Terrouge Firebird
Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31
Friar Tuck awoke in considerably better spirits than his quartet of escorts. His nights spent sleeping in Robin Hood's camp and other outdoor sites throughout Nottingham and Sherwood Forest had left him able to slumber just about anywhere, but the guards were accustomed to the proper bunks of their barracks, and even with a bedding of straw between themselves and the dirt floor of Otto's workshop, they arose to greet the new day grumbling of sore backs and kinked muscles. Tuck suppressed a chuckle; if these were the most elite troops the Sheriff had, it was no wonder Robin had been able to best them time after time!
When Otto appeared with a simple morning repast, he bore it on a tray with five separate bowls, mindful to supply enough for the guards as well as his old badger acquaintance, lest the hungry soldiers cause trouble if they felt deprived. Tuck tucked in with great enthusiasm, thanking the hound for his generosity. The guards slurped down their porridge with considerably less grace, which was hardly surprising since they felt peasants were beneath them and there only to serve, obey and be kept in line.
Tuck hastened to depart as soon as he could, wanting to liberate Otto from the overbearing presence of the grumpy soldiers. If trouble was to come of all this, Tuck wanted to make sure it was his trouble alone, and not foisted onto any other innocent bystander through his own carelessness. Involving Otto in his plight was bad enough, and he wanted to avoid doing so to anyone else if he could possibly help it.
For most of the morning he simply wandered throughout Nottinghamshire, stopping to rest whenever it suited him and then setting off again with no particular destination in mind. To his escort, it must have seemed that he strolled hither and thither without rhyme or reason, and this was partly correct - but only partly. For Tuck realized this was not a predicament from which he could extract himself on his own, but only with outside help.
He certainly did not wish Robin or Little John to risk exposing themselves or taking any foolish chances on his behalf. After all, he did not seem to be in any immediate peril. But Sherwood's famous outlaw would want to know about this situation, and Friar Tuck knew that the best way to achieve that would be to parade himself and his living cordon around in public for all to see. Robin had other eyes and ears in Nottingham, and Tuck hoped he could attract the attention of some of them.
His wish came true halfway toward noontide. Many townsfolk had passed him during this time, and a good portion of those stopped to gawk or stare or simply puzzle over such a curious sight. Thus, the guards thought nothing of it when one particular matronly hen paused to trade knowing glances with the former friar before moving on, blending with the rest of the passersby on the avenue.
Lady Kluck ducked behind the corner of a nearby homestead, where Will Scarlet stood waiting for her. "Well?" the gray fox pressed. "Is he under arrest or not?"
"I... I nae ken tell," Kluck answered. "They aren't goin' towards th' castle, which you'd figure they would be if they were taking 'im there. An' their pace was too leisurely - almost like Tuck was leadin' 'em 'stead of the other way 'round. I can't make beak ner tailfeathers of it!"
Will glanced around. "Well, you're not widely recognized as a member of Robin's band, and while I'm a fox, no one with a brain in his head is gonna mistake me for Robin Hood, so I guess we're free to stroll around the town without drawing attention to ourselves. Don't know what else we can do except keep an eye on Tuck, and be ready to come to his rescue if he needs one."
"Sounds good t' me!" Kluck agreed, and the two of them stepped out from behind the building to resume their unobtrusive surveillance of Friar Tuck.
*****
Being back inside the jails of Castle Nottingham summoned up a nightmarish flood of bad memories for Skippy. His previous time spent in these cells two years earlier had been brief, but not so brief that it hadn't left its mark. The difference between then and now, however, was that two years ago he'd had his friends and family around him for support. Now he was alone... and as his captors dragged him through the barred iron door of the jailhouse, Skippy knew he'd be facing this trial entirely on his own.
At Gisbourne's direction, the guards hauled Skippy up the winding stone stairs to the main holding cell, and there they dragged him over to a pair of arm manacles set into the bare wall, fastening first one and then the other of the young rabbit's wrists into the unforgiving iron bracelets. When it was done, Skippy hung splayed spread-eagle upon the wall, his feet dangling high above the floor. Even after just a few moments, he could feel the metal chafing at his fur and flesh, feel the circulation in his pinioned arms growing sluggish. This was going to get very uncomfortable, very quickly.
The two guards stood back in the shadows while Gisbourne stepped right up to the frightened courier, thrusting his face forward. "So - Skippy, isn't it? - tell me again how well you know Robin Hood."
"I already told you," Skippy said. "Robin of Locksley came here often, and we showed him around the castle wherever he wanted to go."
Skippy swallowed, unsure of just how much he should reveal. "Robin Hood helped my family when we would have starved, just like he helped a lot of families. We were never part of his band or anything."
Gisbourne glanced around the jail. "This is not your first time in here, is it? You were part of that prison break that Robin Hood staged the night this castle burned, were you not?"
"The Sheriff had every peasant in Nottingham in chains!" Skippy protested, overstating the truth but not by much. "Robin Hood liberated us! Prince John and the Sheriff were the ones who committed crimes, not us! King Richard said so himself when he got back to England! He pardoned Robin Hood, and punished Prince John and the Sheriff for what they'd done to us!"
"That is a royal matter, the policies of one ruler against another. But the simple truth is that you were being held in detention by the legitimate authorities as they stood at the time. One of those authorities is now king, and he remembers such intransigence. He remembers specifically, on the night of the jailbreak, that a rabbit boy sat on Robin Hood's shoulders across the moat as the castle burned, taunting and ridiculing him." Gisbourne leaned even closer, his whiskers brushing Skippy's. "Would you happen to have any idea who that child might have been?"
"Th-there're lotsa rabbit families living in Nottingham... "
Gisbourne went on as if his prisoner hadn't spoken. "Might that child even have been... you?"
Skippy suddenly found himself unable to speak through a dry throat, but the fear in his wide eyes and his quivering lower lip told Gisbourne all the panther need to know.
"Just as I thought. We have a traitor in our very midst, wearing the uniform of the court. How many others, I wonder, will we find?"
"I'm no traitor!" Skippy shouted, loud enough to make Sir Guy flinch and draw back. "I served the Earl loyally these past two years, and I'm proud of my service! You're the traitor, helping the ones who killed Lady Marian! King Richard wouldn't have allowed any of this to happen! And Robin Hood will put you in your place, you just wait and see! Long live Robin Hood!"
"He may live longer than you, with that kind of attitude," Gisbourne snarled softly. "Hangman's nooses can be made to fit even small necks. But for now, I will leave you to think about the wisdom of your current loyalties. Enjoy your time in chains."
Gisbourne spun and left the prison chamber, only to find himself standing face to face with the Earl in the corridor beyond. Avery, apprehension filling his twisted features, was at the noble's side. The white cat did not look pleased; clearly they had arrived in time to overhear Gisbourne's threats against Skippy.
"Congratulations, Sir Guy. You've just taken a perfectly loyal servant of this court and turned him against us. At this rate, all of Nottingham will be driven to Robin Hood's cause in droves."
"If Nottingham knows what is good for it, it will not stand against me," Gisbourne declared with chilling calm as he pushed past them, descending the stairs to make for the courtyard.
The Earl followed him, with Avery sticking close by his side. "Nevertheless, I cannot have you torturing my couriers. I must insist that Skippy be released at once."
"Torture, Earl? You will know it when I resort to torture, by the screams that will be heard from one side of Nottingham to the other. And I do not allow traitors to roam free. You heard him yourself. This youngling is an ally of Robin Hood's. He will remain where he is - until I say otherwise."
"I must protest... "
"You may take it up with King John, next time you see him," said Gisbourne. "Until then, I am the king's arm and the king's law in all matters relating to the capture of Robin Hood and the security of Nottinghamshire. Do not meddle in military affairs, Earl, or it will end badly for you."
Once the two guards had joined them in the courtyard, Gisbourne slammed the iron door shut and turned the key in the lock, then deposited the key in a pocket of his tunic. "And I'll hold onto this, to spare you any temptations you might later regret, Earl. Now why don't you go see what the rest of your staff are up to, before they too join the ranks of the enemy?"
Gisbourne strode from the scene, his two guards in tow. The Earl stood looking after him helplessly - but not as helpless as Avery felt, standing at the Earl's side with wet eyes.
Chapter 27 | Chapter 28 | Chapter 29 | Chapter 30 | Chapter 31