AN: thanks for being so patient~ the angst continues.
warning for Robin being pretty dark but hey, his victim deserved it.
Kate and Much circle around the little house and Robin has John and Tuck spread out, John goes round the side, Tuck goes round the back. He goes in the front way.
The door isn't locked.
There are two royal guards in the first room, relaxing and chatting amiably, a flagon of ale between them. One of them manages to reach for his sword (knocking the flagon on to the floor where it shatters loudly and Robin winces) Robin cuts him down, his friend barely has time to register what's happening before he too is on the floor bleeding.
(We do not kill, Much's voice says in his head.)
Two more guards barrel in from some other room in the house, swords at the ready and Robin grins. He hasn't felt this thirst, this hunger for battle since the Holy Land. Somewhere, somewhere deep within him, there's a coil of disgust. He never wanted to be this man again but then again he never wanted to be an outlaw. Life wasn't meant to go like this but it did and for right now this bloodthirsty soldier who cuts mean down with ease is who he needs to be.
He takes them out, leaves them gurgling and moaning on the floor and passes through into a pantry room where Tuck and John have subdued a further four men. "The Sheriff?" he asks, panting.
They both shake their head and Robin silently swears, moving back through the house. There's a door beside the entry to the pantry and Robin tries it, finds it locked and frowns, "John," he calls, spinning but when he turns he's met with an all too familiar grin.
"Well, hullo Hood. I was wondering when you'd find my little hide out," Vaisey purrs.
It registers somewhere in Isabella's head that something downstairs is amiss. She hears the sound of breaking glass and the harsh clash of metal, the dull thud of bodies hitting the floor. She thinks maybe she should go down, she has a dagger (that Guy gave her years ago, she could use it.)
There's only one person she can think of who'd break in, who'd hunt them down and take out the guards.
Robin.
She's not on his side anymore, if she ever was (there was a part of her that really did want that farm and those children and that life with him that they both knew they could never have) she knows he'll kill her on sight. Or one of his men will (probably the woman - what was that old saying about hell and scorned women?) So she should probably be fighting against them. But she can't defend Vaisey.
She can't.
She's never had a black and white life. There's never been just good and bad but now there are so many shades of gray she can't see any other colour. She's drowning.
It registers somewhere deep within her that Vaisey might kill Guy rather than let Robin save him (if he can be saved.)
She thinks maybe she should do something but her legs won't work.
She feels like a child again watching her house burn down with her parents inside.
Her world is ending (maybe it's already ended and this is just the grand finale) and she can't do anything but sit on her bed and hope that Robin has an inch of mercy left in his heart for her.
"Vaisey," Robin growls.
John and Tuck have emerged from the pantry and flank him on either side, he has this absurd urge to tell them to stand down because this is his fight but that'd be wrong. Vaisey's caused them both suffering in equal measure.
"I'm going to have to ask you to stop right there," Vaisey sniggers. "That's my special room. I can't have you contaminating it."
Robin catches John's eye, nods to the door but as John moves towards it a throwing dagger thunks in to it heavily. "I said, no." Vaisey snaps, brandishing a few more daggers.
Robin laughs, "You're outnumbered, Vaisey. Your guards are all dead, you really think you can fight us all off? Give up."
Vaisey's eyes are darting between them despite the cool smile on his face, he's panicking, Robin can tell. There's no way out for him this time. No guards, no master-at-arms, no Prince John to hide behind. The daggers lower a fraction. The beast in Robin's stomach purrs.
"Open that door, John," he barks, then he glances back at Vaisey. "Is there anyone else here beside you?"
Vaisey snorts, "There's an old friend of yours upstairs. I assume you'll want to slaughter her as well."
Robin nods to Tuck and the friar heads for the rickety wooden stairs.
"You know," Vaisey says, as John thuds in to the door. "I may have misjudged you. I always thought you were a spineless do-gooder but this Robin? This Robin I like."
The door falls off it's hinges and John disappears in to the room.
Robin's skin crawls. "I'm nothing like you, Vaisey."He spits.
"Robin..." John's unsure voice calls from the room.
"That's what they all say," Vaisey giggles. "But I can see it, Locksley. You like the bloodshed. You like the killing. You're no better than me."
"Robin!" John's voice again, more insistent this time.
Tuck appears at the bottom of the stairs, Isabella trailing after him. "Tuck, John needs you." he says and Tuck nods, heading in to the room with John.
Isabella's eyes are wide and blank, he tosses her a length of rope. "Tie him up." He orders, gesturing with his blade. Isabella moves to obey, her movements are sluggish, as though she's in a dream. Once she's done Robin ties her wrists and shoves them both in to the little pantry, shutting the door firmly before turning in to the now door-less chamber.
Tuck is bent over someone chained by their wrists to a bed frame. The man is naked but for a thin pair of breeches, bloodstained. His skin is pale, a hundred shades of bruised and littered with swirly cuts and whip marks. He's sweating, wracked with fever and murmuring under his breath in a desperate, ragged voice.
Robin moves forwards to see the man's face and feels like the breath has been knocked out of him.
"Gisborne?" he breaths.
Much raises his head slightly when he sees the cottage door open and Tuck emerges. He signals to Kate who emerges from the opposite side of the field and they move forward to meet them and Much is apprehensive because Tuck's expression is grim. Maybe they didn't find Vaisey. Maybe it was just a look alike.
But then John is emerging and he's carrying someone and Much breaks in to a run because if that's Robin then- Much doesn't want to think about that.
When he gets closer he realises that it can't be Robin because the man John's carrying is too long limbed, has too much hair. He recognises that man (and he's supposed to be dead too, well he looks dead anyway.)
He reaches Tuck and John and Tuck says, "We need to get away from here. We need to get him away from here." he says, gesturing to Gisborne.
"What about-" Much begins and Tuck cuts him off.
"Robin's dealing with Vaisey and Isabella."
Isabella? Does no one stay dead these days?
Kate reaches them panting and wide eyed, "What's happening? How's he here?" she asks, bewildered.
"Robin wants you in there with him," Tuck says. "You're to meet us at the empty cottage a few miles from here."
And Much blinks at that because Archer said that was for emergencies only but he looks again at Gisborne and guesses that yes, this qualifies as an emergency.
"Much," Tuck says, "You're with us."
And then they're running again.
When Kate reaches the cottage she finds Robin standing over Vaisey's body.
His sword is bloody and there's a wild-eyed look in her eyes that scares her more than Prince John's men ever did.
"Robin..." she begins softly and he startles like a wild animal, turns towards her, eyes dark. "Robin!" she repeats, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
He blinks a few times, "Kate." he rasps.
"It's okay," she says, approaching him slowly, hands spread. "It's okay." She reaches him and touches his shoulder gently. He sighs, leans in to the touch. "It's over."
"No," he says grimly. "No, it's not." He indicates a corner of the room and Kate turns to find Isabella Gisborne staring blankly back at her.
The abandoned cottage Archer told them about is little more than a ruin but it's shelter and Archer must have used it semi-frequently because there are bedrolls and food stores.
John lowers Gisborne on to one of the bedrolls and Tuck's darting about searching for any medical supplies. Much is starting to realise just how serious this might be. "Why's he shaking like that?" he asks, as Tuck shoves a damp cloth in to his hands and directs him to press it against Gisborne's forehead.
"Infection," Tuck replies distractedly. "The wounds." He growls, "This is no good! We need medicines or he's going to die."
"I'll go to town," John says, moving towards the door. "Just tell me what you need."
"Anything antiseptic," Tuck says back. "Much, go into the hills and see if you can find any lavender."
"Lavender?" Much repeats dazedly.
"Yes," Tuck snaps. "Lavender or sage. Go! Now!"
Much doesn't need telling twice.