Chapter 14 - Escape

Nottingham

"All right, you two take care of those guards and once we reach the castle, I'll make sure the guards inside are not a problem."

Much and Little John nodded and cautiously made her way from their hiding place near one of the city's smaller gates. When they were in the center of the road, Little John gave Much a shove which nearly sent him into the ditch.

"Hey!" Much yelled, the pitch of his voice rising in fake anger. He tried to shove John but the much bigger man didn't budge. The two of them then proceeded to wrestle with each other. Marian didn't think it looked entirely convincing, but it achieved what they wanted.

"You two there!" one of the gate guards called. "Break it up!"

But he was ignored and soon strode towards the two fighting men. Marian watched the other guard. They had hoped both would leave their positions, but he remained where he was. As soon as the first guard reached Much and Little John, he grabbed them by the arm and tried to pry them apart. Before he even realized what had happened, Little John's fist plowed into his jaw and he toppled over.

The guard at the gate whipped out his sword and rushed at Much and Little John, but before he could reach them, there was a loud clank and he fell face first to the road. Standing behind him was Marian with a heavy stick.

"Come on," she told the men as she tossed the stick back into the ditch where she'd found it. "We have to hide them."

Much and Little John raised their eyebrows and glanced at each other before helping Marian drag the unconscious guards into the ditch. Stealthily they made their way through the city and reached the castle without incident.

"Wait here," Marian said when they'd found a good place to hide right near the castle. "I'll go in and see that Robin gets out. I did not see Allan when I visited Robin. They must be keeping him in another part of the dungeon. I'll try to find him, but if I can't, maybe with Robin's help you can."

"How are you going to do all that?" Much asked.

"Just trust me," Marian answered.

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Robin put his head back against the wall and groaned. He searched every crack and every bar for any sign of weakness, but the cell was solid. There was no breaking his way out of this one.

Suddenly, there was a sound like two heaps of metal hitting the floor. He jumped up just as the dungeon door opened and one person hurried down the steps. Robin's eyes widened. It was the Nightwatchman!

The Nightwatchman came right to Robin's cell and quickly unlocked the door. Before Robin could even speak, the Nigtwatchman motioned for him to follow. The two of them hurried up out of the dungeon.

"How did you get in here?" Robin asked, but, just like last time, the Nightwatchman wouldn't answer him so Robin just followed silently.

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Finally Much stopped pacing in circles and turned to John. "I don't like this. We should have gone with her."

But Little John said nothing and kept his eyes glued to the castle gate. Much put his hands on his hips and exhaled loudly. "Fine. Don't say anything, but what if something happened? How is Marian supposed to get Robin passed all the guards on her own. What if…"

"Much, will you just—"

"What are you two doin' here?"

Much and Little John spun around. "Allan!" they both exclaimed at once.

"How did you escape?" Much wanted to know.

Allan shrugged. "I…uh…the jailer, he got a little too close to my cell and borrowed his keys." He hoped he didn't look or sound as guilty as he felt.

"Did you see Robin?" John asked.

Allan shook his head. "No, they must have 'im somewhere else."

"What about Marian?" Much asked quickly.

"Marian? Why Marian?"

"She went in to help Robin and try to find you."

"Haven't seen her," Allan replied.

Much groaned and started pacing again. "I still think we ought to go in there."

"I'm not bein' funny, but I just got out. I'm not goin' back in," Allan protested.

"Well, what about Robin?" Much demanded.

"You said Marian went in to get him. Give her a chance to do it."

Before Much could reply, Little John said suddenly, "Look! There he is!"

Much and Allan looked towards the castle gate where Robin had just emerged.

"Robin! Over here!" Little John called.

Robin changed directions and hurried towards them. When he joined them, Much asked, "Where's Marian?"

"Marian?"

"Yes, she went in to get you out."

Robin shook his head. "The Nightwatchman got me out…Marian must have gotten him to help."

"Well, where is he?"

"I don't know. We were almost out when he just disappeared somewhere in the castle."

"I wonder how he got in," Allan said.

"I don't know that either, but we better get back to Sherwood," Robin replied.

The four of them hurried through the city back to the gate where Little John and Much had left their horses. They mounted up and rode away from Nottingham as fast as they could. When they reached Sherwood, they all stopped. On the road up ahead was a rider on a white horse. Marian. Robin smiled and rode forward to meet her.

"So you got the Nightwatchman to come and rescue me," he said.

"Well, I had to do something."

Robin smiled. "I didn't think he liked me very much."

Marian's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I asked him to do it…for me."

Robin's smile faded and Marian chuckled. "Are you jealous?"

"No . . . maybe."

Marian just laughed again and then said, "You should get back to your camp and lay low for a while. The sheriff will not be happy that you've escaped him again."

Robin agreed and Marian turned her horse and rode off while the outlaws rode deeper into Sherwood.