Part 23
Gisborne and the Sheriff reached the outskirts of Markwick, a further two days after Robin had secured the chest of money which Brother John had promised to share with the Sheriff. Both still none the wiser that the money had fallen into the hands of Robin Hood and his men. Brother John reined up beside them and the soldiers fell in behind the three men on horseback.
"Here we are," said Guy.
"Indeed a fine village," said Brother John.
"And will be yours as long as you pay your taxes to Nottingham," Vasey told the monk.
Brother John smiled and said. "Yes," inwardly promising himself some extra taxes of his own.
"We will set fire to three outer cottages," Guy told the two men. "Thus not razing the entire community and having to re-build."
"Good to see you thinking at last Gisborne," said the Sheriff and Guy shot him an unseen glare of contempt.
The army advanced quietly on the manor of Markwick, hoping to conceal their presence as long as possible.
The boy ran unseen from the edge of the village to the manor house where he banged on the door in repeated succession, the cue that the attack had begun. Marian ensured that each man take his appointed post as they bolted the door of the manor.
As the houses blazed it caused the villagers who lived on the edge of the manor to either fight and defend their burning abodes or flee either to the countryside or the Manor. It was chaotic as Gisborne, the Sheriff, Brother John and their men tried to stay in charge of the situation, people ran everywhere and in all directions and it took Gisborne some time to regroup all his men into some semblance of order.
The line moved forward into the village itself honing in on its target the manor. The men inside watched and waited, and finally Marian with a nod at Alistair gave the signal for the firing to begin. It was intense, the Sheriff lost men, Alistair lost some villages but the strength of the Sheriff's men and the inexperience of Alistair's soon meant that the doors to the manor were being forced open and then those inside were driven to fight with swords and staffs.
Marian was still upstairs, watched from the window, when the man at her side fell, she retrieved his bow and arrow for herself. They were still coming; the soldiers and she wondered where the Sheriff had obtained so many men from. The guard was aiming it straight at her and she supposed she could shy away but that was not in her nature. It was at this exact moment that Guy looked up at the window from his mount; recognition flooded his face as he saw Marian standing there at the window of the manor house. She acted then despite the pain, the pull of her left shoulder and she held the bow fast, drawing back with her right arm and firing the shot which hit the guard point blank in the chest. Guy glared at her and despite everything going on around them she saw the look of disgust and displeasure he had for her.
Marian knew it was time to go, now that Gisborne realised she was there and ran down the stairs, to find Aubrey lurking in the shadows afraid of what was happening and Alistair in combat. She fought with Alistair to over power the soldier then said, "We must leave."
"I can not leave my people," he shouted back over the noise of the battle.
"If you do not leave, they will all perish, you also. What good will that do any of you? It is what the Sheriff wants, come let's go now while we still have a chance."
She grabbed Aubrey with her left arm despite the dull throb and pulled him with her to the back door, Alistair took one look in each direction.
"Go master," said one manservant. "We will surrender if you go then our lives will be spared."
Alistair looked doubtful but Walter the chief manservant pushed him on. "Master let us go, I will accompany you."
This seemed to sway the Earl's mind and he nodded, fleeing from his home and his lands and his title, with nothing but one manservant, an outlaw and the most precious thing of all, his only surviving son.