Movements

Bae leaned against the Greenwood Tree and rubbed his eyes. The effort of what he had somehow managed to accomplish against the Sheriff was settling into his bones, and he figured he was much better off just feeling magic, rather than using his sensitivity to do anything good. Morraine sat next to him and leaned against him, suddenly reminded of the day after her escape from the Nowhereland, when they were leaning against a tree, watching the sun rise over the Enchanted Forest. Only this time, the sun was setting, casting its golden red light through the leaves and dappling the forest, creating a strangely magical blend of sunlight, the greenness of the foliage, and the earthy tones of the bark and forest floor, littered with dead leaves and, at least around the Greenwood Tree, a smattering of bread crusts and other bits of food, mostly bones.

Bae's head dropped to her shoulder, and he began snoring softly. She didn't blame him. He had looked exhausted, especially after the walk back into Sherwood, and he deserved the rest. She laced her fingers through his limp ones and sighed, one foot sliding along the forest floor. Other Merry Men were milling about, talking amongst themselves about recent events. Word spread quickly in a forest, especially when the only people you had to talk to made their living off of knowing anything and everything about their environment.

Alan and a man in scarlet walked over to them. "How is he?" the man in scarlet asked.

"He's fine," she replied. "Just resting from his effort earlier today."

"I heard about that."

"We all did, Will," Alan said to him.

"Yeah, where've you been?" Morraine asked in jest.

"Your legend precedes you," Will replied. "That's hardly any fault of mine."

"It's hardly a legend. Legends stand the test of time. This can fade into posterity without anyone knowing of it."

"Or, it can be a point in the life of a hero."

"That depends all on who you ask."

"It will be. I'm sure of it."

Morraine laughed and said, "Let him rest before he starts to live up to expectations." Will nodded, raised his cup, and walked off. Alan also nodded and left them, but Morraine noted he wasn't drinking wine or...whatever they were drinking. Bae shifted in his sleep, and she lay her head on top of his.

OUAT

Robin ventured back into Nottingham, armed as he was the first time, in search of a method to kill the Sheriff, only now he noticed that the statue was missing and the villagers were avoiding the square like the plague. Perhaps the wizard was right, he thought. A statue existing beyond time was one of the less unusual things he'd encountered, admittedly, but it was also the least of his problems.

He scanned the village, waving at a few people who met his gaze but keeping his eyes and mind open for anything useful: herbs, spices, charms, amulets, and the like. No one was selling anything, and what he did feel was being put to use by home witches in their kitchens, equally for mundane as for magical purposes.

What was worse, the more he roamed the village, the more he felt vestiges of the Sheriff's influence, which was still strong. Mixed with the vestiges was something else. He and his devils were here, he knew at once, and they were following him, surrounding him.

Robin Hood stood in the square, nocked an arrow, and turned to the shadow of evil he was most convinced was the Sheriff. He drew back and narrowed his eyes, peering down the shaft and waiting.

Out of the black clouds closing in on the town, the Sheriff and two of his minions emerged in the form of armed men. The two men flung their hands out, splaying their fingers, and tendrils of smoke wrapped around Robin's legs. He gasped, dropping his weapon, and struggled for the first two seconds of the ordeal, only to find that struggling would increase the sting in his legs. Seconds later, the smoke had fully engulfed him, and he was rigid with pain and fear.

OUAT

Bae snapped his eyes open, jolted awake by some sound, though in or out of the dream world he couldn't tell. Maybe it was the dream itself, the feel of the Sheriff's dark magic creeping up his body and sealing it in a cocoon of evil. The last dream he had about this world led him directly to Morraine, and in his heart of hearts he knew he'd been told the truth, so he had no reason to doubt what he'd seen this time. He remembered John's mention of Robin's kidnapping, Alan's mention of a botched rescue, and everything he'd learned about the mysterious figure known as Robin Hood, the one they all thought was dead.

A sickening revelation settled into his stomach, chilling him to the core as he reached for his bow and arrows, some of which he noted showed signs of wear. Morraine was right. He needed to replace them...at some other time, when their fight was over and they could focus on the one ahead.

He turned to Morraine, seriously contemplating waking her and telling her what he had come up with, and he reached over and touched her on the shoulder. "What?" she asked.

He squatted beside her. "I think I know what happened to Robin Hood."

"Bae, what are you doing?" Morraine asked, watching Bae pack up their small camp and start back toward Sherwood.

"Preparing for war," Bae said. "The Sheriff will certainly want revenge for my showing him up, and as for Robin..."

"Do you think this'll work?"

"We need to do something. I can feel the circle tightening around us."

Morraine gripped the sword. "Then we both fight."

He smiled over his shoulder at her. "I thought you'd say that." Side by side, they walked through the underbrush and began to awaken the others.