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Part 2

Much paced while Allan and Little John watched him, they were sitting in the Hall at Bonchurch and Eve sat in the far corner sewing. The day matched Much's mood, gone was the sun and in its place were heavy April showers.

"It is no good." He said finally to the duo before him. "I can not…..I mean…it has been two weeks."

"Yeah he is probably only in France. It's going to take longer than that to reach the Holy Land." Allan reasoned.

"I have been there twice before you know, which is once more than you and I am quite aware how far it is." Much told him crossly. Eve looked up from her sewing but he smiled at her to reassure her all was well.

"Well what did you want us to say?" asked Allan, who after a pause added. "I saw this coming I mean….."

"What he wants us to say is that we should go after him." Little John said methodically.

"To the Holy Land?" asked Allan in amazement. "What do we want to go back there for? My first experience of it was not that good, enough for me to know staying here is best."

"For him, for Robin. I know he said he wanted to go alone but really deep down I do not think he did, and not only that what if he does something stupid?" Much told them with a tone of desperation that they had lost their former leader forever.

"I think that if he was going to do 'something stupid' as you put it he would have done it a while ago. He did promise her remember?" Allan said.

"To carry on fighting, but the war is over." Much stressed.

"Yeah, but Prince John is still in England and the King is not. War could begin at the flip of a coin for all we know." Allan tried to argue with Much.

"This isn't about whether or not we go to war with Prince John and his cronies again, this is about Robin." Much pleaded. "Please think about it and if you will not go I surely will."

"Alone?" asked Little John with a worried expression.

"Yes." Much snapped back.

Little John looked thoughtfully at Allan who raised his eyebrows to the ceiling, shook his head and sighed, saying. "Alright I will go with you. John?"

"Yes I will come. But what of your promise to Robin and his estate?"

"Eve." Much said proudly and she left her sewing to join him by his side.

"Eve?" repeated Allan with a shrug.

"Eve will overlook the estates along with the Sheriff who is a kind man. I spoke to him already, he says that we need Robin back for Nottingham to flourish and gave his blessing that we might go and bring him back."

"Well," said Allan with thought. "This could work or go horribly wrong."

Two days later they had gathered everything together they needed for their trip. Much, Eve and the new Sheriff organised both estates with the hope that they would run smoothly until the men returned.

Eve and Much said an emotional farewell and Allan who was close by walked off and left them to it. Little John was standing with Luke the bow maker, Alice and Little Little John, the latter was not so little anymore and rapidly catching up with his father in height but not yet in breadth. He still retained his limp from an injury sustained in childhood but this did not hamper him in the slightest.

After they had returned from the Holy Land the two years ago and the war with the old Sheriff and Gisborne was over, John had searched for Alice and John, and brought them back to Locksley. However Alice would only agree to return with Luke with whom she had made a new relationship. While this broke John's heart he knew that it was to be endured, and part of him believed it was a punishment for leaving his family in the first place.

Now he was feeling heartbreak again for leaving them to go in search of Robin. John smiled at Luke who promised to watch over them and he embraced Alice. He was just about to hug his son when the young man spoke.

"Do not say goodbye for I am going with you." Little Little John said resolutely.

"No" said Little John, "it is too dangerous. This I will not have."

"This I have to do Father. I can help, if it is dangerous for me, it is dangerous for you."

Little John sighed and Allan put in. "Well he has a point, we need all the help we can get. Goodness knows what trouble we will run into this time and we haven't got Robin to rely on."

"That is what worries me." John replied troubled.

"Look Father I am good with the bow. I am young and I want to see the world. I am not going to see the world stuck here in Locksley."

"It is safe here in Locksley." John replied.

"But I want to be with you, spend time with my father."

John sighed, the last words hitting him like an arrow in the heart and he knew he truly could not refuse his son this request. He glanced at Much, he was still kissing Eve and so he looked to Allan instead.

"I've said my piece I think the boy should come." Allan answered.

"I am not a boy." Little Little John insisted.

"No but you are not yet a man either," Alice said softly.

"But I will be and this trip will help."

"There's some truth in that statement." Said Allan, who knew that if they did make it back alive Little Little John would surely be a man.

Little John nodded and so did Alice, and Little Little John beamed hugging them both as he added. "You will not regret this."

Little John seriously hoped that they wouldn't.

They left Locksley and rode down the Great North Road towards the south coast. Much and Allan were soon arguing to Little Little John's amusement and Little John's annoyance.

The latter growled softly and said. "This we can not have."

"What?" asked Allan, in all innocence.

"You two, we are barely out of Nottingham and you are already fighting like cat and dog."

"Oh, well we…" Much started to explain.

Little John cut him off mid sentence. "One of us has to be in charge and as we are lacking the true leader it will be me."

"Why not me?" asked Allan.

"Or me. It was my idea that we come in the first place." Much asked hurt.

"One. You two fight too much and Allan will argue your every decision Much. Two. I am the oldest and ugliest."

"I'm not being funny but I am not going to argue with you there." Allan replied, receiving a stony glare from their new leader.

Much muttered under his breath finally saying. "I still think it should be me, but I will go along with it, only because I think it would be what Robin would choose."

"Good." John said shortly and although Little Little John did not say anything he had a new respect for his father, who was already a giant in his young eyes. "Now let us get to the Holy Land, the sooner we are there the sooner we can bring Robin back."