Disclaimer: I do not own BBC Robin Hood; only my original characters Lady Sofia and Quentin

AN: Not sure I'm 100% happy with this chapter. I had a lot of ideas of how to end the Sheriff but decided that simplicity was best in the end. Still not sure though, maybe it sounds a bit rushed :S ~ Zyii

Chapter Thirteen

THIRTEEN

After his talk with Much, Robin was eager to find Sofia and reveal everything but by the time he'd realised his feelings she was already back at the castle. Robin didn't feel that it was right for him to march up to the castle and declare his feelings straight away, also there was that little known fact of him being an outlaw…so he couldn't exactly walk up and openly declare his feelings regardless.

Robin felt like he had been given a second chance at happiness. His feelings for Marion had not been forgotten but were no longer holding him back from Sofia. He felt incredibly happy with Sofia and foolish for believing Kate again. He had lost Sofia once and wasn't about to do it again. He was sure that Marion would want him to move on and wouldn't begrudge him the happiness he had. He felt hopeful that soon he could ask her an important question. Robin had high hopes indeed for the future but his wonderings never made it to Nottingham castle.

Time, for Robin, seemed to pass incredibly slowly. It felt like months had passed since he last lay eyes on Sofia yet it had only been a few days, He longed to take Sofia in his arms and whisper sweet nothings to her, he ached to kiss her sweet lips and wanted to be the sole keeper of her fragile heart. It was his own cowardness that was keeping him from seeing her. In his mind he argued that he was waiting for the right moment and that he wanted it to be special but he knew in his heart that he was afraid. Afraid that after all this time and after everything that had happened, she would not want him.

He had all but made up his mind to got to Nottingham and confront his feelings when he got waylaid by and incredibly excited Will. Dazed Robin turned around 'Will what's going on?'

However it seemed Will was too excited to talk for he merely gestured for Robin to follow him into the camp. Late that night the most brilliant of plans were made under the light of the moon.

[BREAK]

Sofia ran into the main hall her hair flying wildly behind her. She panted out of breath and tried to calm the blush on her cheeks.

'Lady Sofia what is wrong?' asked the Sheriff worry immediately engulfing him.

'Locksley Sheriff, Hood, outlaws, danger' her jumbled words made little sense but had the Sheriff barking orders at the guards nonetheless.

'My Lady you should stay here where it is safe' he said.

Sofia summoned her inner strength before she said 'Sheriff were I to trust my safely to you I would have been dead weeks ago. Must I remind you that you are still here by my hand only. Considering you have already misplaced Gisbourne and lost the taxes, I should very much like to see how you handle this situation. Bare in mind that the outcome of today will rest very heavily on the consideration of you remaining Sheriff of Nottingham...'

'Yes My Lady' replied the Sheriff meekly and fearfully.

Close to half an hour later a group consisting of ten guards, the Sheriff of Nottingham and Lady Sofia arrived in Locksley. The Sheriff dismounted his horse in disbelief, Sofia in shock. It seemed the entire inhabitants of Locksley were gathered off to the side of the village in a tight bunch. Their heads were bent towards the ground and their hands were behind their backs. Robin Hood's men stood scattered around, serious expressions on their faces and weapons in their hands. In the middle of the imaginary courtyard stood a prize, a chest full of gold coins. It was conveniently placed in the middle of a large circle of mud...Robin Hood stood beside the chest with a smug look upon his face.

'Ahh Sheriff, so nice of you to join us. Fella's get her!' shouted Robin.

For the Sheriff things happened too quickly. One minute he had been standing in shock and with the next blink of his eye Lady Sofia had been taken hostage by two of Hood's men and the guards were ready for battle. The Sheriff stuttered at the scene before him fearfully. On one hand there was the gold treasure to rescue and on the other hand there was a captive Lady Sofia.

'Listen very carefully Sheriff. Soon the King will return to England and you are now standing in a darkened light. Will you rescue your precious Lady Sofia or take the treasure and run' asked Robin.

The Sheriff swept his beady eyes over the treasure to Lady Sofia and back again, the strain of the pressure he was under started to show as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Sofia managed to bite the hand covering her mouth and it briefly disappeared 'think carefully Sheriff, should you chose the treasure, there is not a rock nor a hole where you may hid from me. I will find you' she said viciously.

'Oh your master has spoken Sheriff' taunted Robin 'now what have you decided?'

The Sheriff weighed the two sides in his head. On the first the treasure did look very tempting and the Sheriff was sure that he was looking at his stolen taxes but he feared Lady Sofia's words and was sure she would hunt him down if he chose the treasure over her. Then on the other hand there was Lady Sofia herself who had proven herself a worthy ruler of the throne and had a delightfully vicious streak within her that rivalled that of Prince John.

After many moments of deliberation the Sheriff decided that he'd rather have both. The Sheriff thought he was being very clever. As he spoke loudly and clearly to Hood that he had chosen Lady Sofia he motioned for a couple of guards to begin making their way slowly and carefully towards the treasure. He felt he had almost got away with it when one of the guards nearest the treasure got shot down by an arrow and Lady Sofia was taken captive once more.

The Sheriff panicked.

'Ah, ah, ah Sheriff that was not the choice I placed before you' said Robin from his place behind Sofia 'I told you to chose either the treasure or Lady Sofia' he said. He didn't loosen his grip on Lady Sofia and the Sheriff momentarily wondered if he'd been too foolish.

The Sheriff was now surrounded by Hood's men and the guards were half-heartedly trying to retrieve him.

'What shall we do with him Lady Sofia? What ending does your greatest servant deserve?' he asked mockingly.

'Why don't we tell him the truth?' murmured Sofia.

Hood looked longingly into her eyes as they shared a moment and on impulse she reached up and dragged him into a rather passionate kiss. The Sheriff stood there gobsmacked as he watched the scene unfold. He thought he was out of the woods when the grip on his arms was replaced from Hood's men to the grip of the guards. However the guards grip didn't become slack at all, in fact it just got tighter. The Sheriff suddenly realised that he was perhaps not in the situation he originally thought he was. He tried to open his mouth to speak but found it dry and was only able to make a raspy sound.

'Sorry to break it to you Sheriff but you've been played and really well I might add' said Robin smugly.

'How on earth did you believe that I was Prince John's successor? I mean really you didn't even make the connection between my name and the late Princess of England?' she mocked.

The Sheriff opened and closed his mouth several times but no sound came out.

'Please the Princess never died and she never disappeared. She was kidnapped by her brother but then you already knew that didn't you. I'm surprised you didn't recognise me but then I have changed over the years. You've been a naughty boy haven't you Sheriff. I gave you a chance to redeem yourself but you are far too greedy for your own good and are far too eager to please your superiors' she said.

'You're Princess Sofia?' asked the Sheriff regaining his voice at last.

'Oh good boy, you worked it out' she said mockingly 'so this is how it is going to go down. You had many chances to redeem yourself over the years but you didn't take any of the chances and now we've come to the end of the road. In three days my brother will be returning to England and Nottingham will be his first port of call. I made Nottingham my special project to turn around you see because I believe that incredible people live here. So you have a choice, either you follow the commands I set before you or you enjoy a long and luxurious stay in a prison designed especially for you' she said.

'I will never follow vermin like you, the country needs a firm hand to rule it and Prince John was that hand, people don't do well with freedom, they need to be controlled' cried the Sheriff.

'I see, well you answered the question, I hope you enjoy your extended stay in prison. Oh and Sheriff, just to let you know, it was me who killed Prince John' she said sweetly.

She watched with triumph as the Sheriff was carted off by several of her guards and sent on his way to the specialised prison she'd had built for the Sheriff. Though she had killed Prince John she wasn't by nature an evil person and though he had done many torturous things, it was not by her hand that he would end his days.

It was perhaps an anti-climax the way Sofia handled the situation with the Sheriff. Many probably thought she would have made a bigger spectacle of the Sheriff or perhaps maim him in some way. However Sofia knew that she would never stoop to the level of the Sheriff. She knew he would receive his just rewards in the place he was now travelling to and he would do well to learn the error of his ways.

The fact that Sofia had ousted herself as Princess Sofia of England didn't go unnoticed by the occupants of Locksley and soon after the news spread to Nottingham and the surrounding villages. It was a day of much celebration and excitement.

Robin and Sofia took this chance to indulge in their feelings for each other, there was no big fanfare or exclamation just two people quietly declaring their love for each other.

There was however a bigger question that Robin wished to ask.

'Were you serious when you said the King would be returning in three days?' asked Robin.

Sofia nodded 'I got the letter this morning' she said happily.

'Then there is something I would ask of you Sofia' said Robin.

'Under this blessing of the King's quick return, will you marry me?'

Sofia smiled brightly 'nothing would give me greater pleasure' she replied.