Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.
A/N: Well … I know I say this a bit, but I'm not thrilled with this chapter. Hopefully, you all will read and enjoy though :)
Chapter 11
Friar Tuck watched as Robin Hood, the manservant, and the giant returned to camp. In all his years, Tuck had never seen such a black look as the one that darkened Robin's face. Something terrible had happened – something that had nothing to do with him or the others and their attempt to return Robin and his friends to Prince John. But Tuck couldn't guess what had gone horribly wrong as what little Robin and the others were saying Tuck could not hear.
In Robin's absence, the Saracen and the carpenter had questioned Tuck, Sarah, and Wat as David was still unconscious. They had questioned them until the carpenter's injuries had made him look nearly green and the Saracen had returned him to the other side of camp so he could rest and she could treat him. During the interrogation, Sarah had avoided the intent glare of Will Scarlett, mumbling answers here and there. Wat had kept his head bowed and remained silent, though Tuck didn't take Wat's silence as defiance. No, Tuck rather thought Wat was regretting his actions. Meanwhile, Tuck had been quite open to answering any questions the duo asked him.
At the moment, Tuck knew Wat and Sarah felt … defeated, perhaps betrayed, perhaps ashamed by their actions, and perhaps fearful that their lives were simply going to end in the middle of Sherwood Forest instead of London. But he also knew they were not cruel people by nature but victims of a world that did not treat the poor kindly, especially under Prince John's regency. Tuck knew they'd had their doubts about delivering Robin and his gang to Prince John, especially after seeing first hand what Robin had done for the poor of Nottinghamshire and how he'd stood up to the Sheriff of Nottingham's tyranny since returning from the Holy Land. Still, regardless of their misgivings, Sarah and Wat were not leaders. They were people who tended to gravitate toward the strongest personality in a group and take their lead from that person. In this group, David was outwardly the dominant personality – the one who easily took charge. Of course, Tuck formed his own opinions and made his own choices, but he was quieter about them, so Sarah and Wat listened to David, and his confidence swayed their reservations about their mission.
As for David, Tuck counted on the man going into a foaming rage when he awoke and realized Tuck's duplicity. Unfortunately, Tuck couldn't help that. He'd done what he thought was right, and he didn't regret it. And in the end, Tuck was confident Sarah and Wat would come around to his view. David … well, Tuck wasn't so sure about David even after he'd vented his anger and calmed down enough to think rationally. David of Doncaster had lived the past several years as a mercenary, selling his skills to the highest bidder. Though not an evil man, David's only real concept was compensation. He couldn't afford to weigh right versus wrong because then he wouldn't be able to perform his job – the job that put food in his belly and clothing on his back. For David, life was all about finding the best offer.
Before Tuck could contemplate David's reaction further, David groaned, shifting as best he could while being bound to a tree. Tuck watched as David slowly lifted his head, cracked his neck, and experimentally opened his eyes, blinking a few times to focus on the world around him, no doubt. It didn't take David long before his eyes found Tuck, and it seemed like his gaze held Tuck's for a long time before he finally asked, "Why did you do it?"
"Because it was the right thing to do," Tuck replied. Though his voice was quiet, no one listening could mistake the conviction with which he said it.
"Was it really? It was the right thing to do? We were so close to having our pardons – our freedom." David's voice was steadily increasing from a whisper as anger flushed his face. "Doesn't that mean something to you? What do these people mean that you'd sell us for them? Sure, I wanted to gold, but more than that I wanted my freedom. And you took that away from me – from us. What gives you the bloody right?" David was nearly shouting now, inevitably drawing the attention of Robin and his friends.
And before Tuck could really be certain what was happening, Robin had a blade at David's chest. "And what gives you the right to sell us to Prince John? What gives you the right to interfere with our lives? Because of you, three people I care about are prisoners in Nottingham. You kept me from keeping a promise, from protecting people I swore to protect. And I swear to you, if any one of them comes to harm, I will hold all of you responsible. You will wish you had stayed in London."
"Robin," Little John said with a hint of warning in his gruff voice.
"Master, stop," Much said, clearly exasperated. "We cannot think with you threatening people. And your threatening them is not going to solve anything."
"What gives me the right?" David asked with a sneer on his lips as if Little John and Much had never spoken. His glare was for Robin alone. "A pardon from Prince John – that's what gives me the right. And I don't care how noble Robin Hood and his men are. If you were in the Tower – if you could see what they did, if you could hear the screams …" David's voice trailed off, and he swallowed hard, looking pained, and Tuck knew why. Remembering what atrocities occurred in the Tower's dungeons was not a memory anyone needed to relive. But David gathered himself quickly, shoving aside that moment of weakness. "If you were there, you'd take the same bargain, and I guarantee you wouldn't think twice."
Robin snorted with disgust, but he did lower the dagger. He shook his head as if he were preparing to argue with a stubborn child. "Are you that naïve? I do not doubt what you saw and what you heard, and I do not doubt how terrible it was. But do you really believe Prince John would keep his word? Did it never occur to you that when you deliver us, he would just conveniently forget his promise? That he would just execute you along with us? I spent five years with King Richard, and I have heard enough about Prince John to trust him less than the Sheriff. Men like him do not keep promises. They use people, and when they are finished with them, they throw them away. That, you can believe."
As Tuck quietly listened to all of this, he realized something he never thought of before. Robin was right. What guarantee did they have that Prince John would keep his promise to them? They had only his word and dreams of pardons and gold. Without King Richard's own views, Tuck knew there was enough evidence condemning Prince John as a malicious and devious man. He didn't gain the power he had in Richard's absence by being truthful or kind. He obtained what he wanted and rid himself of anyone he deemed disposable. And Tuck, David, Sarah, and Wat certainly fell into the disposable category as far as Tuck could see. Once they'd fulfilled their purpose, Prince John would have no use for them, and he would never part with the ransom's worth of gold he'd promised them.
Prince John had played them all for fools, manipulating them to obtain what he wanted. But David didn't seem quite prepared to accept that. "Basing your opinion on King Richard's is interesting. Coming from a king who left his people and his country to fight a war in a world most of us will never see, I don't understand how that means much of anything. I'm not a fool. I don't believe Prince John is a good man, but I cannot share your faith in King Richard either."
Much opened and closed his mouth several times as if he wanted to reprimand David for speaking against King Richard, but he was too flustered to think of anything to say. Robin didn't have such a problem. "The king is a good man who is fighting for what he believes in. He could not have guessed how his brother would manipulate the nobles and gain the power he has. When the king returns, John will be punished as will the nobles who have sided with him. Until that day, it is our duty to take back what we can from the corrupt – from men like the Sheriff and Gisborne, from men like Prince John himself."
Then quite unexpectedly, to Tuck's surprise, indeed to everyone's surprise, David asked, "Gisborne? As in Sir Guy of Gisborne?"
"You know him?" Robin asked.
At the same time, Much mumbled, "I would hate to think there is more than one Gisborne out there."
The anger appeared to melt out of David, but it was replaced by something far more deadly than anger. Tuck watched him intently. In fact, everyone was watching David expectantly, even Wat, who'd finally lifted his head. At some point, Tuck didn't recall seeing them appear, Djaq and Will had also come to see what exactly was happening. They were all waiting silently for David to continue.
Finally, David looked back up at Robin. "I certainly can't say I have the pleasure of knowing him. I'd say it's more of a misfortune. I wasn't always a mercenary. I didn't always sell my services to the highest bidder, but I was left with few options to survive. I'm not a farmer or a tradesman. I fight. It's what I know, and maybe that means I should have fought for King Richard. But you wouldn't have caught me journeying half way across the world just to die in that desert." Tuck suspected that was meant as a jab at Robin, showing that David did not necessarily agree with King Richard's views.
"You opinions on the Holy Land do not matter to me or to anyone else right now," Robin returned, obviously sensing the spite in David's tone. "How do you know Gisborne?"
"I used to make my living at the tournaments, jousting mostly. That is, of course, where the better prize winnings are. It must have been at least five years before King Richard left, and I spent most of that time in France where the tourneys are far more generous, especially in Aquitaine. Queen Eleanor is rather fond of them," David added, referring to Richard's and John's mother who had not stepped foot on English soil in many years. "It was in Aquitaine, actually, where I first made the acquaintance of a knight. Though he had proven himself in the lists, Sir Guy of Gisborne was a joke. Maybe people wouldn't have found it so amusing that he was a landless lord if he wasn't such a bloody prat. Anyway, long story short, the bastard ran me through, nearly killed me."
For a moment, no one said anything. Then, Much said, "I am certainly not one to defend Gisborne, but, well, surely that is a risk in jousting. How could that have been unexpected?"
"Because I humiliated him in front of a particular lady he was trying to impress. The lady in question chose to support me in …" David paused, clearing his throat, "… um, well, in more ways than one. And Gisborne took his revenge in the lists. He used a false tip on the jousting lance, with every intention of killing me. But he did me one worse. He crippled me. My right shoulder – if you pull back the tunic, you can see the scarring. Even after I healed, I could no longer ride in the tourneys. I'm not a physician. I'm not really sure how it happened or why. All I know is that I can't quite support the weight of the lance like I used to. I tried. Beyond the weakness in that arm, the pain of being hit was unbearable even with the armor and the padding beneath. It was so … intense, I blacked out there, right in the bloody lists. I was never the same after taking that clear through my shoulder."
"But I've seen you fight with a sword," Sarah said.
"Left handed," Robin murmured. "I saw you with the stiletto – left hand."
"I managed to learn – to at least be competent with a sword left handed," David replied. "I can't count on my right to hold out in a fight."
Tuck continued to look back and forth between Robin and David – Robin was the leader of his group and David was essentially the leader of theirs. He thought he saw some kind of understanding pass between them before Robin turned abruptly and returned to the opposite side of the camp. Much and Little John hesitated before joining him, followed by Will and Djaq.
After they were out of earshot, Tuck said quietly, "Do you disagree with my decision now? Now that you know Robin Hood is fighting cowardly men like this Sir Guy of Gisborne?"
David said nothing. But then, Tuck hadn't expected him to.
Much glanced over his shoulder as he followed Robin back to the other side of camp where they wouldn't be heard by the hostages. His gaze lingered for a moment on David of Doncaster and his little band. At this point, he didn't know what to believe. The only thing he knew for certain was that his friends were in trouble, and they needed to think of something, and they needed to think fast. Much suspected the Sheriff would figure Lady Marian was all the bait he really needed to catch Robin. What use would he have for Allan? As they wasted time listening to David's useless story about how Gisborne had cheated and injured him, nearly killing him, the Sheriff and Gisborne could've already hung Allan.
Much swallowed hard at the thought. He didn't really want to think about that possibility. Allan wasn't his favorite, and Allan usually had something smart to say about him or his cooking or his penchant for always being hungry, but Much certainly did not want to see the man dead. Allan was part of this group, and he had a valuable role to play. Maybe he and Allan would never be the best of friends, but Allan, deep down, was a good man who actually did think about other people besides himself. And Much admitted Allan's ability to consider the welfare of others had increased significantly over the past few months. Allan deserved all their concentrated efforts on planning his rescue, just as much as Marian and Sir Edward deserved and needed it as well.
"I think," Robin began, breaking the silence, "that we can be sure nothing we have done in the past will work. We have to think of something new, something the Sheriff will not expect if we want to get inside Nottingham. Getting inside undetected is going to be very difficult."
"We know that, Robin," Little John pointed out. "That's why we've been trying to think of something else."
"Of course, we haven't gotten very far on that one," Will said.
Djaq raised an eyebrow, looking at Will. "Your encouragement is touching."
"That is why I say we let the Sheriff know we are there."
Much was certain he must've looked ridiculous as he gaped at Robin. If it were possible, his jaw would have dropped completely to the ground. Of course, Much was not the only one staring at him as if he'd suddenly sprouted a second head. "Master," Much began tentatively as if he were speaking to a slightly unstable person, "you are joking. You must be joking." He watched his master's face, but the self-satisfied, I-know-this-will-work-just-trust-me grin was beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth. Seeing the troubled look on Robin's face melt into confidence would have made Much feel a good bit better because it meant they had a plan. But this wasn't a plan, whatever his master had in mind. This sounded like a death wish, and his master looked quiet serious about it, which only made Much say more forcefully, "Surely you must be joking. Please, tell us you are joking."
"The Sheriff will be expecting us," Robin said. "But he will not be expecting them."
"Perhaps they knocked you on the head harder than I thought," Djaq said. "Because it sounds as if you are saying we should trust them."
"They … they wanted to take us to London!" Much spluttered, wishing he could follow his master's train of thought but finding it impossible. "And you are saying we should just … that we can trust them?"
Little John merely shook his head while Will appeared on the verge of saying something but he didn't, apparently figuring Djaq and Much had said it quite clearly. This was insane.
"The friar has already chosen his side," Robin reasoned. "As for David, despite what he was, he is a mercenary now. He works for the best compensation. If he is clever, he already has his freedom. Maybe not officially, but it is close enough. We can offer him revenge against Gisborne, and perhaps some gold to compensate for what he thinks Prince John would have given him."
"Gold?" Much asked. "What gold?"
"The bounty the Sheriff has on my head."
It had been a measure the Sheriff had taken months ago but without success. No one was willing to turn Robin Hood over for the reward. "Please tell me you are not suggesting …" Much's voice trailed off. "You are, aren't you?"
"This I do not like," Little John muttered. "We are trying to plan a rescue, not get ourselves caught."
"Master, this is madness. Utter madness!"
"How do you suppose we'll get out once the Sheriff locks us up too?" Will asked.
"Look," Robin said, "we know the Sheriff is waiting for us. We know the guard around Nottingham will be doubled, if not tripled. Anything we plan will be no less dangerous because the Sheriff will expect it. He will not be prepared for this. Let me talk to them, and we will work this out. I will not expect all of us to be turned over, just me." Before anyone could protest, Robin pushed on, "I am the one the Sheriff wants most. If he has me, his attention will be diverted. And if we use them, we will have four people on our side the Sheriff will not be counting on. We will make this work. We have to make this work."
Robin returned to the hostages before anyone could really think of anything to say, of any other argument other than "this is madness." Besides that, Much knew everyone realized Robin left something very significant hanging unspoken in the air. They had to make this work to save Sir Edward, Marian, and Allan. Whether or not Robin ever made it back out of Nottingham was not on Robin's list of priorities at the moment. His only concern right now was seeing the people he loved safe even if it meant using himself as a diversion for the Sheriff.
Much closed his eyes. His master was known to be reckless when the people he loved were in danger, but yet Robin always possessed an unnerving knack for being correct in his ideas and assumptions even when everyone else thought it was crazy. Much could only pray this time was like all the other times because once his master was set on a course of action, there was little anyone could do to deter it, especially since they were working with very limited time.
"He cannot mean this," Djaq said as she watched Robin.
"I'm afraid he does," Much replied.
Many thanks to … Marian66 … Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it … hardyboyfansrock … lol, cursing is fine. Yes, the Sheriff does deserve a good punch :) Glad you're enjoying it, and thank you … scully42 … As always, thank you! I haven't quite decided yet what to do with Edward. Originally, I had planned on him dying back when the Sheriff and Gisborne arrested him and Marian, but I rewrote it … GreggoAddict … Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying! I should be getting back to Allan in the next chapter … RynAnn … Thank you! I'm glad you enjoying the dream sequence … El Gringo Loco … Thank you so much, glad you're enjoying! Yes, things are a bit grim, but I believe in happy endings, so I think it's fair to say Robin will figure this out, like he always does :) … Capt. Cow … As always, thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the Will and Djaq bit. So have you finished Harry Potter yet? I did, and I'm quite sad it's over now :( But, oh wow, such an excellent way to finish the series. I'm seriously jealous of JK Rowling and her unbelievable wealth of talent and creativity … MontyPytonFan … Thank you so much! Glad you're enjoying … Boys Don't Cry … Thank you! I'm happy to hear you think I've written the Sheriff well … Brennan on the Moor … Thank you so much for the kind words! Allan is a bit of difficult character and the Sheriff as well. Well really, they all are in a sense because they aren't mine. It almost makes me miss my fiction writing because I had an easier time writing my own characters, but as I've hit major writer's block in that arena, I'm not sure when I'll go back to it. Again, thank you … shade-of-lily … Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying. Yes, the book was phenomenal. My friend and I had the longest running debate about Snape's (who I love just because of his complexity as a character and Rowling's ability to keep you guessing about him) true allegiance, and I was SO happy to finally say "I told you so!" But I'm so sad it's over now … Kalli J. Wolfram … Thank you so much! Glad to see you're enjoying! … auzziewitch … Well, the plan isn't quite solidified yet, but it's getting there. Thank you for the review … DeanParker … Thank you so much. Glad you're enjoying, and we'll hopefully get the gang on the way to Nottingham pretty soon.
