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albionscastle · 11 months

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Baggage - Chapter Two

An Apple A Day

Fic Masterlist

There’s still a child at the manor and Gisbourne is being driven insane.

*It’s going to be hard to melt this heart, so he is still going to be dickish for a while.

Guy woke with the dawn, less grumpy than he had been the night before. Locksley always had that effect on him, every step away from Nottingham made his breath come easier and his shoulders lighter. For a moment, as the sun started to peek through the wooden shutters on his window, he imagined how he might feel if he was far, far away from Vaisey and his machinations. It was a nice idea, he thought bitterly as he rose, tugging on a black tunic and pants that weren’t made from leather. He fucking hated the leather, it was hot, unforgiving and made him stink to high heaven, but he had an image to uphold and that was as black as the uniform he wore.

The stable was his favorite place in the early hours. No-one else was around, they knew better when he was in residence, and he could busy himself with physical labor to help ease the rage that burned inside of him constantly. Maybe one day, the guilt would ease too.

The morning sun was high in the sky before Guy took a break for water. It was January, but all the lifting and shoveling had him dripping with sweat and he reached down to pull off his shirt, stopping abruptly when he realized that he wasn’t alone. Sitting up on the wooden railing, staring at him silently, was the little girl. With an audible groan he pulled his shirt back down and glared at her for invading his quiet time.

She held out a jug of water and he took it with a snarl, drinking deeply before handing it back. The fact that she didn’t back down from his stare was surprising. Most grown men usually cowered in the face of it. He took her in for a moment, a tiny little thing, not that he had any experience with children and nothing to compare her with. He disliked children intensely as a general rule, with their snotty noses and constant whining. Why anyone would choose to procreate outside of inheritance was beyond him. That was why he had been so angry at Annie for allowing herself to get with child. He still wasn’t sure he was the child’s father, assuaging some of the shame he felt at using the babe to bait Robin Hood.

“Why are you still here?” he snapped, tying his horse to the railing so he could groom him.

She shrugged and continued staring, her wide eyes making him feel very exposed and uncomfortable.

“Miss Agnes said I had to fetch you for breakfast.”

“You can tell Miss Agnes That I’m busy.”

“She said I wasn’t to come back for my own breakfast unless I brought you.”

Of course she did, he thought. Well it would serve her right if he let the brat go without breakfast. He wasn’t a damn charity. He honestly didn’t care. But the child just sat there, staring, her stomach rumbling loudly, the noise driving him mad. His private time was apparently over for the day. Handing the brush to a stable hand he left instructions and then started his stalk up to the manor. The girl remained where she was until he stopped and turned around.

“Well?” he gestured toward the house and started walking again, ignoring her when she ran past him and into the house.

She was out of sight when he entered, most likely in the kitchen, and he was glad of it. He sat in front of the fire, plate on his lap as he ate, remembering a long time ago when he’d had many days with no breakfast and shuddered. That was why he held on so tightly to anything he gained now, and why he was prepared to be so ruthless to get it. He would never be weak again, never starve in the streets again.

“Can I take your plate?” Agnes was beside him, a look he recognized from his childhood on her face.

He handed it over and waved her away.

“Wait!”

“Yes, milord?”

“The child. What have you learned?”

“You mean is she a spy?” He looked at her in surprise. “I’m not an idiot ye know.”

He narrowed his eyes at her.

“She’s only seven years old, Sir.” Agnes bristled under his stare. “Says er name’s Daisy, mother’s dead.”

“That’s it?”

“She helped make bread this mornin. Went on an on bout ow she had to work to pay back yer kindness.”

Kindness? There was nothing kind about him, how dare she think this was kindness? The thing was only there so he could establish who had sent her to spy on him, that was it. He couldn’t wait to get the baggage out of his home.

“Not kindness,” he growled.

“Agnes started to say something and he leveled her with a glare. Wisely she turned and left him alone. Now that was taken care of for now, Guy went back out to the stable to his horse, snarling at anyone he encountered until they all cleared out and left him alone. He started to comb the horse’s tail, ridding him of the twigs and burrs he’d picked up riding through Sherwood. He was deep in his thoughts and when he stood up to see the girl sitting on the rail again, swinging her legs, he actually started.

“What the hell are you doing there?” he took satisfaction in watching her flinch under his dark tone.

“I wanted to give the horse an apple.” she offered timidly.

“Then give it and go away.” Guy snapped.

He went back to his work, ignoring the giggle he heard as the apple was crunched in his horse’s mouth.

“What’s his name?”

“Hades.” he muttered automatically, not even looking up.

“The God of the Underworld?” He grunted, wondering how in the hell she knew that.

“How do you know about that sort of thing?”

“My mama used to tell me stories.”

He didn’t know of even a single peasant who even knew the Greeks existed. There was silence for a few moments and Guy thought maybe the girl was gone, he hoped she was.

“How many horses do you have?”

He never had been lucky.

“Five.”

“What are their names?”

“Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Hades and Artemis.”

“Are they all black?”

“No.”

“What colors are they?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I just do.”

Guy huffed, his irritation growing with every impertinent question. He quickly finished with Zeus and led him to the pasture to graze, the brat followed him.

“Do you ride all of them?” she was literally walking in his footsteps, trotting along behind him wherever he went.

“I do.”

“Does anyone else ride them?”

Marian had, he thought bitterly. He had gifted her Artemis and for that moment in time his heart had felt light as she smiled at him. She had looked beautiful riding in the sun. After, after he had made sure to take the horse back, and it had given him great satisfaction.

“No.” And he had sworn that no-one ever would.

“Oh. That’s a shame.”

He didn’t respond.

“Do you have a lot of soldiers?”

Guy rolled his eyes, about ready to pick her up and throw her out to the road and on her way. God, children were annoying.

“None of your damn business.”

“What about a wife? Do you have one?”

“Does it look like I have one?”

“You should get one so you won’t be so cranky.”

The bloody audacity. He had killed men for less than this. Guy whirled around to see her barely a body length behind him looking at him with huge green eyes. An unruly mop of curly red hair fell around her face and she looked to be completely guileless. But he had thought Marian looked the same, once upon a time.

“Maybe I’m cranky because you won’t leave me alone. I did not invite you to be here nor have I decided what to do with you. I’m leaning toward sending you on your merry way.” Guy hissed, sneering spitefully when her eyes widened in fear. Then she stood up taller and stuck out her chin, looking him right in the eyes.

“You are mean!”

“So?” he shrugged, turning around and continuing his walk across the grounds. He was completely unaware of the peasants who had stopped to watch the unlikely spectacle of Sir Guy being ‘tormented’ by this slip of a girl and not flying into a murderous rage.

“You should be nice to people.”

“I don’t need to be nice.”

“Would you let me ride one of your horses?”

What? Guy was confused for a moment at the abrupt change in topic.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t be here long enough.”

“But what if I am?”

“You won’t be.” In fact he would be throwing her back to the street the moment he got to the manor.

“But say I was. Would you let me ride one?”

“No!” he roared.

“Well can I give them apples?”

She just would not give up her incessant questioning. They had reached the manor now and he ignored her last question, instead stepping inside, the baggage following behind him. He strode purposefully to the kitchen where Agnes had already been informed as to the current state of affairs. She was barely concealing her laughter as the Master of the Manor can stomping in with the tiny girl hot on his heels. He was clearly fuming and looked like he could explode at any moment.

“Milord, what brings ye to the kitchen?”

“I told you to do something with this and yet she is outside bothering me.” he snarled.

“Sorry milord, children have a way of getting away from ye sometimes.”

“Make sure it doesn’t happen again, put the wretch to work.”

Guy stormed off leaving Agnes and Daisy to make dinner. As soon as he was out of earshot Agnes let her laughter free and shook her head. This was going to be good.

Up stairs, Guy changed back into his leathers, his demeanor becoming darker with every lace tied, every buckle fastened. He had left Nottingham without Vaisey’s permission and if he didn’t get back then his personal hell would be made even worse. The Sheriff was extra nasty whenever Guy went against his wishes and no doubt there would be a dire punishment for this latest infraction.

If he had a family, Vaisey would have had to allow him to leave the castle more often, though he would simply be exchanging one nagging pain in his arse for another. This way would have to do, a family would only hold him back from his true goals. He knew now that Marian would have held him back, always wanting or needing something from him, except of course his attention, his affection or his body. Those things would have been thrown back at him with spite while she stole away into the woods to meet her lover. No. He didn’t want a wife, and having one wouldn’t make him a nicer man, either.

He scoffed to himself as he grabbed his scabbard and sword, fastening the leather around his hips with a heavy sigh. What he obviously needed was a trip to the brothel so he could let off some steam. While he was seriously courting Marian he hadn’t wanted to - all he had wanted was her. Since coming home from the Holy Land he just hadn’t cared enough to bother with the whole business. A man could only go so long, he thought, and had he married Marian he would probably still be waiting. She never would have let him have her willingly and he would never force a woman.

As he had told the girl, he wasn’t a monster.

Downstairs, he made sure the servants knew that he would be gone for several days and looked around with a sigh. He wanted his own lands, his own manor, not something he only gained by forfeit. Had Locksley really been his, he would be the Earl of Huntingdon by now and mostly free of the Sheriff’s grasp. Knowing that, the devious bastard dangled that little morsel right in front of him, and yanked it away any time Guy came close. He was, in the end, he was nothing more than a puppet on Vaisey’s string.

The kitchen was empty, save for the little girl who sat on a stool watching a bowl of bread dough rise. She jumped up at the sight of him, executing a wobbly and pathetic attempt at a curtsey. He silently packed some food for himself as he would make sure he arrived in Nottingham after dinner. The kid watched him as he packed bread, cheese and a pie, along with several apples. He stopped and looked at her for a moment, knowing he had to send her back to the road where she belonged.

“Let’s go.” he snapped.

The child looked crestfallen and he pushed down the twinge he felt where his heart used to be. He waited long enough for her to grab her little satchel before turning on his heel and expecting her to follow. He let her walk behind him all the way down to the stables, ignoring her little sighs and sniffles. She was lucky to have new clothes and a pair of shoes, a full belly and he saw no reason for her to still be there. No-one had ever helped him when his parents were gone and he’d survived well-enough. As far as he was concerned she either did or she didn’t, it didn’t matter to him either way.

He saddled Hades while she stood with her head down, body trembling, waiting for him to give her her marching orders. When Guy was sure the bags were secure and the animal ready, he mounted, easily settling into the saddle as though he had been born there. Without a conscious thought he reached back and drew out the apples, holding them out to the girl.

“One a day, no more.” He said tersely as she took them from his hands.

She nodded to show she understood and he nudged Zeus into movement, barely missing her as he galloped away from the manor and onto the road back to Nottingham without a backward glance.

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