Fic: The Best Thing
After finally finishing Better Days Will Come, I finally get to post my new fic, also in Robin Hood BBC. It's once again an AU, taking into account season 2, but nothing beyond that.
Title: The Best Thing
By: Kegel
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize I do not own.
Summary: As Robin and the gang discover a plot to kill the returning king, confusion is running about as to who is behind it, as Gisborne rules as new sheriff of Nottingham and seems to cooperate with old allies. When the king finally comes to Nottingham, the plot against him as well as his army's mistrust of Saracens, having fought them in the war, bring Djaq in grave danger.
Chapter 1: Winter Again
It were the long and dark nights of February 1194 that seemed to be the coldest and hardest. For those who could afford no fire wood and little food, it was the worst. The Nightwatchman had been making the longest round this night, no matter that it was difficult for her in the snow and ice, too. It would still be a while before Marian would be back at camp, seeing that she only now had finished her round in Nottingham. Robin would be livid, if he knew, but she had snuck out once all the outlaws had fallen asleep. By now, she felt thoroughly frozen.
She made her way along the alley that led to the tavern, even that place laying silent at this time of night. Looking back to the castle that lay in darkness as well, she wondered if Guy realised that the Nightwatchman was still visiting this town. He knew she was the Nightwatchman. He had not made that knowledge public, but had as new sheriff of Nottingham proclaimed that the Nightwatchman was to be caught and brought to justice for his crimes - a serious warning to her to stop what she was doing. She also had to take care not to run into Allan, as he knew her secret, too. He had joined up with Guy officially after being banned from the outlaws' gang.
Still, as new sheriff of Nottingham, Gisborne was busy with many issues, and so far Marian had not run into him when she had been up and about with her face hidden behind the mask.
Marian did not get many opportunities to go to Nottingham though, especially now in this weather, in which the outlaws seemed to spend most of their time huddling together in their camp in the forest, trying to get warm.
Marian had almost made it to the town's gate, which would be closed at this time of the night, forcing her to get outside by another way, when she saw an unexpected flicker of light. It had come from around the corner and she went to check, seeing another flicker coming from across the street. The light became more steady then and she could see that someone was standing there, waiting. Marian wanted to move on to finally return to camp and warm up, but she was curious too, as to what was going on. Why would anyone wait there at three in the morning, especially in this kind of weather? Moving a few steps up and down in the darkness to get warmer, she kept her gaze fixed at the light. After a while, she could hear the sound of horses coming through the snow, but she did not know who on earth would come here at night through these weather conditions. There were about half a dozen horses that came, but she could not recognize their riders, as the torch was quickly carried away, the men who had arrived following it from the marketplace over to the castle yard, before vanishing there.
Too cold and too tired to investigate, never mind that she did not even know where to start looking in the castle for the unknown visitors, Marian decided to leave the town behind for now. Maybe she would even be lucky and the town's gate would still be open from the new visitors. Making her way over to it, playing out in her mind her alternative plan to get out of the town, she sneaked along the street, only to realise that she was in trouble. Barely visible in the darkness, Allan was standing there, not far from the tavern. He seemed to be waiting and she wondered for what, but what she knew was that he had probably seen her, for his gaze had been directed at her, before she had drawn back into the alley behind her. And if he had, he would report this to Guy.
She considered simply turning around and hiding, returning later in hopes Allan would be gone then, but that was not likely. More likely it was that she would have to hide till the morning, come back out in broad daylight, increasing the danger of being seen by a guard, raising unnecessary alarm and trouble. So she walked back around the corner, hoping to find another way by the parallel street.
Finally having made it to the town's wall, Marian looked up to see if there was a way from the roofs of the houses closest to the wall.
"You have trouble sleeping, too?" a voice came suddenly from behind her and turning, she realised that Allan had indeed seen her and had followed her.
Marian drew back from him.
"I know it's you, Marian," he said.
She didn't say anything, her mind racing to find a way out, without him raising alarm.
"And Giz and I know what you're up to," Allan added.
"So what are you going to do about it?" she retorted.
"Me? Nothing," Allan said. "But Giz will. Not kidding, Marian, but I don't mean you harm. You've got to stop doing that."
"Or else?"
"Or else Giz will get you and then you're in trouble," Allan pointed out.
She frowned at him, thinking through her options.
"Guy isn't Vaysey."
"That's true, but he's the sheriff," Allan argued.
"He never made it public that he knows it is me." Marian stepped back from him further.
"Well, if he told everyone that you're the Nightwatchman, he would have to hang you, wouldn't he?" Allan shrugged. "Can't really have anyone like that go unpunished."
"Look who's talking," Marian shot back. Allan had committed plenty of crimes in the eyes of the sheriff when he had been with the outlaws - and before that time probably, too. It was only betrayal that had brought him this new position. "And Guy won't have me hang." That was the reason why she could still continue as she did. No matter that Guy knew about her, she was certain that he would not take such drastic actions against her. He had often said that he wanted to kill the Nightwatchman, but once facing her, he would not be able to go through with that.
"Maybe he won't," Allan said. "Maybe he will. But he can lock you up, and what do you win then, really?" He shrugged again. "Just friendly advice."
"I don't need the advice of a traitor," she said bitterly. Allan was quiet then, but after a moment, there were new sounds on the street.
"I didn't raise the alarm," Allan was quick to assure her.
"What else have you been doing here then?" she shot back at him, hearing that it were guards who were marching along the streets, while she was still looking for a way out. If she had had enough time and had not been seen, this would have been much easier.
"I saw you earlier and wanted to give you a friendly warning. Did that, leaving now," he shrugged, turning from her. He vanished into the shadows, just moments before the guards came upon the street, Marian trying to climb up onto the roof of the house.
It was no surprise when she had several arrows pointed at her just moments later, the bows deadly visible in the shine of the guards' torches.
"We caught the Nightwatchman!"
>>>>----> >>>>---->
At first it had been strange. When Djaq had spent her first winter in the forest with the outlaws, the gang had huddled closer together at night the colder it became. That had been before they had their permanent camp even, and they had tried to stick together as close to the fire and to each other as they could, sharing warmth. First, it had been an uncomfortable closeness for Djaq, but then it had become more natural, and she had been happy to get as warm as possible in those terribly cold English winter nights.
Now it was winter again, now they were considerably more comfortable in their secured camp, but still, the warmth was still much needed, so they had taken their bedrolls close to their fireplace and were once again huddled together at night. Djaq was sleeping next to Will, who was lying with his back against Robin's, and now it was giving her the comfort that was much needed in these February nights.
They were not leaving camp much these days, save for getting water and firewood. They didn't have much left to give to the people, so trips to the villages were mostly pointless, if it was not simply about checking the situation and gaining new information, which was what Robin sometimes did, but mostly on his own. The past few months had been hard on the villagers with all the new taxes they had to pay for the collection of the king's ransom, the king who was being held prisoner in a castle in Austria. The nobles had to pay taxes, too, but Robin had told them that they were just getting them back from the villagers on their estates.
Altogether, there had been some changes at their camp since the winter before. Marian was living at the camp now, having left the castle behind. Allan, on the other hand, was not there anymore, after he had been banned from the gang for his betrayal. He was living at the castle now, as Djaq knew.
She missed his presence in the gang, and was sure that for at least some of the others it was the same, even if they did not voice it. They hadn't seen him when they had last been in Nottingham weeks ago, and so it had been months since Djaq had last talked to him. She figured there would be little opportunity for it in the future, unless Allan returned to the gang, which was unlikely, for why would he want to leave a safe place like the castle, having apparently no qualms about the fact that he was working for Gisborne now? Of course, there was the gang, too, and the question if they would let him rejoin, but Djaq guessed that would be easier than anyone thought, if only they got to meet again in a situation that did not involve being chased by guards, Allan among them.
The next day might prove to be a chance, for Djaq knew that they were to go to Nottingham, after not having left the forest at all for close to a week. Robin wanted information.
When morning came Djaq still had her blanket wrapped around her, the fire next to her having burned down. Around her blanket Will had laid his arm, the man still sleeping deeply. Djaq smiled. She didn't mind, yet knew that Will might feel uncomfortable, no matter that all of them were staying close to share warmth in these temperatures.
After a while, she wriggled out of her position, leaving the blanket behind. As she moved to wash her face despite the coldness around her, she found the bowl of water with a thin layer of ice on top. This had to have been the coldest night yet, if even inside of their camp the water was freezing. Luckily it was considerably warmer by the fire and under their blankets.
"Where's Marian?" Robin asked all of a sudden, just haven awoken.
Djaq frowned, looking around at the outlaws, some of them still sleeping. Marian wasn't there.
"Did she get up earlier?"
Djaq knew the woman sometimes left the camp at night, still keeping up her work as the Nightwatchman, no matter that she was with the outlaws now. This fact had led to endless discussions with Robin, but had found no resolution so far. It was well known among the outlaws that Gisborne, who was the new sheriff after all, knew that she was the Nightwatchman, knew even that she had worked with Robin. But nevertheless, Marian still was faithful to that disguise. She seemed to play on the fact that Gisborne would not take drastic actions against her, but Djaq could not imagine this would go on forever. She knew Robin was worried, more than worried, about this.
"She hasn't gone out as the Nightwatchman again, has she?" Robin asked.
"I do not know, Robin," Djaq said.
"Not in this weather, she can't be serious!" Much interjected.
"If she has, she's not back yet," Robin pointed out, sounding worried.
"I'm sure she'll come back later," Will said.
Robin nodded. "We still go to Nottingham. We can't postpone that. And maybe she's even been there," he added with a shake of his head.
One by one the outlaws got up, preparing breakfast or going outside to find more firewood. Once everyone had eaten, they all wrapped up as warmly as possibly, before heading out for Nottingham. Djaq had taken her small sack with her, containing few provisions and necessities for making a fire, if they failed to make it back to camp that day. She hefted the sack over her back, also securing her sword that she was taking along.
They were trudging through the snow, it taking them twice as long as usual to get through the forest this way. By the time they finally made it to Nottingham, they were drenched and Djaq shivered even in her fairly warm clothes. Luckily it was easy to get into the town, the guards apparently not troubling themselves much with standing around outside for too long.
"So, lads," Robin said, once they were near the market, lurking in a small alley. "We don't want to raise any trouble today. Just listen and get any information you can." He looked at the castle. "Any new tax collections, any transport of silver you hear about, tell me and we'll see if we can take it. And if you hear anything about the Nightwatchman having been here, tell me."
He left and the outlaws remained behind to split up and look through the town. Much and John went off into one direction, and Djaq walked with Will along the marketplace. She wouldn't have minded going alone today, as she hoped to see Allan in the town and didn't know if Will would quite agree if she planned to talk to him, but then she didn't want to leave Will standing there alone, just because of her own plans. This wasn't what they were in town for, after all. She also wondered if they would find any trace of Marian. It was worrisome that she had not returned to camp. But then she was maybe on her way back now while the rest of the gang was in Nottingham.
They wandered along the streets, doing their best to pretend they belonged there, while keeping their faces still hidden as well as they could. This was an easier feat at this time of the year, for it would only appear natural to have their clothing pulled deeply into their faces. They didn't pick up on any interesting news, but it was Will who suddenly said, "There's Allan."
Djaq turned to look where the man was, after all surprised that they actually saw him today.
"I want to know what he's up to," Will said. "Let's follow him."
Djaq was pleasantly surprised that Will simply wanted to do what she had planned anyway. Maybe they would even get to talk to their former friend. They followed Allan through the streets and not unexpectedly, after some meandering, he headed for the castle.
Djaq looked at Will. "Do we follow him inside?"
Will shrugged. "Robin went into the castle, so why shouldn't we?"
"If we can get out again."
"If no one sees us, that won't be a problem."
Djaq wondered how confident Will really was about that. But she wanted to talk to Allan, too, and so she sneaked into the back door Allan had used, Will on her heels. They were going through the kitchens, as far as she remembered from having entered the castle earlier times.
At first she thought they had lost sight of Allan, but then they could see the man chatting up to a kitchen maid, just before leaving the place with a piece of cheese in his hand. Will and Djaq followed him upstairs, having to avoid guards and other employees of the castle a few times.
When they finally reached the upper corridor, Allan was gone.
"We lost him," Will said.
"He cannot have gone far," Djaq pondered. "I go this way and you go the other, and if we do not find him, we turn back," she suggested.
Will nodded at this. "Be careful."
Djaq nodded once, leaving down one direction of the corridor, while Will went the other way. She turned a few corners, but still there was no trace of Allan. When guards approached, she had to move back, hiding behind an open door. Once the noise of the guards was gone, she went outside again, trying to follow her earlier way.
There were new sounds then, coming from an adjoining hallway. Djaq heard the words but first she thought she had imagined them, for she had not heard the sounds of her native language in so very long. She stopped in her tracks, moving backwards to glance around the corner, only to see no one. Checking for any guard, she followed the corridor for a few paces, looking around the next corner then that led into a wide hallway. Two men were standing there, talking, and it was not just their language, but also their appearance that told her that they were indeed from her native lands.
Djaq just listened to them for some moments, though there was nothing of importance what they said. It were just simple commentaries on their travel. Djaq wondered what they were doing here at the castle. They were obviously not prisoners; so it meant they were guests. Her mind wandered back to Prince Malik who had once been a guest, albeit prisoner of the sheriff. He had come to negotiate peace. What were these men here for? As the two men continued talking, Djaq had to smile, as they mused about their home, lamenting the English winter and the dreary food. As they mentioned the spices they would use to have their meals prepared at home, Djaq almost believed she could smell and taste that which she had not in so long. Still, she knew she could not stay here any longer, as well as that it being visitors from her home did not mean they were well-disposed.
She turned around, only to face a man who looked as if he belonged to the other two.
He smiled a smile that Djaq could not interpret. "As-salaam alaikum. Ma ismuka?"*
>>>>----> >>>>---->
* Peace be with you. (Formal greeting ). What is your name? (to a male person)
Title: The Best Thing
By: Kegel
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Rating: T
Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize I do not own.
Summary: As Robin and the gang discover a plot to kill the returning king, confusion is running about as to who is behind it, as Gisborne rules as new sheriff of Nottingham and seems to cooperate with old allies. When the king finally comes to Nottingham, the plot against him as well as his army's mistrust of Saracens, having fought them in the war, bring Djaq in grave danger.
Chapter 1: Winter Again
It were the long and dark nights of February 1194 that seemed to be the coldest and hardest. For those who could afford no fire wood and little food, it was the worst. The Nightwatchman had been making the longest round this night, no matter that it was difficult for her in the snow and ice, too. It would still be a while before Marian would be back at camp, seeing that she only now had finished her round in Nottingham. Robin would be livid, if he knew, but she had snuck out once all the outlaws had fallen asleep. By now, she felt thoroughly frozen.
She made her way along the alley that led to the tavern, even that place laying silent at this time of night. Looking back to the castle that lay in darkness as well, she wondered if Guy realised that the Nightwatchman was still visiting this town. He knew she was the Nightwatchman. He had not made that knowledge public, but had as new sheriff of Nottingham proclaimed that the Nightwatchman was to be caught and brought to justice for his crimes - a serious warning to her to stop what she was doing. She also had to take care not to run into Allan, as he knew her secret, too. He had joined up with Guy officially after being banned from the outlaws' gang.
Still, as new sheriff of Nottingham, Gisborne was busy with many issues, and so far Marian had not run into him when she had been up and about with her face hidden behind the mask.
Marian did not get many opportunities to go to Nottingham though, especially now in this weather, in which the outlaws seemed to spend most of their time huddling together in their camp in the forest, trying to get warm.
Marian had almost made it to the town's gate, which would be closed at this time of the night, forcing her to get outside by another way, when she saw an unexpected flicker of light. It had come from around the corner and she went to check, seeing another flicker coming from across the street. The light became more steady then and she could see that someone was standing there, waiting. Marian wanted to move on to finally return to camp and warm up, but she was curious too, as to what was going on. Why would anyone wait there at three in the morning, especially in this kind of weather? Moving a few steps up and down in the darkness to get warmer, she kept her gaze fixed at the light. After a while, she could hear the sound of horses coming through the snow, but she did not know who on earth would come here at night through these weather conditions. There were about half a dozen horses that came, but she could not recognize their riders, as the torch was quickly carried away, the men who had arrived following it from the marketplace over to the castle yard, before vanishing there.
Too cold and too tired to investigate, never mind that she did not even know where to start looking in the castle for the unknown visitors, Marian decided to leave the town behind for now. Maybe she would even be lucky and the town's gate would still be open from the new visitors. Making her way over to it, playing out in her mind her alternative plan to get out of the town, she sneaked along the street, only to realise that she was in trouble. Barely visible in the darkness, Allan was standing there, not far from the tavern. He seemed to be waiting and she wondered for what, but what she knew was that he had probably seen her, for his gaze had been directed at her, before she had drawn back into the alley behind her. And if he had, he would report this to Guy.
She considered simply turning around and hiding, returning later in hopes Allan would be gone then, but that was not likely. More likely it was that she would have to hide till the morning, come back out in broad daylight, increasing the danger of being seen by a guard, raising unnecessary alarm and trouble. So she walked back around the corner, hoping to find another way by the parallel street.
Finally having made it to the town's wall, Marian looked up to see if there was a way from the roofs of the houses closest to the wall.
"You have trouble sleeping, too?" a voice came suddenly from behind her and turning, she realised that Allan had indeed seen her and had followed her.
Marian drew back from him.
"I know it's you, Marian," he said.
She didn't say anything, her mind racing to find a way out, without him raising alarm.
"And Giz and I know what you're up to," Allan added.
"So what are you going to do about it?" she retorted.
"Me? Nothing," Allan said. "But Giz will. Not kidding, Marian, but I don't mean you harm. You've got to stop doing that."
"Or else?"
"Or else Giz will get you and then you're in trouble," Allan pointed out.
She frowned at him, thinking through her options.
"Guy isn't Vaysey."
"That's true, but he's the sheriff," Allan argued.
"He never made it public that he knows it is me." Marian stepped back from him further.
"Well, if he told everyone that you're the Nightwatchman, he would have to hang you, wouldn't he?" Allan shrugged. "Can't really have anyone like that go unpunished."
"Look who's talking," Marian shot back. Allan had committed plenty of crimes in the eyes of the sheriff when he had been with the outlaws - and before that time probably, too. It was only betrayal that had brought him this new position. "And Guy won't have me hang." That was the reason why she could still continue as she did. No matter that Guy knew about her, she was certain that he would not take such drastic actions against her. He had often said that he wanted to kill the Nightwatchman, but once facing her, he would not be able to go through with that.
"Maybe he won't," Allan said. "Maybe he will. But he can lock you up, and what do you win then, really?" He shrugged again. "Just friendly advice."
"I don't need the advice of a traitor," she said bitterly. Allan was quiet then, but after a moment, there were new sounds on the street.
"I didn't raise the alarm," Allan was quick to assure her.
"What else have you been doing here then?" she shot back at him, hearing that it were guards who were marching along the streets, while she was still looking for a way out. If she had had enough time and had not been seen, this would have been much easier.
"I saw you earlier and wanted to give you a friendly warning. Did that, leaving now," he shrugged, turning from her. He vanished into the shadows, just moments before the guards came upon the street, Marian trying to climb up onto the roof of the house.
It was no surprise when she had several arrows pointed at her just moments later, the bows deadly visible in the shine of the guards' torches.
"We caught the Nightwatchman!"
>>>>----> >>>>---->
At first it had been strange. When Djaq had spent her first winter in the forest with the outlaws, the gang had huddled closer together at night the colder it became. That had been before they had their permanent camp even, and they had tried to stick together as close to the fire and to each other as they could, sharing warmth. First, it had been an uncomfortable closeness for Djaq, but then it had become more natural, and she had been happy to get as warm as possible in those terribly cold English winter nights.
Now it was winter again, now they were considerably more comfortable in their secured camp, but still, the warmth was still much needed, so they had taken their bedrolls close to their fireplace and were once again huddled together at night. Djaq was sleeping next to Will, who was lying with his back against Robin's, and now it was giving her the comfort that was much needed in these February nights.
They were not leaving camp much these days, save for getting water and firewood. They didn't have much left to give to the people, so trips to the villages were mostly pointless, if it was not simply about checking the situation and gaining new information, which was what Robin sometimes did, but mostly on his own. The past few months had been hard on the villagers with all the new taxes they had to pay for the collection of the king's ransom, the king who was being held prisoner in a castle in Austria. The nobles had to pay taxes, too, but Robin had told them that they were just getting them back from the villagers on their estates.
Altogether, there had been some changes at their camp since the winter before. Marian was living at the camp now, having left the castle behind. Allan, on the other hand, was not there anymore, after he had been banned from the gang for his betrayal. He was living at the castle now, as Djaq knew.
She missed his presence in the gang, and was sure that for at least some of the others it was the same, even if they did not voice it. They hadn't seen him when they had last been in Nottingham weeks ago, and so it had been months since Djaq had last talked to him. She figured there would be little opportunity for it in the future, unless Allan returned to the gang, which was unlikely, for why would he want to leave a safe place like the castle, having apparently no qualms about the fact that he was working for Gisborne now? Of course, there was the gang, too, and the question if they would let him rejoin, but Djaq guessed that would be easier than anyone thought, if only they got to meet again in a situation that did not involve being chased by guards, Allan among them.
The next day might prove to be a chance, for Djaq knew that they were to go to Nottingham, after not having left the forest at all for close to a week. Robin wanted information.
When morning came Djaq still had her blanket wrapped around her, the fire next to her having burned down. Around her blanket Will had laid his arm, the man still sleeping deeply. Djaq smiled. She didn't mind, yet knew that Will might feel uncomfortable, no matter that all of them were staying close to share warmth in these temperatures.
After a while, she wriggled out of her position, leaving the blanket behind. As she moved to wash her face despite the coldness around her, she found the bowl of water with a thin layer of ice on top. This had to have been the coldest night yet, if even inside of their camp the water was freezing. Luckily it was considerably warmer by the fire and under their blankets.
"Where's Marian?" Robin asked all of a sudden, just haven awoken.
Djaq frowned, looking around at the outlaws, some of them still sleeping. Marian wasn't there.
"Did she get up earlier?"
Djaq knew the woman sometimes left the camp at night, still keeping up her work as the Nightwatchman, no matter that she was with the outlaws now. This fact had led to endless discussions with Robin, but had found no resolution so far. It was well known among the outlaws that Gisborne, who was the new sheriff after all, knew that she was the Nightwatchman, knew even that she had worked with Robin. But nevertheless, Marian still was faithful to that disguise. She seemed to play on the fact that Gisborne would not take drastic actions against her, but Djaq could not imagine this would go on forever. She knew Robin was worried, more than worried, about this.
"She hasn't gone out as the Nightwatchman again, has she?" Robin asked.
"I do not know, Robin," Djaq said.
"Not in this weather, she can't be serious!" Much interjected.
"If she has, she's not back yet," Robin pointed out, sounding worried.
"I'm sure she'll come back later," Will said.
Robin nodded. "We still go to Nottingham. We can't postpone that. And maybe she's even been there," he added with a shake of his head.
One by one the outlaws got up, preparing breakfast or going outside to find more firewood. Once everyone had eaten, they all wrapped up as warmly as possibly, before heading out for Nottingham. Djaq had taken her small sack with her, containing few provisions and necessities for making a fire, if they failed to make it back to camp that day. She hefted the sack over her back, also securing her sword that she was taking along.
They were trudging through the snow, it taking them twice as long as usual to get through the forest this way. By the time they finally made it to Nottingham, they were drenched and Djaq shivered even in her fairly warm clothes. Luckily it was easy to get into the town, the guards apparently not troubling themselves much with standing around outside for too long.
"So, lads," Robin said, once they were near the market, lurking in a small alley. "We don't want to raise any trouble today. Just listen and get any information you can." He looked at the castle. "Any new tax collections, any transport of silver you hear about, tell me and we'll see if we can take it. And if you hear anything about the Nightwatchman having been here, tell me."
He left and the outlaws remained behind to split up and look through the town. Much and John went off into one direction, and Djaq walked with Will along the marketplace. She wouldn't have minded going alone today, as she hoped to see Allan in the town and didn't know if Will would quite agree if she planned to talk to him, but then she didn't want to leave Will standing there alone, just because of her own plans. This wasn't what they were in town for, after all. She also wondered if they would find any trace of Marian. It was worrisome that she had not returned to camp. But then she was maybe on her way back now while the rest of the gang was in Nottingham.
They wandered along the streets, doing their best to pretend they belonged there, while keeping their faces still hidden as well as they could. This was an easier feat at this time of the year, for it would only appear natural to have their clothing pulled deeply into their faces. They didn't pick up on any interesting news, but it was Will who suddenly said, "There's Allan."
Djaq turned to look where the man was, after all surprised that they actually saw him today.
"I want to know what he's up to," Will said. "Let's follow him."
Djaq was pleasantly surprised that Will simply wanted to do what she had planned anyway. Maybe they would even get to talk to their former friend. They followed Allan through the streets and not unexpectedly, after some meandering, he headed for the castle.
Djaq looked at Will. "Do we follow him inside?"
Will shrugged. "Robin went into the castle, so why shouldn't we?"
"If we can get out again."
"If no one sees us, that won't be a problem."
Djaq wondered how confident Will really was about that. But she wanted to talk to Allan, too, and so she sneaked into the back door Allan had used, Will on her heels. They were going through the kitchens, as far as she remembered from having entered the castle earlier times.
At first she thought they had lost sight of Allan, but then they could see the man chatting up to a kitchen maid, just before leaving the place with a piece of cheese in his hand. Will and Djaq followed him upstairs, having to avoid guards and other employees of the castle a few times.
When they finally reached the upper corridor, Allan was gone.
"We lost him," Will said.
"He cannot have gone far," Djaq pondered. "I go this way and you go the other, and if we do not find him, we turn back," she suggested.
Will nodded at this. "Be careful."
Djaq nodded once, leaving down one direction of the corridor, while Will went the other way. She turned a few corners, but still there was no trace of Allan. When guards approached, she had to move back, hiding behind an open door. Once the noise of the guards was gone, she went outside again, trying to follow her earlier way.
There were new sounds then, coming from an adjoining hallway. Djaq heard the words but first she thought she had imagined them, for she had not heard the sounds of her native language in so very long. She stopped in her tracks, moving backwards to glance around the corner, only to see no one. Checking for any guard, she followed the corridor for a few paces, looking around the next corner then that led into a wide hallway. Two men were standing there, talking, and it was not just their language, but also their appearance that told her that they were indeed from her native lands.
Djaq just listened to them for some moments, though there was nothing of importance what they said. It were just simple commentaries on their travel. Djaq wondered what they were doing here at the castle. They were obviously not prisoners; so it meant they were guests. Her mind wandered back to Prince Malik who had once been a guest, albeit prisoner of the sheriff. He had come to negotiate peace. What were these men here for? As the two men continued talking, Djaq had to smile, as they mused about their home, lamenting the English winter and the dreary food. As they mentioned the spices they would use to have their meals prepared at home, Djaq almost believed she could smell and taste that which she had not in so long. Still, she knew she could not stay here any longer, as well as that it being visitors from her home did not mean they were well-disposed.
She turned around, only to face a man who looked as if he belonged to the other two.
He smiled a smile that Djaq could not interpret. "As-salaam alaikum. Ma ismuka?"*
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* Peace be with you. (Formal greeting ). What is your name? (to a male person)