Post by Maid Marian on Jun 20, 2019 16:46:55 GMT
[January 6-Open to any who might have cause to be in the castle]
As soon as he'd sorted out dealing with his rebellious brother, King Richard had set to work having Nottingham Castle rebuilt. Now, after it had been rebuilt, and she'd been given the honor of governing Nottingham herself, Marian had moved back into her old room, glad to be in familiar surroundings during these trying times. Without John's volatile presence, it was a comforting place, full of good memories.
This particular morning found her seated at her desk, poring over a ledger detailing Nottingham's finances, from income to expenses, while beside it sat another, smaller ledger, decorated with a stylized, golden-winged bird. The town had returned to its former prosperity rather quickly, now that its people weren't burdened by oppressive taxation enforced by a tyrannical hand. Much of the revenue went into taking care of local expenses, mainly maintenance and a few new building projects, and to her uncle Richard's treasury, of course.
A fair bit of the rest went into Nottingham's treasury, and household maintenance. And, secretly, some of it went to the Gilded Suns. That was the tricky part. It could never be too much so as to interfere with keeping things running in Nottingham, or to make her uncle suspicious. Generous though he was, he wasn't likely to look kindly on her funding a band of outlaws. It was, after all, his duty to uphold his realm's laws.
She let out a soft sigh and rose from her seat, lightly striding over to the window and gazing outside, idly watching as the few guards she retained made their patrols or stood watch. Unlike Prince John, she had no reason to maintain a full garrison here, just enough of a force to keep the castle and town guarded. It helped knowing Robin was also keeping an eye on the place, whenever he could. She turned from the window, and paced to her wardrobe, smiling softly as she pulled open the door to gaze at the wanted poster she still kept inside it.
She reached out a hand to lightly brush her fingertips across his likeness when she thought she heard a small sound. She shut the wardrobe door, and straightened her clothes. "Is someone there?" she called. "The door is open."