LOCKSLEY

Rufus was riding his horse along the road out of the tree line from Nottingham down towards Locksley.

He rode down towards the manor, and stopped his horse in the courtyard.

He stared around, looking at the guards that were guarding the door.

"You there." He barked, "Did you fetch me a horse?"

"yes." The guard nodded.

Rufus looked out over the courtyard again.

He sneered at the guard.

"Then where is it?"

The guard stiffened and said nothing.

"who stole the horse?" Rufus grabbed the man's front.

The guard swallowed and said nothing.

Rufus let out a roar of rage and bolted into the manor; he ran down the stairs towards the cellar and kicked in the door to the room Alan had been thrown in.

"Argh!"

He screamed in rage when he found it empty except for a guard, shackles on the floor.

"Where is he?" Rufus screamed.

He shoved himself into Marian's cell like room.

She was lying, curled in one dark corner, half conscious.

Her leg hurt violently, and she still felt dizzy and feint.

What was wrong with her?

"You!" Rufus shot forwards and wrenched her hands from the shackles.

"Come here…" He snapped.

He hated being made a fool of.

And Alan, whatever his name was, had escaped.

He wanted his son back, then he would have all the pieces of his puzzle.

He needed to leave Nottingham soon though, for surely by now Vaisey would have found Matthew, the treasurer he had tied up, and knew that Rufus had stolen all of the money he had collected to humiliate him.

Marian let out a cry of pain as he dragged her along with him up the stairs through the manor.

Her injured foot and leg continuingly banged against the stairs an walls as Rufus dragged her.

"Let go of me." She snapped weakly, for her head was still spinning.

Her foot was pounding, and it was a searing burning pain in her boot.

"I think it is time I put on a little show for your husband." He snapped in Marian's face, dragging her through the manor.

He shoved open the door to the courtyard and threw her on the floor.

No sooner did Marian skid across the dirt and stone, than did Robin fall from the roof and slam himself down on top of Rufus.

"You!" Robin thundered and pushed himself upright, drawing his sword and racing at Rufus.

"We meet again!" Rufus mocked him by swinging his sword against his own.

Marian struggled to push herself upright, and rolled onto her side, head spinning to watch as Robin swung his sword across his body, sending Rufus's sword form his grip.

He kicked the man square in the chest and he fell backwards as robin sunk to his knees and held his blade to Rufus's throat.

"Stop!"

The voice was unmistakably Djac's, and she hurtled into the courtyard with Will and Edmund at her side, stopping as the rest of the gang, who had been guarding the other entrances to the courtyard from the guards, arrived.

They stood in a ring around Robin and Rufus, and Marian, who was barely conscious, staring at her husband.

Edmund stared down at his father, as though he was seeing him for the first time.

"Stop, Robin." Djac said once more.

"No." Robin snapped, glaring balefully at Rufus who did as much back, who was trying to breathe around Robin's blade that was pressing into his throat.

"You tell me why I should not kill you?" Robin demanded.

"He only became like this when my grandfather died." Edmund defended.

"No." Robin snapped.

"No, no I remember where I know you from… John… do you remember Daniel Chauncey, the man the sheriff locked up in his cellar because of his sons crime?"

Johns eyes grew wide, "Chauncey, that is their name… he was punished for his sons crime, he took the blame and died."

Edmund froze, "he died for you?"

"Don't listen to him Edmund." Rufus tried to snap.

"How wonderful!" Vaisey's gloating voice could be heard, and the gang looked up to see him dismounting his horse.

The guards that the gang had knocked out to try and take Rufus were not awake yet.

So Vaisey's horse walked away from him when he climbed off.

In the courtyard, it was just the gang, him, Rufus and Edmund.

"I came to kill you, for stealing from me." Vaisey sneered and waved his knife in gesture to Rufus, "and Robin Hood, is going to do it for me, tremendous."

"This town took my father from me." Rufus sneered and struggled as Robin stood, pushing his foot and the tip of his blade to the man's chest.

"You took my father from me." Rufus glared at Vaisey.

"Your father died for a crime you committed." Robin said firmly.

Edmunds stared at his father, feeling hollow.

He knew he was a bad man… but he thought he was just fragile... now he knew why.

"Robin!" Alan, who had been leant by Rufus horse, produces large bags of money.

"We have the money!"

"The money!"

Vaisey stood upright, "my money… guards… guards…"

But no guards came.

He spun to charge at Alan who was holding two sacks of money but Johns fist sent him over.

Tuck caught him and flung him on top of a spare horse, smacking its rump so Vaisey was taken, half conscious, towards Nottingham, leaning over the horses back, screaming and cursing.

Alan was giving out the bags of money they had taken from Rufus's horse that he was planning to steel.

Rufus abruptly shoved Robin away and ran towards his son.

He made to grab Edmund by the boys arm shot forwards but Robin stood and drew his bow in half a second, firing an arrow.

It lodged between the back of Rufus's ribs and sent him forwards, slumping into Edmund.

The boy dropped his father to the floor, feeling nothing.

He felt nothing to that man.

"Your father died for you." He snapped.

Robin watched as Rufus stopped groaning on the floor, becoming still.

Marian's stomach heaved.

"Robin…" her voice was weak.

He shoved himself forwards and dropped to his knees on the floor beside her.

He kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her so she was sitting up facing him.

"It's alright you are alright." He looked at her pale face.

Her head was heavy against his shoulder, her hands holding his chest.

"Djac!"

The gang's physician fell to her knees beside them.

She removed Marian's blood soaked boot and grabbed a nearby flask of water that had been dropped by a guard.

She unscrewed the lid and poured it over Marian's bloody foot.

Marian let out a small hiss of pain at the stinging sensation and clutched Robin tighter.

He held onto her firmly and kissed her hair.

"I've got you…"

Djac glanced up from re bandaging Marian's foot haphazardly, knowing that they needed to leave Locksley quickly, to look at the woman's pale face, against Robin's chest.

"She needs water, lots of water." She handed Robin the flask.

Robin tilted his wife's head back and held her while she drank the water.

Her stomach was still rolling, but she felt better in Robin's arms.

Robin kissed her forehead before moving to murmur against her hair.

"Let's get you home."