This story was written for the Mini Bang on tumblr, a two-month-long collaboration between artists and authors - so this story is being posted all at once instead of one chapter at a time. (Don't worry, I won't make a habit of posting multiple chapters at once.) ;) To read the other stories, visit tmntbigbang dot tumblr dot com. Thanks to ikiracake and nannysknickerleg for being sounding boards for this beast, and HUGE THANKS to theherocomplex for organizing the Mini Bang!
I had a lot of fun with this story! I hope you enjoy it. :)
Chapter 1
The soldiers surrounding the convoy glanced warily from side to side as the wagons moved beneath the shade of the trees. Here and there a songbird chirped sleepily, breaking up the monotonous murmuring of the leaves, but otherwise the forest was silent. The quiet only made the men nervous, and the shifting dappled shadows seemed sinister.
The oppressive silence finally unnerved one of the men, and he drew his sword, blade glinting in the sunlight. Tension immediately skyrocketed as a handful of other men rested their hands on their sword hilts, looking around sharply to see what had caused the alarm.
The leader's face darkened in irritation. "Enough!" he hissed. He stalked forward, drawing his own sword to strike his underling with the flat of the blade. "Put your weapon away!" he ordered. "We've got enough to do without superstition slowing us down."
The soldier looked sullen, but obeyed. Even so, his leader's rebuke didn't stop him from speaking his mind. "It's not superstition. Men who enter the forest often don't come out. It doesn't hurt to be on guard."
The leader scowled, sheathing his sword as he moved back to the front of the convoy. "There's a difference between caution and cowardice," he said cuttingly. The next moment, his body thudded to the ground with an arrow buried in the throat.
There was a moment of shouting, of the hiss of arrows and the clash of blade-on-blade…
...and then the forest was silent once more.
The Shredder's enraged roar echoed to the topmost turret of the castle. Lady April O'Neil was unable to suppress a startled flinch as the sound rattled the stone walls of her room. She wasn't sure if she should feel elation or worry; the wrath of the Shredder was terrible to behold, but if he was this furious...it must mean the outlaws had struck again.
She had to know what was going on.
April set aside her book and stood, the hem of her blue gown swishing silently around her feet as she made her way cautiously down the hallway and descended the staircase. She flinched at the sound of another roar and the crash of shattering glass, but kept going, staying close to the wall and darting glances over her shoulder to make sure she wouldn't be caught.
By the time she reached the entrance to the throne room, the bellows of rage had faded to cold, calculating fury. "Your men have failed me again, Sheriff Stockman," the Shredder growled.
"Lord Shredder, the outlaws are getting stronger," the sheriff answered. From his defensive tone, April could imagine his shoulders straightening indignantly. "They didn't used to attack so frequently."
"I don't care what they used to do, Sheriff. I care about what they are doing now, and now they have stolen three wagons and killed fifteen of your men!"
April was too tense to smile, but she felt a burst of pride for these mysterious outlaws who had caused the usurper so much trouble for the past four years. One month to the day that her uncle August's ship was lost at sea, the Shredder and his armies had moved in, a crushing force that had overwhelmed her own army in a matter of days, and Oroku Saki had stolen the throne that had rightfully been hers.
The first outlaw attacks had begun scarcely six months later. Weapons and supplies disappeared when passing through the forest. The soldiers sent to escort the convoys were never seen again. And before long, the outlaws were robbing tax collectors. Those men, however, were allowed to live...and they returned to the town with tales of masked and hooded bandits. The leader of the outlaws became known as simply "The Hood", and his skill with a bow and arrow soon became legendary, even moreso when the gold liberated from the tax collectors found its mysterious way back into the hands of the destitute people it had been taken from.
April wished she could stay outside the door to listen, but she knew she couldn't linger. The Shredder had spared her life when he had overtaken the kingdom, but she knew her safety was precarious. She sent a silent thank you out to the outlaws, wherever they were, but before she could turn to go, her upper arm was firmly seized and a disdainful voice broke the silence.
"And what are you doing out here?"
April turned with a scowl, wrenching her arm out of Karai's grip. "This castle is my home. I don't owe you any explanation for where I go."
"This castle belongs to the Shredder and he allows you to live here," Karai corrected coldly. She flicked her wrist and a short dagger appeared in her palm. "You are lucky that he allows you as much freedom as he does, but perhaps he will change his mind once he learns that you have been spying." She did not touch April again, but herded her into the throne room with minute gestures of her dagger.
Sheriff Stockman and the Shredder turned when April and Karai entered the room.
"Master." Karai bowed. "She was eavesdropping in the hall."
"Was she, now?" The Shredder turned his dark gaze on April "Your people have continued to trouble me, princess."
She looked at him stonily. "If they are so much trouble, perhaps you should return to your own land where you belong."
The scowl on the high-cheekboned face deepened. "If a reward for the outlaws' capture will not convince the villagers to turn them in, more force is needed." He turned to Stockman. "Sheriff, you will issue a decree that anyone caught helping or sheltering the outlaws will be immediately arrested. Even suspicion of giving aid will be enough to warrant imprisonment. You will also double the monthly tax in order to help fund the efforts to capture these criminals. None are exempt. Perhaps then these outlaws will finally be caught and disposed of."
Stockman nodded briskly. "Yes, sir!"
April remained silent, fuming at the knowledge that there was nothing she could do or say. Her face remained blank, but the angry flush creeping up her cheeks betrayed her, and the Shredder's eyes narrowed in satisfied triumph. "You may escort her ladyship back to her quarters, Karai," he said.
Karai bowed her head, but when she reached out to take April's arm, April jerked away. She gave Karai a tight-lipped glare, then turned and left of her own accord. It galled her that every step felt like a retreat, but there was nothing she could do; even her servants had been dismissed. Her soldiers had been absorbed and dispersed throughout the Shredder's army to prevent them from banding together. Everyone from the scullery maid to the head of the palace guard was loyal to the Shredder, and with every day that passed, she found herself placing more hope in these unseen outlaws, grateful for their loyalty and hoping against hope that somehow, impossibly, they would help rid her kingdom of the invading tyrant.
The next five months were among the hardest the kingdom had ever faced. The Shredder was true to his word. A curfew was enforced, early enough that it made it difficult for farmers to tend their livestock. High taxes lined the Shredder's coffers while his subjects slowly went hungry. The heavy tramp of patrolling soldiers echoed perpetually in the city streets, but more frightening were the slinking dark shapes of the Shredder's shadow warriors. Clad in black, swift and soundless, the spies and assassins paralyzed the people with fear.
Stockman and his men redoubled their efforts to ferret out those who would dare to assist the outlaws. The slightest hint of suspicion was enough to bring the full force of the law down, and neighbors gave each other mistrustful looks while passing in the street. Not a week went by without word that someone had been arrested. The jails were full to overflowing, both with folk under suspicion of collusion, and for those unable to pay their taxes. And still...still, the outlaws continued to plague the Shredder's forces.
April was all but confined to her quarters. Before, she had been allowed to roam the palace and the grounds at will. Now, after her most recent attempt at eavesdropping, a guard was posted at her door at all times, and she had an armed escort whenever she left the wing of the palace where her rooms were located.
She sat in her window on a gray afternoon, looking down at the castle courtyard. The village had been humming with increased activity over the past three weeks, leading up to the Shredder's annual tournament of arms. Fighters came from all parts of the kingdom, as well as from surrounding lands, to compete with each other and the Shredder's soldiers. It was a way for the Shredder to flaunt his strength, as well as conscript new fighters from among the champions.
April's brow furrowed thoughtfully. It was the one time of year when the Shredder spent a considerable amount of time outside the fortified castle. The one time of year when he would be most vulnerable to attack. But even outside the castle grounds, he was heavily guarded. No one had yet dared to attempt it…
...but what if the outlaws would? April's heart thumped a little faster at the thought. They had already proven that they were brave enough and skilled enough to thwart the Shredder's men - even after the usurper had even begun sending his shadow warriors with the convoys. No one else had been able to defeat those soldiers.
April's eyes hardened, and in a split second, she made her decision. She was going to ask the outlaws for help. She hopped down from the window sill and crossed over to her wardrobe. She hadn't worn her foresting clothes in years - not since the Shredder had taken over - but she had kept them all the same.
She pulled on the brown trousers and leather boots, covering her linen tunic and bright hair with a green hooded cloak. She locked her door and crossed to the window, hesitating just a moment before stepping onto the ledge. April didn't have a ladder or rope to climb down, but there was a wide-spreading oak tree not far from her window. Her heart thumped uneasily, but her face was set in a determined frown. She gave herself to the mental count of three, then jumped.
She caught hold of an overhanging branch, hands stinging from the bark and shoulders straining as her arms bore the brunt of her weight. The branch bobbed up and down, making her stomach lurch uneasily, but the limb held. She worked her way over to the trunk, then swung down bit by bit until she reached the ground.
Although the courtyard was a hive of activity, nobody had noticed her descent. The Shredder's soldiers were patrolling the perimeter, but the courtyard was full of merchants, construction workers, and artisans all going about their tasks. And over at the edge of the yard, a train of wagons was being loaded with arms and supplies.
April slipped cautiously into a crowd of workers, shouldering a quiver of arrows and moving towards one of the covered wagons. She hesitated only briefly before climbing into the back. It was already nearly full of weapons. She navigated between the sharp bundles and wedged herself in the back corner of the wagon, holding the quiver upright on her lap to hide herself from view. The wagon rocked a few times as crew members added last-minute items to the load, and then with a lurch, they were moving.
April hugged the quiver tightly, nerves tingling. She heard the heavy chains clanking as the massive gates swung open to let the wagons out of the courtyard. The noise of the city gradually faded away into the quiet rustling of the trees, the creak of the harness, and the tramp of booted feet from the soldiers surrounding the wagon. She didn't have much of a plan beyond getting out of the palace; she was pretty sure the wagons with weapons would be going through the forest to one of the Shredder's distant outposts. Either the convoy would be attacked by the outlaws, or she'd try to slip away into the woods and find them on her own...although she hadn't quite worked out how she was going to sneak out of the wagon without being seen by the guards.
The further into the woods they traveled, the more tense the soldiers became. Even concealed out of sight, April could feel the guards' caution increasing. She eased her hand out from behind her quiver and pulled a long knife free from a bundle of weapons. The hilt was too broad for her hand to curl around comfortably, but she'd been taught how to defend herself and she knew that if she had to use the weapon, she'd be able to. The watchfulness in the atmosphere changed...and somehow, April knew that they were the ones being watched.
She didn't hear the hiss of the arrow, but she heard the choked gasp as the first soldier fell. The driver's whip cracked and the horses surged forward. April tumbled against the wooden floorboards, unable to brace herself in time. The forest erupted with furious cries - but the only voices were those of the Shredder's men as they were cut down. April clapped a hand against her mouth to muffle her startled exclamation as the taut canvas roof gave a thump like a great drum as someone landed on top and bounded towards the front of the wagon. The driver let out a horrible strangled cry and the wagon blundered to a halt.
April clutched her knife more tightly, unsure whether she was relieved or horrified. Although just a few minutes had passed, the sounds of fighting from outside were already dwindling. A bright beam of light flooded the dim interior of the wagon, but it was almost immediately blocked out when a cloaked figure climbed inside. The face was covered by a hood and scarf, and a forest-green mask concealed the eyes.
The outlaw's eyes snapped wide when he caught sight of her, and he whirled his weapons into his hands. She dropped her knife - letting it fall close by in case she needed it - and held out one hand defensively while pulling her hood away from her face with the other. "It's okay! I'm a friend. I'm not with the Shredder," she said, speaking firmly but quietly so her voice wouldn't carry outside the wagon.
Gloved hands clenched around the weapons they held. April had never seen anything like them - two pairs of wooden rods joined by a short length of chain - but judging from the way their solid weight had slapped against the outlaw's palms as he pulled them free, she could tell that a single blow would be crippling, if not lethal.
"Why are you here?" came the wary response.
Breathing a little more easily now that she was pretty sure she wouldn't be attacked, she carefully got to her feet, standing as straight as she could in the small space. "I am April, niece of King August, and I stowed away in the hopes of meeting you. I desire an audience with the Hood."
The outlaw didn't answer right away, staring at her in wide-eyed wonder. April took advantage of the lull to study him. The folds of his cloak couldn't completely hide the fact that his short, broad silhouette was something other than human, and his gloved hands had only three fingers.
She flinched back a little as he spun his weapons in his hands, but before she could blink, they were tucked out of sight beneath his cloak, and the outlaw had bent in a deep bow that would have been comical if it weren't so graceful. "My lady." Even behind the mask, she could see his eyes crinkle in a smile. "Well, Your Highness, I am not the Hood, but I can take you to him."
He beckoned to her and slipped out of the opening of the wagon. April smiled a little shakily, but followed after. Her smile became more genuine as she saw him waiting on the ground outside the wagon, gallantly holding his hand out to her. She took his hand and hopped down, looking around nervously at the scattered bodies of the Shredder's men. Other green-cloaked figures milled about beside the road, but they flitted in and out of the underbrush so quickly she couldn't be sure how many there were.
One outlaw, a tall man with wide shoulders, broke free from the edge of the trees and strode over to join them. A pair of startlingly blue eyes were all April could see of his face as he peered curiously at her. "Who's that?"
"She's the princess!" her companion said. "Don't you recognize her?"
A gruff voice coming from over her head made her jump. "What's she doing here?" April turned in the direction of the voice and saw someone standing on top of the wagon. His dress and build were nearly identical to that of her companion, but the mask that concealed his eyes was crimson. The color matched the blood staining the gleaming blades of the short knives he held in his hands. April remembered the choked cry that had come from the wagon driver. She was careful to keep her face calm and impassive, but her stomach clenched uneasily all the same.
"She wants to see the Hood."
A derisive snort came from beneath the scarf concealing the red-masked outlaw's face. "'Course she does. She came from the palace, didn't she? How do we know she's not a spy?"
"Only by my word." April squared her shoulders. "It's said that the Hood and his outlaws are loyal to the crown. If it's true, you have nothing to fear from me."
"She's telling the truth about who she is," the first outlaw said. "I recognize her face."
"So do I, but it doesn't mean she's not a spy."
"Then blindfold me," April said. "Take the long way home; take me to a meeting spot you never use...just take me to see the Hood." She stared up at the outlaw unblinkingly. "I want him to help me overthrow the Shredder."
The two outlaws exchanged a glance, then looked to the third. The man gave a lopsided shrug. "It's not up to me. But if it were, I'd say she seems all right." The one with the red mask finally gave a grudging nod.
"Okay, stand still," the first one said. He moved around out of sight behind her, then held his hand out where she could see it. His green mask was untied and draped loosely over his palm. April knew what he wanted. She took the mask and bound it around her eyes, turning it so the eye openings were on the side of her head.
"How many fingers am I holding up, Your Highness?"
She heard the note of playfulness in his voice and smirked. "Well, somewhere between one and three, that much I know…"
She was rewarded by a burst of surprised laughter. "I like you, Highness."
"Well, the feeling is mutual," she replied, pleasantly surprised when she found that she truly meant it. "And please, just call me April."
"As you wish, April." She didn't have to see him to tell that he was grinning. "And now, if you'll permit me…" His thick, gloved fingers curled around her hand in a grip that felt unusual but secure, giving her a gentle tug to get her moving.
April skipped forward a step or two to hold on to the outlaw's arm with her free hand as he steered her into the brush. The low rumble of the second outlaw's voice resonated in the clearing as he ordered his companions to hide the bodies - a shiver ran down her spine - and take the wagon and horses along with them. She didn't hear him following, but after a few moments, she could tell that he had joined them and was walking along at her side as she followed them blindly deeper into the forest.