I am so, so sorry it has taken this long to update. I've been so busy with school and my favorite team making the playoffs. (that now they're out of) grumbles Thanks for reading!

And ya, I had no clue how to end that letter. Excuse that please, oh and sorry for the length of this. I meant to make it longer

Chapter Three- The Past Comes Back to Haunt You

"Prince John?" Margaret looked at Alice. "What does he want with me? I never receive letters from the prince."

"Well, he has sent you one, my lady." The older of the two handed a letter to the younger. Margaret wrenched open the fine paper and anxiously read the swirling handwriting.

My dear girl,

I have sent your brother to Nottinghamshire to account for their little outlaw problem. He has advised me that you should not know this and to say he is in London but no one listens to him anyway. You are to go to Nottingham. There are many suitors for you there, far more suitors than there are in Marlborough. I have made the necessary arrangements for your journey. You are to leave as soon as you receive this letter. Sir Warren is currently residing at Bonchurch, a village north of Nottingham Castle. Bonchurch is a pleasant place for you to stay.

The Honorable Prince John

Margaret carefully folded it back and frowned. She looked around her bedchamber, looking for something to take out her anger on. Stupid man. Inconsiderate, foolish, secretive man. The noblewoman took the pillow off of her bed and whipped it at the stone wall.

Alice bit her lip and grimaced. This was not going to be a good day and whoever was unfortunate enough to accompany Margaret would not have a good trip. "Um…uh…Lady Margaret?" She watched as her employer destroyed two other pillows and ripped drapery from an open window. "Maybe, my lady, you should try to be calm."

"How can I be calm," Margaret shouted, "when my oaf of a brother took me away from my aunt's house to live in this monstrosity that he calls a castle?" Alice ducked as a candlestick was chucked in the general direction of the heavy oak door, near which she was standing. "Then, Warren has the nerve to drag me to the Holy Land to seduce a member of the king's guard. And seemingly I wasn't too good at that because I fell in love with him and we were betrothed." She kicked the bed frame angrily and with an "ouch" sunk back down onto the mattress in pain. "Do you think my life could ever turn out happily, Alice? Hmm?" Margaret answered the question for her, "No. Because stupid Warren and his stupid henchman had to murder him in front of me! And now Warren has to make me go to Nottingham. It's not fair."

Alice put a hand on his mistress' shoulder as she started to weep. That man was a monster. "It's alright…And it is Prince John that is sending you to Nottingham not Warren. Go to Bonchurch and forget about everything. I hear Sherwood is beautiful this time of year."

"It's a forest. What makes it any different than Savernake Forest?" Margaret whined. "Oh, I know it has outlaws." She hastily stood up. "Now I have to go to an outlaw-packed, poverty stricken, grief filled wasteland," Margaret gave her servant an obviously fake smile. "Should I dress warmly?"

"It is spring, my lady. You should take a cloak or two. It depends, how long are you going to stay in Nottingham?"

"However long my brother wants me to stay. I might even have to stay there permanently."The noblewoman walked over to the open window and looked out of it. She had always kind of liked the castle. Warren had always been there. For about ten years now, she had been there. It was like home, in a strange, confusing, dejected sort of way. Marlborough wasn't the quaint country manor she had spent the first few years of her life in with her Aunt Murielle and Uncle Godwin. The castle was a place she had 

to go. There was no gallant crusader to lead her there in a storm of love and passion, no romantic connection at all. All she had was her annoying, power-hungry older brother to drag her there to be used as a political bargaining chip. It wasn't Thomas' home, and as long as he wasn't there with her she wasn't happy. Margaret quickly shook off that thought. Of course he couldn't be there with her, he was dead. "Warren probably just wants to marry me off to an aging nobleman."

"He wouldn't do that," Alice replied even though she knew that he would in a second. "Sir Warren values your happiness. You're his sister, my lady."

"That hasn't stopped him in the past."

Knowing that she needed to change the subject, Alice rose from the bed and laid out a few dresses in front of Margaret. "You might as well start packing. I gather that the prince wants you to depart quickly."

"Can you pack the dresses while I look for a chain for my ring?" Margaret fumbled through a drawer.

Alice nodded in agreement. She started to think about the ring. There was a strong suspicion that Thomas had given it to her. It was much too large for her finger, therefore she had to wear a smaller ring in front of it. Had it been his ring? Alice also knew that they had been engaged, but Sir Warren wouldn't have harmed him if he had known. Margaret never dwelled on the subject. She had never gotten over it, Alice decided. How could she get it over it? With what she had told her about his death, and Warren's role in it, there was no way that she could get over it. The woman paused for a moment. Like there was no way she could get over John.

Margaret slashed her train of thought, "Found one!" She stumbled over the hem of her dress on her way to the mirror and took off the ring. Slowly, she threaded the chain through it and put it around her neck. Margaret smiled sadly to herself. "I won't be losing that now...Alice, would you like to come to Nottingham with me?"

She forced a smirk. "No, but thank you." There was no way on God's green earth that she would be able to face John. There was no way Alice wouldn't put herself in that position either. No. Damn. Way.

"No fun Alice. You still have time to change your mind, just in case. I leave tomorrow.

XOXOXOXOXO

Simon rode silently through Sherwood. He had to find Robin. The forest was quiet, but not the same eerie quiet that could always be credited to an outlaw in the brush. Where the hell were they? He dismounted and tied the horse to a tree. It wasn't his horse, he didn't care. Simon grinned, Guy would though, it was Gisbourne's horse.

"Robin!" He called into the trees. No answer. Damn. He whistled. No answer.

Simon stomped through Sherwood, thwarting down branches and hoping that the plant he just stepped in wasn't poison ivy. He chuckled to himself, he would be a horrendous outlaw. Robin's spy stopped and turned in a circle. This wasn't good, he thought. Simon had no idea where he was. "Robin! Much!" He grimaced. "Somebody?"

Never again. Next time, they would meet at Clun or somewhere where he couldn't get lost. The outlaws had taken him to their camp once. But Simon couldn't find it for his life. The castle guard grumbled as he made his way in the direction that he thought the Great North Road was.

Before he knew what was happening, he was up in the air, hanging upside down in an outlaw's trap. In the process, he had let out a less-than-manly cry. Simon hoped no one had heard that. "Robin, it's not funny anymore." Damn. Where were the outlaws. "Robin, get me down!" By this time, the blood was rushing to his head. He groaned, "Dear God, let me down please."

The familiar sound of arrow pierced the air nearby. A squirrel fell out of tree. Simon laughed, it had to be. "Much! Let me down!"

A twig cracked and a short man with a hat appeared. "Simon? Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright. I'm hanging upside down from a tree."

"Oh. Yeah, sorry." Much took a knife from his pocket and cut the rope holding Simon. He fell headfirst to the forest floor. All he could see went black. "Simon? Simon?"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Everything was blurry when Simon regained consciousness. The young man sat up and looked around. He was in a bunk in the outlaw camp. "Sorry…" Much popped up over the side. "Wasn't really thinking there…"

"Give him some space, Much." Robin pulled Much back down by the tunic. "Can you remember what it was that you wanted to tell me?"

"Yah, help me down." Robin grabbed Simon by the shoulders. He placed him on the floor. "The sheriff has a guest."

"Really? A rich guest?"

"He is a noble, the caretaker of Marlborough Castle." Simon ran a hand through his black hair. No blood. "His name is Sir Warren of Marlborough."

Much frowned in thought. Could it be that Warren of Marlborough? His eyes darted to Robin. Had Thomas told him the same story? His master didn't look as if he recognized the name. Maybe Thomas had only told him.

"Isn't that Prince John's castle? Marlborough Castle?" Allan joined the conversation.

"Yes, Sir Warren is John's lackey. He has a history with Gisbourne too."

Robin put the mug of ale he had in his hand down and listened more. "Gisbourne?"

"I overheard them. Once Gisbourne heard that it was Sir Warren, he ran to his room. I think he was sick."

"Gizzy doesn't get sick often either." Allan looked up to find the rest of the gang scowling at him. "What?"

"Gisbourne we do not like."

"I know, John."

"Moving on," Robin interrupted, "did you hear any plans?"

"No, but Marlborough is staying at Bonchurch." Simon leant heavily against the wall. Dizziness was starting to turn into lightheadedness.

"You should get some rest, Simon." Robin noticed him closing his eyes. "John."

"Nah, that's okay. I have to get back to the ca-" Little John got up from where he was sitting and lifted

Simon. With a smile, he placed Simon in Will's old bunk.

"You stay here, tonight," John commanded.

"It's the least we can do after Much let you fall on your head." Robin chuckled at Much's expense.

The manservant squirmed, "I said I was sorry."

"And on that note, let's go to sleep." Robin climbed into his bunk. The rest of the gang followed and the fire was soon put out. The only task left for the day was to dream.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Robin tossed and turned in his bed. He just couldn't seem to sleep tonight. His eyes opened but he couldn't make out much in the darkness. By the elbows, he propped himself. Robin sat up. Something wasn't right. Something just wasn't right.

Without anything else to concentrate on, Robin took in the silence. He, and the rest of the King's Guard, were camped a far way out of Acre, far enough that none of the city's clamors reached them. Tonight, in 

his boredom, the silence seemed deafening. Not even Much was sleeping, he couldn't be. There wasn't the regular snoring close to his bed.

With the swish of fabric, he rose from the bed and walked out of his tent. He headed towards the back of the camp. On his way, Robin stuck his head into the king's tent. Richard was perfectly fine and snoring loudly.

Robin thought he saw a figure on lying sprawled out on the sand. The Lord of Locksley did a double take. There wasa figure sprawled out on the sand. He ran over and knelt beside the man. His heart sank as he recognized the face, "Thomas…"

He was unconscious but stirred slightly. Even in the pitch black, Robin could see the dark stain on the tabard. How long had he been lying here? How much blood had he lost? "Much!"

Thomas stirred again and winced. After a few seconds, he moaned. "Much! Much, come quickly!"

"Is something wrong?" Robin heard a voice behind him. It was a fellow Crusader.

"Yes, it's Thomas. He's been injured, get a physician."

"Lincolnshire?" He nodded. "Damn. I'll be back."

"Master, you'll wake the camp if you keep calling for me like that." Finally. What took so long? "What's so important that you made me get out of bed?"

"Come over here and look for yourself." Robin bit his lip. Thomas was their best fighter. They couldn't siege Acre without him.

"T-Thomas…Is he?...Is he d-dead?" He turned to face his manservant,

"No. If I hadn't of found him then…"

"What happened?"

He turned his head away form Much. "I don't know…But when I find out, whoever did this will pay." In anger, he walked off as the physician arrived.

Robin sat straight up in his bed. The outlaw was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. "Traitor." He lied back down and tried to sleep again. Why the hell did he have that dream?

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Thanks, taserdbyjack or should I say zelofheda lol. I had fun writing Friar Tuck rofl and Much is adorable cuddles I love writing him! I guess you'll just have to wait and see about Margaret and Warren's Holy Land adventure Mwahaha I have a lot planned for that

I love your fic, biancaneve! Very angsty! The characters that provide the comedy for the show are the best to write. It's fun to think up what they will say lol I'm glad you enjoyed it!