Will wasn't exactly sure where the plan had fallen apart so badly. Well…. that wasn't entirely true. From the moment Wulf had recognized him things had gone awry. Finding himself at death's door about to be beheaded was certainly not part of the plan.
He struggled once more against the ropes that bound him to the barrel. He fought down the panic that was building as he contemplated his circumstances. The other condemned prisoners were only feet away, luckily not in sight. Will felt almost grateful for this small blessing. He had no desire to watch the demise of men that he knew all these years in the forest.
Will avoided looking up where he knew Robin and the others were. Through the haze of terror, he felt a sense of shame over how badly he had let them down. He replayed the conversation with Robin from the morning and felt only worse. Despite their history Will regretted the harsh words and the manner at which he had thrown them at his brother. Deep down Will knew that Robin had a right to answers to their past together.
The air rife with tension and impending death, Will flinched as he heard Nottingham give the order to begin the execution. A crash of a barrel was followed by a gasp of air. Wolf…of course that bastard would hang a child first!
Just as quickly this was replaced by gasps from the crowd, followed by John shouting and a piercing scream from Lady Marion. Robin. Just as quickly the entire scene descended into complete chaos.
Will tensed as he attempted to turn his head to make sense of the commotion, as explosions and shouts filled the air. Debris from a close explosion reined down on him, striking his back and he once again closed his eyes. His blood ran cold as his relief over possible rescue turned to fear as he heard the executioner beside him. The cold blade of what was obviously a dull axe connected with his skin.
His eyes suddenly connected with a man standing in the midst of the battle, fire and explosions all around him. As Robin's eyes met his, Will sucked in his breath. Robin's gaze held a mixture of fear and determination, yet Will knew his brother was too far away to come to his aid. He resigned himself to his fate as he attempted to convey an apology to the man he had rebuffed only hours before. As complex as their relationship was, it seemed almost fitting that the last person he saw in this world would at least be his older brother.
Will wondered if in another life he and Robin would have learned to care for one another…a world in which Robin was the older brother that Will had worshipped as a child. Will closed his eyes on this sad thought; he felt the rush of air as the axe was lifted up. He forced his mind to instead focus on his mother, conjuring up a picture from the depths of his memory as he prepared to join her in death.
He was unprepared for the loud thud that followed as he heard the executioner hit the ground behind him. Limited in vision, Will was startled as his brother laid hands on him and he felt the ropes being cut. Half in shock, he barely had time to react to his brother's shout of warning as another axe fell close to where his head had just been a moment before. Will recovered quickly, launching himself on the soldier as he heard the crack of the gallows fall as John and Father Tuck rescued the others.
Will stood quietly leaning against the wall of the keep, his eyes focused on the main gates of the castle. An almost eery quiet had settled over the battlefield, broken only by the occasional cheers of the merry villagers, celebrating freedom after storming the castle gates. Evidence of the earlier chaos stood stark against the celebrations, with the ground littered with dead and wounded, albeit many of them Nottingham's soldiers. Many of the villagers had left by this point, with only a handful left milling about with what was left of their men.
Father Tuck and Fanny and many of the others were quietly working on treating the injured and removing their own dead. Somewhere in the back of his mind Will contemplated joining them, reminding himself that it would be good to make himself useful in even some small way. Will pushed down this thought as a wave of exhaustion and anxiety settled over him. He knew many would not welcome him at the moment. The sheriff's very public words of earlier ran through his mind. Turncoat.
The lashes on his chest, combined with the cuts and bruises of battle ached in unison with the dark thoughts. He frowned and glanced again at the forbidding castle walls, to which his brother and Azeem had yet to emerge. Those crazy fools probably killed themselves when they catapulted over the wall.
A small figure emerged into his line of vision, startling him out of his thoughts.
Wulf glared at him darkly, fixing him with a look far beyond his years.
"Traitor," he spat out, his eyes burning with anger as they connected with his.
Will uncrossed his arms and leaned towards him, his weary mind struggling to come up with the right words to make amends with the boy. He reached out a placating hand towards him.
"Wulf-"
Wulf angrily batted his hand away, moving just out of reach.
"Robin is probably dead because of you. You are nothing but a filthy traitor!"
Will took a step back in surprise as the boy, without warning, suddenly spat on the ground near his boot before storming past him towards the others.
Will took a shaky breath in before running his hands through his hair in frustration. The angry words hung in the air and made their way into the depth of his soul. What if Robin is dead?
Will felt a rush of emotions bubble up. Confusing, conflicting emotions that swirled around in his mind and took hold, despite his best efforts to stamp them down. Will felt a strong urge to do something, anything to get rid of this feeling.
His mind made up, Will pushed himself back from the wall. With a determined stride he headed towards the heart of the castle.
