The Merry Men

“At the end of the day, I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. If that makes me an outlaw, so be it. I’ve been called worse.”

[themerrymen]

queensandstreetrats:

There wasn’t really a day when Will wasn’t in a good mood. He was the merriest of the Merry Men, if he had something to say about it, and he usually had something to say about everything. It’s what filled the quiet days when all the rest of the men were off running their own jobs and lives. After all, Lil John was never much of a talker and never really left the bar for any reason, and silence made for a boring, boring life indeed.

“Aye, aye captain,” he grinned in response, watching happily as one of the golden lumps in his bag decided to slump over to the corner. “Better than well, if you ask me.”

And of course he was asking. 

He was about to take a sip of his newly received drink when Lil John again interrupted his post job bliss and his head snapped up with a frown and a sigh- what a buzzkill. 

“Fine, fine, I doubt a minute would change much, but I’m going. Where you want it?” he asked, pushing himself away from the bar.

Sighing at Will, of course a minute could change everything. The sheriff had been more than just an annoyance. Stomping around looking for something that could allow him to search the bar and question everyone who drank there. 

“Storage room, the bag should fit in with the others in there.” Lil John understood Will’s excitement, but it was also dangerous. While his job was boring in comparison, someone had to keep the questions at bay and deal with the gold. 

“Maybe when you get back I’ll have another drink waiting for you and you can tell me all about the job.” Even if working at the bar was easier, he missed being out there sometimes. He liked the thrill as much as the others, their stories were how he got to enjoy it now. 

[liammackenna]

“GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!” Will Scarlet announced as kicked open the door to his favorite hole in the wall pub. He made his way down the stairs, merrily and loudly humming the tune to the rest of the song as he shifted a heavy brown sack on his shoulder. He slid himself to the bar, hopping on a stool and settling his wares on the counter, shooting the man behind the bar a grin over the bag. 

“Roll up your sleeves, Lil John. Drinks for the house, on me!” he said cheerily, looking around him at the rest of the pub. “Well…for those three right over there. I’m having the rest, mates, hope you don’t mind.”

The three other patrons milling around one of the round tables in the back merely looked up from their arms and their mugs and returned to their previous staring and snoring. 

“You’re welcome.”

[themerrymen]

Before Will had even made it to the bar, Lil John was rolling his eyes. His humming made it clear to Lil John that he was in a good mood, and he could guess what it was because. Turning finally looking over the younger male, he didn’t bother to raise his eyebrows. 

“I take it your job went well?” There was a day that Lil John would’ve been in the thick of it with the others, but he’d done this with Marion growing up. Every now again he’d do his own job, but he liked being the one on the sidelines, liked handling the business side of things. 

Turning away he started working on the drinks Will asked for. Most days there was one of the Merry Men in the pub, sometimes he’d get them to help, but mostly they just hung around. Placing the drink in front of him, Lil John quickly went and gave the others their drinks before returning to Will. “Why not go and put that somewhere else? It’s not great to leave that out, mostly with the sheriff sniffing around here all the time.”

[themerrymen]

Royalty. It as the Merry Men’s main target, anyone with money that abused it. No one in politics or the royals cared about the lower class, the ones working day and night to put food on the table, only to have the money they’ve worked so hard for taken away by taxes. Which raised every other day, which didn’t allow for people to even save up. They don’t need the scraps of money most can give, they already have loads, more than enough to last three times their lifetime. So why do they take so much? Because they can, because their greedy. That was the impression that was left with Marion. Never in his life had he ever come across someone with wealth that was a decent person. Prince Jon had been a pain in his ass since he’d been crowned, he always had his hand out and an awful smile. Anything he wanted he got or rather, took. 

It wasn’t until his teen years that Marion and Lil John actually started doing something about it. Turns out the two of them had a knack for stealing, however, it didn’t go without getting a name for themselves. Among the lower class, they were considered somewhat heroes, never keeping any more than they needed for themselves. Among the wealthy, they were thieves and needed to be arrested. Somehow along the way, they’d gotten more to join their crew, each teaching the other new tricks and hacks. They’d even gotten a name (though Marion doesn’t remember if they gave themselves the name or if someone else did). The Merry Men, a group who stole from the rich and gave back to the poor, they never took more than they needed - normally. Which is what lead Marion to be slipping into one of the rooms in the castle the merry men had come to know well. After one of them sneaking in often enough, you’d think they’d figure out security, yet here he was. Eyes scanning the room quickly, settling on a box across the room. Marion made quick work, getting into the box silently eyes lighting up at the sight. A jewelry box was exactly what he wanted, however he couldn’t smuggle out a whole box. His nimble fingers hooked around one of the bulker necklaces, jewels dangling and hanging all around it.

His motions stilled, he’d been so distracted he hadn’t heard anyone coming, he couldn’t even get to the window before the door opened. He stopped dead in his tracks, he’d gotten in and out of hundreds of palaces, castles, and houses without being caught - how had he let himself get distracted here? It shouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t been in the room before, plenty of them were new when he first got there. He couldn’t bring himself to move, there was a hope that if he stood still they wouldn’t notice him.