"To Be Worthy" (Guy/Marian- Historical Romance- PG 13): Chapter III
SUMMARY: Betrayed by his latest master and mocked by the cruel hand of destiny, Sir Guy of Gisborne returns to Nottingham twenty years after his banishment determined to reclaim the life which should have been his.
AUTHOR: Lexie aka lillianschild
RATING: PG-13/R (probably in later chapters)
FANDOM: Robin Hood
PAIRING: Guy/Marian
GENRE: Romance
Disclaimer: Tiger Aspect Productions and the BBC are free to claim whatever they own of this piece, except Guy's thoughts and my words which are ours to keep. lol.
A/N: Set in an alternate Series 1 where Guy has never met Vasey before his arrival in Nottingham, this fic will explore what impact an earlier acquaintance with Marian might have had on Guy's life and ultimate fate.
READ THE BEGINNING HERE
READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER HERE
CHAPTER III
“Well?”
“His name’s Guy,” Allan A Dale informed Winchester.
“Guy?” the older man echoed.
“Sir Guy of Gisborne. His father was a northener and a knight in King Henry's army, and his mother was a Norman.”
“Anything else?”
“Aye, my lord. Sir Guy was in the Holy Land with King Richard.”
“Oh, one of those! And how come he's here and not fighting the infidel? ”
“It seems he fell from grace in the eyes of the King, who used to hold him in very good regard.”
“So he was cast out of his retinue and sent back to England? Did you find out anything about the nature of the quarrel?”
“Apparently, he questioned some of Richard's orders and... he was involved in a fight with another knight, one of the King's favourites, the Earl of Huntingdon.”
“He dared question good old Richard and was in a row with Lady Marian's old fiance, you said? Interesting. It's a miracle he's still got his head attached to his shoulders.”
“There's more, my lord. Gisborne's no more. There's a younger sister, but when their parents died the late King Henry gave the lands of Gisborne to the Earl of Huntingdon.”
“Ah. Nothing like a long-standing grudge to forget one's knightly oaths,” he smiled wolfishly. “Disgraced and landless. So that's why he seemed to be so interested in me tonight. No doubt he's counting on capturing the richest man's representative on the field tomorrow. How are things progressing with young Meg?”
“Slow, but I haven't lost my faith yet.”
“Good. Good. A victory in the squires’ melee might help you.”
Winchester too needed his knight to win. Hopefully, a victory in the tournament would improve things with Marian. “How good is Sir Guy on the field?”
“Outstanding.”
“Do you mean he's never lost?”
“Mm... rarely, my lord.”
Winchester's man was the best in the shire and one he'd considered unbeatable until then. Losing wasn't an option after coming this far in the game.
“My lord?” asked Allan bringing his master out of his reverie.
“Yes?”
“You told me to keep an eye on Lady Marian... Well, I shadowed her tonight. After she left the hall, she busied herself with the arrangements for Lord Vasey's arrival, and then she went to Sir Edward’s chamber.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“No... but she didn't retire immediately. She had a walk in the garden instead... and she had company.”
Winchester slammed the goblet whose contents he'd been about to drink, making the young squire jump. “Who else was in the garden?”
“Sir Guy, my lord.”
“Are you sure it was him you saw?”
“He walked past me, and you've got to admit he cuts an unforgettable figure,” smiled the Squire ruefully.
“You'd better wipe that smile off your face, Allan. Don't you forget I'm not only the one who can make you but crush you as well. Tell me he didn't see you.”
“Of course, he didn't. You charged me with the task because of my stealth, right?”
Lady Kate of Knighton's one-time-suitor was old enough to know women were not to be trusted around men such as Guy of Gisborne. Although the outcast northener might have no real title and not even a penny in his coffers, he had good looks, youth and virility; Winchester had no doubt the younger man had seduced a good number of women in his lifetime. Things had been going so smoothly for Winchester since Huntingdon's desertion; he hadn't counted on a rival for Marian's hand and dowry, particularly not one he suspected had the necessary means and skills to fight this battle and win it.
If this dishonoured nobody wanted Marian, he was as good as dead. Lord Winchester hadn't spent so many years planning and scheming to marry his former fiance's daughter just to see his dreams crushed by an impoverished knight. He'd been extremely patient with Marian and more than once had thought he should have bedded her and leave her no choice but to become Lady Winchester, and now no upstart was going to steal from him the privilege of showing the Lady who was master.
“The encounter was brief, my lord. And Lady Marian would never do anything unseemly.”
“Yes, Lady Marian is above reproach,” stated Winchester, his emotions once more under control.“The Northerner, however, is a different matter altogether, which means someone must show him his place.”
*~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *
“Why is it that men get to have all the fun while we're expected to sit and fiddle with our fingers or work on our embroidery?” Meg mumbled with a pout.
Marian struggled to hide the smile that threatened to show on her face. She remembered vocing that very same complaint hundreds of times growing up, but now she was an adult and, as such, was expected to set an example for her younger cousin.
“You mean you envy their thirst for blood be it at war or in the tournament field?”
“You know me better than that, Marian. Still, I don't understand that foolish rule that says ladies of rank aren't allowed to even watch a melee.”
“As ladies of rank we enjoy certain privileges, but we also have a duty to behave as such, Meg.”
Marian wondered if she wouldn't be struck by lightning, considering how hypocritical it was to ask that of Meg after the meeting with the knight in the garden the previous night.
She shouldn't have allowed their encounter to last so long. It had been madness to let herself be seduced by his good looks and his velvety baritone, just as it would be foolish to spend another sleepless night thinking what it'd feel like to lie in his arms and be kissed the way she imagined a man like him would kiss.
“Don't you sometimes get bored of being a lady?” sighed Meg.“Even maidservants seem to lead more interesting lives than ours.”
“It isn't all gold that glitters, Meg. I think neither of us would be equipped to survive the life of a servant.”
“You mean no man has been born yet that can tame us or force us into subservience,” she chuckled.”Despite the lady façade, I know the heart of a rebel beats in your chest too, Marian.”
Her younger cousin knew her well. Marian had always relished her independence and loved her father even more for everything he'd taught her. Only Robin and her family were aware of what an expert in weapons and horses she was and how fearsome a warrior she could be, despite her feminine condition and her delicate ladylike persona. She still rode to the heart of Sherwood Forest when she could escape her daily chores as chatelaine and trained on a weekly basis. It brought a pang to her chest to think of how things would change once she entered the shackles of marriage to Lord Winchester. Defying her husband and showing him who she really was behind her carefully-constructed façade would not only bring trouble on her but also on those she loved and intented to protect by marrying the hateful man in the first place.
Knowing these might be her last weeks of real freedom, Marian decided to test its boundaries as far as common sense and propriety allowed.
“I must supervise my latest instructions to get Lord Vasey's chamber ready have been carried out. Would you like to accompany me?“
“Boring,” mumbled the younger cousin.
“Nobody would find fault in our lingering there for a little while. You know... the chamber's got a nice view of the field... We might see the first charge... before all that senseless bashing begins,” smiled Marian conspiratorially.
“Oh, you're the best!” exclaimed the rosy-cheeked sixteen-year-old hugging her. “I promise I'll be on my best behaviour. I could even give you and Tuck a hand tending the wounded.”
“Where has this sudden interest in being around the opposite sex sprung from? Wasn't you who used to say if you had your way men would disappear in a puff of smoke, and the world would be a happier place?"
“Oh, well, they're a necessary evil, I suppose. And some of them aren't that bad to look at. Even us ladies are allowed to feast our eyes provided we do it discreetly. There's no crime in that, is there? And it's not as if I'd give my heart away by looking from a distance; I have no intention of getting married. Thank you very much. Besides, how would it look if I were the first Lady of Knighton to enter the marriage institution?”
“Well, I'm not looking for a husband either. I've already got my hands full as it is,” finished Marian, slamming shut the drawer she'd been rifling through to get some old linen that could be used for bandages.
No, she wasn't looking for a husband, but she was virtualy betrothed. And yet her treacherous body seemed not to accept the fact for even now it reacted to the sinfully passionate thoughts Sir Guy had roused in her. It was painful enough to have to marry a man she loathed; having to lie in a cold and potentially abusive bed suspecting now things might feel so different was unbearable.
*~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *
“Why all the fuss, Marian? Who is this Lord Vasey that deserves so much pomp and circumstance?”
“His late brother, Lord Geoffrey, was Father's best friend. He died in the Holy Land not so long ago and left his title and lands to his younger sibling, Peter, the present Lord. Although we've never laid eyes on Lord Peter before, we owe it to his brother's memory and his station to give him a proper welcome,” explained Marian, unlocking the door of the room she'd spent so many hours setting up.
“Oh, this is great!” Meg exclaimed, rushing to the loophole that overlooked the tournament field.
Marian joined her cousin and observed the two groups of mounted knights facing each other across the field. Her father, who would have chatted convivially with the participants in the past, sat to the side in his best attire, a forlorn figure that broke her already bleeding heart.
Her gaze was drawn like a magnet to the one man who wasn't donning a silver armour. Wearing black from head to toe, Sir Guy of Gisborne was seated on a magnificent destrier of the same colour.
Master and beast looked like an indivisible unit and were impressive in their eerie stillness. He stood alone and aloof, observing the field and his opponents from his saddle to mark out his prey with a glance that she imagined penetrating beneath his helmet.
Remembering the emotions a look from those striking blue-grey eyes had provoked in her the previous night, Marian unconsciously rubbed the knuckles on which she was still able to feel the imprint of his warm lips.
“There’s Lord Winchester and Allan. Allan is going to participate in the squires’ melee tomorrow.” Meg tossed her strawberry hair. “He asked to wear one of my scarves, but I refused.”
“Why?” asked Marian absently.
“Really, Marian, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were moonstruck. He's chasing after every skirt in the shire, servants and ladies alike, that's why.Winchester's wearing your scarf, I suppose?”
“No... He isn't taking part this time. His man is. Taking part, I mean. Not wearing my scarf,” she muttered, thanking the Lord for that temporary reprieve.
Looking once again at the black knight who occupied her thoughts almost permanently, she wondered what her answer would have been if he'd been the one to request to wear her scarf.
If only she were not restrained by duty.....
She blushed ashamed of her fleeting though ungrateful thought. She loved her father... and her cousin. They were all she had left. Her sacrifice was a small price to pay.
She'd tell Meg to go ahead of her and take the extra bandages to Tuck. She'd make a stop at the chapel, pray for forgiveness and light a candle to the Virgin Mary, begging for her guidance and strength.
GO TO CHAPTER IV.
AUTHOR: Lexie aka lillianschild
RATING: PG-13/R (probably in later chapters)
FANDOM: Robin Hood
PAIRING: Guy/Marian
GENRE: Romance
Disclaimer: Tiger Aspect Productions and the BBC are free to claim whatever they own of this piece, except Guy's thoughts and my words which are ours to keep. lol.
A/N: Set in an alternate Series 1 where Guy has never met Vasey before his arrival in Nottingham, this fic will explore what impact an earlier acquaintance with Marian might have had on Guy's life and ultimate fate.
READ THE BEGINNING HERE
READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER HERE
CHAPTER III
“Well?”
“His name’s Guy,” Allan A Dale informed Winchester.
“Guy?” the older man echoed.
“Sir Guy of Gisborne. His father was a northener and a knight in King Henry's army, and his mother was a Norman.”
“Anything else?”
“Aye, my lord. Sir Guy was in the Holy Land with King Richard.”
“Oh, one of those! And how come he's here and not fighting the infidel? ”
“It seems he fell from grace in the eyes of the King, who used to hold him in very good regard.”
“So he was cast out of his retinue and sent back to England? Did you find out anything about the nature of the quarrel?”
“Apparently, he questioned some of Richard's orders and... he was involved in a fight with another knight, one of the King's favourites, the Earl of Huntingdon.”
“He dared question good old Richard and was in a row with Lady Marian's old fiance, you said? Interesting. It's a miracle he's still got his head attached to his shoulders.”
“There's more, my lord. Gisborne's no more. There's a younger sister, but when their parents died the late King Henry gave the lands of Gisborne to the Earl of Huntingdon.”
“Ah. Nothing like a long-standing grudge to forget one's knightly oaths,” he smiled wolfishly. “Disgraced and landless. So that's why he seemed to be so interested in me tonight. No doubt he's counting on capturing the richest man's representative on the field tomorrow. How are things progressing with young Meg?”
“Slow, but I haven't lost my faith yet.”
“Good. Good. A victory in the squires’ melee might help you.”
Winchester too needed his knight to win. Hopefully, a victory in the tournament would improve things with Marian. “How good is Sir Guy on the field?”
“Outstanding.”
“Do you mean he's never lost?”
“Mm... rarely, my lord.”
Winchester's man was the best in the shire and one he'd considered unbeatable until then. Losing wasn't an option after coming this far in the game.
“My lord?” asked Allan bringing his master out of his reverie.
“Yes?”
“You told me to keep an eye on Lady Marian... Well, I shadowed her tonight. After she left the hall, she busied herself with the arrangements for Lord Vasey's arrival, and then she went to Sir Edward’s chamber.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“No... but she didn't retire immediately. She had a walk in the garden instead... and she had company.”
Winchester slammed the goblet whose contents he'd been about to drink, making the young squire jump. “Who else was in the garden?”
“Sir Guy, my lord.”
“Are you sure it was him you saw?”
“He walked past me, and you've got to admit he cuts an unforgettable figure,” smiled the Squire ruefully.
“You'd better wipe that smile off your face, Allan. Don't you forget I'm not only the one who can make you but crush you as well. Tell me he didn't see you.”
“Of course, he didn't. You charged me with the task because of my stealth, right?”
Lady Kate of Knighton's one-time-suitor was old enough to know women were not to be trusted around men such as Guy of Gisborne. Although the outcast northener might have no real title and not even a penny in his coffers, he had good looks, youth and virility; Winchester had no doubt the younger man had seduced a good number of women in his lifetime. Things had been going so smoothly for Winchester since Huntingdon's desertion; he hadn't counted on a rival for Marian's hand and dowry, particularly not one he suspected had the necessary means and skills to fight this battle and win it.
If this dishonoured nobody wanted Marian, he was as good as dead. Lord Winchester hadn't spent so many years planning and scheming to marry his former fiance's daughter just to see his dreams crushed by an impoverished knight. He'd been extremely patient with Marian and more than once had thought he should have bedded her and leave her no choice but to become Lady Winchester, and now no upstart was going to steal from him the privilege of showing the Lady who was master.
“The encounter was brief, my lord. And Lady Marian would never do anything unseemly.”
“Yes, Lady Marian is above reproach,” stated Winchester, his emotions once more under control.“The Northerner, however, is a different matter altogether, which means someone must show him his place.”
*~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *
“Why is it that men get to have all the fun while we're expected to sit and fiddle with our fingers or work on our embroidery?” Meg mumbled with a pout.
Marian struggled to hide the smile that threatened to show on her face. She remembered vocing that very same complaint hundreds of times growing up, but now she was an adult and, as such, was expected to set an example for her younger cousin.
“You mean you envy their thirst for blood be it at war or in the tournament field?”
“You know me better than that, Marian. Still, I don't understand that foolish rule that says ladies of rank aren't allowed to even watch a melee.”
“As ladies of rank we enjoy certain privileges, but we also have a duty to behave as such, Meg.”
Marian wondered if she wouldn't be struck by lightning, considering how hypocritical it was to ask that of Meg after the meeting with the knight in the garden the previous night.
She shouldn't have allowed their encounter to last so long. It had been madness to let herself be seduced by his good looks and his velvety baritone, just as it would be foolish to spend another sleepless night thinking what it'd feel like to lie in his arms and be kissed the way she imagined a man like him would kiss.
“Don't you sometimes get bored of being a lady?” sighed Meg.“Even maidservants seem to lead more interesting lives than ours.”
“It isn't all gold that glitters, Meg. I think neither of us would be equipped to survive the life of a servant.”
“You mean no man has been born yet that can tame us or force us into subservience,” she chuckled.”Despite the lady façade, I know the heart of a rebel beats in your chest too, Marian.”
Her younger cousin knew her well. Marian had always relished her independence and loved her father even more for everything he'd taught her. Only Robin and her family were aware of what an expert in weapons and horses she was and how fearsome a warrior she could be, despite her feminine condition and her delicate ladylike persona. She still rode to the heart of Sherwood Forest when she could escape her daily chores as chatelaine and trained on a weekly basis. It brought a pang to her chest to think of how things would change once she entered the shackles of marriage to Lord Winchester. Defying her husband and showing him who she really was behind her carefully-constructed façade would not only bring trouble on her but also on those she loved and intented to protect by marrying the hateful man in the first place.
Knowing these might be her last weeks of real freedom, Marian decided to test its boundaries as far as common sense and propriety allowed.
“I must supervise my latest instructions to get Lord Vasey's chamber ready have been carried out. Would you like to accompany me?“
“Boring,” mumbled the younger cousin.
“Nobody would find fault in our lingering there for a little while. You know... the chamber's got a nice view of the field... We might see the first charge... before all that senseless bashing begins,” smiled Marian conspiratorially.
“Oh, you're the best!” exclaimed the rosy-cheeked sixteen-year-old hugging her. “I promise I'll be on my best behaviour. I could even give you and Tuck a hand tending the wounded.”
“Where has this sudden interest in being around the opposite sex sprung from? Wasn't you who used to say if you had your way men would disappear in a puff of smoke, and the world would be a happier place?"
“Oh, well, they're a necessary evil, I suppose. And some of them aren't that bad to look at. Even us ladies are allowed to feast our eyes provided we do it discreetly. There's no crime in that, is there? And it's not as if I'd give my heart away by looking from a distance; I have no intention of getting married. Thank you very much. Besides, how would it look if I were the first Lady of Knighton to enter the marriage institution?”
“Well, I'm not looking for a husband either. I've already got my hands full as it is,” finished Marian, slamming shut the drawer she'd been rifling through to get some old linen that could be used for bandages.
No, she wasn't looking for a husband, but she was virtualy betrothed. And yet her treacherous body seemed not to accept the fact for even now it reacted to the sinfully passionate thoughts Sir Guy had roused in her. It was painful enough to have to marry a man she loathed; having to lie in a cold and potentially abusive bed suspecting now things might feel so different was unbearable.
*~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *
“Why all the fuss, Marian? Who is this Lord Vasey that deserves so much pomp and circumstance?”
“His late brother, Lord Geoffrey, was Father's best friend. He died in the Holy Land not so long ago and left his title and lands to his younger sibling, Peter, the present Lord. Although we've never laid eyes on Lord Peter before, we owe it to his brother's memory and his station to give him a proper welcome,” explained Marian, unlocking the door of the room she'd spent so many hours setting up.
“Oh, this is great!” Meg exclaimed, rushing to the loophole that overlooked the tournament field.
Marian joined her cousin and observed the two groups of mounted knights facing each other across the field. Her father, who would have chatted convivially with the participants in the past, sat to the side in his best attire, a forlorn figure that broke her already bleeding heart.
Her gaze was drawn like a magnet to the one man who wasn't donning a silver armour. Wearing black from head to toe, Sir Guy of Gisborne was seated on a magnificent destrier of the same colour.
Master and beast looked like an indivisible unit and were impressive in their eerie stillness. He stood alone and aloof, observing the field and his opponents from his saddle to mark out his prey with a glance that she imagined penetrating beneath his helmet.
Remembering the emotions a look from those striking blue-grey eyes had provoked in her the previous night, Marian unconsciously rubbed the knuckles on which she was still able to feel the imprint of his warm lips.
“There’s Lord Winchester and Allan. Allan is going to participate in the squires’ melee tomorrow.” Meg tossed her strawberry hair. “He asked to wear one of my scarves, but I refused.”
“Why?” asked Marian absently.
“Really, Marian, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you were moonstruck. He's chasing after every skirt in the shire, servants and ladies alike, that's why.Winchester's wearing your scarf, I suppose?”
“No... He isn't taking part this time. His man is. Taking part, I mean. Not wearing my scarf,” she muttered, thanking the Lord for that temporary reprieve.
Looking once again at the black knight who occupied her thoughts almost permanently, she wondered what her answer would have been if he'd been the one to request to wear her scarf.
If only she were not restrained by duty.....
She blushed ashamed of her fleeting though ungrateful thought. She loved her father... and her cousin. They were all she had left. Her sacrifice was a small price to pay.
She'd tell Meg to go ahead of her and take the extra bandages to Tuck. She'd make a stop at the chapel, pray for forgiveness and light a candle to the Virgin Mary, begging for her guidance and strength.
GO TO CHAPTER IV.