Tuck, grabs a book named "Hamlet" a tragedy written by William Shakespeare: So is it weird that our friend, Hamlet...His name came from the Shakespearean book by the same name.
Little John:
Tuck: While it means like well..."Trickster", "Little village" last time I checked. It still doesn't nearly, explain that his name, well. It's based on "Hamlet" from the tragedy book from William Shakespeare.
Little John: Well, not everyone with the name Hamlet is from a book that Shakespeare wrote for a play, Tuck. Anyone name's Hamlet even if it's not from the books he had written!
Tuck, shakes his head: You don't even understand any of this, Hamlet has Old Danish and Scandinavian origins, deriving from Amleth, meaning “trickster.” Amleth is the name of a figure in a medieval Scandinavian legend who was the direct inspiration for the titular character in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Little John, nods:
Tuck: And Hamlet also has roots in Old German and was introduced to the English language through Old French, meaning “little village.” Hamlet boasts a wealth of fame for its ties to the vengeful Danish Prince, so take some time to consider if this name is “To be, or not to be.”
Little John: Look, Tuck. I know that since I read the book but our friend whose name is Hamlet isn't well...Hamlet from the Shakespeare.
Warnings: Abuse, sensitive topics, violence, references to ED and strong language.
Word Count: 3,332
‧₊˚✧[Previously on chapter one]✧˚₊‧
In Nottingham, the villagers watched the minstrel play the guitar as Hamlet's hands clasped over his crotch as he leans against Little John's shoulder while Robin with Tuck, Scarlett and Maryan listened happily.
While Scarlett notices them, with a soft smile as she looks at them.
‧₊˚✧[Continuing]✧˚₊‧
As Hamlet threw back his head and listened to the balled of Robin Hood. The teenager stops as he turned to look at the black figure, watching far from the distances, he shakes his head, thinking yet another thief that they must stop and even take care off.
The shadowy thief smirks at him as he carried a dagger in his hand, the hood obscuring his face.
But little did he know that this person isn't the ordinary thief that they had stopped and prevent it from robbing the village or isn't even the one that was organized by Prince John to capture Robin, him and his friends instead this cloaked yet mysterious ex-convict looks awfully familiar to a person, Hamlet never had any good relationship with.
The shadowy thief moved towards him, in a menacing way.
His hands shook as he froze, his shoulders hunched as he shook like a leaf in a turbulent autumn. Tensing up, Little John notice how scared he looks, but before he asks him what's wrong, Robin himself had sought it.
Robin Hood: "Guys, I think it's time to go back...We'll discuss it in the den!" he immediately spoke as the Hamlet, Little John and Tuck nodded and followed him as Scarlett and Maryan tagged behind the three.
────୨ৎ────
While in Sherwood forest, at night and in the lair. Hamlet ducks his head, as he tremblingly sat on the sofa, cross-legged with his hand pressed against his cheek as he shakes his head with his eyes closed.
Little John: "..." he kneels on the floor, one one knee as he looks at him.
Maryan: "Robin...Was your adoptive brother got hurt by the thief, which is why he has a fearful reaction to seeing him?" she asked, worriedly.
Robin Hood: "Yes...But that fear comes from the time I and him being hurt by him...Thus why his fear seems valid to some degree."
Scarlett: "Maybe that thief was the one that gotten him and you hurt and he was far more scared than you were." she bows her head, sadly.
Robin Hood: "That thief was the one we've been attacked by, but it wasn't the type of thief that would just capture us and bring us to the prince type thief...This is one physically attacked us that Hamlet's scars on his hand were from the thief." he paced the den, angrily.
Tuck: "Sooo it was the thief you and Hamlet had been hurt by."
Little John: "Why don't you stop him? And report it to King Richard...Maybe he could put a stop to it before you and Hamlet get killed by him." he said, concernedly.
Robin Hood: "That's my initial plan, if we stop the thief at the right time...None of us will have to be faced with bruises, cuts, stab wounds and so much injuries from that alone...But it would only take dozens of attempts to actual get him arrested..." he bit his lip at the thought of it, "One of whom will be hard, knowing that the castle is run by Prince John who's friends with Isabel and Guy, the one ordering guards to arrest us and the one who allows and plans to reward the thieves who captured us...So it's no surprise...That thief hurts us...If that's the theory of why it's hard to report him to King Richard."
Maryan: "I know..." she swings her feet, shrugging. "I understand that it's difficult to solve this situation knowing that my cousin has plans on getting any thief to capture you and Hamlet."
Little John: "...So how could we solve it then?"
Scarlett: "..."
Robin Hood: "I'm still unsure how we'll make it happen..." he closes his eyes. "There's no way we would let this slide...That thief won't get away with having us be hurt by him...There's no way of letting him get away with what he's doing...We have to all collectively make a plan to stop him until we finally able to report it to the king and solve this issue, but that also means the prince who is Richard's brother has to learn what's going on but knowing who the prince is..."
Maryan: "..."
Hamlet: "..." he took off his glove to see the scars that aren't just inflicted by the thief's lash but also by himself.
Little John: "Hamlet..." he stops when he notices the pale teen standing up and walking away from the sofa.
Robin Hood: "Anyways...Let's just split up into groups to capture him, you with Maryan and Scarlett...I with Little John and Hamlet."
Tuck: "Why do you always put up with the girls?" he asked, annoyedly.
Little John: "Well, it isn't our fault that it makes sense for you to team up with them..." he said, still nervous about Hamlet leaving without him saying.
Outside the den, Hamlet trudges and plods through the woods of Sherwood to go and stop the thief by himself. He held onto Robin's weapons, the bow and arrow with a quiver on his back...Stepping through the forest, gripping onto the bow and quiver as he trembled as he slowly walked through the wilderness till he stopped at the thief who showed up besides a tree.
???: "Someone's going through the woods alone," he leans on the tree with a crossed arms as he knocks the tree as an apple fell on his hand.
Hamlet: "So you're the one who hurt me and Robin..." he aims the arrow, while holding the bow.
???: "You can't even have your own weapons to defend yourself, you got to have one of Robin's." he twisted his lips, as he rolled his eyes.
The teen stepped back until he tripped from the back and fell on his butt. Snapping a branch, he crawls away when the thief approaches him and reveals himself.
Sam: "..." he smirks, as he took out a dagger.
Hamlet: "..." he grabbed the arrow and bow and aims it to the ground, a trap arrow that would make a nest to trap him.
Sam: "Aw, someone's afraid." he threw a dagger at the tree, "Of me!"
His hands shook as he tried to aim it to the ground and him, he panicked as he closed his eyes and shot it.
Sam: "..." he jumped from the attack, and into a tree as he threw an apple at Hamlet, bruising his eye.
Hamlet: "Augh..." he stood up and grabbed an arrow to aim it at Sam and each time he shot, him jumps to another one.
Sam: "Ha! I bet I never seen such a failure in my life..." he grins, as he jumped on the ground and took the dagger and sneaked behind Hamlet, holding a dagger to Hamlet's throat.
Hamlet: "..." he curled his hand into fist as he attempts to free himself.
Sam: "Ha! I won't let you try to escape."
The teen stepped on Sam's foot and he winced as he held on his foot while Hamlet crawls away, before Sam threw a dagger at Hamlet, stabbing his shoulder.
Hamlet: "AHHHHHHH." he yelped in pain, as Sam walked towards him until Little John knocked him over with a club.
Little John: "..." he rested a hand on his hip, as he carried his club over his shoulder. He dropped it when Hamlet looks at him, blood dripped from his shoulder, as a dagger pierced into it. The Moorish gentle giant kneels down and took the dagger off from his shoulder, as he winced in pain.
Clutching onto his shoulder, Robin came to see what just happened.
Little John: "Let's get you patched u-"
Robin Hood: "What just happened?" he asked, worriedly. Until he noticed Sam on the floor, who lays unconsciously.
Little John: "Sooo that's the thief Hamlet and you were attacked by."
Robin Hood: "Let's just get out of here before he attacks me also..." he clucks his tongue, grabbing his weapon from the ground as Little John scoops up Hamlet and carried him to the den.
At the den, the Moorish teen took Hamlet's arm gently to bandage and clean up his shoulder after bandaging his eye as his shirt remains on the side of the sofa. Robin leans on the wall, rolling his eyes.
Hamlet: "I tried defending myself from him, I used your weapon to stop him."
Robin Hood: "It's fine...I have so much arrows in that barrel, I won't mind one being wasted on, and I know you tried to defend yourself but even...Even those as smart as me, won't stop him."
Little John: "All done," he smiled as Hamlet looks down.
Robin Hood: "And it's not your fault, I would've also wanna stop him but it would lead to more injuries on my body." he sat on the sofa, "Hamlet...Whatever it's the case being, you shouldn't defend yourself if one of these thieves have a likelihood of hurting you. I won't defend myself without my parents being by my side!" he gave him a side hug. Until the Moorish gentle giant cleared his throat which the ginger flinched and looked at him, Hamlet's hands rested loosely on his legs.
Hamlet: "..."
Little John: "Robin, could please allow me to give him a shirt at a very least?" he took out a shirt for Hamlet, "That shirt long stayed it's welcome, it's already stained with the blood. Don't wanna upset Tuck with clothes that are stained," he spoke.
Robin Hood: "Speaking of Tuck, he went with Maryan and Scarlett so thus why we three should stop the thief." he got up, as Little John adjusted him a shirt as he puts it on.
Little John: "Fuck, I almost forget about it."
Robin Hood: "Anyhow, how about we three go after where he went? But LJ, please protect Hamlet before he gets hurt by him again."
Little John: "At your service, Robin." he winks at him, he holds Hamlet's hand. "We'll make sure your brother isn't hurt by him again." he cracks a genuine smile to Hamlet as Hamlet's head hanged low, which made his smile falter.
────୨ৎ────
At the Nottinghamshire castle, in King Richard's bed chamber room. The Nottinghamshire king took a quill pen and writes down something on a paper while sitting on the chair, he dips the pen with the ink as he continued writing.
Possibly a letter to Eden.
Ever since the banishment, the two hadn't talked for 9 years now ever since King Henry, Richard and John's father demanded to exile them. Due to despising Eden, so when Richard turned 15. He wanted Richard to exile them, which Richard refused and both of them got into a heated fight, which ended up with King Henry forcing a golden ring on Richard's head, forever reminding him who he really is and where he belongs, with a heavy heart. Richard exiled Eden, but this ended up being his last straw and what caused him to ultimately rebel against his father. When Eden was exiled, they were hurt and angry, planning on running off but they were stopped by the royal guards. As they tried to flee, they were badly hurt and landed in the river, getting washed away to the sea. They were picked up by a boat where they were forced to serve under the captain. They also lost their eye in the process, permanently leaving a scar of what trusting a royal did to them. Now it's been 9 years now, and Eden became the captain of their own ship.
The quill pen dropped from his hand, spilling the ink. The king stood up, until a knock on the door thudded as Richard walked to it and opened it to be his younger brother.
Prince John: "Such foolishness," he shuts the door.
King Richard: "..."
Prince John: "Sooo, brother. How's things are going?" he asked, innocently.
King Richard: "Fine..." he replied, annoyedly.
Prince John *: "Oh C'mon on now, why on such a upset mood? Richard. You act like your life is tough or something." he tilts his head, frowns. "It's not like you have a better life and had people love you for being a "Good King" in their eyes who helps the kingdom of Nottingham." he scoffed, resting his hands on his hips.
King Richard: "..."
Prince John: "I've been hated too by our own father, had a tough life as well...It's not like I had to go through this every single fucking time and endure nightmares of him in my dreams...I don't even mope about having my life be this way and owe is me moment, while our mom loved me more than you...Our dad sure as well didn't...I've been yelled at and abused by him also, yet I didn't turn out like a moping mess like you did." he told him, angrily.
King Richard: "JOHN," he yelled. "You don't understand how I feel...Having our own parents, mainly our father pressure me to be a king of this kingdom and being abused if I make a mistake and our mom neglecting me just to spoil you and yell at me for being...THIS! May-Maybe I mope too much or I'm upset about all of this because I lost all hope for having to deal with everything...My life after this is diplomatic meetings, court dealings and everything a king has to deal with...Won't you at least feel bad your own brother is having a hard time?" he curled his hand into a fist.
Prince John: "..." his shoulders hunched, "..."
King Richard: "I never felt isolated in my life ever since this, John...That's why I felt like this...Shitty, not being sociable to people when I'm dealing with diplomatic and king duties....I couldn't be able to start a conversation....with how much I've been isolated as a king...I lost anyone thanks to our dad..."
Prince John: "..."
King Richard: "I'm starting to believe that you...John, act more like our father because of how you act towards me..."
Prince John *A drop of tear fell down his cheek*: "You think I'm like him..."
King Richard: "YES, YOU ACT LIKE THIS TO ME MUCH LIKE HOW DAD USED TO ACT TOWARDS ME...I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU DOING THIS TO ME?" he yelled at him.
Prince John: "Y-You don't have any right to tell me I'm like him...You act like him for...ALL OF THIS, yet you think I am...LIKE HIM! Richard..." he avoids eye contact. "If you were this so, stuck up and think I am just as bad as him...You should look at yourself...You act like him and punished me for all of this to work as a Shepherd...I don't understand why...WHY WERE YOU THIS? STUPID TO DO THIS TO YOUR OWN BROTHER...ALL BECAUSE OF HOW I ACT TO THE VILLAGE? I didn't ask to be this way...Our mom spoiled me so much and made rumours of villagers robbing the rich...That's what got me...ME to have this vendetta to villagers."
King Richard: "..."
Prince John: "I have no idea how much you hated seeing me that you end up telling your own fucking brother, that they behave like their father...HUH!" he growled, "SOMEDAY...YOU WERE REALLY THIS...HATEFUL OF ME THAT YOU WISHED THAT I DIDN'T EXIST...Have a nice day!" he flung the door open before he closed it, aggressively.
The king trembled as he fell on his knees, tears rolled down his cheeks. Outside King Richard's bed chamber room, the prince stomped through the floor angrily.
Prince John: "Why was he this hateful of me that he thinks I'm like him? I too am scared of him...Yet he thinks I'm like him..." his body shook, groaning angrily. "What kind of brother thinks of his younger sibling like as if they were like their parent? I hated being him, yet I became the person that I hated the most."
────୨ৎ────
At Sherwood Forest, Robin shot an arrow to make a trap for the thief as Moorish gentle giant held Hamlet's hand and shielded him from getting hurt and to avoid him from walking away and ended up getting hurt by the same thief. Until the green leaves rustled from the tree, and Little John tightened the grip from his club.
Hamlet: "Little John, don't you think the thief might've awoken up..." he said, trembling.
Little John: "Fear not, we'll stop him at any moment now."
Robin Hood: "Close is clear." he spoke, until they encountered the thief from earlier and the thief immediately fell to the trap, and hanged upside down.
Sam: "Oh no, you got me."
Robin Hood: "Well, whatever you did to Hamlet is bad enough in my books...You better not do that or else you won't see the light of day."
Sam: "Sooooooo."
Robin Hood: "You starved Hamlet, you abused him when you took advantage of him...And made him suffer and attacked me as well. While you made me see this, what's wrong with you? I thought you won't come back...But I was wrong."
Sam: "Someone's pissed."
Robin Hood: "If that someone had to watch another be starved, abused and the one to attacked us that Hamlet's scars on his hand were from you."
Sam: "You would report me, huh?"
Robin Hood: "Well, that's the only way to stop you from hurting me and him."
Sam: "Heh, I bet that won't happen."
As he took out the dagger as he cuts off the trap and lands on the ground. He showed up in front of Robin with a grin, as Robin stepped back.
Sam: "I won't be arrested, I would probably escape and be able to do whatever I want."
Robin Hood: "..."
Sam: "What's even the point on me ever being jailed? When I could escape and eventually do whatever I want." he grabbed both his hands, dropping the bow from his hand, "You act like a hero when you are as much as a thief as any thieves."
Robin Hood: "I meant be a thief or outlaw but I had my purpose to stop anyone robbing the village from the prince and the rest of you thieves."
Sam: "..."
Robin Hood: "My job is to make the village better and be saved from you and the rest of the thieves even the prince and his friends, guards and sheriff."
Sam *Roughly threw him on the grass*: "That's sweet, you are pretending to be a moral righteous person but you end up being as bad as the thieves you stop."
Robin Hood: "..."
Sam *Walked around Robin*: "Robin, what's even the point on being a hero when you act like a thief and trying to make people love you for it, robbing from the rich and to give it to the poor, being a saviour...You aren't playing...The hero, you're playing the thief."
Robin Hood: "Well...That's none of your bussiness, I care for the village as they get robbed by the prince...You can't just make things up about I being a thief and a worse one when you had no idea I am making it a better place for the whole village."
Sam: "Well...I won't care if your reputation gets tained by the many lies yo-" he was cut off by Little John knocking him with his club.
Robin Hood: "..."
Little John: "Let's go, shall we?" he offered him a helping hand as he and Robin walked through the woods with Hamlet.
────୨ৎ────
Next day, Hamlet plucked a flower from the grass as he plants it on Little John. Tuck ate his sandwich in peace, as Maryan and Scarlett talked. Robin leaned against the tree, ever since they had gotten the thief arrested. Hamlet and Robin felt relaxed, but Robin still felt worried about what would happen if the thief escaped.
The ginger watched from the sky as his brows knitted into a frown, and sighed.
