Disclaimer : I don't own anything you don't recognise from the BBC Robin Hood show. But I would pay a lot for Will.
Rating: T
Summary : An arsonist is loose in the forest, the King has a secret that could change the future of England, and Will is back...but where is Djaq? W/D A/OC Sequel to Retribution
Author's Note : This is a sequel to my story Retribution and I would recommend reading it first, but I would say that you don't have to read it to understand this. If you are going to read it, don't look at the recap below...
Basic recap of Retribution: It was set post-Holy Land and the outlaws were joined by Cassie, a noble whose father lost their estate, turning her into a maid. A friend of hers, Cam, joined them too, but turned out to be a traitor - the plan was for Cassie's master to get her back, and for the Sheriff to get the whole gang. As the story ended Allan and Cassie had admitted their feelings for one another, but Cassie learned of Allan's treachery and decided they could not act on their feelings. Cam had betrayed her, and she didn't think she could cope with being betrayed again.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Fire!
It was a beautiful spring morning in Nottinghamshire, one of those mornings where sunlight filtered through the sprouting leaves of Sherwood Forest and sent dappled patches of light skittering across the forest floor.
"A good day to be alive," John commented as he and Cassie strolled between the trees, their cloaks bulging with leather pouches filled with coins. They were taking their time on the way to Nettlestone, enjoying the change in the weather. The past few weeks had been awful, with rain and snow pouring from the heavens, and the outlaws had resented leaving the relative comfort of their camp. But now the sun was shining, plants were growing, and birds were singing.
As they neared the edge of the trees, getting close to the village, John came to a sudden stop and threw his arm out, whacking Cassie across the chest.
"Ouch!" She yelped, opening her mouth to yell at him, but John shushed her furiously.
"Listen," he whispered.
As she fell silent all Cassie could hear were the birds. Then, slowly, the sound of panicked shouting. She looked up at John, concerned. "Guards, do you reckon?" she whispered.
The tall man shrugged. "Maybe." Beckoning her forward the two slipped soundlessly to the edge of the forest, peering out from their hiding place. They could see the village, a hive of bustling activity as people ran back and forth. There was screaming though, and yelling, but no sign of guards.
"Can you smell that?" Cassie whispered, sniffing the air. John did the same and they looked at each worriedly. "Fire!"
Grasping their weapons the two took off at a sprint across the meadow towards the village. As they got closer the scent of burning got stronger, and as they reached the first houses they began to choke on smoke that floated towards them on the breeze.
Cassie grabbed hold of John's arm. "Fire!" she choked again, pointing with a quivering finger towards the forest beyond the village. Thick grey smoke billowed from the trees, and through the clouds of smoke they could just make out the glowing orange of fierce flames.
"The wind is blowing the flames towards the village," John said urgently. "Hurry!"
They dashed into the centre of the village where terrified villagers were running around haphazardly, sloshing pails of water onto the houses. Children were screaming and animals squealing and baying in their pens.
"What do we do?" Cassie panicked, pulling at her hair. "The village will be destroyed!"
John grasped her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. "Just calm down lass. We need a plan."
"We need Robin!" Cassie returned desperately, looking around at the chaos. "Oh! I have an idea. John, get their attention."
With a roar from John the village fell still, villagers freezing where they stood. They turned to look at the two outlaws and Cassie's heart clenched at the extreme anxiety in their faces.
"We're going to help you," Cassie called, trying to prevent her voice from trembling. "We just need to work together and we can beat this." Looking around she saw a group of young children gathered in the shadow of a house, confusion in their faces, and beckoned them over. Crouching down so she was at their level she pulled her outlaw tag from underneath her tunic. "I need you to run into the forest," she told them. "Yell and shout for Robin Hood, make as much noise as you can, alright?" Six heads nodded nervously at her. "If you find any man who claims to be with Robin make sure he shows you one of these." She indicated the tag and the children nodded again before running in the direction of the forest. "And tell them to hurry!" she shouted at their retreating backs.
Author's Note: Apologies for the mega short chapter. I hope you liked it, though. And if you want to let me know what you think, you know what to do...