Yes, Sir Guy

More Than One

I stood in a chamber room. I remember the Sheriff building it over that last few weeks. I hadn't thought anything of it till now. It was barely lit, but it wasn't light enough ot see everyone in the room. Well. at least their outlines since they were all dressed in black robes. I stood just behind Sir Guy on his left next to a spinning wheel with rope that led to the ceiling and banners that hung in the middle of the room. Davina, the Sheriff's sister, stood on the other side of the wheel. The Sheriff turned from the window and looked around at everyone in the room.

"My friends!" He exclaimed in a slight whispered tone. He held up his arms and the robed figures sat down in the chairs behind them. "Our time has come." He put his hands into fists and arms a crossed his chest. He was starting to creep me out. "King Richard is marching on Jerusalem. By the time the year is out, he will be home. So, Operation Sharmat must move to the next phase. Mobilize your men, bring me for bids for funding, we must be ready. Wherever King Richard lands on English soil, we must be there to greet him, to embrace him." He wrapped his arms around himself. He looked down at his arms in surprise. "Oh! Oh, the King is dead." My heart felt like it had stopped. I didn't like what the Sheriff and these men were planning. "Long live the King." the Sheriff said jokingly. "So, meanwhile, today's entertainment. He started walking around the room. "My friends, allow me to introduce, from high lord to low criminal, from nobel to nothing, from rank to skank, from hero to zero..." he snapped his fingers and the banners in the middle of the room fell to the floor. "Robin Hood." the men applauded. I watched as Hood twisted around the room, being hung by his wrists. "Welcome to me new chamber Hood. We are the Black Knights." Sheriff kissed his ring and held it to the air.

"Why so coy, Vaizey?" Robin asked. "Why not call yourselves the traitors? And Operation Sharmat, why not just call it checkmate? Or better yet, kill the King?"

"Oh very clever."

"The taxes, the money you've raised..."

"What did you think? I was going to buy myself a new rug? You don't know me at all Hood. Myself and my friends have no interest in money, it's for an army of mercenaries. We want power. Between us we will run the new England. We are the new England."

"Well, then God help us."

"Yes, well, God is the only one that can help you now. Shame. I rather enjoyed our little skirmishes. Davina..." she walked over to the Sheriff and stared up at Robin Hood. Davina snapped her fingers and eight guards walked to the middle of the room and removed the floor that was beneath Robin Hood. I leaned forward and saw snakes, my guess was that they were poisonous snakes. They hissed and Hood started to take in quicker breaths. I pulled back and Sir Guy looked down at me. I swallowed hard and just stared at Robin in front of me. "Death by ranging." The Sheriff said and laughed with his sister. He walked over to the wheel that sat next to Sir Guy and I.

"Inch by inch Hood. You'll be lowered to your death." he pulled out a notch that held the wheel from spinning and It let some rope out and dropped Robin the slightest bit closer to the snakes. He walked towards him a few steps. "My friend, Sir Guy would like to ask you a question before we say goodbye." I looked over at him. Sir Guy grabbed Hood's bow that had been sitting behind the wheel and walked over to stand in front of Hood. The Sheriff walked over to where Sir Guy had stood. He bounced where he stood. "I think this is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Don't you think?" he looked over at me. I didn't know what to expect. I saw Sir Guy's face. It was full of hatred and desperation, but desperation for what?

"Tell me, Hood, who is the Nightwatchman?" If only he had listened to me I could tell him. I had been trying to for the last week but when I brought up the time around the potentially wedding he shut me down. The mention of Marian in anyway and he would just glare at me, which shut me up pretty quick.