"Sable, get up now!" I woke up to yelling and pounding on my door. "Sable!"
"One moment, let me get dressed!" I called, slipping out of bed and into the nearest dress. Moments after I got some shoes on my door was forced open. I quickly sat down and grabbed my brush.
"When I knock, I expect that you will answer it!"
"Sheriff, please understand, I was not presentable," I ran the brush through my long locks.
"Does it look like I care?" he was angered, which seemed to be an everyday occurrence around here.
"What can I do for you, sheriff?" my voice stayed calm, even though on the inside my anger was at an all time high.
"Finish getting ready, we're going to get your brother," he sneered, looking into my mirror so he could see my face. "Let's see," he leaned closer to me and grabbed the hand that I was brushing my hair with. "What your willing to do to save your dear brother,"
"Sheriff, please," I turned to face him, only to have his face right in my own.
"And I hear that you didn't enjoy the entertainment yesterday, hmm, what should we do about that?"
"Please, I'm almost ready, I just need to finish my hair,"
"Then I'll wait here, don't want you running off now, do we?" I turned around, facing the mirror and finished brushing my hair, putting it in a simple braid. "Finally ready are we not?" I nodded, wanting him to get out of my chamber. "Now, my lady, we shall be on our way."
He escorted me to the courtyard was. There was Sir Guy and many soldiers, along with two horses saddled, one being Summer. "Thank you," I spoke to the soldier who helped me get on Summer. I had to ride the entire journey between Guy, who was on my left, and the sheriff, who was on my right, so I couldn't escape.
When we arrived to Locksley, the sheriff sent the soldiers into people's homes to drag them out. "I have come to visit Robin of Locksley, only to find him not home. Perhaps one of you would like to inform me about his whereabouts. He and I need to have a little chat." While he was talking I could not help but to look at the villagers, who had so much fear in them. "Nobody knows, nobody knows, then there will be a reward. Shall we say twenty pounds? And then all of the sudden, somebody does know."
"Loosen your tongues or lose them!" Sir Guy shouted, making all of us suddenly jump.
They sent a soldier to grab a villager, "Cut out his tongue and one an hour until somebody talks."
"Sheriff, please, this is not the way!" I shouted,watching another soldier put the shears into the man's mouth.
"Quiet!" his hand collided with my cheek and I fell to the ground as the villagers gasped. The man let out a scream as the soldiers cut out his tongue, and I sat there, looking at the ground. "Stand up!" I was pulled up to stand by the sheriff's chair.
"Get some wine," Guy told me, sending me on my way, "You, go with her, stop her if she tries to escape." It took me a while, but I came back with the wine and two glasses. The soldier handed them each their glass as I filled it with wine.
"Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Have I told you I can't taste wine?" He told Sir Guy. "I don't have the palette for it." I could tell Guy was getting annoyed by the sheriff. Then all of the sudden, the sheriff dumps his wine onto the ground. I felt bad for the villagers because I knew that they were thirsty since they were in sunlight and not allowed to move.
I was handed the cups back and told to put them away in the manor. As I was getting back I heard the bell ringing signalling the start of another hour. I made my way back slowly now, despite my love for the villagers, I could not stand being there. I knew I could not protect them, and I could not stand to see them harmed. Of course, when I got back to the group, the sheriff had grabbed a woman who was a single parent of a young boy. The sheriff did not know that nor would he care, if I told him, he would go after the boy.
She kept shouting and begging. "Sheriff, please!" I begged for her. "Please!" I turned to the soldiers, "Let her go, she does not deserve this treatment!"
"You two," the sheriff pointed to two guards, "Grab her and make sure she watches." Right before they were going to cut out her tongue I watched the shears being hit away from the soldier's hands and then be broke in half.
"He's here," the sheriff looked around as I smiled.
"Good scheme, sheriff!" Robin was walking towards us. "Now, I wonder, can I claim the reward if I turn myself in? That would be a pound or so for each family here, enough to last the winter." I watched as my brother was tied to Gisborne's horse. Then being forced onto my own, having a rope tied around my hands so I could not easily get off. The sheriff climbed onto his own horse and grabbed Summer's reigns.
When we returned to Nottingham, my hands were untied and I climbed off Summer. "Bring her to her chamber!" the sheriff shouted as I was dragged away by guards. I sat in my chamber for an hour. "Let me see the sheriff," I told the guard, through my locked door. "I need to speak to him, bring me to the sheriff." I heard feet shuffling and after a while my door was unlocked and open. They tried to grab my arms, but I backed away. "I can walk myself," the took a step back and allowed me to leave my chamber and guided me to the sheriff's chamber.
"What was it that you needed to talk to me so desperately about?"
"I will tell you, alone," he looked at me then finally sent the soldiers on their way, as well as Guy.
"Now what was it," He sat down on a chair and looked up at me.
"Please release my brother, I will do anything." I knelt on the floor, looking at my hands. "Please, just release him, please,"
"You are a good sister, hmm, I need a wife, do I not?" He stood up and walk about this. "How about this? I will give your brother the chance to leave, but either way, you have to become my wife. Yes, that sounds fair, does it not?"
"Let me think about it, please."
"Maybe you don't love your brother as much as I thought," My thoughts went to my beloved king who was in the Holy Land, fighting, then my brother who would hang tomorrow.
"Fine, fine, you win!" he gave me a smug smile.
"Shall we go talk to your dear brother now?" He grabbed my arm and escorted me down to the dungeon. Right when we entered he told me to stay put as he followed the jailer to Robin's cell.
When the sheriff returned I was mad. "Those were not the terms,"
"Ah ah ah, you never made any terms about the villagers. He made his choice, so let us go, shall we?" He then dragged me up the steps and back to my chamber. "Grab what you need,"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, this is no longer your chamber!"
"My lord, we are not man and wife yet, I cannot and will not stay in your chamber!"
"You will do what I say, understand?" his grip tightened around my arm.
"Yes, my lord,"
"Good," he released me as I grabbed a nightgown, a dress for tomorrow, my brush, and my jewellery box.
"You won't be needing that," he went for the box.
"My lord, please, it is all I have of my family. It was my mother's, and is my prized possession."
"If you ever disobey me, this thing, will no longer be in existence, do you understand me?"
"Of course, my lord," he then grabbed everything in my hands and put it in an empty chest.
"Guard, bring this to my chamber!" He dragged me all the way to his chamber then threw me on the bed when we arrived. "I will be back later," then he walked out as the guard brought the chest.
The first hour I was in his chamber I simply sat there. The second I wandered around, looking at the birds that he had and anything I could find. The third hour I sat by the window, watching the sun start to lower in the sky, the fourth hour, I was asleep on the bed, curled into a ball.