Nafisa rode through Sherwood forest as fast as she could. Even though she didn't know where she was going, her gut said she was going the right way and since that was all she had to go off of, she would have to trust it. She wasn't sure about what she was doing, but what else was there to do? She had escaped and there was no way she was going to go back to Nottingham castle until she knew she would be able to come back out of it, alive. She knew she could go back in, but whether she could come back out alive, that was another story. But honestly, she didn't even want to go back, not even to save her fellow warriors. The only reason that she might want to go back is so she could cut Dayyan's throat. She hated that man more than anything else in the entire world. She wanted him to die, to pay for the hell he brought her through. She didn't deserve to be in this war and yet she found herself running away and following her gut. She had no idea if she would find Robin and if she didn't, what was she supposed to do then? No one would give her the time of day.
She sighed. She had to try and think positively on the situation. She knew she would find Robin eventually, but could she honestly wait that long? She growled. Dammit Nafisa, be more positive, she thought. She realized she had no idea where she was and the sun was beating down hard on her. She looked around and saw a field and stones standing up tall. She rode into the circle of stones and looked around. She saw footprints on the ground and realized someone had just been here. Let's just hope it was Robin, she thought. She looked around and saw a mass of footprints to the hedge stone to the North. She rode up to it and got off the horse. She examined it and found a half circle missing from the edge of it. She went behind it and looked through to see the hedge stones aligned to make a clear through small circle. She smiled. She grabbed her bow and took out an arrow. She aligned it with the circles and let go, as the piercing arrow cut through the air.
"Let's see where you lead to," she said, as she ran to the horse and mounted it. She kicked its side and rode off to follow the arrow. She began to wonder if she was following the right thing. What if she was following the Sheriff and not Robin? Though from what she could tell, the Sheriff had a grudge against Robin, so maybe that meant the Sheriff was following him. She stared straight forward as she rode back into the forest. She rode on until she started to hear voices. She slowed the horse down and made it come to a stop when she saw the Sheriff leaving a cave in the ground. She jumped off the horse and went behind a bush to get a better view.
"C'mon now! You heard him! Kirkless Abby! Go!" the Sheriff cried, as she saw mercenaries come out from the cave as well. She noticed the Sheriff talking to a man and then pulled out a knife on him. He stabbed him in the gut and let him fall to the ground. She stared as he whispered something to the dying man. He then mounted his horse and rode off deeper into the forest. She waited for a few minutes to make sure that they weren't coming back out. When she figured they were gone, she went over to the horse. It stared at her.
"Shh. Don't leave," she whispered, petting its nose. It neighed and she smiled. He probably understood her. She looked back around and ran down to the cave. She placed a hand on her sheathed sword just in case and walked down into the cave. When she was there, she saw a tunnel leading to a dead end. She screwed up her face. Why was the Sheriff down here if it was a dead end? But then she looked down and saw clubs near the rock and heard voices.
"C'mon! We need to get out of here!" Robin said. Nafisa smiled as she heard him pace around the stone room. Voices talked and she wondered who was with him.
"But how? The door's shut," another, deeper voice said. She walked closer to the door. I should probably say something, she thought.
"Robin?" she said to the wall. The voices and noises stopped. Then she heard footsteps going towards the stonewall. They stopped.
"Nafisa?" she heard Robin's voice come back. She smiled. "Nafisa? Is that you?"
"Yes, Robin, it is. How did you get stuck in there? How do I get you out?" she asked in a hurry. A furry of talking appeared out of nowhere and Nafisa's eyes widened. There had to be more people in there than she had initially thought. The talking stopped.
"There's a stone in the wall to your right! Find it and push it!" Robin replied. Nafisa nodded her head and felt all the stones. Finally, she came to one and pushed hard on it and it sunk deeper into the wall. She looked over to the rock and saw it open up. Robin was standing right in front of it and smiled at her. She ran over to him and embraced him, as he spun her around and put her back on her feet. "Nafisa! You're alive!" She smiled at him then looked over and saw Djaq. Her eye's widened.
"Saffiya?" she asked, walking over to the other Saracen. Djaq nodded her head. Nafisa's face lit up and she hugged Djaq. A tear rolled down Djaq's face as she embraced Nafisa. It had been three years since she'd seen her and Nafisa loved her just as much as she had when she left. "I didn't think I'd see you here."
"Me too. How have you been?" she asked, pushing her away to look at her. Nafisa looked completely different. Her face looked different, but still recognizable. Her hair though, that was another story. She saw that Nafisa was still somewhat small. She was only about five foot three. She still had the same piercing auburn colored eyes and the same brilliant smile. Her face darkened.
"I have seen much," she replied darkly. Djaq nodded her head and embraced her again. She could only imagine what it was like fighting in the Holy Lands for three years straight. "But enough about that. The Sheriff just killed a man outside and is on his way to Kirklees Abby, whatever that is." Robin nodded his head.
"He must've killed Paxton. Before we go off, let me introduce you to my gang," Robin said, as Nafisa walked over to Robin and looked at the gang. "This is Will." She smiled at Will who smiled back. "This is Little John." She smiled and he nodded his head. She chuckled. Little John, she thought. There's nothing little about him. "This, as you know, is Much." Much smiled widely at her and she smiled back. She hadn't thought of him in years, not since a week after she left. "And finally, this is Legrand. He is here temporarily from the Holy Lands." She smiled at Legrand who smiled back at her. "Now, we must go." Everyone nodded their head as they ran out of the cave and up to the surface area. Nafisa's horse neighed and everyone drew their weapons, expecting to see the Sheriff or some mercenaries there.
"No! Don't! It's my horse!" she exclaimed. They all sheathed their weapons and Nafisa walked to behind a bush and came back with a bay colored stallion. Legrand laughed heartily.
"Guys!" Robin said, as he looked at the map. "The cross is on the north side of the bridge. The Sheriff is going the wrong way. Kirklees Abby is on the south side." They smiled.
"So we're looking for a church on the north side," Djaq finished. Robin nodded his head.
"We must be quick though. Nafisa," he said, as everyone looked to her. "You ride on and find the church. See if you can't be a lookout for us, alright?" Nafisa nodded her head. Robin gave her the map to hold onto, since she didn't know how to find the bridge. She took it as she mounted her horse. "Take this and use it as your guide. Once you get near the church, leave the horse somewhere unseen so that the Sheriff doesn't know where we are." She nodded her head again. "Go and be quick. We will catch up with you. But whatever, don't do anything with the thesaurus patriae." She smiled at him.
"I'm not thief, Robin," she said. Robin chuckled.
"I know, now go. We'll catch up." With that, Nafisa rode off through the forest with the gang following her. She rode out of the forest and back to where the hedge stones where. She blew past them and back into another forest. She looked down at the map and followed the markings until she looked up and saw the bridge. She stopped the horse and looked around. She saw a little house and a church. The house looked to be abandoned and big enough to house the horse for a little. She looked around to see if she saw the Sheriff or the mercenaries and rode onto the church when she saw no one there.
She stopped at the house and dismounted the horse. She took its reigns and walked into the house. It was empty with no furnishings. She walked the horse in and left it there, as she walked out of the house and shut the door. She ran to the church and walked in. She walked through the church and looked to her side to see lace draping to another room filled with candles. She saw a big dark figure kneeling in front of some candles and she walked towards it. The figure stood up and turned around. It was an older woman with a burning red dress on. Nafisa looked at her curiously, having no idea who she was.
"And who are you?" the woman said, looking at the young Saracen before her. Nafisa stared at her and her crown. She was royalty.
"I'm Nafisa. I am a friend of Robin. He sent me here to find the thesaurus patriae; the treasure of the nation," she answered. The woman stared at her coldly.
"How can I trust you?" she asked. Nafisa shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know. You can't. But I promise you that I am a friend of Robin," she stated bluntly. The woman faintly smiled. She liked her honesty.
"I am Queen Eleanor of Aquitane, my dear. I am King Richard's mother," she replied. Nafisa's eyes widened as she quickly dropped to one knee.
"Your majesty," she replied. Although Nafisa did not think of her as her queen, she knew to respect royalty, no matter what. She looked up at Queen Eleanor who gestured her to stand. She stood up and smiled at her. She heard footsteps and turned around quickly, drawing her sword from its scabbard. She saw Robin and the gang, smiled and sheathed her sword. The gang, except for Djaq, all fell to one knee.
"Your majesty," Robin said, as Queen Eleanor walked over to Robin and smiled.
"Robin, I thought we were friends." Robin looked up and smiled at her. "Next time, come first instead of sending someone else." He chuckled.
"Yes, your majesty. I'm sorry I sent Nafisa, but I had no other choice. She is a good person and a good fighter. I knew that if she could find you, she would keep you safe," he replied. Nafisa smiled and so did Queen Eleanor.
"You're late," she replied bluntly. Robin chuckled as he stood up.
"I'm sorry, your majesty. We were … delayed," he explained.
"We thought you were in France," Legrand said. Queen Eleanor looked over at him and stared.
"No wonder it's taken you some time to find me, Legrand. But no, my dear son Prince John invited me for Christmas. I went and in return, he locked me up in a tower," she replied madly.
"He declares you as giving him your support and he would've taken the troops of Aquitane to fight against King Richard," Robin replied. The Queen nodded her head.
"But you're the Queen Mother!" replied Legrand, disbelievingly. The Queen glared at Legrand.
"Less of the Mother, thank you," she retorted. She looked around at all of the people standing before her. "So, this is Robin Hood's famous outlaws? Hmm." She looked at them all and walked over to Djaq and Nafisa. "And who are you?"
"That is Djaq. She and Nafisa are from the Holy Lands," Robin answered. The Queen looked intrigued by the information.
"Ah. You're both very far from home. Why did you choose to fight this battle here?" she asked.
"It chose me, your majesty. I fight here alongside my friends," answered Djaq. The Queen smiled.
"I was brought here because they planned to torture me to talk and give them secret information," Nafisa said coldly. The Queen eyed her. "King Richard sent Saracen prisoners over to Nottingham to learn of secret information that Saladin trusted with some. I was one of the first to be brought here."
"I would very much like to get to know the two of you better," she replied, still eyeing Nafisa.
"This is Much and Will, your majesty," Robin said, gesturing to Much and Will. The Queen went over and smiled at the two. Much kissed her hand and so did Will. The Queen looked over at Little John and eyed him, but not the same way she had eyed Nafisa.
"Yes, but who is this fellow?" she asked seductively. Little John looked down and bustled a little.
"This, your majesty, is Little John," Robin answered. The Queen raised her eyebrows.
"Little? I can't believe there's a part of you that's little." Legrand laughed heartily, as Little John looked nervous. "I could use a man like you at Aquitane. Think about it." Suddenly, two arrows we're shot near the Queen and everyone turned to the doorway to see the mercenaries coming at them with arrows. Legrand and Little John stepped in front of the Queen.
"Behind me, your majesty," Legrand said, as he softly pushed her behind him and Little John. Nafisa ran and closed the door and looked around at the small room. There was no way out, except for the door.
"It's time to leave!" Robin said, readying his bow and arrow.
"That's the only way out," Djaq responded quickly and nervously, holding her short sword.
"Don't worry. Provisions have been made for every occasion. Here, there is a door that leads straight into the forest," the Queen said, pointing below her. There, on the floor, was a stone slab with two handles on it. "Perhaps you can get it for me, Big Bear." Little John looked behind to see the Queen looking at him. He sighed and bent down to open the door, but was surprised when the Queen groped him. He jumped a little, looked at her, but went down and lifted up the slab.
"Ah, well, well, well. You are the treasure of the nation, your majesty," the Sheriff said, looking into a little eyehole in the door. The Queen looked menacingly at the Sheriff who smiled at her.
"Your majesty," Little John said from the hole where the slab was. The Queen looked down and Little John grabbed her. She smiled at him and was let down onto the floor.
"You," Nafisa said darkly. She had her sword out and towards the Sheriff. Hers was unlike everyone else's. It was a bit shorter than normal, with a curved, wider blade. The Sheriff looked over and stared at her.
"How did you get out? You're supposed to be waiting for you're soon to be husband, Allan," the Sheriff growled. Nafisa glared at him. The gang slightly cringed at the sound of Allan's name.
"I will not be marrying, Allan. Not ever, Sheriff," she growled. The Sheriff mockingly smiled at her.
"Let's go!" Robin yelled, as Nafisa pulled down the eyehole so the Sheriff couldn't see anything. The Sheriff was yelling as they all disappeared into the hole in the floor.
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The gang ran through the forest and finally stopped when they got to a safe clearing in the forest. Nafisa had ran much faster than Robin had expected and had had a good time having a little race with her. Robin came to the clearing a couple steps behind Nafisa. She panted a little, but smiled devilishly at Robin. He smiled back as he looked around. The Queen came up with Little John, behind Legrand who walked over to Nafisa.
"I can't run anymore," the Queen said, out of breath. She leaned against Little John as she tried to catch her breath. Robin went over to the Queen.
"We really shouldn't, your majesty. The Sheriff's men could be on our tails. But a few moments then," he said, as he crouched down. The Queen pulled Little John down with her as she sat on a tree root. Nafisa sat down, a little ways away from the group with Legrand.
"You're a fast runner," Legrand said, catching his breath. Nafisa smiled at Legrand, still panting a little.
"Thanks. You're not half bad for your size either," she replied. Legrand laughed and so did Nafisa.
"Thank you. Where did you learn to run that fast?" he asked, still trying to catch his breath. Nafisa shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back on her arms.
"I don't know. I'm just a good runner. I ran a lot in the Holy Lands and I had to keep up with the guys. I just pushed myself and gradually I became much faster," she answered. She looked at him and cocked her head to the side. She thought she recognized him from the Holy Lands, but she wasn't sure.
"Ah, you were trying to keep up with the boys?" he asked heartily. Nafisa nodded her head and chuckled. He looked at her and smiled. "Ah! Now I know! I remember you from the medic tents. You were the boy that Robin always went to visit in the Holy Lands. Well, girl." Nafisa nodded her head again. "I thought I recognized you and your name. Lord, you've not much grown. How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen. Turning twenty same day as Robin," she replied. Legrand laughed. What a coincidence that she would have the same birthday as Robin.
"Hah! That's funny. Although I'm sure you're much younger than our dear Robin," Legrand said loudly. Everyone looked over and the two of them laughed.
"What's that about my age?" Robin asked, looking a little appalled at the two.
"Nafisa's birthday is same as yours, Robin. Although, as I told her, I'm sure she's much younger than you," Legrand said laughingly. The gang laughed with them and so did Robin. The gang quieted down when Legrand shot up and shushed them. They all listened to the Sheriff yelling at the mercenaries and looked down the hill to see them riding off, deeper into the forest.
"I can't run. I need someone to carry me," she said, trying nonchalantly to indicate that she wanted Little John to carry her. Robin looked at Little John who stared back. He growled and then picked up the Queen.
"I wish I had known I wasn't going to get my horse back again," Nafisa muttered. Robin eyed her curiously. "I stole a horse from the Sheriff so I could make my escape. I liked the horse. Do you think later I could go back and see if the horse is there?" Robin nodded.
"Let's go," Robin said, as they began to run. Nafisa sighed. She hated running. It wasn't because she wasn't good at it, but because it was boring. She thought it to be the most boring thing you could do. She also hated it because whenever she was running, she was running away from someone. She ran all the time in the Holy Lands, but that was so she wouldn't get killed. So, she had assumed running with fear, which was not what it always was, obviously. Maybe though, if she took a leisurely run to look at scenery, she might find it enjoyable. But for now, she found it to be terrorizing.
"C'mon, Nafisa," Legrand said, pushing her forward. Nafisa groaned as she began to run to catch up with the gang. Legrand ran side by side with her. Occasionally, he would look over at her to see how she was holding up, but every time she was doing just fine. Running came naturally to her and the added running in the Holy Lands had also helped her at becoming better at it. She looked over at Legrand who smiled at her and she returned the smile. She couldn't help but notice that he was extremely attractive. Had good features and was very strong. Also had a great personality. She smiled to herself as she pushed on faster, seeing if he could catch up. He chuckled as he ran quicker with her.
The two caught up with the gang and all began to run at the same pace, with Little John just behind by a bit because he was carrying the Queen. As they ran, Nafisa realized she didn't actually know where they were running to or why. They had seen the Sheriff go east, so why were they following them? Wasn't that a bit stupid, she thought. If they were trying to get away from the Sheriff, wouldn't they have gone in the opposite direction of him? Maybe where they were supposed to drop off the Queen was east, so they had no choice. Nafisa shook her head, as she quickened her pace to be with Robin in the front of the gang.
They kept running until they slowed down and came to a rocky cliff in front of them. It towered over them and they saw the grassy trees on top of it. They looked around and realized it was quiet, except for some rustling in the bushes. Robin looked around and saw only one place they could go, which continued through the forest. He looked up and saw some mercenaries come out onto the cliff holding bows, ready to shoot. He looked around and saw more mercenaries come out from hiding. Then, he saw in the only opening, the Sheriff walking over towards them with four mercenaries. He scowled. They had been trapped.
"What's going on?" the Queen asked, as Little John put her down. She looked over at the Sheriff, who was smiling widely. He walked up to them and stopped.
"This, my lady, is an ambush," he answered, his hands behind his back. The gang looked around and saw there was no place for them to go.
"I'm sure there can be some kind of price to buy you off and let us go free," the Queen said. The Sheriff shook his head and clicked his teeth together.
"No, your majesty. I'm afraid you're much more valuable then some jewelry and coins," the Sheriff replied. She scowled at him. "Well, bring her and uhmm … kill the rest." The mercenaries with the Sheriff began to walk up to them, but before they could get any closer, Legrand began to yell as he charged at them with his staff in hand. As Legrand ran toward them, he was shot in the back by one of the mercenaries, but disregarded it as he continued to charge. He knocked down the mercenaries with his staff and as he was swinging it to hit the Sheriff, another arrow hit him in the chest. Momentarily, he stopped and broke the arrow, but by that time, the Sheriff had come up to him, sword in hand, and stabbed him in the stomach. Legrand dropped his staff and fell backwards.
"LEGRAND!" screamed Nafisa, as she ran towards him. In the background, she heard the rest of the gang screaming 'for the Queen' as they appeared from the top of the cliffs and began to attack the mercenaries. Nafisa ran over to him and dropped to his side, cupping his face in her hands. Robin ran past them and towards the Sheriff, who was about to come after Nafisa. Robin began to fight him off, so Nafisa could say good-bye to Legrand.
"Legrand," she whispered, a tear trickling down her face. He forced a smile to his face, as he grabbed her shoulder. She looked at him as he brought her down with him and kissed her. It was the last kiss he'd ever have with someone again, so why not Nafisa? Besides, he did find her rather attractive and they did have somewhat of a special connection. She kissed him as she heard the blades banging against each other and everyone screaming and shouting. Legrand let go of her and lightly pushed her away.
"Fight, Nafisa. For the Queen," he said softly. Nafisa wiped away the tear and nodded her head. He smiled at her as she got up and drew her sword. She charged at some mercenaries who had come up from behind the Sheriff when the attack began. She ran towards them and began slicing away at them. One of them, she blocked his attack to her head with her sword, and then kicked him in the stomach and he fell to the ground. She stabbed another and kicked him away too. She fought off as many as she could until finally, she heard nothing but the sound of Robin's fist colliding against the Sheriff's face. She looked over and saw him fall to the ground, unconscious. Then, all of them who were on the ground floor ran over to Legrand. Nafisa ran to his side and kneeled by him. Little John came over and took Legrand's hand in his.
"A stronger man, I never knew," he said. Legrand was panting, trying to hold on as long as he could. His blue gray eyes were wide open as he stared up at Little John.
"The Queen," he panted. The Queen looked down at Legrand regretfully.
"Legrand," she replied. Legrand looked over in her direction and began to chuckle lightly. Then, he suddenly stopped, eyes wide staring at the sky. He sucked in his last breath, as his eyes closed and his head rolled to the side. Nafisa began to cry as she grabbed his shoulder and cried on it. Little John looked at Legrand's lifeless body.
"Him," he began, as he stared at Legrand, "I liked." They all got up, except for Nafisa, who kept crying on his shoulder. Robin walked over to Nafisa, spun her around and embraced her. She cried harder into Robin's chest, trying to catch her breath at the same time.
"Shhh," he said, stroking her head. "Shhh." Robin grabbed her by the shoulders and made her step back. He looked at her straight in the eye. "Are you going to be alright?" Nafisa nodded her head. She had liked Legrand, even for the little time she had known him for. Less than a day and he had kissed her and she felt as if she lost someone close to her. What an impression he had made on her. But not, she'd known him in the Holy Lands. He had come to see her a couple times when she was being treated. Maybe that was why she cared so much for him, was because he had cared so much for her. She faintly smiled. "It'll be O.K."
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A/N: Well, I hoped you liked this chapter. I know, kind of a random little love thing going on between Legrand and Nafisa, but it was kind of just for kicks. Though, just to let you know, she doesn't cry over everyone who is killed, it's just after he died, she remembers when he would come to see her with Robin in the Holy Lands. It's more of a deeper connection then just what was there, but a bit hard to explain.