Ch.21: Escape the Castle
Prince John woke up with a start and cried out with shock before grabbing to the balcony railing before he fell off. The last of the prisoners inside the jail pulled with all of their strength at the other side of the rope to get the rest of the gold.
"GUARDS! GUARDS! MY GOLD!" The Sheriff's posse started to fire their arrows at Robin and Hiss (he got himself free) climbed across the rope to get to the tower. Prince John then lost his strength and let go, causing the rope to shoot towards the tower and crashing into the window with his rear end before falling to the ground below.
Inside the prison, Clawdia helped Hiss up out of the pile of hay he fell into.
"Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine as long as you're safe," he answered, brushing off the hay pieces in his cape. Clawdia simply smiled before kissing him on the lips, making his eyes grow wide with surprise.
"Thanks for coming to my rescue," she explained after they parted. "Now let's get out of here." Hiss just returned her smile before the two of them rushed out with the rest of the prisoners.
Meanwhile outside, Prince John came to just to see the prisoners escaping with his gold.
"Oh, no! They're getting away with my gold!" He hurried over to slam the door shut, but he did so too late when the last of the prisoners have gotten out. Clawdia turned to see the prince call for his rhino guards but sighed with relief when they crashed into him and the jail door instead of after them.
"Everybody, this way!" Robin called, and they all ran after him towards the exit. The Sheriff's posse fired at them, but they were always missing. Robin and Skippy slowed down the archers with their own arrows, and Hiss threw a scarlet rose that exploded at their feet and released a foul smoke (something he came up with himself).
Soon the peasants had reached a large wagon and started to climb onto it with the gold in their clutches. Some rhino guards ran after them to stop them, but Robin and Little John slowed them down with a large wagon full of wine barrels. They then helped Friar Tuck, Hiss, and Clawdia help the last of the villagers onto the wagon.
"That's all of them," Robin said to them after bringing them the last raccoon. "Get going!" Robin then went with the fox to show him where the switch to the drawbridge is. Once they found it, they pulled down on it, and the drawbridge fell with a loud BOOM!
"This ain't no hayride," Little John said to them as he grabbed the rods at the front of the wagon. "Let's move on outta here!" He then ran and pulled the wagon with great strength and speed with Robin and Hiss right behind it, letting out a cry of victory.
"Onto Sherwood Forest!" Friar Tuck cheered.
"Stop!" Mother Rabbit suddenly cried with fear. "My baby!" Clawdia in the wagon turned to see little Tagalong chasing after the wagon as fast as her little feet could carry her. Fear clutched to her heart when she saw Robin and Hiss run back to get the little bunny.
"Guys, hurry!" Coiled around Robin's waist, Hiss shot out and scooped up the little one before shooting back to Robin in a flash, just in time to dodge the arrows. With the rabbit in his arms and the snake on his shoulders, Robin ran for the gates to get away. They're almost home free…
"Robin, watch out!" Robin stopped just in time to dodge the second gate crashing down before them. The captain has cut the rope to trap them.
"We got them now!" they heard the Sheriff yell as Little John and Clawdia ran up to the door.
"Just keep going," Robin whispered, slipping Tagalong through one of the holes in the gate. "Don't worry about us."
"No!" Clawdia cried with fear. "Not without—" But she was cut off when Little John grabbed her hand and pulled her with her back into the forest. She watched with horror as Robin (with Hiss on his shoulders) climbed up the gate to dodge the guards' spears.
Robin and Hiss, meanwhile, worked together to dodge the guards and their weapons in order to escape. Hiss even used his own body as a rope for Robin to climb. Before long, the two of them have made it onto the balcony to Prince John's bedroom. Quickly, Robin rushed into the room and over to the doorway, where he closed the curtains behind him as Hiss turned to look behind them.
"Robin!" he cried. Robin turned and ducked just in time to dodge the lit torch that the Sheriff swung at them, setting the curtains aflame. They then rushed in and fought the wolf as the whole room started to go up in flames. Quickly, Hiss grabbed a corner of the rug with his mouth and pulled it out from under the Sheriff's feet, making him fall over. Then he and Robin quickly made their way up the stairs until they got to the topmost room in the tower, the flames following after them. With Hiss's help, Robin quickly climbed out the window and onto the roof. The flames then flew out and surrounded the two of them as they grabbed onto the flagpole on the roof.
"Shoot them!" they heard Prince John yell. They looked down at the outer side of the moat to see Little John, Skippy, and Clawdia looking up at them with worry.
"We're gonna hafta jump!" Robin said to Hiss as the flames grew larger and closer. "Hang on!" With the snake holding onto him, Robin jumped off the roof and dove into the water.
"Kill them!" the Prince yelled at his archers. "Kill them!" The archers then shot their arrows at the spot where Robin and Hiss went under. They then stopped, and everyone looked down with suspense as the two escapees didn't submerge.
"C'mon, Rob," Little John whispered in prayer. "C'mon…"
"They just gotta make it," Skippy whimpered.
"Hiss…" Clawdia whimpered with a lump in her throat. Finally, something emerged from under the water's surface: Robin and Hiss's hats…each with an arrow in it!
"No!" Little John gasped as Clawdia covered her mouth with a devastated gasp. "No…no…"
"Yes, they're finished!" Prince John cheered to the Sheriff beside him. "Done for!"
Clawdia fell to her knees as the evil prince laughed with delight. She couldn't believe her. Hiss…her first love…her only love…is gone…
"They're gonna make it," Skippy whimpered, "aren't they, Little John?" The bear didn't answer but only gave him a tearful glance. Clawdia buried her face into her hands and sobbed. She has lost them both, her brother and her beloved…
You can't be gone…you just can't…
"Hey, what's that?" Skippy said suddenly. Clawdia looked up and saw two reeds moving side by side towards the bank towards them. Could it be…
"Little John," she said to the bear as she pointed at them. Little John then leaned down at them to get a closer look…right before they shot water into his face.
"Hey!" he sputtered. "What the—" The three of them then saw that the reeds are in the mouths of Robin and Hiss, who have just emerged from the water. They're alive!
"Boy, did you two have us worried," Little John laughed, wiping the water off his face. "We thought you were long gone."
"Oh, not Robin Hood!" Skippy laughed, jumping into Robin's arms and hugging him. "He would've swum twice that far. Huh, Mister Robin Hood Sir?" Hiss only laughed in reply as he slithered onto land…right before Clawdia tackled him and crushed her lips into his for a kiss. His eyes went wide with surprise before they broke the kiss.
"You big dope!" she said to him with tears in her eyes. "I thought you were…" She only sighed with a sniff before wiping her tears away.
"I'm sorry, Clawdia," he replied as he got up. "I didn't mean to—"
"Oh, shut up, ya dummy," she replied before pulling him up to her for another kiss, which Hiss happily returned. Meanwhile, the Sheriff looked down to see that Robin and Hiss have survived.
"Uh, Sire," he said to the Prince, "they've made it. Robin got away again…" Prince John looked down with disbelief as the group looked up at him.
"A pox on that phony King of England!" it cheered and laughed.
"Oh, no!" he cried. "It's so miserably unfair."
"Well, I've tried to warn ya," the wolf stated matter-of-factly, "but you wouldn't listen. Your traps just don't work. And now, how are we gonna explain to your mother that her castle's burnt down?" The Prince cried out in shock.
"Mommy!" he whimpered before he started sucking on his thumb…right before he started hitting the Sheriff with the stick in his other hand!
At the bank of the moat, our heroes watched in awe as Prince John beats the living daylights out of the wolf and calls him everything under the sun.
"Looks like he's finally lost it," Hiss stated.