Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it.

A/N: All right, I HATE this chapter. I really, really do. I think my muse might be threatening to strike ... blah. Anyway, I guess I also wanted to say things always have to get worse before they can get better … darkest before the dawn and all that jazz. But I swear it'll get better for the gang. I figure in the neighborhood of 15 – 20 chapters for this story, so … yeah. It's going to be a bit longer before things get resolved. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy :)

Chapter 7

The Sheriff winced as he lowered himself gingerly into the chair behind his desk. Since Gisborne had recently disposed of Nottingham's resident physician, they'd been forced to resort to a seamstress to stitch up Vasey's leg … and that nasty business of patching the unconscious Lady Marian up after noticing some blood on her clothing. He needed her alive, after all, but it didn't appear anything too severe – some torn stitches that needed mending and some blood. The stupid girl had probably just fainted from shock more than anything else.

But at least, the Sheriff admitted, the seamstress girl did neat, competent work and was probably more efficient than that bumbling idiot Pitts. Still, at any rate, Vasey was going to enjoy tomorrow. He was going to enjoy making that outlaw pay. Vasey had a new toy to play with and a new victim to try it out on. But it wasn't just any victim. No. It was one of Robin's men, which made it all the sweeter.

Vasey smiled. Oh yes. Tomorrow was going to be fun. But for now, the Sheriff turned his attention to his guest. Despite chains and a bloodied shoulder, Sir Edward, lord of Knighton, looked every bit the indignant nobleman, even if he was a trifle pale. Blood loss, naturally. Well, there was that and the fact Edward's dear little girl was currently sleeping with the rats in the dungeons. The thought made the Sheriff's smile widen. It was like his birthday had arrived six months early.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Sir Edward raised his chin defiantly. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh, good," the Sheriff said with a clap of his hands. "I was hoping you'd choose the hard way – makes things so much more fun for me. Tomorrow, we'll be testing out a new torture device on our outlaw friend. And you and your lovely daughter will have a front row seat. Now, Edward, work with me here. What I'm going to need you to do is picture yourself in the outlaw's place if you don't come up with names. Robin Hood may have ruined my plans to find the nobles disloyal to me, but you know who they are."

"I want to see Marian."

"Oh, of course you do."

"I will not tell you anything," Edward said.

"Well see, Edward, here's the thing," Vasey said. "Either way, you're going to have a trial. And either way, I'm going to see you dead. But how you end up being dead … well, that's your choice."

"I will not tell you anything," Edward repeated.

Vasey rolled his eyes. "If I give you a treat, will you say something else?"

Edward glared at him, still doing his best to appear defiant. Admirable job, that. Still, the Sheriff enjoyed breaking people, and he had every intention of breaking Edward before the following night. One way or another, he'd discover the names of the nobles unfaithful to him. And one way or another, he'd have Robin Hood.

"Hmm, yes, well we'll see what your opinion is come tomorrow. I have a sneaky, little suspicion you'll find you actually have a lot to say."

Michael Tuck, the friar, studied Robin Hood and his men as Wat disappeared to relieve himself in the woods. Robin Hood wasn't quite the man he'd expected to find. Since his return from the Holy Land, the man had become something of a legend amongst the peasants and the nobles who secretly despised Prince John's regency. Robin was younger than Tuck would've envisioned, almost a boy really compared to Tuck's years. It was hard to imagine the man had fought alongside King Richard in the Holy Land and now fought against the Sheriff's injustices. He'd given up everything – his land, his title, and the privileges that went along with that life. Some even claimed he'd given up the woman he loved by choosing this path.

And it intrigued Tuck. Perhaps his own experiences jaded him and his view of people. Perhaps he'd seen too many people who only looked out for themselves and their own gains. Perhaps he'd just seen and heard the darkest sins of too many people. But Robin Hood and his friends made Tuck remember that there were still good people left in the world – people who cared more about their fellow man than themselves. They had journeyed through the towns of Nottinghamshire, meeting with designated contacts loyal to Prince John before the Sheriff. From their time spent in the villages, Tuck had seen that Robin Hood truly wasn't an exaggerated myth, a story spun by eloquent tongues. His deeds and his heroics were in fact very real.

In the Tower's dungeons, listening to the screams of the tortured and the pleadings of the condemned, Tuck's decision had been easy. Sitting in the cell that would be his last home, Tuck had been given a name: Robin of Locksley, now more popularly known as Robin Hood. And according to the stories, Hood traveled with five companions – a manservant, a Saracen, a giant, a carpenter, and a liar. In wake of the Sheriff of Nottingham's inability to handle this trouble, Prince John wanted all of them returned to London where he could deal with the problem of Robin Hood and his gang personally.

With his devotion to God, Tuck should've been accepting of his own death, even if it was at the hands of the Tower's executioner. To his shame, he couldn't confront his own mortality, and he'd blindly grasped the opportunity Prince John dangled in front of him. Then, in the Tower, it had just been a name. But now there was a face to that name. There were faces to Hood's companions. They were people, they were real, and they were trying to make a difference, giving hope back to the populace crushed by Prince John's tyrannical rule and the greed of men like the Sheriff, all scraping and fighting for bits and pieces of a country without its King.

Tuck had told Wat the truth. He knew his own answer. Perhaps he hadn't known it in London … he'd admit he hadn't even truly known it until Wat asked him if what they were doing was wrong. But he knew his answer now. He couldn't let the others return Robin and his friends to London and Prince John. Tuck was capable. After all, he hadn't been a friar his entire life, but he wasn't a young man anymore and clearly not able to take on three people – three people who were determined to receive their pardons and their payments. He wasn't even sure he'd bet on himself in a fight against sole companion at the moment, Wat, who could handle a sword and a fight better than most soldiers. So, as Wat returned to his seat beside Tuck, Tuck knew he wouldn't do anything just yet, but they took individual watches at night. Tonight, he'd rectify the mistake he made in the Tower by agreeing to sell another's life in exchange for his own. And hopefully, by releasing the hostages at night while the others slept, he could keep Sarah, David, and Wat from harm. After all, they weren't evil – they just wanted what Lackland had promised them.

Determined and confident in his choice, Tuck set about preparing a meal for the group – vegetables and a few, sparse pieces of meat. As he tossed the food into the pot over the fire, he heard a loud rustling from the forest. Looking up, he watched Sarah and David return. Over David's shoulders was draped the body of one of Robin's men. Unceremoniously, David dumped his burden on the forest floor. From his vantage point, Tuck could see it was the young outlaw, Will Scarlett, who'd lived in Locksley with his family, working as a carpenter until Robin's return from the Holy Land. Will's face was seriously battered. There was a good bit of drying blood, and it was apparent the man's nose was broken. Two very black, swollen eyes were already forming from the broken nose.

And Tuck realized something as he studied the other hostages and noticed the young Saracen's reaction to the newly arrived unconscious outlaw. The Saracen boy wasn't a boy after all. Perhaps if he'd paid closer attention earlier while he'd tied the Saracen up, he would've noticed this sooner. The look on the Saracen's face was a distinctly feminine reaction to seeing a loved one injured. He'd seen that look before – it was in the eyes, and there was no concealing the emotion that flooded the Saracen's eyes as she helplessly looked upon her friend … or perhaps the outlaw was more to her than that?

As David grabbed some rope and grasped the battered outlaw's arm, dragging him to the nearest tree to secure him alongside his friends, Wat asked, "Where's the other one? I thought there was another one."

"We'll find him." David finished tying the rope, binding the unconscious outlaw to the tree. He straightened, brushing his hands off. "You should've heard this one."

Tuck glanced at David in time to see him wave a hand in Sarah's direction. "She told him she's Henry's bastard."

Sarah shrugged as she drew off her cloak and tossed it aside, discarding her weapons as well. "It could be true," she protested. "I don't know who my father is, and my mum says she spent a night with King Henry. He wanted to know who I was, so it seemed like the thing to say."

"Sure," Wat chimed in with a laugh. "You're King Richard's half sister, and I'm the Pope."

Tuck shook his head as Wat and David enjoyed harassing Sarah further about her tall tales. The girl hadn't told a straight story since they left London. About the only thing Tuck was certain of was that Sarah's name was in fact Sarah, and she was a girl. Beyond that, Tuck learned quickly to ignore most of what Sarah said. He didn't believe she meant any harm by it, but she just seemed incapable of telling the truth.

"You," Sarah snapped, finally appearing annoyed by the teasing as she jabbed her finger at David, "need to be out looking for the other one. We can't go back to Lackland without him."

"Well how about I relax a little, love? Maybe eat something? Oi, Friar!" David said. "What've you cooked up for us?" He leaned over the pot. "Stew. Lovely. Same thing we've had for a sodden week."

"Be happy you've got food," Sarah said as she took a seat beside Tuck. She grabbed a wooden bowl and spooned out a small helping of stew.

As the group ate their meal with David talking about all he'd do with the gold Lackland promised them, Tuck glanced over again at the outlaws. He thought he saw the Saracen's lips moving, but he couldn't be sure. Was she praying perhaps? She certainly wasn't talking to the other outlaws. The manservant, whom Tuck thought they called Much, was too far away from the Saracen to hear whispered words. The tallest one across from her had a rag stuffed in his mouth, and Robin, who was tied to the tree closest to her, was still out cold. Tuck frowned. That didn't seem right. They'd brought him here hours ago.

"Something wrong, Friar?" David asked as he turned to see what Tuck was watching so intently.

Tuck shook his head, turning his attention back to his food. "No, nothing."

As the others finished their meal, David set his bowl aside and stood. "Coming with me, Wat?" he asked. "Her majesty's ordered us to find the other outlaw."

"Oi, she ordered you, not me," Wat pointed out.

"Well, I'm telling you to get your things."

As David reached for his cloak, the Saracen spoke with a clear and determined voice – the first time any of Robin's gang had spoken since they'd stuffed the giant's mouth with a rag. "Excuse me?" When Sarah, Wat, David, and Tuck turned to look at her, she continued, "You must let me look at him, at Robin." She nodded her head in Robin's direction.

David crossed the small distance to stand in front of Robin. "Why? There's nothing wrong with him. He's just knocked out. What? Are you pretending to be a sodden physician or something?"

"He has been unresponsive for hours, no movement, nothing. I tended many wounded in Jerusalem. I know what I am doing."

By now, Sarah had jumped up. "David, you idiot! If you've killed him … we cannot go back to Lackland without Robin Hood!"

"Oh, he'll be fine," David snapped. "I just knocked him over the head. He'll be fine, quit worrying. He's not dead."

Sarah looked between David and the lifeless Robin. "Let the Saracen have a look at him."

"What?" David nearly shouted. "No. They stay where they are. He's just got a bloody bump on the head. What's he need a doctor for?"

"If he's dying, we have nothing, David. Like you said earlier, he's the one Lackland really wants. Untie him, and let the Saracen look at him."

"No," David said as he knelt in front of Robin. "He's still breathing."

"For now," Sarah snapped.

"Just because he is breathing … you must … Djaq is telling you the truth."

Tuck and the others glanced over at the manservant Much. "Djaq knows medicine and – and injuries. Surely you would not … you cannot just leave him tied up there to die when Djaq can help him."

The panic in the manservant's voice was genuine. "Bloody hell," David cursed. "Wat, keep the Saracen at the point of a sword. Nothing funny," he added, glaring at Djaq.

As Wat undid the ropes holding Djaq, Tuck watched David untie the limp and unresponsive Robin before laying him flat on the forest floor. Wat kept the sword at the Saracen's back as she knelt beside Robin. And Tuck waited for the trick. He certainly expected there was something afoot. But Djaq looked serious, concerned – like a physician and a friend. And there was no mistaking the fear in the eyes of Robin Hood's friends. Of course, Will was still out cold, but the other two …

This was no trick. Something was seriously wrong with Robin. Tuck exchanged a glance with Wat while Djaq pressed her ear to Robin's chest. She sat back on her heels, lifting each of his eyelids with her thumb. Looking up at David, she asked, "Where did you hit him?"

"On the back of the head," David replied.

Djaq's fingers moved beneath Robin's head. "It is a large bruise, bubbled. I have seen this before. There is pressure, pressure that must be relieved. His body still functions, but his mind is shutting down, unable to regain consciousness. I must drain the wound. That is the only way. I need a blade."

David shook his head. "No. This is ridiculous. A bump on the head cannot kill someone!"

"You will find out for yourself if you do not give me a blade," Djaq said. "He will die if the pressure is not relieved, and he will die soon." She met David's gaze.

David opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything. Wat's hand trembled, the sword he held to the Saracen's back wavering violently. "Do it," Tuck commanded quietly. Nodding toward Wat, he said, "Leave room, Wat. This is no trick." Wat lowered the sword and stepped back. Sarah pulled out her own dagger and handed it to Djaq.

Quickly, efficiently, Djaq moved to kneel behind Robin's head. Lifting his head, she rested it on her lap. Turning his face to the side, her fingers moved through his hair until she found a particular spot. Tuck couldn't guess how she knew where to cut Robin, but she looked competent at what she was doing, he'd give her that.

"I need hot water, blankets, rags. And he needs to be laying flat."

"Djaq …?"

Djaq's eyes met Much's. "The other day, I told you to pray for Marian." She paused, and Tuck thought it looked very difficult for her to say this. "I would suggest …" Djaq drew in a deep breath. "I would suggest you pray again."

A/N: Okay, cruel cliffhanger there. I hate to give things away, but since I don't know when the next update will be (and I don't want to be that evil) I just want to say this: hopefully no one thinks I could do this, but I would never kill Robin, so don't fear for his life.

Ugh, okay, brace yourselves, this is a long thank you section coming up. But you all take the time to review, and I'm compelled to take the time to respond, even if it is just to say thank you. And I'd feel bad junking up people's emails with responses, so I put them here :)

Many thanks to … scully42(Thank you so much for the kind review! You made a good point about Marian's wound, and I did want to say that I never really planned for her wound to be anything severe, but for all that jostling around, I imagined the stitches would end up ripping some at any rate, and I figured it would be painful. I've never had stitches, so I do have to use my imagination there. Since the BBC decided it was okay for her to be up and walking about the day after a near fatal injury, I figured opening the wound a little wouldn't cause her that much distress – as in the kind where her life is in jeopardy again because of that same injury. As always thank you! I greatly appreciate the review!), Capt. Cow (I can't thank you enough for the continued support from the first chapter! I promise Will will wake up soon … I just hadn't planned it for this chapter, er, well this chapter that was supposed to be the second half of chapter 6. I just imagined the part of them dragging him – unconscious – back to camp. Oh, and, I can't really say for certain what Will was thinking. Though the BBC didn't show it, I tend to think he was the one who talked him and Allan into returning. Again, LOVE Allan, but I still think there's a small part of him that tends to think more of himself than anyone else. I think Will was just having a stupid man moment, lol. I can't really imagine what else he was thinking, but perhaps I'll think of something for a later chapter), Threll(I'm so happy you think I've written Allan well! Thank you so much. I know I've said it before, but Allan's my favorite, and I'm not exactly the best at smart or witty comments, but I'm glad I'm able to pull it off for Allan. Personally, I hope the show addresses Will and Allan leaving because I think it kind of had to affect the others to some extent. And yes, they are in quite a spot … I just hope I can live up to expectations and pull this off … as always, thank you much for the review!), DeanParker(Thank you so much for the review. I'm so happy you're enjoying it! And I can't give anything away, but I believe in happily ever afters, so I think Robin will do his part to save Marian!) KnightGuardian(Thank you so much! I can't tell you how much your kind words mean to me. Considering some of the fabulous RH fanfic out there, your words actually made me blush :) And you're right; Robin does get a tad bit testy and much more dangerous when it comes to Marian), auzziewitch(Thank you so much, so glad you're enjoying! The Middle Ages definitely were a much darker time, especially when it came to ideas about justice and punishment … er, lack of ideas about justice at any rate), hardyboyfansrock(As always, thank you! Yeah, Allan is in a pretty bad place right now. As for the others … well, they'll figure it out, I promise!), MontyPythonFan(As always, thank you. So happy you're enjoying it!), Nicki1147(Hmm, I knew there was something that didn't ring quite true about that chapter … I suppose Gisborne was it. I took a minute to do a quick rewrite in the previous chapter – nothing that changes the scene or the story, but hopefully something that keeps the normally taciturn Gisborne a bit more in character. As always, thank you, and I'll keep your advice in mind for future scenes with Gisborne), GreggoAddict(Thanks much for the review! That scene with Djaq in the last chapter took a small jump back in time to show when she just woke up and while Will and Allan would've still been at Knighton. So that's why Will wasn't around. Sorry for the confusion! Thanks again for reading!), YouLuvMeCosImCrazy(lol, I'm sorry for the evil cliffhangers. It's just too easy to end chapters with cliffhangers :) Thank you much for the review, and I'm so glad you're enjoying it!)