"Robin, I thought you, of all people, would be loyal and serve me!"
As Marian had predicted, King Richard was furious at Robin's refusal to travel to France and fight alongside him.
"I am loyal, Your Majesty," Robin tried to explain.
"To yourself, it would seem! But when your king needs you, you refuse. This is not the Robin I remember."
Robin, wanting desperately to make his king understand, explained. "My loyalty to Your Majesty cannot be shaken. But I have other loyalties to consider as well...other duties. This fight you propose does not concern England."
"It concerns me. And lest you forget, Robin, I am England."
"Then stay on Her shores and protect Her people."
King Richard was at first outraged that Robin would dare defy him and tell him what to do. Then, quickly cooling, he realized he couldn't expect anything less from England's most loyal servant. No longer angry but wanting to persuade, he pursued, "Do you think I should do nothing, and just allow the French King to have violated his oath not to attack my Angevin lands, and just give them to him? I thought you knew me better than that."
"That is not what I'm suggesting. Your Majesty, why not assign one of your Angevin captains to lead the fight to regain them, while planning the campaign from here? You must not desert your people again, leaving them at the mercy of Prince John."
"Is that your reservation? No fear. I will not leave my brother in charge again. This time, I am naming my mother Queen Eleanor as Regent."
Robin was surprised and relieved. "I am glad to hear it," he told the king, "if you insist on going."
"I do. I will not send other men to risk their lives in battle, without risking my own. But I need you with me, Robin. You're wrong if you think this fight does not concern England. What is to stop King Philip from invading our shores with Normandy in his control, just across the channel? He feels empowered by stealing lands that are mine by God given right, and will stop at nothing to try to take everything from me."
"Your Majesty, if he does invade England, I will be the first to protect Her."
"Why wait? It is your duty as a knight and a loyal subject of your king to stop the French before they strike. And that is why I need you now, Robin, to regain my lands and push Philip back from trying to conquer everything I rule."
"But why strike first? When I became a knight, I made a vow to protect and defend, not attack."
"You have not been listening. Either that, or you have changed since Acre."
"I have changed, Your Majesty. For the better, I hope."
"Explain yourself. I know you are no coward, and so I cannot understand your refusal."
Robin could not admit to King Richard that he had lost his taste for bloodshed, nor that he had sworn to himself he would never hurt Marian again by choosing war over her. The king would not understand, and regard it as weakness. And Robin, with a blind allegiance to him, still desired the king's respect.
He stayed silent, thinking. If England truly was in danger of attack, then Robin had no choice but to join his king's fight. But was it, or was this only what Richard conjectured? At last Robin answered. "I will think about all you said, Your Majesty."
"Don't think too long," the king insisted. "I need your answer tonight. Do not disappoint me, Robin. Remember your sense of honor and duty, and your allegiance to your king."
Robin bowed his head and left the throne room. "I have never forgotten it," he thought to himself. "But what of my marriage vows, and duty to my family, and my people? I do not wish to leave them."
He knew he would not make his decision alone. He would consult with Marian, and base his decision on what they both decided was best, for England as well as for Locksley and their family.
Returning to his suite, he was surprised to see Buckingham and Spencer's heirs outside his rooms. "Young Buck" was pounding his fist on the door while holding his chin in his other hand, as if it had been injured. Spencer's heir appeared in even worse shape, clutching one hand to his ribs. Both men appeared drunk.
"You can't hide in there forever, Beauty," Buck slurred. "Sooner or later, you gotta come out and...Locksley! What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same question," Robin answered, his temper flaring under a surface of cold detachment.
"A group of ruffians attacked us on our way home from church," Spencer's son said. "Regular thugs."
Robin hid his anger under a snicker. "I didn't ask what happened to you. I can see you were bested in a fight. Two of you, against my wife? Your fathers will be proud!"
"She's your wife?"
"She is. What did she do? Kick you in the ribs, and punch your jaw? You're lucky she didn't knock you out or break any bones."
"It wasn't her! I tell you, it was a gang of ruffians! We're only here to protect her from them!"
Robin looked innocently around then shrugged. "Where are they?" he asked.
"We must have scared them off."
Robin no longer hid his anger. "And I'm scaring you off," he warned, moving threateningly toward them.
The two nobles did not wait to see what Locksley might do. They staggered away as fast as they could.
Still angry, Robin called for Marian to unbolt the door, then joined her inside. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. I never expected I'd have to fight off drunken noblemen so early in the morning."
"They're only noble in title. You did well, by the way, defending yourself!"
"I'm glad I still have the skills."
He smiled adoringly at her then said, "I know the pair of them well, Marian. They claim to live by a code, and they once tried, when I was very young, to get me to live by it, too."
"Like the Code of Chivalry?"
"Hardly. Theirs runs along the lines, never lie to a fellow nobleman, yet it's fine to lie to a woman. Always pay your gambling debts, yet put off an honest tradesman. You know the type."
"You're not comparing them to Count Frederick, surely?"
"Count Frederick?" He grinned, teasingly. "Do you often think of him, my love? Where does he come into this?"
"Just the mention of gambling. And I do suspect him of lying to women, as long as the women know he's lying."
Robin chuckled. "I suspect him of having his own code, somewhere between theirs and the one I try to follow."
"Kiss me, and tell me all about your audience with the king."
Robin happily complied by kissing her, then suggested, "Why don't we take a walk through London, and I'll tell you all about it? I need to clear my head, and hear your advice."
Marian was more than pleased to tour the city he knew so well with him. "I'll get my purse," she said eagerly. "I'd like to shop for something for the girls."