-Change-

Like a small child whose favorite toy had been taken away, the sheriff's little temper tantrum carried on for a great deal of time. Anything that happened to get in his way was thrown aside in the heat of his rage. When he wasn't flinging things across the room, he was barking in close proximity to Gisborne's face. Sir Guy of Gisborne wore a sullen expression as he took the sheriff's abuse and waited for the fit to wear itself out.

From what Elsie could gather, it seemed a shipment of money had been sent to London, but the convoy was intercepted outside of Nottinghamshire. Looking to recruit more associates for the Black Knights, the money had been intended for division among Prince John's most loyal supporters. What seemed to upset the sheriff the most was that it had happened outside of his jurisdiction, which meant Robin Hood was not to blame.

Elsie could only watch and listen from the shadows of her cage as the two men bickered about their predicament. Their quarreling became nothing more than background noise as her mind wandered off toward unrealistic daydreams. A million unlikely ideas for her rescue swirled around in her head. She particularly liked the idea of Robin and Much bursting through the doors and slaying anyone who got in their way. It was a bit absurd, because she knew her brother was more cunning than that. Still, it amused her to imagine all the possibilities.

After a while, Elsie's legs began to cramp. They were begging to be stretched, but of course that would be slightly impossible within the confines of her prison. The only way for her to relieve some of the pain was to shift her weight around the best she could and hope that the tension passed. In a wild turn of events, her delicate movement was enough to draw the sheriff's attention. She could feel his beady little eyes narrowing upon her from across the room. Looking up, she held his gaze as he glared at her.

"Gisborne!" he shouted loudly, as if his comrade was hard of hearing, not taking his eyes off the prisoner.

"My lord?"

"Do you notice anything different about our little birdie here?" he asked, stalking toward the cage.

Suddenly snapped from his stupor, Gisborne quickly advanced to the sheriff's side, gazing at Elsie as though she were on display for their viewing pleasure. He gave an uncertain shake of his head. "She looks the same to me, my lord."

"No," breathed the sheriff, still eyeing her with great care. "Something has changed; she's more lively, more alert. Almost more confident..." His eyebrows slid up his forehead at his revelation, pressing his face closer to the bars. A wicked grin played on his lips. "He is here, isn't he? Hood is somewhere in the castle. Isn't he?"

Elsie tried not to react. She didn't want to confirm or deny his conjecture, but the sheriff seemed to have a keen sense when it came to reading people. He nodded as if she had just revealed some elaborate plan.

"And I thought this was going to be a bad day. Gisborne," he hollered unnecessarily, as Gisborne had been hovering over his shoulder. "Prepare the girl for transport."

"Where are we taking her?"

The sheriff had moved to his desk and was rummaging through the debris of papers. He looked up at Gisborne's inquiry. "Oh, don't you worry. I'll see to that detail. You just make sure not to mess things up."

"Yes, my lord," Gisborne muttered, taking his leave to find some guards.

After a moment or two the sheriff exited the room as well. Elsie was alone with only her reeling thoughts to keep her company. Fear prickled at her skin. She could not imagine what the sheriff had in store for her next; she didn't want to imagine. She tried to remind herself that Robin was close at hand, which was a comforting thought. However, if she was being moved, would he be able to find her?

Luckily, her train of thought was cut short as Gisborne re-entered the room with a parade of guards. Aside from the taps of their shoes on the stone, they moved silently into the room to await further instruction. As Gisborne gave them their orders, Elsie tried to see if she could spot Much among them, but with only their eyes exposed, it was difficult to tell for certain.

"I want you men to retrieve the girl and bind her. The rest of you are to follow behind with the birdcage."

Not wanting to make their job any easier, Elsie kicked and wriggled the best she could when they tried to pull her from the cage. Her fight didn't last long since she had weakened over the last few days. She felt unsteady on her feet and stumbled as she tried to stand. The muscles in her legs burned as two guards pulled her upright, supporting her at either side while a third guard strapped her arms to her sides with a thick piece of rope. A second line of rope was used to tie her wrists together.

"Tighter," Gisborne demanded, inspecting the binding from over the guard's shoulder.

Elsie winced with anticipation for the rope to begin gnawing into her flesh, but even as the guard complied with Gisborne's orders, the wrist breaking tug she expected never came. Curious, Elsie looked up at the man in front of her. He caught her eye for the briefest moment and winked so quickly that had she blinked in the same moment she would have missed it. Her heart skipped a beat at the gesture. Those eyes definitely weren not the same ones she had seen earlier, so she knew it wasn't Much, but she could not be certain if it was her brother. Lost in thought, she was startled as someone gave her a nudge from behind, signaling the procession from the room. It didn't matter where the sheriff took her; she wasn't going there alone.

A/N: I appreciate any and all feedback! Thanks!