-Sherwood Forest-

A few rays of light lingered, almost refusing to let go of the day as dusk crept over Sherwood Forest. A soft breeze played gently against the crisp leaves that had besieged the forest floor. All was serene in this hour of beauty and reflection.

Reflection. It had become something of a routine for Robin at the end of each day. A time for him to quiet his mind, evaluate the day's work, and think about the coming days. He sat just at the edge of camp, away from the others. Wood shavings littered the earth at his feet as he whittled a slender tree branch. Each stroke that skimmed the surface of the wood had to be thoughtful and precise in order to produce a perfectly sleek arrow, capable of soaring hundreds of yards. It was the rhythmic motion of this task that allowed Robin's mind a rare moment of peace.

Nearly a month had passed since he and his men returned from the Holy Land. The tragedies that had occured there were never far from his thoughts, particularly the loss of Marian. He was thankful for King Richard's survival of the sheriff's assassination attempt, but his gratitude was overshadowed by the deep wound etched in his heart by the loss of his love, Marian. There was a void in his life, an irreplaceable void where love once flowed. Aware that no amount of grieving would ever satisfy the emptiness of Marian's passing, Robin took very little time to mourn.

Sooner than anyone predicted, or even expected, Robin rallied his gang back to working order, assisting the poverty-stricken people in Nottinghamshire. Being thwarted by Robin yet again had left the sheriff terribly bitter, even more so than usual, and he turned his anger on those living under him. Purely out of spite, he looked for ways to tax the people of the shire and consistently increased the amount of that tax, ordering punishments for those unable to pay.

With more and more people falling victim to these unjust tax laws, they turned to Robin Hood for aid. Having more deliveries to make and more people to help, the outlaws of Sherwood were beginning to feel the absence of the two members they had left behind in the Holy Land. It was a struggle to keep up with the ever-changing scene in the shire, but Robin and his men did the best they could with what they had.

So it was with a heavy heart, that Robin sat fashioning another arrow, unaware of the news that was being brought from Locksley. It took a hearty shove from Much to rouse him from his trance.

"Robin!" Much said loudly, pointing towards the entrance of their camp. "Allan is back."

Having jumped from the back of his horse, Allan-a-Dale moved quickly to where Robin and Much were already congregated. Little John, sensing the urgency of Allan's arrival, pushed himself from his bunk and joined the gathering. Without waiting for any one to greet him, Allan spoke.

"Gisborne is up to something."

"Gisborne is always up to something," Much cut in, pointing out the obvious. "Maybe if you had news that, say, Robert of Langden is up to something, we would be a little more surprised."

Under normal circumstances, Much would have been absolutely correct in his statement. However, since returning from Palestine, Gisborne had not been up to his usual antics of terrorizing the townspeople. Instead, he kept a low profile, rarely leaving the confines of Locksley manor. His actions in the Holy Land appeared to be the cause of his distress; Marian, the woman he once thought to marry, had died at the end of his sword after admitting her love for Robin Hood. So, to suddenly have news from Locksley, news pertaining to Gisborne, set everyone on edge.

"Shut up," Allan snapped, wanting to get on with the news. He went on to tell them about the strange visitor in Locksley and the events he had been a witness to. "This girl definitely wasn't in a hurry, so she couldn't have been carrying a message. She wasn't in the house for very long either before Gisborne dragged her out. A couple of his guards offed her escorts and then she was tied to a horse. They were definitely headed toward Nottingham."

"What business is it of ours what Gisborne does with his guests?" Much wondered aloud, not finding anything of significance in the report.

"That's not all." Allan gave him a pointed look. He explained how he had intercepted one of the servants fleeing towards the woods, not long after Gisborne's departure. The servant had been sent by Thornton with a message for Robin. "She wouldn't give me the message until I showed her my tag. Anyway, she was in a right state, babbling on about getting the message to you."

He paused to catch his breath, having talked for a considerable amount of time. At this short break in Allan's story, Robin tensed. Based on what Allan had already revealed, he could be certain of two things: Thornton's message was urgent and that it was about Gisborne's visitor.

"Well?" Robin said, encouraging Allan to press on. "What is it, Allan?"

"It's Elsie," Allan said with a shrug, not knowing the impact those words would have on their leader. "That's all she would tell me."

It was like being unexpectedly punched in the stomach. Robin felt like someone had knocked all the air from body. He slumped over, holding his head in his hands. He didn't want to believe it; it couldn't be true. Not this. Not now. Rubbing his hands against his face, Robin looked back to Allan for confirmation.

"You are sure about this? Thornton's message was about Elsie."

"Yeah," Allan replied with a confident nod of his head. He shot a confused glance at the other two. Little John looked about as bewildered as he did, but Much had taken on an expression similar to Robin's.

Letting his arms fall to his side, Robin let out a roar of frustration and anger. Elsie had been the one person in his life that he didn't have to worry about, because she was supposed to be living a safe distance to the south, out of harm's way. Outside of their estates, most people didn't even know about the youngest member of the Locksley family and Robin preferred it that way. She could not possibly be back in the shire. Robin looked to the heavens, pleading with God to let there be some mistake.

Of course, Little John and Allan had no idea who Elsie was, so they didn't understand the reason for Robin's reaction. They waited patiently for the interpretation of Thornton's message, hoping to gain some insight into the problem at hand. When Robin didn't explain and instead, began to pace, Little John couldn't help but ask,

"What is going on? Robin? Who is Elsie?"

Robin stopped pacing; he looked between his friends and drew in a deep breath. "The girl Allan saw riding through Locksley, that is Elsie or, as she is more formally known, Lady Elisabeth, Lady Elisabeth of Locksley." He paused for a moment to quiet his mind as it raced through a thousand unlikely plans to rescue her. "She is my sister."

"Your sister?" John's eyes widened and his jaw went slack, taken aback by the revealing bit of information.

Equally preplexed, Allan offered his thoughts. "Hang on, you never told us you had a sister."

"Yes, well, there are a lot of things that I haven't told you," Robin replied matter-of-factly. He took in a deep breath to settle himself, glancing around at his men as they waited for an explanation. "She was still a young girl when I left for the Holy Land so I sent her away to a friend down south. I did not want her to be left alone in Locksley while I was away. I was supposed to send for her when I returned, but after seeing the corruption in Nottingham, I thought she would be safer if she stayed where she was, especially with me being an outlaw."

It took some time and a whole lot of answered questions for Allan and John to understand the situation. There was little to be said after they worked out the details of Elsie's existence. The immediate plan was obvious: they go to Nottingham.

A/N: Thanks to whytewytch for her help with the last bit of dialogue at the end of this chapter!

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