Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Robin Hood
Sir Guy returned to Locksley and did not return to the castle for many days until he was dragged from his bed in the middle of the night, during a fitful night's sleep about the women in his life past and future. Prince John had arrived in Nottingham with the letter from the Sheriff and he was not impressed with the Lord of Locksley.
"Do you love me Gisborne?" he asked.
"Yes my Prince," replied Sir Guy, breathless after his struggling.
"Is that so? I hear that you have become rather attached to my cousin the Duchess," added the Prince.
Sir Guy remained silent. He was certain that the Prince did not know about what happened after the noble's dinner because he would have been sure to have Rose present also.
"Well Gisborne? Do you deny it?" added the Prince.
"She's a…" began Sir Guy.
"Be careful Gisborne; I am on my way to see my dear cousin and if I feel for one second that you have mistreated or misled her I will be back for your head," he warned.
Sir Guy took a deep breath.
"I have nothing but the upmost admiration for every member of the royal family; my time with the Duchess has been precious to me but I know my place," he added.
Prince John frowned and clenched his fist. He had never heard anything like it in all his days; a knight and a Duchess? Surely his cousin had more sense than to wish to marry below her station? He ordered Sir Guy away, back to his home and continued on his way to Nottingham.
Duchess Rose slept in her bed but the sound of horses woke her and caused her to look out of the window to gaze upon the royal carriage. As she wasn't expecting a visit, Rose covered herself up and knocked on the door of the Sheriff in order to warn him that he had company.
"We have to go. He's here," warned Rose.
"Who?" asked the Sheriff.
"John," added Rose.
The Sheriff's eyes widened and he ran down the hall with Rose close behind him. They managed to reach the court yard in time as the sun began to rise. It was too early for either of them to form a real sentence upon the Prince's arrival so they both simply got down on one knee as he left the carriage.
"Oh come now there was no need for the welcoming party Rose; I just need to speak to my cousin," he said.
The Sheriff was keen to hang around but Rose knew that the Prince had come not as royalty but as family. She stood up and gently steered the Sheriff back to his castle.
"Go and get some sleep Sheriff," she said, kindly.
"But, but, the Prince," began the Sheriff, nervously.
"Is here for me; Official royal business," explained Rose.
Prince John shook his head.
"Don't go too far Vasey!" he ordered.
The Sheriff shuddered in fear as he reached the castle. Rose and the Prince gracefully walked arm in arm to the main hall. The Prince took the main chair and gestured for Rose to join him at his side like an equal.
"Good morning cousin," said Prince John.
"Good morning," added Rose.
"Now, I know I wasn't due to visit but I have received a very concerning report about you and the Lord of Locksley. I want to hear your views and I want the truth. We are family and we are royalty; I will be offended beyond belief if you lie to me," warned Prince John.
Sir Guy feared for his life and the reputation of the Duchess; he decided to go to Nottingham personally and plead his case to the Prince and to the Duchess. He only hoped that Rose wasn't going to tell her cousin everything about them.
Rose was struggling to confess everything that had happened between her and Sir Guy since she arrived in Nottingham. There was the case of dealing with outlaws, his reaction to affection, what happened when they got intimate, his violent mood swings and none of it making a difference to how she felt about him.
"What have you heard?" asked Duchess Rose.
"Don't insult me now; I have a brain and I can read. Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way? I have already spoken to the man in question. He was very brief out of fear; he is a subject but you are family and I have to know what I am dealing with," replied Prince John.
The Duchess took a deep breath and struggled to meet the eyes of her cousin. She knew that Sir Guy was beneath her in the grand scheme of things but she also knew that John was bound to show mercy because she was his blood and his favourite member of the royal family.
"I have been here for many weeks now. When I first arrived I was almost ignored until Sir Guy took courage and settled me into the castle. At first I used him to see what the problem was here and rewarded him with a shiny chain that he favours but once I saw the problem, we started talking, spending time together…"
Duchess Rose was stalling and choosing her words most carefully in order to keep Sir Guy out of trouble with the Prince. By that time Sir Guy left his horse randomly outside of the castle and ran towards the great hall before the Duchess could tell the Prince anything else about how she felt about Sir Guy.
The doors flew open and the Duchess jumped as Sir Guy entered the room. He gave her a warning look as the Prince glared at the intrusion.
"Now Gisborne you are just trying my patience…" began the Prince.
"I asked her to stay away, I asked her not to put hands on me and she defied me," gasped Sir Guy.
The Duchess closed her eyes for a moment as she couldn't believe that Sir Guy had decided to protect himself rather than explain what the real situation was between them. It would do no good asking him how he could do that to her infront of Prince John as she still wanted to protect him.
"Is that true?" asked Prince John.
"I fought hard in my way for Sir Guy's friendship and I believed that I had feelings for him," she replied.
"Believed?" asked Sir Guy.
The Duchess walked towards him and looked close to tears.
"I was going to tell Prince John that I thought we had something special and that it was me who made my feelings clear but if my love isn't welcome…" started Rose.
"Love?" repeated Prince John, in astonishment.
Even Sir Guy looked surprised at the term she had used. He assumed that it was merely a whim or sheer lust that she felt for him. Love was different; love made him rethink the case he was about to plead to Prince John.
"If my love isn't welcome perhaps I should return to London, send you what you need to capture the outlaws and never return. I was a fool to think that you would ever see me as anything apart from a Duchess with a fancy," added Rose.
Prince John crossed his arms.
"Gisborne…" he began angrily.
"Your highness if I may? The Duchess might have defied me and pursued me but I couldn't have been happier when I received her company and the affection she chose to give me. I know she's a Duchess and your cousin and I have no right to ask this of you; but I ask your permission to court her with every intention of marriage if it is permitted," added Sir Guy.
Prince John went a strange colour and the Duchess smiled warmly and stood beside the man she loved and looked hopefully at her cousin. Prince John could only stare at them as the Duchess linked her arms around Sir Guy's and placed her head on his arm lovingly.
"I'm dreaming; I have to be…" began Prince John.
"Your highness I am begging you to consider this; this whole outlaw thing could be solved in days," began Duchess Rose.
"Do you really think I am that stupid? Do you honestly believe that if I let my precious cousin in the arms of that lady killer that Nottingham would belong to me again?" asked Prince John, angrily.
Sir Guy looked to the empty side of him in shame and hurt but the Duchess did not release him in disgust or fear like most women would have; if anything she held his arm tighter to her and defended him.
"I believe in him! He has a wonderful plan to get to them; he just needs the resources. Won't you please consider…?" begged Rose.
Prince John cried out in frustration and the Duchess fell silent. Sir Guy distanced himself from Rose and a brave Sheriff, who was on his way to his own hall, suddenly scuttled back to his chambers in order to save his own skin.
Prince John held up his hand to stop his cousin saying anything else that would offend his ears and mind. He was starting to regret sending her to do his bidding to begin with and was becoming exceedingly worried that with no heir of his own Rose had a claim to the throne along with the husband that she decided upon. Sir Guy had no right to wear the crown as far as he was concerned, he was French and he was a killer; Prince John had never killed a man himself, only ever given the order.
"You want me to send an army of men and weapons into the care of your lover so that this pitiful part of the country can eventually bow to my every whim? And then what? You intend to marry this black knight? Think of your status! Think of the crown!" snapped Prince John.
The Duchess narrowed her eyes as she understood the Prince's hostilities towards her lover. It had nothing to do with his title or lack of influence in the country, it was to do with the idea of her being second in line to the throne the way the country stood and that any man who was her own could become the future kind of England.
"Duchess?" asked Sir Guy, due to her silence.
The Prince smirked at him and sent him out of the hall so that he could speak with the Duchess alone. To his surprise Rose released him quite quickly as though his touch was harmful to her but she shuddered when the door closed.
Sir Guy stood alone in the hallway for a few moments. He heard an irritating whistle and saw the Sheriff come into view mainly to mock him and verbally attack him.
"Who's been a silly boy? Who has been once again, driven mad by a female? I have to hand it to you Gisborne that when you climb the career ladder, you aim pretty high," added the Sheriff.
"What are you talking about?" asked Sir Guy.
The Sheriff rolled his eyes.
"You need a lesson in succession my boy; King Richard is knee deep in sand, blood and guts and it is only a matter of time before it is his own. Prince John has left it rather late in the day and hasn't yet thought about securing his line, which leaves his cousin as next in line to the throne of England! Your Duchess has the power to put a crown on your head as well as share your bed Gisborne! Do you honestly think the Prince will stand for that?" he asked, sarcastically.
Sir Guy's face fell. Of course it seemed clear to him once the Sheriff had explained the state of the Royal family to him. She wasn't just the Prince's cousin but the heir to his throne as he had none to call his own. He didn't need to hear it from the Sheriff or from Prince John; he was no King of England no matter who he bedded. The madness with the Duchess had to end and quickly but she was too intelligent to fall for any pretence that he had stopped caring or loving her.
"I can't be King," added Sir Guy.
The Sheriff rolled his eyes.
"Of course not you twit! You're not even a decent Lord and you only have a handful of villagers and you can't keep them in check let alone a whole country!" snapped the Sheriff.
The men jumped when the main hall doors opened once again. The Prince walked on and barked some orders that Sir Guy did not catch as the Sheriff ran after him and went to see that his will was done. Instead Sir Guy went back into the hall to find the Duchess looking very formal considering she remained in her nightwear with a simple robe over herself.
"You will receive what I have promised. You will go with the Prince to London to collect your men, weapons and so on. I will not be joining you as I have other matters to deal with; I have to cleanse my soul and my mind. I cannot stay here," she declared.
Sir Guy started to approach her but the Duchess held up her hand in protest.
"No Sir Guy that will be all. You and I know who we are and what we are to each other but no more and no less. You leave at noon," she commanded.
"Duchess what are saying?" he asked.
The Duchess' stare softened slightly; she had been commanding since she was reminded of who she was by her cousin. She was not some young girl seeking any husband that she could, anyone that she fancied; she was as good as the future Queen and she had a responsibility to her subjects and that included Sir Guy.
"We can't be together Sir Guy; the impracticalities are endless. I leave Nottingham with a heavy and yet empty heart but as a royal I have a responsibility to the realm before I take my own needs into consideration," replied the Duchess.
Sir Guy gasped slightly.
"Is this about the Prince? Give me time, give me a few weeks, I am sure I can get him to see me differently," he began.
The Duchess let out a sigh and shook her head.
"SIR GUY YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME! WE CANNOT BE TOGETHER BECAUSE OF WHO I AM!" She bellowed.
Sir Guy hadn't heard a woman shout at him in many moons. It made him think of Marian and her betrayal once again and he reached for his sword once again. The Duchess was aware of his movements and stood up from where she was.
"Guy…" she began.
"You dare to come into my life, say you care, say you love me and then turn me away…" began Sir Guy, threateningly.
"I have not rejected your love. I am merely stating why we cannot be husband and wife there is a difference. Don't do something that will endanger your life as you know it; while the Prince lives you cannot be mine. I cannot ask you so do not ask me," she added.
The knight drew his blade.
"I have nothing. I might as well be nothing," he argued.
"Guy, will you listen to me just once? I still love you, I still want you but we can't be together unless I…" began the Duchess.
Sir Guy's blade began to lower and the Duchess placed her hand on his; it shook violently and he dropped his sword with a clang against the stone floor. She leant forward and put her lips to his once again and he was as helpless as a baby in the woods.
"I know what I must do," she added.
The Duchess left Sir Guy as good as on his knees. He struggled to stand and return his sword into place as Rose ran to her room and got dressed. She picked up her most formal tiara and a handful of other jewels that she knew should only belong to the members of the royal family.
Before the Prince could reach his carriage in the court yard with Sir Guy at his side and the Sheriff about to wave them off; The Duchess ran down the steps of the castle and called out for the Prince's attention.
"Wait! Your highness wait for me please!" she begged.
Prince John turned to her and frowned in confusion as she curtsied low before him and placed her belongings at his feet. Sir Guy took several steps back in astonishment at the Duchess and her actions.
"I renounce my title and my claim to the throne of England; it holds no interest to me. What is a Queen without a husband and king? Nothing my Prince, she is no better than a peasant on the street. I can't be royalty and be happy so I choose a new life; a different life. I want a life with Sir Guy of Gisborne if it is his wish," she added.
Silence filled the courtyard like heavy rain in the spring. Prince John developed a ringing in his ears after his cousin's words that made it difficult for him to fully process what she had said to him. Sir Guy of Gisborne had eyes that were certain to fall out of their sockets if they became any wider as he understood exactly what Rose was doing and why. A woman loved him more than the crown of merry old England. He was more precious to her than a crown and a country; he didn't believe that such love existed, it was strong, it was powerful and it managed to silence the Prince Regent as he began to gesture at both the jewels and the woman infront of him.
"You wish to abdicate from the royal family, to be with a common black knight, a murderer and general nasty piece of work? What exactly would you have me tell Richard on his return?" asked Prince John.
"Tell him the truth and he can send for me if he wishes and if he returns. There is more to Sir Guy than what you have stated. I haven't seen any evidence of the character flaws you have accused him of. Richard would never bless this or accept it but I will personally take the full force of his displeasure should he return. I am begging you John; let me be," she pleaded.
Sir Guy dared to step forward but the Prince sent him an angry look that stopped him in mid-step towards the former Duchess of London.
"I bet you haven't told her everything that happened in the Holy Land have you?" he sneered.
Rose's eyes narrowed; her information about the Holy Land and Sir Guy was only that he had murdered his lover Marian as she chose Robin Hood rather than him. She knew nothing of Marian defending the king from Sir Guy.
As for Sir Guy, he was too clever to fall for Prince John's mind games and how he tried to shift the entire blame onto him hoping that he would keep quiet but Sir Guy refused to lie to a woman who had given up a kingdom to be with him.
"And under whose command did I carry out that task?" asked Sir Guy.
Prince John snarled at him snapped his fingers and the jewels were gone and he was in his carriage away from Rose and Sir Guy.
"I wish you luck former Duchess of London! You have made your bed and let's see how Richard feels when he learns that you fell for his attempted assassin!" snapped Prince John.
Rose started forward after the carriage at the Prince's words but he had already given the order to be taken away from Nottingham that very moment. She turned back to Sir Guy with pure fury; Richard was still her cousin and although he had always been more serious and less fun that John, she still loved him as part of her family; the three of them had grown up more like siblings rather than cousins.
"How could you?" she asked.
"Don't do this! Why do you think? The Prince wants to be King; not regent and the only way he can do that is if the King is killed in the Holy Land. Twice he has sent me and twice I have failed because of Robin Hood and Marian the second time. If I refused he would put me to death and if I was caught; can't you see that either way I would be convicted for treason?" asked Sir Guy.
Rose sighed as her temper began to simmer in understanding of Sir Guy's predicament. Either way he chose he could not have won. At least if he succeeded in murdering Richard he would have had a better chance of living; now his only hope was that Rose would be able to cast the vote for mercy if Richard ever returned.
"What would you have me do Guy?" asked Rose.
Sir Guy reached out his black, gloved hand to her.
"Come to Locksley, be mine, help me right my many wrongs. I can't do it alone," he replied.
The Sheriff had almost had his fill of the whole situation between his henchman and the former Duchess but he was interested to see if she still wanted to be with him; she knew what he was and how damaged he was and how he had twice attempted to kill her cousin King Richard. He was also aware that if he returned the Sheriff was also in danger of losing his head; the girl was his only hope of survival. If she rejected Sir Guy, he was more than happy to provide her with lodgings until her last days and grant her a different title without marriage as he simply did not have the patience for women.
Rose was torn as she looked at Sir Guy's hand. She stood before him without a title and without any prospects. Her only hope of living in comfort was to accept his hand and become Lady of Gisborne and Locksley but she was scared of him as due to her renouncing her title he wouldn't be killed if he harmed her.
"Guy I'm scared," she confessed.
Sir Guy attempted to look at her kindly and stepped forward with his hand outstretched to her. He knew that she had lost faith in him and that he had his work cut out for him in order to restore her faith in him.
"I'm of no threat to you; you are everything to me, part of me, the reason for my being and Duchess or not I will treat you as my Queen. I love you Rose," he admitted.
Rose slowly reached out her hand and Sir Guy pulled her closer to him.
"No more trips to the Holy Land; let Richard be," she begged.
"Rose…" began Sir Guy.
"Promise me! Let me deal with John and Richard upon his return but don't go back to that place," she added.
Sir Guy sighed and gently pushed dark strands of hair out of Rose's face before kissing her gently on the forehead.
"On my honour as your Lord and your future husband," he pledged.