Denial, Chapter 43: With a Little Help From My Friends
Title: Denial, Ch. 43: With a Little Help From My Friends
Author: teamlavender
Characters/Pairings: Robin, Little John, Will/Djaq, Legrand, Luke, the Fool (Andrew), Kate, Matthew, Ellingham, mercenaries
Rating: PG-13
Genre: gen
Words: 3345
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; we just want to play in their universe
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial'. Beta'd by teamlavender.
Summary: The mercenaries have Robin and the gang trapped. How will they get out of this mess?
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: Summary of previous chapters...
>>>------------------------->
With a Little Help From My Friends
by
robinfanatic, darkentwisted & wastingyourgum
First light. Robin sat up and looked around the barn. John was awake, staring into the fire. Legrand peered through a crevice in the wall, apprising the situation and looking for a way out, always the soldier. But there was no way out for any of them...this time. They were surrounded by a hundred mercenaries who could either burn them alive or wait them out until they starved. Certain death either way. And the plan he'd devised wasn't even half a plan. They'd all be dead within a matter of minutes once they charged Vaizey's hunters. This is what he'd brought his friends to. He almost wished they hated him. He'd let them down.
How many times had he been in situations that seemed hopeless and somehow, some way, he'd always managed to figure a way out. But this was the end for him, and he hated that he was taking these good people with him. Will and Djaq--a couple--no more time to explore their new found love. John--Robin always felt certain that he'd see his son again--but now those hopes were forever dashed. And Legrand--one of King Richard's best and bravest knights. True, they'd go down fighting, yet it still seemed like such a bitter end. But he'd trust that Marian, Much and Carter would live to tell their tale.
He glanced up at the loft. At least he'd given two people a chance to love one last time. An hour earlier he offered his solemn blessing to Will and Djaq as the rightful Lord Locksley. It had been hard to shut out the sounds of their love-making. They'd tried to stifle their rasping breaths and moans but it still sent aches through the three men listening. As dawn broke there were different movements and whispers coming from the loft and then their voices grew steadily louder.
"I know you're concerned, Will Scarlett, and I love you for that. But I think this could work." Djaq's voice sounded confident.
"No! Take that off!" Will half-shouted. "It's too dangerous."
Robin, Legrand and John looked at each other. A scuffling noise made the other three outlaws turn their heads upwards.
"And Robin's plan for us to just charge outside is not?" Djaq replied from the top of the ladder as she began to descend from the loft.
John's eyes grew wide. Legrand turned and stared. Robin gulped and hastily averted his eyes.
"Djaq!" Will called, the frustration in his voice sounding loud and clear. It almost matched the sound from the bells around the Saracen's waist. What was left of Djaq's outfit was adorned with colourful silks that made up a diaphanous skirt. Her midriff was bare and her grown-out, dark locks fell softly around her shoulders. Any resemblance to the outlaw she was would have been doubtful as the gang looked the young woman over. Will groaned. "At least close your mouths, mates!"
The Saracen girl blushed under the other outlaws hungry eyes. Her mind suddenly flashed back to the last time the others saw her in a more feminine light. That dress she had worn as a serving girl in the castle had been cut way too low and way too high. The looks on Will, Allan, and even John's faces had embarrassed her yet made her feel special at the same time. She felt that way now.
"Djaq," Robin said, "what is going on?"
The Saracen looked at her leader defiantly. "I am going to distract those mercenaries."
"In that?" John asked. He suddenly noticed, "Bells? Where did you find bells?"
Legrand looked at his friend. "I thought we might have some music at the party. I was told you liked them, mon ami."
John glared at the carpenter. "I wonder who told him that?"
Will avoided the large outlaw's gaze. "I thought you would enjoy..."
"You, I will deal with later!" John growled.
"It just might work," Legrand smiled as he returned his gaze to the scantily clad Saracen. "La femme fatale."
"I planned for that too," Djaq grinned showing the Frenchman the dagger strapped to her thigh.
"Enough of that!" Will barked as he hastily pulled down his lover's skirt and glared at Legrand. "I don't like it," he said, trying to shield his girlfriend from ogling eyes.
"They won't shoot me," Djaq argued. "Trust me. I'll do a little dance as they gather around--"
"They'll know it's a trick."
"Ah ha!" she exclaimed. "But they are men!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.
Robin chuckled. Djaq rolled her eyes and ran her hand along his cheek. "Now John," she replied, "must I really explain?"
Robin and Will pushed aside the cart by the door.
"What do you think, John?" Will asked as the big man as he pulled away the beam holding the door tight against their enemies. "A good day?"
"Yes."
Will pulled his sword from his scabbard and stood ready. Robin nodded to John and Legrand. For the first time, Djaq appeared worried, her eyes moist. She looked at the faces of her friends and then turned to Will to share one last kiss.
"Godspeed 'til we meet again," John said.
"See you in heaven, my friends," Robin added.
Will prepared to fling open the door and throw his love to the wolves.
>>>----------------------------->
"Help me!" Djaq called out to the mercenary guarding the door.
He drew his weapon but hesitated at the large brown eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "You're a woman! Oi! Wot you doin' in 'ere?"
"I am a gift to the outlaw leader," Djaq replied with as much shame and sadness in her voice as she could muster. "I am a slave. They bought me for his bidding." She looked up. "Please! I have been trapped in here with these filthy outlaws for days...I do not wish to die."
"Filthy outlaws?" John mouthed.
"Your Saracen is quite the actress," Legrand grinned.
Will shook his head. "I don't like this!"
"Let her try." Robin placed his hand on the carpenter's shoulder. "Our only other option is death."
Ellingham's eyes grew large at the sight of the exotically dressed wench talking to the guard. "What is this?"
"Entertainment for Hood!" the mercenary replied.
"Seems our outlaws have excellent taste in women," the leader leered as he grasped the small woman's round face in his hands.
Djaq glared and suppressed the urge to spit in his face then softened. "I can be yours too. Just don't let me back in there again. Please?"
"I could use a little entertainment myself," Ellingham sneered.
"What's happening now?" Will was barely controlling his anger.
"Ellingham's men are leading Djaq away," John replied as his heart sank.
"I have to go after her!" Will started for the door but was forcefully restrained by the large Frenchman.
"Let her do this, Will." Robin looked out of the cracks in the wall.
"But they might hurt her!" The carpenter was almost in tears as Legrand held him.
"Djaq's plan might fail, my friend, but she will survive this." Robin turned, "I would rather it be her that did and you would too."
Music started as the outlaws spun and looked out at the scene that unfolded in front of them.
"She's dancing!" John gasped.
Djaq was hoisted on a table top and was moving seductively around in time to the music of the mercenaries' drums and pipes.
"I have to make her stop!" Will cried.
"We will...but I think it's working," Robin pondered.
Even the guards at the barn door stopped and looked at the exotic dancer as she nervously cast her eyes toward them. Djaq knew she had one chance to make her plan work. She loosened one of the silk panels at her waist and let it fall. The shimmy of her hips was hypnotic. She was the only one who seemed to notice the two castle guards who galloped in the village from the hills on horseback, dismounted, and walked up to the men near the barn door.
"Who are they?" John asked.
"Castle guards," Robin nodded. "I wonder what they are up to?"
Ellingham's men called him over to the guards.
"We have orders from the Sheriff to deliver the outlaws to the castle," the first guard said.
Ellingham unfurled the scroll handed to him and sniffed for a second. He looked over his shoulder as the dancing girl let another silk fall from her waist to the boisterous cheers of his soldiers. "They are my prisoners. I get to collect the price on their heads!"
"You will get paid," the other guard spoke. "We need to secure the prisoners." He looked over the hill at a small flash of light.
>>>--------------------------------------->
"Hold!" Legrand said. "There's something...something reflecting off the hillside to the south. Reminds me how the sun used to reflect off armour and nearly blind us out in the desert. Remember the old tricks we'd use for the all clear into a village?"
"Some kind of signal?" Robin wondered.
Will peered out the door. "Those guards talking to Ellingham, they're headed this way."
"What's going on?" Robin asked.
Legrand had his eyes peeled on the activities beyond their prison. "The mercenaries are starting to leave, Robin," he said.
One of the soldiers pounded on the barn door.
"What about Djaq?" Will asked, his line of sight blocked by the two new arrivals.
"Still there--near Ellingham," Legrand reported.
"Open up!" the man shouted, his voice booming. "We're here on behalf of the sheriff."
Robin nodded. "Let them in!"
"C'mon!" John growled, readying his quarterstaff.
"It's all right, John. Let's see what they want," Robin told the big man.
Will pushed the door open. Legrand dragged one of the soldiers into the barn.
"Thank goodness you're alive!" the second soldier exclaimed as Will tugged him inside. His eyes grew wide. He knew that voice.
"Luke!" Will grabbed his brother in a huge bear hug as the younger Scarlett removed his helmet.
Andrew the Fool bowed slightly, removing his own head gear. "Felicitations are welcome, however, we have little time for such pleasantries, my friends."
Despite the Fool's concern, the gang embraced the two men. Legrand looked on with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Did you bring more help, say, others up in the hills?"
Andrew threw the Frenchman a sly grin. "We have friends with fresh horses."
"I knew that was a signal," Legrand said proudly.
"Look we don't have time to explain," Luke said. "We spun 'em a yarn. We gotta get outta here before they're on to us."
"The Sheriff and Gisborne are going to the Holy Land."
"The Holy Land?" Will said.
"They're headed to Portsmouth and they're going to kill the king."
"Right. We need to get out of here." Robin looked resolutely at his friends. "Now."
A few moments later Luke opened the barn door. Andrew prodded the outlaws forward, their hands loosely bound. "It's all right. They're coming quietly," Luke shouted at Ellingham. "The show's over."
Will spotted Djaq and felt a moment's relief until he noticed how pale she looked. She shook her head, looking nervously from Ellingham to his long-haired, skinny, bird-like lieutenant.
Luke hauled the outlaws toward the mercenaries. He felt sweat soaking his face beneath the helmet and it wasn't because it was warm on this October day. They might just pull this off. Most of the mercenaries had withdrawn. A handful of them milled about behind Ellingham, probably disappointed there would be no outlaws to torture tonight. The two lone riders approaching from the hills to the south garnered no attention. "Gotta get this rabble back to the castle," he told the mercenary leader.
"Sure," Ellingham said, "the sheriff wants to talk to the outlaws in the castle."
"Yeah," Luke replied.
"Well that's strange, that." Ellingham pointed toward his lieutenant. "'Cos a little birdie told me that the sheriff left the castle yesterday."
"You're joking. Did he?" The fool said winking at the exotically dressed outlaw behind them. Djaq's eyes widened in recognition. "Let's ask him then." He reached into the sleeve of his jerkin and pulled out a pigeon, then tossed it at the mercenary leader.
"Nice try," Ellingham snarled as he waved off the bird. "Get them!"
Djaq suddenly yelled, "Nobody move or I will kill him!" The Saracen whipped her hidden dagger out, its blade under the mercenary leader's throat. Everyone froze in place, not sure what to make of the surreal scene of the dancing girl taking their leader hostage. Djaq's chest heaved with nervous excitement. Her dark eyes flashed. "Release my friends! Let them go! Now...or I spill his blood where he stands!"
"You are just a slave girl!" Ellingham tried to reason with her. "What is such a pretty bird doing with such a nasty weapon?"
Djaq hissed with a grin, "I am Robin Hood! Release them or die!"
The outlaws took full advantage of the momentary pause and Robin commanded with a yell for his friends to fight.
A dozen mercenaries charged. The sound of swords being unsheathed from scabbards bit the early morning air. The outlaws, Luke and Andrew spread out, angling their weapons before the onslaught.
"You got no chance!" Ellingham barked as metal met metal, signalling blood would be drawn. "You're gonna die!" He grabbed the small Saracen's wrist and twisted out of her grasp. Djaq swiftly jumped back out of his reach as he drew his own dagger and they warily circled each other. Ellingham lunged at her. She side-stepped, knocking the knife from his hand, bringing the hilt of her own down upon his wrist. The mercenary leader swore, her blade missing his throat by mere inches. As he spun back away from her one of his men shouted for his attention and threw him a sword. He caught it and turned back to his opponent with an evil grin.
Will wasted no time coming to his lover's aid. "Djaq! Catch!" He grabbed a sword from an already fallen mercenary and threw it to Djaq as she hastily backed away from Ellingham. Soon both of them had the leader struggling as they traded blows against his sword. "Are you all right?" he asked as they fought alongside each other.
"You think because I am a girl I cannot handle a man?" Djaq purred as she swung up to block Ellingham's sword against the carpenter.
"In that outfit, right now? No!" Will shot back.
Djaq grinned as she hurled her blade, impaling another attacking soldier behind them. She leapt for the dying man's sword and in one turn grabbed her lover and kissed him. "This is more fun than in the barn!" she shouted, blocking the swing of another opponent's blade as Will harassed Ellingham.
John suddenly lunged in and took over, trading blows with the mercenary. "Today is not a good day for either of you to die!" he grunted.
Luke's sword found the enemy's. He brought it crashing down, a single slash that saw another man go down that day. Andrew held his own, exchanging blows with an unsuspecting mercenary who found his leggings slipping past his knees.
Ellingham barrelled toward the outlaw leader. Ducking beneath the swing of the mercenary's sword, Robin thrust his long blade at Ellingham and missed. Momentum took him past the mercenary. He turned as Ellingham charged and pressed the attack. Ellingham blocked the long blade again and brought his own toward Robin. Robin threw his arm up to check the assault, snagged the mercenary's arm and twisted it behind his back. John's quarterstaff met the man's belly and shattered. He delivered a swift kick to Ellingham's head and the man hit the ground with a thud.
"We are gonna die!" John shouted at their fallen adversary. "But not today!"
"John!" Legrand shouted.
John turned and saw Legrand's staff flying toward him. He caught it one-handed and raised it over his head in a sign of victory to meet the sword the Frenchman had unsheathed.
Ellingham crawled away from the fray, incredulous that this small band of worthless outlaws was taking down some of his best warriors. "Call back the men!" he ordered as Djaq parried with his lieutenant, her sword ripping his neck.
Legrand crossed blades with another warrior, dragging the man's sword into an arc above their heads then down toward the ground. His weight behind the movement threw his foe off balance. He fell to the ground, his gut pierced by Legrand's sword, his scream lost in the clanging and crashing of metal. To his side, Will and Djaq danced around their target. Another mercenary drew up behind Will, but his axe made quick work of him. Will turned in time to see Djaq jump backwards to avoid a sword point. Will swung his axe across the back of Djaq's opponent. "She's with me," he said as his Saracen lover plunged her sword into the man with a wild cry.
Luke bellowed a warning and his sword came down, cutting off another enemy assault meant for Will.
The carpenter threw a grateful nod to his little brother. "Glad you're back!"
"It's good to be back!" Luke shouted as the outlaws started to celebrate their victory.
Dozens of mercenaries reappeared on the hill and began to charge back toward the barn. "I told you you were going to die!" Ellingham bellowed.
Suddenly, two riders with a half dozen horses galloped into the fray, blocking the path between the outlaws and their adversaries. Robin jumped over the rump and into the saddle of one of the mounts. "Like we said," he shouted, grasping the animal's reins and staring Ellingham down. "Not today!" He nodded toward the gang. "C'mon, lads!"
"Get them!" Ellingham ordered, too late as the the outlaws fled over the hill and into the forest.
>>>--------------------------------------->
Deep in Sherwood, Robin reined in his horse. The outlaws and their rescuers should have been celebrating victory and another narrow escape but something was wrong and it hung in the air like a dead weight.
Kate looked at her brother. "We should be going back to Locksley."
"I'm going with them," Luke nodded toward the gang.
"It's not safe," Will shook his head. "I can't have anything happen to you now. Not after Dad..."
"I am almost sixteen now...almost a man! I can decide for myself. Besides, you need me. You'd still be stuck in that barn if it wasn't for us!"
"To the camp then?" Legrand asked.
"There's no time," Luke said. "Listen, there's something I haven't told you."
"What is it?" Robin asked.
"The Sheriff and Gisborne have got Marian."
"It's true," Andrew added. "We overheard the conversation at the castle, most troubling indeed."
Robin's eyes flashed with pain. "Vaizey and Gisborne have Marian?"
"She wanted to save the king," Luke said. "She couldn't find you so she tried to kill the sheriff and got caught."
"Luke is right," John shot back. "We haven't got time. We go to the coast. Now!"
"Yes!" Luke smiled.
"Not you," Will reasoned with his little brother. "We need someone to look after the camp and the villages while we are gone."
Djaq added, "With the gang gone, who knows what the sheriff's mercenaries will do."
"I will gladly do that for you," Andrew the Fool offered. "I can look after young Luke here as well till you return."
"I can help protect the villages too," Matthew excitedly offered.
"Sounds like I will be keeping the three of you out of trouble then," Kate chimed in. She looked at Robin and smiled shyly, nodding her head in approval, "Go save her, Lord Locksley."
"Thank you. All of you," Robin said.
Legrand spurred his mount and the other outlaws followed, leaving the three men and one woman behind.
Robin stared after them a moment wondering when he might see his homeland again. "I'm coming, my love. I'm coming."
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Chapter 44 is this way...Team Leather is on the road to Portsmouth, and the Sheriff is even uglier than he was in canon...
Author: teamlavender
Characters/Pairings: Robin, Little John, Will/Djaq, Legrand, Luke, the Fool (Andrew), Kate, Matthew, Ellingham, mercenaries
Rating: PG-13
Genre: gen
Words: 3345
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; we just want to play in their universe
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial'. Beta'd by teamlavender.
Summary: The mercenaries have Robin and the gang trapped. How will they get out of this mess?
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: Summary of previous chapters...
>>>------------------------->
With a Little Help From My Friends
by
robinfanatic, darkentwisted & wastingyourgum
First light. Robin sat up and looked around the barn. John was awake, staring into the fire. Legrand peered through a crevice in the wall, apprising the situation and looking for a way out, always the soldier. But there was no way out for any of them...this time. They were surrounded by a hundred mercenaries who could either burn them alive or wait them out until they starved. Certain death either way. And the plan he'd devised wasn't even half a plan. They'd all be dead within a matter of minutes once they charged Vaizey's hunters. This is what he'd brought his friends to. He almost wished they hated him. He'd let them down.
How many times had he been in situations that seemed hopeless and somehow, some way, he'd always managed to figure a way out. But this was the end for him, and he hated that he was taking these good people with him. Will and Djaq--a couple--no more time to explore their new found love. John--Robin always felt certain that he'd see his son again--but now those hopes were forever dashed. And Legrand--one of King Richard's best and bravest knights. True, they'd go down fighting, yet it still seemed like such a bitter end. But he'd trust that Marian, Much and Carter would live to tell their tale.
He glanced up at the loft. At least he'd given two people a chance to love one last time. An hour earlier he offered his solemn blessing to Will and Djaq as the rightful Lord Locksley. It had been hard to shut out the sounds of their love-making. They'd tried to stifle their rasping breaths and moans but it still sent aches through the three men listening. As dawn broke there were different movements and whispers coming from the loft and then their voices grew steadily louder.
"I know you're concerned, Will Scarlett, and I love you for that. But I think this could work." Djaq's voice sounded confident.
"No! Take that off!" Will half-shouted. "It's too dangerous."
Robin, Legrand and John looked at each other. A scuffling noise made the other three outlaws turn their heads upwards.
"And Robin's plan for us to just charge outside is not?" Djaq replied from the top of the ladder as she began to descend from the loft.
John's eyes grew wide. Legrand turned and stared. Robin gulped and hastily averted his eyes.
"Djaq!" Will called, the frustration in his voice sounding loud and clear. It almost matched the sound from the bells around the Saracen's waist. What was left of Djaq's outfit was adorned with colourful silks that made up a diaphanous skirt. Her midriff was bare and her grown-out, dark locks fell softly around her shoulders. Any resemblance to the outlaw she was would have been doubtful as the gang looked the young woman over. Will groaned. "At least close your mouths, mates!"
The Saracen girl blushed under the other outlaws hungry eyes. Her mind suddenly flashed back to the last time the others saw her in a more feminine light. That dress she had worn as a serving girl in the castle had been cut way too low and way too high. The looks on Will, Allan, and even John's faces had embarrassed her yet made her feel special at the same time. She felt that way now.
"Djaq," Robin said, "what is going on?"
The Saracen looked at her leader defiantly. "I am going to distract those mercenaries."
"In that?" John asked. He suddenly noticed, "Bells? Where did you find bells?"
Legrand looked at his friend. "I thought we might have some music at the party. I was told you liked them, mon ami."
John glared at the carpenter. "I wonder who told him that?"
Will avoided the large outlaw's gaze. "I thought you would enjoy..."
"You, I will deal with later!" John growled.
"It just might work," Legrand smiled as he returned his gaze to the scantily clad Saracen. "La femme fatale."
"I planned for that too," Djaq grinned showing the Frenchman the dagger strapped to her thigh.
"Enough of that!" Will barked as he hastily pulled down his lover's skirt and glared at Legrand. "I don't like it," he said, trying to shield his girlfriend from ogling eyes.
"They won't shoot me," Djaq argued. "Trust me. I'll do a little dance as they gather around--"
"They'll know it's a trick."
"Ah ha!" she exclaimed. "But they are men!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.
Robin chuckled. Djaq rolled her eyes and ran her hand along his cheek. "Now John," she replied, "must I really explain?"
Robin and Will pushed aside the cart by the door.
"What do you think, John?" Will asked as the big man as he pulled away the beam holding the door tight against their enemies. "A good day?"
"Yes."
Will pulled his sword from his scabbard and stood ready. Robin nodded to John and Legrand. For the first time, Djaq appeared worried, her eyes moist. She looked at the faces of her friends and then turned to Will to share one last kiss.
"Godspeed 'til we meet again," John said.
"See you in heaven, my friends," Robin added.
Will prepared to fling open the door and throw his love to the wolves.
>>>----------------------------->
"Help me!" Djaq called out to the mercenary guarding the door.
He drew his weapon but hesitated at the large brown eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "You're a woman! Oi! Wot you doin' in 'ere?"
"I am a gift to the outlaw leader," Djaq replied with as much shame and sadness in her voice as she could muster. "I am a slave. They bought me for his bidding." She looked up. "Please! I have been trapped in here with these filthy outlaws for days...I do not wish to die."
"Filthy outlaws?" John mouthed.
"Your Saracen is quite the actress," Legrand grinned.
Will shook his head. "I don't like this!"
"Let her try." Robin placed his hand on the carpenter's shoulder. "Our only other option is death."
Ellingham's eyes grew large at the sight of the exotically dressed wench talking to the guard. "What is this?"
"Entertainment for Hood!" the mercenary replied.
"Seems our outlaws have excellent taste in women," the leader leered as he grasped the small woman's round face in his hands.
Djaq glared and suppressed the urge to spit in his face then softened. "I can be yours too. Just don't let me back in there again. Please?"
"I could use a little entertainment myself," Ellingham sneered.
"What's happening now?" Will was barely controlling his anger.
"Ellingham's men are leading Djaq away," John replied as his heart sank.
"I have to go after her!" Will started for the door but was forcefully restrained by the large Frenchman.
"Let her do this, Will." Robin looked out of the cracks in the wall.
"But they might hurt her!" The carpenter was almost in tears as Legrand held him.
"Djaq's plan might fail, my friend, but she will survive this." Robin turned, "I would rather it be her that did and you would too."
Music started as the outlaws spun and looked out at the scene that unfolded in front of them.
"She's dancing!" John gasped.
Djaq was hoisted on a table top and was moving seductively around in time to the music of the mercenaries' drums and pipes.
"I have to make her stop!" Will cried.
"We will...but I think it's working," Robin pondered.
Even the guards at the barn door stopped and looked at the exotic dancer as she nervously cast her eyes toward them. Djaq knew she had one chance to make her plan work. She loosened one of the silk panels at her waist and let it fall. The shimmy of her hips was hypnotic. She was the only one who seemed to notice the two castle guards who galloped in the village from the hills on horseback, dismounted, and walked up to the men near the barn door.
"Who are they?" John asked.
"Castle guards," Robin nodded. "I wonder what they are up to?"
Ellingham's men called him over to the guards.
"We have orders from the Sheriff to deliver the outlaws to the castle," the first guard said.
Ellingham unfurled the scroll handed to him and sniffed for a second. He looked over his shoulder as the dancing girl let another silk fall from her waist to the boisterous cheers of his soldiers. "They are my prisoners. I get to collect the price on their heads!"
"You will get paid," the other guard spoke. "We need to secure the prisoners." He looked over the hill at a small flash of light.
>>>--------------------------------------->
"Hold!" Legrand said. "There's something...something reflecting off the hillside to the south. Reminds me how the sun used to reflect off armour and nearly blind us out in the desert. Remember the old tricks we'd use for the all clear into a village?"
"Some kind of signal?" Robin wondered.
Will peered out the door. "Those guards talking to Ellingham, they're headed this way."
"What's going on?" Robin asked.
Legrand had his eyes peeled on the activities beyond their prison. "The mercenaries are starting to leave, Robin," he said.
One of the soldiers pounded on the barn door.
"What about Djaq?" Will asked, his line of sight blocked by the two new arrivals.
"Still there--near Ellingham," Legrand reported.
"Open up!" the man shouted, his voice booming. "We're here on behalf of the sheriff."
Robin nodded. "Let them in!"
"C'mon!" John growled, readying his quarterstaff.
"It's all right, John. Let's see what they want," Robin told the big man.
Will pushed the door open. Legrand dragged one of the soldiers into the barn.
"Thank goodness you're alive!" the second soldier exclaimed as Will tugged him inside. His eyes grew wide. He knew that voice.
"Luke!" Will grabbed his brother in a huge bear hug as the younger Scarlett removed his helmet.
Andrew the Fool bowed slightly, removing his own head gear. "Felicitations are welcome, however, we have little time for such pleasantries, my friends."
Despite the Fool's concern, the gang embraced the two men. Legrand looked on with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Did you bring more help, say, others up in the hills?"
Andrew threw the Frenchman a sly grin. "We have friends with fresh horses."
"I knew that was a signal," Legrand said proudly.
"Look we don't have time to explain," Luke said. "We spun 'em a yarn. We gotta get outta here before they're on to us."
"The Sheriff and Gisborne are going to the Holy Land."
"The Holy Land?" Will said.
"They're headed to Portsmouth and they're going to kill the king."
"Right. We need to get out of here." Robin looked resolutely at his friends. "Now."
A few moments later Luke opened the barn door. Andrew prodded the outlaws forward, their hands loosely bound. "It's all right. They're coming quietly," Luke shouted at Ellingham. "The show's over."
Will spotted Djaq and felt a moment's relief until he noticed how pale she looked. She shook her head, looking nervously from Ellingham to his long-haired, skinny, bird-like lieutenant.
Luke hauled the outlaws toward the mercenaries. He felt sweat soaking his face beneath the helmet and it wasn't because it was warm on this October day. They might just pull this off. Most of the mercenaries had withdrawn. A handful of them milled about behind Ellingham, probably disappointed there would be no outlaws to torture tonight. The two lone riders approaching from the hills to the south garnered no attention. "Gotta get this rabble back to the castle," he told the mercenary leader.
"Sure," Ellingham said, "the sheriff wants to talk to the outlaws in the castle."
"Yeah," Luke replied.
"Well that's strange, that." Ellingham pointed toward his lieutenant. "'Cos a little birdie told me that the sheriff left the castle yesterday."
"You're joking. Did he?" The fool said winking at the exotically dressed outlaw behind them. Djaq's eyes widened in recognition. "Let's ask him then." He reached into the sleeve of his jerkin and pulled out a pigeon, then tossed it at the mercenary leader.
"Nice try," Ellingham snarled as he waved off the bird. "Get them!"
Djaq suddenly yelled, "Nobody move or I will kill him!" The Saracen whipped her hidden dagger out, its blade under the mercenary leader's throat. Everyone froze in place, not sure what to make of the surreal scene of the dancing girl taking their leader hostage. Djaq's chest heaved with nervous excitement. Her dark eyes flashed. "Release my friends! Let them go! Now...or I spill his blood where he stands!"
"You are just a slave girl!" Ellingham tried to reason with her. "What is such a pretty bird doing with such a nasty weapon?"
Djaq hissed with a grin, "I am Robin Hood! Release them or die!"
The outlaws took full advantage of the momentary pause and Robin commanded with a yell for his friends to fight.
A dozen mercenaries charged. The sound of swords being unsheathed from scabbards bit the early morning air. The outlaws, Luke and Andrew spread out, angling their weapons before the onslaught.
"You got no chance!" Ellingham barked as metal met metal, signalling blood would be drawn. "You're gonna die!" He grabbed the small Saracen's wrist and twisted out of her grasp. Djaq swiftly jumped back out of his reach as he drew his own dagger and they warily circled each other. Ellingham lunged at her. She side-stepped, knocking the knife from his hand, bringing the hilt of her own down upon his wrist. The mercenary leader swore, her blade missing his throat by mere inches. As he spun back away from her one of his men shouted for his attention and threw him a sword. He caught it and turned back to his opponent with an evil grin.
Will wasted no time coming to his lover's aid. "Djaq! Catch!" He grabbed a sword from an already fallen mercenary and threw it to Djaq as she hastily backed away from Ellingham. Soon both of them had the leader struggling as they traded blows against his sword. "Are you all right?" he asked as they fought alongside each other.
"You think because I am a girl I cannot handle a man?" Djaq purred as she swung up to block Ellingham's sword against the carpenter.
"In that outfit, right now? No!" Will shot back.
Djaq grinned as she hurled her blade, impaling another attacking soldier behind them. She leapt for the dying man's sword and in one turn grabbed her lover and kissed him. "This is more fun than in the barn!" she shouted, blocking the swing of another opponent's blade as Will harassed Ellingham.
John suddenly lunged in and took over, trading blows with the mercenary. "Today is not a good day for either of you to die!" he grunted.
Luke's sword found the enemy's. He brought it crashing down, a single slash that saw another man go down that day. Andrew held his own, exchanging blows with an unsuspecting mercenary who found his leggings slipping past his knees.
Ellingham barrelled toward the outlaw leader. Ducking beneath the swing of the mercenary's sword, Robin thrust his long blade at Ellingham and missed. Momentum took him past the mercenary. He turned as Ellingham charged and pressed the attack. Ellingham blocked the long blade again and brought his own toward Robin. Robin threw his arm up to check the assault, snagged the mercenary's arm and twisted it behind his back. John's quarterstaff met the man's belly and shattered. He delivered a swift kick to Ellingham's head and the man hit the ground with a thud.
"We are gonna die!" John shouted at their fallen adversary. "But not today!"
"John!" Legrand shouted.
John turned and saw Legrand's staff flying toward him. He caught it one-handed and raised it over his head in a sign of victory to meet the sword the Frenchman had unsheathed.
Ellingham crawled away from the fray, incredulous that this small band of worthless outlaws was taking down some of his best warriors. "Call back the men!" he ordered as Djaq parried with his lieutenant, her sword ripping his neck.
Legrand crossed blades with another warrior, dragging the man's sword into an arc above their heads then down toward the ground. His weight behind the movement threw his foe off balance. He fell to the ground, his gut pierced by Legrand's sword, his scream lost in the clanging and crashing of metal. To his side, Will and Djaq danced around their target. Another mercenary drew up behind Will, but his axe made quick work of him. Will turned in time to see Djaq jump backwards to avoid a sword point. Will swung his axe across the back of Djaq's opponent. "She's with me," he said as his Saracen lover plunged her sword into the man with a wild cry.
Luke bellowed a warning and his sword came down, cutting off another enemy assault meant for Will.
The carpenter threw a grateful nod to his little brother. "Glad you're back!"
"It's good to be back!" Luke shouted as the outlaws started to celebrate their victory.
Dozens of mercenaries reappeared on the hill and began to charge back toward the barn. "I told you you were going to die!" Ellingham bellowed.
Suddenly, two riders with a half dozen horses galloped into the fray, blocking the path between the outlaws and their adversaries. Robin jumped over the rump and into the saddle of one of the mounts. "Like we said," he shouted, grasping the animal's reins and staring Ellingham down. "Not today!" He nodded toward the gang. "C'mon, lads!"
"Get them!" Ellingham ordered, too late as the the outlaws fled over the hill and into the forest.
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Deep in Sherwood, Robin reined in his horse. The outlaws and their rescuers should have been celebrating victory and another narrow escape but something was wrong and it hung in the air like a dead weight.
Kate looked at her brother. "We should be going back to Locksley."
"I'm going with them," Luke nodded toward the gang.
"It's not safe," Will shook his head. "I can't have anything happen to you now. Not after Dad..."
"I am almost sixteen now...almost a man! I can decide for myself. Besides, you need me. You'd still be stuck in that barn if it wasn't for us!"
"To the camp then?" Legrand asked.
"There's no time," Luke said. "Listen, there's something I haven't told you."
"What is it?" Robin asked.
"The Sheriff and Gisborne have got Marian."
"It's true," Andrew added. "We overheard the conversation at the castle, most troubling indeed."
Robin's eyes flashed with pain. "Vaizey and Gisborne have Marian?"
"She wanted to save the king," Luke said. "She couldn't find you so she tried to kill the sheriff and got caught."
"Luke is right," John shot back. "We haven't got time. We go to the coast. Now!"
"Yes!" Luke smiled.
"Not you," Will reasoned with his little brother. "We need someone to look after the camp and the villages while we are gone."
Djaq added, "With the gang gone, who knows what the sheriff's mercenaries will do."
"I will gladly do that for you," Andrew the Fool offered. "I can look after young Luke here as well till you return."
"I can help protect the villages too," Matthew excitedly offered.
"Sounds like I will be keeping the three of you out of trouble then," Kate chimed in. She looked at Robin and smiled shyly, nodding her head in approval, "Go save her, Lord Locksley."
"Thank you. All of you," Robin said.
Legrand spurred his mount and the other outlaws followed, leaving the three men and one woman behind.
Robin stared after them a moment wondering when he might see his homeland again. "I'm coming, my love. I'm coming."
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Chapter 44 is this way...Team Leather is on the road to Portsmouth, and the Sheriff is even uglier than he was in canon...