A/N: Okay, since my muse is still not really back and I can't seem to be able to finish any of the new chapters I started, I thought this might be a good way to get me back into the groove of writing.
This is an older story I started writing in a different fandom (a fandom I'm not writing in anymore) and I still like the concept, so I decided to try and rewrite it into the Criminal Minds fandom *smiles sheepishly*
It's a Robin Hood AU o.O I really, really hope you like it and it's not too bad, especially with the roles I assigned to everybody *another sheepish grin* and since the BAU simply doesn't have enough members, there will be some OCs (or guest characters from the show) used, so that I have enough people *smiles*
Well, yeah, I really hope you enjoy the first chapter and it's not too confusing *smiles* And hopefully posting this will also help me to find inspiration for my other stories *hopeful smile*
And the title will probably change in the future, but for right now I can't come up with a better one *sigh*
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So yeah, have fun reading and comments would be most appreciated.
And please keep in mind that English isn't my native language...
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Oh, before I forget it: I hope you had a nice Christmas *smiles* And a HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody *smiles*
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Now for the Warnings: This is AU (Robin Hood style) and it's going to be SLASH, even though the final pairing isn't decided yet, it's either going to be Reid/Hotch or Reid/Morgan o.O
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Disclaimer: None of the CM characters or Robin Hood plots belong to me… I just borrowed them for this little story… my OC'S do belong to me though… this story doesn't mean to offend anybody… this is just for fun… and not for money either...
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The Adventures of Aaron Hood and his Merry Men
Chapter 1
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"Get into position my friends and let's deal the usurper another blow."
Aaron Hotchner, called Aaron Hood by most, the most feared outlaw if you asked Prince Ethan and his men were and certainly the most loved by the oppressed people of the country, looked at his Merry Men.
He had an almost vicious smile on his lips.
All his men only nodded, knowing that more words weren't necessary and then they all quickly hid in the trees and bushes alongside the small path they were currently standing at and planning the trap for the carriage that would soon make its way through the forest
The green of their dresses hid them from view and Aaron nodded in satisfaction. They wouldn't be seen if you weren't looking for them.
He then turned to his two most trusted friends, who were still standing beside him, eyeing Aaron with a dubious expression.
One of the two was John Anderson, who most people called Little John, even though he was everything but little, in fact he was over 6 feet tall and Aaron more than once had to smile at the nickname.
William LaMontagne, called Will Scarlett by Aaron and some of the Merry Men because of his fancy for scarlet hats and clothes, was the second one and Aaron's right hand man.
Will now furrowed his eyebrows and gazed at his leader with question in his eyes.
"Aaron, do you really think that this is a good idea?", he inquired with a little hesitation in his voice. He hadn't liked the plan from the very beginning, but he could also see the reasoning behind Aaron's plan.
They needed to keep Prince Ethan on his toes as much as possible and attacking the coming carriage was a pretty good distraction that would stop the Prince and his men searching for the hide-out of the Merry Men.
Hotchner only shrugged lightly at the other man's words.
"Yes I do, Will. Whatever is in this coach, it's very valuable to Prince Ethan, so I think we should better see what it is and make sure that it will survive the the journey without problems."
The words were followed by another almost vicious grin on Aaron's handsome features.
He shouldered his bow and looked at his two companions with a wolfish, predatory smile plastered on his face.
Little John didn't utter a single word. He knew better than to argue with Aaron when he was in this kind of mood. Still, he didn't like this one bit, fearing it might be a trap, because they had found out about the delivery Prince Ethan was expecting, but had been unable to collect any information on what exactly the delivery was.
John had tried to warn Aaron about that when they had started planning this whole thing but Hotchner had brushed his fears aside because he trusted Emily Prentiss.
She was one of Aaron's Merry Men, or would that better be Merry Women, and she had gotten hold of this piece of information by spying on the Sheriff of Nottingham and his soldiers.
And John knew that Prentiss would never betray Aaron because she owed him her life.
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Still, the information had been vague at best and so none of them really knew what they were about to acquire, as Aaron liked to call their thefts, since in his opinion it wasn't stealing. After all, if it was money, he gave it back to the poor villagers it had been taken from on the grounds of some made up law to oppress the people further.
And the villagers loved Aaron for it, helping him the best they could and had given them any hint they had gotten concerning this important delivery, Prince Ethan was expecting.
But despite that, Emily had only managed to find out the date and the route, so they had made the plan on all those pieces of information.
The fact that probably interested Aaron the most, was that it really seemed to be of high importance to the Prince. They were sure of that, because the Sheriff of Nottingham, Tobias Hankel and a dozen of his best soldiers had been sent to escort and protect the carriage.
Will guessed that Aaron wanted another little fight with the Sheriff, proving to Hankel and also to himself that he could still outsmart the Sheriff.
"We should get into position then too," Anderson suggested.
"I can hear the carriage and the horses approaching," he then added.
Aaron only nodded, putting on the long, dark habit he had borrowed from Friar Jason. It was a little short but it would serve the purpose, because it hid the sword and the bow which Aaron carried from view.
Hotchner pulled the cowl deep into his face to conceal his features and not to be recognized too soon.
Little John and Will meanwhile pushed a small carriage with a broken axle onto the small path, making it impossible to continue the journey without pushing it out of the way first.
This would force the Sheriff to stop and help Aaron, or better the poor monk he was posing as, no matter if they wanted to or not.
"Hide.", Aaron then ordered, seemingly busying himself with trying to push the carriage out of the way.
Little John and Will quickly took their places and not a second too soon because Hankel, his men and the carriage came around the bend of the path.
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"Be careful men. We're in Quantico Forest now, Aaron Hood's territory." Hankel told his men right when he came within earshot of Aaron and his men, before he turned his attention back to the way again.
Aaron smirked when he heard that and turned, satisfied that the Sheriff motioned for his men to stop and they reluctantly did so.
Aaron just hoped his companions would be able to carry out the plan, otherwise he might get into serious trouble, but then again, Aaron had taken some of his most trusted men too, so he was confident that they would be able to pull this off.
"Hey you, you're blocking the way. Move!", Tobias grumbled angrily.
He just wanted to get this over with and finish this escort for whatever he didn't even know himself, because Prince Ethan had made it pretty sure that he wasn't to look into the carriage until they would be back at the castle.
"I'm sorry, good sir, my coach broke and my horse has run off. I need help." Aaron pleaded, keeping his voice low to keep from being recognized.
He then slowly approached the Sheriff's horse, hoping the hood really hid his face.
Before Hankel could say anything, another voice sounded from inside the carriage.
"Sheriff, why are we stopping now? What is happening? You are hopefully aware that Prince Ethan is waiting."
The door of the carriage opened slowly and Bishop Maximilian Ryan exited it, quickly closing the door behind him again.
Aaron was a bit surprised to see the clergyman and most trusted adviser of Prince Ethan here.
The last they'd heard of him, was, that he had been leaving the country and Aaron had had no idea that he was already back.
This confused and worried the outlaw a lot because the Bishop could be really troublesome for him and his men and had proven to be so in the past.
But for now things were still going according to plan since his men had already taken care of the ten soldiers behind the carriage without attracting any attention and since Hankel was still focused on Aaron, they wouldn't be detected too soon.
This left only the Sheriff and two other soldiers beside him.
"We will continue our journey in mere moments, but you better get back into the coach, Excellency.", Hankel ordered and gave the two soldiers beside him a sign to get the broken coach out of the way.
As soon as the King's men were trying to push it out of the way, Aaron knew that this was the right moment.
He whistled for his men before springing into action.
The Sheriff looked confused and before he knew what was happening, he was lying on the ground on his back with the tip of Hotchner's sword resting against his throat, while Little John had grabbed the Bishop and Emily and Will took care of the other two soldiers and the coachman.
"Hood…", Hankel cursed when Aaron finally showed his face.
"That's exactly right, Sheriff," Hotchner grinned, excited that his plan had worked and curious to finally find out what this valuable good in the carriage was.
Three of the Merry Men were already busy with unloading the packages and chest on top of the carriage, because whatever was in it would be distributed among the poor people of this country, once Aaron had determined where they would be of the most use.
Aaron waved for one of his men to come over to have an eye on the Sheriff in his stead.
"Well, well, let's see what our beloved Prince awaits with such great anticipation," Hotch said, putting as much sarcasm on the 'beloved' as possible, the predatory grin back in place.
The Bishop, who had been standing very still beside Little John, suddenly took a step forward, blocking the way to the door of the carriage.
"Take the gold and everything else you like, but then leave us alone, Hotchner," he nearly pleaded, well it was the closest to pleading, Aaron had ever heard from the clergyman.
This surprised Aaron immensely and his curiosity mounted even more. He waved to John, who pulled Bishop Maximilian away roughly.
"It depends on just how you behave." Aaron explained, reaching for the handle of the door.
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But before he could grab it, the door was opened and a soft voice, Aaron had never heard before but wasn't sure if he could ever forget again, questioned: "Your Excellency? What is going on here?"
Little John felt the Bishop stiffen under his grip and the outlaw looked at Aaron with a questioning glance. But Hotchner didn't react. He was still mesmerized by this voice with an accent that clearly indicated that this man wasn't from these lands or hadn't been here for years.
Seconds later, his breath caught in his throat, because the carriage door opened fully and out of it stepped the most beautiful creature Aaron had ever seen.
Light brown curls framed a perfect face with sparkling hazel eyes, which widened in surprise, when the young stranger realized what was going on.
Hotchner was totally captured by the graceful moves of the lithe form, dressed in black, silk robes.
The Bishop realized that Aaron and his men didn't know who the person was and he quickly yelled: "Please get back into the carriage, Milord."
Ryan could see the mesmerized looks the king of thieves sent his young protégé.
"Please, take the gold and leave us," the Bishop tried again.
Aaron tore his gaze away from the young man, who was obviously a nobleman and eyed the Bishop.
"Ah, not right away Excellency. I mean, you know the customs around here and so far you haven't enjoyed our hospitality," he told the clergyman with a grin.
"Little John, Will would you please blindfold the Sheriff and the Bishop. We will take them with us for our customary feast," he ordered.
The other soldiers had already been secured, so Aaron didn't worry about them too much.
John and Will immediately complied and Aaron turned his attention back to the young man, who still stood on the small step on the carriage door, obviously not sure what to do and even more confused as to what was happening here.
"Milord," Aaron extended his hand to help the stranger down.
But the young man refused the hand and only shot Hotchner a defiant glare before he stepped down onto solid ground gracefully.
"What do you want from us, outlaw?" he questioned angrily, seemingly not afraid, even though he was acutely aware of the fact that if he made one wrong move he would probably be killed instantly.
He had also noticed the looks this outlaw was giving him and they made him feel a little uneasy.
"Oh, don't worry Milord. We only want to invite you to have a meal with us."
Aaron grinned, satisfied that the Bishop and the Sheriff were already secured. Both didn't resist since this wasn't the first time they were 'invited' to a meal with the outlaws and they knew resistance would only make it worse.
"And why are they blindfolded and restrained then?" The stranger questioned.
"You are not from around here, are you, Milord? I need to do that so they won't find out where me and my men are hiding here in Quantico Forest," Aaron questioned, taking a step closer to the man, suppressing the urge to run a hand through those silky curls.
"I don't see why this is of your concern. I don't even know who you are."
The younger man took a step backwards to put some distance between him and this outlaw, who was for some reason, intimidating him. He contemplated running, but knew it was of no use. Right now he sensed that he wasn't in immediate danger if he behaved since even the Bishop and the Sheriff just stood there flanked by two of Hotchner's men.
Aaron smiled brightly and bowed a little.
"My name is Aaron Hotchner or Aaron Hood, as some call me… at your service," he told him politely.
If the stranger recognized the name, he didn't let it show on his face.
"So, since you know my name, it would only be polite to tell me your name, Milord," Aaron then added.
"Don't tell him, Milord," the Bishop shouted, but was quickly silenced by Little John's hand over his mouth.
The stranger's eyes darted between the Bishop and Hotchner, but he really saw no harm in telling the outlaw his name.
"My name is Spencer," he supplied.
"Spencer it is? Such a beautiful name for a handsome man," Aaron smiled, a genuine smile this time, not one of his more vicious ones.
"Well Milord, as much as I like to look into your beautiful eyes, I need to blindfold you too," Hotchner explained, slowly approaching Spencer, who backed up until his back hit the carriage.
That Aaron was calling him handsome didn't make him feel better, no, it actually was quite the opposite, and he still wasn't sure what to think of this man in front of him. He was clearly an outlaw, but he talked and moved like a nobleman.
"Don't you dare touch him with your filthy hands, Hood," the Bishop once again spoke up, well more like screamed in rage.
Aaron just ignored the words and took another step towards Spencer, their bodies nearly touching now.
"I don't want to have to hurt you, Spencer, but I will if I have to, so you better behave," he ordered with his voice soft and almost soothing and before Spencer knew what was happening, the piece of cloth was securely tied over his eyes.
His hands instinctively moved to get it off, but Aaron grabbed the hands in a firm, yet gentle grip.
"Leave that in place for now, Spencer," he whispered, taking the chance to run a hand through Spencer's hair.
"Get your hands off me," Spencer exclaimed scandalized, but Aaron didn't react to those words, just plainly ignoring them.
"Well then, men, let's go back to the horses. John, you'll take the Sheriff, Will, you the Bishop," Aaron ordered and then he turned to Spencer again.
"And you will ride with me."
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Before Spencer was able to protest again, his hands were tied together behind his back and he was lead deeper into the forest, or at least he guessed he was, because he could hear the rustling of the trees and the snapping of some branches.
More hands were touching him, helping him to sit on a horse and it took all of Spencer's hard learned self-control to not panic.
Spencer then felt someone else getting onto the horse behind him and a hand sneaked around his hip, holding him close.
"Enjoy the ride, Milord," Aaron whispered into Spencer's ear, enjoying the feeling of the warm body pressed against his, even though it wasn't willingly.
"Let's go back to the camp and have a nice feast," Hotchner then yelled and he and his Merry Men rode deep into the forest, leaving behind an empty carriage and a dozen bound soldiers to be found by the next person traveling the road.
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to be continued if you're interested *smiles*
And in case you're wondering where Morgan is, he won't show up for a few more chapters, but I can tell you that he has a big role in this story *smiles*