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Sisterhood
It had been a year. A whole year since we defeated the phony king. A whole year since I'd started seeing Allan-A-Dale. A lot can happen in one year; things changed, people change, but our purpose stays the same. Feed the poor. It was the first year of my life that I felt was worth living. I was doing something good. Something worth while. We were making a difference. Not to mention the occasional squabble with the Sheriff had grown quite entertaining for me and for the others as well I'm sure. My life was perfect. I wish it would just stay like this forever.
I smiled softly to myself drinking in everything for a moment, before sighing and sitting up, ignoring the protesting groan from Allan. When I glance backward from where I was dressing, Allan was still laying on his side in bed, looking up sleepily at me. I gave soft laugh and a small shake of my head before looking around our small room. We'd started renting tavern rooms more and more frequently. Now they hold this room for us, knowing we'll come at least twice a week on random days. Whenever we can get away from the others. The others know, of course. They found out shortly after the phony king was revealed. Of course all their reactions were as predicted. Much would refer to it in every argument we had. Robin endlessly teased both of us. John and Djaq defended us on occasion and were genuinely happy for us. Will seemed sad and angry at first, but in time even he'd gotten used to it, I think. The last thing I'd wanted to do was hurt any of them. Of course, I'd never tell them, but I loved them all more than I could put into words. Another sigh as I finished changing and happened to glance at the mirror, and my wild, messy hair.
"You're beautiful," Allan murmured softly, eliciting a soft laugh from me. I looked over to find him still in bed watching me tiredly as I picked up the brush and started working on my hair.
"And you're late." I told him, knowing Robin had asked him to join the ambush this morning. He glanced at the clock and muttered a few swear words, now undoubtedly awake. I turned back to brushing my hair, smiling again, I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. I put down the brush; since they held the room for us, Allan and I had begun to leave some things here for when we came back. The people here were lovely, I added them to the list, even though they had enough money for themselves to at least lead a decent life. Naturally, we hadn't told them we were Robin Hood's men, for the odds of them telling the Sheriff were very high, but I think they may have figured it out due to the tags that hung from both our necks. Allan walked around the bed with his shirt in his hand, stopping behind me to wrap one arm around my waist and kiss me on the cheek. I looked at us in the mirror and smiled at what I saw. Allan looked up and met my eyes in the mirror.
"I wasn't being funny," He told me softly, still gazing at me in the mirror. "You are beautiful." I turned and kissed him sweetly for a moment before pulling away and lightly pushing him towards the door. "You are not coming?"
"No, tell Robin I'll be a little late. I'm going to check on the Mary Wood's child." He just shook his head smiling. "I know. I know. I got soft." I muttered, grinning. He kissed me again before breaking away, putting on his shirt and grabbing his sword. "Be careful," I told him, hitting him in the chest lightly.
"You too," He kissed me again, and this time I broke away, shoving him again. "I'm going, I'm going." Our eyes met one last time then he shut the door, and I let out another sigh, glancing back at the mirror before slipping on my boots and restocking my weapons.
The Wood's child was doing much better, and I dropped off the medicine Djaq had asked me to give her, relaying the proper instructions that went with the drug. After that had been taken care of, I pulled up my hood and made my way out of Nottingham with my horse. I slowed the mare to a trot and then to a walk and that's when I heard the hoofbeats, and they weren't coming from my mare. I dismounted quickly and quietly, pulling the mare into the shelter of the forest against her will. Tethering her to a tree a couple yards in, I crept back to see who it was that was making their way to Nottingham. There were two riders, one smaller than the other. A woman and a man, both wearing identical black cloaks that shielded their whole face, leaving everything to the imagination. I slid my bow out and drew it out to full size, silently notching an arrow. The riders both stopped abruptly, and I almost crept back off into the woods. There were only a handful of people that would've been able to hear the arrow being strung onto my bow. There was a moment of silent tension, and then everything exploded. Someone grabbed me from behind and, reacting on instinct, I flipped them over my shoulder and kicked the other guard in the stomach, causing him to sprawl backward. I notched the bow and fired at the younger rider without hesitation. Her hand came up and caught the arrow mid flight.
"We've got her," Ten guards had me surrounded, and grabbed me, throwing me onto the path, I moved without a thought. As soon as the guard that had me let me go, I swept his and another's legs out from under them, sending them to the ground. I then unsheathed my swords and began fighting. During the fight, I noticed, the two riders dismounted slowly and the woman brushed herself off afterwards, as if they were patiently waiting for me to be done. I slammed the butt of my sword into the last guard's face, causing him to go out like a light. I turned to the two riders, swinging my swords threateningly. The woman unslung the saracen bow from her back and I froze. I knew that bow. But…she had died. She couldn't be here. She used my momentary weakness against me and drew the bow with the arrow she'd caught. She fired, and I snapped out of it just in time to dodge and retaliate by swinging at with both swords from opposite angles. She arched her back so they swung over her but I was ready with a kick. She blocked it with her bow and used the momentum to send a spinning kick to my shoulder. I dropped my sword and grabbed her leg, knowing she wouldn't expect it. With a flick of my wrist she was sent sprawling as well.
"Stop!" That one word, spoken by a voice I hadn't heard in years. A voice that I'd missed terribly. A voice that I respected and trusted even in the bleakest of moments. "Your technique is good. You have learned some new tricks, I see. However, you still don't defend your jaw well enough. Nicolette could have easily punched you there, had she not been distracted by your presence." I turned slowly to face him. His hood was off now and he was gazing at me with a proud, happy look.
"Dad," I whispered, flinging myself into his arms and hugging him tightly as he wrapped his arms around me.
"Clarissa," He pulled back so he could see me fully. "You've grown! You're a young woman now, and Victoria?" He questioned suddenly.
"She's good," I smiled at him, knowing he got the message. He put his hands on either side of my face, studying me.
"Is she happy?"
"Yes," I whispered, smiling.
"Are you happy?" He asked again, and I smiled.
"More than I've ever been," I told him, and he smiled again. "What are you doing here?" I asked, suddenly realizing what this could mean. He looked grimly at me and held up the hand that held the Nightingale insignia on it. My heart sank and I pulled away from him slightly. "They are gathering then?"
"Sorry," I glanced at Nicolette as she spoke. She had picked herself up off the ground and now came to stand beside our father. She held the sword I dropped to my throat in a regretfully threatening way. I glanced down at the sword and then to my father and Nicolette.
"I must do this, Clarissa. I don't have a choice."
"Everyone has a choice." I repeated the words that Robin had spoken to me in the Holy Land. He shook his head sadly before getting on his horse, Nicolette getting on the horse next to him.
"You are right. But sometimes the risks are too high and the price too steep to do anything differently." He glanced at me one last time before riding off. Nicolette threw the sword down at my feet before galloping after our father down the trail, leaving me very worried for the future of England.
It took me a moment to pick up the sword and start running towards the camp. We'd built a new one recently, and when I say 'we' I mean Will masterminded it, John did the heavy lifting, and the rest of us pitched an idea every once and a while. There were loud noises of fighting and arguing coming from my right. I rolled my eyes at the men and Djaq. Never can manage to grasp the art of silence, can they? I slowed to a walk and paused at the edge of a small cliff looking into the clearing that Robin and the others were fighting in. I started to step out, but stopped as I saw the woman they were fighting. This time, though, I didn't freeze. Hell, I didn't even hesitate before spinning and pressing my back against the tree, breathing hard. This was very, very bad.
"Time to disappear!" I heard Robin shout. Good idea. "My gang, this way!" I turned and started climbing the tree I'd been pressed against a moment ago. I'd made it to the lower branches before freezing so as not to be noticed as everyone ran by. The camp worked beautifully my mother's guards looked around in annoyance.
"Gone to meet their makers?" My mother asked in a condescendingly sarcastic voice. "Take me to Nottingham, idiots." Just her voice made me quiver in a mixture of anger, fear and disgust. She and her guards stalked off and I descended the tree quickly, walking to where the outlaws had just opened the camp door.
"Great work, Will!" I heard Robin exclaim, grinning with boyish excitement.
"Oh, it's nothing," Will told them, humbly.
"Nothing? It's genius! I love a camp!" Much announced loudly, raising a fist in the air. I took a brief moment to collect myself before walking towards them, they all turned to look at me as I walked towards them, stopping briefly to seize them up.
"Miss something, did I?" I inquired, referring to their big smiles and laughs.
"And where have you been?" Robin asked.
"Mary's child needed extra attention, so I stayed longer than expected." I lied easily, at least that hadn't changed since I'd joined the outlaws. I could still lie as smoothly as I did before I'd met any of them.
It got dark quickly that day, for it was clearly going to rain soon. The thunder and lightning had already started, and it was the kind of weather that was fitting for where my thoughts were headed. I hadn't stopped thinking about my mother's presence here since I'd seen her. Practically my whole family was here and I wasn't entirely sure how that made me feel. Part of me was happy to see them, well Nicole and my father at least, but mother I wasn't happy to see.
"Where were you really?" Allan whispered as I came to stand beside him. I took a necklace from the rubbish and held it up, looking at the Nightingale crest that hung from a string of jades.
"I ran into some nobles heading to Nottingham," I replied.
"And?" Allan prompted, and I gave him a sideways glance.
"How do you know there's an and?"
"You wouldn't have lied to Robin if there wasn't an and," I studied a silver chain with a ruby pendent hanging from it, not looking at him. "Clara?"
"How are you doing, guys?" We both gave a small start as Robin walked up to us. After a moments pause, Allan handed him the knife he had been fingering.
"Could've been nasty." He told Robin.
"Yeah," Robin agreed, studying the object while Allan rummaged through the bag."Those men were well trained," I stiffened slightly, but shook it off.
"Woman wasn't bad," Allan agreed. "Nearly had you for a minute, there," He finished, joking as Robin scoffed.
"No, I doubt that," I looked up at them, ready to join in but stopped when I saw what Allan carried.
"What's that?" He asked with a note of seriousness in his voice.
"Boss lady's ring," Allan told him.
"Hang on. That's the Sheriff's insignia." Robin pieced together, making Allan's head snap up.
"So what?" He asked, glancing at me. "Well, what? We've robbed a friend of the Sheriff's."
"No," I broke in, knowing to keep my ignorant act up, I would have to be on the same page as Robin. "No, it's more than a friend, Allan. She shares the Sheriff's insignia." Robin held the damned thing up for us to see and as if in answer to the dreaded ring, the thunder rumbled.
The next day Robin decided to lead a small group into Nottingham to find out more about the woman they had intercepted. Naturally, Much was to accompany and he chose Allan to be his third person, much to my annoyance, but I hid it. No need to give everyone a reason to tease me more; they already did it enough. Instead of sitting and waiting, I decided to slip away and enter Nottingham on my own private expedition for answers. I took a small knapsack with everything I needed to make my plan a success. It was incredibly risky, and I would never try it if I wasn't insanely desperate.
Once I was in Nottingham, I went into the small tavern, and headed up the stairs to the small bedroom Allan and I shared. Once inside, I quickly emptied the contents of my bag onto the bed and changed into the outfit I'd brought from home. It was a simple black top, much like that of my mothers with tight black pants; the family insignia rested on the neck piece. I attached the black cloak and spread it out around me, making sure to cover all skin that one could see. Next, I braided my hair into a tight, elegant side braid like people of wealthy families did. Finally, I slid the ring that held the Sheriff's insignia onto my finger, and flexed the hand, studying my newly acquired jewelry piece.
I pushed everything back into my bag and left the room quietly; I was halfway down the stairs when I heard a slight squeak. I turned my head slightly, stopping mid step. No one stood behind me. I continued down the stairs shaking my head as if I thought I'd just imagined it. I ignored the second squeak and when I reached the bottom, I turned right and hid behind the wall, waiting for my tail to confront me. He was also wearing a black cloak that shielded his features from me, so I assumed he was a black night. I grabbed him and slammed him into the wall, sliding the knife out of my sleeve and pressing it against his throat while pulling back his hood roughly. As soon as I saw his face, I jerked back in surprise.
"Will?" I pushed the knife back up my sleeve and gave a sigh. "Don't do that!" I snapped. "I could've killed you, Will!" I breathed a calming sigh and straightened up. Will looked me up and down and then scrutinized my face.
"I knew it! You're going to break into the castle! Clara-" He started.
"You don't understand-" I interrupted.
"I think I do-" He cut me off.
"She's my mother." I snapped, shutting him up. "The woman in the forest. The one you robbed. She is my mother." I sighed, glancing skyward. How had things gotten so complicated?
"I'm coming with you," He stated, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at me. When had he gotten so tall? I shook my head at him.
"Will-"
"That's the deal, take it or leave it. I'm not letting you do this alone." I glared at him for a moment; I could handle myself. Finally, I rolled my eyes and gave in.
"Fine, but I do the talking." I instructed him, pulling up my hood and stalking out the back to the horses. We made our way through the streets toward the gate to the castle. "Keep your head down and whatever you do, don't look up. Let me do the talking if any needs to be done. If anyone questions you directly, you are my personal bodyguard." I gave Will the last bit of instructions as we reached the guard at the front entrance. Without speaking, I showed him a gloved hand with the insignia on it. He looked up at me, and I fixed him with a cruel, cold glare that caused him to take an involuntary step backward.
"Let them through!" He called, and just like that we were in. We dismounted, and servants came out to take our horses, and one guard was instructed to lead us through the hallways. On our way we passed a couple of children being escorted through the halls by two soldiers, but when I questioned the guard about it, he just told me it was not my concern. Something was going on here, and I didn't like it. At all. "What is your name ma'am?" I let out an exclamation of surprise as I dropped my knapsack. He quickly stooped to pick it up for me. As he knelt I opened the door hurriedly and the edge caught his head, knocking him out.
"Nice one," Will grinned, and I let out a small smile.
"Thank you," I told him graciously before hurriedly grabbing the guard and dragging him into the thankfully empty room. Will quickly changed into the uniform while I turned away, fixing the hood of my cloak so you couldn't see my face at all. Once he was done and we'd tied up the guard, we left the room and was just heading down the hallway when another guard found us.
"Ma'am," He bowed low. "You are wanted. The meeting is about to begin." Will and I followed the man to the meeting hall where I was seated beside a man that I was sure would know me if they saw my face. On my other side stood Will, and I was more sorry than ever that I had brought him.
"My friends," The Sheriff began, throwing his arms out wide. "Our time has come," He crossed his fisted hands over his chest. "King Richard is marching on Jerusalem. By the time the year is out, he will be home. So, operation Shar mat must move to the next phase." My heart froze at those words. I had thought Shar mat had been abandoned years ago. "Mobilize your men, bring me your bids for funding, we must be ready. Wherever King Richard lands on English soil, we must be there to greet him, to embrace him," He crossed his arms again as if to hug someone, and then, looking down he feigned surprise. "Oh! Oh, the King is dead." There was a bit of laughter throughout the room and the sheriff looked up. "Long live the King," He spoke with heavy sarcasm. "So, meanwhile, today's entertainment." Entertainment? I had stiffened my muscles and hadn't moved since I'd sat down, choosing instead to remain silent and stoic. There was a time when I would have laughed at that joke, or looked forward to the mysterious entertainment. That is not now, I reminded myself. That is in the past.
"My friends, allow me to introduce, from high lord to low criminal, from noble to nothing, from rank to skank," The Sheriff circled a drape that hung in the middle of the room and I was fairly certain I knew who it hid. "From hero to zero." He snapped his fingers and the drape dropped to reveal Robin hanging from the ceiling. I cringed at the metallic sound of a sword being drawn. I didn't have to look right to know Will had drawn his sword, for every eye was on him. I acted quickly, grabbing him and sprinting to the door, opening it and pushing him out before getting hauled back in.
"Will, run!" I screamed as I struggled against the guards. "Get the others!" I kicked the door shut before the guards could get out, buying Will a few seconds to clear out. "Unhand me, you rotten scum!" I snapped with a tone of authority. Instead of unhanding me, I was roughly shoved to my knees in front of my mother and the Sheriff. My hair was grabbed, and my head was forcibly jerked up so I was looking up at my mother and the Sheriff. Well, there was no point in pretending now. "Mommy, I'm home," My sarcastic quip was met with gasps and murmurs.
"You're dead," She spoke softly, staring at me as if she'd seen a ghost.
"Am I not?" I questioned with my signature infuriating smirk that seemed to snap her out of the trance.
"Remember what I said about having kids," She grabbed my face and turned it to face Robin, who was looking at me with a mixture of shock and anger that I could barely bear to see on his face. "Wretched little things, they are." With a jerk of her wrist she sent me sprawling to the ground. The guards came back in and thankfully shook their heads at Sir Guy.
"I'm sorry, Sir. No sign of him." I let out a small, irritating laugh.
"You'll never find him," I told my mother confidently. She just looked at me and raised one slender eyebrow.
"And why is that?"
"Because he's brilliant." I grinned, earning myself a slap in the face.
"No matter. We'll have a double execution." She smiled coldly, looking at the Sheriff and then back at me. "Oh, you two have never officially met, have you? This is my brother, Vaizey." My blood ran cold. Brother? The Sheriff. That means… I looked from Robin to the Sheriff to my mother's coy smile.
"Well, I, for one, can see no family resemblance," I quipped and was promptly grabbed by my mother and thrown to the soldiers.
"Tie her up next to Hood."
"Ending the family reunion already, mother? We haven't even started the pie yet!" I yelled at her, trying to annoy her as much as I could as I was strung up from my wrists beside Robin. The audience clapped and I searched desperately for my dad or Nicolette.
"Welcome to my new chamber, Hood and my niece." He mock bowed to me. "We are the black knights." He kissed his ring and held it up.
"Why so coy, Vaizey?" Robin asked rhetorically. "Why not call yourselves the traitors? And operation Shar mat, why not call it checkmate? Or better still, kill the King."
"Oh, very good. He knows his Persian. Very clever." The Sheriff was unamused.
"The taxes, the money you've raised…" Robin pieced together.
"What did you think? Did you think I was going to buy myself a new rug? You don't know me at all, Hood."
"You may be surprised." I piped up.
"Shut up," He snapped at me, not even bothering with a glance. I couldn't help feel somewhat insulted. "Myself and my friends, we have no interest in money, it's for an army of mercenaries. We want power. Between us, we will run the new England. We are the new England."
"Well, then, God help us." Robin responded bravely.
"Yes, well, God is the only one who can help you know. Shame. Because I really rather enjoyed our little skirmishes. Davina!" He turned away from us and to my mother, who snapped her fingers coyly. Four guards came and removed the fake floor to reveal a pit of snakes. I flinched back from them and struggled against the bonds, tightening my hold on them. I didn't fear snakes but I sure didn't like them, and I knew the ones my mother kept. There was no cure. You got bit and you'd be dead in under a minute. "Death by fanging?" Vaizey made a sick joke causing both him and my mother to laugh. The Sheriff walked over to a wooden pulley in the corner, taking out a wedge. "Inch by inch, Hood. You'll be lowered to your death." Robin lowered an inch. "Shame, isn't it. This lovely invention can't kill two people at once. You can watch Hood die, and then die yourself. Fitting, isn't it, niece." He spit the word at me mockingly while I glared at him. "My friend, Sir Guy would like to ask you a question before we say good bye."
"Tell me, Hood." Sir Guy began, walking up to the edge of the pit, holding Robin's bow. "Who is the Nightwatchman?"
"I don't know, Gisborne, but I do know I'll kiss him when I see him from stealing from you." Robin told him. "And for showing it's not just me. You see, there are people like me and the Nightwatchman all over England who will stand up for justice." Guy reared back and slammed the end of the bow into Robin's stomach causing me to let out a cry of protest and Robin to let out a grunt of pain.
"Look at you. You threw it away. For what?" Guy taunted, swinging at him again, but missing and hitting my leg. I bit my lip to keep a squeak of pain from coming out. "So you could be King of the paupers?" He got Robin this time, sending him swinging painfully into my side. "Do you think they'd love you? Did you think they'd kneel at your name? Trust me, you're not dead yet and they've forgotten you already." Blow after blow, some hitting Robin and some hitting me came relentlessly. I looked up to see my father, his hand tightening on his sword and my sister standing beside his chair, slowly drawing an arrow from her boot. Suddenly, there was the sound of fighting from outside, causing everyone to look up. I knew who it was and it took everything I had not to send the Lord a prayer aloud for Marian. Guy went over to the door and peeked through. "The Nightwatchman." He confirmed.
"What?" The Sheriff whispered excitedly. Guy grabbed the keys as Robin was lowered another inch. Guy left the room for a moment and there were the sounds of a struggle. I strained against the bonds, never having felt so useless.
"The Night watchman! Get after him!" Guy yelled, popping back in for a moment before disappearing again with a squadron of guards.
"A triple execution! Very good!" The Sheriff announced happily, or as happy as he could be.
"My friends, I suggest you retire to your quarters, and we reconvene tonight." My mother took over as the Sheriff left. I looked back at my father to see him and my sister leaving the room. My mother watched them go until they were completely out of sight and the door had shut. She replaced the wedge, stopping Robin from descending further into the pit.
"Thank you," I glanced sharply at Robin as he spoke the words.
"So, I almost regret tricking you now. A clue: no." I glared daggers at my mother, but she ignored me. "Oh, what's the matter? Does nobody love you?" That was the thing about my mother, she could pick out any weakness almost instantly. "That's your real weakness isn't it? You need people to love you."
"It's better than needing reptiles to love you," Robin spit back.
"My brother loves me and my family." My mother defended, sparing a brief glance at me. I just glared.
"I don't love you." I spat angrily at her.
"Good." She snapped harshly. "Your plague on our family and the only reason we kept you was to use your skills. We did not love you and no one ever will because your a poor, useless, miserable excuse for a daughter, and no matter where you go or what you do you get people killed. No body loves you, Clarissa, if you died, no one would care."
"I would." Robin snapped at her, a new fire blazing in his eyes. "I love her." He announced, but it was different than I'd heard it before. When I'd heard it before it was passionate; this wasn't. It reminded me of when I said it to Victoria when I'd left for the Holy Land. It was a softer, more gentle tone; it was a promise; it was a pardon. Robin had forgiven me already for my family. I smiled as I looked at him, my brother.
"How very touching," My mother's voice cut through the silence like knife. "You always did know how to pick them, Clarissa." Suddenly, Robin lowered an inch, and I glared at my mother, who had removed the wedge. She held up the wedge with a victorious smirk on her face. "Looks like your going to get to watch him die without a proper audience, Clarissa." She snapped, leaving as I yelled insults after her.
As soon as she left I shifted and started sawing through one of my binds. It was almost halfway done when Robin started swinging; I knew he had a plan and sawed faster on the stupid rope. It snapped and for a moment I feared the other would snap as well, but it held fast. I readjusted my grip on the rope that held me and started sawing through the second one. It snapped and I was left grasping the rope with one hand. I started swinging myself until I judged it was safe to let go. Timing was key, and luckily I had more practice than I cared to admit. I let go and tumbled onto the cold wood floor besides the fallen weapons.
Now for Robin. When I looked back he had one leg over a spear that ran across the pit and the other leg was twisted around the rope. The spear snapped and his bow went flying in the air. He caught the thing and shot half of the spear into the machine, efficiently stopping it. I knelt on the edge of the pit and grabbed his still bound hands, hauling him up. He collapsed while I hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead, laughing briefly, until I heard the whip crack. I gently laid Robin on the ground and turned, protecting him and knowing if I attempted to grab any weapon she'd whip me faster than I could cry 'help'.
"See, Clara. That's your weakness. That's always been your weakness. Deep down, you just can't resist saving another person." My mother sneered at me, slapping me across the face, which I imagine must have been getting quite red.
"Go to hell," I snapped defiantly.
"What were you thinking you would do if you did escape? Between us, we have 10,000 men. What was your plan, hm? Where you going to save England single-handed?" I opened my mouth to reply, but Robin's tired voice stopped me.
"Not single-handed. There's six or seven of us." He laughed weakly between pants. She drew back her boot to kick me and I knew if I ducked or dodged, Robin would get the kick, so, instead, I shifted my weight so I would roll over him, and took a deep, shaky breath. At the last moment, Robin pushed me to the floor and grabbed her boot, throwing her shrieking over the edge and into the snake pit. "Clara, run!" He yelled and I hesitated for a brief moment before running out the door.
She was dead. There was no way around it. She was going to die. And she deserved it. I tried to convince myself, but memories of my past kept flashing through my mind like a play that never ended. I'd left my own mother to die alone. I almost went back. Almost. No. I had to get out. To find everyone. The quickest way out was through the dungeons. I made a sharp left and then a right and went down a narrow hallway that led me to a door. The muffled screams on the other side confirmed that this was in fact the dungeon.
I made my way down the steps to the dungeon; there were surprisingly no guards, though that might have been expected due to the recent guests that had arrived. I kept to the wall as I made my way from torture chamber to torture chamber; I was nearing the exit when I saw him and my heart dropped. There, in the center of the room, shirtless and tied to a cross with his hands cuffed behind him, was Allan. He was slumped forward with his head resting on his shoulder, and his eyes half open. Bruises were forming on his sides and all across his stomach and cheeks, letting me know he'd already been tortured. Abandoning caution, I ran to him, laying a shaking hand on his cheek softly.
"Allan?" I whispered making his eyelids flutter. He raised his head and looked at me with unfocused eyes making my heart squeeze with fear as I brushed my fingertips over the bruises forming on his stomach and chest.
"Clara?" A surge of anger coursed through me. I would kill Guy for this. And the Sheriff. And my mother if the wicked, old hag wasn't dead already.
"Yeah, it's me." I ran a hand through his hair, feeling him shift towards my hand. "I'm going to get you out." I swore. I took out my hair clip, not caring about the hair that fell in my face. I worked on picking the locks to the cuffs that bound his hands behind him. I hadn't even spent thirty seconds on the lock when there were loud footsteps coming to the door of the dungeon. I worked faster, hot tears blurring my vision as I thought of loosing him.
"Clara," I barely heard him over the pounding in my ears. "Clara, stop," his voice was so weak; he wouldn't be able to survive much more of this torture, and I wasn't going to leave him. His hands twisted in the cuffs to grab mine, forcing me to stop working on them. The footsteps were louder now, closer. "Go."
"Allan, let me go," I half sobbed angrily at him.
"Run, they'll be here soon. Leave me." I pushed myself around the cross to face him, gently putting a hand on his cheek, and he leaned into it. I tried to bite back the sob, but it tore it's way out of my throat despite my efforts.
"Don't leave me," I whispered, kissing him. It was a desperate kiss, full of lost promises, and sorrow. I felt a hot wetness on my cheek and for a moment, I thought it was another of my tears. It wasn't till Allan broke away and leaned his forehead against mine that I realized it was his.
"I'd be crazy to leave you," He smiled softly and kissed me again. He broke away as the sound of a door opening was heard. "Robin, Will, and the others, they'll look after you," I shook my head, another sob escaping me. I kissed him harshly to shut him up, and pulled away, placing both hands on his cheek. "Run, please, Clara. And take care of yourself." He whispered, a second tear making it's way down his face.
"I'll wait for you at the tavern by Pitt street." I told him, choking back a sob.
"If I'm not their by seven, go back to the camp and tell the others what's happened." I was shaking now, I couldn't loose him. I couldn't. "Promise me! Promise me you'll go back! And… and don't forget… about me." I let out a weak laugh as I pressed my forehead to his.
"I'd be crazy to forget about you," He let out a weak chuckle and kissed me once more desperately and lovingly. He pulled away, and I backed up slowly; I couldn't bear to tear my eyes from his crystal ones. They were beautiful, clear on the inside with a line of darker blue encircling it.
" Clara," I stopped at the edge of the shadows at Allan's weak call. "I love you," Twin tears made their way down my face as I gazed at his.
"I love you, too." I whispered, and then the shadows swallowed me up, and I disappeared.
It had been an hour. Almost exactly an hour, and I had just managed to pull myself together. A numbing feeling had started a couple minutes ago and I couldn't feel anything anymore. One thing was just as dull and lifeless as the next. The only sound that stood out was that of the clock ticking annoyingly in my ear. The tears had faded, and my face was normal again, no sign that anything bad had ever happened. I rose from the table I'd been sitting at and walked out the door of the small tavern. Maybe it was better to just face it.
"You weren't gonna leave, were you?" I turned to face the speaker. I started toward him, and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed me lovingly. I kissed him back with everything I had left. When we finally pulled away, we were both breathing a bit heavily.
"I wouldn't have dreamed of it," I answered his question, and he laughed, and I joined in. Suddenly, my eyes became drawn to his black eye. I fingered it softly, causing him to flinch. "We should get back to the outlaws." I told him, smiling, I couldn't seem to stop. His smile faltered for a moment before he recovered.
"Yeah," He agreed. The ride was short and we got to the camp before long. We pulled up our hoods as we entered the camp. Allan paused for a moment, looking bit uncertain.
"Are you alright?" I questioned, a jolt of fear going up my spine. I knew that look. It couldn't be though.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He shook it off and followed me into camp. "'Ey up, lads." I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong, but I followed him into camp.
"What happened to you?" Djaq inquired, skeptically.
"I tricked one punter too many." Allan lied. I didn't even glance at him to acknowledge his lie or give him away.
"I could've told you," Much said, handing Allan and me cups. "We are Robin Hood." Much toasted, raising his cup.
"What?" Allan and I asked simultaneously.
"Just say it," Much ordered. I shrugged as we all raised our cups in cheers.
"We are Robin Hood."
