This segmant is a little short, sorry.

*****

The outlaws and Linda ran through barrels of Locksley, trying to say hidden. She grimaced at the sight and the smell, and Allan was trying hard not to laugh at her expression... even though her face was covered by the giant hood attached to her cloak. Robin entered a tent, where a man was working hard and pouring the black substance into another barrel. The gang quickly followed him inside.

"How much for two barrels of tar?" he asked the man.

"You got to have a signed warrant from the Sheriff to purchase tar," answered the man, not looking behind him.

"Of course, the Sheriff," Linda mumbled. With a sigh, she asked, "How much to make sure you and your family are provided for?"

The man turned around now, and he gasped. Walking backwards in fear, he held is hands up. "Please don't hurt me, Robin Hood!" he pleaded.

"Hey, relax," said Linda gently, taking off her giant hood. "He's with me."

The man relaxed a little, but he still had his hands up. "He won't hurt me?" he asked, and Linda shook her head.

"If he does, I'll be sure to stop him," she said, shooting Robin a sly grin. "I've done my part, I need to go." She turned around to go, but was stopped. "Where's Much?"

"Oh, he went to talk to Kate," responded Allan quite casually.

Linda groaned and ran her palms down her face. "Lord help me," she whispered. "I can't stay to watch how terrible it goes. I'm going back to Nottingham to make sure Tuck is alright... for now. And don't forget the tar!"

Robin nodded. Carefully, she put her hood back over her head and snuck out of Locksley. She reached the camp, where she took off her cloak and put it back in its spot. Pleased to find that the horse was still tied to a tree, she untied it and saddled on. The horse gave a whine, then it set off for Nottingham.

*****

The Sheriff of Nottingham stood on a square podium, Tuck on the rack that held him behind Vaisey, and the executioner right next to Tuck. The bell chimed sweetly in the distance, and the people of Nottingham were gathering to see what was going to happen to the outlaw. Linda had just arrived about two minutes ago, and she was placed right next to a local peasant. Frantically, she looked around Nottingham for search of outlaws, but she saw none yet. Vaisey spoke.

"Brother Tuck," he said, "for crimes against God, the church, and the faithful of Nottingham," he gestured to the people, and Linda rolled her eyes and searched the rooftops again, "you are to be racked, drawn and quartered."

Linda winced. Gruesome, that was her only thought. Flat out gruesome. The executioner went to the little stool and pulled out a small knife. With a crooked smile, he brushed it off.

"Beautiful day, hmm?" said Vaisey to Linda. "Almost makes you want to burst into song."

"Please don't," she begged, her palm covering her eyes.

"No, let him start off, I'll harmonize," said Tuck confidently, struggling on the rack.

"Oh, humor," Vaisey said with a chuckle. Stretching his arms over his head, he said in a strained voice, "Well, perhaps you need to know that my favorite moment of this delightful little procedure is when you hear the great big pop, pop, pop, pop!" At this he let his hands down and waved them everywhere. The crowd murmured amount themselves, laughing along with the Sheriff. The person right next to Linda buried her head in her chest. Linda wrapped her arms around the person, keeping her from seeing the gruesome scene that was about to come. They both didn't think this was funny.

"This isn't over, Sheriff!" yelled Tuck.

"Oh, really, what?" said the Sheriff. "You think Hood is going to come and rescue you, do you? Well, I don't see him. No. Hood? Hood?"

The executioner smirked and started to paint on Tuck's chest, indicating where the executioner was going to cut him, or be "drawn" on.

"Hoody? Hoody?" Come out wherever you are," Linda now called, for she feared for Tuck's life.

In answer, four arrows shot the back of the ropes that held Tuck. Vaisey quickly turned around.

"Hood!" "Robin!" he and Linda exclaimed at the same time.

"Come on, everyone, get out of here!" said Linda to the peasants. "Go!"

Robin started shooting arrows everywhere from the balcony roof, and some even hit the guards. The people moved back, Linda in front of them and she was doing a pretty bad job of calming them down. Tuck used his power and broke out of his rope bondage, the rack breaking in the process.

"Back! Cowards, back!" yelled Vaisey, for the guards were retreating, and he was trying to get them to attack the outlaws.

Allan jumped on the podium and undid Tuck's ropes that was attached to his legs. Linda just stood there, watching as everything took place. The peasants were making there way to the gate, and the guards were as well.

"You took you time!" shouted Tuck to Allan.

"We were a bit stretched," Allan explained.

"Watch out!"

Allan looked to his right and saw a guard that was trying to climb up the podium. Allan kicked him in the face and threw the bag of tools to torture Tuck off of the podium and at a gaurd. Drawing his double swords, he advanced at the two guards. He beat them easily, and Linda smirked at him. Going to her father's side, she saw that he was talking to a guard that had an arrow sticking out of his backside.

"Where's the second relief?!" he screamed at the guard. Linda pulled out the arrow that was in his back and brought him to where all of the other guards were. Turning around, she saw that Much was on John's shoulders with a barrel of a black substance...

"Father! Watch out, it's--!"

Too late. Much poured the liquid substance on Vaisey, then threw the barrel at a guard that was advancing. After that, Much launched himself off of John's shoulders and at the guards.

"Tar," she said quietly. She ran near him, but soon stopped.

"Guards!" sputtered Vaisey while slipping on the tar and landing on his face.

Meanwhile, the outlaws were holding themselves off pretty good. Tuck was free, and Allan was helping him out with the remaining guards that were trying to capture them. John kept rolling barrels at the guards, so they would trip and fall over them. Vaisey tried to clean himself with a handkerchief, but he was still blind. A barrel -- or rather barrels -- of open tar started to roll, and a trail started to form... everywhere. Vaisey looked up to see that Robin had a flaming bow, and it was aimed right at the tar trail. He shot, and the tar caught fire.

With a smile, Robin spread his hands out wide. "I thought I'd put a spark back into out relationship, Sheriff," he said. "Oh, and hi, Linda!" He gave a little wave. She rolled her eyes, but returned the little gesture sarcastically. Robin the put out a thumbs up and walked away from the scene. Getting down a rope, he easily landed on the other side of the line of fire, then ran off.

Grumbling, Vaisey went up the stairs. Linda followed, managing not to get burned to a crisp from the flames while at it. Five guards were standing at the hall entrance, waiting for them.

"I thought I'd doubled the guard," he said. "Or did I just double the incompetence?" Turning around, he yelled at all five of them. "You've allowed Hood to escape again! You are more useless than Gisborne." He kicked a guard in the gut, and he took a tumble down the stairs.

Hearing Guy's name like that cut her to the core and it her hard; she just about had it with her father Grabbing his shirt collar, she pinned him to a wall and put a knife to his neck to the point where the blade was touching the skin.

"Speak like that again of him, I dare you," she hissed menacingly.

Vaisey put his hands up in defense. "Ooh," he said with a little laugh. "Finally got to you, didnt it? Now then, go on. Do it, show you're not afraid. Show me that you can hand out justice the way I do." He was practically daring her.

Growling, she pulled away and put her knife back into a little pocket in her boot. Instead, she slapped him hard across the face. "I am nothing like you," she spat. "But I will hurt you if you speak of Guy in a sour tone again."

Vaisey rubbed his cheek and chuckled. "Very well, then," was all he said, then walked off.

Linda groaned. Going into the hall where Vaisey went, she turned the corner and went to find the abbot, but it seemed that Vaisey had found him first. Great. Vaisey was looking out at the gate, and the abbot had his hands behind his back. Leaning on a wall a short distance away from them, she listened.

"Tomorrow is St. Barnabas' day," said Vaisey to the abbot. "All the people will be in the abbey."

"Yes," was the simple response of the abbot.

Turning, he looked at the abbot and walked past him and then in front of him, pacing in a sort of way. "We must give them something concrete, something they can touch, feel, smell."

"They don't need to touch of feel God to believe," said the abbot with a turn.

"Idiot," Vaisey spat rudely. "These people need to be frightened out of there wits." He walked past him and made his way into the castle.

The abbot smirked. "What on Earth would you have me tell them? That the hand of God will strike them down if they don't help you capture Hood?"

Vaisey stopped and turned around. Getting close to the abbot, he said, "What did you just say?"

The abbot turned to look at him. "Pardon?"

"The hand of...." Vaisey was getting an idea, and Linda knew she was not going to like it. "Oh, oh. Oh, this is good. This is tremendous."

"Divine inspiration," countered the abbot.

"Oh, don't give him the credit. This was all me," said the Sheriff. Vaisey walked away to go back outside, but he stopped and turned. "I want every wretched villager from Locksley in the abbot tomorrow," he ordered. "I'll give then a St. Barnabas day they'll never forget!" Vaisey passed Linda and went back outside and into the castle, kicking the guard that was trying to get up the stairs one more time.

The abbot and her shared a look. Things were going to get bad, and Linda knew it. Even if she warned the outlaws, nothing could prepare them for what was coming. All she could do was sit and wait, and all Robin could do was use his wits and try to get out of this one... alive.