"I should like to participate in inflicting misery upon him if I can." Guy smiled.
As the Sheriff and Guy walked along the torch lit corridors of the south wing of the castle, the Sheriff finally asked the question that he purposely waited for the right time to mention.
"What news of your lady, Guy?"
"She has not yet awakened, cousin." Guy replied as he looked over at the Sheriff.
"Did you send for Thomas Crumwell, my personal physician?" the Sheriff asked.
"Yes. He's seen to her every day since we arrived."
"My lady wishes to see her, Guy. Is that alright with you?"
"You may both see her." Guy replied. "You will be her family. If she would ever awaken so that I may ask her for her hand!" he exclaimed in frustration.
"She will, cousin." The Sheriff reassured him.
They soon came upon another of the Sheriff's guards. The Sheriff stopped to speak with him, instructing him to bring Lady Rhiannon to his Lieutenant's private chambers. The guard obeyed and the Sheriff and Guy proceeded directly there.
Half an hour later, the Sheriff and Guy were inside of Guy's private chambers. Lady Meridwyn lay supine on the bed, pale in a whisper white gown, covered in pale pink sheets of silk. Even lying there as ill as she was, she was a vision with her fiery curly tresses falling down upon her lily white shoulders. Mortianna was at the bedside, offering sips of batwing tea and wiping Lady Meridwyn's brow with a dampened cloth. The guard announced Lady Rhiannon's arrival. Guy nodded and motioned his hand toward him in a gesture for the guard to bring her inside the chamber. The Sheriff cast his eyes to the doorway, and followed his path of vision along with his lady, as she slowly walked in. She never took her eyes off of Meridwyn, oblivious to every other person in the room with her. He quickly looked to Guy. Guy swallowed. This was the first time he'd ever seen Lady Rhiannon in good health. She had such grace about her.
The Sheriff looked again to Rhiannon. She was dressed in a mint green gown, her hair pulled back loosely behind her. Loose tendrils from her shiny hair danced around her face as she glided gracefully toward the bed. She got near to the bed and took Meridwyn's hand. Mortianna moved aside to the other side of the room. Then Lady Rhiannon gently seated herself on the bed beside Meridwyn, and with her other hand she gently stroked Meridwyn's forehead.
"Dear Meridwyn, my friend." She swallowed. "You are like my sister." She whispered as her eyes glossed over forcing her to bite her lip and blink away a tear. She bent down closer then and lowered her voice. "You silly goose! We shall truly be sisters if you would only wake up! How could he not ask for your hand now?" She raised herself up and cleared her throat.
"It's my fault, Meridwyn." She said softly. "It was I who planted the seed, the foolish notion to search for our lovers. If I hadn't been so selfish, you'd be perfectly fine!" she placed her hands around Meridwyn's and slowly raised them up to her lips and kissed them. "Forgive me." She whispered. Then she slowly turned around to face Guy and the Sheriff. Looking at Guy she said quietly: "Forgive me." Then she looked back down to her friend.
Guy walked toward her and Rhiannon slowly stood beside the bed. She kept her head down with her hands clasped in front of her. Guy stopped a foot away from her.
"Lady Rhiannon." He said. She slowly looked up. He was tall but not as tall as the Sheriff. With long dark hair, dark brown eyes, and tiny silver wires gleaming in his earlobes. He was dressed very much like her Sheriff, in garbs of black leather. Except there was an eagle elegantly painted on the leather across his chest.
"I've heard your voice near to me before." Rhiannon said as she met his eyes. "When I was ill. You were there weren't you?"
"Some of the time, yes, milady. Assisting my cousin with whatever he needed from me at the time."
"We were taken by surprise." Rhiannon began, changing the topic. "He shot an arrow at us. It hit Meridwyn's horse - she was thrown when the horse kicked up!" She looked back down towards the floor and said: "It is my fault."
"No. You helped to save her. You wounded the outlaw." Guy said.
The Sheriff watched Lady Rhiannon from his vantage point with his arms folded against the wall. He could see that she truly cared for Lady Meridwyn. She was quite affected by it. Lady Rhiannon always kept a hardened exterior, just like him. He'd never really witnessed her cry. There were many times in his presence where she should have cried, but she wouldn't. Yet, this time, for once she appeared quite close to tears. He could no longer stand back as a quiet observer. He advanced toward her, and extended his hand out to her to gently touch her shoulder as he drew nearer to her.
"My lady. Don't take this upon yourself." The Sheriff said. "It will be okay."
"No!" she blurted out. She was overcome with emotion and later regretted the words that henceforth tumbled past her lips. "How can you promise she will be alright? Look at her!" she exclaimed as she pointed toward the bed. "She is white as death! She's clearly not okay and it is my fault!" she cried.
The Sheriff and Guy looked at each other, then at her, both of them incredulous when she added: "You must punish me!"
"No." Guy said.
"My lady! What are you muttering about?" the Sheriff demanded, grabbing both of her shoulders in an attempt to control her.
"You must punish me!" Rhiannon shouted. "I stole your horses!" Then the tears began to tumble down her cheeks as she angrily wiped them away. She broke free and paced about the room in front of Guy and the Sheriff's astonished faces and let the words flow from her rapidly and without thought.
"It was I who plotted for us to leave the castle to search for you both." Rhiannon began. She pointed over to Meridwyn lying on the bed. "She just went along with it! I stole the horses! I stole your dagger too!" she said as she shot a glance at the Sheriff. "If she dies, it is my fault. I should be punished for it." She whispered.
The Sheriff walked toward her wordlessly. As he neared close, just a few inches away from her, he stopped. She stood there quietly with her eyes downcast, breathing rapidly and trembling. He embraced her then and she rested her head against his chest and quietly began to weep. He stroked her hair and whispered calming words to quiet her. Guy came toward them.
"Lady Rhiannon." He spoke. Rhiannon released herself from the Sheriff's embrace to look at him, wiping her face with the back of her hand. He continued. "She is going to get well. She must. And when she does, she is to be my wife." He said quietly.
Rhiannon smiled. "Meridwyn told me all about you, Guy. One of the first things she mentioned was that you were my lover's cousin. Yet she was quick to add you were indeed more like brothers." She sighed. "You know, I wasn't granted a sister. So I naturally expected to be granted two sisters in law by my dear brothers. Alas, they were both taken from me. A year ago, I was alone. And now, I have family." She smiled.
The Sheriff looked at her proudly and grasped her hand. Guy smiled back at her.
"Indeed." Guy said. "We are family."
Mortianna was back at the bedside quietly tending to Lady Meridwyn. She gave them a few moments to themselves before she decided to break up the party. She advanced toward the three of them and startled them somewhat when she spoke.
"My Lord Sheriff, I'm pleased to see that you and your lady have returned home safely. Now, I ask all of you to grant us some peace. The lady requires quiet."
"Indeed. Very well, then." The Sheriff replied. He nodded to Guy, then turned to Lady Rhiannon.
"Come my lady. There's something I wish to show you." He said smiling at her. He lead her through the door and they continued on through the long corridors.
"My Lord." She said as they walked together. "She doesn't look good." A beat. "It's not good – is it?" She stopped and put her hand on the wall beside her to steady herself. She was frightened for Lady Meridwyn.
The Sheriff stopped and took both of her hands in his. "My lady, when you were ill just weeks ago, you appeared in a worsened state than she. And look at you now?" he smiled. "I will see to it that Guy has access to the best care for her. Everything is being done for Lady Meridwyn."
She smiled weakly then turned to continue walking. The Sheriff followed her lead, then offered her his arm. She took it with both of her hands.
"What is it you wish to show me?" she asked him.
"It is a gift." He replied.
"A gift?"
"Yes. Now come. It's just through that door up ahead on the left." He reached into his pocket once they arrived at the door and pulled out a key. Within a few moments he unlocked it and pushed the door open. He held her hand and lead her inside.
The room had an estate feel to it. There was a large carved mahogany desk placed in front of the window, with a stately ornate high backed chair behind it. Torches lit the room everywhere, and there was a variety of paintings on the walls.
"What is this?" Rhiannon asked as she slowly circled from one spot taking in the expanse of the room.
"This is technically my office. Lately however, I've been spending my time in the Council Quarters. It's very dreary in here. Alas, I can accomplish much more in more comfortable surroundings."
"Then why are we here?" the corners of her mouth turned up in a grin. "A tryst?" she asked.
He chuckled. "No. Take a seat, Rhiannon."
"There is but only one. At your desk." She pointed out.
"Indeed. Take it, my lady." The Sheriff instructed.
Rhiannon walked around in back of the desk and took her place in the Sheriff's chair behind it.
The Sheriff walked over toward the wall on the north side of the room, to the left of where Rhiannon was seated. There were several torches ensconced along it giving the room a warm glow, albeit dim. He found a particular block of stone set into the wall and he gently pushed on it. What happened next completely surprised her. The wall gave way and separated, sliding to each side, opening to reveal another chamber behind it. Rhiannon arose from her seat, her eyes wide and face incredulous over what she just witnessed.
"What is this, my Lord?"
"The vault." He said. "Or rather, one of them." He entered in and found a small chest on one of the shelves. He dusted it off and brought it out of the vault carrying it toward the desk. He placed it on the table. Rhiannon looked at the small wooden chest, then up at him curiously. The Sheriff produced a key out of no where and inserted it into the lock on the chest. It creaked when the lid was lifted. She peered inside. The box was lined in rich purple velvet. Her vision was assaulted by light reflecting from the myriad shiny objects nestled within. She blinked to focus her eyes better. They were jewels. She slowly looked up at the Sheriff and shook her head.
"What?" she whispered.
The Sheriff reached inside and immediately extracted the object he came for.
"Be seated." He said to her quietly. She sat back down and looked intently at him. Wondering what this was all about.
He went around the desk and crouched down before her. "My lady." He began. "When I asked for your hand, though I had given the matter much thought, I was rather unprepared. Alas, I've been remiss." He took her left hand and raised it up to his lips and kissed it. Then he produced a band of gold encrusted with brilliant diamonds and rubies and placed it gently upon her ring finger.
"This ring belonged to my mother. It was given to me many years after she died. I've always known that if I ever found a maid who was special enough for me to choose as my wife, this would be her engagement ring."
"My Lord, it is exquisite." She said softly as she looked at it, then up at him. "Your mother's ring…"
"Yes. But now it is yours."
"You really want me to have this? It is an heirloom."
"You shall be my wife. Yes, I want you to have it. Perhaps it will have more meaning to me seeing it upon your finger, instead of being locked away buried deep within a wall where nobody but me may look upon it." He took a breath and held her hands in his. "I have no memory of seeing it on my mother's hand. Alas, I do not remember her. But I am certain, though I never knew her, that this is what she would wish for me to do." He smiled.
"Thank you, my Lord. That you would trust me with this, gives it special meaning to me as well." She smiled.
"Then you accept it?"
"Yes, my Lord." She replied. "I accept." She embraced him, and kissed him tenderly. Just as he was beginning to forget where he was she broke free and stood up. She walked around to the front of the desk and placed her hands on her face.
"Oh, I wish I could run and tell Meridwyn right now. I should like to show this to her, she'd be most interested to see it!"
"Yes, I'm sure she would." The Sheriff agreed, amused by how animated she suddenly became. This gave him new hope for the success of his plan.
"I hope she awakens soon." Rhiannon said. "I should not have said what I did. I fear I've only caused your cousin to worry more about her."
"No, I don't think you did, my lady. Instead it just showed him how much you care for her, I'm certain of it. I'm sure she'll eventually waken, my love. And when she does, she has a surprise awaiting her too."
"You mean Guy's proposal?"
"Yes. Though I'm sure it won't come as much of a surprise since they've been together almost as long as a married couple anyway. My cousin has been holding onto his mother's ring to give to his bride too."
"He has?"
"Yes. Our mothers both died when we were very young. He was given his mother's ring as well to hold in safekeeping."
"She will be very happy. She loves him so." Rhiannon said.
"For a good many years, neither of us thought we'd take a wife." The Sheriff stated.
"I'm glad you changed your mind."
The Sheriff smiled. As he did light danced in his eyes. She was warmed in that moment. So content. Even though she'd been trying to fight it, and even in this darkened dreary room, she had to admit - she felt at home.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The prisoner shuffled restlessly in his confined space. His arms were strained but most of the time he was oblivious to the pain, since he had so much time to lend contemplation to his next chess move. Even in his situation, he had ways of staying a chess move ahead, if he would make the right move. And now that he understood his opponent's plan, he knew exactly what to do next. Indeed. The Sheriff's plan…
So, the Sheriff was planning to torment him for awhile before killing him? That was apparent, the Sheriff admitted it. Splendid! That would give him plenty of time to formulate a plan. He smiled. The Sheriff appeared rather disturbed by the mention of the points about his lady. He would continue this banter. The Fallen Knight grinned because he knew better than anyone that there were ways of sprinkling subtleties into conversations without making them appear too noticeable. Like an unspoken code that transferred into torment into one's mind. Just enough subtleties resulting in torment to further his plan to send the Sheriff to madness. The Sheriff wanted to play this game? He could endure it. Most of the time he existed on charm and mind manipulation. That was how the entire process began. When he began his mission to torment the Sheriff, and on a whim, stole himself under disguise into Nottingham Castle, having knowledge of the layout from the fateful day in autumn 1194. He charmed his way past the guards stationed outside of the Sheriff's consort's quarters. Why these two wenches, in his mind - the Sheriff's consorts, the Mistresses Catherine and Hecate, were granted guards to protect them, he could not begin to understand. But he was able to get past them. The guards, the two wenches thresholds, and later their fear. It was charm, and a process he learned of mind control. These were some of his gifts. In his tormented mind, this was how he perceived it to be.
And this gift he had within him, was going to prove itself a very blessed thing indeed. Because here and now in the predicament he was faced in, it was the only thing that was going to work in his favour. He was going to use it for certain to send the Sheriff insane. However, the first thing he was going to use his gift of charm and mind manipulation on would be the guards in the Sheriff's employ, right outside of his isolated cell door. At any point of contact. And as he thought about this, there was a familiar face appearing at the small window on the locked door of his cell. It was Hector, the young blond guard who protected him from Guy of Gisborne.
"I brought you food." The guard announced as he opened the door and entered in. He placed the tray on a high table up near to the prisoner's face, obviously unwilling to unchain the prisoner's hands.
"It would indeed be easier if you would unchain me." The Fallen Knight said.
"You know I'm not permitted." Hector stated.
"Then would you permit me to have my hood?" the prisoner asked.
"I cannot grant anything but the basic necessities without discussing the matter with the Sheriff."
The prisoner smiled at him.
Hector sighed. "Uhm, some of us have been wondering. Forgive me if this is too personal…" He immediately chastised himself for expressing any sentiment of concern. "but, what exactly happened to your uh…"
"Face?" the prisoner completed the phrase for him.
"Yes." The guard replied uncomfortably. The prisoner sensed this accurately.
"Why don't you ask your Lord Sheriff about it. He can tell you."
"What?" Hector asked, surprised somewhat, though he knew how the Sheriff used to be.
"It was he who caused it."
"The Sheriff wouldn't be so cruel."
The prisoner laughed for very long moment. "You jest! He murdered my father, my brother, many people of this village. You must have been there. Spare me your dear hearts Sheriff sentiments." He hissed. "I have no patience for it."
"Yes." Hector said, wondering why he was lingering so long to give the prisoner any ear to his irrational words. Yet he couldn't move from where he stood.
"What hold does he have over you?" the prisoner asked suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.
"None." He stated, then added nervously "I've lingered too long. I really must be going."
"Indeed. If you will consider the request to grant me my hood - it would be rewarded."
The Guard nodded weakly, in a moment of self doubt, and quickly exited the prisoner's cell. Immediately uncomfortable by his unexplained willingness to momentarily converse with the man he knew to be a murderer held in the dungeon by the order of the Sheriff.
The Fallen Knight smiled. He wasn't attempting to accomplish the granting of his request all in that moment. It was necessary to chip away at one's mind in little bits, in separate moments in time. Like a sculptor chipping away at stone gradually over time to reveal an art form, so was his work art. He would work on the guard slowly yet efficiently. He had to get the guard to follow another request, one that would go along with the hood that he knew the guard would eventually bring to him. He would grant that request. The Fallen Knight was as certain of it as there was a day and a night. The plan came as soon as he mentioned the hood to the guard. An added touch was when the guard inquired about his face. Why should the guard care at all what happened to his face? He was a prisoner? It was amusing how some things were coming together rather splendidly, despite the cursed predicament he currently found himself to be in. Just like the day he managed to charm his way out the Sheriff's dungeon three years ago. To freedom he thought. Little did he know then, he would suffer a worse fate than the hangman's noose – the fate he was destined for if not for his release. He wasn't finished. In no way was he finished with this game. He would keep reminding himself of the reasons that brought him here to this moment in time. There was work to be done.
