They got John into the camp with a little difficulty. He'd lost enough blood that he was weak, and as a big man, he was hard to handle. But they got him inside nonetheless and onto his pallet. Tom knelt beside him, her face pale, holding his hand. He touched her cheek. "I'll be fine," he said simply and she nuzzled into the caress.
Gisborne watched them, his own heart twisting. She wasn't his, even if she was bound to him. Another woman he wanted and couldn't have. But this time, he vowed, this time things would be different. And she wouldn't die by his hand.
Robin touched his shoulder. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry," he said easily. "You shouldn't have had to come with us."
"I always intended to," the knight replied quietly as he turned away. He couldn't watch his wife with the other man, watch the love she obviously felt for John. The love he'd hoped she might eventually come to feel for him. No, he couldn't watch it. "Especially when they told me Richard was coming home. He has to be warned." He looked over to the east. "It's nearly dawn. We need to be moving. They'll be on the road to Loughton already."
Robin nodded. "John can't travel," he said softly, "and we need Tom with us. Djaq!"
The girl came over from where she'd been tending John's wound. "He cannot ride much further," she said quietly. "He won't die, but he's going to be weak for a while. He would not be able to fight."
"Stay with him. Will, too. I need to know he's safe." Robin put a hand on her arm. "Tom, Much, let's go. There's no time."
Tom pressed a quick kiss to John's lips. "I'll be back," she murmured and he nodded.
"Be careful," he replied just as softly and then Tom was moving with them to the horses.
"It's going to be a race," Robin growled as they mounted and headed off. "And we have to get there first. If Richard comes ashore with them waiting for him -"
"Then stop talking and ride harder." Much put spurs to his horse, taking the lead, surprising them all.
It took some time. They had to slow down occasionally to rest the horses, and each time, Robin fretted more. His unease spread to the others; each one of them was in a state of total nerves by the time Loughton was in sight.
They were passed into the town on the strength of Gisborne's name, and they went straight to the harbor where the King's ship lay offshore, patently waiting. Gisborne started shouting orders, demanding fortifications in the obvious places and a few that weren't so obvious. "I'll see to this, you see to the King," he said quietly as he held Tom's horse for her to dismount.
She got down quickly, resisting the urge to growl at him again. She wasn't helpless! On the other hand, it was a kindness. Then she fell in step with Robin once more. "You told me in no uncertain terms not to trust him," she hissed as soon as they were out of earshot. "I hope you know what you're doing."
Robin hailed the guards at the pier. "I hope so, too. But having him here, we can keep an eye on him." He gestured behind to the shadow following Gisborne's every move. "Much is very, very good at this."
Tom had to give the man marks for subtlety; she wouldn't have seen him if she hadn't known he was there. And that was miraculous, considering the way he loved to talk. "Where are we going?"
"We'll have to board ship," he answered quietly. "Richard hasn't come ashore; hopefully he got wind of some of this and stayed aboard ship for that reason. At any rate, we've got to talk to him before Prince John's Black Knights get here. Richard's walking into a trap."
"We can't allow that." Tom had a hand on her sword. She waited patiently, watching around while Robin spoke to the oarsman of a nearby longboat, securing passage out to the King's ship. "Hurry. It's getting light, they won't be far behind us."
He gestured for her to get in and she did so, but she was scared. She couldn't swim and being in this much water scared her to death. Then they were being helped aboard the ship and placed under guard. "We don't have time for this!" Robin exploded. "King Richard's in danger. Tell him Robin of Locksley's come to protect him. Thomasina of Sibley is with me."
One man went for the King while the others simply guarded Robin and Tom. They weren't able to move a foot in any direction without either being in the water or stuck on someone's sword. It was nearly intolerable to Robin, who'd come with only good intentions. Finally, after some minutes, the messenger came back and indicated that they were to follow.
"Finally!" Robin breathed. Tom kept quiet. Something was wrong, she thought suddenly. The messenger they'd sent to the King said nothing, wouldn't even look at them. But then they were ushered into Richard's presence and she forgot everything else.
Richard had been her friend since she was a child; she would know him anywhere, even after a long time not seeing his face. She smiled widely, but he barely acknowledged her presence. What was wrong? "It seems you always come to my defense, Robin," he said tightly as he gestured for Robin to rise from his kneeling position. "But I must confess to some confusion. You have brought a known assassin to assist you?" He inclined his head. "Gisborne has tried to kill me at least twice and you've brought him with you to protect me?" He gestured again and the knight was brought in, tightly bound. "Explain yourself, quickly."
"It's difficult to believe, Your Majesty, but he HAS changed," Robin began quietly. "We wouldn't even be here without his help. Prince John and Sheriff Vaizey had captured us, meant to hang us. Gisborne got us out at great personal risk." Could they trust him? He was hoping so. That he had helped them meant a lot; that he still mourned Marian in such a way meant even more. There had to be a show of trust. "The people of Locksley tell a similar tale, of how he's changed, become kinder, less cruel."
"And do you trust him?" Richard wasn't backing down. The man was a menace, dangerous and had been known to slither his way out of punishments for past misdeeds with words pitched to the right ears. But he gave a small smile to Thomasina then, and she was a little reassured.
Robin didn't hesitate. "He had ample opportunity on the journey here to do us harm, and instead he protected us." He didn't mention Much; if Richard hadn't seen him, then there was still someone keeping watch, standing guard, that he trusted. For all his words, he wasn't COMPLETELY sure of Gisborne's loyalty yet. It was why he'd set Much to shadow him.
"And yet you have another watching him." Richard grinned then. "You always were shrewd. No possibility overlooked. Very well, release him." He gestured over to Gisborne who was cut free. "Come, break fast with me. We can discuss your warning." He glared at Gisborne for a moment. "If you prove false, sir knight, hanging will seem positively pleasant compared to what we will do to you."
Thomasina took a seat down the table from them, giving them privacy, but Richard gestured her closer with a small smile. "Did you think I would forget my friend?" he asked softly. "But other things must come first, I'm afraid. Now, you will tell me everything and how you came to be in my most staunch defender's company."
They passed a few pleasant moments before she finally did tell him, enjoying the food and the company. Once she'd explained about John's plots, about her marriage to Gisborne, he went cold and silent for several long moments. "We will think on this and how we must proceed," he said slowly. But anything else he might have said was swallowed up by a cry of alarm from the deck and then the violent pitching of the ship.
They swarmed up on deck where Richard started shouting orders. Archers took places at the bow of the ship, firing toward the assaulting trebuchets, some finding targets with their longbows but most falling short. Robin's recurve was in hand, and the others had grabbed spares, but another near miss rocked the craft enough to send several tumbling into the water, including Gisborne and Tom.
If they'd been in armor, like some of the men in the water, they would have drowned without a doubt, pulled under by the weight. Guy was able to get an arm under her despite her panicked struggles and support her to shore, some yards distant. They crawled up on the stony beach, retching and trying desperately to breathe.
As soon as he caught his breath, he got a hand under her elbow and helped her stand. "We need to silence these trebuchets," he growled and she nodded. She was still struggling to breathe and he gave her a look. "If you're not up to it -"
"Let's go," she snarled back. Being so close to him was not her first choice of places to be but it was necessary and he HAD saved her life. Again. She supposed she should be a bit nicer to him once this was all over.
"You go left. Don't hesitate. Use that dagger, kill the operators. Then we'll fire them." He touched her face. She might not be his, but he'd still worry. "Be careful."
She shrugged off the caress and nodded before darting off to the side. She was quick with her dagger, slitting throats the way her father had taught her and regretting every life lost. It took some time to be stealthy; but soon it was done. Then she dashed out to find her husband where he was working on the second weapon.
He'd found a bucket of pitch and was smearing it along the wood, then fired it. "Here." He handed her the torch and helped her to take care of that one as well.
Longboats were coming ashore, shields positioned to protect against the archers who had moved into position. Richard was well protected, but the ship was sinking. One of the last shots from the trebuchets had scored a hit.
That they would no longer be useful even if not burned didn't matter. It had been necessary to destroy them as a preventive measure. Now, it would be close in fighting.
How many men had Prince John recruited to his cause? Tom was despairing at the sight of so many, many men fighting against those loyal to the King. She threw herself into the fray, knowing she didn't have the finesse she might need but not caring. These men threatened her King and she wasn't going to allow it.
Guy kept close to her as they moved back down the waterfront, rejoining Robin with the King's personal guard. He liberated a crossbow, using it to deadly effect. He climbed to a rooftop, stationing himself above them to offer cover fire.
Richard kept himself visible but well protected, and Robin was nearby until a shout from Much warned him and he spun, barely avoiding the sword that was intended for his skull. Much launched himself from Robin's right, bashing the attacker with his shield and then moving back to back with his friend, defending him.
A familiar roar of rage came from behind them and Tom's heart lurched before pounding again in apprehension. If he'd been as badly hurt as Djaq said, he couldn't have followed them, could he?
John plowed through some of the enemy, his staff flashing out, slamming men aside as he used it to deadly effect. He was slower, but he was moving, and Tom leaped to guard his back as one of the enemy tried to put a sword through it. Then battle was joined again and she saw Djaq and Will as well before becoming completely consumed again with keeping herself and John alive.
A voice rose clear above the swordplay and as one, they turned to see Vaizey and Prince John on one of the battlements, and Vaizey had a crossbow trained on Richard. Prince John was smirking. "You've lost, Richard, you sanctimonious sod! You're surrounded, outnumbered, outmatched, you're done. Give me the crown and I'll let you live."
Robin looked up, as did the others. Gisborne was nowhere to be seen and the archer felt bitter betrayal twist into his guts. Then he saw the knight, a few buildings away, his crossbow trained on the King, and he roared defiance as his own bow raised.
A crossbow bolt from across the square took him in the shoulder and he dropped, but didn't stay down. Much lent him as much support as possible, and the others ranged in support of their King, trying to keep themselves between the obvious weapons and Richard. Richard shook his head. "You are not fit for the crown, brother. Give up now and I will be merciful."
"Gisborne!" Vaizey called. "Do it now! Just as we planned, and you'll have everything you ever wanted!"
All eyes went to the knight, whose expression was flat and cold. They saw his finger tightening on the trigger, and then the unthinkable happened.
In one swift move, the weapon shifted as it fired and the bolt took Vaizey in the chest, sending him backward to crumple against the wall. "I've made my choice!" Gisborne snarled in the ensuing silence. "For King Richard!"
The battle was joined again, but this time, the defenders of the King were winning. Other fighters joined in, knights, soldiers, peasants, anyone who could wield a weapon of any sort sprang into the fray, with cries of "For King Richard!" and "For England!" thrown liberally around.
Prince John disappeared from the battlements, and Gisborne came down to lend his sword to the King's defense. It was nearly over, the sounds of battle dying down as more and more of the enemy yielded to the determined onslaught of those loyal to Richard.
The battle was finally winding down. No one knew where Prince John had disappeared to when he retreated from the battlements; but the rest of the attackers were on the run or yielding to their King in hopes of gaining mercy.
Each of the gang was sporting injuries, but none life threatening. Cuts, bruises, and Robin's shoulder were the worst of it. Richard had them all gathered around him where he finally called a halt in the middle of the courtyard.
Richard was addressing his people, promising mercy for those who threw down their arms and death to those who still opposed him. John and Tom were together, simply holding each other, glad to be alive. Robin watched Gisborne, who seemed a bit less forbidding than usual, and Much watched both of them, carefully considering. Will and Djaq moved among them, Djaq checking injuries and Will offering his support and assistance where needed.
Things had settled down quite a bit when Guy saw a motion in a window and threw himself sideways in front of Richard as the dagger missed its mark and instead buried itself to the hilt in his side. He went to the ground even as Robin's recurve twanged and Prince John's body fell from an upper story window.
Richard gestured for the bearers to take him up. "There's a makeshift hospital at the edge of the square," he said simply. "Take him there. We'll follow."