Crouched in the silence of the trees, he waited for the flash of a silver knife. Only greenery among the trees told him that there was nothing yet. They had been waiting for almost two hours for the promised carriage to come through. There was still no definite word on if this was a trap or not. He suspected it was. For Alexei to have knowingly chosen a route through the forest smelled of either stupidity or cunning, and from what Yuri knew, Alexei was no fool.
Yuri's mind was far from fully invested in this watch. Flynn was disappointingly at the forefront all night through his sleeplessness, and well into the day. Focus was nigh impossible with the warmth of Flynn's hands still lingering on his skin, and his soft, foolish words still in Yuri's ears. He had denied those things so vehemently, yet they still nagged at him. He didn't want to think about all that, especially not with the signal flashing through the trees.
Raven's signal came, two clear, short flashes. The carriage was coming.
He pressed tighter into the tree trunk, ignoring the bark leaving imprints in his flesh. The sounds of the forest hushed as the grinding of wooden wagon wheels rang through the air, barely masking the clop of horse hooves. It was hard to determine how many horses, but for now, it was safe to assume two for the carriage minimum, and no less than four guards on horseback.
His eyes drifted from the trail to Judith's position in a cluster of bushes below Raven's perch. She was fixed on something. It must have been coming around the corner.
The carriage had barely come into view when she stated flashing her signal at him, quick and controlled. The carriage was big and gilded and grand, pulled by a team of two white horses. At the head, rode Flynn, and Yuri swore under his breath about his presence. The guards behind it numbered a dozen. Her signal warned of a trap, more troops than they had expected, and advised in its flashing against springing the counter trap. Flynn's presence was just as much of a deterrent.
Pulling his knife from its sheath, he flashed back an affirmation, and then the halt order to Karol down the path. And all of them sat and watched the carriage drive right by untouched. Only once it was well on its way, did he drop down from his tree, and gather with the others just off the trail.
"No doubt a trap." Judith said, tapping her chin with one finger. "To think we'd fall for a decoy like that."
"Decoy?" Yuri asked.
"From the sound of the rattling inside, it wasn't carrying anything but empty boxes. Wouldn't that make sense, though? A grand carriage with guards comes through the forest, but only to serve as a trap or distraction from the real target. The first one is too obvious. I bet if we wait just a little longer, an easier looking mark will come around."
"Let's wait then," Yuri said. "We'll get back in position and see what else comes our way."
They parted, and back into the tree he climbed. At least he hadn't had to confront Flynn.
The forest returned to its usual ambiance, sounds muffled slightly by the folds of his hood. Daylight wore on, sunlight shifting as it filtered through the canopy. It was almost relaxing, and he might have drifted off into a nap if Flynn hadn't still been weighing on his mind. He had too much else to worry about to be burdened by pointless thoughts of days gone by and days that would never be. Yuri had chosen his path before and he wasn't going to falter now. Not even for Flynn. Things couldn't go back to the way they had been. It was impossible, no matter how much they both wanted it.
Midday brought with it swampy heat that burned in his limbs and drew the moisture from his mouth. Even his high perch offered only the slightest breeze for relief. His legs and back were sore from the constant shifting he found himself doing in a vain attempt to get comfortable. It was looking bleak until he saw the flash of Raven's knife from across the trail.
Yuri scrambled to attention, watching the trail and training his ears on the tiniest, unnatural sounds. The squeal of wooden wagon wheels, and the clop of hooves. Judith must have seen it already, and the flashes of her signal were just as quick and much more hopeful. They all waited.
Just as the first carriage had, a second came around the bend in the trail. It was a homely wooden cargo wagon pulled by a single old mare with a cloaked driver and second person in the seat. It was nothing more interesting than a load of straw from one of the local farms and would normally be nothing to bother with. The people of the village were never his targets. But a second signal from Judith, two long flashes and three short, gave him cause for more than a cursory glance.
With a sharp whistle, he called Repede. The dog leapt from the bushes and instantly the horse reared, whinnying and spooked. He stood in the path, safe from the trampling hooves and growled long and low. The horse whipped the reins out of the driver's hands, and Repede caught them in his teeth. A gentle yank pulled the horse back, and although it expressed its displeasure with a snort, it seemed to calm.
Perfectly planned, everyone else sprung into action. Judith and Raven pinned the driver and his passenger, both of whom reached into their cloaks before they found blades pressed against their throats. Karol leapt into the wagon bed, and Yuri dropped down out of the tree and into the path.
"Well, what have we here?" he asked, brushing bark and moss from his gloved hands.
"J-Just simple travelers, sir!" the passenger started to explain. "We head to Devonshire-"
Judith cut him off, reaching across his lap and drawing the long sword form his hip. "Oh my, how well prepared you are!"
Raven pulled the driver's sword, turning the hilt in his hand as he examined it. "Can't say I've ever seen common travelers carrying swords of the castle guard."
"Or carrying a big chest full of coins like this!" Karol added, throwing aside a bunch of straw to reveal just that. He had made quick work of the lock.
Disarmed, the two guards were un-hooded and tied up. Judith and Yuri were careful to tie their hands tightly and bind their legs together. He and Raven unloaded the chest, a plain, but heavy box filled quite full with coins, and set it off the path temporarily. Judith took a great deal of pleasure in tossing the guards into the back of the wagon, leaving them nestled safe but struggling in the hay. She took even more glee in knocking them out with Karol's help.
Their work done, Yuri took the horse's reins from Repede, calming the animal with a gentle stroke of its mane.
"To think a thing like this bridle would have given them away," Judith said, admiring the fine tool work on the leather straps, held in place with disks of hammered silver.
"We got what we came for." Yuri turned the carriage around to face the way along the trail it had come from. With a slap on the hindquarter, the mare galloped away, dragging the wagon with it.
Triumphantly, they carried the chest back to camp. Over fish frying on the fire, they counted out and sorted their loot according to the meticulous list Judith kept. Each person in the village would get a share, some more to get them out of jail, others enough to keep them free and their families fed a little longer. Yuri knew that this was an ever temporary solution. Taxes would come due again in no time and Yuri would be hard pressed to come up with more money. It was a losing battle, but it was the only one he could fight.
Counting the money gave him no joy, but not much did with the heavy weight on his chest. At least this was going to help people. At least he was doing something. What was Flynn doing?
He was the Sheriff, but he was still under the prince's thumb. Maybe he really did mean well, but what good did meaning well do? What action was he taking to help the people? Estelle said that he had an audience with the prince, but Yuri hadn't mentioned that during their brief, watery encounter the night before. He hadn't had much of a chance, with Flynn getting desperate and touchy with him. If any good had come from said audience, though, it was something that Yuri hadn't been able to see yet. His idea of fixing the law would take time, and it might not be time the people had. At least Yuri was doing something, no matter how temporary or futile.
Rita joined them gruffly, helping portion out the money while she told them about the arrival of the first carriage outside the abbey and how vexed the guards had been. They passed around the fish and hunks of bread and cheese. The food filled his belly and conversation filled his head, but his chest was still heavy and hollow.
When he said that the plan went off without a hitch, that was a bad thing. At least in terms of being the Sheriff.
He had rather hastily been thrown into another of Alexei and the prince's plans that morning, and filled in on very little. All he knew what that he was to escort a carriage through the forest and to to the other side. With the grandeur of the carriage, they had expected to be attacked, and were disappointed when they weren't. Well, Flynn hadn't been disappointed so much as relieved. He found out that they had been a decoy for Robin Hood, and that another carriage, disguised, would be following along with the actual gold.
At first, Flynn wondered why they hadn't been attacked. Even with a dozen guards and himself, Yuri would have taken the risk. Or was Flynn the reason that Yuri had chosen not to attack? Was his mere presence, and the threat of inadvertently being exposed, deterrent enough?
But more than likely, Yuri had realized that it was a trap. If he hadn't, one of his teammates might have. That was all behind him, though, and he returned to his office to work out the remainder of the day.
Calling on LeBlanc, they focused on the current status of the town itself.
"Did the patrol from the west gate come back with anything?" he asked, looking over his scroll of a map, splayed over his desk and held in place by a cup and a book.
"Everything has checked out for the afternoon."
"First shift ends soon. The night watch has strict orders regarding who comes and goes through the gates as usual."
Granted, that did nothing for their overall problem. Yuri wasn't going to come walking into town. He was stubborn, but not stupid. On top of that, he was no danger to the villagers. And with people in his employ who could move about freely in the town, and likely did so right under Flynn's nose, nothing was truly off limits to him.
"Have we collected all of the taxes for the week?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. Adecor and Boccos are going to make the evening rounds shortly. There were still many who were not able to pay this morning. Perhaps after a hard day's work at market, things will fare better," LeBlanc explained. Flynn hated the idea of those two attempting to collect taxes with their aggressiveness, so Flynn often went himself, even though he did not relish the task.
"Just recall them. I will go myself," he said with a sigh.
"Keep them on a leash then. I know they get a bit... zealous, about their duty, but they really do mean well."
"Lots of people 'mean well,'" he mumbled. "It doesn't mean they're doing 'well'.
Yuri meant well. Yuri's people meant well. LeBlanc, Adecor, Boccos meant well. Estellise surely meant well. Maybe even in their own twisted sense, Prince Cumore and Alexei both 'meant well', although that was difficult for Flynn to see. Intentions and actions were two very different things ,and intentions, no matter how good and pure, did not validate unlawful or ruthless actions. And Yuri's intentions certainly didn't.
Maybe he really was just doing what he believed was the right thing to do. Maybe it /was/ the right thing to do. Maybe it was Flynn who was mistaken.
No sooner could LeBlanc question his statement then a loud knock came at the door of his office. LeBlanc didn't hesitate in answering it, and Flynn's stomach hardened at the sight of Alexei standing there. The look he wore was plain and serious, but hid an underlying rage that would not be expressed in volume, but in tone and carefully chosen words.
"Out," he said sternly to Leblanc, who shot Flynn a passing and apologetic glance before doing as he was told. The door shut behind him and Flynn was left alone with Alexei in the crushing quiet.
"Perhaps you'd like to debrief me on the mission from today." He stood in front of him, towering over him, his long, shadow stretched over the surface of his desk. He wasn't going to like what Flynn had to say about it, and something about the blankness of his face made it safe to assume that he already knew.
Qualms about the trap aside, Flynn spoke, "We made it all the way through the forest without a single problem. We encountered not a soul in the forest." It was the truth, even though he was certain the Yuri had been watching.
"Robin Hood did not make his appearance then."
"Sherwood Forest was as silent as the grave."
"Then do you mind explaining how the second carriage returned to the castle after having been plundered?" From the beginning, Flynn had expected something like this. Alexei's very brief line of questioning was accusatory in nature, and again, he looked to pin the blame on Flynn.
"Unfortunately, sir, I don't know." Perhaps his own tone was a little sharper than it should have been, but he continued. "You see, I knew nothing of your attempted trap until this morning when my men and I were given the word that we would escort one carriage from the castle. I had no idea about a second carriage or what it carried. I'm certain, though, that your men did tell you of Robin Hood-"
"Vainglorious little-" Alexei stopped himself before the outburst of his temper could erupt. "The Prince has seen this as a failure on your part. After all, you still have not captured that miscreant. He continues to run rampant and terrorize the people."
Where Cumore had gotten that this was Flynn's fault, he had no idea, but he certainly suspected that Alexei had no problem aggravating the issue.
"Expect that your next failure will cost you your job, if not your head."
"Yes, sir." Alexei had to hear the disdain barely concealed behind those words. He watched Alexei leave, nearly slamming the door behind him had it not been for LeBlanc's entry.
"Zealous isn't quite strong enough a word for /him/," Flynn muttered.
"What was that, sir?" LeBlanc asked.
"Nothing." He stood from his desk. "I'm going to make evening rounds. Please lock up before you leave."
"Of course, sir."
Flynn went to do a job he hated. From the town square, he went from house to house, knocking. Some residents ignored his attempts to collect, others gave him any number of reasons why they could not pay, or only pay a small sum, and he believed them, as frustrating as it was. Those who were able to pay, were likely only able to do so with Yuri's aid. They thanked him for his patience with him or cursed him beneath their breath, but every coin that fell into his pouch with a click only sickened him further. This was not his job. This was the prince's wish for him to mercilessly crush these people, to tear the very soul out of them with their taxes, and Flynn was forced to take part. What more could he do when he was duty bound? Cumore had been right. He was the keeper of the law, but in truth, he had no power to change it.
Sunset was fast approaching but the icy hardness of his stomach gave him no sense of time. How many houses had he been through at this point and how much filthy money had he collected? He wasn't sure, but the pouch on his belt felt increasingly heavy. His blood ran cold with the thought of the answer as he knocked on a door, the final in his rounds.
"Come in," and elderly voice called, followed by a squeak of a second voice.
Heavyhearted, he opened the door. Within the hovel, a bent old woman sat in the chair before the hearth, milky eyes looking up at him. Beside her, a boy stood, maybe twelve, with brown eyes fixed on him in surprise. Flynn was just as surprised to see the boy whom he recognized instantly. This was definitely the same boy who had been in the castle with Yuri during his robbery of the treasury.
Their eyes locked for a moment and the sweat that beaded on the boy's brow spoke of fear. That only meant one thing: Yuri hadn't told his people about Flynn.
There were no words Flynn could use to convey to the boy that he wasn't the enemy. It wasn't clear what Flynn was to either Yuri or this cause, but he wasn't the enemy. They had different ideas about how best to fix things, they had differences and disagreements, but in the end, they were of the same mind. They both wanted to change things. Yuri was the only one doing anything with some success.
"Who's there?" The old woman asked, tilting her head to peer at him vaguely.
"The Sheriff, ma'am," he replied.
"Oh, you must be here about the taxes." She grumbled, standing with the aid of the boy's shoulder.
"Yes, ma'am."
She dug absently in the pocket of her apron, but seemed to find nothing. Rather, the boy produced the coins, five of them, bright and shining silver.
"Here you are, Grandmother," he said and pressed them into her bony hand.
"Oh, oh my yes. here." She passed them on to Flynn.
"Thank you ma'am, and good evening."
She shut the door abruptly behind him. It didn't surprise him. Many people had been short with him. She was no different. But wasn't what bothered him now. The presence of the boy had, the surprise and fear plain on his face when Flynn locked eyes with him. That look told him that Yuri hadn't told them about Flynn, and that meant nothing less than the fact that Yuri didn't trust him.
He wasn't the only one with wavering trust. Flynn wanted so hard to believe in Yuri, but that didn't make this any easier. Between stealing and lying and getting Lady Estellise involved in his plots, could Flynn trust him?
