Robin Hood: Tournament
By: Shadow Chaser
Author's Notes:
Robin Hood and all of its characters do not belong to me. This story is written for fandom and not for profit. This story takes place roughly at the end of June around the summer solstice. A general note is that I graduated college with a minor in History (could have almost double majored except for a few more credits) and have a pretty good knowledge of the Crusades along with European, American, and Asiatic history.
However, this does not mean I know much about nobility titles within England – that is one of my weak spots. Take all noble titles given in this story (with the exception of already established ones within the TV series) with a grain of salt.
Summary:
The annual Summer Solstice festival has arrived, drawing everyone to Nottingham. The Sheriff offers a handsome reward for the winner of a triathlon of events: archery, jousting, and combat. However, the reward is not to draw Robin out of hiding, but rather, draw him out so that he is forced to protect the Sheriff from an assassination attempt.
Story:
Part 1 – Competition
OUTSKIRTS OF TREETON
Laughter filled the road as Robin Hood and his gang walked down the dirt path to Treeton carrying the latest foodstuffs they had raided from Nottingham just a few hours earlier in the morning. The laughter was a welcomed sound to Robin's ears as just a little over a week ago they had escaped the clutches of the Sheriff's latest plan to capture them. It had given all of them a good scare and made them skittish and wary of the roads of anyone who looked remotely like a noble, but Robin was not to be deterred by events.
He knew that his gang would avoid the roads for the next few weeks due to James of Atherstone's treachery, which was why he had suggested a morning raid into Nottingham instead. The plan was two-folded; one to get his gang back in better spirits and two, to reassure the people of Nottinghamshire that the gang hadn't been browbeaten into hiding due to the Sheriff's latest plan.
However, he also knew that they would have to tread a bit more lightly whenever they were out on one of their raids. There was no way the Sheriff had been working alone and with James…no way he could have gotten access to Prince John's royal guards without the Prince's express permission. It meant both good and bad news. Good because they were finally catching the attention of the other nobles throughout England, bad because they had finally caught the attention of Prince John, enough so that he had to send his own royal guards to deal with the situation.
He also hoped that it meant the nobles of the land were debating whether or not to side with him when King Richard returned, and oust the corrupt Prince.
"And so what does the Young Master do when Thornton's back's turned to him? He goes and snatches the same sheets off the clothes line and runs around with the others, yelling and screaming his head off again!" Much's loud and boisterous voice cut into Robin's thought and he glanced up from his musings to see his friend's hands move around animatedly, describing…
"Hey!" he realized Much had been telling the others a story about him when he was young and it sounded awfully like the time he had pretended he was an outlaw…before his father had caught him and punished him for 'behavior unbecoming of a noble of his station.'
The gang stared at him for a split second in his outburst before doubling over in laughter once more. Robin put up an affronted look, but had to crack a smile a few moments later from the infectious laughter.
"I remember that…a couple of the other kids and I chased after him, pretending to be part of his gang," Will gave them a slightly shy, but wiry grin.
"And look at you now!" Djaq elbowed their resident carpenter good-naturedly before a slight blush appeared on Will's cheeks and he looked a bit embarrassed by the attention; Robin noted that it was mostly on Djaq's part.
His grin brightened just a bit more as he realized what was going on between the two. So Will hadn't been joking when he said that he thought he loved Djaq…interesting…
"Robin!" a young voice made him turn his head around to see Rowan running up to them, looking hale and much healthier and in better spirits then the last time they had met. He also noted that they had just passed the graves of those who had died at Treeton Mine, but the graves, instead of looking so depressed and grey, were now covered in flowers and bright green grass. It looked like the area was recovering nicely after they blew up the mine a couple of months ago.
"Rowan!" he greeted with a wave before the young man stopped in front of them.
"Food? For the town?!" Rowan looked at all of them, eyes wide.
"Yes," Little John set down the large bag of grains he had been carrying, "we know you are still recovering and healing."
"Wow…we'll have enough food to last us past winter and into the spring!" Rowan looked excited.
"Wait," Robin shook his head, puzzled, "enough food to last past a year?" He knew that they didn't bring raid that much food this morning…
"Yes…" Rowan clapped him on the back, "between you, the Nightwatchman, and Anna's gang, the whole of the Shire can survive under the Sheriff's evil rule!"
"Anna's gang?" Much looked confused.
"Yes! It seems your exploits have been spreading far and inspired others to do the same rob the rich to help the poor!" Rowan looked ecstatic and Robin had a bad feeling…he didn't want a repeat of the Tom incident…didn't want anyone else doing deeds in his name and get themselves killed like Allan-a-Dale's younger brother did months ago.
"In fact," Rowan continued, "Anna and her gang are here! You guys should meet!"
"Yeah, we should," Allan suddenly spoke up and Robin glanced at their resident thief and con man who looked a little on edge. He understood why…the memories of his late brother were still fresh in his mind and he also did not want a repeat of what had happened to Tom to happen to this Anna and her gang.
"Here, I'll take you to the storage house so you can meet them," Rowan gestured for them to follow.
When they got to the storehouse, Robin noted that a few scruffy looking woodsmen, all well armed like they were stood out in front, some sitting on the ground, others laughing at a joke one had said to the other. The woodsmen perked up as they approached and stared at them with neutral eyes before one of them ducked into the storeroom for a few seconds before coming back out with another person, clearly the leader of the woodsmen.
"Anna! This is Robin Hood and his men," Rowan smiled at the leader who nodded and smiled back.
Robin approached Anna, noting that at first glance she could have easily passed for a man with her clothes if not for the long curly dirty-blonde hair that was tied back with a rag. At second glance, he noted that she was quite pretty underneath all the dirt smudges and shook her hand, surprised at the firm grip she had.
"It is an honor to finally meet you Robin Hood. Your exploits have been heard 'round the shire and beyond," Anna smiled at him.
"I'm glad that I've been an inspiration to others," he grinned before releasing her hand, "did you and your men arrive here just recently?"
It was an easy question, but to his men, Robin knew that it was a loaded one too. If Anna was a recent arrival to Nottinghamshire, there was a chance she may have been plotting with the Sheriff. They were still wary from James of Atherstone's attempt a week ago.
"We've come from Rochdale and a few villages in the area, but yes, we've only recently arrived. One of your men in a splinter group, Forrest, was kind enough to provide some help in the area and named places to raid to help feed the poor," Anna replied.
Robin remembered Forrest and the other band of men who had been part of Little John's gang before he had arrived in Sherwood Forest. While Little John and Roy had opted to stay under his command, the others had splintered off to conduct more unsavory methods of being outlaws. He hadn't stopped them, but had given them a warning that if they killed innocent villager in Sherwood or Nottinghamshire then they would answer to him.
Forrest and the other men had agreed to the terms and left, but their paths occasionally crossed with information for each other. If Forrest had shown Anna and her band of outlaws where to raid and to give food to people, and then perhaps he needn't be so worried.
"Forrest, eh?" Little John spoke up a bit gruffly and Robin turned to see the tall woodsmen looking a bit thoughtful. He knew that even though his and Forrest's gang paths rarely crossed, he had a feeling that Little John saw more of the man and his old gang than he did.
"Yes, we told him that we were looking for some guidance under Robin Hood's men and then will be returning to Rochdale to conduct our business," Anna looked at them, "we don't mean to impose…"
Robin sighed and glanced at his men, his unspoken question of if they had any problems with Anna and her gang staying for a while and noticed Allan looking a bit out of sorts and was seemingly trying to hide behind Will for that matter. "Allan?" he stared at their resident thief and con man who froze like a child caught stealing something.
"Allan," Anna's questioning tone brought his head around to see her move past him and towards Allan who now looked completely resigned to a fate worst than death. "Allan-a-Dale, is that you?"
"Yeah…" Allan looked completely put out and Robin remembered the faint echoes of Allan's protest when he was first jailed that he was from Rochdale, which was why he was called Allan-a-Dale… It hadn't occurred to him that it was the same Rochdale.
He watched the encounter with a raised eyebrow of faint amusement and nearly felt his jaw drop in utter surprise when Allan suddenly sighed heavily and dropped to one knee before kissing Anna's hand, the other hand with a very large ring on it. From his vantage point, Robin recognized the signet on the ring as the coat of arms of the Rushcliffe family, a once-very powerful family, but fell from nobility a while ago. They still held their lands, but Robin had not heard from family ever since he was a young boy. He had only met the head of the Earl of Rushcliffe once and truth be told, was completely afraid of the man.
If Anna held the Rushcliffe signet…
"Lady Anna of Rochdale, Countess of Rushcliffe, I, your servant, Allan-a-Dale bid you welcome," the humble tone from Allan's voice was completely out of character from the Allan Robin thought he knew. This…this was-
"You have got to be joking," Much took the words out of his mouth as the rest of the gang stared at Allan, of all people, bowing so humbly to the woman in front of him.
He cleared his throat to get Anna's attention, "It seems, milady, you have some explaining to do…"
Anna retracted her hand and looked up at him and gave him a small smile, "Yes, I believe you, Sir Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon also have some explaining to do too…seeing as Allan has found his way into your gang."
NOTTINGHAM CASTLE
Sheriff Vaysey was not a man so easily scared, but right now he was feeling scared. Just a little over a week ago he had nearly been killed by that damned Crusader James of Atherstone, all because of Prince John's sick and twisted plan to test him, or was it to kill him for real, he did not know. What he knew was that Prince John was watching him carefully and it was a warning that he had better eliminate Robin Hood soon or else his bid for the shire in two months would be rejected and he would be sacked.
The letter he had originally received from Prince John stated that he was to allow Atherstone to do as he pleased and put in motion a plan that would surely benefit him and get rid of Hood at the same time. He should have expected that Prince John would subvert his command and ask his lieutenant Guy of Gisborne to eliminate him should everything else fail. The man loved his games…
Vaysey knew that in any other man's place, he would have immediately begun plotting his revenge against Prince John's sick and twisted plan, but he knew that he still needed the Prince for his own gains. He wouldn't want to be stuck as the Sheriff of some backwater shire forever. No, he wanted to be at the helm of the plan to eliminate King Richard and put his brother on the throne. He wanted the Prince to recognize his accomplishments and make sure that this Sheriff was worthy to become a higher noble, perhaps of Sussex or one of the larger estates.
But right now, he was scared. He needed to eliminate Hood, but he needed to be successful in this attempt or else there would be future "warnings" from Prince John, or not even. He could even find himself with his throat slit in the morning and watching it from the Heavens above.
"That damned Hood…" he muttered as he paced around his desk, trying to think of something.
The summer solstice was in a couple of days and a three-event tournament was going to be held, drawing in nobles from the lands and to show off the wealth that Nottinghamshire had accrued from its peasants. He knew that Hood might sneak into it, but there was no way to assure that he would have an unfortunate accident in one of the events.
He could persuade some of the nobles and their knights who sided with Prince John to perhaps be on the look out for Hood and kill him if they see any sign of his hooded green head in the events. But that could mean a lot of bloodshed and the populaces of Nottingham were currently leery of too much bloodshed.
There was once time he wouldn't care for how much blood was shed, but he wanted to make sure that the populace wasn't going to flee from the amount of blood spilt. He needed workers and their taxes after all. Fear made them all the more cowardly, and he needed fear not outright disgust and terror.
"Milord, the preparations are almost complete," Gisborne suddenly spoke up from the door and Vaysey glared at his lieutenant.
"I don't need to know about the tournament," he sneered before Guy looked down for a second, a half smile on his face before looking up again.
"I meant the other ones," his lieutenant looked a little too smug for Vaysey's taste, but his ears perked up in response to what he said.
"Really," he clapped his hands together, "do tell."
"We have received word that a friend had arrived in town and is making contact. I have personally sent out the letters to our friends and two have already agreed to put up a hefty sum of money in order to lure Hood to the tournament," Gisborne said.
"Hmm," Vaysey nodded, pleased. "Just make sure that when they do arrive, they must be careful that it is Hood they are killing. Anyone else and they will answer to me."
"What about that other…issue," he did not mention it by name because he trusted it to no one else, not even the guards outside of his room.
"Which one?" Gisborne looked a bit confused.
"That…other one," he gestured with his hands.
"Nothing to report, sire," Gisborne shook his head, "he says it will take time, but we will know within a couple of weeks after the tournament."
"That's not good enough!" Vaysey wanted that particular project to be already underway. He needed results to in order to show Prince John that he was still doing everything he could to prepare for King Richard's arrival.
"Milord-"
"I don't care how much you pay him, I want results!" he hissed at Gisborne, making the man step back.
"Sir," the smug smile had been completely wiped off his lieutenant's face and Vaysey smiled once more.
"Now…about the other issue," he settled back to pacing around and poked one of his bird cages, making the birds inside flutter and chirp excitedly. "Has it been arranged?"
"It will happen tonight, milord. I've trained him personally," Gisborne bowed slightly, "it will be superficial, but it will look professional."
"Good, good," he rubbed his hands together for a few seconds before strolling to one of the windows, "this is good…" He looked out into the clear cloudless sky of the summer day and his smile grew wider. This was going to be really good…
OUTLAWS' CAMP, SHERWOOD FOREST
"So let me figure this out again, you, inspired by my heroic efforts," Robin walked from the fire to hand Anna a plate of cooked squirrel and some bread, "decided to become an outlaw yourself even though you're nobility, and rob the rich to feed the poor."
"Got it in one," Anna accepted the plate with a nod of thanks before nibbling on the squirrel that Much had cooked.
"I don't mean to be funny Anna, but wouldn't your mother be furious with you?" Allan looked completely aghast.
"Prince John jailed her a couple of months ago," Anna replied in a slightly frosty tone, giving Allan a measured look, "so I am the sole heir to Rochdale and I decided to leave before Prince John's men and lackeys could arrest me."
"And you're down here, to what, train?" Djaq asked, sounding a bit skeptical.
"My mother always said to learn from the best before venturing out on one's own and since my family is all but forgotten by the other relatives of the Rushcliffe clan I have a liberty of sorts to move about," she looked at all of them, "I can assure you that my men and I are not here to invade your little territory that you've carved out in the past few months."
"I don't think we're worried about that," Robin gave her a wiry smile before gesturing to her men with his chin, his hands full of another plate of squirrel that he had picked off the fire to eat. "Your men?"
"Lydia, milord," one of the servants said quietly, "my brother, Dennis and I have served Lady Anna for about nine winters and ten springs now."
Almost all of the gang's heads turned to the tiny little speaker, shocked that the smallest of the group was just a girl instead of a little boy that they had all thought he was.
"But…you're a child," Much looked shocked.
"I'm not a child," Lydia's eyes flashed angrily beneath her dirt streaked face, "I am good with a sword-"
"Now, now," Anna smiled before gently nudging the young girl who sat closest to the fire, "what did I tell you about shooting your mouth off? Be polite, Lyd."
"Yes'm," the girl mumbled, "my apologies."
"How…" Little John stared at her, his expression unreadable.
"Seventeen, if you could believe it," Anna replied, before pointing to another young man who had decided to sit next to Much and the cooking pit, "Dennis is nineteen, but he has not spoken a single word since they've arrived under my care."
"My other men, Walter and Aaron are from the surrounding villages near Rochdale. Their original leader had died after Prince John had sent an enforcer to 'cleanse' the villages and so joined up with me," Anna pointed out the two other woodsmen who nodded their assent to her story.
"Interesting," Robin finished eating his squirrel and gestured to Allan, "Allan, what's your story?"
"Me brother and I stole some food from her house, her mother caught us, but we managed to escape. We later found out that we were banned from ever returning to Rochdale," Allan shrugged, "I'm more surprised that she's here, as an outlaw…"
Anna suddenly snorted with laughter and Robin glanced at her, puzzled. "That's the lie you've been telling them?!" She covered her mouth as a few more peals of laughter emerged from her lips before shaking her head, "I'm sorry if you all believed that… Truth be told, me mum caught Allan here, sneaking to my window. Banished him and his brother, Tom forever."
Robin instantly knew what Anna had meant by the comment and shared a quick glance with Much who had also understood the implications. However, Will looked utterly lost while Little John still had an unreadable expression on his face. Djaq was quiet, but was looking at Allan with worry in her eyes. Allan however…
"That was a long time ago, things changed," their resident thief looked angry at the statement and abruptly got up and stalked away from the camp, dumping his plate of food onto the ground in the process.
"Allan!" Anna twisted her body slightly, "come on! I was only…" She huffed a sigh and shrugged her shoulders, "he was always like that…moody…"
"Will," Robin murmured to their resident carpenter and shook his head, making the young man sit back down. He knew that Allan and Will were good friends and while Will didn't seem to understand what had happened, he wanted to at least talk to Allan. "Give him some space…"
Will nodded before Djaq whispered in his ear and his eyes widened in realization of what had happened in the conversation. He shot Anna a look before shaking his head and muttering something back to Djaq. Robin would have liked to know what the two were talking about, but he had a feeling that Will's opinion of Anna just dropped a little.
"So, how about it?" Anna's voice brought him back to look at her and he glanced at the other members of his gang.
"We shall see," he wondered if he should mention to Anna that Tom-a-Dale was dead, but decided not to, "we aren't really in the habit of training anyone, but perhaps we can come to a mutual agreement."
"Of what?"
"Information and that sort of thing," Robin said.
"Well, then how about this as a gesture of faith on my part. I heard rumors that a hefty amount of money will be arriving in Nottingham during the summer solstice celebration, courtesy of the lords of the lands arriving for the tournament. You and your gang teach us how to intercept money like that, and we'll split it fifty-fifty," Anna set her plate down and looked at him with hopeful eyes.
"Who's bringing the money?" Robin asked part of him wary for another trap, the other part of him giddy at the chance to steal more money from under the Sheriff's nose.
"Leicester and Devon. The money goes towards the winner of the tournament-"
"And the Sheriff will want that much money to stay within Nottingham, so…" he knew that James of Atherstone was loyal to the Earl of Devon, which meant, Devon was probably in league with the Sheriff to depose King Richard and put Prince John up in his place. That much money in Nottingham meant a lot more guards. He glanced up at Anna and her gang….they had an advantage…but he was still hesitant.
"How good are your men?" he asked, a plan forming in his head.
"Master?" Much looked at him with worry but he raised a hand to calm his former manservant down.
"If you would like, I can pit my men against yours in mock combat," Anna suggested.
Robin considered it for a second before shaking his head. Needless combat against each other was just a waste of energy and time. "Just let me see their archery," he said before rubbing his chin, "how well known are you as an outlaw?"
"Like I said, just recently," Anna shrugged, "that's why I decided to come to Nottingham to learn from the best."
"Then there is a chance the Sheriff does not know you have defied Prince John," he replied. "We can work with this…"
"Robin?" Djaq asked.
He grinned and looked at all of them, "I have a plan…"
Allan-a-Dale stared out at the green-brown expanse that was Sherwood Forest from his perch high on a rocky boulder a bit away from camp. He had found this place a few weeks ago when they were scouting locations for another camp and while Robin had dubbed it a viable place; he had also wanted somewhere else where they wouldn't be so easily ambushed from above.
He now used it as his sanctuary and a place for him to quietly slip off to whenever the camp grew to stifling to stay in. He usually liked to think of himself as someone who was unable to stop pulling jokes on the others or even bring a bit of humor to the gang; especially to Robin who thought he wasn't showing it, but was nervous and worried in week since they had gotten rid of James of Atherstone. But right now…he needed his space to think. He couldn't believe that she was here…of all the people he did not want to see ever again from Rochdale.
The feelings he had long sought to bury had risen painfully when he had seen her, dressed in the rags and clothes of a woodsmen, but just as beautiful as ever, had threatened to overwhelm him. He knew that his reaction to Anna was uncharacteristic of his mannerisms that he showed in front of the gang, but they did not know…and if he had his way, they would never know why he was forever banished from Rochdale. Why he and Tom could never go home again.
Even if she was out here, gallivanting as an outlaw, he still couldn't go home with her. Rochdale and its inhabitants would never accept it, nor would they even want to. He had betrayed everyone there and had run away along with Tom. They had both betrayed their home and had run away, unwilling to face the consequences of their actions. But Tom had died and didn't have to face the humiliation of what was to be expected if they did return to Rochdale one day.
He knew he shouldn't blame Anna for everything, but seeing her again…made things too complicated. And now he feared that they were going to stay for a while, especially if Robin was keen on 'training' them so to speak. He knew that their leader was still cautious and would be careful around Anna and her gang as to make sure a repeat of what had happened to Tom and his little band would not happen to Anna. But he still was worried.
"Allan?" Will's soft voice startled him from his thoughts and he glanced back to see his young friend walking hesitantly up towards him. He didn't realize how quiet Will was and realized that if any of the Sheriff's men had been out here, they could have easily ambushed him.
"Yeah?" he scooted a bit over on his rocky perch to indicate that he was not bothered by the intrusion.
"You all right?"
"Yeah, fine," he replied, "just had to get some air, that's all. You know, women and stuff…always joking about kissing this guy or the next." He gave what he hoped was a confident smile to the carpenter and it seemed that Will accepted the lie.
"Anna's saying that there's a hefty amount of gold being held up as the prize in the tournament in a couple of days. Robin says he's got a plan, so…"
"He wants me back at camp because it involves all of us," Allan sighed, "I'm coming." Getting up, he stretched, and clapped Will on the back as they headed back towards the camp, "You really think I'd be sulking, didn't you?" He knew he would have to have a private talk with Anna later…he did not want her to be bringing up random events in his past that he would rather keep a tight lid on.
The less the others knew about his past and knew him as who he was now, the better it would be for everyone in the long run.
"Well..." Will looked hesitant and Allan grinned at him.
"Anna's talking nonsense," he shrugged, "the girl loved making up stories, just like when she was younger. She fancied herself the damsel in distress and Tom and I along with some of the other villagers used to just play around with her, climbing her windows, running around the house."
"Sounds fun," the worried look was gone from his young friend's face, "looks like you had fun in Rochdale."
"Yeah, those were the days," he scratched the back of his head as they entered the edge of the camp. Allan ignored the look Anna gave him as they stepped towards where Robin and the others were gathered, talking quietly and noted that the last rays of twilight were giving way to the inky night and the only light in the area was by the fire pit and cooking fire.
Robin gave him a once over to which he managed to keep his expression neutral and breathed out a quick sigh of relief once their leader's gaze was off of him, satisfied that he wasn't going to be moody anymore. He didn't tell anyone, but there were times he thought their leader was able to read minds or read emotions so well that he thought it was witchcraft. It was scary at times, but helpful in times when they thought they would be in trouble or needed a quick way out. Robin was smart, he had to give him that, very smart and very tactical and effective as a leader. But sometimes, when the leadership turned inward, it made Allan feel guilty.
"I need to confirm something tonight, but we already have one part of our plan ready to go. Rowan says he'll be more than happy to help us in the tournament," Robin explained as Anna and the others got up and crowded around to hear his plan, "Anna, even though you are not well known as an outlaw, there is a good chance the Sheriff may have heard about you so we can't risk you sponsoring someone into the tournament."
"So you're going to ask Marian, right?" Much spoke up.
"Yes," Robin nodded, "I'll explain to her what's going on and hopefully we can work this out."
"So what's the initial plan?" Anna asked.
"We'll need a few people to enter into the tournament to distract the Sheriff and everyone else while the rest of us go and grab the gold," Robin glanced around before cracking a smile and nodding, "Much, thank you for volunteering."
"What? But Robin-"
Allan felt the tug of a grin work its way up his face as he saw the dismayed look appear on Much's face. He did not really have an opinion on Robin's former manservant, tending to think of him as a bit loud and whiny, but his heart was where it counted and he was extremely loyal to their leader.
"Allan, you too," Robin suddenly turned to him and he blinked in surprise.
"Me? Robin..." he suddenly felt unsure. Why was Robin volunteering him for the tournament? "There's archery involved! You're the best shot of all of us..."
"And the Sheriff will easily see through our ruse and get Marian in trouble at the same time if I become her knight. You're the second best shot of any of us and the Sheriff will not recognize you that easily as he will with me."
"I don't mean to be funny Robin," Allan shook his head, "but I don't even know how to joust!"
"Much can help you with that part," Robin looked at him with serious eyes and the well of doubt continued to fill Allan. "He'll be your squire at the tournament. He knows the basics of the jousting section of the tournament and plus we'll be long gone from Nottingham by the time that event occurs," their leader continued and Allan frowned.
He wanted to protest, wanted to tell Robin the real reason why he was so against being the knight for the tournament. But he couldn't say it out loud, not with Anna standing near him. It would bring up too many bad memories for the two of them, and destroy the reputation he had so long built up in the gang. He did not want to revisit those memories, not now, not ever.
"Yeah, but what happens to Marian if we leave before the tournament is over? Won't her name be disgraced?" Will asked and Allan nodded in agreement.
"Plan to lose during the combat phase, which is the second of the events," Robin looked at all of them, "I'll ask Marian to ask one of the King's allies to make it look like they've injured you."
"You can get injured in these things?!" now Allan was really worried. He liked being hale, healthy and whole...he didn't like being injured no matter what. It hurt and there was always the chance of infection and dying from whatever wound was received. He wasn't a coward, but he did like being healthy...
"I don't know, Robin, if Allan-"
"Fine, I'll do it," he roughly cut Anna off, giving her a pointed look. The last thing he wanted was for her to make up excuses for him. He did not need her coddling; he learned how to stand on his own.
"Okay then, we'll go over the other part tomorrow morning after I had a chance to talk with Marian, all right?" Robin clapped his hands together, "welcome to the festivities Anna. You and your gang will be infamous in no time."
KNIGHTON HALL
Marian slowly rotated her shoulder once more, wincing slightly as the pull of the stitching and pain of her wound stretched slightly before it settled back down again. The bolt wound she had received as a parting gift from James of Atherstone's crossbow little more than a week ago was healing at a moderate pace. However, it wasn't fast enough for her patience as she wanted to do more around Knighton Hall and in the surrounding villages. She hadn't told Robin yet, but in the initial days following her injury, she had decided to become the Nightwatchman once again to help the peasants.
She knew Robin would be angry with her, but she did not care about that. It was something she wanted to do; something she felt compelled to do. She knew Robin would lecture her about the risks involved, especially the risk if Guy of Gisborne were to see her again, but she had decided she would deal with that when the time came. She did not want to be coddled now that she felt so empowered after she had rejected Guy at the altar. She knew that she still had somewhat mixed feelings for Guy and his gesture to help her escape when James had imprisoned her had believe that he did have a heart somewhere in the darkness that was consuming him.
Now if only Robin could see that; but she didn't hold too much hope for her love seeing an actual good side of Guy. He was too stubborn, too set in his ways, too blinded for his hatred of Guy to actually see that he had a decent, kind side. She sighed softly and rotated her shoulder once more before gently pulling it across her chest to stretch it. Counting to ten under her breath she let her arm drop once more and took a deep breath.
"How's the wound?" Robin's soft voice startled her and she glanced over to her window to see him peeking in, a gentle smile on his face.
She returned the smile and walked over to him, "Better. The physician says it's healing rapidly and with my exercises, I'm able to get more movement in it day after day."
Robin nodded before biting his lower lip and Marian instantly recognized the look. He was thinking of something and it involved asking her for a favor. The corner of her lip twitched involuntarily before she shook her head and leaned against the bars of her window. "All right, what is it?"
"I have a favor-"
"That is the fifth time you have asked me for a favor."
"You're keeping track?" he looked surprised and she smiled.
"Perhaps," she loved teasing him, making him squirm. He was still such a child in that respect one part of him she had instantly loved the first time they had met. She was glad that his years over in the Holy Land fighting for the King did not destroy that aspect of him.
He blushed for a few seconds before shaking his head at her. "I need you to sponsor Rowan of Treeton as your knight in the tournament," his expression grew serious and she straightened a bit.
"Rowan?" she searched her memory of anyone she knew named Rowan and realized that he was the young man who had wanted to kill her, but had instead, been convinced to win the silver arrow in the recent spring festivals. He had then made it his priority to stop by once in a while to give her gifts and thank her for guiding him on the right path.
There was one time when Guy had mistakenly thought one of Rowan's gifts was from another suitor, but she had not done anything to dissuade that thought. "He won the silver arrow in the spring festival didn't he?"
"Yes," Robin nodded, "and I know he's been visiting you on occasion for guidance."
She opened her mouth to tell Robin the reason why when he cut her off.
"He told me...I know," he replied, "that's why I'm asking if you could sponsor him as your knight."
"There's something in the castle you want isn't there? Or do you want to compete that badly for the glory of Locksley?"
"For your glory," he gave her an affronted look but she was having none of it.
"Then I would sponsor Guy of Gisborne," she shot back and saw the disgust appear on his face. "I do not need glory as you seem to want it." She saw a brief flash of anger appear on his face before she reached out and touched him gently on the cheek, bringing his gaze on her. "I'm sorry Robin that was hurtful of me."
"The Earls of Leicester and Devon are apparently putting up a large sum of money for the winner of the tournament. I know James was loyal to Devon so Devon has to be working for the Sheriff and they probably plan to win the money to fund Prince John's taxes. Leicester may also be in league with the Sheriff, but I'm not too sure at the moment," Robin explained, "my men and Anna's men plan to go into the castle and steal the funds before the tournament is over."
"Anna?" Marian couldn't help but feel a small flare of jealous erupt within her. She tried not to let it show in her tone, but apparently Robin caught onto it and cracked a wiry grin.
"Jealous?" he teased her.
"No," she quickly replied, "just curious."
"She is from Rochdale and is apparently part of the Rushcliffe clan. Her mother was jailed by Prince John recently and she just turned to being an outlaw. She thinks that she and her men could learn from my gang," he looked indifferent.
"You don't trust them?"
"She knows Allan-a-Dale, and from what I can gather, really well," he looked concerned and she instantly knew why.
"You think she may be like Allan or his brother, don't you? And you don't want to make the same mistake that you did. So do you really want me to sponsor Rowan in the tournament?" she asked, wondering what he was getting at.
"Yes, that part is true," he replied, "but I will be entering in his place after the archery contest. I'll have Will lead the rest of the gang to steal the gold."
"Not Much or Allan?" Marian was confused.
"Much will be my squire, or rather, Rowan's squire. Allan is too close to this issue right now," Robin shook his head.
"So what happens if you advance to the jousting match?"
"Spencer and Buckingham will be at the tournament. You will have to ask one of them to defeat me in order to eliminate me from the tournament," he said, not quite staring at her and instead looked like he was staring inwardly, his plan forming.
"But in the combat round no one is allowed to wear their sponsor colors. How will they know?" sometimes it fascinated her to watch Robin come up with his plans. He looked so focused, so intent, and there was the occasional glint of dangerous fire in his eyes that made her heart beat just a little faster.
"We'll mark the armor to make it distinctive so they know who to target," Robin replied.
"That's dangerous," Marian couldn't help but voice her worry.
"It's a risk I'm willing to take," he hissed quietly at her.
"When are you going to tell your men?" she asked.
"Not until the day of the tournament," he shook his head, "I want to be cautious on this one. There is a chance that the Sheriff is having this tournament to be an elaborate trap, so I want to be careful."
"All right, I'll ask my father to use the family armor," Marian sensed that Robin wanted to get back into the safety of the woods before the moon rose higher, "be careful Robin."
He smiled faintly, "I will. Thank you Marian." He leaned a bit closer to the bars on her window and she obliged his request with a quick kiss on the lips before he disappeared from her window and a few quiet thumps later, he was on the ground, running back into the woods. She watched him until the woods swallowed his form up and closed her blinds, a small smile on her face. Part of her felt very girlish at the prospect of sponsoring Robin in a tournament as her knight, even though it was officially Rowan.
The other part of her was glad that Robin had asked before Sir Guy would have, that way she would already have an excuse instead of stammering her way through it. All that was left was to convince her father to let Robin and Rowan borrow the family's armor.
OUTLAWS' CAMP
The moonlit night was ideal for stalking about and that was exactly what he did. His orders were strict and while he would have liked not to do so, it was an order from his master and he knew those orders were never to be ignored. The only thing he was really worried about was what she would do when she found out. It would hurt her indefinitely, but if he had the chance to explain...
No, he couldn't go against his master's orders. They were specific and to the point. His job was to sow confusion and it was what he was going to do.
He silently drew out a small dagger and crept towards his first target. He scuffled across the ground, trying not to bump into anyone sleeping on the mossy ground. He hovered over his target, dismayed to find his own hand shaking and sweat starting to form on his brow.
He sent a silent apology to the heavens above before stabbing down on his target, his eyes squeezed shut. He thought he had stabbed into flesh when he opened his eyes once more to see angry blue eyes staring up at him, his knife caught in a death grip shaking just above the throat.
"Traitor!" Anna hissed at him and he flinched before trying to increase pressure, but she did not give way.
He suddenly tumbled from her as she violently threw her body against him, making him gasp in surprise as his shoulder and hip hit the ground and he rolled. He scrambled to his feet and looked around wildly as the rest of the camp was startled up. A flash of the dagger he had used to try to kill Anna made him duck a bit as it went flying past him before he decided to cut his losses and ran.
He could hear the camp come alive behind him and some of them gathering their weapons and running after him. He kept running, knowing that he had little time before he had to complete his second task. To his relief, he heard the sounds of pursuit slowly fade away and stopped behind a large tree trunk, gasping for breath.
After a few minutes, he peeked out from his impromptu hiding place and through the dim moonlight, noted that he didn't see anyone pursuing him. He checked the other dagger he had on his body to make sure it was secure before glancing up and around. If the moon was that way, then he would go the other way, hoping that he would meet his second target before heading to Nottingham to complete his mission.
He hoped it was worth what his master was planning.
SHERWOOD FOREST
Robin knew Sherwood like the back of his hand, both in the bright daylight of the sun and in the inky darkness of the night. The first thing he did when Little John and his men had joined was have them show him around the whole forest. He had then methodically gone back and traced routes and noted markers within the forest to help him get to their camp. Much had commented that he had used to do that during their time in the Holy Lands, making sure that the troops that went in and out of a battlefield had at least an escape route of sorts.
But he also knew that there were times when he and the others within the King's Private Guard couldn't plot out escape routes, having to fight blind and in unknown terrain. Those were the times that made him nervous, fearing for the safety of his men and for the success of the King's battles.
The snap of a branch underfoot made him froze. It had come from his left and as far as he knew, no animal in Sherwood was large enough to make such a deliberate noise. It had to be human. He knew his men were probably already asleep and his gut feeling told him that someone had followed him, or at least had found him. Robin looked out into the dimly lit darkness for any signs of an ambush or attack…
He barely had time to bring his hands up in a defensive block as a flash of a silver dagger came plunging down in the darkness, followed by the grunt of the person wielding the dagger. Robin could only make out the outlines of a man's face and did not recognize him before he forced him back with a shove.
The assassin went stumbling back into the darkness before a louder grunt of pain as he hit a tree and Robin advanced forward. Even with the dim moonlight, he could barely see his opponent and knew he had to disable him fast if he wanted to survive the encounter without any injuries.
He ducked again as a punch came straight to his face and felt the air passage of the man's fist before retaliating with his own kick. A grim smile worked its way up his face as he felt his leg connect solidly with the man's gut, sending him back against the tree once more before another flash of silver made him lean to the right to avoid the dagger.
He backpedaled slightly as the man suddenly launched a flurry of attacks against him with the dagger in hand and for once, Robin seriously wished he carried his bow with him whenever he visited Marian. He knew his accuracy was a bit down in the dark, but having the bow in his hands was at least a good defensive weapon, especially in a night fight like this.
He ducked again as the dagger went slashed over his head and heard several crunches of branches in the distance and his eyes darted over towards the source of the sound.
"I think he's here!" Much's voice rang out in the darkness and Robin gave a quick grin of relief just as the blade thrust towards him. He sudden grabbed the man's arm and gave him a quick punch in the face to which he grunted in pain before trying to rip his arm out from his grip.
"Much!" he called out, seeing at least two torches in the darkness coming towards him.
"Robin! We're coming!" Djaq's voice also rang out before he gave a yelp of pain as the assassin turned his dagger inward and sliced him across his right forearm, making him lose his grip momentarily.
That was all it took before the man slipped out of his grip and before Robin could grab at his clothes again to hold him, he disappeared into the inky darkness, branches crunching underfoot. Robin couldn't make out the direction the man was heading as the sounds of his men got closer before their torches finally lit a small path.
"Are you hurt?!" he saw Much's concern through the torch he was holding as they approached and glanced down at his right arm, involuntarily grimacing as he shook out the cut. It stung a bit, but he noted within the torch lights that it wasn't too deep, but it wasn't a shallow cut either.
"You're hurt," Anna's voice floated from somewhere in the back and he searched her face out.
"I'm fine," he replied just as Djaq grabbed his arm and fussed over it, Will edging closer with the torch he was carrying to give her more light.
"It's not bad," their resident healer replied, "but I need to wash it and bandage it or else it'll get infected Robin."
He nodded his assent before pinning Anna with a glare, "I'm willing to be that was one of your men that attacked me."
She looked to the ground, ashamed and nodded, "Dennis…"
"But I thought-" Allan started, but fell silent.
"He's never spoken a word since he came into my employment. Lydia used to do all the talking…" Anna looked to her left and Robin saw that the little seventeen-year-old girl was standing very meekly next to her master, ashamed at all the attention she was receiving.
"Well?" Robin knew that his tone was a bit harsh, but he didn't feel too conciliatory towards any of Anna's gang at the moment. Not after what he had told Marian.
She shook her head mutely, edging closer to Anna for some protection. Robin felt a surge of anger fill him. He knew masters were supposed to protect their servants from anyone's wrath, but in light of the attacks he felt a bit angry. Much rarely looked to him for protection after their first year in the Holy Lands and instead sought to protect him in the Holy Lands instead. Why was this girl…?
He forced himself to take a quick calming breath. Getting angry at Lydia would not help things, but he had to make it clear to Anna and the rest of her men that there would be no second chances, and any misstep or anything funny on their part would result in their expulsion. He did not want a repeat of what happened to Tom-a-Dale.
"I will still extend a measure of my trust to you and your men," he said sternly, "but if anyone else betrays the gang, you will not, repeat, you will not be allowed to walk away from this with our secrets intact."
"Robin…"
He cut Allan off with a glare before directing his words at Anna, "There were three men we had taken on a couple of months ago to bolster our group and their leader made the mistake of thinking with his feet first instead of his head. He did not think out the consequences of his actions and it got him killed. We were unable to save him or his two companions but we tried. The Sheriff thought it amusing to gloat over that fact. Make no mistake; I will not tolerate any of this. You have once more chance to earn my complete trust or else you will find yourself back in Rochdale without my guidance."
He knew his words had hurt Allan, but he needed one of his most loyal men to get it in his head that he did not want a repeat of what had happened to Tom. He did not know what it was like to lose a sibling, but had a feeling that if he ever lost Much, it would hurt so much that it would blind him to certain things. He did not want that happening to Allan.
"I…understand, Robin. I can and will personally assure the loyalty of my men," Anna looked chastened as did the rest of her men, especially Lydia who had unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"Robin, he knows…the plan," Little John spoke up gruffly.
"You think he's working for the Sheriff?" Will looked concerned.
"Maybe, but whatever he told the Sheriff will be mostly a lie," Robin was glad that he had not told anyone the true part of the plan. As far as Dennis knew, Allan was going to be Marian's knight while he was going to recover the gold. Though there was the potential of having Rowan and Marian come under scrutiny, both had proven themselves to him in holding their calm in dire situations.
"What?" Much looked completely confused.
"You never trusted us from the beginning," realization dawned on Anna's face at the implications of his words and he nodded grimly at her.
"No I did not," he replied truthfully, "and now you know why."
She gave a small sarcastic bark of laughter, "I don't know if I should be offended or what…"
"Like I said before, I do not want a repeat of what happened to those three men to happen to you and your men," he shook his head, "it is not your fault."
"Feels like it is," Anna replied sarcastically, "you going to withhold the rest of the real plan?"
"No," Robin gave her a grim smile, "now that I have your assured loyalty, the real planning will begin."
Author's Notes:
There is a reason why Allan seems a bit out of character. A very good reason and yes, some of you may guess it, but I'm not answering those guesses at the moment. You'll have to read on. I'm predicting that this will be a three-part story along the lines of Well Met Steel, but of course I had also grossly underestimated the length of The Assassin's Gift. Remember, I write Robin Hood stories in an episodic format – which gives for long parts and long reads. ^_^ Thanks goes out to my beta reader Algae09! Enjoy and stay tuned for the next part!
Oh yeah, Tournament is my summer project, which means it will be finished before September rolls around.