AUTHOR'S NOTE: I never went to a martial arts class or any class that teaches you how to fight... so further in the story you'll see a part where I used another's intelligence to write about what some person should do against their opponent and in the story it's italicized. I can write battle scenes ^~^ after studying the hows and what could happens against that sorta of opponent... which is why this chapter was not finished yesterday. I was studying till like 8 and fell asleep. -__-

my bed was just so comfy and warm! >~<

all credit goes to -> http://www.dynamiccombat.com/news/BBJul03.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Chapter Seventeen~

I Will Always Return

The maiden had no idea how long she laid there on the cold floor, but it felt like eternity. Her new wounds mingled with her old, making any slight movement unbearable. Dried tears had already flowed down her cheeks, no more would come out as she silently sobbed at the pain she was under.

Even the slightest breeze of air made the maiden clench her teeth in pain.

Her fingers slowly stroked the ground as she made herself imagine that she was stroking Will's hair to forget the pain. Her muscles ached from the abuse they have been put through from being in a cold dungeon to the severe whipping she had received recently.

She could remember the whoosh and then the snap when the tip of the whip licked her skin. The very thought the maiden cringe in fear that also made her whimper in pain.

The movement of her fingers sped up as she desperately tried to distract herself.

A jingle of metal sounded in the chamber and a hazy glow of a torch illuminated in the dark. It was the sound of the guard making his rounds to check up on her. Once he rounded the corner with a scuff of his boot, she could practically feel the evil eyes staring into the darkness at relatively where she laid.

The familiar deep chuckle bounced off every wall, making her heart pound in her chest as her fear rose. As soon as he came, he left but not till he checked if she was there by bringing his torch to the bars. Again he let out another chuckle before leaving the maiden to suffer alone in the pitch darkness.

The maiden breathed in a deep cleansing breath before staring back to her fingers caressing the cold floor.

Being in this dungeon, Evemina discovered new things about herself.

One: She found out that she has a terrible fear of the dark, being alone, and a whip.

Two: She was also frightened of being locked up in a small space.

Three: Thoughts of Will make most of the pain somehow go away.

And lastly: She was petrified of dying.

Her emerald eyes solemnly stared into the darkness, wishing to the heavens above that this was some messed up nightmare and that she was truly just sleeping in Will's hut.

No matter how many times she pinched her arm, her wish never was declared to be true.

"Will." She whispered softly to no one at all.

Her eyes fluttered close to get some rest for her aching body.

Suddenly a sound startled Evemina out of her rest, her eyes opened to the darkness around her.

Trumpets.

Was something happening? If so... what?

"Bring them out!"

Her eyebrows knotted together in thought.

What was going on?

Than the drums sounded and her breath was caught in her throat. The echoes brought chills down her spine and fear into her heart. Those drums were the last beats of the prisoners heart beats of the incoming death. Her eyes filled with sadness. People will die this day for entertainment due to the hollering of the crowd. It was disgusting that people found human suffering enjoyable.

The voices outside grew louder and more rowdy.

"What's going on? Bring him here!" Nottingham's gruff voice echoed in her dungeon.

Everything went silent.

"Oh, the turncoat. Did you succeed?"

"Well... I found his layer but... he was already dead."

Will?

That's Will's voice!

Her heart fluttered in her chest, as Evemina marveled over the fact that her Will was here. After what felt so long, a smile appeared on Mina's face stretching muscles that had not been used in awhile.

But what did the Sheriff mean by turncoat?

Had her best friend and love turn against Sherwood and the men?

No, Will would never do such a thing.

"Are you sure? You saw Hood's body?"

Evemina's eyes widened at those words... Robin is dead?!

"No... I-I saw a gr-grave."

Evemina sighed at Will's voice, Will... you should have said yes. A grave means nothing to Nottingham.

"We found this on him." A different voice chimed in.

Silence followed after, making the maiden itching to know what is happening.

"String him up with the others!"

No!

Her weak body tried to get up off the floor, but there was no strength in her tired limbs.

Will!

Evemina pressed her hands together in a prayer with her eyes squeezed shut, begging the heavens above to spare his life.

The crowd roared loudly at the announcement, making her stomach stir uncomfortably. She wished she was out there... to see what was going on so she could help. But if things were going to end badly... She was also glad she was crippled enough for her not being able to make it outside.

"My Lord, it appears there's no more room. I'm afraid that I respectfully decline!" Will's voice boomed, making the maiden roll her eyes.

Will... sometimes you need to keep your mouth shut.

The drums beats rolled like a mighty roar of thunder. It was punishment time, but it was not their right to deliver these orders of death. That right was to the storms of lightning.

Only God can do the punishing and men cannot play God.

Silence.

The drums had stopped... where was the fake lightning going to strike?

Screams echoed in her dark chamber.

The maiden cringed at the sound and squeezed her eyes shut as if she was outside witnessing the hanging and she could not stand to look.

"WUUULLF!"

Silent tears rolled down her cheek at the horrific cry.

Snip.

Silence.

Her emerald eyes snapped open at the tranquillity, scaring off her tears.

What was happening?!

"Robin!!!!!!"

Her heart leapt into her throat at the hysterical cry.

Marian!?

Robin is ok?!

BOOM

The earth beneath her trembled and quaked, making Evemina fearfully cling to the ground for her wounds would not be disturbed. Her teeth clenched tightly at the sharp sensation in her side and back. It was like needles poking in deep in her flesh than thrashing around to disrupt the calmness in her body.

Behind the great boom was the crack of stone. The force of the explosion broke through rock. No wonder the villagers are running aimlessly above her. Noises...so many voices and noises were bouncing off every fraction of her dungeon, creating pain for her ears. Outside had to be chaotic.

BOOM.

Another explosion rattled the body of Evemina, causing her to whimper loudly at the force of the earth below her.

"Get the troops in here!" The voice of Nottingham hollered trying to cover up his absolute panic.

The pounding of footsteps scattered, running every which way still in the state of panic. Much like birds when they get startled by a loud noise. They fly in different directions, driven with terror to flee for their lives. That's how it sounded to her from below. The villagers were absolutely petrified at the booms and ran to their safe place to hide from the fight.

"What are you waiting for!? Get on with it!!" The Sheriff's voice boomed again.

The sound of choking joined the hollers, the feet pounding, the metallic crashing of swords, and the rapid beats of her heart.

More panic, more clashing of weaponry, and more chaos swirled in the town of Nottingham.

What's happening?!

Are we winning?!

Evemina heard the last gasps of breath, the drops of bodies as they fell dead, the roaring fire above, and other unidentifiable sounds.

The echoes of what a war would sound like and the maiden knew she would not been able to see even the enemy dying. Her hands went to cover her ears when a familiar voice hollered, "Come on, fight your way free!"

John!

"This way, to the wall!"

Robin!

"Robin!!!" Marian cried fearfully.

"Marian!!!" The rich boy screamed back.

"English! English!" The loud noises quickly were silenced by the Moor's voice. "I'm Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bachrim! I'm not one of you, but I fight. I fight with Robin Hood! I fight against the tyrant who holds you under his boot! If you want to be free men, then you must fight! Join us now! Join Robin Hood!"

Shouting of the good people of Nottingham sounded and their movements became one to rebel against the rule of the Sheriff. Like the birds had found one another again but instead they evolved into great, brave hawks. Unlike the awakening of the bravery of the people above, Mina's cheek nestled into the cold floor, unable to move despite the war within herself. Evemina's body was in pain and weak, but her strong spirit was fighting against her physical state to get up and fight for her life. All she could do was lay there helplessly as she hear the rebellion just above her.

~~~

Soldiers race past their ruler dragging the Maid Marian around the corner. In his fists he held up the noble woman's hem of her dress, making their movement faster if he had not.

"Close the gate! And guard it with your life!" The Sheriff hollered over to the running soldiers. "Bring the bishop to my chapel!"

The Sheriff forced the woman up the stairs, as she fought desperately to be free from his grip. Once they reached the top of the stair, a soldier stood waiting for the Sheriff of Nottingham.

"Sir, what about the special prisoner?"

The dark eyes of the Sheriff met the guard's undaunted ones, "Dispose her."

The guard nodded in response before hurried away from the Sheriff of Nottingham who also hastily made his way in a different direction.

With gasps of air, the guard reached his destination: a balcony with an flag beside him. The guard hastily snatched the flag and waved it high in the air.

~~~

In the guards tower, a big form of a man glanced outside through the window. His eye caught the sight of something waving in the distance that made a dark grin appear.

The flag...

The black flag...

The torturer spun around on his heels and strides out of the room into the darkness to do his duty.

~~~

Will... Tears formed in her eyes as she felt her body losing the battle against her wounds. She needed Will... But Evemina had no idea if he survived... She had no idea what was happening outside besides the villagers rebelling against the tyrant Sheriff of Nottingham.

Heavy footsteps echoed in her dark tunnel... the pair of steps were so familiar that her wounds started to prick up in pain.

He's back...

Tears streamed down her face as the sounds became closer and closer. Her breath became weaker and weaker as her body became more tired. Mina's hopes of survival was failing, no one would find her in time.

She will certainly die this time.

As the torturer stepped into the light of the torch, Evemina's tears strengthen as sobs escaped from her pale lips.

His dark eyes gleamed under the wavering light of the torch, "Pathetic." He spat as a evil grin swept across his horrific face. "Like your parents... Crying at the end."

A dark chuckle sounded in the torture room and the jingle of the keys temptingly echoed in her ears. The sound of freedom before this moment, now it was death. The torturer slipped his sword out from his sheathe as the creaking noise of her cell door opened.

"Good riddance, tart."

Evemina's eyes watched the torturer, but at his words she closed her eyes to ready herself for death.

Will... Her heart ached at the knowledge that her Scarlet would never know that she loved him back and that she would never spend the rest of her life by his side.

I love you...

The torturer raised his sword over the woman as he was going to place all his force into the drive into her body, something sunk into his shoulder. He growled loudly at the pain and wheeled his head around to the pain.

An arrow was there.

A intruder had found their way to the woman. The torturer grumbled in irritation but marched out of the cell to confront the man. He had never lost a battle... nor would he this day.

"Come into the light, coward!"

Her emerald eyes slowly opened, realizing she was still alive. Evemina stared into the darkness in front of the huge man.

Someone was here to protect her?!

Relief flooded into her veins.

A boot stepped first into the orange glow of the torch, than the intruder put his whole body into the light. A gasp escaped from her lips at the sight. Hazel eyes glared at the gigantic torturer and in his hand were his dagger and sword. His brown shaggy hair did not move an inch due to the stale air of the dungeon.

Will!

Another form entered the light, a boy with dark hair holding a bow and arrow up to the torturer with a dark look in those walnut eyes.

Wulf!

"Will?" Her voice cracked out in disbelief and by the dryness of her throat. His hazel eyes flickered over to a form laying on the ground, his expression softened slightly at the voice he heard call his name.

"Mina." He whispered softly, not being able to see the severity of her condition.

"My, my... Evemina the Traitor is a tart. A man and a little boy coming to save her and not a husband nor a son... or is he?"

Wulf glared deathly at the torturer and pulled the string of his bow back slightly.

Will Scarlet, on the other hand, was trembling in anger causing his grip on his weapons to strengthen.

The voice of Azeem came to his mind,

There are four points you must know when fighting someone taller and stronger than yourself.

First, you must stay compact and loaded. Don't expose yourself or over commit until you have the advantage. Keep yourself in position to generate real striking power at all times.

Secondly, use footwork to control the range. Try to maneuver yourself into a place that allows you to move. This distance is to create a safe zone and quick footwork to confuse his range and reaction time.

Thirdly, you need to directly attack on his closest targets. Lash out hard and fast at anything you can reach. Or draw him out, then counterattack. Do what he least expects, creating confusion about your tactics. When possible, use fakes, feints and deceptions to disrupt his defenses and create openings.

And last and most importantly, finish it fast. When he is stunned, knocked off-balance or out of position, move in hard, swarming him with relentless combinations to his vital targets. When you have the advantage, don't give him time to think, breathe or counter. Once inside his kill zone, stay with him and don't let up until the fight is over.

If he did not listen to Azeem's words of wisdom, Will knew he would not make it out of this situation alive and that would endanger Wulf and Mina to their own deaths. It was crucial that Will followed the four steps to victory.

Will slipped his dagger into its place at his hip and gripped his sword.

Keep calm.

The young man sucked in a deep breath before staring up at the torturer with a deadly stern look. "Spare her life and you can walk out of this alive or refuse and I kill you."

A murderous grin was glued to the torturer's face. "I've faced many men like you before. You will die easily and so will she."

Before the rescuing party could react, the torturer swipe his sword at Wulf's armed and ready bow. Without hesitation, the boy grabbed his sword as Will engaged the battle with the large man.

Scarlet lunged at the gigantic man, forcing him back. Their swords crossed, glinting in the red hazy glow of the torch. Clanking blades echoed in the dungeon mixed with the dull sound of steel biting into flesh.

Wulf joined in with the fight by flinging his sword into the air toward the torturer. The torturer easily crouched and ducked under the flying blade. "Wulf!" Will hollered to the boy, gaining the said boy's attention. "Go and get help! Quickly, Wulf!"

At this the boy realized that this was not his fight but Will's. So quickly Wulf made his way ito his fallen sword and disappeared into the darkness back up to the guard's tower.

The torturer's weapon rose to meet Will's steel. The young man quickly made his strike at the large man in the shoulder that Wulf's arrow struck.

Blood oozed down the his arm and onto his hand than blade, making the torturer groan in pain and anger. Before the torturer could deliver a blow in revenge to his arm, Will twisted his body around out of range to behind the torturer

Seeing an opportunity Will rose his sword up over the evil, large man. Before the young man could let his weapon fall, the torturer quickly rose to his feet and swung his unarmed arm around and collided with Will's stomach. At the force of the hit, the young man was thrown against a wall slamming his back to the cold stone. Will grunted in pain as he slid down to the ground, clenching his teeth in pain.

Mentally the young man slapped himself in the head for the mistake. Quickly Will rose to his feet with his sword tightly in his grasp. The torturer grumbled lowly at the newly arisen Will and launched his heavy weight towards the hurt man.

The young man heaved his body out from the path of the torturer. The evil man narrowly missed Will and struck the stone wall, creating sparks.

Scarlet quickly made more distance between the torturer and him, by hiding in the darkness.

The evil man swirled his head around the dungeon, fire ranging in his eyes. "Show yourself!" He boomed as his eyes frantically eyed every pocket of darkness in the chamber.

A rock was kicked behind the torturer. He whirled and swung his weapon, slicing off nothing but air.

The flustered torturer grumbled lowly at this, "You coward! Face me! Face your doom!"

During his rage, another rock moved but was flung directly at the back of the evil man's head. The torturer raced to that corner of the chamber and swung his sword into the darkness, again hitting nothing.

In the corner of the torturer's eye, he saw a glint of light.

Will had rushed forward and brought up his blade.

The torturer blocked it with his own.

The blades locked by their own strength.

Will knew he could not battle 'who was stronger than who' since certainly he would lose. Therefore the young man swung them both around, bringing down the man’s sword. His sword rose and met the man’s chest, sinking in deep into his stomach.

The evil man staggered back as blood gushed from his torso, but kept standing to Will's disappointment. The torturer rushed at the young man, instinctively Will brought up his sword and swung, meeting the torturer's face.

His sharp blade sliced a mark on the torturer's cheek as Will spun out of the way of the charge.

The torturer twists his body around to the evading Will and slams his arm into the young man's side.

Will collapses to the ground, groaning in pain at the forceful hit.

Miraculously when the young man fell to the ground, he landed right in front of Evemina's cell, facing the also laying body of his Mina.

Her emerald eyes and his hazel ones met in a longing glance. Evemina was scared by how her lips were pressed together, trying to suppress a sob. It was then that he realized her pain. She was covered in her own blood and that sent anger into his veins. "Will." Her voice was gentle and soft as her eyes watered at his condition. The young man was filthy with dirt and sweat. He was tired, but deep inside he knew he would never give up.

Not as long as he had Evemina to protect.

Clenching his teeth tightly, Will Scarlet rose to his feet ready to deliver the torturer to the Devil himself.

His hazel eyes burned into the disbelieving, weakened ones of the torturer.

Their swords clashed over and over again, both getting weakened and tired. The evil man was astonished that this young man had survived this long against him... the great and powerful torturer of Nottingham. He was the one supposed to be killing and hurting others not the other way around. This man would not accept his demise.

The torturer swung his sword toward the young man and Will easily caught it, before twisting his body away from another punch.

The young man kicked his foot out to the deep, bleeding wound he made and struck it. The torturer screamed in pain as he staggered back and collapsed to the ground.

Will was too weary and exhausted to meet the man into another sword battle that he reached for his dagger at his side.

With a skilled and strong throw, the young man flung the dagger into the air.

THUNK.

The dagger penetrated into the torturer's head.

Face first the evil man folded over his knees onto the ground, dead.

Will stared at the large body as he heavily breathed in the stale air of the dungeon. Somehow out of all possible odds he had defeated such a strong and monstrous opponent.

As he gathered his shock, his attention went to the reason why he was here.

"Mina!"

Will staggered through the cell door and fell onto his knees beside Evemina.

Her eyes twinkled in the hazy glow of the torch, "Will."

The young man's heart warmed at the sight of her smile and carefully sat her up, causing her to stiffen in pain. He murmured his apologies for hurting her, earning a soft smile from the beautiful woman.

Her soft hands went to his handsome face, caressing every angle of him as if to make sure he was truly here. Her fingers then went to his hair as he placed a hand to her bruised cheek and an arm around her waist to stabilize her.

Evemina's stared into his hazel eyes as tears came to her emeralds, "Will...." She whispered softly. "You came..." 

Will Scarlet exhaustively beamed at the beautiful woman before him. "Mina... for you... I will always return. Always."

So full of emotion, Evemina tossed caution into the wind as her lips pressed against the soft ones of Will. For a millisecond, Scarlet was startled but immediately gained his ground and caressed her lips with his own. Passion ignited with the built in love that now was being presented in this one kiss. Her fingers tangled with his dirty and sweaty hair as his arms hooped around her little waist. With every touch of their lips, the love for the other only grew. Both smiled into the kiss as they found themselves in euphoria that their wishes had finally been answered. It felt like forever as their lips were pressed and moved with the other, until sadly they needed to breathe.

When they parted, it was only an inch away from the others face. Their breaths came heavy and quickly. Their eyes met the others and both smiled a beautiful beam of joy.

His rough fingers reached and stroked her cheek lovingly, as his hazel eyes locked onto the emeralds, "I love you Mina."

Tears came to her eyes at his words and she nodded at his words, trying to suppress the whirling emotion in her heart, "I love you too Will."

(End of Chapter Seventeen)