Continued from Robot of Sherwood ― I
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"I have the odd – or in our case, not so odd – feeling that Dad is going to do something idiotic." Jupiter commented as she stood with her mother and Lucas, the three of them watching Clara standing a few feet away with Robin.
"Is there even a doubt?" Lexi let out a giggle at her daughter's commentary while clapping politely for the finalists. "Even Lucas, who's been surprisingly skeptical this whole time, can't argue that your father has a tendency to draw unwanted attention to himself."
"I'll give you that one." Lucas admitted, nodding as he clapped.
"In the contest for the golden arrow, after ten rounds, the battle is betwixt our Lord Sheriff and the stranger known as Tom the Tinker!" The herald announced.
The cheer for 'Tom the Tinker', otherwise known as Robin Hood, was louder. Jupiter narrowed her eyes, seeing the Sheriff say something. "'Perhaps not such a stranger after all.'" She muttered, reading his lips.
"What?" Lexi glanced her way, Jupiter leaning over to her to whisper in her ear.
"Take your places!" The herald ordered.
The two stepped forward, then Robin said, "Shall we make the contest a little more interesting, my Lord? The targets seem a little close. What say you? Another twenty paces?"
"Why not?" The Sheriff smiled thinly, gesturing for the target to be moved. When it was back far enough for both of them, the Sheriff took aim. His black arrow hit the middle of the bulls-eye. He chuckled, turning to Robin. "Now, Tinker, let us see thy true face."
Robin just aimed and fired, splitting the black arrow with his own white arrow. "Ye Gads!" The herald gasped dramatically. "He has split the arrow! Truly, he is the finest archer in all England! Come forth, Tinker, and claim your prize."
The herald stepped down from the dais and presented the arrow to Robin. Said outlaw smirked as he walked forward to claim the golden arrow, but in the process, was nearly hit by a multi-colored arrow, which split the white arrow right down the middle.
"And there we are." Lexi deadpanned as she crossed her arms, barely batting an eye.
"I'm the Doctor." He said as he walked forward, smirking at the Sheriff and the herald. "My skills as a bowman speak for themselves. I claim my reward." The herald knelt and offered the arrow, the Doctor picking it up before just scoffing. "A mere bauble." He tossed it away towards the Merry Men. "I want something else."
"Name it." The Sheriff responded.
"Enlightenment –"
Before the Doctor could continue, Robin fired again, splitting the Doctor's arrow. "Seriously?" Jupiter sighed, crossing her arms in much the same way as her mother.
Lexi smirked a bit, shaking her head slightly as the Doctor fired again, this arrow bouncing off a guard's armor before splitting Robin's arrow. "I find this very amusing."
Robin didn't even look the next time to split the Doctor's arrow. Said Time Lord rolled his eyes. "This is getting silly." He declared.
And before anyone could do anything else; the Doctor pulled out his sonic and aimed it at the target before pressing the button and making the target explode.
Lexi closed her eyes. "Perfect." She muttered before making a quick beeline towards her husband, Jupiter and Lucas running after her; all three of them just in time to join Clara as the guards drew swords on the Doctor.
Clara herself quickly grabbed a huge halberd from a rack. "What are you doing?" The Doctor stared at her as she tried to swing it. "Put that down!"
"I'm fine." Clara waved him off. "I take Year Seven for after-school Taekwondo."
"I don't think that's going to help us right now." Lucas rolled his eyes, grabbing a sword from the rack and unsheathing it before holding it at the ready.
"Don't worry, Doctor." Robin called, drawing his own sword. "I'll save you!"
"I don't need saving!" The Doctor scowled.
"Your honor is safe!"
"I know!"
"For I am Robin!" He removed his hat to cheers. "Robin Hood!"
Jupiter's eyes widened as Robin's swing took off one knight's arm, which fell to the ground and sparked. "Witchery!" A voice screamed as the Doctor bent down to examine the robot arm. "Witchery!"
"Robot." The Doctor declared, looking up, grinning when the knight's helmet opened to reveal a metal face, a violet light shining brighter from the cross that was slit into the metal between its eyebrows. "Now we're getting somewhere!"
"Take them!" The Sheriff demanded. "Kill the rest! Kill them all!"
"Jupiter!" Lexi shouted. "Lucas!"
The duo was already moving – Jupiter running while using the laser setting on her sonic to fire on any knight that she could as Lucas re-sheathed the sword he had picked up before then running and scooping up a couple children to rush them to safety.
"He surrenders!" The Doctor called.
"What?" Robin blinked.
The Doctor just knocked Robin's sword out of his hand. "Ha!"
"Jupiter, Lucas, get out of here!" Lexi shouted, just being able to spot the two amongst the chaotic sea of fleeing people.
"You miserable cur!" Robin spat. "I had them on the run!"
"Oh, really?" Lexi rolled her eyes, holding her hands up. "Then what do you call this?!"
"Flee, lads! Flee!" Robin called to the Merry Men. "Live to fight another day!"
"To the dungeons with all of them." The Sheriff ordered as the Merry Men ran for their lives and Jupiter and Lucas disappeared into the nearby forest.
"Oh, this brings back memories." Lexi whispered, smirking a bit as they were led away by the robot knights.
"Quickest way to find out anybody's plans," The Doctor smirked back. "get yourself captured."
***
"Splendid." Robin ground out as he, the Doctor, Lexi and Clara sat chained to posts in the stone floor of the dungeon. "Enchained!"
"I was once forced down below to the galley of a ship." Lexi remarked, leaning her back against the post she was chained to. "The only difference here is we're not on water."
"Trussed up like turkey-cocks." Robin glanced in her direction. "Thanks to your husband."
"Shut it, Hoodie. I saved your life." The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"I had the situation well in hand!"
"Long-haired ninny versus robot killer knights? I know where I'd put my money."
"If you had not betrayed me, I would have been triumphant."
"You would have been a little puff of smoke and ashes!"
"Oh, ha!"
"You'd have been floating around in tiny little laughing bits in people's goblets!"
"Balderdash. Ha!"
"Oh, right, here we go," The Doctor grumbled. "it's laughing time."
"Well, you amuse me, grey old man."
"Not so much of an exaggeration anymore." Lexi thought out loud as she discreetly slipped Clara her sonic screwdriver, trying to make her chains jingle as little as possible.
Clara snickered as she slipped Lexi's sonic into the sleeve of her dress. "People can actually say that now if they want to, can't they?"
"Guard!" The Doctor shouted, making both women wince. "He's laughing again! You can't keep me locked up with a laughing person!"
"Oh, I find that, I find that quite funny." Robin glared at him. "Do you know, I feel another laugh coming on! Ah ha ha ha!"
"Guards, I cannot remain in this cell!" The Doctor shouted, making Lexi close her eyes and clench her fists in frustration. "Execute me now!"
"You heard him!" Robin called. "Execute the old fool!"
"No, hang on, execute him!"
"I do not fear death, so execute away!"
"Execute him! I'd like to see if his head keeps laughing when you chop it off!"
"Oh, Robin Hood always laughs in the face of death!"
"Yes, rolling around the floor laughing, I would pay good money to see that! Guard!"
"Guard!"
"Guard!"
"Guard!"
Lexi lightly banged her head against the post she was chained to, sharing an unamused look with Clara as the Doctor and Robin kept shouting for a guard. Bloody testosterone is what they were witnessing.
"Oh, will you both just SHUT UP!" Lexi finally yelled, quieting both men immediately. "I don't think I've ever seen two big egos go at each other like you both are right now." She glared slightly at the both of them. "So, it dawns on me to ask if either of you realizes that there isn't actually a guard out there."
The Doctor blinked. "Oh."
"I did, in fact." Robin tried to recover.
Clara leaned past Lexi to look at Robin. "Did you? Did you really?"
"At least the 'grey old man' admitted it." Lexi tilted her head a bit as she, too, looked at Robin while the Doctor rolled his eyes. "Now, both of you, please shut up. The Doctor and Robin Hood, locked up in a cellar. At this rate, you're both going to starve to death in here squabbling."
"Well, I'll tell you one thing." Robin straightened. "I'd Last a lot longer than this desiccated man-crone."
The Doctor scoffed. "Really?"
"Really."
"Well, you know what?" He leaned towards Robin. "I think you'll find I have a certain genetic advantage."
Lexi glared and yanked on her chains, jerking the two men towards her and Clara. "It is not a competition about who can die slower."
"I would definitely be me, though, wouldn't it?" The Doctor felt the need to just add more to it.
"Yes, my sweet, it would." She admitted, smiling at him. "Now, plans. Do either of you actually have a plan?"
"Yeah, of course I have a plan." The Doctor nodded.
"I, too, have a plan." Robin cut in.
"Oi." The Doctor scowled at him. "My wife, I go first."
"Robin, you first." Lexi told him.
"Why him?" The Doctor whined slightly.
"Do shut up."
"Yes, love."
"Robin? Please speak."
"I am..." Robin faltered for a moment. "...biding my time."
"Thank you, Prince of Thieves." Lexi rolled her eyes before raising an eyebrow at her husband. "Not-so Last of the Time Lords?"
"Yes, I have a plan." He nodded.
"Unless you can explain this plan without using the words 'sonic screwdriver', don't bother. No need to waste anymore of our time. Because, if you've forgotten, the Sheriff of Nottingham has taken your screwdriver. We can't always depend on that, you know."
The Doctor paused a moment before sighing. "Okay."
Clara giggled slightly. "So, the Glorious was right. You don't have a plan."
Just then, the door was suddenly unlocked, and Robin grinned. "See? There was a guard. There was a guard listening the whole time. I knew it. Ha ha ha ha!"
"The Sheriff himself commanded me to listen, to find out which of you is the true ringleader." The guard told them.
"Ah, so he can do the interrogating." The Doctor nodded. "Very wise."
"Excellent." Robin grinned. "He will get nothing from me."
"No, no, no." The Doctor shook his head. "He will get nothing from me. Because interrogation, that's where I always turn the tables. You see, that's my plan."
"Just hurry up and take me to him." Robin ordered.
"No, no, chop chop, come on."
Lexi rolled her eyes when the guard took her chains off. "Seriously?"
"Come on." The guard ordered, pulling her up before leading her out of the dungeon.
"No." The Doctor's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" Robin stared after them.
"Don't be ridiculous! Let her go!" The Doctor shouted as the door slammed, Clara looking on calmly. "Bring her back!"
***
"Are you becoming less skeptical now?" Jupiter asked as she and Lucas trekked through the dark forest. "Are the killer robot knights more up to par with what you've gotten used to?"
"Okay, I will admit, things are... becoming a little more believable." Lucas crossed his arms as he walked alongside her. "Still, you can't blame me, a History teacher, for being a bit disbelieving of a man who is supposed to be just a myth. A story. Something that doesn't actually exist."
"Yeah, well, turns out he does exist." She stated as she wrapped her cloak around herself more tightly. "He's a living, breathing human being... I wonder how he, Clara and my parents are getting on."
"Oh, I'm sure they're in some sort of trouble by now."
"I don't doubt it."
Lucas glanced at her, biting his lip for a moment before sighing as he looked straight ahead again. "Jupiter... Can we talk?"
"About what?" She quirked an eyebrow as the two of them came to a stop at the edge of an empty clearing of trees.
"Like you don't know." He refrained from rolling his eyes.
Jupiter sighed, looking at the ground. "...Victorian London."
"Yes." Lucas threw his hands up before he began pacing. "I understand that we were busy at the time. Your parents had just regenerated and were lost. You know, that's sort of more important than... romantic feelings." He closed his eyes for a moment, actually having said those last two words. "I just want to know one thing..." He trailed off, opening his eyes again and looking straight at her. "Am I wasting my time?"
Jupiter blinked, staring at him. She literally just stood there, stock still. She took a deep breath before taking a step forward. "Lucas..." She said softly. "I... I want to talk about this with you. I really do. And I will... But right now, we need to figure out what our next move is going to be. My parents, Clara and Robin aren't in a good situation right now"
Lucas pressed his lips together for a few moments, then nodded.
"As you wish."
***
"'Tis a thing of beauty indeed." Little John said as he examined the golden arrow.
"And will feed a family for a twelvemonth when melted down." Will added as he took hold of the arrow.
"Tonight we rest." Tuck declared as he took the arrow from Will. "Tomorrow, we must draw up plans to rescue Robin. We shall soon see how those Mechanicals feel about the taste of Nottingham steel. Lord, forgive me."
"Strange, though, is it not?" Alan tilted his head, examining the arrow as Tuck handed it to him.
"What?" Little John asked.
"All this looting that the Sheriff's doing. And yet, 'tis only ever gold that he takes. Pearls, rubies, all the precious jewels of the realm seem no consequence to him. Only gold." Alan handed the arrow back to Tuck, then picked up his lute and started singing. "Poor Robin and the strangers lay / In the dungeon all the live-long day / The Merry Men might pine away / Upon a Sherwood morning."
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