'Robin?.' Robin turned to the woman who he had just given a small purse of coins.

'Yes, Mary?.'

'I've been told to give you this. The Sheriff came to my house last week, just after your last delivery.' She handed him a small scroll.

'Did he hurt you or the boys?,' Robin asked, taking the scroll.

'No, he just came along and said "next time you see Robin Hood, give him this would you?" And he gave me a gold sovereign.'

'Ok, that's fine. Thanks Mary.' He turned back to Much and Alan, and unrolled the scroll.

'He wants to meet.' They frowned, mounted their horses, and cantered back to the forest.

'So what does he want to meet for?,' Much asked, being typically jumpy.

'He says we have an important matter to discuss, regarding the occupants of the village of Loxley.'

'You think he wants to broker some kind of deal?,' Alan asked.

'I guess so, I don't see why else we'd need to meet. Maybe he's going to try and swap them being fed properly, with us not attacking this autumns tax wagon.'

'Isn't it more likely to be some kind of trap?,' Little John.

'Yes, far more likely!,' Much added.

'It is more likely, but he does not give a date, time or place. We can agree to meet him on our own turf, here in the forest. He can get as many guards as he likes, but in the forest, we are going to have the upper hand.'

'Fine, but I still think it's a bad idea, Robin,' Much said.

'Come on, Much, we've done harder before. And maybe we can finally get something good out of him.' Robin took a scroll, ink and quill from a cubby-hole, and composed a reply. " We will consent to meet you at the cross-roads in the forest, dusk of the day you receive this message". Short and to the point. Now, to Nottingham, to play postman.'

They stood in the courtyard of the castle, disguised in their peasant cloaks. All four of them were there, the only four left to the group. With Will and Djaq in the Holy Land, and Marian gone, only Robin, Much, Little John, and Alan remained. Robin drew his bow, and fired an arrow through the window of what he knew was the Sheriff's chambers.

'Right, best be off.' They left the city as quickly as possible, leaving some deliveries as they went. The arrow Robin had shot had the note hidden within it, and they doubted it would take the Sheriff long to find it.

They arrived at the crossroad's at least an hour before they needed to, in order to ensure that they were not being thrown into a trap. They thoroughly scanned the area, and found it devoid of guards. They then climbed trees, and waited for darkness to draw in.

They did not have to wait long, as the Sheriff, accompanied by several guards, and of course Guy of Gisbourne, arrived less than half an hour later, intending to do his own bit of recconaisance. He motioned quietly to his guards, placing them in their ambush points. The four smiled to each other, then Robin shouted:

'I'm afraid your planning will be of little use to you, Sheriff!.' The Sheriff and Guy stopped, looking about them.

'Really Hood! You cannot imagine that I would be stupid enough to not take precautions. You are, after all, a dangerous outlaw.'

'True, true. You cannot then, imagine, that I would not take my own precautions.' The four of them jumped down from their trees, right in front of the Sheriff and Guy.

'Ah, Hood. Good of you to drop in on us.'

'My pleasure. So, what can we do for you? Loxley, I believe, was the topic of discussion today.'

'Maybe it was, that is no longer valid though, I'm afraid.'

'Oh yes? Why ever not? I thought progress might be being made.'

'Progress? Clue, No!.'

'You're a little short of members at the moment aren't you? What with your carpenter left with his girlfriend, your membership is rather low.' Robin gave Guy a dark look, then turned back to the Sheriff.

'It's quality rather than quantity that matters for us. Not for you it would seem.' He nodded towards the Sheriff's guards.

'Well, I'm afraid that, is where you are grossly mistaken. Wouldn't it be awful for you to lose another of your closest friends? Perhaps I'm taking a different tack now. I can't seem to get at you, can I? And after what happened to your dear 'wife', well, we saw how badly you reacted to all that.' Robin was getting obviously riled, and the others were taking uneasy looks about them. Robin was moving closer to the Sherrif, his grip tightning on his bow. Much put a hand on his arm, and said

'Leave it Robin,' quietly, and Robin relaxed a little, taking a step back.

'So, what, I wonder, would happen if you lost your other closest ally? Someone who had stood by you through it all.'

'You touch a hair on any of my men's head, and you will regret it for the rest of your life, which, I guarantee, would not be very long,' Robin replied, his voice deep and grim.

'I will most definitely hold you to that, my friend.'

'I am no friend of yours. I would sooner befriend the devil, although you and he cannot be far different.'

'Robin, perhaps we best be off,' Much ventured.

'It's a bit late for that now,' the Sheriff said. The four drew their swords, as the Sheriff's men advanced on them. There were nine of them, and the friends fell heartily into fighting them. The Sheriff had obviously hired some better trained men, as they were not falling half as easily as usual. The Sheriff and Guy stood calmly looking on, as the friends tried to fight off the guards. They were so concentrated on their individual fights, that they did not notice a tenth guard, of a foreign ilk, reveal himself from behind the tree which the Sheriff and Guy stood. He drew a short, stocky bow, similar in shape to Robin's, but smaller, probably Asian in design. The Sheriff nodded to Guy, who uncrossed his arms, and stepped into the fight. He waited for Much to draw near, then firmly grabbed hold of him from behind. Much was still trying to fight his assailing guard, but elbowed Guy in the ribs. Guy bent over, and jumped back, but he did not let go. He pulled, with some effort, as Much struggled, and did his best to pull Guy over his back, but the guard he was fighting suddenly stopped, and punched him in the jaw. Guy pulled him round, to face the man with the bow. He drew his bow, and fired an arrow into Much's chest. Much managed to pull away slightly, so it hit him in the side of his chest. He was forced back into Guy, and screamed in pain, and the man fired two further arrows in quick succession. Robin and the others turned and looked, to see Much, still held by Guy, screaming, and falling to his kneesas Guy dropped him.

'Much!!,' Robin cried, whose assailant was momentarily distracted by Robin's cry, and Robin took this opportunity to kick his opponent in the groin. The guard fell, and Robin ran to Much. Much dropped onto the ground from his knees, barely missing forcing the arrows further into his chest.

'Damn you!! Damn you to hell!,' Robin shouted at Guy and the Sheriff.

'As you see, I have chosen to take the other tact. Have fun with that, if you feel like negotiating for some reason, you know where to find me, I'll be quite willing to go along. Goodbye!.'

'Oh, no, you're not getting away that easily!.' Little John ran towards the Sheriff, but was held off by Guy, who swiftly drew his sword, and held it to John's throat. The Sheriff mounted his horse, and Guy slowly drew back, then jumped on his. The guards drew back as well, and then the whole group, including the foreigner rode off in a group. As he turned to leave, the Sheriff called back.

'Remember, if you need me for anything, don't hesitate to call!.'

'Grah!,' Robin shouted, and threw his sword after the Sheriff, but it fell short as he cantered off. Robin dropped to his knees next to Much, and lifted him into his arms. 'Much? Much, you're going to be alright.'

'I'm fine Robin,' Much whispered, his breath short. 'Although I am feeling a little too much like a pin-cushion for my liking, would you do the honours?.' Tears welled in Robin's eyes, and he held Much tight in the one hand, as he snapped off the arrows a few inches from their ends. The arrows were fletched with brightly coloured feathers. Much winced at the pressure, and tightened his grip on Robin's arm, but did not speak.

'Oh Much, what have I done?.'

'It's not your fault, I'm going to be fine.' He spoke to convince himself as much as Robin. He became suddenly dizzy, and his head dropped.

'Oh god, please Much!.'

'It's my head. God, it's throbbing.'

'I'm not being funny Robin, but I think he's bin poisoned. That guy was funny, he's tipped the arrows or somethin',' Alan said, stepping forward and kneeling next to Much. He took his chin, and turned his head to him, looking into his eyes.

'See, his eyes have gone all funny.'

'Hence the negotiation,' Little John said, joining the group. He tried to take Much from Robin, to examine Much's wounds, but Robin wouldn't let him, hugging him closer. 'Come on Robin, I need to get a look.' Robin still wouldn't let go, so Little John moved to just behind Robin's right hand side, and examined Much's wound. Much, who's head was still hanging, his eyes now weeping tears, even though he was not crying, cried out when Little John pressed his hand to the wound. He pulled it back, and it was covered in blood.

'He's really hot, come on, we gotta get him a drink or somethin'. Better get back to camp for the moment,' Alan said.

'We've got to get to the Sheriff, he's not going to have used anything we can find an antidote for is he?.'

'I agree,' Little John said, standing. 'We better move quickly.'

'No!,' Much shouted, trying to lift his head back up. 'No, it's too dangerous, he'll kill you all.'

'Much, there is no way we're leaving you like this,' Robin said, holding Much's head for him.

'Robin, I've said before that it's not worth risking all of us for the one of us. I've said it. I've said it for others, and it's not going to be any different just because it's me.'

'Much, you may have said that, but we've always disagreed. It doesn't matter if we're killled; if we can't save you, there's no point.' Much half sighed, but gasped half way through, and a small drop of blood dripped from the side of his mouth. 'Oh Much.' Robin stood, carrying Much in his arms. 'We'll ride now, Much can come with me, we'll go to the castle. There's no other way.'

'If only Djaq were here,' Much said. 'She'd know what to do.' They all sighed, remembering their dear friends, who it was likely they would never see again. Robin passed Much to Little John, and mounted his horse. Little John then passed him back, and Robin tried to gently place Much on the saddle in front of him. Much gasped as his chest was moved, but put a brave face on it. Alan, already mounted, led a horse to Little John, who mounted, and they began to move. They started at a trot.

'That alright?,' Robin asked Much.

'Yes, as all right as it could be.' They broke into a canter, then a gallop, speeding down the road towards Nottingham.

'Robin?.'

'Yes Much.?.' They were drawing nearer to Nottingham, and Much seemed to have just woken up from a swoon.

'I'm so sorry for everything I've done.'

'You haven't done anything to be sorry for.'

'Yes I have. I'm always nagging you, being cowardly, I eat too much, and if it weren't for me, we might have saved Marian.'

'Much, you are talking nonsense. That had nothing to do with you, it was a twist of fate that none of us could have avoided.'

'No. If it weren't for us getting stuck in the barn, we could have prevented her going to the Holy Land in the first place.'

'No Much, that really wasn't your fault. None of us could have prevented it, it was Guy, he couldn't handle the truth.'

'Please make sure I'm not remembered as the annoying cook.'

'Much, it is a long time before you will need to be remembered, and even so you will be remembered for what you were, a strong fighter, and a loyal friend.' Much didn't reply. Robin pulled his horse to a halt instantly, and the others stopped moments later.

'Much?! Much?!.' Much didn't reply, but Robin leant over, and felt a tiny draft of air on his cheek from Much, and sighed in relief. 'He's alive, come on!.' He kicked his horse back into motion, and galloped up to the gate of the castle. 'We're here to see the Sheriff, he's expecting us.' To his surprise, no resistance was put up, and they were allowed straight through. The Sheriff watched from his window.

'Guy! He's here.' He ran down the strairs to the door of the castle, stopping for a moment to compose himself, then opened both doors and marched out, with Guy trotting to catch up.

'Hood! I thought we'd be seeing you soon!.' Robin, Little John and Alan jumped off their horses, and then Robin lifted Much off, who was still unconscious.

'I haven't got time to talk Vasey, what do I have to do to get the antidote?!.' He marched past the Sheriff and Guy, and down into the Great Hall. John and Alan followed, glowering at Guy and the Sheriff as they went passed. Robin reached the table, and lay Much down on it. He was sweating hard, there was a trickle of blood from his mouth, and his side was red with blood.

'If he dies, Prince John can do whatever he damn well wants with Nottingham, I will KILL YOU!,' Robin shouted, turning to the Sheriff.

'That may well be the case. But what if there isn't an antidote? What if I was feeding you false hope?.' He saw the fear flicker in Robin's eyes, and smiled. 'You see, that's the fatal difference between you and me. We both have sidekicks,' he said, hitting Guy in the chest with the back of his hand, 'but, you make the mistake of genuinely caring for yours. You can watch your friend die here, instead of in the comfort of your 'home', but there is nothing I can do for him.' Before Robin could reach him, he had left the room, with Guy behind him, and the door was locked. Little John screamed, and threw his staff at the wall. It snapped in two.

'Oh Much. What have I done? How did I let this happen?.' Robin turned back to Much, who was still lying still on the table. Robin put his hand to his forehead, which was boiling hot and wet with sweat. He slowely pulled off Much's trademark hat, revealing his blonde-brown hair, and wiped his forehead with it.

'It isn't over Robin, 'course it isn't,' Alan said, standing next to him. 'We need to get the points out, that might help.'

'Yes, but when we get the points out he'll bleed to death.'

'Well we need to try! We leave them in there's no hope of him living! If we get them out, we can at least try and stem the flow!.' Little John joined them, having stood staring at the door for some minutes.

'I agree, we need to do something. I'm not just going to stand and wait for him to die.' He pushed Robin out of the way, and stood in front of Much. 'At least like this he might not feel to pain.' He lifted Much's upper body, and pulled off his jumper, rolling it and laying it down as a pillow. He then began slowely unbuttoning Much's shirt. Alan stood watching, and Robin had turned away. Little John cringed as he pulled the shirt away from the wound, where it was sticking to the blood. There were three points sticking out of Much's side, and widening cuts either side.

'This, will hurt,' John said. Robin turned back, and took Much's hand. Alan held his head, then the three of them nodded. John took hold of one of the points in one hand, and used the other to spread the cut. Much wimpered in his sleep. John shut his eyes, and then pulled sharply. Much suddenly sat up, screaming, his eyes wide open. Alan moved to support him, and Robin moved his hand to the wound, which began quickly seeping blood. John held an intact point in his hand, then threw it over his shoulder.

'Keep the pressure, I've got to get these other two out before I can bandage.' He moved closer, and did the same with the next point. Much screamed, and tried to pull away from Robin and John. Alan held him in place.

'Hang in there, won't be long now,' he said. Much fainted back into his arms, and was quiet. The new wound was weaping blood, and Robin frowned.

'God, what are we doing,' he said, rhetorically. 'This is madness.' John dropped the second point, and quickly, without warning, jerked out the last point. Much awoke again and screamed.

'Right, bandages, cloth, something to wrap it in, quick!,' John called. Alan handed him Much's already blood soaked jumper, and John quickly tied it tightly round Much's chest. 'That'll do for now, but I think I need to clean them out. That'll be painful, and I don't even know if it'll work. But I think the poison will only work as long as it's in contact with his flesh, I don't think it'll soak in properly, if we can wash it out, he might be all right. That is if he doesn't bleed to death. I'll need supplies though.'

'Right. Leave that to me,' Alan said. Robin took his place and Alan climbed down from the table. He turned to the door, and saw Guy standing in the slightly open door way. He ran up the stairs to meet him. 'Look, Guy, please. We need bandages, water..help.' Guy scowled, not talking, his eyes fixed on Much's bleeding form. 'Guy, please! We need your help! You know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Not saying that we love Much the way you loved Marian, it's different, but it's kind of stronger, if you follow me. Please Guy.'

'I can't help, the Sheriff won't let me.'

'Damn the bloody Sheriff! Marian was right you know, you could be so much more without him! Don't you see, he's limiting your power, not giving you it!!,' Alan was shouting, drawing the attention of the guards, and Robin and John. John glowered at Guy, but Robin couldn't. He wanted to, but all he saw was the man who had, probably successfully, taken the two most important people in his life from him. He'd lost, there was no point in keeping up the fight. Perhaps Guy saw this, perhaps he just recognised what he had felt, that fateful day, the day that had changed his life, he thought permanently, for the worse, when he had killed Marian.

'What was it you needed?,' he said, turning to Alan.

'John, what do you need?.'

'Warm water, towels, bandages, and something to make him sick. A bucket and a bowl.' Guy heard, and walked out of the room, shouting to guards to fetch him what he needed.

'I said NOW!!,' shouted viciously, as they were too shocked to obey immediately. Guy turned back into the room.

'Guy, I can't thank you enough,' Alan said.

'I don't want your thanks,' he said to Alan. He ran down the stairs, and stood in front of Much and Robin. 'I want your forgiveness.' There was sadness in his eyes, and Robin saw the genuine regret, for everything, he thought.

'Guy, I can never forgive you for everything you've done to me over the years, but if we get through this, I will try to put it behind us, if we can make some sort of progress. You and I have a lot to discuss. But now is not the time. Help John.' Guy jumped to help, as the guards came in carrying the things John had asked for.

'Get out!,' Guy shouted when they had placed the items on the table. He drew his dagger, which sent all three of them jumping forward, until they saw that he was just cutting the make-shift bandage off.

'Right,' John said. 'Robin, try and keep him still, you might want to gag him even, this will hurt more than anything else. Alan, pass me that rag, then get ready to hold his side and stop the blood.' He glanced at Guy, who was standing next to him. 'Guy, you pass me bandages.' John dunked the rag in the warm water, then moved Alan's hand from the wounds. There was blood drying around them, and the cuts were quite deep. John moved his hand towards them. He stopped halfway, turning to Guy.

'Is there anything you know that can help us, before I start this? 'Cos there's no turning back.' Guy sighed.

'It's not actually very lethal, you'd need huge doses to kill instantly. The idea is to make the death slow and very painful. It messes with your head, and disrupts breathing. On the skin it wouldn't make much difference, only when it is directly applied to flesh does it work. Hence tipping the arrows, which would reach the flesh, and make it nigh on impossible to remove the poison. You're right in that you'd need to wipe it off. There is no antidote.' John sighed, and turned back to Much.

'Sorry Much.' He pulled the first cut apart, and, wrapping a small section of cloth around his little finger, pushed his finger into the wound. Much writhed in pain, screaming, and it took Robin and Alan to stop him from pulling away. John tried to reach in, but blood was now pouring out of the wound, and he withdrew.

'Oh, oh god almighty make it stop,' Much whispered, breathily, as he fell back into Robin.

'Try again John,' Robin said, resolutely. John sighed, and pushed the wound apart again. Much pushed against Robin, his breathing quickening, gritting his teeth. John reached the end of the wound, and began wiping it out. Much let out an anguished scream, but gave out half way through, weakening. 'Hurry John, I don't know how much more he can take,' Robin said, watching John's progress, and the stream of blood leaving the wound. John pulled his finger back out. The rag was now soaked with blood, but there was also a streak of a thick, black substance, not unlike black treacle, on it.

'Ok, Much, hold out. You're doing fine,' he said.

'I think, you will find...John...that I most..certainly...am not...fine!,' Much said, gasping for air, his character shining through the pain. John, without warning, opened the next cut, and forced a cleaner bit of rag in. 'Oh, oh...dear god.'

'That's it lad, hang in there.' Guy had put his hand to cover the first wound, as Alan was still helping to hold Much in place. John moved about more in the second wound, and Much's breathing became increasingly laboured, but after a moment or two, John had cleaned the second wound.

'Any improvement?,' he asked Alan. Alan looked into Much's eyes.

'I dunno,' he said. 'Hard to tell. I don't think so. But there's still the one left.'

'It'll take a while to work out of his system,' Guy said. Robin, whilst holding Much, was watching Guy, who was earnestly watching John's progress, taking the occasional glance at Much's face. John moved to the third and final cut, which was deeper than the first two, but not as wide, due to the angle at which the arrow had gone in.

'Robin, I'm going to have to open this cut, I can't get in.' Robin considered for a moment, looking from Much to John.

'Best do it. But do it quickly.' Guy handed John his dagger, and John gravely took it.

'Forgive me,' he said, as he delicately put the sharp blade to Much's flesh, and cut further into his chest. Much screamed, sweat pouring down his body. A saracen expletive escaped his lips, then John had cut far enough. He wet a new cloth, the current one being entirely soaked with blood, and went back into the newly opened wound.

'Oh christ save me now.' Robin took both Much's hands, and held them to his chest.

'You're doing great Much, nearly done now,' he said. Much nodded.

'Yes, fine, nearly done. Ouch.' He screwed his eyes and rested his head on Robin. John swiped his finger for the last time, and came out of the wound.

'Clean, I think,' he said, showing them the glob of black on the cloth. 'Right, bandages.' He took Guys place over the wounds, as Guy fetched some bandages. John folded one into a smallish square, pressed it against the wounds, then began wrapping another around Much's whole chest. He pulled them tight, then tied them on the opposite side to the wounds.

'Well done Much,' Robin said, wiping his forehead, and the blood from his mouth.

'Not over yet, is it?,' Much said, voicing their joint concern. 'And, if you don't mind, I'm now going to faint.' He slumped against Robin, finally giving up the effort to stay conscious.

'You think he'll be alright?,' Robin asked John.

'Can't tell. We'll just have to wait and find out.'

'Right, can we move him yet?.'

'Leave it a while, he's bled too much for that to be a wise idea.'

'You thought about how we're going to get out? The Sheriff's hardly going to let us just waltz out of here is he?,' Alan said. Robin turned to Guy.

'I can get you out, but I can't risk letting the Sheriff know I helped you, not while you're still in the castle.' He stood over Much, watching his chest rise and fall steadily, as his breathing began to relax.

'Thank you Guy. You've saved Much's life, that is something I can never thank you enough for.'

'Even though it was me who would have been responsible for his death?.'

'Oi, you're never beyond the point of no return,' Alan said, looking at Robin, and speaking from his own experience.

'When the bleeding subsides we'll need to stitch the wounds, but I'd rather wait until we're in the forest before I try that,' John said. 'Best leave him to rest for a bit.' Robin turned back to Much, leaning his arms on the table. Much was fast asleep, a puddle of his blood soaking into the chunky oak table.

'We need to get him home as quickly as possible, we're not safe until we're in the forest.' He put his hand to Much's forehead. 'He's getting cold, do we have any blankets or anything?.'

'I'll get some,' Guy said, glad to have an excuse to do something. He walked quietly out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The three looked at eachother, each speculative looks regarding Guy's behaviour. He returned moments later with three thick blankets. He handed them to Robin, without speaking, and not meeting Robin's gaze. Robin gently lifted Much, and wrapped one of the blankets around him. Much suddenly opened his eyes, and made a lurching motion.

'Bucket!,' Robin said, and Alan ran to pass it to him. As soon as it was within his reach, Much bent over it, and emptied his stomach into it.

'Told you,' John said. Much continued lurching over the bucket. Robin passed him a clean rag, as he moved away from the bucket. Alan walked over, and took his chin again, looking into Much's eyes.

'See, 'is eyes are gettin' normal again.' Robin joined him, and saw that Much's pupils were no longer so dilated, and he was generally looking more relaxed.

'How's your head?,' he asked Much.

'Still hurts, but it's better thanks.'

'Feel up for a ride?.' Robin saw that he really wasn't, but that Much didn't really want to admit it.

'Course I am, what's a little ride on a Sunday morning?.' Robin smiled, and hugged him.

'God, Much. Thank God you're ok.' Much put up an arm to hug him back, but not the one on the side of his wound. Guy was watching closely, his arms crossed, his head hanging.

'I can get you out of the castle, but I'll need to talk to you sometime. There's things we need to do.' Robin turned to him.

'Yes, I believe there are. We'll arrange a meeting sometime.'

'Can we not arrange one now?.' Alan and John looked suspiciously at Guy, but Robin said:

'Fine, we'll come to my house the day after tomorrow, we need to allow Much some recovery time. We'll be there in the late evening.'

'Thank you.' Guy turned to the door, and opened it.

'Fetch their horses, bring them to the door. They will also need some herbal medicines, fetch some from the physician. Anything else?,' he asked, turning to John.

'Maybe a needle and some thread,' John said. They all knew that he would not be using them for embroidery.

'Right, you heard him.' The sound of hooves was heard outside, and Alan jumped up the stairs. He saw that their own horses were standing outside, held by attending guards.

'You ain't gonna just send someone after us are you?.'

'Yes, good point, ensure that the Sheriff does not send men after us, we cannot fight them in this state,' Robin said to Guy.

'I will see to it that you have a safe passage.' He walked closer to Robin, and stood in front of him. He offered his hand. Robin looked at it for a moment, then took it in a strong hand shake.

'Hopefully this is the first of many good deeds,' he said to Guy. John moved to lift Much, but Robin took his place. John gave him an understanding look, and moved aside.

'Alright?,' Robin asked Much, bending over to lift him in his arms. Much winced as he was lifted, but made no other indication of pain.

'Yes, yes, I think I am all right. Apart from the being carried about like a woman, that's not ideal.' Robin laughed, and the five of them moved out of the room, and down the castle steps to the horses. John and Alan mounted, their horses held by the guards. Robin turned to Guy, and gently handed Much to him. Guy held him strongly, and Much looked up into his face.

'Some time Robin, you are going to have to explain to me exactly when and how Guy came over to our side.' Guy smiled, with a small snort of laughter, and then handed Much back to Robin, up on the horse.

'I think, Much, that might be a long story, and we will have to leave it to Guy to tell us.' He smiled sadly down at Guy, getting Much positioned more comfortably, then kicked his horse into a trot. 'Thank you!,' he said, turning to look back at Guy. Just as they reached to portcullis, he saw the Sheriff running to the door, and shouting after them. 'Hehe, another lucky escape Much.' They broke into a canter, heading towards the forest.