Keeper of the Lost Cities: a Robin Hood AU

Chapter 5: Fitz Vacker/Robin Hood

A/N: First things first: 217 DAYS UNTIL FLASHBACK COMES OUT!!!! (And yes, I did count. Does that make me lame?) Second of all: Guys. 63 reads??? How did I become so lucky to have readers like you? Give yourselves a pat on the back! But now I'm rambling...on with the story!! 

P.S. I figured out how to make my text bold! Yeah, I was right, it was a simple answer that I was too stupid to figure out...but it's all good!

Previously:

      Soon, I can hear voices. Dex and Vertina trying to convince them that I'm sick. A voice that must belong to Fitz insists checking on me. Then, dead silence. All of a sudden, the blankets are ripped off the bed, and I'm exposed. A collective gasp is heard throughout the room. Dex, who was still trying to sell the lie, mentioned something about theatrics. I try to shake my head, but a whimper of pain comes out. After years of torture, the gig was up.

Keefe, Linh, Tam, and I were out of breath after running from the Sheriff. Seriously, something about the guy just seems...more intense. I guided us through town, stopping at Lady Sophie's tower.

"I'll ask Will if we can climb up," I whispered.

"Good idea," Keefe whispered back.

After several minutes of telepathic conversation with Will, I announced the verdict.

"Are we going to climb the tower, or levitate?" I asked.

"Climb," said Linh.

"Levitate," said Tam at the same time.

"Levitate," Keefe decided. Everyone looked at me.

"I don't really care," I shrugged.

"Levitating it is," Linh sighed.

Pushing against gravity, I quickly rose into the air. We practically flew into the window, landing in a tangled heap. We untangled ourselves and looked around the small room. Two people, who I assumed were Lady Sophie's maid and guard, blocked our view of a corner of the room.

"I'm Dex," the tall, strawberry blond young man held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Deck," I shook his outstretched hand. Hmm, what a strange name.

"It's Dex," he grumbled.

"Oh, sorry-" I started to apologize.

"And I'm Vertina," said the young woman.

"I'm Robin Hood, and these are my friends John, Allan-A-Dale, and Much the Miller's son," I pointed to myself and the rest in turn.

"Pleased to meet you," Keefe winked at Vertina, and she blushed. I shot him a dirty look.

"Where's Lady Sophie?" I asked, craning my neck to see past them.

"Oh, um," Dex shifted his weight.

"What Dex means is that Lady Sophie has fallen ill," Vertina said hastily.

I frowned. "May I see her?" I walked around Dex and Vertina. Something didn't feel right here.

I walked over to the bed and gasped in horror. There was blood that pooled onto the floor, in large amounts. My eyes traveled up to the bed and...I almost threw up everything I had for lunch. Sophie's face was swollen with bruises, and was red with...burns? Afraid of what else they were hiding from us, I ripped off the blankets.

This time, I did vomit - in my mouth, at least. More burns, shaped like hands, covered her body. What once must've been a beautiful dress was torn, with little fabric remaining. Blood soaked through the cloth and deep scratches covered her forearms.