How does not matter, bring me his head on a platter
Where roots run deep and bark, like paper, peels,
The girl counts sheep while the silver archer steals.
Where trees climb high and pines disguise the earth,
The Merry-Men get by in the forest filled with mirth.
Where the forest grows dense, there's only one man
Who dares to stand against the Sheriff of Nottingham.
"I have had it up to here with this bandit!" The Sheriff cursed, flinging his empty chalice at the assembled knights in his court room. "My Lords are afraid to visit me, my taxes are beginning to run dry and the Kingdom thinks the man is a hero!" He scoffed, spittle flying from his mouth in his rage. "A hero? The man is a coward and a thief, and I want him dead."
"Yes, my Lord," Kondo Isao bowed as low as he could, his armour clattering in indignation at the movement. "We'll find him and bring him to you."
"You don't understand," the Sheriff curled his lip, taking the steps down to Kondo one at a time, the gold jewels around his neck clinking together with each thud of his boot. "I want him dead. I want his head delivered to me. There is no mercy for this man now."
"My Lord," Kondo kept his head low. He could feel Hijikata Toshiro, his second in command, as always by his side and puffing out his chest with each inch closer the Sheriff crept. "If you kill this man now, the peasants may revolt."
"Any Englishman that cheers for that crook should be hanged. And make that an order. Anyone who stands in your way or defends the thief known as Robin Hood should be slain. Am I understood, Kondo?"
"… Yes, my Lord." He replied, the low growl of his second-in-command hastening the need to end this summoning soon. It wasn't just the Sheriff's patience that was running out.
"Your men have allowed this man to run free for too long." The Sheriff called as he left, the vast room echoing his voice against the stone walls. "Your neck is on the chopping block, Kondo."
Luckily, he disappeared through the wooden doors without a single glance back over his shoulder. If he had, he may have seen the glint of murder in the eyes of his so-called loyal knights. No-one threatened their commander. Not even the Sheriff himself.
"His Lordship has been stressed by this bandit for some months now, we best lessen the load from his shoulders."
"His lordship brings his problems onto himself." Hijikata scoffed, kicking the chalice with his leather boot. Unlike Kondo dressed in full armour adorned with family insignia, the rest of them were wearing simple cloth. "When the commoners are suffering, he ups their taxes. This lone archer would not be so much of a problem if his politics weren't so warped."
"Tosshi, let's not. Even the ears have walls here."
"You mean the walls have ears?"
"Eh?" Kondo glanced around, startled. "The walls have what?"
Hijikata dropped his head into his hands.
"All we have to do is kill this man, right?" Sougo announced, running his thumb along the blade of his sword. "Then send me out, Kondo. Let me have some fun."
"I'm sending you all out. Tosshi, take twelve men with you, too. It's all hands on deck for this mission."
"Finally," he grinned, "I'd had enough of seeing the inside of this castle."
"My caveat to the Lord's commands is do not go around killing innocent civilians. There'd be a revolt before we know it."
Sougo clicked his teeth in disappointment. "Shame, that was the best bit."
"Then, go, you sorry lot." Kondo commanded. "Bring me back Robin Hood, the Silver Archer."
…
Three weeks had passed since that order and Kondo's men had been chasing their own tails in the forest. It was as though the trees knew they were here and were hiding the bandits in their midst, whispering through the leaves their every move and felling trunks in their path. The men were growing frustrated. The rebel movement was growing stronger, especially since the Sheriff's knights had turned their focus to finding Robin Hood. There were far fewer patrols across the local areas, no more community tax raids and only a handful of wanted criminals had been captured. The most frustrated of the knights was Toshiro Hijikata, who wasn't known for his calm and conservative demeanour. In fact, the men called him the Demon Commander, for the autocracy of his rule and merciless attitude towards cowardice or failure. Despite that, there was nobody that didn't want to serve under him. He earned great respect from his subordinates and had much to show for his achievements. Yet at the same time, he remained unpretentious.
That didn't mean he was perfect, however.
"Yamazaki!" Hijikata dismounted from his horse and strode over to the startled man, grasping him by the collar. "You said they were in this direction!"
"S-s-sorry, vice-commander, my informant was unreliable, but it was all we had to go on." Yamazaki stammered.
"What informant?"
"T-t-the villager said they'd heard voices laughing in these parts of the woods!"
"Well I don't hear any laughing!"
"I apologise! I'll do better next time!"
Hijikata scowled at him, then cast him aside with one violent flick of his wrist. He grabbed his horse by the reigns and led it off-track to a small opening in the forest. His men followed, nervously. He wrapped the reigns around a sturdy birch tree and dropped his satchel to the ground.
"I'm going to wash my face in the stream. Set up camp. We're sleeping here tonight."
"Yes, sir."
Without another word, Hijikata disappeared alone into the trees, stomping his feet in irritation.
The forest swelled with the breath of a gentle breeze that rippled through, scattering emerald leaves in a dizzying flutter. The sun was beginning to set, which meant darkness was creeping in fast. With such a dense dispersal of trees, the forest floor was always a shade dimmer than the open hillsides surrounding it. Before long, Hijikata would only be able to find his way by torchlight. There were more bandits than just Robin Hood in this forest. He had to be careful.
Despite this, he knew the woods around here as good as anyone. Every stump and stream and rock was like a scar on the back of his palm, familiar. He'd grown up a commoner, too, and his brother often took him to hunt through these woods. Those memories seemed so distant now. But because of them, he was able to quickly trace the scratch of a stream cutting through land, its water crystal clear and flowing. He hadn't been sure exactly where the stream was, but his instincts guided him in no time at all. Even though the forest changed almost every second of every day, it followed the same rules. Keep heading down, and there will be water.
The stream was about as wide as his hand. He dislodged a rock from beside the stream, giving it a brief rinse before using it to form a dam. In the quickly forming pool of water he plunged his face, shuddering at the cold. Leaning forward, he dropped his hair into the icy water and ran his hands through. Massaging his fingers into his scalp eased out the tension from the day. With a flick of his head, he returned to an upright position and shook out the droplets from his hair. It was nice to wash at the end of a long day. He considered a full wash. The stream was hardly wide enough, but the cold water helped to force the tension out of his bones. After the day he'd had, a nice, long wash was called for. He stripped his shirt off and tossed it aside. All of a sudden, a whistle sang through the air – a very human, mocking whistle. He spun round, already reaching for his sword.
"Phew, it's getting hot in this forest," the voice said, laughing heartily. Hijikata scowled, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. He couldn't see anyone. "Look up, Princess."
Perched in the branches of a treetop was a man in a baggy green tunic, his waist adorned with a thick belt, each kink in the leather hiding the hilt of a weapon or tool. In his hand was a longbow, across his back a quiver of a hundred of arrows. His posture wasn't threatening – in fact, he was slouching against the tree with his hands behind his head and feet crossed under the branch to keep him steady.
"I was enjoying the view, but this might be too much."
"Who are you?"
"That was going to be my question, Princess. You've been looking for me for weeks, and now you find me, you don't recognise me?" The words took a second to sink in, but Hijikata realised with a gasp – there was that unmistakable silver hair.
"You!" Hijikata stepped forward aggressively, but he knew he was in a vulnerable position. Every entertainer in the land sang of the remarkable accuracy of Robin Hood's arrows. Hijikata had no doubt if he wanted to, the man could make one of those arrow tips find its mark in his heart. He considered calling out for his men. Would he be able to defend himself before they arrived?
"I see what you're thinking, Princess," the man drawled lazily, picking his nose. "And I'm telling ya, don't do it. Even if I didn't fire a single arrow, you'd die by the sword of one of my men who, by the way, have you surrounded." Hijikata span on his heel in shock, peering into the encroaching darkness of his surroundings. A young girl appeared from behind a tree, grinning. Little Kagura, as she was known, was also legendary. And despite her name and equivalent size, her strength was superhuman. She didn't wield a weapon. Her hands were enough. "Now you get it. So, your next move will be to come quietly."
"I'm not going anywhere."
The man sighed loudly and with exaggerated eye movement. "Somehow, I had a feeling you'd say that. Kagura."
Before Hijikata had a chance to react, he was unconscious.
He awoke with a pain in his temple, shooting his eyes open with a wince. He immediately regretted this action for two reasons. Firstly, the pain. Secondly, it was incredibly dumb to jump into something like this without first gathering information. Instead, he jolted upright and groaned at the splitting headache. He immediately realised that he was tied to the bottom of a thick tree with several well-worn ropes. The way he'd suddenly jerked awake, he'd managed to crack his head on the hard wood. No doubt that would bruise. The next thing he noticed is that now there was a pair of deep burgundy eyes regarding him coolly.
"Welcome," the man said, "Did you sleep well, Princess?"
"Robin Hood," Hijikata spat at the man sat cross-legged opposite him. There was the small crackle of a fire between them, the stranger blowing gently on the embers and encouraging the flame to blossom.
"That's just a nickname. My name is Sakata Gintoki."
"It's unfortunate that we're well past the need to gather information. Our orders now are simply to kill you."
"Is that so?" Gintoki hummed, rolling some dried leaves between his palms. "Yet you're the one all tied up."
Unfortunately, Hijikata knew there was only one outcome for him now. The criminal couldn't have invited him into their hideout and given him his full name with the expectation that he'd go free. No, he would certainly be killed. Hijikata had to find a way to get himself released from these ropes.
"Why have you taken me here?"
"We're not killers," he shielded the fire with one hand as a strong wind began to dance through the forest. "Your men have been searching for us for months now. We simply want to talk."
"I know you can't let me go. That means you have to kill me. If I know this, it also means you have no bargaining power."
"I wouldn't say no bargaining power." His sly grin sent a shiver down Hijikata's spine. "Tell me your name, stranger."
"Hijikata Toshiro, the vice-commander of the Sheriff's men."
"Ahh, that little band of dogs. Ever loyal to their master. Don't you get tired of wagging your tail to that horrendous tyrant?"
"You're not persuading me to do anything."
"You're sharp, I'll give you that. But maybe … not as sharp as you think."
He left this comment hanging in the evening air, the hoot of owls already owning the soundscape of the forest. The fire crackled, then with a whoosh began to dance on the floor. Gintoki fed it with dried logs, stacking them expertly so that they caught fire also. The warmth of the fire was welcomed by Hijikata, who was starting to feel the chill of the evening setting in. That breeze wasn't helping either. Now that the fire was flourishing, Gintoki laid down on one side, yawning.
"I haven't decided what I'm going to do with you yet," he said, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. His hair was so thick that the hand was temporarily lost in there, silver bangs swallowing up the digits. "We just happened to come across you alone. And I couldn't pass up on a chance like that."
"The Sheriff won't pay a ransom for me."
"A pretty face like yours? What a waste."
"Stop patronising me." Hijikata spat. He was surprised at how calm he felt. In usual circumstances, being held captive by the enemy would be a stressful situation. Something about this man's demeanour made it easy to let down his guard - too easy. He was beginning to understand the rumours about him, the reason why so many flocked to his side. Charismatic, with these piercing eyes that just shot right through you. In the light of the fire, they seemed to glow a demonic red. His posture exuded a calm confidence. The man didn't even have a knife on him as far as Hijikata could tell. His bow and arrow were just off to the side, the belt that had been around his waist no longer there. There was not a single person near them, though he could hear the buzz of voices and laughter just out of sight. That meant there was no one to guard him but Gintoki. This could be his chance. If he could just get free from these ropes …
He wriggled his body a little, pretending to shift to get comfy, when really, he was testing the tightness of the ropes. There was extremely little leeway. The ropes sat around his stomach and dug into his skin. It was an effort to take a deep breath, the tension across cutting deep and making him feel queasy.
"I sent some men to your camp," Gintoki interrupted Hijikata's thoughts.
"You-!" He strained against the bonds, clenching his teeth. "What have you done?"
"Calm down! Phew, that was an overreaction. They're just watching. Your men haven't even begun looking for you, by the way."
"That damn Yamazaki," he cursed.
"Apparently you go off on your own a lot. That's what they were saying."
"Just how close did you guys manage to get?" There were definitely conversations to be had with his men if he survived this. Though, to be fair to them, if Hijikata were 'lost', the worst thing they could do is start moving around. They could have at least sent out some searchers. "What exactly do you plan on doing when they move?"
"Probably send them off with a message. 'If you want your vice-commander back, stop sending search parties out'."
"I told you, the Sheriff doesn't care about me."
"And yet you still serve him."
"I don't serve him, I serve Kondo."
"And if your commander were to be serving the wrong man, a man who would have him killed, would you support him?"
"Things aren't as simple as you think. You're an outsider, you don't understand. The Sheriff will keep sending people out looking for you until he receives your head on a spike."
"And I'll keep taking away his men. How hard do you think it is to pick you guys off, one by one?"
"He'll keep sending men out until there's no one left to send."
"And how would you feel about that, Mr Vice Commander? To watch your men die. All of them. From the greenest member, right up to your precious commander."
"Kondo wouldn't let that happen."
"So, he'll disobey the Sheriff? Then what?" Gintoki seemed genuinely interested in this conversation, trying to decipher just what was going on in Hijikata's head. His eyes were bright and inquisitive. The only light in the forest now was the glow of the fire between them, the moon hidden by the thick canopy above.
"Why are you so interested in our affairs?"
"I told you. I'm trying to figure out what to do with you."
"Why don't you just kill me? Cutting off the head of the men trying to find you. The problem won't go away, but it will give you time."
Gintoki looked slightly surprised. "You talk so easily about dying. Aren't you afraid?" The resolute glare he received in response seemed to answer his question. The man sighed, the sound an echo of the exhaustion in his expression. "I've already said this. It's almost like only one of us is listening in this conversation. We're not killers. If we were to murder everyone that stood against us or disagreed with us, we'd be just like the Sheriff. That's not the kind of world I want to live in."
Quite a profound – and at the same time, confusing – answer from a man that was quickly turning out to be nothing like the Sheriff had described. As he was running the words through his mind, a new voice appeared.
"It's my turn to watch the prisoner," the woman said, taking a long drag on her pipe. She tilted her head at Hijikata, looking far less friendly than Gintoki had been as smoke curled from her lips. There was a vicious scar running down her left eye. "Go get something to eat, Gintoki."
"Already over?" The man stretched, gradually getting to his feet like moving was an effort. "I was beginning to feel sleepy."
"Eat quick, while it's still warm."
"I will. Thanks for the conversation, Toshiro." The name fell so easily from his mouth that Hijikata jolted. Very few people called him by his first name. "Be nice, Tsukuyo. He's a guest, not a prisoner."
"Sure looks like a prisoner to me," she shrugged. "Unless you've got some kinky interests."
"Only on a Tuesday night."