Chapter Nine------------------------------

Anna ran through the trees to see Joel, with Allan lagging behind her. "You said he was here!"

"He was, I swear! I don't how far he could go with the way he was." Allan turned in a circle.

"What is wrong with you?" Anna slapped him off the back of his head. "You don't joke about something like that!"

"Ow," he whined. "I didn't! He was 'ere a minute ago!" Allan glared at his sister.

"That doesn't help me! He's not here now, Allan!" She shoved him into a tree.

"Well hurting me doesn't 'elp either! It's not fair! And I can't hit girls!" Allan protested.

"That's what makes it fair for me!"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Allan shuffled his feet.

"Yes it does! Liar! We should go back to camp if the only reason you wanted me here was to trick me." Anna stormed off towards camp.

Allan and Anna heard the outlaws before they could see the camp. "What's wrong with Robin?"

"I don't know, but we're going to find out." Allan grinned.

As the A-Dale siblings got closer they heard the gang's argument, "Master! You can't kill him! This is not as serious as it was with Gisbourne!"

"I will not just a let a traitor slip through my hands again! He has to be punished!"

As Anna saw who was being discussed her anger took over, "Robin, you let him go!"

He looked behind him, "No! He's a traitor! Why do you care, anyway?"

"Because! And you prove that he is a traitor!" She walked over to him.

"I saw him in the Holy Land! He disappeared one day and declared a deserter! Happy now?" Robin had now reached his boiling point.

Anna would not be fazed by this, "Look at him! Don't you think he's been punished enough?"

"What is going on?" Adam dismounted from his horse. "Joel?"

"Anna, you could've told me that!" Robin said. He walked over to the tree Joel was tied to and yelled at him. "What happened to you?"

Joel looked helplessly at Anna, who answered for him, "Does it matter?"

"You know, Anna, it does," Robin growled at her.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!" Allan stepped in.

"If you're so concerned about her, you should know what's going on!" The outlaw leader paced between Allan and Joel.

"I do. . ." Allan said.

"Well then, tell me!"

"Alright." the trickster sighed. "I was working for Gisbourne, and Joel found out. I tried to make sure that he would stay silent about it, but. . ."

"Allan, what are you doing?" Anna asked in disbelief.

"I second that, what are you doing?" Adam added.

Allan simply shook his head, "I'm confessing."

"So, you are not the only traitor," Robin hissed at Joel. "I would like all four of you to be gone by sundown." He turned to Allan, "Just one last question, why did you betray us?"

"What can I say, blood is thicker than water."

As the rejected members of Robin's gang rode away, Anna felt guilty. "Why did you do that? It was not you're job to step in like that."

"You're my younger sibling, it's my job to keep you safe. I failed with Tom, but I will not with you." He grinned at her.

"Thank you." The mention of Tom saddened them both.

Adam tried to lighten the mood, "So you two are married?"

"Yes!" answered Joel.

"Okay, fine." He laughed.