N/A: Ok, this is chapter three, people! There will be a bit more action, as everything is now explained.

Lea of Mirkwood: Thank you so much for reviewing!! Now I know someone actually reads this! I'm so flattered by your words, I didn't think it was that good myself. I think the way you see Robin fits well, I didn't have a clear picture of her yet. I'll try to keep her realistic, as well as the dialogs.

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Chapter three: Narrow escape

It hadn't failed her this time either. Sleepily disorientated, Robin brushed her hair out of her face and was painfully reminded of yesterday's events. She lingered for a while, playing with her strange feeling hair, but got up when she remembered that the two men were still in her house.

She quickly tied her hair back and slid the gold medallion her father had given her at his departure around her neck. She'd never done anything without it and wasn't going to break that habit now. Then she quickly put on her boots and cloak and grabbed her bag.

Robin opened her bedroom door very slowly, to avoid the loud creaking noise it always made. She then hesitantly looked left and right, to make sure no one was there. She tiptoed out of the room and closed the door just as slowly as she had opened it. Again, Robin looked around. When it seemed the coast was clear, she made her way to her father's room, where the chest with money stood. She would have moved it to a more convenient spot, but it was too big and heavy to be moved. And it was an obvious part of the room's furniture, and she felt she would break her father's memory if she moved it. Strange, she knew it, but this was the way she felt.

Robin kneeled in front of the chest and quietly opened it. She sighed at the sight of it's content. There was only enough gold in it to keep the battered bottom hidden. She scooped up several coins, that she slid into her purse. Robin didn't want to empty the chest further, since there were more people in this mansion than she. She stood up after closing the chest again and tied the purse around her waist, under her clothing. She looked around the room one last time, and left it.

Now came the hard part. To get past the two guest rooms and down the stairs. Robin figured it had to be done quickly, as to give the men less time to wake up and catch her. She took a deep breath and held it all the way as she tiptoed yet again past the rooms. Letting go of her breath at the top of the stairs, she looked around once more. Then she went down the stairs, trying to remember which steps creaked or were loose.

Robin was near euphoric and had to keep herself from screaming when she reached the ground floor without making more than the shuffling sound of her feet. Restraining herself from running, she left the building, and practically ran for the stables. She desperately hoped no one was looking out their window.

When Robin got to the stables, she immediately saw Duncan, asleep on a bale of hay and a horse blanket. She crouched beside him and shook his arm. He awoke quickly, and Robin had to put a hand over his mouth to keep him from shouting.

'Shh, it's me, Robin,' she whispered, 'I'm going away on my horse, and I need you to get me some food from the storage next door. Silence goes above all, if it makes to much noise, leave it. Put it in these saddlebags.' She thrust a pair of bags in his arms. 'Now go!'

Duncan nodded dumbfounded and silently left the stables, while Robin made her way to her horse.

'Pilgrim,' she called the dark brown mare, 'come dear, we have to go.' As the horse woke up, Robin thought about her. She had been a gift from her brother when he left, and Robin had long since stopped wondering why on earth a mare would be called 'Pilgrim'. But the horse had never responded to anything else, so Pilgrim it was.

The stable door squeaked a little, but not enough to worry her. She led the horse to where the saddles and such were hung, and readied her horse after shutting it up by giving it some food. During the process, Duncan returned with the bags. When Robin was finished with Pilgrim, she took the bags and fastened them behind the saddle. They were now at the exit of the stables and Robin turned to Duncan.

'Thank you, my friend, for helping me out. Here, this is for your efforts.' Robin said, giving Duncan a gold coin. 'And what I do now is for your own good.'

With that she hit him square on the head with a bucket, and he passed out.

'I'm sorry.'

Pilgrim wasn't happy. She wasn't done sleeping yet and now she had to wait for her mistress to finish up with whatever she was doing. Pilgrim decided to draw Robin's attention again.

'WHIIIIIINNNEYYYYY!!!!!!'

Robin jumped up three feet into the air and turned to shut Pilgrim up, but the damage was done. She heard the sound of a swearing man come from the house, and wasted no more time. She quickly mounted the mare and heard her name being shouted.

The Sheriff hung far out of his window, his face red with fury.

'You will not get away from me! I will find you if it's the last thing I do!!' He yelled at her, as his nightcap fell down.

But Robin hadn't waited, she was already riding in a wild gallop, increasing the distance between her and the mansion with every passing second.

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The first hour Robin was riding, she didn't think about anything. She just let the bliss of freedom wash over her. The sound of Pilgrim's breath. The feel of the horse below her. The wind through her hair. She even stopped a while to look at the beautiful sunrise.

Robin still stood there when she felt a chilly wind sweep over her that broke the moment. She then remembered that she was most likely being chased and cursed at herself for getting all caught up in a sunrise. But as she motioned Pilgrim into a gallop once more, she realized she had no idea where to go. This didn't stop her though, because the longer she rode, the further she got away from her hunters.

She continued to ride for the rest of the day, only making a brief stop to eat something and give her horse a rest. When the night fell, she had passed several villages and was miles away from home. She'd been very tired that night, and had just fallen asleep without making any arrangements for the morning. Which resulted in her waking up in broad daylight, having lost precious time and losing more of it when she had to do some preparations she had neglected the day before.

This was a really harsh lesson, and Robin could almost kill herself for being this stupid. When she was finally ready to leave again, the day was nearing noon. After mounting Pilgrim she glanced over her shoulder, and almost fell off again by what she saw.

There was a group of six riders in her pursuit. Two of them she knew; they were the Sheriff and Guy of Gisbourne. The other four were no doubt soldiers, judging by their armor. The party must have rode without stopping, probably switching horses in every village, where the Lords had no doubt picked up the soldiers.

There was no time to be wasted, and Robin needed an escape route, fast. As she kicked her horse into speed, she looked around, desperate to find a way. She then saw, it the far north-east, the borders of Sherwood Forest. She immediately went for it, trying hard not to think of the stories that went around about it.

Sherwood Forest was said to be haunted. The story went that a long time ago, a group of criminals had been caught there and had been hanged on the spot, without a trial. The criminals hadn't wanted to leave this world without revenge on the people who had hanged them. Their spirits had found every last one of the murderers and killed them. But the spirits had chosen to remain here, and the passage to heaven was closed to them. They had returned to Sherwood Forest, to haunt it forevermore. It was said that whoever entered it, were never seen again. Most people believed the story, and mothers everywhere threatened their naughty children with it.

But Robin didn't have the time to hesitate, she'd rather take her chances with the ghosts than with the Sheriff's inevitable wrath. She looked over her shoulder once more, and saw that her pursuers had come closer. With a last kick and some encouraging words, she inspired Pilgrim to one last sprint to the trees.

Thanks to that last effort Robin made it to the Forest just before the Sheriff did. All his companions made a sudden stop, almost thirty feet from the trees.

'Why are you stopping?!' George spat at them, even though he didn't continue either.

'There's no way we enterin' that forest, Milord. Tis haunted!' One of his bolder men assured him.

The Sheriff rolled his eyes, but still didn't move. He then yelled to the Forest:

'I will not forget this, you wench! Be sure to never leave this place for I will catch you and I will not be merciful!!' Not able to cool his anger in any other way, he growled and motioned his men to follow him. The dratted woman had gotten away again, but now it would be no more Mr. Nice Guy. He'd hunt her down like a dog until she was his. And then she would pay. At that thought his anger disappeared and he smiled evilly to himself.

'Oh yes, she will pay.'

At the same time Robin sped through the Forest, his shouts still ringing in her ears. She'd gotten away for now, and her worries placed themselves on the Forest. By God, she hoped the stories weren't true. She didn't feel like meeting up with ghosts just yet. Thinking this she got deeper and deeper into the Forest.

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N/A: Ok, that's it for this chapter. The first part was hell to write, I hope it didn't turn out that bad. I also have no idea how you write down horse sounds, so I just did something. Don't pay any attention to that.

See you all in chapter four!