AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“…the right honorable John, Prince of all Britain, Lord of Ireland, and Count of Poitou…”
“Every title but king,” I observed dryly.
“Soon,” the prince muttered. “Very, very soon.”
“…His Excellency the prince has proclaimed the following sentence for the outlaw, Robynne Hood. He — er, she —”
Half the women in the crowd rolled their eyes.
“—she shall be hanged until dead, with her body to remain hanging for three days in warning to those who may mimic her dastardly crimes. Afterward, she shall be drawn and quartered, then cast into a fire. May God have mercy on her soul.”
Gasps went out from the public, and many made the sign of the cross in the air.
Robynne didn’t so much as frown. She simply looked at Bess and the children, then at the sheriff. I was deaf to whatever mind-talk they exchanged, but it was easy enough to imagine her telling him, It’s not worth it. We can’t risk the children.
I fingered the knife hidden up my sleeve. Maybe if I struck the prince down now, it would catch everyone off guard and foil Lady Thornton’s backup plans.
But I could see her fingers clutch the torch attentively, and the guard with a knife to Tom’s throat was itching to act too.
Prince John made a grand gesture and called out to the crowd. “People of Nottingham, mark this day. Let the word spread throughout my lands, and let this criminal be a lesson to all my subjects.”
Robynne snorted and called back in a strong, steady voice.
“Ah, but these are not your lands, nor your people. They are the king’s.”
A ripple of approval went through the crowd, though the prince sneered.
“The king? The king does not serve his people. He abandoned them for the Crusades, only to be captured for his folly. How does that serve his people?”
Angry mumbles went through the crowd, but they shushed to hear Robynne’s reply.
“Indeed, the king has neglected his people. But let us not examine him in his absence. Let us examine you, Prince. What have you done to serve the people? Nothing. On the contrary, you levy oppressive taxes. You allow gangs to terrorize the people in your name while lawlessness spreads.”
The prince laughed. “You, a bandit, calling me lawless?”
She nodded firmly. “Yes, because we serve the people in the name of our rightful king, Richard. Yes, we take from the rich — but we give to the poor, or we save for His Majesty’s ransom. How much have you collected?”
Jeers broke out as Prince John hemmed and hawed.
“My only regret is not to live to see the day our king returns and justice is dealt.” With that, Robynne turned to the crowd. “Who is the criminal here, and who is the one who serves you? Not him, I say. Not you, Prince.”
An old man pointed at the prince. “Not you. Not you.”
A group of young men chimed in, and soon, the chant boomed across the square, punctuated by fingers that stabbed the air.
“Not you! Not you!”
The more voices joined the chant, the more frightening it became. Prince John shrank back.
Every man, woman, and child in the crowd joined in, making the war-horses that had arrived late throw their heads and stamp their feet.
Ha. Let the prince’s men feel the wrath of the people. Let them see the future that awaited them.
My heart swelled with hope. If the crowd grew unruly enough, Robynne might have a chance to escape. Bess and her children, too. Maybe even me.
But Lady Thornton, damn her, must have anticipated the same. At a snap of her fingers, one of her archers lit an arrow from her torch, then sent it flying over the heads of the crowd. With a hard thunk, it buried itself in the frame of the gallows, right beside Robynne, who didn’t so much as flinch.
Once again, I dearly wished I’d had a chance to get to know her. Surely she, like Willa, was a woman I could relate to.
