Affirmation

By: Kegel

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize I do not own.

Summary: After an ambush the outlaws make an unpleasant discovery. While trying to deal with the consequences, an injury of a single man leads on a path of disaster for all of them.

A/N: This story is set season two-ish. Thanks go to Emmithar who not only betaed but also greatly influenced this story. Thanks for always being an inspiration for me.

Chapter 1: Good intentions

The leaves crunched under his feet with every step he took. This was just one more reason why they needed to be there and ready before the wagons arrived. The forest road lay quiet as of yet, while the gang of outlaws moved swiftly through the underbrush.

It was a rather chilly day and the cold wind blew the leaves from the trees, making it all the more clear that winter was coming. On some days the sun still warmed them well enough, but nights were cold. Harvest had been finished weeks ago and the people had stocked up as well as they could. So had the outlaws, knowing that another hard winter was before them. Harvest had not gone over as well as could be hoped for. The peasants had lacked seed and tools when it had come to sowing in the spring, so the fruit of their labour had not been plenty.

So it had not surprised Robin when he had heard about a delivery of grain, wheat and barley, from another shire being brought to Nottingham this day. The gang had debated the rightfulness of taking these supplies. There had been arguments that the food was intended for the people of Nottingham and that it was wrong to steal it. Robin had argued that the supplies would never even reach the tables of the town's people, but would only be used for the sheriff's gain. Eventually he had made the final decision; they were to ambush the delivery and take the food. If the food was meant for the people of Nottingham then it would get to them. It would also serve to fill their own stores for the coming winter.

Robin came to a stop, crouching down to stay out of sight from the road. He could see Much few feet away from him and glanced around to find Djaq hidden on his other side. They did not know how long they would have to wait. Information never was and never could be exact when it came to the time of arrival. A train of wagons filled with supplies would move slowly, could be stopped by any impediment on the road and was therefore easily delayed.

Robin checked his bow, making sure that it was ready. When he looked up again, he saw that Much was moving into his direction, the leaves sounding under his feet just as loudly as under Robin's. He frowned, worrying about their cover for a moment. Then Much came to a stop and crouched down next to him.

"When did Marian say they would come through?" he asked, whispering.

"She didn't know for sure," Robin answered quietly. "She said it was planned that they arrive this afternoon."

"Afternoon? Now that's not very helpful. We could be waiting here for hours." Much shook his head, dissatisfied.

"We could also be at the camp without food supplies," Robin pointed out, observing the road.

"At least it would be warm there."

Robin didn't reply as he saw a movement down the road. Then he also heard the sound of hooves. As far as he could tell, whoever was coming was riding slowly and it fitted with them accompanying slowly moving wagons. He glanced along the bushes at the other side of the road to see if he could make out Will, Allan and John anywhere. They were nowhere to be seen though, which was a good sign for Robin, telling him that they would not easily betray their presence to anyone coming through. An arrow from his bow would be the signal for them to emerge from the forest; once having settled in for the wait, they would not move until they received it. If they were lucky and it was actually the supply of food now moving up to them, they would not have to wait for very much longer.

A few minutes later Robin had a clear view on the train that was coming along. They were the wagons that they were expecting. Two guards were riding before them and several more followed after the last wagon. There were three carts in the whole and Robin's excitement about the amount they would be able to take was only briefly dampened by concern whether they would even manage to move all of that away. They would have to take the wagons themselves, so much had always been clear. They needed to disable or fend off the guards and then move the carts along with the animals that were pulling them into the forest. It would be a difficult task. The wagons would move even slower than on the main road, they would have to make a detour to even move them at all, a detour through open roads and clearings the outlaws usually avoided if they wanted to get away from a place as quickly and as securely as possible.

Robin waited for the first guards to have passed them, the first wagon to have moved by as well, before he aimed an arrow and let it loose. As it flew through the air, the outlaws jumped out onto the road, using more bows to keep the guards in check.

"This is an ambush," Robin annouced, as the guards at the front of the train turned around to see what the commotion was about. "We are going to take these supplies and give them to the poor of this shire."

"This is food for the people of Nottingham," one of the guards pointed out with a determined voice.

"This is food the sheriff has ordered. He is using the people's tax money for it, but they won't see a kernel of this," Robin argued back. "We are going to take it, and give it to those who need it the most."

The other man did not bother replying once more, but instead charged ahead at Robin.

It was a quick, ugly fight.

The outlaws had surprised the men and the arrows that had been aimed did most of the work, only a minor skirmish taking place at the back of the train where Will and Allan were fighting the guards that had been following after the wagons.

The last guard who was still on his horse soon fled, horse and rider vanishing from sight quickly.

"Alright, lads," Robin spoke up, as soon as the man was gone. "Let's get these wagons off the road."

It was easier said than done. Much and Djaq moved the first wagon along, while Robin and John took the second and Allan and Will secured the third, but they could not simply leave the same way they had come. They had chosen this place for the ambush for a reason, knowing there was a trail down the road that they could use. This trail was what they needed to reach quickly to get out of sight of the main road. The one guard that had fled would soon return with more troops. Robin knew that troops would be scouring Sherwood as soon as the shipment failed to arrive, but he had counted on at least half a day's time to store the goods. Now they were lucky if they had but a few hours.

The train now moved slower than ever before though. The oxes that pulled the wagons had been disturbed by the battle and the stubborn creatures refused to move in any direction whatsoever. It took a lot of convincing on the outlaws' part to get them moving once more.

Robin kept watching and listening increasingly concerned. They could fight another battle, it wasn't a problem in itself, but still it increased the risk immensely and in case there was a high number of guards sent after them, they might even have to give up their prey, unable to move fast enough with it. Moving fast was often the only advantage they had, that and the ability to blend in with the forest. Neither of these advantages were given to them now. Still, Robin was determined to make this mission work.

The wagons were keeping up a slow pace now and they would reach the trail that would lead them deeper into the woods soon. Robin was walking next to the wagon that John was driving. The man directed the animal in front of him calmly and Robin looked to see Much and Djaq managing just as well now. He turned to the last wagon that Will was driving silently, while Allan was talking. Robin wasn't able to understand what he was saying, but he seemed to enjoy himself well enough. He jogged towards them and Allan's stream of words stopped.

"What's wrong?" Will was the one to ask.

"I want to make sure the road behind is clear," Robin told him, pointing behind the men.

"Wouldn't they send someone from Nottingham?" Allan questioned, motioning in the opposite direction.

"Not yet," Robin shook his head. "They know supply wagons would be slow, and probably won't expect it to arrive until later. I expected they would send someone out in the morning when it didn't arrive, but the guard that got away is going to raise an alarm." Walking past the wagon with the two men now, he added, "I'll be back soon."

He moved along the road for a few minutes, but went off it and into the underbrush then, unwilling to be seen by anyone coming along, alerting them of the outlaws' presence even before they could see the train of wagons. He ran for a good deal of time, but saw nobody on the road. It was a relief, though it surprised him that there was nobody coming. After a long while, he both remembered his promise to be back soon, as well as the fact that there had enough time passed for the wagons to have reached the trail now. His men would move them along there and Robin would find them, but still, it was time to go back. With a last look down the empty, quiet road, he turned and headed back through the woods that gave him at least some protection of the increasingly chilly winds.

The ox finally did what Will wanted. The animal had been headstrong at first, or frightened maybe. When the outlaw had first climbed on the wagon at least, it had not moved at all. Allan had tried to convince it to walk along, had called it a few names, but still it had taken them several minutes before the cart was moving in the direction they wanted.

It all gave Will a feeling of vulnerability. They were moving slowly and they were obvious, too obvious on the main road, for Will's taste. He was glad to be sitting now though, for the manner of movement wasn't the only thing that made him feel vulnerably. The battle had been brief, but as brief as it had been it hadn't left him unharmed. A guard had made a lucky strike, and had grazed Will's leg in falling. The sword had not cut deeply and while Will had felt a sharp sting, it had not stopped him from ending the fight.

None of the others had even noticed, and Will had not chosen to mention it. There was no time to stop because of it and he was fairly certain that the cut was only minor. If need be, he could still have Djaq take a look at it later, once they were back at the camp and had hidden the supplies safely away.

It took them a long while to finally reach the trail that would lead them deeper into the forest but also enabled them to take the carts with them. Robin hadn't returned from his scouting mission yet, but neither had any guard or traveller come along the road, causing any trouble for the outlaws. Once they were at the trail they moved off the road quickly, knowing that Robin would find them later.

Will drove the wagon for a little while longer, but once the way became harder to get through, he climbed off the cart. Both he and Allan worked to direct the ox on foot. John managed alone a little way ahead, but Much and Djaq seemed to be in trouble.

"Can you manage on your own for a while?" he asked, turning to Allan who was pulling the ox on the other side. "I'm going to help out Much and Djaq."

"Sure," Allan pulled the ox with a jerk, "I'll be alright."

Will left him to his own devices, and moved to catch up with Djaq and Much. They were struggling with a headstrong ox, trying to get the stubborn beast to move. One of the cart wheels had fallen off the main path, landing in a deep puddle. The noise must have scared the ox, and now the creature was reluctant to help move the cart along. Will leaped over the root of a tree, trying to get to them, landing on his injured leg. A sharp pain shot up from the wound. Each step was hurting now, but Will gritted his teeth, as he came up next to Djaq and helped her and Much to move the cart out of a puddle, the pain finally fading to the back of his mind.

"Where's Robin?" Much asked then, as they had the wagon and ox back on fairly even ground.

"He went to check if the road is clear," Will explained, motioning into the direction of the forest road they had left a while ago.

"Why isn't he back yet?" Much gave an annoyed glance to the ox.

Will shrugged. "He's going to find us."

"I hope he does," Much nodded. "Then he can move his carts all by himself!" After a pause he added, "It was his idea, wasn't it?"

"Marian's, I think," Djaq pointed out, still doing her best to keep the animal on track.

"Well, she surely didn't suggest we move a group of ox along with carts through the underbrush!"

Will shook his head. "We'll be at the hiding place soon. We can unload the carts there and send the ox away."

"I'll be happy to see them go," Much claimed.

"We could slaughter them," Djaq suggested, "Dry the meat so we have some for the winter."

Much nodded. "That's a good idea."

"I'm not sure we are going to have time for that. You ever slaugther an ox before? It takes time. Time we may not have," Will pointed out, looking back to see how Allan was faring.

"We can ask Robin," Much said. "I'll do it."

Will smiled, but flinched then as he strained his leg too much in a step over uneven ground. When he next looked at Djaq he saw her watching him quizzically. He debated briefly to tell her about the injury, but at this moment Robin appeared at the back of their track.

"Road's clear. I think we'll be fine," he told them, before going to help Allan with the cart Will had left earlier.

They arrived at the hiding place they had previously decided on when the sun had gone down. It was even colder now than before and the torches they had lit emitted only little warmth.

"Alright, lads, we'll unload the carts and take part of the supplies the villages tomorrow. We keep a part, too, to fill up our own stores." Robin fixed the torch he had been carrying in the forest ground and turned to the first wagon. "Let's start with that one," he suggested, picking up a sack of grain and unloading it from the cart. There was an angry squeak, the outlaws barely catching sight of the creature as it ran further back into the cart.

"I hate rats!" Much complained, stepping back from the cart. Robin tossed the first sack into the store with little effort.

"What do you expect? They're only looking for food too," Robin chided him, grabbing another. The others joined in as well, Much following behind at a slower pace.

Working together it didn't take long to unload the cart. Robin moved to unhitch the animal, prepared to send it on it's way when Much stopped him.

"Djaq suggested we slaughter the ox and keep the meat for the winter."

"Food is scare," she added, coming up along the pair. "There are only two wagons left; two unload, the rest will take care of the meat."

"It's an idea," Robin nodded thoughtfully, but let out a sigh. "I don't know if we'll have time for that just yet. The grains are more important." He turned to Will then. "I'll need you and Allan to carry some of these back to camp. The rest of us will stay here and finish unloading. If we have time we might be able to take care of one of the oxen, so make haste."

Will wanted to say no, knowing how each and every step of the way to and from camp would hurt, but knew better than to protest. Time was of the essence, and complaining now, or showing weakness, would help no one. There would be time for rest later. Still, Djaq frowned at him when his glance fell on her, but he hefted several sacks in his arms. Allan followed his example, and the two men walked off deeper into the forest.

Will wasn't sure exactly how far the camp was away, but he knew it to be a fair distance, as they had purposefully not taken the carts all too close to it. Walking the distances was usually no problem, they were used to it, and Allan showed no sign of exertion as he moved along next to Will. The younger man knew though that he would not enjoy the walk.

"It's just right we keep some of the food at the camp," Allan informed him then. Will remained silent. "We have to eat, too, after all. And if we work to get food all year, we shouldn't be the ones starving in winter."

"Some of the food we're going to keep in the storages is going to be for emergencies in the villages," Will reminded him finally.

"And what about us?"

"We're going to eat some of it, of course, but if it's gone, we can still hunt. The villagers are not going to dare doing it, when they risk losing limbs when caught."

Allan frowned. "I almost lost a finger once."

"We're outlaws. We'd lose our heads if we were caught," Will shrugged. "So we have to make sure we're not caught."

"You don't have to tell me that," Allan grumbled. "Only shows we should keep what we have, making sure we don't have to risk our necks later just to get something in our bellies."

Will didn't answer, trying to focus on the steps he was taking so as not to strain his bad leg all too much. It was in a constant dull pain now that turned into a sharp one every time he put too much weight on it. He was glad when they reached the camp and was almost tempted to ask Allan to return alone. But he knew he could not just wait here by himself. He wouldn't be able to lie when asked what was wrong, and news of his injury would only cause hassle and worry among the others, so he kept silent, and followed Allan as soon as the food had been safely stored.

It was another long walk, each step reminding him that he should be resting, not walking. When the carts came into sight he almost felt like crying, or laughing, from sheer exhaustion brought forth from the pain in his leg. Will could barely put any weight on the leg anymore at all and wondered if the others would not notice it anyway. He could not rest now, for the grains had to be stored, and if Robin did follow through with the slaughter there would be much more work to do, and another long hike back with heavy meat. Yet once they returned to camp, he hoped Djaq would be able to take a look at the injury and maybe lessen the pain.

Will had been so focused on these thoughts that he only noticed after a few seconds that the carts hadn't even been unloaded. The two wagons that had been left when he and Allan had headed off were actually almost full.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking at the worried faces of Djaq and Robin and the disgusted expression of Much who was also the one to answer.

"There are rats...dead rats."

Will frowned in confusion. It was no news that parasites dealt damage to food and grains. It was unfortunate that some of the grain was likely gone, but he didn't understand why everyone seemed so upset about it. "Rats die all the time, so what? Let's finish unloading," he suggested, raising his eyebrows to show his confusion.

Djaq shook her head. "We think the rats died of poison."

TBC