Missing by Ecri
A Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Story
Chapter 6
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
It was Marian's mother who took charge. She sat the King down and gave him as much food and drink as she had available in her rooms. As she listened to him regale her with the tale of how Prince John had captured and imprisoned him, she tutted and fussed over him. By the time he'd eaten, aside from still being filthy, he looked much more himself.
"I owe my good condition to Will Scarlett," he confessed. "The boy risked a lot to smuggle food and wine to me. I would be much weaker if not for the boy." He looked worried and Marian couldn't help but share the sentiment.
As they tried to plan their next move there was a soft knock at the door. Kahlor drew his sword and motioned for the women to join the King on the farside of the room. He crept to the door and pulled it open a crack, but then swung it wide and swept the man who stood there inside.
"Report," Kahlor barked. The man did so quickly.
"The missing men are not in the catacombs. We've learned they were moved. We know not where, but Prince John himself had him taken to somewhere called the hidden chamber."
King Richard laughed. "I know where that is! John thinks it a secret, but I discovered it long ago. It is near to his private chambers, though I've heard he's moved into mine."
Kahlor nodded. "If that's the case, there may be a few guards but not much else by the hidden chamber. I'll check that in a few hours. With luck, we can come up with a plan by this time tomorrow."
"Tomorrow!" cried Marian, dismayed at the thought of delaying now that they might have a good lead as to where Robin, and now Will, were being held.
King Richard put a hand on her shoulder and she looked into his eyes. They were full of sorrow, regret, and determination. "We'll rescue them, Marian. You have my word."
She nodded, but she didn't feel that confident.
"Well," said Marian's mother. "It's time we all settled down for the night. Marian will come stay in my room." She looked to Richard. "You stay here. It's not uncommon for one of us to stay with the other. No one will think anything of it."
King Richard nodded gratefully. "I'll remember your kindness, Ladies," he vowed, tiredly resuming his seat. With Kahlor vowing to guard the King, the women left.
"Mother," Marian said when they were alone. "If this doesn't work out, I'd like you to come home with me. I don't think you'd be safe here."
Her mother shook her head sadly. "Dear, if this doesn't work out, we'll have to flea to France or Spain. Nottingham isn't nearly far enough away to be safe."
Marian sighed in agreement and spent the rest of the evening counting the moments until dawn.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin stared hard at Will wishing the younger man would wake at least long enough to confirm he was all right. Instead, his brother remained infuriatingly and frustratingly unconscious. He'd prayed long and hard to be able to see his brother, to see Marian once more, but he hadn't intended for Will to be a prisoner. He'd have preferred death to sitting here and wondering if his brother would live through the night.
He heard a low groan and couldn't stop himself from calling to his brother. "Will? Will, are you awake? Come on, Brother, wake up."
Another groan, and then he heard Will's voice. "Robin?" The younger man asked softly. "W-where are we?"
"We've been moved. Some secret chamber. I don't know much. Are you all right?" Robin's heart was in his throat.
"Been better," Will admitted.
"Don't worry. I'm sure Azeem will find us," Robin said, trying to sound confident.
Will either didn't hear him or ignored him. Before he could say anything to draw out his brother, get him to confirm how he was, the door opened.
Two guards entered followed by Prince John. John was smiling. It neither suited him, nor did it look even remotely friendly.
"Both awake, I see," John said unnecessarily. "Good." He walked towards Will and lightly, almost tenderly patted his face. Will pulled back as though expecting to be hit. That reaction alone troubled Robin, and he called out to John to draw his attention before the Prince decided to pursue it.
"I was telling the truth. I don't have information for you."
John walked over to him. "How did you do it?"
Robin was puzzled. "Do what?"
"How did you defeat the Sheriff? The plan was a good one. Your father was disgraced. Your return was unlikely. Suddenly I was being told that you were leading the rabble of Sherwood Forest in fighting and taxing. How in the world did you do that?"
Realization hit him and stirred up things he thought he'd buried. "You were involved. Somehow, Nottingham had convinced you his plans were for the best. Did you know he wanted to take the Crown? Did you know he planned to be King himself?"
Prince John waved a hand. "What he wanted and what he planned were not realistic, though he never knew it. I was using him. Now, I'm going to use the two of you."
"What?" Robin asked.
John smiled and turned to Will. "Take his eyes," he said to the guards. Two of them stepped forward. One held the now struggling Will as the other approached with an arrow. The pair forced Will to hold still, though he struggled and screamed. The tip of the arrow rested lightly on Will's face, and Robin pleaded with Prince John.
His pleas were interrupted as another of the Prince's guards rushed into the room. A hasty whisper caused the Prince to curse. "Stop! Bring them!" He said, pointing to Robin and Will and swinging around to lead the guards from the room.
The arrow was withdrawn, and Will, still struggling and shaking from the emotion of the last few minutes, was bound and blindfolded. The same was done to Robin and they were led through the palace in darkness dependent on the guards.
Robin called softly to Will. "I'm here, brother. I'm here." He heard Will's struggles slow and cease, and he heaved a sigh of relief. They were together at least, and they hadn't been killed or maimed. That had to mean things were looking up.
To his surprise, they were brought outside. The cool breeze and the odor of horses told him that much. He was tossed into a wagon, and he heard Will's muffled cry as he landed roughly next to him.
The wagon began to move. He heard men running out and mounting horses and knew they were following the wagon, but whether they were giving chase or acting as escorts, he really couldn't say.
He did hear Prince John's voice. "How did he get out? He was trapped behind a wall for goodness sake, and no one knew he was there!"
The reply was lost to Robin as Will called to him softly. "Robin?"
"I'm here, Will."
"I…don't think I'm very good at these rescues."
Robin laughed and moved closer to his brother. "At least we're together this time," he whispered. Will's hand grasped his own.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
"How did he escape?" King Richard bellowed. He stood before the throne, still dirty from his own captivity. His guards were arrayed around him as though loathe to let him stray more than a few feet from them.
Captain Kahlor cleared his throat. "Someone warned him. Prince John was seen leaving the castle with his personal guards and at least two prisoners."
King Richard sighed and sat in his throne. "I want him found. I want those prisoners rescued. Before anyone in this castle is permitted any rest at all! Do you hear?"
Kahlor nodded and left to begin the search.
King Richard glanced around at the remaining guards. There were more than he'd imagined, but his original few dozen had been recruiting from among the servants, stable hands, and peasants they'd passed. It was a sizable army now, and he had a feeling he'd be hiring many of them to stay.
His concern now was Robin, Will, and of course Prince John. John would have to be banished at the very least. He imagined Will's reaction to that. The boy would undoubtedly remind anyone who would listen that treason would garner a death sentence from a commoner, and should warrant nothing less from a nobleman, even if the noble was a Prince. He sighed. Things had gotten too complicated.
He looked up at the sound of footsteps, and a cowed guard entered announcing Lady Marian. Richard groaned. He had to explain to Marian that her family was still out of reach. Complicated had just gotten worse.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Azeem listened as the King and Lady Marian discussed what was to be done about Robin and Will. He had his own ideas on the subject and while they wasted time on worry and what ifs and can'ts, he took his leave slipping away to find the trail the Prince and his men must have left before it grew too cold.
He'd taken steps in the preceding weeks to provide help when he would need it, but he couldn't be sure when that help would arrive. He would work alone until such time as they appeared. He smiled at the small knot of men appearing by the stables and nodded in recognition of their arrival. "Follow me," he said, and they fell into place behind him without question.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Prince John was an ambitious man, but by no means a hardy one. Travel in anything less than Royal Comfort was foreign to him. He was shouting at his men, who were beginning to realize that supporting Prince John was treason.
"Sire," someone was saying, "There's nowhere to run."
"We will meet up with the reserved soldiers soon enough. By dawn at the latest. When Prince John spoke again, his voice was shaky. "Why did you stop us? We should keep going."
"I thought we should leave them." Robin knew he meant to leave him and Will behind. He braced himself to be ready for whatever happened next.
"That's ridiculous. They are our only leverage. One is married to my cousin Marian. If she wants him back, she'll have to control that brother of mine."
"We can travel more quickly if we leave the wagon. We can leave England. You can rally an army, come up with a plan to seize the throne the next time your brother leaves the country. Please, Father…"
Robin heard the sound of flesh striking flesh.
"I told you not to call me that unless we were alone," Prince John spat.
"I-I'm s-sorry…"
"We're going to the rendezvous point. The men will be waiting."
"But, Sire, I'm sure we're being followed."
"Of course we are! My brother's men…"
"No, there's only one."
"How can you know that?"
Whatever answer came was lost in the rattle of the wheels as the wagon moved again and hit a large rut in the road. Robin considered what he'd heard, but there was little of any use. The fact that Prince John had a son, likely a bastard, wasn't anything he could use at the moment. The fact that there were more armed men waiting for them at some secret rendezvous point was disconcerting. Prince John's ambitions for the throne were well known, but he'd never seriously entertained the idea that Prince John would raise an army to force his brother to relinquish his rightful claim. He could only hope that whoever was following was someone willing to help.
It was some time before he heard a low groan from Will. His brother had been still and quiet for longer that Robin could ever recall barring the time he'd been healing from his injuries after the fight with Nottingham. Was he more seriously injured than Robin had believed? Had something unsettled him? He scowled at the stupidity of the thought. Everything that had happened since he and Marian had left for their trip had been unsettling. He could well imagine Will upon receiving word from Marian that he was missing. He knew it had been a long time, and he knew Will had likely endured a lot. Whether Robin would ever get him to share the story was unpredictable at best.
"Will?" Robin called. "Are you well?"
"That last rut was a mile deep," Will whispered.
Robin smiled. At least Will was still attempting to joke about things. "When we stop, we have to be ready to run," Robin said.
"Run? How can we? We're blindfolded and bound. We'd never get far."
There was bitterness in his tone and Robin didn't like to hear it. "We'll get far enough. It's dark and they have other concerns."
"They won't just through up their hands in defeat as we stagger off into the trees," Will said.
"No, but something will present itself."
"That's a vague plan even for you," Will laughed.
Robin smiled to hear it. "Just be prepared, Will. We need to take any advantage that comes our way."
"Fine," Will sighed. "But in the meantime, I'm going to try to get out of these ropes."
Robin listened to him struggle for a moment or two. "Roll," he whispered.
"What?"
"Roll towards me. I'll try to untie your hands. Then you can untie mine."
Will did as Robin asked, but it took a long time to work the ropes free. The knots were tight, and the rope was old and sturdier than it seemed. By the time he'd even loosened it a bit, he felt the wagon slow to a stop.
"Get them seen to," Prince John's voice called out.
Moments later, they were pulled from the wagon and dragged though the darkness. Tossed to the ground, and rough hands removed the ropes replacing them as they were tied to a tree. Robin was glad they were at least kept together.
The blindfolds were removed, and Robin wondered why, but then he realized it was meant to intimidate. The soldiers around them were innumerable. A veritable army camped in the woods preparing to strike at King Richard. Robin's thoughts were of Marian as his heart clenched at the thought of her stuck in the midst of the revolution.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Will leaned his head back against the tree pleased that the blindfold was gone and that they were out of that rumbling wagon. It had been disconcerting moving in darkness like that, and he had a headache from the effort of it.
He tried to think good things. Azeem was well and with Marian and King Richard. Surely he would find a way to help them. Of course, what could one man do against this? The men around them looked to be experienced soldiers, and he could only wonder how Prince John had raised such an army.
"He's not going to let us go." Will whispered the words, but it was his sudden understanding of the fact that they were completely expendable in this scenario that took the words from his mouth.
"What?" Robin asked.
"He can't. We've got no leverage with him. Why would he let us live?"
"We're his leverage. He wants to use us to bargain with the King," Robin said.
"Why would King Richard care if we live or die?"
"We're sort of related," Robin reminded him. "Will, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just don't like being used in a scheming rich boy's game."
"He's not your average scheming rich boy. He's a prince, and he's one step away from stealing the throne," Robin said.
Will began to move and Robin realized he was tugging at the ropes that secured them to the tree. "Will, you'll hurt yourself."
Will just tugged harder.
"Will!"
"I might hurt myself, but not as much as they'll hurt me…and you…if we don't get away." Fear was in his voice.
"Will, I won't let them hurt you," Robin whispered.
Will made a sound that was part snort, part laugh, and part sob. "You won't want them to hurt me. You're really not in any position to stop them. Between the two of us you have far more value in the Prince's eyes. I'm nothing." He flinched at the bitter bite he'd given that last word knowing Robin well enough to know he'd protest, that he'd try to make sure Will still believed in himself, in them, in Robin. "I'm less than nothing. I am only here to hold over your head." He despised being a pawn. He'd been used against his mother before she'd died. He'd been the reason she'd done awful things. To help him, to feed him, to keep him safe…if it hadn't been for him she'd have had a much better life.
"Will," Robin began, "don't say such things," and it was only then that he realized he must have said some small portion of that aloud. Will didn't let him finish.
"No, no more words. We have to get away…"
"You won't," a cold voice said from nearby and they both jumped as much as the ropes would allow. Will turned his head to see one of the guards. He was glaring at them with such hatred in his eyes, but what Will found most troublesome was the same glint that he'd seen in the sheriff's face, in the face of the Duke who'd killed his mother…this man would hurt them both, himself and Robin, but not because the Prince ordered it. He would enjoy it.
The man stepped closer and knelt by Will. He grabbed a handful of his hair and forced his head back. Will strained to keep his eyes on the other man's face as he leaned close and whispered directly into his ear. His breath was hot and moist in his ear and tickled enough to make Will squirm. But his words…oh, his words were not words he could ever have imagined hearing. He began to tremble, and, eyes wide and still staring at the man, he felt a tear slip down his cheek. He thought Robin was calling to him, but it seemed to come from so very far away.
The man let go of him slamming his head back until it impacted with the tree trunk and left Will dazed. He heard Robin threaten the man and he made another sound as he had before, part snort, part laugh, and part sob. No matter how many times Robin said his name, he couldn't make himself reply.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
"Leave him alone!" Robin shouted again. He'd lost track of the number of times he'd shouted at the man. Something about his voice was familiar and yet oddly unfamiliar at the same time.
Before he could work it out, the Prince, with several other guards, arrived. Two guards pulled the one tormenting Will away, but to Robin's dismay, Will didn't move. He groaned once, and Robin saw a small trickle of blood making its way slowly down his neck and staining his collar.
"Now is not the time," the Prince said and anger was in his voice, though Robin saw only worry in his eyes.
Will cleared his voice. "Let me see to his wound," Robin asked, and the Prince stared at him. Robin forced his voice and demeanor to seem subservient. It was what the one thing to which the Prince would be most likely to respond. "Please, Sire."
The Prince sighed and turned to three of his guards. "Untie them and help Robin Hood tend to his brother. If they escape I'll hold you accountable."
Robin wouldn't be able to escape with Will in this shape, he knew. He just wanted to stop the bleeding and see if he could find some way to help his brother find something to believe in aside from the very real possibility of injury, pain, and death.
With two guards holding their swords at the ready, one untied the brothers and helped move Will away from the tree trunk to recline on the cold grass. "Will?" Robin asked, moving closer and positioning himself in such away that if he opened his eyes, Will would see only Robin and not the armed guards. "Will, can you open your eyes?"
Another groan and Will was blinking rapidly.
Robin smiled in relief as his brother's eyes came into view. "That's it! Welcome back, brother. How do you feel?"
Will snorted in disbelief, and Robin laughed to hear it. "I know. Stupid question." He turned to one of the guards. "Can I get some water for him? A bandage? Anything?"
The guard moved to get the supplies, but another took his place, sword also at the ready.
Robin ignored him and turned his attention back to Will. "Will," he whispered, not liking the dazed look in the younger man's eyes. "I need you to stay awake. Can you do that?"
"Sure," Will said, though his eyes drifted shut as he said it.
"No, really, stay awake. Keep your eyes open. Let me see them." He was growing more frantic by the moment. Will opened his eyes and blinked a few times, then held them open as he stared up at Robin. "That's it," Robin said again as relief surged through him.
"I'm supposed to be rescuing you," Will said in a soft voice.
Robin smiled. "You have. We're better together than separated."
Will snorted once more, and Robin didn't bother to ask what it was that was so funny or unbelievable.
The guard returned then and Robin thanked him as he took the water and a few rags to be used as bandages. Will managed a sip or two of the water, but his eyes never strayed from the guards for very long. "I don't see how we're getting out of this one," he told Robin. "These guys are well armed. The Prince has a lot of men out here." He glanced up at his brother. "Do you think he's planning something?"
Robin nodded. "I do. He's got enough men here to challenge the King since most of the soldiers are off fighting in the Holy Land. He might think he can take the throne."
Will struggled up a bit. "We have to get Marian out of here. Retreat to Sherwood…"
"Will, that's hardly a solution. Wherever we are when it happens, if Prince John becomes King and we do nothing to stop it.."
Will shook his head, but stopped and closed his eyes as the motion made his head ache. "Remind me not to do that again," he said in a whisper.
Robin didn't get to say anything at all to that as the guards, never far away, approached. "You've had long enough," one of them said almost in a growl as he grabbed Robin roughly by the arm and dragged him roughly back to the tree and the waiting ropes. To Robin's horror, the other guard was just as rough with Will. As the younger man was violently manhandled back to the tree, he groaned again, and Robin began to yell.
"Be careful with him! He's injured! Will! Are you…" but he never finished. As his guard secured him with his ropes, he drew his sword and calmly placed it at Robin's throat.
"Not another word." The guard spoke roughly, maliciously and looked for all the world as though he'd like nothing more than to make good use of his blade.
To be continued
Author's Note: There should be one more chapter to tie this all up. To those of you who have reviewed, thank you!
