Illusions 4
I' m really sorry for the long delay, but my schedule was really tight. This chapter, however, was not written by me, but by a friend who wanted to start writing fanfiction and give it a try. So the translation is mine and partly my daughter's.
Robin and Much were standing at the barn door and staring outside. The warriors were still sleeping, but there were guards and the moment of truth had finally come. It was now or never. Tears of despair welled up in Much's eyes. As much as he loved Robin, he didn't want to die, not today and not here. It had been his idea to throw a party for Robin in this barn. It was his fault that they would die. "A good day to die," Little John had said. No, this was not a good day to die.
Much turned around and walked to the other side of the barn, crouching in a corner and staring into space, while the others were preparing for the fight. Will and Djaq had chosen not to waste the precious time with sleeping last night and now they were standing close to the door, holding hands and whispering. A low whistle from Robin made everyone turn around; he nodded. Will and Djaq embraced for the last time and walked over to Robin. Little John had already positioned himself beside their leader.
"Much!" Robin looked at his former servant, who didn't even seem to notice. Even at the second time, he didn't move. Little John placed his hand on Robin's shoulder and shook his head. "Let him be. It's not important whether there's four or five of us. In his state of mind he probably won't even notice what happens. It's better this way." Robin nodded, tears in his eyes, and turned towards the door. The tension, the desperation and fear, but also the confidence that he was doing the right thing, were tangible.
"For England and for our King! Long live King Ri…" Robin couldn't continue, a loud „Stop!" interrupting him. Much had jumped up, giving everybody a wild glare. „That can't be everything! We could burn the barn down or dig a tunnel or we could build a kind of monster and frighten them or we could say we were leprous or we…."
"Much!" Robin walked over to him. We talked this through. There is no alternative."
„There must be," Much whispered, choked. "There's always a loophole."
Robin drew the desperate, wildly gesticulating man in his arms, trying to comfort him, but then he started when he heard Djaq's voice. "Money!" He looked up and turned to Djaq, who suddenly smiled at him. "Money," she repeated more strongly. "Of course! I should have thought of this much earlier. Robin, these are mercenaries, and they will follow everyone who pays a good price."
Robin frowned and then nodded; the idea didn't seem so far off. Meanwhile Much had calmed down and looked at them, still rather grim. "I know, you won't like this, but shrouds have no pockets and we could bargain the silver and gold in our camp for our lives."
Robin turned things over in his mind. He knew Djaq could move silently like a cat; maybe she would be able to sneak behind the lines of the mercenaries to fetch the money. "Djaq, you are going and we will try to distract the soldiers until you're back." She nodded and disappeared. They'd always racked their brains how she succeeded in vanishing and showing up again silently without anybody noticing. The guards would never see her, merely feeling a slight breeze when she scurried past them. Only Will was a little concerned and frowned.
„If anybody is able to do this, it is Djaq. Still, we should save our strength and hope that Djaq will be back by dawn. I'll take the first watch. Go to sleep!"
By the crack of dawn, there was still no trace of Djaq. Not only in the barn, everybody was rousing, no, also in the mercenaries' camp there were a few people awake. Robin hoped that the soldiers would not try to take the barn. Time was money, after all, and the less time they spent on this assignment, the sooner they could start the next. This was their hope, and so was the money Djaq would bring, which would make the mercenaries spare their lives.
"She won't come. They have captured her. She'is probably already dead," Will murmured softly. Robin put his hand on Will's shoulder to comfort him. "She's alive and will get us out of here. I'm certain of it." Why he was certain of it? The mercenaries would not have shied away from showing her up, torturing her or worse, which he couldn't even think of.
There was a certain restlessness about the mercenaries' camp; something seemed to disturb the daily routine. Were they preparing for the attack on the barn after all? Robin called the others and discussed the options that remained. They decided to stay in the barn and put up a fight until Djaq was back. He was peering outside, trying to bring some sense into what was happening. "They are forming up!" Will suddenly called out. Indeed, a raiding patrol was drawing close. In there wake was a big trunk they obviously intended to use as a battering ram. Much looked at Will nervously, who snorted contemptuously.
"For God, the King and England!" Robin shouted and drew his sword. The others followed suit. Then the trunk hit the barn door fort he first time. The wood was solid but already the first crossbeams were cracking. Again it hit. Wood was splintering… And again… And again… And again… The door would not keep them out forever, the gang knew. Suddenly they heard the captain call out; there was silence for a whole second. Then all hell broke loose. The soldiers were hammering away at the door, while a great disturbance was spreading in the camp behind them. They heard voices and loud cries. Robin tried to make out what was happening but the soldiers were blocking his line of vision. They heard the clashing of arms and the captain shouting. The barn door was finally giving way and burst open with a huge crash. Robin and his men were ready. The knew that they would lose their lives, here and now. They would never see their families again, Marian perhaps would never know what had really happened in Nettlestone Village, and the Sheriff and Prince John were one step closer to England's complete submission.
The swords were glistening in the daylight, their bodies were tense with anticipation. Yelling, they stormed towards their attackers. When they were past the door, however, they stopped in their tracks. There was no mercenary to be seen, at least none that wanted to attack them. They could see the last ones of them retreating to the hill. The gang froze. Only a commotion in the direction of Nettlestone Village shook them out of their trance. Djaq and the majority of the villagers came running towards them. Some of the peasants were still pointing their pitchforks skywards.
"Robin", Djaq called out, "they are gone!" – "How? Where?" They were all looking at Djaq, who told them excitedly how she had managed to get rid of the mercenaries. After she had found a way out, she had run to the village and alerted the villagers. She had appealed to their conscience, convincing them that Robin Hood had done so much for them already. While she had hurried on to the woods to get the money, the villagers had formed up. They had realized that they depended on Robin Hood and the gang. Without them they were at the mercy of the Sheriff and his men. Together with the villagers, who had armed themselves with everything they could find, Djaq had returned to the barn, where the first attack on the barn was already under way.
There was a great scuffle but Djaq managed to find the captain. It did not take very long to convince him; it was an easy choice for him. Even more money and no danger of injured or dead men. He did not care about the Sheriff. That was the risk one had to take with mercenaries; the highest bidder bought their loyalty. Also, who wanted to fight a retaliatory attack against an armed group of experienced soldiers?
When the mercenaries were out of sight, Robin and his men cheered and hugged. It was over. Nobody would forget this birthday.
Marian was still crouching in the corner where Guy had left her. Her face did not betray anything; her eyes were as empty as her heart. She did not feel anything and did not want to, either. Her thoughts were going in circles and her inner despair had given way to a feeling of powerlessness. Her life did not make sense anymore; her father was dead, the house burnt down, she was an outlaw and the two men in her life were gone forever. Robin was dead and to Guy, who felt only contempt for her, she was as good as dead.
The loud cawing of a bird startled her. Even without a goal in front of her, she could not stay in the cabin forever. Slowly she got up, looked around. Her gaze met an old blanket. It had a few holes but would protect her from the cold in the forest. She did not even search for food since the cabin had not been lived in for months.
In the dim light of dawn Marian left the cabin. The trees around her seemed colourless, the sky grey and life in the forest extinct. There was no sound to be heard, not even the crow that had scared her seemed to be there. Maybe it was dead and that was her punishment, her hell: A life without any contact to other beings whatsoever. Not even the Sheriff's men were following her. "Rubbish", she muttered, "They will look for me. I have to leave the forest." Since she didn't know where she was, she decided to follow the path that led west. She walked on the side of the path in order to scurry towards the shrubbery, should anyone approach her. She had not been the Night Watchman in the Sherwood Forest for nothing.
This part of the forest in South England seemed completely deserted. She had been walking for more than half a day without coming across anybody. Her stomach was grumbling. The water from a little brook she had drunk earlier filled it for a while, but not forever. She looked around. The forest changed. It was getting brighter and life seemed to return. She heard birds singing and the soft rustle of leaves. Suddenly something was flashing in front of her, she froze, then hurried to hide in the shrubs. Since the flashing did not seem to come any closer, she dared to walk on. Still in the shrubbery, she had reached the edge of the forest. A small farm lay in front of her. The flashing that had startled her was caused b a metal pot that had been leaned against the wall to dry and that was swinging in the wind. Next to it, someone had hung clothes on a line. There was nobody to be seen. Marian hesitated. She had never taken anything from anyone in need. But Lady Marian had to disappear. Her clothes would give her away as a noblewoman.
The dress from the clothes line was a little big and the scarf she wrapped around her head clumsily, was bothering her. But all that was better than being recognised and captured. Her belt and boots she kept, her other belongings she bundled up. She would have liked to leave them behind to compensate for the things she had stolen. But the risk of being traced was too great. She made a mental apology and left the farm in a hurry. In her bundle she also carried half a loaf of bread, a slice of cheese and some apples. Back on the path, she noticed that it was leading her north to places she did not want to return to. But did she have a choice? She followed the path towards an unknown future.