Clint raised an eyebrow skeptically. He didn't buy that. He had retired two years ago, so he was a bit late with 'making amends', at least in Barton's book. He also didn't touch the food. "Thank you, Lord Stane, but i decline the offer. I'm content with being a farmer, and know that my way of handling things isn't how you would like it. To avoid trouble, i won't join the army, because neither of us is changing our ways of handling."
"Thanks… be careful okay guys?" Sam nodded to the trio before turning his attention to Sharon.
"Right… Wanda, stay in touch?" Natasha looked at the witch who nodded.
"Good… now let's get these bastards…" in a few seconds, the three vanished into the woods and followed the tracks left behind.
"Male… tall…" James got up from the dirt and looked at the left.
"They came from the east… our weak point…" he added.
"…So it's true… we did have a spy in our ranks…" Nat closed her eyes.
"Yeah, but… just how high?"
Stane just smiled for a few seconds, cutting the meat on his plate.
"Tell me Barton… Do you love your family?" he asked, looking from under his head.
"I mean… of course you do… But, I wonder what you would be willing to do, if they were… let's say… branded traitors?" a smirk appeared on his lips.
"Naturally, you are all respected as I mentioned," the ruler nodded and took a bite from the meat.
"But if word got out you helped wanted fugitives… that you hid them… now that could be a bit…" he pretended not to know the word.
"There are many who state they saw you helping them. And I do not need much proof of such accusations… You know my word is law."
Steve followed Natasha and Bucky, having their back. Who knew, there still could be someone waiting for them. "Well, i don't know, obviously, but it seems like one of your missing persons has to be it." He knew that that didn't really helped the mood, but someone had to tell it.
Clint froze, but forced himself to relax a bit.
"I haven't done anything, Lord Stane. Besides various people coming to me demanding to search someone, and my niece and her two friends, nobody came by. I did not hide anyone, i just gave my niece a roof over her head when she needed it. I don't see where that's a crime." He stayed with his story, but his thoughts were running a mile per second. He knew Stane wouldn't believe that.
"And even if i would have helped traitors, fugitives, or whatever, i would never pull my family into it. I would have arranged it so that they would stay innocent, that they hadn't anything to do with me committing a crime."
"Of course, of course," Stane nodded the smirk still present.
"I know you are very talented. I don't underestimate your abilities or capabilities," he gave a fake nod that he recognized what he said.
"But what I find strange is…" he pulled out a few pieces of paper from apparently nowhere.
"There are no records of your 'niece' ever visiting before… I asked a guard on what she looked like and the description he gave me suited a certain female I saw at the throne room a short while back…" he grinned and looked at Clint.
"And it's quite convenient wouldn't you say? Just as the rebels got away, the guards came to your house and there they were – two girls and a man – the same gender and number of the escaped rebels…" his eyes showed knowing and sadism.
"I do wonder how your brother is. How long since you two last spoke? Perhaps I should send for him so you two could talk again," he crossed his fingers and put his chin on his hands.
"Sometimes people just look alike. It's pure coincidence, Lord Stane. For example, the blacksmith's son looks exactly like the grandson of old Harris from the Rowen-Farm." He stated matter-of-factly. "And my brother and i didn't talk for quite some time. The relationship between us isn't the best - but that doesn't mean i can't help his daughter. She never did anything to me, and they both, father and daughter, refuse to know the other one. Some bad blood between them, after the death of her mother."
"…Alright Barton," Stane was silently chuckling.
"You are good," he nodded for real this time.
"But you see… I don't need proof," he smirked and used a cloth to wipe away the food.
"If I just say so, you, your family and even your damn brother could all be executed on the spot. These are dark times and you are retired. The people might be surprised at first – their beloved friend, Clint, a traitor? How is that possible? But if I can get a rebel or even Red Knight to give conformation of your activities, it can tip their thoughts," he leaned on the table.
"Or we could simply banish your family. Throw them into the wild, let the Red and Rebellion take care of them…" he added the option.
"But you see… I don't want to do that… I really don't. It's all too messy. So why don't you just save yourself and your family and tell me what you know about the rebels that escaped."
Clint frowned.
"Well, if you know and need no proof, Lord Stane..."
He would do anything to keep his family save.
"I don't know anything about them." - Besides their motives and their identities, obviously "Nothing. No motives, no plans, no identities. I was surprised when Captain Rogers was pulled along into my barn, but i didn't argue against them. My children were playing just a few meters away, they could have easily killed them if i hadn't played along."
-hopefully that lie would work. Clint kept his face so, that Stane would believe him.
"So, they were there," the smirk on the face of the man who currently behaved like a king could not be missed.
"And you knew they were… and yet allowed them to leave…" he was ignoring the 'children' part.
"That's all I need," Stane stood up and looked down on the archer.
"Clint Barton," as he spoke, guards came into the room.
"You are put under suspicion of treason, helping enemies of the Kingdome and lying to your Lord," he spoke with power and pride as the guards moved closer.
And he was so glad to have caught the archer, he failed to hear someone move around above him, in the make-shift vents.
"Once again I am reminded why i hate your guts, Stane." Clint growled, having noticed the guards closing in on him (they were hard to not notice them with the noise they made moving around). They were six. Would he flee...well, bye-bye farm, and he would need to hide his family. Would he stay, he would get killed. Call him selfish, but the latter wasn't an option to him.
So, in a swift motion, he took the three forks (why did every noble man always have to put so many of them on the table anyway) and threw them at the closest three guards. He didn't kill him (with mere forks that wasn't possible thanks to their armor), but stopped them from moving closer. Two other guards were knocked out by spoons, and the last one got the knife thrown through his hand, making him scream in pain. All this happened in the matter of a few seconds, while Clint moved swiftly towards the window and simple jumped out of it - for once glad that there was a water ditch surrounding the castle, since it saved him his life. On the other side of the ditch, he climbed out of the water, and sneaked towards the next stable (ignoring his wet clothess and that he would most likely get a cold later on, but there were other things with higher priority now). He needed to leave, hide his family and warn the rebels.
The question was, how to find them...
"Archer!" Tony called, already on a horse and stopping before the barn.
"Come with me if you want to live!" he called when another horse was brought forward, this one driven by a girl.
"It's okay, we're trying to help," Pepper smiled and steadied her steed before shouts were heard.
"Move now!" Stark ordered the farmer.
The two assassins looked at each other, as if reading their minds. And then they both nodded.
"We need to head back," Natalia said and turned on her heels.
"If the traitor is who we think it is… then we shouldn't be anywhere near here… They're expecting us," James quickly explained as they started moving back.
But after a few steps, an arrow was shot right where they were walking.
"Going somewhere?" came a familiar voice as neither of the duo turned.
"You got guts showing your face…" Barnes only looked over his shoulder, eyes dead and cold looking at the tall man. They were right – Rumlow was the traitor. Behind him were about 20 Red Empire Knights.
"Hey, it's your damn fault for leaving," Brock smirked and shrugged.
"You don't want to fight us…" Romanoff turned, blade drawn.
"Orders are orders Nat… You know that," he snapped his fingers and the Reds charged forward.
"Keep Brock alive. We need information!" Bucky called before the two assassins vanished in a blur, taking out five of the enemy knights in moments.
Clint looked at the Prince, before wordlessly taking the horse and doing as he had said - and as he himself had planned. He didn't wait for anyone and took the path through the forest, where he knew were less Soldiers. His first destination was Darcy's house, where Laura and the kids were.
"Darcy. Come on, Darcy, open the goddamn door."
"Clint, really now..." Darcy yawned, when she finally opened the door.
"Yeah, really. Darcy. I need a favor. Hide my family. Stane declared me a traitor because i hid some rebels. You know how he is, he hates me."
Tiredly, Darcy facepalmed. "Only you, Clint. Only you. Okay. Should i tell Laura anything?"
"Besides that i love her and the kids?"
"Cheesy."
"You can tell her i will get them when it's sort of save, but i don't know when that will be."
"Try not to get a rope around your neck."
"Sure. Thanks Darcy."
"No probs. But you get me that apple-pie recipe from Laura."
Clint smirked, before mounting the horse again and taking off to the direction where he thought the rebels might were (-he had seen them leave to that direction after all).
Steve found himself surrounded by three soldiers, so he drew his sword - and then they charged. They were better trained than the usual Red-Soldiers. A special force maybe? However, he took them out as quickly as possible, before continuing to fight against whoever came too close, while he also helped the assassin-duo, having their back's covered - if they weren't covering them themselves for each other.
"Tony?" Pepper questioned as the two stopped while the archer made his way into the woods.
"We need to lead them away," he answered the unasked question.
"…Just what are we going to do?" the girl asked and saw the approaching soldiers.
"Something I should have a long time ago…" Stark muttered as the knights caught up to them.
"My Prince Stark!" they were surprised to see him.
"W-What may the Lord be doing out here?" one asked, a bit scared.
"Hunting. Pepper and I went out for some air. Is that a problem?" he raised an eyebrow.
"C-Certainly not my Lord but…" the guard swallowed.
"There are dangerous people out here… one we were just chasing…" another explained.
"Hmm… Did you see anyone Pepper?" Tony looked at the girl.
"No, sorry. I'm pretty sure we were the only ones here," she shrugged.
"Oh! What about that quick thing we saw at the west?"
"It did look like a horse…"
"Forgive us my Lord, but we must be off. That man mustn't escape," as the knights left, the two kids laughed and high-fived.
It didn't take too long for the three to clear the 20 soldiers. Nat and Bucky were pretty pissed off and have been itching to actually kill someone for a while now, so this was just what they needed. And it was as clear as day that Rumlow didn't expect that.
Before the mole could even turn around, a dagger was thrown at his foot, pinning him to the ground. In a following moment, someone jumped on him, knocking him to the ground.
"Damned traitor!" Buck hissed, using his metal arm to strike at his jaw.
"James!" Natalia called, arriving closer.
The Winter Soldier stopped his assault and stood up, looking down at the man.
"Ha… knew you… couldn't kill me," Brock smiled and spit on the ground.
"Oh, believe me…" Barnes' voice was cold.
"You'll wish I had," in the next moment, a sword was swung and the traitor's hand was rolled on the ground, while Romanoff's sword dripped the blood.
"AGH!" Brock yelled, trying to hold his limb, but a dagger stabbed through his other arm and shoulder kept him in place.
"You bitch!" he hissed, and that made the Widow cut off two fingers.
"Do you know how many you killed?" the female was so emotionless, it scared the living daylight from Brock.
"Tell us what we want to know and we'll kill you quicker," the Winter Solder wasn't any different than her.
Despite living with them for a few years, Rumlow had never seen them like this. He never even imagined anyone could look this scary.
"Well?" when he didn't answer, Nat push an arrow head into his shoulder.
Steve meanwhile didn't move. He felt like those two needed this to calm down again. So, he kept his eyes on their surroundings and his ears open which sometimes was a bit hard thanks to the loud screams of Rumlow. The Captain was pretty sure the screams were heard pretty far.