Disclaimer: I own nothing. Robin Hood and its characters are the sole property of the BBC and I am simply borrowing them for this fanfic.
Chapter 1: The Coming Change
Traitor. Alan shook the thought from his head. No, not this time. He had betrayed Robin and the others, but that was long ago! He regretted his actions and wished that he could take them back more than anything, but he couldn't. What was done was done and there was no going back now.
No, this time he hadn't done anything, yet the others believed he had. Didn't they know him at all? Didn't they know that he would never do anything like that again? Obviously not. All it took was for some announcement from one of Isabella's henchmen to make them think that he had betrayed them a second time.
Isabella! How could they believe her over him? Alan just didn't understand how that was even possible. She was the sheriff, a puppet of Prince John. She didn't care about anyone other than herself. She had lied to them before, why would Robin believe her now?
Robin wasn't the only one. Much, John, Tuck, Guy, the whole gang thought him a traitor. No, not the whole gang, he corrected himself. Kate hadn't been there when the Much and Tuck accused him. But would that have made any difference if she had? If Robin said he was a traitor, Kate was bounded to believe it too. Kate believed everything Robin said.
Alan moved through the underbrush of the forest as these thoughts came and went through his mind. He tried to tell himself that he didn't care, that it didn't matter and that it was no great loss. But it was a lie and he knew it full well. The truth was he did care, the truth was he that he was angry. He was angry with Isabella for framing him, he was angry at Robin and the others for believing the lies, and he was angry with himself for hating them because of it.
Where was he to go now? Alan didn't know, but he didn't really care. He was leaving Sherwood, that was all he knew. The others didn't care about him, so they wouldn't go looking for him. He was leaving Sherwood…for good.
The forest was thicker than Alan ever remembered it being and he often had to squat to get past the trees. "Trees, so many trees." he grumbled under his breath. Why couldn't forests be easier to navigate through?
He stopped suddenly in midstride. He cocked his head, listening. He was sure that he had heard something. Had he, or was he just imaging things? He shook his head. Get a grip, Alan! You're just jumpy.
There it was again! Alan slowly crept forward in the direction he was sure the sound had come from. There! Was that…Alan squinted and moved an inch closer, hoping for a better look. He froze and his blood seemed to run cold as he realized what it was that he was seeing.
All of his thoughts of anger disappeared and one thought kept repeating itself in his mind: Robin and the others are in danger. Alan willed his feet to move and not caring if he was heard, he turned and began to run back in the direction from which he had come. He had to warn the others.
Emotions are strange things, especially when they are mixed. Shock, anger, and relief flowed through Kate as she found herself running from Locksley and heading in the direction of Nottingham Castle. Her mother had lie to her. Why would she do such a thing? Robin wasn't in love with Isabella. Robin was in love with her. Kate knew she had been right to trust him.
She had to find him, to apologize for taking off like that with no explanation. She had to let him know that she did trust him and that he could always rely on her…for anything. It suddenly didn't matter that Gisborne was now a part of the gang. If Robin could forgive him…well, then Kate guessed she could to. It would take time, but eventually she would be able to think about him indifferently.
But first she had to find Robin and the others. If anything happened to them because she hadn't been there, she would never be able to forgive herself.
As Kate approached the gates, she saw John and Tuck and several of the villagers. They were sitting down, blocking the path of the guards who stood before them. Isabella was standing on the wall, looking down and overseeing what was happening. Kate arrived just in time to hear her give the order: "Kill them all!"
"Start with me then!" shouted Kate and heads turned in her direction. "If you're going to be killing people, start with me." She stepped up to one of the guards, her sword lying flat across the palms of her outstretched hands. "Do it. Be a man."
"Kill her!" shouted Isabella and Kate could hear the hatred in her voice.
"And kill an innocent girl."
The man drew his sword and Kate didn't doubt he would kill her without a second thought. Just as he was about to strike, he let out a cry and fell to the ground. Kate started in surprise. He had a sharp metal object sticking out of his back. Kate looked up and spotted the person who had thrown it. It was Archer, Robin and Guy's half-brother. What is he doing here?
She didn't have time to ponder this when John, Tuck, and the villagers leapt to their feet as the guards surged forward, swords raised. Kate rushed forward to help, but was stopped by Archer who appeared at her side. "Robin's in trouble."
Kate didn't think twice before turning and following him. She didn't know what he was doing in Nottingham, but something told her he was telling the truth and that she could trust him. And if Robin was in danger, then there was nothing that was going to stop her from getting to him. He needed her, now more than ever and she could not…would not fail him now.
Without Robin, not only would the gang be without a leader, but Kate would be without the only man she ever loved. Without Robin, she was nothing. Robin was what made the world a better place.
"No, Robin!" objected Much. "You have to live!" Robin wanted to protest. He may be the leader of the gang, but that didn't make him more important than the others. Yet, they were also trying to put him before themselves. Much's life was just as important as his own.
But he knew it was useless to argue. Much could be extremely stubborn at times, and now was definitely one of those times. If Robin attempted to debate the issue, they would be there until all three of them died and at least one of them had to survive this. At least one needed to live in order to stop Isabella.
Robin spared a quick glance at Gisborne and was surprised to see that he did not object to Much's statement. A brief smile spread across Robin's face. He had been right to trust Gisborne. The man was indeed loyal to Robin now and this cause. If he had led them into a trap, he would not be willing to sacrifice his own life for Robin's.
Without waiting another moment, Much and Gisborne put their shoulders together and Robin climbed on top of them. As the limestone continued to pour down on them, Robin knew that the chances of this working were very slim.
Please! he prayed. Let this work! Let us survive! He closed his eyes to protect them against the limestone.
Images flashed in his mind. Memories. Marian when she revealed herself as the Night Watchman. Will and Djaq saying farewell in the Holy Land. Alan, Much, Tuck, and John all sharing a laugh. Kate as she asked him if he needed her more than her family did.
He tried to push away the next thought before it reached him, but it insisted on getting through. Why had Kate left? Robin had hidden it and hidden it well, but the truth was Kate's departure had hurt him more than he had let on. She was gone.
What surprised Robin was how much that thought hurt. After Marian's death, Robin had never even dreamed that he would find love again. No, Kate wasn't Marian. The two women were so different, he couldn't even try to compare the two. He had loved Marian deeply, and he still did. But did that make it wrong for him to love Kate?
Love Kate. If he were completely honest with himself that is exactly what he did. When he first began to realize this, he felt guilty and tried to ignore the feeling. Marian's death had been too painful and too fresh for him to feel comfortable about loving again. Then Isabella came along.
That wasn't love, Robin now knew. He had been merely infatuated. Something about her had reminded him briefly of Marian. Briefly. The feeling hadn't lasted long. "I'm not her!" Those had been Isabella's own words and she could never had been more right. No one could ever be Marian, not even Kate. But that didn't mean he couldn't love the latter as much as he loved the former.
Did he love Kate as much he loved Marian? He didn't know. All that he did know was that he did love her and that somehow he had messed up. Despite everything, he had let her slip through his fingers. John had been right. She was more precious than any treasure.
Those were Robin's last thoughts before the limestone buried him. Robin felt his lungs begin to scream out for air. This is it, he thought, this is the end.
Time seemed to lag on forever. Come on! Get it over with! Then suddenly, he felt Much and Gisborne buckle underneath him and all three went crashing to the floor. A few seconds passed and Robin felt the limestone being wiped away from him.
"No, no, Robin! Breathe, please, breathe!" That voice…it sounded muffled, but familiar. Where had he heard it before?
He coughed, gasping for air and his eyes fluttered open and he beheld the most welcome sight. Kate was smiling down at him, looking more beautiful than he remembered. "I thought I lost you." Tears stained her cheers.
"I thought I lost you." he said.
"I'm sorry." Kate said quickly. "Isabella had that locket planted on you, and I thought…well, I was wrong." Robin blinked. Locket? Then he remembered the half of the locket he had found back at the camp that Gisborne had said belonged to Isabella. He suddenly understood what Kate was saying. Oh, Isabella certainly had it coming to her!
Then something else clicked. "That means Alan's innocent." If Isabella had been trying split him and Kate apart, then he was certain that she had lied about Alan. She was trying to tear the entire gang apart.
Kate stared at him blankly and Robin then remembered that she hadn't been there when Alan was accused of being a traitor.
Robin got to his feet and as he looked around to make sure Much and Gisborne were alright, he noticed for the first time that Kate hadn't come alone. "Archer? What are you doing here?"
"Long story." said Archer, helping Much and then Gisborne to their feet. "I'll explain later, but right now we have to hurry. Isabella knows about this tunnel and it won't take her long to realize that her trap failed."
Robin nodded and began to lead the others out through the tunnel. "Any more traps that we should know about?" he asked Archer. His brother shook his head.
"No, there was just the one."
Robin eyed him warily. He had a pretty good guess as to how Isabella had found out about the tunnel and how it had come to be trapped, but that was something to discuss later. Right now they had a sheriff to capture.
"So, tell me about this locket." said Robin as they made their way through the dark tunnel. He could guess what had happened, but he wanted to hear it from her.
"Well," said Kate, "when he went to Locksley this morning, my mother told me that you were still in love with Isabella and that you kept half of her locket close by on your person. I didn't believe her."
Robin smiled, pleased to know that Kate had trusted him over her own mother. "So what happened?"
"We got back to camp and after you guys had left me alone, I spotted the locket on your bed. I wasn't looking for it, mind you, I just happened to see it."
Robin nodded. It made sense. He hadn't exactly hidden it when he put in there. "She must have put it in my bag before he left. It fell on the ground when we were at the camp and I saw it lying there. I thought Gisborne had had it. I never thought that it had been planted on me."
"Yeah," said Kate. "Anyway, I went back to Locksley and told my mother that I found the locket. We…talked for a while then she eventually admitted that she had planted it on you. She said Isabella had told her that if she did so she would provide safe passage for all of us to leave and go some place where there would be food."
Robin got the feeling that Kate was leaving something out. Not hiding something critical, but just not mentioning a certain fact. He decided to ask her about it later.
"And what did you mean when you said that it meant Alan is innocent?"
"After you…left," said Robin, "Tuck and John returned with the news that there was a proclamation going out that Alan was a free man for services rendered to the sheriff. Alan of course denied having done anything to help Isabella, but I'm afraid none of us believed him. We tied him up and left him at camp in order to go ahead with our plans and discuss his 'treason' later. Then you mentioned the locket…well, I realized that Isabella was trying to turn the gang on each other. You and me with the locket and us on Alan. So, you see, you aren't the only one that came to a wrong conclusion."
"Poor Alan." Kate mused. "Once this is all sorted out, we should go back to camp immediately and let him go."
Robin nodded in agreement. "I'm glad you came back."
Kate smiled affectionately at him. "Me too."
Isabella stared out over the court yard in shock. How had everything fallen apart? She had laid her plans most carefully, only to see them crumble at the most important moment. First Robin and his gang had prevented the wagons from leaving the castle and now they were fighting their way past the guards. To make things worse, Blamire, her most trusted guard had abandoned her! Things, she realized, were only going to get worse before they got better.
She turned at the sound of footsteps and scowled. Kate. The one person she hated the most besides Robin and her brother. What was she doing here? How had she even gotten inside? With a jolt she realized that she must have come through the tunnel, which could only mean…
"You blackmailed my mother into lying to me," Kate accused angrily, "you tried to turn me against Robin."
"Yes," said Isabella, not even going to deny it, "it would have been so easy too. Do you really think that you will ever be anything more than a companion to him? You are not even fit for that! He's of noble birth and you are nothing but a commoner."
Kate went pale. The words hurt, but not because they came from Isabella nor because of the hatred with which she said them; they hurt because they were true. As much as Kate wished to forget, Robin was by a birth a nobleman. He may have given up all his lands and his wealth, but nothing could ever change that. She was, as Isabella had rightly said "nothing but a commoner."
"Enough, Isabella!" Robin stepped out of the shadows from behind Kate. He looked as angry as Kate felt hurt. He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. He held up the locket. "It's over."
Isabella quivered in rage. Seeing Robin and Kate together like this was enough to almost send her into a near frenzy. She hated them both!
Isabella felt movement behind her and turned in time to see Archer and Guy grab her arms. "Let go of me!" she screamed, but neither man relaxed their grip. Instead they only tightened them and at a sign from Robin, they began to drag her, kicking and screaming, to the court yard below.
Robin turned to Kate. "You alright?" he asked gently. Kate shook her head.
"No."
He tenderly brushed Kate's hair away from her face. "If there is one thing I've learned, Kate, it's that nobility has nothing to do with birth and everything to do with actions and who you are as a person. You are a million times more noble than Isabella will ever be."
A smile formed on Kate's face. "Thanks." She took Robin's hand and together the two followed after the others to the courtyard.
"Isabella of Gisborne," Robin announced loud and clear. A crowd had gathered around Robin and his friends. Much, John, Tuck, Archer, Guy, and Kate stood nearby, ready to grab Isabella in case she tried to run, but that didn't seem likely. Robin had a death grip on her arm. "You are charged with treason against Richard, king of England…" Robin didn't get any farther before he was interrupted by the sight of Alan running into the courtyard, yelling Robin's name.
Robin quickly handed Isabella over to her brother, before jumping down from the platform and running over to Alan. Robin reached him just in time to catch Alan before collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"I'm so sorry, Alan." said Robin . "We know now that Isabella was lying. We were wrong not to trust you."
"It's okay." said Alan. "I came here to warn you. The sheriff….Vazey…he's still alive!"
"What?" Robin took a step back. "Are you sure?"
"I saw him in the woods. Robin, he's leading an army! They're on their way here to Nottingham."
"He can't be alive!" said Guy, still holding tightly on to Isabella. "I killed him! I stabbed him with a knife."
Alan shook his head. "He's alive, I tell you."
"Robin!" Kate called. She had rushed over to the gates and was looking out. Robin went over to join her and looked out. He let out an involuntary gasp. The entire plane before the town was filled with soldiers, and standing in the front was their leader, Vazey, the former sheriff of Nottingham.
Author's Note: Phew! Well, I hope you enjoy it and that you will continue to read. Please, PLEASE, review!