-Castle Dungeons-

"Do we even have a plan?" Much inquired as he glanced anxiously down one of the empty streets of Nottingham.

"Yes," Robin replied hastily. Much shot him a look of uncertainty, which led him to confess, "Well, half a plan."

"The last time we went into the castle without a plan, we left without what we went in for--Djaq," Allan reminded them.

Much turned up his nose at the memory. "And you were covered in that foul substance--the likes of which I would rather not get into."

"Why? Because you smell so much of roses now?" Allan quipped sarcastically. Much narrowed his eyes in response.

"Look, I wasn't with you that time," Robin replied shortly, keeping his gaze on the empty street.

"Yeah, that's because you were too busy roughing up Gis." Allan shrugged nonchalantly.

Robin shot a look at Allan. With everything on the line presently, he did not need reminding of that day he discovered the sheriff and Gisborne for what they were: traitors to the crown.

"Trust me. We have fooled them with disguises before. This time will be no different. Besides," he added solemnly, "we have no other choice. I cannot let the sheriff use my sister for one of his schemes. This must work."

"Ah, looks like we've got company," Allan muttered, interrupting Robin's little rant. He nodded toward a couple of guards heading their way. The three outlaws busied themselves with nothing in particular, waiting to be spotted.

"Oi, you three!" one of the guards called out. "What do you think you're doing, lurking about at this hour?"

Unsheathing his sword as he spun to face the opposition, Robin gave them a cheeky grin and replied, "Hoping to borrow your uniforms."

Making quick work of the over-confident guards, the outlaws had them unconscious in no time. Luckily, all the commotion caused by their little scuffle lured a third patrol to the scene. He too was disposed of easily. After they had been stripped of their uniforms, the guards were left gagged and bound in a secluded alley behind the Blue Boar Inn where they would be well looked after.

Once they were all dressed in the guards' uniforms, Robin, Much, and Allan made their way toward the castle gates. As they walked through town, the early morning silence was interrupted by the townspeople, as they trickled onto the streets to begin their day.

It didn't matter how many times Robin disguised himself as a Nottingham guard, he was always acutely aware of how the townspeople reacted at the sight of a castle guard. They usually averted their eyes and skirted to the sides of the road until he passed by; they didn't want to give the guard a reason to stop and hassle them. There was genuine fear in the eyes of every man, woman, and child as they waited for the sheriff's men to continue on their route, and there was almost a collective sigh of relief when the guards sauntered by without second look.

It was these reactions that he was a witness to, clear-cut signs of the sheriff's achievement of fear, that helped fuel the fire already burning in Robin's heart--the fire that had weakened to a small flame since Marian's death, was again ignited with the fiery passion that had started him on this campaign against injustice. The idea of his sister being held captive brought back his hunger for a little adventure. It seemed like ages had passed since the last time they infiltrated the walls of Nottingham castle to foil one of the sheriff's schemes. Crossing into the sheriff's turf was far more exhilarating than ambushing convoys that passed through Sherwood, no matter how many guards accompanied them.

---

Just as they expected, the disguised outlaws had no trouble gaining entrance into the castle. The guards on duty simply nodded them through, without so much as a second glance. They found their way into one of the many deserted corridors and formed their plan of attack.

"What now?" Allan asked.

"We split up," Robin said. He pointed to himself and Much. "We will go to the dungeon and search there first. Allan, you follow shortly after, but stay up top and keep watch. We will figure out the escape route once we have Elsie. All right?"

Much and Allan nodded their acceptance and then Much and Robin parted from Allan. They weaved their way through the maze of hallways until they found the door that would take them down to the prison. Carefully, they descended the steep, winding steps that led to the poorly-lit chambers beneath the castle.

Treading quietly, Robin and Much peered into each of the cells as they passed, hoping their search would be successful. After the third cell however, Robin realized that the task was going to be more difficult than they had anticipated. It seemed the sheriff was determined to find out the maximum capacity of his prison, as each cell held multiple occupants. This was where all the people who had failed to pay their taxes had ended up; at least those who were unable to elude capture. It wasn't just men in the cells--women and children peered from behind the bars as well.

Robin felt it in his blood, as it boiled with disgust for what was happening to people he knew, people he loved. These were hardworking people of the shire, who hadn't committed any crime worth the punishment they were enduring. It pained him to think that he would not be helping them today; he was here for one person. At the moment, Elsie was all that mattered.

"What we need is a jail break," Much said lightly, peering through the bars of the cell nearest him. He saw a few women, but they were in such a state of disarray that he eliminated the possibility of finding Elsie among them.

"First we get Elsie. We'll save the jail break for another day," Robin replied, agreeing completely with Much's suggestion.

"Elsie?" Much hissed through the bars of another cell. It had been so long since he had last seen her, he wasn't certain he would recognize her, though her attire would set her apart from the other prisoners.

After a thorough combing of every cell, with no sign of Robin's sister, Much felt his heart sink with defeat. The hardened look on Robin's face as he approached told Much that he, also, had been unsuccessful.

"She's not here," Robin voiced angrily, letting out his frustrations on the nearest cell. A few of the occupants stirred in alarm.

"You don't think they..." Much choked, implying the worst. He hated thinking negatively, but in failure to find Elsie, he could think of nothing else.

"No!" Robin shouted firmly, though the thought had sent his stomach toward the ground. Still, he couldn't believe that Elsie was dead. He had dealt with the sheriff long enough to know that something like the death of his sister would not be a private matter. It sickened him to think that the sheriff was likely going to use Elsie to avenge the death of his own sister. He knew the sheriff blamed him for her death and what better way to even the score?

"Then this certainly is a trap," Much concluded, groping for his sword in anticipation of an ambush. The two of them waited for a moment, half expecting armed guards to materialize around them, with Gisborne and the sheriff close at hand, gloating. The only movement however, came from the prisoners as they stirred.

Robin had just about made up his mind to do something rash when a raspy voice called out to them from a nearby cell. "Heard you talking. You're looking for a girl, aren't you?" When Robin nodded, the withered old man continued, "They took a young girl from here not a half hour ago, a noble by the looks of her."

"What?" the two outlaws demanded in unison, forgetting that they were under cover.

"You'd think they'd fill you in with what goes on around here." The old man inched toward the bars, wheezing as he spoke. "Brought her in last night, took her out this morning, saying she was to be relocated."

"Did they say where they were taking her?" Robin inquired hastily, his heart suddenly racing with the possibilities.

"No," he replied with a small shrug. "Don't think they did."

Robin hung his head in exasperation. His tiny ray of hope had just been smashed to bits. She could have been taken anywhere by now. "You are certain of all this?"

Nodding his head slowly, trying to recall any details he may have overlooked, the old man said, "Yeah, they just took her away."

"Thank you, you didn't have to help us," Robin replied.

A knowing smile suddenly crept across the old man's lips. "You must be him, eh? The young lass didn't say much, but she said her brother would come looking for her. It's a bit sooner than she had expected."

Much looked surprised, but Robin simply nodded. As they walked back toward the stairs, he exclaimed, "We've got some work to do."

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