Linda sobbed on Guy's chest the whole time as they road toward the dock, and Guy could do nothing but look down at her and feel a wave of guilt wash over him. He gripped the reigns tight, his knuckles turning white, as his mind kept replaying his scene with Marian... and how he had killed her.

I am going to marry Robin Hood... I love Robin Hood, is what she said, and because of her words and his rage, she was dead.

Finally, they reached the dock. Guy slid off his horse, helping Linda down afterwords. They locked eyes for a minute, until Guy finally tore his gaze away and walked near the boat. The door open and Vaisey, Guy, and Linda walked to it.

"Sheriff!" exclaimed the Captain, walking outside. "How was the trip?"

Vaisey gave him a look, and the Captain tensed.

"The mission?" he squeaked.

Vaisey scowled.

"Lady Marian?" the Captain's voice was lower than a whisper.

"Let's go," said Linda suddenly, tears reforming in her eyes. She pushed past everyone and made her way inside. Vaisey quickly followed, then Guy, then the Captain, until finally everyone was on board.

The Captain walked up to the deck and looked to his crew. "All right lads! Let's set her off!"

*****

Later that night, all three of them were in Linda's quarters. Linda sat on her bed, looking down and fumbling with her fingers like she always did when she was scared or nervous, Guy stood leaning against the wall, while Vaisey paced back and forth, his hands gripping his bald head.

"Oh, this is bad. This is very, very, very bad!" he muttered to himself.

Linda accidentally scoffed, and Vaisey's head snapped backward.

"What? Do you have something to say child?" his tone was harsh and rude, and she winced a bit, but payed no mind to it. She was used to this.

Sighing, she looked up at her father. "Yes, Father, I do. Why are you so worried? It's just King Richard," she said, although she knew why.

Now it was Vaisey's turn to scoff. "Why am I worried? Why am I worried?!" He looked over at Guy and pointed to Linda, giving him the is she whack? look. Guy just shrugged. Vaisey looked back at his daughter. "I am worried, dear Linda, because I was supposed to have the King killed, not hit in the back and still alive. Oh, the Prince is going to have my head!"

"Like he had Mother's?" she muttered, looking back down at her dangerously fumbling fingers.

Vaisey glared at Linda. "Excuse me?"

Linda looked back up. "You heard me. Is Mr. Oh-I-am-so-perfect-royalty-kiss-my-hand-and-love-me going to behead you because of a failed mission and call it 'lack of loyalty'? Good God, then he really is more of a coward then I thought."

"Witch! Watch your mouth! Yes, he will have my head, and it's your fault!"

"Mine?!" Linda was furious now, and she shot up from the bed.

"Yes! You and your damsel witch friend!"

"Her name is Marian, and you're the one who decided to bring her!"

"And you're the one who lost her, therefor ending up revealing Gisborne's weakness!" At this he jabbed a finger toward Guy, and Guy clenched his fists.

"You tied her up with the others in the first place, so I have no idea why you are blaming me on this one!"

Vaisey rolled his eyes with a groaned, running a palm down his face. He chuckled in frustration and wagged a finger her way. "Your incompetence has cost me dearly, oh Linda, like it costed me your mother! You're the reason why my mission failed! You're the reason why Caralinda is dead!"

Silence... it was as if the world had stopped spinning. Guy's jaw had dropped for a moment, but he quickly recovered. Linda stood there, stunned. A tear escaped her, and with a small voice but stern voice she said, "Your right. I always fail you apparently. When it comes to Nottingham, outlaws, missions, distant relationships, and even being your own daughter."

Vaisey stiffened. He was about to speak, until the Captain came down and cracked the door open.

"Erm," he said. "I heard screaming. Everything alright here, Sheriff?"

Linda and Vaisey made eye contact with each other, until Linda looked over his shoulder and answered to the Captain, who was very jittery in her opinion.

"Yes, Captain, we are quiet alright. In fact, we will be better if we all get a good night sleep."

Guy didn't argue to that. He got off of the wall and made his way to his quarters, same as Vaisey. But first, Guy stopped at Linda's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She nodded slowly. "Yes, Guy, I think I am okay. Thank you. Like I said before, I think we will all feel better if we sleep."

Guy nodded. "My lady," he said with a slight bow, and left... leaving Linda alone in her room to scream into her pillow, and drift off to sleep.

*****

Guy walked in a dark shroud blackness. No light was to be seen in front of him, nor behind, nor from his sides. He was blind. Suddenly, a small, faint light appeared in front of him, and a woman appeared. She had long, curly brown locks, crystal blue eyes, pure red lips, and a beautiful face. She wore a white silk dress, a hood over her head so that her face was only barely visible.

"Marian?" said Guy. "Marian!" Guy began to run to her, but was stopped by a force pulling him back. "Marian? Marian, my love, what is this?"

Marian ignored his question, and then Guy gasped. Pretty, white furry wings emerged from her back, and she started to float, her feet lifting from the ground. She looked up to the sky, and with a flick of her hand, a light began to shine.

"This, Guy of Gisborne, is me flying to my beloved, my love," answered a hollowed voice Marian, still facing the sky. "I am going to marry Robin Hood, I love Robin Hood."

Again, the words.

Guy struggled, until he finally broke the barrier. Then he started to run to Marian, who was ascending to the sky fast now. Guy jumped for her, but he missed by a long shot.

"Marian! Marian, please! Come back to me! Marian!"

Marian ignored his pleas, and disappeared in the light above him, leaving Guy alone in the darkness to scream in agony.

*****

Linda was awoken to the sound of shouting and screaming in the room next to her. She sighed sadly.

A nightmare, she thought. No wonder why mine were so seldom this night.

Linda uncovered herself from the sheets and made her way out of bed. She went to the bathroom to fetch her night robe, and ever so slowly, she creeped out of her quarters and entered the room next to hers.

When she entered, she exhaled sadly. There in front of her, a shirtless Guy of Gisborne thrashed about in his bed. His sheets were messed up, only covering him from his legs down, and he was gripping the sheets on his sides so hard that his knuckles turned ghost white.

"Marian! Marian, please! Come back to me! Marian!" Guy cried.

Linda rushed to his side and put her hand on his face. "Shh, shh. Guy, you're okay, it's okay. Guy, calm down. It's only a dream," said Linda softly in a calming voice while stroking his hair.

Pretty soon, Guy started to calm down, and Linda sighed in relief. Then, Guy started to stir, and Guy's eyes barely opened.

"Marian...?" He managed weakly.

Linda pursed her lips. Her? Marian? Nonsense. She was nothing compared to Marian. Linda had long, dark brown hair ending at her lower back, her emerald green eyes shimmered, her lips were more of a reddish pinkish, not pure red like Marian's, but they were still perfectly aligned, making her delicate face softer than a flower petal. No, nothing like Marian at all... better in fact, some local peasants said.

Linda pushed her thoughts away and put on her "Marian like" smile and tried to copy her voice. "Yes. Yes it is I, Guy. I am here."

Guy made a weak smile and reached for her face. When his hand reached her skin, Linda felt a jolt run throughout her body. She hoped and prayed that Guy could not hear her heart heavily hammering against her chest, because she sure could.

"Oh Marian," said Guy, his voice breaking with each word. "I am so sorry. I destroyed you. I destroyed you. And your Linda... I destroyed her and her heart. I—"

"Guy," she whisper scolded him. Then softly, she added, "You are forgiven, I forgave you when you first killed me. I was not destroyed, and I am not destroyed. I am here, at least in spirit, am I not?" He nodded. "Now, as for my sister..." Linda's voice trailed off. Now as for Linda... what? What would she do? How would she feel? Could she even feel anymore? Her mother had been bad enough, she did not think she could handle Marian. But they both told her to be strong, so strong she shall be. "I believe she will manage, she is strong you know," she finished.

Guy closed his eyes, and Linda noticed something: A small tear escaping his eye.

"Good," he eventually said.

Linda smiled a little bit. He cared, that was something. Then something hit her: If Guy cared about Marian, then would he care if Marian asked him to do this impossible thing... if Linda asked him to do this impossible thing? She had to try, that's what she thought Marian would do. No, she knew Marian would do that, for she had asked of this once before, and as hard as it was, Guy did it.

"Guy, I must ask a very grueling task of you. If truly love me, then you must understand," said Linda.

Guy paused for a moment, but nodded eventually. Linda exhaled. "I need you to let me go. A fragment in your mind."

Guy gasped. "But why? Why must I forget the one thing I love?"

He had a point. Why should he forget the one thing he loved? But the question was, what would it do to him? Would he be happy, the woman of his heart brightening him as he rummaged and played images of her in his mind, or would he be brought low and cause his pride to waver and him be laughed at?

"Pain," she answered. "I am but a ghost who haunts, and in your dream I haunted you, which I will forever do."

Guy still didn't look convinced.

"Please, as it causes you pain, it causes me even more," Linda added.

Guy's face softened, and after a long moment of silence he said, "Marian, my love, I, Guy of Gisborne, release you. You will be all but a memory that has been locked away and forgotten... forever."

Linda nodded slowly. "Thank you," she whispered.

She was about to get up and leave, but Guy grabbed her hand, giving it a soft kiss.

"Wait," he pleaded. "Not yet must you leave. Please, stay here with me, for I cannot sleep."

Linda managed a small smile. She sat down on the rim of the bed once more, and began to sing a lullaby her mother always sung to her:

Just close your eyes,
The sun is going down.
You'll be alright,
No one can hurt you now.
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound.
Oooh. Oooh. Oooh. Oooh.
La la (la la)
La la (la la)
Safe and sound.

It worked. Guy lay there, his breath normal and relaxed, his torso rippling as he breathed. Linda gently released the grip on her hand and stood, covering Guy fully now so that he would not be exposed to the chilly air of night. Then she slowly creeped out of the room, looking left and right in the hallways, then snuck back into her quarters. She walked to the bathroom and put her robe up, then crawled into her bed, the sheets enclosing her, and drifted off to sleep.

*****

The little girl and the man stood at the balcony of the boat, staring out into the crystal clear ocean water, now mixing with a yellow orange color as the sun began to set. The man held the girl steady to keep from falling over the railing as she gripped the fishing pole, eager to have her first bite. Suddenly, the rod made a little jolt forward, and the girl clutched it tight.

"Dada! Dada! Me gots one! Me gots one!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, now pull! Pull, Linda, pull!"

With all of her might, little four year old Linda tugged at the rod until it finally popped up, revealing bass about five pounds. Vaisey helped Linda get the fish to the boat, where he then unhooked the fish and let it plot in a wide tin bucket.

"And that, dear daughter, is how you fish."

"Oooooh. Again!"

"I don't think so missy," said a female voice, and both Linda and Vaisey flinched.

"Uh-oh..." whispered Linda.

Slowly, Vaisey turned around with a grim expression on his face. "Hello," he said with a shy wave.
There at the doorway stood Caralinda. She had long, curly black hair neatly tied up in a bun, dimming green eyes, pinkish red lips, and high cheekbones. She wore a blue dress, and her hand was on her hip. "What did I tell you two?" she scolded.

"Oh, come on, she asked me. Besides, look how good she did!" said Vaisey, trying to avoid Caralinda's scolding.

"Yah! Mama, me gots a fishy!" exclaimed Linda, pointing to the bucket.

Her mother sighed and walked over, taking Linda from Vaisey. "I see that. But next time you will not catch another until you are of age, young lady. You have disobeyed me, and I am very sad. I have told you of the risks child. It is not your place to do this, at least not yet I suppose. Next time, consequences will happen. Do you understand young one?"

Linda looked down, and started to fumble her fingers. "Yes, Mama," she mumbled.

Caralinda looked to Vaisey, and she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Caralinda," he also mumbled, hanging his head down.

She smiled. "Good." She let Linda down and knelt to the ground. "Now go take this fish to the cook, we shall not have this fish spoiled, now shall we?" Caralinda winked at her daughter, who lit up.

"Yes, Mama, and no, Mama, then yes again!" she said, and pulled the tin bucket inside, where she could still hear her mother and father talking.

"She is getting so bold, and I blame you," whispered her mother, her head resting on Vaisey's chest.

"Yes, she is. And more and more beautiful as well, like you," he answered.

Then the scene changed. Much older Linda now appeared in the shadows behind the walls of adobe, where she could hear voices. A man and women were the holders of the voices, and they stood in the town square. Linda quickly recognized the scene. She was back at the Holy Land again... where Guy had killed Marian.

Guy and Marian stood there, staring at each other and not moving. Just then, Linda was thrusted forward—not by her will—and took over Guy's consciousness.

"No, no," Linda mumbled, carrying out Gisborne's voice.

Then, the worst thing happened. Guy/Linda thrusted the sword forward, and she let out a scream.

"No!" Linda cried.

Guy's consciousness was gone now, and so was Marian's, making Linda hold the one person she missed most... and who's death she had caused.

"No! Mother! Mother!" she cried again. Linda held Caralinda in her arms, and laid her gently on the floor. "Stay with me, please!"

"You have brought this on yourself, oh daughter," said her mother in a ghostly hollow voice. "You caused me to diminish, and for that I shall always remind you."

With that, Caralinda let out her last breath and closed her eyes, and all Linda could see was blackness.

*****

Linda sat up and let out a scream, panting heavily. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, her face stained with dried tears, and her knuckles were slowly returning to their natural color. She looked back at her sheets, where she could see that they were very messed up, and her sides were crumpled up.

There it was, she thought. My cursed brain playing an evil trick on me.

Quickly, she shot out of her bed, slipped on her sandals, grabbed her robe, and made her way out of her room. Linda went to the stairs and started to go up to the deck, where she was greeted by the cool breeze of night hitting her face. She looked around to see if she was alone, and was surprised when she saw a figure at the edge if the boat near the steering wheel. Slowly, she walked over there.

"Captain, I thought you would be asleep by now. Where is the crew?" she said once she reached him, standing right next to the man.

He looked to his right and smiled a bit. "Eh, they needed sleep, so I sent then to their chambers. Don't worry though, we are still moving and making good progress. Me, however, cannot sleep. Somebody has got the watch the waters, eh?"

Linda sighed, the Captain was a little too attached to his duties as a sailer. He had salt and pepper hair, kind grey eyes, some age wrinkles in slightly old face, and a very bushy black beard. He wore a blue suit (or what looked like one), white pants, black shoes, and a black cap on.

"Agreed. Why don't you hit the bed? I am very much awake, and won't be sleeping for a very long while," said Linda.

The Captain raise his eyebrows. "Are you sure, ma'am? These waters are dangerous, and—"

"Captain, would I be offering you this if I knew not of the risks?" He shook his head. "Good. Now go, for I will awake you soon."

The Captain thought about it for a while, then he nodded, a big grin on his face. "Thank you, my lady," he said with a bow, pressing a light kiss to her knuckles, and then leaving her alone in the night.

Linda looked out into the sea, where too many memories and her dream hit her. Linda, her father, and her mother had gone on a cruise for a little vacation to escape the pressures of Nottingham. Linda had begged her father to teach her how to fish... even though she was not of age and it was not her place as a lady... and reluctantly, her father had let her have a go, only for them to be busted by Caralinda. Thankfully though, she had agreed to let her go by the sea when she felt like it... when she got older of course. Linda traced back to the part in her dream that had been most horrifying, yet so much like reality. Her mother was dead because of Linda's incompetence and her stubborn nature... much like her father had said.

You're the reason why Caralinda is dead!

With one hand across her body and another on her face, Linda began to cry. Despite how much she hated her fathers words, she knew he was right. According to her and her father, she was just another fool on God's good Earth that had messed up... resulting in fighting, death, and broken bonds.
Just then, she felt a strong arm wrap around her body and bring her close. He put on hand on her back, and another stroking her hair, letting her spill her tears on his chest.

"Shh. It's alright Linda, you're okay," his deep voice said softly.

Linda's crying began to cease a bit, replaced by hiccuping and a dangerous trembling feeling. She pulled away a little bit and looked at his face. Guy of Gisborne was holding her, his blue eyes never leaving her green ones.

"Is—" hiccup, "it?' hiccup, "Guy, I—" hiccup, "killed her. I killed my mother, both in my dream and—"

"Linda," he hushed. "It qas a dream. Don't say you killed her. We both know that's not true."

"But my father—"

"Is a man who speaks of anger and knows nothing," Guy finished.

She put her head in his chest again, and he began to stroke her hair again as they looked on at the sea.

"Did you have the flashback? The story you told me of the boat on the sea?" She nodded.

"Was it the same?" Another nod.

"How mad did she get?"

Linda chuckled weakly, a hiccup in between. "She was upset. She even made Father look guilty and weak, which he was."

Now it was Guy who chuckled.. "How old were you?"

She paused for a second. "Four. I am twenty-eight years of age now, and I still remember."

He nodded and asked no more questions. It reminded him of when he was a child. He and his mother had lots of time together while his father was at the Holy Land, and he had caused her death... and he knew this for sure.

They stayed in that position for the rest of the night, not talking but staring out into the sea, until the sun started to come up... as well as the Captain.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting?"

Guy and Linda jumped, startled by his sudden approach. They looked back at him, Guy having a dangerous glint in his eye.

"No," Linda answered quickly, blushing like mad. "We were just looking at the horizon."

Guy shot her a look, but Linda shrugged, giving him the oh well gesture. Just then, Linda spotted a tiny speck out in front of her. "Captain," she said, walking away from Guy and going to the rail. "Look here, is that what I think it is?"

The Captain somewhat jogged over, and squinted his eyes to see. "Aye!" he exclaimed happily. He turned around and glanced at Guy and Linda. "You folks might wanna cover your ears."

They did, and the Captain brought his fingers to his lips, blowing loudly. "LAND HO! LAND HO! GET UP YOU LADS!" he cried, making his way to the chamber area. Linda chuckled and shook her head, looking back at the small speck of land.

"We're back," she breathed. "England."

*****

edited 12/30/2014