'In, now!' Marian ordered, waiting for the mock guards to go through the door before entering herself.
The passage was dark lit by a single torch hanging from a bracket, making it glow a slight sinister orange. It only continued a short way before descending down flights of steps, zigzagging wildly. After descending more than ten flights of steps, the ground leveled out into a dank, dark, grimy passage.
'Who goes there?' a voice demanded, echoing menacingly in the narrow passage, and a guard in full armour, sword drawn appeared from round a corner.
'Thank heavens, finally!' Marian exclaimed. 'You are to come with me. And the other men you have with you.'
'Says who?' the guard asked, pointing his sword at Marian, but she did not falter.
'Says I. I want the best guards with me, and these men say that they are down here.' She told him. 'I can't imagine why he keeps you down here when you'd be far more use up there!'
'I only take my orders from the Sheriff, Lady, so get back up those steps!' He barked.
'Watch who you're talking to!' Marian spat. 'I am the Sheriff's sister, fool! I want you to come with me, these guards are here to relieve you.'
Immediately his fierce manner was dropped, and he began to act like a scolded child.
'Oh, er, yes, m'Lady!' he said, and scuttled off, returning a few seconds later with four followers.
'Ha!' Robin whispered in her ear. 'It is as I thought, the guards are so occupied with trying to do the Sheriff's will, they forget all else in the process!'
'Here we are, m'Lady!' the first guard said.
'Good, now you follow me back up, these guards are to take your place.' She said, pushing Robin forwards, with secret delight.
She turned and marched back up the winding steps, and back out of the door to the castle passage. She caught Jack's eye and he gave the smallest of nods.
She led the following guards along the passage until she found what she was looking for; a door with a key.
'Wait for me in here.' She commanded, authoritatively and the five guards scurried inside.
When they were all in, she slammed the door and hurriedly turned the key, locking them in. There came many shouts and blows upon the door, and Marian laughed, turning and running back to the vault door, joining Jack.
Together, they rushed back down the steps to the narrow passage, where Robin and the others were waiting, joking with each other.
'Nice acting, Marian!' Robin laughed, and shook her shoulder.
'Never mind that!' She hissed at him. 'Can you do it, Jack?'
The carpenter was examining the heavy wooden door that separated the outlaws from the money. Quickly and skillfully, he began hammering and rasping at the hinges.
The outlaws shuddered at the noise that was magnified tenfold, certain that they would be heard and dragged off to the gallows. They waited with baited
breath until they heard a great clang of metal and splintering wood, and the door crashed to the stone floor.
They all sprang to their feet and crowded round the ruined door. Inside the tiny room, barely big enough to hold three of the outlaws, were many wooden chests crammed in together.
Robin broke one of them open with a clean stroke of his sword and many silver coins cascaded out and rained down upon the floor.
'Ha ha!' he cried in delight and triumph.
'How are we going to get all those chests out of the castle with nobody noticing?' Marian asked worriedly. There were many chests, and only seven of them. Even if they carried two each, there would be many left behind.
'Will has sorted that out,' Robin said, clapping Will on his armour. 'Haven't you Will?'
Will nodded.
'There is a shortcut that leads from the passage up there to an inner courtyard where George will be waiting with the wagon.' He said. 'If we meet anyone on the way, tell them we are urgently moving the chests on the Sheriff's orders. Pass the chests to them and go back for more. Robin arranged for the others to act as stable boys and other servants. They'll play the part.'
Robin picked up two chests.
'Come on then!' he said, and the others, including Marian, followed suit, and picked up two chests, tucking one under each arm.
Will led the way back up the steps to the passage and to went through a door straight opposite that led to a long, straight passage.
'Wait!' Much cried. 'Marian shouldn't be carrying chests! When did anyone important ever do the hard work?'
She laughed, and handed the chests she carried to the others, and followed on behind them.
Along the way, they met three disguised outlaws, and Robin, Harry and Alan passed their chests over to them and dashed back for more.
'Hurry up!' Marian scolded them, giving conviction to her part.
Soon, they burst through another door and into the corner of a quiet courtyard where George stood calmly by the wagon.
'Here!' he cried to them. 'In here!'
They hurriedly piled their chests into the back of the wagon, and then dashed back for more.
Several stable boys Marian did not recognise walked into the courtyard and stopped at the sight.
George froze, but Marian was quick off the mark.
'You as well!' she shouted at them. 'We need all the chests moved. You go as well!' Her bossy manner and fancy gown had the boys running after the outlaws down the passage to retrieve more of the Sheriff's money.
They returned a little while later laden with more chests, and two new faces, guards who had been collared in to help.
Marian bossily watched over them as they loaded their chests, shouting orders and scolding them savagely, in a manner she thought the Sheriff might use.
It was on the last trip that the worst happened.
The final few chests were being passed to the wagon, when the Sheriff and another man dressed in dark hide came clattering into the yard on horseback.
The Sheriff seemed to freeze for a moment, watching what was going on with a shocked expression.
'Guards!' he cried after he had recovered himself. 'Guards! Seize them! They're stealing my money! Get them! GET THEM!'
The man accompanying him sprang off his horse and drew his sword, rushing towards the wagon, but the outlaws were too quick. While the real servants and guards rushed around, confused, Robin and his men threw the last of the chests into the wagon and dived in after them.
Marian swung herself up to the driver's seat, and George whipped the horses into action, and they leaped forwards, causing the Sheriff to have to dive out of their way.
Robin stood up and leaned out of the wagon.
'I told you, Sheriff!' he bellowed back to the furious figure sprawled upon the floor. 'Robin of Loxley had struck again!'
He laughed wildly as the wagon sped precariously through the streets of Nottingham and into the countryside, back to the forest.