AUTHOR'S NOTE: Only three more chapters after this one! Isn't that crazy!?… I think it's crazy o.o

CRAZY AWESOME

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~Chapter Sixteen~

The Fight Against The Tyrant

The night had come swiftly and the dawn took over. The remaining survivors (as far as they knew): Azeem, Bull, John, Fanny, and Friar Tuck had found Robin alive and well when they searched after that bloody, horrible battle.

Now it was the morning... or mourning of the men, women, and children who died yesterday to be free Englishmen.

The men were burying the people they lost in the battle, respectfully with a cross at the head of the burial. Robin sadly dug a grave without much of a word his eyes spotted Azeem carrying a certain body to the hole Locksley had dug.

Friar Tuck, who had been hammering the crosses into the ground chanting burial rites to the dead, stopped what he was doing to sadly watch Azeem carry the lifeless body of Duncan to Robin.

Locksley and Azeem carefully placed the old blind man to the hollowed ground. Robin's entire face was distraught in pain and extremely depressed. His cheeks were moist with tears as his eyes painfully tore away from the bloody face of his dear servant who laid dead before him.

All of this.

All of these deaths were his fault.

He held back a sob as he glanced down to the moist ground, "My pride brought us to this."

"No, Christian." Robin's sad eyes gazed up to Azeem, "It was you who gave pride to these people."

"I was a fool. I was a fool to let him leave." Robin began tucking Duncan carefully with the robes the dead man wore like a mother tucking in their child to sleep, "I believed I planned it all so perfectly."

The black skinned man glanced away for a moment before looking back to Robin, "I once heard a wise man say 'There are no perfect men in this world. Only perfect intentions.' ”

Robin stared at the Moor, "You're an honour to your country, Azeem. You fought better then twenty English knights."

Azeem smiled at the rich boy's compliment while Locksley struggled to keep himself from crying as he carefully covered the face of Duncan with a cowl.

The men buried the great servant into the ground as Friar Tuck hammered a cross for the old blind man. After the burial of his close friend, Robin quietly walked over to a sheepskin that catches water. The rich boy scooped up water and splashed some to his face.

From the mist, a figure of a man wobbled closer to the rich boy where he kneeled. Feeling the new presence, Robin glanced back to see an unlikely face.

"Will!! I thought that you were taken?"

Will stood where he was at the edge of the forest as he nodded towards Locksley, "I was."

Robin studied Will carefully, noticing how Scarlet's left hand was holding his own chest as if he was stabilizing it from pain. "How did you escape?"

Scarlet slightly parted his lips to speak when a loud voice interrupted, "Traitor!!"

Suddenly John comes running up towards the young man. The giant grabs Will and drags him, proceeding to beat on him, yelling. "I'll break your skinny neck! You can't escape!" And some indecipherable yelling of Nottingham and his bloody money.

The group of survivors immediately followed after John as he dragged the young man like a rag doll to a tree a few yards away.

"Where are the others?" Fanny questioned Will as he was still getting punches from the giant.

Scarlet lands on the ground onto his back and squirms under the weight of John to escape from the punches.

John was not about to let up his angry beating, "Get a rope! Where's my son?"

Fanny was horrified at her husband's behaviour, "Leave him!"

Scarlet continued his desperate attempts to free himself, when his shirt rides up revealing a horrific sight. Across his chest was deep, bloody wounds showing that Will had not waltzed out of Nottingham without a price. Will Scarlet was severely whipped and the man had to clench his teeth tightly together to keep himself from screaming in agony again.

At the sight of his wounds did John Little stopped his attacks. His eyes were wide in shock at the groves of the young man's chest, "Bugger me!"

"Let him speak." Robin's voice immediately caused the giant, Fanny, Bull, Friar Tuck, and Azeem step away from the wounded man.

Will glanced up at the rich boy, painfully. Scarlet placed a hand to his chest as he rose himself to a partial sitting up. His breaths were rugged from the attack that John gave him, "I bring a message from Nottingham. Our men are to be hanged in the square at high noon tomorrow."

Fanny stepped up a little at the news, "How 'bout our boy?"

Scarlet glanced down to the ground, "The boy too. "

His answer made the mother cry in distress, turning her head into her husband's chest for comfort who held her close with a look of horror upon his face. Bull placed a hand of comfort on the woman's shoulder as his eyes met the ground.

"Ten men in all. The hangings are part of the celebration for the Sheriff's marriage."

This caught Bull's attention, "Marriage? To whom?

Will glanced over to Robin who gave a stern stare in return, "Lady Marian."

Friar Tuck gasped at this as his face turned angry, "He takes a bride of Royal blood."

Azeem curiously looks over to the holy man.

John also wore an angry look, "And with King Richard away, he'll be after the bloody throne!"

Robin was unaffected by these news as his eyes remained coolly on the young man on the ground. He took a step closer to Will, "You were to use this news to get close to me and then kill me, right Will?" Will airly scoffed at his words, giving Robin a nasty look. "What are your intentions?"

Will sneered at the rich boy, "Well, that depends on you, Locksley." Scarlet rose to his feet, "I never trusted you, that's no secret. But what I want to know is, are you going to finish what you've started? I want to know if he's gonna split and run like the spoilt little rich boy I always took him for."

Robin watched the scene of hatred rage through the young man's eyes, confused. He steps closer to the man till he was right in front of the angry man, "Did I wrong you in another life, Will Scarlet? Where does this intolerable hatred for me come from?"

Scarlet emotionally glancing down to the side avoiding Robin's eyes. All those years of pain, loneliness, and betrayal were finally overflowing and too much for the young man to bare.  Slowly Will Scarlet turned to the rich boy with tears in his bloodshot eyes and his lips curling suppress a lifetime of crying from escaping. 

"Knowing that... our father loved you more then me."

Everyone witnessing this all stared in shock at the words that came from Will's mouth.

"Our father?" Robin echoed.

"We are brothers, Robin of Locksley. I'm the son-" Robin grabs Scarlet's shoulders in anger and shoves him back. "-of the woman who replaced your died mother for a time. It's your anger that drove them apart."

"That's a lie!"

"It's not a lie!" Will yelled back as his hazel eyes stared at Robin's shocked ones, "You ruined my life!"

Everyone was quiet as they watched the scene before them. Locksley glanced around, rendering in shock of the words that were said.

Will's voice than became more gentle, "I have more reason to hate you then anyone. But I found myself daring to believe you. What I want to know brother, will you stay with us and finish what you've started?"

His hazel eyes stared pleadingly to Locksley as Robin's mind was still wrapping around the idea of having a family.

Robin stared at Will, "I have a brother?" He mumbled to himself, then when it finally clicked his arms wrapped around Will pulling him into a hug. "I have a brother!" Than Robin lets go, placing his hand on either side of his newly found brother, looking deep into his eyes with certainty. "So I'll stand with you, side by side. Until the end."

"Until the end!" Bull echoed, turning his eyes to John.

John had a deadly look in his eyes, "We are all bloody in, bloody buggers!"

Robin glances around to everyone, "We finish this."

~~~~~~

A little while later, Robin, Will, Bull, and John are gathered around a small replica of Nottingham. While Azeem and Friar Tuck sit a little further off. Azeem was calmly mixing something in a bowl and a small fire burns in front of him. He tosses something into the fire and there is an explosion, causing the holy man to fall backwards to the ground.

Everyone planning at the replica turns to look at the two men near the fire with huge grins.

Bull gets startled from the loud explosion, "What was that?"

Friar Tuck glanced over to the black skinned man in awe, "Truly you are a wizard!"

Azeem calmly gestures to the bowl by lifting it up slightly, "The mystery is in the black powder."

The others all focus their attention on Robin. "Bull, your position is by the gate to cut of reinforcements." He pointed to the place with his dagger, "John, You'll sit on this wall to protect our escape. I'll conceal myself here, below the scaffold, to cut our men loose at the signal."

Will shook his head at the last bit, "No, I'll do that. You can cover us with your bow."

Robin glanced over to the young man, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous Will."

Scarlet grinned, "So’s your aim."

His comment brought a chuckle to the men and a smirk from Robin. Another explosion sounds and another holler from Friar Tuck caught Robin's attention, "Whatever Azeem is concocting, we must each be in place for it. Now, our success depends on total concert. There will be only six men-"

"Seven!" Fanny spoke out, making the men turn to see the woman walking up to the group and picking up a sword.

John shook his head at this, "What are you doing, woman. Where are the little ones?"

"They’re safe. They’re with me mother."

"Are you bleeding cracked girl, you could get hurt!"

Fanny glared at the back of her husband's head, "I've given birth to eight babies. Don’t you talk to me about getting hurt, you big ox!" The other men were biting back a smile and a laugh at her scolding. Fanny huffed, "Anyway, I'm not just gonna sit here and let one of them die, am I?!"

"You should be bloody well minding the other seven!" His blue eyes glanced up to the rich boy pleadingly, "Tell her, Rob!"

Robin smirks at the sight, "Fanny, you'll take position here."

Locksley points to a spot on the wall, than they all get up and get ready to head out.

Will's eyes scanned the burnt and destroyed camp, looking for one person. His hazel eyes spotted Robin, "Is this all the survivors?"

Scarlet gestured to the seven people around him. Robin nodded solemnly, "Yes... as far as we know."

Fear immediately rose in his heart, "Where's Mina?!" His gaze turned to the forest and the ruined camp, "Mina!?"

Robin sadly placed a hand on Will's shoulder, "I don't know... we haven't seen her."

Fanny frowns at the frantic Will Scarlet, "I saw her..."

Will spun around with hope shimmering in his eyes, "Where?"

John move his gaze from the ground to look at the hopeful young man, "Scarlet... She was taken..."

The young man lost his breath at the revelation.

Robin turned around to the couple, "By Nottingham, I presume."

Fanny reluctantly nods as her sad eyes dropped their gaze.

John stood a little straighter, "She was escaping with us and she just... "

"Disappeared?" Azeem questioned, finishing the man's sentence with a sad tone.

The couple nodded at the word, " We were runnin' and we didn't 'ear anythin of her gettin' taken."

Fanny nodded at her husband's comment, "If we had known. We would have protected her."

Will who had been quiet finally found his voice, "That's my job! I was supposed to protect her!" The young man sadly hung his head low, "I promised her."

Azeem stepped beside the confused Robin, "They are in love... much like you and Marian, Christian." Locksley's eyes flickered back to the dark ones of the Moor, listening to his friend's words. "Will and Evemina were friends during childhood... He had thought her dead til recently when we came to Sherwood. Now Nottingham took away Marian, Evemina, Wulf, and good men..."

Robin turned his eyes to his distraught brother who began to leak some tears down his dirty cheeks at the thought of his failure. "Will."

Scarlet's hazel eyes sought out the blue ones of Robin as his older brother marched up to him.

"We are getting Evemina back and our freedom." Robin had a determined and stoic expression in his eyes, telling Will that he meant those words.

His tears immediately dried up and fiercely nod.

He can still protect her... and this was the right time.

~~~~

Darkness.

There was no light. No windows for Sun to warm her cold body. The stone or whatever was underneath her was bone chilling cold. Her cheek was pressed up against it as her eyes stared into the darkness solemnly.

Her thoughts were consumed of Will and what he was doing.

Was he searching for her?

Did he get captured?

Or even worse... had he died protecting her?

Tears streamed down her pale cheek, dripping down her cheek to the cold floor. Evemina squeezed her emerald eyes shut and pretended she was back in Will's hut, laying next to the man himself. The hay bedding beneath her like a warm thicket as if she was a doe and Will a buck who would always protect his loved one.

His warmth and his breathing... everything about him calmed her down.

She had to calm down... if not than she would never find a way out of this perpetual darkness.

Her hand tenderly went to an aching wound to her side. She had been hit by an arrow during her escape... little did she know it was an arrow with a drug that made her fall asleep. Evemina did not realize this till she was in here... in this... cell perhaps.

Evemina had always thought that a prison held more than one prisoner in one room or have a collective area to store the people inside. So she guessed she was someone of importance and it was better if she was not to be known to be here.

As she laid on the cold floor, something stung on her back. Her hand that had been nursing her wound went to her back. At the touch, she recoiled in pain, clenching her teeth tightly at the pain of her fingers grazing her back. Her back had wounds as well.

From what?

She did not know.

By the feel of the stinging, she guessed a whip.

So not only was she in a cell alone with a wound to her side... She had gashes from a whip on her back.

The maiden had to hold back a sob by biting her lip to the point of bleeding to keep her yelps quiet.

Her hand pressed against her face as silent tears trickled down her dirty cheeks. She desperately yearned for Will to take her away from this pain and this nightmare.

Evemina's teary eyes stared into the darkness as she silently cried.

No one would find her...

Her pale pink lips curled as she tried to suppress a loud sob.

Nottingham has her... and he will never let her go now.

There was scuffs of a boot approaching the area where she laid and immediately her tears stopped falling. A flame of a candle bobbed over to her and a hand was holding the candle dearly.

The candle was moving towards her till the light of the fire reached her frightened face and not past the bars that immediately clarified that indeed Evemina was in a cell.

A dark chuckle bounced off every wall, amplifying the blood curdling sound. It was male by how deep it was.

Who it was? She hoped she did not have to find out.

"You're awake..."

A scowl replaced her fearful gape, "What do you want from me?" Her voice was cold and emotionless as her emerald eyes glared up to the unseen voice.

"Your life." The voice mused.

"I have done nothing!"

"You killed my men."

His men... The maiden gulped down her trembling fear, but kept her glower.

"I had to... But I was innocent of such when I was five."

"Your treachery runs deep from blood."

"For someone so vile you have no right to convict the innocent!"

"Watch your tongue" The voice hissed.

"I will not watch my tongue. People have died for no reason at all. King Richard will return and you will be punished for your crimes!"

There was silence after her outburst.

"Guard?"

"Yes, mi'lord?"

"Punish her..."

Evemina continued to glare at the darkness behind the candle.

Then a darkness blocked the light as he began to walk away but suddenly the footsteps stopped.

"And make it... mortal."

"Yes mi'lord."

As the light bounced away so did her hope.

Now there was absolutely no way for her to make it alive.

The guard he had spoken to had lit a torch nearby, a jingle of metal immediately sent the maiden on edge.

SQUEAK.

The prison door opened and there stood the most terrifying man Evemina had ever saw. He stood as tall as a mountain and his eyes were cold without emotion at all. His muscles had muscles of their own.

A cruel smile lit up his face as he approached the maiden, "Time for a little game, Evemina Levaincois."

That morning the prison was filled with the blood curdling screams of Evemina.

~~~~~~

Outside of Nottingham stood soldiers checking everyone that comes through the gate for weapons. A soldier repeated, "No blades, no bows! Leave your weapons here! No blades, no bows!"

A pile of swords, bows and arrows, and other weapons sat in a large pile at his feet. Friar Tuck rides up in a wagon that appears to be full of wine barrels. A strange figure sits next to him, all wrapped up in bandages so his face is not visible.

The soldier spotted the holy man stop for an inspection, "No blades! What do you've got there, father?"

Friar Tuck smiled grandly, patting a nearby barrel. "The Lord's finest brew for the good Sheriff's fighting men! A mighty kick, huh?!"

The soldier studied the holy man with his beady dark eyes before giving a slight nod, allowing him to pass. Friar Tuck was slightly sweating since he was nervous but when he saw the nod of approval, he smiled in relief and flicked the reins of the horse pulling the wagon: a familiar black mare.

In the courtyard, Bull is dressed as a Celt and as he walks to his position by the gate, frightened villagers him a wide berth to pass. The Celtic Bull shoved a man out of his way with an agitated sneer, "What do you want?!"

As Bull strided away behind him the English men watch him in horror,

"Watch out, he's a Celt!"

"Horrible!"

Fanny, also in the courtyard, hurried to her position with her basket and hastily used the stairs to get up onto the wall, near to the gallows. She swallowed down her fear as she caught sight of the structure in the distance.

Everything will be alright.

Outside the castle wall, John walks by with what looks like a load of firewood across his shoulders. As he passes a certain point a rope drops down from the top of the wall.

Fanny pops up behind the stone, peering down to her husband. "John! John!!" She whisper yelled to the giant man.

John Little hears her and turns around than gazed up to the woman above. She motions for him to use the rope with a flick of her head and a pointed look to him.

Outside the main gate, Robin approached, dressed as a blind beggar with a cane and ragged cloak. His eye catches some horse dung on the ground and he kneels down beside it. Locksley grabbed a handful and begins to rub the poop on his clothing. After that, Robin heads for the gate to enter Nottingham.

As he wobbled closer to the gate, a soldier stepped out of a small hut for the guards and notices the blind, hooded beggar approaching.

The Nottingham soldier strides over to the beggar and grabs him but the arm.

"Hey you, do I know you?"

Robin recoiled at the guards grip, playing in his character, "Please Sir, don't hurt me."

The soldier made a grimace, "Oh, my God! You stink!"

Locksley bowed lowly, "Pardon me, Sir. Pardon my blindness. I'm always falling-"

Having enough of the rambling of the beggar, the soldier kicked the blind man away, "Get out of here!"

Robin still wobbling away, bowed many times to the soldier, "Thank you for noticing me, Sir!"

Sitting nonchalantly on the stone wall, Fanny had pulled the “firewood” up and note Sat beside her. Using the rope now was her husband climbing the outside of the wall. Carefully the woman pulled two swords out of the “firewood”. She placed them between her legs, innocently looking up as she drops them into the courtyard below. Right as they land in the dirt with the handle up, Bull and Will walk by and snatched them.

By the scaffold, Friar Tuck and Azeem are placing a barrel by the gallows when they are approached by a solider.

Azeem whispered to the holy man, "Be careful, Friar!"

The solider gave a look of contempt to the barrel and the Friar, "What are you doing?"

Friar Tuck glanced at the barrel and than back to the soldier. "Ah, distributing libations for the celebration of the Sheriff's naturals. Why is there something to miss?"

"Yeah, you are! Come on, get this stuff out of here!"

Friar Tuck shook his head, "Caesar has spoken, my leprous friend. Let's get our offerings and depart. Is this thing your finger?" The holy pointed to a random place and the bandaged and hidden Azeem 'picked it up'.

The Nottingham soldier was very confused as he than took a glance toward the bandaged man, "Leper? What? Come on, get this cart out of here!"

The holy man gave an apologetic smile as he began to leave, "He leaves bits and pieces and all over England."

The barrel was still there as the two left.

Fanny swung her legs off the edge of the wall as she sat. The “firewood” sat behind her, leaning against the wall.

A soldier approached her from a guard tower along the wall and kneels beside her, "What are you doing here?"

The woman gave the soldier a bright smile, "I’m doing no harm, dearie. I likes a good hanging, I do."

The soldier spotted the firewood behind her, "What's in this bundle?"

Fanny shrugged innocently, "Ah, that's firewood! " She gave a nod and was opening her mouth to say more when John comes over the wall, grabs the soldier and tosses him over the wall. "Hello, my lover!"

The courtyard was completely full of spectators, waiting to watch the hanging of the traitors.

Azeem quickly untied the black mare from the wagon and allows the horse to walk freely away.

Friar Tuck pushed his way into the crowd, "Make way for the Lords work! Make way for the Lords work! A simple benedictary for these poor bastards. God, perceive them in thy mercy and show them your love, that they so richly deserve, although they are sinners."

As the holy man continued his prayer, a young boy passes by Will, brushes the cape aside. The boy stopped still when he feels something cold and hard as steel. He lifts Will's cape and sees the sword. His little fingers dance around the blade and he moves to take it, but Will catches him with a grab of the boy's shirt.

Will wore a red scarlet hood over her head, as he stared deep into the boy's eyes, "There’s nothing there but trouble, boy!"

Scarlet lets go of the boy and watched the child run off. The horns announcing the presence of the Sheriff of Nottingham sounded making the young man turn toward a landing in the distance.

The Sheriff of Nottingham stood tall as he escorted the lovely Maid Marian to watch the hanging. There was some quarrel between the Sheriff and Marian that peeved the Sheriff slightly.

His dark eyes turned to the prison, "Bring them out!"

Dun. Dun.

Dun. Dun.

Dun. Dun.

Ba-da-ba-da-ba-da

Dun. Dun.

The drums of death echoed and continued to as the drummers marched into the crowd as one by one a prisoner came to the surface. Their hands were tied in front of them as it was when they were locked up.

Robin makes his way into the courtyard and he hastily goes over to where John and Fanny are hidden and gets some arrows from them. He goes to his designated spot, shrugs out of his beggar clothing and pulls his bow out of the walking stick he was using.

Than at the end of the march of the prisoners walked out Wulf with a drummer behind him signalling the end. Will stared on in bewilderment, seeing no Evemina going to the scaffold.

Where is she?!

As Wulf passes through the crowd to the scaffold he sees Will in the corner of his is eye. The boy turned immediately to the young man with a deadly look in his eyes and launches himself at Will, knocking the young man to the ground.

"Traitor! Kill him!" Wulf hollered viciously as he pounds on Will.

"What did I do?" Will questioned the boy as Wulf continued to lash out his anger on the young man.

Soldiers make their way though the crowd and break up the fight. "What's going on?" A soldier met the dark gaze of the Sheriff of Nottingham, "Bring him here!"

"Kill him!" Wulf sneered as he was dragged away by a soldier.

The soldiers come forward holding Will by the arms and one holding back the young man's head by his hair.

Nottingham nodded at the face before him, "Oh, the turncoat." Marian curiously flickered her eyes the Sheriff than back to the young man she had met back in Sherwood. The same man who protected Evemina from that man who tried to bed her and who had an intolerable anger towards Robin of Locksley... Her one true love. "Did  you succeed?" questioned the Sheriff.

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

The expression on the  Sheriff's face never changed at Will's words, "Are you sure? You saw Hood's body?"

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

A soldier holds up a sword, "We found this on him."

Scarlet gave the Sheriff of Nottingham a shrug.

"String him up with the others!"

Will's face turned into horror as the crowd cheered at the order. Will was lifted into the air and carried over to the scaffold as if he was a ship and the people were the sea guiding him to his doom, "Let me go!" The young man hollered as he tried to break free from his headings.

John glanced over to the rich boy near by and quietly yelled, "Now Robin!"

Locksley motions for him to keep quiet with his hand before turning to a guard tower on the other side of him. Inside the tower, stood Azeem now without his disguise, looking towards Robin.

The rich boy then motions for Azeem to hit the barrel on the scaffold with a fire tipped arrow. The dark skinned man gave Locksley a nod and the Moor disappeared behind the wall to light the arrow.

Below, Will had reached the scaffold where the executioner quickly captured him into his grasp. The black clothed man dragged has Scarlet to the end of the scaffold but there is not a noose there, causing laughter in the crowd.

Will grinned at this and turned to the distant Sheriff. "My Lord, it appears there's no more room. I'm afraid that I respectfully decline!"

The executioner snatched the young man and dragged him down to the barrel. "Come on, down! Down!" He proceeds to tie Will down to the barrel left there by Azeem. The Moor sees this as he aimed his flaming arrow to it and quickly blew out his arrow. When the executioner was done with the final knot, he leaned in close to Scarlet's ear. "There's always room for one more!" At the last word, the executioner spat a large spit that trickled down the young man's cheek.

Badabadabadabadabadabadabadabada

The drums rolled at the final sentence of the prisoners.

BOOM!

Silence.

Everyone held their breath at the tension left hanging as they await the first hanging to begin. The executioner look to the Sheriff for permission to begin and the Sheriff gave the man a nod.

With a mighty boot, he kicked the stool out from under Wulf. The young boy begins to choke as the rope tightens around his neck.

"My child!!" Fanny cried hysterically, being drowned our by the cheers of the audience.

"My boy!!!" John hollered as he ran down the stairs into the crowd to try and save his son.

Robin makes his move and heroes to the middle of the walkway of the wall. The rich boy kneels to the ground and aims than fires an arrow to try and cut the rope but he only nicks it.

"Hey!"

A soldier spotted Locksley and hurried to get after him. Robin, skillfully evades the swing of the sword by jumping down to the ground by using the stair case and a barrel.

"Wuuuuulllf!" John cried as he tried to make his way through the crowd.

The rich boy aims again than fires another arrow. The arrow flies through the air.

SLASH.

The arrow cuts the rope cleanly  and Wulf falls to the ground, gasping for breath. Everyone turns to see who did it.

The Sheriff of Nottingham glowered at the figure who stood, "Locksley." He growled with an dark scowl.

"Robin!!!!!!" Marian screams to the very much alive Locksley.

Soldiers from the wall's guard tower came running behind the rich boy. Azeem sees this And fires a fire arrow at a nearby barrel.

BOOM!

An explosion erupted, startling the villagers to run for cover. The power of the fire bomb made a hole in the stone wall for an escape route.

Azeem lets another fire arrow go and another eruption shakes the ground of Nottingham, making more panic.

The Sheriff of Nottingham who was above all frightened by the eruptions stepped forward with a venomous look in his eye, "Get the troops in here!"

His order echoed throughout the town, causing John to look to the Celt. "Bull!"

Bull took up his sword and slashed the rope holding up the gate in two. The heavy gate began to fall so the man had to launch himself out of the way to avoid the heavy metal gate coming down on him. The troops ran right to the gate as it closed, making the Sheriff of Nottingham defenseless.

The executioner was mystified by the happenings of this attack around him and had forgotten his duty. His eyes went to his agitated Lord on the landing.

"What are you waiting for!? Get on with it!" The Sheriff of Nottingham screamed to the executioner.

The executioner, quickly nods, and begins kicking the stools out from under the remaining men. They all begin to choke as the rope tightened around their wind pipe

"No!" Friar Tuck hollered in horror as he quickly made his way to the men.

Wulf stood to his two feet and desperately tried to help the man that was going to be hanged beside him by lifting his legs up, acting like a stool.

Now with all the hanged men hanging, there left one: Will Scarlet. The executioner snatched his great axe and places the blade to Will's neck to ready the beheading of the young man.

Robin sees this and Will stares at his older brother with fear in his eyes.

Locksley quickly yanks an fiery arrow out of a dead soldier and prepares to fire. The executioner rose his axe high above his head ready to deliver the blow.

Will's heart pounded his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, ready for the death. Robin quickly released the arrow and the flaming arrow cut through the air faster than lightning.

THUNK

The arrow penetrated into the skull of the executioner, causing him to fall backwards, dead.

The Sherwood men were still choking, trying to breathe as the top open gets tighter. John gasps and rams his shoulder against one of the posts holding the scaffold up and pushes it towards a nearby wall. The scaffold tilts allowing the men's feet to touch the ground.

All of them heaved in breaths of air and some coughed but it was a welcoming feeling to breathe again.

John quickly ran to his son, "Wulf!"

Wulf turned to the voice and smiled tearfully,"Father!"

The father and son embrace tightly as John gazed up to his relieved wife up on the wall who muttered a 'Oh, thank God'!

John, Wulf, and Bull cut the ropes for the rest of the men. "Come on, fight your way free!"

Robin takes his dagger out and reaches Will who still was tied to the barrel.

Easily the rich boy cut the rope from his little brother, "Look out!" Will hollered as a solider came charging after the two.

Locksley snatched the back of Will's shirt and lifted his head off the barrel just as a soldier slammed his axe into it. Robin turns and kicked the soldier away.

Will launched himself at the soldier and once they landed on the ground, Scarlet slugged a mighty punch to the guard's face.

Robin turned to his men and gestured to the great hole in the wall, "This way, to the wall!"

"Robin!!!" Marian cried hysterically as she was being dragged away by Nottingham.

Locksley turned to see the last glimpse of her as she disappeared to inside the castle, "Marian." He mumbled before sprinting after her, "Marian!"

The mass of the Sherwood people were making their way to a great hole in the castle wall. Azeem, who saw the rich boy yelling for Marian and Will Scarlet punching the crap out of a guard after he refuse to reveal where Evemina was, stood on a walkway just above this hole.

"English! English!" His booming voice caught attention of everyone, "I'm Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bachrim! I'm not one of you, but I fight." He points to a halted Robin who stared at the dark skinned man. "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!"

"Freedom!"

The people begin to head back to the main castle and the villagers join in the ranks of the men of Sherwood. A huge mob was created and they ran to the gate that barricaded the troops from coming in and started their attack.

Will, who was still on top of the guard, glared murderously down to him. "Tell me where Evemina Levaincois is being held." He hissed between his teeth.

"Never would I tell you."

Scarlet drove a fist into the man's face, making another bone crush under his clenched hand. The guard spat out more blood that began to pool in his beaten mouth.

"Scarlet!"

Hazel eyes flickered up to see John striding towards him, "What?" Will questioned still raging with fury that was gained by the guard when he has not been cooperating.

"We need yer help."

"I need to find Evemina!"

"And Robin needs to get to Marian, Scarlet." John replied calmly.

Will huffed and landed another punch into the guard's face, making Scarlet's captive go unconscious.

The young man stood to his feet and followed after John. His hazel eyes caught the sight of Wulf killing a soldier from attacking his mother.

"Wulf!"

The boy turned to see Will jogging towards him.

Wulf gave Scarlet a indifferent scowl that made Will frown slightly, "Look, Wulf, I know you hate me. But I need you to find anything about where Nottingham is keeping Mina."

At the sound of the maiden's name, Wulf's scowl softened slightly. "Evemina was captured?"

"Yes but I have no idea where they have her."

"Will!"

The young man glanced back to John who was accompanied with other men beside a catapult. Quickly Scarlet turned his hazel eyes, pleadingly to the small boy. "Please, Wulf."

Will Scarlet hastily ran towards the men, leaving Wulf humbly thinking. Fanny stood at her son's side, "Wulf."

Startled by her presence, the boy jumped at the sound of her gentle voice. "Mother!"

"Do as Will says, Wulf. I know Evemina means a lot to you too."

Wulf stared into the serious pair of blue eyes that belonged to his mother. With a nod, the boy took off in a random direction.

John, Will, and some others have moved the catapult into position. The rich boy immediately sits on the catapult, ready to be launched over the stone wall.

Azeem joins Robin's side with his curved sword at his side, "Is she worth it?"

Locksley smiled at the Moor, "Worth dying for." Robin then met the gaze of Scarlet who manned the lever. They both give a nod to each other than the rich boy looks up to his obstacle, "Will!"

By the call of his name, Scarlet hits the lever and Robin and Azeem are launched into the air to disappear behind the stone wall. On the other side, the two land in a pile of hay.

Will grinned at this, "Fuck me, he cleared it!"

The young man chuckled before he turned to the town to find Wulf.

"Will!"

His hazel eyes glanced over to Wulf, having a soldier to the ground. The young man sprinted over and kneeled down to the soldier, pulling a sword to his throat. A sword he picked up from a dead guard nearby.

"Where is Evemina Levaincois?"

The guard gulped, frightened for his life. "I-I-In the d-d-dark cham-ber..."

Scarlet pressed the tip of the sword harder into the guard's throat, "Where is the chamber?!"

"T-t-that wa-y." The guard pointed to a door in a guard tower just a few feet from where they were.

Wulf and Will glanced to each other and nodded, before John came along and killed the guard.

Will ruffled the boy's hair with a smile before sprinting to the door.

Scarlet slammed open the door open with a strong grip on sword in his hand. The young man stepped quietly into a vacant guard quarters as his eyes scrutinized every little detail.

As he momentarily stopped a force bumped into his back and it made a grunt.

The young man recognized the grunt, "Wulf, go back to your father. Where I am going isn't safe."

"Mina means a lot to me too! I want to help!"

Will turned his hazel eyes glanced back to a determined face of the Little.

He has the stubbornness of his father. He would never leave.

Scarlet sighed at the boy and moved his gaze back forward, "Fine. Stay close."

Wulf smiled triumphantly and followed after Will with his bow and arrow.

Mina I'm coming.

(End of Chapter Sixteen)