Crossfire - Chapter Ten
Title, Chapter: Crossfire- Chapter Ten
Author: emmithar,kegel84
Summary: Robin has his hands full when two members of the gang find themselves in trouble.Robin must rely on the help of a traitor in order to save them, and possibly himself as well.
Characters/Pairings: Features the gang and Marian, Sheriff and Gisborne, Thornton and some OC's
Parings: R/M, W/D
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers/Warnings: AU from mid Season 2
Disclaimer: Unfortunately we don't own anything. We're just borrowing and will return everyone in reasonable condition once we are finished.
Notes: Many thanks to neaptidea for the beta, and theonlyspl for the artwork :)
Artwork, by theonlyspl
Previous Chapter
It felt good to be here, strangely enough. He had figured it would be awkward, considering how the last few times had turned out. The fire burned before him, the food nice and warm. Nothing close to what the tables at the castle had to offer, but still, beggars could not be choosers. And Allan had to admit that he sort of missed these meals. The tough meat, the dried berries…maybe not so much the taste, as it was the memory. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time .
He took a swig of watered ale to wash down what he had eaten before, clearing his throat before he started. He knew what the others were waiting for, and he knew that this might be his one chance to convince Robin into letting him back in with the group. He had to play his cards just right.
“The sheriff knows it isn’t you,-“
“That doesn’t come as any surprise,” Robin cut him off. “The sheriff only claims it was me. Anything he can use to make us look bad only gains favor with him. Of course he’s going to try and blame me.”
Allan nodded. This was true. Still, he had hoped that it would ease the man’s anxiety by telling him this part of the truth. He wanted Robin to be calm. Wanted him to be in the best of possible moods. In order to get back with the gang, he needed to be in Robin’s good favor. He took another drink, trying to calm his nerves.
“I overhead something at the Tripp-“
“Enjoying yourself?” Robin raised an eyebrow. “While Will and I were be prepared for the gallows, you were getting drunk?”
“I had it in mind to come back for you,” Allan defended himself, earning a scoff from the other. “I did, honest. But by the time I tried, you were already away from there. No sense in going in after something that’s not there, is there? And what was I supposed to do?”
“What did you hear?” John cut in before anything could be said in response. Allan wasn’t sure if he was grateful for it. There were times when Robin irked him, when all he wanted to have was the final say. But he guessed that now was not that time. He wanted to come back here…he needed to come back here.
“There was talk about the fire. The last one; the house was Bennet’s. Thomas Bennet.”
“So?” Robin shrugged, shaking his head. “The night before it was a different house, a different family. What does it matter who?”
“Thomas Bennet?” Will spoke up, and Allan nodded in answer. Robin was watching the younger man. “I remember him…”
“I don’t,” Robin declared soundly. In truth, Allan didn’t either. He would have to agree with Robin on this one.
“He was a nuisance a few years back,” Will explained, “I think you were gone then, with the war.”
“Yeah,” Allan perked up, “didn’t he, like make people sick or something?” He was desperately trying to remember the exact words he had overheard.
“He was posing as physician. Competing with Pitts back in Nottingham. People would start to get sick, and Pitts couldn’t find out what was wrong. Bennet came in with some cure, offered a remedy, and cured them. He grew popular for a while, almost put Pitts out, but after a while, Bennet’s remedies stopped working. So they went back to Pitts for their treatments.”
“Why is that important?”
Robin was listening intently, his face hard. But he was quiet, and listening. Allan took the opportunity to speak up.
“I thought he killed some people. Not just cured them.”
“He did,” Will agreed. “Some sort of epidemic started to spread after that. My dad was worried we’d come down with it, considering how many times we went to Nottingham to make the deliveries for the sheriff. Many were sick, several died. It was found out later, I don’t know how, that Bennet was responsible for making them ill in the first place. The sheriff had him arrested. We expected him to hang, but the sheriff let him go. I wager a deal was made between them. Whatever happened, Bennet packed up, and moved to Locksley. We were worried, but he never seemed to bother anyone. I guess we forgot he was even there.”
It was slightly painful for Allan to hear the story, and know that he would never know the people as Will did. Allan had always been on the move when he was growing up. No real place to call home, and no one to call a neighbor. There wasn’t much that had changed.
“I still don’t see how that has to do with anything,” Robin argued. “Whatever he did, it was years ago. Why now, if someone is holding a grudge?”
“There were people sick,” Djaq spoke up suddenly. “In Locksely, a short time ago. You remember?”
Allan found himself nodding, even though the question had not been directed at him. Guy had been high strung, had taken a lot of it out on him. The man had complained about a fever going around back at the village. Allan hadn’t thought much of it until now.
“You think he might have tried something again?”
“I don’t know,” Djaq answered him. “I just know they were sick. I helped some of them, but I didn’t have enough to give. When we came back later, they were feeling better, but there was a man who died.”
“Who?”
She shook her head. “I do not know the people very well, Robin,” came her meek apology. The man merely nodded, letting out a sigh.
“I will go to Locksley. Maybe I can find out who it was that died.”
“I’ll go with you,” Will offered, but Robin turned him down quickly.
“I’m going alone. I know who will know, and I don’t want to draw suspicion. The village is still uneasy, probably even more so when they hear we’ve escaped.”
“But we’ve never hurt them before,” Much spoke, “Why are they angry at us now?”
“They are afraid,” Robin answered. “Fear makes people do strange things. Stay here, I’ll return as soon as I can.”
~~~~
He didn’t much like the thought of leaving Allan behind with the others at camp. But Robin didn’t trust he would leave on his own, and the group would hardly force him to leave. Djaq had always held a soft spot for the man, and even Will had seemed to warm up to him in the recent day. What Will had told him also stuck, but somehow Robin wasn’t surprised.
Allan wasn’t cruel. Foolish, maybe, but he didn’t have it in him to be callous simply because he could. What truly happened, Robin was convinced, was that Allan had run purely because he was a coward. There was no nobility to it, but Will felt as though there was. There would be no arguing that matter, at least not right now. The first issue, was finding out who was behind these fires.
He had told them to stay behind for more than one reason. The first of course was because he didn’t want a repeat of what had happened earlier for Will. The last place they needed to end up at was in the dungeons. It would do none of them a favor, and the arsonist would still be on the loose.
The real reason was because he still didn’t trust Allan. What were the odds that Allan ended up in the tavern at the same time a pair of random men were discussing the fires? Unlikely at the best. So how then did Allan truly know about Thomas Bennet, and the possible connection with the fires? The fact was simple; Allan was still working for Gisborne. An elaborate trap, but a trap none the less. Will might be easily fooled, but Robin was wary. The lack of caution was what had gotten him into trouble before; he would not be taking his chances again.
Locksley was as it always seemed. Quiet, and serene, a home he truly loved. Robin stood on the hill above, watching with longing as the people worked. One day. One day he would return, and be able to take care of his people honestly. When the king returned…
He shook off the thought. Whether that be tomorrow, or months from now, he had bigger things to focus on. Robin made his way down the hill, sneaking into the back of the village. It was easy to skirt along the houses without being seen, it was almost a habit now. He paused outside the door, listening and watching. Gisborne was not here. Quickly, he moved inside the house.
Hannah was in the kitchen and the woman took a fright when he first came in. But in seeing him she let out a breath, and smiled, welcoming him inside.
“Haven’t seen much of you,” she greeted him. Robin returned her smile with one of his own, but did not meddle with idle chitchat. How much time he would have he didn’t know, and he wasn’t going to press his luck.
“Is Thornton around? I must speak with him.”
She nodded, understanding as she tilted her head. “He’s out back.”
Quietly he thanked her, leaving the room and slipping through the doorway. Thornton was where she had indicated, working on the wood from a fallen tree that must have come from the storm a few nights ago. The axe splintered the wood as it came down, the man grunting as he tried to free it. His efforts stopped suddenly when he sensed he was no longer alone, and he looked up quickly.
“Master Robin?”
“Thornton,” he gave a warm smile. He missed the man, and there wasn’t a day he felt regret for leaving him in the current situation. However, there was hardly any other choice. Thornton would not abandon Locksley, no matter who the lord was.
“Gisborne is due to return tonight, I don’t know when…”
“I’ll have gone by then,” Robin reassured him. His business here would not take long. “What do you know about the fires?”
Thornton frowned, shaking his head. “I know people are scared. Hannah hasn’t slept, she fears Locksley Manor will be next. I tell her she’s foolish, but with all that’s happened, it is possible. I worry too.”
It was reasonable to worry, but Robin had never thought his home to be in any danger. Anyone would be a right fool to set fire to the manor while Gisborne was in Locksley. “Tell me, do you know a man by the name of Thomas Bennet?”
Thornton nodded. “It was his place that burnt down. He was lucky, though. No family, and he got away alive. Harry lost all his family. Terrible, terrible thing in this time. It’s hard enough to have a family; and it wasn’t even the sheriff’s doing.”
“The sheriff blames my men,” Robin told him quietly. Once again Thornton nodded.
“They believe what they are told. They love you Robin, they do. But they only hear the sheriff. It’s hard for them.”
“And the sheriff lies.”
“Do you think he is responsible for the fires?” Thornton asked, curious now. Robin paused before he replied.
“I think he knows more than what he is saying. Will told me about Bennet, about how he created an illness in order to cure them.”
“I had heard about it. That was a long time ago, Robin.”
“Do you think he had anything to do with the fever that came last week?”
“Bennet doesn’t talk to very many people,” Thornton responded quietly. “He does his work, then keeps to himself. But he was out more a few days before it started. Helping out, talking with some of the others.”
Robin nodded. That was suspicious, but could mean nothing at the same time. “Who was it all that got sick?”
“Mostly children…you know how it is. One of them falls ill, they all seem to do so. Spreads quickly.”
“What about the men?” Robin could remember what Will had said about the man.
“Some of the parents, but that’s not so unusual when you have a sick child. I remember when you were young. Every time you caught something, you mother was sick the following week.”
He nodded. Of course it wouldn’t seem so odd for the men and women to fall ill as well. “Bennet had a cure then?”
“Matilda was able to tend to some of them. The ones Bennet turned away. He was after the money, you see. Matilda isn’t bothered by that sort of thing. She helps where she can. You have to live, and you need money to live, so no one blamed Bennet.”
“Someone did die, is that right?”
The man seemed to be thinking, but finally he nodded. “He was an older man, if I remember. Could have been sick…yes, I think I seem to remember, he was. But he was getting better. And the next morning…” Thornton shook his head. “Could have been many of things. It’s hard to remember correctly, Robin. With the storm and then the fires.”
“Do you remember who he was?”
Thornton took a moment to think, before nodding. “I think it was Walter, if memory serves me correctly.”
The name sounded familiar, but Robin still had to ask. “Mathew’s grandfather?”
Once again, Thornton nodded. Mathew had been a little boy when his father died. They had lived in Clun then, but Mathew had come back to Locksley to live with his grandfather. Robin did not know Walter personally, but he had spoken with Mathew on more than one occasion, due having been friends with his father when they were younger. The thought did not sit well with him, Robin not wanting to believe the boy had anything to do with what had occurred. But he knew that he must look into it.
“I am certain it will be a few hours before Gisborne returns, if you would like something?” Thornton offered.
Robin knew he was hungry; he hadn’t eaten anything since that morning, and it had consisted of hardly a full meal, but still he shook his head. He didn’t have the time, nor could he afford being caught. He would not place his servants in a position where they would have to tolerate Gisborne’s fury.
“Can you tell me where Mathew is staying now?”
“I don’t know, Robin,” Thornton apologized. “Walter I believe is his only family. He may have gone back to Clun; I know he had friends there. They might have taken him in.”
Robin nodded, taking the information in. It would do no good to head that way now; he wasn’t likely to find out anything once night fell. In the morning he would make a visit to Clun, perhaps take Much with him as well. There was still the possibility that it was a fool’s errand, that all of this had nothing to do with the fires. It could be anyone, even the sheriff or Gisborne himself wanting to frame the outlaws. Or Allan. Robin’s eyes narrowed at the thought.
“Master Robin?”
He glanced up, smiling apologetically. “I have many thoughts, forgive me, I did not mean to linger.”
He could see the curiosity in the man’s eye, but Robin dared not to tell him anything. Gisborne, he suspected, believed that Thornton still kept in contact with his old master, but Robin did not want to turn that suspicion into knowledge. Quickly he bade the man good-bye, and headed back for the forest.
He had only gotten to the tree line when something made him stop. There was someone following him. Robin felt for the sword at his side, curling his fingers around the hilt as he started walking once more. The footsteps behind him were barely audible, but most certainly there.
Robin turned quickly, pulling off to one side, hiding behind a tree. He waited, listening as the footsteps hesitated, then started again, moving closer. Just as they were about to pass him, Robin stepped out, sword drawn, and grabbed his pursuer. He pushed the man against another tree, holding the sword against his throat as the hood fell free.
“Why are you following me?”
“I wanted to help,” Allan breathed quickly. There was fear in his eyes, and for a good reason. Robin had threatened to kill him, and more than once. Given more time, he even might have. And here, he could do so again. No one would question finding a body hidden in the forest. Let alone a former outlaw; a recently turned lackey of the sheriff.
“I told you, all of you, that I was coming here alone. Why did you come?”
“I told you, Robin. I thought I could help you-“
“Help me where? Right into a trap?”
“It’s not a trap, I swear,” Allan babbled quickly. He hadn’t moved, wasn’t even trying to get away. Instead he stood where he was, perfectly still, hardly even breathing. “I want to help…I…I want to do what’s right.”
Robin held him for several long seconds, before finally letting go. He stepped back, noting how the tension left the other man’s body. Irately he sheathed his sword, crossing his arms. “So now you want to do what’s right. What’s the problem? Sheriff and Gisborne don’t need you anymore? Or did you suddenly grow a conscience and want to make amends?”
“What I did, it was wrong,” Allan admitted. “But I’m back now. I can help, honest.”
“You can help by going back to camp,” Robin told him sternly. Despite what Allan said, the man was not one of the lads. He had lost that privilege already, and there was only one chance.
“You’re going to Clun, aren’t you?” Allan continued, as though he hadn’t even heard what Robin had said. “I overhead what you two were talking about. He won’t be there. He’s still here, at least, I think he is.”
“Allan, go back to camp.”
“Robin, listen to me. Gisborne was talking about the old smith’s shop. It’s been closed up for years, when business ran dry. But someone was staying there. I know, because he ordered me to barricade everything up. He didn’t want someone living there and not paying taxes. And I did, but I saw someone, a boy, I don’t know who, I don’t know the people of Locksley, but he was a boy. He might be the same boy. Where better to go when you’ve lost your home, huh?”
“It could be anyone, Allan,” Robin shook his head. He didn’t know if any of it was true, or if it was just another ploy. A trap, as he had suspected before. Heading to Clun was a better plan of action.
“You heard Thornton. Gisborne’s still in Nottingham. There won’t be anyone here to see us checking. Come on, just trust me on this, alright?”
“Trust?” Robin raised an eyebrow. “You want me to trust you?”
“I know it’s asking a lot. But I was right about Marian, wasn’t I?”
“You got Marian in trouble,” Robin reminded him coldly, to which Allan agreed.
“Yeah…I didn’t mean to, but that sort of thing just happens-“
“It wouldn’t have, had you not sided with the enemy.”
“I had no choice,” Allan argued. “And don’t say that,” he cut Robin off as he tried to speak. “Not everything is a choice. Not when you’re poor and have no place to go. It’s easy for you, but it’s not the same for the rest of us.”
“Maybe not,” Robin agreed quietly. “But you were the only to betray us.”
Allan was silent to that, standing where he was, and then he gave a small nod. “I was wrong. But I’m not wrong this time. Robin, I’ve learned, I know what I did wasn’t right. It’s over, and I’m not like that anymore. I want to come home. Please…”
It was a hard decision. Part of him still held to the fact that Allan had done wrong, a wrong that could not be righted. But he knew the others had already accepted the man, had welcomed him back, if only briefly. It was possible for Allan to change. Just as it was possible to convince others to join his cause. And in this time, he needed all the help he could get. With Allan having been with Gisborne, and the sheriff, for however short of the time, Robin knew that the man could have valuable information as to what was happening inside the castle.
“You’re on probation,” he started, holding up a finger as Allan began thanking him. “The slightest indication that you do not have the best of intentions, and I will hold to my promise, and I will not hesitate in finishing you off. Do you understand?”
He could see Allan swallow, but the man nodded, and then smiled sheepishly. “Shall we go see to this abandoned shop, then?”
Next Chapter
Author: emmithar,kegel84
Summary: Robin has his hands full when two members of the gang find themselves in trouble.Robin must rely on the help of a traitor in order to save them, and possibly himself as well.
Characters/Pairings: Features the gang and Marian, Sheriff and Gisborne, Thornton and some OC's
Parings: R/M, W/D
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers/Warnings: AU from mid Season 2
Disclaimer: Unfortunately we don't own anything. We're just borrowing and will return everyone in reasonable condition once we are finished.
Notes: Many thanks to neaptidea for the beta, and theonlyspl for the artwork :)
Artwork, by theonlyspl
Previous Chapter
It felt good to be here, strangely enough. He had figured it would be awkward, considering how the last few times had turned out. The fire burned before him, the food nice and warm. Nothing close to what the tables at the castle had to offer, but still, beggars could not be choosers. And Allan had to admit that he sort of missed these meals. The tough meat, the dried berries…maybe not so much the taste, as it was the memory. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time .
He took a swig of watered ale to wash down what he had eaten before, clearing his throat before he started. He knew what the others were waiting for, and he knew that this might be his one chance to convince Robin into letting him back in with the group. He had to play his cards just right.
“The sheriff knows it isn’t you,-“
“That doesn’t come as any surprise,” Robin cut him off. “The sheriff only claims it was me. Anything he can use to make us look bad only gains favor with him. Of course he’s going to try and blame me.”
Allan nodded. This was true. Still, he had hoped that it would ease the man’s anxiety by telling him this part of the truth. He wanted Robin to be calm. Wanted him to be in the best of possible moods. In order to get back with the gang, he needed to be in Robin’s good favor. He took another drink, trying to calm his nerves.
“I overhead something at the Tripp-“
“Enjoying yourself?” Robin raised an eyebrow. “While Will and I were be prepared for the gallows, you were getting drunk?”
“I had it in mind to come back for you,” Allan defended himself, earning a scoff from the other. “I did, honest. But by the time I tried, you were already away from there. No sense in going in after something that’s not there, is there? And what was I supposed to do?”
“What did you hear?” John cut in before anything could be said in response. Allan wasn’t sure if he was grateful for it. There were times when Robin irked him, when all he wanted to have was the final say. But he guessed that now was not that time. He wanted to come back here…he needed to come back here.
“There was talk about the fire. The last one; the house was Bennet’s. Thomas Bennet.”
“So?” Robin shrugged, shaking his head. “The night before it was a different house, a different family. What does it matter who?”
“Thomas Bennet?” Will spoke up, and Allan nodded in answer. Robin was watching the younger man. “I remember him…”
“I don’t,” Robin declared soundly. In truth, Allan didn’t either. He would have to agree with Robin on this one.
“He was a nuisance a few years back,” Will explained, “I think you were gone then, with the war.”
“Yeah,” Allan perked up, “didn’t he, like make people sick or something?” He was desperately trying to remember the exact words he had overheard.
“He was posing as physician. Competing with Pitts back in Nottingham. People would start to get sick, and Pitts couldn’t find out what was wrong. Bennet came in with some cure, offered a remedy, and cured them. He grew popular for a while, almost put Pitts out, but after a while, Bennet’s remedies stopped working. So they went back to Pitts for their treatments.”
“Why is that important?”
Robin was listening intently, his face hard. But he was quiet, and listening. Allan took the opportunity to speak up.
“I thought he killed some people. Not just cured them.”
“He did,” Will agreed. “Some sort of epidemic started to spread after that. My dad was worried we’d come down with it, considering how many times we went to Nottingham to make the deliveries for the sheriff. Many were sick, several died. It was found out later, I don’t know how, that Bennet was responsible for making them ill in the first place. The sheriff had him arrested. We expected him to hang, but the sheriff let him go. I wager a deal was made between them. Whatever happened, Bennet packed up, and moved to Locksley. We were worried, but he never seemed to bother anyone. I guess we forgot he was even there.”
It was slightly painful for Allan to hear the story, and know that he would never know the people as Will did. Allan had always been on the move when he was growing up. No real place to call home, and no one to call a neighbor. There wasn’t much that had changed.
“I still don’t see how that has to do with anything,” Robin argued. “Whatever he did, it was years ago. Why now, if someone is holding a grudge?”
“There were people sick,” Djaq spoke up suddenly. “In Locksely, a short time ago. You remember?”
Allan found himself nodding, even though the question had not been directed at him. Guy had been high strung, had taken a lot of it out on him. The man had complained about a fever going around back at the village. Allan hadn’t thought much of it until now.
“You think he might have tried something again?”
“I don’t know,” Djaq answered him. “I just know they were sick. I helped some of them, but I didn’t have enough to give. When we came back later, they were feeling better, but there was a man who died.”
“Who?”
She shook her head. “I do not know the people very well, Robin,” came her meek apology. The man merely nodded, letting out a sigh.
“I will go to Locksley. Maybe I can find out who it was that died.”
“I’ll go with you,” Will offered, but Robin turned him down quickly.
“I’m going alone. I know who will know, and I don’t want to draw suspicion. The village is still uneasy, probably even more so when they hear we’ve escaped.”
“But we’ve never hurt them before,” Much spoke, “Why are they angry at us now?”
“They are afraid,” Robin answered. “Fear makes people do strange things. Stay here, I’ll return as soon as I can.”
~~~~
He didn’t much like the thought of leaving Allan behind with the others at camp. But Robin didn’t trust he would leave on his own, and the group would hardly force him to leave. Djaq had always held a soft spot for the man, and even Will had seemed to warm up to him in the recent day. What Will had told him also stuck, but somehow Robin wasn’t surprised.
Allan wasn’t cruel. Foolish, maybe, but he didn’t have it in him to be callous simply because he could. What truly happened, Robin was convinced, was that Allan had run purely because he was a coward. There was no nobility to it, but Will felt as though there was. There would be no arguing that matter, at least not right now. The first issue, was finding out who was behind these fires.
He had told them to stay behind for more than one reason. The first of course was because he didn’t want a repeat of what had happened earlier for Will. The last place they needed to end up at was in the dungeons. It would do none of them a favor, and the arsonist would still be on the loose.
The real reason was because he still didn’t trust Allan. What were the odds that Allan ended up in the tavern at the same time a pair of random men were discussing the fires? Unlikely at the best. So how then did Allan truly know about Thomas Bennet, and the possible connection with the fires? The fact was simple; Allan was still working for Gisborne. An elaborate trap, but a trap none the less. Will might be easily fooled, but Robin was wary. The lack of caution was what had gotten him into trouble before; he would not be taking his chances again.
Locksley was as it always seemed. Quiet, and serene, a home he truly loved. Robin stood on the hill above, watching with longing as the people worked. One day. One day he would return, and be able to take care of his people honestly. When the king returned…
He shook off the thought. Whether that be tomorrow, or months from now, he had bigger things to focus on. Robin made his way down the hill, sneaking into the back of the village. It was easy to skirt along the houses without being seen, it was almost a habit now. He paused outside the door, listening and watching. Gisborne was not here. Quickly, he moved inside the house.
Hannah was in the kitchen and the woman took a fright when he first came in. But in seeing him she let out a breath, and smiled, welcoming him inside.
“Haven’t seen much of you,” she greeted him. Robin returned her smile with one of his own, but did not meddle with idle chitchat. How much time he would have he didn’t know, and he wasn’t going to press his luck.
“Is Thornton around? I must speak with him.”
She nodded, understanding as she tilted her head. “He’s out back.”
Quietly he thanked her, leaving the room and slipping through the doorway. Thornton was where she had indicated, working on the wood from a fallen tree that must have come from the storm a few nights ago. The axe splintered the wood as it came down, the man grunting as he tried to free it. His efforts stopped suddenly when he sensed he was no longer alone, and he looked up quickly.
“Master Robin?”
“Thornton,” he gave a warm smile. He missed the man, and there wasn’t a day he felt regret for leaving him in the current situation. However, there was hardly any other choice. Thornton would not abandon Locksley, no matter who the lord was.
“Gisborne is due to return tonight, I don’t know when…”
“I’ll have gone by then,” Robin reassured him. His business here would not take long. “What do you know about the fires?”
Thornton frowned, shaking his head. “I know people are scared. Hannah hasn’t slept, she fears Locksley Manor will be next. I tell her she’s foolish, but with all that’s happened, it is possible. I worry too.”
It was reasonable to worry, but Robin had never thought his home to be in any danger. Anyone would be a right fool to set fire to the manor while Gisborne was in Locksley. “Tell me, do you know a man by the name of Thomas Bennet?”
Thornton nodded. “It was his place that burnt down. He was lucky, though. No family, and he got away alive. Harry lost all his family. Terrible, terrible thing in this time. It’s hard enough to have a family; and it wasn’t even the sheriff’s doing.”
“The sheriff blames my men,” Robin told him quietly. Once again Thornton nodded.
“They believe what they are told. They love you Robin, they do. But they only hear the sheriff. It’s hard for them.”
“And the sheriff lies.”
“Do you think he is responsible for the fires?” Thornton asked, curious now. Robin paused before he replied.
“I think he knows more than what he is saying. Will told me about Bennet, about how he created an illness in order to cure them.”
“I had heard about it. That was a long time ago, Robin.”
“Do you think he had anything to do with the fever that came last week?”
“Bennet doesn’t talk to very many people,” Thornton responded quietly. “He does his work, then keeps to himself. But he was out more a few days before it started. Helping out, talking with some of the others.”
Robin nodded. That was suspicious, but could mean nothing at the same time. “Who was it all that got sick?”
“Mostly children…you know how it is. One of them falls ill, they all seem to do so. Spreads quickly.”
“What about the men?” Robin could remember what Will had said about the man.
“Some of the parents, but that’s not so unusual when you have a sick child. I remember when you were young. Every time you caught something, you mother was sick the following week.”
He nodded. Of course it wouldn’t seem so odd for the men and women to fall ill as well. “Bennet had a cure then?”
“Matilda was able to tend to some of them. The ones Bennet turned away. He was after the money, you see. Matilda isn’t bothered by that sort of thing. She helps where she can. You have to live, and you need money to live, so no one blamed Bennet.”
“Someone did die, is that right?”
The man seemed to be thinking, but finally he nodded. “He was an older man, if I remember. Could have been sick…yes, I think I seem to remember, he was. But he was getting better. And the next morning…” Thornton shook his head. “Could have been many of things. It’s hard to remember correctly, Robin. With the storm and then the fires.”
“Do you remember who he was?”
Thornton took a moment to think, before nodding. “I think it was Walter, if memory serves me correctly.”
The name sounded familiar, but Robin still had to ask. “Mathew’s grandfather?”
Once again, Thornton nodded. Mathew had been a little boy when his father died. They had lived in Clun then, but Mathew had come back to Locksley to live with his grandfather. Robin did not know Walter personally, but he had spoken with Mathew on more than one occasion, due having been friends with his father when they were younger. The thought did not sit well with him, Robin not wanting to believe the boy had anything to do with what had occurred. But he knew that he must look into it.
“I am certain it will be a few hours before Gisborne returns, if you would like something?” Thornton offered.
Robin knew he was hungry; he hadn’t eaten anything since that morning, and it had consisted of hardly a full meal, but still he shook his head. He didn’t have the time, nor could he afford being caught. He would not place his servants in a position where they would have to tolerate Gisborne’s fury.
“Can you tell me where Mathew is staying now?”
“I don’t know, Robin,” Thornton apologized. “Walter I believe is his only family. He may have gone back to Clun; I know he had friends there. They might have taken him in.”
Robin nodded, taking the information in. It would do no good to head that way now; he wasn’t likely to find out anything once night fell. In the morning he would make a visit to Clun, perhaps take Much with him as well. There was still the possibility that it was a fool’s errand, that all of this had nothing to do with the fires. It could be anyone, even the sheriff or Gisborne himself wanting to frame the outlaws. Or Allan. Robin’s eyes narrowed at the thought.
“Master Robin?”
He glanced up, smiling apologetically. “I have many thoughts, forgive me, I did not mean to linger.”
He could see the curiosity in the man’s eye, but Robin dared not to tell him anything. Gisborne, he suspected, believed that Thornton still kept in contact with his old master, but Robin did not want to turn that suspicion into knowledge. Quickly he bade the man good-bye, and headed back for the forest.
He had only gotten to the tree line when something made him stop. There was someone following him. Robin felt for the sword at his side, curling his fingers around the hilt as he started walking once more. The footsteps behind him were barely audible, but most certainly there.
Robin turned quickly, pulling off to one side, hiding behind a tree. He waited, listening as the footsteps hesitated, then started again, moving closer. Just as they were about to pass him, Robin stepped out, sword drawn, and grabbed his pursuer. He pushed the man against another tree, holding the sword against his throat as the hood fell free.
“Why are you following me?”
“I wanted to help,” Allan breathed quickly. There was fear in his eyes, and for a good reason. Robin had threatened to kill him, and more than once. Given more time, he even might have. And here, he could do so again. No one would question finding a body hidden in the forest. Let alone a former outlaw; a recently turned lackey of the sheriff.
“I told you, all of you, that I was coming here alone. Why did you come?”
“I told you, Robin. I thought I could help you-“
“Help me where? Right into a trap?”
“It’s not a trap, I swear,” Allan babbled quickly. He hadn’t moved, wasn’t even trying to get away. Instead he stood where he was, perfectly still, hardly even breathing. “I want to help…I…I want to do what’s right.”
Robin held him for several long seconds, before finally letting go. He stepped back, noting how the tension left the other man’s body. Irately he sheathed his sword, crossing his arms. “So now you want to do what’s right. What’s the problem? Sheriff and Gisborne don’t need you anymore? Or did you suddenly grow a conscience and want to make amends?”
“What I did, it was wrong,” Allan admitted. “But I’m back now. I can help, honest.”
“You can help by going back to camp,” Robin told him sternly. Despite what Allan said, the man was not one of the lads. He had lost that privilege already, and there was only one chance.
“You’re going to Clun, aren’t you?” Allan continued, as though he hadn’t even heard what Robin had said. “I overhead what you two were talking about. He won’t be there. He’s still here, at least, I think he is.”
“Allan, go back to camp.”
“Robin, listen to me. Gisborne was talking about the old smith’s shop. It’s been closed up for years, when business ran dry. But someone was staying there. I know, because he ordered me to barricade everything up. He didn’t want someone living there and not paying taxes. And I did, but I saw someone, a boy, I don’t know who, I don’t know the people of Locksley, but he was a boy. He might be the same boy. Where better to go when you’ve lost your home, huh?”
“It could be anyone, Allan,” Robin shook his head. He didn’t know if any of it was true, or if it was just another ploy. A trap, as he had suspected before. Heading to Clun was a better plan of action.
“You heard Thornton. Gisborne’s still in Nottingham. There won’t be anyone here to see us checking. Come on, just trust me on this, alright?”
“Trust?” Robin raised an eyebrow. “You want me to trust you?”
“I know it’s asking a lot. But I was right about Marian, wasn’t I?”
“You got Marian in trouble,” Robin reminded him coldly, to which Allan agreed.
“Yeah…I didn’t mean to, but that sort of thing just happens-“
“It wouldn’t have, had you not sided with the enemy.”
“I had no choice,” Allan argued. “And don’t say that,” he cut Robin off as he tried to speak. “Not everything is a choice. Not when you’re poor and have no place to go. It’s easy for you, but it’s not the same for the rest of us.”
“Maybe not,” Robin agreed quietly. “But you were the only to betray us.”
Allan was silent to that, standing where he was, and then he gave a small nod. “I was wrong. But I’m not wrong this time. Robin, I’ve learned, I know what I did wasn’t right. It’s over, and I’m not like that anymore. I want to come home. Please…”
It was a hard decision. Part of him still held to the fact that Allan had done wrong, a wrong that could not be righted. But he knew the others had already accepted the man, had welcomed him back, if only briefly. It was possible for Allan to change. Just as it was possible to convince others to join his cause. And in this time, he needed all the help he could get. With Allan having been with Gisborne, and the sheriff, for however short of the time, Robin knew that the man could have valuable information as to what was happening inside the castle.
“You’re on probation,” he started, holding up a finger as Allan began thanking him. “The slightest indication that you do not have the best of intentions, and I will hold to my promise, and I will not hesitate in finishing you off. Do you understand?”
He could see Allan swallow, but the man nodded, and then smiled sheepishly. “Shall we go see to this abandoned shop, then?”
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