Chapter 25

The Heartless closest to Arun went into a whirl, arms swinging wildly around. He stepped back away from those threatening arms until the creature lost momentum. When he had the opportunity he lashed out quickly to vanquish it to move onto the next Heartless. Using a quick combination of two slashes followed by an Aero spell, he managed to take out three in one move. He assessed the situation before anymore Heartless came after him.

Caelum and Max seemed to handle themselves well as they moved to defend the innocent from the Heartless. He didn't expect to find some of them fought against not only the Heartless but the royal guards as well. They had some trouble against the Heartless, yet handled themselves well with the guards. Caelum and Max took care of the Heartless for them.

While his friends moved around to fend off the Heartless around the civilians, Arun remained near Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and Little John. The two male animals tried their best to protect Maid Marian. However, they struggled to fight off both the guards and the Heartless at the same time. They worked in sync, Arun noted, as Robin Hood fought off the smaller creatures while Little John took on the bulking rhino guards and switched when necessary. They moved around Maid Marian to always keep her between them and never open to attack. It seemed like a good strategy, but it was one that possibly couldn't last long.

He was proven right when a Solder Heartless smacked Little John backwards, leaving Maid Marian open for attack. She was too frozen with fear to escape the presence of the creature.

When Arun saw this he lunged at the Heartless he was battling to eliminate it. Then, he ran straight for the soldier Heartless readying to attack the young maid. At a few feet away he leaped into the air to vault over the creature and landed between the two. The moment his feet touched the ground he struck out his Keyblade. The Heartless had no chance of countering before it vanished in dark smoke.

"Are you okay?" Arun asked, turning to face the young maid. He found her on the ground where she stumbled trying to get away. He held out his hand for her to take.

"Ah, yes! I'm all right," replied Maid Marian. She graciously took his hand to stand. Arun wasn't all that surprised to find she stood taller than him. She bowed her head. "I thank you, sir knight, for rescuing me."

Sir Knight?

"You've got it all wrong! I'm no knight," Arun hastily denied. How could she think he was a knight? That was Max's job, not his. Being called a knight was rare. Normally, he was the monster or the fire breathing dragon. "Just call me Arun. You're Maid Marian, right?"

"Yes, it is. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance despite this situation," Maid Marian replied. Her gaze went to somewhere else past Arun's shoulder and she gasped. "Behind you!"

Arun shifted his head to see the shining edge of an axe. He only had a split second to raise his Keyblade to block the attack. Still, he was late in blocking as it bit into some of his skin to draw forth blood. He grit his teeth, glaring at the huge rhino that tried to get him while his back was turned. The guard returned his glare and applied more pressure to slice him in two. Because of this, Arun had to push back twice as hard to make the axe unmovable. His arms trembled at the effort. Before long, he knew his strength would give out. Once again, he cursed his borrowed body.

Just when he thought his arms would give out and his knees about to buckle, the rhino guard suddenly cried out as it stumbled forward. Arun had to jump back as it was knocked to the ground by something above. Robin Hood stood on top of the rhino with a sword in hand, breathing heavily.

"Are you alright?" he asked Arun.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Arun breathed. "I'd ask the same question to you, but you seem to be doing fine."

For someone who was almost executed Robin Hood appeared to be doing well. As far as injuries went he only had tears on his tunic and hat. Otherwise, he looked fine.

"Yes, well, I've had better days," Robin chuckled as he stepped off the guard. He turned his attention to Maid Marian and ran to her. The two hugged briefly. "Marian, are you well?"

"Thanks to Arun, I am," Maid Marian replied, grateful.

"Then, you have my thanks, Arun," Robin said, grateful, to Arun. "Should she be injured in any way I wouldn't know what to do."

"Don't thank me yet," Arun advised. "We need to make sure no one gets hurt because of that Prince John."

They were in the middle of a battlefield. They couldn't waste time talking when their guards were dropped. As if to prove his point a Heartless came at them with arms swinging. Arun sliced through it in one swift movement. He couldn't relax for long when a group of guards came charging towards them.

"You have a point," Robin chucked. He grabbed Maid Marian's hand and ran off in the opposite direction of the guards. "Then, I shall than you in full when we're not preoccupied!"

"You better!" Arun whirled around and ran off as well, turning in a different direction to go fight the Heartless and guards. He barely made it two steps before he was barreled over by Little John escaping a Heartless. He fell to the ground on his pauldron, minimizing the damage. Still, he winced at the pain as he quickly recovered. He pushed himself to his feet and continued on his way.

Arun ran through the fairgrounds, Keyblade swinging, to slice down Heartless and render the guards useless. He went around to save some of the peasants who were either surrounded by Heartless or cornered by rhino guards. Each time he came in to quickly take them down. Arun had to admit he rather liked his current form as it was quick and agile just as Max previously commented on. He was able to pounce much like the predator he was supposed to be and was able to perform his acrobatic moves he had trouble executing after he came into possession of his borrowed body. Each movement he made was fluid and didn't strain his muscles as they did before. Not only that, he realized his balance was perfect when he used a rhino's head as a stepping stone to jump on the top of a pole, leaping down to bash a Heartless in the head.

All in all, he rather enjoyed being a panther.

During his fighting, he kept an eye out for Caelum and Max. Both of them did the same thing as him. They ran around the fairgrounds helping out the civilians as best as they could. Arun had to pity any guard or Heartless that ran into Caelum when he saw the mage brutally use his magic to freeze a Heartless into solid ice only to smash right through it with his long staff. He still must have been bitter about the outcome of the bet. Arun was as well when he used their opponents as punching bags for his anger. Max was not as brutal as his two friends in his fighting, yet he was still efficient in taking out the enemy when he used his shield to bang on the metal of a Heartless' helmet to daze them long enough for Arun to come strike them down.

They had no real issues fighting any of them. Despite how hectic the battlefield was, they were efficient in taking out both guards and Heartless alike. That is, until Arun ran into Pete.

Arun was helping a bunch of rabbit kids and their mother escape the rhino guard pursuing them. He managed to help them get away when a stinging pain erupted in his side like he was hit by a truck. Before he knew it, he was thrown into a pavilion. The tent's fabric softened the blow of the fall, yet his vision was obscured by colorful fabric. A guffawing laugh filled the air.

"Yer just a scrawny little kitten that can't take a hit!" laughed Pete. "Why'd I think I wouldn't be able to handle you? I musta been outta my mind to think that!"

Arun clawed his way out of the pile of fabrics. Lifting the end of it, he saw the large fat cat holding his belly as he laughed at Arun. The current smaller cat frowned.

"How the hell are you related to PJ?" he grumbled. PJ, from what he had seen, was a timid, big-boned boy with a kind heart. Arun could see why Max and PJ were good friends as Max brought out the best in PJ hidden beneath his timid composure. Yet, for all the resemblances PJ shared with his father Arun couldn't see how they were related.

Pete suddenly stopped laughing. He narrowed his eyes at Arun in suspicion.

"You've met my son, eh?" Pete almost growled. "Is he still a good fer nothin' boy with no spine? Hmph! I thought he'd stop bein' around the likes of that Goof's boy! He'd be stronger without that boy."

"Hey! Don't talk about PJ or Max like that!" Arun jumped to his feet and raised his Keyblade. Anger rose in his chest. He was disgusted with the way Pete talked about his son. Max was right about Pete. He was rotten to the core to even speak about his son in such a way. No wonder everyone talked about him like that. "And I'm not a scrawny wimp! At least I can take a hit!"

Arun ran straight at Pete. The larger cat saw what he was doing and summoned more of the floating Heartless. This did nothing to stop Arun from coming at him as he swerved and jumped around the dark creatures to come at Pete. Unfortunately, Arun didn't expect Pete to be able to fight back. As soon as Arun raised his blade to slash at the man from underneath Pete hunched his shoulders and jumped.

"Get outta my way!" Pete landed just as quickly because of his larger frame and almost squashed Arun from above had the smaller boy not quickly changed his lunge into a roll. Arun had barely any time to stand when Heartless swooped down to attack him with fire and ice. It didn't help Pete also turned around to punch Arun in the stomach. "Take that, runt!"

Once again, Arun flew through the air to go through several tents that collapsed on his way. He went through three tents before he stopped. Arun stood up, ripping the fabric violently away from him. The fur around his eyes shadowed them to make them darker and sharper. He didn't appreciate being thrown around like that. In the blink of an eye he ran straight for Pete. The Heartless came at him, but they didn't stand a chance against him when he was already furious to begin with. When they tried to strike him with their magic they were sliced in two in an instant. Fast approaching Pete, Arun made to slash at the cat man. He never noticed the nasty grin that was sported on Pete's face.

The moment Arun came in range of Pete he swiped at him. However, he was too late in seeing the bomb Pete threw at him until it was right in his face. The tip of his blade almost connected with the bomb as he tried to change the direction of his attack but was unable to. He flinched, preparing to for the explosion.

"Blizzaga!"

A frosty wind swept by from the right. The wave of frost hit the fizzing fuse to render it useless, falling to the ground. In the next second a shield came flying by to try to slice at Pete's hand, which it did. It nicked his glove to make a thin cut on it. Pete yelped, stumbling back and holding his hand. Arun stumbled back as well to put some distance between them. He shifted his head to see Caelum and Max run up to his side.

"Arun! Are you alright?" Max said, catching his shield as it came back. Panic pained his features at the sight of almost seeing his friend get hurt in a bomb explosion.

"I'm fine," Arun reassured him. He shook off the shock that followed when he saw the bomb. "Thanks for taking care of that bomb."

"Yet again, you had to be saved by us," Caelum drawled with a low chuckle. "It's really sad how you have to be saved by us every time. What would you do without us?"

"I'd be less annoyed, for one," Arun grumbled. Though, it was half-hearted as he appreciated having his friends help him when they could. He found fighting on his own was difficult but preferable.

"Or dead."

"Guys, not now," Max hissed. He turned his attention to Pete, who was busy waving around his hand from the pain. "I can't believe you managed to escape from your banishment. And you joined Maleficent, of all people! How could you?"

"Hey, Maleficent offered to get me outta that place," Pete justified with a huff. "I'm just payin' her back, is all. And she's got the smart idea of takin' over the worlds! If she's the one runnin' the place, folks like me wouldn't be banished by you goody two-shoes bozos."

"Like Maleficent even cares what you want!" Caelum snarled, venom in his voice as he spat out the witch's name in distaste. "The moment she gets what she wants from you she'll throw you away like yesterday's trash! And you'd still follow that creature?"

"You don't know nothin' about Maleficent! You got no right to talk about her like that!"

"I'll fucking say what I want!" To add emphasis to this he shot a fireball at Pete's foot. The cat man shouted, shaking his foot to put out the fire.

Arun was taken back by Caelum's sudden behavior. He knew how much he seemingly hated this Maleficent (Arun was holding back his judgment until he met the witch himself) whenever he said that name with much disgust. However, he hadn't noticed just how high that hatred ran until he saw Caelum rage at Maleficent's minion. He really had to find out soon why Caelum hated her so much.

"Why you little-" Pete stomped his blackened foot on the ground in frustration. "You'll pay for that!"

Without warning Pete picked up a nearby barrel and threw it at them. The three scattered so the barrel shattered into boards where they once stood. There was no time to figure out what to do when Pete came charging at them with hunched shoulders much like a quarterback breaking through the other team's defense. He knocked over Arun and Max, making his way to Caelum. Arun hit the ground and recovered long enough to see Caelum was distracted by the elemental Heartless. The mage had his back turned so he didn't see Pete coming.

Arun threw his Keyblade at Pete's feet. It caught the large man by his heel and he stumbled from the sudden impact, leading to him tripping. Instead of hitting the ground like them, he kept on rolling. The yells from the man brought Caelum's attention back on him so now the mage had time to dodge. He took one step back and stared at the man pass by, rolling into a puddle of mud. With Pete distracted Arun and Max stood to strike down the remaining Heartless in the area. As usual they stood no chance against a Keyblade and a shield.

The three grouped together in an offensive stance, prepared for whatever Pete threw at them. But, Pete didn't seem to be in any position to fight back. He pushed himself to his feet, wiping the mud from his eyes.

"D'oh!" he growled. He tried to shake the mud off of him to no avail. "And I just got these cleaned! Stupid brats don't know how expensive dry cleaning is."

Arun resisted the urge to retort he did know. There were some clothes that couldn't be cleaned by hand. Instead, he said, "yeah, but do you know how time consuming fighting Heartless is?"

"Don't you tell me how much time you waste fightin'! I probably work longer than you three brats combined! I gotta go to each world, scout out some potential candidates for Heartless, an' then try to make'em Heartless! Then, you Keyblade runts are runnin' around ruinin' all my hard work!"

"Wow, for a guy trying to rule the worlds Pete sounds overworked," Max commented as Pete ranted on about how busy he was. "Even we don't spend a lot of time on each world. I'd hate to be working for Maleficent."

"You don't know the half of it," Caelum said so quietly he almost wasn't heard. Max didn't, but Arun did. He wondered what he meant by that.

He opened his mouth to ask. However, something else distracted him.

Arun, Caelum, and Max caught sight of something strange. They saw an orange tent that was being carried away by some rhino guards within the tent, being blinded by the garish colored pavilion. As they were unable to see they ran straight for Pete. The cat man, still in his rant, did not notice them. He did when he was suddenly run over and carried away with them. The three teens stared after them as the stomping group ran all around the fairgrounds until they hit one of the two stone towers. The grey building toppled over on the impact and left, in its wake, a broken pile of rubble and more than a few dazed people.

Upon seeing the authorities incapacitated, everyone took the chance to run. All the peasants, nobility, and even Robin Hood himself ran for it. They ran towards the forest to escape as they most likely knew the forest better than any of the nobles or soldiers. Arun, Caelum, and Max also escaped along with them into the forest, following some of the kids they saw into the forest. And they disappeared into the trees and, hopefully, would never run into anymore Heartless or guards.

xxx

In the aftermath of the archery tournament and the failed execution everyone was thrilled with the results of mocking the prince and the glory of Robin Hood and his good health until it bit them in the behinds two days later.

Inside a small, homely church built of stone Arun sat at a wooden pew, smooth from how frequently it was. He stared out the tiny stained glass window to watch the heavens despair for the people of Nottingham. It was like the weather wanted to share in their experiences in such a trying time.

The night everyone escaped the farce of an archery tournament Arun and his friends wandered through the trees to take the time to rest from battling Pete and his Heartless. Max also had to take in the fact Pete was really back just as they were informed at Disney Castle. He was stressed about this because PJ wasn't told this information yet. They weren't sure how well he would take it and Max didn't want to tell him. Yet, he didn't want to hide it, either. It wasn't fair to PJ, who deserved to know his father was back.

While Max debated with himself, they ran into Little John. The bear recognized Arun as the one who saved Maid Marian and invited them back to their hideout as a way of thanks. Apparently, he was throwing a party to celebrate Robin and Marian's engagement and everyone who wasn't Prince John's entourage was invited.

It was there they learned, after speaking to some of the merry people for information, of the current situation.

Ever since King Richard left to fight in the Crusades, his greedy brother, Prince John, took the chance to raise taxes throughout the land. He squeezed every last coin from the people to satisfy his growing and steady riches while the poor were left barely surviving. Whoever went against the prince was arrested or worse. So, no one had the guts to go against him, save for one.

Robin Hood was the town hero. He robbed the rich in order to feed the poor, which was a noble cause unto itself. He didn't care what happened to his reputation as long as the people of Nottingham were well and fed. Since he made a fool out of Prince John and stole from him, the royal was persistent in having his head. So much so he had to recruit an outsider, Pete, and his Heartless to get rid of Robin Hood.

From what they heard, Pete arrived in town one day and the next thing anyone knew he was helping the Sheriff collect taxes. He used his Heartless to sniff out the money from the people and threatened everyone to cooperate or else. No one was able to fight off the Heartless until Arun and his crew arrived.

When they heard what Pete was doing the three decided after a long discussion to remain in town. They couldn't leave a world in such a state when a man like Pete was around. Pete was already set on making Robin Hood a Heartless and they knew Robin couldn't fight off Heartless. That meant they had to stay until they got rid of Prince John and Pete. It also helped Arun ended up drinking a bit too much of ale they had to remain the night to recover from the hangover in the morning. It was also that morning the intense taxing started because Prince John supposedly heard their lovely rendition of what they all thought of the 'phony King of England.' Obviously, he didn't appreciate a catch song if he's ever heard one

In retaliation he doubled the taxes people had to pay. Because the taxes were high to begin with, the people were robbed of what little money had left. Those who couldn't pay were arrested and put in jail.

Almost no one could pay the taxes so a majority of the village was put in jail. Now the empty homes resembled a ghost town, an imprint left behind of the townspeople.

Being travelers staying at the local church run by Friar Tuck, Arun and his friends didn't need to pay taxes. They were invited to stay at the church for free when the friar learned they wanted to stay in town for awhile. As a result, they bore witness to the desolate situation the people were forced to endure because of that rotten Prince John. It pleased none of them.

Arun, out of the three, hate to see an entire town go through such injustice. He knew what it was like to the poor and starving, wondering where he was going to get his next meal. It was hard to watch as the royalty and nobility not care about what happened to the lower class. They would never care. He couldn't stand this whole situation. But, there was nothing he could. They weren't of that world. Only someone like Robin Hood could do something to fix this problem.

That didn't mean he had to like waiting.

"This is depressing," Max sighed. He sat down next to Arun on the pew, a hand running through his hair. In the background the church bells rang with a solemn tone. It resonated through the empty church where only they, Caelum, the friar, and his two colleagues awaited for people to arrive for morning mass. However, they knew no one would come. It didn't help the playing organ gave a somber voice. "Everyone's in jail. No one's going to come to church when praying won't help this situation."

"That doesn't mean we can't pray for those jailed," the nun said. As she was a small mouse they saw her move down the aisles dusting off the empty pews. She heaved a mournful sigh. "Oh, those poor people. The prince has gone too far this time."

"He's just angry at everyone for mocking him in song," Caelum stated. He came out from one of the side room, holding a broom. He began to sweep out the dust out the open door where the cemetery was. "We should have realized that by mocking him the way everyone did we just pissed off royalty. Royalty that has power over the people and can do anything he wants."

"But, that doesn't mean we have to like it!" Arun burst out. "This sucks! I wish we could do something more!"

"Friar Tuck, I don't think anyone's coming," Father Sexton, the small male mouse, reluctantly agreed.

The church bells stopped ringing. Friar Tuck came out from the small corner where he ran the bells on a rope.

"You're right, Sexton," said the friar. He removed his hood, smiling mournfully. "But, maybe the sound of this church bell will bring those poor people some comfort. We must do what we can to keep their hopes alive."

"What hope? Prince John's squeezing the life out of them through his taxing," Arun growled.

"Yes. How can there be any hope with that tyrant taxing the heart out of poor people?" Father Sexton's wife questioned, rueful.

At the mention of those in jail and the reality of their situation the friar lost his mile. His shoulders sagged in the gloom. He made his way to the poor box at the back of the pews examine it.

"Yes, those poor people. Look, our poor box is like our church-empty."

Everyone remained silent. They didn't know what to say to that. Here was man who cared about the well-being of those currently in jail. He was more concerned that the fact his church was empty. They were only sorry they wouldn't do more to help.

"Friar Tuck?" Their attention snapped back to the priest's wife. She was by the foot of the friar, pulling on the hem of his robe. While they were not looking, she must have snuck away because she had a bronze coin hugged to her chest. She offered it up to him. "We've save this. It's not too much, but please take it for the poor."

"Your last farthing?" The teens didn't know how much good a measly coin was going to do. But, when they saw the bright smile spread on his face they believed it was a start. "Aw, little sister, no one can give more than that. Bless you, both."

"I wish we could help out," Max said, regretful. There was no way they could donate money for the poor when they were poor themselves. As travelers they had to budget their money as carefully as they could for essentials. They couldn't waste money however they wanted. "We don't have any money to spare. We're sorry."

"It's alright, Max. As long as you care and pray for those less fortunate donating money does not matter," Friar Tuck said, understanding. He dropped the coin in the box where it made a solitary thunk! on the bottom.

"We were saving it for a rainy day ourselves," Father Sexton admitted, sheepishly.

"Well, it's raining now," Caelum chuckled. "Not like things can get worse." He stopped his laugh short, seeing something out the open door. "Oh, dangit."

Arun briefly wondered what could have made Caelum half-curse (they were inside a church so they couldn't curse as normally as they could). They didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"Howdy, Friar! Well, I dropped by just in time," the Sheriff of Nottingham cheerfully greeted as he walked in through the open door. Caelum stepped back to the walls as he passed, repulsed by his very presence.

Standing to their feet, Arun and Max stood to be next to the friar in case any trouble occurred.

"What does that bully want here?" Father Sexton asked, upset. Just as they all were. His wife shushed him once the Sheriff approached the poor box.

The Sheriff lifted the lid to check the box's contents and he grinned.

"Hm…Well, what have we got here?"

Reaching a hand inside, he extracted the single coin within, much to the disgust and astonishment of all those there.

"Now, wait just a minute, Sheriff! That's the poor box!" Friar Tuck exclaimed, stuttering in outrage.

"It sure is. I'll just take it for poor Prince John. Every little bit helps." As if to add insult to injury he pocked the coin in a pouch full of money he took from the townspeople. He patted it in satisfaction of his work.

"You-You thieving scoundrel!"

"Now, take it easy. I'm just doing my duty."

If there was one thing about churches and people faithful to their religion Arun always believed in, it was that they never lost their tempers. From what Arun learned of some religions, they believed in the goodness of people (for the most part) and were always ready to forgive. That belief was shattered as Friar Tuck scowled in anger at the Sheriff.

"Collecting taxes for that arrogant, greedy, ruthless, no-good Prince John?" the friar demanded. His voice rose with each insult he hurled towards the corrupt royal.

The Sheriff matched his scowl and wagged an offending finger in the badger's face.

"Listen, Friar, you're getting mighty preachy and you're going to preach your neck right into a hangman's noose."

The friar gasped at the threat. Then, he began to growl.

"Get out of my church!" To their astonishment Friar Tuck shoved back the Sheriff with amazing force. He pushed the wolf further each time he reiterated a word. "Out! Out! Out!"

The Sheriff was shoved entirely out of the church into the pouring rain. Arun rant to the doorway, the others behind him, while they watched the friar lose himself to his long bottled up anger. His jaw dropped upon seeing the badger wield a cane to beat at the Sheriff, who was too startled to use his sword to do more than defend.

"Taxes! I'll show you taxes!" Friar Tuck cried. He bonked the Sheriff on the head for good measure. However, that pain gave the Sheriff time to gather his bearings.

"Get him, Friar!" Arun cheered. It was about time someone gave that damn wolf a taste of the pain he enforced. This whole thing was made better by the fact the Friar was kicking his butt. He laughed when the old badger hit the wolf's shin. The fat sheriff went down but quickly recovered.

They egged on the friar even as the Sheriff began to retaliate. He and Friar Tuck battled it out parrying each swing of their opponent's chosen weapon. For an old badger-a man of the church, at that-Arun was impressed the friar was able to hold his own. He fought back rather well.

Yet, for all his strength and courage this wouldn't last long nor end well. Friar Tuck was fighting based on emotion alone. During a fight, one had to battle with a cool head. Otherwise, weak points would be exploited.

This proved to be true as the friar's cane broke in two the moment the Sheriff swung again, but the friar ducked in time. Friar Tuck made to attack again even if his cane was broke. Arun didn't see what he did when he heard a clicking of something being set in place.

Arun turned his eyes to one of the leafless trees strewn across the graveyard. In two of the trees were two vultures perched. They seemed vaguely familiar by their helmets and capes. But, he didn't stop to think about why at the sight of their set crossbows. One of them had their crossbow pointed at the friar, finger (or wing feather) on the trigger.

"Friar Tuck!" He made to summon his Keyblade. Before he could do anything, someone beat him to it.

Max rushed out into the pouring rain. He brought out his shield from behind his back and flung it at the armed guard. The shield hit the corner of the crossbow, throwing off the balance of the weapon. Startled, the guard pulled the trigger. The arrow hit the trunk of a tree rather than the body of the friar. That didn't stop the other guard from shooting as well, but Max caught his shield back too late.

The arrow shot far too close to Friar Tuck for Arun's liking. Its tip nicked the corner of his brown robe. There was no blood or any real damage, but it still startled him enough to distract him. The other vulture that Max distracted swooped down from behind the friar with talons at the ready. It grabbed his hood with its talons to pull over his head. Startled, Friar Tuck swung around his cane wildly while Max ran over to shoo away the vultures with his shield.

However, Arun gasped when he saw the Sheriff come up behind the blinded friar with a neck collar. He clamped it around the friar's neck, causing the older badger to still. He knew he lost the moment a collar was put on him. Max, on the other hand, did not stop his fighting until one of the vultures took his shield away from him and the other one clamped another collar over his neck when Max tried to retrieve his weapon. Arun would have been impressed Max continued to fight until the moment shackles were put over his wrists, but he was speechless as he could do nothing while his friend was arrested.

"You're under arrest for high treason to the crown," the Sheriff of Nottingham announced, dignified. He grabbed the chains to the two and forced them to walk away towards the jail. They could do nothing but obey as the two vultures jabbed their loaded crossbows behind them.

"Oh, no," Father Sexton's wife gasped, covering her eyes. Her husband took her in her arms to comfort her. He was just as saddened by these events.

"Max…" Caelum leaned against the doorway, slumped against it. Arun shared his shocked expression down to the T. They couldn't believe it. Their friend was arrested right before their eyes. And possibly being led away to his death for all they knew.

The two boys turned to one another, naked incredulity and fear plain on their faces.

What are we going to do?

The rain continued to pour heavily at the new despair everyone shared and didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.