A TALE OF SHERWOOD
Chapter 7 In which we meet the Sheriff of Nottingham
I know of no more disagreeable situation than to be left feeling generally
angry without anybody in particular to be angry at.-Frank Moore Colby
In his hall the Sheriff of Nottingham raged. He was surrounded by imbeciles! Couldn't they do anything right? He did not set hard tasks and still, repeatedly, they managed to bungle them! He stalked past the captain.
"Let me get this straight, first, you leave the back of the wagon unguarded, so that anyone who wanted could steal from me???!!!" The man opened his mouth to reply.
"SILENCE! When I want you to speak I will tell you. Where was I? Oh yes, then you manage to get one man seriously wounded while pursuing two boys? Surely trained and armed soldiers like yourselves could capture two pickpockets!"
"Yessir, I mean. Well sir, we did get them in the end, sir."
"It's not the end I care about!!! You should not have been in that situation in the first place. What is the good of a guard in the front of the wagon when the booty is in the back? And why did you not have more guards on the wagon in the first place? Surely it does not require seven men to subdue a fat monk!" The Sheriff glared at him and went to go sit back down. He took a long draft of wine from his goblet. It tasted sour to him.
"You may go now," he told the man quivering in front of him. The man did not move. "Err.. Sir.."
"What is it now? Surely nothing else went wrong!"
"Well, sir. We tied up the thieves and searched their pockets. We found a dagger, sir."
"And?" this mans stupidity was beginning to wear on the sheriff.
"Well, it was one of the daggers stolen from Lord Chesterfield by Robin Hood last week sir. One of my men recognized the blade, sir."
"One of Robin Hoods men? Have him brought before me at once!" The Sheriff turned his back on the man and took another gulp of wine. He could feel it travel warmly down his gullet into his stomach.
"Sir, we- well, the truth of the matter is-"
"Tell me before I loose my patience!"
"Yessir, well, actually. we haven't got them anymore."
For a moment the Sheriff did nothing. Then he said, very softly, without turning, "What do you mean you haven't got them anymore?"
"Well. S-s-s sir." The man stuttered.
"SPIT IT OUT!" The Sheriff yelled, turning back to the man who was now visibly shaking.
"Robin Hood rescued them. He took the rest of the booty, too. Sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"You are sorry? Sorry? You are the most incompetent fool I have ever seen! Get out! Get out of my sight! You sicken me!" The man practically ran for the door.
The Sheriff sat down again. Was everyone in this castle a complete idiot? He did not ask overmuch. Why were they constantly failing him? The Sheriff downed his remaining wine. Where had the wench who filled his wine cup gone?
"More wine!!!!" He bellowed.
A comely girl appeared, holding the wine bag. She came over and began to fill his cup. He watched her. She was quite pretty, as wenches go. She had long legs, he could tell, and long curly hair that escaped her braids and curled about her neck. He looked down her dress at her breasts. Before the Sheriff gave it a conscious thought, he had grabbed her wrist. The girl gave a cry of alarm.
"Shut up!" he growled at her before ripping her bodice and pulling up her skirt.
AN: Basically, the entire point of this chapter was to tell you all that Robin Hood, Duo, Hilde and the gang are good, and that the Sheriff is bad. Got it? Also, I'm sorry for the long non-update period. I had these chapters all written up, but I was lazy... forgive me. Oh, ya. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! I love this holiday. Yummy food, ect. Ect. Ect. Well, Review, please. I promise to update by Christmas or when I get ten reviews. ( That means that you should review and force all your friends to review too. I promise to put in my thankyou's in the next chapter, but right now I don't think I can type any more- its too cold. My fingers are going to freeze and fall off.
Chapter 7 In which we meet the Sheriff of Nottingham
I know of no more disagreeable situation than to be left feeling generally
angry without anybody in particular to be angry at.-Frank Moore Colby
In his hall the Sheriff of Nottingham raged. He was surrounded by imbeciles! Couldn't they do anything right? He did not set hard tasks and still, repeatedly, they managed to bungle them! He stalked past the captain.
"Let me get this straight, first, you leave the back of the wagon unguarded, so that anyone who wanted could steal from me???!!!" The man opened his mouth to reply.
"SILENCE! When I want you to speak I will tell you. Where was I? Oh yes, then you manage to get one man seriously wounded while pursuing two boys? Surely trained and armed soldiers like yourselves could capture two pickpockets!"
"Yessir, I mean. Well sir, we did get them in the end, sir."
"It's not the end I care about!!! You should not have been in that situation in the first place. What is the good of a guard in the front of the wagon when the booty is in the back? And why did you not have more guards on the wagon in the first place? Surely it does not require seven men to subdue a fat monk!" The Sheriff glared at him and went to go sit back down. He took a long draft of wine from his goblet. It tasted sour to him.
"You may go now," he told the man quivering in front of him. The man did not move. "Err.. Sir.."
"What is it now? Surely nothing else went wrong!"
"Well, sir. We tied up the thieves and searched their pockets. We found a dagger, sir."
"And?" this mans stupidity was beginning to wear on the sheriff.
"Well, it was one of the daggers stolen from Lord Chesterfield by Robin Hood last week sir. One of my men recognized the blade, sir."
"One of Robin Hoods men? Have him brought before me at once!" The Sheriff turned his back on the man and took another gulp of wine. He could feel it travel warmly down his gullet into his stomach.
"Sir, we- well, the truth of the matter is-"
"Tell me before I loose my patience!"
"Yessir, well, actually. we haven't got them anymore."
For a moment the Sheriff did nothing. Then he said, very softly, without turning, "What do you mean you haven't got them anymore?"
"Well. S-s-s sir." The man stuttered.
"SPIT IT OUT!" The Sheriff yelled, turning back to the man who was now visibly shaking.
"Robin Hood rescued them. He took the rest of the booty, too. Sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"You are sorry? Sorry? You are the most incompetent fool I have ever seen! Get out! Get out of my sight! You sicken me!" The man practically ran for the door.
The Sheriff sat down again. Was everyone in this castle a complete idiot? He did not ask overmuch. Why were they constantly failing him? The Sheriff downed his remaining wine. Where had the wench who filled his wine cup gone?
"More wine!!!!" He bellowed.
A comely girl appeared, holding the wine bag. She came over and began to fill his cup. He watched her. She was quite pretty, as wenches go. She had long legs, he could tell, and long curly hair that escaped her braids and curled about her neck. He looked down her dress at her breasts. Before the Sheriff gave it a conscious thought, he had grabbed her wrist. The girl gave a cry of alarm.
"Shut up!" he growled at her before ripping her bodice and pulling up her skirt.
AN: Basically, the entire point of this chapter was to tell you all that Robin Hood, Duo, Hilde and the gang are good, and that the Sheriff is bad. Got it? Also, I'm sorry for the long non-update period. I had these chapters all written up, but I was lazy... forgive me. Oh, ya. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! I love this holiday. Yummy food, ect. Ect. Ect. Well, Review, please. I promise to update by Christmas or when I get ten reviews. ( That means that you should review and force all your friends to review too. I promise to put in my thankyou's in the next chapter, but right now I don't think I can type any more- its too cold. My fingers are going to freeze and fall off.