THE GATHERING STORM
"I hope Robin is all right," said Much. He and the other outlaws were headed for Locksley, their first stop, to recruit men for the fight against Isabella.
"Of course he is. Stop worrying, Much," replied Allan.
"How can I not worry when he's with Gisborne?"
"Aw, come on! Gisborne's with us now. He's gonna help. Robin trusts him, so should we."
"Robin trusted Isabella, too, and look what happened," said Will.
"Tuck, say something to these lads! Do you trust Gisborne?"
"I do," Tuck answered. "Will, Much, I've been one of King Richard's advisors for years, as you know. In my position, I am called upon very often to make judgments of people's characters. Not to brag, but I've become quite good at it. I've spent a lot of time with Gisborne over the past few weeks, and we've talked in depth on several occasions. I probably understand the man and what drives him as well as anyone."
"So you think he told us the truth about the Sheriff?"
"I have no reason not to. Gisborne is very different than his sister. At his core he's honest. If he likes you, you know it. If he doesn't, he's just as upfront about that. He's not a back-stabber. That's one reason he and Vaisey finally came to blows, no doubt. Guy has that quality of intense loyalty. It's both a strength and a weakness in him, because he's given his loyalty to the wrong people in the past. But he's with us now. He's loyal to us, and to Robin, and I trust him. He won't turn back."
"You'd better know what you're talking about, Tuck. We're risking a lot of lives, trusting him, and not just our own."
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The outlaws regrouped that night at the cottage, with several men from the villages. All were in astonishment to see Vaisey's former right-hand man now acting as Robin Hood's partner, and explanations and reassurances had to be given before the men could get down to the business of planning the coup. Robin was heartened to see how many men were willing to join them, but he was anxious to avoid bloodshed as much as possible.
"We take the castle," he told them, "with the help of guards on the inside. We arrest Isabella and her followers, and hold them for the king's justice. When Vaisey gets here, we capture him, too. I don't want anyone taking revenge. We need to let the king take care of them."
Robin and Guy met Ralf DeBracy again the next day as arranged. This time Ralf had several guards with him, all eager to put an end to Isabella's harsh rule. Many more of the castle guards had elected to join them in the coup, and were armed and ready. Robin and Guy smiled at each other.
"We might just be able to pull this off," said Robin. "Tonight, lads, we go into action."
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In the dead of that moonless night, Robin and his small army of peasants infiltrated Nottingham Castle. On the inside, Ralf led the guards against those loyal to Isabella and the prince. By morning, the castle was in the hands of the subjects of the king, and Isabella and the surviving men of her guards were locked up in the newly emptied dungeon.
Robin had lost four men, and several more were injured. It was a hard blow to him, but Isabella was stopped, as Guy reminded him, and many more might have died if not for Ralf's courageous actions.
"I'll make sure King Richard is informed, and DeBracy is properly honoured for his part," he told Guy. "For now, we hold the city."
The battle for control of Nottingham had been fought largely within the castle, so that the citizens of the town woke up the next morning unaware of what had taken place while they slept. By midday, the news had spread throughout the town—Robin of Locksley and Guy of Gisborne had ousted Lady Isabella from power, and were preparing to do the same when the former Sheriff, mysteriously still alive, showed up.
No one, it seemed, wanted Vaisey back in power, not even the wealthy merchants who had benefited from his corrupt rule, and Robin and his men soon had more recruits from amongst the men of Nottingham than they knew what to do with. They set up office in the Great Hall to organize the volunteers.
"Let's hope we don't have to make use of them," he said to Tuck as he looked out at the crowd. "Vaisey should be here any time now, but I imagine he'll have only a small group with him. He won't be expecting any resistance, after all."
"Unless word has somehow gotten back to him."
"The letter said he was to leave London and arrive here by the 20th day of June. That's tomorrow, Tuck. He'll be here before he ever gets word. We took the city just in time."
The rest of that day and evening were spent in celebrations throughout Nottingham. Most were joyous affairs, but the guards watching over the dungeon had their hands full at one point during the night, when a few men who had imbibed a bit too much at the taverns stormed into the castle, with the intent of taking the prisoners out to be hanged. Archer and Robin put a stop to their vigilante justice, and sent them home to sober up.
As for Robin, he wanted nothing more than to fetch Marian from the cottage and spend the night at Locksley Manor, now that he was free to do so. So many years it had been! But he knew he needed to stay in Nottingham. It was not the time to indulge his personal wishes. The battle was won against Isabella, but the war was not over, not until Vaisey was also stopped.
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The next day passed, with no sign of Vaisey.
"Must have been held up along the way," said Robin. "We'll be ready for him just the same."
The next day passed. Still no Vaisey.
"Do you think we should send out some scouts?" suggested Guy.
"I thought about it," answered Robin. "Let's give him one more day. If he doesn't come tomorrow, we'll ask for volunteers to be scouts."
But something unforeseen happened that night. Isabella escaped.
"Which man was it? Do you know, Ralf?" Robin asked a shaken DeBracy the next morning.
"Yes. And I never would have believed it of him, sir. I'm sorry. I misjudged him."
"Don't take it on yourself," said Robin. "We all, at one time or another, underestimated Isabella. She can be very cunning and persuasive. I found that out myself. She must have talked him into letting her and her men out."
"But the other guards, Turner and Fitzwilliam. They killed them, sir!"
""I'm so sorry, Ralf. We should have posted more men. Were they friends of yours?"
"Yes, sir, and loyal to the king."
Archer arrived with more bad news. "Three more dead," he told Robin. "At the east gate of Nottingham. We found one man alive, but he's died since. He lived long enough to tell us that Isabella and her followers escaped. Where do you suppose they headed, to London?"
"That would be my guess," answered Robin.
"Should we take some men and chase them down?"
"Let's find the others and talk it over."
In the end it was decided to let her go.
"She can't do much harm at this point," argued Robin. "Vaisey will be here before she ever makes it back to London, and by the time the prince tries to retaliate, King Richard will be here as well. I sent word to him right after we took Nottingham. I don't want to endanger any more of us dealing with her. We need to stay here."
What Robin, and the people in Nottingham, had no way of knowing was that Vaisey had not left London as planned. He spent several days instead flat in bed with a virulent cold. By the time he recovered, and he and his small entourage had set out for Nottingham, Isabella and her supporters were on their way back. The two groups met on the road, not half-a-day's journey from Prince John's castle, and rode back together to London to tell the prince that Nottingham was now in the hands of none other than Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne.
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Prince John was livid when he heard the news. He raged for several minutes, throwing everything within reach to the floor or against the wall, including a couple of servants who didn't get out of his way quick enough.
Isabella was frightened, but Vaisey sat back and watched the man's tantrum with a complacent smile of amusement.
"How can this be?" shouted the prince. "Hood and Gisborne, in control of Nottingham? Are these men forever going to be the plague of my existence?"
"Sire, might I suggest—"
"Vaisey, I want you to go back, but I'm through messing about, do you hear me? This time I'm sending my army with you! Yes, that's right. You are to take back Nottingham, and kill those two criminals once and for all. I don't want to see you back here until it's done!"
"Consider it as good as done, sire. It will be my pleasure. Especially Gisborne. I want him dead now more than Hood."
"And I don't mean I want to see you back with half my army destroyed, either!"
"No, sire. In fact—" Vaisey rubbed his chin. "Yes, it just might work."
"You have a plan?" The prince stopped his rant, and sat down across from Vaisey. His face was all eagerness now.
"Sire, years ago, when I became Sheriff, I had a secret tunnel built in the castle, in case I ever needed to escape undetected."
"And? All castles have secret passages, Vaisey. What's your point?"
"This one is different. It's impossible to find if you don't know where to look, and I'm the only person who knows about it and where it is. Even Gisborne doesn't know. It was built before he started working for me, and I chose not to tell him of it. The workers who built it were silenced after the project was completed."
"Ah, permanently silenced, I hope."
"As silent as the grave. Here's my plan. I'll take your army, and besiege the city. Robin Hood is no fool. He'll have scouts watching for us, no doubt, so our arrival will come as no surprise. We'll march up to the gates, and your men will do their thing—shoot lots of arrows, make lots of noise. Perhaps we can throw in a battering ram and a trebuchet or two. I've got some fun stuff I bought from my cousin, the Sheriff of York, that should make things interesting. But, sire, the siege at the gates will be only a diversion."
Prince John moved in closer. "You mean to move some men through your hidden tunnel and into the city?"
"Eventually. First, I want to take out their leaders. Myself, a couple of others, will make our way inside, find Hood and Gisborne, and lure them into a trap. Kill them, and the others will be lost. What have they got to put up against us anyway? A few guards, peasants, townspeople? Against a trained army? Without a strong leader like Hood they'll be easy prey. Once the leaders are killed, we'll move troops through the tunnel, and take the city from within and without."
"Very good, Vaisey. I like it. Very sneaky."
"Sneakiness is my specialty, sire."
"Sire," said Isabella, "I wish to accompany Sheriff Vaisey back to Nottingham. I have personal reasons for wanting to see Robin Hood and my brother brought to justice."
"Oh, no, my dear Isabella—"
"Sire, perhaps we should," cut in Vaisey. "Lady Isabella, you could help me. We'll send you in to find your brother and Hood. You'd make the perfect lure. If they were to see you in the castle, they'd follow you like sheep to the slaughter."
"This is true, sire. I could lead them both to the trap."
"It sounds dangerous, my dear."
"They don't frighten me, sire. I can wrap them both right around my fingers. I've done it before."
The two men laughed.
"All right, Sheriff Vaisey, Lady Isabella, let's see what you can do."
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While Prince John mustered his army to send back with Vaisey, the inhabitants of Nottingham grew increasingly uneasy. Scouts reported no sign of Vaisey for a distance of two day's ride from the town. Some were beginning to doubt that he was coming at all. No word had come back from the king, so there was some question as to whether or not Robin's messengers had reached him. Morale was low. Robin's leadership skills were tested as never before, but he stood strong. The people had to be ready, for whatever came, whether that was a small group with Vaisey, or, as he was beginning to fear, a bigger force. He ordered the gates to be reinforced, and any citizens willing and able to leave the town to do so, for their own well-being.
Marian and Meg had, in the meantime, been living at the cottage, but they had not been idle. They arrived one afternoon, with supplies of medicines, bandages, and blankets from Matilda, and a promise from that good woman that she would soon join them. Marian had also gathered support amongst the villagers that remained behind, and a sizable number were coming to Nottingham to help out.
"Marian, I'd feel much better about you if you'd stay at the cottage. It's going to be very dangerous here."
"Yes, and if the town is attacked, there will be wounded people, Robin. Who will care for them? My place is here, with you. Don't try to send me away, because I won't go."
Robin hugged her. "My brave darling," he said. "I should make you leave. But it cheers me so to have you here, I don't think I can."
"Then don't try. And forget about Meg, too. She won't be parted from Guy."
"What's up with those two? Do you really think—"
"Oh, yes. At least on her side."
"This, from the girl who hated men. What about him, I wonder?"
"I don't know. Ask him. Any sign of Vaisey yet?"
"We've just sent another group of scouts. I expect them back by tomorrow."
Robin received word early the next morning.
"Sheriff Vaisey, and Isabella with him," Archer told Robin and the others gathered in the Great Hall. "And that's not all. An army follows them."
"Prince John's soldiers," said one of the other scouts.
"How many?"
"A few hundred, maybe more. They are no more than a day's march away, if that."
Robin frowned, and exchanged grim glances with Gisborne and the other outlaws.
"I should have gone after Isabella," he said, shaking his head. "She must have gotten back to London before he left, and warned them. I hope I haven't made a fatal mistake."
"Robin, there is still time," said Tuck. "We have time to prepare the town and the people."
"Against an army?" said Little John. "How?"
"First of all, we need to get everyone that can't fight out of Nottingham," said Robin. "Get them into the villages, into Sherwood. Organize the rest, every man and strong boy willing and able to defend the town. We'll put up barricades in case the gates are broken through. Get all the best archers up on the battlements. There will be wounded, no doubt. I'll get Marian and some of the other women to set up a safe place to bring them. If all else fails and the gates are taken, we can hole up in the castle. We can gather enough food and supplies to last a long time. And we need to try to send for help again. Someone needs to ride to meet the king at Portsmouth and speed his return."
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Soon, every one of the outlaws, and every leader from the villages and the town, had an assignment. The town was a swirl of frantic activity as most of the townspeople were evacuated from Nottingham, and led to the villages and safe refuges in the forest. Robin's men, and guards from the castle, worked feverishly to build barricades around the streets and equip every man from the stockpile in the armoury. Marian set up a place to bring the wounded in the Great Hall, and, with Matilda and Tuck's help, organized the volunteers for the task ahead.
Allan went to Robin, to offer to ride to the king.
"Allan, I need you here. Someone else can go."
"Robin, let me do it. Come on, I owe it to the lads, al'right? I know they're still miffed with me for joining up with Gisborne and betraying the gang. Give me the chance to redeem myself."
Robin finally consented, but not without misgivings. The mission was a dangerous one. The first two messengers had still not returned.
"I'll be careful, don't worry," Allan called over his shoulder as he rode off. "When I come back, I'll have the king and his whole army with me, and we'll make a big &*%# pile out of Vaisey!"
By early evening the last of the citizens who were willing to leave Nottingham were evacuated, and safe in the outlying villages and the Forest. The defenders of the town were on alert. All eyes strained in the twilight for any sign of the advancing army. They did not have to wait long.
"They're coming, I see them!" a man shouted from the tower of the castle.
Robin and Guy sat on their horses by the main gates of the town. They looked at each other when they heard the cry from the tower.
"Are you ready for this, Guy?"
"I'm right with you, Robin."