1
A dark figure on horseback. Traveling thru the storm. Its eyes ablaze.
In the early hours of the morning, the traveler arrived in Jump. It rode through the city down to the harbor and over the wooden bridge leading to the tower.
The figure put the horse in the stables, gave it plenty of water, grain and thanked it for its swiftness.
When the door to the common room opened, the Titans jumped sky high but smiled when they saw who it was.
"Alfred!"
"Yes Garfield, I am back. I have much to say, but please. How are you all doing?" Alfred said, removing his cloak and positioning himself in front of the fire.
"Great, I don't know if you've heard, but Jinx dealt with Garth," Victor said, proud of her.
"How did that go about?, where is miss Jinx?"
"She snuck into his home and murdered him in cold blood," explained Richard. "Now she is in bed. Recuperating. Garth`s soldiers wounded her quite badly."
"But she will live," said Starfire, making her presence known.
"Ah, excuse my rudeness miss. My name is sir Alfred Pennyworth, who might you be?"
"My name is Starfire. Richard saved my life and I have pledged my life to his."
"Good to meet you miss Starfire, I am glad Richard has made a new ally. Now, can anyone get me something to drink?"
A second later, Wally handed Alfred a flagon of wine.
"Hmm, this warms an old man's bones."
"Alfred, you said you had much to say" prompted Richard.
"Oh yes, as much as I wish I could chat with you for the rest of the day, I have pressing matters to discuss. Lord Caulder requests your presence in council Richard. Arkham castle has opened its gates. The Joker is coming. His men burn everything in their wake. He is out for you all."
"No, I won't go to Caulder. A large response is just what the Joker wants. Caulder and the Lancaster's need to wait. Morgana is the real enemy. We move today, we will stop the joker ourselves. What more do you know Alfred?"
"I thought you might say something like this, so did lord Caulder. Letters tell us there are three fighting forces. One traveling north. It has reached Doncaster. Another travel west. Towards Manchuria. The last travel cross country, from village to village."
"Star and I will go south. We will meet the fighting force headed to Manchuria. Wally and Victor, you will travel east to meet the force at Doncaster. Alfred, will you join us, or will you go back to Liuerpul?"
«If you ask me to stay. I will stay."
"Thank you. I need you and Garfield to take command of a group of warriors and stop the last fighting force."
"What about miss Jinx?"
"This is more important, she has to take care of herself."
"Are you sure, I mean? You remember two weeks ago, she begged us too..." asked Garfield
"I know," answered Richard. "but she is able to walk again, the tower is stocked with enough food to last a year-long siege. I don't want to leave her here, but we have to stop the Joker's rampage."
2
Jinx was not a happy camper.
After killing Garth she had expected a party. Congratulations and possibly even a ladyship from Caulder.
Instead, she had gotten mortally wounded, spent four weeks in the infirmary. With the company of a worried Victor, a grossed-out Garfield, a trickster who didn't know how to sit still, a Valkyrie with an endless array of questions, and a self-righteous lordling who thought she had committed some deadly sin.
Jinx still remembered their last conversation.
´Oh I am Richard and I am always right. You snuck into a man`s home and brutally murdered him` Jinx thought.
How many men had Richard killed on the battlefield?
´We don't go off on ourselves. Attacking whoever we want. We follow orders and wait to the right moment.`
He had been off by himself for over a year. Traveling to Scotland, France. Finding one dried-up lord in Antwerp, and a rag-tag group of peasants.
´They are under order to attack when the king returns.`
If the king returns. She had done more in four weeks than he had in a year. He just would not admit it.
It had been even worse when he found out about her brewing potions in her room. Her ungodly crafts as he put it.
"Ahh," Jinx screamed in frustration. She knew these thought patterns lead her nowhere. "I have to remember, the rest of them did congratulate me. They were planning a celebration for Garth's death, if not for the Joker's sudden attack, we might celebrate right now."
´Breathing. In Out In Out.`
She looked down at the book in her lap.
There were two things she could thank Morgana for. Her accelerated healing ability, and the art of reading and putting numbers together. Morgana had prepared her to be her assistant, but Jinx refused when she learned the subject of Morgana's work.
The book in her lap was called Robin Hood. Prince of thieves.
He fought for the little guy. The peasants who starved, froze to death in the winter, who had to give away what little they made to their overlords. The resemblance between Robin Hood`s England and their England was striking.
The king was fighting abroad.
The sheriff of freaking Nottingham was the main villain.
And the king's sibling had usurped the crown.
But there was no Robin Hood. Only a group of freaks, led by a self-righteous lord who didn't do anything. Only prepared, and prepared and prepared.
"Great work Jinx, try to distract yourself with Robin Hood!"
3
It was two days since Alfred came back and the others left to stop Joker's men.
She didn't like sitting behind, like some damsel in a book.
Earlier that day, she had gone to the training room and ran a lap. The stitches in her belly popped open. Puss and blood poured out, but she did finish the lap and resew the stitches.
Her other wounds were healed. Only a couple of scars were left. It hurt, but it worked.
She had to thank Starfire when she returned. Wally told her, that only when she began treating her, did Jinx get better.
The day after her test run, Jinx woke up, feeling almost good.
She checked out her wounds. It looked okay-ish. She knew the others had a three days head start, she could maybe catch up with them?
It was better than sitting here. If she didn't make it to a fight, maybe she could help the wounded, or –god forbid– rescue the survivors.
This was their chance for a victory, it was all the others talked about. One victory would make the difference, get the lords on their side. This was their chance.
With a protesting body, Jinx found the lightest armor she could find, a sword, her healing potions, rations, and a wolfskin. Jinx put it into a saddle and strapped it onto the back of a mule(there was no way she would ride a horse in her condition)
Looking back, she saw the tower. The comfort of home, but they needed her. She had to fight!