Fleeing from Nottingham
Morraine nodded to Bae, and he set her down. She walked over to Alan and the Sheriff, staggering slightly. She held her hand out, and the weapon jerked in the Sheriff's hand. Alan gasped and shrank away from the blade. Morraine kept her gaze fixed on the weapon, and Bae immediately felt the struggle of wills develop between the two parties. The winner would gain possession of the magical blade and the advantage over the other.
Bae's eyes flickered to Alan and then to his fallen bow and quiver, on the cobblestones of the square. Then he reached for his own weapon and nocked an arrow. He drew back and aimed square between the Sheriff's eyes. "Release Alan," he said.
"Return the girl to me," the Sheriff replied.
"Actually, I'm taking them both with me."
"Then Alan a-Dale dies." Bae fired. The Sheriff ducked. The distraction allowed Morraine to free the weapon from his clutches. Alan ran for his weapons and scrambled backward, facing the scene playing out in the square. "Maybe Alan doesn't have to die after all," Bae said evenly.
"You're in my town, now, boy," the Sheriff growled, conjuring a cloudy black orb in the palm of his hand. Instinctively, Bae shrank back and drew another arrow. Alan did the same. Morraine held the sword aloft.
"Three on one," she said. "Not good odds, regardless of whether you have magical powers or not." The Sheriff shot the orb toward Bae. It left a trail of black smoke curling in its wake. Morraine held the sword in front of him, and the orb dispersed the second it struck the blade. "Cute trick."
"Oh, I'm glad you think so, my lady. I know plenty." He turned to Morraine, and Bae fired. The arrow struck him in the skull, and the Sheriff turned to him and plucked the arrow from his temple. Bae blinked in surprise as the wound healed before their very eyes. Alan began to pray under his breath and backed even further away from the Sheriff. Bae stared in awe for several moments before running for both of his arrows and cleaning the bloody one off on his tunic before returning it to his quiver. Morraine stepped around the Sheriff, following Bae's path and keeping the sword aloft.
Bae threw a glance over his shoulder at Alan, pale and sweating, eyes wide with terror, mouth murmuring prayers Bae would have to ask him about later. The Sheriff turned to them, and Bae mouthed something to Morraine, who nodded. He thought about telling Alan, but considering the latter's present state, he deemed that unwise. He and Morraine separated and moved to opposite sides of the Sheriff. The Sheriff looked between them and finally turned to Alan, who bolted back to the forest. The Sheriff turned to follow, and Bae stepped in front of him. "I don't think so," he said.
"Who are you to stop me?" the Sheriff replied.
"There are two of us, remember?" Morraine said to him, pointing the sword level with his heart. "Can you fight two people at once?"
"I've faced worse odds."
"Have you?" Bae asked. "You seem like the type to always travel with a group. Demons, I believe they're called."
"What do you know about them?"
"I know they don't stick with you when you're facing down a sensitive, not unless you know you can get away with the kill. I can't tell if you're cocky or stupid, or both. I need more information."
"You have a working impression of me? Oh, how sweet."
"Or sour, depending on your perspective," Morraine said. The Sheriff turned to face her, and she was overwhelmed with the urge to right-hook that smirk right off of his self-righteous, slimy face. "Tell me you're not thinking of freezing me again."
"What's the matter, my lady? Are you afraid?" He was more fully facing her and taking a step forward.
Bae took a deep breath and said, "Morraine, duck." Then, with all his power, he forced the Sheriff's energy away, as far away as he could make it go. The man flew through the air, rolling end over end and screaming. Morraine ducked on cue and stared at Bae for a moment. Then she looked over her shoulder at the Sheriff, still flying. When she turned back to Bae, she was smiling.
"Wow," she whispered.
He walked up to her and took her shoulders in his hands. "Are you alright? Did all that talking hurt your throat?"
"I'm fine. I think I just need a little water. I wasn't frozen for long." She rubbed her throat.
"It's going to be alright, alright?"
She smiled at him, and he kissed her. "It's much easier when you're not screaming." They both laughed, and he led her out of Nottingham. "You're going to like the Merry Men, but this is going to take a lot of explaining. John is a little bit stubborn."
She laughed. "I can imagine."
When they rejoined Alan, he looked over his shoulder and then turned to face Bae. "How did you do that?"
"There is a legend in our land that a kiss of true love can do anything," Bae replied. "Surely you have legends of great loves in this land."
"Our legends of great love end in death."
"Why on earth is that?" Morraine asked.
"Presumably because great tragedy ensures that a story will endure."
"I hope that doesn't happen to us."
"Me, too," Bae added, giving Morraine a squeeze. They laughed, and Alan turned to face their path again. Something made the hair on the back of Bae's neck stand, and he released Morraine and turned. The Sheriff was standing and approaching them. "Oh, how fun," Bae muttered.
"Any ideas?" Alan asked.
"Split up. You go to Sherwood, tell them what's happened to us here. We'll go elsewhere."
"Where?"
"Not here."
"Good luck with that." Alan bolted for the forest nonetheless.
Morraine shot a glance to her right and then pulled Bae in that direction. Sure enough, when she glanced over her shoulder, she found that the Sheriff had followed them rather than Alan. "Wonder why you're so important," she said.
"I can feel magic," Bae replied. "Be careful."
"I'll be fine. I have you."
"And if I'm not enough?"
"You don't think highly enough of yourself."
They found themselves running through thick forest, silent save for the sound of water flowing over rocks in the distance. She steered him toward the stream, and they stopped on a rock. She hastily drank some water, shook off her hands, and turned to Bae. "What about Peter Pan?" she asked.
"I don't know," he replied.
"You can feel magic."
"I don't know how well, though, or what relation this world is to the one my father is in." Morraine nodded. "When the Sheriff...froze you, did you notice anything?"
"What do you mean?"
He licked his lip. "Was there anything that could've been used as a portal, or for other magical purposes?"
Morraine bowed her head and blinked rapidly. "The chamber was dark," she said at length. "A peasant's cottage, I believe. Torchlit, but the torch was low. I couldn't see much, and I didn't get a chance to." Bae nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is he close?"
"Probably lost by now. I don't feel him coming closer." Morraine nodded.
"Thanks for coming back for me."
"Why would I not?"
"I know you would, but it's nice seeing that in action." Bae smiled. Morraine nodded to him and turned to the river. "Where to now?"
"I don't know. We're both strangers in a strange land. It's just as dangerous for us to get lost as it is for him, if not moreso because we're new here."
"Well, with your sensitivity, at least we can manage to keep our distance." Bae nodded. Morraine stepped deftly onto the rocks in the stream and looked over her shoulder to make sure he followed.
"I thought we were strangers in a strange land."
"We are, but nearly every forest I've experienced is the same, even the Nowhereland."
They crossed the river, and Bae looked over his shoulder. As far as he could feel, the Sheriff was nowhere near them. He turned back to Morraine and alighted on the other bank. Together, they moved deeper into the forest. At the edge of his mind, he felt the edge of Sherwood proper. "We're still in Nottinghamshire, or whatever this area is called," he said. "See, I have some sense of direction here." She laughed, and then she stopped cold. "What is it?"
"Do you hear that?"
He closed his eyes and listened. "Deer?" he asked after a long moment. Her lips curled in a smile, and he knew she'd been taking mental notes about her surroundings. "We're reaching the edge of his historic influence."
"Yes, exactly. That means we're closer and closer to safety."
"Indeed it does."
"So let's keep going. Anywhere's better than Nottingham." They resumed walking.