I'm warning you now that this chapter is a cliff hanger. It wasn't supposed to be, but if I kept going, it would have ended up being a little long and it probably wouldn't have been done by the time I moved which would have meant a long wait. Yes, I get to live in the tornado infested flood plains of Ohio for 2 years. Imagine my joy.

Anyway, enjoy what's here. I want you to know that I have started editing previous material for the final product on fictionpress.net. Once again sorry about the cliffhanger, but what can I say? I am evil after all.

CHAPTER 16

There was a pounding in Piper's head that could only come from her consciousness' effort to aggravate her peaceful sleep. At first the pounding could be easily incorporated into her dream. It bared quite a resemblance to the rhythmic clacking of hooves on stone. Of course, when a parade of horses suddenly showed up in her dream concerning Sir Guy's grand hall, she knew something wasn't right.

The pounding grew louder and more desperate causing the horses stampede and perform impressive gymnastics. "Miss..." a tentative voice floated through the air. Piper was too busy watching a black stallion that was doing cartwheels down Sir Guys banquet table to pay any attention.

"Miss, please wake up." Piper recognized the disembodied voice as Katherine's. The horses began to volte out of the room just as Piper became aware of the pillow underneath her head and the soft warm blankets wrapped around her. One eye opened a crack to let in the the faint daylight that was coming out of the one small high set window.

"Miss," Katherine sounded as though she was about about to start crying.

"I'm up," said Piper, making it plainly clear that she didn't want to be. "Come in."

Now fully awake, she pulled the blankets off and looked at them with distaste. They were now covered in the same dried mud that she had been wearing since the previous day. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and was testing out her left knee when Katherine entered. The servant gasped in horror at the site of her clean bed clothes and of Piper, both stained with mud and blood. "Miss, do guards not wash themselves?" she asked in panic.

Piper shrugged, half ignoring Katherine as she flexed her knee back and forth. It still hurt, but the swelling had gone down noticeably and the pain was tolerable now. Maybe this doctor was worth something after all. She stood carefully and made her way to the basin of water. "I was very tired last night," she explained to Katherine, who followed in her wake making terrified little noises. "Miss, we need to have you ready for presentation in under an hour!"

"An hour? Why did you wake me up so early then?" Katherine was trembling, and Piper sighed, deciding to take pity on the poor girl. "Well lets get ready then. You really shouldn't worry about little things so much. It isn't healthy."

Piper scrubbed her arms, legs and face while Katherine struggled with the rats nest that had become her hair. It was too short to braid or wrap as most ladies did, so after some frustration, Katherine decided to pin it up so that it would be hidden under her hat.

After she was relatively clean, they turned to the task of dressing. Piper was quietly thankful that Katherine was there. The dress looked far more complicated than anything she had ever worn before. She wasn't sure whether she would be able to get into it properly without help.

Katherine didn't reach for the dress first. Instead she lifted the underclothes that Piper apparently overlooked. Piper took one look at the corset, petticoats and hoop skirt and shook her head emphatically. "Oh no, I'm not putting that on. I agreed to a dress, but not that! I can't fight in a corset, I won't be able to breath!"

"Miss..."

"My name is Piper and choose your next words very carefully."

"Piper," Katherine corrected nervously. "These are necessary for the dress to fit properly," Piper shot her a warning glance. "But maybe we could alter them slightly, so that when you need to fight, they won't impair you."

Katherine produced a small knife and made a series of tiny cuts in the seams. "You'll have to be very careful with it before you fight or it will fall apart and look wrong even from a distance." Piper smiled. "But when I start to fight..." She understood Katherine's reasoning. "all right, could you help me with it?"

Katherine helped Piper put the restrictive clothing on. The corset was extremely uncomfortable, pushing her body into a shape that it was never meant to hold. The petticoats and hoop skirt threw off her center of balance which, in addition to her healing knee made it difficult for her to stay on her feet. After the underclothes came the dress. The heavy satin added to the weight that seemed to be pulling her towards the ground.

A dark green hat with a long beaded train which hid her hair completed the outfit. Piper practiced moving in the dress. "Do me one more favor, Katherine," Piper turned to the slight girl, awkwardly. Katherine raised her eyebrows in question. "Kick me if I start to make a fool of myself."

Katherine smiled. "You won't. You almost look like a real lady, except for the hair."

Piper smiled back, taking Katherine's words as a compliment. Then realized there was one thing missing. "Where exactly am I supposed to keep my weapons?" Her bow and her sword were both propped up against the foot of the bed.

"I'll have them brought to your carriage along with your uniform."

"Wonderful. Thank you." They left the guest chamber for the grand hall. They stopped at the physician's quarters first. Piper's new attire made it very difficult for him to inspect her injury. It was fortunate for her that she was not a very self conscious person, because having an elderly man crawling up one's skirts would be a very mortifying experience to most young ladies.

"Well it's healing as well as can be expected," commented the physician in a voice muffled by layers of fabric. He emerged from under her dress and looked up at her with a critical eye. "I still say the leeches would have worked better," he admonished. "I've changed the dressing. It's all I can do for now. I would recommend not putting too much strain on it, but I know my recommendation counts for little with you."

Piper thanked him as politely as she could and then left him. She practiced moving gracefully down the hall. Katherine followed behind, desperately trying to hide her amused smile behind her hand. She could no longer contain her laughter when Piper began quoting the Lady Marian. She even swooned a bit for the girl's entertainment.

Just before they arrived at the grand hall, Piper assumed a dignified pose. She could hear the voices of Sir Guy and his two noble guests. "I want to make a grand entrance," she whispered to Katherine who smiled conspiratorially.

Katherine walked into the grand hall. "The Lady Piper of Mark, your lordship."

Piper strode purposefully into the hall, her nose in the air and her expression disinterested. She did her best to imitate the Lady Eleanor and was having a lot of fun doing it. Everyone in the hall stood before they knew what they were doing. She ignored them and moved to her place next to Bear. He was dressed in matching green and gold velvet and looked incredibly uncomfortable in it. He stared at her in shock as did the nobles, but she carefully maintained her cool facade.

She wobbled a bit when she tried to sit down. It was difficult to judge where her seat was in relation to her dress, so Bear discretely helped guide her down. She nodded her appreciation and then began helping herself to bread, bacon and eggs. The nobles regained their composure and resumed their quiet conversation.

Bear leaned over to Piper while she ate. "You look like a real lady," he whispered. Piper glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and smugly replied "Not all guards are as hopeless about style as you are."

After breakfast, Sir Guy excused himself from his guests and showed Piper and Bear to the carriage that he had reserved for them. It wasn't an impressive carriage. It was old and it had been repaired and repainted several times. Still, it would serve it's purpose.

Piper dropped her aristocratic air once they reached their destination. It was fun playing snobbish nobility, but there was work to do, and the time for foolish play acting had passed. She inspected the horses that were hitched to the carriage. They were both magnificent animals, but they made her wonder. "Where are our horses?"

"Your animals have been sent on ahead. They will be at Philip's stables long before you get there." Piper noticed that Gisbourne had become fascinated with the low neckline of her dress. She growled her displeasure and caught his eyes with her furious glare. Her face, twisted with anger, practically dared him to continue his lecherous gaze. He rolled his eyes, and casually looked away.

Bear did not miss Gisbourne's indiscretion. He escorted Piper up into the carriage, putting himself between his comrade and Gisbourne. He held onto the door and turned to Gisbourne with formal, insincere courtesy. "On behalf of Philip Mark, I want to thank you for your graciousness in helping us. Your loyalty to England will, of course, be rewarded."

"Of course." Sir Guy smiled tightly.


Bear spared Gisbourne no further thought. He turned his back on the wealthy lord and climbed in after Piper. The coachman urged the horses on at Bear's signal. They left Gisbourne's estate in silence, both angry that circumstances forced them to consort with that type of man.

They traveled south along the main highway. For a time, the road only skirted the edge of the forest. "Why can't I drive?" Piper complained. She had never felt sick on a horse in her life, but now she felt her stomach turning. She couldn't focus on the trees as they passed by, which made things even worse. Bear didn't seem any happier. "I think it would look suspicious if one of the nobles were driving."

"What kind of person would travel like this? I think I might be sick."

"Take deep breaths. It helps."

Piper noticed that Bear was breathing deeply, trying to control his own nausea. She tried Bear's suggestion, but she couldn't even take one full deep breath before she felt the seams of her corset strain and tear. She glared at Bear and then whimpered "Not fair!"

She spent the next ten minutes focusing on her breath. She took in as much air as possible without moving her ribs. It wasn't an easy task. By the time her head finally cleared and her stomach settled, they had turned west and were heading into the cool shade of Sherwood.

The shade was a definite improvement. Bear and Piper both sighed in relief, the distress from their motion sickness quickly receding. They began to whisper amongst themselves, going over tactics to pass the time. As they spoke, Piper felt for the weapons hidden in a compartment under her seat. They were attached at the top of the compartment and hidden with a thin piece of black fabric so that they were easily accessible to anyone who knew where they were, but impossible to detect by anyone who didn't. She familiarized herself with each one's location by touch alone. It made her feel better, knowing that she could have her sword or her bow out and aimed at an attacking outlaw before they even knew what was going on.

Nearly a half an hour after they had turned into the forest, a slight movement in the dark shadows of the forest attracted Piper's attention. She glanced lazily out of the carriage window, apparently just to watch the beautiful scenery. Smiling placidly, she turned to Bear and said "Well, William is here."

"Hmm?" Bear faced her.

"William. I just saw him now. He's hiding in the shadows. I hope the outlaws don't see him. It's really clumsy of him, actually."

Bear turned away and looked out of his own window. Piper noticed him restlessly checking his own hidden weapons as they progressed. A few tense minutes later, Piper thought she saw another movement in the forest. She tried to see what it was, but it was gone too quickly.

Just then the carriage began to slow down. Bear shouted an inquiry at the coachman. "Something is blocking the road, your lordship," responded the coachman. He'd been instructed to treat Bear and Piper like nobles to complete the illusion. "Well hurry up with it then," Bear demanded. He and Piper shared a look. "Here we go," he muttered. Piper shifted in her seat uneasily. She hated the waiting.

The carriage came to a complete stop and she heard the coachman jump down off of his seat to clear the obstruction out of the road. There was more rustling, louder this time, and the sound of several pairs of feet. Two men appeared, one at each door of the carriage. They brandished daggers at the passengers inside. Piper tried her best to look shocked and frightened. Bear made all manner of protests as they ushered him out of the carriage.

"This is an outrage! We are guests of the Sheriff," he blustered.

The outlaw who had his dagger pointed at Piper opened the door and tried to beckon her out as gallantly as possible. "My Lady, if you please. This won't take more than a minute." She bit back several rude responses that came to mind at the moment and took stock of their situation.

There appeared to be about six of them in all. There was the man that was holding her hostage, one holding the coachman, and one on the other side of the carriage holding Bear. Piper could hear two men moving around in the carriage, probably looking for money and jewels. Piper was thankful that they had hidden the weapons so thoroughly.

At the head of the coach there stood a giant of a man. He had to be nearly seven feet tall with black, wild hair and a square, set jaw. He carried a staff that looked more like a small tree than a weapon. Piper had heard tales of John Little the giant, and had no doubts in her mind that this was him and that he was in charge of things.

"There's nothing in here, John," came a voice in the carriage. The voice was vaguely familiar. It was a voice from her childhood. The man jumped out of the carriage and into her field of vision. He was older now, and had a harder face. The boyish features that he had when she last saw him had deepened into pronounced lines and scars, but it was unmistakably Alan of the Dale, the troubadour that she and Much had visited so long ago.

Her amazement at this turn of events quickly changed to cold dread when the other man in the carriage spoke. "Yeah, it's as empty as Alan's head." Much jumped out of the carriage too, and slapped Alan on the backside of his head, playfully.

Piper tried to look away; to hide her face, but when Much turned around to get a good look at their helpless captive, their eyes locked. Much froze and Piper's heart sank. "Oh hell," she breathed.