Author's Note: This is the chapter where the hero steps into the story.
Yay, yippee! Whatever. The hero is obviously Robin Hood, but does anyone
know the real Robin Hood. Read and find out. Oh and don't forget to
review. Hehehehehe.
Chapter 6
Of Escape
A group of men stood outside of the castle doors. White fog touched them lazily and gusts of cold wind blew their way. They wore dark clothing and were huddled in a circle listening to a man in the middle. The man had dark, chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. He was lithe and muscular, some battle scars shone on his hands and one white scar ran down his cheek. He had a look of authority and his sharp blue eyes were full of wisdom in such a youthful face. His voice was soft, yet commanding.
"That king is so dog gone stupid and uncaring. How could he take every man out here and simply kill them or put them into prison!" The man ran his hands frustratingly through his hair and his eyes sparked dangerously.
"This king has no morale in his black heart. Those men he took have a family." The men grunted in agreement.
"Yes men, we shall free those people in prison who have done nothing wrong, yet go against their wicked king. Yes, we shall." Soft shouts billowed in the air and one burly man said,
"What de we have ta do Robin?" The men gathered around closer to listen to a plan. The leader's hands fluttered in excitement as he whispered.
"We shall go into the castle during the dark night. Go in softly and DON'T MAKE ANY NOISE. Little John will steal the keys to the prison door and some of you will go into the castle and free the rioters. Do not free anyone else, for no murderer deserves to be free. To find out who these rioters are, one of us, perhaps Will Scarlet, will steal the list of new prisoners. Take that list swiftly and show it to us."
"But Robin, where is this list yer talkin' about, "said a red-haired man.
"Look through the sheriff's desk and find it, just do it quickly."
"Aye Robin." Robin picked each man to do his duty and issued orders.
"Remember men at night, there shall be another of Robin Hood's great doings." The men ran to the edge of the woods and disappeared in the foliage.
A small barely distinguishable clearing appeared between two trees. The men slipped into the clearing and ran forward. They came to a huge bush with prickly leaves and one of the men whispered,
"Tread softly." A gloved hand slipped through the prickly leaves and pushed them apart. The men stepped in and they were in a camp bustling with activity. This was Robin Hood's domain and this was where all of his plans formed. Robin Hood was a notorious bandit who went against Prince John's plans and stole money from the nobles and gave to the poor. He was woven into legends and folk tales, yet many people didn't know he existed. Robin had a band of men called the Merry Men, yet they weren't always merry. His close companions were Little John and the quick-tempered Will Scarlet.
The group of men yelled shouts of hello and unbuckled their weapons. A large fire lay in the misty clearing and the men surrounded it. Will Scarlet started mumbling something about difficult tasks and Little John was tattooing a design on the dirt floor. Men were discussing the prison plan in little groups and Robin Hood swept into his gray tent. Will and Little John followed hurriedly after him and stalked into the tent. Robin Hood was pacing back and forth in the tent, he was startled when he heard Will speak.
"Robin yer such a fool. How do ye expect us ta barge into a castle and free the prisoners! It's insane! We cin all easily become executed or even tortured. Don't ya know the risks?" Little John, in a much calmer voice said,
"Robin, think of the danger that you can bestow upon these men. They have lives too you know and your idea of "freeing prisoners" is going much more beyond what we expected. We just thought that we could steal from them nobles and give to the poor. This plan can get us easily killed and you know it. Robin glared at them angrily and spoke with words filled with emotion,
"I became Robin Hood for the good of the English people. By saving the lives of these men I can help them, which was what I've always wanted to do. I have seen little children die at my feet because of what King John has done. I am not going to just stand there and watch them die, I will do something!"
"But Robin, there are other ways to help the poor people."
"This is the one way that can make a big difference!" At those words, the two men were silenced and they glanced at each other.
"Well if that's the way ya want te do it," Will said gruffly, "But I'm warning ya, it's not gonna be easy and there will be some consequences." Robin Hood sighed and drew out a map that was beneath some piles of paper. It was a map of the whole layout of the castle. Little John's eyes widened in surprise and he said, astonished,
"How did you get that?" Robin Hood grinned evilly and replied,
"Sometimes nobles are connected to the castle in some way and it's easy to get maps from the desks that are covered with jewels."
"Why you sly fox." The trio peered at the castle and began talking.
Outside of the tent, men were gathering their weapons and belongings needed for the plan. They shivered in the cold air and their hands worked quickly in the soon blackening sky. A new member of the band, Peter, was tapping his foot nervously and biting his bottom lip. A big man threw his arm around Peter's thin shoulders, practically knocking him over, and said loudly,
"Don't worry Peter, ol' Robin probably has some tricks up 'is sleeve. Besides, aren't ye ready fir sum adventure." The large man chuckled deeply and walked away. Peter's face turned very pale and his eyes darted nervously.
Soft whispers could be heard in moonlit night. The whispers came from ten men who were trying to unlock the castle gate.
"Turn it the other way Sam, no the other way!"
"Stop yelling at me, you're making me mess up."
"Well open up the door then!" Sam gritted his teeth and replied,
"I'm trying to Carl. Now back off." Robin stomped over and yanked the long piece of metal from Sam's hands and pushed it through the lock. The lock opened with a clang that sent echoes into the silent air. Them men looked at each other tensely and walked in softly. When they got to the other castle door the men went through another stream of curses and muffled yells. Finally the door opened and they stepped in. Little John ran gently across the stone floor to the prison. He opened the locked door with skilled ease and beckoned the men to come forward. The men walked in one at a time and two were left guarding the door. Will Scarlet walked swiftly to the desk in the corner and searched through the piles of paper while the others waited, fidgeting. A small candle was brought to Will and he grasped it shakily. After some time he found a paper with a list of names. Sighing with relief he handed it to Robin. Robin took the paper and he told each man to memorize some names and they left, each with a key in their hand. Robin took the slowly dying candle and walked down the long corridor to the bottom prison. According to the paper, a person named Marianna was down there. He was wondering why a girl's name appeared on the Rioter List. Robin shrugged his shoulders and walked down, his candle providing a very faint light in the great darkness. Once he got on level ground, he suddenly heard some movement. Probably just the rats, he thought. Robin moved down the hallway to number 21, where the girl was. The stench in the prison was unbearable and he heard soft moans and occasional screams coming from the cells. Suddenly a man flew at Robin, knocking the wind out of his chest. The man had a small goatee and a dagger in his hands. He was dressed in a guard's clothing. The guard grasped Robin's neck and said loudly,
"Who are you?" Thinking fast, Robin elbowed the man in the stomach and twisted out of his grasp. The man's eyes flashed dangerously and he charged forward. Robin, with his cat-like grace, stepped out of the way and the man ran straight into the wall. Robin hit the man's head hard and the guard fell to the floor, knocked out. Robin took a shuddering breath and walked forward, shaking from his encounter with a guard. The king's men would find the guard tomorrow and his identity might be discovered. Robin was more prepared now. He had a small dagger in his hands and his eyes darted warily from side to side. Finally, Robin got to cell 21 and he opened the door.
A beautiful girl was propped against the wall of the cell. Her long, golden hair hung damply at her sides. The girl's hands were chained to the wall with a thick black chain. Her body seemed thin inside her loose and tattered clothes. This was Marianna Lohan. Robin Hood rushed towards her and checked her pulse. There was a faint beating, but that was it. He used the cell key to open the chains. The lock opened with a loud clang and the girl moaned softly. Robin gathered the girl into his arms quickly, her head laid gently on his chest. Marianna opened her feverish eyes, not noticing Robin. Her feverish mind was far away and her soft skin burned against Robin's own. He looked into the girls dazzling emerald eyes and shook his head. He was not here to fall in love with a prisoner, he was here to save them. Robin dashed out and ran upstairs. His men were waiting there with a group of weak prisoners. The prisoners shuffled and shivered, thankfulness showing in the bright eyes. Robin Hood pressed a finger to his lips and edged towards the door. The minute all of the people stepped outside, he closed the door and locked it. He ran softly to the front of the castle, with his men and the prisoners behind him.
Once they had all gotten outside, Robin and most of his men sighed with relief and crossed themselves. Speaking in a low whisper, Robin said to the prisoners,
"We cannot take you with us, so please go to your homes. Do not say anything about us, not even your wives." The rioters nodded and ran away from them, each thanking Robin Hood profusely. One man came up to him and said,
"I shall never forget you, Robin Hood. I shall never forget what you have done for me." The man shivered slightly and ran away also. Robin Hood's eyes sparkled and he looked down at the girl in his arms. Will Scarlet found him staring at the girl and he grinned,
"Looks like ye found yerself a girl, Robin. We'll have ta take her with us, ya know. She seems practically dead." Robin glared at Will and started walking.
Once the men got their way to their way to the middle of the forest, they slowed down. The girl, though very light, slowed them down because of her feverish nightmares. At one point she called out, "No!" and started struggling weakly in Robin's arms. Robin drew Marianna nearer to him and she screamed again. The men glanced at each other worriedly and Little John whispered sharply,
"We've got to get there fast men. This girl needs some help."
Marianna suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her. She was pulled into someone's arms and she could feel his chest against hers. She was so cold and she thought she would never be warm. Marianna snuggled in closer to the warmth that was provided by the person carrying her. But no, she thought angrily, this was the Duke of Torms. She would not let him take her away. Marianna started to struggle, she had to get away! Marianna pounded her fists weakly against the Duke's chest, screaming. She wouldn't let the horrible duke have her, but instead she was pulled closer into the duke's grasp. Marianna had to give up. This was it, she thought sluggishly, I'm going away. Again, she pulled into pitch-black darkness.
The men finally arrived at the camp. They quickly put the girl in Robin's tent and started talking about what to do.
"We need a doctor or something."
"Oh right, like we are goin' ta git a doctor out of nowhere."
"She's awfully pretty."
"We're not talking about how pretty the girl is, Peter, we're talking about how to save her."
"I know, I was just..."
"Shut up fools. Someone get Frederick, he has some experience with healing," Robin said. All of the men scurried to get Frederick, who was sleeping in the next tent. He soon stumbled into the tent groggily and walked towards Marianna. The moment he looked at her, he shook his head grimly and said,
"I might not be able to help her, Robin."
A group of men stood outside of the castle doors. White fog touched them lazily and gusts of cold wind blew their way. They wore dark clothing and were huddled in a circle listening to a man in the middle. The man had dark, chestnut hair and bright blue eyes. He was lithe and muscular, some battle scars shone on his hands and one white scar ran down his cheek. He had a look of authority and his sharp blue eyes were full of wisdom in such a youthful face. His voice was soft, yet commanding.
"That king is so dog gone stupid and uncaring. How could he take every man out here and simply kill them or put them into prison!" The man ran his hands frustratingly through his hair and his eyes sparked dangerously.
"This king has no morale in his black heart. Those men he took have a family." The men grunted in agreement.
"Yes men, we shall free those people in prison who have done nothing wrong, yet go against their wicked king. Yes, we shall." Soft shouts billowed in the air and one burly man said,
"What de we have ta do Robin?" The men gathered around closer to listen to a plan. The leader's hands fluttered in excitement as he whispered.
"We shall go into the castle during the dark night. Go in softly and DON'T MAKE ANY NOISE. Little John will steal the keys to the prison door and some of you will go into the castle and free the rioters. Do not free anyone else, for no murderer deserves to be free. To find out who these rioters are, one of us, perhaps Will Scarlet, will steal the list of new prisoners. Take that list swiftly and show it to us."
"But Robin, where is this list yer talkin' about, "said a red-haired man.
"Look through the sheriff's desk and find it, just do it quickly."
"Aye Robin." Robin picked each man to do his duty and issued orders.
"Remember men at night, there shall be another of Robin Hood's great doings." The men ran to the edge of the woods and disappeared in the foliage.
A small barely distinguishable clearing appeared between two trees. The men slipped into the clearing and ran forward. They came to a huge bush with prickly leaves and one of the men whispered,
"Tread softly." A gloved hand slipped through the prickly leaves and pushed them apart. The men stepped in and they were in a camp bustling with activity. This was Robin Hood's domain and this was where all of his plans formed. Robin Hood was a notorious bandit who went against Prince John's plans and stole money from the nobles and gave to the poor. He was woven into legends and folk tales, yet many people didn't know he existed. Robin had a band of men called the Merry Men, yet they weren't always merry. His close companions were Little John and the quick-tempered Will Scarlet.
The group of men yelled shouts of hello and unbuckled their weapons. A large fire lay in the misty clearing and the men surrounded it. Will Scarlet started mumbling something about difficult tasks and Little John was tattooing a design on the dirt floor. Men were discussing the prison plan in little groups and Robin Hood swept into his gray tent. Will and Little John followed hurriedly after him and stalked into the tent. Robin Hood was pacing back and forth in the tent, he was startled when he heard Will speak.
"Robin yer such a fool. How do ye expect us ta barge into a castle and free the prisoners! It's insane! We cin all easily become executed or even tortured. Don't ya know the risks?" Little John, in a much calmer voice said,
"Robin, think of the danger that you can bestow upon these men. They have lives too you know and your idea of "freeing prisoners" is going much more beyond what we expected. We just thought that we could steal from them nobles and give to the poor. This plan can get us easily killed and you know it. Robin glared at them angrily and spoke with words filled with emotion,
"I became Robin Hood for the good of the English people. By saving the lives of these men I can help them, which was what I've always wanted to do. I have seen little children die at my feet because of what King John has done. I am not going to just stand there and watch them die, I will do something!"
"But Robin, there are other ways to help the poor people."
"This is the one way that can make a big difference!" At those words, the two men were silenced and they glanced at each other.
"Well if that's the way ya want te do it," Will said gruffly, "But I'm warning ya, it's not gonna be easy and there will be some consequences." Robin Hood sighed and drew out a map that was beneath some piles of paper. It was a map of the whole layout of the castle. Little John's eyes widened in surprise and he said, astonished,
"How did you get that?" Robin Hood grinned evilly and replied,
"Sometimes nobles are connected to the castle in some way and it's easy to get maps from the desks that are covered with jewels."
"Why you sly fox." The trio peered at the castle and began talking.
Outside of the tent, men were gathering their weapons and belongings needed for the plan. They shivered in the cold air and their hands worked quickly in the soon blackening sky. A new member of the band, Peter, was tapping his foot nervously and biting his bottom lip. A big man threw his arm around Peter's thin shoulders, practically knocking him over, and said loudly,
"Don't worry Peter, ol' Robin probably has some tricks up 'is sleeve. Besides, aren't ye ready fir sum adventure." The large man chuckled deeply and walked away. Peter's face turned very pale and his eyes darted nervously.
Soft whispers could be heard in moonlit night. The whispers came from ten men who were trying to unlock the castle gate.
"Turn it the other way Sam, no the other way!"
"Stop yelling at me, you're making me mess up."
"Well open up the door then!" Sam gritted his teeth and replied,
"I'm trying to Carl. Now back off." Robin stomped over and yanked the long piece of metal from Sam's hands and pushed it through the lock. The lock opened with a clang that sent echoes into the silent air. Them men looked at each other tensely and walked in softly. When they got to the other castle door the men went through another stream of curses and muffled yells. Finally the door opened and they stepped in. Little John ran gently across the stone floor to the prison. He opened the locked door with skilled ease and beckoned the men to come forward. The men walked in one at a time and two were left guarding the door. Will Scarlet walked swiftly to the desk in the corner and searched through the piles of paper while the others waited, fidgeting. A small candle was brought to Will and he grasped it shakily. After some time he found a paper with a list of names. Sighing with relief he handed it to Robin. Robin took the paper and he told each man to memorize some names and they left, each with a key in their hand. Robin took the slowly dying candle and walked down the long corridor to the bottom prison. According to the paper, a person named Marianna was down there. He was wondering why a girl's name appeared on the Rioter List. Robin shrugged his shoulders and walked down, his candle providing a very faint light in the great darkness. Once he got on level ground, he suddenly heard some movement. Probably just the rats, he thought. Robin moved down the hallway to number 21, where the girl was. The stench in the prison was unbearable and he heard soft moans and occasional screams coming from the cells. Suddenly a man flew at Robin, knocking the wind out of his chest. The man had a small goatee and a dagger in his hands. He was dressed in a guard's clothing. The guard grasped Robin's neck and said loudly,
"Who are you?" Thinking fast, Robin elbowed the man in the stomach and twisted out of his grasp. The man's eyes flashed dangerously and he charged forward. Robin, with his cat-like grace, stepped out of the way and the man ran straight into the wall. Robin hit the man's head hard and the guard fell to the floor, knocked out. Robin took a shuddering breath and walked forward, shaking from his encounter with a guard. The king's men would find the guard tomorrow and his identity might be discovered. Robin was more prepared now. He had a small dagger in his hands and his eyes darted warily from side to side. Finally, Robin got to cell 21 and he opened the door.
A beautiful girl was propped against the wall of the cell. Her long, golden hair hung damply at her sides. The girl's hands were chained to the wall with a thick black chain. Her body seemed thin inside her loose and tattered clothes. This was Marianna Lohan. Robin Hood rushed towards her and checked her pulse. There was a faint beating, but that was it. He used the cell key to open the chains. The lock opened with a loud clang and the girl moaned softly. Robin gathered the girl into his arms quickly, her head laid gently on his chest. Marianna opened her feverish eyes, not noticing Robin. Her feverish mind was far away and her soft skin burned against Robin's own. He looked into the girls dazzling emerald eyes and shook his head. He was not here to fall in love with a prisoner, he was here to save them. Robin dashed out and ran upstairs. His men were waiting there with a group of weak prisoners. The prisoners shuffled and shivered, thankfulness showing in the bright eyes. Robin Hood pressed a finger to his lips and edged towards the door. The minute all of the people stepped outside, he closed the door and locked it. He ran softly to the front of the castle, with his men and the prisoners behind him.
Once they had all gotten outside, Robin and most of his men sighed with relief and crossed themselves. Speaking in a low whisper, Robin said to the prisoners,
"We cannot take you with us, so please go to your homes. Do not say anything about us, not even your wives." The rioters nodded and ran away from them, each thanking Robin Hood profusely. One man came up to him and said,
"I shall never forget you, Robin Hood. I shall never forget what you have done for me." The man shivered slightly and ran away also. Robin Hood's eyes sparkled and he looked down at the girl in his arms. Will Scarlet found him staring at the girl and he grinned,
"Looks like ye found yerself a girl, Robin. We'll have ta take her with us, ya know. She seems practically dead." Robin glared at Will and started walking.
Once the men got their way to their way to the middle of the forest, they slowed down. The girl, though very light, slowed them down because of her feverish nightmares. At one point she called out, "No!" and started struggling weakly in Robin's arms. Robin drew Marianna nearer to him and she screamed again. The men glanced at each other worriedly and Little John whispered sharply,
"We've got to get there fast men. This girl needs some help."
Marianna suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her. She was pulled into someone's arms and she could feel his chest against hers. She was so cold and she thought she would never be warm. Marianna snuggled in closer to the warmth that was provided by the person carrying her. But no, she thought angrily, this was the Duke of Torms. She would not let him take her away. Marianna started to struggle, she had to get away! Marianna pounded her fists weakly against the Duke's chest, screaming. She wouldn't let the horrible duke have her, but instead she was pulled closer into the duke's grasp. Marianna had to give up. This was it, she thought sluggishly, I'm going away. Again, she pulled into pitch-black darkness.
The men finally arrived at the camp. They quickly put the girl in Robin's tent and started talking about what to do.
"We need a doctor or something."
"Oh right, like we are goin' ta git a doctor out of nowhere."
"She's awfully pretty."
"We're not talking about how pretty the girl is, Peter, we're talking about how to save her."
"I know, I was just..."
"Shut up fools. Someone get Frederick, he has some experience with healing," Robin said. All of the men scurried to get Frederick, who was sleeping in the next tent. He soon stumbled into the tent groggily and walked towards Marianna. The moment he looked at her, he shook his head grimly and said,
"I might not be able to help her, Robin."