Our lives soon changed from the better to the worst. It all began when our father was off fighting in the Crusades for our Good King Richard. I was about 18 years old at the time and Isabella was about 10. While our father was away, our mother started an affair with another Lord in Locksley. His name was Lord Malcolm and he had a son called Robin.
Yes, my Lord you are correct in thinking that this Robin would later become as you know him as Robin Hood. The same man who would I would come to despise. Anyway, at that time Robin and I were on good terms. I wouldn't call us friends exactly but, we were civil to each other when we needed to be. My mother tried to hide her relationship from Malcolm from us, however I found.
It was on the night where we were mourning the loss of those we lost in the Crusades including my father, that we had a shock of our lives. Mother had told me and Robin to be the ones to light the wheel of fire brought back from the Holy Land when Robin started to show off. He boasted about he was a better shot than I was and was going to prove it. As a consequence of his foolery, our priest was badly injured. I took the blame for Robin's mistake, and as punishment I was sentenced to hang when before I could be strung up by the neck, Lord Longthorn was stopped. To my surprise, my father had returned from the Crusades. Mother was shocked as well, but was also pleased to see him. To me, it was absurd that my mother could still be in love with her husband while at the same time in love with another man. I, of course did not say anything.
Weeks went by and it seemed to me that our family was beginning to get back to as it was before father went of to fight for King Richard. However, that was all just an illusion. The cracks were beginning to show in the relationships we had with each other and personalities began to change. The return of our father had brought a cloud of change around us. People now stopped coming to Gisborne Manor and every time we would venture out in the village we always received strange looks. One day, Isabella and I heard voices coming from downstairs. We recognised out of the voices one of them was our father's and from the tone of it, we could sense he was angry. I glanced at Isabella and indicated in a whisper we should sneak down to see what was happening. As we clambered down the stairs in our night clothes we saw that a group of people was waiting by the door. Our father and mother looked up at us. The expression on their faces told us that something bad was happening even though they tried to convince us otherwise. Father was led away from our house.
Outside the whole town had come out of their houses to see the spectacle. Our father was deemed a leper and thus was forced to be outcasted from our village. He was about to be outcasted from our lives as well. I couldn't believe what was happening, but knew in my heart that Malcolm had been the instrument in our father's rejection from society. It made me furious to see how influential he was becoming in my mother's life and I knew that I had to tell father. I knew that if I could convince him that Malcolm was forcing mother to marry him, he would come back to us. He would come back to his family where he belonged. He however, didn't. I knew then that he was a coward. He wasn't the father I thought he was. He, who told me to always fight for those you loved wouldn't fight for his family. Wouldn't fight for his wife or children. It's funny how I would become exactly like him as I grew older.
The incident of our father's rejection in society was the start of misfortune. Soon afterwards tragedy after tragedy struck us.
It was late one afternoon, Isabella was sitting by the fire looking very sullen. Ever since father had returned from the Holy Land I began to see a change in Isabella. She was no longer the happy- go-lucky young girl she used to be. She hardly ever smiled or laughed. Whenever I tried asking her what the matter was, she would always dismiss me and walk off. At first I didn't seem to mind. I just thought she was having one her tantrums and she would soon get over it. But, her joyless and lifeless personality remained for weeks, months even. It was then I started to worry about her. I started to miss her smile and wondered what I could do see her smile one more time. Anyway, while she was sitting, I was rekindling the fire when I heard the door open. Both our heads turned to see who it was. It was Malcolm. He wanted to know where our mother was. But, of course I wasn't going to tell him.
"Where is she?" Malcolm demanded in my direction.
I looked at him. He had ruined our family once, I wasn't about to let him do it again.
"Like I would tell you."
"Don't make this hard, Guy. Tell me where she is."
"No. I'm not going to let you ruin our family again." I said.
Picking up a flaming log I tried to wave it in Malcolm's face in order to block him from going any further, but he grabbed my hand. I tried to grab my hand back however, he was to strong. We wrestled for a bit before I was flung across a table. As I slid my arm knocked over a goblet and spilled. A small flame broke out.
"Go, grab your sister and get out of here!" I heard Malcolm order. Without thinking I grabbed Isabella's wrist and ran out of the house.
As I stood frozen to the spot with Isabella wrapped up in my arms and her hands around my waist, I witnessed our house engulfed in flames. I knew I should have gone back and braced the flames to rescue my parents. but I couldn't. The heat was over powering. In the background I could hear Robin screaming for his father. But, I couldn't scream. I couldn't say anything. I was mute and so was Isabella. Neither of us could say anything except remain in our embrace as we watched our home burn to the ground.