Chapter 4

"Robin, you can't just tie her up!" Will argued.

"I already did." Robin sneered before turning his attention back to Djaq. "How much?" Robin asked her, deadly calm and quiet.

"How much what?" She asked, fighting back tears.

"How much did it cost to buy your loyalty from us? How much were they paying you?"

"I already told you about a hundred times. I didn't do this. Nobody paid me anything."

Robin laughed but there was no mirth in the sound. "Well, it's good to know that you'll get on your knees for a man for free! Funny how none of us ever got that kind of special treatment."

"Robin, that's enough!" John bellowed.

"What, John? It's true, isn't it?" Robin asked.

"None of this is true." Djaq muttered.

"Robin, you are taking this way too far." Will said. "You don't even have any proof that it's true. It's just Marian's word against hers."

"Why would Marian lie about this?"

"I don't know, but why would you assume Djaq would? She's never lied to us before."

"Yes, she has." Robin announced.

"No, I haven't!" Djaq replied.

"Oh, really? You've never lied or hidden anything from us before?" Robin taunted. "There's not any reading material you'd like to confess to stealing? Maybe something that was supposed to burn?"

The rest of the gang looked utterly confused but all the color drained from Djaq's face. The ledger, she realized. He knows.

"So, tell me, Djaq," Robin continued smugly. "Did you sell that to them as well? Because I'd like some warning if the whole camp is going to explode in our sleep."

"No." She said quietly. "No one knows about that but me."

"You disobeyed me then. You've hid that from us for nearly a year. Why should I believe you're telling the truth now?"

"What are you two talking about?" Much asked.

"The ledger for black powder." Will realized.

"She took it back out from the fire." Robin explained. "Tried to hide it, but I saw her. Apparently, she tries to hide quite a lot when she thinks we won't notice."

"I did that. I'll admit it. I disobeyed you, but I did not do this!" Djaq argued. "I have never lied to any of you."

"What would you call that then?"

"I hid something. I did not lie." She knew the difference wouldn't matter to him even as the words left her lips.

"And you hid fucking half the castle too. But I guess since you never told us that you didn't sleep with all our enemies for money, then you didn't really lie, right? Is that meant to be your excuse?"

"It is not an excuse, it's the truth." Djaq insisted.

"Taking the ledger is still a far cry away from these accusations you're making today." Will pressed on. "Robin, you…"

"Why are you defending her?!" Robin interrupted him. "Why are you still trying to defend her? Are you that blinded by love, Will?" Will blushed and his jaw dropped at Robin's sudden outburst, revealing one of his deepest secrets.

"Are you that willing to turn a blind eye to this?" Robin continued. "Even after finding out that all the while you've been pining for her, she's been sneaking off behind our backs to suck all our enemies' cocks? To lie down and spread her legs for them? Do you still want her after knowing that?" The whole gang was stunned into silence for a moment, especially Djaq, who was the only one left who hadn't already known how Will felt about her.

"Well, Will, I'll tell you what, if you still want her after all that, then it really must be love. Let's see if I can't make it happen for you after all." Robin said bitterly as he went over to a chest of coins designated for tomorrow's deliveries to the poor. He pulled out a small cloth bag filled with silver that was tied shut at the top with a drawstring.

"Looks like you might have a new customer, Djaq. Tell us, how much is it to get you to spread your legs? Is this enough?!" Robin yelled as he whipped the bag of coins directly at her, hitting her in the face.

Djaq screamed out in pain as the heavy bag struck her and burst open, spilling silver coins all over her bunk. She shuffled back as far as she could go, trying to hide herself away from Robin as best she could. She could feel a cut by her eye and she knew the impact would leave a bruise behind.

"Master!" Much shouted as he jumped in between Robin and Djaq. "What are you doing?!"

"Robin, that's enough!" John added, threateningly waving his staff.

"Leave me alone!" Djaq yelled over them. "Just leave me alone. I already told you, I didn't do this!"

"Guess it's not enough then. Here," Robin said as he ignored the gang and pulled out a few more bags of silver and whipped them at her, one by one, careful to avoid hitting her face this time, therefore also preventing John's staff from hitting his own. She struggled to move away from the blows and yelped in pain when one particularly heavy bag hit her in the ribs.

"Surely that must be enough. No roll in the hay could possibly be worth more than that, I don't care how good you are. Go ahead, Will. Have at it."

"No!" She screamed. She was suddenly terrifyingly aware of the fact that she was alone, tied to a bed, in a group of men, with one who hadn't stopped calling her a whore for the past ten minutes and another who apparently had some desire to sleep with her. No, he wouldn't, she thought. Will would never do something like that.

"No?" Robin laughed, getting more furious and agitated by the second. "What? Still not enough? Then you tell me, Djaq." He said as he stomped through the camp to make his way over to her as she pressed herself even further away from him. "How much does this cost?" He grabbed her between her legs.

"Stop! Don't touch me!" She screamed as she struggled to kick him off of her. It was the last thing Robin heard before John's staff connected firmly with the back of his head.