An Impromptu Rescue
Chapter 1: Queen in Distress
A/N: So this is the very first fic I'm publishing. Go easy on me. I have no idea how many people will even read this, but I hope this a story people will enjoy.
Happy Reading!
This is absurd! She was put in shackles like a common thief by these two idiots under false pretences. And she knows exactly where they're taking her. The public chopping block – more formerly known as the public execution stage. Regina knows this looks bad, but despite her sudden panic she's determined to talk her way out. "I am the Queen!" she proclaims, "I'll prove it!"
"And how do you plan on accomplishing that?" the knight known as Rivers scoffs, his grip on her arm becoming tighter.
She has to stop herself from wincing, instead she tries to concentrate on choosing her words whilst being dragged towards the damned block. "I know things about you that no one else does." She says hating how her voice sounds exasperated. Well desperate times call for desperate measures.
"Oh really?" the other knight named Berkley answers giving her a rough shove for good measure. Regina noticed the block was now only about fifteen feet away.
"Yes!" she exclaims appealing to Rivers, "I hired you a year ago, despite your drunkenness and you–" she turns to face Berkley knowing the block was nearing ten feet away, "you–uh!" but was cut off by the chickens that were trying to flap out of their path. Only five feet left. "I had you flogged last spring for lateness!" They pushed her up the steps and onto the stage of the chopping block and Regina says in a last attempt "How would I know that?"
"I'm not liking her any better." Rivers sneers as he moves her into position behind the block.
"Let's cut off her head." Berkley responds as he picks up the axe resting against the same bloodstained chopping block that Rivers slams her neck onto, causing Regina to grunt. Rivers holds her steady with a bone crushing grip.
Berkley raises the axe above his head. Looks like tine's run out. As a last resort Regina yells out "Rumpelstiltskin!" as the axe comes swinging down…
Suddenly there's a swoosh! And Berkley jerks his swing away from its current course, causing the axe to fall out of his grasp and clatter to the floor.
Regina gasps in shock and snaps her head in the direction of the commotion as Rivers has released the grip he had on her neck. When she turns her head, she sees that Berkley is struggling as he has an arrow lodged in his arm. Taking advantage of the distraction Regina moved her head from the chopping block and tries to go backwards just as she hears a sword being unsheathed. She lifts her to see a green cloaked figure armed with a bow aiming to attack Rivers and discovers that Rivers was the one to unsheathe the sword. The figure kicks Rivers in the stomach causing him to stumble backwards and off of the stage. Regina quickly shuffles over to the edge of the stage in an attempt to stay out of the way, Berkley then goes in for an attack which the figure dodges and then uses their bow to knock them down.
Regina manages to stand up, dazed as to exactly what is going on as she hears the clash of metal on metal. She looks around for a way down but is unable to find one in the continuous chaos.
Suddenly, Regina feels a searing pain in her right thigh. She cries out as she loses her balance and falls from the stage, faintly aware of the hands that are grabbing her as she falls. But when she tries to stand up all she can feel is pain as her right leg gives out beneath her, causing her to let out a whimper as she falls to the floor.
As she lays in a heap on the floor, Regina hears the grunts of Rivers and Berkley. She looks up in a haze to see they're lying on the floor in front of the stage. She then feels several hands helping her stand as her gaze darts towards the figure on the stage, still covered by their hood.
Regina then focuses on standing up despite the protest of her right leg. she attempts to call out again for the one man that can save her, "Rump–" but is cut of when her head lifts and sees that the figure has pulled back their hood to reveal a man with dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes.
As their gazes lock Regina realises that this man is none other than,
"Robin Hood."
Regina then falls into darkness.
Another scouting patrol to check on the inner happenings of the Queen's realm. Robin Hood thinks as he crouches in the shadows of the building he was currently on.
He and a small group from his band of Merry Men were planning to rob one of the Lords in this realm and Robin was charged with the role of scouting the area as was customary seeing as he was the leader after all. Besides he wanted this plan laid out well so that he and his men knew exactly what they were doing, particularly seeing as he has a lot running on the line.
Yes, his men were important to him – they were his family – but if Robin were to get caught it would mean that his son, Roland may never see his papa again. And Robin couldn't allow that to happen, especially seeing as the boy had already lost his mother. Robin made a vow to himself the day his wife, Marian left him and their son, a vow to always protect Roland, to put him first and to never allow him to lose another parent. That is the real reason Robin cannot afford for this heist to fail.
And it's also part of the reason why he's currently hiding in the shadows and scouting out the village below for the regular patrols of the Queen's guard.
Alright Robin focus. The sooner this is over, the sooner you can execute the heist and then go home to Roland. Robin takes a deep breath and mentally shakes himself out of his musings before focusing back on the task at hand.
So far, he's noticed that very few black knights are actually sent to patrol the village, meaning that after raiding the Lord of his wealth he and his men will be able to cut through the village before regrouping with the other Merry Men back in Sherwood Forest before distributing the wealth amongst the poor.
Even though the plan really is simple, if the exit plan isn't formulated properly that's where things can start to go wrong. So, Robin refocuses himself, making sure that he's gathered all the information that he will need before reporting to the others.
When he notices nothing out of the ordinary from the village below Robin decides it would be okay to travel in the shadows of the rooftops and head back to his camp which currently resides within the forest surrounding this realm. Robin pulls his cloak tighter and moves the hood further over his head before moving further into the shadows and heading in the direction of the forest.
He moves quickly, jumping from roof to roof and constantly moving within the shadows in order to stay hidden from the square's market and bustling crowd below. Just as Robin is about to move past the square below, he hears a shout of Let go of me! causing Robin to stop in his tracks and whirl around to scan the crowds below. At first he can't spot the source of the voice due to the amount of people moving about the many stalls of the market, but then he spots two black knights dragging a woman towards the middle of the town square where Robin knows a stage is situated. And on top of that stage sits a wooden block stained with the blood of those that have been beheaded upon it.
Robin doesn't even stop to think, he just acts on instinct and starts darting back along the rooftops towards the stage. He moves as quickly as his body will allow him, praying that he'll be fast enough to reach the stage in time and help this poor woman. Robin glances towards the woman who is still currently being dragged by the knights and continuing to yell at them to let her go. He continues to run, never slowing down as he focuses on reaching the rooftop behind the stage.
Once the outlaw reaches his goal, he scans the crowd for the two black knights and their hostage. Robin spots them almost immediately, noticing that the party of three has nearly reached their destination. Robin looks for a way down from the rooftop and spots some rope tied to one of the beams. He grabs it and then gives it a firm tug to see if it will hold. Robin then makes sure his bow, quiver and sword are all secure before gripping onto the rope tightly and swinging down from the roof and onto the ground below, landing in a crouch.
He quickly scans the area, gaining his bearings before he dashes towards the stage still trying to stay hidden amongst the crowd.
As he makes his way to the front of the stage Robin notices that the black knights have already hauled the woman onto the stage. One of the knights is now pushing her head onto the chopping block whilst the other knight has started to line up the axe with the hostage's neck.
Robin acts on instinct, pulling his bow from its position on his back and then grabbing an arrow from his quiver before notching the arrow and taking aim. The black knight with the axe has it raised above his head, preparing to swing it down. Robin aims for the knight's arm – just above the elbow – and releases the arrow. At the same time, he hears a cry that he cannot make out from the captive woman, then time seems to slow as the axe swings down and his arrow flies towards its target. Just as Robin fears that the arrow will miss, it makes contact, causing the knight to swing wide of the axe's current course and loose his grip, making the axe fall and thankfully it misses the poor woman completely. Robin watches as the knight stumbles back and tries to dislodge the arrow from his arm as his companion looks on with confusion.
Robin takes this opportunity to sprint towards the stage. As he reaches the steps to ascend the stage the dumbfounded knight seems to come to his senses upon seeing Robin's approach as he unsheathes his sword. The outlaw moves quickly up the steps before kicking the knight in the chest, knocking him back off of the stage. Out the corner of his eye, Robin spots the other knight swing their sword in his direction and quickly dodges the blow before using his bow to strike his stomach and cause the knight to double over, Robin then crashes his bow into the knight's back effectively knocking him down. The outlaw continues to unsheathe his own sword as he notices the knight he had kicked off of the stage is now running towards him from the front of the stage. The knight swings his sword which Robin blocks with his own before moving quickly and slamming his sword on top of the knight's and using the hilt to hit him in the face, again sending the knight tumbling off the stage. Robin whirls around hoping to now get the woman to safety when he notices the knight with the arrow still lodged in his arm has gotten up and is going for another attack with his sword. Robin uses the chopping block to avoid the knight's swing by nimbly jumping over the top. He hears a shriek and notices the woman has fallen off the stage and hopes she isn't badly hurt before turning his attention back to the knight on the stage and giving him a kick in the face, making him lose his balance. Robin hears the other knight come up behind him and ducks, completely missing the blow. The outlaw then elbows him in the face before kicking him in the chest causing the knight to fly off the stage. The knight still on the stage has regained his balance and again swings his sword at Robin which he deflects. The outlaw then grabs the knight by the collar of his armour and pushes him off the stage and into the other knight, effectively knocking both knights out.
Breathing heavily, Robin quickly pulls back his hood and scans the gasping crowd for the woman he was saving. He then hears a loud and mumbled groan and turns to his left seeing the exact woman he was looking for and smiles in relief. Their eyes lock and Robin gives a slight nod of his head. He sees the woman murmur something he cannot make out before her legs give out and she collapses.
Robin swiftly descends the stage as he makes his way over to the crowd surrounding the woman. He quickly tells them to get back and to give her some space which they rapidly comply to, stepping back and creating room. Robin moves to the woman's side and gives her a quick once over to access for any injuries and discovers a wound to the woman's right thigh. Making his decision hurriedly as he is aware the black knights could wake at any moment; Robin gingerly picks the woman up in a bridal-style fashion and moves in the direction of the forest without uttering a word to the crowd.