They wasted no time once they docked, given that they had arrived the day before the festival. Gold wanted to make sure they had time to scope out the lay of the land, partly, Belle was sure, because he wanted to make sure his plan went as well as he intended. That was Gold: precise to a fault. It made him excellent for this kind of work, Belle mused, but a nightmare to work with. It was a good thing she was so good at what she did, or he would have left her to the slums of Neverland a long time ago.
Remembering where she had been before Gold rescued her, she shuddered. Her mother, Marie, had been the one who earned the most when she was growing up, so when she passed away, her father, an inventor who, if Belle was being honest with herself, was never very good at his craft, struggled to support Belle and her younger siblings. Belle had been the one to research the best ways to feed them all, and had begun a garden at the back of their house so that one day, they could maybe earn a little money with the crops they grew. She had had no help whatsoever from her father or siblings.
One particularly bad year when all of the crops didn't produce much of anything she could sell, she had found herself standing outside of a shelter that was giving out food to those in need, a sack slung over her shoulder so she could bring meals home to her family, when a whispered "Psst!" had distracted her from her goal.
She had turned to find Gold standing there, and he had made her an offer she couldn't refuse. Help him solve the mysteries around Neverland, and he would make sure her family was well provided for.
She had hesitated, of course- after all, what he was suggested sounded not only dangerous, but illegal. Then the thought of what her father and siblings would be forced to endure if she didn't do what he said filled her mind, and she reluctantly agreed to his terms.
Since then, her life had been nothing short of an adventure. It was true that she had always dreamed of having tales to tell like the ones she read about in books, but it didn't take her long to realize that the kind of life Gold led was nothing like the stories she had heard as a child- and ultimately was a way of living that wasn't for her.
Gold didn't know that, though. Oh sure, he knew she didn't love the way he led his life, what they did on a daily basis, but she hadn't told him that after this job, the heist of a lifetime, she was leaving this life behind. She didn't know how he would react, either. One minute, he acted like she was nothing more than a codebreaker to him, the next, there was something in his eyes that made her think that she underestimated his mask that communicated nothing more than a lack of emotion. She knew it might be foolish to think of Gold as anything more than the Dark One- people certainly had told her as much on more than one occasion. Still, though, she liked to think that there was some good in him, as foolish as that hope might be. She had always held the belief that everyone should be given the chance to turn their lives around, and despite everything he had done since he came to Neverland, Gold was no exception.
They set up camp at a table in front of a diner just outside of the Pine Court. Robin had told them there were trains that brought new batches of prisoners into the fortress twice a day- once at midday, and once in the middle of the afternoon. Belle had wondered how they managed to get enough prisoners for two trips to the castle in such a short span of time, but then her gaze had shifted to Regina. Like the rest of the crew, she was well aware of the powers her friend had, and how Robin's people felt about them. Most magic users, of course, practiced their craft far away from the Pine Court, but she supposed there must be some magic wielders still in the Pine Court who didn't have the means or the physical ability to pack up their lives and move to the Enchanted Forest once King Richard and Prince John had taken over the country. Despite the prosperity that the monarchs always claimed ran rampant in even the most remote corners of their country, Belle knew from her research that that was merely a rumor, propaganda spread to make people think that living here was much better than it actually was. With the help of Nottingham, the rulers made sure that their people didn't get to keep much of the money they had worked so hard to gain, and looking around her, Belle saw evidence of it everywhere. Of the customers she saw at the diner, many of them had clothes that hung off of them, their frames too thin to fill out the clothes they wore. Their expressions told the tale of their woes as well: most of them, instead of looking ready for the day ahead, appeared haggard. Belle wondered how Prince John and his father managed to go out among their people and not see the sorry state of affairs in their land, how they could live every day up in their Pine Court knowing they lived a life of luxury among such a miserable population. Then she figured that they must stay at the Pine Court the majority of the time, and that Nottingham must not bring back honest reports of the people's misery. It was just one more reason to hate the leader of the bowmen apart from the atrocities the man had inflicted on her friend and so many others like her.
She knew she was supposed to be paying attention to the happenings around her, listening for valuable information, so she turned her attention to that task. She had caught Gold glaring at her and knew she'd hear about her daydreaming and negligence later. He wasn't one for idleness, that was one thing she had known since the day they met. Her actions would cost her- would cost them all, if they didn't learn what they needed to.
In her observations, she couldn't help glancing at Robin. He was back in his native country, back in the land he knew better than any other. Would he betray them? It was certainly possible… but until she figured out his intentions, she would keep a close eye on him.
At last, after an hour of careful observation, a group of soldiers entered the diner. She saw Robin and Regina both stiffen at the sight of the oldest man, and she instantly knew who it was: Keith Nottingham.
Now was their chance. Things were about to be far from boring.
Robin couldn't believe his eyes. What was Commander Nottingham doing here? He was the man who had been a mentor and father figure to Robin during his time with the bowmen, always reverent toward what they were dedicating their lives to, a hard worker, and an inspiration not only to Robin, but to the men he considered his brothers as well. The last place he had ever imagined seeing his mentor again after a year apart was in a tavern of all places. He had always been taught- in fact, it had been drilled into them from the moment they first entered the bowmen's living quarters at the Pine Court- that drinking was prohibited, a practice that was not viewed favorably in their order. Given their position, the duties they were expected to perform flawlessly, they were reminded that they needed to always have their wits about them. Of course, it was implied from that lesson that being inebriated was counterproductive to their goals, and as such, was frowned upon in their order. Robin had never had a sip of alcohol in his life, hadn't even tasted a single drop of anything in Hellgate or in the days since he had been liberated by the thieves around him.
Now, though, he took the tankard before him in his hand and knocked it back, letting the strange liquid burn its way down his throat. If Nottingham, the man he had looked up to for so many years, apparently didn't care about the rules and regulations they lived by, why should he?
His old mentor's appearance brought to mind another question that he had been pondering since he had first heard about this crazy plan. What would he do once he was back in familiar territory? He didn't know if Gold knew it, but Robin could so easily betray them, especially with Nottingham so close by.. With one word, he could reveal their entire plan to the people they were working against. All it would take would be getting Nottingham's attention, and after telling his tale (and turning his companions in, of course), he would be welcomed back among his brothers as a celebrated hero for his accomplishments. The capture of Regina in particular would be praised, of course. No one was hated more among the bowmen of Sherwood than the people of the Enchanted Forest, especially those who possessed magic. Regina would be subjected to the worst accommodations and punishment his kind had to offer. How he would feel about that after dreaming about her destruction both in his waking and sleeping hours for so long… Well. It was safe to say it would be a dream come true.
That is, if he could get those other dreams out of his head. The ones where all he saw was her elusive smile, when he got lost in the depths of her chocolate eyes that had the faintest hint of caramel in the moments when she was unguarded and unabashedly herself. She was a warrior, there was no doubt about that, but she was also just a girl about his age, and the moments he was most ashamed of were the moments when he reacted towards her as any man who hadn't been trained for years to resist her charms would. Those moments of weakness were proof that all of Nottingham's training hadn't done any good at all, that he was still susceptible to falling into every single one of the traps Regina might use the magical tools at her disposal to set, and he was ashamed of himself for it. All he had ever wanted to do was make his mentor proud. Why did Regina have to make it so difficult?
Or at least, he had wanted to make Nottingham proud of him before he saw the side of his old mentor that was on display in this particular moment. The commander was nothing but loud and boisterous, drawing attention to himself that would never allow him to catch one of the witches of the Enchanted Forest if he was in the field. Robin had no idea who this man was, but it wasn't the man he had looked up to all these years.
Where did that leave him, though? The commander clearly wasn't the man he had claimed to be, but what did that mean for the code of honor that Robin had so diligently followed all these years? Robin wasn't the type of man who would just abandon everything he had been taught, everything he believed, so easily. Nottingham had once praised him for it, but if Robin was honest with himself, those accolades felt hollow now.
Then he noticed that Nottingham was returning to his- their- colleagues once more, and Robin listened, a part of him praying that the fools wouldn't betray anything that would help Gold and his band of miscreants, while the other half of him wanted nothing more than the guarantee of his freedom. What he would do with it now that he was starting to question Nottingham's leadership, he had no idea.
Then he heard Nottingham say something that made his blood run cold, but of course, made his companions sit up a little straighter as they listened intently. Why was he working with them, again?
"I should go," Nottingham groaned. "The wagon with the next batch of prisoners will be passing by within the next hour, and I don't want to be anywhere near here when it comes through. They'll whine and complain about their job and insist that I need to help them with some rogue witch or other. Best to leave that to those lower on the totem pole. I can't stand the stench."
The people with him laughed, but Robin's blood boiled. The words he had just spoken were further proof that Nottingham wasn't the man he had always thought he was, and it only made Robin doubt things even more. He had always thought Nottingham enjoyed working alongside those words said that the exact opposite was true.
Unless… unless his old teacher was just saying those things to make himself seem a bit more likable to his companions? Yes, that must be it. It had to be. The only thing that came close to being as important as the sacred vows they made to protect mankind from the witchcraft that ran rampant in the Enchanted Forest was the bonds they formed with their brethren and everyone else in their country. Nottingham surely would want to seem more approachable to the people he was eating with- after all, Robin had witnessed for himself just how intimidating Nottingham's mantle of captain of the bowmen could be. Yes. That was it. It wasn't negligence of his duties at all, just him trying to fit in. While all citizens of Sherwood Forest believed in the same gods and held the same ideals, some were more reverent than others, and the bowmen were always set apart because they were considered the ones chosen by their gods to eradicate witches from the world. Given that, it would only make sense that Nottingham would act in an unusual way.
The men around his mentor laughed, clapping Nottingham on the back before bidding him farewell. Robin exchanged glances with the others. He could see Gold's mind hard at work, and when they had deduced that Nottingham was long gone, their leader gestured for them to follow him.
Robin was able to tell the others which direction would lead travelers to the Pine Court (though there was still a part of him that whispered traitor in his ear). They found a tree that seemed to be on its last legs and Robin watched in horror as they cut it down. To make matters even worse, Regina saw a lamb on the other side of the road and a few minutes later, the poor creature's injuries were even worse, and it was caught in the branches of the tree.
Robin simultaneously wanted to scoff and gag at the sight, and a part of him was surprised that the same wasn't true for Regina as well. "How can you do such a thing?" he demanded. "Surely, even your kind show some mercy for innocent creatures."
She sighed. It was as if she had had to answer that very question many times before, even though he highly doubted that the bloodthirsty people she considered her family and friends saw things in a different way than she did. "Despite what I know you must think, you need to relax. It's just a spell that will injure him for a little while, then in an hour when the spell wears off, he'll be good as new. The injury will completely heal, and it will be as if no harm ever came to him. I know you'll never believe this, but unlike some people, I'm not so barbaric that I would hurt an innocent creature."
Robin snorted. She wouldn't hurt an innocent creature? What was her country's witch army for then, if it wasn't supposed to destroy everything that wasn't like them?
Clearly, she had heard his sound of derision, because she shot back, "Don't tell me you think you're pure and completely innocent, free from the consequences of everything your country has done? I saw you on that ship, bowman. If I'm guilty of anything I've done- if, mind you- then so are you."
Who does she think she is? Robin thought, indignant that she would dare to suggest that what the bowmen did was anything short of noble. They were called for a higher purpose, lived lives that were devoted to the worship of their gods and the protection of mankind from the evils in their world- namely, unnatural people like her. No one should have the power to control life and death as she did, or the elements, as others of her kind were capable of doing. The world that was created for them to enjoy was sacred, and was theirs to enjoy, not manipulate. To do so was to have the power of the gods, which no mortal was deemed worthy of. "We protect people, not harm them, witch. Isn't your order the Heartrenders, people who use their unnatural powers to hurt others?"
"All right, enough, you two," Gold snapped as the witch opened her mouth, probably to retort with some false claim. "We need to get going. The wagon will be here any minute, and we need to be in position."
Sufficiently chastised, Robin fell silent, and he was surprised to see that Regina did the same. He had thought that no one was given the honor of telling Regina Mills what to do, so to see this man accomplish the seemingly impossible task so effortlessly was something that Robin wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. What did he have over her that she was so submissive, a character trait that he had thought he would never use to describe her?
For perhaps the millionth time since the fateful day they met, Robin found himself marveling at- and repulsed by- just how different Regina was from all of the women he had ever known. The women of Sherwood Forest were taught to be docile, demure, to never raise their voices or provoke their husbands in any way. There were no women like Regina to be found, ones with a fiery spirit and a passion for life. Perhaps that was why he had been so captivated by her when they first met. She was a fighter, and that was completely unheard of in Sherwood Forest. None of the women in his home country were allowed to be one of the bowmen or be part of any of the other armed forces. It made someone like Regina completely unique among the people he knew, particularly the few women he had had the opportunity to interact with. It was no wonder, really, that he had fallen under her spell so easily.
That wouldn't happen again, though- he refused to even contemplate the possibility of the occurrence. It had been a year since they first met, and in that time, given all he had suffered because of her, he would hope that he had learned his lesson and wouldn't fall under her spell again. Once more, they found themselves thrust into a situation where they had to rely on each other- but this time, his memories would ensure that he didn't fall headfirst into any of her traps. He refused to be deceived by any of her tricks again. He would sabotage their mission and return home a hero, celebrated for his efforts in capturing the witch and her accomplices. He couldn't wait to see the look on Nottingham's face, so full of pride- and, of course, signs of the betrayal that would surely be in Regina's expressive eyes. It would be so satisfying to finally give her a taste of her own medicine after all this time and the suffering he had endured because of what she had done.
They all hid in the woods surrounding the main road that led to the Pine Court. Robin remembered being taught that there was ultimately only one road that led directly to it, so that it was easier to defend from a potential attack. It also made their job much easier now. He was just glad that Gold, for all his intelligence, hadn't figured out that Robin had withheld information. It would make it that much easier to betray his companions if the occasion arose for him to do so. Their plan was simple: The wagon carrying the prisoners headed on a one-way trip to the dungeons of the Pine Court would halt at the sight of the scene they had created: the illusion of an animal caught in a tree. While Robin suspected that the people driving the wagon wouldn't care about the animal itself- other than the hawks that the bowmen each raised as their own, there wasn't much love for wildlife among his people, despite the forest that surrounded them.
Thoughts of the hawks and the process for choosing them led to remembrances of his own hawk, Valkyrie. She had been his pride and joy while he lived here among his brothers, and he had been the only human she would ever even tolerate. It wasn't uncommon for the hawks to bond with their owners- in fact, that was the whole purpose of the ritual in the first place. Each of the bowmen bonded with a hawk, and had to raise him or her as their own. But for his Valkyrie to protect him so fiercely was highly unusual. Normally, the hawks raised by the rest of his brothers viewed their owners as a partner, but one that was to be kept at a distance. The bond was solely a business partnership to them. Valkyrie, however, had bonded more deeply with Robin than anyone had expected. She was fiercely protective of him, and he had spent months teaching her that not all of the humans around them were enemies.
His heart broke thinking about where she must be now. When their owners passed on to whatever awaited them in the next life, the hawk was released back into the wild rather than remaining with the others who had bonded with the bowmen and were ready for service to their country. It was the one custom within their order that Robin had always disagreed with. They separated the creatures who had been one of them from their home, removing them forcibly, and it just wasn't right. His Valkyrie could be anywhere now, trying to find her way back to him. In fact, he was surprised and a little hurt that she hadn't found him already. Their bond was so strong that he would have thought that she would have found him immediately after his return to Sherwood Forest. It was possible, though, that her grief had thrown her senses off course, and he honestly couldn't say he could blame her for it. She had been a wild animal at first, after all. Grief hindered even the best of men from being their best selves. How much more would grief affect an animal, especially an intelligent one? The fact that she had been one of their flock wouldn't make matters any easier for her. When they were released back into the forest, the other hawks didn't welcome them back with open arms, to say the least. Instead, they were shunned, left to wander the earth alone for the remainder of their days. Robin hated it. He knew that the hawks could fend for themselves, but it was still cruel to leave them by themselves, without any community of any kind.
Just as he was thinking that, he thought he saw a flash of Valkyrie's familiar red wings- or at least, he thought he did. It could very well have been a trick of the light, but he would have hoped that he could recognize her anywhere. They had spent so much time together, after all. Maybe she had sensed his return to their homeland and come to find him. It was a wild hope, only a slim chance, but it was all he had. Among this group of strangers who were working against his home country, he could have used a friendly face, even one who couldn't talk to him. Having his favorite companion around would make this band of miscreants significantly more bearable.
He shook his head. He needed to get his hopes and dreams out of his head. It was so unlikely that she would find him again, especially so quickly, and he needed to focus on what was happening around him. Gold was signaling to them that the wagon was approaching, and he needed to be on alert if he didn't want to ruin his reputation with them too early. He had to get into the embassy sector of the Pine Court before he could alert his brothers to their plans.
At last, he heard the creak of the wagon's wheels as it came down the path. He found himself hoping that for Regina's sake, the animal she had injured for their purposes would heal just as she had said it would. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen to the poor creature otherwise. Once upon a time, he would have believed her claim about its fate without question, but those days were long gone.
The driver called the wagon to a halt, and once all of the people guarding the prisoners were preoccupied with the diversion they had set up, Robin and the others sprang into action. Robin had never known much about the process by which prisoners were brought in. Nottingham had only made his least favorite recruits take a turn with the bowmen who were responsible for transporting prisoners, so Robin had never known more about the process than the bits and pieces he had picked up from his fellow bowmen's complaints. Therefore, he had been relieved that once he had shared that information, Gold had left him alone, and this was one area where he couldn't be a traitor to his country. He had already done that enough thanks to Regina and her big fat mouth, he had no desire to do it again.
The little he had eaten when they were in the diner began to rise when they opened the back of the wagon, and he swallowed, forcing it back down again. He refused to be so undignified that his lunch made a reappearance among these thieves. He valued his dignity much more than that. The prisoners were all crammed together in the wagon, their hands not only bound together, but in a connected chain that linked every single one of them. How he and the others were supposed to quickly get themselves in position without anyone noticing, he had no idea.
He had underestimated Gold, though. He had slipped into the cart and made quick work of releasing six of the prisoners. He had no idea if they would be replacing anyone who looked remotely like them thanks to the masks on their faces. He knew they must be suffocating, but he also knew from years of training that they used that technique so the prisoners would have no chance of making an attempt at escape since they would have no idea which direction to go. It was flawed, given that everyone knew where the Pine Court was, but then again, Robin mused, no one was perfect. It was only logical that there would be gaps in the system- but then again, that also made it easier for things like this to take place. Once he was back where he belonged with the rest of the bowmen, he would make sure that the flaws he glimpsed now would be addressed.
In the meantime, though, he had to make sure that Gold, that shrewd fox, didn't suspect anything. He let himself be chained and blindfolded like the rest of them and rode in the back of the wagon toward his home. He had seen the faces of the others, how they had all flinched at the sight of the conditions his countrymen gave to their prisoners- except Gold, of course. He had a feeling that he had his emotions well in check, that Gold was the type of person who would never let people see how he was feeling about anything unless there was some purpose or other behind the revelation. Honestly, Robin could understand it to some extent- after all, he and his fellow bowmen had been taught to be well-disciplined as well. However, if he said so himself, for him and the rest of the bowmen, it was more of a calm demeanor that they had been taught to adopt, a sense of peace that encompassed both body and mind. With Gold, some could mistake his temperament as calm, but it was really more accurately described as the calm before the storm.
He braced himself as he heard them go through the two checkpoints leading to the Pine Court. At last, he was home- and once he had a moment away from these miscreants, he would finally be able to return home a hero.
He could hardly wait.