~iv~
Gladiators Are We
"Why the devil are you sending me? Can't get up and do it yourself or what?" She demanded as she set the tack on her mare, fetching the bridle from the nearby hook and pretending her new employer wasn't in her presence.
He rolled his eyes, having expected she would complain as he had a feeling she only did so to get a rise out of him, and replied matter-of-factly, "Of anyone under my command, you are the faster rider, and a better marksman." He did not need his men to tell him this, for he had seen it with his own eyes.
Pausing briefly as she had finished fastening the bridle, the archer brushed strands of hair from her face and turned to him as he stood leaning against the opposite stall's frame, folding her arms at her chest and lifting a brow. "Did the men say that or did you?" She wondered blandly; it wasn't entirely possible that he could bring himself to give a compliment to her without adding some measure of his… charm, was it? Or did she somehow hit her head in the middle of the night?
Guy scoffed and looked away briefly, muttering the answer under his breath.
"Sorry?" Ella wondered innocently, taking a step closer to him and making a gesture that she hadn't heard him.
Why did today have to be one of those days where she was insufferable? Guy glared at her from under his brow, "I did. You have your orders, now go." He rumbled annoyedly.
A cheery grin split across her lovely face and Ella tilted her head back with a chuckle. "Wasn't so hard, now was it?" She sang softly, lifting a hand to gently pat his right cheek before being shooed away, and she turned to mount her steed. With a whinny, the chestnut mare galloped out of the stable with the archer astride, leaving her employer to watch both leave off to Nettlestone.
With a chuckle as she cherished the embarrassed and flustered look on the supposed-tyrant's face, Ella slowed her mare to a trot as they were approaching the patch of wood that stood between Locksley and Nettlestone, lifting the hood of her green cloak on habit. Even though Robin knew she was a female –to which she cursed him still for his having gotten free yet again; she was left to wonder if he wasn't made of grease—that didn't mean she couldn't still keep her true gender unknown.
As both steed and archer came out on the other side and were nearing the edges of the small village, the archer looked up when hearing a scream of horror from the village; great, and she was on her own… Just grand. Exhaling, the archer drew her bow from the saddle and began to enter Nettlestone when she distantly heard the brush rustle on the far left-hand side, sounding like if one was running away from the scene… She drew an arrow and nocked it, yanking on the reins with her free hand to urge the mare gallop in the direction where she heard the fleeing culprit.
Ella lifted her bow as she soon spotted a hooded figure rushing away into the nearby bushes and also heard a male voice calling after the hooded archer. She let her arrow fly just as the culprit darted in her line of sight before entering the second brush, watching it narrowly graze the figure's ribs as the projectile flew off and the figure continued running. "Damn it." She growled, hearing the brush rustling from where she had heard the male voice and huffed, lightly kicking her mare's ribs to urge she gallop off in the direction of Locksley, her hood slipping off as Gem galloped at top speed through the green.
"The villagers of Nettlestone report that Robin Hood killed an innocent bailiff, just this morning. This is just lovely, isn't it? Now his beloved admirers he has in the peasants will grow impatient when their esteemed heroes begin killing them off." Vaisey paused to glance at his two employees, "what else have they said?" He asked.
Guy looked at Ella as she kept her arms folded at her chest and stood silent, and he said, "Supposedly Hood was covering for the ones who were going to be evicted."
Ella snorted, breaking her silence, as she chimed, "War has obviously turned him half-mad, to be going to such lengths as this. Doesn't make sense, really." She caught the stare from Marian before the latter dropped her gaze, and she refolded her arms at her chest.
"It isn't surprising to witness… Not to me, leastways. What do you suggest, Guy?" Vaisey scoffed.
Guy huffed slightly as he answered, "Immediate recompense against the villages."
Marian spoke up from where she stood behind her father's court chair, "Joderick wouldn't wish for that; why should innocents suffer because of what happened to him, innocents who reported the crime? Reprisal of the villages never worked before, did it?" She said, looking to Guy.
Ella glanced away to smile a little at her defense of the innocent, envying her for a moment for doing what she could not because of the circumstances.
"…Robin Hood has given us an advantage, I agree with you." Vaisey nodded as he looked on the brunette man on his right side, who had kept silent until now, earning a glance from the second woman in the room.
"Have the town criers send out the announcement that an innocent was killed, make it so all would hear the news." De Fourtnoy elaborated.
Ella frowned slightly, and watching Vaisey straighten from his chair to signal the meeting was over as Guy went to catch him.
"Milord, I still believe actions would be heard moreso than words. If I had the resources, it would be easy to hunt him down." Guy said as he approached his side, causing the Sheriff to pause.
"I agree with Guy. And on the off chance that Robin Hood had one of his men murder the poor bailiff, it would only be suitable to take action and put a stop to it, or run the risk of allowing more folk to die." Ella stated as she had followed him, catching the incredulous look from said man and she chose to ignore it, her eyes for their employer.
"Well now, I see the transfer has done you good, Ella. I cannot argue with two voices speaking the same thing… Though we will try both methods, and see who wins." Vaisey nodded to them.
Guy smirked at De Fourtnoy, watching him leave, and he looked at his companion. "You really did not have to do that, you know." He mused.
Ella shrugged, running a hand through her hair. "It was my negligence that let that man die, and so it's only fair that I help you in catching the bloke… Besides, I don't like him." She muttered the last bit, indicating the Master-at-Arms.
"Perhaps the transfer was suitable after all." Guy mused; to hear her voice her dislike for someone was a first to him, although he couldn't say he disagreed on the person in question… He let his gaze drift over to the exiting nobles.
Ella followed his gaze to see Marian leaving the room and she rolled her eyes, lightly elbowing him. "Come on, my lord, I am sure you have a few ideas in mind towards hunting the killer." She urged dryly, noting his brief scowl he gave when she elbowed him, and she smirked bemusedly before leading the way after the Sheriff.
She strode down the small hall that deposited into the main courtyard, making sure her knives were in their appropriate places and she had the two longer daggers strapped to her back, a pair she had stolen years ago and had served her well in past jobs; looking forward, she caught the familiar sight of Marian as she was speaking with Guy in the courtyard. Smiling ruefully at noticing it seemed Marian was asking a favor of him, to which she doubted he would say no to, the archer jogged the rest of the way into the open. "Good morning, Marian!" She greeted brightly, not missing the man stiffen and look at her, and she smiled on the younger woman.
"Good morning, Ella. I see you are joining the hunt as well, then." Marian returned the smile, earning a nod from the archer.
"Dogs are effective but arrows are much better, to be frank." Ella said with a shrug, lightly nudging Guy as she passed by him when seeing one of the hunting dogs look at her and wag its tail. She crouched before the dog, noting its light pelt and dark facial markings, and held her hand out to let him lick her palm before she reached to gently rub his ears. "He is a beautiful dog, reminds me of a dog I had on my father's farm; best of luck, then." She mused, earning another lick from the dog's tongue and she chuckled and scritched his ears before straightening to nod to his master.
Guy came forward, having heard her words, and looked at her with a bemused expression. "I hadn't pegged you to be a dog lover." He said, perking her ears.
Ella shrugged and smiled thoughtfully. "My father had given me a pup when I was small, and she grew on me. Best dog I ever had, really." She glanced past him at the maiden and then looked at him with a quirked brow. "Didn't interrupt anything important back there, did I?" She asked blandly.
"It's nothing of your concern… Come on, best to get this started." Guy scoffed and brushed it off, returning the nudge as he passed her.
The archer smirked at recalling the last time she had left him ruffled, and she looked back at Marian and waved lightly before following the nobleman.
It was another day or so before the killer struck again, this time in Nottingham, having killed three servants within the castle while its security was doubled.
This left her to wonder if a certain man wasn't the one killing the innocents… It wouldn't surprise her. She didn't care one way or another if Robin Hood's name was ruined because of this, but the fact that the culprit had yet to be caught left her irritated.
So it didn't surprise the archer when she and Guy went to see the Sheriff and found De Fourtnoy already present on the second day.
"What the devil is going on, and why have there been three deaths within the castle, under your nose on top of that?" Guy demanded annoyedly as he led the way and stormed up to De Fourtnoy.
"It is being taken care of." De Fourtnoy answered blandly.
"Incompetently, yes!" Guy snapped.
"And you, Gisborne, what've you come up with in the same amount of time? Scraps of food and evidence of camps here and there, but no visible proof that Robin Hood has been caught!" He returned sharply.
"Beats the rubbish you've obviously not caught…" He growled back.
"Now see here…" He fired back as both of their voices rose.
"Enough, both of you!" Ella spoke up as she stepped between them and placed a hand on her companion's chest, glaring from one man to the other, yet her eyes lingered on the brunette. "Both search methods have come up empty, Sheriff. While I am sure our dear Master-at-Arms is hard at work spreading the news and stirring up the peasant folk, so are Lord Guy and myself hard at work. And if I may add, we only came yards away from nabbing one of Hood's men yesterday afternoon. Alas they disappeared in the trees again." Vaisey didn't need to know she was bluffing, nor did he take note of it, given her serious expression. "Isn't that right, Guy?" She wondered, glancing up at her companion.
Guy met her piercing stare and understood she meant to bluff their way out of getting lip from the Sheriff, and he nodded, glaring pointedly at De Fourtnoy. "Indeed. We are making some measure of progress, if you can believe it." He said the last part calmly.
"That is good to hear, then; I would much rather enjoy hearing you managed to catch him, though." Vaisey nodded his approval, causing the three to look at him, before the archer nodded in affirmation, as he approached the end of the long table to take the offered drink from Marian as she had brought a tray of refreshments for them.
"Forgive me, milord, but what exactly proves that this is the work of Robin Hood? Who's to say it isn't another doing the work and framing him for it?" Marian spoke up, earning a look from the Sheriff and De Fourtnoy.
Ella shot a glance at the brunette and nodded her head. "Good point. It would not surprise me if it was one who didn't see eye to eye with him, who wanted to frame him and get him hanged for some measure of personal justice." She caught the gratitude that briefly shone in the younger woman's green eyes and was personally relieved to see she was not the only one who thought De Fourtnoy was suspicious. Either way it was going to help the Sheriff and Guy, so she chose to add, "De Fourtnoy, for example, was present in the castle the entire time, was he not? How, I wonder, would Robin Hood be able to move about and kill the three servants without running the risk of being spotted?" She wondered, looking at the man to see he had stiffened momentarily at her words.
Marian piled on, "It would be a glorious opportunity, wouldn't it? Giving him the chance to shine?" She gathered the tray and then left the room, catching the glance from the second woman, and slightly tilted her chin down before leaving them be.
Guy looked between both women before clearing his throat. "Milord, if you will excuse us, for we must see to the hunt." He nodded to the Sheriff and ignored De Fourtnoy, turning to leave and grabbing Ella's wrist in the process as they both left back up the stairs. Once they were nearing the stone courtyard and noting no visible signs of life were near, he brought her to a halt and released her wrist as she leaned against the shaded wall. "What on earth are you two insinuating?" He asked lowly.
"Good, I was concerned you would leave me at the mercy of that tosser…" Ella mused blandly, flexing her wrist as she noted he had squeezed a bit too tight.
"Ella." He snapped her name, earning a wry look, as she met his piercing stare. "What is it that you aren't telling me?"
"I worry for the state of this country if all Englishmen are as dense…" She ran a hand through her hair before looking at him squarely and stating quietly, "De Fourtnoy is responsible for killing those servants. Did you not notice how spooked he was when Marian and I were speaking of a devil inside the walls?" She looked into his blue eyes with honesty and seriousness, silently stating that she was speaking the truth.
Guy fell silent and looked at the direction they had come, a hard line making its way onto his lips. "And the others, the bailiff and the boy?" He wondered in the same tone.
"I haven't figured that out, yet… I just know that the devil inside the walls is that haughty fool." Ella shook her head, noting the hard line had yet to leave his handsome face, and she folded her arms. "You believe me, don't you?" She asked softly.
He quieted and recalled that she had not given him reason to distrust her in the past; true she annoyed him and was insufferable most of the time… But to say that she was not trustworthy? No he couldn't fathom that. Exhaling slightly, he nodded and met her gaze, finding with surprise to see her lovely face brighten with a smile of relief; it was rare to see her brighten up like that, he would admit… "Don't rub it in." He muttered, glancing away again.
She smirked at his defensive tone and chuckled. "Thank you, Guy." She said, lightly clapping his shoulder before moving away to head to the courtyard where her mare was waiting.
He raised a brow in disbelief; since when was she so cheerful? Shaking his head, he followed her leave and paused as she mounted her steed to say, "You have quite the silver tongue, for a supposedly-silent marksman." He looked at her with a dry smirk in place.
She blinked once and wondered if she had heard that right; he complimented her? What a day it was… Huffing as he remounted his stallion, she urged her mare to trot forward. "You flatter me, my good lord!" She teased as she passed him and spared him a cheeky smirk, lightly kicking her mare's ribs so she galloped out onto the bridge, hearing him follow shortly at her heels until he was alongside her.
"…And therefore you have nothing to fear…" Guy's words were cut short as one of his officers fell forward with an arrow having pierced him in the back.
Screams of fear came from the village folk as they scattered, causing quite a ruckus.
At catching a black-clad man rushing away with a bow on hand, Ella looked over at Guy to see he had also spotted the man; he nodded at her and she sprinted after the attacker, having drawn a few knives from her boot's confines.
The assailant tried to lose her through the brush, but he didn't know she was as light-footed as she was a marksman, as she kept on his tail and chucked one knife at his head only to have the blade sing as it hit a nearby tree's bark. Growling slightly in irritation, the archer kept on his tail as he darted into a nearby thicket to hopefully lose her, swinging her arm out to send a second knife flying as it grazed his left shoulder. As the man paused for the moment to take in his injury, she barreled into him and slammed him down onto the ground, nearly pinning him had he not kicked at her stomach and punted her away.
Having the wind momentarily knocked out of her, Ella looked up to see her prey scramble further away and up the nearby incline; with a curse she scrambled to her feet, her belly protesting to her sudden movement, dashing after the assailant only to see he stopped at the top of the incline, hearing a male voice call to the man as he had stopped to regain his breath and look down at Nettlestone, seeming to have spotted the Sheriff.
She had had a feeling Robin Hood was here, clearing his name… just grand.
Fingers tracing the short handle of her last throwing knife, the archer crouched behind a bush to watch and see what the man would do, noting his attention had seemed to steer towards Robin on the other side of the brush.
"…Why did you kill them, Joe?" Robin asked from the other side, and the female archer glanced between both men with interest.
Joe replied grimly, "my wife Ruth worked in the castle, and when she was on her deathbed, did the Sheriff come or send food? Of course not… he sent Joderick, who evicted us and let her die on the street like a dog! He will meet the same fate…" He returned his focus to the village from his vantage spot.
Robin quickly countered, "you kill that Sheriff, and Prince John will send another and another after that, and those people will be tortured because the Sheriff was slain there!"
He wasn't lying; while she had no reason to actually consider the Sheriff a good person, because God knew he wasn't, she couldn't allow Joe to kill him while she was present. She couldn't fathom whatever fate awaited her if she should fail again.
"…The Sheriff's leaving; let me do this, Robin!" Joe pleaded, even though he started to lift his bow, missing the hidden archer as she tensed in place.
"I can't let you do that… Joe, put it down." Robin ordered as he also seemed to raise his bow.
Joe hesitated for one split second before he let the arrow fly.
Her knife sang as it flew into the air and found its mark in the side of his neck as two arrows pierced his free side, causing the man to tumble down the incline.
Ella glared after his tumble and made to follow when she looked at Robin and was surprised to see Marian next to him, donned in male garb like she, with a bow on hand… Their eyes held and a spark of fear ignited in the younger woman's green eyes, before the older archer nodded her head slightly and then followed her felled prey's descent.
"… You actually killed my double, I'm afraid." Vaisey said as he stood over the dying archer, looking at the brush when hearing it rustle to see the female archer had arrived, slightly winded and dingy, but all over the same.
Guy huffed as he had drawn his sword and readied to stab the assailant in the chest, but at seeing the life had fled the man and catching sight of the knife stuck in his throat, he lowered his sword and sheathed it. "You've redeemed yourself after all." He mused, looking up at the archer.
Ella nodded, stepping closer to the dead marksman and pulling her knife free of its place, wiping its blade on the hem of her cloak. "Glad to be of service, gentlemen." She said, looking between her employers.
As the Sheriff hopped back into his carriage and the officers with it took off and away from Nettlestone, the archer paused to look back at the incline to see noone there. A smile slightly pulled at her lips and she internally huffed.
Today had proven to be interesting after all.
Feeling an alien hand touch her hair, she stiffened and looked at the owner of the hand to find with surprise that it was her companion as he had plucked a leaf from her black hair. Blue met blue before she huffed and looked away, folding her arms at her chest. "Good plan, with the diversion." She muttered, returning the knife to its place in her boot.
He could've sworn he'd seen her cheeks color, but that might've been because she had just chased their prey through the wood… He doubted he was seeing things. "If De Fourtnoy is the one responsible for the killings as you told me, then we best be off." He reminded, earning a look from her.
If she didn't believe it when he first hired her, she would start to think that Guy of Gisborne wasn't the sadist everyone thought that he was. Maybe he had a good side to him, after all.
She nodded and raised a brow, an interested look passing her lovely face. "What did you have in mind?"
Having passed by the stables as he had gone to speak with the Sheriff not thirty minutes ago, the archer leaned her hip against the outer wall of the stable as she had her companion with her; she nodded slightly and he returned the gesture before stepping into the stable to speak with De Fourtnoy as he had remained to brush down his steed. Resting her head against the wood, she closed her eyes and listened to them.
"Just came to let you know that I have been named the Master-at-Arms."
"… I'd rather hear that from the Sheriff's mouth than believe your word."
"I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that won't be possible."
"You do realize I've been a loyal servant, and I've even…"
"'You've even' what?"
"I've even killed for him." Sounded like he hesitated, as if trying to swallow his fear of what awaited him.
"The Sheriff thought you might mention that… No matter, for it only makes sense to have me be the Master-at-Arms." He stated before she heard a slight grunt of pain come from their trapped rat.
Stepping into the stable, her eyes fell on the dead De Fourtnoy briefly before she turned her head to spit to the side. "'Master-at-Arms'…" She lifted her stare to her companion and shrugged a little, smirking. "A bit formal, but it has a nice ring to it."
He smirked back and returned his dagger to its proper place, looking at her with an unfamiliar look on his handsome features. "I had not realized how clever you were, until this incident… Good work."
Blinking once and wondering once again if she hadn't hit her head on something, she looked up at him with surprise; did Guy just give her praise? No, she must've been hearing things… "You sound as if you're praising a hound for catching your game." She mused, schooling her expression into neutrality, seeing him blink for a second at her remark.
"You, I… I would think you'd be happy to hear praise from the one who hired you!" He snapped defensively, glowering at her, and she felt this was the norm that she was already comfortable with.
She shifted her weight from one boot to the other, raising a brow. "I do believe this is the start of an interesting friendship." She said, and with that she turned about to locate her mare, hiding the amused smile on her lips.
He watched her go and with a growled curse, he yelled for the guards to come dispose of the dead, before stomping after her into the courtyard.
an: ayooo well not much to put today, kinda disheartened that hardly anyone has read this story. should i delete it or just you know, leave the fandom entirely? just thinking aloud here.
