Lady Locksley

Chapter 38

Back to Sherwood

"That way!" Will said, urgently, and Allan and Roana followed him as he began to run in the opposite direction, back the way they had come. Roana struggled to loosen her hands as she ran, and Allan, noticing her plight, pulled at the rope until it fell away.
Alerted by the Sheriff's cries, the three guards had doubled back, and the outlaws took them by surprise as they rounded the corner. This time, Allan took great pleasure in punching the first guard in the face and he fell back against the wall, dazed. The other two guards drew their swords and began to advance, but Will swung his lance sideways, knocking the weapons from their hands in a clatter. Roana grabbed a sword from the ground without thinking, and Allan followed suit while Will turned the lance horizontal and charged, pushing the two guards back until they fell into a heap on the floor.
Leaping over them, Roana headed for the main door with Allan and Will hot on her heels. There was a shout as Gisborne and Bridlington charged after them. Racing out into the upper bailey, Roana took the steps two at a time and hastened towards the gateway. The portcullis was still raised, but the Sheriff's bellows could be heard from the castle as he stormed after them, and guards were appearing on the wall-walk and spilling out of the castle's side entrance.
As Roana neared the gateway, a group of hooded figures appeared in the portal, blocking their exit. Horrified, she skidded to a halt and brought the filched sword forward, pointing it at the newcomers. In desperation, she glanced behind her to see guards approaching from the castle. They were surrounded.
Allan stopped beside her and said, "Are we glad to see you."
"Thank God you're here!" Will exclaimed, joining them.
Roana stared at them both in bewilderment, then looked back at the group, who had pushed back hoods to reveal familiar faces.
"Well, we couldn't leave you to rescue yourselves, could we?" Robin said, cheerfully, nocking an arrow into his Saracen's bow and aiming it at the nearest guard.
"My lady," Much said to Roana with a grin, brandishing sword and shield as he moved forward to intercept a guard.
"Traitor." Little John nodded at Allan with a smile in Roana's direction, before lashing out with his quarterstaff and taking out another guard.
Without a word, Djaq made straight for Will and touched his cheek, looking into his eyes with a shy smile, before drawing her sword and rushing the nearest guard with Will by her side.
Allan looked at Roana, wildly. "Get back," he said, gesturing towards the gateway.
"I can fight," Roana started to protest, but he brooked no argument, herding her out of harm's way.
"We're used to this, and I don't want you to get hurt." Roana opened her mouth to argue, but realised they were wasting precious time and nodded instead. It was a nice feeling, to have someone worry about and want to take care of her, and she basked in it, making a mental note to discuss the intricacies of their dynamic at a later date. If she were to live in the forest as an outlaw, he couldn't continue to treat her like she was fragile, as much as she liked it. But it could wait.
She retreated to stand below the portcullis as he rejoined the fray, clutching her sword and ready to jump in if needed. Outside the castle entrance, the Sheriff, Bridlington, and Gisborne had gathered to watch the proceedings, and Vaisey was jumping from foot-to-foot, furiously.
"I want Hood alive!" He yelled, blood-curdlingly. "Kill the rest, but I want Hood alive!"
"Rude," Will commented, ramming his lance into a guard.
"Never gonna happen," Robin said, whipping another guard in the face with his bow. "Come on, men!"
The guards had begun to fall back, their troops depleted and their courage exhausted, and the outlaws backed towards the gateway. The Sheriff went red in the face.
"Do not let them escape! Gisborne! Do something! Do something!"
Guy went to draw his sword and then caught Allan's eye, and something passed between them. He paused, giving the outlaws enough time to retreat through the gateway.
"Better luck next time," Robin said with a cheeky grin, before he grabbed a fallen guard's sword, severed the rope that secured the portcullis, and dove through the gateway before it crashed down.

******

It was a jubilant group that left Nottingham town at a fair clip, leaving behind the echoing sounds of the Sheriff's rage. Their mounts, taken from outside the guardroom, were fresh and fleet of foot, and galloped eagerly away from the castle and into the forest. The outlaws whooped and urged them on to greater speeds, high on adrenaline after another conquest of the Sheriff.
Roana was euphoric. After the past few weeks - being betrothed to William despite her misgivings, finding Robin again after so many years, learning of William and the Sheriff's despicable, treasonous plans, and meeting Allan, who had opened her eyes to love - she felt that she was leaving behind everything that had held her back, and discovering a new future that shone brightly ahead. She was free of encumbrances, if only temporarily, and it was such an amazing feeling.
Of course, now she was outlawed, and that was a new feeling. One day, she would have to return to Filey and ensure her aunt and uncle were well. But, for the time being, she would remain here, in hiding, with Robin. With Allan. Life had taken on a whole different meaning; she was no longer lady of the manor. She no longer had to bother herself with the fripperies of society. She was no longer betrothed. While so many doors were now closed to her, new ones had opened, and she would explore them with everything she had. She was ready to fight the Sheriff and William alongside her brother with nothing to hold her back. She was ready to fight for king and country from Sherwood Forest, and, once Locksley land was returned to its rightful owner and the Sheriff had been defeated, she would go back to Filey. It was expected of her, and she had a duty to Robert and Eleanor.
For the time being, though, she was an outlaw, and she would live as such.
Deep in the forest, the gang finally came to a halt when they could gallop no further. Their horses were blowing gently, exhausted after the fast ride. Evening was falling over the greenwood. There were deep, inky shadows amidst the trees, creating pockets of darkness, and a nightingale sang his twilight song to the dusk.
They dismounted and lead the horses through the thickening foliage, following the barely distinct path back to the camp. They were all in high spirits, and Much began to sing a well-known drinking song, his voice spiralling up into the eve. Groaning, Robin attempted to stop him, but he continued, resolutely, marching on ahead, and eventually, Little John and Will stopped laughing and joined in.

"Lady Luck, your gifts are bad,
you trick us, then you make us mad,
make us gamble, make us fight,
and sit out in the cold all night.

'Brrr!' The naked loser moans,
when he's cold and left alone,
shakes and shivers as he groans:
'I wish I could be
asleep under a tree
With a hot sunshine warming my bones.'

But now let's roll the dice again
and win some drinking money!
Who thinks about November's rain
while it's still warm and sunny?"

"Jesus Christ!" Allan rolled his eyes at Roana and she laughed, delightedly. She loved the camaraderie between the outlaws. If she had known the words to the song, she would have sang along, but instead, she listened to words, letting them flow through her. Eventually, they changed, morphing into rhymes that involved people they knew in slightly mocking ditties.

"And Guy of Gisborne, he's always right,
he likes to drink his ale at night,
and Marian, she hates him so
and that is why she always says no."

Robin was laughing and shaking his head, telling them to hush. Much and Will, who had devised the lyrics, grinned at each other, pleased as punch. Allan turned to Roana, his eyebrows raised.
"You're gonna regret leaving William for this."
She caught his eye and smiled, slowly. "I doubt that very much."
He laughed and eased his horse to a halt so he could cross the space between them and kiss her. It was a quick kiss, his lips warm and soft against hers; chaste, yet holding the promise of so much more. The shadow of William was no longer looming between them.