I stared over my shoulder as the man on his black horse rode into my view - Gisbourne was back.
"Hide! Quickly!" I shouted to my brother as he emerged from the house. This was no place for an able-bodied young man, not today.
"Right," Gisbourne sneered, "You have the honour of fighting for the glorious cause of the Irish Army! Plus the Sheriff needs your money…" My heart clenched. My brother was the only thing left in my world now that mother had died. I could not lose him.
Running to the front door, I grabbed him and shoved him into one of the open barrels- it would have to do. Heart still racing, I waited until Gisbourne had made it round to me.
"I hear you have a brother? Where is he?" my defiant expression angered him and he worked to seem polite. "Hand. Him. Over."
"No," I whispered. "He is out, my lord. He is not here, you cannot take him!" A small smile crept onto the corner of my mouth, which I quickly hid. This was no place for dis-courtesy.
"You are behind on your taxes," he stated. Turning his glare from me to a guard, he shouted, "Search the barrels! I want every morsel of food, now!"
"NO!" I screamed.
My anxiousness was not for the food, but for my brother-my twin- who held me to this earth when everything else was lost. He was the boy who would never give up on me, and I had no desire to give up him. I lunged at the guard's open back…
Meanwhile, in the forest, the outlaws looked in shock as the people of Locksley were horded.
"We do something," whispered John.
But Allan's attention was diverted.
"Look!" he said, as his eyes fell on a girl who was bowed by the force of Gisbourne's stare. "She is beautiful…" Allan exclaimed.
All of a sudden, the girl leapt at a guard who was passing.
"…And she needs our help," finished Robin.
My first assault, along with the element of surprise, vanished before it could really start. The guard grabbed my arms and slammed me to the ground, forcing a current to run down my spine, so painful that I called out.
"Well, well, what have we here?" Gisbourne taunted, as the lid of the barrel lifted and my brother emerged. There was chaos. Guards fell at his feet as he cut them down, more skilled with a sword than any man I knew, though I never understood why.
"You will never hurt her!" he shouted.
But more and more reinforcements we coming. Then I saw our saviour, Robin Hood and his men rushing for the soldiers, swords in hand.
It's going to be fine, I thought to myself. My brother squared up to the man on the horse, the devil in Locksley and raised his sword.
And he was laid on the ground before I could blink. I saw the glint of a sword in his side before tears obscured my vision. This wasn't possible. He could not be gone.
"Get the girl," Gisbourne chanted as he rode off to accompany the carriage of men pulling away. Luckily there were no soldiers there to heed his command, my brother had seen to that.
I knelt at James's side, muttering frantically.
"Please, please, no! Wake up, wake up! James!" but however loud I screamed, he would not open his eyes, or move an inch.
"MEG, MEG!" I heard Alice Little scream from across the path. I looked up and saw a guard running towards me. Alice ran to my side and put her hand to my face. "Everything will be taken care of, but you have to go. Now!"
And without knowing where I was going, I ran. But in ten steps my energy was lost. I admitted defeat. I sank to the ground.
Arms I was not expecting embraced me from behind, picking me up as if I was a rag doll. I supposed I was; I didn't feel like I had any bones left now anyway. Even from my distorted state of mind, I could not believe these were the arms of a metal clad guard. Maybe they were the arms of my brother, taking me to heaven with him. I wished they were. I could be with my family anywhere and I would be happy. I waited for his voice, or maybe my father's, but not my mothers. She was so small she would never be able to lift me off of the ground. However, no familiar voice came. It was that of a man, soft and gentle, rich with an accent I could not pin-point. It was a beautiful voice. My heart jolted for, at a time like this, I could not believe I had noticed such a thing.
"We have to move," the voice cautioned, as my feet hit the ground. "Please walk."
I couldn't make my body do anything. All the fight had gone out of me. Of course, there was nothing to fight for now. The man sighed as he swung me up into his arms. I was aware the soldier would still be in pursuit, and close, but I felt at ease. This speed was not fast, but constant. I was sure the guard must get tired soon.
A mixture of voices greeted my ears. One with a foreign accent tempted my ear the way just words simply could not.
"Should have got there sooner," it said. "We must do something," it said.
"Not now, Djaq!" a steady tone pressed. I realised who I was with. Although I could barely see, I lifted my head and saw a glimpse of Robin Hood running beside me. This was a voice I would know anywhere. In the darkest days of winter, when my brother was sick, he would bring round parcels of food and medicine, stay with me awhile to see I was okay. I must have been young then; that was back when he was lord of the manor.
My eyes filled with fresh tears as I thought of my brother. The whole world seemed to be losing its brightness and I faded away until the only thing I acknowledged was the steady heartbeat of my saviour.