“It seems you have a difference of opinion on your hands, Robin.” Richard said.
“She is opinionated, Your Majesty, but then again, look at her parents.” Robin winked.
Richard roared with laughter. “I might be careful of my words, if I were you,” he said. “Beatrix is not one to trifle with.”
“Indeed not,” Mother said briskly. “Richard, did Nyneve tell you anything of what has been happening in your absence?”
“All the Lady told me was that it was important we speak, and speak in private.” He grinned, the shadows under his eyes vanishing temporarily. “We have no better opportunity than here and now.”
“Why did you leave the throne to John, Richard?” Mother asked bluntly. “Did you really see him as the best choice?”
“What are you saying, Beatrix? He was the only choice.”
“Well, he made a mess of things,” Mother said. “He put the sheriff in charge of everything, not just Nottingham.”
Richard’s deep gray eyes darkened. “You have been invaluable to the throne, but be careful of what you say. He is my brother.”
“Did you know he outlawed good men for no other reason than their loyalty to you?” Mother continued. “Robin is proof of that. John killed Lord Locksley and declared both him and his entire house, traitors to the throne. As a result of that accusation, Robin has spent the last five years living in Sherwood.”
Richard turned to Robin. “Is that an accurate assessment??”
“It is, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me all of it,” Richard commanded.
Robin began with the tale of his father’s death and continued up to Marian’s supposed kidnapping.
Richard frowned when he finished. “That is a fantastic tale. Where is the sheriff now, to answer your charges?”
“I killed him,” Robin admitted.
“That is not the answer I hoped to hear, Robin.” Richard’s storm cloud eyes turned almost black. “Care to explain to me why you murdered a man of my court?”
“He branded a woman.” Marian chimed in. “Robin did not murder him. It was a fair duel.”
The king swung to face her and Marian shrank back under his glare. “Murder is what I call it until it is proven differently, and that is unacceptable in my court, Lady Marian.”
“Richard, if I may speak?” Mother waited until he nodded before continuing. “The sheriff kidnapped my daughter and attempted to lay the crime at an innocent man’s feet. If that is not a cause for action, I do not know what would be.”
“I am not denying action needed to take place, Beatrix. But needless murder is not something I will ever condone, not after what I have seen in the Holy City.”
“What about the ghosts, Your Majesty?” Marian’s voice was small and barely audible.
Richard frowned. “What ghosts are you referring to? My castle has never been haunted!”
“I was not sure how to tell you,” Robin said, shifting from foot to foot.
“Tell me everything’ means I wish to know everything,” Richard said. “I have shown great restraint, but if you do not tell me what I need to know, you will spend the rest of your days praying desperately for my favor. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
Robin swallowed. “Yes, Your Majesty, but I think it would come best from Marian. She has had more experience with them than I have.”
Richard cocked an eyebrow. “Is that true, Lady Marian?”
Marian nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Though, in truth, I am unsure where to begin.”
“Begin with the ghosts,” Richard commanded. “Do you mean to tell me my castle is infested with spirits?”
“Infested might be too strong a word,” Marian said at the very same moment she heard Robin say, “Infested’ is the perfect word.”
Richard looked around the clearing, finally choosing to seat himself on a fallen log. “What happened?”
“No-one is exactly sure, Your Majesty,” Marian began.
“John ordered the murder of dozens of children and the sheriff carried it out,” Father said. “If anyone deserved to be killed, it was that man.”
“My brother murdered children??” Richard’s voice was incredulous.
“After you left,” Mother said, “many nobles, both here at court and in Wales, protested against your brother’s arbitrary judgments and ham-handed rulings. He responded by demanding they send him their sons as hostages.”
Richard nodded. “That has been a time honored tradition to prevent rebellion. I am not surprised my brother did so. But you claim he murdered them? Why would he do such a thing?”
“No-one knows, Your Majesty,” Marian said. “All I ever knew about was rumors. At least, that is all I knew until I came here and met them.”
Richard blinked. “Did you just say you met them?”
Marian nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. Most of them appear as shadows, when they appear at all. But they apparently enjoy playing pranks, especially when the prince is in residence.”The king crossed his arms across his barrel-like chest. “Well, to the Devil we sprang and to the Devil we shall go! It seems my brother and I have much to discuss. He has not been a worthy example of a ruler, to allow such a monstrous thing to happen.”
“Your Majesty, if you do not mind my asking…where have you been these last few years?” Mother asked. “I heard a rumor of Austria. Was it true?”
Richard nodded. “I am afraid it was. The last dispatch I received from England informed me of John’s deceit. I chose not to believe the dispatch, though I planned to return home on the next available ship. Unfortunately for me, I shipwrecked along the coastline of Italy and was taken hostage by Duke Leopold shortly thereafter.” He sighed. “John ignored my imprisonment for nearly twelve months. He sent word instead that the coffers were empty and he needed more time. I realize now why it took him so long to ransom me.” He rose to his feet and clapped his hands together once. “Well then, it is time to return to the castle and set my kingdom back to rights.”
“Would you like us to wait here?” Robin asked.
The king shook his head. “No, you all have first-hand knowledge of what has transpired in my absence. I will require your presence when I speak with John.”
“Meet me in the throne room,” Richard glanced briefly at Robin. “I shall send an armed escort for you. I do not want you killed ‘accidentally’.”
Robin bowed. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” His voice was devoid of any sarcasm.
The king nodded once before striding off, his long legs eating up the ground.
“I see Richard has not changed much,” Mother said drily.
Father nodded his agreement. “I am glad he is back. England needs him.”
Marian turned to Robin. “Do you believe he will pardon you?”
Robin grinned. “I hope so. I cannot provide for my bride without a pardon for my crimes.”
“I already told you,” Marian said, “I am not marrying you.”
“You protest too much,” Robin stated.
“I would not have to protest if you would stop calling me your bride!” Marian replied shortly.
The steady tramping of boots on the ground stopped further conversation.
“Those must be the guards,” Mother said. “I do wish the Lady had not taken Excalibur so soon,” she said under her breath. “I always felt better with it by my side.”
Eight guardsmen dressed in well worn leathers approached. “We have instructions to bring you to the castle at once,” the first one said. He glanced curiously at Robin.
“Thank you,” Mother’s voice was low and honeyed. She took Father’s arm. “We appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
The man nodded curtly, gesturing at his men to form a protective circle. “Not that we expect any trouble,” he explained, “but the king made it very clear you were to arrive unharmed.”
Marian looked past the guardsmen toward the castle. It appeared to be only a field’s dist
ance away.
“Then let us go,” Mother said. “I would not wish to keep King Richard waiting.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight:
“His Majesty will see you now.” The guard at the throne room door gestured and pulled the doors shut once they entered.
Marian expected to see the king seated on his throne. Instead, he was sprawled across the steps leading up to the ornate chair. He had changed from the leather armor and into a dark blue doublet and leggings. A thin gold circlet sat on his red hair. He looked every inch a king.
A door behind the throne itself swung open and Nyneve, so steeped in shadow ghosts that her white gown appeared to undulate an inky blackness, stepped into the room.
“We are here,” she said, “to see justice done.” The shadows eddied and swirled, never leaving her clothing.
Marian shivered.
Richard nodded to Nyneve and Marian got the impression he was acknowledging the ghosts’ presence, as well. “I will not fail you, or them,” he promised. “Alan, Beatrix, stand with Nyneve. Robin, you and Marian join them.”
The enormous ornate doors to the throne room opened and four guards entered. Marching between them, pale and shaken, was Prince John.
“John.” Richard walked the few feet separating him from his brother. He reached out and pulled him close. “It is good to be home.”
The prince stood stiff in his brother’s embrace. Finally, reluctantly, he patted Richard on the back. “I am glad you have returned safely, brother.”
The king stepped away. “Unfortunately, this cannot be a simple homecoming. There are things which must be resolved. First of all, do you remember this man?” He pointed to Robin.
“I recall seeing him at court some years ago,” the prince said. “But I have not seen him in some time. I thought the Locksley household moved away.”
“I find that fascinating, considering it was your orders which consigned him to the life of an outlaw.” Richard said.
“I—did what??” Prince John’s eyes widened. “I did no such thing!”
“It was your signature on the orders,” Richard said. “As the regent to my throne, it was your responsibility to surround yourself with good and trustworthy men, instead of signing any random piece of parchment thrust beneath your nose.” He began to pace the marble floor. “Instead, you put your childhood friend in the position to wreak utter havoc in my absence!”
“I did not know,” the prince began to protest, but Richard cut him off with a wave of one large hand.
“I shall assume, for the moment, that you are simply too trusting.” His voice lowered. “Care to explain something else to me, John?”
“Richard, I swear I did not know. I thought his family left court,” the other man shrank backward.
“I am not referring to what the sheriff did to the Locksley household,” Richard said, “but to what happened on the battlements.”
Prince John blanched. “N—nothing happened.”
“Wrong,” Richard said flatly. “You murdered children, John.”
“Rumor,” the prince said. “That is pure conjecture.”
“It is the truth!” Richard roared, his voice echoing off the high ceiling. “Not rumor, not conjecture! It is the truth!”
The prince turned, as though to leave, but the guards stepped close.
“There is no escaping this, John.” The king’s voice dropped low and deadly. He glanced at Nyneve before continuing. “I have brought you here to face your accusers.”
The Lady of the Lake stepped forward and the shadows began to separate from her clothing.
“You killed us,” the boys’ voices startled Richard, who watched the darkness, a curious expression on his face. “You hung us and sent us to die, alone and afraid.”
Prince John stepped backward as the shadows surged toward him.
“Wha—what kind of trickery is this?”
“No trickery,” Nyneve said. “You have heard them before.” She held out her hands, and more darkness flowed from them to pool on the ground in front of her. While everyone stared, the two ghosts Marian had met on the battlements; Alair and Dalen formed, no longer transparent, but completely solid. Like living boys would be, dressed in their nightclothes. They stared at the prince, faces expressionless, while the shadows oozed across the floor.
The prince’s eyes widened until Marian was sure they would roll out of his head and onto the floor. “I—no. Do not allow them to touch me.”
Laughter erupted from Dalen and Alair’s broken throats. It spiraled up the ceiling and vibrated off the tapestry covered walls.
Marian shrank back against Robin, her hand finding his and holding it tight.
Richard stared silently at his brother while the shadows raged all around him. The guards shifted nervously from foot to foot, but maintained their circle around the prince.
“Enough.” He raised one hand and the two boys stopped. “They want answers, John, as do I. Why did you kill them?”
“I did no such—” the prince said. “It was the sheriff.”
Nyneve snorted scornfully. “It is easy enough to blame a man who is already dead and buried.”
Prince John’s eyes widened. “Who killed him, and why?”
“That should not be your primary concern,” Richard said. “You should be more concerned with the dozens of spirits here and now.”
“W—we were hostages,” Dalen floated forward. Brown hair curled over his forehead and the beginnings of a mustache danced across his upper lip.
“Yes,” the shadows agreed. “We remember that.”
“Our fathers sent us here. The prince demanded it.” Alair spoke, his voice harsh.
Richard looked around the throne room, at the shadows clinging to nearly every available surface. “…every one of these shadows is a ghost?”
Nyneve nodded.
The king glared at his brother, who shrank back. “You took all the Welsh lords sons? John, why would you do such a thing?”
The prince straightened. “You never took hostages, Richard? Never killed them when forced to?”
Richard clenched his hands into fists. “I never killed children. You effectively wiped out the entire royal Welsh line, expect for that of the throne. What were you trying to accomplish?”
“I thought to expand our lands!” John roared. “I thought you would appreciate my ingenuity, not punish me for it!”
“We were innocent,” Dalen said. “Asleep in our beds when the guards came.”
“We want the justice you promised us,” the shadows whined.
Richard nodded. “And you shall have it.” He turned to this brother. “For your loyal service to the crown in my absence, I hereby grant you the well earned title of Earl of Nottingham, with all the privileges and rights contained therein.”
Prince John’s face flushed and he opened his mouth. Richard held up one hand. “Do not thank me yet, brother.” His mouth twisted. “Your duties to your new province demand that you remain within Nottingham Castle for a time period of no less than eight months per year and you must spend two of the remaining four months in London, with me. If I am not in London, then you may do as you wish until it is time to return here.”
“But—but the ghosts,” the prince protested.
“The ghosts will be glad to keep you company, John. After all, you are the reason for their existence. But—” the king held up one cautionary finger. “None of you are permitted to actually murder my brother. He is indolent as well as insolent, but he is still of the Plantagenet line.”
“Those terms are acceptable,” the shadows replied.
Dalen winked at Prince John before slowly fading out. Alair waved in Marian’s direction before following suit. The shadows sank into the marble flooring until the entire room was free of darkness.
“Richard, you cannot mean to do this,” Prince John said frantically. “I have been nothing but loyal to you…”
The king laughed bitterly. “Loyal? You plotted to over throw me,
allowed your friend to imprison not one but two women, and could not be bothered to raise enough gold within a year to ransom me from King Leopold’s dungeons! That is not loyalty, dear brother. That is incompetence at best, treason at worst.”
“I do not believe you.” The prince stood a bit taller. “My friend would never have imprisoned anyone.”
“Lady Marian, please enlighten my brother on his misconceptions.” Richard commanded.
Marian released Robin’s hand and stepped closer to the throne.
“The sheriff held Dulcina Scarlett in his dungeons for five years,” Marian began. “I learned of her presence unexpectedly.” She continued with the story of her kidnapping. The prince’s shoulders drooped further with each sentence.
“I did not know,” he finally said. “Richard, you cannot believe I would condone such actions!”
“You should have known, John. That was the point.” Richard said sadly. “But it does not matter. You shall live by what I have decreed.” His face was sober. “The only reason I am not having you killed is because you are my brother. Do not forget my generosity.”
It was a clear dismissal. Prince John bowed his head and, under the escort of the four guards, stalked out of the room.
Nyneve smiled. “Well done, Richard. Your father would have been proud.”
“Robin, I wish you to see you back within the week, at which time you will receive a formal pardon for your actions.” King Richard said. “I will extend the same courtesy to your band of, what do the villagers call them? ‘Merry Men’? You all have our eternal gratitude.” He smiled. “On a personal note, I wish to be invited to your nuptials, whenever they take place.”
Marian blushed while Mother and Father chuckled.
“Stop it, Richard, you are embarrassing the child,” Nyneve admonished. She peered at him. “You look tired. Have you slept at all?”
Richard bit out a bitter laugh. “When was I supposed to sleep? Before I dealt with John and the possible demise of my kingdom, or maybe before the ghosts that my brother murdered demanded retribution?”
Nyneve stiffened. “You need rest,” she said. “And do not take out your temper on me, Richard Plantagenet. Remember, I knew you when you were in the cradle!”
Maid of Sherwood Page 18
