Chapter 5: Heir to the throne

Allan stared at Will, slack jawed with amazement. A war of emotions raged within him; shock, happiness, worry. He couldn't believe his friend was back; finally, he had his best mate back at his side. He enjoyed being part of the gang again but ever since the Holy Land there had been something missing, as if the band of outlaws had been stricken by a wound that would never fully heal.

Will had been missing.

Despite his joy there was something wrong. Will was just standing there, not throwing himself into their elated welcoming embrace. His face was shadowed but Allan could see something haunted in his expression, as well as a guarded emotion that had never before been in the open man's face.

Staring at Will, Allan realised that something else was wrong, and as he recognised what it was a question swelled in his throat. Interrupting Much's babbling and Robin's delighted welcome the question spilled from his lips.

"Where's Djaq?" he blurted.

Much stopped speaking mid-sentence, jerking his head to peer behind Will as if he thought the carpenter was shielding the Saracen woman. Robin looked sharply at Allan, then slowly turned back to Will as he realised that the words had been necessary.

"I have to tell you something," were the first words Will spoke. Allan felt a chill run down his spine at the toneless voice, containing none of Will's fervent commitment, nervous enthusiasm, or dry humour.

Without saying a word Robin nodded and turned, leading the gang back to the camp. Allan thought he heard a relieved sigh escape Will's lips as Robin opened the hidden door to their home, but as he turned to look at his friend it disappeared like a whisper into the wind.

It took all of Allan's effort not to gasp when Will stepped into the light, the glow from the fire throwing his face into sharp relief. His hair was longer than Allan had ever seen it, strands falling in his eyes and flicking out over his ears. Stubble mottled his jaw line. His demeanour was unsettled; Allan could see his fingers twitching beneath his cloak, and his eyes were warily darting about as if danger was present. His clothes were travel worn, especially his cloak, which was torn and patched.

As Will removed his cloak Allan saw John and Robin exchange worried glances. Will had always been slender but now his clothes seemed far too big for him. As Much produced some cold chicken and a hunk of bread Will fell upon them like a ravenous wolf pouncing on freshly caught prey.

Allan had imagined Will and Djaq's homecoming many times, but in his mind it had always been a joyous occasion, filled with laughter and the sharing of stories. Never had he imagined that Will returning home would cause the camp to be filled with such nervous tension; John standing in the corner, eyes never leaving Will. Robin, perched on a stool with his fingers steepled beneath his chin, concern creasing his forehead. Much, standing halfway between the fire and his kitchen, as if not sure where he was needed. Cassie, cross-legged by the fire, not quite sure what was happening.

Will took a swig of water to wash down a mouthful of bread before setting down his plate and looking at the outlaws.

"It's nice to be home," he said with a ghost of a smile. "But I have a long story to tell."

Robin nodded and gestured towards his friend. "Please, tell us."

Will took a deep breath before beginning. "It started a few weeks after you all left. A messenger came to Bassam's house; an Englishman. A crusader."

"A crusader?" Robin repeated sharply.

Will nodded. "He brought a missive from the King. Djaq and I were requested to have an audience with him."

"How did you know it was really from the King?" Much asked suspiciously. He had never quite got over his disappointment at realising the King in Nottingham had been an impostor

"At first, we weren't sure whether or not to trust him, but the letter bore the King's seal," Will told him. "We travelled with the messenger and in the dead of night we were summoned to the King's tent. He told us that he had a secret which could affect the future of England."

"What kind of secret?" Robin asked.

"And why did he want to tell you?" Much added.

Allan resisted the urge to gag the pair of them. He was never usually one for intense conversations and was often the one to interrupt, but he could tell that Will really needed to get through his tale.

"Which question shall I answer first?" Will asked, half teasingly.

"Mine," Robin replied promptly, causing Much to give him a disgruntled glance.

"Well, the secret…" Will paused, as if unsure of how to share the information, then decided to just say it straight out. "The King has a child."

A dead silence met his words. Even Much was stunned into silence as the outlaws stared at Will in disbelief.

Robin was the first to speak. "That's impossible," he said in a low voice. "There's just no way…"

Allan snorted. "You're just offended that he didn't tell you first."

Robin opened his mouth to retort but John raised a hand to still the bickering. "Let Will speak," he said firmly.

Will gave him a grateful look. "It's true, Robin. When he was in Nottingham, before he went to war, he…" Will groped for appropriate terminology. "He knew a woman from Nettlestone. Her name was Esther, and she had a son."

"A son!" Robin stared at Will, as if trying to force him by the strength of his stare to confirm that his words were the truth. "If it's a son, that means…"

Will nodded slowly. "Yes, Robin. He is the heir to the throne."

"Instead of Prince John," Robin said, very quietly.

Allan suddenly grasped the significance of the news. If there was a different heir to the throne, that meant that John's claim over England was no longer a threat.

"But…but…that's impossible!" Much spluttered. "If the King is not married to this Esther, then the child is illegitimate. It cannot take the throne."

"The child is also only eight years old," Will said dryly. "The King intends to marry Esther once the war is over, which will make William – that's the boy's name – the legitimate heir to the throne."

The camp fell into silence once more as all present digested Will's words. Suddenly the politics of the world in which they fought had shifted, and with the knowledge they had been granted the balance of power had shifted too.

"Why did he tell you?" Much repeated his question from earlier, finally breaking the silence.

"The news of treachery we brought when we visited the Holy Land made the King afraid," Will told him. "Esther no longer lives in Nettlestone; two years ago, news of William reached the wrong ears and Black Knights were sent to kill him. Esther managed to escape with the child and took him north, where she thought they'd be safe. But now, King Richard fears that they are in danger once more. I imagine the Black Knights will stop at nothing to prevent William from becoming the heir to the throne."

"I still don't understand why he told you," Much grumbled. "What are you supposed to do?"

"I was supposed to tell all of you," Will replied with a rueful smile. "So I suppose I have succeeded. The King didn't want to write the information down and send it by pigeon, and he is unsure of which messengers he can trust. So he asked me to carry the news to you, Robin. He wishes for us to protect both Esther and the child."

"He wants us to look after the heir to the throne?" Much said in a voice that could only be described as a nervous squeak. "We can barely keep ourselves safe!"

"We looked after his mother," Will replied with a shrug. "He trusts us. Especially Robin."

"Yeah, since he left us out to die," Allan muttered.

Robin shot Allan a look. "If that is what the King wishes, it shall be done."

"We need to move quickly Robin," Will told him. "I was given passage on a ship of returning soldiers, but there were some suspicious characters on board. One man in particular, he asked a lot of specific questions about my life. I think he followed me as I left Portsmouth; I managed to lose him, and I barely stopped to rest on my way back here. But I fear he knows too much. We need to get to Esther first, before the Black Knights."

"And you know where she is?"

Will nodded. "Yes."

"Then we shall go tomorrow," Robin decided.

Sensing that the discussion was over, Allan dared to again ask the question that had been on his mind whilst Will had been speaking. "So where is Djaq?"

Will visibly tensed, his shoulders hunching and his jaw setting firmly. "She remained in the Holy Land," he said. "It was important that two people knew the secret. If anything had happened to me on my journey here, she would have been able to carry the news of William to you."

"I imagine she wasn't happy to be left behind," Much said with a smile, remembering Djaq's determination.

"No," Will replied shortly, and abruptly stood from his stool. "I need to sleep."

Allan looked in concern at his friend. There was obviously something he wasn't telling them, something about Djaq that was causing his jaw to clench.

"Cassie sleeps in your bunk now," Much said half-apologetically, gesturing towards the girl who had remained unusually silent during the discussion.

Will blinked at her, as if suddenly realising that there was actually another person in the room. She gave him a half wave in greeting.

"Sorry," he stammered. "I didn't realise – I mean –"

"That's okay," she replied. "Hello. I'm Cassie. And you can have your bunk back, if you want."

"It doesn't matter, I'll sleep in Djaq's," Will replied. He took a step towards the bunk before faltering, one foot in the air as if he was unsure of whether or not to take another step, before shaking his head and clambering into Djaq's old bunk, disappearing under a blanket.

The others all looked at each other. Will had always been the one assured of his convictions, his mind set on a single, unwavering path. There was something unsettling, something worrying about this new, weary, unsure Will.

Allan was the first to snap out of the aura of concern that surrounded the outlaws. Will was home. Nothing else mattered.

Author's Note: So, there we have some explanation! In fact there is a lot of explanation in this chapter, I hope it all makes sense. And also, we know where Djaq is - so have no fear, I haven't killed her off!!

Thanks for the great reviews :) they make me so happy!

Oh, and yes, I know I said last chapter that it might be a while til the next chapter...but I had this in my head so I just sat down and wrote it!