I had to stop myself, every muscle in my body wanted to stand and walk out. I resented being treated like a child for his amusement. I resented that I was being condemned for a mistake that was almost not mine at all. Yet I did not act out, I behaved in a way my mother would have been proud of, keeping my sirs, sires, and my lords in order. That would be my only saving grace if they killed me off, they'd remember me polite until the end.

"Yes, I know what you do to liars' sir." I cringed, knowing all too well "I wish beg your forgiveness." Another tear left my eye, and I looked upon him, since he had my chin so I had no other option. I gave the sadness most innocent look I possessed, channelling all the fear I had into it.

"Never mind that silver tongue of yours, I'll cut it off when you finish admitting your other crimes." As I opened my mouth to respond his rough fingers reached up to catch my tongue between a pair of them and he held my head up with my now captured tongue.

"I don't want your lies-" he began, squeezing my tongue painfully sharply until I jerked underneath him violently, but then he stopped. And he stopped looking at me as well, he was staring at the door with a glare even worse than the one he has used on me.

Then I heard it, I hadn't been paying attention to the rest of the world while he was talking but now. The door was cracking open, that was the attraction over there. I couldn't turn to see who had opened the door but I didn't need to.

"They told me I was wanted Sire-" I couldn't decide if I desired that voice or not, if the beautiful tones that Guy spoke in was going to save me or not.

"Gisborne, I'm sure this one would like to say something sweet but-" the Sheriff looked back at me with a raised eyebrow, pitching my tongue harder to make me wince. "I think she's a bit tied up." I couldn't see, I wished I could. All I heard were his feet running up the hall towards us both.

"What is the meaning of this." Guy growled, I tried to imagine the look on his face.

"I'm hurt Gisborne." His face mocked sadness and he pretended to sob. "Why didn't you bring your fiancé to meet me?" He paused for a moment, and shot a dark glare towards where I assumed Guy stood.

"Or is this one not your fiancé? Have you just taken to giving common girls your bastard sons." He stopped but nobody said anything, the room was silent. I realised how much my tongue and neck hurt, I was being pulled at an angle that I wasn't meant to be at and sooner or later I would crack.

"I've never seen her before." Guy spat, pretending to be insulted that anybody would ins uiate he bedded me. Brilliant, he's going to do so well at saving me.

"DO NOT LIE TO ME." The sheriff screamed, drawing a drop of blood from my tongue with his fingernail. "I have eyes everywhere Gisborne, and I'm not the only one." He dropped my tongue after one last pinch, and I recoiled, forgetting that I should be kneeling.

I was a heap on the ground, broken and numb. My eyes were searching for Guy and they did not appreciate what they found, there was no sympathy, no empathy in those eyes. He wasn't looking at me, he was mentally battling with the other man and I was here, thrown to the wayside like a broken doll. I was the anonymous puppet; neither of them knew my name.

They were shouting, screaming at each other in front of me and I'd lost the ability to tell one voice from another or a word from another.

Guy was defending his actions, claiming that bedding a woman was normal, something every lord in the land was guilty of and the sheriff scolding him, telling him that a bastard child would ruin his creditability. That nobody would take him seriously and that if he ever desired to marry, which he will in due time, he would not be able to find a woman.

I wasn't having it, I didn't care for their petty little problems, Guy had made a mistake, not me. Why should I pay for something he had done? If it was anybody else I'd taken to bed in a fit of lust, nobody would care but because it was Guy of Gisborne I was going to get it.

I would never understand why I was to blame for his straying from the path, whether it was just the fact that I had tempted him rather than anything else that condemned me, or something darker and more dangerous. Either way it was no fair, before that morning I had been the model subject, the dependable woman who'd somehow stayed independent for as long as she could.

Now what was I? Lying on the floor of a throne room weeping, unable to speak and unable to move, accused of crimes I didn't think were even crimes. Was this what was meant to happen?

Was I meant to be pet to these noble men, was I jsut another puppet for them to play with? I liked to think I wasn't I had liked to think that for years but now in a puddle of my own tears and a few drops of blood I knew. I was just a pawn, and now even a overly played pawn in this game of lords and nobles.

They stopped arguing for a moment, I'd stopped paying attention ages ago but they were staring at me so I finally tuned myself back in.

"If it has to be done, I will do it sire." He stated, cool and slightly tinted with regret but nothing sharper nothing that said he truly cared.

I knew what he meant, they were going to kill me and he was volunteering to take the knife to me neck, he was going to be the one with blood on his hands. I suppose if I was going to be someone I would want it to be him, he needed to understand that his easy words had killed me, that he was the one stuipid enough to let the Sheriff know of our evening together.

"Get it out my sight then." the Sheriff announced before adding "and don't let her make a mess will you?" At that he turned around, heading back to his 'throne'.

Guy came towards me, eyes that were usually so beautiful darkened by the anger there, it was not the most pleasant place i had ever been as he pulled me to my feet. He grabbed the neck of my dress firmly and pulled, literally dragging me out of the room by the neck. The clothe burnt me and the movement hurt my now numb legs but I followed, I knew of all the things I wanted I would not be litterally dragged to my death, I would go on my feet and proud of it.

I didn't know where we were going, he didn't take me outside, in fact we went up a free flights of stairs, which he did not slow down for. I nearly choked on my dress twice as it came up around my neck but thankfully I did not stumble. I only realised where we were going by the time we were there.

Guy's bed chamber. I wondered if he planned on doing me in over his sheets, or if he wanted to get as much fun out of me as he could before he took my head off now that it didn't matter. I stopped thinking about it.

When we were inside he dropped me to my knees on the floor and I just sat there, dead and un feelings already. I didn't care if he wanted to come and rape me but I was not going to help him, if he wanted to beat me I would not cry out. What was the point? I was just dead and nothing else mattered after that.

Guy crouched on the floor in front of where I knelt, and his face melted. The harshness that had been there since he arrived, it was gone. The rage I had seen cover his features, the anger that i had feared for as long as I was in the room all gone.

As I knelt there he took my face into his hands, stroking my cheek gently and pushing one of the stray tears away, letting the lightest smile touch his lips for but a moment in the way that told of regret and words that had never been said out loud.

"I am sorry"

Author notes:

As of tomorrow I doubt I'm going to be able to update twice a day as I have been but I will try for at least once if not more! Thank you for reading and I really hope you're enjoying it, if you're not feel free as always to tell me why.