A World That Will Not Turn to Ash (English)(From Ashes Vol.1)

Chapter 44 - The Dog Who Began to Bite

"No, Guy. Don't even think about it. No."
Gisborne touched Marian's lips with a finger and smiled apologetically.
"It is necessary."
She shook her head stubbornly.
"I will not go to Kirklees without you."
"Your father is waiting for you and I have to work things out with the sheriff. I don't want you to be at the castle when I will free him from the dungeons." Guy let out an amused grin thinking to Vaisey closed in a cell. "I bet that was Hood's idea."
"And I don't want you to be there. He could imprison or kill you."
"I saved his life, this must be worth something."
"We are talking of the sheriff, Guy."
"In case of danger I'll flee, I promise."
"Let me stay, as you can escape, we can both do it."
Guy put his hand on her shoulder and he looked into her eyes.
"Marian, you'll go to Kirklees, even if I will have to take you there personally and then I'll come back here to talk to the sheriff. Only that I would prefer not to ride more than necessary, it would be rather painful for me, so please, don't object and go with Allan."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, yes. I would."
The girl looked at him and she realized that Gisborne was serious: if she continued to resist, Guy had every intention of dragging her to the Abbey of Kirklees.
She pointed a finger at his chest, furious.
"All right, but if you won't reach me by tomorrow evening, I'll come back and then the sheriff will be the least of your problems!"
Guy smiled, unimpressed.
"Don't worry, you won't get rid of me. Now go and prepare for the trip, I have to talk to Allan."
Gisborne left the room and she slammed the door behind him.
Allan, who was waiting in the hallway, looked at him and laughed.
"She didn't agree, uh?"
"Not really." Guy said, walking down the hall.
Allan sighed.
"The journey to the abbey won't be any fun, I'm afraid."
Guy did not answer him and Allan realized that he had changed mood.
"Hey, Giz, what is it?"
"I don't know what will happen with the sheriff, Allan. I tried to downplay things with Marian, but I really don't know what to do."
"What can he do to you? If thing should go really bad, we'll go away from Nottingham."
Guy grabbed the ribbon around his neck and he pulled out Marian's ring from under his shirt. He turned it around in his fingers and he looked at it sadly.
"What can I offer to her? Maybe for the rest of the world I am no longer a dead man, but I have absolutely nothing."
"She wants you, Giz."
"For how long, Allan? Do you think that it will be enough to get me when we won't have anything to eat or a sheltered place to spend the winter? I know all too well the misery and it's not what I want for Marian."
Allan gave him a surprised look: he didn't know practically nothing about the Gisborne's past and it seemed strange to him that a nobleman could really know what it meant to starve or freeze to death, but he also knew that Guy was sincere.
"We'll think of something, I'm sure. Remember that you are not alone in all this, there are more people willing to help you than you think. Try not to get killed by the sheriff and we'll find a solution."
Guy nodded and smiled, genuinely grateful.
"Sir Guy!"
They both turned to look at Cedric who was running along the corridor to reach them.
"I found your horse, Sir Guy. One of the merchants had seen him wandering along the street and he took him, but he agreed to return him immediately as soon as I said that he belonged to you.
The boy avoided to report the exact words of the merchant who had included several nasty comments about Gisborne and a good deal of superstition on his return from the dead. Cedric just said to Guy that he had left the horse in the stables.
"Thank you, Cedric." Guy said and the boy's face lit up with a smile full of pride, then the young man said goodbye to both of them and excused himself, saying that his relative was waiting in the kitchen to give him some work to do.
Allan watched him go.
"That kid worships you, Sir Guy." He commented, amused.
"I have yet to understand why, to be honest. But I'm glad that Barret didn't kill him, he's a good boy."
"I told you, Giz, you're not alone. And now you also have a horse, what else do you want?"
"Some land, a house and not having to deal with the sheriff, but perhaps I shouldn't complain too much, until yesterday I didn't think I would be able to get out of this alive." Guy said, seriously, but less worried than before. Allan's words had managed to cheer him.
To face the sheriff wouldn't be pleasant at all, but in one way or another he would survive.
"Well, my friend, you'll have to deal with the sheriff, but I will have to keep quiet your future wife after you have made her mad, later we can make comparisons about which of us had the worst time." Allan said with a grin. "But then after the sheriff you'll have to face Marian too, so after all I don't envy you at all."
"You are so comforting, Allan." Guy said, with an amused snort. "See you later."
Or at least I hope so.