Things had started well.

They had made it to the gates at about half past twelve o'clock. Dick had remembered the pathway well and they came in on the main road. The mules were slow, but that was to be expected. The day was fine, with a little breeze blowing as they came onto the proper roads and the birds all sang in the trees. Riding beat walking, and John had been much more cheerful now that they were on route to the problems.

The story that they were from York worked as well at the gates as it had two weeks ago (it probably helped that they all were shoeless, Nancy having convinced Dick to get off his before the gate) and they were soon in the bustling square. More people swirled about than they had seen in weeks, music filled the air, and a lively dance filled the middle of the square. It looked like one of the old woodcut pictures had come alive, and even Dick's eyes sparked with excitement…

...until they were almost ridden down by a pretentious person in blue on the back of a fine horse.

Nancy grabbed Dick's tunic to pull him back out of the way, but let go of Bet's halter in the process. The mule reared and Nan brayed encouragement. John tried to get a hold of Bet, but she shook him off and began to sniff a soapmaker's stall. Nancy dropped her hold on Dick and lunged at the mule, bumping down a display of cloth, which landed on John's head. The shopkeepers began to yell as John threw the cloth about and as the mule backed up over a yellow piece of fabric with soap in her (Dick's eyes lit up as he realized that, despite their names, the mules were probably males) mouth.

John extracted himself from the fabric and slapped it on the table. The portly woman continued her tirade, which he could now hear "and if some boy doesn't know how to control his beast and take it over to the hitching post, they ought not come to market!"

Meanwhile, Nancy got the soap away from Bet and pulled Dick with her. "Come on, John! We need to water these beasts!" she called.

John hurried away, the yells of the woman following him. The hassled look returned to his face as he caught up with the others.

"There!" Nancy snapped, pointing to a large hitching place. "Let's give our beasts a rest."

The mules tried to pick a fight right away with a couple of donkeys when John began to tie them up. Nancy jerked Dick away from the hooves of one of the donkeys and hurried to Bet's head, trying to quiet her down.

"Best give the nags some food, laddie. A copper for a sack?"

A young man pushed through a chattering knot of men and offered Nancy a small sack of hay.

"Umm...John?" she called over the donkeys.

"No, thank you sir, the nags had a feed and rest today already," John came over, dusting off his hands. "But if you could show us to a well, that would be appreciated."

"Right around the food stalls, master." The man ducked away and began to hawk his goods to the others who were hitching up their beasts.

Nancy looked at John. "Shall we?"

"I don't even know where to start!" he hissed back, checking his pouch again.

"Perhaps we should just...walk about?" Dick muttered. "People are beginning to look at us..."

Nancy nodded. "Maybe that's best. We have about three hours."

John shook his head, but allowed his friends to pull him away.

They walked through the food stalls first, buying a plate of fat dumplings for a copper, leaving them with some small change from the littlest of the silver pieces. Dick waxed happier with each mouthful and began to look about him with bright eyes, paying especial attention to the musicians as they came into the square. Nancy's eyes gleamed as she saw a wrestling match in the street and shops selling fletched arrows. She even walked over to one and examined a quiver full. John was the odd one out, searching and searching for a familiar face in all those about him, ignoring even the sharping men with their loud, screechy stones.

They skirted around the center of the square, dodging the dancers and various entertainers. On the other side, the castle loomed above the potters' and blacksmith stalls. Dick stopped to look at a bookseller's stall and Nancy wanted to test the sharpness of some of the blades, and betwixt themselves, they made John wait for them, right under the eves of the Sheriff's house. This did not please him, but Nancy pointed out that it would be just as good a place to watch for the others as any, and he found himself making do as the minutes ticked by. Neither of his companions looked like they wanted to leave at all, and he found himself slumping down out of the way, facing the square.

As he watched the lively dancers, his eye landed on a lass that looked familiar. Scowling against the sunlight, he shaded his eyes and looked for her again. There! Two brown braids, framing a worried round face, with long eyelashes and a dreamy look in her eyes….

"Dot! DOT!" he yelled, pushing his way into the square as the music stopped and the girls were swung into the air by their lusty partners. "Dot! Answer me!"

She turned in midair, braids waving and her eyes landed on him, widening with—what? "John! John, I'm coming!" she called back, bobbing to her partner. "Stay there!"

John stopped, scanning the other dancers to see if Peggy or Titty were also there. Nancy, having heard him, came pushing over to stand by him.

"Is it her?" she asked.

"Yes. She looks like she's having some trouble..."

For Dot's partner had his hands about her waist and was apparently trying to keep her for the next dance, despite her shaking her head and attempts to pry him off. John's face darkened and Nancy bit her lip.

"Should we do something?" she asked as the man began to turn red.

"You go get Dick. I'm going to get Dot. Good lack, you'd think the D's would learn..." John muttered, taking off into the crowd with sharp elbows and quick movements, disrupting the dancers, some of whom began to cuff him as he passed. After almost landing in the bosom of a plump lady in red, he pushed away right into Dot.

"Dot, you're coming with me," he said shortly, grabbing her wrist away from the oafish man in front of her. "I've been looking for you all over and you are coming home now."

Dot whimpered as the other man pulled her closer to himself. "Ah, my young cockerel, just who do you think you are?"

John took a jump in the dark. "Her brother. And you'd better let her go." He gathered Dot under his arm as the man slowly let her wrist slip out of his hand. Dot reeled back and clung to John, breathing hard.

"Oh, really, now, youngster…and do you think you can take me on?" He leered unpleasantly at John as he drew a long knife.

"Run Dot! Nathan, get them out of here!" John yelled, pushing Dot away from him and ducking as the knife swept down.

All Nancy could remember of that was a massive brawl in the middle of the square as she darted in to grab a shaking Dot away from it. Dick was almost trampled to the ground by fleeing girls before she could get back to him. They huddled together on the outskirts, too shell-shocked to do anything else. Dot was crying and Dick had her in his arms, patting her hair. Nancy stood in front of them, her eyes searching for John in the heaving mass of men, wondering what to do. Should they just make a run for it and tell Robin everything?

Suddenly, a clear trumpet sounded as five men pelted into the square on horseback, trying to break up the fight. The men cleared away and John and the other man came into view. The man had a large knot on his head and John's arm dripped blood onto the pavement as he grasped the sleeve of his tunic about it. Nancy gasped and started forward, but someone else dragged her back.

"There's nought you can do now, lad. Let the bailiffs figure them out."

There seemed to be a lot of shouting and arguing as the five men tried to figure out what had happened. As far as Nancy could make out, the first man was trying to pin the blame on John, who wasn't saying much of anything. He looked dizzy and swayed as he stood.

Another man pushed his way up to them. "That's the boy! That's one of Robin Hood's men!" he shouted loudly. "I tell you, I know him! That's the boy that just joined him a fortnight ago!"

The square erupted into motion again, as the bailiffs grabbed John and began to hustle him away. Nancy's eyes filled with tears as they entered the castle and the gates shut with a deep thud.

They would have to tell Robin everything.