Chapter nine

Sherwood Forest

Outlaw's Tree house

I sighed heavily as I picked up the steaming tin cup in front of me, this sorry brew was the closest thing I was going to get to a good old fashioned (though obviously not old fashioned enough) cuppa around here. I gipped at the muddy taste as the warm liquid washed over my lips, ergh, that was the farthest thing from a nice cup of tea! It was horrible. I cringed and put down the cup, Jack had made it for me this morning; I had been watching her sceptically as she prepared it, from what I saw the main ingredients seemed to be leaves and other green vegetation. No wonder it tastes like mud. She had said it would calm my frazzled nerves, though I honestly couldn't see how it would. Besides it wasn't like I didn't have a right to be nervous, Prince John's visit was in two days time and we were no closer to figuring out a plan than we were three days ago.

The days had past by and had been for the most part, uneventful. It was Friday today and the Prince arrived on Monday, we were at a total loss to figure out how to take advantage of that. Though to be fair, we had been pretty busy. In-between the drop offs, general do-gooding, the escapade at the castle and my messy run in with Sir Guy, we had had little time to come up with a plan. What messy run in with Sir Guy? I hear you ask, well I did say my week had been for the MOST part, uneventful, you know besides the whole somehow time travelling back to the era of Robin Hood thing. Anyway, back to my encounter with Sir Guy, that had been very interesting to say the least, well at least I knew exactly where this guy stood, any worries I might have had about his feelings for me, had been put to rest immediately.

Wednesday

Nottingham town

"GET HER!" Guy had shouted as I sprinted through the open market place this past Wednesday.

A loaf of bread, one stinking loaf of bread was all I had taken and he was acting as though I had just run off with the crown jewels! Following Guy's orders I heard the heavy thump of the guards feet as they perused me, all this for a loaf of bread! Has the world gone mad? Panting now I leapt over a bench and ran around the side of the tavern.

"Give me a brake!" I puffed rounding the back of the tavern, as the thud of hooves joined the metallic sound of the men running, as if they didn't have enough of an unfair advantage numbers wise (I was all alone as the others were in Kingstone village where I was supposed to be meeting them) they had to pursue me on horseback, just to make it harder to get away.

I knew I wasn't going to outrun them, not after they brought in the horses anyway. The best thing I could do then was try to lose them. I sprinted around the back of the tavern and came back onto the main street on the other side of the wooden building, hoping to have confused the soldiers. I tried to ignore the drunken hollers of the men outside the tavern (oh they had been there, even though it had been the middle of the day, most of them guards themselves), I took off again through the market, back the way I had come, heading for the town gates.

Thump, thump, thump the horses galloped around the tavern and into view behind me, well that hadn't worked. I picked up the pace, maybe, I had wondered, I could get to the gates before Guy's men got close enough to apprehend me. then I had skidded to a halt dragging my heels into the dirt road, completely taken by surprise, as ten more guards had ran into view ahead of me, blocking my only easy exit. I had reacted fast, I sprinted through the gap between the butchers and the dress makers, my hood had flown back in my haste to avoid capture and I couldn't have cared less, everyone here knew who I was.

"Don't let her get away!" The acid and familiar tones of Adam, or rather Guy had rang out as I ran, confirming that he was still involved in the chase. He was probably one of the goons on horseback.

My detour had done little to put off my pursuers, the guards simply ran through the ally just as I had and the horsemen rode through one at a time. I groaned as I came up against the stone wall of the town border, I really wasn't doing myself any favours running around a town I didn't know, I had gotten myself lost. I hadn't had the time to reflect on this though, the guards were exiting the ally as well and I had to take off, I sprinted down the gap between the cottages and the wall, I didn't have a clue where I was going. Suddenly I spotted another opening and darted down the ally, I was panting heavily and openly now and things weren't looking too good for me. Upon exiting the ally I had found myself in the residential area of town, sheets and clothes hung on washing lines blowing gently in the breeze and children and mothers played in the afternoon sun. I took off at a run again, batting my way through the sheets and calling out to the women and children who were in the way of the perusing soldiers, somehow I didn't think they were the kind to stop for a child straying into their path, they'd probably think little of trampling innocents and I didn't want to take my chances.

"Get out of the way, quick!" I shouted as I ran "Get out of the way, the guards are behind me!"

I was relieved that the mothers heeded my words and hastily pulled their children to the side as I sprinted past them. I purposely ran through as many sheets as it was possible for me to, in a desperate attempt to deter my pursuers, I ducked and shoved madly but nothing seemed to slow them down. The guards behind me just pulled down the washing lines and carried on charging, the mothers in the street screamed as their clean sheets were trampled into the dusty road, I groaned but kept on running until I out of the sheet maze. Okay, this is it, I thought finally having enough as I raced through the market stalls still perused by Nottingham's finest, I couldn't keep this up, I was shattered. The wheels in my head went into over drive, plan, plan, plan, bingo! I grinned triumphantly as I saw a small cottage up ahead, a small shop and my original destination, I tucked the loaf of bread into my bag (where I really should have put it earlier, if I had maybe I could have avoided all this mess) and quickly veered left and into the butchers.

"What on earth…" the startled butcher gasped, a large knife safely in his hand. I didn't stop to chat, as the startled naying of the horses sounded from outside and alerted me to the fact the guards had just pulled up. In my minds eye I could see the horses as they rose up on their hind legs at the brutal pull of the rains. The thump, thump of the men's boots as they ran across the wooden front porch soon followed the horse's nay and told me I had precious little time.

Winging it I took to the stairs and made it to the second floor bedroom just as the guards burst through the front door of the butchers.

"Where is she?" a cold male voice asked the butcher down stairs, it was Guy.

I made a show of stamping my feet as I raced across the room towards the window, I didn't want the butcher getting in trouble for harbouring an outlaw, just because he had the misfortune to be the closest shop to me.

"Upstairs," Guy instructed, I knew that he would be too late, I was already half way out the window and trying to judge the distance between the butchers' bedroom window and the thatched roof off the shop next to it, which was continently at the same level. I jumped just as the door was flung open and landed crouched and gripping tightly to the straw, on the roof of the next doors shop. Quickly I pulled myself up and dashed across the roof, the way I saw it I had no other choice, I had to jump from roof to roof or else I didn't stand a ice cubes chance in hell of escaping the guards. Ha I'd always wanted to do this.

"She's taken to the roofs, get after her!" Guy shouted to his guards in the street below through the open window. I chanced a look over my shoulder at him, he was livid, at my smug look he yelled at the guards who were in the room with him to get a move on, I didn't hear anything however as I was already making a jump for the next roof.

The galloping of the horses could be heard again as I sprinted across the rooftops getting closer to my destination. As I reached the forth house I dropped to the straw roof and slid myself to the far end of the house, keeping from sight. I eyed the open window of the next house, I knew I didn't have the time to think this through so I shut off my mind (which was screaming at me in protest) momentarily and listened only to my heart (which urged me on, there was no other way). I had then, as the soldiers sprinted past my hiding place believing me to have carried on running, gotten to my feet and jumped the gap between the two houses, grabbed on to the wooden support beams that stuck out of the other roof just below they straw and swung myself through the open window and into the shared bedroom of the Masons.

I landed softly on the floor and rose slowly, cautiously, had anyone seen me? I listened, I couldn't hear angry soldiers charging through the shop down stairs, in fact I couldn't even hear the horses any more. However I did not lower my guard, warily I tiptoed across the room, cringing as the floor boards creaked with my every step. I opened the door and stepped out onto the landing, the shop down stairs was empty except for Beatrice, the shop owner and mother of three, grandmother of eight, all of who were unbelievably living under this roof. The others had told me her story during the drop offs the other day, I was surprised I had been able to remember her name this morning when I saw her in the market. I descended the stairs checking out the window as I went; I didn't need any guards rushing in.

"Beatrice," I whispered reaching the last step, she jumped a little and the water in the basin she carried sloshed about a bit. She set down the water on the desk, she was going to scrub the floor, and turned around the face me, her wrinkled hand on her heart.

"Robin," she exclaimed her face softening instantly "you gave me a bit of a scare then. How are you flower?"

I smiled, flower, that was what my grandma called me.

"Im good Beatrice, a little rushed off my feet, but good." I replied, making fleeing from the towns guards sound like a busy day at the office. Beatrice smiled.

"That's nice," she replied understanding exactly what I ment "I know that you're a busy girl."

"Sorry I can't stay too long," I said reaching into my bag and pulling out the loaf of bread "I just popped round to bring you this."

She gasped as I handed her the loaf of bread, undoubtedly she was remembering the incidents of a few minuets ago in the market.

"Robin, you didn't!" she exclaimed and I shrugged, it wasn't no big deal.

"He was in the wrong, no one should have to pay that much for a loaf of bread and it wasn't like there was any need for him to treat you the way he did. That guy had no respect for you, telling you to get lost the way he did." I replied and Beatrice didn't even think twice about my strange lingo, she was just so grateful for the bread she didn't notice. And that was what was so upsetting, these people were so poor, so deprived, that for Beatrice and her family, that loaf of bread ment the difference between a good meal and an empty stomach. No one should have to live like this. I had stumbled across Beatrice in the market place about thirty minuets before, trying to purchase a loaf of bread from a vendor there. Beatrice only had enough money on her to buy the loaf of bread but the price had gone up and it was way more than she could afford on what was left of her meagre widows pay off.

It turned out the stall owner was being taxed by the Sheriff while he kept his stall open, it had cost him before to have a stand in the market of course it had, but the cost had never been quite so steep, as a result he had had to up the cost of his products and that cost was far too high for Beatrice. She had tried to reason with the vendor but the passing guards had accused her of haggling and causing trouble, she had been forcibly removed from the market and taken back to her house completely embarrassed and without the groceries she had set out for. This had made me so mad; you have no idea, a loaf of bread! It shouldn't be something she was doing without, it just wasn't fair. The look of absolute devastation on her face as she was led away was what did it for me though, she was relaying on that inadequate food source for her meal, it was wrong. So I stole the bread from the market stall, I wasn't even sneaky about it, I was so pissed off and naturally a guard saw me and called for back up, which had led to the whole palaver with Guy and me being chased though the streets.

Why bother? Im sure that's what your wondering, it's only a loaf of bread after all and its only one person, there are hundreds of others that need my help as well and I cant help them all. I knew that, I knew how pointless and needless my actions would look to anyone watching, but that wasn't the point. The point was Beatrice was like everyone else in this town, a victim of cruel laws and unfair treatment, there was no need for her to be humiliated like that, no need at all and yet the guards had done it anyway because that is what they were trained to do in those situations, by the Sheriff and Guy. Beatrice might just be one person, but if I had to help just one person right then, why couldn't it be her? She had a whole family to help support and it broke my heart and my last nerve to see her treated like that. Simply put, I wouldn't be much of a Robin Hood, if I didn't help those who needed me.

"But Robin you could have gotten into trouble, I don't want you doing things like that for me, there's no need to put yourself at risk." She said, 'could have'? poor dear, how she could possibly think I could get in more trouble than I already was, bless her. I smiled warmly at her, she was so grandmotherly, I was really warming to her, I was most people in town actually, I was getting close to the people I was helping, even though I didn't share half the same memories they did.

"It was no trouble Beatrice. Here it's yours," I said pressing her hands gently around the loaf of bread "I want you to have it."

She accepted the bread and looked at me, completely grateful. That look, and the knowledge that I was actually helping her, made it all worth while and im not just saying that because it's some corny cliché, it really was worth it.

"Bless you Robin darling, bless you," she said and I had time to do nothing more but smile at her before something outside the window caught my eye. The guards were back, having realised I wasn't hopping from rooftop to rooftop anymore; they were back down here searching the houses. Time for me to go.

"I gotta go Beatrice," I said walking backwards towards the window that led to the ally "make sure you hide that," I said pointing at the loaf, if the same guards from the market earlier searched her house she would have some explaining to do. She got what I ment and immediately shoved the loaf under the wooden counter.

"Oh yes, thank you Robin dear," she said "bye darling,"

"Bye," I said hopping out the window, such a nice woman.

I landed gently on the dirt floor; I knew that I had to get away from Beatrice's shop before she was roped into this further, well that was the plan anyway. I turned around and stifled a gasp, a few steps ahead of me with his back facing in my direction, was none other than Sir Guy. Oh crap, wasn't that just perfect, why couldn't he be out there with his men looking superior on horse back or something. I looked behind me, there was the tall wall of the towns' border, I could go that way and hopefully make it to the gates and to freedom.

"Robin?" he asked in his old cocky Adam style voice, the way he sounded before Baxter crammed the Oxford Dictionary into his head, like an overly confident chav, but in a medieval style, if that makes sense. I span back around to face him, my eyes wide and horrified, he had made his opinion of me very clear earlier when he sent him men after me, and it wasn't a good thing for him to spot me here. Guy was a lot more dangerous than Adam was (the whole do as I say or I'll tell Baxter on your boyfriend thing aside), he had the power and desire to see me standing at the gallows.

He stated walking towards me and I found that me feet were rooted to the floor, I couldn't back up if I wanted to and I found that I didn't want to either. Though this was different than if, say George, was walking towards me, it was rage not love that froze me where I stood, my hands were balled into fists and I was visibly shaking as the fury mounted inside of me. This man striding so casually towards me had just sent his men after me and had me running around this bloody town like a mad woman, this man (or at least his look alike) was using me as a lackey, ironing his socks, buying him lunch, opening doors for him and all the while dangling George's safety in front of me as a carrot to spur me on. This man was partly responsible for the suffering people like Beatrice and Elaine and Daniel, he was cruel and vindictive and disgusting, and I hated him with a passion.

He stopped suddenly, his expression darkened and he looked over my shoulder, I risked a look back as well and saw three guards racing down the ally towards me.

"Hood!" Guy exclaimed his voice was totally different now, cold and full of loathing. Well the feeling was mutual.

Guy's hand flew to the handle of his sword, but I was faster, before so much as a inch of shiny silver metal was visible I had pulled back my balled right fist and punched Guy round the face, he went flying. I didn't have the time to scream at him so I ran around him, not eager to face the guards dashing to his side. I reached the end of the ally just as he yelled.

"It's Hood, get her!" from where he lay sprawled out on the floor his had clutching his jaw.

I took off down the market now closer to the town gates; the guards were too disorientated and confused about where their order had come from or where they were supposed to be looking to pay much attention to me. I pulled up my hood as I approached the gates and was soon on the other side with no trouble; I fast walked down the road that lead out of town and sighed in relief when I saw four hooded figures walking towards me in the distance. The others, they had gotten tired waiting for me in Kingstone village and had come searching for me, well, I could have used them ten minuets ago. I smiled anyway and jogged towards them.

Outlaws tree house

Friday

Like I said, at least I knew exactly where the Adam in this time stood, and thankfully it was far, far, far away from me. If only Adam back in Locksdale was the same, it would make my life so much easier. I got to my feet bringing the muddy tea with me, another bad thing to living in King Richards England, no plumbing. No toilets, no showers, no baths (I had had to clear out the other outlaws from the tree house and wash with water from the basin everyday, well it was that or go to the dirty river and wash), no sinks in which I could drain a cup of 'tea'. In addition to the lack of entertainment (not that being an outlaw wasn't enough of that) comfortable seats, modern methods of communication and carpets, I cant tell you how many splinters I have had on my feet from the harsh wooden floor when I get out of bed on a morning. I walked onto the platform outside and headed towards the railing where there was a gap in the leave camouflage and rested my arms against the wooden barrier I held my cup over the railing and slowly began to tip it.

"Robin what are you dong?" Jack's voice made me jump a mile, needless to say blushing bright red and acting innocent I pulled back in the cup.

"Nothing, I just stepped out for some air is all." I innocently replied, I wasn't doing anything wrong.

"Well you had better come on down here," Will called, I looked down and saw Jack and John standing either side of him, all the other outlaws had gone off in search of fire wood leaving me here to plan, mine was clearly the harder job "there is going to be plenty of air where were going, and maybe a good fight as well if were lucky."

"Why were we going?" I asked now intrigued.

"We have spotted a carriage coming down the forest road; if we hurry we can intercept it." Jack said.

"It looks fancy too, who knows what they'll have in there." John said rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"Who's carriage?" Much asked (see I got his name right finally) appearing at the bottom of the tree and dumping firewood at the base, well at least one of them did what they were supposed to, dinner tonight would be a sorry affair without a fire.

"Don't know, we don't recognise the coat of arms." Will said just itching to get going.

I lowered the ladders and climbed down, I really was intrigued.

"We off then?" I asked throwing my quiver over my shoulder.

"Lets go," John said, as excited as a child on their way to Alton Towers theme park.

We managed to reach the forest road in good time; we could see the carriage rambling its way down the road a little way to our rights, now all we had to do was wait. Hiding here at the side of the road I was reminded of the last time I had intercepted a carriage here (ha, things you never thought you'd say, I feel like a highway man), I really didn't want a repeat of last time, that blond girl, whoever she was, was really bothering me. I knew who she was, I just couldn't remember. I was racking my brains trying to place her when the carriage was almost close enough for us to attack.

"This is it," I told my gang, they all nodded to me and waited ready to pounce. Soon the coat of arms came into view; it was printed proudly on the side of the carriage, a J in the centre of a crest like shape, the kind you see prefect badges shaped to, the fancy cursive of the J was the same for the writing underneath it 'Johnson' it read. I started to stand so that I could step out into the road they way I had the last time, when Much suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. His friendly intelligent face was twisted in confusion and worry, what was upsetting him I wondered, but my friend soon answered that question for me.

"That's my parent's carriage," he said.