Lord Guy fitz David pondered the situation he currently found himself in while standing on the walls of Newark Castle and looking down on the sluggish waters of the Trent. Of course, he was by no means standing there alone, for his Shadow - as he had come to be called by the king's other guests - was never far from him. To these people, however, the man was just a soldier named Rob of Huntingdon, for that was how they had come to know him, but the noble knew better. The two men fervently hoped, however, that no one but Guy knew that he was Robin of Sherwood, who had supposedly died four years before. In that respect, of course, it was an advantage that - in all likelihood - no one imagined that Robin Hood - the first to bear that name - might have risen from the dead, nor that he would then join his enemy, Sir Guy, of all people. This was the best safeguard there could be for him.
However, this was not the problem Guy was contemplating. This one, in fact, bore the name Walter fitz Edgar, and he was supposedly a bastard of Lord Edgar of Huntingdon. The earl's younger brother had died some time ago in an unsuccessful attempt to denounce David of Huntingdon as a traitor to the king. And from the looks of it, the man - who claimed to be Edgar's son - was not trying to do away with the earl himself, but he was obviously trying to claim his inheritance. In any case, Guy stood in his way, and for this reason it seemed inevitable that he would have to get rid of his rival if he wanted to reach his goal. Needless to say, this caused Guy - and Robin - a considerable headache.
"Do you really think fitz Edgar will still try to get rid of you here in Newark?" the former Robin Hood wanted to know from the other man.
The latter nodded, but without looking at the other. He was still looking out at the river. "It will be much more difficult for him to get to me once we have left here. And he knows that himself. So, I assume he's desperately figuring out how to get himself back in the game right now. And unfortunately, there is only one way for him in this respect and that is over my dead body. As long as I'm alive, even if the earl were to acknowledge him as his brother's son, he couldn't become heir."
"What then are the chances of such an acknowledgment?" was the next question of his dark-haired lover.
"Not very good at present. The earl doesn't believe his brother would have acknowledged a bastard. He doesn't even believe Walter could actually be his brother's son. He is firmly convinced this man simply seized the opportunity due to the lack of a legitimate heir for Huntingdon. Besides, Lord Edgar was known for not being able to stay away from noble women, especially married ones."
"And what do you believe, Guy?" Robin found it hard to be so close to the other man without being allowed to touch him, though of course he realized they must not attract attention. At least not more attention than they were attracting anyway, because no one had been able to miss that Robin never left the other's side at any time. However, this was explained by the fact that he was considered his bodyguard. And since there was already talk about Guy being the target of an assassin, there was hardly anyone who didn't believe he actually needed that extra protection. But that didn't stop people from talking about the point that the two men were so close. It was their good fortune that no one had yet realized the truth, and Robin prayed to Herne every day that it would stay that way.
"I know Walter's mother accused Edgar of assaulting her. The word 'rape' never came up, but everyone heard it anyway. Incidentally, that fits with the timing of fitz Edgar's birth. But no one associated the boy with Lord Edgar until he himself began calling himself fitz Edgar. But he did this only after the death of his alleged father. At the beginning I was of the opinion that the man was an impostor, but now I no longer believe that. Now I am more convinced he was actually telling the truth about who sired him. However, I still believe - as did the earl - that Edgar would never have acknowledged him."
Robin was struck again by the fact that Guy never referred to the earl as his father, and he wondered if that would change at some point, or if he would never be able to. What would have to happen for him to actually consider himself the son of his natural father. It had not escaped the former outlaw's notice that the other was struggling not to blame the earl for his harsh childhood. This had nothing at all to do with the fact that he knew Lady Margaret had never let the earl in on it and thus he could have done nothing at all. In this case, it was the heart and not the head that ruled. And what he thought about his brother in that regard, Robin didn't really want to know, and so far, Guy hadn't commented on it either.
"I also reckon fitz Edgar is desperate", Robin brought the conversation back to the original topic. "I suppose the sheriff will sell him out if he's no longer the earl's potential heir, won't he? And that means I'll have to take even better care of you than before, Guy."
These words brought a smile to Guy's face, but only for a brief moment. Then he got serious again. "You're not the only one. The earl's methods are different from yours, though. I'm just not sure how much a rumor fitz Edgar is striving to become his heir will help us. Besides us and fitz Edgar himself - not to mention the sheriff, of course - the king probably already knows that. Somehow, I can't believe this will stop my cousin from trying to get rid of me."
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"We must eliminate fitz Edgar, my Lord, or we shall always have to look over our shoulders to check whether he is behind us or not", Guy tried to explain to the Earl of Huntingdon what he had been worrying about.
"Without possessing any proof of his guilt, we can't just kick him out of the way or we're no better than he is. And I don't want to show the message I got to anyone. He would definitely claim it was a fake and I would not be able to prove otherwise. Apart from that, I also want to avoid anyone associating me with an outlaw. That wouldn't help our cause at all", the older man countered.
"Then we'll have to make sure we get better proof. Confirmation even the king can't ignore. In that case, the sheriff will immediately sell him out. De Rainault would have absolutely nothing to profit by continuing to stand by him, no matter what he might have hoped to gain by succeeding. Anyway, I don't understand what possessed him to join up with fitz Edgar in the first place", the younger man elaborated. For some time now, he had been racking his brains over the sheriff's motives, for he was all too aware that it would be difficult to predict de Rainault's actions until they knew what possessed him.
"You know him much better than I do, Guy", the earl turned to the older of his sons, "if you can't understand his motives, then I certainly can't."
The sheriff's former steward shook his head as if to contradict the elder, but then he merely voiced his suspicions, "It might have something to do with the king trying to remove him from his post as sheriff. Maybe he's afraid that next time he won't be able to get rid of the men who were supposed to replace him. If, on the other hand, he had a man on his side who could one day become one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom, that would be a good safeguard. From de Rainault's point of view, that would be a fine reason to support him in his advancement."
The earl glanced thoughtfully at Guy, giving him the impression that he did not give the younger man credit for such considerations. But perhaps that expression only had something to do with his concern about where the ambitions of such men - like the Sheriff of Nottingham - might lead when they ceased to restrict themselves to their proper sphere of power. Of course, this was not the first time he had dealt with such individuals; however, he could not always comprehend what was going on in men like de Rainault. This was probably also due to the fact that he himself always acted on the principle of doing what he thought was right, regardless of the consequences for himself and others close to him.
"But whatever the reason de Rainault supports him, we have to get rid of fitz Edgar", Guy returned to the original topic of the conversation, not knowing, of course, what his father had just been contemplating. "Our presence here in Newark represents the best opportunity for him to still get to his goal. But for us, it's also the best opportunity to expose him for who he really is."
"It seems like you're trying to provoke him into a hasty action", the earl stated, giving the appearance of not being particularly pleased about such a possibility.
"Probably this is the only thing we can do, my Lord", Guy confirmed his suspicions, without explicitly telling the elder that he did not think the rumors the earl had caused to be spread could be of any help in this regard.
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"That night", Robin mumbled in his sleep and rolled over to the other side. Guy probably wouldn't have caught the soft words if he hadn't already been awakened by the fact that the other man had been shifting back and forth so restlessly earlier. "Tonight, he will come."
Guy sat up to have a better view at his friend. Actually, it would be Robin's turn to keep watch, for they shared that task every night. While one slept, the other kept watch so that they would not be surprised - despite the guards outside the door, but they were in the service of the king. Because it was not Robin's habit to fall simply asleep, his friend assumed that this could not be an ordinary sleep. Besides, the other wasn't usually inclined to talk in his sleep, either.
"Tonight", he murmured once again, then - completely unexpected for Guy - he opened his eyes. For a moment he seemed puzzled about where he was, but then his gaze focused on the other man and a smile appeared on his face.
"Somehow I expected to wake up under trees", he then brought out.
"Because of your vision?", Guy wanted to know. "You did have a vision, didn't you?"
Robin nodded. "I saw someone sneak into that chamber. I could see that you were lying on the bed, but the rest of the room was plunged into darkness." He looked at the other with a serious expression. "There's no doubt about who's trying to sneak in here, is there?"
"You muttered something about tonight", his fair-haired friend informed him. "Since this night is pretty much over, I'm assuming you mean the next one. That would make sense, too, because the sheriff can't stay here very much longer without causing a stir. Actually, he has no business being here anymore, since there's certainly a lot of work waiting for him in Nottingham. There's no way he can afford to have John start wondering why he's not collecting money for him or taking care of the outlaws in Sherwood. So, I assume that de Rainault can afford to linger in Newark for maybe two or three more days."
"Maybe then we should make it a little easier for fitz Edgar to get to you, so he'll finally make the move we've been waiting for", Robin suggested now.
Guy grinned. "Are you going to dangle me under his nose as bait to get him to take a bite?"
"Something like that, though I'd rather not think of dangling." Robin shuddered, for that word triggered unpleasant associations.
The other man became serious again immediately as well. "I can understand that. But that aside, surely you have some idea of what we should do?"
"We need less security for you! Currently you have guards standing outside the door at night and then I'm also here in the chamber. That has to scare off any potential assassin!" explained Robin.
"That's the whole point, after all", Guy protested, but then laughed. "But you're right, of course. All these precautions are hampering us now." He frowned. "We should take advantage of the fact that Brewer complained to the earl a few days ago that he could use these men for better things. He won't mind if we dispense with them now." He paused. "But what are we going to do with you?"
"There's nothing difficult about that. You just don't know yet that we're going to have a quarrel today. Nor that I will then try to drown it in wine. We just have to make sure that fitz Edgar knows about it."
"That doesn't have a bad ring to it, though we shouldn't tell the earl about your plans to get drunk. He might put obstacles in our way otherwise", Guy reasoned.
"We also shouldn't tell him that we're planning to do without the guards so that fitz Edgar can finally get his way", added Robin.
"Then we shouldn't bother him with the whole affair at all. It would be best if we kept him out of it all, even though he won't be pleased afterwards once he finds out about it. And we can't avoid the fact that he will find out about it. But I'd rather take a dressing down than continue to live with the fact that fitz Edgar might surprise me at some point when I'm no longer expecting it. Besides, I can't imagine the earl being any worse than the sheriff." He laughed briefly, but then frowned thoughtfully. "There's something missing from our plan, though, Robin."
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The chamber was only sparsely lit by a single candle, which had apparently just been forgotten to be extinguished. But the man on the bed, of whom nothing was visible under the furs and the blankets except for his shock of blond hair, didn't seem to be bothered by the tiny flame - flickering in the draft. Obviously, he was fast asleep.
But the second person in the chamber also seemed to be sleeping no less soundly. However, he was not lying on the bed, but next to it, on the side that was not observable from the door. Therefore, nothing more could be seen of him than a foot still stuck in a boot. But the snoring could not be ignored. However, this did not seem to disturb the man on the bed.
Of course, this could also be due to the fact that the sleeping man did not seem to have been completely sober when he went to bed. At least one could assume that, judging by the fact that his discarded clothes - just like his boots - had been scattered all over the floor. Apparently, the man had barely been able to reach his bed that evening.
Now it was already approaching morning - although it was still pitch black outside - when the door to the chamber was quietly opened and a figure slipped inside. For a moment he was clearly visible against the torchlight in the corridor, for during that stretch he had lingered in the open doorway. It was probably just then that in this time he had been studying the two men in the chamber, or rather, he had been studying what little of them could be seen. But then it seemed that he had come to a decision, for he closed the door behind him and crept quietly to the bed.
On the way the intruder picked up a dagger that lay on the floor between the clothes, and now was bending over the sleeping man with the weapon in the hand. Once again pausing for a moment, as if not quite sure how to proceed, he then seemed to have decided on an action, for he raised his hand and then plunged the dagger down on the man. The guy in the bed, slumbering in drunken bliss, had no idea of the danger he was in.
And yet this was the moment when the attacker had to realize that he had been mistaken. The situation he had to face now in the chamber did not correspond to his expectations. Even before the dagger could reach its target, fingers clutched the attacker's forearm, while the supposedly sleeping man suddenly rolled in his direction and slammed into him. In shock, the intruder dropped the weapon, but his arm still remained in the iron grip of the stranger, and the man who had just been asleep in the bed wriggled out from under him. Then he threw himself on the intruder and pinned him to the bed with his own body. From one moment to the next, an attacker who had believed he was stabbing a defenseless man had become a captive. He had been overpowered by the two men and now had to realize that they were both awake and armed.
The man who had used his weight to immobilize the attacker now sat up to tie his hands behind the back of his assailant, who was now lying helpless belly-down on the bed. The other man used the time to light more candles, so that the part of the chamber between the bed and the door was now well lit, while the other side of the room remained in darkness.
Then the tied-up captive was turned on his back and hauled up to be placed on the floor in front of the bed. He was now easily visible in the candlelight, but of course that was just as true for the other two men. When the intruder saw who had overpowered him, he immediately understood that he had fallen into a trap, and his face screwed up with hatred at the sight of the man he had tried to kill in his sleep.
"It won't do you any good", he hissed at the other, while he was secretly annoyed with himself for not having considered in advance that he might be expected. "You will not take from me what is mine by right."
"Fitz Edgar", Lord Guy fitz David named his assailant. "Nothing that is mine could ever be yours! These are all figments of your imagination."
The addressed man squirmed back and forth uneasily, but then obviously did not want to say anything further.
Fitz David waited a moment longer, but after the intruder stopped talking, he went on, "What were you doing here anyway? I don't remember inviting you into my chamber. And then you also wanted to get into my bed. With a dagger in your hand. My dagger! Were you trying to steal from me, too?" he taunted the captive. "Or would I be discovered in the morning with the blade in my heart? And would you then have claimed that my bodyguard killed me in drunken anger over our quarrel? Was that your plan, fitz Edgar? I'm lucky that I wasn't asleep and my bodyguard wasn't drunk either. Did you actually come up with this plan on your own, or was de Rainault behind it?"
Fitz Edgar looked up at him angrily, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit, for he remained silent for the time being. Then, however, his gaze suddenly became challenging. "No matter what you accuse me of, Gisburne, I will deny everything. Instead, you will be the one to stand as the guilty party, for everyone will understand that you have long wanted revenge for being thrown out by the sheriff. You hate me for being made his steward by de Rainault, and he will also confirm what I say. Although that won't really be necessary, because everyone here already knows the truth."
Guy had to laugh. "Do you seriously believe the others would assume I wanted to take revenge on you for now being the son and heir of an earl. Even if they buy that I blamed you in the moment the sheriff kicked me out, everyone will nevertheless come to understand that it doesn't matter to me now." He shook his head. "You are also probably the only one who believes de Rainault will continue to stand by you. But I assure you, after you can no longer get him whatever you promised him, he will sell you out. You should believe me, fitz Edgar, because I have known him much longer than you have, and I know how he will decide. So, I advise you to look out for yourself and confess. If you do not, then I foresee things going very badly for you."
Fitz Edgar snorted contemptuously. "If it's your word against mine, then it's going to be bad for you. I'm not the one who was dismissed from service for drunkenness, and I'm not the one who's been chasing Robin Hood for years without success. You don't have a good reputation here at court, Gisburne, and the fact that the earl has taken you in doesn't change that."
"Taken me in? That's an interesting way of putting it. But you should remember what you said here at the very beginning of our conversation. How will you explain those words?"
The prisoner smiled. "What words?"
"You haven't overlooked the fact that I'm not alone here, have you, fitz Edgar?"
"Your henchman's word won't count, Gisburne, for surely everyone will assume he'll only say what you put in front of him. After all, he'll want to keep his place. We all know how this sort of thing goes." Fitz Edgar snorted again contemptuously.
Guy, however, didn't seem to care about his words. He did not give the impression of being concerned. "It's now time to turn you over to the king's men. After all, you tried to kill one of his guests in his castle. I am sure he will want to ask you some questions about that."
He nodded to Robin, who then opened the door, revealing the detachment of royal soldiers that had been waiting outside. Guy hauled his assailant up and maneuvered him to the door, but before handing him over, he whispered to him. "You misunderstood me, fitz Edgar. I wasn't talking about Rob when I meant I wasn't alone."
Very briefly an expression of horror appeared on the young man's face, and this caused Guy to feel sorry for him. This did not last long, however, for fitz Edgar was already looking as arrogant as he had in Nottingham as he watched the sheriff belittle the knight. The earl's son now hoped the other would have to pay for what he had done, but he knew he would have to work a little harder for that. The spadework, however, had already been done.
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"Now what the hell have you been thinking?" the earl fumed when he was finally alone with his son. If one disregarded the latter's shadow.
"I just want to bring the whole affair to a conclusion, my Lord", was the brief reply, but one that did not give the older man the impression that the younger one regretted what he had done.
"And you really believe you did that? I'm not so sure!" The earl obviously had no intention of calming down anytime soon. "De Rainault is breathing fire and brimstone accusing you of trapping his steward in an attempt to get revenge on him."
"Fitz Edgar has made those insinuations, too, yet they don't seem more plausible when the sheriff brings them up." His son did not appear to be concerned.
"If the king considers de Rainault's view of the incident suits him better, the insinuations need not seem plausible. And, after all, I don't have to remind you that our beloved sovereign doesn't have the best opinion of you. How do you suppose he'll look at that if it's your word against fitz Edgar's?" Now it was clearly worry - and no longer just annoyance - that could be heard in the earl's voice.
"I have taken every precaution I could to prevent fitz Edgar and the sheriff from wriggling out of this. But it was not possible for me to wait any longer. I had to do something now to draw the man out. And once de Rainault realizes that it no longer gives him any advantage to support his steward, he'll sell him out faster than you can say a paternoster, my Lord. You can take my word for that, for I know him well. And you may also believe me that I do not intend to end my life in this way."
"Then I suppose we shall find out right away whether your plan has succeeded, for I expect to be summoned to the king at any moment." The earl sighed.
It might seem that he had given a signal with that, for just at that moment there was a knock at the door. Robin, who was standing right next to it, opened it without delay and then allowed one of the royal household knights to enter.
"Sir Payne!" the earl greeted him respectfully.
The knight bowed to the elder. "The king wishes to speak to you at once, my Lord Earl. Likewise, your son and also his man."
This request, however, did not come as a surprise for the earl, as he had expected to be called to appear before his sovereign from the moment he learned what had transpired in his son's chamber. Of course, none of the three men intended to keep the king waiting and they were immediately ready to follow the knight to the Great Hall. There King John was already waiting impatiently, along with his steward and several knights of his household. The earl had expected this, but he did not like the fact that the Sheriff of Nottingham, along with his steward Walter fitz Edgar, had already arrived before them. At the moment, the two men were standing near the entrance, but it was quite possible that they had already told the king their version of the events. Nor did the earl consider it a good sign that the young man had not had to endure long in the dungeons. And on top of that, he didn't seem the least bit concerned.
Of course, the earl did not let on what he made of the whole affair. His son had not mastered this art, but it did not escape the notice of the people in the hall that both he and his shadow appeared very confident. For this reason, some of them were already wondering whether there was something about this matter that they were not yet aware of. Of course, de Rainault was not one of those people, as he had never thought much of his former steward.
"You've overestimated yourself again, Gisburne", the sheriff thus hissed as the three men passed him. Lord Guy, however, did not respond to him at all, but his bodyguard glared at de Rainault from cold green eyes and a cold shiver ran down the sheriff's spine instantly. At the sight of those eyes he was reminded of some old memories, but at that moment he couldn't put a finger in them. But he was at once quite sure that it was one he did not like.
"Huntingdon!" yelled the king, even before the earl had a chance to get down on one knee, but the elder was not distracted by this, for he was already aware that the genuflection was important. The king didn't like it at all when people didn't show him the proper respect he expected from his subjects. So, the earl preferred to let him wait for his answer.
"My Liege, what do you wish from me?" he asked at last, obviously completely at ease.
The fact that John did not immediately respond to this question was no fault of the earl, however, for the king's angry gaze slid over David of Huntingdon to somebody behind him. Suddenly, he heard someone hastily get down on his knees, though this did not change the king's expression. He continued to look angry, but also displeased.
But then he did manage to focus on the older man again. "De Rainault accuses your son of having lured his steward into a trap for revenge, Huntingdon", he reproached the earl.
"For what reason should my son wish to take revenge on fitz Edgar, my Liege?" the earl asked in return, without delay.
"For losing his place with the sheriff to him, Huntingdon!" The king gave the impression of speaking to an idiot, but the earl did not react to this tone, for he knew his sovereign very well.
"If that was once true, my Liege, then his being appointed my heir will have done with that. For what reason would he want to take revenge on the man now?" The earl actually managed to keep the effort out of his voice that he always underwent when he had to deal with this particular person in conversation.
"Perhaps your son had some other reason for his revenge, Huntingdon. What do you say to that, de Rainault?" John looked very fidgety and conveyed the impression that this matter was keeping him from something important.
The sheriff, of course, jumped at the chance to offer his opinion. "From the moment my steward announced Lord Edgar was his father, he was seen as a threat. This, as well as the fact that he now serves me as a steward, triggered his predecessor's hatred for him. For this reason, the man set a trap to kill him", he expressed his views.
"My brother never recognized anyone, so it is irrelevant that your steward pretends to be his son. Lord Edgar also never spoke to me about any bastards he might have sired", the earl replied to these accusations, without waiting to see if the king might also have something to say about it. "Just because your steward has expressed it, does not make it true, de Rainault."
Now the king did interfere again. "And what do you say to these accusations, Lord Guy?" He hadn't bothered to keep the contempt out of his voice, but everyone here in the hall knew he didn't think much of the man he was asking.
"My Liege", the younger man commenced, "if you will grant me your permission, I would like to ask Sir Gerald to recount the events of the previous night."
"Sir Gerald?" John frowned. "What does one of my knights have to do with this?" He didn't seem to be enthusiastic at all, probably because said knight tended to speak at length but in a boring manner.
"My Liege", the one addressed spoke up. "If you will allow me to speak, I can shed light on this matter. Above all, I can say something about the charge that Lord Guy set a trap for de Rainault's steward."
"Well, speak, man!" the king instructed him with little enthusiasm.
"Already some days ago My Lord Brewer wanted to withdraw the guards that had been placed in front of Lord Guys chamber on account of the assassination rumors, but the earl would not hear of it. Yesterday, however, Lord Guy now came to me personally. He referred to My Lord Brewer's request and then meant that he could do without the men, but at the same time warned me of the earl's displeasure." The king cleared his throat, probably thinking Sir Gerald was not getting to the point quickly enough. "Lord Guy pointed out to me that the earl had not demanded the protection without reason. By this, of course, he was referring to the rumors of the plot to assassinate him. For this reason, he asked me to keep watch with him in his chamber that night, and - with the earl's consideration in mind - I agreed to be of assistance. He didn't say anything about who he was expecting, but there was no mention of setting a trap for anyone." The king cleared his throat another time, but Sir Gerald was apparently unwilling to talk any faster. Then again, maybe he wasn't capable of it.
"Gisburne wanted you in his chamber, and yet you claim it was not a trap?" De Rainault did not hide his disbelief.
"To me it was not a trap, for it was not meant to catch an innocent man, my Lord", the knight contradicted the sheriff. "Only a guilty person could get caught in it, my Liege. All we did was make it easier for that person. That's why the guards were removed from the door and it was pretended that the bodyguard got drunk due to a quarrel. Only someone who wanted to harm Lord Guy would react to something like that. And that very night, fitz Edgar sneaked into the chamber and tried to stab the earl's son. I witnessed this with my own eyes."
The king stared at his knight as if he had just grown a second head, but to everyone's great surprise he did not comment. At that moment the earl began to suspect that John might have known beforehand what Sir Gerald had to tell, and he wondered who was now setting a trap for whom.
De Rainault, however, could not help himself. "Why would my steward want to kill Gisburne?" he hissed.
"For standing in his way, de Rainault", the earl brought out calmly. He had been surprised by the fact that his son had taken a witness with him to his chamber, but he did not blame him for taking this precaution. He just would have been glad not to have been kept in the dark about it. This was what annoyed him.
"What do you mean by that, Huntingdon?" the king now wanted to know.
"Fitz Edgar claims to be my nephew, my Liege. If my present heir should perish, then a nephew might well be considered as heir. Especially since my other son is an outlaw living in Sherwood. Of course, that is only if the man is acknowledged by someone as my brother's son, my Liege. However, fitz Edgar didn't wait for that, but posed as my nephew beforehand. Even before I named Guy as my son and heir and there are witnesses to that. There are also people who will confirm that fitz Edgar is very ambitious. So, you can definitely say my son stood in his way, my Liege. I just don't understand in what ways de Rainault is profiting from all this."
"Me?" blurted the sheriff out. "Surely I have nothing at all to do with all of this?"
"Haven't you? But didn't you make the accusation that my son lured your steward into a trap? Why would you do that if you weren't in on it, de Rainault?"
The sheriff turned red, but before he had a chance to reply, the king suddenly yelled at him: "De Rainault, what are you trying to get me into?" It looked as if the ruler, who was considered fickle, had just decided to direct his anger at the sheriff, and the earl naturally wondered if he had been correct in his suspicions. Even for the king to get so upset now, when a moment before he had seemed to be on the sheriff's side, seemed extreme behavior. Had de Rainault already approached the king to have his steward recognized as heir to Huntingdon? If he had indeed done so, he had probably had to assure John that this would never come to light, because the king had enough trouble with the barons and earls as it was. There was no way he could want it known how he was scheming with one of his sheriffs behind the back of one of the most influential nobles in the kingdom. And since Guy had had the idea of taking one of the king's knights into his chamber as a witness, the sovereign had then learned how far fitz Edgar was willing to go. Meanwhile, the earl was of the opinion that his sovereign had already chosen a side before allowing this knight, of all people - who was known for always telling the truth, even if it had gotten him into trouble more than once - to tell about the previous night right here. Which now amounted to those present believing Sir Gerald's every word.
All of this must have been going through de Rainault's mind as well when he heard the king's question. And this led the sheriff to sell his steward out on the spot and deny any involvement.
"I had no idea of what he was up to, my Liege, I swear to it!" he affirmed. "He must have lied to me from the beginning." Even as he spoke, he began to back away from the young man.
The latter couldn't get a word out due to his anger at the unexpected betrayal of the sheriff. It seems that he really had not expected his patron to sell him out so quickly.
Obviously, the king had given a signal to his soldiers, for they were already standing by and now rushed at fitz Edgar, knocking him to the floor. Now he was even more incapable of uttering a word. All this obviously exceeded the level of experience he had had so far in his life and this now shocked him to his very core.
But the king paid him no further attention for the time being. "What are you kneeling there on the floor for, Huntingdon? Get up, man!" he ordered the earl before going on: "I assumed that you had made a mistake in choosing your heir, but I seem to have been wrong. But we won't know for sure until later, will we? Nevertheless, it is good that you do not have to resort to this alleged nephew", the king announced.
While the earl and his son rose, the king suddenly turned again to the sheriff: "Why are you still here and not in Nottingham, de Rainault? Where do you find the time to loiter around here so long. Get on your way back as fast as you can! And find yourself a new steward immediately! Maybe you'll be lucky for once and find one who won't get you into trouble." He laughed.
The sheriff leapt up as if he had been kicked, barely remembering to bow to his sovereign, and then fled the hall literally. In doing so, however, he passed Lord Guy's shadow, who by now had also risen, and the latter looked at him at that very moment. De Rainault was again struck to the core by the look from these cold green eyes, but this time he managed to take a closer look at the man's face. And then, all at once, he turned pale and began to falter. He almost stumbled, but then he just managed to catch himself. He fled straight down the passage, muttering all the while, "He's dead! He has to be dead! It couldn't be him!"
The sheriff didn't catch on as in the hall the king had fitz Edgar put in chains. The young man, apparently on the verge of a breakdown, still hadn't managed to get out a coherent sentence. But since he did not defend himself against the raised accusations, he was now considered guilty by all present and in danger of vanishing forever in the king's dungeons. Or at least until his execution, for the ruler had already uttered the word "treason". It didn't look good at all for fitz Edgar.
As the soldiers led him out of the hall, Guy followed them. Outside in the hallway, he was able to persuade the king's men to let him speak briefly with the prisoner.
"You should never have gotten involved with the sheriff, Cousin. I warned you that he would sell you out, but you wouldn't believe me. You should have taken my advice and talked right away. It's too late for that now. The king has made up his mind and he won't go against the sheriff anymore."
Only later did Guy realize that he had only spoken to the man because he had tried to kill him and he wasn't going to let him get away with that. At that moment, he also hadn't wanted to give any further thought to what was now in store for the other man, although he should have had a good idea. He felt pity for him only when it was too late. The king had decided to hold on to de Rainault, which was why he had let him go. In the end, the sheriff was much more useful to him than a young man of dubious origin. And no one cared that he was, in all likelihood, actually a natural son of Lord Edgar. The earl might still have been able to do something about his nephew's fate, but unfortunately for fitz Edgar, he had never believed him.
Guy later had to console himself with the fact that de Rainault would never recover from his encounter with the green-eyed bodyguard. He was not available to his king as sheriff for very long, because he began drinking so heavily - probably immediately after his return from Newark - that he was soon unable to make sensible decisions. In the end, his brother had to take him in at the monastery to save him from the king's wrath, and nothing more was heard of him after that. The newly appointed sheriff then managed to fulfill his king's demands in a different way than de Rainault, and so after a few years the need for Robin Hood to fight for the people of Sherwood by force of arms ceased to exist.
And as for Philip Camville, the constable of Huntingdon, he did not manage to regain the earl's trust and when some time later he expressed the wish to leave the service, Huntingdon did not hinder him in any way.