1 | master of arms [gisborne]

Forty-three

Linda bolt upright with a gasp, breathing heavily. Her wild eyes looked everywhere, trying to figure out where she was. Bows and arrows in one corner, multiple beds, a ladder, a swing-set, a sleeping Allan who was drooling. Yup, she was still at the Outlaws' Camp.

"It was just a dream," she whispered to herself. She took off Guy's jacket and brought it to her nose, inhaling the scent that he left when he gave it to her. He was alive. He was okay. She couldn't go back to sleep, not after what she just saw.

"It's Thursday," she whispered to herself. "To hell if Isabella thinks she's executing Guy."

Quietly, Linda hopped out of her bed and grabbed her stuff from underneath the bed. She was cautious and careful, doing her best not to make that much noise. But she panicked when she saw Much get up and look around.

"Psst!" she hissed. "Much!"

Much jumped and turned around, startled. "What are you doing?"

"I could ask the same to you," she said. "Why are you up so early? You usually wake up at around eleven, not thirty minutes before that."

Much scratched the back of his head, not really having an answer. But he did glance at Kate, she of which was asleep and her back was turned to them. That answered all of Linda's questions.

"Oh," she whispered quietly. "Right."

Much sighed and put his shield on his back, his sword in his sheathe, and then attached that to his belt. "And you? Where are you running off to?"

"It's Thursday, Isabella is going to have an execution, and I'm going to stop it."

"Alone?"

"But I'm not alone," she said with a smirk. Standing, she put on the jacket, then her quiver, then her bow. She slipped her knife in her boot, strapped her sword to her waist, and then opened the hatch. She looked outside at the greenery, then at the sleeping outlaws. Much approached her side.

"Shall we go?" he offered.

With a deep breath, Linda exhaled sharply. "Yeah, come on."

Glancing at their sleeping friends one last time, they walked away from the Outlaws' camp.

*****

It was 11:30 when Meg came down to the dungeons with a plate of food and a cup. She hesitated, then marched to Guy's cell. Meg knelt down and handed him the cup. Guy wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Thank you," he said quietly. "But no."

"You must eat," Meg said, and her voice cracked. Guy looked up to see that her eyes were sort of puffed, and her cheeks were damp. She had been crying. "F-for me. It's the least I can do."

"You've done more than enough," Guy said softly.

Meg was crying again. "I haven't done anything."

"You have," he said again. "You made me think."

Meg sniffed and tilted her head to the side. "About what?"

"About someone I used to know," he answered, looking down. He didn't want Meg to see that he was also close to tears. "She saw good in me where there was none. She made me a better man."

"Who, Linda?" Meg asked. Guy shook his head.

"No, another person. She was close to her."

Meg's face softened. "What happened?"

Guy blinked back tears, but his wavering voice betrayed him. "I destroyed her. I destroyed everything."

Meg shook her head fast. She didn't know what to say, but all she did know was that he didn't destroy everything. That was untrue, to say the least. Look at what he accomplished with Linda in so little time. That was something, right?