[WATTYS2023 - GERMAN WINNER/Most Engaging World] ** Marian, a thieving nobleman's daughter with too big a heart, meets Robin Hood, a daring thief with a huge ego. Will they be able to overcome pain, longing, and, finally the cruel Sheriff of Notting...
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Nottinghamshire - Castle de Burgh Late Evening
The feast began so merrily and ended with a bitter taste and tears. When Earl De Burgh stopped in front of the door, guarded by two of the Sheriff's loyal men, his stomach was one rock of hard stone, and his heart equally heavy.
"Open the door," he commanded, his voice as dark as the shadows that shrouded the hallway and everyone's mood in the gloom.
The small room was hardly befitting a lady, yet it was undoubtedly better than the cold and dingy cells in the dungeon where any other prisoner would have ended up. Nevertheless, it remained what it was: a prison. Some nobles had spent their entire lives behind closed doors or walls after committing crimes.
When the Earl entered the room, Lady Marian de Burgh sat by the window in a simple chair. Her gaze was fixed in the distance, and the first thought that came to him was how much this image suited her and how much she resembled his beloved late wife.
Marian seemed out of place in a strange way wherever she went. It had always been that way once one looked more closely. It was in how upright she sat and jutted her chin instead of obediently keeping it lowered. When the nurse slapped her as punishment, Marian looked up, and even if there were tears in her eyes, they failed to hide the fire behind them that no slap or Bible verse could smother.
Sometimes the Earl had wondered if he should have been stricter. Was it his fault, and was it up to him? His wife had been remarkable too. Headstrong and stubborn, with the same light in her heart and eyes that could inspire others. Had Marian been born a man, she could have achieved great things. Where her way of thinking and living would have already caused problems for a simple, middle-class woman, it was an unavoidable doom for a nobleman's daughter. Earl De Burgh had always known this and had no heart to stop it.
And now she sat there like a delicate doll made of porcelain, in a noble dress and with finely combed hair - but with iron clamps around her legs and wrists. The metal clanged softly as she moved and turned to face the visitor, who had not come just to put down a tray of food.
"My child. I wish I could say I never imagined such a thing in my darkest dreams," he said softly, approaching his daughter. All night he had been awake - but not in paralyzed dismay or inaction. He had taken sides and tried to smooth the waters.
Gently, he put his hands on Marian's cheeks and bent to breathe a kiss on her forehead. "What you did was extremely brave. I know you were only trying to help. But did you have to go so far as to point the Arrow at the Sheriff?"
Marian closed her eyes. Her Father smelled of wood and fire; he had probably been brooding in front of the fireplace all night. Still, after a stirring night, his smell wrapped her up like a soothing blanket, stroking her troubled mind like comforting fingers. When something bothered him, he liked staying near the fire and staring thoughtfully into the dancing flames. The scent gave her a sense of permanence.
