Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood, as it is the property of the BBC

Chapter 28

The next morning, Robin announced that the gang were all going to Clun Village to hand out monies and food to the poor.

When they were on the outskirts of the village, standing on the hill that over looked it, they saw that there were many horses galloping in to the village.

Immediatly, they all bobbed down to conceal themselves, as they were used to doing, apart from Marian, who stood a little to get a better look.

' The Sheriff's men!' she hissed.

Robin tugged at her sleeve, to force her to crouch like the rest of them, ' You don't want to be seen with outlaws,' he advised her.

' I don't care...they're attacking the village! Let's get them! ' she cried, showing a streak of ruthlessness that suprised the others.

' What are they doing? ' Robin asked to himself, quietly.

' Why? Robin there isn't time for 'why'. Let's go,' Marian demanded.

' Marian,' Robin said sternly,' we wait to see - '

' Come on! ' she bellowed, standing up quickly and rushing off forwards.

' Marian! ' Robin called after her, watching in despair as she ran off towards the village.

' There's too many of them,' Much said, with a shake of his head, as they all had to go and follow.

' Heavens! She's like a teenager,' Will commented.

' I resent that! ' Ava called, turning her head briefly to look at him.

Once they reached the village, Robin grabbed Marian and pulled her back, so that no one would see who she was.

Unfortunately, Marian had already started fighting with one of the guards, attracting the attention of the others, so the outlaws then had to go through fierce, hasty sword battles with the guards, without knowing why, and what the guards were actually doing.

They had each managed to fend of the guard they were fighting, and some were dealing with a second, when a fairly handsome blonde man came riding through the village on his horse, and threw short spears at the guards.

He threw one in to the back of the guard who had knocked Ava to the ground, and then proceeded to dismount his horse, help her up, and shoot an arrow through the rope that a man was dangling from on the main platform, in the centre of the town.

' The Sheriff's men are running away,' Djaq noted, as she, Will, Ava and Much stood together, Ava dusting the dried dirt from her skirts.

Even after all these months living in the forest, she refused to resign to wearing tunics and baggy pants like Djaq and the men did. Instead, she still wore dresses, but had them a little shorter and plainer so she could fight.

' Oh he's good,' Will said, with a definite nod.

' He's very good,' Ava corrected, smiling at the man as he looked their way.

He nodded at the, and at Robin before walking away slowly, leaving them to wonder who exactly he was.

Robin then went to untie Marian from the place he had tied her to ensure she would not do anything rash.

After untying Marian, Robin went to find the man who had helped them out. Much and Ava followed along after him.

' Thankyou, my friend,' he called out, spotting him not far off, ' I owe you my life,'

The blonde man nodded,' Yes you do, but I won't take it just yet. Carter. '

' Robin Hood,' Robin grinned, in that usual way of his.

' Much,' Much nodded.

' And I'm Ava,'

' Good to meet you all,' he said.

Much frowned,' Have we met before? ' he asked, feeling certain that this man was familiar, but unable to place him.

Carter shrugged, ' Not that I know of. So anyway - these guards, what did they want? '

Before anyone could answer Ava caught sight of somehting, ' He's wounded,' she said, as her blue eyes flitted from his face to his wrist.

' It's nothing...' Carter said, only to feel faint, and fall forwards, where Much and Robin caught hold of and arm each.

' Djaq! ' called Robin to the saracen, ' Come on! Let's get him out of here. John! Come one! Will, get his quiver!'

They all started to make their way back to the camp, Robin and John supporting Carter, as Much had sloped off at the earliest possible opportunity to take hold of his fiance's hand.

' I'm sure I've met him before,' he said as they walked through the forest, behind Marian and Will.

' Much,' she chided,' just leave it be,'

' I'm sure - I know that face,' he insisted, over taking Will and Marian to reach robin, John and Carter, and dragging Ava along with him.

' Are you from the Holy Land? ' he asked Carter, raising his voice in certainty.

' Yes,' Carter said reluctantly,' but we didn't meet,'

Ava gave him an I-told-you-so look, which he shrugged off and asked Carter,' How can you be sure? '

' Because you I'd have remembered.'

' Why've you come back? ' Much persued, ignoring the nails digging in to his palms as a warning for asking personal questions.

' Stabbed in the back,' was the quick reply.

' Did you get him...the one who did it? '

' No...but I've been biding my time. Preparing. ' Carter said, through gitted teeth.

' You looked prepared today,' Much nodded,' you could have taken on a whole army of them. You must be disapointed though, with today's wound. I mean - if you're planning on going back to the Holy Land and...well, killing. '

' He's here,' Carter said darkly.

' In England? ' Much asked, raising his eyebrows,' wasn't me, was it? '

Robin snorted, ' Much, the only thing you kill - or attempt to kill - are the squirrels for the stew.'

' I do not cook squirrel! ' he cried out indignantly, causing Ava to tighten her grip on his hand, to attempt to soothe him, which worked to some extent.

Once they were back at the camp, Much and Will took over aiding Carter, so John could open the camp up, and Robin could speak to Marian.

Much and Will laid Carter down on one of the more comfortable seats available - a pile of garments that needed darning, because of the holes in them - and then proceeded to put away their weapons, as Djaq searched around for something to give Carter, and Ava took everyone's cloaks from them to hang up in the kitchen area.

' Are you going to apologise to me? ' Marian snapped as she thrust her cloak in to Ava's hands, and whirled around to face Robin angrily,' You could have gotten me killed.'

' I think you would have gotten yourself killed, without my help,' Robin replied curtly.

Will, Djaq and John exchanged looks of exasperation, that clearly said that they had had enough of quarreling couples over the past few days and weeks, and did not need any more to add to it.

On seeing this, Much and Ava exchanged looks of guilt, since they were the pair who had the arguments that they others had to listen to.

Carter merely watched in amusement.

' Charging in like that,' Robin sighed, shaking his head in disapproval.

' Robin, I've been fighting these idiots for years, as the nightwatchman, remember? ' Marian challenge, arrogance seeping in.

' I know. On your own,' he stressed, ' This is a team Marian, You went crashing in and we all had to follow. And in battle, that's a cardinal sin. We work together. '

' You mean they do as you tell them? ' Marian scoffed.

' Yes,' Robin agreed,' yeah they do. And until you learn to do the same, you can stay here at the camp. '

' What? ' she asked, clearly not excepting that.

' I mean it Marian - you need to calm down.' he told her.

Marian took hold of a wooden spoon from the kitchen area work top and threw it on the floor, ' I don't need to be molly coddled,' she told him edgily.

' Good! ' he replied strongly,' because you're not going to get it here. I have to make sure that everyone is alright, I can't just focus on you.'

John sighed and stood up from his place by the entrance to the camp,' For heaven's sake! ' he snapped, ' pack it in, the pair of you. We don't need all these arguments, it's going to end up ripping the group apart. We've got enough on with Much and Ava's lover's quarrels every other day without you two starting as well! '

Much, Ava and Robin crossed their arms across their chests and glared at John like school children who had just been reprimanded, whilst Marian stormed off away from the camp.

John sighed and decided to go after Marian, saying something about her neeing comfort,

Djaq then went to mix up a new potion - whoch she didn't tell them what it was, because they all sounded the same to the other outlaws.

Will was off a short way from the others, whittling away at some random piece of wood - at least, that was what it looked like to Ava, who had stopped asking what he was actually doing months ago, when she realised that she couldn't stand the lecture the question sparked.

Much went over to start a fire so he could cook something - as usual.

Ava decided that she should make a start on darning the holes in the clothes on the pile, since no one else would - it was a job that took a great deal of concentration and time, which meant that the other outlaws would leave it for as long as possible, until Ava or John would get sick of it, and start fixing it.

After darning the holes in three of Will's shirts in a row - and knowing they were Will's by the fit of them. John's were much larger, Much's not as large as Will's, Robin's a similar size, but slightly wider across the chest, and Djaq's being a much smaller fit - she sighed and called out to him.

' Will! ' she cried in annoyance, ' why is it that your clothes have more holes in than anyone else's? '

When she looked up, after recieving no answer, Will was no where he had been before.

Ava frowned, and glanced around quickly, wondering where he had gone. Looking over to the fire, Much was gone too.

She set aside the garments and got up to walk over to Djaq's station, where she found Djaq sat on a stool, speaking with Robin.

' Either of you two know where Much and Will have gotten to? ' she asked.

It was Robin who answered,' Much went hunting for tonight's supper, and Will went with him.'

Ava nodded, ' Oh, then I'm going to collect some firewood, ' she decided.

Robin raised his eyebrows at her, ' Going to collect firewood, or looking for Much? '

' The former of course,' she called over her shoulder, as she walked towards the exit of the camp.

She had only just left the camp when a cold hand covered her mouth, and some one dragged her to one side, in to the trees.

Inwardly cursing herself for leaving the camp alone, she attempted in vain to wrench the hand from her mouth, only to be hit over the head, to be knocked in to unconsiousness.

When she came around, Ava found that she was tied up around her waist and wrists with a gag on her mouth.

She looked around to see that she had been sat on top of a high hill, so that if she tried to move, she would end up rolling off the great height to her death.

When she leant back a little, she found that she was tied back to back with someone to doubly ensure that she wouldn't be able to move any where.

Wondering who she was tied to, she moved her head around to be met with the sight of the side of Will's head.

Will, on feeeling her move, and being glad to know that she was no longer slumped unconsious, also turned his head so that his startling green eyes were up on her own blue eyes.

He raised his eyebrows and tried to talk through his gag, mumbling something that resembled, ' You ok?'

She nodded and he nodded back, that being all they could do to communicate.

With a sigh, Ava looked across the side of the hill to see Much and Marian tied toether in the same position she and Will were, only on the opposite hill.

John was tied to a large tree, on the same side as Much and Marian, although a fair few yards away.

Djaq was in the same position as John, although on the same side as Ava and Will.

Wondering who had done this to them all, Ava groaned in frustration and hoped that Robin would be able to come to them before Gisbourne or one of the castle guards would happen to be riding through the forest.