A Tale of Love and Woe (Fanfic)

Chapter 4

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" The sheriff asked as he stroked his short beard.

"As you ordered, I have brought the girl" Gisbourne replied as he took his position of standing next to the sheriff.

"Very good Gisbourne, at last you have not failed me," the sheriff replied in a snarky tone.

I noticed that Gisbourne looked pained yet also slightly pissed off by the sheriff, interesting. Very soon I was taken out of my thoughts when I heard the sheriff address me.

"You girl are you deaf?"
"Sorry sir, what did you ask?"
"I asked whether you were deaf."
"No before that."
"I asked if you knew why you are here."
"No sir, I do not. Perhaps you can enlighten me."
"You are here because your father has requested you be removed from your current state of care and put under the care and protection of me here at Nottingham castle. A duty I am most..." he paused "honored and ready to carry out," he said through gritted teeth.
"My father would never!" I shouted.
"Your father is the Prince of England. He most certainly would entrust me with such a... an important task," the sheriff retorted proudly.
"The prince? You mean Prince John!?" I exclaimed in total shock.
"Yes princey Johnny. He's your dad not that low lord he put in charge of you until you were of age."
"But the prince has no children," I tried.
"Wrong deary. He has a child, you."

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Prince John was my father? That could not be happening. No way. As the news set into my mind and the shock began to wear off, I felt a bunch of questions ramming through my head.

If I was prince John's daughter, then what was I going to do? John was a ruthless greedy scoundrel. How could I be his daughter? Who was my mother then? Why do I have to be placed in Nottingham?

The questions had only begun to poor before I heard the sheriff's taunting voice.

"You look as though you've seen a ghost my dear."
"What? I'm fine. I just... I just need some fresh air," I replied shakily.

Without permission I turned and ran out of the great hall into the courtyard.

~~~~~~Outside Narrator~~~~~~~~

"Watch her Gisbourne. If anything happens to her it's our heads," grumbled the sheriff.

"Ai,"
"And Gisbourne?"
"Yes?"
"Do not fail me."

And with that Sir Guy of Gisbourne left his position next to the sheriff and followed Melody.