────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐𝟒
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋-𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒

────── ★★★ ──────

Guilt flowed through every inch of Roland as he followed Robin through the forest. He couldn't believe they just left Alice back there, especially knowing the entire town despised her. Even though he knew they should go back for her, the Hood boy had to push those feelings aside for now. Because he also knew it would take a lot to convince his sister to give up on her quest. Roland never realized how much this meant to her until he heard what he said to Alice in the cell. He thought that he was the only one who felt the pressure to live up to their father's legacy but now he knows he was far from wrong.

It wasn't long before night fell upon them. Silence surrounded the Hood siblings as they continued to track the villagers through the forest. A million thoughts ran through Roland's head, mainly about wanting to go home, as he followed his sister. After what felt like an eternity, they finally caught up to the villagers, who were standing in the middle of a large clearing.

"The troll is in there! I say we charge in, torches blazing!" Roland heard the villagers' leader shout as she slowed his pace. Both he and Robin soon stopped a few yards away to take in the crowd in front of them. It wasn't long after that when the blonde girl loaded her bow and fired an arrow before her brother could protest. The two of them watched as it soared through the air before knicking the leader's ear. The man reached up and touched where her arrow grazed as he turned to look at them. "How did you get out?"

"Basic pin-tumbler lock? Child's play," Robin answered, earning an eye roll from Roland that she chose to ignore, "so...do you want my help? Or do you just wanna charge in there like a bunch of losers?"

"You're just a little girl that couldn't even hit me from ten feet away," the man responded with a smirk on his face.

"Trust me, she wasn't trying to hit you," Roland told him, drawing the man's attention to him, "and I wouldn't underestimate her. You only make that mistake once."

"Yeah. Because I'm Robin Hood," the blonde girl declared, causing all emotions to fade from her brother's body as he internally cringed. Laughter immediately erupted from the crowd surrounding them. No matter what realm you lived in, you knew the story of Robin Hood. And it was obvious that the Robin standing in front of them wasn't the person from those stories.

"You're the legendary Robin Hood?" the villagers' leader questioned as his followers continued to laugh, "I thought he was a little taller."

Robin just stared at the man in front of her with disdain in her eyes, a look usually reserved for Roland during their arguments. After listening to their mockery for another moment, the blonde girl opened her mouth to speak. "He was our father. The name is my mantle now. And I'll prove it to you."

The man just stared at Robin for a moment before his eyes flashed to Roland. The Hood boy kept his attention on the villagers' leader for a moment before a teasing smirk appeared on the former's lips. That was all it took for the man to look back at Robin with determination in his eyes. "I'd like to see this. Alright, girl Robin Hood. You got one shot."

The Hood siblings shared one final look before Robin stepped forward. Thundering footsteps were heard in the distance while everyone kept their eyes glued to the blonde girl. It wasn't long after that when the troll appeared in the distance, his head towering over the treetops. All the emotions Roland was previously feeling suddenly came back as he watched his sister prepare to take the shot of her life. The Hood girl was about to release her arrow when a newcomer came out of nowhere and sprinted toward her. Before anyone had a chance to stop them, they tackled Robin to the ground, causing the latter to miss her shot entirely.

After Robin regained her bearings, she quickly spun around to come face-to-face with Alice. "Seriously, Tower Girl?!"

"Turns out, I have more than one hairpin," Alice retaliated after Roland rushed forward to stand between them, not wanting the situation to escalate.

It only took a moment for Roland to pick up on the changing emotions of the crowd surrounding them. He looked up for a moment to take in their annoyed expressions before his attention fell back on the girls. "I think we need to save this conversation for later."

"You troll-loving lunatic!" the villagers' leader shouted, drawing all attention to him before he continued speaking, "I warned you to stay out of our way. This girl's troubled. And I don't like trouble."

After seeing the crazed look in the man's eyes, Roland took a step forward to stand in front of his sister and their new friend. The two of them had a staredown as the Hood boy's hand reached for the hilt of his sword. "I think we all just need to take a second to calm down."

"Yeah! Back off, jerkwad!" Robin exclaimed as she stepped forward to stand next to her brother, who was trying his best not to get annoyed with his sister's actions, "we'll find the troll again, okay?"

"No. She needs to be taken care of," the man responded while keeping his eyes glued to Alice.

Robin's instincts instantly took over as she loaded an arrow onto her bow and aimed it at the hunter's head. "Did you not hear me? I said leave her alone."

"I thought you wanted to join our campaign. Are you a troll-lover now, too?"

"I would rather be a troll-lover than fight beside a bully like you," Robin declared while pulling even farther back on her bowstring.

The next thing anyone knew, the man grabbed Robin's arm and forced her bow down before shoving her back. That caused Roland to step forward and punch the villagers' leader in the jaw. Just as the Hood boy was about to go for another attack, another man came out of nowhere and struck Roland square in the face. A loud crack was heard as the Hood boy stumbled back a bit, causing Robin and Alice to rush forward to steady him. Roland just stood there for a moment before bringing his finger up to his nose. They were immediately greeted by a warm liquid and all the Hood boy could think about was how Everly and Felix were going to react. It wasn't long after that when all of their attention fell back on the crowd.

"We need to get out of here. We need an escape," Robin announced as the villagers continued to get closer to them.

"Escape?" Alice repeated under her breath.

"It means to break free, which is something I can't see us doing right now," Roland responded with a hint of annoyance in his voice, once again wishing he never followed his sister into the forest.

It wasn't long after that when a car horn and an engine revving could be heard in the distance. Confusion flowed through Roland's veins as he turned in the direction of the sound, only to see Emma's yellow Bug speeding towards them. The crowd instantly parted, all terrified of the object from another realm. A large smile appeared on Roland's face after watching the car stop a few feet away from where they stood.

"The yellow Bug?" Robin questioned as she stared at the vehicle in front of them, "that's impossible."

The grin on Alice's face did nothing but grow as she glanced over at the Hood girl. "Sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

"Yeah, well, I'll just take this one. Now, let's get out of here," Roland told them before forcing the two girls to walk as fast as they could toward the car.

Not even a second after they reached it passed when the Hood boy opened the driver's door and pulled the seat up to allow the girls access to the back. As soon as he knew they were safely inside, Roland pushed the seat back and jumped in before slamming the door behind him. It wasn't long after that when the Bug started driving away on its own, taking the three of them far away from the angry villagers.

What felt like an eternity passed when the Bug finally came to a stop. After letting out a long breath, Roland looked in the rearview mirror to find nothing but trees behind him. His smile soon returned before a relieved sigh passed over his lips. He let the silence surround them for another moment as he leaned back in his seat.

"I think we lost the mob," Roland announced before turning around to look at Robin and Alice, only to find them staring at each other the way Felix looks at Everly. An emotion that the Hood boy couldn't describe washed over him before he cleared his voice and opened the door. "I'll give you guys a second to talk."

After receiving a small smile in response from his sister, Roland got out of the car and closed the door behind him. He tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his nose as he leaned back against the car. His eyes took in his surroundings to make sure they truly weren't followed. It wasn't much longer after that when Roland figured out what he was feeling. It was the same feeling he felt the day Fletcher and Dawn were born. Loneliness. Yes, he knew that Everly and Felix would always be there for them, they had proven it several times. And he knew that Sam, Katherine, and Austin would never leave him behind. He even knew that Cassie would always be by his side and that one day the twins would be too. But there was still something missing. Roland just wished he knew what it was.

The Hood boy was soon pulled out of his thoughts by a loud roar, similar to the one they heard not too long ago. The sound caused him to jump before his attention was drawn back to the car by a banging on the window. When he looked into the back seat, he found the two girls staring at him with large smiles on their faces. After letting out a long sigh, Roland opened the door and poked his head inside.

"That's the troll," Alice explained, confirming what the brunette boy thought, "we need to find him before the villagers do. Are you two with me?"

"It's not like I have much of a choice," Roland sighed after seeing the grin on Robin's face grow.

────── ★★★ ──────

"Yesterday, yesterday...it's like I was a different person yesterday," Alice told the four men behind her after they returned to Henry's apartment.

Hook instantly shared a look with Sam while Roland and Henry continued to stare at the distressed girl. It wasn't long after that when the pirate captain turned his attention back to Alice. "Tilly, we need something with a timestamp on it."

"It'll show when and where you were yesterday," Sam explained after seeing the Jones girl stare up at them in confusion, "like a...like a receipt."

The blonde girl thought for a moment before she opened her bag. Roland watched as she dug through her backpack, not knowing what to say to help the situation. It wasn't long after that when her movements stopped and the confusion on her face deepened. Her actions only made the worry within the Hood boy grow even more.

"Well, that's...curious," Alice muttered under her breath before pulling out two different locks of hair, "what are these?"

Sam and Hook both tensed at the sight of the clippings while Henry and Roland looked at them with uncertainty in their eyes. That continued for another long moment before the raven-haired man broke the silence surrounding them. "The...um...the killer took hair clippings from all his victims."

"What?" the blonde girl responded after instantly dropping the locks of hair on the table, "but if I have them, that means that I..."

"Let's...let's just try and stay calm," the Jones man told her, only for her eyes to widen as panic continued to course through Alice's veins.

"I've gone mad, haven't I?!" Alice exclaimed after jumping to her feet and placing her hands on her head, "if I can't remember not doing it, how do I know I didn't do it?!"

"Look, Tilly, I know this makes things more complicated, but we don't...we don't know the full story," Roland said without thinking before glancing over at the detectives. Hook and Sam simply nodded for him to continue after seeing the desperation in Alice's eyes. "And...and I have a feeling in my gut that you're not a killer."

"You barely know me, Zach," the blonde girl responded while staring at the boy with mixed emotions in her eyes. That continued for a moment then she glanced over at Hook, Henry, and Sam before her attention landed back on Roland. "No one knows me."

Before the Hood boy could respond, Alice grabbed her bag and walked out of the apartment, ignoring everyone calling out to her. Hook just stared at the closed door for a moment before letting out a sigh and looking over at Roland. "I think you should call Jo."

"She's not gonna like this," the brunette boy muttered under his breath before he pulled out his phone and dialed Everly's number.

────── ★★★ ──────

────── ★★★ ──────