Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Hood or other related characters. These characters belong to the BBC and Tiger Aspect companies and are their properties. I am getting nothing from this fanfic except a good story that I'm sharing with the world.

Author's notes: Such a shocking ending last chapter and sort of harks back to chapter two of Achilles Heel. Still I hope that what happens next is satisfactory for you. I guess I should say that watching the new series of Robin Hood is inspirational, not because I get ideas from there but because watching it gets me into a Robin Hood fanfic writing frame of mind. Please read and review. Enjoy.

Chapter Six: Salvation or Damnation?

Inside their cell, the children watched as Robin Hood was carried out to hang. They didn't understand why he didn't attack the guards. He had gotten out of worse scrapes before. After a while of bewildered waiting, they heard the guard cry out and thud to the floor. A masked stranger approached the cell and held aloft the keys. As he set them free, their rescuer told them to run.

He ran with them until they reached a point where the corridor split into two. He told them to take the left turn; to run and hide and they were not to come out until it was safe. Then he started down the right hand corridor. The girl hurried off but the boy gazed in amazement.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked. The stranger turned, his eyes glinting.

"Saving Robin Hood." And with that the stranger continued on.


Much nearly dived at the gallows desperate not to see his master hang. Little John held him back and Will held Allan back even though both were itching to do exactly the same. Djaq had hidden her face and was close to tears. Marian was also terrified and did not even try to stop the tears that leaked from the corners of her eyes. She cried into her father's shoulder.

Suddenly, everyone heard a 'swoosh' and saw an arrow fly through the air and sever the rope that suspended Robin, allowing the condemned man to fall to the floor of the gallows. Each pair of eyes searched for the mystery archer.

"Who is there?" shouted the Sheriff. "Show yourself!"

"Here I am Sheriff!" called a voice from a window. All eyes turned to the window and saw a figure stood there. The gang could tell it was David there even though he was wearing a mask as he was wearing the cloak he had worn the previous night. In his hands was a bow and it was still up as though he was more than willing to draw another arrow and shoot again.

"Unfortunately Vaizey, most troublemakers don't wish to be tolerated. I mean, why else would they be troublemakers in the first place?"

"Who do you think you are?" yelled Guy to the window.

"There's so many terms I favour. I like the one you used. Troublemaker has a nice ring to it, don't you think? But then again we are old friends." he paused. "Call me Achilles." It was odd though because although they knew it was David there, the voice they heard was exactly like Faith's.

"No!" yelled Gisborne. "Achilles is dead! I killed her!"

"Well obviously not. Because I'm still alive."

"I warned you!" yelled the Sheriff striding forward. "Now those children shall die in Hood's place! Fetch them!" he barked at one of his guards.

"I wouldn't bother if I were you." Achilles called. "They're probably half way home now." The Sheriff's face fell before it shifted back to anger. "Surprise!" He smiled, challenging his armed oppressors. "You have no hold, Sheriff."

"Which member of Robin's gang are you then?" yelled the Sheriff. "Or are you the Night Watchman?"

"I am neither. There are two things that give this away. One: I am out during the day therefore I can't be the Night Watchman and two: you know full well who I am."

"You think you're so great," yelled Guy drawing his sword, "Come down here and fight like a man!" Achilles' eyes glinted once more.

"I thought you'd never ask." He drew back into the shadows in the window. Everyone waited with baited breath. Then suddenly he jumped from the window. The crowd beneath scattered revealing that he was now stood there. He unsheathed a sword from on his belt. "If only you knew how long I've been itching for a rematch."

The crowd erupted into chaos as Gisborne ran towards Achilles. Everyone spread out and Gisborne was swept off in the current of people running but the small victory was short-lived as a swarm of the Sheriff's guards came out of the castle. They rushed at the Achilles and he fought them off. He fought fiercely, slicing and lunging but never seeming to cause damage and he slowly beat the onslaught of terror thrown at him.

Robin was slowly coming to. His throat was red raw but he was glad he wasn't dead. Slowly, he became aware of swords clashing and people crying out. His head swam as he opened his eyes. Achilles saw Robin stirring as he fought the guards and smiled. Until this point his brashness had kept everyone's thoughts off of Robin but someone was sure to see him moving now.

He knocked one guard across the face with the hilt of his sword and then rushed to Robin's side. Now that Robin could see better, he saw the person before him fighting for their lives. Achilles was wearing a cloak and a small leather mask that covered the top half of his face so that all that showed were a pair of deep emerald green eyes that sparkled with a life all their own. Robin had seen them before, he was sure of it.

"Faith?" he tried to sit up but the agonising pain from his many attacks caused him to lie down again. Achilles swung his sword round his head knocking back five guards into the others that approached before re-sheathing the sword. Turning to face Robin, he saw that he was gradually gaining a better awareness of his surroundings. So he punched Robin across the face before pulling up the mask that covered his face. Robin's vision began to go blurry again as he got knocked to the ground by the blow.

"Come on." He said. He lifted Robin's arm and hoisted it over her head. "Your men are waiting just outside. For you." He whispered.

"Am I dead?" Robin said feeling terrible.

"No." He replaced his mask once more. "And I'd prefer if it stayed that way." Robin tried to stand. "Let me take your weight. You're not ready to walk yet." Too tired and sore to argue he obediently slumped onto his shoulder. "Easy does it." He said holding him steady. "You're not one-hundred percent yet. Barely twenty actually." He drew his sword again and ploughed straight into the guards.

Achilles fought through the crowd of guards that clamoured around them and made towards the gate. He knocked back so many guards that everyone who could see the struggle was amazed. Surely no one had that kind of skill with a sword.

Eventually they reached the gate.

"The portcullis." Croaked Robin.

"No." snapped Achilles. "I have a plan."

"So long, Sheriff!" He stood in front of the gates, resheathed his sword and bowed before rushing through, taking Robin with him.

"After them!" yelled Gisborne.


Achilles rushed Robin straight into a house a few streets away from the castle. There seemed to be no one home and he laid Robin on the floor in the main room.

"Stay there, stay low!" he ordered. Then he strode over to the window. Gently he pulled it a short way away from the window and peered out. "No one saw us, thank the Lord."

"Who are you?"

"Ssh!" he ducked as the clink of chain mail passed by the window. Once they had gone, he straightened up and waited.

When he was sure they were not coming back, he walked back over to the injured man. He lifted Robin's right arm across his neck and heaved him up.

"You're no light weight." He chuckled. "Come on."


The outlaws waited just outside the gates hidden behind a group of crates. David had run off with their leader and they were all clueless as to what to do.

"Should we go after him?" said Allan. John shook his head in uncertainty.

Shouts were heard from the other end of Pitt Street and David came from there with Robin still hanging off his shoulder. They looked at him with astonishment. Robin looked dazed, bruised and altogether terrible but he was alive! And so were the children. This was nothing short of a miracle.

Will and Allan lifted Robin off of David and shifted him so his right arm was around Will's neck.

"Wait." He instructed. And with that he went out into the main street.

He drew a sword and turned round several times before guards approached from Pitt Street, calling out for him to stop. Then, making sure they were following him, he took off into the streets of Nottingham. Guards swarmed past their hiding place and took off after David completely unaware that Robin and his entire gang were hidden just a few feet away.

Once they had passed by, Little John led with Djaq beside him, closely followed by Will carrying Robin with Allan's help, with Much bringing up the rear.

Desperate to get out of there, they walked off quickly, unintentionally leaving Much behind.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Slow down!" Suddenly Much froze. He could feel the point of a very sharp blade digging gently into his back.

"Don't Move!" said a gruff voice in his ear. Much felt like kicking himself. The last man! Every time. Every single time. Why did he always forget?


The Sheriff grabbed Gisborne by the scruff of his jacket.

"This plan was perfect, Gisborne. It was foolproof. Now not only have I lost Robin Hood but I have another outlaw on my hands. A dead outlaw! And one that we know is more than willing to kill me. Why Gisborne? Why?"

"I swear I don't know my Lord." The Sheriff let him go but grunted angrily at him. A guard approached.

"My Lord. I bring news." He said.

"What is it? Have you recaptured Hood?" he turned and saw a man escorted by another guard.

"I'm afraid not, my Lord, but we have one of his men." The Sheriff seemed pleased at this. He recognised the man as Robin Hood's right-hand man almost instantly.

"My Lord." Gisborne said. "You can use him to barter for the return of Robin."

"No. This new Achilles would just free them both and leave me looking like a complete idiot." He shot a glance at Gisborne. "Again." He walked up to the captured man. "No. I can think of a better use for Much here." He waved his hand towards the castle and Much reluctantly let himself be led away.

"Get your men out there, Gisborne." He continued once the prisoner was inside. "Find out who this new Achilles is. After all," he paused and turned to face Gisborne, "an enemy you know is much less terrifying than one you don't. Don't you agree?"

The Sheriff smiled.

A bad omen.


David passed through the gates unnoticed, now that he wasn't wearing the cloak or mask anymore. He joined the throng of people fleeing from the courtyard desperate to know what had happened. He mixed with the people so that the outlaws wouldn't recognise him as he passed by.

He rushed forwards keeping with the main crowd, only splitting off as he reached halfway down the main street. Crouching behind the boxes stacked outside one of the shops, he watched the outlaws wait as time went on. They became more restless as more of it passed, as did he. What the hell was going on? They should be here by now?

Eventually, shouts and noises came from down Pitt Street and David couldn't help smiling to himself. He knew the guards would follow them wherever.

Achilles appeared from Pitt Street and handed Robin to the outlaws. Then Achilles ran into the middle of the road and drew a sword. Achilles span round, being sure to be able to face any attacker from any direction. Then guards followed from Pitt Street, completely ignoring the hidden outlaws as they passed by. Achilles waited momentarily before running off into Nottingham. And, as Achilles passed by, a pair of emerald green eyes glanced momentarily at David in his hiding place and one of them winked from one of the holes in the mask.

Once the guards had gone by the outlaws moved quickly and hurried through the square. However one of them, the one who had thanked him the night before, fell behind and David watched in horror as a guard approached him from behind. He quickly swallowed a cry to warn him, remembering that they needed to believe it was he who was Achilles. That was how it had to be. It was better that way.

Still David felt that it wasn't better as Much was led, reluctantly yet compliantly at the same time, through the gates.

Once he was sure he wasn't going to be caught, he cautiously came out of his hiding place and calmly, so as to not raise any suspicions, walked through Nottingham's streets, suppressing the desire to run. When he reached his destination, the house where Achilles had taken Robin, he opened the door and found Achilles stood in the main room wearing the exact same cloak and mask as he'd worn when he'd shot the arrow which broke the rope hanging Robin Hood. But after that he'd shrunk into the shadows and Achilles had jumped from the window.

"They were pretty easy to lose." Achilles said, taking off the mask. "Simple people."

David closed the door and his face must have shown his worry as Achilles stopped and said, "What is it?"

David took a breath.

"We have a problem."

Next: Betrayal!