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Assistant: Title: And No Birds Sing
        Author: LastShadowPuppet LastShadowPuppet 
        Chapter: 7/10 
        Summary: And then she could no longer hear the Birds sing- Guy/OC. Timetravel-Fic. AU from first season
        Contents: Chapter 7: Part VII
    

    


  

  
  
    
    
  "And it's the fame that put words in her mouth"- My Mistakes Were Made For You, The Last Shadow Puppets
Lady Marian was clearly perturbed when she came to call on Julia that morning.Despite being quite fond of the woman and thankful for the blind support she had bestowed upon Julia during her first days in the Middle Ages, Julia had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes at the sight of the incensed woman entering the chambers with a pinched expression on her beautiful face. Julia was tired. She had not caught a wink of sleep last night as the memories of the execution kept replaying themselves vividly as if before her eyes. And she found herself with very little patience for what was going to be her friend's complaints. It was probably again something about Sir Guy of Gisborne and his unwanted attentions towards her, Julia thought as she waited for Lady Marian to stop huffing and start talking to her. She remembered herself and wiping her face of any tiredness or exasperation it was likely to show, she bestowed her attention to Lady Marian while leaning on the broom she had been using to clean the chambers with.Lady Marian with an angry expression on her face turned towards her and with indignation and distaste dripping from her every word, revealed the source of her anger: "My father wishes for me to consider marrying Sir Guy."Julia blinked once, twice but showed no other reaction other than that."With his recent behaviour it is clear to both myself and my father that a proposal from him is not far off. And considering his position my father believes that I should not be as disinclined towards him as I currently am," Lady Marian explained, growing more miserable with every word she uttered.Julia nodded her head mindlessly. Lady Marian had a very keen sense of justice and she would condemn anyone who commited something she was opposed on a moral level.Julia's opposite was looking down with a miserable expression on her face and Julia realised how young the woman actually was. Lady Marian's behaviour and carriage of herself always made Julia believe that she was so much older than Julia herself when in truth there were only two years separating them. Seeing Lady Marian so vulnerable reinforced that fact to Julia's mind.  She whispered sadly and with a hint of longing: "I was previously intended to Robin of Locksley. I always believed that my wedding day would be a joyous one." And despite being loathe to show anyone pity, Julia felt her face soften."You are so fortunate that you are never to be prevailed upon to marry someone you loathe," Lady Marian stated passionately. And Julia felt her eyes glaze over.
  It was the night of her mother's annual dinner where she would invite the families of London's upper society to dine at their house.

  Julia was holding onto her wooden bedpost as Mrs. McKellan, her mother's maid, was fastening the strings of the corset her mother insisted she wear under the dress that her mother had picked out for her.

  "Not so tight, Mrs. McKellan," Julia whispered as she rested her hand below her ribcage and took a shuddering breath against the asphyxiating binds of the contraption.

  "It was your mother's request, Miss Julia," the maid explained apologetically and again Julia felt herself being jolted backwards as the woman pulled on the strings. 

  She gave an inaudible wince but tightened her jaw, seeing that she would have to endure it. She didn't know how her mother and the other young ladies her age could stand spending the whole day wearing a corset when she was already dreading the few hours this evening. Julia supposed that endurance might come with habit: Julia was only used to wearing the cotton and loose nurses' uniform of the hospital she worked in.

  She heard the door to her room open behind her and Julia looked over her shoulder- with great difficulty due to the corset- to see her mother entering her room.

  When young, Julia had always looked at her mother with unbridled admiration. To her eyes, the woman was flawlessly beautiful. And objectively speaking, her mother was still without a doubt a beautiful woman. But to Julia she was no longer that pinnacle of handsomeness she had hoped to come close to one day. And perhaps that had something to do with Julia's resentment of the woman and their no-doubt strained relationship. 

  When looking at her mother, she couldn't help but note that despite all her handsomeness there was a glacialness to her beauty. And Julia remained unsure whether she found that at all appealing.

  With a raised chin her mother enquired: "I have heard that you received a visit from the young Mr. Watson on Wednesday, Julia." She had turned back towards her bedpost and she raised her brows at her mother's directness. It shouldn't have surprised Julia. She knew that her mother would hear of Tony Watson's visit sooner rather than later. And considering her satisfaction with his advances towards Julia, she knew that her mother would be keen on knowing about the visit.

  She inclined her head and whispered: "Indeed he did." She could practically hear the eagerness drip from her mother's words as she inquired: "What did he wish to discuss with you?"

  Raising her head despite the bindings being tightened painfully, Julia stated as levelly as she could, not letting her anticipation at the discussion that was likely to ensue between them: "He asked for my hand in marriage." 

  The woman squealed in delight behind her and Julia tightened her grip on the wooden bedpost and closed her eyes. Before her mother could start discussing wedding plans with her, Julia stated resolutely, indicating that her words were not subject to discussion: "I refused him, mother." 

  Deathly silence met her declaration and were it not for the frostiness she felt coming from behind her, Julia would have questioned whether her mother was still in the room or had somehow evaporated at the revelation of Julia's answer. 

  "Why," the woman muttered darkly after a few seconds of tense silence having stretched between them. Julia took a deep breath ad started- now slightly cautious at truly witnessing the woman's displeased demeanour: "I would have been a trophy for Anthony Watson, mother. He wished for a wife that would obey him blindly and would lead his household. I believe I did us both a favour by recognizing that I did not fulfill those requirements." 

  The woman spat: "Both your Aunt Margaret and I have taught you everything that you need to know about leading a household. You are very well suited to his wants for a wife." She can't whirl around to her mother as she wishes because the contraption is still being tied to her. So Julia settles for looking over her shoulders and exclaiming: "Then perhaps he is not suited to my wants for a husband." 

  She continues despite her mother's wrathful look and displeased sneer: "He was cruel and mean-spirited as a child and he continues to be so even as an adult. I do not love him nor will I ever grow to love him."

  Her mother's scowl widens and she accuses: "I always knew that having your nose buried in those books too much as a child would make you silly and fanciful as an adult. Have you still not overcome those childish fantasies of yours." And Julia thinks darkly that she has. She has most definitely overcome any of her innocent imaginings. And if her mother cared an inkling for her she would have most definitely known this. 

  "I loved your father and look where that has gotten me: Abandoned," her mother states- now almost desperate and Julia can still hear the grief that the woman has never managed to overcome. 

  Julia scoffs and states softly: "Abandonement implies that he left willingly. My father had no choice, mother." And she sees the woman's face fall with grippling sadness and at the miserable expression on her mother's face that makes the beautiful, cold woman look positively bereaved, Julia turns away from her and grits her teeth. 

  Guilt starts spreading in her gut and she hears her mother state coldly: "Mrs. McKellan please leave us. I shall conclude the bindings on Julia's corset."  

  Her mother stepped behind her and if Julia had thought that the maid's tieing was rough, it was incomparable to her mother's. 

  Her mother declared punctuating every word with the pull of the cotton strings that felt like knifestabs to her ribcage: "You will reconsider." 

  And it was no longer only the corset which made Julia feel like she was trapped.
She looked towards the older woman who now positively had tears in her eyes at the thought of having to marry a man she despised and would despise for the rest of her life simply for his existence. There was nothing she could do. So Julia rested her hand on the woman's shoulder, letting the woman dwell in the belief that she was offered sympathy from someone who could not fathom what it felt like being in this situation.Sir Galahad asked her to go to the market this morning to purchase some valerian root. It was sunny and pleasantly warm despite autumn steadily approaching, as indicated by the browning leaves and the warm smell of decay that wafted past her when she took a walk in the untended-to gardens of the castle.So Julia found that she was quite enjoying frequenting the market this morning. It was her duty as Sir Galahad's apprentice to do as he bid, but she often found that going to the market only made her return with a bitter taste in her mouth.She remembered having a young, pretty, brown-haired teacher who had taught her history in Grammar school. She remembered the young woman lecturing about the colliseum and the gladiators in Ancient Rome, about the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece.There had been a semester where her teacher had lectured about Medieval Times. And one thing Julia could still remember from it was the wide-spread superstition that often decided the behaviour of the medieval people.Even if Julia did not remember her teacher's history classes when she was only ten, she would have soon enough found out that people in this time were anything but kind to those with disabilities.Lady Marian hd told her that beneath the bridge leading to the fortress surrounding Nottingham were sat 'the lames', 'the blindes' and 'the cripples' and that should they venture up the citizens would be outraged. Because they believed that these disfigurations and deficiencies were punishments for living in sin. And that god looked down upon the deficients due to their 'foul souls'.And all that hatred was focused upon her since her first visit to the market where she had to gesture to that which she had to buy and people had figured that she couldn't speak. And since then she would have to walk through the market and hear those venomous and hateful, ignorant hisses. And she tried the best she could to just bite her tongue, stride through the market and complete her chores as quickly as she could.But even with the knowledge of the animosity she would face quite soon, Julia couldn't muster any bad mood because she was walking down the castle and it was so warm that she decided to pull down the sleeves of her dress and allow the early autumn sun to shine down on her bare shoulders.She didn't even take the mistrustful and distasteful looks that the peasants shot her into consideration as she strolled through the stands lined with vibrantly coloured fruits and vegetables towards the herb stands.Her calm was suddenly disturbed by a loud and booming voice and her head, which had been previously slightly tilted back because she was trying to take in as much sun as she could knowing that winter was steadily approaching, snapped down and towards the source of the sound.There were a few people who had also stopped and where watching the scene which was unfolding before her. An older, beefy man with a red face that reminded Julia of her aunt's old pitbull had a young was holding a young, dishevelled and very thin-looking boy by the collar of his tattered shirt. The man was shaking him so forcefully that Julia feared the boy would get hurt by the movement."Little thief," the man spat and he was so angry that he was drolling and little globs of spit were flying everywhere as he spoke. In turn, the young boy, he couldn't be older than ten- he couldn't be much older than little Finnegan- and he looked absolutely terrified.And despite knowing that there was little she could do, because she was barely taller than the ten-year-old boy, she found herself striding towards the scene very quickly. And maybe it's because the little boy looks so much like the brother she hasn't seen for more than a year since she put him on that train and had to bite her lips as she watched him driving away and into the safety of Cornwall, and she was much too young to have to go through something that made her feel such loss. Maybe it's because of all that that she forgot herself and as she saw the man raising his hand to hit down the boy, her hand snapped up and she held his massive arm, stopping its descent.The man was so startled by her appearance and because of that- only because of that- he let the boy go quite easily when she tugged him back. The boy in turn made use of the opportunity that had been given to him and quickly scrambled away from the angry man and hid behind her, clutching at her skirt.The merchant seemed to recover from his surprise and with a dark look, his beady eyes were narrowed into slits, he ordered: "Get out of the way, girl." She tightened her jaw and continued looking at him with a severe look and he seemed to understand what it meant: She wouldn't retreat.The man was growing visibly more agitated and bellowed: "I said get out of the way, girl." And he shook his arm free as it had been still suspended mid-air, held up by her hand. And he was so strong that she was almost taken off her feet by him. But she managed to catch her balance and she continued standing there.His eyes narrowed even further and he was now huffing and puffing in his anger as his nostrils flared and he hissed: "Seems like I'll 'ave to touch you a lesson as well." And then he raised his hand again and she knew that she had only stopped him before due to the fact that her stepping-in had been unexpected and that she could now never hope to stop the blow.And just as his hand was close to hit her she closed her eyes and awaited the impact.But nothing came. And her eyes were still closed but still nothing came.Tentatively, she opened them and was surprised to find that the man who had been red-faced in anger was now looking quite pale. His fist was again suspended mid-air, this time held up by a black leather-clad arm. And she looked to her side and her eyes widened as she saw Sir Guy of Gisborne standing there. And his look was murderous. She had always known that people feared him. But only now was she aware of how much he must terrify them.The Sheriff of Nottingham was truly fortunate to have such an imposing and terrifying figure as him by his side. And they were all quite unfortunate due to that same fact."What is the meaning of this," she heard Sir Guy lowly mutter while still levelling that terrifying look at the merchant. At the sight of Sir Guy, the previously so angry and entitled man had been reduced to a blubbering and nervous mess as he stammered: "Sir... Sir Guy... Just... Nothing really... Just a little thieving rat and a wilfull b@tch."The leather-clad hand tightened its grip on the merchant's arm and from the resultant twisting of the man's face, the pressure Sir Guy must have been applying now was quite painful. "That wilfull b@tch is the apprentice of Sir Galahad of Falmouth. She is under his protection and I'm sure that he would be none too happy to see her harmed by you.""She... She was disrupting my punishment of that little thieving rat... I had no choice... I told her to get away..." the man continued to stammer, obviously quite alarmed by Sir Guy's low and cold tone.The man continued: "She is disobedient. I'm sure Sir Galahad would approve of me teaching her a lesson." Something flashed in Sir Guy's icy grey eyes and he stepped forwards and hissed: "It is not for you to decide what Sir Galahad approves of or not." And then he was leaning his towering height down to the gasping man and now visibly angry whispered: "If I ever see you so much as contemplating harming a hair of that head of hers, I will break your jaw." And then he let go off the man's arms and Julia saw the man's knees buckle as if SIr Guy's hold on him was the only thing holding him up.But she didn't have time to see whether the man fell unconscious after having been on the receiving end of Sir Guy's threats because suddenly there was a tight grip on her arm and she was almost wrenched off her feet as Sir Guy proceeded to pull her with him.It took her a second to collect herself. By then they had already left the main market and Sir Guy was storming in the direction of the castle. As she caught herself, Julia proceeded to pull against him.Feeling her resistance caused the dark and tall man to stop in his tracks and he let go off her for a second as he whirled around with a swish of his dark robes. And then he had gripped her by the shoulders and through gritted teeth he asked: "What were you thinking?" For a second she was caught off guard by the question. She hadn't been thinking. The boy had looked so much like Finnegan and she missed Finnegan so much and she just couldn't let that man hurt him.She would never tell him any of this- she couldn't- so she simply exhaled through her nose once and continued to hold his gaze. "He would've killed you with that blow had it hit," Sir Guy spat in her face and she wondered why he was so angry or agitated. But she decided not to dwell on this and instead levelled a dark look at him that stated quite clearly 'I didn't ask for your help.'And then he shook her and she didn't let his force rattle her but continued looking into his eyes. And he exclaimed: "Foolish, headstrong girl."And then Julia noticed that they were close. They were both breathing heavily and their breaths mingled, they were so close.And for a fraction of a second, it was so quick Julia wondered if it had even been real, he was not shaking her and his eyes flickered to her lips. And the angry look seemed to thaw off.But then as quickly as that moment had come it went away again. He let go off her, as if she repulsed him and turned on his heel continuing to storm up to Nottingham castle. And Julia watched him until he was out of sight.Sheriff Vasey was talking to him in hushed tones questioning Sir Edward's loyalty after the Council of Nobles. Vasey had suggested raising the autumn harvest taxes for the farmers, as they needed more money to fund the new armours for the Black Knights, and Sir Edward had- predictably, Sir Guy thought- protested vehemently against it, while his daughter from her position behind his chair aimed a disgusted look towards both himself and the Sheriff.He was leaning against the railings when amidst Vasey's babble- he was so self-absorbed that he didn't even notice that Guy was not really listening to him- Lady Marian's voice drifted up to him. Almost on reflex, he looked over his shoulders and down into the courtyard to see the woman in question strolling arm-in-arm with Sir Galahad's apprentice.
  Julia. 
Despite disproving of Marian having befriended a peasant and being so fond of her due to the woman's position, he found that he understood why Marian was so fond of her. The two women were very similar. Both seemed to have a sense of justice and a self-sacrificial nature to stand for what they believed in that Sir Guy could only marvel at. And Guy knew that Marian was fond of those who shared her beliefs. He could understand then how Lady Marian had come to love the girl. Lady Marian was talking incessantly to the girl, perhaps telling her of the absurb and exploitative schemes of the Sheriff and the girl listened patiently. Guy continued observing them as they made their way through the gardens. Sir Edward encountered them, just coming out of the courtyard and nodded towards Sir Galahad's apprentice before talking to Marian. The woman gave a single nod to what her father had said to her before she dislodged her arm from the girl's. She took her hands in both of hers and gave her a fond smile and Guy found himself wishing to be in the girl's place.And then Lady Marian left and Sir Guy was about to turn back to Vasey because whatever happened below had completely lost it appeal to him. But he was stopped from doing so when he saw the girl quite obviously spot something. She was looking to her side toward the shrubbery and whatever she discovered caused a bright smile to light her face and- he had never seen that smile, she was always so grave and severe in his presence with that perpetual sad look in her eyes- Sir Guy found himself watching her approach the shrubs with a renewed fascination. He saw her lean down and pick something from the shrubs. And then when she righted herself once morehe squinted his eyes. She was too far away from him and he couldn't see properly but he believed that there was a small, white blossom in her hands.And she smiled- like a child- because she has found the last blossom of the year. And Guy raises his hand to his chest as an unfamiliar warmth spreads through it. And then as if he was bitten by a wasp, he wrenches his eyes away from her- from that smile- and looks back towards Vasey.'
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