Chapter 2

Alex woke up with a pounding in her head. She closed her eyes and winced and wondered what had happened the night before. She recalled what she did, what she drank, and when she went home as she experienced the sharp pain in her head. Then she remembered going to her tree, and her memory returned to her. She sat up and realized she was still in the forest and by her tree. She remembered the strange event from the night before, of feeling like she was swept up from the earth snd thrown into a new world. She had no idea what it was and what it meant for her. Alex stood up and brushed the leaves off herself and grabbed her bag. She quickly got her phone and dialed Lily's number in a panic, but all she got was the automatic, robotic voice saying she had no service. Looking at her mobile, she saw she had absolutely no reception or wifi. She thought it was very unusual since she was sure here were areas with service in the forest and figured it was one of those times where her phone company reinstalled their cellular towers, making the use of their service unuseful and frustrating for the day. She silently cursed her phone company for choosing this day of all days to update their cell towers.

Alex put her phone in her pocket and started walking back to her dorm, praying that Lily wasn't panicked. Lily always was saying that she would get in trouble in the forest after her first fiasco. Alex hasn't come across any trouble or has had any uneasy feelings, but now she did. The forest has different. The trees were smaller and younger it seemed, and the forest felt emptier than ever, but yet there was an unsettling presence of being watched. The forest seemed denser and bigger from where Alex was standing. She continued walking to find her path. It usually took ten minutes to enter back into the city and another ten to get back to her hall, but what was ten minutes, became twenty, then thirty, then forty, and then a full hour. Alex knew she was lost and something strange and bizarre had happened to her of the X Files proportions.

Alex continued trudging along the forest hoping to find the edge or a person soon. She was thinking about the events that have taken place. She nervously thought, "Did I have a heart attack? Did I pass out? Was it a seizure, a stroke? Where am I, because I am positive it is not the Nottingham I know and love. Am I in a coma, or worse dead?! Or just merely asleep in my dorm in an incredibly vivid dream?" She continued walking, trying to comprehend what had happened the night before and the problem at hand, until she heard a twig snap underfoot and knew it was not her foot that caused the twig to snap in half.

Alex was a statue where she stood. She had no idea what caused the noise but she reasoned it was probably because another forest wanderer was hiding. The fact someone was hiding from her scared her. She looked around and couldn't see anyone. She slowly kept walking on, more wary of her surroundings. She soon found a crude road in the woods and thought the best way to get out of the forest was to follow it. She had no idea where it lead or what she would do once she got out of the forest. She knew deep down that she was not going to go back to her dorm or even to her city.

She walked along the road, looking over her back for anyone following her. She figured if someone's following her, they probably would have left anyway. However, she was still on edge. To calm her down she started singing some of her favorite songs, hoping that the familiarity would comfort her. As she began singing a second song, she heard another twig snap to her left and bush rustle to her right. She stood still, realizing that more than one person was following and hiding from her.

As she finally realized this, a young man with a cocky grin on his face walked out onto the road in front of her with a bow and arrows, along with five other persons. They were all armed with bow and arrows or swords and the biggest man had a wooden staff. Alex face went white with fear and her body tensed for the fight or flight moment, but her logic kicked in. She realized that this was a simple LARP group and started cracking up. She started laughing so much that she fell onto the ground and was clutching her stomach, and she was pleased with the fact that now Lily would have to serve her, if she did believe her about this impossible event. The medieval dressed men looked her extremely confused and startled.

Alex laid on the ground and in between her laughs she said, "Ya know, you guys are good. I was scared witless. I am so sorry I ruined your game or whatever. Ha! Great dark ages costumes and weapons; they look actually real! I have had the worst night ever. Ya know, I thought I was in genuine danger!" She laughed more and smiled and sighed of relief.

The man in front stated puzzled, "You are in danger! We are OUTLAWS. We are going to rob you! I am Robin Hood and these are my men." He smirked.

Alex laughed more and stood up saying with her relieved smirk, "Ya and I am Jesus Christ. Listen I am sorry about ruining your "pretend to be Robin Hood and his Merry Men" game, but can you point me in the general direction of Nottingham. I am really lost and my roommate must be worried sick."

"This is no joke." said "Robin Hood".

"I'm not bein' funny but I think she's a nutter. She is 'n the forest all 'lone and wearing that." said another man staring her down with harsh blue eyes.

"Ya know, I guess you are not gonna break character. So you are Robin" she said pointing at the confused leader, " and the only other Merry Men I know of are Little John, which ironically and obviously him" she said pointing to the tall man with the wooden staff, "Will Scarlett, who is the dude with knives, and Allan A Dale, the singing one, which I guess they are in the bunch somewhere. I guess I'll give you some notes in return for directions. I hope this helps the poor and you beat the Sheriff and all." Alex said chuckling. She reached into her bag and grabbed the little cash she had and offered it to "Robin".

"How do you know about us, or at least Will, Allan, and John? How come you don't know me? And why are you dressed so strange?" said the man with longer strawberry blonde hair.

"Every one knows the story, dude. Some more than others I suppose. Would you feel better if you told me your name?" she laughed. The man scowled and mumbled a name resembling Much. She resumed her smirk and then said to their leader, "Now are you gonna take the money and let me go or am I gonna have to act like a damsel in distress." Alex was still holding out her banknotes.

"That ain't no money I have ever seen before. And the only real distressin' about you is the skirt you got on." said the man that called her crazy before.

"Ya know, I'm guessing you are Allan A Dale because you are a rooster in the Disney movie, or also crudely called a cock." Alex told the man with blue eyes, proud of her improvised insult. "Allan" looked slightly confused, but absolutely sure that he was insulted, as she continued on, "Listen, take the money or leave it, your choice. I really must go though and I would really like it if you told me where to find Nottingham. Also are those real swords 'cause I made a bet with someone so they might be my servant for the rest of term?"

"Master, she is mad. Look at her, she is wearing sinful, scandalous clothing and is offering us PAPER as currency. We cannot take her to Nottingham," said Much.

"All you have to do is point. I just want to get home!" Alex stated becoming slightly agitated but still amused with the role players.

"You don't look like you're from Nottingham." said the young. lanky man holding an axe staring at her.

"Can you just stop this charade?! You are not Robin Hood and his men because they does not exist. It is just a legend from when the flipping crusades were happening to just how outdated the story is." Alex finally snapped and yelled, "Ya know, I am sick of your little game. It is not the dark ages; it is 2015 and I am just a university student and I was out late last night and something happened and I feel asleep or something, I really don't know because everything is different in the forest now and I cannot find my way home. I guess it might as well be the late 1100s to me."

"2015?" asked Robin extremely concerned.

"Yes. Ya know, I'm guessing that must be a news flash for crazy people like you. Just point towards home and I will leave all you guys alone and you can go frolic and shoot arrows or whatever, okay?" Alex said crossing her arms and glaring, hiding her fear. She knew deep down in her gut that she wasn't going to go back to her dorm. Her instinct and intuition knew something had changed and her little adventure wasn't going to end anytime soon, but she wasn't going to accept that. There had to be a logical explanation for all of this.

Robin pointed to where she was originally walking towards in defeat and with an externally confused, concerned look on his face. All of the men had concerned and confused faces, but Alex just told herself that they got offended at her outburst and were upset that she ruined their charade. As she was walking past them, she thought of apologizing for ruining and insulting their game. She turned around to say something, but she reasoned they they were jerks and crazy for not helping her. But looking at their faces, it was blatantly obvious that they thought she was the crazy one.

The outlaws went back to their camp right after their disturbing and strange encounter.

"2015?! I cannot understand why she think that it is the year 2015! She must be extremely mad, or an extremely bad liar. And those clothes! They are just a sin to look at them! Does she have no shame?!" Much said ranting as they walked to the camp.

"A devil she is." Little John said as he walked along.

"How did she know about us, or at least a few of us?" Djaq said, "Everyone knows about Robin and his battle with the Sheriff, but the names of our gang are not common."

"I don't know about you, but I like her. She has spirit, and a clever tongue despite bein' nutters." said Allan grinning,

"You just like those sinful clothing of her." Much commented.

"'Ey! Clearly she liked gettin' attention and I'm just giving' her what she wants." Allan retorted.

"That is just how she lures mean to their deaths. She's a witch. And when she gets to Nottingham, the Sheriff will surely burn her. It will be the only good and justifiable thing he will ever do." Much said crossing his arms.

"Much! She is not a witch, and if the Sheriff does arrest her, we are going to have to save her then" Robin said. Everyone looked at him surprised and confused.

"Save her! She just signed her own death wish. She isn't sane after all. She thinks its the future." Will said trying to give Robin some reason.

"She is not a witch. If she was a witch why would she be lost? Why are we alive? She clearly has no idea about the dangers in Nottingham." Robin explained crossing is arms in thought.

"This is just her luring us further into her trap for men. She'll cast a spell on us and kill us and use us for witchy things. Only Djaq will be spared because she is a woman." Much reasoned. Djaq rolled her eyes at Much's comment.

"She needs our help, Much! I'm sure that once she sees the town, she will become a rational person and realize that it is the year 1192 and will enter into normal society and go back where she came from."

"Its not wise Robin. She is not of this world." John said.

"Well maybe she really is from the future. I guess after we save her we can hear stories about us; she did after all say we were legends. Now get a move on, we are saving her and that is final." Robin got his hood and started heading out while the rest of the men stood still with their mouths open in shock or in a growl of anger and displeasure. They then regained their composure and got ready to head into the castle and break the witch out.

Alex couldn't believe her eyes. Instead of her university city that she loved and lived in, she saw a castle and bustling peasants in the market place. It was like watching a movie taking place in the dark ages, but it was not a movie. It was real. There was a moat thing, but contained beggars not water, and a giant gate to the court yard in the center of town. Guards were everywhere and eyeing her down along with peasants that have noticed her. Alex looked up and saw a giant, stone castle in the center of it all. It was the thing she had only read about or seen in movies with a huge budget.

She tried to rationalize it as just a dream. She counted her fingers like her father taught her if she got scared in a dream, since you cannot count or read in dreams, but her hands had the standard ten fingers, five on each. She had to except that this was real, or at least real to her. She cursed herself for yelling at the outlaws. She just ran into Robin Hood, the Robin Hood, the one of stories and songs and parodies. And she then realized she was in the middle of a medieval square with a tyrant ruler wearing her modern party clothes. No wonder why the Merry Men looked at her like she was a demon or something because in her attire and her language and her claims of being in 2015, she might as well been wearing a black, pointy hat and had a broom as her mode of transportation. She said in shock "I am so screwed."

Right as she said this a tall man in all leather approached her with guards lurking behind him. The man had an air of authority and darkness surrounding him like a heavy fog. She knew that she really, really screwed.

"Oh hello officer. Is there a problem?" she said smiling an debating her eyelashes, having a little glimmer of unrealistic hope that this would be like getting out of a traffic ticket.

The man in all leather just snarled at his guards, "Arrest her. She is wearing indecent clothes. She must be a witch. I'll notify the Sheriff. She'll be burned at the stake by this afternoon if she proves guilty." Alex frantically looked around for a way out and wondered how all the heroes from her favorite movies could do this. She quickly threw some of the things from a nearby market stall on the ground separating her from the approaching guards. She ran around people, trying to get to the massive gate and out the fortified town, when a new group of guards came in front of the gate, making her completely surrounded.

"Can't you guys just let me go? I'm not causing any real trouble. Ya know, I could help you guys. I know a lot of things about Robin Hood." Alex rambled with uncertainty and fear in her voice as she raised her hands above her head in surrender.

"You know Hood?!" the man in leather said approaching her with handcuffs.

As she was being handcuffed in the huge, iron chains, she clarified, "Oh I don't know him personally. Though I did have a horrid run in with him today where he robbed me and I got away with yelling at them and confusing them massively. But I do know OF him. But what I know is a lot more than you do. So if you let me free, we can go get a nice meal and chat things over and I can be on my merry way like the innocent person I am."

"No chance of that witch." the leather clad man spat out. He pushed her roughly and escorted to what she guessed was the dungeons. "You will be meeting the Sheriff regardless and we will force your knowledge of Hood, whether if it is true or not out and then you will be burned at the stake. All you have is the choice of being tortured or not."

"Ya know, I choose not. I am an open book. Ask me anything." Alex said quickly and nervously.

"Good choice and I intend you." the man replied shoving her into the dark chambers of the castle. Alex knew that she was in big trouble and she had to get herself out of this. No one was going to rescue her.