o0O0o
Night fell rapidly on the camp. Despite the general anxiety everyone held for Djaq, Robin was glad they'd acquired their money. He stored it safely with the rest of the growing stash, and knew he would sleep a little better with the knowledge that they could feed mouths with that money.
"Her fiancé." Much repeated for the twelfth time.
"Yes, Much, Djaq's fiancé." Robin took the pan of sizzling meat off the fire since Much was so distracted.
"But Djaq…"
"Is a girl. She had a life back in the Holy Land, and it's only natural that it included a fiancé."
"But she doesn't love him." Will spoke softly from the corner of the camp. Something about the deadly quiet of his tone made everyone stop their nervous fidgeting and stare at him. An awkward silence took the place of the annoyance that usually followed whenever Much said something. None of them really allowed themselves to think of Djaq as a girl. To them, she was one of the gang, another man raising his stick up to the sky in defiance of the sour ways of Nottingham and the Sheriff.
Except for the one time they saw her in a dress in the castle, she remained sexless in their minds. Most of their minds…
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Will growled as he shoved himself off the barrel he was sitting on. "He could be…." His steps faltered as a look of horror flashed briefly over his features. "She could be in danger."
Robin crossed over to his friend and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Djaq is strong. She can handle herself. And Marian is doing her best to keep her safe."
Still, the look of anger on Will's face wouldn't lessen.
"We need to go! Now! Before he…" Again, he couldn't bring himself to speak the words he so desperately feared. He knew the cruel power a man held over a woman, and what happened when he exploited that power. Not his father, of course. Never his father. Will had spent many a night outside wandering around the village when he was meant to be asleep, however, and he heard the foul midnight occurrences. He'd been powerless to stop them before, and it tore him up inside to think of Djaq in such a position knowing he was trapped here, waiting for Robin's signal to act.
"Patience, Will." Robin knew how much his friend did not want to hear those words, but he spoke them, looking deeply into Will's eyes. In them, he saw fear, anger, hatred, and something else entirely boiling together in a pot of brown. "We will get her back."
He said nothing, but nodded. Robin hadn't let them down yet, and though Will knew how much was at stake, he trusted his leader. He had to. Without someone to hold him back, he would go charging into the castle with his axe as his only means of defense, and surely get himself killed. It would be worth it, though, if he could sink his axe into the face of that Saracen bastard.
Much began dishing up dinner. They would eat, then they would plan. When the sun fully set, they would strike.
o0O0o
Robin stirred the coals of the fire with a large branch that Much dubbed the "poking stick." The camp was quiet, though he knew that Will was not asleep. It was then he heard his lover's call, a whistle in the night, one that could be mistaken for a pigeon's call. He smiled at the memory of Lardner's ring, and the one he put on her finger later.
There was the whistle again. Will rolled out of his bunk, willing to stand watch while Robin spoke with Marian.
"Marain, what are you doing out here?" he asked, upon reaching the tree she liked to sit in.
"Well, that's a fine hello for your fiancé," she said, turning her ring over in her hand.
"Better concern than the scorn Is-haq showed for Djaq earlier." Robin kissed her gently. "How is she?"
"Sorry I was not able to get away earlier. She is suffering a concussion, but she can remember everything, so we're taking that as a good sign." She scooted up a bit as he settled on the branch next to her.
"Good. I will be sure to tell the others. What about Is-haq? Have you discovered what business he has with the sheriff?"
"Well, he was not keen on having me in the room, at any time, so most of this is gathered snippets."
"Marian, have you been listening at key-holes?" Robin asked, feigning shock, but his eyes crinkled in amusement.
"Very droll, Robin of Locksley. And Guy did tell me some things." She smirked as he glowered at Gisbourne's name. "Anyway, I believe he is a weapons dealer in the Holy Lands. He was quite wealthy before the Crusades, but his investment in this has really paid off. The Sheriff wants to invest in his endeavor, in order to increase his own wealth. At any rate, it certainly will not help bring peace any closer."
"And an arms dealer would hardly like to see the end of a conflict. Does Djaq know he was dabbling in the weapons trade?"
"No, I do not think she knew much about Is-haq. I believe it was an arranged marriage. She seems terrified at the very thought of him being on the same continent as her. I cannot say I blame her. At least people here treat her like a person. And Will treats her as if she's God's gift to the world."
"Will?"
She laughed. "Robin, you are hopeless. You can see through the sheriff's fiendish plots, but not what is right in front of you?"
"Well that explains why I nearly had to tie Will to a tree to keep him from going after her. But I though she liked Allan?"
"She liked them both, until Allan betrayed us all. She is still hurting from that, but she and Will have found comfort in each other."
"How do you know this? You are hardly ever here!"
She smiled in the starlight, "It is enough. One woman who has known love can always recognize another."
Robin couldn't help it. He kissed her.
o0O0o
The autumn day dawned bright and cool. Djaq woke to Marian entering her room.
"Good morning, Djaq. How are you feeling today?"
"Better." She sat up. No nausea overcame her, and the pain had lessened considerably. "Help me escape."
Marian sat on the bed next to her. "Robin has a plan. Unfortunately, you will have to remain here in order for it to work."
Djaq nodded, agreeing. "What is the plan?"
"They are going to infiltrate the castle and take Is-haq. Apparently, he has been in the weapons trade over the past few years and has increased his fortune. And now the Sheriff wishes to do the same."
"He has grown richer? How is that even possible? He had more money than Allah himself!"
"Really?"
"Yes. That is how he could afford so many wives. I would have been his third."
Marian looked at her, confused. Djaq explained, "A man can have as many wives as he chooses to have, as long as he can support them financially." She got up, and found the veils that were left for her use. Picking them up, she went to the mirror and began wrapping them around her hair and face with practiced motions. "What does Robin need me to do here?"
Marian shook herself to bring her back. Djaq's frank comments had shook her and made her appreciate what freedoms she had here, and why Djaq left. "Mostly just to play Is-haq's game, use your feminine charms."
Djaq's eyes sought hers from beneath the veils. "You realize I won't even be allowed to speak in public?"
Marian smiled. "Use your body language, then."
o0O0o
Will was primed for a fight. He'd hardly done anything productive all day, pacing back and forth until Much complained that he was wearing a hole in the dirt floor. To relieve the anxiety that was tensing up his muscles, he sharpened and re-sharpened his axe until the lightest slide of finger over steel would draw blood. He moved onto everyone else's swords and was about to start on whittling a new batch of arrows out of scrap wood when Robin finally made the sign to get ready.
"Do we actually have a plan this time, Master?" Much asked as he saddled up their horses. "Or are we just going to charge in there, arrows firing, and hope we don't hit Djaq?"
Robin rolled his eyes at his friend, and shook his head.
"Of course we have a plan, Much. Snatching Is-haq is our plan. Marian has already informed Djaq of what we're doing. She is going to be the distraction."
"She's going to be the distraction? I don't know if I like the sound of this." Much grumbled.
"It's Djaq. She'll be fine." Robin assured him. Still, he too had seen the look of fear in her eyes when she saw her Saracen acquaintance. It was an entirely different side to her, one he didn't know how to predict. He'd seen her in the heat of battle, though, and felt confident she would hold up her end of the bargain.
"We go." Little John put a large hand on Robin's shoulder. "Now." Then he gestured over to where Will was still pacing, flipping his axe around and around in his hand. Robin nodded.
"We go." He said, and hopped up onto his horse. Will shot forward like a caged animal finally freed, springing onto his horse and kicked it into motion. Much grumbled about being left behind once again and scrambled up onto his horse to ride off after everyone else.
The castle was dark, save for the torches in the hallway that lead to the Great Hall. The Sheriff was holding his dinner for Is-haq that evening, which meant all the niceties were being presented. If they were lucky, Robin thought they may be able to partake of a few on their way out. The four of them moved silently through the stone hallway, keeping a keen eye out for guards. So far, none of them took notice, but their luck could run out in a blink, and Robin didn't want to be in the castle when it did. He kept a steady eye out for Marian as well, but knew she would be in the Great Hall, observing the feast as a cover, and keeping an eye on Djaq while she pretended to mingle. He could safely say he knew exactly what Will was going through right then, though he wouldn't admit anything to the boy.
The noise grew louder and the smells richer as they moved closer to the great hall. The door was within sight, and a great tumble of colors spilled out at their eyes. Nottingham's normally drab castle had been transformed into an exotic paradise. Brightly colored silks hung from the ceiling. Foods that Robin had only seen in the Holy Land adorned the tables on the Sheriff's finest silver trays. Clearly, this was a man the Sheriff was trying to impress. He could see Marian then, chatting amiably with one of the other women. Across the room, he spotted Guy eyeing her with a possessive glint that made him sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to stride in there, plant one fist into Guy's face, and steal Marian away into the night. If Djaq wasn't in trouble, he very well might have done just that, but he had a comrade trapped in there, and he wasn't going to leave without her.
Robin pulled out a small stone he had stored in his pocket and tossed it into the room so it landed, almost unnoticed, at Marian's feet. That was the signal. The gang moved closer to the door, just out of view of the guards who, thankfully, were faced inward, and surveyed the scene better. Is-haq had prominently positioned himself in the center of the room. Around him, four guards wearing only balloon pants and vests (so as to show off their extremely large muscles, Much commented in a whisper) stood at the ready to defend their master to the death. At his side, a willowy woman dressed in pink latched an arm through his and turned her small face upwards. Her face was covered in a veil, save for her dark eyes. Those peered across the room at Marian. Immediately, Robin figured things out.
Will was slightly slower in the uptake. He so urgently searched for his familiar Djaq that he didn't even think to comprehend the wisp of the woman that swayed beneath pink silk and gauze. Still, she was difficult to miss, a splash of pink among her dreary counterparts. Her stomach was bare, revealing dark flesh that whispered out through the sheer veil that covered from below her eyes all the way down to just below her hips. When Will caught sight of the green that seemed to pinpoint him in the shadows, he stopped breathing.
Djaq.
It was Djaq.
That exotic creature standing in the center of the room, draping herself casually over Is-haq's arm was his Djaq. Rage bubbled up in his stomach, colored by desire, and he started to stand, ready to charge into the room without thinking. Robin grabbed him quickly by the wrist and yanked him down to a crouch again. In a conversation spoken solely with glances, Will pleaded to go forward and save her, and Robin told him he knew what he was going through, but the timing just wasn't right. With a tilt of his head, Robin gestured for everyone to fall back behind the safety of the adjoining hallway. Once out of earshot, he spoke.
"Marian will distract the guards while Djaq lures Is-haq out into the hallway. We grab them and get out." Robin spoke in low tones so as not to attract attention. "Little John and Much, focus on the guards. Will, I want you to make sure Djaq gets out ok. I'll get Is-haq."
Will looked on the verge of protest on until Robin put him in charge of Djaq, then he settled back a moment. Still, his axe was gripped tightly in his hand, singing for blood. Robin knew the blade would soon drip red.
Immediately, the men fell into their positions. Marian began her distraction, feigning a faint as she leaned into the arms of one of the fellow party-goers. This attracted the attention of the guards, providing them with opportunity. Will stood in the shadows of the hallway, ready to facilitate Djaq's escape. Much and John were all ready to bust into the room, swords (or sticks) drawn and a-swinging. Robin, of course, had to make his grand entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he strode easily into the room as Much and John incapacitated the guards at the door. The ladies gave out a small shriek, the men looked taken aback, and the Sheriff very quickly turned red in the face. "It appears we weren't on the guest list!"
Below him, Marian rolled her eyes at his ridiculously planned out line, but could not keep the grin off her face. Guy whipped out his sword, and darted to the front of the room to gallantly position himself between Robin and Marian, but got lost in the shuffle of people. Is-haq looked incredibly flustered and a little confounded at the newcomers. Djaq, on the other hand, played her part perfectly.
She looked up at him with feigned terror in her eyes, and gripped his arm. Just as she had planned, Is-haq took that as an excuse to appear the gallant hero in everyone's eyes.
"I must get my fiancé to safety!" he called out to the Sheriff, and scooped Djaq up off her feet. She looked over at Marian and rolled her eyes even as she clung to his neck in pretend fear. It was all an act, and she was playing her part beautifully. Robin was right. Everything was falling into place exactly how he had predicted.
Since Robin and the others had already cleared the stairs, Is-haq took that opportunity to make a bee-line for the door, surrounded by his flank of guards. Much gave out a rather feminine battle cry and dove at one of the guards, wrapping his arms around the guard's wide waist and attempting to knock him over. The man was, of course, built like an elephant, so this was a task more easily thought about than accomplished. After about three seconds of pushing, Much realized his plan was failing, and decided instead to simply take the hilt of his sword and clunk it hard against the guard's head. That had a much more desired effect. The man dropped. One down, three to go.
Will heard the commotion break out, and it maddened him that he couldn't see it, or be right in the action. The Sheriff and Guy were yelling, he could hear Allan trying to galvanize the guards. The sound of falling bodies fueled his veins, and the screaming women cut at his heart, though he knew none of them was Djaq. She wouldn't scream. If anything, she would plow her fist into his face and run away. Still, he worried, probably more than he should have. The shuffling grew closer to the stairs. Any second, he expected a streak of pink to breeze past him – he could only pray she wasn't still attached to Is-haq.
A large body fell out first – the body of one of Is-haq's guards. It was immediately followed by Little John, who climbed over the body, and took off down the hallway, only to be met at the corner by another group of guards. Apparently, the Sheriff had finally called in his troops. Their escape route was shrinking rapidly.
By the time Djaq did emerge from the door, she had managed to dislodge her arm from Is-haq's, but only because the latter was busy fighting Robin Hood, who had deftly backed him into the corner with the help of his own shining Saracen blade. With the guards distracted by Much and John, and Is-haq overwhelmed with Robin, Will took that time to snatch Djaq's hand in his own and yank her backwards. Startled, she swung an arm around and let out a loud scream. He ducked out of the way just in time. She took in who exactly it was that had a grip on her, and looked shocked.
"Will!" she cried out, but before she could stutter out her apology, Robin yelled "Go!" behind them, and Will tore off down the hallway. Is-haq let out a small scream of rage as his fiancé ran away from him, but he didn't dare lunge forward, lest he find himself impaled on Robin's blade.
Will and Djaq ran blindly down the corridor. At that point it wasn't so much about getting out as it was about getting away. The platoon of men behind them was good incentive to run as fast as they possibly good, and both of them were quick. Djaq felt incredibly free, although running with all that gauze covering her face was not helping at all, nor did the incredibly thin fabric that made up her slippers. Together, they darted down hallway after hallway, but the guards stayed hot on their heels. Will made a split decision that very well could have resulted in them getting caught, but it seemed the best plan at the time. He ducked behind an alcove and pulled Djaq in after him. She stood with her back pressed up against his chest. He had one hand cupping her mouth, silencing her. The other was pressed against her stomach. Through the thin fabric of the veil, he felt the heat of her bare stomach against him. Her breath came hard against his hand as she clung to the arms that held her on impulse to steady herself from the sudden shift.
Seconds dripped by. The tromp of guards' boots in the passage faded away into the background as Will became intensely aware of the woman in his arms. Her small body felt fragile and delicate, though he knew the heart that he felt beating rapidly was stronger than anything he'd seen. His hand released her mouth and unconsciously rested on her chest just above her breasts. They waited in silence, both listening to the sound of boots fading and trouble passing. Still, he didn't let go.
Djaq let herself lean against him momentarily, soaking up the intense heat that radiated out from his body. Around her, his arms were strong with only a hint of dominance and assurance. His breath came out in pants near her ear, stirring the short hair that curled behind it. Each labored breath sent a chill running down her spine and her eyelids fluttered closed at the unexpected feeling. A warm knot formed in her stomach as the muscles there twitched under his fingertips. It was foreign to her, and she wasn't entirely sure how to react to it, only that when he shifted his fingers slightly against her skin, the heat deepened and a gasp rose to her throat.
Will turned his head just slightly and buried his nose in her raven hair. Her scent filled him, making his head swim. It was a heady mixture of spices and sunshine, with a hint of rose scented soap she'd been forced to use by Is-haq. He dropped his head just a little, unconsciously nuzzling her neck as his brain spiraled out of control from the slow steady poison that was everything about her. A small gasp tore from her throat, followed by a hiss of pleasure as the tingles turned into raw heat that spiked down her body.
That noise drew Will back to reality. He misinterpreted it as fear, or discomfort and immediately released her, slipped out from between her and the stone wall. The absence of her heat against him left a chill over his skin that he tried very unsuccessfully to shake off.
"We're supposed to meet the others outside." He told her. "I think we've lost the guards." Will could barely hold her gaze, those green eyes that stared enchantingly out from the slit in her veil. It was too unnatural, too beautiful for him to stand. His mind had rapidly spiraled to places it was not supposed to go, and he couldn't risk scaring her, not when she'd been so upset about Is-haq. He just couldn't put her through that.
Djaq slipped back into battle mode almost seamlessly, mourning the loss of his fingers on her skin only inside, and only briefly. Once she was safe and alone in her bunk, she would dream of his skilled hands and make herself dizzy with the thought of his rough fingers exploring more than just her stomach. Now, however was a time to run, so she bolted after him just as she'd always done. Always after him.
o0O0o
post a/n: thanks all who reviewed chapter one!! cookies and punch are available over there. -points- go r/r chapter 2, and we might roll out the cake!!