Chapter 2

Gisborne had a firm hold on the boy's arm as they walked into the main hall. Robert De Rainault grinned with satisfaction and came round the table to greet them.

"Welcome Mathew, welcome. You are an incredibly lucky boy do you realise that."

Mathew looked down as the Sheriff took his hand.

"Oh, what I will teach you. I will teach you to be the best rider in Nottingham. You will win all the tournaments; you will win all the archery contests. You will make me very proud indeed."

The sheriff fixed eyes on Mathew but addressed his comments to Gisborne.

"Any trouble with the villagers?" he asked.

"None my lord."

"Good they'll soon get over it and now I must go to bed. Its been a very trying day. Well done Gisborne."

"Thank you. my Lord."

Gisborne swept his cloak behind him and headed back out the way he came. The sheriff stretched himself and staggered towards a small arched door. The door banged with an echo that reverberated around the room. Mathew stood in the main hall alone. He cast eyes up at the impossibly high ceiling, he looked back at the door he had come through with Gisborne. He could not move to walk back towards it. He felt the chill of the night run through him and longed for his straw bed at home. The comforting sounds of his parents moving about on the ground floor. Someone was shouting. Mathew turned quickly to look in that direction. Someone was shouting and there was a loud crash. Mathew put a hand up to his mouth as his bottom lip began to tremble. As quick as a mouse he scurried across the room and hid under the large oak table. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut as tears began to streak down his grime smeared face.

~o~

Alice's crying finally began to subside as two women held her close and spoke softly to her. They tried in vain to get her to lie down on the straw mattress as she was exhausted with emotion but she shook her head.

Down in the main part of the hut Edward continued to pace like a caged animal.

"You heard what Gisborne said, he will be well treated." James reasoned.

"And you believe that. You take Gisborne at his word. I'm going up there and I am getting my son back."

James shot up from his seat. "You will get us all killed. You know how this works Edward. Soldiers will come. They will burn this camp to the ground."

Edward stood still for a moment and shook his head in frustration. He knew James was right.

William looked from one to the other. "What about that Earls son. He said he was Hearn's son didn't he. Well maybe he could help."

Both men were silent, so William went on.

"He said he was going to continue on the fight for freedom and justice for all."

"He's an Earls son….with grand notions in his head. He went off to find brother Tuck. He's probably still lost in the forest." Edward said.

"If they were going to hang Mathew they would have said it. It weren't nothin to Gisborne. He would have told you to your face if your boy was to hang."

Edward looked back at James then. "What do they want with him then. He's just a child."

~o~

Mathew could not fathom where he was. At first, he thought he had fallen asleep in the forest again but as creeping realisation brought sickness to his empty stomach he remembered he was in the castle. He climbed out from under the oak table. A woman nearby immediately started shreiking.

"Guards, guards an intruder. Guards."

Mathew looked all around him with large, scared eyes and wondered where best to run.

"Oh, stop your caterwauling you stupid woman. This is my adopted son."

Mathew spun around only to see the sheriff take his place at the table. Servants were everywhere. Mathews stomach growled at the heavenly smells of cooked meat and warm freshly made bread.

The Sheriff gave him a thin smile.

"So, there you are, sleeping under the table were you. Why did you not go to one of the bedrooms? There are many vacant rooms in the castle. Here sit. When breakfast is done, I will have one of the women help you wash and change. You smell a little too much like one of my hunting hounds Mathew."

Mathew did as he was told. He remembered well the lessons of his father to always obey and say as little as possible. He felt a sudden ache deep in his heart when he thought of his father but being a smart lad, he knew what was the priority. When the sheriff turned to burrate one of the serving women Mathew quickly stuffed breadrolls and meat into the pocket of his tunic to save for his mother and little brother. He would store the food somewhere in the castle and take it with him when he left in the night. Such a thought brought a small smile to his thin pinched face.

The sheriff misinterpreted it. He smiled in return.

"You have to keep these women in line Mathew. Don't be afraid to tell them off when they spill your drink while serving you. You are my son now and entitled to their respect."

Mathew looked up as Gisborne came to join them.

"Has he not changed clothes yet." He barked as he took his place beside the sheriff.

"He slept under the table, like a dog."

"He slept under this table. That's a comforting thought over breakfast."

"What's wrong with you Gisborne. Get out the wrong side of the bed did you or was it a nightmare."

Gisborne began eating in grumpy silence.

After a few mouthfuls of bread and mutton he spoke.

"The hooded man," he muttered around his food.

"Oh, for God sake Gisborne, this again. The hooded man was an opportunist. Possibly one of the villagers parading as Robin Hood. He is not the Earl of Huntington's son. Don't be upsurd. Besides the outlaws have all disbanded, the monk is missing presumed dead and we have just handed his hussy of a wife over to Owen Lord of Clun. I would say that is a job well done."

He smiled down at Mathew ruffling the boys hair. "It's time to move on Gisborne, make new plans."

"That horse in Wickham. I recognised that horse the day we visited Huntington castle." Gisborne suddenly looked to Mathew.

"Did you see that horse," he asked.

Mathew was busy eating his food, the finest meal he had ever eaten. There was meat coated in a sticky sauce. It was delicious and finely cut potatoes.

"Mathew!"

He jumped in his seat and looked up swallowing down the food in his mouth.

"Did you see that fine horse out by your fathers house."

"No my Lord, I don't remember."

"There you are you see, it takes a child to put you right again Gisborne. Now hurry off with you Mathew and get changed. Meet me out in the courtyard. I want to give you a lesson on the cross bow. "

A woman appeared from the shadows. She briskly took his hand and brought him through a maze of passages and steps. Thirty minutes later he had to navigate these passages an his own. He was scrubbed to within an inch of his life. He could still feel the affects of the bare knuckle assault on his neck and behind his ears with the roughest flannel they could find. He put fingers back there to make sure he still had skin.

True to his word the Sheriff was waiting for him outside in the yard. It was cold and the man looked to be on the wrong side of irritation.

"Do hurry up Mathew. God's teeth it's freezing out here."

Mathew did not quite know the point of all this but what he did know was he had lost the food he had saved for his family. They had dressed him in a very fine mustard coloured tunic and warm woollen leggings but the food was in the pocket of his other tunic. He frowned to himself as he went to join the Sheriff. Now you can clearly see the target over there can't you. Watch as I will demonstrate. The Sheriff's eyes narrowed as he took aim. He narrowly missed the head of the poor servant whose job it was to collect the arrows. He went rather white as he ran to retrieve the arrow embedded in a far-off tree stump.

"This is a very tricky business; you will miss many times yourself in the course of learning. Watch this next shot."

The next arrow flew off into the air never to be seen again. Despite the gravity of the situation and his company Mathew struggled to keep the smirk from his face. The Sheriff had started in on the fine wine early that morning and soon tired of this father son activity. He handed over the cross bow to Mathew and went inside to find a warm fire. The servant quickly took the weapon from the boy and headed off in another direction.

Mathew, with nothing better to do wandered off on a walk around the castle. He found himself at a private stable house and watched with big eyes as the fine horses were being groomed and fed. They were the finest animals he had ever seen.

"Are you looking for a ride today Master Mathew."

For a moment Mathew couldn't respond. Word must have gotten around that he was now considered the Sheriff's son.

"Er, yes please."

Mathew watched as a massive black horse was led out of the stables for him. He smiled a freckled grin as he put a hand up to touch its silky mane. The servants helped him up into the saddle and he took off slowly and carefully.

"Just around the green if you please sir, don't go any further,"

"I won't," Mathew called back.

Not ten minutes later Gisborne stormed out of the stable house and demanded to know where his recently purchased horse had gone.

"You mean to say that the guttersnipe has rode off on my horse."

"My Lord, I had no idea it was your horse. No one told me sir."

"You imbecile, he will be halfway out of Nottingham by now and looking to sell it."

"Sir, I'm quite sure he has only taken it around the green."

"Well he had better have or you will answer for it. When I see him I'll flay that boy alive."