The little Saracen boy ran through the crowded village center, a note clutched tightly in his hands. An English messenger had stopped him on the outskirts of town and asked him if he knew Will and Djaq Scarlet. The boy said he did know them as he worked in the kitchen's of Bassam , the Royal Pigeon Handler. Since coming to the village Will and Djaq had been staying with Bassam, and helping him with his pigeons. The man had shoved the note into his small sweaty hands and told him to take the note directly to them, and stop for nothing.
The boy broke through the crowds of people and onto a side street. He bolted straight and then right, not stopping until he hit the dead end that the pigeon handlers home rested at. He pushed the door open with haste and ran into the building yelling.
"Djaq, Will! Where are you?" He cried. Djaq came running from the dining room, her black hair blowing about her shoulders. She knelt in front of him and smoothed her hand across his cheek.
"Nassir, what is it? What is wrong?" She asked kindly. He held the note out to her.
"An Englishman asked me to give this to you." He said. "He said to not stop running until I had it to you, not for anything." He said tiredly. She smiled at him and stood.
"Go, rest. Find something to eat." She patted his head as he traipsed past her, passing Will on his way out. He looked from Nassir to Djaq curiously.
"What's going on, what was he yelling about?" Will asked walking up to his wife.
"He had a letter for us." She said. She unfolded the paper, her eyes moving quickly across the page. She blinked several times as she finished before handing it to Will. "Read it." She said. Will cleared his throat and licked his slightly chapped lips before reading it out loud.
"Will and Djaq, meet us at the old village ruins just after sun down." The paper was signed with the emblem that was on the tags all of the gang wore. His hand moved up to clutch the tag through the thin cloth of his shirt tightly. Will flipped the paper over making sure there was nothing else.
"They can't be here, why would they be here?" Djaq asked wonderingly. He shook his head silently. What could have possibly brought them back to Acre?
"Well, are we going?" She asked expectantly. He looked up to her with a small smile.
"Of course we are." He said. "When he says the old village ruins do you think he means?" Will drifted off.
"The village where we lost Marian." Djaq said quietly. Will nodded. He turned his head to glance out of one of the windows.
"Come on, we best get ready, it's almost sun down now." He said.
Not much longer Djaq and Will had pulled on their cloaks, hoods up and saddled their horses. They took off side by side out of the village heading for the ruins. Both silent, but both wondering what was going on. As the sun sank in the sky they got closer and closer to their destination. Djaq couldn't help but to feel excited and yet worried all at the same time. Will glanced over at his wife's pinched face. He sighed heavily. He knew she was worried he was as well. He hoped there was a good reason for their visit, but he couldn't help the sinking pit in his stomach.
They knew they were close when they came across the two grave markers just a few minutes from the ruins. They pulled their horses to a stop beside them. Both silently saying a prayer over Marian and Carter's graves. They often came out to the graves to pay their respects and keep the area clean.. After a few more silent moments they kicked their horse back into movement, coming up quickly on the ruins.
"Whoa, whoa." Will said quietly to the horses as they reached the center of the ruins, the place where Marian had been run through by Gisborne. They both dismounted and waited. Surely this was the right place, surely they would come find them. They were not disappointed. Slowly two bodies melted out of the shadows of one of one of the alleyways. As they got closer they were able to make out the hulking form of Little John and the smaller Much. Djaq laughed and ran to them both, throwing her arms first around John and then Much, Will following close behind.
"What is going on? What are you doing here? Where are the others?" Will asked.
"Yes we should like to see them as well, where are they?" Djaq echoed. Little John and Much exchanged a look.
"Not here, come with us." Much said quietly. Djaq looked at him worriedly.
"Much?" She asked.
"Not here." John said forcefully. He turned on his heel and started walking away. Much nodded after him and the three followed John into the shadows. They walked silently down the alley together. Djaq felt her unease grow. Her hand sought and found Will's in the dark. His larger one wrapped hers up and gave it a comforting squeeze. He too felt the foreboding air hanging around their friends and was equally as worried. They stopped at one of the old buildings, the windows boarded up but a light slightly seeping out through the slats. John pushed open the door and led them in.
Inside sat three people Djaq and Will did not know. A blonde woman stood by the fire, stirring a pot that simmered over it. A broad dark skinned man dressed in friar's robes sat in a chair opposite the door. The third stood over in the corner clutching a bow almost protectively in his hands. Much closed the door behind them and sighed heavily.
"Djaq, Will this is Kate, Tuck, and Robin's brother Archer." He said quietly. Will's head whipped around to look at Much.
"What are you on about, Robin's brother?" He asked.
"That is a story for another time." Archer said as he pushed away from the corner. As he came into the light Djaq's eyes zeroed in on the bow he was holding, Robin's bow.
"John, Much. Where is Robin, where is Allan?" She asked. Will looked from her to his friends.
"That's why we're here." Kate said sadly.
"Please sit." Tuck said gesturing to the other chairs in the room. "We bring news." He said. Djaq sat down, but Will stayed standing, opting to stand behind his wife's chair. Much sighed heavily looking to John who nodded encouragingly at him. It seemed whatever the news Much had been relegated the task of delivery. He kneeled in front of Djaq and quietly took her hand.
"Much has happened since we left you both here. Prince John came to Nottingham, there was a new sheriff appointed, we found Robin's brother, and there was a battle. Nottingham castle was destroyed with the old and new sheriff still inside." He started.
"Well that's good then isn't it?" Will asked with a slight smile. Much swallowed audibly, his hand started to sweat in Djaq's. A lone tear slipped down his face into his sparse beard.
"Much?" Djaq asked softly.
"Allan and Robin are dead. Vaisey caught Allan and riddled him with arrows and Robin was hit with a poison dagger." Much sobbed out. Will collapsed to his knees beside Much and Djaq a cry tearing from his lips. He buried his head into his wife's lap. He felt her small hands thread into his hair, her tears dropping on his scalp.
"We've decided to keep going, for both of them. But first we needed to see you two, to tell you of their passing's, and to ask you something." Little John spoke up, his voice racked with pain. Will looked up at him, his face shining with tears.
"What is it?" He asked. Much cleared his throat bringing the couples intense gazes to him.
"We understand if you refuse. You are safe and happy here in Acre. But we thought. We thought that maybe the two of you could rejoin us. King Richard was captured just prior to the battle at Nottingham. He needs our help, England needs our help. Robin would have wanted us to help." Much said quietly. Djaq and Will looked at one another, both coming to the same conclusion. Will nodded at her.
"Of course we will. We are Robin Hood." Djaq said pulling her tag out from under her shirt, Will doing the same.
"We are Robin Hood." John and Much repeated.
"Rest now, we leave for England in the morning." Tuck said quietly. That night was a sleepless one for Will and Djaq. They stayed with the group in the ruins, commandeering a corner for themselves. They stayed curled in one another's arms, both pretending to sleep but both letting their thoughts and sorrows for their departed friends run away with them. As the first rays of the morning sun broke through the slats of the boarded up windows the rag tag group readied for their departure. As they walked out of the town all were silent, until they reached Marian and Carter's graves. Djaq glanced at Archer before walking up to him.
"Archer I know he was your brother, and you may want to hold on to that for memory's sake but may I have that?" Djaq asked him, pointing to Robin's bow. He raised his brow at her.
"What for?" He asked as everyone stopped walking to watch their conversation. She glanced at Marian's mound.
"To bury with Marian." She said quietly. "A piece of him eternally with her." Archer looked to the plot of earth she was. He had been told of Marian by John and Much. She was his brother's late wife, his sister-in-law.
"Of course." He said, handing her the bow. They all watched with solemn hearts as Djaq dug a little ways down into the mound before placing the bow in the earth and covering it. She sighed heavily as she stayed kneeling, saying a silent prayer to Allah. She stood and walked to Will, wrapping herself around him.
"Shall we?" Asked Tuck giving the Saracen woman a small smile.
"To England?" Will asked.
"To England." The group responded. Together the seven trekked out into the desert, heading west towards home.