Chapter 2: "Sanctuary is the only option."
By happenstance of birth, King Henry's second son was dubbed Prince John Lackland by his father because he would inherit none of his holdings; first born Richard was the sole heir. The prince's enemies called him John Softsword, as the sickly man was not known for his military prowess. Since his business acumen was best suited to self-serving schemes, the Prince needed a trusted ally; Hugh de burgh understood this perfectly.
Rising from minor positions in the Plantagenet's royal household, Hugh and John had a long association. Knowing Sheriff Vasey was supremely untrustworthy Prince John wanted Hugh to oversee the Sheriff's latest scheme: acquire as much land as possible for John and rid Nottinghamshire of Robin Hood and his brigands. Eager to improve his position at court John sought land, as much as possible by any means possible; and hanging the dangerous hellion and his horde would surely enhance his untenable reputation with the ladies.
When the Earl of Huntingdon initially chose an outlaw's life, the Sheriff secretly welcomed his new adversary. Vasey had long ago conquered the peasants and toyed with them to his black-heart's content. Sir Guy of Gisborne was incompetent and his solution to every problem was brute force; finesse was not in the man's vocabulary. It had been so easy to humiliate, intimidate and berate him into submission; continuously threatening Gisborne's position retained his loyalty.
Vasey was bored like the cat prodding a dead mouse. Robin, ah…he was a challenge, a worthy, complex opponent. Devilishly he relished the chance to explore Locksley's mind: the warrior who no longer wants to kill; the earl who frees his manservant then rewards him with position and property; the man who sees peasants as human beings, not chattel. Oh yes, he was too delicious a project to be removed! That is... until the bold outlaw committed the insult for a man like Vasey – a public and mocking humiliation.
Robin foiled the Sheriff's scheme to expose his nobles' disloyalty; he pinned Vasey's robes to a wooden table with two errorless arrows; and then the brazen Locksley dealt the coup de gras – dangling his Lord Sheriff from the rafters in the great hall of his very own castle! The outlawed earl then mocked the Sheriff shouting: "An audience with the sheriff has been…suspended!" The triumph punctuated with the cheekiest of smiles from the victor accompanied by loud and very public laughter. When news of this latest mortification spread as far south as London, Robin Hood's life was forfeit.
The best victory of the day for the dashing people's hero was his perfectly timed rescue of Sir Edward which subsequently exposed the faux king and saved his lady love from a dishonest wedding. But these spectacular successes brought only fleeting happiness as the dark hand of fate cast it shadow.
Marian's much-loved father, Sir Edward of Knighton took ill. The dampness of the cold nights and dewy mornings aggravated the former sheriff's aching joints and invaded his lungs; the resulting cough was quickly worsening. The elderly lord had neither the will nor physical strength to defend against the assault inside his body or the one to be waged by the Sheriff. His daughter, concerned only with his health, feared he would certainly die living in the forest.
Unwilling to entrust her father's care to the good sisters of Rufford Abbey, Marian took the veil of a novice to oversee Edward's recuperation; her sense of duty and devotion prevented her from leaving his side. Despite his best efforts, Robin was unable to convince her to stay with him; she insisted sanctuary was the only option.