Robyn Hood: Fight For Freedom (15 page)

             
He went down like a sack of potatoes.

“Will!” I cried, spinning on my heels to clamber to Will Scarlet’s side. “
Are you feeling faint? We have to get you out of here,” I said, placing a hand on his lower back.

             
Will Scarlet laughed and shook his injured arm. “It’s just a shallow cut, Robyn. Hardly anything to be upset about. It only needs a bandage. But never mind me, are you alright?” he asked, extending a hand to cup my cheek.

             
Air leaked out of me as I leaned into Will. “That was frightening,” I whispered, shutting my eyes in spite of the wild pandemonium.

             
“I know. I came as soon as I could. I was almost too late,” Scarlet gulped. “I’m sorry, because of me you—,”

             
“No, that’s not it,” I said, pulling back so I could earnestly look at Will Scarlet’s face. “I was so scared, I thought he really got you,” I said. “I thought… I thought,” I stammered, turning bright red.

             
“You thought?” Will Scarlet said with a roughish grin.

             
“Never mind,” I muttered, avoiding his gaze.

             
“Is everything OK?” Little John asked, tossing a soldier over his shoulder as he plowed through the fight to reach Scarlet and I. “Did something happen?” he asked, glancing back and forth between us.

             
“Everything is fine,” I said, turning around to plunge back into the thick of things.

             
“Hold up, we’re settling this right now,” Will Scarlet said, grabbing me by the scruff of my shirt.

             
“Settling what?” I grumpily asked as I tried to escape him with no luck.

             
“Robyn, you need to tell us: are you in love with either of us?” Will Scarlet asked.

             
Little John blinked, surprised at the sudden question and I squawked. “You cannot be serious, Will. We’re in the middle of a fight! This is not the time to talk of love!”

             
“No, he is right,” Little John said, pausing to clobber a soldier in the helmet with his cudgel. “You’ll never answer us unless we back you into a corner.”

             
“What happened to waiting?” I protested.

             
“Robyn,” Will Scarlet started.

             
“It isn’t fair,” Little John said.

             
“What?” I asked, wriggling out of Will Scarlet’s grip to notch and release and arrow—hitting a soldier that was terrorizing Ryan and Lobb.

             
“Robyn,” Little John said, getting my attention. His eyes were full, serious, and perhaps sad. “I think I know your answer, and it isn’t fair of you to keep my hopes up by not responding.”

             
I lowered my bow, feeling guilty and saddened by the brave way Little John straightened up, preparing himself. I shut my eyes—always the coward—but I knew he was right. Little John deserved to know. I had been trying to keep my mind off the Little John and Will Scarlet’s confessions, but truthfully the question never should have been asked. I had been in love with Will Scarlet for months, but true to my spineless ways I refused to admit that truth. Even to myself.

             
I had no doubt that Little John loved me, but to me it was apparent that Will Scarlet’s expression of love extended farther. Rather than merely protect me like a guard dog he endlessly drilled me in the art of swordsmanship to give me the ability to fight back. He was willing to listen to me, and he always found me and searched me out. He was the only Merry Man willing to climb after me when I hiked up a tree.

             
“It’s Will,” I finally admitted.

             
The three of us were still—silent in spite of the chaos that roamed around us—until Will Scarlet broke ranks by whipping around to disarm a soldier.

             
“You’re a good man, Little John, and you’re as necessary to me as breathing, but Will…,” I trailed off, shaking my head.

             
Little John smiled, his eyes the only hint that my words did injure him. “I understand. I am your right hand man after all.”

             
I looked away, shamed by the fact that I knew my response had hurt my most trusted Merry Man. Will Scarlet awkwardly rubbed his neck as I stared into the swirling fight, my eyes landing on a flabby backside.

             
“CRAFTY!” I shouted, spinning around. I flew to my black horse’s side (He was busy ripping apart a soldier’s uniform.) and threw myself on his back before urging him forward as I checked to make sure my quiver was secure.

Why did I abruptly
ride off, leaving my top Merry Men more than a little confused?

Because while
avoiding their eyes I caught a glimpse of the Sheriff fleeing the battle scene, his velvet clad backside was a flaming orange beacon through the green trees.

Chapter 8

Capturing the Sherriff

Crafty tore through the battlefield with disregard. With a single glance I could tell the Merry Men were overpowering the soldiers. Plus with George taken down there would be no one to give them orders.

“Come on Crafty,” I said, urging the black horse up the hill.

Crafty snorted and threw himself deeper into a gallop as I leaned low over his back. We were gaining on the Sheriff, who was crashing through the woods like a rabid bear.

I narrowed my eyes as Crafty pushed forward. Why did
I hear three sets of hoof beats?

My body completely stopped functioning when I noticed that Lord Maxine, on his horse, was riding across from me.

I swallowed and sunk lower on Crafty. No backup would be coming for me this time. I was pursuing the Sheriff too far for my men to catch up to me on foot.

“I’ll have to take out Maxine first,” I grimly muttered into Crafty’s mane. I wouldn’t shoot him, there were other ways to trip up a man besides injuring him.
Besides, he was still my friend.

I abruptly sat up on Crafty’s back and directed my horse over.

We descended on Maxine like ghosts. I tried to shove him out of his saddle before he realized how close we were, but he was too solid.

Maxine swatted me off like I was fly.

I waited a split second, my hand feeling along my thigh. I found my hunting knife and I pulled it out of its sheath before reaching out and grabbing the rein to Maxine’s horse.

My hunting knife was far too dull to ever cut through leather, but Maxine didn’t know that.

“Hey!” he shouted, leaning forward to yank my hand off his horse.

Quick as a wink I tucked my knife up my sleeve and yanked Maxine clear off his horse.

Maxine crashed to the ground with a yelp, and his horse pulled away and slowed down.

I grinned
and urged Crafty again. “We’ve almost got him boy, come on!” I cheered.

The t
rees were starting to thin. We were almost out of Sherwood Forest.

Crafty and I raced after the Sheriff and his mount.

“We have to make it!” I cried.

The Sheriff was just about to clear
Sherwood Forest when Crafty shot forward and turned, streaking in front of the Sheriff’s horse. The tired animal reared, dumping the surprised Sheriff on the ground.

Crafty tightly circled the man while I strung an arrow.

“Sheriff,” I greeted as the fat man glared up at me. “How kind of you to drop by my forest. But you know, you can never leave Sherwood without first paying your respects to me,” I smirked.

The Sheriff’s glare disappeared as I anchored my arrow, drawing my bowstring to my chin. Instead he began to whimper.

“You’re in my territory now, Sheriff. You can’t cower and hide behind your precious princeling,” I hissed.

The Sheriff turned white and started to grovel. “Please, if you release me I’ll do anything! I’ll pardon you, I’ll tell the Prince you’ve been killed.”

I snorted. “Unlikely. People call you a coward, dear Sheriff, but I know better.
I
am a coward. You are nothing but a low down
rat
!” I spat.

“Please don’t kill me! I beg you!” the Sheriff pleaded, tears starting to spill out of his small eyes.

“I won’t, and not out of some favor to you,” I told him, cutting off the string of thank yous he was about to utter. “My men and I don’t kill. But we do rob,” I leered.

The Sheriff stopped looking so thankful and instead grew nervous.

I was thinking I should perhaps investigate his saddle bags to see why he was so anxious when Will Scarlet charged up, riding George’s chestnut horse.

“Robyn!” he cried, relief cracking in his voice when he saw me, my arrow still notched and trained on the Sheriff. “You’re okay,” he said, pulling his horse to a skidding halt a few feet away from Crafty and I.

“Yes Will, I’m perfectly—WHAT ARE YOU DOING,” I shouted when Will slipped off his horse before walking over to Crafty and pulling me off. He hugged me, making me drop my bow and arrow.

“
You said it was me and then you fled. I was afraid you were running off again. What was I supposed to think?” he said. “You didn’t give me the proper time to respond!”

“Will, as much as I appreciate
the hug you
do
realize the Sheriff could now stab either one of us,” I said.

Will, who was facing the Sheriff, reached around my body and elegantly tossed two knives at the Sheriff. One of the weapons hit
the Sherriff’s cloak, digging it deep into the ground. The other nailed the edge of his tunic into the dirt.

“One move out of him and I’ll slit his throat,” Will
Scarlet said.

Behind me the Sheriff gurgled.

Will Scarlet leaned his head against mine. “I was afraid you were completely rejecting me.”

“
What? Where’s the sense in that? I
just
told Little John it is you,” I said.

Will Scarlet crushed me against his chest for a moment. “I have very little sense when it comes to you. We will talk about this later.”

“Oh, certainly. Of course,” I agreed, internally planning no such thing. I was going to have to tattle to Much as soon as possible.

The
only
reason I had confessed at all was because Little John was right. It wasn’t fair to him. Just because I knew I loved Scarlet didn’t mean anything was ever going to come of it. He was a member of nobility. He was a
lord’s son
! I was better off not thinking about it.

Scarlet finally let me go, and I turned so I could properly face the Sherriff.

“So, Robin Hood. What shall we do with this flabby Sheriff?” Will Scarlet said.

“I think we should inspect
the saddlebags,” I modestly suggested.

“Good idea,” Will agreed.

I pulled away from my Merry Man, who cattily smirked at the whimpering Sheriff, and trailed after the Sheriff’s horse, which was busy cramming clover in his mouth. (Like animal like owner I guess.)

“Be on the lookout,” I called over my shoulder as I opened a saddlebag. “Maxine chased me almost all the way here—By Mary the mother of Jesus,” I broke off, awed.

The Sheriff made a whining noise deep in the back of his throat.

“What is it?” Will asked.

“My dear Sheriff,” I laughed, hefting my new treasure out of the saddle bag. “What on earth inspired you to bring
this
all the way out
here
?”

Will Scarlet’s mouth actually dropped open when he saw what I pulled out of the saddle bag.

It was Prince John’s crown.

“You wouldn’t be stealing from your prince now, would you?” I snickered, wagging the crown while I strolled towards Will and the Sheriff.

“It was supposed to be bait for you,” Maxine called.

I glanced up and in two seconds I had the crown hanging from my arm, my notched bow back in my hands. “Careful sir. I don’t want to hurt you,” I warned my castle friend.

Maxine smiled and slipped off his horse, holding up his arms to show me he was not armed.

The Sheriff was starting to look hopeful, clearly thinking his savior had arrived.

“Sorry Sheriff, I’m in no position to help. There’s must be four scores of Merry Men following me,” Maxine shook his head.

The Sheriff gasped, surprised at the numbers.

“Only four scores? What happened to the other three?” Will Scarlet muttered.

“Guarding the camp. I hope,” I grimly uttered, keeping an arrow trained on Maxine, although I did not pull the string back or anchor it.

“You have seven scores of men? I’m impressed Robin Hood, 140 men is quite a band,” Maxine said, slowly edging closer to Will and I.