Page 8 of The Wicked Prince

That made sense. Robin’s pounding heart started to slow. But that didn’t give her any reason to do it.

“I already gave you my answer. That hasn’t changed. I don’t know what ever made you think I would agree after what you’ve done to me. After what you’ve done to this country. I’d rather be dead than do anything to help you keep the throne, especially be married to you.”

“You’d ratheryoube dead, sure.” John shrugged, her words sliding right off him. A sharp glint entered his eyes, and she was falling through the air. “That much was clear. But have you thought about what will happen to your Merry Men then?”

His words hit her with a crack echoing in her ears.

The dread returned, rushing down her spine like ice. “Don’t you dare try to use them as leverage to manipulate me into marrying you.”

“Manipulate? I’m being completely honest about what your options are. If I execute you, I can’t just let them go. They’re as guilty as you are of the exact same crimes. Do you really think a trial will go in your favor? But… if you marry me, I can pardon them.” John leveled her with a look that was surprisingly honest. His voice softened as he said, “You’re a criminal, Robin. You can marry me, live, and become the people’s princess, or I can treat you like a criminal who has robbed the crown and you and your accomplices will suffer the consequences of your crimes.”

Robin hadn’t thought John was serious, so she’d never considered he would actually let them all live. It was her fault they were in this situation in the first place. She’d been the one to start the crusade against Prince John. She’d been the one who insisted she needed to talk Marian out of marrying Guy. The men hadn’t wanted to do either, but they’d done it all for her. They were the only reason she was alive. They followed her headfirst into her war, but they’d saved her long before that. She owed them all much more than her life.

“You really want to marry a woman of unknown origins who has spent the majority of her life running around the woods with a group of men who are not her blood relations?”

“The people who adore you don’t care about that. As long as they still sing ballads about you and don’t come for my head on a pike, I don’t care either.” John scoffed. “This isn’t a marriage about romance. I’m a prince. Not just that, I’m the bad seed, the evil scheming spare. Romance has never been on the table. I was always going to marry for power and politics.”

Robin eyed him. Was he being honest? Could she trust him? Terrible question. Of course she couldn’t. She flexed her left ankle against the shackles. But did she have any other choice she could live—or die—with?

“Look, I promise I will keep my hands to myself if you will. No trying to bite me or kill me or any violence and I’ll leave you alone too.”

That was a reasonable exchange.

“You’ll still be the villain in everyone’s eyes. They’ll say all kinds of things about how you forced me into this even if we pretend you didn’t. Marrying me won’t make them adore you.”

“I’ve been the subject of such derision my whole life.” John gave a short shrug as he leaned back in his seat. The way he said it… like everything people used to justify their hatred wasn’t true, and it didn’t bother him one bit. To be hated for things he didn’t even believe he’d done. “I just need enough of them to believe you’re willing. As long as they adore you enough to obey the crown, that’s good enough for me.”

Robin had heard the stories about him even as a child. Everyone knew that he was a bad seed. Rotten from birth. How else could a child be so cruel and wicked?

There were too many stories to count. For years Robin had heard them all passed around fires the way they passed around the food she poached and the taxes she stole back. Did she know Prince John had made servants three times his age cry with his sneer? Had she heard how when he was twelve he’d yelled at a little girl and made her fall out of a tree and break her leg? Could she believe he thought he would get away with it?

Robin had more than believed it.

The only reason he hadn’t gotten away with it was because she was noble, so the story went. Everyone said he was spoiled and lazy. Why else would a second born prince dress himself in purple and gold and more jewels than his elder brother and spend most of his time hiding in his room? He was a coward. Why else would he be in Lathe while his brother, the king, the one who had more of a right than anyone to avoid the fighting, put his life on the line to defend their borders?

That’s what everyone believed. There was no reason to believe anything else.

She also knew the stories about her. How the truth could inflate. Robin stealing from one tax wagon with five guards became three wagons with twenty-five guards. How people said she’d been born with a bow in one hand and righteousness in the other, claiming she’d been stealing and giving back as early as five. There were currently four villages claiming they were where the infamous Robin Hood was born—at least until Guy or the Sheriff had shown up, where they would then point them in another direction. Being a mythic figure came with a lot of myths.

If Robin really wanted to know her enemy… she needed to know just how deep his rot went. If she was ever going to truly make him pay for every injustice he’d committed, she couldn’t have doubts about any of them.

Robin knew her Merry Men would gladly die rather than see her do this.

But if she did, at least she bought their lives and maybe enough time to find a way out of this. And maybe she could get some answers for herself.

“Fine. You win. Let my men live and I’ll marry you.”

John grinned, leaning forward in his seat again. “See? That wasn’t so hard. We’ll make an honest woman of you yet, Robin Hood.”

Prince John might think he held all the cards, but Robin always kept a few up her sleeve.

Chapter4

Now the real day Prince John had been waiting for arrived. The day he married his righteous outlaw.

The second Robin had agreed, he’d wasted no time. He’d already had everything mostly in place anyway. He’d just been waiting to make it official. He’d had over five months to plan. The only thing in question was whether or not the bride would agree. Now that he had that, he didn’t want to give her enough time to reconsider. Not that he thought that was likely, considering the stakes if she didn’t go through with it.

Still, John had what he wanted and he wasn’t going to lose it.

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