Chapter 2: Marian's death
Pitts smiled self-confidently as he strode over to Robin and stopped next to him. 'Your friend is dead.'
Robin felt his heart freeze to a block of ice.
'Dead?' Much gasped.
Pitts nodded, a little too cocky, and moved to parade out of the cave. But Little John lifted his staff and stopped him cold. Robin was barely aware of Penny moving around Little John and in front of Pitts. He suddenly had to see Marian. He quickly went over to find Dqac staring down at Marian's still, pale and limp form. Dqac turned around, tears in her eyes.
'Robin…' she murmured. 'I'm sorry.'
She moved off to join the others.
'I hate it when I'm right,' Penny stated, as she came in front of Pitts. 'My brother may just kill you. What did you do to her?'
She pulled out a dagger and held it at his throat. Little John lowered the staff. He could obviously tell Penny had no qualms with using that dagger.
'Nothing,' Pitts answered, seeming unnerved by her reference to Robin as her "brother". 'Is it my fault a woman's body is weak?'
Penny scoffed. By now Little John had moved to the side, Dqac and Much had their swords out and Myra had her mace out. The gang had formed a circle around Pitts, all of them ready to use their weapons on him. Penny glared at the physician.
'Marian is not a stereotypical woman, Pitts,' Penny stated coldly. 'She is a very strong woman and you murdered her, I am certain. Myra?'
'Prob'ly too much hemlock,' Myra said. 'What do you think, Dqac?'
Dqac nodded. Penny knew Dqac had seen everything that Pitts did to Marian. She would know if he did something he shouldn't have done. Her father had likely taught her what he knew about medicine so she'd know for absolute certain if he'd done something wrong.
Pitts had purposely killed the woman Penny had already seen as a sister. For that, Penny had little doubt that he would die. If not by her hand, then by her brother's hand. Myra had told her about Robin's recent aversion to killing but Penny knew how her brother felt about Marian. He would kill again because of this.
May God have mercy on your soul, physician. Penny thought bitterly.
Robin crossed over to Marian, his heart feeling like cold stone. He knelt down by her side, where he had knelt and told her he regretted going and loosing her hours before.
'Marian…' He felt himself starting to sob as he cupped her face. 'Marian…I love you…I love you.' He sobbed more and fought to compose himself. 'I never said. Why did I not say? Marian…I…I love you.'
He leaned down and kissed her, pouring all of his pent-up love and all his grief onto her cold, still lips. When he pulled away he just needed to cry. And he did. He folded his arms over her torso and cried over her body.
'When you called Robin Hood your brother, what did you mean?' Pitts asked nervously.
'As I said,' Penny answered, the dagger pressed harder against his throat. 'He is my older brother. I am, as I was called at birth, Penelope of Loxley. But since my brother became an outlaw I call myself Penny Hood. Robin Hood and I share blood, Pitts. And your master killed our father and brothers. That is what I meant when I called him my brother.'
'Robin Hood has no taste for killing,' Pitts stated. 'If you share blood, as you say, then neither will you.'
'Keep dreaming, Pitts.' Penny scoffed. 'Robin Hood's distaste for killing was born in the Holy Lands. I myself have never been to the Holy Lands. I have no such problem with it. Furthermore, you killed Marian. That itself will cure my brother of his distaste for killing. Temporarily, if not permanently.'
Pitts licked his lips nervously. 'What are you going to do with me?'
Penny smirked. 'I don't know. We might kill you or we might let the Sheriff kill you. See, you know the truth. You're a liability to them.'
'I could tell him who the Nightwatchman is,' Pitts retorted.
'Was.' Penny's eyes and voice turned hard and cold. 'You and Gisborne killed her, remember? Anyway, that would only preserve you for a few minutes, if that. Once you give the information, he will kill you.'
'Robin!' the irritatingly familiar voice sing-songed from outside.
'Speak of the devil and he will appear,' Penny remarked. 'Myra, Dqac, keep the physician at blade's edge, will you? John, Much, with me. We're going to stall them.'
Everyone understood that Robin was too distraught to be their leader there and then, so the mantle fell to his baby sister.
'Robin!' Robin heard the Sheriff call in a sing-song voice. 'Robin! Come out, come out, wherever you are!'
He raised his head. If the Sheriff was here, so was Gisborne. The murderous scum that killed Marian. His overwhelming grief turned to overwhelming anger.
He listened to his sister taking his role for the moment, coming up with a plan and working to keep them busy for a while. He knew why too. His sister knew him as well as he knew her.
The anger was so intense, all he could do was stare harshly at the wall.
She knew it. She knew he'd need time before he moved. And she knew what he would do when he did move.