A TALE OF SHERWOOD
Chapter 10
In which nothing good happens
Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. -A.A. Milne
Alternate quote:
Everyone likes to think that in the past everything was so quaint, so charming. Neighbors knew each other. Kids didn't have sex. It's a freakin' fairy-tale. Life sucked then, too. It just sucked without indoor plumbing.
-Gilmore Girls television series
Hilde stretched her back, and tried to find a more comfortable position on the limb on which she was perched. Tree's made good vantage points, especially the massive oak in which she was currently residing, but they were very uncomfortable. She yawned and glanced down at Duo, who was sitting up against her oak tree, dozing. Hilde scowled at him and then climbed a few branches higher before finding a nice clump of acorns, pulling them off of their branch, and then dropping them on Duo's head.
"Hey!" he yelled. "No need for that. I was just..."
"Resting your eyes? A likely story," said Hilde. "Why is it that I always get stuck up in the tree, looking for things, while you stay on the ground, waiting for me to tell you what is going on? Isn't the entire point of a team to work together on one task? And where's Much? You said he'd be back yesterday, and today he still isn't here! Do you think something happened to him? Should we go look?"
"Stop it! That's too many questions," said Duo throwing up his hands. "Firstly, your up the tree because you can get up and down the tree faster than I can. Secondly, this is teamwork. You tell me what is coming down the road, and I decide what to do about it while you climb down. Simple. Thirdly, I didn't tell you Much would SURLEY be here by yesterday, it was just a rough estimate. And, no, I don't think anything has happened to Much and, no, we shouldn't go loo-"
Hilde held up her hand, warning him to be quiet. Something was moving in the woods; she could see the bushes swaying and the startled flight of birds disturbed by whatever it is that was down there.
"Duo," she called. "Come up here."
Duo grabbed the branch over his head and swung up. He was beside her in a matter of seconds. Hilde pointed.
"There."
"It looks like a person," Duo told her.
"I know, but it's too big for a person."
"No- maybe it is..." Duo cupped his hands around his mouth and then yelled, "Little John?"
Hilde smacked him, "What did you do that for?" The movement ceased.
Then, a loud voice called "Duo? Is that you?" Then, a very large figure appeared below them. Duo immediately began scurrying, in a very squirrel like manner, down the tree. He lied, Hilde thought, about me being the better climber. His mother must have been a tree-rat, or something. Maybe an African monkey.
But she followed him down the tree quick enough. From the ground, the man was not just very large. He was enormous. The largest man Hilde had ever seen. A giant, she thought. He had a large brown beard, which covered his face and neck, and bushy brown hair. The only thing she could really see of his face were his eyes, which were the color of bark. He carried a staff taller than even he.
"I've got to get to Robin," the giant called Little John was saying. "He'll know what to do."
"Why? What to do about what?" Duo asked him.
"The boy," said Little John. He was breathing hard, so his speech was halted and short. "We were along the south path, by the church. Walking along the path. Heard horses and voices, so we went into the woods. They got closer, found our trial. So we started to run, went along the gully, near that tall ash tree. I don't run fast, he was ahead of me. He, he just stepped right onto it. Closed around his leg. I had to hide, they were coming. He didn't scream till they pried it off his leg and tied him to a horse." The color fell out of Duo's face.
Hilde looked from him to Little John. "What does that mean? What happened?" she asked, feeling dread fill her stomach.
Duo stared at her. "It means that Much got caught in a man-trap, and then was taken to the Sheriff. They will hang him, if they think he's one of us." The world spun, and Hilde had to grab onto the firm tree trunk besides her to remain upright.
"Don't see how they can't think he's one of Robins," Little John was saying. A roaring filled Hilde's ears. The ground was unstable- it rocked back and forth. Hilde slid down the trunk to the forest floor. Much was caught in a man-trap. Hilde shuddered at the thought of anyone, especially Much, caught in such a monstrosity. The traps were like those used to catch bears. Like evil mouths they waited beneath the leaves till a man set his foot in the wrong spot, then they closed around it. Most times they broke the bone, if the man did not die of infection he died of starvation- the Sheriffs men only checked the traps once every three or four months. Hilde had once seen a man who had sawn his own leg off, to get out of the trap. Not Much, Hilde begged, Not Much. He didn't do anything. Please, not Much.
But She got the distinct impression that no one was listening to her.
"We have to free him," she said. "We can't leave him to the Sheriff." Duo and Little John turned to stare at her.
"We can't do anything yet, not till we tell Robin," Little John said.
"No. I am going to get Much. I can't leave him there, not after everything." Hilde felt cold all over. They were wasting time. Much needed their help now.
"I think we should go tell Robin first, he will know what to do."
"No! I am going after Much, now. You can go to Robin if you want, but I have to go to Much. Help me if you want, but do not try to stop me." Hilde's fists were clenched with anger.
Little John was looking at her, "You're his friend, the one he was so worried about?"
"Yes, he is." Said Duo, stepping forward. "Harry, I think I know a way to get Much out of the Sheriff's dungeons."
AN: HA HA, what will happen, I wonder. Will Much get killed? Will he survive? Will they even manage to rescue him? If they do, will he die of infection? Only one way to find out soon, review. 10 reviews and put up a brand-new chapter. Ya! Or, at least, I promise to have it up by Friday after next. (i.e., the first Friday of April), so review, folks! And thanks to all those who did review. I love you guys.
-Langsiell
Chapter 10
In which nothing good happens
Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. -A.A. Milne
Alternate quote:
Everyone likes to think that in the past everything was so quaint, so charming. Neighbors knew each other. Kids didn't have sex. It's a freakin' fairy-tale. Life sucked then, too. It just sucked without indoor plumbing.
-Gilmore Girls television series
Hilde stretched her back, and tried to find a more comfortable position on the limb on which she was perched. Tree's made good vantage points, especially the massive oak in which she was currently residing, but they were very uncomfortable. She yawned and glanced down at Duo, who was sitting up against her oak tree, dozing. Hilde scowled at him and then climbed a few branches higher before finding a nice clump of acorns, pulling them off of their branch, and then dropping them on Duo's head.
"Hey!" he yelled. "No need for that. I was just..."
"Resting your eyes? A likely story," said Hilde. "Why is it that I always get stuck up in the tree, looking for things, while you stay on the ground, waiting for me to tell you what is going on? Isn't the entire point of a team to work together on one task? And where's Much? You said he'd be back yesterday, and today he still isn't here! Do you think something happened to him? Should we go look?"
"Stop it! That's too many questions," said Duo throwing up his hands. "Firstly, your up the tree because you can get up and down the tree faster than I can. Secondly, this is teamwork. You tell me what is coming down the road, and I decide what to do about it while you climb down. Simple. Thirdly, I didn't tell you Much would SURLEY be here by yesterday, it was just a rough estimate. And, no, I don't think anything has happened to Much and, no, we shouldn't go loo-"
Hilde held up her hand, warning him to be quiet. Something was moving in the woods; she could see the bushes swaying and the startled flight of birds disturbed by whatever it is that was down there.
"Duo," she called. "Come up here."
Duo grabbed the branch over his head and swung up. He was beside her in a matter of seconds. Hilde pointed.
"There."
"It looks like a person," Duo told her.
"I know, but it's too big for a person."
"No- maybe it is..." Duo cupped his hands around his mouth and then yelled, "Little John?"
Hilde smacked him, "What did you do that for?" The movement ceased.
Then, a loud voice called "Duo? Is that you?" Then, a very large figure appeared below them. Duo immediately began scurrying, in a very squirrel like manner, down the tree. He lied, Hilde thought, about me being the better climber. His mother must have been a tree-rat, or something. Maybe an African monkey.
But she followed him down the tree quick enough. From the ground, the man was not just very large. He was enormous. The largest man Hilde had ever seen. A giant, she thought. He had a large brown beard, which covered his face and neck, and bushy brown hair. The only thing she could really see of his face were his eyes, which were the color of bark. He carried a staff taller than even he.
"I've got to get to Robin," the giant called Little John was saying. "He'll know what to do."
"Why? What to do about what?" Duo asked him.
"The boy," said Little John. He was breathing hard, so his speech was halted and short. "We were along the south path, by the church. Walking along the path. Heard horses and voices, so we went into the woods. They got closer, found our trial. So we started to run, went along the gully, near that tall ash tree. I don't run fast, he was ahead of me. He, he just stepped right onto it. Closed around his leg. I had to hide, they were coming. He didn't scream till they pried it off his leg and tied him to a horse." The color fell out of Duo's face.
Hilde looked from him to Little John. "What does that mean? What happened?" she asked, feeling dread fill her stomach.
Duo stared at her. "It means that Much got caught in a man-trap, and then was taken to the Sheriff. They will hang him, if they think he's one of us." The world spun, and Hilde had to grab onto the firm tree trunk besides her to remain upright.
"Don't see how they can't think he's one of Robins," Little John was saying. A roaring filled Hilde's ears. The ground was unstable- it rocked back and forth. Hilde slid down the trunk to the forest floor. Much was caught in a man-trap. Hilde shuddered at the thought of anyone, especially Much, caught in such a monstrosity. The traps were like those used to catch bears. Like evil mouths they waited beneath the leaves till a man set his foot in the wrong spot, then they closed around it. Most times they broke the bone, if the man did not die of infection he died of starvation- the Sheriffs men only checked the traps once every three or four months. Hilde had once seen a man who had sawn his own leg off, to get out of the trap. Not Much, Hilde begged, Not Much. He didn't do anything. Please, not Much.
But She got the distinct impression that no one was listening to her.
"We have to free him," she said. "We can't leave him to the Sheriff." Duo and Little John turned to stare at her.
"We can't do anything yet, not till we tell Robin," Little John said.
"No. I am going to get Much. I can't leave him there, not after everything." Hilde felt cold all over. They were wasting time. Much needed their help now.
"I think we should go tell Robin first, he will know what to do."
"No! I am going after Much, now. You can go to Robin if you want, but I have to go to Much. Help me if you want, but do not try to stop me." Hilde's fists were clenched with anger.
Little John was looking at her, "You're his friend, the one he was so worried about?"
"Yes, he is." Said Duo, stepping forward. "Harry, I think I know a way to get Much out of the Sheriff's dungeons."
AN: HA HA, what will happen, I wonder. Will Much get killed? Will he survive? Will they even manage to rescue him? If they do, will he die of infection? Only one way to find out soon, review. 10 reviews and put up a brand-new chapter. Ya! Or, at least, I promise to have it up by Friday after next. (i.e., the first Friday of April), so review, folks! And thanks to all those who did review. I love you guys.
-Langsiell