Part 3 – Flush
XIII – Bad News Travels Fast
Archer woke up to the sound of creaking floorboards and soft footsteps around him. He knew what was coming, but he tried to delay the inevitable by pretending to still be asleep. His peace didn't last long, because soon he felt something nudging against his foot.
"Wake up. We need to go," Kate's voice whispered.
Archer turned to his side. "Not yet," he mumbled, eyes still closed.
Kate's nudging turned into soft kicks. "Up. Now."
Archer groaned and cracked open an eye. Kate was standing above him, already dressed in her Nightwatchman's costume. He could barely make out her eyes behind the mask in the darkness.
"It's still night-time," he protested.
"It's very early morning, and we have to go. Or do you want someone to find you like this with the Nightwatchman?" Kate gave his foot one more kick for emphasis.
Archer forced himself to sit up and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe I do," he said. Something soft landed on his head.
"Put that on and get up."
Archer began pulling his shirt on at a speed that seemed to frustrate Kate, at least judging by the annoyed sighs and the tapping of her foot. Archer took his time getting dressed and standing up – an appropriate compensation for being so rudely woken up.
They left the barn as quietly as they could, making sure they were not seen. Of course, no normal human being was up at this hour, so the chances of anyone spotting them were slim.
"You have hay in your hair," Kate pointed out once they reached the road.
"Well what do you expect when you make me sleep in a barn?" Archer asked, running his hand through his hair.
"You're the one that insisted on sleeping there."
"No, you're the one that dragged me in there in the first place."
"But you're the one that was too tired and decided to just fall asleep there. I would have happily walked back to camp."
Archer ran out of excuses. At least the bickering was keeping him awake. "I do so much for you and you just demand more," he said with a dramatic sigh.
He expected Kate to reply with some witty remark, but it never came. Instead she stopped walking and held her hand up.
"Do you hear that?" she asked.
The only sounds Archer was hearing were ones that could be expected on a typical summer night – the wind rustling in the trees and a few birds here and there.
"I don't hear anything," Archer said. He had just finished speaking when Kate grabbed his arm and pulled him over to the trees. They barely made it off the road when a carriage came speeding around the turn of the road. Kate pulled Archer down into the bushes as the carriage went past them, leaving behind a large cloud of dust.
The speed was not the only strange thing about this carriage. It looked like it belonged to someone rich, but not the type of rich people the outlaws usually ambushed. It was decorated with ornate details, and Archer was sure that if they ever got a chance to ambush a carriage like that, they could feed an entire village for months.
"Someone's in a hurry," Archer said. The carriage barely slowed down as it disappeared behind the next turn.
"And at this hour," Kate pointed out. They got up and hopped back on the road, where the dust was still settling.
"So you do admit that this is not a normal hour to be up?"
"Yes, but you've brought this on yourself. Now, start putting one foot in front of the other or you won't get a chance to get any more sleep tonight."
Tom and Aaron had both worked as guards in the Nottingham Castle for a few years now. It was not a pleasant job, and it did not pay all that well, but it was work. The most unpleasant part had always been dealing with the Sheriff himself, especially when he was having a bad day. And ever since the Sheriff had his accident, those bad days had become much more frequent. Tom and Aaron had lost count on how many times they had been yelled at over the past week alone.
The details of the accident were a mystery to everyone. All sorts of rumours about the events of that night had spread around Nottingham. And it wasn't just the Sheriff's fall and subsequent injuries that puzzled people. It was also Sir Guy and Lady Isabella's disappearance, and the mysterious death of Lady Isabella's husband. Everyone had a theory on who had done what, but no-one dared to even whisper about them in Sheriff Vaisey's presence.
After the accident, Vaisey had become angrier than ever. He had to use a cane to walk, but that only gave him a convenient weapon to beat the guards with whenever he was unhappy. And that was often.
It was for this reason that Tom and Aaron stood outside the Sheriff's chambers, arguing over which one of them had to be the one to wake him up.
"I'm telling you, I won't do it! It's your turn!" Aaron said and pushed Tom towards the door.
"No way!" Tom protested. "Why should it be me? I don't want to do it!"
"I have a pregnant wife! Who's going to look after her and the baby if the Sheriff hangs me for waking him up?"
"Fine, I'll marry your wife and look after your kid, just don't make me go in there!" Tom said.
In the end, Tom lost the argument. The Sheriff was of course angry at being woken up at this ungodly hour, but once he heard the reason for it, he was even angrier at the fact that he hadn't been woken up sooner. Fortunately for Tom, the Sheriff was in too much of a hurry to get dressed to order him to be painfully punished.
The Sheriff hurried to the Great Hall, where his guest was already waiting for him.
"Your highness, welcome to Nottingham! To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.
Prince John looked just as tired as Vaisey felt, with dark circles under his eyes and hair sticking to all sorts of directions. If it weren't for the fine clothes he was wearing, it would have been difficult to recognise him.
"Vaisey! Wise, dependable old Vaisey! My most trusted subject!" the Prince said, his voice filled with dramatic desperation and anguish. "I bring terrible news!" He grabbed the Sheriff by his shoulders, making Vaisey wince when he had to put too much pressure on his bad leg.
"What might that news be?"
Prince John let go of the Sheriff and strode over to one of the chairs, draping himself over it as if he was about to faint. "My brother is on his way to England! My mother has paid the ransom and now he is going to come here and take my crown from me!"
"That is… unfortunate."
The Sheriff's own spies had of course brought him this information two days ago, but he wasn't going to let the Prince know that.
"What will we do? I can not give up everything I have worked for! I left London as soon as I heard and travelled through the night to seek your wisdom!"
Prince John sprang up again and began to pace around, spinning elaborately whenever he switched directions. "I'm sure you understand that your head is on the line if Richard makes it back," he said, speaking much more calmly than before.
"Of course, your highness. No-one wants to see the crown on your head as much as I do." A little bit of flattery went a long way with this fool. "I had hoped that the Ki- your brother would meet his end in captivity. Fortunately, I have been preparing for this unfortunate outcome for some time. Give me a few days to make some preparations, and soon we will be celebrating your coronation."
Prince John's face lit up at this. "Oh, I knew I could trust you!" he said, once more grabbing the Sheriff's shoulders and shaking him slightly. Vaisey bit his teeth together to hide his annoyance. The Prince let go of him and clapped his hands together.
"Now, I would very much like to have a bath. The roads around here are so dusty. And then I will require my royal rest – all this stress has taken its toll on me."
Much had come to like Archer a lot more ever since he'd found out about Archer and Robin being brothers. There were of course still things Archer did that annoyed Much, but now he could blame them on Archer being related to Gisborne. Not that he'd ever say it out loud – it was a topic that no-one ever really talked about. And it wasn't like the others didn't have annoying qualities as well. Archer's just happened to be ones that inconvenienced Much's day to day life.
One of these qualities was Archer's tendency to sleep in late. It was always so difficult to drag him out of bed to do things, and this problem had only gotten worse lately. How much sleep could one man really need? Much would have loved to just stay in bed all day, but there were things to do, and he didn't see a reason for why Archer should get to rest while the others got on with their day.
That particular morning Archer was just sitting by the table and staring at nothing, still clearly half-asleep. Kate at least had the decency to hide her yawns as she helped Much in the kitchen, and Allan and John had left for Nottingham long before Kate had dragged Archer out of his bunk by his foot. Robin was counting the money they had managed to steal the previous day, giving Archer a gentle nudge whenever he was about to doze off.
Not that Much was jealous or anything, but he thought that sometimes Robin was too easy on Archer. It was understandable, of course, considering Robin had never had a brother before. Brothers-in-arms, yes, but never a little brother that was honestly quite lost in the world. At least being with the gang had changed Archer for the better. Much liked him a lot more now than when they had met a year ago. If only he could wake up in time like a normal person. Then they could have been even better friends.
Archer perked up when Allan ran into the camp. Everyone turned to look at him as he tried to catch his breath.
"What happened?" Robin asked and stood up. He began to instinctively reach for his bow. Allan and John weren't supposed to be back yet.
"Prince John… In Nottingham…" Allan panted. It was clear he had run most of the way to the camp. "It can't mean anything good."
Everyone looked around at each other in stunned silence.
"Do you know why he's here?" Robin asked.
"No. But we thought you might come take a look yourself. Everyone's talking about the Prince. Apparently he arrived very early this morning."
Kate and Archer exchanged a look.
"What do you think this means?" Much asked.
"I don't know, but I don't like the thought of Prince John being here." Robin began to put the money away in a hurry. "I'll come to Nottingham. We'd better find out what he and the Sheriff are planning. There's no way this is just a friendly visit."
Much to Robin's annoyance, no-one even had an idea as to why Prince John might be in Nottingham. The worst part was that there was nothing out of the ordinary. It really was as if Prince John was just visiting the Sheriff for no real reason. But Robin knew better. There was always something bad happening when the Sheriff was involved, and if Prince John was added into the mix, then surely that had to mean something disastrous. Robin could not escape the sinking feeling that something was wrong.
As the others went on with their usual business, Robin spent the next couple days in Nottingham trying to find out any information he could. Unfortunately, all he could get out of a few of the servants that worked in the castle was that Prince John was an extremely demanding guest. The lack of information only made Robin more anxious. If he didn't know what was going on, he could not make a plan to stop whatever it was that the Sheriff was working on.
While the other outlaws were of course worried that the Prince and the Sheriff were planning something together, they decided to leave the majority of the worrying to Robin. There were people to be fed, money to be stolen and traps to be set. That all had to be taken care of while Robin spent his days obsessing over the newest developments – or lack thereof – in Nottingham.
On the third day after Prince John's arrival, Robin finally got his answers. Much had insisted that Robin at least eat breakfast with everyone else since they had barely seen him in the last couple of days. Robin had agreed, but only because John had physically stopped him from leaving the camp.
It was then, while they were eating breakfast – Robin anxious to get to Nottingham and Archer only half-awake – that Tuck walked into the camp with a serious look on his face.
"Tuck! Come join us!" Much said.
But Tuck did not even acknowledge the invitation.
"Have you heard yet?" he asked, looking straight at Robin.
Robin stood up so fast that he nearly knocked Archer's plate over in the process. "Heard what?"
"The King is on his way to England."
Much stared at Tuck in disbelief. John and Allan had shocked looks on their faces. Archer had barely understood what had just been said. Kate looked up at Robin, who had clenched his hands into tight fists and was trying to hold himself back from asking a thousand questions at the same time.
"Are you sure?" Robin allowed himself to ask.
"Yes. I came here as soon as I heard the news."
Robin's mind was already racing. "This must be why Prince John is in Nottingham."
"But this is good, isn't it? The King is coming home!" Much cried.
"Yes, that is good. But I don't like the idea of the Sheriff and Prince John scheming together. I'm sure they will do anything to escape justice and get Prince John on the throne. We need to be ready to stop them when they inevitably try to kill the King again," Robin said. His breakfast lay on the table, completely forgotten.
"We?" Kate asked. "Why do we have to be the ones to do it? You'd think the King would be expecting the Sheriff and Prince John to be plotting something anyway."
"Because we know what the Sheriff is capable of. The future of England depends on us!"
"Right, well, the future of my day depends on this breakfast. Are you going to finish that or not?" Archer asked, pointing at Robin's plate.
Although Tuck claimed that no-one knew anything more about the King's return than what he had already told the outlaws, Robin still wanted to go to Nottingham to see if he could find out more. He ignored his friends' insistence that they could all go together – this news made Robin feel more alive than he had felt in months, and he could not just sit around and eat breakfast. So, he had left the camp, knowing that the others would follow him eventually.
He had to hold himself back from running all the way to Nottingham. Realistically he knew that he would gain nothing from rushing there. But the thought of King Richard finally coming home excited him. This was what they had been hoping for. Robin just had to make sure that the Sheriff and Prince John didn't manage to ruin it all. But once the King was back in England, things could go back to normal.
What even was normal now? For a long time, Robin had had a clear idea of what his life would look like once his days as an outlaw were over. He would get his lands and titles back, he would marry Marian, and they would live long and happy lives together. But now that was no longer a path he could follow. Sure, he could go back to Locksley, but what then? He didn't want to think that far. He just wanted the King home, so that they could stop Prince John and the Sheriff from taxing the country to the ground.
Robin walked through the forest so deep in thought that he nearly jumped three feet in the air when someone spoke behind him.
"So, you've finally come out of your hiding place."
Robin spun around and saw Guy of Gisborne standing right in front of him. He reached for his bow, but Gisborne raised his hands up.
"I'm not here to fight!"
Gisborne lowered one of his hands slowly, unsheathed his sword and threw it on the ground so that it was out of his reach.
"What do you want?" Robin asked, still gripping the bow in his hand.
For months, no-one had had any idea where Gisborne had gone. All anyone knew was that he had last been seen right before the Sheriff's accident, and so all sorts of rumours had spread across the shire. For the outlaws, Gisborne's absence had meant that Locksley was now a place they could visit more freely. Robin had secretly hoped that perhaps the Sheriff had gotten rid of Gisborne for good, but it seemed that his hopes had been crushed.
"Have you heard about the King yet?" Gisborne asked, still keeping his hands up.
"Yes. Is that what you're here for? To bring me news?"
"No. You and I both know that Vaisey will do anything to get Prince John on the throne now. I want to help you stop him."
This took Robin by surprise. "Why should I trust you?" he asked. "After everything you've done, I should just kill you right here."
"I know I've done unforgivable things, but I've changed. I want to see Vaisey go down. After that, you can kill me if you want to."
"So you've finally decided you've had enough of him? What is this for, revenge?"
"No, I would say it's me trying to make up for the things I've done," Gisborne said. Something about the tone in his voice reminded Robin of Archer, and he was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the fact that Archer was Gisborne's brother as well. But now was not the time to bring that up.
Robin's grip on his bow loosened slightly, and Gisborne took it as a sign that he could put his hands down.
"And you think that will be enough?" Robin asked dryly.
"I don't know. Probably not. But I want to get rid of Vaisey just as much as you do. We could work together and get rid of him for good."
"How do I know that this isn't just a trap? Or are you doing this in the hopes that the King will forgive you for trying to kill him twice?"
"I doubt I'll be lucky enough for that. And like I said, you can kill me when we've taken care of Vaisey. Or you can hand me over to the King. Or let your friends kill me. It's not like they haven't already tried," Gisborne said.
Robin frowned. "What do you mean?"
Gisborne reached up to pull aside the collar on his shirt, revealing a scar on his shoulder. "Courtesy of the Nightwatchman. She's in your gang, isn't she?"
He was saying all of this so casually that Robin almost forgot to make a mental note to ask Kate about this later.
"That doesn't matter," Robin said. "What matters now is whether or not I should kill you right here and now."
"You could do it, I suppose. But I would like the chance to do something good for once in my life before I die. And saving the King's life after trying to kill him twice is a good start. Seeing Vaisey's downfall would just be for my own personal enjoyment. I assume you have those same goals. So, what do you say?"
Robin hesitated. How could he ever trust Guy of Gisborne? This was the man that had killed Marian. But right now, most of the hunger for revenge Robin had felt a year ago was gone. Gisborne should be brought to justice, but that would not happen in the right way so long as Vaisey was in charge. Still, Robin could not just put his trust into someone like Gisborne. There was too much bad blood between them.
"Why would I even need you? My men and I can save the King on our own – we've done it before. We have plenty of experience standing up to the Sheriff."
"I know how to find the Sheriff."
Robin let out a mocking laugh. "Is that all you have? I happen to know where he lives, so I don't think you'll be much use."
"The Sheriff and Prince John left for London early this morning. That means they probably already have a plan, and if we don't hurry, there might not be a King to save soon. I know Vaisey, and I know how to find him in London."
Robin felt like the ground beneath him might give away at any moment. How could the Sheriff and Prince John have left already? That meant that Robin would have to act fast. The excitement about the King's return he had felt earlier had now been replaced with dread.
If Gisborne was being sincere, there was no time to be wasted, and his help could indeed be useful.
"Wait here," Robin sighed. "I need to talk with my friends."
Gisborne nodded curtly.
Robin began to jog off back to camp before turning back to give Gisborne one final glare. "If you try to follow me, I'll shoot you."
"Absolutely not! Have you lost your mind?"
The others had been surprised to see Robin come back so soon, but they'd been even more surprised to hear about Gisborne's offer. This surprise had very quickly turned into anger. It was a reaction Robin had expected.
"How could we ever trust him? Do you honestly believe he's even telling the truth? What if this is all just a trap?" Much asked.
"I'm not asking you to trust him – I certainly don't – but we'll need all the help we can get if we want to stop the Sheriff from killing the King. We'll be on our guard in case he tries something."
"We should just kill him! I'm not trusting him," Kate said bitterly, crossing her arms.
"He says he's willing to accept his punishment once we're done. Even if that punishment is death. But you almost killed him before, didn't you?" Robin gave Kate a disapproving look.
Kate's face turned red with embarrassment, and she exchanged a guilty look with Archer, giving away his involvement.
"Well, yes," Kate said and gathered her confidence again. "And I should have finished the job."
Much decided to step in. "How about we just ignore Gisborne and save the King without him?"
Robin sighed. "I wish it was that simple, but we need his help finding the Sheriff in London. Besides, if anyone knows how Vaisey thinks, it's him. We need to figure out what the Sheriff's plan is, and we need to do it quickly. We need Gisborne for that."
"He killed your wife and my brother!" Kate pointed out and banged her fist against the table. "We would be fools if we trusted him!"
Until now, Tuck had stayed out of the conversation. He laid a gentle hand on Kate's shoulder to calm her down.
"Perhaps this is his way of trying to atone for his sins," he said.
Kate let out a laugh and brushed his hand away. "Right! As if he's even capable of feeling remorse!"
"Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?" Tuck asked.
"Not from me," Kate said and turned up her nose, marching off to the side.
"I agree with Kate," John said. "I don't think we can trust Gisborne."
Robin let out a frustrated sigh. "Don't think about it as trusting Gisborne. Think about it as saving the King – saving England." He looked around at his friends, but none of them seemed fully convinced yet. "Fine. I won't make you come to London if you don't want to. But I'm going there to do anything I can to save the King. If that means trusting Gisborne, then so be it. Now, is anyone here willing to join me?"
There was a pause, where no-one moved or said anything. Then Much moved closer to Robin.
"You should know by now that I'll follow you wherever you go," he said. Robin gave him a grateful smile.
"I know I am not a part of your gang, but I care about this country. If you'll have me, I'd be happy to join you," Tuck offered.
"Of course. Thank you, Tuck," Robin said.
Allan sighed. "I can't believe I'm about to put my neck on the line to save the King again." He wrapped an arm around Much's shoulder. "Still, who would want to miss seeing the Sheriff's downfall, eh?"
"I think saving the King is not necessarily our responsibility," John said, "but I won't wait around here while you walk into danger. I'll join you. I too would very much like to see the Sheriff go down." Robin nodded at him.
Now only Archer and Kate were left.
Kate was still sulking with her arms across her chest. When she didn't say anything, everyone turned their attention to Archer.
He had been unusually quiet throughout the conversation. He was staring down at his feet, and it was difficult to read his expression. "I'd like to believe Gisborne has changed," he said quietly. He raised his eyes and looked straight at Robin. "I'll come with you."
Kate threw her hands up in frustration. "Ugh! Fine! I'll come with you but just so that I can tell you 'I told you so' when Gisborne inevitably stabs you in the back!"
Robin took this as a win. He looked around the camp at his friends. "Thank you, all of you." He let himself take in the moment – if things went wrong, this could be the last time they were all together in the camp. "Now, get ready. We leave today."
Guy was sitting on a rock, leaning his elbows against his knees. Hood was taking a long time. Would he come back? Guy was glad that Robin had at least heard him out and not shot an arrow right through him on sight. There were countless reasons for why Robin should hate Guy, so getting away from the conversation without a scratch was already a win. Whether or not Robin would agree to working together, though, was an entirely different story.
Guy knew that there was no way he could get rid of Vaisey on his own – not anymore. With the King on the way home, Vaisey would be on guard. It would be impossible to get to him alone.
For the past few months Guy had thought a lot about what Sister Catherine had told him. He had tried to think of ways he could be better. He could have just gone somewhere far away and started a new life as a peasant. But Guy knew he needed to make up for his past sins or he would never be able to find peace. He was well aware of the fact that he couldn't bring back all the people he had killed or take back the pain he had caused, but there was one thing he could do: make sure that no-one had to suffer under Vaisey's rule again. To do that, he needed Robin Hood's help.
Guy was not sure if Hood would be willing to team up. If he was smart, he would. Guy was more worried about Hood's friends. Why did he even need permission from them? Wasn't he their leader? All the other outlaws hated Guy just as much as Robin did. Hopefully they would not be able to talk him out of this.
Guy was not entirely sure how long he had been sitting there when Robin appeared again.
"Good news, Gisborne. We'll accept your help in taking down Vaisey."
Guy stood up. "Good."
"There's a few conditions, though," Robin said. "We don't trust you, so you'll have to surrender your weapons. My friends don't want to be stabbed while they sleep."
"Fine. But we really need to leave soon. We can't give Vaisey too much of a head start. Who knows what he'll do in London while we're not there." Guy was annoyed that he had to give up his sword, but if that's what it took to get the outlaws' help, then so be it.
"I know. The others are already getting ready. But you'll have to keep waiting here. That was the other condition: We won't let you into the camp."
Guy nodded and sat back down. He was anxious to get going, but right now all he could do was wait.
Robin hesitated before heading back to the camp. It felt strange to be working with Gisborne. He hadn't forgiven Gisborne – he never would – but for the greater good, he could tolerate working together until they had stopped the Sheriff and Prince John.
There was, however, one thing that Robin should have brought up: that he and Gisborne shared a brother. Robin knew that as much as he disliked Gisborne, he too had the right to know about Archer, although he probably wouldn't be as welcoming towards Archer as Robin had been. But now was not the time for that. They had a King to save. Once that was done, Robin and Archer could let Gisborne know the truth. There was a high chance that King Richard would have Gisborne executed, but at least he wouldn't have to die not knowing this secret that had been kept from all of them for so long.