The ride back to sanctuary was quiet. Gwen fell asleep with her head resting on Will's back. Will did his best to make the ride comfortable and quiet. Her hands fidgeted around his torso occasionally, reminding him that his first night out alone he not only relieved a noble of his gold but he saved a damsel in distress. The air was filled with all sorts of vibrant energy but he knew that Gwen would need a long time to acclimate herself to her new surroundings and forget about the horrors of her past.
She gripped him tighter as a memory exploded in a dream and she snapped awake.
"Where are we?" she asked.
"We're close to my home," Will said. "We need to talk."
"What about?" Gwen asked.
"I found you in the road being attacked," Will said.
"No you didn't," Gwen said, "you saved me from that monster's grip."
Will shook his head. "Regardless of what really happened, you can't ever tell anyone where I found you," he reinforced, "for your good and my own."
"Why?" she asked.
Will thought about how inquisitive she was. "My life is full of things that not everyone would understand, nor want to. You're welcome to stay with us but you can't ever tell anyone the truth about how we met."
"But I don't understand," she reasoned.
"And you won't," Will replied. "Not at first. If you trust me in any way, you'll do this for me."
She realized that she couldn't see a thing in the thick foliage. "Trust you?" she said, "You can't even see where you're going."
"I've been on this path too many times to not know where I'm at," Will said, "listen and you can hear a stream up on the right."
She listened. The trickle of the stream became apparent. Will seemed to be guiding the horse in pitch black but really, he saw the path clearly in his mind.
"I trust you, Will Scarlet," Gwen announced. "Will you always keep me safe?"
"I will or I'll die doing trying," Will's statement startled him. He hadn't put much thought in this woman. She was older than him by at least ten years but part of him desired never to let her out of his sight.
About fifteen minutes later Will saw sanctuary. He slowed the horse and made the horse take a few counted steps, pause, then another count. The hoof beats of the horse reached the sentry at sanctuary and two clicks were sent in response. The horse meandered into the small clearing at the opening of the tree and Tuck appeared and helped Gwen down from the saddle.
"A new place at the table," Tuck said.
"There's coin enough for her and a few dozen more," Will said as he slapped the saddle bags.
The noise perked up Tuck's ears and he smiled. "You've found a wealthy benefactor?"
"Of sorts," Will said as he pulled the bags down onto his shoulder. "Our coffers won't need replenished for a while." Will thought that regardless of how often they'd need money, he'd keep the pressure on the nobles. Destabilizing them was one of the primary functions of robbing them blind.
Once inside, Will showed Gwen to the second level and to a cove that she could have. The walls had been decorated with everything from military ethics and strategies to artwork Will had done when he wanted to clear his mind.
"What is this place?" Gwen asked.
"Sanctuary," Will said. "You're welcome to call it home."
While Thomas slowly poisoned Teague's men, Will found that Gwen's inquisitive behavior made her a very apt pupil. He spent the days after lessons helping her catch up and began showing her fighting techniques so she could defend herself and become more self reliant.
When Will's men came back with word of Teague's demise at the hands of a very calm and collected Thomas, Will thought about how he seemed more at peace with what he had to do. Instead of fighting out of anger, Thomas was fighting out of a sense of vengeance. A sense of balance. Will thought that maybe his mental state had stabilized, not completely but to a point that made him less dangerous to his allies.
Then Will's men said that Thomas was last seen headed toward Nottingham. Will sent them to see what his father might be up to. He feared that Thomas would act too soon and in doing so, bring down the wrath of the kingdom prematurely. Will's pupils weren't ready for the quiet war he was planning.
Thomas still planned on killing Guy, de Lacy and the king but he wanted to make sure that by doing so, the people of Nottingham would rejoice instead of wanting to bring in the guilty.
Once in Nottingham proper, Thomas found the inn called "Wolf's Den". He had to be careful not to draw attention to himself. His beard and long hair covered most of his face and so he didn't need to keep his tell tale hood up. All eyes fell on him. He suspected his red hair drew attention.
Thomas approached the counter and dropped a silver piece on it. "I'll have whatever passes for drink around here," Thomas said.
The inn keeper looked up at him. He saw the scar on his face and filled up a wooden mug with mead and set it on the counter. He then pushed the coin back toward Thomas. "Your money isn't good here," the inn keeper said. He nodded at two men at the back and they came and sat on either side of Thomas.
Thomas looked at them suspiciously. Then he looked at the bar keep and asked, "Why not?"
"The pack doesn't take coin from each other. Especially you," the inn keeper smiled. "Good to see you in here, finally." The innkeeper slid Thomas a key.
"What's this?" Thomas asked.
The inn keeper said flatly, "You'll need a place to work from, if you intend to kill Sir Guy and his keeper, the sheriff.
Thomas realized that Will's reach had grown far. He smiled. His son was amazing. "It's going to be a long hunt," Thomas admitted.
"Good thing we have access to half the town then, huh?" the inn keeper said proudly. "You'll be able to stay under their noses and bring nightmares to them that they won't easily shake."
After a few drinks, Thomas was led to a basement room. Behind a couple giant barrels of ale, was a door that Thomas' key fit. Inside was a bed and light furnishings.
"I don't think you'll be in here much," the inn keeper said, "since you'll be spending most of your time tracking your quarry."
Thomas nodded in agreement. He waited until after the inn closed up for the night before he went out and retrieved his bow and arrows from where he left them in a rotted tree trunk a little bit outside of Nottingham. Upon his return, he stopped to ask the inn keeper if he could pick him up some items.
"What ye be needin'? the inn keeper asked.
"I want to look like a local. I'll need a hat too," Thomas gave the man two gold. "Whoever you go to, pay to keep them loyal."
The inn keeper agreed.
Thomas woke the next morning to find the items outside his door. He put them on and carried only a couple daggers on his person. He pulled the hat down low on his head and ventured out into town. Quietly, Thomas made his way around the streets. He found a vendor that sold fruit and Thomas bought a few pieces making sure to overpay. "In case your fruit should rot before it's sold," he said.
Behind him, Will's men watched for a bit until mounting their steeds and riding back to sanctuary. When they reached their destination, they met with Will.
"He's accepted the room and said that it's going to be a long hunt," one of his men informed him.
"Good," Will answered.
Will had made plans for him and Gwen to go out to Loxley. Will took a saddle back with a third of the gold he found in his adventure. Gwen had never seen Loxley.
He took her past his old home, now run by a new family. He told her about the life he had growing up. The long days in the field and the warm home he had. He told her about how his father had taught him to hunt with the bow.
"What happened to it all?" Gwen asked.
"Foolish men, with foolish ideas burned it and my family to the ground," Will said. His voice cracked as he thought about his mother and uncles.
She hugged him tighter as he navigated the horse past the house.
Inside him, a fire burned.
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