- Chapter 96 -

I stayed behind at the camp with John getting the men all settled with some food and water whilst it poured outside. Raindrops still crept through the weaved roof, but it was better than nothing. The others went back to Locksley with food and water for the women and children to get them by. I noticed Guy, Tuck and Robin having a heated private discussion as I walked over towards them.

"What's going on?" I asked as I saw Robin holding a silver piece of a broken locket.

"It's part of Isabella's locket" Guy whispered to me keeping quiet to ensure that we didn't panic anyone. The last thing we needed was for the men we rescued to think that the camp wasn't safe.

"How did that get here?" I asked as they all frowned shaking their heads.

"We don't know. If it's not Gisborne's, then whose is it?" Robin questioned as I started to have a bad feeling sink into my gut. The only way that could get here was either if someone was in league with Isabella or it was planted. Robin carelessly tosses the locket onto his bunk where it partly slips under a fur. I watched as the men disappeared before I went back to Robin's bed and found the broken locket. Robin may be trusting of those around him, but something like this shouldn't be left out in the open. Grabbing the jeweled piece I excused myself down to the river before I dropped it in, watching it sink and float away I calmly made my way back to camp.

Seeing Guy pacing slightly made my heart pound as I started to feel concerned about what was to come. Something big was about to happen. I could feel it. Taking an uneasy breath I stormed up to Guy and gave him a firm kiss, taking him by surprise. He was quick to regain his balance as we both pulled away to get air.

"What was that?" He smiled down at me.

"Marry me" I whisper

"Pardon"

"Marry me. Now. I don't want to wait. I don't know what tomorrow will bring" I whisper desperately as he seemed shocked before he smiled. Giving me one last kiss he disappeared towards Robin causing me to frown. What was going on?

"Robin?" I asked him as he came towards me with a cheeky grin.

"We're going for a walk" He smiled looping my hand through his and pulling me away from the camp.

"A walk?"

"Yes" He smiled as I wondered if he had hit his head.

"Are you ill?" I asked before he roared with laughter. The walk he took me on was long and pointless. Hearing a human made birdcall that sounded like it was from John made Robin turn around and pull me back in the direction of camp. Are we past the clearing and turned the corner I froze unable to believe what I was seeing. It was beautiful. The camp had been cleaned up and lined with white and pink flowers everywhere making it a sea of pink and white. A pathway had been lined with flower petals as if to create the aisle in a church, where Tuck and Guy stood under an archway waiting.

"Robin" I whispered as he gave my hand a gentle squeeze and placed a kiss on my forehead. We didn't need music as Robin handed me over to Guy. The smile etched on my face couldn't be happier. I could hardly care about the latin Tuck spoke as Guy and I couldn't stop smiling at each other. We paused for a moment when Tuck asked Guy for a ring and I saw Robin pat his shoulder before handing him a gold-jeweled band. I slipped onto my finger perfectly as Guy and I kissed to seal our wedding. The camp roared in applause as I felt tears of joy slipping down my cheeks.

"You did all this?" I asked him as he nodded kissing each tear.

"I wanted this to be perfect" He whispered as I hugged him tightly.

"I love you"

"I love you Mrs. Gisborne" I felt my heart skip a beat in excitement. Even though I knew we wouldn't be able to celebrate for long it was worth it. Guy and I managed to sneak away for a private moment together whilst everyone else seemed to get back to the challenge of taking the castle ahead. Once we were out of sight Guy was quick to capture me in a passionate kiss, one full of longing and need. I let my fingers curl in his hair as he hands pined my waist against a tree. Hearing a cough in the distance we paused blushing.

"Robin is going to go through the plan" Allan chuckled from out of sight as I heard Guy growl in his direction before placing a tender kiss against my neck. I felt my breath hitch as my body shuddered from his lips on my sensitive skin.

"Tonight you're mine" He whispered against my skin as I smiled. It was a long time coming and I couldn't wait, unfortunately we had a job to do. Giving him one final kiss we walked hand in hand back towards the others to find out what the plan was to get back at Isabella. Robin was leaning on one of the rope ladders, his knife in his hand, we a very focused expression on his face.

"We take the castle. We claim it under King Richard. We put Isabella under house arrest. We release the supplies. We release the men. And we hold that castle till King Richard returns." He spoke as I could see someone of them were uneasy. It was going be hard to get into the castle that was sure.

"When the old Sheriff returned from his failed mission in the Holy Land he became paranoid about repercussions, so he built himself an escape route..... a tunnel. The diggers were silenced. I made sure of that. So no-one else knows about the tunnel, especially not Isabella. It starts here in a derelict churchyard outside the west gate and it leads directly into the heart of the castle.. I say we go down the tunnel, we seize Isabella, and we force her to dismiss her guards. If we take Isabella, we take the castle." Guy spoke as he pulled out his sword and began to draw the map in the dirt. He looked ashamed as he mentioned silencing the daggers but I merely rubbed his back in comfort causing him to smile down at me.

"If we time the break-in to coincide with the supply train leaving, most of the guards will be busy with the convoy anyway." I say as the others begin to nod in agreement however I can see hesitation in Kate's eyes.

"Count me out. I don't trust him. How do we know that this isn't a trap?" She complains whilst glaring towards Guy as I take a defensive step in front of him.

"Kate, that's enough! We go through the tunnel, and that's my final word! Gisborne is one of us now. Our fate is his. Tuck, John, get some forging tools to make weapons. The rest of you, get whatever money we have and melt it down to make arrowheads" Robin scolds in her direction as I take Guy's hand and take him away from the group. He sighs and I can see he feels like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Give them time" I whisper placing a kiss on his cheek. Much and Allan came and joined us with a small chest full of coins and began to melt them down into arrowheads. We were going to need all the weapons we could find. It grew comfortably quiet after everyone had gone their separate ways to do their jobs. Robin came back with two large purses and placed them in front of us. I raised an eyebrow in question as I could hear the coins rustling inside. Hearing the sound of fast footsteps I glance up to see John running into camp looking murderous. I frown as he quickly lunges at Allan beside me grabbing him by the neck.

"JOHN!" I exclaim as we all jump to our feet.

"Traitor! What did you tell them? Judas!" He shouts at the top of his lungs and clenching his teeth tightly. I saw the confusion in his eyes and knew some trick was being made against him as Robin looks at Tuck as he comes in explaining.

"It's all over Nottingham. Allan's been pardoned by the sheriff... for services rendered." Tuck confirmed as the horror began to spread across everyone's face. Allan's the most.

"What?" Allan shrieked.

"John, let him go!" I could see that Robin was holding back his temper.

"Let me speak!" Allan begs.

"Why? You're good at that, aren't you? Speaking, lying.... Twisting us around your little finger." John roars angrily as Tuck tries to pull John back, whilst I try to pry Allan from his grip.

"Let him go!" I order as John pauses before throwing Allan's head down. He gasps terrified as I quickly kneel down to check he's ok.

"I haven't done anything! I swear, I haven't betrayed you. Robin... Much... You believe me, Guy." Allan begs as he looks between the men one by one, who either glare at him or don't look at him in the eye. Guy, in answer to Allan, raises his eyebrows and shrugs, then looks Allan in the eye as if to say, "Well, you've done it before..."

"So you think I'm a coward? Is that it, yeah? What, that I've... sold you out to save myself somehow, yeah?" Allan cried with voicing cracking.

"You've done that before!" Much shouted as I watched John nod in agreement.

"Stop this! Allan did you tell her?" I shout, sick of them throwing their friendship away like it meant nothing. Turning to him I looked at him dead in the eye as I could see the horror and disbelief in them.

"No!"

"I believe him." I answer as I saw relief and tears fill his eyes.

"He's a traitor! He's betrayed us before!" John shouted angrily as I turn around and glare at John in return.

"He never betrayed me when I was in the castle John! He could have ratted me out to Guy at any chance he had! He did everything he could to help me, and I won't betray him." I defend as I can see them all go silent.

"Did you tell her about the tunnel?"

"I told you, I haven't said...."

"Tie him up!" Robin furiously ordered as I saw John and Much ready to grab him.

"NO! Think about this! Isabella is trying to break our numbers and make us lose faith between each other! We can't let her win!" I shout standing defensively in front of Allan.

"I can't take the risk. Once we've secured the castle, we will come back and we will sort this out." Robin shook his head, as I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"No Robin! Robin if you trust me then let him go!" I pleaded as he shook his head and began to walk away, unable to watch his own order being carried out.

"Esme what are you doing?" Guy asks causing everyone to draw their attention towards me. Standing in front of Allan like a mother protecting her cub I drew out a dagger from the inside of my sleeve, holding it up in defense.

"Allan is innocent! I won't sit by and do nothing, whilst you treat him like a common criminal!" I bark at them all as I see Much from the far corner of my eye try to sneak around me. Snarling a little bit, I think they forgot I'm not just a weak woman. Grabbing his slightly outreached hand, I twisted it behind his back before kicking him to the ground.

"We need everyman we can get Robin! How are you going to feel when you've been wrong? Allan has no reason to trust any of you! Not the other way round! First sign of trouble and the blame falls on him" I demand knowing I'm playing on his conscious as his anger slowly subdues for a moment.

"Tie him up" Robin whispers once more under his breath as I just stare at him.

"NO! I'll never forgive you for this Robin!" I snap as Robin grabs hold of me tightly whilst John grabs Allan and starts to tie him up tightly. I kept kicking and struggling in Robin's grip as he grunted to keep hold of me.

"Esme it's ok" Allan sadly speaks as I slam the back of my head into Robin's nose causing him to let me go. Hooking my leg under the back of his knee I trip him up before I give Allan a hug against the tree, slipping my dagger into the back of his hand.

"I will talk them out of this" I promise as I can see the thankfulness in his eyes. Thunder continues to rumble over our heads as we grab our weapons and everything we may need and make our way towards the road to Nottingham. I look back at Allan once more as he nods at me. On our way to Nottingham we come across a forked road where the gang stop to say goodbye before going our separate ways.

"We get into the castle, we capture Isabella, release the villagers. But if the convoy leaves, then we've failed. And Tuck, John, it's up to you to stop it, no matter what. This could be the last time we see each other." Robin informs as Robin hugs Little John, Much extends a hand to Tuck and they shake warmly. As Tuck and John gave me both tight hugs I noticed Guy standing on the edge looking solemn as I place my hand in his and hug him tightly. Placing a few kisses in my hair we set off following Guy towards the Graveyard. It took us less time than we expected which was a plus. I constantly worried for Allan back at the camp and for the others, I prayed they were able to stop the convoy before it left.

"Robin... this is it." Guy spoke as it snapped me out from my thoughts. Guy kneels at the side of the rock-covered grave and starts moving the stones off. Robin and I kneel on the other side to help. Much, scared of disturbing the grave, stands off, distressed, until Robin glances at him before he curses under his breath and kneels down to help us.

"You shouldn't mess with graves." Much complained as I grunted lifting the weight of the rocks. They were heavy, but then I guess the Sheriff used to take every precaution. He didn't want anyone to have access to this point. Once we had cleared off all the rocks and Guy lifts off the cover. Robin looks down the steps that slowly lead into darkness. Webs covering a few stairs to show how long it's been left alone as Robin starts down the steps first.

Robin was leading us with a lit torch. I walked slightly behind Guy our hands intertwined and our weapons in the other as we slowly and quietly made our way through the tunnel. Well as quiet as you can go with Much muttering to himself in the back every few minutes. I looked at the surrounding walls to see stone columns holding up the tunnel underneath the castle as Much suddenly paused behind us.

"Oh! We're under the castle." Much whispered as we paused and heard the faint shouts of orders above us.

"Much, keep moving! Come on!" Robin ordered as Guy squeezed my hand comfortingly and placed a simple kiss on my knuckles causing me to smile before we made our way to continue forward. I watched as a stone gave way underneath Much's foot as we look in horror before we hear gears starting to turn. Watching suddenly as the barrier comes down a few paces in front of us we dash towards it, though it's already locked in place.

"Oh no! " Much cried out as Robin and Much pound on it as Gisborne tries to lift it. Hearing the gears starting up once again I turn to see another barrier coming down back the way we came.

"QUICK!" I shout as rush to it and again we're too late. Robin looks at the floor and then the ceiling, which has a round grate in it. Much raises his sword at Robin.

"I knew it would be a trap!" Much snapped as he glared towards Guy. Not liking the threatening look I placed myself in front of him as he wrapped a strong arm around my waist holding me close to him as we waited in silence.

"So Allan's told her! Or him. I knew we shouldn't have trusted you." Much accused as I growled.

"If I knew this was a trap, do you think I'd be stuck in here as well?" Guy defended as Much went to grab him only to have Guy push him away roughly.

"That's enough! The both of you!" Robin snapped as we went silent only to hear a loud rumbling noise and small white pebbles start pouring down on us.

"What is that?" I softly whisper terrified as I look at the others to see their faces a mix of disbelief and fright as the deluge continues.

"There's no way out." Much whispered helpless as the pebbles came down and started to sink our ankles.

"There's always a way out, Much." Robin snapped as he drops his bow and takes off his quiver.

"If one of us can reach the top, we can hold out longer." I suggested as the limestone started to build up.

"It's got to be you, Robin. You're the one who has to live. It has to be you." Much stated as we all went silent before we knew it was true. Robin had to be the one that lived. Guy gave me a quick strong kiss before he and Much grabbed each other's shoulders and knocked heads as Robin got onto their backs and was able to grab hold of the drain. His hands slipped before he adjusted his grip.

"Esme, get on my shoulder!" Guy demanded. It was a desperate cry as I struggled to move through the limestone. Kissing him softly I did as he was instructed and strained to reach the drain. The small handles were wet and rusty as they drug into my palms. Wincing I knew I wouldn't be able to hold on for long as the limestone continued to fall quickly filling the chamber.

"Aah! I'm sinking!" Guy cried out as his hand escaped Robin's and sank under the limestone.

"GUY!" I cried out as tears began to fall down my face.

"I'm going under! Aah!" Much cried out and soon followed and vanished from sight.

"Much! Stay together! Much, if you stay together, you can breathe for a little while longer! And keep your hands moving, so I know! Much!" Robin desperately cried out, as we saw no signs of either of them below us.

"Robin" I whispered strained as he looked at me with grief stricken eyes. Feeling my fingers slip I cried out as he grabbed hold of my wrist. Though the strain on his face was evident as I began to be covered in stone, weighing me down.

"Let me go Robin" I whisper as he shakes his head through tears. Smiling softly I release my grip on his hand as he struggles to keep hold before I sink into the rock further and everything goes black.........