Chapter 10

Emelina sat on the damp earth, her back against a tree and her knees drawn up to her chest against the early morning chill. She had not slept at all and had spent the night formulating a plan of escape but, with her hands bound and feet, it seemed she was forced to accept her fate. As the sun rose, a ray of light caught the blade of Robin's dagger, placed within easy reach of his hand should it be needed. She glanced around at all the other men, still sleeping soundly. Her heart began to pound almost deafeningly in her head. Silently, cautiously she crawled across the forest floor ignoring the pain of the stones and branches digging into the flesh of her legs. She bent forward and felt the cold metal against her fingertips as they slid down the blade. Suddenly Robin's hand shot forward with almost inhuman speed and snatched her arm. She twisted and turned, the rope burning her flesh but he would not let go. Finally she brought her knee up. His cry of agony told her she had made contact with her target and she fought to suppress a wicked smile but Robin was not about to let her go. His cry had awoken the others and by the time John's eyes could focus, Robin was binding Emelina securely to the trunk of the tree.

"Robin, is that necessary?" Allan cried as he pulled himself to his feet. Robin did not reply. John took an audible breath in and repeated Allan's question.

"It is necessary," Robin said finally, before marching away. John looked at Emelina for a moment before following him.

"You have terrified her. Can you not see that? You gave her your word that she would not be harmed," John said. Robin shrugged.

"She has not been harmed has she? She was trying to reach my dagger and I don't think she was planning to chop vegetables, do you?"

"Let her go," John continued.

"Not yet," Robin replied decisively. "Go to Clun. We need bread and the baker is expecting you. Take Much. Allan can watch her." He inclined his head towards Emelina.

"You must know that Gisborne will tear the forest apart to find her," John warned. "And you want to leave her in the hands of Allan. He has already betrayed you once. Are you prepared to give him a chance to do it again?" Allan raised his eyebrows in disgust but said nothing. What would be the point, after all?

"Clun, John." Robin replied.

John shook his head but said no more, wondering if this was the beginning of the end for the friendship they had all shared. Robin's behaviour was reprehensible and he knew that he, for one, could not support a man so bent on revenge. He turned and made his way back to the camp where Much was feeding Emelina from a bowl. Much quickly excused himself and followed John.

"What is going on?" Much whispered, glancing intermittently at their prisoner. John just shrugged. "I do not like this. She has done nothing wrong." John nodded his agreement. "Then we should untie her and let her go. I do not know what is going through Robin's head but this…this is not my master."

"He told me to go to Clun for bread. Untie her and we shall return her," John said, decisively. Much hesitated. John rolled his eyes before striding over and taking the knife from the fireplace. Emelina's eyes widened in fear as she saw the blade.

"Please John, you do not want to kill me," she begged. John put his finger to his lips before running the blade against the ropes. Furtively he looked about him before helping her to her feet.

"He ain't going to like this," Allan said.

"Quiet, fool!" John whispered.

"He's right though," Much agreed. "What are we going to tell Robin?"

"That she escaped whilst we were in Clun," John replied.

"Not bein' funny but I'm not exactly thrilled at the thought of telling him she escaped on my watch?" Allan replied, hands on hips and eyebrows raised to their fullest extent.

"Please, stop arguing and help me. I am not safe with Robin. You do not need to take me anywhere. Just point me in the right direction. I am sure that I can find my own way."

"This forest is full of outlaws, and not the good kind," Allan said.

"And you are the good kind?" Emelina laughed, astonished at the suggestion. "Your leader has kidnapped me and held me prisoner for no reason other than my name...but you are the good kind?"

"Yeah!" Allan smiled. "Imagine what the others are like." Emelina stared at him for a moment, wanting to be angry but his smile and his humour had disarmed her. Finally she shook her head and chuckled. Much rolled his eyes and cleared his throat in an unnecessarily noisy manner.

"We'll collect the bread from Clun and then we will take you to Locksley," he said. Emelina looked from one man to the next, then nodded.

Gisborne had already saddled his horse as dawn broke and he rode out into the main courtyard of the castle. His men were assembled and awaiting instruction.

"We go to Clun. We are to take prisoners. Nobody is to be hurt…for now." His blood ran cold at the thought of what Robin may already have done to Emelina. The men galloped out of the castle grounds just as Vaisey joined Gisborne.

"Shall we go and catch ourselves a few peasants?" he said cheerfully as he tossed a chicken bone over his shoulder and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of one of his guards before mounting his horse. Gisborne frowned. "What? Well, you cannot torture on an empty stomach. Speaking of which, how did you get on with that maid?"

Gisborne reflected on the hour he had spent with Catherine, questioning her. He had not been able or willing to bring about any real harm, sure that, as a maid, she would know nothing and more than aware of Emelina's attachment to her.

"Nothing more," he said, simply.

John and his companions crept into the village of Clun and headed for the wooden house of the baker. Inside, the baker's wife was busy kneading dough whilst the baker and two young boys shaped the loaves ready for the clay ovens.

"Good morning sir," Much greeted cheerily. The baker nodded slightly but his wife and the boys carried on with their work as though the visitors were not there. "We have come to collect our bread. I believe that you were expecting us." Suddenly the baker's wife stood and abandoned her dough, quickly followed by the two young boys.

"I was expecting you." A sack cloth curtain which hung in a rear doorway was drawn back and Robin stepped forward. "I followed you from the camp. I had a feeling you might try something like this. Much, collect the bread and take it back to camp," he said, never taking his eyes off Emelina.

Hesitantly, Much took the supplies and stepped outside. Allan waited in the doorway, not wanting to leave John alone. Emelina's eyes darted about the room, seeking out an escape route but nothing was immediately obvious.

"Robin," she said gently, moving out of John's shadow. "Please let me go. I have done nothing. I understand that you are angry with my husband and you will have your revenge for Marian, but not like this." Robin looked at her for a moment then slowly shook his head.

"You would say anything," he smiled.

Trapped in a corner, Emelina lunged for the bakers paddle which lay on the table. She missed. John quickly stepped forward, standing between Robin and Emelina, giving her the room to run. Robin looked at her, slowly shaking his head, silently begging her not to move. Convinced that she would die either way, she took her chances. Robin vaulted over the workbench before John had time to react. Outside he pulled out his bow and an arrow.

"Robin, no!" John yelled after him. Emelina looked over her shoulder, then stopped and turned.

"The great Robin Hood does not kill!" she said, her heart pounding as she stared into the point of the arrow, frozen but determined not to show her fear. Still he did not lower the bow.

"Master, please," Much begged. "You know that this is wrong…Please…"

"Run, my lady!" Allan shouted to her as Robin hesitated. Emelina heeded his words and took to her heels again as Robin released the arrow.