"Robin!" Kate cried, bursting into camp with wild hair and frightened eyes. "Robin! Someone's heading this way," she gasped, clearly out of breath from running.

Robin cursed under his breath and looked up to the skies. "Did you get a look at them?" he asked. The rest of the gang had already begun to destroy any evidence they had been there. "Did you see who it was? A soldier? The Sheriff?"

She shook her head. "Whoever it is, they were close; I came to warn you."

Robin ushered her into the hiding place where Much, Little John, Alan and Tuck were already crouched. Much began to ask something but Robin waved a hand at him to silence him, and raised a finger to his own lips. He pointed upwards and began to climb a tree.

The figure Kate spoke of approached the location of their camp minutes later. Whoever it was, they wore a hooded cloak made of a dark material, and their face was hidden. They slowly jogged down the hills of the forest, kicking up the dead leaves of the forest floor with them. The black form stopped and slowed to a gentle walk at the bottom; their head turned left and right. Robin could see, from where he was in the tree, the soft tread of their boot and how carefully they were walking.

He tried to make a quick assessment; although they seemed to know what they were looking for, they could pass through the camp. The quiver on their back and the glint of a sword beneath the dark cloak didn't bode well either. Robin frowned. One of the Sheriff's men perhaps? The build wasn't right for Gisbourne.

Whoever it could be, they were not passing through. In fact, they had stopped.

Turning in a circle, the figure surveyed their surroundings. Robin thought he heard a chuckle; low but fruity and it both confused and intrigued him. Slowly and quietly, he lowered himself through the tree to the floor. The figure had not heard him or made any kind of movement; they were waiting. Robin trod silently, pulling an arrow from his quiver as he did and raised the bow to their head. He pulled back the string and held it there.

The figure moved faster than he had thought possible; lifting their own arm to pull an arrow and within seconds, they faced each other, both bows aimed at each other relentlessly. He held his breath. "You're very far from the local villages," he quipped, still unable to see their face.

The mystery archer paused and to Robin's surprise, lowered their bow, relaxing the tension on the string. They replaced the arrow to its quiver and laughed. He could hear now it was a woman. Robin did not relax his arm.

"Oh come now, brother," the figure said softly, lowering their hood, "You're not going to shoot me?"

Robin almost let go of the string in surprise. "Alexandra?" he whispered in disbelief. Lowering his bow to, and placing it on the ground, he stared at her. "Alex?"

"Fresh from the Promised Land," the girl replied with a wide smile. Robin returned it and laughed loudly before embracing her.

"Much, Tuck, the rest of you," Robin said after some time, pulling away and turning towards the hiding hole. "Come out; it's no trap, or ambush."

They all rose slowly, brandishing weapons. Kate looked frightened still, though she was trying to seem brave, and Little John had clasped his stick tightly. Robin smiled at them. "I promise you, there's no need to be scared. I know her."

Kate, gaining her spirit once more, looked the new-comer up and down and crossed her arms. "Another friend of yours Robin?" she asked curtly. No one could ignore the angry edge to the tone of her voice. The woman across form her looked confused, and Robin merely laughed. "Yes, a dear friend, who I haven't seen since the wars in the Promised Land. This, my friends," he said gently, "is my sister. Alexandra."

***

It transpired that Alexandra hadn't eaten for a few days and that he passage to England had been a particularly difficult one, so they all sat down swiftly and offered her some food. Robin watched her intently as she devoured some bread and a meat broth that Much had cooked. She spoke very little, and her answers were short to the questions they all asked. "You'll have to excuse me," she said at the end of her meal, "I'm very tired and probably not much company."

Kate, who had warmed to her once she knew Alexandra and Robin were related, smiled and said "Don't worry about it; feel free to rest in my bunk if you want."

Alexandra returned her smile with a warm grin. "That won't be necessary. Sleep in your own bed, Kate."

"I hope you won't mind, Alexandra," Tuck interjected, "If we talk business. We were in the middle of a discussion when you arrived, and its imperative we think about our strategies and options."

She shook her head and sat back in her chair. "Go ahead; I'd be glad to listen. Now I'm here, I intend to pledge myself to the cause."

Robin grinned. "Always muscling in on someone else's fight…"

Tuck pulled out some papers from his sack. "The Sheriff is planning to march into Loxley tomorrow and take an extra ten per cent of taxes than usual. The people of Loxley can't defend themselves, so we have to."

"Why's he taking extra money?" Much asked.

"That remains a mystery," Tuck said, turning to the young man.

"Does he need a reason," Kate grumbled, "Apart from the fact he's a greedy, evil man?"

"I say he's up to something," Robin mused scratching his chin, which was covered in several days' growth.

"I say we fight them as we would normally; we have an extra soldier in our numbers," John said, winking at Alexandra, "We stand a good chance."

"There are going to be at least thirty men," Alan began. "Robin's sister or not."

Alexandra sat quietly and observed their discussions. Tuck was the decisive one, although they all valued Robin's opinions and thoughts above that. What they really needed was to get someone into the castle, someone who could find out that information, why the Sheriff was doing what he was doing.

"I have an idea," she said quietly. "Robin's not going to like it, but it's a plan."

***