A/N: Welcome back to the next chapter :) I hope this chapter won't disappoint and make up for the delay in posting.
I'd like to thank my beta Wanderlustandfreedom for her precious help and support and SparkyGurly 227, AmethystDragon14 and fresh-BLOOD-was-drawn-2night for having left a review for the last chapter.
Feedback is always appreciated and is a great motivational boost for me to continue writing.
So in the last chapter Robin, Ben, Mal, Tuck and Chad made it inside the monastery undetected and began to search for the maps when they suddenly realised they'd run out of time. What's going to happen now...well you'll have to read to find out...
Chapter 20
"Come on!" Robin urged, getting everyone's attention. "Let's continue looking. We've been through most of the books. Those maps must be here somewhere! Hurry up!"
Everyone jumped back into action, ripping through the shelves to try and find any hint of what they were looking for. Mal turned to the shelf behind her and stilled when she spotted a large leather-bound volume on the floor beside her feet. She crouched on her knees to pick it up and stared at the book for a few seconds, focusing on the knight's coat of arms printed on the front of the cover. The princess swallowed hard as she opened it and her eyes immediately lit up. In front of her was a detailed blueprint of Auroria's castle.
"I found it!" the princess shouted in delight.
Ben ran up to her and peeked down at the book. "It's all here," he grinned, turning to Robin. "The maps of the castle and the dungeons."
"Well done, Mal!" Robin complimented. "Quickly, Ben, rip them out. We've got to get out of here!"
Ben yanked out the pages and hastily piled them into his arms before taking off behind Robin. The group made it back to the front courtyard undetected. Robin, Chad, and Tuck began walking towards the main gate. Ben was about to follow them when Mal rested her hand on his arm to stop him.
"Ben, we have to save that woman!" the princess pleaded, indicating the wooden pyre. Ben's eyes grew wide. One of the monks stood beside the still bound woman holding a burning, lit torch in his right hand. Ben felt his gut tighten as he forced out his breath. They were about to burn her alive.
"This is your last chance, Witch!" The monk's shouts echoed through the entire courtyard catching the retreating outlaws' attention. They'd almost made it to the main gate. Robin looked around him.
"Where are Ben and Mal?" the archer asked, noticing the missing pair. His brows furrowed when he spotted them move towards the pyre. Robin spun around and rushed back towards them. Chad and Tuck stilled for a moment before following their leader across the courtyard.
"Confess your sins! Repent before the Lord!" the monk ordered on the main stage, the tone of his voice rising in volume. The woman kept her gaze fixed to her feet. "And look at me when I'm talking to you!" he bellowed, yanking her chin up to face him. The movement caused the woman's hair to fall back, revealing her identity.
Mal froze, and the princess felt her jaw drop to the ground, her gaze locking on the woman's tanned features, high cheekbones, and dark hair. "Ben!" she stuttered. "That's Jasmine!"
Jasmine kept her chin up and glared at the monk with a defiant look for a few seconds before spitting in his face. The monk slapped her hard across the face, drawing blood, which began to trickle down the woman's mouth.
"Ben, we can't leave her there!" Mal insisted, snapping back to the present. The princess reached for an arrow and began to draw back her bow.
"I'm with you, Mal!" Ben agreed, mimicking her actions. Behind them, Robin saw what they were doing and turned to catch up with them.
"Okay, wait!" Robin whispered in an urgent tone as he reached their side, followed by Chad and Tuck. "Chad, Tuck secure the exit," he ordered. "Ben, Mal spread out around the yard. I'll cover you."
The leader of the Black Arrow examined the courtyard. There were only two monks in the square - one next to the woman and another standing on the steps. They weren't wearing any kind of protective armor. The outlaws had the element of surprise at their side. Robin drew back an arrow, niched it and pulled before releasing it. The arrow flew for a few seconds before burying itself into the back of the monk holding the lit torch. He toppled to the ground, the flame flying from his hands and landing with a clatter and a sputter against the stone ground a few meters away. The other monk followed his same faith as Mal's arrow pierced his chest.
The villagers began to scream in panic as they fled the scene. "The Witch is escaping! They're helping her escape!" they shouted, the loud noise alerting the rest of the monks inside the Monastery to the danger. Robin's muscles tightened, and he clenched the bow tighter in his hands. A group of about ten monks emerged from the Great Hall with their swords drawn. Luckily for the outlaws, the frantic crowd slowed down their movements.
"Move! Out of my way!" Ben yelled to the panicked villagers around him as he ran up the stage. No one tried to stop him. The prince cut the ropes binding Jasmine's wrists using the point of another arrow. The weakened woman fell forward. He caught her before she hit the ground. Ben lifted her and pushed his way through the fleeing crowd. Mal joined his side, and the pair bolted towards the main gate, slowing down only slightly as they brushed past Robin.
"Go! Don't stop!" Robin shouted to the pair as he continued to shoot arrow after arrow at the approaching monks. The main gate was visible out of the corner of his eye. Robin turned and dashed towards it, as soon as he saw Ben and Mal vanish.
Ben and Mal joined Tuck and Chad in the middle of the stone bridge. They stood with heaving breaths waiting for Robin to appear from the main gate. Several moments passed, and Ben's heart began to race. Unless Robin made it out of the door in the next few seconds, they'd have no choice but to leave him behind.
Jasmine moaned as she regained her senses in the prince's arms. Ben lowered her to the ground and turned to Mal. "Mal, I need you to take Jasmine to safety," he exclaimed. "Tuck, go with her. Chad and I will remain here to wait for Robin."
Mal hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Be careful," she pleaded with concerned eyes before turning around. The pair made it over the bridge to their horses and disappeared from view.
A loud thundering sound echoed from the main gate. Ben spun around, bow in hand. He drew an arrow as he directed his attention back to the Monastery's entrance. Robin appeared, and the prince let out a sigh of relief as the unharmed archer dashed towards them. But their leader was not alone - a group of at least twelve monks were charging after him. Ben pulled the arrow against the bowstring, aiming. The arrow buried itself deep into the chest of one of the monks. He fell to the ground, unmoving. Another arrow, released by Chad, whizzed through the air before striking down a second monk just as Robin came to a halt beside them.
"What are you still doing here?" Robin bellowed. "Go! Take the maps to the camp!"
"We're not leaving you behind, Robin," Ben protested.
"I can take care of these monks. I said go! It's an order!" Robin shouted before spinning around, drawing his bowstring, striking down an oncoming monk.
Chad and Ben began to back across the bridge slowly, still waiting for Robin. "Robin! Let's go!" Ben shouted, aiming another arrow at the entrance of the bridge. Another monk fell motionless to the ground.
Robin ignored Ben's plea and picked up a sword from a fallen monk at his feet. The archer held it defiantly and charged against the remaining monks. His sword clashed with his first opponent and locked in mid-air. Robin advanced, driving the monk back a few steps, and then ducked and jabbed at the monk's stomach. The sword sunk through skin like it was archer withdrew his sword, and the monk writhed before falling to the ground clutching his bleeding abdomen.
Robin watched another monk run towards him with an ear-splitting battle cry. He caught the monk's sword in a lock before shifting his weight. The monk leaned forward and turned to his side as he lost his balance. Robin grabbed the monk by the shoulder and spun him around, pinning him to his chest. Two arrows flew towards the archer, and Robin used the man to shield himself. They implanted themselves into the monk's chest, and the man's now lifeless body sagged in Robin's arms.
Robin eyed the six remaining monks at the foot of the bridge. Only two of them were holding a bow in their hands. He watched as they threw their bows to the ground in frustration, realizing they'd run out of arrows. The monks dashed towards him, drawing out their swords and carefully avoiding their fallen comrades stretched along the path. The leader of the Black Arrow braced himself, sword in hand. Robin cut the first one down quickly. The monk toppled against the barrier of the bridge and then hit the water far below with a thud. The leader of the Black Arrow ducked a blow from a second and again sunk his blade into his stomach. Someone swung at his leg, and the tip sliced his pants, but Robin kicked at the next blow, and the sword accidentally went sideways into one of their allies' arms.
One of the monks charged Robin from the side and used the archer's momentum first to strike him across the gut and then kick him viciously in the leg. Robin's leg took the brunt of the attack as he landed hard against the side of the bridge before falling to his knees. He roared in agony as a sharp pain shot through his injured leg. Chad's face turned ashen while Ben let out a loud snarl in frustration as he drew back an arrow. Robin was too close to the monks surrounding him, and the prince didn't have a clear shot. He'd risk hitting their leader.
Robin clasped his arm around his bleeding stomach as he tried to get back up to his feet using his sword. The pain that coursed Robin's body hazed his mind causing him to sway dangerously on his knees. Another monk dashed towards the dazed archer and drove his sword into the already bleeding wound. Robin let out a guttural roar of pain and fell to the ground, dropping his sword in the process.
The last monk advanced on the fallen leader of the Black Arrow; his sword raised high above his head. "The Lord's sword will punish all those sinners who dare to defy him!" he shouted. The monk began to thrust his sword, aimed at Robin's heart when an arrow embedded itself into his chest. The monk gasped in shock and pain, falling onto his comrade.
"The Grandmaster has been hit!" the monk shouted to the other monk. "Help me! We have to take him to Monastery!" he called, draping the grandmaster's arm over his shoulder.
Ben and Chad used the distraction to run towards their leader. They picked Robin up - Ben's left arm on Chad's shoulder and them clasping their wrists to make an awkward seat to lean him back into - and carried him over the bridge. The group pushed forward, not looking back until they reached a clearing in the forest. Quiet surrounded them – they hadn't been followed. Ben and Chad lowered Robin to the ground, resting his back against a tree. They fell to their knees beside him.
"You're going to be fine, Robin," Chad stammered, his wide eyes fixed on the archer's bleeding wound. "You have to be." Tears began to spill over in the boy's eyes.
Robin took slow, shallow breaths, trying to focus his fogged thoughts on the two young outlaws beside him. He turned his head towards Chad and offered him a small smile. White-hot pain seared through his gut, and the archer felt it paralyze every muscle in his body. The taste of blood filled his mouth as an intense cold began to take over his senses. The end was near...he could feel it. A hoarse cough rattled his body, and a gout of blood spilled from his mouth. "Ben," Robin rasped, lifting his right hand a few centimeters.
"Yes, I'm here, Robin," Ben replied, grasping Robin's outstretched hand. Chad's eyes widened.
"We've got a mission to complete, remember," he stuttered, his breathing growing more labored. The archer used the last of his strength to roll his head towards the prince. "Promise me you'll free these lands from Gaston and Stefan." Ben swallowed hard before nodding as a tear made its way down his cheek. "Tell Marian, I'm sorry," he whispered. The look in his eyes was hard, but his grip on Ben's hand loosened suddenly. Robin's head fell a little. The light had gone away from him, but the determined expression remained on his face.
"Robin!" Chad shouted a choked sound that broke through his throat. The blonde archer put his face in his hands and began to sob uncontrollably.
Ben's hands began to shake as he struggled to find his breath. The prince bowed his head. "I promise, Robin," he gasped. "I'll restore peace to these lands if it's the last thing I do."
"Restore peace? You!" Chad's angry voice caused Ben to snap his head up and face the grief-stricken blond. "Are you mad? Robin's gone - there'll never be peace in these lands!"
"Chad, I know it this is hard, but-" the prince tried to reason with him.
"You killed him, Ben! He'd still be alive if you'd never stopped to free that woman, and now he's gone!"
"Chad," Ben replied. "Robin would have wanted us to go on-"
"Then go!" Chad bellowed. "Go back to Auradon! You're not welcome here anyway!"
"I'm not going anywhere, Chad," Ben retorted in a stern tone. "Robin asked me to bring back peace! That's my mission. I have to go back and help lead the Black Arrow!"
Chad snarled. "I'll never follow you!"
"Then, stay!" Ben countered. "Stay here and weep and do whatever else you need to do. But I'm taking these maps back to camp. I have to tell everyone what happened and comfort Mal and Marian. I'm not going to let Robin down. Just," he paused, "catch up when you're done here." With that, the prince rose to his feet and began to walk away.
Chad's eyes blazed as he watched the prince's retreating. He turned his gaze back to his fallen mentor and father figure. The blonde had no choice. He'd already lost Robin - he couldn't risk losing another member of his family. He'd have to convince the outlaws somehow to banish the prince. "I promise Robin. I won't let Ben hurt Marian or any other member of our family. You have my word," he whispered before spinning around and following the prince back to the camp.
- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- THE BLACK ARROW ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴- ̴-
The morning after brought clear and bright skies, severely contrasting with the dark and solemn mood that had fallen upon the Black Arrow's camp. All eyes followed Marian as the woman, who held a black-tipped arrow in between her fingers, knelt beside her husband. The outlaws had chosen the top of a low, quiet hill, a few kilometers away from the camp as the final resting place of their leader.
The outlaws placed Robin on a long and broad blanket. Beside him, they'd dug a wide hole. Marian rested her free right hand against Robin's cold cheek in a gentle caress before placing the black arrow in his clasped hands. "Goodbye, my love," the woman whispered, her voice cracking. She stood back up on wobbly legs and took a step back to allow a group of four outlaws to lift Robin's corpse off the ground and lower him gently into the hole.
Mal sagged against Ben, unable to control her tears. The prince rested his arm around her and pulled her to his chest in comfort.
"Your body will rest in peace in this quiet and peaceful refuge, Robin, but your spirit will always be by our side, guiding our every arrow," Tuck's shaken voice echoed through the clearing.
Marian picked up a fistful of soil from the ground and threw it on her husband, followed by a devastated Chad who placed his bow on Robin's chest.
The outlaws watched in silence as each of the four archers picked a shovel and buried it into the pile of earth beside them, slowly using it to cover their leader. Tuck placed a wooden cross on top of Robin's resting place. "Everyone who passes through here must know that this is a sacred place," he explained.
Every member of the Black Arrow bowed their head to pay their respects before walking away in silence. One by one until only Marian remained, falling to her knees beside the cross as her heart shattered. With it, all the hopes and dreams she'd ever shared with her now-dead husband.
Three hours later saw the outlaws gathered in a large circle in the center of the Black Arrow's camp. "We've got a mission to complete, remember," Ben spoke up, walking in the middle of the circle. "These were Robin's last words before he died. Robin made me promise to free these lands from Gaston and Stefan," the prince paused, his gaze flickering to his comrades. "That's why he died. To allow us to put a stop to this war once and for all."
"This mission has been madness since the very beginning!" Chad retorted from Ben's right-hand side as all eyes turned on him.
"Those words are Robin's will!" Ben countered, his voice rising in volume. "Now, it's up to us whether or not to follow them!"
"I'm not ready to be a martyr any longer!" Chad replied.
"Enough," a female voice rang out. Marian walked to the center of the circle and stopped beside Ben. "I'm only going to say this," she stated her voice breaking. "Robin knew the risks of attacking the Monastery and faced them anyway. He also knew he was going to die when Robin entrusted Ben - when my husband entrusted us - to complete the mission he started. And any words spoken by a man on his deathbed have the same power as a sacred commandment. I'm going to respect my husband's dying wishes!"
Chad clenched his fists in anger. How could they be so blind? They'd all be slaughtered thanks to the Prince of Auradon. He ran out and stopped beside Marian and Ben to address his comrades. "Robin is dead!" he bellowed as hot tears fell trailed down his cheeks. "And all because of Ben and Mal. Because of her!" he shouted, pointing to Jasmine, who'd also joined the assembly. "To save a witch that only they wanted to save!"
"Chad! Calm down," Tuck retorted, approaching the shaken blonde. The friar rested a hand on the boy's shoulder.
Chad spun around and brushed off Tuck's hand. "No, I won't calm down!" he bellowed.
Tuck gripped his shoulders. "It's no one's fault that Robin died! Robin sacrificed his life to save us all. He died as a hero!"
"Heroes should return home with trophies in their hands and not dead, to be laid to rest!" Chad yelled back before storming off away from the group towards his tent. Audrey's eyes hardened before turning around to follow her boyfriend.
Stefan's grand-daughter found the blonde outlaw in his tent, packing his meager belongings into a small bag. Her breath caught in her throat. "Where are you going?" she asked.
"I'm leaving," Chad stated, stopping to look up at Audrey. "I can't stay here any longer and watch the people I love get slaughtered. I have to stop this madness somehow!"
"I'm coming with you," Audrey replied. "I'm not going to stay here without you."
Chad's eyes softened as he approached his girlfriend. "You love me that much? Even after all I've done to you?" The girl nodded, and Chad's expression lit up. "Pack your things. We'll leave as soon as you're ready, and everyone's asleep."
Two days later
Gaston stared out of the dining room's window, taking a long drink from his wine goblet. The night was dark and cloudy, and the Lord felt it soothe his troubled soul. A loud knock caused him to look up towards the door. Who'd come to disturb him at this hour? Everyone in the castle knew that he'd want to be left alone after dinner. The door swung open, allowing Gaston to see who was outside. The lord's eyes narrowed at Dopey and Doug. "What is it, Dopey?" he asked with an irritated tone. "It had better be important to disturb me at this hour!"
"I'm sorry, my Lord, but we've got excellent news. It couldn't wait till the morning," the general replied with a smirk. The Lord snorted. Dopey walked out the door and signaling towards an unknown guest in the corridor. "Come!" he ordered.
The figure entered the dining room, and Gaston's eyes widened in surprise. He rested his wine glass on the dinner table before rising to his feet. He walked up to the man. "You're either mad or stupidly brave to come back here!" he stated.
Chad swallowed, locking eyes with Gaston. "I've come to give you back your bastard son!"
A/N: (Taking a long, nervous breath) That's it! So what are your thoughts? I'd love to hear what you all think about the chapter in a review.
I'm proud to say that this chapter officially marks the half-way turning point in the story - hope I haven't upset too many people with Robin's death but it is functional to the story and will have an deep impact not only on the characters but also to the plot moving forward. Speaking about the plot, it is about to get a little bumpy now that Chad has turned on Ben and the BA - things are about to get dangerous for our heroes so I suggest you take a deep breath and hang on to your seats...
I have a little announcement to make regarding my updating schedule. As you've all realised it has been increasingly difficult for me to keep with my weekly Saturday posting. This is because I'm about to change jobs in RL and with all that has been going on I've had limited time to write. And with Xmas coming up, my weekends have also been super packed. That being said, I'll try my best to keep updating regularly but I might not be able to post every weekend for the time being. I'll try my best to least post a chapter every 10 days. In addition, I also don't want to put additional pressure on my beta Wanderlustandfreedom who has been so patient in reading and editing all of my the chapters before publishing. I hope to get back to a more regular updating schedule once I've settled in my new job in January.