(My goodness I actually made this quite quickly! Things are going to start to become more intricate because now I've got to add in the Sheriff's group of satanic friends into the mess, and his goal: the throne. Also their is a lot of foreshadowing in the last scene but I'll let you find that our for yourself... as always I don't own Robin Hood, and please review if you liked this chapter!)
Chapter 4: Thanks for Nothing
If one wanted to find the Sheriff of Nottingham he would be in one of the following places: his rooms (most likely shagging a wench), in the armory, the treasury, or military office. His desires had been sated early in the day – temporarily that is -, and he had already visited the armory and personal treasury twice to see how things were going, so it seemed most likely he would be found in his personal military office.
And he was, in fact he was in there with his esteemed cousin the Guy if Gisborne, one with a face of contempt and another with anger. They were discussing the hot topic of the town: Robin Hood and Langley, or, as most people knew her as, Robin's Cousin.
No matter what either of them were called, both were still wanted, and the prices over their head was rising quickly. The Sheriff was desperate to get Robin out of the way and Langley… frankly wherever he could take her. Gisborne had been of little help lately, but as it was the Sheriff hadn't done much either, too busy meditating on a thought and of the future he had planned. He expected Gisborne to be able to catch a few outlaws without his help anyways. As it was he was oblivious to their resourcefulness.
"We must have them by the next full moon or instead of Locksley being tortured I'll settle for you. Until then we shall stick to the plan, and I expect results." The Sheriff barked at his cousin, his feet propped up on the table that was placed in the center of the room. It was used for meetings, planning, and at the moment discussing matters of outlaws, though only two of the fourteen seats were occupied.
Gisborne went to explain further his woes to his cousin but the door opened, and a guard was pushing a man in nothing but his undergarments forward, his lips quivering in fear of being so literally bare in front of a man so ruthless. "What is the meaning of this?" The Sheriff took his feet from the table and stood, his eyes narrowing on both men, the guard not looking as scared as the man, but still shaking a bit.
"This man was a fellow guard-"
"Was?" The Sheriff pressed, his arms folding over his chest to amplify his menacing aurora.
"Is, milord, but he has dire news, says he's encountered Robin Hood's cousin, uh…" The guard trailed off, pushing the nearly naked, trembling man forward.
He waited for permission to speak, and now, suddenly very intrigued and less angered, the Sheriff gestured for the man to relay the story, and the man did so.
His name was Greg Harold, a guard in the Sheriff's lower army whom had been stationed at a small post right outside Greenburrow, one of the smaller towns on the Nottingham border. He was thin, scrawny, and had tufts of curly hair on his head that made him look like someone had glued them there in a last minute attempt to cover his head.
He had been walking down the street when a seamstress ran up to him with a frightened look, her hands trembling and the hem of her dress was stained with mud. "Guard! Guard! I have urgent news of an outlaw! She came to my stores and stole the Sheriff's robes that were to be delivered to him by sunset!"
The guard, whom had raised his hand to push the woman out of his way, lowered it upon hearing this information. "An outlaw you say? Where did she go?"
The woman pointed at the opposite side of town, "Over there, she hasn't left yet."
The guard nodded, "You're help won't go unseen by the Good Sheriff, he thanks you milady." The guard retrieved his sword from his belt and ran (as fast as he could in the ridiculous armor he wore) across town in the direction the seamstress pointed. He saw a horse with a large amount of clothes strung on the back, but his attention was caught by the black haired lady standing in front of one of the many WANTED signs hanging in town.
"Locksley's cousin? Really? I'm worth more than him yet they can't actually put my name up?"
The guard pointed his sword at Langley, a triumphant smirk on his stupid face as he did so. "By the name of the Good Sheriff I hereby arrest you."
Langley looked at him then chuckled, taking the sign in her hand and ripping it down, stuffing it in the pocket of her trousers before turning to the man. He noticed she had a sword at her waist, but she had no move to retrieve it and had no bow. "Of what crime?"
The guard looked confused for a second before regaining his composure a tad. "Of stealing the Sheriff's clothes, uh, attacking his good name and men!"
Langley rolled her eyes, "Yes, of course. Forgive me lord for I have sinned." She threw her arms up in mock horror and turned to walk away, but the guard advanced on her. One moment his arm was unprofessionally outstretched and the next he was thrown up against the wall. He gasped as the wind was knocked out of him, followed by a loud and unmanly grunt that puffed a huff of his breath onto her face. She gagged. "God what do you eat? I feel sorry for your wife."
The guard ignored her comment, or pretended to, and pinned to the wall, shivering and shaking like a coward, he threatened her. "The Sheriff will have your head if you hurt one of his men!"
He didn't sound all that confident, and Langley was sure her bark of laughter only made it wane more. "Oh, I'm shivering in my boots! Spare me almighty Sheriff!" Her face became a little more serious, "You didn't think I didn't know that when I got into this mess? The Sheriff can put as much money over my head as he liked but he won't catch me, and if he does he'll be ruing my entering of this county. You hear me?"
The guard could only nod, and with one final shove Langley let him go, walking to her horse, then whispering in its ear before it trotted away with the Sheriff's robes on its back. The guard may not have been able to stop that, but he could stop the outlaw. He followed her to the inn where not a single person suspected her treasons. She went upstairs after talking to the innkeeper, and he followed with his sword hidden in his armor. The guard decided to attack her at the top of the stairs of the first floor, hitting her on the head with his sword, though not with the sharp side, he needed her alive to get the money after all.
Langley clutched her head upon the impact of the sword and cursed colorfully at the throbbing pain that immediately came following it. "Jesus Christ! What was that for?" She whirled around to face the scruff-haired guard before her face went slack with annoyance. She rubbed the spot on her head furiously with one hand, gesturing to him with the other. "Oh it's you again! Didn't I tell you to get lost?"
"I won't leave until justice is served." He said nobly, and she rolled her eyes.
"If justice is what you want then so be it." She opened her arms as if to invite him into a hug, "Come get me."
He complied.
He lunged forward, and in one swift movement she had dodged out of his way, gathered his shirt in her clutched, and shoved him into the slightly ajar door that scaled the wall. He tumbled into the room, his sword falling away. Langley heard a surprised yelp and noticed a man and a woman half undressed on the couch next to the window in the inn-room. "Forgive me for interrupting, but me and my lover are a bit rough, so I'd advise if you go upstairs, lord knows we couldn't wait that long." She wiggled her eyebrows and smirked suggestively as if they were about to get it on. And the couple, as observant as they were, noticed the sword at her waist and left. Langley threw the key to the room she rented after them and locked the door before turning to the man who crawled away.
"What-"
Langley held up her hand to stop him. "Don't even think that I'm going to engage in any activity that includes a bed with you Fluffy, I have higher standards than that." She sat down on the edge of the bed casually, as if no one else was in the room, as if she wasn't threatening one of the Sheriff's men. "However," she grunted and threw her boot off, "you seem to be keen on trying to attack me so I figured I'd shut you up one way or another." She briefly situated her clothes, now bootless, before picking up the sword that had fallen from his fingertips and opened the window before standing over him. "I have a few requests, and I get to make them because I'm in control, and as it is you never were, so listen closely and you might live with a scrap of your pride left. I want my name known, I'm not 'Robin's Cousin', my name is Langley and I can be much more ruthless than Robin ever could be. Also, please deliver the message to the good Sheriff that, if he wishes to catch me, he'll have to try a lot harder than a mere seven hundred crowns." She steps on the guard's chest and ran the tip of the blade down his armor, ripping the material in half as she did so. "Don't forget to tell the Sheriff thanks for his robes as well, he has good taste in fashion even if he's a horrible man."
The guard nodded, cowering back from the tip of the blade that hovered over his nose menacingly. All his previous confidence was very gone now. "Yes, ma'am."
Langley smiled and withdrew her sword, throwing it onto the bed before hoisting the man up. "Good, now go." He made a move to go around her but she stepped in front of him, he narrowed his brow and tried the other way, she stepped in front of him again. "I said go." She advanced on him, and he took a step back, feeling the cool breeze of the open window hit him. "Are you not keen on leaving? Shame, here's my send away!" She grabbed the front of his armor and ripped it off him, the whole lot coming off until he was only in his underpants. "Tell the Sheriff I bid him a good day, cheers!" She kicked him in the gut and he tumbled out the window, hitting a lower level roof before falling on the cold ground with a loud thump. Langley popped her head out the window, "Don't come looking for me or you'll regret it, now be on your way and have a fabulous trip." She closed the window and the guard groaned, then he heard her voice again, calling tauntingly to him. "I love your underwear as well!"
The Sheriff and guy didn't know what to think by the end of the story. The guard was a bright red and the Sheriff had taken to sitting again, his expression unreadable. After a few more moments of silence the Sheriff spoke. "Did she say what she was doing in the inn?"
The guard, Greg, quickly shook his head. "No, my lord, but it looked like she was preparing for bed."
The Sheriff's brow furrowed, and he looked at Guy for help. Guy shrugged, "I see no reason why we can't investigate, the seamstress and the inn-keeper's wife are very good friends of the both of us anyway." He smirked at his cousin knowingly, and the Sheriff returned it.
"Then it's decided, prepare your best men, cousin, we leave in five minutes."
-0-
It was nearly impossible to explain how uncomfortable it was to sleep in a camp in the middle of the woods with a bunch of men. Langley know the pain, which was why she had ventured to the town in the first place. God knows she needed as much sleep as possible!- she had been, after all, raiding a bunch of baron's with Robin, and sleep wasn't exactly common in a place like the outlander's woods, no matter how much more accommodating they were now than before.
She hadn't planned on causing trouble either, but she was low on clothes and when she realized the Sheriff's order was in she couldn't help herself. It was black anyway, and very fashionable at that. Then the whole guard fiasco, it didn't matter though, she only had a cut to spare from the fight and was now resting in a much more comfortable bed than she had been sleeping on. Langley fell asleep almost immediately upon her head hitting there pillow, and she'd been out for a good three hours when an abrupt knocking on the door caught her off guard. She sat up, drool covering her face as the knocking and shouting pierced her ears and mind that was still half asleep.
"Open up or we'll bust down the door!"
Langley groaned and flopped back into the pillow, "Can't you guys just leave me alone for one day?!"
They ignored her and demanded she opened the door by the name of the Sheriff. Like that would convince her otherwise.
Langley stood up when the pounding became alarming. She was sure the door couldn't' handle much more, and since she was half-asleep and not even armed it would be hard to fight her way through a group of guards. Whether they were skilled or not. She buckled her sword to her hip and slipped one of her boots on, the door slamming but not opening as the guards hit it again. She was about to take the other boot and jump out the window when she saw the Sheriff and Gisborne atop two steads below with a group of guards. "Bloody hell." Langley knew she could get away if she had Spade, but she'd sent the horse away, and now she was sandwiched on either side. The sheriff's way seemed a lot easier to fight out of as he was out in the open, but he hadn't seen her face yet, and she'd prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible. Who knew? It might come in handy.
She ripped the see through, black, lacy bed-sheet that was tucked on the opposite bed and threw it over her head, securing it around her face before taking the other boot and clearing the window sill with ease. The guards burst into the room behind her, but she was already on the not-so-sturdy roof below, out of her offender's reach on either side.
"Where are your manners? I wasn't even half decent!" As if to demonstrate it she swung her boot around before putting it on, lacing up any loose strings on her tunic, pants, and boots, before drawing out her sword again.
"You're outnumbered, surrender and you won't' be punished… too severely." Langley wasn't quite sure she'd ever get used to the sound of the Sheriff's voice. It was deep, sensuous, and thick with such a unique drawl that it sent shivers down her spine.
"Or you could let me go and I could not be punished at all? I like that option a lot better."
"I'm afraid that's not an option at all-"
"Pity, I'll just have to run then." As if on cue the guards came out the window, and Langley took off towards the building next to the inn, jumping the gap between them before landing on what looked to be a pub.
"Fire! But not to kill, I want her alive!"
I'm more trouble alive than I am dead, curious to why he wants me al-
Her thought was cut short by an arrow that whizzed past her ear, and not wanting to get hurt she dove behind the tavern sign where three more arrows hit right where she'd been moments before. "Fire not to kill, huh?"
Langley was seeing how this was all a plan gone wrong. She hadn't expected Fluffy to go and snitch on her immediately, because another encounter with the Sheriff alone wouldn't do anyone good. Least of all her. She peered around when suddenly a sword flashed straight in front of her face. It glimmered with her reflection, and she barely managed to keep it from impaling the side of her head when she rammed her arm into the sign, it shooting over to hit the man and he proceeded to fall. He landed with an 'oof!' on the ground, and she was tempted to laugh but as it was, she was hopelessly outnumbered and very surrounded.
She took the guard's sword that had fallen from his grasp and held up her other, now armed with two that she pointed on either side of her. The arrows ceased by the Sheriff's command, and he rode forward with Gisborne at his side. "Before I attack may I know what my charges are? It's really never been said…"
"Mutiny, attacking the Sheriff's men, not paying taxes, associating with outlaws, theft, witchcraft, and degrading the Sheriff's name." Langley though it odd how he spoke in third person but focused on the real problem at hand:
"The last accusation you seem to be doing all on your own thank you very much. And witchcraft? Where's the proof? I've done nothing but all the other things you said."
You have a way with words.
I know I do.
"I don't need any proof, my word is law."
Langley pursed her lips, but he couldn't see past the mask, which was beginning to bug him majorly. Gisborne had said she was a sight on the eyes, which was part of the reason he wanted her alive, but he had not seen more than a mere glimpse of her black hair. "I'm afraid I'll be violating a lot of laws then." She threw both her swords at the ground, not aiming or hitting any guards as she did so before she climbed to the roof of the tavern and disappeared down the dark chimney, her arms and legs pressing against either side of the stone structure to keep her up but hidden from view. Soot had already covered her, yet when the guards passed not one looked down the structure for her.
"She's disappeared my lord!" One of them shouted dumbly, and she had to suppress a chuckled as she envisioned a dumbstruck face. They definitely think you're a witch now. Shame if you're wittier than everyone else you get persecuted for dark magic.
"Disappeared?! She can't be far, search through the whole village, and if you can't find her burn it down!"
The sound of horse hooves rung in her ears, though his words echoed through the chimney as they sunk in. Because of her the whole village would suffer, but she couldn't turn herself in, not yet. The stakes were high, but they would get much higher if the plan she and Robin had made worked, and she would be no use to him as a prisoner, only being used for ransom or torture. Langley was beginning to feel nauseated, but managed to keep her arms pressed hard against the stones as more soot fell. The Sheriff would pay for this, yes, he would pay dearly.
-0-
Time passed without indication, the only thing that kept track was the growing pain in her muscles as she held herself up. Gravity was weighing down on her, and she desperately wished to shift her position to relieve some of the pain in her arms but knew better. If she did she'd risk being found, and that wouldn't end up good.
Then smoke wafted to her nose, heavy, thick smoke, followed by the unmistakable sound of fire and screams. Langley let her arms go and fell to the ground in a cloud of black smoke, shaking off some of the excess powder before rushing out of the tavern that was up in orange flames. People gathered in the street, goods, people, cattle; all lined up as they watched their homes turn to dust. Langley had had a heart to run, but when she heard a woman screaming "My baby! My baby!" she resisted and bolted towards the house, diving into the surging orange flames in search of the child. She saw a baby tucked away and crying in the back, and dodging falling debris, she took the bundle in her arms and went to leave. On the ground next to the door was an unconscious man, and with an angry curse she situated the baby in the nook of her arm and swung him over her shoulder, her muscles aching at the extra weight she carried. She dodged falling walls, and finally climbed out of the flames before the house collapsed behind her in a heft of flames and smoke.
The woman cried and came forward, taking the baby from her arms and whispering thank you over and over again. Langley checked the man's breathing: he was alive.
"You did this to us! You brought this hell upon us!" One man shouted, yelling at the outlaw girl with an outstretched arm. Langley stood tall, her face creased in anger towards the Sheriff as the people gathered around and jeered at her.
"This is your fault!"
She could hear the crackling of the flames behind her, but it soon became a crack of thunder and a flash of lightening as rain began pouring from the sky. It ever so slowly washed away the soot and began simmering the flames, but the crowd's anger wasn't quelled, and neither was Langley's confidence. "I didn't do this to you, the Sheriff of Nottingham did. He took your home and reduced it to this," she reached down and took a pile of ashes into her hand, letting it dissipate into the harsh winds. The rain was loud, but it never drowned out her voice. "To nothing. He has ruled like a tyrant over you for far too long, and I say we rise to fight against him. Create a town free of oppressive rulers, free of unreasonable taxes and unfair treatment. You are worth much more than he treats you, yet you let him treat you like animals. Why? Are you scared? You no longer have to be, my people, we can unite to become a force to be reckoned with, but I need your cooperation. And most of all, I need your loyalty."
The people were shocked by her words. So well strung, so entrancing, and so beautifully spoken they could only stare in awe. She spoke of a dream world, one where everyone wished to live but instead settled for hell.
"Either you join us, or you fight against us. It's your choice."
Another crack of lightening flashed, and then Langley turned and left, leaving the astounded villagers with their eyes open and houses reduced to nothing but ashes in the past.
-0-
"In ten days' time the Barons shall arrive, and I'm surrounded by fools who don't know my obligations. Tell me Mortianna, am I thwarted?"
The witch narrowed her eyes at the Sheriff before swiping the bread from the platter in front of her, dragging her nail across the skin of her wrist and cutting it open to let a stream of blood ooze onto the pottery. She hissed lowly, then spit on the blood. The Sheriff watched carefully, sweat collecting on his forehead from being in such a hot room with such thick clothing.
Her finger scraped across the mixture of saliva and red, making a scraping sound as the tip of her fingernail scratched away. "Recruit the beasts that share our god."
The Sheriff looked slightly confused, "Animals?"
She looked up from the plate, "From the North."
He cringed visibly, as if he'd tasted something sour, "You mean the kelts. They drink the blood of their dead."
"Yolk their strengths."
Realization struck the curly haired man, and he smirked evilly while leaning back in his chair. "Hired thugs. Brilliant."
Mortianna gave a crooked, half-smile before looking back at the plate, hurriedly running her nail over the pottery before looking back at the Sheriff. "A woman?"
The Sheriff almost fell from his chair he sat to attention so quick, looking expectantly at Mortianna. "What? Go on."
"Like fire she burns, from desire, rage, untapped power. She is the key to success if you can capture her without burning. And she has bewitched you."
The Sheriff looked even more perplexed than before, "How?"
"Take what she loves, and make her burn like she makes you."