"An Echo of Hoof Beats"
By Ladyarcherfan
I own nothing by my own imagination, and overactive "horse radar", and a few of the OCs floating about here. Robin Hood isn't mine, but I rather wish he was. . .
A/N: Silent in the legend, Hawk and Fox were two horses recognized only by the roles they played – lord and outlaw's mounts, the horses of guards, and a gift for a lady. They left their mark on the legend with an echo of hoof beats.
I'm not sure what triggered it, but one day I realized that Marian's gift horse was actually the same horse that Robin rides. (I spent several hours capping and rewatching episodes to make sure it was the same horse.) I also noticed that the flashy bay that Much rides is usually with the darker bay, and Marian also rides the flashy bay in S2. Now, obviously there's the simple explanation of: "There are only so many horses on set," but I just thought it was a bit ironic and amusing. So the muse snatched up the idea, and this is what happened. It's a bit of an equine indulgence of missing scenes revolving around or involving the horses. I can't explain everytime the horses show up on screen, as there are times when the outlaws have them in one scene and the guards have them in the next. This is more of a chance to write missing scenes. Robin, Marian and the gang appear the most, with Guy and others showing up time to time. I hope you enjoy.
Part 1 – Riches to Rags ("Will You Tolerate This?")
Robin of Locksely frowned as Guy of Gisbourne strode out of the manor house and shouted for his guards. He could not hear what Gisbourne snarled at them, but he assumed he was confirming that the control of Locksley had passed back to its rightful lord. After a minute, the guards tromped off to their barracks and Guy stormed towards the stable. Robin turned back to see Thornton standing a bit nervously near the center of the room, still holding the Saracen bow in his hand.
"I meant what I said about helping him pack," Robin said with a smirk, and took back the bow. "I'd prefer if he and his lot didn't leave with anything that isn't theirs. You would have a better idea of what should stay and go, considering . . ." Robin trailed off, and Thornton gave a small smile before nodding.
"Of course, Master Robin." He marched off through the house, crisply sending out orders left and right.
Leaving the control of the manor house in the capable hands of Thornton for the time being, Robin strode outside once again. He was home, but it was not the same home he had left behind him five years ago. It seemed it had changed nearly as much as he had in that torturous span of years. A sudden commotion from the stables brought past and present crashing together and he hurried towards it, muscles tensing as he approached the possible threat.
"No, you cannot take them! They are part of Lord Robert's handpicked line! They were here before you!"
"Listen, stable master," growled the other man, "I am taking them. You have no right to stop me."
"He may not, but I do," Robin said coolly as he entered the stable. "Ian, what's happening here?"
Ian, the stable master, was standing between two bay stallions, clutching their lead shanks and keeping them as far away as possible from the glowering figure of Gisbourne. He answered, "Sir Guy was attempting to take Hawk and Fox for his guards, but they belong here."
"Is that so?" Robin let his eyes flick towards Gisbourne, challenging the man.
Gisbourne's scowl deepened. "I need those two horses for my men; we will be short mounts otherwise."
"Didn't you bring enough horses for your men so that you don't have to attempt to steal mine?"
Ian, emboldened by Robin's presence, spoke up. "He came with a seal brown stallion, and grey, chestnut, bay and seal brown geldings."
"I now have more men than I have horses, I require those stallions -" Gisbourne began, but Robin interrupted him.
"I'm sure your men can survive the walk to Nottingham; I can't help that your soldiers apparently can multiply, but you can't figure out how to buy more horses for them."
There was a moment of silence as the two men silently battled with icy glares; two alpha males struggling for the same territory, one having might and the other having right. Right won. Gisbourne sniffed and turned away; he grabbed the reins of his seal brown stallion and stalked out of the stables.
Behind Robin, Ian gave a relived sigh as he put the stallions back into their box stalls. "Thank God, I didn't want to have to give up these boys, and that Orion of his is an ill tempered horse; he's never been able to get along with the rest of the Locksley herd. I'm glad to see them both gone." He paused and then apologized, "Beg pardon, Master Robin, for speaking out of order."
Robin waved it away. "No matter." He turned to the horses, "You said these were from the line my father started? I don't recall them."
"They were both young colts when you left; horses do a lot of growing up and changing in five years."
Robin frowned slightly as he stroked the dark bay's nose. "So do people," he muttered under his breath. Turning back to Ian he asked, "Which one's this?"
"Hawk," the stable master said proudly. "He's the last colt sired by your father's old destier, Falcon. He's been bred and trained to be a lord's horse, but he's gentle enough for a lady. I trained him myself."
"Did you?" Robin smiled. The horse was indeed a lordly looking creature. His dark bay color was accented only with white markings on his hind pasterns, and small flick of white between his nostrils. His neck was well crested, his head a bit plain but noble, and his body athletic if not perfect. Robin couldn't help but smile as Ian listed out the same observations, delving into detail and discussing more of the horse's personality and abilities.
"Fox isn't quite on the same level as Hawk. He's got less muscle than Hawk, but is a bit faster; he's quieter and would also be a wonderful lady's mount, mainly because he's flashier and lighter boned."
"So he isn't the sly trickster like his name implies?"
"No, Hawk is more of the imp in the herd; Fox just looks like a fox – lithe, red coated with black and white points."
Robin felt himself relax as the conversation floated towards the horse's blood lines, discussing sires and dams, abilities and character quirks. It was something so mundane after the experience of war, the ache of the long journey back home, and the pain of finding that home so changed. The conversation reminded him of his childhood riding lessons with Ian's father, Philip. It almost allowed him to pretend that things were normal in Locksley and Nottinghamshire.
"Would you like to take Hawk to try his paces, Master Robin?" Ian asked him, dragging him back to reality.
"I would. In fact, I would like to go to Knighton to visit Lord Edward. Saddle Hawk for me, and whoever you think would fit for Much. I'll be back shortly."
"Of course Master."
***
It was well on the way to dawn when Robin and Much finally mounted their horses outside of Knighton and turned towards Locksley. It had been an entirely frustrating depressing day in Robin's mind. He had returned home, discovered the discord of the law, was being forced to hang four of his own peasants, and he feared that he had no allies. Even Marian had been exceedingly cold with him, and argued for the "long game", which surprised him. About the best thing he had found that day was that Locksley's stables had not diminished in the years he had been in the Holy Land. He could find no flaws in the horses that Ian had provided him and Much.
Robin restrained any outward sign of his dissatisfaction until they were well away from Knighton. Then he spurred Hawk forward into a full gallop, and they flew down the road. The stallion eagerly stretched his legs, and snorted in excitement for a potential race as Much urged Fox to catch up. Despite the numerous trips between Locksley, Knighton and Nottingham, and the fact that they had just been introduced to new riders, Hawk and Fox responded to every cue with very little hesitation and showed no sign of fatigue. With a snort, Hawk tossed his head up and fought the bit as Fox drew even with them.
"I must say, Master," Much called over the wind of their speed, "that galloping horses along a pitch black road at night is hardly a good idea."
Robin laughed, the stress of the day disappearing in the rush of excitement brought about by a hint of danger. "These horses see better in the dark than we do, Much! And they know the way home. All we have to do is go along with the ride!"
With another laugh, Robin gave Hawk his head, and the stallion leapt forward. Much loosed a sigh of frustration and fear as he allowed Fox to take off. It would almost be more dangerous to hold the stallion back than to let him sort out the road on his own. The night rushed by in an incomprehensible roar, and the stallions easily carried their riders home, never faltering on the road and never slowing until they reached the stable door.
Once the roar of night wind had faded from his ears and his heart beat slowed once again, Robin turned his mind to planning. He would not allow the four men to be hanged, and there had to be some way he could play Edward's "long game" at the same time.
***
The ruckus and turmoil he had created faded behind him as Robin raced away from Nottingham's main square and towards the gates where he had left Hawk and Fox. He knew instinctively that Much was following him, but was reassured to hear his friend's panicked muttering as he ran. There was the sound of two other men racing away from death as well. He wasn't surprised that they had followed him, as there hadn't been many other options, though the one they chose could easily be a scenic route back to the noose. Yet he had no real time to think of such things. He had to focus on the present, and getting himself and the other men out of the city.
Hawk started as he whipped around the stallion and quickly untied him. The stallion tensed but did not dance around; he was poised for action. Robin swung up into the saddle, hearing Much say something in warning.
"Archers! Archers, Master, what do we do?"
He turned Hawk towards the gate to see the road blocked by a low barricade and a row of archers with readied bows. "Let's give them something to shoot at," he replied. He looked at the three other men, who seemed rather hesitant to get on the horses. "Go, go, go!" he ordered, and in a flurry of motion Much hauled himself behind Hawk's saddle as Will and Allan jumped on Fox.
Robin slammed his heels into Hawk's flanks, and the stallion seemed as willing to he was to defy danger and death to the hilt. Even burdened with the weight of two men, Hawk shot out of the city gate and sped towards the archers with Fox a few scant strides behind. The arrows whistled through the air around their heads, but the archers' aim was wide. Robin shouted wordlessly as the horses neared the barrier; he heard Much and Allan shout in terror, but Will was silently focused on steering his horse and not being shot. The archers scattered in fear and surprise, and the horses cleared the jump.
As they galloped away from the city, Robin's grin turned into a laugh. The horses were still charging along, but as once they out of bow range, Robin reined Hawk down to a canter.
"How . . . can . . . you . . . laugh . . . at a time . . . like this?" Much demanded between breaths. "Wait, never mind, I don't really want to know," he finished as Robin simply lowered his laughter to a chuckle and halted Hawk.
"Where do we go now?" Will Scarlett asked as he stopped Fox. "We can hardly go home after this."
Robin nodded in agreement and grew serious. "Sherwood Forest. We'll stay there until we can think of a plan."
"I'm not bein' funny, but ain't Sherwood teeming with outlaws?" Allan asked.
"What are we?" Robin demanded. "You were sentenced to hang and escaped, and I defied the Sheriff by granting you that escape."
"And what does that make me? I was being dangled off a wall. . . " Much wondered.
"Come off it, mate," Allan scoffed. "You're an accomplice, you 'elped 'im!"
Much started to retort, but Robin interrupted him. "Much. We're all in this together for the moment. We need to get into Sherwood before the Sheriff's men get organized and come after us." He turned and trotted Hawk towards the edge of the forest. "Sherwood may or may not be teeming with outlaws, but I also know that it's not a place castle guards operate well in."
"What do you mean by that?" Will wondered.
Robin smirked. "Marian and I outwitted any number of her father's guards under Sherwood's canopy when we were children. And judging by their performance today, Vaizey's guards are hardly better."
The men rode as far as they could into Sherwood before night fell. Robin led them as well as he could, but Sherwood had also changed since he had last been there; but he never hesitated, and quickly reacquainted himself with the forest. Some things hadn't varied over the years, and Robin used the streams and rocky outcrops that appeared through the forest to his advantage; they hid tracks and washed away scent which would prevent men or hounds from easily following them.
While he knew they could have gone into the denser parts of the forest if they abandoned the horses, Robin was hesitant to get rid of them. They would afford speed if they would need it, and he had a feeling Will and Allan wouldn't have been able to make very good time without a horse. The aftermath of the stress from their near hanging and escape was beginning to show already if the slump of Will's shoulders and the occasional involuntary nod of Allan's head was anything to go by.
Robin finally called for a halt when the sunlight began to disappear and the forest faded into twilight. They made camp in a ravine that afforded shelter from the wind, ample firewood and some fodder for the horses. That was another detail he would have to deal with soon; while a man could find enough food in the forest to live on, horses were decidedly more difficult to feed. They would be fine for the night, however, and perhaps better than the men; they had only Robin's bow to hunt with, and though he had managed to kick up a rabbit and shoot it, it wouldn't last long between four men. It was still early enough in the year that there weren't many edible plants about.
Robin gave Hawk a friendly scratch on the neck and rubbed the broad star on Fox's forehead before he loosened their girths. "We'll sort something out, never worry," he muttered, the words for his own reassurance and the tone to ease the horses.
Picking through their piles of fodder, the stallions didn't seem very concerned. That made Robin's life a bit easier; Much was enough of a worrier, so at least the horses seemed adaptable enough. They had taken the same dive in status as he had – from lords to outlaws, from comfort to survival. With a final pat for both of them, Robin wandered back to the fire and his fellow outlaws.
Much was doing his best to roast the rabbit to something edible, Allan was wrapped in his cloak and apparently fully relaxed; Will focused on the fire and was dubiously eyeing the small pile of fuel they had gathered. Robin settled down between Much and Allan, allowing himself to relax. There wasn't much else to that night except rest and plan for the next day.
Will said suddenly, "Just getting some kindling." He stood and strode away into the forest.
A few more silent moments passed before Much said, "Be honest with me, this does not bode well for my lodge, my Bonchurch."
Robin glanced over at him and simply raised an eyebrow that said, "What do you think?"
"I knew it," Much said with a heavy sigh.
Allan smirked. "This is you lodge now, my friend. Sherwood Lodge."
Much bristled and snapped, "I am not your friend-"
"Shh, shh!" Robin hissed, sitting up. The horses had become restless, looking up to the ridges surrounding the small campsite, their ears flicking back and forth. He stood up just as a voice from an unseen man bellowed.
"Excuse me! This is our forest!"
Four armed men appeared on the rock ledge above them. Bows were aimed down at them, and Robin was at a loss - he didn't have a plan to get out of this situation.
TBC