Gabriel Gisborne

"Not born one, no. But I swore loyaltyto Saladin once. I value loyalty above all else." It was nothing but a mere hint to what she had to expect of him. He knew he could dare to defy the Sheriff. He was a frenchmen so the Sheriff could not command him. On top of it he outranked him and that vile creature had to get to him first. As the Lady turned around he smikred. "My Lady, I count as a guard. Who would Guy and the sheriff trust, if not me? His most trusted knights beloved cousin?" He looked at her. "But I understand you do not enjoy my company, however I must insist you stay a bit longer." He looked around before stepping towards her. "I suspect you're still in contact with Robin. Can you deliver a message to him? A warning?"

"Careful with your words, Lady Knighton. A lesser man might feel insulted." Though he was no lesser man. He knew the circumstances of their meeting. And they did not mean he was bad at his job in the slightest. He had never been sent to kill Robin. They met in an equally footed battle. "He and I met in the Holy Land on opposing sides. I have not yet tried to assassinate him. We met in a battle in which we were evenly matched. I do not kill unless absolutely necessary."

"Do you ever stop talking? Someone bloody gag her!" She really didn't want to understand. He even painfully added her god damn crime and would not stop. Knowing she was in the hands of his men Gabriel simply turned away. The orders were given, but he could not refrain from a remark. "The man who sold half his land in order to go to war is needed in his home. If it's come to this I am glad I am not english for your land is doomed." It was as simple as that. He was a king who wanted glory in battle not to be a ruler. It was a simple yet painful truth, which rarely anyone in England seemed to want to admit to themselves. Why else had he had the idiocy to alienate all his allies in this war? Gabriel walked to the men holding down his cousin.

He was close to sighing and ordering one of the men to gag her. But that wouldn't do, he knew. Fucking english bastards. Fucking english barbaric idiots. Couldn't even count to two. "What don't you understand about being a prisoner? We owe you no answer at all. Hell you won't even fetch a ransom, cause I doubt anyone would want you back. We don't care who misled whom. This is the Holy Land. You tried to kill your own king on our soil and for those who didn't your crime is simply being english. Get it now? Your people, on top of it your idiot of a king, brought war to this country, so you will be treated as enemies in a war and now as prisoners. Your king is lucky Saladin is a noble man. He will nurse him back to health and offer him to leave. Your sheriff might get lucky, Guy will get lucky, because someone will pay his ransom. as for you, highly doubtful. Now take this annoying thing away and gag her. And... don't take her to Saladins girls. I don't want them to suffer from her incessant talking. Take her simply to a cell. We will see what we do with you."

"At least that's what he wants me to be. Partially." Gabriel still wondered what the man and his cousin were thinking. Guy knew, very well, that his cousin, dead or not, had a very determined set of values. Did he underestimate him? It wasn't like Saladin to break those values, quite on the contrary. Even serving him had those values inforced. He admired his loyalty and so never sent Jibril out against his own king. "I know Robin already, he can handle me. He has done so before."

A small smile appeared on Marian’s lips at Gabriel’s apt description of the Sheriff. ‘Take caution of how you speak of the Sheriff, I have seen people locked away for less.’ Marian tried to imagine Guy coming out with such a line. Perhaps Gabriel really was nothing like his cousin. But something in his words had caused her concern. ‘You must have spent time at the castle then to speak of the Sheriff in such a way - why have we never been introduced?’

"He should try. I outrank him. And he needs to catch me first." The man grinned a little. He knew the guards here were a poor excuse for them. The only man capable of catching him would be Guy and he doubted he would. They were family. If anything he could trust in Guys ambition and he'd be stupid to kill his french cousin before getting in his good books. "Not that much time. I have come here perhaps a week ago. I have been hired, by the sheriff. I'm used to looking around myself quite a lot. I have fought several wars already."

"I need to see Guy.", he mocked her. Really? As if she could make demands here. Gabriel was almost amused by that. His cousin had taken a wrong turn with his stunt here. This damn idiot. But this girl was priceless, thinking she could make demands. "No, little foolish girl, you have no idea. We are quite aware of the assassination attempt. And frankly the british piece of shit king can be glad Saladin is a man of honor or his head would be on a spike right now. As for you and your british friends: You are prisoners. So close that mouth of yours or I'll give you to the soldiers instead of Saladin. Would that suit you more?"

Marian frowned as she wondered how to respond to the man. Was he simply making polite conversation or was there a reason for his approach? Moreover, did Guy even know his cousin was present in Nottingham or was Marian just that unobservant to Guy’s life outside of the castle walls.  ‘Well…I am unsure as to his whereabouts at the current moment if you wish to find him.’

"God, no." Gabriel chuckled lightly. "I have had enough of him and the man whom he shadows for a while. While I love my cousin, I don't exactly approve of... all of this. You seem like a clever girl." In a way she reminded him of Ghislaine a little. She seemed to have  a similar strength than his aunt did. "I have seen your expressions when the hairless waste of space speaks. You don't exactly approve either, do you?"

Gabriel was almost painfully reminded of the assassins in the holy land. He remembered the cold gazes of women as deadly as they were beautiful, the strong arms of men capable of killing one with the flick of their wrist, the stinging of misericords pressing into unsuspecting flesh. Now at least he knew how that style remained this unknown to him. Self taught, even more impressive, yet a dangerous game. The man had obviously defied code a bit to learn those deadly techniques or influential enough to not be judged upon acting outside of the norm for his culture. "Even more impressive then. You've got a very unique style. I couldn't quite picture it." Gabriel bowed, though never let his eyes leave him. "I go by Jibril al-Aswad."

Marian raised an eyebrow at the revelation of the man’s name. Wasn’t one Gisborne enough? She flashed a short, polite smile. ‘And you.’ She took in the man’s appearance. He was not completely unlike Guy, apparently tall and dark ran in the family.  ‘Forgive me, Sir Guy has not mentioned you before. I always assumed he had no family in Nottingham.’ 

"Oh he does not." Guy wouldn't lie about familial ties like that. He was a proud Gisborne, like Gabriel himself was, though Guys circumstances were harder than Gabriels. "I was born and bred in France. Our fathers are brothers, but he is right, he has no family residing in England, apart from, as far as I am informed Isabella, but she does not live in Nottingham either. And him not mentioning me would be due to him being uncertain if I was alive or not."

At first he wanted to introduce himself as someone who did not matter, but he did. He mattered here, in the princes plans and Guys life. Gabriel bowed. "I am baron Gabriel Gisborne. My pleasure to finally meet you."