Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Gisborne!"

The Sheriff had spat the name in anger, annoyance, and frustration, but instead of snapping to attention as would have been more appropriate, Guy of Gisborne lowered his head slightly, his dark hair falling across his eyes- eyes that, incidentally, were not focused on the Sheriff or the short ride through the square to the castle gates but instead were cheated up and to the side at one of the castle's open windows. He bit his lower lip ferociously, trying desperately not to smirk. She was, after all, supposed to be under house arrest. A kind sort of captivity, maybe, but she was still meant to suffering a punishment.

At the thought, Guy lost his battle against the smirk, and to his horror his lips betrayed him and spread into a wide grin. Punishment... that might just be an interesting idea.

"Gisborne!" He was pulled from the reverie by the Sheriff's impatience, and the smile slid from his lips. If he didn't learn to control his daydreams, he might just be the one in for punishment. And not the fun kind. Clearing his throat, Guy shook the hair from his face and straightened.

"My apologies, my lord," Guy said, and though the smile was gone from his face, there was still the smallest hint of it in his voice, causing the Sheriff to narrow his eyes and make a closer examination of his lieutenant. The Master-at-Arms had been acting strangely for a while now, and though the Sheriff did not honestly care enough to find out the cause, this strange swing of attitude from sullen moping to near-giddy boyish glee had begun to effect Guy's work. If your hired thug began develping feelings or- worse yet- a conscience, it was time to find some new muscle for hire. And he'd taken all the time to train Gisborne just the way he wanted him. It would be a downright shame to have to have him killed.

And then replace him.

The Sheriff followed Gisborne's former line of sight and frowned. A shadow fell back behind the column as he looked up, and Guy's sudden mirth made all that much more disgusting sense. Not even free to run around and play outlaw, Marian was causing problems still. He was sick already of that girl using every ounce of her questionable, aging femininity to twist practically situation her way. He almost wished he was in a murderous mood; to arrange for her to meet the same fate her dearly departed father so recently had would be so, so easy. He didn't care at all about Gisborne or his feelings, but the fact remained that Gisborne was his creature, and having someone else exert control over his pet was just plain infuriating. Honestly, you'd think burning down a girl's house would dampen the affection a bit, wouldn't you?

"And how is Lady Marian these days, Gisborne?" Guy knew better than to think that the Sheriff really cared. In his usual passive aggressive way, Vaysey was making a pointed statement. While less blatant than calling her a leper, this new jab sent a quick stab of panic through Guy's gut. He would put nothing past the Sheriff, and he knew the older man already considered Marian a nuissance and most probably a spy. If it were to become known that Marian had been doing a lot more there in the castle than sitting idly and embroidering, the Sheriff would waste no time sending her to the dungeons. Guy considered his words cafefully before replying, his signature black, humorless expression resetting itself over his features.

"She still grieves for her father." A safe statement, giving nothing away. Vaysey waited for Gisborne to elaborate, but when it became clear that nothing more was coming, he rolled his eyes. Scowling, the Sheriff turned his attention back to the matter at hand, tugging the reins and reviving the horse underneath him who had grown sluggish during this little pause.

"Come, Gisborne," he called, not bothering to look back. If he had, he would have noticed a slim figure reappear in the window, and Gisborne's sly glance and smothered smile.

"Marian..." Guy stood up from his chair and waved Thornton, who had been pouring his drink, out of the wine. "I did not expect... You said you were returning to the convent." Standing there in the small room of Locksley Manor Guy used as a sort of den, Marian looked down at her hands. She had intended to be brave, to tell Guy exactly how she felt, what she had felt, but seeing him there, in some state vaguely comparable to casual (she doubted Guy of Gisborne was ever casual; he seemed to be wound incredibly tight), with his eyes lighted up at her sudden and unexpected visit made her lose her nerve.

You see, that was the problem. Everyone thought her brave. Usually even she would list nerve as one of her most prominent qualities, and she was brave, when it came to grand gestures and high-minded ideals. But in truth, she was always too scared to say what she really felt as far as it concerned the people in her life. She bickered with Robin and harrangued him when he condescended to her, but she would always lie to him when the truth would hurt him. She lied to Guy to protect herself and Allan and the outlaws. Marian took a deep breath and moved her eyes back to meet Guy's, steeling herself. The last time she had shared her true feelings with someone she cared about, her father had taken them to heart, escaped the dungeons, and been killed. Inevitably, the truth had become a terrifying concept for Marian. But she would be what Guy expected of her; she would be brave. She smiled sweetly, nervously.

"I am in need of peace and quiet to grieve, but it seems that the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception are not especially fond of novices who run off to talk to their former fiances in the first week of contemplation. I broke the vow of silence almost immediately after taking it. They seem to think that may indicate my true level of dedication. They know what you and I have both known all along. I would make a terrible nun." The statement brought a knowing smile to Guy's face and he took a step closer to her. Behind them the fire crackled and spat, and as she declined his offers of hospitality, a memory of earlier that day sprang to mind.

Come home to me...

Looking around, Marian was at once thrilled and disgusted. Any woman, even one as noble as Marian, would be honored and happy to serve as lady of a manor as beautiful as Locksley, and there had been a time when she had wanted nothing more than to occupy this very home. Of course, that had been when Robin was lord of Locksley, but she wondered if the manor and the village beyond had really been all that changed by the current master. After all, nothing was the same as it had been when she'd first dreamed of inhabiting this house. But could she ever consider Locksley her home? The destruction of Knighton notwithstanding, her father's death had left her floundering, and she sincerely doubted that anywhere would feel like home anymore. Perhaps picking up on her train of thought, or perhaps just wondering the obvious, Guy asked where she would be staying.

His voice was low but kind, and his face open and earnest. When he reached for her hands, she did not pull away. And there it was again, that heat she'd been so shocked and amazed by this afternoon. When she'd kissed him, she had truly had nothing more in mind than to distract him. She knew his affections all too well, so what would be a more effective ploy than to play on them? But instead of a game, the kiss had turned serious so very, very quickly. She had played her part at first, keeping her eyes open and fixed on the rescue-Robin mission going on only feet behind Guy's back and trying to silently convey her plans to Much's giant, disbelieving eyes. And that had been the extent of it- a clever ruse- but once he pulled her close to him, held her flush against him, all thoughts had flown from her head. She had never doubted that Guy truly held affection for her, but it seemed she had grossly underestimated the depth of his true feelings.

If you could tell all of that from a kiss, which at that moment, Marian truly believed she could.

Guy's thumbs began to rub slowly over the top of her hands as he held them, and she heard him gently call her name. Blinking, she shook herself slightly and blushed. How long had she been thinking, all the while standing silent, moody, and blank? She smiled.

"I suppose I'll go back to the castle," she answered. "Technically I think I'm still under house arrest anyway. You know that the only thing that trumps the Sheriff in Nottingham is the Church, and they don't want me." A self-conscious smile bloomed across her lips. Dear God, she prayed, never, ever let Guy check the details of my story. I won't even remember all of it in the morning.

She couldn't bring herself to tell him why she had really decided to head back to Nottingham, how she had originally fled after her father's death- to Robin, to the forest, and how she had been sorely and completely disappointed by both. She was not an order-follower, nor a cook, nor someone who was okay with staying out of the fray when there were people she was able to help. And she definitely wasn't Robin's to order around. Even thinking on it now she felt stifled, angry, and hurt. Sure, Guy, the Sheriff, her father... they'd all tried to tell her what to do at different times. But the difference between those men and Robin was that those men knew full well that there was little chance of Marian actually listening and doing as they'd said. Robin expected obedience, and she supposed she could (maybe) forgive him the condescending attitude and patronizing justifications because gang mentality really was all he'd ever known- in the army, with his own gang... But after years of going it on her own and making her own rules, there was just no way Marian could live any life that had to do with obeying someone else.

But was that really why she'd decided to head to Locksley tonight instead of back to camp? It had a lot to do with it, sure, but if Marian was being honest with herself, those little sparks of lightning she felt through her hand, up her arms, and inexplicably toward the pit of her stomach where Guy's hands enveloped hers had more than a little bit to do with her decision. He was staring straight into her eyes now with an intensity that made her blush. Normally that gaze was met with her standard armor- she was always ready for battle when dealing with Guy- but for whatever reason, that armor had not been strong enough today. Maybe her battle of wills with Robin had weakened it, made her more susceptible... she didn't know. What she did know was that as Guy had gathered her into his arms this afternoon, she had felt something awake inside her. If it had just been a kiss- a simple, innocent kiss- she didn't think she'd be having these feelings, but the minute he held her against him, she had felt her pulse start to race, her breath starting to come in shallow pants. Something about it, that closeness to Guy, felt so completely right it was startling. At first she'd acted only on instinct, leaning closer into him, feeling his hard body pressed against her. His breath had been hot against her neck as he whispered her name and kissed her, but she'd shivered, clutching him even more tightly, and his tongue in her mouth had been strong and determined even as he was patient with her in her inexperience. It was only as he'd begun to press against her even more tightly and she'd felt the hard bulge push against her hip that she'd realized how far things had progressed in such a short amount of time. Her mind had shut off and her body had taken over. In all her life, in all her imaginings and dreaming, she had never imagined that she could ever simply want on such an intense, basic level. Testing, she had pressed back against him, earning a low, almost reverent moan in response. The sound awed and humbled her. She had never known Guy to be vulnerable in any way, and now here he was, completely at her mercy. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer still and kissing him with all the clumsy, untaught intensity she possessed. Every single thought in her head had flown, and all of her concentration was centered on his body against hers, his mouth, hot and wet, and that inescapable pressure against her hip. Rocking together in a quickly-learned rythym, Marian and Guy had somehow slowly moved across the floor, turned so that Marian's back pressed against the stone vaulted side of the door. With Marian caught between his body and the hard wall, Guy had the freedom to unwrap one of his arms from her back, and as his large hand grasped her breast, it was Marian's turn to moan. And her inadvertant vocalization somehow scared her back into reality. In her current state there was absolutely nothing she would like more than to allow Guy to finish what she herself had started, but it was just a game, just a ploy to get Robin out of the castle unscathed. Wasn't it? Suddenly, Marian had realized that she was really, truly playing with not only Guy's emotions but her own as well, and that was when she broke off from him. The hurt look in his eyes had almost made her reconsider; her body told her that she wanted him so very badly, but the thought of what could so easily happen if they continued frightened her, and she steeled herself, slowly gaining the strength to disengage. What she had told him was true- she needed time, she needed to think. Now more than ever.

Standing here with him now, Marian could remember all too well how every bit of him had felt, smelled, tasted. She licked her lips without even realizing she was doing it. Stepping closer to him was not a good idea, but she did it anyway, and as he took her in his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, Marian was shocked by the spark of energy that shot through veins, ending in a part of her body she was embarrased to even think about. He kissed the top of her head as he had the day of her father's death. This time it was not Guy who wanted the simple, sweet exchange to end in something more. Being this close to him again was causing a strange new frenzy in Marian, and if he had then and there suggested she come up to his bedchamber, she would have agreed without hesitation.

"I am glad you will not be returning to the convent," Guy murmurred against her hair. Marian took a deep breath and smiled.

"I am, too." The statement hung in the air as Marian stretched her neck up placed a soft, lingering kiss on the side of his neck. His sharp intake of breath and the increased pressure of his arms around her served as a confirmation to her, and she moved her hands from his chest to tangle in his hair. Their eyes met for a moment before they leaned in to each other at the same time, lips, tongues, and teeth dancing. The parry and thrust only intensified, their bodies aching to mimic the movements above, and when Guy whispered in her ear, there was no doubt in Marian's mind as she whispered yes.

"Sir Guy."

Back from their mission, the Sheriff and Guy had ridden through the castle gates only minutes before, being greeted by Allan and Marian as they arrived, though if you asked Marian she would say she had merely been passing through the courtyard and that it was mere coincidence that she had encountered the returning party. They'd become good at this dance, she and Guy. A thin layer of contempt over a body of only the most basic civility was enough to keep most people from noticing that anything was different between the two enemies/former fiances/jailor and captive, and if anyone did notice, they were afraid enough of Guy not to make mention of it. At least to his face.

But in reality the entire castle, from kitchens to stables, was abuzz with rumors of the pair's clandestine meetings. One maid would swear that she had seen Sir Guy leaving the Lady Marian's room well past any decent time. The armorer would attest to his tools being strewn all over the floor, as if someone had simply swept an arm across the surface of his workspace, eager to use it for some other purpose, you know. Marian's handmaid would plainly state that she had seen all sorts of love bites when she'd brought the lady's bath water, the Gisborne guards had caught their boss smiling and had even received praise for their service. The jailor had found a pair of his manacles missing. These strange coincidences, though far from proof or an admission from either of the alleged lovers, were more than enough to start the castle's rumor mill running at its full capacity. But if Marian or Guy had heard any of these little whispers, they did not on.

Someday they would come forward. Eventually they would get married. But for now the two were content to simply be young and in love. The secret made their meetings special, exciting, and since no one knew what was going on (even though everyone really did), it had the added bonus of keeping Robin from trying to kill Guy. At least for the moment. Marian would have been embarrased if she had known what was being said about her; Guy would have been angry. But blissfully unaware of those very rumblings, the pair was about to embark on one of those very clandestine meetings. They carefully went off in opposite directions, though anyone watching would have plainly seen the way Guy looked back at her, trying- and failing- once again to stifle a smirk.

"Allan," the Sheriff called, scowling and narrowing his eyes, "what is going on with Gisborne and our little house guest?"

"What, Guy and Marian?" asked Allan, with a disbelieving tilt of his head. "They've been going at it for ages. Thought everybody knew that."