*~*~*Freedom*~*~*

*~*Standing our ground in a crowd of lions roaring*~*

#~Part 3~#

Robin Pov

Small streams of light filter through broken pieces of rock and blind me when I finally opened my eyes. I tried to straighten up against the chains that pinned my arms and legs but I found my body too weak to perform even the simplest of tasks.

With some effort I managed to lean on the wall behind me. Despite the slight light that came through, it was unbearably dark. The air was humid and stale, the same as the ruins and my clothes. It took me a few moments to deduce that I was still in the ruins somewhere not too far from the lake I had been pushed into.

"Who's there?" I said when I heard a shuffle in the corner and felt a pair of eyes on me. I couldn't see who it was, but I was sure they could see me. "Who are you?"

"That's not important." A male voice replied. It did not sound familiar. "The question is why did you come here?"

"I'm a researcher." I replied. It was partly true. "I heard that there was an interesting monument here and I came to investigate. Why are you keeping me prisoner?"

"A researcher, you say? It didn't seem that way to me when you were attacking my men outside." The man said. He sounded vaguely irritated.

As I suspected, playing innocent would be useless right now. The person before me was probably the one that the man named Garner had mentioned "that guy isn't as patient as I am when it comes to matters like this."

It wouldn't do me much good to waste time, I needed to find Zoro as well.

"What do you want with me then?" I said.

He took his time to reply but when he did his voice was considerably calmer. "I am also interested in these ruins, or rather what is hidden in them. I found this in your bag."

He threw an item down on the floor next to me. The streaming light illuminated the corner of the item. It was Dorna's journal. "I see you've met that old lady, Dorna. Where you the one that attacked Garner and his men that night too?"

"Were you the one that sent them?" I said and I felt a dull anger brew inside. Those men that had come to harass Dorna, did they think I would allow them to do the same to me?

"I did send them," he said, "but I didn't expect things to end up the way as they did. After all, there is no honor in attacking a defenseless old lady."

Despite myself, I scoffed in disgust. "You want to speak of honour yet you have me chained. After attempting to drown me, of course."

"You are hardly a defenseless person." The man said. I heard him step closer. "But I don't intend to harm you. If possible I would like you to help me. I will make it worth your while and you will also be able to research this ruin to your heart's content."

I considered his proposition. If he was being truthful, I could find Zoro and leave without any more trouble. Dorna would also be left alone if I agreed to assist this man. Even if he was lying my body was still too weak to fight back at the moment.

"What do you need my help with?" I said.

"As I'm sure you already know, I can't read the scriptures here. It will take a long time for me to translate them by book. If you can translate them for me and help me find the treasure hidden in here then I will keep my word and let you go."

"What about my comrade? He was here with me, what did you do with him?"

"There's no need to worry about him. I will allow him to leave with you when the time comes."

A scream in the distance suggested otherwise. Stones began to fall from the ceiling, followed by more screams and the screech of clashing metal. A fight had broken out. I had no doubt who the instigator was. Besides me, the shoes of my captor scraped against the rubble. He was getting ready to leave.

"I guess this is going to be harder than I thought." He said. "Consider my offer. If possible, I want to achieve my goals with as little trouble as possible, Nico Robin."

A key was placed in my hand and the man disappeared. I signed. He knew my name but I didn't even see his face. In the future, that could put me at a disadvantage. He could spot me before I could spot him. A dangerous situation to be in.

The clash of metal in the distance continued until I could hear the tread of running boots. He was getting nearer.

"I'm in here!" I yelled. Though the key was in my hand, the chains were heavy and bound too tightly for me to use it. Minutes later, the small shimmers of light became bright beams as Zoro slashed through the wall on the other side.

"Robin! Are you OK?" He said anxiously, but I was more interested in what he had done to the wall. They were four hundred year old ruins. History can never be replaced. At least, from what I could see, there were no texts written on the part of the wall he had destroyed. That was a small consolation for me.

"I'm fine. The key is in my hand, we need to get out of here."

Zoro retrieved the key and together we escaped from the ruins. When we reached a safe enough distance, Zoro turned sharply.

"Enough is enough. What the hell is going on, Robin?" He said. He glared at me the way he had a few nights ago. A repressed anger borne from worry. Stupidly, I had put myself in danger again. Except this time I wasn't the only one in danger.

"I'm sorry." I said regretfully. "But I will have to explain later. For now please follow me, there is somewhere we must go to quickly."

*~*Standing our ground in a crowd of lions roaring*~*

End of Chapter.

First of all, thank you very much my reviewers! Really appreciated your comments and I'm glad you're enjoying the story again! I'm going to try to pick up the action a bit, so hopefully the story will be moving forward quickly from now on.