Lady Outlaw

Chapter 35

Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

"I'm not being funny, Robin, but I'm starting to panic now. If Bridlington is anywhere near Roana, she's not gonna be safe in the slightest."
Robin sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, wearily. It was good to see Allan worry for somebody other than himself; it was testament to how much he had grown since meeting Roana, and become a better person. But Robin couldn't quite find the words to ease his concern.
He knew William of Bridlington of old, ever since their years as young nobles, at the royal court. The man had been a bully and a predator back then, traits that had only worsened over time. Many a young maiden had fallen foul to his forceful attentions in London, and Robin was under no illusions about Bridlington's nefarious intentions and sexual predilections. Having three shackled women under his control would be a temptation too great for him to resist.
Robin chewed on a hangnail, pensively. The fact that the girls remained in the shire should have filled him with hope. Yet their exact whereabouts were still a mystery, and Robin had no idea where to start.
Moments of confusion like this would normally have him taking his bow and quiver and disappearing for a while, away from the hustle-and-bustle of the gang, to rest his mind and come up with a plan. But there was no way he could do that, given the circumstances. The gang were on tenterhooks themselves, awaiting orders, as worried about Marian and Roana as he was, and he couldn't abandon them while tempers were so volatile. Allan, for one, would not wait for him to sort through the uncertainty in his mind. He was ready to scour the countryside for Roana, and could risk putting the whole gang in danger with his hot-headedness.
No, Robin, as their leader, had to stick around and come up with something quickly.
"Robin, do you need anything?" Djaq, who had been talking quietly with Will and Little John, approached him, concern written on her face.
Robin shrugged and shook his head, helplessly. "Djaq, we need a plan. But, in all honesty, I don't know where to start."
Allan threw his hands up in despair, but the rest of the gang began to move, gathering around slowly, sensing Robin's struggle and reacting admirably.
"So, Robin - what do we know?" Little John said.
Much, glancing at Robin, worriedly, stepped forward. "Gisborne said that the girls were taken by the Sheriff and Bridlington. They are being kept somewhere in the shire by Bridlington and a small convoy of guards."
"And so we need to discover exactly where?" Djaq continued, looking to Robin for confirmation. He nodded.
"Well, it's got to be in another castle of some kind, or some kind of fortification," Will pointed out, and Allan perked up.
"Exactly," he said with enthusiasm. "We need to get out there and check them all."
Robin shook his head in exasperation. "Allan, there are around fifty castles and manor houses in Nottinghamshire. And that doesn't include other, minor fortifications. There are six of us. It will take us ages to check all of them out before we even manage to gain access."
"What, so we're just gonna give up?" Allan argued, hotly, his tone verging on desperation. "What's wrong with you? We need to do something!"
The gang looked at Robin, who lowered his head.
"Allan's right," Djaq said, gently. "We have to do something."
Robin nodded and stood up, resolutely. "You are right."
Eve, who had been skinning a rabbit beside the fire, spoke up hesitantly. "Maybe we could get the villagers involved? Somebody is bound to have seen the Sheriff and a small convoy escorting three female prisoners."
The gang looked at each other and Robin was suddenly revitalised.
"Of course. I've not been thinking straight. That's the perfect solution, Eve. Thank you."
Eve looked pleased with herself as Robin began to pace.
"I've been worrying about what we can't do, when I should have been thinking about what we can," he said, decisively. "We've made enough allies in the villages in Sherwood. It's about time we called in a few debts."

Laxton Castle, Nottinghamshire

The revelries had started earlier on that day, and Roana, Marian, and Alice sat, huddled together on the thin mattress on the cold stone floor, listening fearfully as shouts and jeers rose from the floor below. It sounded like a grand party was going on, yet it was only, in fact, Bridlington, Auden, and a handful of guards. The women were certain of this, as they had overheard the Sheriff making it very clear to William that no newcomers should be admitted to the castle grounds.
Therefore, the sounds of good cheer and drunken merriment that echoed around the tower were down to Bridlington and Auden alone.
Roana chewed on her lip, deep in thought. They had explored the room in depth the moment the heavy oak door had first closed behind them, and it had quickly become clear that there was no way out. Their only link with the outside world, a small window, had been boarded up securely to prevent them from looking out. They were trapped and at the mercy of William.
She wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what was going to happen to them all, and she struggled to control the sad, sickening feeling that churned in her belly. Her only solace was that she had given herself to Allan first, and that William would never again have the chance to steal her innocence. But she was still filled with horror, which she tried desperately to stem by thinking about Allan. Her love. She could imagine his worry, and knew that he would be searching for her, along with Robin. But she wasn't sure that they would ever find them; at least, not in time to prevent the inevitable.
But whatever happened to her, at least Allan would always know that she loved him.
She looked down at his ring on her finger and rubbed the gem, softly. Would they ever get their happy ending? Or would William always come between them, ripping them apart?
There was the sound of loud, purposeful footsteps in the hallway outside the door, and the three women glanced at each other in obvious fright and scrambled to their feet, straightening their clothes. The night before, after they had arrived, they had been forced the bathe and change into simple, brown gowns made from coarse wool. This was the first of their humiliations, as guards had watched them go about their ablutions before returning them to their cell, leers evident on their faces.
Although the thick wool of the garments had gone some way to keeping them warm overnight, Roana was suddenly very aware of her naked state beneath the scratchy material as the door opened and William walked in.
He was clearly drunk, his face pale with twin swatches of red across each cheek. His black eyes glittered as he took in each woman, looking them up and down.
"Auden and I require female company. Which of you fine ladies will join us?"
Alice muffled a sob and Roana squeezed her hand, realising she had unconsciously reached out to grab both women. On her other side, Marian cleared her throat, and Roana knew her friend, knew what was coming.
She spoke quickly and loudly, drowning out Marian's reply. "I will."
William smiled, staring at her with relish, as Alice gasped.
"My lady, no!"
"Roana," Marian said, warningly.
Without looking at either of them, Roana let their hands drop and stepped forward, her eyes holding William's, challengingly.
"Don't worry about me, girls. Please stay strong. I love you both."
"Very touching," William said, dryly, although there was excitement to his tone. "She will be back, my ladies. And then somebody else gets a turn. Guards!"
With a feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach, Roana nevertheless held her head high as two guards came into the room and grasped both of her arms. She allowed herself to be pulled roughly from the room and taken down the wooden staircase to a room on the lower level, where Auden was waiting, a goblet in his hand.
He smiled when he saw her and nodded at William, approvingly.
"Good choice, my lord."
William shrugged, grabbing his own goblet and downing the contents. "I didn't need to choose. She opted to come," he said, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
"Really?" Auden looked at Roana, his eyes gleaming with lust.
She scowled at him and looked away, staring resolutely at the wall.
William gestured at the guards and they left, closing the door firmly behind them. Auden grinned at William, who was circling Roana.
"Who's going first, my lord?"
"Me, of course." William reached out a hand to touch Roana's hair and she flinched away from him, flicking her head. He chuckled. "But we need to get rid of this dress, for a start."
He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled, and Roana yelped as she fell against him. Holding her tightly, he began to untie the lacing at the back of the gown, roughly. Roana tried desperately to get free, twisting her body away from him, but Auden stepped forward, holding her firmly in place.
She glanced at him, quickly. His eyes were glassy and filled with a sick fascination as he waited for William to finish unlacing her, before thrusting the gown forwards so it pooled onto the floor at her feet.
Naked, she managed to struggle free, and backed away from them while they stared at her body, their focus now on one thing only. She was acting on adrenaline only as terror coursed through her body, and she glanced about, looking for an escape route.
"No way out, I'm afraid." William said with evil intent. "Your maidenhood was promised to me some time ago, so I fully intend to take it by force if I have to."
Roana gave a mocking laugh. "Then I suggest you ask Allan for it because I've already given it to him."
William leapt forward and grabbed her by the throat. He leered down into her face, breathing wine fumes onto her. "You little whore! Well, that's fine by me. I'll take you as all whores should be taken."
He grabbed her left breast, mauling it cruelly. Roana gasped as he pushed her backwards and something hit the back of her legs, preventing her from moving any further. But he carried on pushing until she was lay on the table, his hand holding her down by her throat. His other hand began to unlace his trousers as he nudged her legs apart with his hip.
Roana began to fight in earnest, grabbing at his hand and digging her nails in as hard as she could. William yelled.
"Bitch!" He paused to backhand her across the face, hard.
For a moment, Roana lost consciousness and lolled on the table as William ordered Auden to take her hands and hold them above her head. William then continued to unlace his trousers until his manhood sprang loose.
He grabbed her legs and wrenched them apart, dragging her closer. She could feel him between her legs, and she panicked, bucking her hips. By some miracle, she managed to raise a leg and kick him, hard, in the centre of his chest.
Pushed off balance, William gave a roar and surged forward, slamming his fist downwards, aiming for her nose. Roana wrenched her head to the side at the last minute and he yelped as he hit the hard wood of the table.
Summoning the last of her energy, she lowered her leg and then brought it up with all of her might between his legs.
His arousal met her foot with a sickening crunch and William let out a yowl that petered off into a whimper. He fell to the floor, clutching his manhood.
Roana tilted her head back to look at Auden, who was still holding her wrists tightly, staring at William in bemusement.
"Let go of me," she hissed.
He looked from William to her, and his expression changed as his eyes ran down her body.
"But I've not had my turn yet."
He grinned, horribly, and, without thinking twice, she forced her hands upwards and grabbed his crotch. He gave a hoarse gasp and tried to pull her hands away, but she twisted his genitals with a hard yank.
Auden fell back against the wall behind him, ricocheting off a nearby sideboard, knocking crockery onto the floor with a clatter. A ceramic jug smashed on the ground as he slid down the wall, his face pale.
Roana rolled off the table and stood up, grabbing her gown and pulling it back on. Both men were still rolling around in agony, clutching at their groins, and she took the opportunity to grab a shard of the jug from the floor, concealing it in the palm of her hand. Then, she hurried to the door and hammered on it.
When the guard's face appeared in the doorway, she demanded to be taken back to her cell.
He glanced around the room behind her, taking in William and Auden's inert forms with a worried expression.
Roana shrugged, affecting a nonchalant air to hide her fear. "What can I say? I guess I was too much for them."
The guard smiled at her, a nervous look in his eyes, and obeyed her demand, holding his lance to her back until they reached the cell. He thrust her unceremoniously inside and slammed the door shut.
Roana grinned at Marian and Alice, who both hurried to meet her.
"Are you very hurt?" Alice asked, anxiously, patting at her dress and looking her over.
Roana stilled her hands. "Alice, I'm fine. Untouched and unharmed. Although I can't say the same for William and Auden."
"You fought them off?" Marian said, quickly.
Roana nodded, suddenly cold as she began to shiver, and Alice guided her gently to the mattress, coaxing her to sit. The shock after William's attack, Roana thought to herself. "They won't bother us for a while. Plus..."
She opened her hand to show them the jagged shard of jug. Marian looked pleased and grabbed it, tucking it away on the inside of her gown.
"Good work," she said, her tone dark. "We'll be ready for them next time."