I hope you enjoy this chapter; this is the first double-figured chapter I've ever written so I thought it ought to be this fic that got that 'honour', being my first story. Thank you for reviews and the most recent subscription, I know this chapter has been a long time coming…sorry!

Please read and review; enjoy!

Chapter 10

Vaysey skipped down the stairs in the dungeons and smiled widely; spreading his arms out wide. He was met with the Locksley villagers faces staring back at him, due to their large amount they were compact in the cells and had slept badly as a result. The morning had brought a small breakfast of stale bread and now Vaysey's cruel show.

"Why so glum?" he taunted, pulling a face and then cackling "Today" he announced in a big booming voice "is the days taxes rise! Good job then that you are all in here and won't have to pay them!"

Guy sighed quietly, fed up with the Sheriff's taunts; yes, he was glad that he had brought all these villagers here, yes he had brought Robin anger and upset, but Vaysey had not been completely thrilled with him. In fact he had declared that he wasn't quite sure whether they'd be enough rope for thirty hangings. The memory almost made Guy sick, the way Vaysey had cackled after he had spouted his little joke about rope and the way that he himself had laughed along with the sheriff made his stomach flip. He was no better than Vaysey; perhaps even worse.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why do you not listen to me?" Djaq moaned as she arrived at Locksley Manor in the morning looking at her patient up and out of bed.

Lillian looked up from her breakfast; a small slice of bread was all she could manage but at least it was not stale. "I did listen…just didn't quite follow the commands"

Allan let out a laugh at that but was quickly silenced by Djaq's scowl. The physician lifted her palm to her patients head and felt for a fever, gently Lillian reached for her friend's hand and withdrew it from her forehead, drawing it down to her eye level and then looked up at Djaq, her mouth stretching into a smile.

Djaq had regretted placing her left hand on Lillian's head the moment she had done so, but switching hands quickly would have drawn attention to her and she didn't want that. She should have realised that Lillian would have noticed the cooler band on her finger; she had inherited too much from her parents, the combination of their characteristics was almost lethal. Then Djaq mentally laughed, Lillian; Lethal. The two just didn't go together, Lillian may be highly intuitive, feisty, witty and intelligent but she had inherited her mother's compassion and her father's strong love. Lillian would never intentionally hurt a fly; except perhaps the Sheriff, but even then she had gained her mother's temperament and acceptance, she was not as hot-headed as her father.

Everyone's eyes in the room were suddenly focused on Djaq's hand. She smiled at Will and then looked down at Lillian; "Would you mind being a flower-girl?" she smirked, letting out a little giggle.

Robin looked at Will next to him who was silently smiling to himself "You two are…"

"Yes!" Djaq exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear

Robin clapped Will on the back "Congratulations! This calls for a toast" he declared and Marian scampered off to find enough goblets and some wine

"You, missy, should go to bed. Too much excitement is bad for you, Lillian" Djaq teased

Lillian looked up at her and raised her eyebrows in such a way that reminded Djaq of Marian. She smiled as she was handed a goblet and raised it waiting for Robin to declare the toast

"To Will and Djaq, may they enjoy life as man and wife and live their days out together"

"To Will and Djaq!" everyone chorused, raising the goblets to their lips and wishing their friends many happy years.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Much glanced to his side and saw Allan disguised as a guard patrolling a sidewalk of the Castle.

"And so taxes shall increase, and the penalty remains, if you do not pay taxes then you shall hang, as the village of Locksley will display tomorrow"

Will's hand dropped from his axe's handle, they had come in case the Sheriff had decided to coincide the announcement of increased taxes with the hangings; but the end of his speech showed he was intending on saving that for later, another day.

Robin tightened his grip around Marian's waist; they had been expected to attend the 'event'. He had however banned Lillian from coming.

"What? I'm not near death, I'm fine!" she had assured him when he had told her that she would not be coming with them to Nottingham Castle

"Lillian you are still weak and I do not think that it is a wise idea that you come with us"

"If he hangs them, then I want to be there to help! I care for them too, and you'll need more numbers if you wish to stand any chance of getting an entire village out of there alive"

"Lillian it is highly unlikely that he will hang them today"

"But it is a possibility"

"Yes" he had said eventually; he did not like lying to his daughter "It is an unlikely possibility but yes it is a possibility"

It had been at this point that Allan had interrupted; "Lillian, Vaysey's gonna make a big thing out of this, he'll put on a big show, the whole works and when he does you are going to help but until then you have to wait. Besides when he does you're going to have to go unnoticed, so if we can fool Guy into thinking he's really made a mess of you then no one will suspect a thing when you punch the living daylights out of them all!" he grinned and winked at Lillian and Marian rolled her eyes; Allan flirted with any woman he laid his eyes on. She coughed lightly to show Allan her irritation but she was happy nonetheless that he had managed to convince Lillian into staying at home.

Of course Robin had asked Little John to stay with Lillian; he knew his daughter too well to even consider leaving her home alone; she'd be out before they'd even left the village.

This is why when they all met at the back of the Tavern they were two members short.

"We have to find John!" Much cried, brandishing his sword and looking at the others for support. Allan just laughed.

"Allan A Dale this is not a laughing matter!"

Marian smirked; in fact everyone had a smile on their face.

"Much, John is keeping Lillian company at home. Remember?" Marian said

"More like barricading the door!" Allan exclaimed.

"Right, of course. I knew that" Much said, trying to downplay the situation, splitting up they all went their separate ways, vowing to meet at Locksley Manor to discuss Allan's idea for a plan.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edward looked at his granddaughter standing next to him staring up at the stars in the sky. He remembered the first time he had brought her out here, like he had with Marian when she was a child. She craned her neck to gain a better glimpse of the twilight sky and the silver dots that covered it.

It had been quite some time since he had been able to lift back his head and gaze upon the sky like his granddaughter did, though she did not know it. He didn't want her to see how he had changed what he was becoming; an old man who could not see the world the same way a young girl could.

Marian glanced out of the window at her father and daughter. She was aware that her father was getting older by the day, and she knew that deep down Lillian understood that Edward was frailer than ever. She felt Robin's hands on her hips and breath on her neck and she twisted her face to see his, she leant back into him, melting into his arms as he wrapped them around her. And she smiled, their people may be in jail, their cottages empty, their 'village' completely deserted, poverty striking up and down the country, the king at war but for this short blissful moment the three people closest to her were in some kind of peace, in Knighton under a deep blue sky.