Fic: Better Days Will Come 25
Title: Better Days Will Come
By: Kegel
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize I do not own.
Summary: A twist of history and an unexpected offer give Robin new opportunities in his fight for both his people and country. It also brings new dilemmas, as he and the gang have to make hard choices to find their way when conflicts come to a head.
Spoilers: Till mid-season 2.
Chapter 25: Letters
Robin watched as Marian put the letter into the man's hand, talking briefly to him, before the man climbed his horse and departed. Marian put much hope into that letter, hope of gaining information they needed desperately. Still, any reply might take months.
Marian had gained the agreement of a distant relative of hers to send the letter on, the man having commercial contacts that would sail to the continent in a few days' time. When Marian had written to him, explaining her personal situation, the man had also offered Marian to come to live with that part of the family, the offer being made due to family obligations Marian had guessed. She had declined.
Now she hoped the letter she had penned to one Count Friedrich would reach the man in Bavaria, and he would be able to use his contacts as a noble to find out more about the situation of King Richard in Austria - if he not already knew everything about it.
Marian turned to Robin and he nodded towards her, before he walked off, figuring he could just as well do what he had postponed for days. He walked through the village of Locksley, finally leaving the houses that were closest to the forest behind and getting deeper into the woods. Picking a tree at random, he reached for the piece of chalk he had brought with him, marking an area on the wood.
Stepping away from the tree, he took down the bow and quiver he had carried on his back. Now he would try his bow for the first time since he had suffered the injury. It was healed in the sense that it did not hurt anymore, and Djaq had been satisfied when inspecting his hand several days earlier. But Robin could see the scars where the jailer had cut him more than clearly. They were a very marked memory of what had nearly been lost.
Robin prided himself of being a great archer, it was what had made him useful at war, and it was what had saved him and others often here in Nottinghamshire, not the least of it the day when he had been able to stop the hangings in Nottingham, making himself an outlaw. If he wouldn't be able to shoot as well, it wouldn't be the same. The gang wouldn't be able to trust in him as much as they did now. Of course, there was wonder if the time of fighting was over, what with the deal Robin had with the sheriff; but actually he doubted this was the case.
Robin took an arrow from his quiver, carefully aiming it and drawing the bow. He noticed a slight tremble in his hand and it felt awkward the way his fingers were gripping bow and arrow. Robin let go and the arrow sailed into the ground, several feet before the tree that was his target. He sighed, telling himself this was just the first awkward attempt. He simply had to practise again. He kneaded his hand, his fingers feeling rough and inflexible to his touch. It wasn't the same. Robin chose another arrow, carefully aiming the bow and drawing the string. He focused on keeping the arrow at the right position, felt himself stiffen and let out a breath, his fingers losing their grip. The arrow shot ahead, hitting the tree trunk, but far below Robin's target.
He could feel anger at himself rising in him. In past times he had been able to aim even more than one arrow at once, so why was he making such a big issue out of a single one now? He picked out a third arrow. He remembered that hour down in the dungeons when the jailer had wanted to end his days of archery once and for all, when he had fought against it, when he had flinched away from the pain that would take so much, when in desperation he had clung to the hope that he might be able to learn to draw a bow with his left hand, too. And now he did not even manage to do this the way he had done nearly all of his life, ever since he had been a small boy? The way he had done it so many, many times?
He drew the bow, aiming the new arrow as he did so. He tried to steady his breath, feeling the string cutting into his skin ever so slightly, just as it was supposed to be, but the feeling reminded him too of the knife that had been set there, the blood that had come - by far not the worst injury he had ever suffered, but one that had not come of fighting, but of torture, not even one of aiming to gain any knowledge, but one of simply wanting to destroy him. His hand shook and once again the arrow sailed away, missing its target. Gritting his teeth, Robin walked ahead to pick up all three arrows that had missed so far. Taking a few steadying breaths, he aimed all three arrows at once, remembering Much's annoyance whenever he had practised that trick. Letting the string go, he saw all of them fly away, missing their target by far.
As he trained another arrow, Robin heard a call. He turned, lowering the bow.
"Robin," Much called. He came up to the man. "A message from Nottingham. Prince John is on his way."
Robin nodded.
"The sheriff wants you there?" Much clarified.
He nodded again. "Yeah." Not that he really knew how everything would play out to be.
Much gave a nod. "I'm coming, too, of course."
Robin didn't say anything but packed his arrows, following Much through the forest back to Locksley. There was the possibility that Vaysey had laid a trap. It had been there from the very beginning, ever since they had made that deal. Naturally, if it had simply been about delivering Robin to Prince John, Vaysey could simply have kept him prisoner, that much had already been achieved. Unless Robin would have died in the dungeons that was, but that might have satisfied Prince John just the same. No, it had also been about the silver. Vaysey had wanted that back, needed it back even more so, Robin guessed. He - and the gang reluctantly so - had handed that over to Vaysey. Supposedly Vaysey had also been concerned about Gisborne. But the man had not appeared to be a real threat so far, in Robin's mind. He hadn't even seen him ever since he walked away from the barn in Locksley that day when he and Marian had brought him from Nottingham.
So if that had been every reason for Vaysey to make that deal, it was not unlikely he would end it now, capturing Robin once more on the occasion of Prince John's visit - a triumph. The last time they had met, Robin had told Vaysey that he would be there for Prince John's visit, had also said that he was willing to keep up that deal if the sheriff did so, too. In Robin's idea, he would be there, would greet Prince John in a somewhat agreeable manner as a noble not having sworn allegiance to the man would do, would go back to Locksley then and continue taking care of the village, including paying the taxes that were due to be collected for the king's ransom.
As Much and Robin came back to Locksley, the gang was already waiting for them by the manor. They would come to Nottingham, too, John, Will and Djaq. They had still been staying at camp, no matter that Robin had invited them to come to Locksley, an invitation he had expected especially Will would like to follow, the village being his home.
"Robin," Djaq nodded to him.
"So we are going to Nottingham today," Robin stated what he knew the others already were aware of. "I don't know what's going to happen. We cannot trust the sheriff."
Will gave a nod. "We know, Robin." Robin could see that they were well prepared, each of them carrying a bow, too, besides their sword or axe. How they would be able to take the weapons into Nottingham with the prince due to arrive, was another question. Robin wondered if part of the reason they still stayed at camp was that they expected to go back there soon in any way. If all of them, including Robin, had to flee back to the forest, it would be ready for them still.
"Then let's go to Nottingham and make sure we return."
There were more guards up and about in Nottingham than Robin had seen in a long time. Some of them carried banners of John, so the man was either already here or had sent men ahead. Robin guessed the latter, for he expected the prince to make a great entrance.
Vaysey was waiting for Robin when he walked up the steps to the castle. Robin had brought both his sword and his bow. It might appear as an affront to be armed like that, but Robin wanted to be prepared, no matter that he didn't know if he would be able to shoot.
"Ready to go to war again, Locksley?" Vaysey scoffed with a look at Robin's weapons, but grinned then at his own joke.
"Sheriff," Robin nodded once in a hint of a greeting.
"Prince John will arrive soon," Vaysey said. "I am sure you are aware of the necessary deference."
"I am," Robin replied simply. He would be polite. What he certainly wouldn't do was to treat the prince as if he were the king.
More and more guards were collecting in the castle yard, as were people of the town further outside of the yard and beyond it. Robin could see the gang - apart from Much - at the far distance. Much was standing not far from Robin to the side, paying close attention to his former master, the sheriff and the guards.
Finally there were new sounds coming from the northern part of the town and a procession made its way towards the castle, a grand carriage in the middle of it. Robin scoffed at what he saw, for no matter that he was resolved to not treat the prince like a king, the prince was doing that just fine for himself. Multiple banners carried by decorated riders told of his arrival.
The procession stopped on the castle yard and the guards stepped aside, as the door of the carriage was opened. It still took some time before Prince John finally appeared outside. Then he stepped out of the carriage, slowly looking around. Guards bowed and still Prince John stood fixed to the spot. It was obviously expected that he he would walk up towards the castle and be greeted by the sheriff, but the prince didn't move.
Finally the sheriff, already looking around nervously, moved forward and down the steps of the castle, some of the present nobles following him. Robin stayed put for the moment. This might become an interesting afternoon.
>>>----> >>>---->
Vaysey stopped in front of Prince John.
"My dear Sheriff," John said with a broad smile, spreading his arms wide. "It is so good to see you."
"My Lord," Vaysey returned. "It is a honour to have you here." Vaysey managed to sound somewhat enthusiastic about the idea, knowing that not only the prince, but his entourage were hearing him, too.
He had already lost the prince's attention though, as the man was now setting his gaze upon Robin. "This is Robin of Locksley, is it not?" he asked, as he watched the man with something of a bored curiosity.
"Yes," Vaysey replied testily.
"The infamous outlaw Robin Hood, the one who gave you so much trouble?"
"Yes," Vaysey repeated. He wondered unnerved if this was to be an interrogation. If the prince wanted to be rid of him, this whole charade was unnecessary.
"Explain to me then," the prince went on, "why he is here now? Or maybe I should ask him myself?"
Vaysey grimaced. "You told me to get the outlaw problem under control and I did."
John laughed. "When I said 'under control' I thought of different kinds of action. His head on a spike maybe, or him ready for hanging, or presented in the stocks at the least?"
"None of this would have returned the silver the outlaws had taken," Vaysey explained, his patience thin as ice in the spring. If only the prince knew how much Vaysey would have liked to implement any of the suggested measures.
"Ah, yes, I remember your failure there," John said sardonically.
"I got the silver back," the sheriff pointed out.
"By reinstating Locksley?" the prince scoffed. "And what about the new taxes? You know we need them for my dear brother."
Vaysey knew that John wanted those taxes indeed for the purpose of dealing with his brother, but not in order to bring him home, but to pay a price for keeping him captive for a longer time. Vaysey was bitter about John's reaction so far, but at least the prince had not indicated a displeasure so great to have him replaced. Well, not since that letter he had sent to Gisborne, telling him to kill Vaysey to win the position as the new sheriff.
"The new taxes are being raised and we expect to receive the silver very soon," Vaysey said.
"I'm sure of it," the prince smiled, and the sheriff did not know what to make of it.
John glanced at Robin again. "Now tell me, where is your Master-at-arms?"
"I don't have one at the moment. I lost my last one and haven't found the muse yet to find a new one." It made him wonder if the prince expected him to know of the deadly offer he had made to Gisborne.
John looked at him and once again the sheriff couldn't really make out the man. "Find a new one. Or do you want the castle and our treasure unprotected?"
"Of course not."
"I'm glad," John smiled again.
>>>----> >>>---->
Robin watched the sheriff talking to the prince and wished he could hear what was said, though he doubted it were secrets that were talked about with all of the guards and the prince's followers around. After a while of conversation, which seemed to have amused the prince, he finally moved to walk up the steps of the castle. It wasn't really a surprise that he stopped in front of Robin, and Robin was sure that part of the conversation between the prince and the sheriff had been about him.
"Robin of Locksley," the prince said, emphasizing the words.
"My Lord," Robin replied.
"I hear you were quite my dear brother's favourite in his war out there?" John mused. "And then you run off into the forest?"
Robin lifted his eyebrows. He wasn't inclined to reply to that, but it was not necessary as the prince continued.
"So now you have stopped your criminal ways and want to support my brother again?"
"I have been supporting him at all times," Robin said clearly.
"Oh, but were not those little peasants more important to you? Is that forgotten now?"
"These things don't exclude one another," Robin returned.
"I'm sure," John smiled.
"What about you," Robin asked. "Are you supporting the king?" The other nobles that were present in front of the castle stared at Robin in outrage and shock. But Robin would really have liked to hear an honest answer to that question. Taxes were rising still, but he could not be sure they were really going to be used to pay the ransom for the king's freedom.
John smirked. "Of course I am." After a pause he added, "And I can see now why you've run off to the forest, what with that tongue of yours."
He turned away from Robin then and walked off to speak to the other nobles. Robin didn't mind. Talking to that man would not answer his questions. When the assembled men made their way into the castle, Robin followed at a slow pace, seeing that Much was coming up to him.
"Have you seen Marian?" he asked him. She could have been with the assembled nobles, technically taking over the title from her father, no matter that her home in Knighton lay in ashes, but she hadn't been there.
"Well, not her really," Much said, glancing around nervously. "But kind of her."
Robin frowned before he understood. Whispering he asked, "The Nightwatchman is here?" What on earth was Marian doing now, what did she want to achieve? And why had she not told him?
Much nodded.
"Where?"
"Going up to the sheriff's quarters," Much replied quickly.
Robin cursed. Of course now was the time when she could know that the sheriff would not be there, as he was busy entertaining the prince in the Great Hall, but still this did not mean that it would be easy getting in there unseen, and even more so out of there, especially with the whole town as full of guards as it was.
"Much, go and get the others here. Wait here and see if she's coming, so you can help, if need be."
"What about you?" Much asked. "No, don't answer this. I know you are going after her. Why does it always have to be like that?"
Robin patted Much's shoulder briefly, then left the man behind as he hurried into the castle, first trying to blend in with the guests, before he took a turn that led away from the festivities, deeper into the castle, closer to the sheriff's chambers. He wondered if the sheriff would miss him in the Great Hall or if the man was too distracted by the prince to even notice Robin was gone. Today his simple presence in the castle would not be questioned, but his whereabouts in the sheriff's rooms certainly would. He took the old, familiar way up there, climbing into the sheriff's bedroom easily.
He saw the Nightwatchman jump and turn around to him as he arrived. She had apparently not expected anyone coming in through the window.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered fiercely through the mask she was wearing.
"Could ask you the same," he returned.
"Very funny," she said, turning back to her earlier task. He saw that she was going through the many documents the sheriff had stored in the room. Leafing through several more, she read a few sentences of each, before continuing.
"Found anything?"
"Nothing really. Taxes, silver, the king, the prince, outlaws, but nothing we didn't know before," she replied. "What I really want to know is why Vaysey thinks Guy wants to kill him. There has to be something Guy wants to achieve by that, but as far as we know the sheriff is protected and Nottingham doomed, if he dies."
Robin nodded, helping her leaf through the papers. "Have you seen anything that tells us where the taxes are going? If it's going to the ransom the king's mother is collecting or if it's going to the prince?"
Marian shook her head. "Nothing of that sort." Then she suddenly picked up a letter that bore the prince's seal, but that wasn't addressed to the sheriff, unlike the others. It was Gisborne's name that was written on it. Marian held it up, looking at Robin. "Why is that here?"
"Read it."
Marian hastily unfolded the paper. She looked at Robin then, holding out the paper for him to read it, too.
"The prince offers Guy the position of sheriff if he kills Vaysey, because Vaysey failed to solve the outlaw problem," she summarised.
"Now that's interesting," Robin said. "Now I understand why Vaysey's so worried about Gisborne."
"And so keen to solve the trouble with you," Marian pointed out.
"If it had been just that, he could have killed me down in the dungeons," Robin shook his head.
"Your men still would have made trouble for him and he wouldn't have gotten the silver back. It would have been easy for Gisborne to claim his position," Marian contradicted him.
"And," they both turned at the voice from the doorway, Guy stepping into the room, "Are you talking about me?"
By: Kegel
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize I do not own.
Summary: A twist of history and an unexpected offer give Robin new opportunities in his fight for both his people and country. It also brings new dilemmas, as he and the gang have to make hard choices to find their way when conflicts come to a head.
Spoilers: Till mid-season 2.
Chapter 25: Letters
Robin watched as Marian put the letter into the man's hand, talking briefly to him, before the man climbed his horse and departed. Marian put much hope into that letter, hope of gaining information they needed desperately. Still, any reply might take months.
Marian had gained the agreement of a distant relative of hers to send the letter on, the man having commercial contacts that would sail to the continent in a few days' time. When Marian had written to him, explaining her personal situation, the man had also offered Marian to come to live with that part of the family, the offer being made due to family obligations Marian had guessed. She had declined.
Now she hoped the letter she had penned to one Count Friedrich would reach the man in Bavaria, and he would be able to use his contacts as a noble to find out more about the situation of King Richard in Austria - if he not already knew everything about it.
Marian turned to Robin and he nodded towards her, before he walked off, figuring he could just as well do what he had postponed for days. He walked through the village of Locksley, finally leaving the houses that were closest to the forest behind and getting deeper into the woods. Picking a tree at random, he reached for the piece of chalk he had brought with him, marking an area on the wood.
Stepping away from the tree, he took down the bow and quiver he had carried on his back. Now he would try his bow for the first time since he had suffered the injury. It was healed in the sense that it did not hurt anymore, and Djaq had been satisfied when inspecting his hand several days earlier. But Robin could see the scars where the jailer had cut him more than clearly. They were a very marked memory of what had nearly been lost.
Robin prided himself of being a great archer, it was what had made him useful at war, and it was what had saved him and others often here in Nottinghamshire, not the least of it the day when he had been able to stop the hangings in Nottingham, making himself an outlaw. If he wouldn't be able to shoot as well, it wouldn't be the same. The gang wouldn't be able to trust in him as much as they did now. Of course, there was wonder if the time of fighting was over, what with the deal Robin had with the sheriff; but actually he doubted this was the case.
Robin took an arrow from his quiver, carefully aiming it and drawing the bow. He noticed a slight tremble in his hand and it felt awkward the way his fingers were gripping bow and arrow. Robin let go and the arrow sailed into the ground, several feet before the tree that was his target. He sighed, telling himself this was just the first awkward attempt. He simply had to practise again. He kneaded his hand, his fingers feeling rough and inflexible to his touch. It wasn't the same. Robin chose another arrow, carefully aiming the bow and drawing the string. He focused on keeping the arrow at the right position, felt himself stiffen and let out a breath, his fingers losing their grip. The arrow shot ahead, hitting the tree trunk, but far below Robin's target.
He could feel anger at himself rising in him. In past times he had been able to aim even more than one arrow at once, so why was he making such a big issue out of a single one now? He picked out a third arrow. He remembered that hour down in the dungeons when the jailer had wanted to end his days of archery once and for all, when he had fought against it, when he had flinched away from the pain that would take so much, when in desperation he had clung to the hope that he might be able to learn to draw a bow with his left hand, too. And now he did not even manage to do this the way he had done nearly all of his life, ever since he had been a small boy? The way he had done it so many, many times?
He drew the bow, aiming the new arrow as he did so. He tried to steady his breath, feeling the string cutting into his skin ever so slightly, just as it was supposed to be, but the feeling reminded him too of the knife that had been set there, the blood that had come - by far not the worst injury he had ever suffered, but one that had not come of fighting, but of torture, not even one of aiming to gain any knowledge, but one of simply wanting to destroy him. His hand shook and once again the arrow sailed away, missing its target. Gritting his teeth, Robin walked ahead to pick up all three arrows that had missed so far. Taking a few steadying breaths, he aimed all three arrows at once, remembering Much's annoyance whenever he had practised that trick. Letting the string go, he saw all of them fly away, missing their target by far.
As he trained another arrow, Robin heard a call. He turned, lowering the bow.
"Robin," Much called. He came up to the man. "A message from Nottingham. Prince John is on his way."
Robin nodded.
"The sheriff wants you there?" Much clarified.
He nodded again. "Yeah." Not that he really knew how everything would play out to be.
Much gave a nod. "I'm coming, too, of course."
Robin didn't say anything but packed his arrows, following Much through the forest back to Locksley. There was the possibility that Vaysey had laid a trap. It had been there from the very beginning, ever since they had made that deal. Naturally, if it had simply been about delivering Robin to Prince John, Vaysey could simply have kept him prisoner, that much had already been achieved. Unless Robin would have died in the dungeons that was, but that might have satisfied Prince John just the same. No, it had also been about the silver. Vaysey had wanted that back, needed it back even more so, Robin guessed. He - and the gang reluctantly so - had handed that over to Vaysey. Supposedly Vaysey had also been concerned about Gisborne. But the man had not appeared to be a real threat so far, in Robin's mind. He hadn't even seen him ever since he walked away from the barn in Locksley that day when he and Marian had brought him from Nottingham.
So if that had been every reason for Vaysey to make that deal, it was not unlikely he would end it now, capturing Robin once more on the occasion of Prince John's visit - a triumph. The last time they had met, Robin had told Vaysey that he would be there for Prince John's visit, had also said that he was willing to keep up that deal if the sheriff did so, too. In Robin's idea, he would be there, would greet Prince John in a somewhat agreeable manner as a noble not having sworn allegiance to the man would do, would go back to Locksley then and continue taking care of the village, including paying the taxes that were due to be collected for the king's ransom.
As Much and Robin came back to Locksley, the gang was already waiting for them by the manor. They would come to Nottingham, too, John, Will and Djaq. They had still been staying at camp, no matter that Robin had invited them to come to Locksley, an invitation he had expected especially Will would like to follow, the village being his home.
"Robin," Djaq nodded to him.
"So we are going to Nottingham today," Robin stated what he knew the others already were aware of. "I don't know what's going to happen. We cannot trust the sheriff."
Will gave a nod. "We know, Robin." Robin could see that they were well prepared, each of them carrying a bow, too, besides their sword or axe. How they would be able to take the weapons into Nottingham with the prince due to arrive, was another question. Robin wondered if part of the reason they still stayed at camp was that they expected to go back there soon in any way. If all of them, including Robin, had to flee back to the forest, it would be ready for them still.
"Then let's go to Nottingham and make sure we return."
There were more guards up and about in Nottingham than Robin had seen in a long time. Some of them carried banners of John, so the man was either already here or had sent men ahead. Robin guessed the latter, for he expected the prince to make a great entrance.
Vaysey was waiting for Robin when he walked up the steps to the castle. Robin had brought both his sword and his bow. It might appear as an affront to be armed like that, but Robin wanted to be prepared, no matter that he didn't know if he would be able to shoot.
"Ready to go to war again, Locksley?" Vaysey scoffed with a look at Robin's weapons, but grinned then at his own joke.
"Sheriff," Robin nodded once in a hint of a greeting.
"Prince John will arrive soon," Vaysey said. "I am sure you are aware of the necessary deference."
"I am," Robin replied simply. He would be polite. What he certainly wouldn't do was to treat the prince as if he were the king.
More and more guards were collecting in the castle yard, as were people of the town further outside of the yard and beyond it. Robin could see the gang - apart from Much - at the far distance. Much was standing not far from Robin to the side, paying close attention to his former master, the sheriff and the guards.
Finally there were new sounds coming from the northern part of the town and a procession made its way towards the castle, a grand carriage in the middle of it. Robin scoffed at what he saw, for no matter that he was resolved to not treat the prince like a king, the prince was doing that just fine for himself. Multiple banners carried by decorated riders told of his arrival.
The procession stopped on the castle yard and the guards stepped aside, as the door of the carriage was opened. It still took some time before Prince John finally appeared outside. Then he stepped out of the carriage, slowly looking around. Guards bowed and still Prince John stood fixed to the spot. It was obviously expected that he he would walk up towards the castle and be greeted by the sheriff, but the prince didn't move.
Finally the sheriff, already looking around nervously, moved forward and down the steps of the castle, some of the present nobles following him. Robin stayed put for the moment. This might become an interesting afternoon.
>>>----> >>>---->
Vaysey stopped in front of Prince John.
"My dear Sheriff," John said with a broad smile, spreading his arms wide. "It is so good to see you."
"My Lord," Vaysey returned. "It is a honour to have you here." Vaysey managed to sound somewhat enthusiastic about the idea, knowing that not only the prince, but his entourage were hearing him, too.
He had already lost the prince's attention though, as the man was now setting his gaze upon Robin. "This is Robin of Locksley, is it not?" he asked, as he watched the man with something of a bored curiosity.
"Yes," Vaysey replied testily.
"The infamous outlaw Robin Hood, the one who gave you so much trouble?"
"Yes," Vaysey repeated. He wondered unnerved if this was to be an interrogation. If the prince wanted to be rid of him, this whole charade was unnecessary.
"Explain to me then," the prince went on, "why he is here now? Or maybe I should ask him myself?"
Vaysey grimaced. "You told me to get the outlaw problem under control and I did."
John laughed. "When I said 'under control' I thought of different kinds of action. His head on a spike maybe, or him ready for hanging, or presented in the stocks at the least?"
"None of this would have returned the silver the outlaws had taken," Vaysey explained, his patience thin as ice in the spring. If only the prince knew how much Vaysey would have liked to implement any of the suggested measures.
"Ah, yes, I remember your failure there," John said sardonically.
"I got the silver back," the sheriff pointed out.
"By reinstating Locksley?" the prince scoffed. "And what about the new taxes? You know we need them for my dear brother."
Vaysey knew that John wanted those taxes indeed for the purpose of dealing with his brother, but not in order to bring him home, but to pay a price for keeping him captive for a longer time. Vaysey was bitter about John's reaction so far, but at least the prince had not indicated a displeasure so great to have him replaced. Well, not since that letter he had sent to Gisborne, telling him to kill Vaysey to win the position as the new sheriff.
"The new taxes are being raised and we expect to receive the silver very soon," Vaysey said.
"I'm sure of it," the prince smiled, and the sheriff did not know what to make of it.
John glanced at Robin again. "Now tell me, where is your Master-at-arms?"
"I don't have one at the moment. I lost my last one and haven't found the muse yet to find a new one." It made him wonder if the prince expected him to know of the deadly offer he had made to Gisborne.
John looked at him and once again the sheriff couldn't really make out the man. "Find a new one. Or do you want the castle and our treasure unprotected?"
"Of course not."
"I'm glad," John smiled again.
>>>----> >>>---->
Robin watched the sheriff talking to the prince and wished he could hear what was said, though he doubted it were secrets that were talked about with all of the guards and the prince's followers around. After a while of conversation, which seemed to have amused the prince, he finally moved to walk up the steps of the castle. It wasn't really a surprise that he stopped in front of Robin, and Robin was sure that part of the conversation between the prince and the sheriff had been about him.
"Robin of Locksley," the prince said, emphasizing the words.
"My Lord," Robin replied.
"I hear you were quite my dear brother's favourite in his war out there?" John mused. "And then you run off into the forest?"
Robin lifted his eyebrows. He wasn't inclined to reply to that, but it was not necessary as the prince continued.
"So now you have stopped your criminal ways and want to support my brother again?"
"I have been supporting him at all times," Robin said clearly.
"Oh, but were not those little peasants more important to you? Is that forgotten now?"
"These things don't exclude one another," Robin returned.
"I'm sure," John smiled.
"What about you," Robin asked. "Are you supporting the king?" The other nobles that were present in front of the castle stared at Robin in outrage and shock. But Robin would really have liked to hear an honest answer to that question. Taxes were rising still, but he could not be sure they were really going to be used to pay the ransom for the king's freedom.
John smirked. "Of course I am." After a pause he added, "And I can see now why you've run off to the forest, what with that tongue of yours."
He turned away from Robin then and walked off to speak to the other nobles. Robin didn't mind. Talking to that man would not answer his questions. When the assembled men made their way into the castle, Robin followed at a slow pace, seeing that Much was coming up to him.
"Have you seen Marian?" he asked him. She could have been with the assembled nobles, technically taking over the title from her father, no matter that her home in Knighton lay in ashes, but she hadn't been there.
"Well, not her really," Much said, glancing around nervously. "But kind of her."
Robin frowned before he understood. Whispering he asked, "The Nightwatchman is here?" What on earth was Marian doing now, what did she want to achieve? And why had she not told him?
Much nodded.
"Where?"
"Going up to the sheriff's quarters," Much replied quickly.
Robin cursed. Of course now was the time when she could know that the sheriff would not be there, as he was busy entertaining the prince in the Great Hall, but still this did not mean that it would be easy getting in there unseen, and even more so out of there, especially with the whole town as full of guards as it was.
"Much, go and get the others here. Wait here and see if she's coming, so you can help, if need be."
"What about you?" Much asked. "No, don't answer this. I know you are going after her. Why does it always have to be like that?"
Robin patted Much's shoulder briefly, then left the man behind as he hurried into the castle, first trying to blend in with the guests, before he took a turn that led away from the festivities, deeper into the castle, closer to the sheriff's chambers. He wondered if the sheriff would miss him in the Great Hall or if the man was too distracted by the prince to even notice Robin was gone. Today his simple presence in the castle would not be questioned, but his whereabouts in the sheriff's rooms certainly would. He took the old, familiar way up there, climbing into the sheriff's bedroom easily.
He saw the Nightwatchman jump and turn around to him as he arrived. She had apparently not expected anyone coming in through the window.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered fiercely through the mask she was wearing.
"Could ask you the same," he returned.
"Very funny," she said, turning back to her earlier task. He saw that she was going through the many documents the sheriff had stored in the room. Leafing through several more, she read a few sentences of each, before continuing.
"Found anything?"
"Nothing really. Taxes, silver, the king, the prince, outlaws, but nothing we didn't know before," she replied. "What I really want to know is why Vaysey thinks Guy wants to kill him. There has to be something Guy wants to achieve by that, but as far as we know the sheriff is protected and Nottingham doomed, if he dies."
Robin nodded, helping her leaf through the papers. "Have you seen anything that tells us where the taxes are going? If it's going to the ransom the king's mother is collecting or if it's going to the prince?"
Marian shook her head. "Nothing of that sort." Then she suddenly picked up a letter that bore the prince's seal, but that wasn't addressed to the sheriff, unlike the others. It was Gisborne's name that was written on it. Marian held it up, looking at Robin. "Why is that here?"
"Read it."
Marian hastily unfolded the paper. She looked at Robin then, holding out the paper for him to read it, too.
"The prince offers Guy the position of sheriff if he kills Vaysey, because Vaysey failed to solve the outlaw problem," she summarised.
"Now that's interesting," Robin said. "Now I understand why Vaysey's so worried about Gisborne."
"And so keen to solve the trouble with you," Marian pointed out.
"If it had been just that, he could have killed me down in the dungeons," Robin shook his head.
"Your men still would have made trouble for him and he wouldn't have gotten the silver back. It would have been easy for Gisborne to claim his position," Marian contradicted him.
"And," they both turned at the voice from the doorway, Guy stepping into the room, "Are you talking about me?"