Mad with frustration and worry, Robin stalked through the fairgrounds of Nottingham Horse Fair, right back where he'd started his search for Marian.
The town's streets had yielded nothing, except for the addition of Allan a Dale leaving his place at the Trip to join Robin and Little John in their search.
"Yeah, I know Bruno," Allan admitted. "Not one of your finer citizens. Protects all the lovely ladies at the Cherry Pit."
A mad dash to the Cherry Pit earned them nothing but tongue lashings from Maggie, whose face alternately fell when spying Robin, but lit up when she discovered Allan had come to see her.
"Where have you been? Why haven't you come see me?" she asked, jabbing Allan's chest with her finger. "You'd think this was a lazar house, and me a leper!"
Allan threw wide his hands. "Naw, Maggie, I still love you! I've just been slavin' away, at the Trip! Gotta earn a livin', same as you!"
Maggie seemed satisfied. Allan could always talk his way around her. Turning to Robin, she next insisted upon knowing, "And where are my jewels, what I loaned you? You promised to return 'em to me!"
"Here," Robin said, reaching inside his shirt for his purse. Desperately, he realized he'd used all his money to buy a horse...a horse for Marian. He didn't even know where that horse was now... He didn't even care.
"I will repay you, Maggie," he promised. "But we don't have time for this now. My wife's..." His throat felt tight and constricted, making speech difficult. "My wife's gone missing."
"Kidnapped, by Bruno," Allan explained. "Where is he?"
"Not here," Maggie answered. "Bruno really do that?"
"Where is he?" Robin demanded, loudly.
Maggie gulped, never having seen Lord Locksley so angry. "Don't know," she answered. "Haven't seen him. Maybe at the fair. Fair's a good place to get new customers."
And so, back to the fair they ran. Allan soon discovered Much and Eve showing their infant son Tweeks the sights, Much wearing a look of disgust for having stepped in horse dung. "That is revolting!" he grimaced, wiping the sole of his boot in the grass.
"You gotta help Robin," Allan told him, unable to take his eyes off Eve. "Marian's in trouble."
"Trouble? Wha-wha-what do you mean...trouble?"
"Kidnapped. Ask around. See if anybody knows where to find a brute called Bruno."
Little John was also busy collecting reinforcements, when he ran into Will and Djaq at the fair.
"We'll find her, Robin," Will told his friend, pressing a reassuring hand on his forearm.
Robin could only nod, his eyes wild with despair. Eve agreed to watch over Will and Djaq's twins, so that the couple could concentrate on the search. But endless questions yielded no results. No one claimed to have seen Bruno.
Darting from booth to booth, Robin asked everyone he could find. But when his eyes lit upon something for sale in one booth, he went completely numb.
"Where did you get this?" he cried, holding a ribbon tied lock of hair in his fist. Lifting it to his face, he breathed in its scent, then clutched it to his heart.
"Where did you get this?" he shouted again.
The vendor, a pimply faced adolescent, merely shook his head, frightened by the madness in Lord Locksley's eyes.
With his free hand, Robin reached across the table, grabbing the youth by his shirt and pulling him face to face with himself. "Where did you get this?" he asked again, his tone menacing.
"Tell us!" Much insisted, drawing his sword.
"Robin!" Little John warned. "He no can talk."
"Yeah," Allan affirmed. "John's right. Crazy Vaisey cut his tongue out."
"Daddy!"
Shuddering with frustration, Robin released his hold on the frightened youth. It took all his will to adjust his features to a semi normal expression, but he managed it, before turning to face Bridget Thornton and his small daughter.
"Daddy!"
From her perch on Bridget's hip, Ellen held out her arms, and Robin quickly swooped her up. "Where's Mama?" Ellen innocently asked.
Hearing the question from his child's lips was almost too much for Robin. Sucking in his breath, he held her cheek to his, but could not answer.
"Having fun at the fair?" he managed to ask, his voice no more than a whisper.
Ellen yawned, and Robin, still clutching the lock of hair in one fist, reluctantly handed her back to Bridget. "Time for your nap," he told his daughter, kissing the top of her head. Lowering his voice, he instructed Bridget, "Do this for me. Find Nurse Mattie, and take Ellen home for her nap. If Lady Locksley returns home, or if you hear anything of her whereabouts, send word to me immediately."
"Yes, Master Robin," Bridget answered, wondering at the odd, intense look in her beloved master's eyes.
Once the servant had taken Ellen away, Robin, with eyes closed, held the ribbon tied hair to his nose again, seemingly frozen where he stood. "Robin!" Much shouted, trying to pull him out of his trance. "Marian!"
"Where?"
"No! I mean...we have to look for her! Put that...that hair down and...and...keep searching!"
"This is Marian's hair, Much," Robin told his friend, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. "I know its feel, its scent!"
Much's jaw dropped, rendering him temporarily speechless. "Wha-wha-what?" he asked.
"What?" Allan repeated, thinking Robin had gone mad. "Not bein' funny, but its probably hair from a horse's mane."
"Or tail," Will agreed.
"It's not from a horse!" Robin shouted. "It's Marian's!"
Breathing heavily, his heart aching, Robin stared wild eyed at his friends, then turned from them and took off running.
"Where are you going?" Much demanded. Receiving no answer, he stared open mouthed back and forth, from Robin's disappearing figure to the gang. "What do we do now?" he sputtered.
Little John did not hesitate. "We follow," he answered.
As if they were one body, Robin's former gang of outlaws took off running after him.