Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, the Black Arrow, the Prince, or anybody else you recognise. The plot is mine, and that's it. Oh, and forgot to mention this earlier; the demons aren't mine either. I got their descriptions from both Angel and the DC Green Arrow storyline 'Quiver'.
Feedback: Is Skinner slightly annoying? Of COURSE I want some!
Sean Molloy-1: Good suggestion, but it wouldn't work; technically, Shrek's a fairy-tale character, so he doesn't fit in with the other members of the Fellowship.
The Fellowship of Extraordinary Men
Robin was starting to get tired of this adventure. He would be lying if he said that he'd expected the action to start straight away, but he would have expected Sir Edward to have given him a bit more information on the current crisis by this time.
So far, all that had happened had been several hours of riding on a horse with Sir Edward leading the way, over some of the most boring terrain Robin had ever seen in his life. He was itching to actually use his arrows on something soon; he'd been out of practice for too long...
"We're here," Sir Edward said, as he pulled on his horse's reins and stopped. Robin did likewise, and looked at the sight in front of him
It was a large castle, mostly ruined in certain areas, but certain rooms still looked like someone could live in them without being exposed to the elements. However, there weren't enough liveable rooms to allow anyone to live the castle full-time, as far as Robin could see.
He looked over at Sir Edward with a puzzled expression in his eyes.
"My associates are here?" he asked, sounding slightly surprised.
Sir Edward nodded. "If they aren't here now, then they will be shortly," he replied. "You are to go through that door," he continued, indicating a bulky wooden door in the wall near to their current location, "and, if nobody is there at present, you are to wait for them to arrive. When the King arrives, or once your fellows arrive, he shall inform you and your fellows about the crisis, and direct you to your next port of call."
"I see," Robin said, as he tied his horse to a nearby tree, shouldered his bow and arrows, and walked into the door, leaving Sir Edward outside.
Sir Edward nodded a little as the large oak door shut behind the legendary outlaw.
"Good luck, Robin of Locksley," he said, bowing his head in a respectful manner. "Against such dangerous foes, you shall need all the luck you possess."
Then he turned his horse around and trotted away from the castle, leaving Robin's horse standing outside the castle as it chewed away on some grass.
Once he had walked through the door, Robin found himself in a large chamber, lit only by some narrow windows and a few large candlesticks here and there. The walls of the room were covered with shelves, each shelf covered with all kinds of books and pieces of parchment. There was also a large table in the centre, which only had one person sitting at it. The candles were pretty dim down at that end, but Robin still recognized the person sitting there...
"King Richard!" the former outlaw cried, as he knelt down on one knee in front of the man.
The King smiled. "You may sit down, Robin of Locksley," he said, indicating one of the chairs opposite him. Robin took the seat as the King started to talk. "I must say, I am glad I was able to persuade my courtiers to include you as a member of the Fellowship of Extraordinary Men."
Robin blinked. "The what?" he asked.
The King smiled. "A new concept I and my courtiers have come up with," he explained. "Simply put, it is a team of five members- yourself included- each of whom possess a power that makes them stand above the normal abilities of men and women."
"Interesting," Robin commented.
Just then, he heard a clinking sound from behind him. Looking back, he saw the door open and a third figure entered the room. This figure was wearing the armour of a knight of the Crusades, complete with a dark red tunic and a long sword by his side, and had a determined look on his face.
"These books are full of interesting things," King Richard smiled, as he noticed the gleam of recognition in Robin's eyes. "And the extraordinary, naturally. Robin Hood, Ivanhoe; if I recall correctly, you two have already met when we reclaimed my castle from my brother John?"
"Remember?" Ivanhoe replied, smiling broadly at Robin. "How could I forget? Rarely does a man get the chance to fight with such renowned allies as you, Robin Hood! I am pleased that we shall be working together on this endeavour."
"As am I, Ivanhoe," Robin replied, as the two men clasped hands fondly. He looked back at the king. "Are the other members men of our acquaintance?"
"No," Richard replied. "However, more of them should arrive soon, so shall I begin to fill you in on our current crisis?"
"Agreed," Ivanhoe replied, taking a seat beside Robin. "What is the nature of this problem?"
In reply, Richard picked out a parchment from the shelves behind him, and passed it to Robin and Ivanhoe.
Looking at the parchment, Robin and Ivanhoe found themselves looking at a very detailed picture of a large tower, with several narrow slits positioned on it in various places, with a large door at the bottom and several smaller towers jutting out at the top.
Robin looked up at the King. "What is this?" he asked.
"The reason we have called you all together," the King explained. "This fortress is the source of the creatures that have been plaguing the country for some while now."
"Creatures?" Ivanhoe asked.
"Creatures," Robin confirmed. Noting the puzzled expressions on the faces of the king, he sighed. "I forgot to mention it earlier, but when I was recruited I was attacked by some of the creatures. I barely managed to stop the four of them with the aid of Marian, Little John and Sir Edward."
"Yes, I was informed of that," the King replied. "In fact, that is connected with your instructions; it gives us an opportunity that we would not have had otherwise."
"Wait a moment," Ivanhoe said, raising an inquiring finger. "What 'creatures' are we talking about, and why do you need to form this team to deal with it? Surely conventional forces would be more than adequate for the task."
"No, they are not," the King replied. "The 'creatures' we have mentioned are, to put it bluntly... demons." Ivanhoe's face assumed a horrified expression as Richard continued to speak. "Conventional forces have been used, but they have been ineffective; the tower's defences are very powerful. We're hoping that a smaller team, consisting of the best fighters we have available to us, will be able to infiltrate the tower by stealth where brute strength has proved ineffective."
Ivanhoe nodded. "It makes sense," he said, looking back at the picture.
Robin looked over at the King. "How many members will be in this Fellowship?" he asked.
"Three more, apart from you two," Richard explained. "Two of them will be here shortly, and then you four will leave to contact the fifth member. His general location is known to us, but we have been unable to get a message to him as of yet; he always moves away before our envoys can reach him."
"Why?" Robin asked.
The King smiled. "He is a private man," he replied. "Let us leave it at that." Then he looked up at the door. "Ah, the others are coming."
The door opened, and two men walked into the room.
The first man was wearing a black hood and mask that covered his entire head save for his mouth and chin. He was dressed in black armour and a dark red tunic, and carried a longbow and quiver on his back
The second man was remarkably different. He was topless, with white trousers and brown boots on his legs, along with brown and gold gauntlets, a blue belt, and a log sword at his side. He appeared to be in good physical condition, with a muscular chest and a determined face. His hair hung down around his forehead in two long strands.
The King stood up. "Ah, you're here," he said, smiling at the men.
"Well, we have no reason to be late, your highness," the armoured man said, before looked over at Robin. "And you must be Robin Hood," he said, smiling and nodding at the former outlaw. "I am the Black Arrow. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir."
"Call me Robin," Robin replied, shaking the man's hand. "We have a crisis; this is no time for formality." He looked over at the second man. "And you are?"
"You may call me 'the Prince'," the man replied, looking over at Robin. "I am from Persia."
"Really?" Robin asked, curiously. "May I ask why you are joining us on this endeavour, if it is not even in your country?"
The Prince looked over at Robin. "I have committed some terrible sins in my time," he bluntly informed the archer. "I seek to atone for them with this act."
"What kind of sins?" Ivanhoe asked.
"Gentlemen..." the king said, looking up at the others. "As fascinating as this talk is, the fate of England is at stake, and you still have one more member to recruit. You shall find a cart awaiting you a couple of miles away; your instructions shall be there." He tapped a little on the table. "Time is running out, gentlemen."
"We're going already?" the Black Arrow asked. "The Prince and I haven't been filled in on the crisis."
"We shall tell you on the way to the cart," Ivanhoe said, as they headed for the door. "Let's go; we're still one man short for this little endeavour."