Chapter 1: The Arrival
Small note: Kathye ended up in the Dungeon in the first place because she wanted to hide from the Christmas advertising blitz. Ange ended up in the dungeon because she made comments criticizing Sir Guy.
"So, you haven't seen either of these women?"
The blond man sighed (no, he's not who you might think he is) and put the drawing he had been showing the farmer back into his pocket. He had been searching for a while now, with no luck. After several days of riding, he had finally reached Nottingham. He dismounted and brushed off his impeccably fashionable clothes. He headed for the nearest inn. "Maybe I'll find someone who's seen them here," he thought as he led his horse toward the building.
The immaculately dressed blond man (he still isn't who you might think he is) was sitting in the common room at the Blue Boar Tavern. He showed a drawing of two women to the Guardsman next to him.
"Are you sure you've never seen these women? We had information that they were last spotted in this area of the space-time continuum."
"The space-time con-what? Stranger, if you don't stop bothering me with these nonsense questions, I'll see you thrown into my lord of Gisburne's dungeon."
The blond man rapidly moved away to an empty table and signaled to the barmaid to bring him another drink. She put it on the table, sat in the chair next to him and leaned over to whisper into his ear. "I think I know what you're looking for."
"Uh, not now. I'm on a mission."
"That's what I'm talking about. Those two women - I think I might know where they are."
He flashed her a brilliant smile and looked at her seductively with deep blue eyes. "And how much is that information going to cost me?"
"All I need is the pleasure that comes from knowing that I helped someone." She glanced at the exquisitely tailored clothing he was wearing and at his immaculately manicured hands. "Of course, I could always use a sovereign to add to the Barmaid's Retirement Fund."
He pulled a coin from his pouch and placed it on the table in front of her. "I'm always happy to give to a worthy charity." She started to reach for the coin, but he put one hand over it and grabbed her wrist with the other. "Not until I hear what you have to say. And it better be the truth. If I find out that you've lied to me, I will have that back with interest."
"My lord, I swear to you that what I will tell you is true. The knight who runs the dungeon at the castle, Guy of Gisburne, comes in here frequently. Lately he has been bragging about the number of prisoners he has - mostly women. From his description, I would say that these two are his prisoners."
The man took his hand off of the coin and brought her hand to his lips. "My dear, you have been most helpful."
As he stood up to leave, she asked him, "My lord, will you return?"
He gave her his most charming smile, "That, my dear, is a distinct possibility."
The man walked out into the Nottingham night and ducked into a nearby alley. He pulled a black, rectangular box from his pouch and pushed at some buttons on it. He whispered into it, "Colonel, are you there? I think I've found them."
"Good work, Lieutenant. Now, get back to camp, there's a lot of activity out here."
The man looked toward Sherwood forest, where the rest of his team was waiting, then back towards the tavern. "Actually, Colonel, there's someone that I would like to…interrogate… further. I'll meet up with you in a couple of hours."
He put the box back into his pouch and, whistling, walked back into the tavern.
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A party was in full swing in the courtyard at Nottingham castle. Toga clad guardsmen were dancing around a large bonfire and bragging to each other about how they had saved their captain from certain doom in Sherwood forest (Ed. note: it's really too long a story to explain). They looked up from their carousing to see a blond nobleman approaching on horseback followed by two other men. One was very muscular, a dark-skinned giant of a man with many gold chains around his neck and a single strip of hair down the middle of his head starting at his forehead and going to the base of his skull. The other was taller than the nobleman, lanky with brown hair, brown eyes and dressed as a jester.
The nobleman stopped in front of the guards and said, "I am Lord Templeton, a distant cousin of your commander, Sir Guy. I have just returned to our beloved England after many years in the holy lands fighting the infidels. I am now on a pilgrimage and require a place for myself, my bodyguard and my fool to rest for a few days."
One of the guards, using his most authoritative voice said, "Wait here and one of us will go get Our Lord of Gisburne." He turned another guard, "I believe that he is in the dungeon torturing his female prisoners, you go get him."
"Me? Why don't you go get him?"
"I'm not going to disturb him after the fiasco in the forest. You go get him."
"Quiet!" Lord Templeton roared. He pulled out two coins and tossed them to the guards saying as he rode past them, "I wouldn't want to disturb my cousin while he's having his fun. Just have someone show me to my rooms and I will talk to him tomorrow after we are both rested."
In front of the castle, Lord Templeton dismounted from his horse and turned to his two companions. "Stable the horses and bring the luggage up to my rooms. Oh and see if you can get me some food and wine." He turned on his heel and entered the castle following the guard that was escorting him.
"That fool had better come back down to earth and soon before I have to knock some sense into that damn fool's brain!"
"Hey, I'm the fool around here, not the Faceman." the man dressed as a jester complained.
"Exactly, we don't need two fools in this outfit. One is about all I can handle," the dark-skinned bodyguard growled as they finished stabling the horses. They grabbed their gear and headed into the castle not acknowledging the silver haired servant with startling blue eyes who was carrying wine down to the dungeon.
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