Robin Hood and the Dragon’s Mate

Athyn redoubled his efforts to open the band around his stomach as their grumbling captor led them from the stage down a long and dusty road. For a moment while he was on the stage, he could have sworn that he heard Ashlyn’s voice calling his name. But when he looked around, he only saw hundreds of strangers all staring eagerly as if they were excited that he and the other captives were going to be eaten by a dragon.

The lord of Devonshire’s speech had made him mad. As if they were supposed to take pride in the fact that they had been taken from their families, locked in chains, starved and marched through the woods – all to serve as appetizers for a hungry dragon. Athyn wished someone would knock some sense into the man, but as he was led off stage, he realized that the lord and all the villagers had to convince themselves that this was a service to be proud of; otherwise they would have to admit that it was outright kidnapping and murder.

David was sobbing softly ahead of him. Athyn wished he could somehow offer some comfort, but he couldn’t think of a thing to say that wouldn’t sound like an empty promise or an outright lie.

Fighting the urge to panic, he twisted the attachment in the lock and heard a click. It didn’t come free, but he felt that he was closer to opening it. With renewed vigor he kept trying, all the while praying that someone would come to the rescue. He didn’t have a clue how he would be able to help his fellow captives once he was free, but he intended to try.

He was so focused on trying to open the lock that he kept tripping over his own feet. “If you fall they’ll beat us both,” David warned. And so Athyn tried to keep one eye on his feet while working to open the lock.

Looking up, Athyn saw a man hiding in the trees beside the road, he had a sword in his hand. Mischievously he gave a wink that made Athyn smile. Hoping that the man was there to help, Athyn kept his mouth shut and kept working on the lock.

* * *

Robin, Ashlyn and Will reached the crest of the hill just in time to see John and Alan to make their move. The man leading the line of chained children came around a bend, followed by a dozen guards. Alan stepped into the path of the guards. He must have said something they didn’t like because they all drew their swords to attack.

At this point a giant black wolf lunged from the trees, going for the throat of one of the guards who was attacking Alan. The battle was vicious; there was a lot of blood and violence. Ashlyn grew antsy as the chain of children was led farther and farther away.

Robin stood, looking a bit uneasy himself. Finally when the kids were out of sight Robin nodded to Will, “Better keep them in view.” Will took off down the hill without another word. Ashlyn tried to follow but Robin stopped her, “We need to keep out of sight. If anything happens to Will, we need to be in a position to help the children.” She understood his logic, so she waited, reluctantly.

Will ran as quickly as he could, wanting to make Ashlyn happy by saving her brother. As he drew close, he tried to keep trees and small hillocks between himself and the man leading the children. He saw Ashlyn’s brother trailing at the end of the column of chained children. The boy seemed to be clutching his stomach and he kept stumbling.

Will wondered if he was ill. He ran faster, fearing for the boy’s health. As he drew closer, he saw that he was not clutching his stomach as Will had thought; he was fiddling with the lock on the iron band they had latched around his waist. Will watched as he hurried after the group. He couldn’t see what the boy was using, but he knew from being raised by a carpenter and locksmith that he was trying to open the lock with a tool of some sort.

“That is one smart kid,” he muttered as he continued after them. He saw the high point in the distance with a large log in the center. Will knew that this was where they were headed. He was about to run out and attack the man leading the children when two things happened almost at once.

Three of the guards quick marched up from the path to rejoin the group. With these guards returning, Will felt a pang of concern for his friends who had been fighting the guards. Before he could dwell on that, he saw that Ashlyn’s brother managed to open the lock on his shackle.

He waited until the guards marched past him. Then he slipped the iron band from around his waist and handed it to the boy in front of him. He whispered something to the boy who nodded and kept marching while the Athyn turned and ran for the trees. Will intercepted him, covering his mouth before he could scream.

The boy started to struggle until Will whispered harshly, “Are you Ashlyn’s brother?” He stopped struggling and nodded.

Will smiled and hugged him, “My name is Will, I am a friend of Ashlyn’s. We’ve come to rescue you. Come with me and I will return you to your sister.”

The boy looked ecstatic for a moment but then he frowned and pulled away, “No, I have to help the others. I promised that I would come back for them after I found help.”

Will shook his head, “You are our number one priority, boy.”

“My name is Athyn, not boy, and if you’re really a friend of my sister’s you’ll know that she wouldn’t leave the other children to be a snack for a dragon either. We have to help them…please,” he pleaded.

Will bit his lip, torn between returning Athyn to safety and doing what he knew was the right thing. “Let me get you back to Ashlyn, then I’ll go and rescue the other children. You have my word.”

“No, there isn’t time, the sun is about to set. They said the dragon comes at sunset. Besides, the other kids know me, they trust me. They may not go with you.”

Will growled at the annoying logic the boy was presenting him with. “Fine, we’ll rescue the children. But you must do exactly as I say,” he insisted. Athyn quickly agreed and they started after the group, keeping low and hidden.

* * *

Ashlyn was nearly jumping up and down with tension as she watched Will creep toward the children. When Athyn somehow escaped his bonds and snuck away from the others she cheered aloud, but when they started following the children again instead of running away to safety she began cursing Will under her breath. “What is he doing? Athyn is free, why isn’t he getting him out of there before the guards notice that he’s missing?”

Robin ignored her until she asked her question a third time. Finally he sighed and turned to her. “I believe he is doing the right thing, Ashlyn. Each of those children is somebody’s son and somebody’s brother. Would you really have him leave them to the same fate that your brother was to face?”

Her jaw snapped shut at his chastisement, her face flushing. She couldn’t believe that she had been so caught up in her worry over her own brother that the other children had ceased to be important in her mind. She hung her head as Robin smiled kindly at her. “I understand your worry, but they will be all right. Will is very resourceful and it appears that your brother is as well.”

She found Robin’s gaze returning to the part of the road where Alan and John had disappeared from sight so long ago. She began to worry for them as well. They never would have let any of the guards escape if everything was all right. She prayed that they were both okay as she turned back to watch Will’s distant form growing farther and farther away with her brother’s smaller form right beside it.

* * *

When the group of child captives reached the clearing with the large log, there was an outcry over the missing child. The boy that Athyn had asked to carry his shackle was beaten for his participation in the escape. Athyn flinched with every blow. He turned to Will with tears in his eyes, “They’re hurting David because of me. I have to help him.”

Will grabbed his arm to stop him from running out to help his friend. “If you go now,” he hissed, “They will just lock you back up. If you want to help, then wait. We will save all of your friends when the moment is right.” He held Athyn’s gaze for a long time and then assured him, “We will rescue them, I promise you.”

Athyn nodded. He turned his back on the beating before it drove him to do something stupid. “Is Ashlyn okay?” he asked to take his mind off what was happening in the clearing.

Will smiled, “Yes, she is frantic with worry for you, but she is well.” He motioned for them to sit while they waited.

Athyn grinned, “She always did worry too much.”

Will tried to focus on anything other than the beating the boy was enduring as images from his past came rushing back, threatening to overwhelm him.

He was hurrying as quickly as he could with the bundle of wood in his arms, knowing that without the axe in his hand, the overseers would take advantage of any pause or hesitation in his work to ‘discipline’ him.

He was in such a hurry that he didn’t see the piece of wood that someone else had dropped in the path. His foot struck it. He fell to his knees, barely catching himself with one hand while his bundle of wood scattered across the ground in front of him.

‘Maybe if I gather it all quickly no one will notice,’ he thought frantically as he reached for the nearest branch. A sharp sting bit into his hand and he pulled back reflexively.

“Look here, boys,” a cruel voice called from behind him. Will felt a booted foot on his back suddenly, pushing him down until his face was pressed against the dirt of the path. “This one thinks he’s a lord. He thinks he can just lounge around wherever he pleases.”

Several voices laughed nastily as Will cringed. If the man had an audience he would make a show of humiliating the ‘slave boy.’

“We don’t tolerate imposters in Nottinghamshire, now do we, boys?”

The cruel voices muttered in agreement. The first man went on with his little show. “What should we do with someone who impersonates a lord?”

Several suggestions were called out, “Hang him!” “Cut off his hand!” “Beat him!” They all seemed to focus in on the final option. Likely they needed workers badly enough that they couldn’t afford to kill him or make him unable to work by maiming him. Soon they were all chanting, “Beat him! Beat him!” It became a chant that seemed to echo in Will’s ears.

It wouldn’t be his first beating. In fact, in the month since he had arrived in the work camp, there were only a handful of days that he had escaped a beating. He felt his rough woolen shirt being dragged up off of his back. He closed his eyes, swearing that this time he would bite his tongue. This time he would not cry out.

The sharp crack of the whip gave him enough warning that his muscles tensed automatically, making the sting of the whip even more painful. He flinched away but had no way to escape. Another crack sounded followed immediately by the sharp sting across his back. He could feel the unhealed welts from the previous days’ beatings breaking open.

Again and again the whip cracked while the pain seemed to grow exponentially. Each blow brought a fresh wave of pain over the top of the previous one. Will bit his cheek to keep from crying out, but when the pain grew to be too much, he opened his mouth to beg and plead, or if that didn’t work, to scream.

Athyn laid his hand on his shoulder. Startled, Will gasped, jerking away from his memories. He barely managed to keep from crying out before he regained control of himself. He took a deep breath then looked back to the beating of Athyn’s friend.

The guards finally tired of their abuse. They hammered an iron spike into the log, securing the chain. Then they all marched away quickly as if they were determined to be as far away from the clearing as possible by sunset. As soon as the guards were out of sight, Will and Athyn raced to the clearing.

They found the boys, terrified of their fate. Pulling frantically on the large chain that connected them, the children couldn’t get it to budge. Will examined the spike that had been hammered into the log while Athyn assured the captives that they were here to help. Will tried prying at the spike but it was sunk deep into the healthy. Will looked around searching for something to use to pry it up with. Athyn pulled Will back into the trees. “Grab that branch,” he said pointing to a branch over their heads.

“Why?” Will asked, pulling the branch down until it snapped off the tree.

Athyn took it and ran back toward the clearing, “Come on, I’ll show you!” he called over his shoulder.

Still shaken from his vivid memory, Will followed, wondering what the kid was up to. Athyn stripped the leaves and twigs off of the branch. By the time Will arrived back at the log, he was sliding the forked ends under the chain on both sides of the spike. He pushed it as far as it would go then instructed the boys to pull the chain tight. They pulled as hard as they could while Athyn started pulling the branch up. Will realized that he was using the branch as a lever to pry the spike out.

‘This is one smart kid,’ he thought yet again as he took hold of the branch and pulled with Athyn. Shooting glances at the rapidly darkening sky, he silently urged the spike to come free. After several minutes of prying the lever and wiggling the spike back and forth, it had lifted a bit. They finally pulled it free of the log. With a shout the boys started running for the trees. Will picked up the spike and handed it to Athyn saying, “When we get back to our main camp, I’ll put this through the forge to make a sword for you.”

Athyn looked up at him in wonder as they ran, “Really, my own sword?”

Will laughed, “You earned it today, kid.”

* * *

Athyn instantly liked Will, from the way that he smiled so openly to the way that he said Ashlyn’s name, sort of dreamily. When he promised to make Athyn a sword of his own, Will had won him over completely. The running was difficult because he felt so weak from lack of food. His movement had been so restricted by being chained to the other boys for so long that his muscles were stiff.

He stumbled a lot as they hurried to the trees. Will was always there to steady him and never said anything, so Athyn wasn’t embarrassed. The others ran until they reached the trees, but once there, the dense overgrown brush snatched at the chain that connected them, making it difficult to make any progress. Athyn was glad he wasn’t connected to them anymore, yet he felt bad that David had to carry his heavy band in addition to his own.

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up, Athyn looked back to see a dark shape growing larger in the darkening sky. He couldn’t make out the details, but he had a sinking feeling that it was the dragon coming for his promised meal. Wondering what the dragon would do when he discovered that it was missing, Athyn urged the others to run faster. They quickly pushed their way through the trees and deeper into the dark wood.

* * *

They reached the tree line just as the deafening sound of flapping wings filled the air. The children all cowered behind trees, watching in utter horror as a huge black dragon landed in the clearing. The dragon rolled the log over. Seeing no sacrifice waiting, he bellowed an ear splitting cry and leapt into the air.

He whirled in the air screaming with rage. Will led the children through the woods to the spot where he had left Robin and Ashlyn. Athyn dropped his iron spike to run the moment he saw his sister. Ashlyn grabbed him up in a big hug, “Oh, Athyn! I was so worried.” She had tears streaming from her eyes as she set him back on the ground.

He hugged her around the waist, “I knew you’d find me.”

She smiled down at him, “Hey, Athyn, I want you to meet some friends of mine.” She gestured toward Robin. “This is Robin Hood.”

Athyn’s jaw dropped, “No way!” He whispered.

Robin laughed, “Well only the sheriff and his men actually call me that. To my friends, I am just Robin.” He held out his hand. Athyn solemnly shook it.

After a brief discussion, the group decided to set up a cold camp. Since the dragon was still flying in circles, occasionally letting out a frightening bellow, they didn’t want to draw its attention.

Will used his axe to split the chain to remove the shackles from the children. The friar pulled out dried food for everyone to eat. The children devoured it as if it were a feast. Athyn stayed close to Ashlyn as he stuffed food into his mouth, but he stared at Robin in open amazement. Will sat beside Ashlyn and smiled at her brother. “Tell me. How did you open the lock on your bindings?” he asked. “Athyn grinned and pulled out a small device. “My Swiss army knife.” He pulled out a tool.

Will examined it thoughtfully, “It is as if there are a dozen tools in one, ingenious.”

Athyn shrugged and took it back, “Ashlyn gave it to me for my birthday.”

Alan and John showed up then, both battered and bloody, feeling badly that they had failed in their mission. Apparently John had been seriously cut. Alan had to stop to heal him so he had not been able to dispatch the remaining guards. By the time John’s wound had healed enough for him to travel, the children had been rescued. The dragon was on the prowl, so they took the long way around. Alan clapped Will on the back. “Glad you were able to fill in to finish the rescue for us,” he said cheerily.

Will smiled then shook his head, “It wasn’t me. Athyn’s the one that really saved the day. He is one smart kid.”

Athyn perked up at the compliment and at his chance to meet more of his heroes, Alan-a-Dale and Little John. Alan snorted again at John’s legendary nickname. However, John seemed to take it in stride, patting the boy on the back and regaling him with tales of the outlaws’ exploits.

* * *

Athyn felt as if he had woken up in the middle of one of his daydreams. His favorite heroes were here in the flesh. They had worked together to help his sister to save him, just like he had always dreamed. He was in awe of Robin, his favorite all time hero. When Ashlyn explained that he was like a human chameleon who could blend in perfectly with any background, he actually pinched himself to make sure he was really awake.

He thought that she was pulling his leg, but then Robin showed him by disappearing right before his eyes. David and the others had been quiet after they ate, but this display had them cheering right along with him.

Ashlyn quietly admitted that all of Robin’s gang was a bit different. For one, Alan-a-Dale, who apparently just went by Alan, was actually a ninety-three year old vampire. Little John, also not a nickname he used, was a werewolf. Friar Tuck admitted to being a necromancer. Athyn began to wonder if he had somehow fallen asleep after watching a B-movie marathon. Ashlyn assured him that this was all frighteningly real.

No one mentioned what Will was, but he had a feeling that he wasn’t your typical guy either. He watched Will, wondering if Ashlyn knew how much Will seemed to like her and if she liked him too.

He wanted to see proof that the others were what they said they were, except he was exhausted. After John told his fourth story about crazy things they had done, Athyn had been unable to stifle a yawn.

Ashlyn lay right beside him and draped her arm over him. Normally he would have griped that she was treating him like a baby. Tonight, after all he’d been through and all the time he had spent wondering if he would ever see her again, he happily snuggled up against her and fell into a restful sleep.

* * *

As Ashlyn slept with her arm draped protectively around Athyn, Will felt a momentary flash of jealousy but pushed it back. She needed to be close to her brother right now. He stayed close as well, feeling his own need to protect them both.

The dragon’s angry calls continued throughout the night. At first light they decided to start out and get as far away as they could. They marched through the day and made another cold camp at dark. Now that the former captives had overcome their near starvation, they began to grumble about the dried foods they had to eat, but with the dragon still so active overhead they didn’t dare make a fire. As they sat huddled together amongst the trees, preparing to go to sleep, Athyn turned to his hero, “Robin, what day is it today?”

Robin thought for a long moment, mentally calculating the days before he answered, “I believe it is the twenty-sixth of May. Why?”

Athyn grinned, “In two days it’ll be Ashlyn’s birthday.”

Ashlyn’s eyes widened with surprise, “That’s right, I had forgotten. I’ll finally be eighteen.” She thought of how much better things would be back home now that she could claim the college funds her mother had left for her. Now she could take Athyn back to the States to legally gain guardianship of him, and he could even go back to school once a few things were cleared up.

Looking over at Will, she realized that she wasn’t all that excited about the prospect of living comfortably back home in her own time and her own country because he wouldn’t be there. He grinned at her not sensing her mood, “Your birthday huh? We’ll have to come up with a way to celebrate.”

The dragon called out overhead. Ashlyn shuddered, “Let’s start by getting as far away from that as possible.”

Will nodded. He broke a branch off a tree to start whittling. Ashlyn sat back relaxing and watched him work.

The next day they continued their journey, avoiding clearings when they could and crossing quickly when they couldn’t. In the early afternoon of the second day, they hadn’t heard the dragon’s calls for several hours, so they were starting to relax. Ashlyn walked holding Will’s hand on one side and Athyn’s on the other. Athyn swung the spike around like a sword, telling her about how Will had promised to make it into a sword for him.

“He did, did he?” Ashlyn raised her eyebrow at Will.

Will shrugged, “If he’s going to be an outlaw, he’s going to need a sword.”

Alan put in, “I’ll even teach you how to use it, kid.” He eyed Will and added in a mock whisper, “Will is the best sword smith in all of England, but he’s not that great of a sword fighter.” Will smacked him on the back of the head which started a wrestling match.

Athyn turned to Ashlyn, “You’ll let him make me a sword, won’t you? You heard him. I’m going to need one.”

Ashlyn raised her hands in surrender, “Okay, okay. You can be an outlaw. At least until we find a way to go home.”

Athyn stared at her, a heartbroken look on his face, “I don’t want to go home, Ash. I like it here.”

Will stopped wrestling with Alan, keeping his gaze pointedly off of Ashlyn as he fought to wipe his own heartbroken expression off of his face. “We’ll talk about it later,” Ashlyn sighed, letting the matter drop for now.

They had been so caught up in their conversation that they had wandered into a clearing without noticing. They were halfway across when they suddenly felt a blast of air and heard the sound of the flapping of huge wings. Ashlyn looked up and saw the dragon. “Run!” she yelled urging Will and Athyn faster. They all ran and had almost reached the trees before the dragon called out angrily and came down in a steep dive. Athyn looked over his shoulder and tripped. Seeing Athyn fall, Ashlyn stopped and ran back to him, covering him with her own body.

The dragon swooped down. He caught Will by the waist, throwing him across the clearing where he struck a tree and fell in a heap. The dragon spun back around.

Ashlyn threw her hands up in a futile attempt to protect her face. As if struck by a blow, the dragon stepped back. He leaned down slowly to study Ashlyn. Reaching out with one clawed foot, the dragon grabbed hold of her by the waist. In one sturdy pump of his wings, he took to the air, carrying her away, screaming. Whether it was the height, the dragon’s tight grip on her waist, or just sheer terror, Ashlyn abandoned consciousness.