(Sherwood)
They had the money. Not all of it, but enough to make a serious dent in Vaizey's plans. And they would distribute it the following day. Right now, they were safe in their camp, enjoying the feeling of a raid gone right. Tom sat a little apart from the rest, uncomfortable and thinking dark thoughts.
She was well and truly lost, now. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. She couldn't stay with them, it would put them in far too much danger. The night's raid, the stolen taxes, and her escape would have put both her husband and the Sheriff into fits of rage.
She snorted at her whimsy. They were already in as much danger as possible. Gisborne and Vaizey had sworn to find them and hang them. Tom would be no more danger to them than themselves.
But what could she do to help them? She couldn't play this trick again. And while she could use her sword passably well, she wasn't good enough with it to truly fight. She could defend herself but that was about it. And she refused to be a burden on them. They fought to make things better, and she wanted to be part of that.
She couldn't bloody well torment her husband again. She never wanted to see him. And she wasn't going to be responsible for her actions if she did. He had tried to – her mind cringed away from the thought. He'd have succeeded if John hadn't broken down the door.
Robin came to sit next to her, near enough to touch but not near enough to be threatening. She was skittish as a deer and he didn't want to make it worse. He did hand her a cup and a cloth, however. "Djaq says this'll help the swelling, maybe take some of the pain from it," he said softly as he offered it to her. He paused a moment. "Thank you."
She turned to look at him, confused. "Why thank me?" she asked quietly. "If not for me, you'd have been long gone without a trace and no one the wiser that you'd taken the money." She gave him a rueful smile.
He gave a soft bark of laughter. "If not for you, we'd never have gotten in in the first place," he stated emphatically. "You put yourself in great danger on our behalf. Why?" It wasn't an idle question. Gisborne could easily have killed her.
"Because you make a difference." Tom's words were soft, also, but she could feel the others listening as well. "Because you treated me with kindness instead of suspicion when you could very well have slit my throat and been done with it." She shrugged. "I've seen the smiles on the faces of the poor when you've been through with donations. Food, money; it makes no difference what is given to them. What matters is that it allows them to live without fear for a few days."
Robin offered her a true smile, then. "You're welcome to stay. You're safe with us. We'll let no harm come to you."
"I know." Her gaze strayed to John and she colored slightly. "Bit of a bear, that one," she said quietly. "Did he really break down that door without a ram?" And yet he'd been so gentle with her, so kind. So willing to protect her, to protect her charade if that was what she wanted. It made her smile.
Robin gave a sly smile of his own. "Yes," he said with a small laugh. A little teasing might not be amiss here. He was comfortable with her in ways he hadn't expected possible, not after Marian. And it would establish whether or not he needed to be circumspect. She was a pretty girl, after all. Not that he was really interested, but a little harmless flirtation never hurt anyone. Abruptly he sobered. "He heard you scream."
"If he hadn't..." Her voice trailed off and she dropped her eyes to the floor. No. She wasn't going to think about that. About how helpless she'd felt, unable to get free, unable to fight back. No.
"It didn't happen." Robin's voice was soft. He'd tracked the emotions in her face, the fear and the despair. "And we'll protect you. You're safe." It was part of her fear, he knew, that she couldn't protect herself. He'd seen it before, one person overpowered by another, unable to fight back, unable to flee. He saw it every day, every time the Sheriff and Gisborne handed out "punishments" and taxes. It put a whole new meaning on helpless and it was a feeling that could destroy her if it was allowed to grow. "You're fairly good with your dagger if you sliced Gisborne with it. He's hard to fight."
The words were simple, but the thought behind them wasn't. First, that she was well protected, and second that she wasn't completely helpless. And third, that while he knew he'd protect her as well as he was able, he was more than certain that John would die for her. It was a sudden surety that he couldn't explain but he could nearly see the connection between them. It might be no more than simple friendship; but it was subtle and it was deep, even in the short time they'd been acquainted.
"I'm not good enough. He's still alive." Her fury crackled from her words and he blinked. From one extreme to the next, he thought quickly. "No, that's not right. We can't kill him. Whoever Vaizey brought in to replace him would be worse." She shook her head. "I'm not good company, sorry." She took a deep breath. "Will you teach me? My sword. A bow. Anything else you can find. And I'll have to find another dagger, HE has mine."
"Of course we'll teach you. But that, I think, is for tomorrow. It's getting late." He rose and noted that John had been watching them curiously. "John, first watch tonight, then Much, then me. And tomorrow we'll start teaching our new friend how to use her weapons."
He rose and went to his spot to sleep, leaving her to think. John rose in turn, going to the opening they watched out of. Tom went to sit next to him, silent, but needing the company. She no longer wanted to be alone with her thoughts. They were too dark and frightening. "Mind if I join you?" she asked quietly.
He moved slightly, giving her some extra room. "You okay?" Stupid question. She wasn't, really, and he understood it.
"Not really," she answered honestly. "But I will be." She shook her head, pale hair gleaming in the torchlight. She put a gentle hand on his arm. "Thank you," she murmured.
He gave her a small smile. "Couldn't let him hurt you," he said quietly as he peered out the opening. They were safe enough, but they still set a watch. For all his apparent inability to track them, Gisborne wasn't stupid. Sooner or later, he'd find them. He wanted to put his arm around her but he didn't want to frighten her and this soon after what had happened, it probably would. "You should sleep, Tom," he said softly.
"I'm afraid to," she replied in a small voice. "I've had nightmares since word came of Father's death. Now... I'm afraid to close my eyes." Her voice shook and she tried to take hold of her wayward emotions. She wanted to belong here and if she was afraid all the time, she wouldn't be able to. Would she? They seemed more than kind. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
She wanted him to hold her and tell her everything would be all right, and that was odd because they'd only just met. But he already meant safety to her, and she didn't question that.
He shifted and raised his arm invitingly. "If you want," he said softly. "It might help."
She scooted over the few remaining inches and let him place his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "Thank you," she murmured as she let her head fall against his shoulder. "For everything."
He tightened his grip a fraction for a second and then kept silent. If she could sleep, it would be best, and soon enough, he felt her grow a trifle heavier against him. Her eyes were closed and he let a small smile out, watching her for a moment before turning his attention back to the opening.
When Much woke to take the watch (and he didn't have any idea how the man always managed to wake on time, he just did) John gathered her up carefully and placed her on a pallet near the fire, composing himself nearby. If she woke afraid, he'd be there to reassure her.
Robin found them like that when he rose and gave a smirk. John rested his back against the wall and she lay on his pallet – and their hands were linked. Definitely something there. But both rested quietly and that was all that mattered. If they took comfort from each other, it was just an added benefit.
(Nottingham Castle)
Prince John descended from his carriage at Nottingham Castle and waited impatiently for both Vaizey and Gisborne to kiss his ring. "I am not pleased by what I am hearing," he said simply as he minced past them into the castle proper. "I sent you a wife, Gisborne, in hopes that you would become my staunch ally. And yet you have not consummated your marriage, indeed, you have allowed her to flout your authority and actually attack you!" His voice became soft and deadly. "You do not love me, or you would have done this thing already."
"Forgive me, Sire," Gisborne said softly as Prince John settled himself into the Sheriff's throne. "You warned me, and I chose to think she couldn't be so headstrong as you described." His jaw twitched. "She's much, much worse than you mentioned."
"Yes, well, I could hardly tell you the truth, could I? You'd have run for the hills. Very well, I accept your apology, Gisborne, but you WILL fix this and immediately. Now, on to bigger things. She has fallen in with Robin Hood, hm? Whatever shall we do about that?"
"I'd a thought, Your Highness," Vaizey broke in smoothly. "We still have the Black Knights, although admittedly that's not worth much in an attempt to kill the King. Why don't we use them?"
Prince John leaned forward slightly, watching them. "I had heard you disbanded them. You say some are still loyal to our cause? I'm intrigued. Explain."
"If Hood sees them, he'll stop at nothing to find out what they're up to. So we send them on an errand, say to Portsmouth, where Hood isn't so well known and has fewer allies. He'll follow." He smirked. "He's too loyal to do otherwise. If he thinks there's a threat to Richard, or if he thinks he can stop our cruelty, he'll go without a thought. And he'll take that ragged little band of miscreants with him, so we can net the whole lot."
"Good, good!" Prince John clapped his hands together in glee. "But he's sure to leave someone behind to look after things here. Probably your errant wife, Gisborne, since she's not really a dab hand at combat. It surprised me greatly that she was able to do you any damage, to be honest. Well, you'll be at Locksley Manor to intercept her. Yes, this is perfect! Oh, you DO love me!"
Gisborne exchanged a look with the Sheriff. Yes, this might well work. And it would keep them in the Prince's good graces for a while longer.