At A Cross Roads (Open)

[Luke Scarlett]

Shadows dancing along the back wall, Luke continued to stroll along, even if it was almost night and anyone with sense would not be going out in the part of Nottingham that he was at such a time. It was one of these very rough areas, where you did not worry just for your money being stolen, but you worried about having your life taken as well. However, he had stopped caring long ago about stuff like that, and whilst he was grateful about Robin saving him that once sometimes he wished that he would have just died on the gallows. It would have stopped the pain he was feeling at the moment of being unnecessary and unwanted everywhere he went.

Coming to a cross roads, he looked left or right. Not that he had anywhere to go of course, since he was homeless and without any to really care what happened. Though, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was scared that his whole future would be like this, without any really bothering about him. Sighing, he shrugged, and continued to walk down the road to the left.

[Isabella]

Isabella was lost. She swore under her breath as she rode slowly along the road, searching for any clues as to where she was. It was dark, and she must have taken the wrong turning somewhere – but she hadn’t been able to retrace her steps, and was becoming more and more confused. The walls either side of the path stood silently like sentries, refusing to help her. Not far off, an owl screeched, and Isabella flinched. She instantly chastised herself – it was only an owl – she needed to pull herself together and get back to the castle.
Her horse came to a halt, whinnying a little. The old mare was blind in one eye, and could see even less than her rider. Isabella patted her reassuringly.
“Woah, Lucy,” she muttered.
Then she realised what it was that had scared the horse – not the owl, but the figure moving towards them. It was a man – that much she was sure – but who it was, she had no idea. It could be anyone. An outlaw, a peasant, a thief, a murderer… But Isabella was lost. Maybe he could help. Still wary of the figure, Isabella steeled herself and called:
“Who goes there?”

[Luke Scarlett]

Walking along for a bit more, Luke soon stopped when he heard the faint sound of hooves coming along the path, and he stood still for a moment. Straining his eyes to see if he could see anything in the distance, he soon settled for the fact that if anything was there, then it was not close. However, then again he couldn’t see too far since it was getting darker and darker, and so that gave good reason that perhaps it was not far enough to see what it could be. Never the less, he continued his sullen stroll into the bleak darkness for a while, lost in his own thoughts and reflections on his position, and also what he could do for his future.

Soon after he began walking again though, he was forced to jump as he heard the sound of a horse whinnying, before looking at the halted mare. On top of the horse was a rider, who shot her a confused look. She looked rather wealthy, and this part of the town was certainly not somewhere where a wealthy woman should be, since she was easy prey for greedy thieves. Anyone was easy prey in this area, and if his father was alive he would probably kill him for venturing into it at night. When she asked who he was, he was even more startled. Luke would have expected the woman to ride off as fast as she could. “I’m Luke’’ he answered, hoping that his first name would suffice.

[Isabella]

Grateful that she was not yet lying cold and dead in a ditch nearby, Isabella looked closely at the man. He was young, and dressed like a peasant. Maybe he was from Locksley. Luke. She certainly didn’t know him – but then, apart from the outlaws, she didn’t know many people around here. Seeing as he had told her his name, she considered it only courtesy to tell him hers. He could see that she was rich, and he hadn’t stolen from her yet, so it couldn’t do much harm. Many people in Nottingham knew her by sight, anyway.
“Isabella Thornton,” she replied, leaving out the ‘Lady’.
She frowned as the moon emerged from behind a cloud, its light revealing more of Luke’s face. When she caught sight of his features they seemed strangely familiar, but why, she could only guess. Maybe she had seen him in Nottingham before – on the streets, or in the market, perhaps.
“Luke,” she began, “I am headed towards Nottingham Castle. Could you point me in the right direction?”
She neglected to mention that she was lost - doubtless he could see that, anyway, she thought.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke shot a vaguely kind smile towards the woman, and nodded his head when she told him her name. The name rung a bell, but he couldn’t quit place it. Then again, he couldn’t think of many things to do with anything other than himself at the moment and took little notice of what was really going on in Nottingham. His hatred for the Sheriff still remained of course, but all the same he was far more concerned about his own personal matters and what sort of things he should do about them. There was a part of him that wanted to make Will pay for abandoning him like that, but the thought scared him and so he did not talk about it.

As she asked for directions, he reckoned that he may as well help her. After all, whilst he was hurt by everything that had gone on he still figured he was overall a decent person and it would be his pleasure to help those who required it. She seemed pretty decent for a noble too, even if he had only just encountered her. “I can give directions. I have only just been near the castle entrance myself not half hour ago’’ he replied, truthfully. It would just be a simple matter of retracing his steps, and he was sure that he could manage that.

[Isabella]

Isabella returned Luke's smile. So he could help her. It only remained to see if he would remain this friendly. He could still turn out to be a thief, after all. But she was willing to go on a little faith. And she had a dagger on her, which she could use if she had to. She noted that it was definitely coming in handy recently. From what she knew, the best thing Lady Rosetta Court had done was to give it to her. Apart from that, the woman was a walking disaster. She nodded at Luke.
"If you could give me directions, I would be most grateful," she said.
She didn't want to offer any money - whatever she offered, he could always ask for more.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke considered giving her directions, but decided against it. After all, he would feel bad for just leaving the woman to fend for herself and whilst he was not strong at all, he could at least have a clear conscience if he accompanied her, and she didn’t get in any trouble from the rather shady characters who lived in the area. “I can take you there if you like. You can follow me, just so that people won’t jump you or anything. We aren’t in a very good area...’’ he stated, offering a brief smile again. For someone as miserable as him, he smiled a lot, but the majority were fake. He just wanted to appear pleasant and easy going for the woman, so that she would follow, and he would not feel guilty if she got herself hurt. “Who are you anyway? I think I have heard that name before...’’

[Isabella]

Isabella didn't admit to herself that she was grateful she wasn't going to be on her own. She was older than this young man, and had coped in far more serious situations than this on her own, but she ultimately preferred company to solitude.
"Thankyou," she said.
In a way, she was pleased when Luke asked her about herself. She hadn't come across too badly, then. If he was scared or annoyed with her, he was doing a good job of hiding it. Odds were, she could trust him to take her safely back to the castle. She still felt a bit foolish as she began to follow him, kicking Lucy into a slow walk.
"I am Sir Guy of Gisborne's younger sister," she explained, "I am living at Nottingham Castle. You may have heard of my arrival in Nottingham, or seen me in the town, perhaps."
Isabella was careful not to give too much away - after all, you could not be too careful - and besides, very few people knew a great deal about her. She didn't like people to know about Thornton. Not everyone looked kindly upon a woman who had left her husband, no matter how cruel he was.
"And yourself?" she asked Luke.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke begun to walk back towards where the crossroads were, knowing that if you went down the middle of them then you came into an area where it was more pleasant, and far closer to the castle also. In truth, it was not very far away and so he had no problems with escorting this woman back since all he was doing before was taking a leisurely stroll with no cares in the world. Well, perhaps that was a vast over statement but he was alone with no business. Luke’s heart lurched when she said, she was Guy’s sister however, and he shot her a vaguely worried look. Guy was the sheriff’s right hand man, and no matter what he did he would hate that man, so in essence he hated her brother too.

Wondering what to do, he stopped, ignoring the question about himself. “You are Guy of Gisborne’s sister? As in the blood stained one who seems to have no conscience’’ he exclaimed, before blushing. It was probably very unwise to speak about her brother in such a manner, since it would be easy for her to figure that he could just be bunged into a dungeon if he became too rude and unruly. However, he didn’t think she would, or at least hoped she would not. Isabella seemed far nicer than her brother did anyway, but then that was hardly difficult. It was very heard to be viler than Guy, but he supposed that was something the sheriff had over him.

[Isabella]

Isabella looked curiously at Luke. He certainly wasn't afraid to speak his mind - but that was no bad thing. Not with her, anyway. She was on the outlaws' side. Luke's outburst was a very dangerous thing to say. He could have been hanged for that. He must be very angry to have forgotten that. And she had been very careless to think he wouldn't react badly to her telling him Guy was her brother, after all that he had done to the people of Locksley. She had to be careful of what she said. But she could have Luke hanged with the snap of her fingers. He wouldn't tell anyone what she was about to say if he valued his life.
"You are fortunate I agree with you, Luke," she said, "Were I sympathetic towards my brother, you would be a dead man. But neither of us are those things. My brother and I went our separate ways in life over twenty years ago. He is a stranger to me. And I certainly do not agree with what he has done here. Just remember, Luke; I stay silent as long as you do. Both of our lives could depend on that. You have my word I will say nothing. Do we have an accord?"
She reached out a hand for Luke to shake.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke gulped for a moment when she said he could be dead, before registering that she had said she agreed with him. That was an unexpected twist, but one, which on further thought, he was not surprised with, If she did like her brother, then surely she would be a nasty, vile piece of work just like Guy was, and yet she was not. That much was evident, since if a peasant was to help Guy he would more than likely not display the same sort of kindness. “Oh...’’ was all he could managed to muster, before breathing out, relieved. Whilst his life was bad, he really didn’t want to be sent to the scaffold again. That was just scary.

He nodded though when she asked if he was to be silent, and he knew that he would be for her sake, as well as his own. He was exceptionally good at keeping secrets, always had been. Often, his father would say he was an enigma when it came to really knowing what he was thinking, and he liked it that way. Taking her hand, he shook it firmly, with a smile. “Your secret is safe with me’’ he said, before wondering why she didn’t care about it all and why they had gone their separate pasts. Perhaps he shouldn’t ask, but in the end his curiosity spoke for him. “Why do you dislike Guy anyway?”

[Isabella]

Isabella was glad when Luke took her hand. He would be silent, as would she. But her happiness faded when the young man asked her why she disliked her brother. That was something she was not going to say to just anyone - and she had only just met Luke. The outlaws knew the basics, as did a few other people who looked further into it. The only people who knew the full story were Guy himself, and Roe. It was best kept that way, she decided. It was between her and her brother. But she had to give Luke some kind of an answer.
"You are bold in your speech, Luke," she said, firmly but with a lighter undertone, "I hope you take care only to be so to your allies."
She was silent for a few seconds before she spoke again.
"My brother did me wrong a long time ago," she began, steel in her voice, "Now that I'm in Nottingham, I can see what he has done, and I detest that too. It seems that he has wronged us both."

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke smirked lightly when she said he was bold in his speech, thinking that she was correct. He used to be pretty shy and timid, but after being forced to fend for himself after a while had meant that he didn’t see much point in being that way anymore, since he was solely responsible for himself and that was it. Strangely, he felt independent but let down at the same time. Not that he would say this sort of thing to a stranger. “I can assure you that I don’t speak this way to people of a higher rank than myself. I am not so much of an idiot’’ he assured the woman, even if he was not really sure how he would react around the sheriff or her brother. It would be all too tempting to tell them just what he thought of them.

Listening to her words intently, he nodded at the end when Isabella rightly said that the man had wronged the pair of them. It was true, and he knew it. “He has’’ he answered, before sighing. He didn’t want to reveal more about himself, but he reckoned he owed it to the women since she had told him of her relationship. “I think I hate my brother a little bit actually as well. In fact I definitely do’’ Luke begun, his tone getting more confident as he considered them more. “He left me all by myself and now that he has returned he has just abandoned me like an old shoe. He’s a selfish pig really, and I’d tell him that now.’’

[Isabella]

Luke's first comment - that he didn't speak like this in front of people of a higher rank than himself - amused Isabella a little. After all, what was he doing now but just that? Still, Isabella could remember what it was like to be young like he was, even if it had been a long time ago for her. People were so passionate at that age, their heads filled with new hopes and ideas they had only just discovered. But, in a way, that was happening to her now, she realised, thinking of the outlaws and Roe. When Luke began to speak of his brother, Isabella frowned. His brother had abandoned him? She could not be sure how much the young man was exaggerating, but he definitely felt very strongly on the subject. Isabella looked at him again, and again she saw something familiar in his face. She tried to work out what it was, but could not. Still, she was curious - maybe it was not Luke, but his brother she had seen before somewhere.
"I know how it feels to be left alone," she began, "And I like it no more than you do. But tell me, this brother of yours, where is he now?"
She tried not to be too direct, hoping that Luke's answer would give some clue as to who his brother was.

[Luke Scarlett]

Luke smiled, oddly pleased that there was someone who understood just how he was feeling and how much pain it brought him. Perhaps, he figured, that he was so affected by it because there was no one else and he had seen his father killed before his arms, and seen his mother slowly starve to death. No wonder that made him so keen to be with someone, since he was scared Will would not speak with him again, or even his worst nightmare that he would never be able to forgive the man and would be content with hating him forever more. Even still, after hating it for so long, he wished revenge on his brother and that stupid nephew of his. Even thinking of the baby as family made him feel revolted to the core.

“I am sorry that you have had to be alone before in your life Isabella’’ Luke said, as he judged that they were only a few paces away from where the cross roads were. He was genuinely sorry however, since he didn’t like thinking of who seemed to be a great lady having to be alone by herself. It didn’t seem fair when rotten idiots like Will and Djaq had each other, who didn’t even think of anyone else but themselves. Eyeing her curiously when she asked where his brother is, he guessed that he might as well answer her. It would do no harm. “He is living in Sherwood at the moment I believe.’’