Denial, Ch. 23: Seeing the Hood for the Trees
Title: Denial, Ch. 23: Seeing the Hood for the Trees
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Legrand, Robin, Will, Djaq, Little John
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Words: 1244
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; lucky old them.
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial' and takes place just at the start of the events of 2x11, "Treasure of the Nation." Thanks, as always, for inspiration, encouragement and alpha beta-ing go to : robinfanatic and darkentwisted
Summary: The outlaws watch the mercenaries unaware they too are being observed...
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
>>>----------------------->
A/N: to spare you (and me) a lot of translation, characters speaking in French are denoted using <>...
Seeing the Hood for the Trees
by wastingyourgum
Legrand easily parried the knife and cracked his staff up under the outlaw's chin sending him sprawling into the dirt. He checked his companion - he too had finished off his opponent with ease, receiving not even a scratch from the untrained and desperate men they had been fighting.
Legrand tugged the scarf from his face and sighed with frustration. He'd had no idea Sherwood Forest was this large nor that it would contain quite so many outlaws. He was still certain he would recognise Robin of Locksley, even after all this time, but to do that he had to get close to him. Each time they'd approached a likely suspect over the past few days he'd given them the option to flee once he'd determined they weren't Robin but they'd always chosen to fight. It was getting quite wearing. English wasn't his first language but what part of "I have no wish to fight you" did these men not understand?
"Legrand!" He turned as he heard his name harshly whispered from the outcrop above him. It was his other man, back from scouting out the road ahead.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?"
"Plus d'hors-la-lois. Quatre... et un est un femme."
""
""
""
""
And that speaks of organisation, thought Legrand. Definitely worth investigating.
""
He followed his man to the top of a slope where they could see the troop of mercenaries making its slow progress along the forest road and watched as the outlaws silently joined the end of the train. A slender, dark haired man with an axe and a smaller figure with a sword he assumed must be the woman led the way. A broad-shouldered brute almost his own size followed shortly behind carrying a simple staff and another hooded male figure brought up the rear. The two in front nodded to the large man who stealthily closed the distance between himself and the two mercenaries strolling along behind the supply wagon.
Legrand's heart sank. If that was their leader then this definitely wasn't Robin's gang.
He watched as the outlaw cracked his staff off both mercenaries heads at once, immediately felling one of them, then stepped forward and snapped the head of the other round with a swift blow.
Not bad, Legrand grudgingly admitted. That one could give even me problems... Wait a minute...
Having cleared the way, the larger man had now stepped back and was gesturing to the man at the rear who hopped forward onto the back of the wagon.
Maybe he's not the leader...
The hooded figure dropped lightly from the top of the wagon, kicked the driver off into the road and sat down in his place, gently steering the oxen down a separate path as the road forked.
Could be... Has his agility and he's the right build.
""
""
His men nodded in agreement and they set off in pursuit of their new quarry.
>>>----------------------->
""
""
"" All three pulled on their masks.
Legrand stepped round from the tree concealing him. From this short distance he could see the smaller dark-haired outlaw was little more than a boy. One good blow should take him out.
The young man turned as he sensed Legrand's presence behind him and Legrand swiftly punched him across the jaw then stepped over him as he fell stunned to the forest floor.
The woman threw herself down from the back of the wagon with a wild cry but both she and the large outlaw ran straight into Legrand's men. They attempted to fight back but quickly found themselves with cold steel at their throats and submitted with more sense than Legrand's men had seen from any other of Sherwood's inhabitants.
Legrand traded punches with the fair-haired man, knocking him to the ground. As the outlaw scrambled backwards his hair fell back from his face and more importantly his eyes and Legrand roared in delighted recognition. "Robin!"
He was rewarded with a swift kick to his stomach and another to his chin which knocked him off his feet. He lay with his arms stretched wide, making no attempt to resist as his men stepped back from their prisoners. His opponent quickly scrambled on top of him, knife drawn and tugged down his mask.
"Legrand!"
He was most relieved to hear he also had been recognised.
"I have a message from the King!"
>>>----------------------->
He discussed the King's message with Robin as the outlaws and his men finished unloading the wagon. Legrand had initially tried to help out but the large outlaw had snatched the heavy stack of provisions away from him with a thunderous expression, as if he were trying to steal them.
"What are we looking for anyway?" Robin asked.
"Thesaurus Patriae."
"That's Latin - for 'Treasure of the Nation'," came a voice from behind him.
Legrand turned in surprise to the Saracen women standing inside the cart. "She speaks Latin! What a woman!" He noted the smouldering glare that got him from the dark-haired younger man who was still rubbing his jaw and giving Legrand baleful looks. Oh yes? You'll have no competition from me, boy - you're much more my type than she is.
"Oi!" The older man had retrieved both their staffs and held them side by side. His eyes compared Legrand's larger, carefully crafted weapon with his own much more rudimentary one and he glowered at the Frenchman.
"Thanks." Legrand took his staff then turned back to Robin, smirking as the other staff-bearer walked away, scowling and muttering about "Bloody nobles". That one's definitely going to be a problem.
Robin folded the King's message away. Staring at it wasn't going to help decipher it. "Let's go meet this wool merchant then. What was his name?"
"Paxton."
"Paxton, right..." Robin watched as the extended group grabbed their weapons and concealed the food store again. "I hope his part of the message makes more sense than this one..."
>>>----------------------->
On to Chapter 24...
Author: wastingyourgum
Characters/Pairings: Legrand, Robin, Will, Djaq, Little John
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Words: 1244
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; lucky old them.
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial' and takes place just at the start of the events of 2x11, "Treasure of the Nation." Thanks, as always, for inspiration, encouragement and alpha beta-ing go to : robinfanatic and darkentwisted
Summary: The outlaws watch the mercenaries unaware they too are being observed...
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
>>>----------------------->
A/N: to spare you (and me) a lot of translation, characters speaking in French are denoted using <>...
Seeing the Hood for the Trees
by wastingyourgum
Legrand easily parried the knife and cracked his staff up under the outlaw's chin sending him sprawling into the dirt. He checked his companion - he too had finished off his opponent with ease, receiving not even a scratch from the untrained and desperate men they had been fighting.
Legrand tugged the scarf from his face and sighed with frustration. He'd had no idea Sherwood Forest was this large nor that it would contain quite so many outlaws. He was still certain he would recognise Robin of Locksley, even after all this time, but to do that he had to get close to him. Each time they'd approached a likely suspect over the past few days he'd given them the option to flee once he'd determined they weren't Robin but they'd always chosen to fight. It was getting quite wearing. English wasn't his first language but what part of "I have no wish to fight you" did these men not understand?
"Legrand!" He turned as he heard his name harshly whispered from the outcrop above him. It was his other man, back from scouting out the road ahead.
"Qu'est-ce que c'est?"
"Plus d'hors-la-lois. Quatre... et un est un femme."
""
""
""
""
And that speaks of organisation, thought Legrand. Definitely worth investigating.
""
He followed his man to the top of a slope where they could see the troop of mercenaries making its slow progress along the forest road and watched as the outlaws silently joined the end of the train. A slender, dark haired man with an axe and a smaller figure with a sword he assumed must be the woman led the way. A broad-shouldered brute almost his own size followed shortly behind carrying a simple staff and another hooded male figure brought up the rear. The two in front nodded to the large man who stealthily closed the distance between himself and the two mercenaries strolling along behind the supply wagon.
Legrand's heart sank. If that was their leader then this definitely wasn't Robin's gang.
He watched as the outlaw cracked his staff off both mercenaries heads at once, immediately felling one of them, then stepped forward and snapped the head of the other round with a swift blow.
Not bad, Legrand grudgingly admitted. That one could give even me problems... Wait a minute...
Having cleared the way, the larger man had now stepped back and was gesturing to the man at the rear who hopped forward onto the back of the wagon.
Maybe he's not the leader...
The hooded figure dropped lightly from the top of the wagon, kicked the driver off into the road and sat down in his place, gently steering the oxen down a separate path as the road forked.
Could be... Has his agility and he's the right build.
""
""
His men nodded in agreement and they set off in pursuit of their new quarry.
>>>----------------------->
""
""
"" All three pulled on their masks.
Legrand stepped round from the tree concealing him. From this short distance he could see the smaller dark-haired outlaw was little more than a boy. One good blow should take him out.
The young man turned as he sensed Legrand's presence behind him and Legrand swiftly punched him across the jaw then stepped over him as he fell stunned to the forest floor.
The woman threw herself down from the back of the wagon with a wild cry but both she and the large outlaw ran straight into Legrand's men. They attempted to fight back but quickly found themselves with cold steel at their throats and submitted with more sense than Legrand's men had seen from any other of Sherwood's inhabitants.
Legrand traded punches with the fair-haired man, knocking him to the ground. As the outlaw scrambled backwards his hair fell back from his face and more importantly his eyes and Legrand roared in delighted recognition. "Robin!"
He was rewarded with a swift kick to his stomach and another to his chin which knocked him off his feet. He lay with his arms stretched wide, making no attempt to resist as his men stepped back from their prisoners. His opponent quickly scrambled on top of him, knife drawn and tugged down his mask.
"Legrand!"
He was most relieved to hear he also had been recognised.
"I have a message from the King!"
>>>----------------------->
He discussed the King's message with Robin as the outlaws and his men finished unloading the wagon. Legrand had initially tried to help out but the large outlaw had snatched the heavy stack of provisions away from him with a thunderous expression, as if he were trying to steal them.
"What are we looking for anyway?" Robin asked.
"Thesaurus Patriae."
"That's Latin - for 'Treasure of the Nation'," came a voice from behind him.
Legrand turned in surprise to the Saracen women standing inside the cart. "She speaks Latin! What a woman!" He noted the smouldering glare that got him from the dark-haired younger man who was still rubbing his jaw and giving Legrand baleful looks. Oh yes? You'll have no competition from me, boy - you're much more my type than she is.
"Oi!" The older man had retrieved both their staffs and held them side by side. His eyes compared Legrand's larger, carefully crafted weapon with his own much more rudimentary one and he glowered at the Frenchman.
"Thanks." Legrand took his staff then turned back to Robin, smirking as the other staff-bearer walked away, scowling and muttering about "Bloody nobles". That one's definitely going to be a problem.
Robin folded the King's message away. Staring at it wasn't going to help decipher it. "Let's go meet this wool merchant then. What was his name?"
"Paxton."
"Paxton, right..." Robin watched as the extended group grabbed their weapons and concealed the food store again. "I hope his part of the message makes more sense than this one..."
>>>----------------------->
On to Chapter 24...