Chapter 26

The next morning brought the end to the depressing rain, yet didn't do anything to stop Arun's rage.

Sherwood Forest had a rude awakening first thing in the morning. The same time the sun rose Arun's wrath awoke to a critical level. The first thing he did that morning was stomp out of the desolate church and headed straight for the forest, intent on finding the one person who could fix the situation they found themselves in.

"Hood! Robin Hood!" Arun shouted. His voice was so loud it could have woken the dead. He shoved some tree branches away from his face. It nearly broke from the force he used to shove it away. "Damn thief! Get out here right now or I'm going to hunt you down and skin you!"

"Wow, Arun. Threaten the person we're asking for help, why don'tcha?" Caelum retorted. He followed closely behind Arun. Being behind Arun was the best position he could be in when faced with the older boy's infamous rage. He knew first hand of Arun's various anger stages. Arun had three stages to his anger. The one Caelum usually encountered was the lowest level where he would get angry but could also be immediately calmed. Right now, Arun was in his second highest level considering the fact one of his friends was in danger. He always got that way when his friends were in trouble.

"Well, he's not showing himself! I'm in no mood to remain patient or be polite!"

"But, you don't have to threaten him!" Arun stopped in his tracks when Caelum grabbed his arm. The shorter cat gave an angry glare at the taller owl, who was unaffected. "Look, I'm worried about Max, too. I hate how we were both powerless to stop him from getting arrested. That doesn't mean we should lose our heads."

"I'm not losing my head!" Arun threw off Caelum's hand. He continued forward at a slower pace. "I know exactly what I'm doing."

"You're yelling for Robin Hood in the middle of the forest at the top of your lungs. You're even threatening him."

"I'm pissed and I'm not just yelling for him." He climbed up a ledge using a fallen tree trunk as a stepping stone. Ducking under a thick three branch, he came upon a campsite he had visited a few days before. Caelum came up behind him and he couldn't help but smirk at him. "I was giving him some warning instead of barging into his home."

They arrived back at Robin's hideout they had visited a few days ago. They had only seen the hideout during the night and Arun was too drunk to take in the surroundings. The campside was exactly what he thought would fit an outlaw. There was no proper tent for shelter and a few chapped trees served as chairs and tables. A fire pit was placed at the center of the camp, a big pot on top of it. Arun knew only men lived there since it didn't quite have that feeling of a woman's touch. He actually knew what that looked like when he compared his cheap apartment to Arty's home. Though raised by a single dad, she was still girly enough to give that feeling a woman could give to a house. No one was in sight at the campsite.

"So, why exactly were you calling/threatening Robin Hood?" Caelum asked. They entered the campsite without any greeting. While Caelum sat down on a tree trunk, Arun poked around the camp.

"I needed to talk to Robin about something," Arun said, grabbing the ladle in the full pot over the fire. There was some kind of stew cooking and, though it smelled burnt, it made him hungry. Sicne they left the church after the sun rose, they hadn't eaten anything yet. He took a sip and then another.

"What for?"

"Let's just say Robin owes me."

Caelum opened his mouth to ask what that meant, but wisely shut it. It was good he did because a few minutes later that was spent in silence bushes on the outskirts of the camp rustled.

Robin Hood and his companion, Little John, emerged. They were discussing something along the lines of 'Prince John' and 'prison.' The conversation died when they laid eyes on the silent Caelum and Arun sipping some of their food. Arun raised the ladle in greeting.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" he greeted, chewing on some meat.

"Well, Little John, it appears we have guests," said Robin, unfazed by their appearance. He was rather pleasant despite how they invited themselves in without invintation.

Little John had the opposite attitude. He frowned at the sight of Arun eating their food.

"Hey, hasn't anyone ever told you eating other people's food is rude?" he commented.

"Isn't it rude not to offer your guests something to eat?" Arun retorted, uncaring. "Besides, we have more important things to discuss right now."

"You should take him seriously. Arun never says food isn't important," Caelum chuckled. "He would rather eat first before doing anything."

"If that is the case, we should listen to what you have to say." Robin placed down the bundle of clothing he carried under an arm onto a branch, then took a seat on a tree trunk opposite of Caelum. "Now, what's so important you two sought me out first thing past daybreak?"

"Do you remember a few days ago during the archery tournament I saved your fiancé? And how you wanted to repay me?" Arun reminded him, getting straight to business. Robin nodded. "I'm calling in that favor. I need your help. My friend's been arrested by that corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham. I need help breaking him out of prison."

"You want to break your friend out?" Little John repeated, astonished. Robin Hood was more intrigued than surprised. "You do know you want to break into a prison that's heavily guarded by people that want Rob hangin' from a noose, right?"

"It won't be the first time we broke into a prison." Arun and Caelum shared a chuckle as they remembered the first time they broke into a prison to save someone. Robin and Little John found it best not to ask.

"So, I can assume you have experience, then?" Robin guessed. He grinned the only way a fox could. "Good. We're going to need that experience when we break into the jail tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. Before you two lads came, Little John and I were already planning on breaking into the jail. We heard Friar Tuck had been arrested and just this morning we found out he is to be hanged at dawn tomorrow."

Arun and Caelum were stunned. This was news to them.

"Friar Tuck? Are you sure?" Caelum inquired, his feathers puffing up at the news. Robin nodded in confirmation and he cursed. "Friar Tuck was arrested at the same time our friend was. We can't let him die!"

"Which is why we're breaking into the prison tonight," Little John restated. "We'll be getting everyone out of that place, so we'll be able to get your friend out, too."

"I hope you boys are ready, because tonight will be a long one," Robin said, practically grinning at the challenge that awaited them that night.

Though he grinned, deep down they all knew this was no game. Lives were on the line and they couldn't screw up. There were no restarts, so this was their only shot. They just hoped nothing would go terribly wrong. But, since Arun knew better, he knew something would.

xxx

The night fell faster than Arun anticipated. The morning passed into a dreary afternoon and dimmed into a depressing evening charged with tension. Preparations for what they were about to do took all day until they found it was time to go.

Four animals of various species found themselves standing next to the castle of Prince John conveniently located next to the jail. They were by the western wall-the least guarded place in the prison. Arun climbed up a ladder placed on the wall. he climbed after Robin Hood. Caelum followed with Little John bringing up the rear. They tried to remain as silent as possible, aware the time was a period where no one would be sane enough to be awake. It was almost three in the morning, which Arun remembered was referred to as a haunting hour in some places. It was a time where spirits came out to play.

It just so happened they would spirit away the prisoners.

They scaled the ladder, hesitantly peeking over an edge. Just as they suspected, the place was packed with guards that remained wide awake and alert during the late hour. They paced away in a specific route and pattern. Luckily, Robin chose a location where they could see the guards but the guards couldn't see them if they were careful. They climbed onto a ledge to make their way to a stable where its roof was made of hay. Arun was sure they'd be caught. It was to his relief they dropped down the ledge and safely landed on it to level ground.

Arun followed Robin's lead without question. While he did have some experience stealing things back when he had no home, he had to acknowledge the outlaw was a professional. The way he knew the guards' patrol patter in less than a day was almost amazing.

I wonder if I can apprentice in thieving, he wistfully thought as they hid in the shadows of an archway. His sharp gaze remained on the vulture wielding a crossbow that passed. The guard's own gaze was straight ahead and never noticed them on his way past. They relaxed when he was out of sight, which made Arun consider something. Actually, that's a bad idea. This stealing gig is harder than it looks. And I'm pretty sure Arty or Caelum wouldn't pay my bail.

He may have appreciated the way Robin worked, but that didn't mean he could replicate. It seemed like too much work. Plus, his friends would leave him to rot in jail if he ever got arrested.

When the coast was clear they moved. Arun and Caelum darted in one direction over to a nearby ledge partially covered by trees before anyone saw them. Robin and John moved in another direction that was near the crossbow vulture's path. They hopped in the tree where Caelum sat near the trunk while Arun stayed near the end of the branch to the opening. He had only one objective: catching a vulture guard.

The clinking of armor crept closer and closer to the edge until it stopped directly in front of them. Arun peeked out to see the back of the other vulture guard. He reached out his paws to grab him when the guard yelled.

"ONE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL!" he yelled loud enough for the entire castle to hear. Off in the distance a clock rang three deep tones to contradict the vulture's announcement.

Arun retracted his hands before he was caught. Caelum moved closer to see what the issue was. The shorter cat recoiled at the scent wafting from his friend. Because of the rain, Caelum's feathers stank like the inside of a barn. And he knew some smelly barns from back home.

"Get your tail out of my face!" Caelum hissed. Arun's tail was smacked aside. A chill went down his spine as it was grabbed too roughly.

"Get your feathers away from me! They stink!" Arun growled back.

The two glared at one another for the rude treatment, yet said no more. They knew they couldn't fight at the moment. They had a more important mission at hand: saving Max. They couldn't afford to fight when they had to rescue their friend first.

Armor came clinking back in their direction. Like before, it stopped in front of the tree and did not make a sound. Arun quickly grabbed the vulture, knocking him out from under his helmet to avoid raising the alarm. They climbed out of the tree and hid in the shadows of the archway leading to the courtyard. This caused quite a bit of noise and drew the Sheriff's attention.

"Hurry up!" Caelum prompted Arun, urging him to finish stripping the guard of his cloak and helmet.

"I'm going! I'm going!" Arun finally yanked the cloak off the guard's shoulders after fiddling with the clasp on the front. Then, he hauled the vulture against the tree and tied him to it, gagging him with a handkerchief. Arun passed the cloak and helmet off to Caelum. "You think Robin and Little John got the other guy?"

"Alright, you in there! Come out with your hands up!" ordered a no-nonsense voice. It sounded like the Sheriff.

"Yeah, reach them to the sky," said another goofy voice trying to sound intimidating. It didn't sound like the vulture guard. It sounded like Robin.

Arun's hearing was better than his sight, so he detected the part that was Robin in the accented voice. A quick glance and he found Robin standing next to the Sheriff. As his disguise, he had the cloak and helmet as well as a pink sock over his snout.

"Arun, you know how you always say I'm a terrible actor?" Caelum casually mentioned. Arun nodded, confused. Caelum smirked as he pulled on the cloak, helmet, and pulled on a pink sock as well. "You're about to be proven wrong again."

Caelum picked up the fallen halbard and stepped into the firelight.

"Jehosaphat, Trigger! Put that peashooter down!" Caelum exclaimed in the same speech as the vulture they knocked out. Arun was impressed how he got down that imitation after only hearing it for a few minutes. He would withhold his compliments until Caelum managed to escape without being discovered.

"Oh, shucks, Trigger. It's only Nutsy," the Sheriff dismissed. Arun could almost hear him roll his eyes at the tension caused by this mistake. "And criminently! Get back to your patrol. On the double. Get!"

"I'm a-getting, I'm a-getting." With Robin Arun could just imagine the thief snicker the minute the Sheriff turned his back on him.

Caelum winked at Arun over his shoulder with a smirk, then ran up to the Sheriff's side. Arun remained where he was, straining his new hearing to its limits to listen in on their conversation.

"That Trigger. He's getting everybody edgy," the Sheriff told the disguised Caelum. "Nothin's gonna happen. That friar will dangle from the gallows come daybreak."

The Sheriff and Caelum made it to the prison door. The wolf gave a tired yawn, stretching out his arms. Caelum pushed the chair by the door underneath the Sheriff to sit on.

"Sheriff, why don't you just sit yourself down here kind of cozy-like?" Caelum crooned like one would do to a baby. And yet, he somehow still stayed in character. Arun snickered at the thought of him actually taking care of a babe about to sleep.

"Well, thank you, Nutsy."

"Just close your sleepy little eyeballs." Caelum stressed the word in order to cast a spell he had been learning in one of the books he brought along on their journey. Contrary to what Arun believed, he wasn't just reading a novel to pass the time between worlds. He had actually been studying new spells that Merlin gave him to learn. The spell Sleep was just one of them.

The instant he spoke the word the Sheriff fell unconscious in a forced slumber. Loud snores that came from deep within the Sheriff's chest echoed through the empty courtyard. He wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon as long as none of them hit him. Caelum waited to see if there was a chance he would awaken. When everything looked okay Caelum waved at both Robin and Arun to move.

Arun, Little John, and Robin Hood moved from their positions to slip over to the prison cell. They tiptoed as they drew closer to not risk awakening the Sheriff. Reaching the door, Robin placed the crossbow in his hands to lean against the wall next to the Sheriff's chair. Nimble paws reached for the Sheriff's belt to grab the keys, but Arun grabbed his hands to stop them.

Robin gave him a questioning look. Arun shook his head, then pointed at the door and to himself. This only confused Robin as he tilted his head in curiosity. He seemed to be asking, How do you plan to open the door?

Arun grinned and summoned his Keyblade. Robin and Little John had seen his Keyblade before during the tournament. From the looks on their faces, they were surprised he summoned it. After all, it was uncommon for strange key-shaped swords to appear out of nowhere in someone's grasp. Arun just loved seeing people's reactions but quickly moved on. He tapped the tiny keyhole on the locked door. It unlocked with a small click!

The Sheriff gave a loud snore, causing everyone to freeze. They stared at the wolf, who shifted a little in his sleeping position before settling. Arun glanced from the Sheriff to the door. He made the decision to open it, though he only did so after Caelum recast Sleep on the wolf. The door opened with a creak that might have had the potential to wake the Sheriff had Caelum not cast his magic. Opening the door wide, he stood aside to ushered Little John inside. Once he was safely inside, he entered the prison himself and closed it as gently as possible. Again, it closed with a click but would not lock.

"Now, you release Friar Tuck and the others," Robin whispered, low, to Arun through the bars. "I'll go pay a visit to the Royal treasury."

Arun's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't remember this being part of the plan. Okay, they didn't really have a plan in the first place. All Robin Hood told them that morning as they were preparing for the jailbreak was that they'd sneak in, take out the two vulture guards to impersonate them, and sneak back out with everyone else. The impromptu visit to the Royal Treasury was new as well as stupidly dangerous. Robin Hood was getting too confident.

From the small clack of Caelum's beak, he also agreed that wasn't the best idea. Niether of them said anything. They were there for Max and no one else. Robin Hood could go do whatever he liked. They didn't care.

Nodding, Arun pulled away from the door and rushed up the stairs behind Little John.

The small corridor of the prison was narrow and smelt awful. Arun had to cover his nose from the twisted stench of excrement and decay. He was glad back on Rapunzel's world they hadn't entered the block of prison cells, because the smell in this prison was awful. There were many doors that were obviously the cells on both sides of the hall. With a quick peek inside each door he found they were empty, save for the one at the end of the all before the stairs. Inside were a number of Nottingham's villagers who could not afford to pay their taxes. Since none of the other cells held prisoners, Arun supposed Max was within the cell before him.

I'll come back for you, Arun silently promised. He had to help Little John first since he was the only one with the key. He turned and ran up the stairs to catch up to Little John.

At the top of the stairs he found the large bear in the surprisingly short hallway. Little John stood in front of the singular door on that floor. Arun saw there was a poster that read, Death for Treason in large black and bold letters. At the bottom was signed, Prince John. He peeked inside and saw Friar Tuck chained around his wrists and ankles in the corner of the room. Scowling, Arun viciously ripped off the poster. He really despised Prince John. Without any further distractions he tapped the Keyblade on the lock.

Little John opened the door and rushed inside, Arun behind him. Friar Tuck raised his discouraged head to them. From his saddened gaze, Arun suspected the friar was about to give up hope and thought it was time for his execution. That gaze turned to hope as he laid eyes on them.

"Oh, Little John, Arun! It can't be," he breathed, disbelieving.

"Shh, quiet," Little John shushed. They ran over to the friar where Arun unlocked each of his shackles with a simple tap. Little John helped the friar to remove them. "We're busting out of here."

"Thank God! My prayers have been answered."

"Don't stop praying. We're not out of this yet," Arun recommended. Their endeavor for the night wasn't over just yet. Seeing Friar Tuck was free, he rushed back out the door to head back to the villager's prison cell. He opened the door and went inside.

The inside of the cell was worse than seeing it. Arun was sure the prison cell was actually quite large as it had several support pillars. But, because of all the people crammed inside, it felt smaller almost to the point of being claustrophobic. A shiver went up his spine and he shook his head. His discomfort didn't mean a thing compared to what the villagers went through. They were locked up and chained like the animals they appeared. He knew they weren't just animals. They were people, too, and they didn't deserve this. He just had to help them.

He ran around the room to start unlocking everyone from their chains. Everyone roused from their miserable sleep and reawakened with hope at the sight of their chains being undone. Little John and Friar entered the room to help people take off their shackles. Arun went around the room freeing everyone until he came upon Max.

Max sat against a wall next to an older dog with a broken leg. His head leaned to one side in an uncomfortable position as if he couldn't find the proper way to sleep with the shackle around his neck. His eyes were closed so Arun supposed he did manage to sleep in his current situation. Arun was more than glad to rouse him from his slumber. That didn't look comfortable at all.

"Max! Max, wake up!" Arun hissed, reaching down to shake his friend's shoulder. At the simple touch Max straightened up and snapped open his eyes. Max cast a blurry gaze up before they cleared. At least he was a light sleeper. "C'mon, buddy. Rise and shine!"

"A-Arun?" Max muttered, uncertain. "What-How-Why are you here? Did you get arrested, too?"

"How can I get arrested when I'm the ultimate locksmith?" Arun pinned Max with an Are you an idiot? look usually reserved for Caelum. It was almost impossible to restrain Arun when he had a weapon that could virtually open any lock. No door or lock could keep him down! He tapped the shackle on his friend's neck to prove his point. Removing it for Max, he grabbed the other teen's arm to yank him up to his feet. "We're busting you out of this joint, Max. Caelum's downstairs waiting for us."

"He is?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

Max scratched his cheek that turned pink.

"I'm not…sort of. I just thought you wouldn't bother breaking me out since I was an idiot to get arrested in the first place-OW!"

Arun slapped Max upside the head, interrupting the teen. Max rubbed his ear where he was hit and blinked at his scowling friend.

"You are an idiot," Arun agreed, "but not for that reason. You're an idiot for thinking Caelum and I would leave you in this crappy jail. Do you have any idea how worried we were when you were arrested?"

"You guys were worried?" Max repeated, taken back. The thought of his two friends that argued and fought on a daily basis was unfathomable.

"Of course we were. I told you a million times already. You're my friend. I don't leave my friends to rot in jail. Caelum feels the same way."

Max's eyes watered, touched by Arun's words. He meant it. Max was his friend. Whether the knight liked it or not, they weren't going to stop being friends until Arun said so. That wasn't likely to happen anytime soon since he rarely made new friends. Max laughed, the moistness in his eyes disappearing.

"You couldn't pay bail like any other good friend?"

"Hell no! I ain't wasting money for something like that. Plus, why pay bail when I can easily break you out?"

Little John appeared beside Arun. He walked over to the injured dog and tapped the chain impatiently.

"Hey, Arun! This ain't the time for a Sunday afternoon chat. We're on a tight schedule here!"

"Oh, right!"

Arun scrambled to the dog's side and unlocked it. He moved on to release the others while Max helped people stand.

In no time at all Arun managed to free everyone. He walked around the room where the villagers lingered to wait for the chance to leave. Little John hadn't told them yet if it was okay. They waited nervously in the darkness, anxious to leave before they were discovered. Arun shared their anxiety. What were they waiting for? At any second someone might discover what they were doing.

He got his answer as an arrow with a rope tied to its end came flying through the cell's single window. It flew through the bars with ease to hit the wooden cell door. Little John plucked it from its spot and lopped it through a ring on the wall meant to keep the door chained shut. Then, he took out the bow slung across his back, nocked the arrow again, and shot it straight out the window again.

Not long after, the rope went taut as if it attached firmly to something. Little John began to pull the rope, signaling for some help. A few of the men, including Arun and Max, began to pull the rope. They weren't sure what was the point of pulling on the rope, but none of them were expecting sacks of money to be tied on it as the conveyor rope moved. They knew it was money by the tell tale sound of gold moving against each other.

Upon finding gold on the rope, a few people moved to untie the sacks while the men continued to pull to keep it going.

At least I know why Robin paid a visit to the treasury, Arun mused. He thought it strange why Robin would go steal gold while they freed the villagers. He was really stealing back the gold Prince John took from the people. Stealing was wrong. That was a common sense for those with a moral consious. For now it was fine. He smiled at the joy the villagers displayed when they were given their gold back. I guess Robin's motto of stealing from the rich to give to the poor is okay just this once. That jerk prince deserves it.

They continued to pull on the rope where sacks of money passed through many hands. The sacks came flowing endlessly and didn't appear to stop anytime soon. It made Arun wonder how much money Prince John stole from his subjects. Didn't that fake 'king' know the lower class was his livelihood? If he took all their money, who would grow his food or make his clothes? His greed made no sense.

"Ha, ha. Praise the Lord and pass the tax rebates!" Friar Tuck laughed, passing out some of the many bags to the people around him. There were so many of the heavy sacks even the children inside the cell had to carry them. Once they had the money in their hands, Friar Tuck led them outside to begin their escape.

"I wish we could take one of those bags," Max grunted behind Arun, continuing to pull without stopping.

"It's not our money, Max. Besides, we have a different currency," Arun responded. On the inside he was forlorn they couldn't take some of the money themselves.

"I know. I know. I just hate being poor."

"That's what we get for being adventurers. We have to keep buying supplies to sustain ourselves."

"I wish it wasn't always like that. It reminds me of how I had to budget my own MONEY!"

Arun yelled when the rope abruptly got yanked in the other direction. The palms of his hands tingled with the burns caused by the rope. Max held onto the rope but bumped into Arun's back, almost causing them to topple over. The cat held his ground to avoid hitting the person in front of him. He and the rest of the men pulled harder to get the money to come back only to hear screaming outside.

"Guards! Guards! My gold!" Prince John's voice echoed loud enough for the entire castle to hear him. Everyone froze at the voice, knowing what that meant.

They had been discovered.

Caelum came bursting through the doorway, standing aside to let some of the villagers make their way down before guards could appear. He discarded his disguise already. A few of his head feathers stuck out messily as a result. His staff was in his hands.

"Come on, guys! Grab the rest of the gold! Guards are on their way here!" he ordered.

The men released their hold on the rope and scooped up the last remaining sacks of gold. Arun, Caelum, and Max did the same. While they did so, Caelum passed Max's shield that was slung behind his back. Max was all too happy to accept it as he was reassured he could fight again. They made their way down the hallways and the stairs to the open jail door.

Arun rushed outside with a sack of gold tucked in his left arm. He stood outside the door to allow everyone else the chance to get away. Caelum and Max were already ahead to lead the way to the cart near the drawbridge where he saw Little John and Friar Tuck make their way towards it further down the path. He anxiously checked to see if anyone else was inside (two little rabbit girls were the last of the group) when he heard Prince John shout close by.

"They're getting away with my gold! Guards! Guards, to the jail!" he cried.

Lifting his eyes, he saw the wretched fake king in his nightclothes rush towards them. Panic controlled his actions like it was his puppeteer as he reached for the open jail door. Arun picked up the smallest rabbit girl, a cute thing of only three years old clutching a smaller bunny doll, to tuck her firmly beside the sack of gold before Prince John slammed the door. He rushed off after the second rabbit child. He stayed behind her in case something happened. Behind him came the cries of Prince John as he ordered his rhinos to slow down. A mighty crash sounded, but Arun dared not look behind him.

The straight path to the drawbridge was short, placed in plain sight, yet it seemed so long. The archers from the ramparts shot volleys of arrows at them to prevent them from escaping. They came from everyone and were aimed to hit any of them with no preference on whom it hit. Arun almost panicked at the thought. However, he saw that most of the arrows missed. The villagers had some item in their hands to help block the attacks like how a turtle kid had his shell to guard him. They used their items to block the attacks aimed at them and their fellow escapees. Others were fast enough to dodge the arrows before they hit.

Arun saw such an example when archers appeared behind them. They followed closely, nocking their bows with arrows to also shoot from behind. The rabbit girl in front of Arun had managed to jump before an arrow hit her and she kept running, safe. It relieved Arun, although that didn't stop him from using Blizzard to freeze the path behind him. The guards slipped on the ice to fall over one another. Arun grinned at the display. Then, he moved his gaze forward where he found they reached the first archway before the drawbridge.

It was there he found Robin waiting for them.

"Everybody, this way!" Robin cried, prompting everyone to move as quickly as possible.

Seized with new hope at the sight of their town hero, the villagers picked up their pace as fast as they could. The path to the drawbridge seemed like the longest journey Arun's ever taken. There were many obstacles in their path that ranged from the volley of arrows that fell from above to that crocodile captain almost killing an elderly owl couple. He hid himself in a nearby archway and brought down the axe in his grasp. If it wasn't for Friar Tuck pushing them forward with a wheelbarrow, the couple would have been chopped in half. It didn't help there were also a hoarde of rhino guards stomping from behind.

Fortunately, the obstacles were taken care of when Robin and Little John intervened. They unloaded a cart full of huge barrels to send rolling down the path to knock out the rhino guards as if they were a bunch of bowling pins. None of the villagers were hit since they had the good sense to get out of the barrel's way.

Thankfully, they reached the end of their long run when the cart stationed at the open drawbridge came into sight. Already, Little John was helping people onto the cart along with Friar John. Max and Caelum also helped by bringing the stragglers catch up. Somehow, they managed to fit all the villagers onto that single cart until they were all on. Arun, relieved they were almost free, ran straight for cart.

It was too bad he hadn't expected something hard to hit his foot.

Arun lost his balance at the unexpected attack to his feet. He hit the ground with a thump, the sack of gold and the little girl flying out of his arms a few feet away. Lifting his head, he gasped when he saw the little girl briefly in the air and landed on the sack of gold, cushioning her fall. Thankfully, she didn't seem harmed. The girl didn't even cry from falling out of his arms. She merely picked herself up and ran to the departing cart. He breathed a sigh of relief. He picked himself up and made to follow after her. However, black smoke popped out around him to form three big bellied Heartless Arun first fought in Hollow Bastion. A guffawing laugh followed.

"So, you thought you chumps could break out o' here, eh?"

"Pete," Arun greeted, unhappy to see that the overweight cat was still hanging around that world. Pete stood in front of Arun with his hands on his hips, triumphant at catching him off guard. Arun didn't take him seriously since his clothes looked both wrinkled and undone. He must have been sleeping when he heard all the noise and hastily pulled on his clothes. "It's nice to see you're still hanging around."

"Why would I leave? I still gotta pay you back for what you brats did to me! And for makin' me miss my beauty sleep now!"

"Yeah, you need all the sleep you can get." Though Arun was willing to insult Pete at anytime, this wasn't the time nor the place. While the villagers were safe from anymore danger, Arun was trapped. He was surrounded by huge Heartless that were difficult to fight. If he did manage to beat them, he would have to get through the rest of the prince's guards. He kept speaking as his eyes darted around to plan an escape route. "With an ugly mug like that you'd have to sleep a-"

His words froze on his tongue when he laid eyes on something he didn't like. The little girl he had carried had a difficult time catching up to the cart. Just behind her was a green capped Heartless sneaking up on her. And just beyond those two were Robin Hood, Caelum, and Max sprinting to come save him and the girl.

Ever since Arun helped Penny, he had gained a soft spot for little girls. He didn't know why, but he hated to see young girls below the age of ten in danger now when he didn't care before. It was like seeing little girls about to get hurt brought out his dormant big brother nature most of the kids at the orphanage normally had when caring for the younger ones. He didn't have that growing up in the orphanage, but he did now.

So, when he saw the Heartless raise its arms to attack he sprung into action.

"Stop!" Arun raised his Keyblade to cast a spell he had been attempting to learn. Caelum wasn't the only one to get spells from Merlin. Just before they departed Disney Castle Merlin gave him a list of spells to master that were first level. He promised Arun if he mastered the spells he would teach him their higher levels. He wasn't sure if Stop, one of the harder spells, would work.

He got his confirmation when he saw one of the three big Heartless suddenly stop moving. He still found this as a good opportunity and dived in between the Heartless to roll out.

"Hehe! You're not goin' anywhere!" Pete gloated. He took out a bomb from his pocket, lit it, and threw it straight at Arun.

The young Keyblade wielder saw the bomb flying at him, but he still lunged at the Heartless that threatened the girl. It vanished as his blade bit into it. Grabbing the little girl into his arms, he couldn't dodge the bomb.

The bomb touched his back even as he tried to utter a Reflect spell he had also tried to learn and instantaneously explode. The spell sent back some of the blast away from Arun. However, that didn't stop it from searing into his back where it burned him. It sent him flying back with the child in his arms. Before he landed, he made sure to twist his body into a position where the child wouldn't be crushed under his weight nor hurt from the fall. They landed a few feet away from where they were, coming to a rough halt.

The second the pain hit Arun squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip to stop himself from screaming. He was sure that since he still felt pain he had a second degree burn…Or his back was so numb it hurt so that might mean he had a third-degree burn. He honestly hoped it was the former. A soft paw patted his cheek.

"Mister, you okay?" asked a fairly high voice that was still like a child's.

Forcing one eye open, he saw the little girl tilt her head at him in curiosity and concern. He flashed a toothy grin at her, happy to see she was safe and sound.

"I'm okay, kid. How about you?"

She nodded, snuggling her doll under her chin.

"That's good."

"Arun!"

He forced his body to sit up, ignoring the screaming twinge that echoed from his actions, to see Robin, Caelum and Max rush to them. Upon coming to a halt next to him, Caelum cast Cure on him despite not knowing what his wound was. Arun thought they were at that point in their journey where any wound they sustained had to be healed with a Cure. Even if they didn't know what the wound was, it didn't matter if they used a Cure spell. A soothing relief like when he rubbed aloe on his burns in the past went down his back to take all the pain away.

"Are you all right there?" Robin asked, picking up the little rabbit girl. At Arun's nod he smiled. "Right. I'll go take this little one back to her mother. Then, we can all plan our escape, yes?"

"Our escape?" Arun asked.

"They closed the gate on us," Max informed him. He pointed to the drawbridge where the gate was down to prevent anyone from entering or leaving. "We came back to help you, but when we got in they closed the gate. We're stuck. There's no way we're getting out of this one without a couple of injuries."

"You're darn right you are!" Pete maneuvered around his Heartless to take a stance before them. The big bellied Heartless moved to his side. Arun was suddenly reminded of a group of bullies ganging up on younger kids. Actually, when he thought about it that's exactly what Pete was: a big bully.

"You want a fight?" Arun grinned and slipped into a crouch. "Then, you got one!"

He threw himself at Pete, his Keyblade thrust before him. His attack strategy to threw himself out like that caught Pete off guard. He was too slow in reacting. The back of the Keyblade's teeth slammed into Pete's legs. Although he was big, Pete's legs buckled underneath him. He fell to his knees and attempted to catch himself. But, he couldn't when Arun jumped up to hit Pete's face with the handguard. He hit him so hard Pete skidded back a few feet where he lay on his side, holding the pot that was hit.

Now that Pete was out of the picture Arun could focus on the big Heartless. Landing from his aerial attack, he back stepped to put himself out of their range. Just as he did one of them tapped its large hand on its belly and charged forward, its bell thrust out. It crossed the distance Arun put between them in less than a second. He raised his weapon to defend.

"Thundaga!"

A surge of lightning struck inches from Arun. It stopped the Heartless in its tracks only to be attacked by a flurry of ice. Frost spread over the Heartless' front like tiny spider webs. However, it didn't seem affected by the spell. Still, it distracted it long enough for Arun to slip behind it and attacks its vunerable back. Launching into a series of combos, he slashed and hacked until the Heartless went up in black smoke.

Arun whirled around to take on the last Heartless to find Max already took it out. Caelum had helped him as well by casting a Stop spell that lasted longer than Arun's own attempt. Max hit it while he gripped his shield and its form faded. The two retreated to his side to face Pete once again.

Pete stood up, holding his nose. He blinked and glared at them.

"You shrimps have no idea who you're messin with!" Pete threatened. The intimidation he hoped to strike was ruined by the nasalness obstructing his speech. Arun supposed he broke the man's nose. By no means did that make him feel guilty.

"Oh, I know exactly who I'm dealing with," Arun retorted, smirking. "You're just a pathetic man who talks big but doesn't have the power to back it up. You had to have Maleficent's help to get to where you are today. Do you have any idea how pathetic that is?"

His words struck a nerve. In the dawning light Pete's cheeks colored a hot red. Arun imagined he was so angry steam could have come out of his ears.

"You shut your mouth! You think you can get away with back talkin' to me?"

"Actually, I think we can," Caelum agreed, smirking as well. Max said nothing but he rolled his eyes.

You two are so rude, his face spoke plainly.

"D'oh...! I'll show you I got power!" Pete had enough of their disrespect. He raised his hand to his lips, put two fingers in his mouth, and blew. His whistle was loud and high pitched for everyone in the courtyard to hear them.

It echoed through the castle long after it ended. Everything fell silent. The guards stopped their attacks and attempts to capture Robin Hood perched on a castle ledge and even Prince John stopped his whining.

Arun, Caelum, and Max stood where they were, tensing as time ticked on by. They weren't sure what Pete did, but from the nasty grin he sported it was bad news.

The clock tolled a total of four times in the distance, startling everyone. Each ring made Arun's stomach sink further. As it finished its ringing on its fourth toll the guards screamed when a shadow appeared above them. Lifting their eyes, they saw a flash of purple and red fall from the sky to land in front of Arun and his friends. The castle grounds shook with its own mini-earthquake at its landing, dust flying everywhere. When the dust settled they didn't like what they saw.

The source of the shadow was a huge four legged creature that had dark purple fur that brightened to a sinister pinkish red on its paws (Arun never thought pink could be intimidating until that moment). If Arun had to venture a guess, the creature was a cross between a tiger and a lion ( a liger?) that just so happened to have bat-like wings the same color as its fur, its mane encircling its neck like a big black collar. The tip of its tail burned a bright blueThough its snout and face were grey, its eyes were the typical round yellow. Its purple tongue hung out and they saw the signature Heartless emblem imprinted on it.

The Heartless unleashed a mighty roar, shattering anything glass-like in the area and a couple of ear drums.

Pete was the only one happy to see it as he laughed.

"How about that, huh? That's the kind of power I'm capable of!"

"Wow, it's been awhile since we fought a giant Heartless," Max gulped, quivering at the liger with a fire tail.

"I wish it would have been a while longer," Caelum commented, drly.

"Pete! Pete!" Prince John yelled, reeling away from the giant Heartless where he lay by one of its back legs. "What on Earth is the meaning of this? Summon that thing elsewhere!"

"I'm not listenin' to you anymore, you phony king," Pete scoffed. "I'm done with this world. Even Robin Hood ain't worth the trouble these annoying kids've put me through lately." He waved a hand beside him. A dark portal like that of the organization used formed. "I'm outta here! I've got better things to do than deal with these chumps. Have fun!"

He laughed once more and departed through the portal, vanishing the moment he entered.

"Pete! You insufferable man! You'll rue the day you double crossed Prince-" Prince John wailed before he could finish his threat as the flying liger whipped around to unhinge its jaw. It almost appeared as if the liger would eat the prince whole, but it exhaled. A fog of grey dust burst from his mouth. The fake king screeched, picking himself up and running away as the dust settled in the air. He got out of the fog in time to hide behind a cart full of boxes nearby in time to see the liger whirl around, its tail touching the dust.

An explosion rocked the area and its blast wave destroyed the wall nearby. The wall that was part of a rampart collapsed along with several guards that stood on it. The remaining guards fled before the rather frightening monster could do the same to them. Prince John followed them, squealing and wailing for his mother. The area was deserted in a matter of seconds. Since there was no other prey in sight, the liger turned on Arun, Caelum, and Max.

XXX

I had to cut this chapter in half because it was getting way too long. I promise the next chapter will include the boss fight and the end of the Robin Hood arc as well as the beginning of the next world.

Please review!