voice, but he was inexplicably convinced that his half-brother was sincere.
What he said was the truth, or Gisborne was completely insane.
To deny the second hypothesis there was Allan, who had integrated or confirmed most of Guy's stories without the slightest hesitation, often interrupting him in the middle of a story.
At that moment, Guy and Allan were arguing precisely for that reason and, after listening to them bickering for a while, Archer decided that he had listened enough.
"All right, that's enough!" He said, interrupting them abruptly and the other two looked at him, perplexed and slightly worried.
Archer sighed as he saw fear reappearing in their eyes, and he tried to reassure them with a smile.
By now he had understood that he wouldn't have the courage to hand Gisborne to the sheriff, even if keeping the secret on everything he had told him would make him a traitor exactly like Guy.
He didn't know exactly how he had done that, but Guy of Gisborne had managed to earn his respect and friendship, regardless of blood ties. Even if he hadn't told him that he was his brother, Archer wouldn't condemn him to death anyway.
"I think I've heard enough," he said quietly.
"Will you tell the sheriff?" Guy asked, but his expression leaked the trust he put in Archer.
"No."
Guy smiled.
"I knew it."
"A little while ago you didn't seem to be so sure." Archer replied, with a grin.
Gisborne blushed remembering his terror a little earlier.
"All right, I was afraid you would kill me. But I was hoping you wouldn't, and I'm really glad I wasn't wrong about you."
"Also because in that case you'd already be in the dungeons."
"Not just for that reason. If you were an enemy, I'd have to choose between you and Robin and I couldn't. I don't want to betray any of my brothers."
Archer gave him a curious look.
"You said that Hood isn't your brother."
"Yeah, but it's like he is. And this leads to another pending issue..."
"Won't you think of freeing him?"
"Exactly. And what will you do, Archer? Will you try to stop me or will you help me?"
The two men stared at each other for a few seconds, then Archer shook his head with a half smile.
"You're completely crazy, Gisborne, you know, don't you?"
"Maybe. But I won't allow the sheriff to execute Robin. I will save him, at the cost of dying in the attempt."
"And what will happen to all the dreams you told me about? If you get caught, you'd lose everything: your home, your land, the woman you love. And trust me, the sheriff won't allow anyone to free Robin Hood. In the best case you'd become an outlaw, in the worst you'd go to keep him company on the gallows, after going through the torture room."
"Giz, Archer isn't wrong at all... Vaisey certainly will have increased the guards at the castle, and he won't let anyone approach."
A flash of fear passed into Guy's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by stubborn determination.
"If the identity of the Nightwatchman remains secret, I won't lose anything, unless they capture me. And in any case all my dreams would have already become ashes a long time ago if Robin hadn't helped me. I wouldn't abandon him even if I were sure to go to death."
"Then you have to find the way to be in two places at the same time. Are you so crazy to believe you can do this too?" Archer said, and Guy looked at him, confused by his words.
"What do you mean?"
"When we locked up Hood in the dungeons, the sheriff immediately started giving orders for his execution. It will be coming soon, probably tomorrow, and Vaisey decided that all the nobles will have to be present and witness the death of Hood. All the nobles. Including you."
"I'll say I'm sick. Marian already thinks that I'm unwell and the servants of Locksley will confirm it."
Archer raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"And do you think the sheriff is so naive to believe it? Those who don't show up will be punished harshly and accused of treason. The sheriff wants the execution of Hood to be an example for everyone and especially for you. Those who oppose him will have no way out, this is the message he wants to convey, and you are already at the top of his blacklist. If you want to hope to survive you will have to be present and well in sight."
"I'll find a way. Will you help me?"
"I will, Giz," Allan intervened.
"Depends on what do you mean by help," Archer replied. "I won't reveal your secret and I'll pretend not to see anything you and your friends decide to do, but I'm not going to openly oppose the sheriff, and if they find out your identity, I'll have to do my duty. Between covering a friend's madness and becoming an outlaw in turn there's a big difference, you know? I'm not going to spend the rest of my life as a fugitive."
Guy nodded.
"Yes, it's true and I don't ask you to do it. If you can help me without taking risks I'll be grateful, otherwise it doesn't matter, I'll find a way."
"Avoid being caught, all right? I made you run away once, maybe I won't have the chance to do it a second time."
"I'll do my best."
Archer looked at him, shaking his head resignedly.
"I hope you're right or we'll all get in trouble."
Allan put a hand on Guy's shoulder.
"Whatever we decide to do, it would be better to go back to Locksley and try to get some sleep. You won't be able to help Robin if you are too tired."
Archer nodded at his words.
"I have to go back to Nottingham too. I'll try to get you all the information I can about Hood's execution, but before you go there's one last thing we need to clarify."

Robin woke up, sore from having slept on the stone floor, and he wondered how long it had been since his capture. He couldn't tell if it was still night or if the sun had already arisen because the cell in which he had been locked up had no windows, and the only light came from a lighted torch in the corridor, outside the cell door.
He tried to approach the door to understand how solid it was and if he could break the lock, but he was forced to stop before reaching it because he had been chained to the wall and the chains were too short. His wrists were handcuffed to each other, while, from the iron collar they had put on him while he was unconscious, a long chain bounded him to an iron ring fixed in the wall.
Robin tugged at the chain to test its resistance, without finding any weaker link, and he knew that he had no hope of breaking it with his bare hands.
In the dim light, he tried to find something that could help him escape, but the cell was completely bare and there was nothing that could be useful.
With a sigh, Robin thought that he would have to wait for the help of his companions, and he wondered if at least Guy had managed to escape. He certainly hadn't been brought in the cells next to his, but this wasn't a guarantee of his escape. Perhaps Gisborne was dead, killed by the sheriff's men, or he could be imprisoned in another part of the castle.
Robin hoped he was free and that he was already thinking of a plan to get him out of there.
For the moment he couldn't do anything but save his strength and wait.
He looked for a slightly less wet corner on the filthy floor of the cell and he sat down, leaning his back against the wall and hugging his arms around his body to warm himself a little. It was cold, but they hadn't even given him a blanket.

Archer stretched out his bow and released one arrow after another, breaking all the twigs he had planted on the ground, several feet away from where he stood.
He lowered his bow with a satisfied smile, then he put it in Guy's hands.
"Now it's your turn. I bet that what you said about your poor aim was a lie."
Gisborne and Allan exchanged a look, then Allan moved to go and fix the targets, while Guy shot a test arrow against the trunk of a not too distant tree.
Allan picked up some walnuts from the ground and he was about to arrange them on a horizontal branch of one of the trees, but he changed his mind at the last moment.
He put one of the nuts on his head and he spread his arms, holding two more nuts on the palms of his hands.
Guy frowned and shook his head, but Allan encouraged him.
"You can do it, Giz, and you know that," he said, smiling at him without the slightest concern.
Gisborne looked at him as if to ask if he was really sure, but Allan didn't move, unperturbed, and then Guy nodded.
He took aim and released three arrows in rapid succession.
Archer held his breath, wondering if those two were completely crazy or if they knew what they were doing. He saw the three nuts jumping away, hit by the arrows, without Allan suffering the slightest scratch.
Archer turned to look at Guy, impressed, and he saw that his brother was smiling, pleased.
"Liar," Archer said. "You said you were a terrible archer."
"I was. Before Robin Hood's lessons."
Allan came, grinning, and he held out a hand to the other two, showing the kernels of the walnuts broken by Guy's arrows.
"Are you hungry by chance?"
Guy chuckled and took one, putting it in his mouth with a satisfied expression.
Allan imitated him a moment later and Archer burst out laughing, striking Guy with a pat on the back.
"Well, try to free Robin Hood without getting killed, Gisborne, because when everything is over I'm going to challenge both of you. And this time I won't believe any of your excuses."
"Whenever you want, brother," Guy said, smiling at him, then he approached his horse and held a hand to Allan to help him get into the saddle behind him. "But now we have to go back to Locksley, we need to rest and then I have to find out how to do something."
"What?" Archer asked, and Guy grinned.
"Nothing special, I just have to figure out how to be able to be in two places at the same time," he said lightly, then he spurred the horse and headed home.