Redemption Penalties

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Over the next few days Guy took good care of Meg. She tired easily and slept a lot but her wound was healing well with no signs of infection setting in.

Guy had managed to steal some simple garments for her to wear. He would have liked to clothe her in dresses fit for a queen but he knew that would be impractical for forest living.

After a week she felt much stronger and began accompanying Guy every morning when he went to fetch water. They often held hands on this walk but Guy never attempted anything more. Meg would swear he cared for her yet every time she tried to show him affection he would turn away and busy himself with something else.

In the long evenings they talked. Meg filled him in on her life to date, though it was a very boring tale compared to his. She was the only child of a local land owner and her mother had died in childbirth. Her father had wanted a son yet had been left with a daughter. He had been trying to marry her off since she was fourteen, seeing her as a burden and an uncomfortable reminder of her mother. Her spirit came from his lack of care and being left to her own devices for so much of the time.

At only seventeen, Guy had expected her to quickly tire of life in the forest but she seemed to take it in her stride.

In turn, Guy filled in many of the gaps in his story for her. Every time he told her more about himself he expected her to finally reject him, yet she never did. She questioned him, certainly, but she never rejected him.

He often wondered why she liked him, what it was that she saw in him. He knew he didn't deserve her and he knew this his rejection of her affections stung, but he also knew he couldn't let her get too attached to him. He admitted to himself that he would never have the strength to leave her, he was far too selfish for that, but he also knew that death would soon take him from her in one form or another, so in all good conscience he couldn't let her grow more fond of him.

When he hunted he often found her words running through his head. She spoke of a life abroad, and what an appealing picture she painted for him at times. In all honesty though, Guy knew he could never be happy running away. When his parents had died, he had run and he had vowed then, never again.

Last night she had talked of Spain and painted a beautiful picture. He was remembering the descriptions she had read about and shared with him when he heard someone moving in the brush behind him.

Hood! It had to be him.

Finally Guy had his chance for revenge.

III

Guy held his hand out to help Robin up and marvelled that it didn't feel anywhere near as odd as he expected.

"I have horses at my camp," he said. "We'll be faster on horseback."

Robin nodded and followed Guy through the forest.

After listening to Malcolm Loxley's tale, Guy felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Now he knew both that he hadn't killed his parents and that he had a sister alive and well in York.

Since he had little in the way of family very few people realised this, but family was important to Guy. Ever since his parents had died he had spent his life trying to rebuild his family. Letting Isabella go with Thornton had been the hardest decision of his life but he had truly believed she would have a better life with him. Since that day he had been searching for the right person to start a family with; to rebuild his family with.

He had thought that person was Marion but he had been wrong. Her heart had never belonged to him.

When Isabella returned to him he was pleased. He was angry that she had wanted so little to do with him for so long and he was worried about Thornton's reaction to her departure, but he was happy to have his sister back at his side. Until she had betrayed him.