This is my first foray into the world of fanfiction, and my first story. I hope you enjoy reading it and reviews are very much appreciated :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Robin of Sherwood. I only own my OCs.

"We need a Robin Hood." The young noblewoman stated as she ate dinner with her father. It was a simple affair, with wooden plates rather than pewter or silver, and only one candle lit the room. The shutters were open, letting in the evening sunlight, but the room still felt dark. They could not afford to use any more candles, for the taxes had eaten any of their spare money, and the two nobles had been forced to become more and more resourceful as time went on. Indeed, they had been forced to sell many of their items in order to afford food, and the manor was in desperate need of repair, but the money just was not available. Though the nobles were living frugally, they knew that the villagers were struggling even more to make ends meet. They did what they could to help, but it was not enough. Since the outlaws had split up and disbanded, life in the county of Nottinghamshire had become almost unbearable, but scarcely anyone could afford to move away, and even if they could they lacked the strength. The heavy taxes had meant working harder, and that was taking its toll on everybody.

"A Robin Hood?" The woman's father asked. He was in his late forties, with grey hair and a weather worn face. Once handsome, his face was now full of wrinkles and a few scars from his younger days. He was a kind and loyal man who knew each of the people living and working around the manor, and did his best to ease their suffering. He was lenient when it came to late payments of taxes, but this had meant that he in turn had fallen behind with payments to the castle. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the Sheriff lost patience and seized the money owed. If the money was not available, it would be the manor and lands which would be taken.

"To pay taxes." Her father nearly choked, but unperturbed, she went on. "He could give the money to the villagers to pay us. Then we wouldn't be in debt, and the money stolen back would not be ours but the Sheriff's..." It had been one of the things playing on both their minds recently, for they knew that it was coming up to tax collection time. They had managed to persuade the steward to give them some more time on previous visits, but both were growing wary that time was running out. They had tried to come up with solutions, and had begun by selling almost everything of value in the manor. Though that had raised some money, it was not nearly enough, and neither of the nobles wished to take what little the villagers had. So they were having the same conversation as they always did, trying to figure out some way of paying what was owed, or a good enough excuse as to why they did not have it.

"Robin Hood is dead though." He pointed out, and she sighed. The outlaws had helped the villagers throughout the last winter when food was scarce and a few families were sick. It had saved a number of lives, and the nobles had turned a blind eye to the presence of Robin Hood and his men in the village. When they had heard of the death of Robin, there had been a wide sense of mourning, for with him had gone the sense of freedom. After all, Hood and his men had risen up against the Sheriff and Gisburne, creating a better life for the villagers. Now that he was gone no one had the strength to object to the two men who ruled the county, and so they had gotten away with murder.

"And his band?"

"Scattered. It's no use wishing for outlaw heroes." He scalded, but kindly. His daughter was not the only one who wished that Hood was not gone. "So what do you propose we do? Because we cannot pay."

"Ask for more time?" She suggested, knowing full well that they could do nothing else. They scarcely had a few coins they could call their own, and those that they did were needed to buy food. Her father nodded his head in agreement, but before anything else could be said they heard the sound of horses outside. Both looked to the door, wondering what was going on for they were not expecting visitors, and the young lady's heart stopped as she thought about who it could be. Getting to her feet, she walked to the door and sighed deeply as she saw who it was.

"Who...?" Her father began asking, but before she could answer, a tall blonde knight strolled in to the house as if he owned the place. The young lady merely glared at him, wanting nothing more than to stick a sword through his stomach and rid the county of a tyrant, whilst her father stood and acted as a host. "My lord Gisburne, what a pleasant surprise."

"My lord Edgar, I am sorry to arrive unannounced. I hope I have not disturbed you." The knight drawled, but the lady knew that he was anything but it was some sort of ploy to make sure that anything they did have of value could not be hidden, but she knew it was useless. They had nothing left of any monetary value, or at least nothing that would even begin to cover any of the money they owed.

"Not at all. Can I offer you a drink? I'm afraid it isn't much but..."

"No, thank you." He declined, before noticing the noblewoman standing in the doorway, watching his men look after the horses. The peasants had all gone back to their homes when they had seen him coming, and he knew that he had to collect money from every member of the village. "My lady, my apologies. I did not see you there."

"My lord." She acknowledged him through gritted teeth. She had a smile on her face but it was forced. She knew full well what this man was capable of, having heard the tales and witnessed some of his cruelty first hand. He took money from those who could not afford it, punishing anyone who got in his way, and his employer was even worse. The Sheriff was doing his best to run the county into the ground, taking as much money as he could from the lower classes and using it to line his own pockets, with the excuse of taxes. It seemed that without Robin Hood, the rich would continue to get richer and the poor would only sink deeper into poverty.

"May I ask what brings you over to this part of the county so late in the day?" Edgar asked, shooting a worried look at his daughter.

"I'm afraid this isn't a social call. I have spent the day collecting taxes, and your village is the last on my list." The knight admitted.

"I am afraid we do not have the money."

"This is the fourth time in as many months..." Gisburne began, motioning for his men to come in.

"We are willing to pay our taxes, but we do not have the means. We have sold what we can, but we have very little left to give." Edgar tried to explain. "I ask of you just one more month. The harvest will be brought in then and we should..." But the knight merely raised his hand, stopping the old man in his tracks.

"I cannot have any more excuses. You already owe a lot of money, and unless you can pay..." he paused, the threat there. "Are you certain there is nothing left?"

"By all means, search this house. I guarantee you will find nothing." The knight motioned to two of his men, who instantly began searching the rooms, checking the furniture and any possible hiding places. Edgar followed them to ensure that nothing was damaged or stolen, leaving his daughter to keep an eye on the steward. She hated being left in the same room as him, but he wandered back outside to his men, instructing them to search the houses. She knew that it would be pointless objecting and so she just bit her tongue, hoping that one day the man would get his comeuppance. Tidying up the plates, she piled them up at the end of the table and then turned to go find her father, but as she got to the stairs the knight came back inside.

"My lady Alyss, you are looking very well." He commented. She had no wish to talk to him, but knew that she had to if only for her father's sake. Sighing, she turned back to him, knowing that it would not be too long before her father reappeared.

"Thank you my lord." She paused, trying to think of something to say. "Would you like a seat? For surely collecting taxes must be such hard work?" He sat down, whilst she remained standing, hoping that he would soon be gone from the manor.

"It certainly is. I've been around twenty different villages today, and it is tiring work." He paused, noticing how she was looking at him. "Believe it or not my lady, I do not always enjoy collecting taxes and it is getting far more difficult as the king increases them."

"Where do our taxes go though? I have never quite understood." She decided to play dumb, not wanting to get into an argument with him. Alyss knew she had to keep him sweet in order for them to get away without paying their taxes this month, regardless of how much she wanted to shout at him and tell him to leave.

"They go to the king, who uses them to pay for the administration and justice in our lands, and for the protection of our lands abroad." He paused. "They are used in many different places, but there is a backlog from King Richard's reign."

"Because of his wars?"

"And because of his ransom. Wars are not cheap my lady. They require money for transport, weapons, men and horses, let alone the sheer amount of food required to feed the army."

"So King John has been forced to increase the taxes in order to pay off his brother's debt?"

"Exactly." He smiled. "You and your father are not the only ones who have had to tighten their belts, so to speak. Even at Nottingham..." he was interrupted by the reappearance of his men and Lord Edgar. His men shook their heads, and Gisburne paused, trying to work out what to do, whilst outside the sun was setting in the sky. Alyss knew that if he remained in the manor any longer he would be forced to stay the night, for even now it was still too dangerous to go through Sherwood Forest at night, and so she wanted him to make a decision. Before he could say anything else, the men returned from their search of the village and held very little in their hands.

"I am afraid we have nothing left to give..." Edgar sighed.

"I cannot return empty handed." Gisburne said, standing up and noticing how late it was. He knew that he dare not risk carting a chest of gold through the woods at this time of night. Even without Hood it was dangerous, for there were other outlaws and a risk of getting lost. Edgar sensed the knight's unease, and though he did not want to, he had no choice but to make the offer.

"You and your men may stay here for tonight, and perhaps we can come to an agreement."

"That is much appreciated." So the knight barked orders at his men, whilst Alyss sighed and headed upstairs to make up a room for the knight. With him staying it meant using more candles and food, and she felt really uncomfortable around him. However the lack of servants meant that it was up to her to sort out the rooms, and so she used what little light was left to make up a bed and try to make the chamber comfortable. Two of Gisburne's men brought up the wooden chest full of taxes and remained with it, whilst Alyss knew that she had to go downstairs, if only for her father's sake. So she headed downstairs to find the two men sitting at the table taking, and she joined them, sitting next to her father.

The evening seemed to drag on, and Alyss wanted nothing more than to retire to her room, away from the man who she despised. His eyes had been on her ever since he had entered the manor, and she did not want to even consider what he was thinking. As the hours passed though, she found herself becoming more and more tired and so she announced she was retiring to bed. She began to bid both men good night, but the knight stood up.

"I did not realise quite how late it was, but I should also be retiring." He said. "May you permit me to escort you to your chambers?" Alyss looked to her father with wide pleading eyes, but she knew she would get no help. They needed to keep the steward on side if they were to be excused for another month.

"You may. Good night father. Sleep well." She wished, kissing Lord Edgar on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams Alyss." He smiled. Alyss then headed up the stairs and the knight followed her until they reached the door to her room.

"My lord, your room is just the next door down. I am afraid it is probably not what you are used to but..."

"I am sure it will suffice." He said. "Good night my lady."

"Good night my lord." She went into her room and instantly barricaded the door with the one and only piece of furniture she had left, not trusting the knight or his men in the slightest. She then climbed into bed, hoping that everything would be better tomorrow.