Lee Verysdale ran home that night and it was heavily raining. He wandered home to a front yard that was now messy and it appeared as if a bomb had dropped due to how many shattered stone objects there were, how many broken pieces of furniture there were and then he ran into his family home to see none other than his son lying on the ground.
“Kenji!”, the father ran to his son and turned him over at once, noticing his eyes were gone and taken from him. “Father…”, Kenji replied and barely reached for his hand. “Kenji…”, his father reached for his son’s head with both of his hands and leaned his forehead against his son.
“We need to get out of here.”, said Lee. “We need to find you medical help.”, Lee was right and that’s exactly what he did as he took his son to the cathedral where he was yelling and begging.
“Help, somebody please help me!”, Asa saw him and ran over to him, seeing her boy missing his eyes. “What have you done to him?!”, Asa shouted and Kenji then replied. “Father…”, the boy tried to reach for his father’s hand and he did as the nuns rushed to aid the father.
“Shh, Kenji, rest first. We’ll talk later.”, said Lee who helped to lay his son down. “Father!”, the son would raise his voice again and grab his father’s hand to which Lee knew that his son was desperately trying to tell him something, and Kenji lifted his head.
“The King Regent…”, he whispered to his father’s ear. “He did this to me.”, Kenji revealed to his father who couldn’t believe what he had just learned. “He came to our home, personally, to take my eyes and he told me what you did, father. He told me what you are.”, it was in that moment that Asa’s face froze in horror and that Lee felt so much shame.
“But I am not ashamed of you, father.”, said Kenji and Lee raised his head in hope. “All you did was try and to protect me, I know that in my heart…”, Kenji said to his father as he pulled him closer. “Don’t stand by and do nothing, father, promise me that. Promise me that you will keep on trying to protect our family, to protect our people from this evil. Promise me, father, promise me…”, Kenji would lay his head down and he barely had the strength to speak anymore as everyone pushed and shoved his father aside in order to give him the urgent medical attention he needed.
All the sound was drowned out around Lee, he could not hear a single word that was said to him and all the warmth he had was gone. It felt like he was alone and couldn’t do anything. He then snapped out of it when someone grabbed him, pushed him through a door into the staircase that lead up the bell tower and pushed him down the stairs as she kept following after him and began to kick him over and over again. She kept yelling at him and yelling at him.
“How could you let this happen to our son?!”, in that moment she did not speak as a nun but as a mother who was deeply ashamed of the father that got up, held onto the stones of the walls.
He avoided her as best he could even though she kept chasing after him.
“Where are you going?!”, she shouted at him and then he turned to face her. “Shut up!”, he shouted back at her. “Shut up, shut up, shut up!”, in the middle of the cathedral, in front of everyone to bear witness, including Friar James Gisbourne himself.
Noticing this, the knight knew he had to be subtle and then leaned over to his wife to whisper.
“Promise me that you will take care of our son, no matter what.”, Asa knew the look that her ex-husband displayed to her, she recognized it. “What will you do?”, she asked and he shook his head. “I cannot say it here in front of the eyes of the lord and those who poison his name.”, in that moment as he said that, a few elven ears twitched and Asa knew they were listening in.
The husband then walked away and left the mother alone to grieve for her son. However, she also thought that this might just be the last time she will ever lay her eyes on her husband again. In that moment, the knight left the city in the middle of the night with horse and rode deep into the forests of Merwood in order to find Robin Hood and his Merry Men. It was a dark and rainy night as he rode through the grass to find them, and he would stop at nothing to do so. Suddenly, he ran into a trap that raised both him and his horse into the sky. He fell off the horse that got roped and raised upside down into the air before a band of Merry Men ambushed him as they rose up from the nearby river. They were all kazari, they were all nazirh or ‘orcs’ as the humans referred to them, and their leader approached him, and the knight immediately recognized him.
“Little John.”, said Lee, who bowed his head respectfully to the orc. “My name is actually Jan’litle.”, said the orc. “It’s just that Robin likes calling me Little John for some reason. Sorry about the horse.”, the orc replied as he looked up into the air. “We’ll let the animal down.”
“I need to speak with Robin Hood at once.”, said Lee. “No can do, he’s at rest at the moment.”, the orc replied and the knight then grabbed the orc by both of his shoulders that caused the others to approach with crossbows at the ready. “This can’t wait, Jan’litle, for it’s about my son.”, the orc’s face then turned pale and he knew what this meant before he would sigh quite loud.
“Understood.”, he said. “Stone Cold, get the horse down and pack your things! We’re moving out!”, the orc ordered his clan that served under the Merry Men and looked to the human.
They both exchanged a look of respect before the orcs released the animal and rode with it to follow the orcish war-band to the village of the Merry Men. The settlement was nestled between and among hills overlooking a giant beautiful river that was rich with natural resources, flora and fauna of all kind found its life there. There were bonfires at every corner and families that made their home here. There were people within their homes sharing stories around tables and enjoying a bountiful feast as they were praying in good will to the gods. It didn’t take Lee long to realize just what a good man Robin Hood was by just walking into his village.
“This better be good, Lee.”, said Robin who walked out of his room half naked.
“Little John told me they are matters concerning your own son, is this true?”, asked Robin and Lee nodded his head. “Yes, it is, and it’s because of what he saw.”, Lee replied and Robin would then give him a curious look. “And what did he see exactly?”, Robin inquired.
“Your gang trading with the Curt Cut’s Clan in Merwood.”, Robin shrugged his shoulders to this as it meant little to him. “So?”, he asked and then another question was asked. “What happened to him?”, Lee raised his head and Robin turned his head as both men saw Marian Curt.
Marian was wrapped in sheets and her hair was messy. It seemed as if she had just come out of bed and Lee then looked to Robin that then looked at him before he would smile at the knight. Lee then suddenly punched him and Robin fell to the ground with every member of the gang that was present raising their crossbows, axes, swords and other weapons to threaten the knight.
“No, no!”, Robin raised his voice. “I deserved that!”, Robin said out loud and Lee then looked around, rolling his eyes. “Father.”, it was then that he heard Marian call her father for the first time after a long time and his heart swelled with joy but also pain for he knew why she did it.
“What happened to him?”, she knew how serious it was and Lee nearly broke out into tears. “They took his eyes, Marian.”, said Lee and Robin looked in shock as did the rest of the band of Merry Men that slowly lowered their weapons. “John Lionheart himself personally did it to my boy, to your adopted brother, to my family…”, Robin then looked down in realization and Marian placed her hands over her jaw, falling down to her knees as she couldn’t believe it.
“They’re also trafficking orphans.”, Lee revealed with Marian staring at her father in horror. “Your father is trafficking in orphans.”, Lee added and Robin then looked to Marian. “Your father?”, he asked for he did not know what Lee meant until it became clear to him.
“Oh…”, said Robin. “You meant Thomas.”, Lee looked at Robin. “You knew?”, Robin nodded his head. “I’ve always known. I was that little boy she always played in the woods. The one you said would be a bad influence on her.”, Robin revealed to Lee who lowered his head, smirking.
“Yeah, well, after what they did to my boy…”, said Lee. “I am going to kill them.”, he added and Robin then stood up. “Those trains, Lee, that we raided….”, Robin then went to reveal the next bit of information that would just make Lee’s day much worse.
“They are carrying crusader armaments and the resources needed for them to survive. We took that from them, Lee; the King Regent took that from them. That man is a traitor to his country, his people, and if you are telling me that you are going to hurt him, I’m in. Tell me what to do and we’ll help you. We are brothers.”, Robin raised his hand and Lee then grabbed it, shook it and pulled Robin to him as both men patted their backs in a brotherly hug.
“I’ll give you the location of every factory.”, said Marian and the duo looked at her. “I’ll also give you new uniforms to make sure you get in undetected. The factories do not belong to my father although they are under his protection, but I don’t give a fuck about his mercenaries.”, Marian explained and then looked to both men very seriously. “Those employed there are also former crusaders. By freeing them, they will surely join our cause.”, Lee revealed.
“Good.”, said Marian. “But with the recent events, it won’t take long for my father to realize that you are responsible in some way, Lee. I recommend that we do this right and at the appropriate time, the proper time.”, Marian then stood up after she finished tying a knot in her sheets.
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“What do you mean?”, asked Lee. “Yeah, what appropriate time or what proper time are you possibly talking about?”, Robin followed up with his own question and Lee never saw Marian that angry before in his life as she looked to both men ready to kill her father.
“The day of the tournament of the Golden Arrow.”, she said this to the duo that then looked to each other for they didn’t quite understand what she meant and then they looked back to her.
The first step taken was to switch from their green uniforms into that of beggars and homeless people. Marian would give them the coordinates of the location of all the factories scattered throughout the city. The Merry Men would spy on these factories and study the movement of the guard carefully, noting any weaknesses that they might encounter. Marian would contact her street urchins and tell them to watch out for the members of the Curt Cut’s Clan in order to keep the Merry Men safe. The children were also tasked to tell her where to find the many warehouses where the clan stored their goods, particularly the tailor and leatherworking factories. It is here that Marian would bring some of the Merry Men in secret that looked like the factory workers only to enter the warehouse, switch their uniforms to look like that of the clansmen and then pack a carriage full of so many uniforms that they would then leave with them in tow. They would then bring this back to the forests and distribute it among their crew that would try the uniforms on immediately in order to disguise themselves for the future. The Merry Men inhabitants of the village would prepare homes and proper lodging for the many orphans that would soon arrive with many new homes being built for them as well as other valuable resources being harvested for their arrival. However, what they didn’t know…
“Anna!”, Thomas Curt was in his pool, enjoying his time with his whores as he greeted the arrival of his chief lieutenant. “Tommy.”, she bowed and greeted him respectfully. “What brings you here, business or pleasure?”, Thomas asked her playfully as he spanked one of the whores in front of her to strongly imply that he had missed her advances for quite some time.
“Business, unfortunately, we’ve got a problem.”, Thomas smirked as she said that and then waved his hands. “Nothing that can’t be taken care of, I am sure, so do tell.”, the man put a cigar back in his mouth and waited for her to tell him what it was.
“A messenger was intercepted by one of our spies, Tommy, and that messenger was sent to inform the King about his brother, John’s, corruption.”, Tommy’s happy look then turned to one of slight concern. “Who?”, asked Thomas. “Who dared to do this behind my back? Was it Lee, huh, was it?!”, he sounded like he was infuriated and Anna shook her head.
“This messenger was sent way before Lee’s son got his eyes taken from him by the King Regent and therefore it wasn’t Lee, unfortunately.”, said Anna. “Good, and you told him that we had nothing to do with that little incident, right?”, said Thomas and Anna sighed.
“I couldn’t as he stormed off before I was able to tell him anything else. So no, I didn’t tell him, Tommy, he’s clueless.”, Thomas shook his head and placed his hand over his jaw to think. “So who was it that betrayed us?”, he asked the question once again. “Robin Hood.”, she replied.
“That motherfucker…”, said Tommy. “After all that we did for him, after all that we’ve been through. Both of our organizations prospered. So why would he do this, huh, why?!”, Thomas already knew the answer and Anna didn’t even bother answering that. “Is he truly that fucking blindly loyal to a King that is out there finding war in anything and anyone that doesn’t agree to his ideology or blind faith?! I mean, fuck, do these children ever think outside of the fucking box for a change?!”, Thomas was furious and his whores each stood on their own opposite ends, slightly away from him, for they knew he needed his time to vent.
“Look, Tommy, whether or not Lee will seek revenge against us is yet to be seen. The knight hasn’t been seen for quite some time and considering his son’s eyes were taken from the boy I sort of, kind of, have to give Lee the benefit of the doubt that he needs some alone time to process some thoughts. However, a part of me says that even if he did find out that the King Regent was the one that actually cut out his son’s very own eyes that he would seek some kind of retribution anyway…”, Anna Safavi, like always, was direct and honest in her judgment and this is why Thomas Curt had chosen her as his second in command.
“Against the King Regent, you mean?”, Thomas asked. “Yes, and I hate to break it to you, Tommy, for I know that you might just be a little bit slow but bear with me here now and just think about it for a moment from the obvious point of view.”, she placed her hands together and encircled her boss around the pool with the whores looking worried. Anna didn’t care.
“If Robin doesn’t like the King Regent and if Lee doesn’t like the King Regent, which is blatantly fucking obvious at this point, then that means both men will do everything in their power to hurt him where it hurts him the most, and where is that again, Tommy?”, she asked and Tommy lowered his hand down, realizing where she was going with this. “His pockets, okay, I get it.”, but this response didn’t deter Anna to stop for she made sure she torments him with this.
“Correct, Tommy, correct and how do you exactly hurt the King Regent’s pockets again? Oh, that’s right!”, she raised her voice on purpose and Tommy rolled his eyes. “I get it!”, he shouted back. “By crippling his economy and how do they do that?!”, she continued anyway.
“Anna!”, Thomas warned her. “By hitting his factories, preventing any trade that goes between our two families when it comes to the armaments and resources that the crusades need and, on top of it all, are you still following me here?!”, Thomas shook his head and rolled his eyes as she kept listing the obvious problems that presented themselves.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. All those factories that we’re going to get hit, all those trades that we are going to lose, and all that ire that we are going to get from John will cause us to go down under, lose vast amounts of profits for our treasuries and we will lose the King Regent’s very own protection from doing anything anywhere and anyhow that we want! I don’t see a problem in any of this, do you, Tommy?!”, she mocked him with that final question after detailing every little problem that would arise from the King Regent’s own fuck up. “I tried to talk him out of it, I truly did. I told him that this will cause problems and he did it anyway.”, explained Tommy.
“Well, you fucking failed, Tommy, you fucking failed!”, Anna shouted at him in front of every single individual in the room, even his personal guard, and he looked at her with anger. “Careful now.”, he pointed at her as he warned her. “Or what, Tommy, you’re going to order your men to fucking shoot me right about now, huh? Be my guest, Tommy, just do it and shoot me right here in the fucking forehead so that I don’t have to deal with this fucking bullshit! Be my guest!”, it was in that moment that every man in that room and even woman understood that.
“Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorned!”, and this thought would go through everyone’s minds as a silence followed after her last bit of words that she said to Tommy.
“So what do we do now?”, Tommy asked. “We wait, you dumb fuck.”, she said to him. “I’ve already doubled our security at the factories and told our brothers and sisters to prepare for some sort of retaliation, which I guarantee to you, will happen at the day of the tournament of the Golden Arrow.”, Anna waved her arms and walked away in frustration before turning.
“Which is when?!”, asking him when it was. “Tomorrow…”, he said in a lower tone. “I am sorry, what was that?! Could you say it louder, I couldn’t quite hear you?!”, she raised her voice again to mock him and Tommy did as she said. “Tomorrow!”, he shouted back.
“Yes, exactly!”, she pointed at him in response to his answer. “You fucking idiot.”, she turned to leave before she then turned around again and pointed at him. “Oh, and the next time you go to speak to the King Regent before he goes out to potentially carve out the eyes of yet another one of the sons of another member of our family...”, she paused after saying that entire sentence.
She placed her hands together, inhaled deeply and everyone watched as she momentarily closed her eyes before opening them, smiling and then stating the obvious out loud to humiliate him.
“Don’t go to the meeting all drunk and high because then you can’t think straight, YOU DUMB FUCK!”, she raised her voice so loud when she insulted him that he was blown away at her anger but he looked down in humiliation because he knew she was right.
She then proceeded to walk away and there was nothing in the room, no amount of alcohol or cigarettes or even pleasurable company that would heal him from all those burns he had just received from her words that were nothing but fire. Thomas knew, in that moment, that although he tried that he should of tried harder and that now, he and the King Regent, would suffer for it.
“Robin.”, called Jan’litle and the Kingpin turned to face him as he walked into his home carrying an envelope. “A member of the Curt Cut’s Clan had given us this. It’s for you.”, Robin then took hold of the envelope in front of the eyes of Marian and Lee that observed him opening it.
“It’s an invitation.”, said Robin. “An invitation to what?”, asked Marian. “To the tournament.”, said Lee and Robin turned to face him. “How did you know?”, he asked. “Intuition.”, said Lee.
“Something doesn’t feel right, why would the invitation come now?”, asked David Doncaster. “Coincidence?”, replied Robin who then looked back to the letter. “A coincidence that we got these letters just after the incident with my son?”, asked Lee and then Robin shook his head.
“It is a coincidence.”, said Marian. “What?”, asked Lee. “A tournament happens every year and is hosted by the King himself. I sent a letter to you, Lee, with the invitation in tow…”, Marian paused and then looked into her father’s eyes. “Two days ago…”, she revealed to him.
“Yeah, and it says here the Lord Sheriff of Rottingham himself has invited me, but not as a guest and rather to participate in the tournament itself.”, Robin revealed who invited him and the magi then walked over to his Kingpin. “Milord, I'd advise strongly against it.”, said David Doncaster.
“Why?”, asked Robin. “The sheriff knows me too well. By rejecting the invitation or simply not showing will make him suspect something is up. He’s concerned that Lee might turn on him and rightfully so, but he has nothing on me to be concerned about and besides…”, Robin then looked at Marian before he would smile. “You’ll be there, won’t you, Maid Marian?”, he asked.
“Robin…”, Marian rolled her eyes. “It will be fine, Marian, you just wait and see, and besides… what better cover could we have asked for? The leader of the Merry Men participating in the tournament, come on! I’ll have an alibi where most of my gang, including I, was while we storm their factories.”, Robin made a good point and Lee thought about it but he still had his doubts.
“At least take some precautions, milord, that’s all am saying.”, said David. “Fully agreeing with the magi, we should have an escape route in case things go wrong. My clan will be patrolling the sewers and we’ll keep watch.”, Jan’litle voiced his own opinion and David nodded his head.
“Take precautions if you must, David and Little John, but they can do no harm to me in front of the people of Rottingham for the people would see them for the monsters that they truly are, and they will not risk that for what they value most, especially the Curt Cut’s Clan, is their reputation and we all know it.”, Robin made another good point that made many think about everything.
“Well, it seems I will be attending anyway. The question is; Where will I be seated?”, Lee asked before he looked to Marian that then answered his question. “You will be sitting right next to me and among the very nobility of Rottingham. You’ll be sitting close to the King Regent himself.”, once Marian said this she could see the rage that was still rather fresh in the eyes of the knight who thought about his son, a rage that would last until the very next day…