- Chapter 72 -
A knock came to my door as I was currently braiding my long hair down my back. I froze slightly and pulled my hood up around my face but giving out a harsh grunt as it quickly opened and closed to reveal my maid Lucinda. Chuckling to myself I lowered my hood and fixed up my hair before placing over a black leather mask that sat over my eyes and nose. Adjusting it correctly I smiled, wearing my usual leather attire and fixing my hood over my face to ensure that you could only see my mouth below.
"Prince John has summoned you, he says Jasper has returned from Nottingham" She reported rolling her eyes as my ears perked up at the sound of my old home town. I had been living in London for the past two and a half months. I had earned my position as being Prince John's lieutenant after I had saved his life; he felt indebted and was in awe of my love and loyalty to him. I spun the lies of informing him I had been one of King Richard's personal assassins but realized his wasn't the true power. The Prince ate it up perfectly and simply refused to do anything without my presence as it makes him feel 'safer'.
Everyone in the castle thought I was a soldier returned from the Holy Land with a scared face, which was why Prince John had commanded for no one to look under my hood or attempt to reveal my face. To him and everyone else I was a man of few words and only gave words of wisdom when I saw fit, which sometimes angers John. Lucinda however is the only one who is aware that I am a woman as I saved her from making a terrible mistake and saving her life.
"MUSIC! I want music!" John laughed as the nobles around him did also, before the musicians began to play. I stood beside him at his throne with one hand resting on my sword at my hip the other leaning against the throne chair. I saw Lucinda from the other side of the room with a tray full of goblets of wine; she had a dagger clutched tightly in her hand and a vial of poison not well hidden in her blouse.
"Lucinda! Stop messing around and serve the wine!" another maid hissed at her as I left my post from the beside the Prince knowing he was watching me as I walked over towards her. Placing the tray in the other maid's hands I could see them both pale as I took hold of Lucinda's forearm and dragged her all the way to my room beside the Prince's chambers.
She squirmed and kicked as I threw her into my room before locking the door behind me. I heard her let out a defensive scream as I turned to see her raising her dagger to strike only to have my quickly catch her wrist and pull it out from her weak grip making her gasp and shake petrified.
"You tried to kill Prince John" I stated my voice automatically going husky and gruff as she began to take several steps backwards.
"He is a tyrant and murderer and I will die before I see him on the throne. Richard is King not him! I will die trying to defend that!" She bravely spoke as I smiled. Finally an ally.
"Then help me"
"What?" She questioned. Slowly removing my hood and untying the leather strap holding the mask to my face she gasped and was in awe as I smiled.
"Help me destroy Prince John"
That was exactly what we had been doing. I was slowly turning John against his loyal supporters of Lords and leaning his loyalty towards those who were siding with Richard. His courts outmatched his supporters three to one.
"I guess I shouldn't keep him waiting" I chuckle as she snorted before leaving my chambers to return back to her duties around the castle. Prince John had sent Jasper to Nottingham to send warning to the Sheriff after they made a pig's breakfast of their mission to kill the King in the Holy Land.
As a result of their blundering, the Prince is hurting and has passed on that hurt to the Sheriff by creating an extra little tax just for him. He demanded that they pay a thousand crowns a month. Which is truly impossible to complete but Prince John demands that the Sheriff shows his loyalty after protecting the Sheriff against him, who wants his head on a spike. To be honest I agree with King Richard.
I grew more worried to Guy though, I knew this would anger the Sheriff and would place the blame on Guy over himself. I missed him terribly and had around my neck on a thick piece of leather his engagement ring to me. I never removed it from my neck and often would place it on my finger when I slept to feel him closer to me.
Leaving my chambers guards and maids cleared the path for me as I snuck my way into the throne room and stood on the right side of the throne where Prince John was currently lounging and plucking grapes and popping them into his mouth one by one.
"Ah Wolf! Now you're here, send in Jasper" Prince John commanded as a soldier bowed and left to fetch Jasper. I was known around here as wolf, due to not only my few words and many growls to show my opinion on things, but it remained a reminder to everyone. I had made it clear that I wasn't a dog to follow strict orders. The occasional threat reminder to Prince John reminded him I was wild in a ways, which gave me the name wolf. Not that I minded, it meant no one would suspect I was a woman.
"Your highness" Jasper bowed as he approached the throne before straightening as I leaned against the throne.
"Well how was it? I want to know everything" John asked him excitedly like a child getting treats.
"The Sheriff is now aware of the extra tax..." Jasper began as John jumped happily in his throne causing me to roll his eyes. Wasn't he ever taught to behave as a kid? Probably not.
"Good, good." He leaned forward wanting to hear more as I saw Jasper pause almost as though he was unwilling to report the next bit of information which had me interested into what it could possibly be.
"There was a problem sire" His voice softer and uneven as I watched John stiffen and slouch back in his seat un-amused by his sudden change in report.
"What problem?" He demanded.
"Robin Hood" Those two words which got Prince John furious cause me to smirk and laugh inside. It's good to know that Robin was still fighting and causing mischief enough that it reached ears here in London and threw Prince John into a frenzy.
"Is it too much to ask that they get rid of that pest for me? Can't they prove their loyalty to me and kill him!" He whined like a spoilt child, oh wait that's cause he is one.
"Sir Guy of Gisborne had claimed to have killed him but it was evident that Hood was very much alive." Jasper spoke as my head snapped up to hear Guy's name. It made my heart ache slightly as I bent down to John's level and whispered in his ear.
"Sire, Gisborne's attempts show his loyalty when he's making an effort unlike the Sheriff." I whispered as he nodded. I fed him what I needed to ensure that he kept Guy in high respect and the Sheriff like dust beneath his boots. I refused to allow the Prince to kill Guy, I would do whatever I had to, to keep him alive.
"At least Gisborne is getting somewhere whilst the Sheriff is doing nothing!" John whined once more as I smiled slightly to know that my deception was working against the Prince and that he fed and hung onto my words that were beginning to cloud his own judgment. I knew that Guy would do whatever he could to try and kill Robin, however I knew that I had to keep him alive against the Sheriff and Prince John.
"Sire..." Jasper went only to be cut off.
"Leave." He ordered waving him away as it was evident that he had enough of Jasper as he bowed and left. I watched him leave slowly and waited until the door shut behind him and clicked back into place before I walked around the throne and stood in front of Prince John. He was rubbing his cheek thinking as I folded my arms over my chest knowing that this could take a while.
"I want you to go to Nottingham personally and bring me my first month's tax" He finally concluded as I raised an eyebrow, even though I knew he couldn't see it.
"And if the Sheriff should not deliver?" I spoke, my voice automatically gruff, when I spoke to anyone.
"Bring him here so he can explain himself" He demanded standing up and stomping his foot.
"Sire, the Sheriff wouldn't dare allow himself to admit his shame, he will cast it upon a more innocent party. Such as Guy of Gisborne, who is very loyal to you sire." I informed him as he just slouched back into his throne and waved me off. The trip to Nottingham from London took five days with haste as I gathered up several men and went to the stables. I found my horse in the end stable as I smiled and brushed down the mane. It was the same one that Guy had given to me as a present.
"My Lord" I heard Lucinda call out as I turned to see her holding out a packed bag filled with fresh clothes and several masks as I smiled and nodded to her in thanks before she turned to leave. Quickly mounting my horse I urged my horse forward as the sounds of the cobbled stones under the hooves echoed as I glanced over my shoulder to see the soldiers following on after me as we made our way towards Nottingham.......