Chapter 3: Anger and blood

'You're getting slack, my friend!' Penny heard the Sheriff call to Robin. 'Could you have made it easier for me? Hm? If you took me by the hand and led me to your little hidey-hole. A clue: no.'

'Allan,' Much muttered as he, Little John and Penny prepared themselves. 'Where are Allan and Will?'

Penny, as it turned out, had her own bow and she had strapped a quiver of arrows to her back.

'More of the gang?' Penny asked, from where she laid on the boulder that Much was taking cover behind, invisible to the Sheriff, Gisborne and their men.

'Yeah,' Little John agreed.

'Robin, what do we do with him?' Dqac asked, 'If he dies, we have nothing against Gisborne.'

Robin knelt by Marian's side, staring at the wall. He didn't answer. His rage was still building. And his mind plotted the ways to make Gisbourne pay for what he had done.

'Now.'

Little John and Penny stood up and Much stepped out from behind the boulder. Penny and Much drew their bows and arrows.

'Stand!' Much yelled.

'Oo,' the Sheriff remarked as they all stopped and looked at them.

Gisborne's eyes were instantly drawn to Penny's face as he recognised her.

'Stand or we shoot!' Much yelled.

'There are three of you!' the Sheriff called to them after glancing around and seeing no one else.

'Last warning!' Much yelled.

'How many do you think there are, Gisborne?' the Sheriff asked.

'A dozen or so at the most,' Gisborne answered.

'Ah.' The Sheriff laughed.

'Of the inner circle,' he added.

'And how many of the outer circle?' the Sheriff asked.

'I don't know,' Gisborne answered, temporarily tearing his gaze away from Penny to glance around before he returned his gaze to her.

'Recognise the new girl?' the Sheriff asked, noticing.

'She was there when I killed Hood's father and brothers,' Gisborne answered. 'She's the one that ran away. His sister.'

'So nice of you to remember,' Penny hissed scathingly.

'Penelope of Loxley.' The Sheriff chuckled. 'I thought you met your end out there.'

Penny's lips twisted to one side. 'I prefer Penny Hood, if you don't mind.'

'Of course,' the Sheriff agreed. Then he spoke only to Gisborne. 'Why aren't they running? Why are they not running? Hood must be in there!'

'John?' Much asked. 'Penny? What now?'

'Bored now,' the Sheriff remarked. 'Kill them!'

'John,' Much repeated. 'Penny. I think we're going to die.'

'A good day,' Little John stated, smearing mud under his eyes.

'What?' Much asked.

'A good day to die,' John stated.

'What?' Much repeated.

'It's a saying, Much,' Penny said.

'I hate sayings,' Much grumbled.

Penny braced herself for arrows to be flying at her, but first arrows flew from behind her and hit the Sheriff's men, killing them dead. Penny, realising what was happening, didn't even bother turning around like Much and Little John did.

'You crossed a line that should never be crossed, Gisborne!' she yelled.

One of the guards dropped dead in front of the Sheriff, as he scabbled around for his tooth, an arrow through his heart.

'What is this?' the Sheriff hissed. 'Hood does not kill!'

Even as he spoke, he knew the answer. They'd killed his father and his brothers and hurt his sister. And now he knew that for sure.

Robin Hood was angry.

'It's a good day…to die!' Much screamed as they all ran down there.

Penny dropped her bow, drew her sword and, along with Robin, Much, Little John and Dqac, ran down, screaming, attacking the guards.

'What is this?' the Sheriff screamed as she efficiently slit the throat of one of the guards. 'Is this suicide?'

No. Penny thought wryly as she slammed two guards into separate trees. This is insanity! Sort of like our current love triangle situation.

'Where've you been?' Little John asked.

'Uh…' Allan started trying to make up an excuse.

Will was far more honest. 'We were going to Scarborough.'

Penny raised her eyebrows and glanced down at Robin who was sitting at her feet.

'Yeah,' Allan muttered. 'We came back though. What can I say?'

'Sorry,' Will said.

'Yeah,' Allan agreed.

The group remained sombre.

'What?' Allan asked. 'We said "sorry".'

'Marian,' Much stated. 'Gisborne stabbed Marian last night.'

'And now she's…' Penny trailed off, unsure if Robin would be able to bear even hearing the words.

'She's dead,' he finished for her, letting her know he could. 'Marian's dead.'

'Oi!' Myra yelled and they all looked up. 'She's started breathin'!'

Robin was on his feet in an instant and sprinting up to the cave, Penny hot on his heels and his gang hot on her heels.

'On the blade.' Dqac smiled. 'She is breathing.'

'What?' Much asked.

'Physicians draught,' Dqac stated. 'I have heard of this. Hemlock. Too much and the body freezes. The breathing stops. But, if the body is young and strong, the body fights back. Comes back from the dead.'

'She died,' Allan pointed out.

'And came back.' Dqac laughed.

Robin moved and cupped her face again and everyone else moved back, but stayed close enough to see.

'Marian?' Robin asked. 'Marian?'

Her eyelids fluttered open and she looked right at Robin, confusion clouding her face.

'Where have I been?' she asked.

'I don't know,' Robin responded. 'But I'm glad you're back.'

Everyone was either smiling, or chuckling quietly, in relief. Marian was alive.