Chapter 17

The gang had assembled in Nottingham. Robin joining them soon after visiting Marian who had heard of James's fate and was beyond worried. Marian promised to set them up with a safe house after they escaped with James. Now the gang was currently hiding in split trios and duos as close as they could get to the castle. Djaq, Will and Allan were out scouting the guards and entrances they could use. Behind a merchant's cart with their cloaks hiding them stood David, John, Robin and Much. From here they could see the courtyard. At least there weren't any red cloaked bodies hanging already.

"Robin that's not a good plan" Robin shrugged

"I said it was a plan David I never said it was a good one"

"It is a horrible plan! Of all the plans! This one is the one that gets you killed!" This said by Much John mumbled in agreement. Suddenly a guard and the sheriff walked out and stood on the steps.

"People of Nottingham!..." The sheriff announced "..There's no need for you to worry anymore because the criminal known as the Red Hawk has been caught, the captain of the guards himself saw to the arrest!" Vasey gestured to the man beside him. Said man puffed out his chest proudly and Much had to hold David back from attacking.

The masses gasped in shock and some cried out in protest.

"Furthermore" the sheriff continued "you must understand how truly dangerous these criminals are, the Red Hawk was threatening to kill a poor child in the village of Locksley and that is why he was arrested" The crowd shouted in disagreement some in shock.

"That's a lie, James surrendered himself for the boy, the boy's mother told us so herself" Little John whispered, Robin did not answer but stared angrily at the Sheriff; anger burning in him. He was going to teach the sheriff a lesson, he was going to teach every damned guard in the castle why you do not mess with Robin Hood. He was done losing people.

"We are Robin Hood" he muttered to himself and the motto was determinedly repeated by his companions.

"We go with Robin's plan"

"David, do not encourage him!"

"Much what can we do? James could already be dead and I'll be damned if I didn't at least try to save him"

Mari was going to die. Alright she always knew it was happening but she always thought she was going to marry rich, and after her gorgeous hot husband (read: Channing Tatum) had passed away peacefully in her loving arms. She would move in with Sophie and their 32 cats in a fancy pent house in Spain and live out the rest of her simple life. Now was that too much to ask?

However she had not counted that her life plan would be shortened by her being shackled (thank God not a torture chair) in an uncomfortable chair in a horrible evil man's office while she was bleeding actually scratch that hurting to death. Sheriff Vasey had left and come back and was now asking and asking and repeatedly shouting at her for answers, plans, weaknesses, names. She was quietly trying not to throw up blood in her mouth.

"TELL ME WHERE HOOD IS!" Vasey shouted putting his hand on her injured ribs and pressing which caused her to groan in pain.

"Oh, is the little hawkie hurting? Do you want the pain to stop?" he said in a mock baby voice and pressed his hand against the ribs once more hard.

"Do you want me to stop?" Press. "Do you?!"

Mari's vision swam with blurriness. This was it; she was going to pass out. Weakly she muttered "Y-yes".

Vasey's beady eyes looked at her.

"What was that? You want me to stop?" Press.

Breathe.

Blink.

Another Press

Do not faint.

She's coming to get you. Sophie's coming.

Blink.

Breathe.

"This is an idiotic plan" David repeated Much's words while Robin gave a frustrated sigh.

Robin had shot an arrow through a window with a rope attached to it. David would climb up, tie the rope securely, and throw the rest of the rope down to John who would hold it. This would make a ropeway Robin and David could use to swing to safety down along with their friends. The three of them were standing by a tower that luckily had no guards around.

"It is simple, up, in, and then out again" Robin said making it sound easy, he winced at the look David gave him.

David sighed "Fine give me a boost" he said to John whom helped him up the first part of the wall by letting David stand on his shoulder.

Sophie managed to catch on the rope and climbed with much difficulty up the side of the wall because let's face it she's not Spiderman.

She did manage to climb through the window after much praying and swearing. She found herself in a bed chamber. The one Marian usually borrowed while she stayed at the castle.

Sophie looked out through the window and saw Robin following her up the line, while John stood on the ground holding the rope steady and standing guard. As soon as Robin had made it into the chamber she signaled Djaq who was standing hidden in the crowd. Djaq in her turn signaled Will and Allan and Much.

Soon she heard smoke bombs going off and a lot of ruckus and people screaming. They quickly set up the ropeway and when they were done Robin and her shared a determined look between them.

"We move quickly in an out, I find Lucas and you grab James we meet back here in half an hour" Robin said in a quiet voice and David nodded and the duo moved towards the door of the corridor.

Robin reached for the doorknob but David stopped him a hand on his arm and a serious look on his face

"If I and James do not make it back, leave without us"

"David I cannot-"

"Please Robin if that is the case leave" Robin looked into the eyes of the younger boy and at his masked face and sighed

"Make sure that is not the case"

" GIVE.

Slap .

ME.

Slap.

THE NAMES!"

Vasey shouted at Mari and slapped her head to the side. Her face hurt so much she felt numb her ears were ringing. The sheriff took a step back disgusted he wiped his bloody hand on a cloth and muttered "dirty outlaws". The hawk shook his head as if trying to clear some thoughts and then spoke

"You want names?" the hawk finally asked in a sinister voice. The boy started wheezing as if he was trying to laugh sarcastically but not quite succeeding.

"Names you say?" he repeated hysterically and a giggle escaped which ended in a gurgled cough. The hawk looked up at him, his one less injured eye slightly widened and zoned in on Vasey

"I'll give you names!" he shouted while laughing and coughing his voice now high and eyes darting everywhere "Yes names of course the names!" he wiggled in his seat and trashed his head around so much. If Vasey didn't know better he'd suspect the man was possessed.

"Good you finally seen sense-"

"MAGGIE!" the red hawk shouted as loud as he could in his shrill voice interrupted by the blood being spit out of his mouth. "LUCAS!" "MARY " "BEN!"

"Yes, good hawkie tell me all of them" Vasey turned around to grab a piece of parchment

"ROBIN HOOD!"

"Don't tell me names I know-"

"KING RICHARD!"

The sheriff froze and stopped to look at the man sitting in front of him. The hawk's knuckles were tightly gripping the armrest and he was heavily breathing and he was looking at Vasey with a crazy look in his one eye. Blood could be seen dripping from his mouth and even though most of his body was injured tried to sit straight.

"What?"

The hawk released a shuddering breath and said in a steady voice "The only names I will give you are the names of the people you have failed, the people you have wronged!"

"How dare you? Everything I have done has been for king and country!"

"Everything you have done has been for you, for your selfish gain!"

"YOU FORGET YOUR PLACE OUTLAW" The sheriff screamed throwing the quill and parchment he was holding to the ground "HOW DARE YOU! I'LL HAVE YOU AND ALL YOUR LITTLE BIRD FRIENDS HANGED, I'LL KILL THEM FIRST AND MAKE YOU WATCH AS THEY DIE!"

"I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF FIRST!" the hawk shouted back. Feet kicking as if trying to rise from the chair he'd forgotten he was stuck to. The sheriff momentarily stopped, looking pleased to finally have riled up the young man.

"What was that? You'll kill me? Please you will die here and never get the chance, Hood has been trying without success and you're in his gang which means no killing-"

The hawk laughed again a miserable raspy sound but something, something in that laugh made Vasey stop his words.

"Robin? You think he can stop me?" Another chuckle

"It isn't Robin you should be afraid of Sheriff" the hawk continued licking the blood of his lips. He pinned Vasey with a dead look

"It's me"

"Oh is that so?"

"You don't get it yet do you? Robin may have his soft heart and his rules, but in the end I will be the one standing with a sword at your throat. And you know what? I'll kill you. I'll laugh, heck I'll even shed a tear out of happiness as your blood splurges over me. And I'll think no, I'll know the world will thank me!" The hawk chuckled dreamily as if he was already in the scenario.

"And you know what you will be? You'll be nothing less than the dirt under my boot and I'll sleep better knowing it was by my hands, mine that you took your last breath on this earth"

Silence

The hawk wheezed

"You will never get the chance" Vasey said not wanting to reflect much on the man's words; words that had rattled him.

The man mumbled again

"What was that? Hawkie to injured to talk?"

"My name"

"Your name? Oh do tell" The sheriff said gleefully sarcastic and leaning against his desk

"My name is James Hawk" cough "You put that name to memory sheriff. You remember it! Vasey rolled his eyes

"Because, that is the name of the man that will kill you"

The sheriff chuckled while James's eyes glared coldly at him, and then James did something the sheriff had not seen many of his captives do; he smirked.

At that moment an explosion was heard in the courtyard. However before the sheriff could react; the doors were thrown open and from that moment all the sheriff saw was smoke and in the next the mighty sheriff was lying unconscious on his own floor.

Breathe

Blink

Breathe

Don't faint

"James? James can you hear me?" Mari distantly felt the shackles releasing her wrists and she groaned.

Don't close your eyes.

Sleep

No, don't do that

Breathe

"Mari? Can you hear me? It's going to be okay" Soft hands were touching her face checking her injuries. Mari tried to lift her hand to swing the hands away because even if

the touch was soft it still hurt. She gave a groan and the hands left her face.

Sophie's coming. She's coming.

She's not going to make it.

She is

Someone lifted her up slinging her dead arms across their shoulder and started to move her.

"Don't you dare die or I'll-I'll fricking read gone with the wind to you loudly! Then you'll-"Whoever the voice belonged to stopped her rambling and the moving and the person seemed to be looking at something far away.

"Son of a-!" whatever the person intended to say was interrupted by guards shouting. Mari was blinking and trying to stand by this point since she finally noticed she was out of the chair. Her knees hurt. Everything hurt

React

"Mari I need you to walk at least help me drag you're sorry ass!"

You know that voice.

Sophie's here. She's here

"What took you so long?" Mari at last wheezed out and Sophie gave a breath of relief holding her friend up in the empty hallway of the castle the guards that seemed to be heading in their direction had changed course after another explosion had gone off.

"Finally, thought I lost you there for a while" Sophie said while starting to drag Mari on her sluggish feet, feet that weren't doing their job at the moment.

"Whaaa?" Mari wheezed "You ain't getting rid of me that easily. Where are we going? I am pretty sure outside is that way" Mari gestured with her one not swollen eye which was the only thing she could move while not eradicating the precious balance Sophie was helping her keep. Mari felt a feeling of relief she could finally get out.

"Robin has a plan we're meeting him in Lady Marian's room and then- shit we have to hide!" Sophie pulled them into a crook where the shadows and a wall hid them as guards passed by.

She's here

You're fine

Stay awake

Don't faint. Don't-.

"Mari? Come on we have to move. MARI?!"

TBC

Thank you for reading. Update will be coming as soon as possible