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Chapter Text

“Maria! Don't wander off too far now!” La Muerte called to the royal child.

“Ok!” Maria wasn't a princess, but as the king's niece, she had status and must be protected. As such, she was placed under the care of her nanny, La Muerte. 

It was a boring day at the castle, so La Muerte decided to go into the village of Nottingham. To keep Maria busy for a few minutes, she handed the young girl some money and a basket and told her to buy flowers for her bedroom. 

It didn't take long for Maria to find the flowers she wanted. Roses. They were always her favorite. Once she had the flowers in her possession, she began to run back to La Muerte. She tripped over her feet, spilling the flowers out of the large basket.

Maria sighed in frustration. She got up and dusted off her dress. She picked up the roses from the ground with a pout. Of course she had to be clumsy. Now she was covered in dirt.

As she placed her roses back in the basket, she noticed another small pair of hands helping her. She slowly looked up at who the hands belonged to.

A little boy around her age with dark hair, who was also covered in dirt. The two children stared at each other. The boy shyly smiled at her, “Hi.”

Maria felt her heart skip a beat, smiling at the strange feeling, “H-Hello.”

La Muerte walked by with new fabrics. She noticed Maria had ruined her dress and was staring at a boy. She couldn't ignore the look they had in their eyes and knowingly smiled. 

She walked up to the kids and knelt down to their level, “There you are, Maria.” The kids were startled at the older woman's sudden presence, “I see you made a new friend.” 

Maria looked back at the boy and nodded.

“Do you have a name, mijo?” La Muerte asked him.

“Manolo, ma'am.” He said.

“It's great to meet you, Manolo. This is Maria.”

Manolo’s eyes grew wide with awe and fear, “You mean-”

“Now, now, there's no need to be scared. She's just a child like you. Besides, you want to see her again, right?” He nodded, “Well, how about we meet again tomorrow? Would you both like that?”

The kids nodded.

“Good. Now, Maria, is there anything you want to say to Manolo before we go?” 

Maria looked at Manolo, “Uh… Thank you for helping me.”

“You're welcome.” Manolo said, looking at his feet.

“We'll see you tomorrow.” La Muerte said, “Say goodbye to your friend, Maria.” Maria grabbed the basket and went to follow La Muerte. All she could do was smile and wave as she left. She blushed when Manolo waved back.

“What was that?” La Muerte laughed, “You barely said a thing to each other.” Maria didn't reply, smiling at the ground as they walked. 

La Muerte's smile softened. She knew coming into the village was a good idea.

Years went by. Manolo and Maria met up together almost every night with La Muerte's help. 

Manolo was an orphan and the day he and Maria met was his attempt at running away from the orphanage. He since went back and never tried to leave again. But he never regretted escaping that day.

Manolo had dreams of being a musician. His guitar was the last thing he had of his parents. He quickly became talented at both the guitar and singing. 

Manolo and Maria were inseparable when they were together. She would read him stories, he'd sing her songs, and they often went exploring in the forest.

They both knew there was something between them, but it remained unspoken. Maybe it was because they were still young and didn't know what they were feeling. Maybe it was because deep down they knew their paths would separate them. Whatever the reason, they acted like they've been in love forever. 

To an outsider, it was merely puppy love, but La Muerte knew better.

“How long will you be gone?” Manolo asked. 

Manolo and Maria were in the forest that night. Maria was leaving for London the next day.

“I don't know.” Maria said, “I don't want to go.”

“Then stay. You can sneak out.”

“I can't. You know I can't. I'm sorry, but…” Maria sighed, just as heartbroken as him.

It seemed as though their lives would tear them apart after all.

Manolo picked a small flower from the grass and gave it to her, “I promise, no matter what happens, I'll never forget you.”

Maria tearfully threw her arms around him in a tight hug. Even as they held each other that night, they still didn't say what was in their hearts.

But that wasn't important. Not anymore. For now, they could only cherish what they have and what never was.

Chapter Text

Ten years passed. A lot has changed in Nottingham, and not for the better.

The beloved King Richard was fighting in the crusades and in his place was his greedy brother, Prince John. During the king’s absence, he ramped up the taxes, draining the kingdom for all its worth. 

Manolo had been risking his life, robbing the rich and giving the money to the poor for the past couple years. He quickly became an outlaw alongside Joaquin, his best friend from the orphanage. 

He quickly learned archery and how to fight. He still played his guitar when he wasn't running from the law.

Manolo and Joaquin walked through the forest, talking and laughing. They messed around which led to them falling into the creek. As they were getting out of the water, they heard guards coming their way.

“Come on.” Joaquin said. 

The outlaws ran through the forest trying to get away, the guards close behind them. A couple of them fired arrows which they dodged with ease. They grabbed a tree branch and hoisted themselves up into the tree, hiding from the guards as they ran by.

Manolo and Joaquin sighed in relief when they were gone. 

“That was close.” Manolo said.

“Yeah, too close.” Joaquin said, “Hey, they got my hat.”

Manolo took the hat and snapped the arrow in half to remove it, “A shame there wasn't an apple on your head.”

“Hilarious.” Joaquin took his hat from Manolo, “Their aim is getting better.”

“Sure, next they'll start flying circles around us.”

“I'm serious, Manny. This whole thing gets more and more dangerous by the day. We can't be too careful.”

“Ay, you're worrying too much. They haven't gotten us yet, right?”

“I just don't want to see you get hurt.”

“You won't, brother.” Manolo and Joaquin smiled. They started this together and they were ending it together.

Trumpets sounded in the distance and they sounded like they were getting closer.

“Sounds like we're needed.” Manolo adjusted his hat before jumping from the tree.

“Yeah. Sweet charity.” Joaquin said, following him.

They hid in the shrubs near the road where the trumpets grew louder. A number of guards marched by protecting a gold and white carriage that rode by. 

“It's Prince John.” Manolo said when the carriage was out of earshot, “What luck.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Joaquin said, “We draw the line at royalty, remember?”

“Joaquin, he is the reason we're doing all this. It's only fair we get to him.”

Joaquin sighed as Manolo ran off, “Here we go again.”

They ran ahead of the carriage, hiding in the bushes. Joaquin and Manolo threw stones at the wheels. The stones loosened one of the wheels enough to come clean off. 

As they disguised themselves in the bushes as they heard the carriage crash.

“Show time.” Manolo said. He rubbed dirt on his face and let his hair loose. He walked out to see the lopsided carriage and Prince John ranting to his right hand man, Sir Hiss. Both were slender men, Hiss more so than John. The main difference was that Prince John wore royal robes and a crown that was clearly too large for him.

“Hello, there!” Manolo called out, “I see you need help with your- Oh, your majesty! If I may, I'd love to help you out.”

“Ah, what luck.” Prince John said, triumphantly.

Sir Hiss eyed Manolo suspiciously, “Sire. Sire.” He whispered to Prince John, “He may be a bandit.”

“Oh, poppycock.” Prince John scoffed, “A filthy bandit? What next? Rubbish.” He turned to Manolo with a smile, “My dear boy, uh, you have my permission... to kiss the royal hands, whichever you like first.”

Manolo saw the giant ring on the prince's finger, “Oh! How gracious and generous.” He slipped the ring off Prince John's finger before kissing his hand.

Sir Hiss's jaw dropped, “Sire. Sire. Did you see what he-”

“Stop. Stop hissing in my ear.” Prince John dismissed Sir Hiss.

“Did ya see? Did ya see?”

“Hiss! Oh, you've hissed your last hiss.” He shoved Sir Hiss into the crooked coach, “Suspicious snake.” He smiled at Manolo, “My apologies, my dear boy. You have permission to fix the royal wheel.”

“Thank you, your grace.” Manolo said, with a smile. 

“My.” Manolo pulled the wheel closer to him before pushing the carriage upright with all his strength, “I've never seen such beautiful work done.”

“Well, it's just one of the many luxuries of royalty. All adorned in pure gold.” Manolo smirked. It was amusingly easy to get the prince to talk about himself.

While Manolo occupied himself with Prince John, Joaquin managed to sneak by the guards carrying a large chest. He quickly cut a hole in the bottom of the chest with his dagger, collecting the falling coins into his bag.

Manolo was getting tired of stroking Prince John's ego. He was hoping he didn't notice how slow Manolo was-

“I say, will this take any longer?” Prince John asked, getting impatient. 

It turns out he did notice. Manolo chuckled nervously, “My apologies, your highness. I'm just making sure the wheel won't break again. It simply can't happen again.”

As the prince went on another ego trip, Manolo noticed the wheels had golden hubcaps, which were easy to remove. 

“Alright, there you go, your majesty.” Manolo said, “Good as new.” Before Prince John could say anything else, Manolo went through the coach, swiftly grabbing the first bags of gold he saw, punching Sir Hiss to keep him quiet.

As he made a run for it, Manolo and Joaquin bumped into each other, dropping the coins they had just stolen. As they quickly gathered the coins, Prince John went around the coach to see what was going on. His jaw dropped when the pieces clicked together in his head.

“Robbed!” He exclaimed, “I've been robbed!”

Manolo and Joaquin dashed off with what they had.

“Hiss! You're never around when I need you. Ahem, I've been robbed.”

Sir Hiss stumbled out of the coach, rubbing his face, “Of course, you've been robbed!”

Manolo and Joaquin laughed as they ran from the prince.

“After them, you fools!” Prince John yelled at his guards. Some guards ran after them, but Manolo and Joaquin easily hid from them in the forest.

Once they were sure the guards were gone, Manolo and Joaquin fell into a fit of maniacal laughter.

“Aw, man.” Joaquin wheezed, “That never gets old.”

“I don't know why you second guess this, amigo.” Manolo said, wiping the dirt off his face, “The look on his face.”

“You're right. Neither do I.” Joaquin sat on the ground, “Come on. Let's split the loot to give to the town.”

Manolo and Joaquin had split up to distribute the money they stole to Nottingham. It was only right they give back to the people what's rightfully theirs personally. 

Manolo was disguised as a blind beggar to not be caught by the law. He had given money to a few people and was looking for just one more person to give some to. 

He passed by the Ramirez household. He could hear them singing happy birthday to someone. Just then, he spotted the Sheriff of Nottingham entering the same house. Not good. He knew who to give the rest of the money to now.

He entered the house, pretending to be oblivious of the Sheriff, “Alms. Alms. Alms for the poor.” He said, putting on a voice.

The Sheriff looked at Manolo with a smirk, “Hmm. Well.” He dropped a coin into the cup while grabbing the other coins already in there.

Luisa Ramirez, the mother of the family, gasped in horror. The Ramirezes were a large family. Hector Ramirez, Luisa's husband, had passed away a few years ago, leaving Luisa to raise their children. While the whole town of Nottingham suffered, the Ramirez family were among the ones who suffered the most.

“Well, so far it's been a cheerful morning. Keep savin'.” The Sheriff left with a smug smile on his face. 

“What a dirty trick.” Luisa grumbled. She turned to Manolo, not realizing who he was, “You poor man. Do come in and rest.” She guided him to a chair.

“Gracias, Mother.” Manolo said, still putting on a voice, “Correct me if I'm wrong, but was someone singing about a birthday?”

“Yes, sir.” Skippy, one of Luisa's younger kids, whimpered, “And that mean, old sheriff… took my birthday present.”

“Did he now?” Manolo took off his disguise, “Cheer up, mijo, the day isn’t over yet.”

Skippy's face lit up when he saw Manolo, “Gee whiz! It's Manolo Sanchez!”

“Happy birthday, mijo.” Manolo smiled at the young boy. The family gathered around Manolo in awe.

“Oh, he's so handsome, just like his reward posters.” Mia Ramirez gushed.

Manolo smiled bashfully at the attention and turned to Skippy, “Tell me, young man, how old are you today?

“Gosh.” Skippy said, “I'm seven years old, goin' on eight next year.”

“Seven? My, you're practically a man already. I have the perfect gift for you.” He handed Skippy a spare bow and arrow.

“For me? Gee, thanks, Señor Sanchez.” Seeing the sparkle in the young boy's eyes was the highlight of Manolo's day. Skippy tried posing with the bow and arrow, which were a little big for him, “Hey, how do I look, huh?”

“Not much like Señor Sanchez.” Juanita Ramirez, the youngest sibling said.

Manolo shrugged playfully, “She's right. Something's missing. I know what you need.” He gave him his very own hat.

“Boy, oh, boy!” Skippy exclaimed, putting on the hat, “Now how do I look?”

“The hat's too big.” Mia said through laughter.

“Shh!” Luisa said, “Mind your manners.”

“Yes. Mind your manners.” Juanita said, emulating her mother.

“Ay, you'll grow into it.” Manolo said, patting Skippy's head.

“Oo-de-lally! I'm gonna try it out.” Skippy said.

“Well, I better get going now. Happy birthday, mijo.” 

The Ramirez family bid Manolo goodbye, “Goodbye, Señor Sanchez.” Juanita said, “Come again on my birthday.”

Luisa led Manolo to the door, “Ay, you saved his birthday. How can I ever thank you?”

Manolo sighed, “There’s no need for that, Señora. I just wish I could do more for all of you.” He handed Luisa the rest of the gold, “Here. Don't lose hope. There will be happiness again in Nottingham. Take care of yourself.” He bid her goodbye as he left.

Luisa's eyes began to water, “Oh, Manolo, you risk so much to keep our hopes alive. Bless you. Bless you.”

That very same day, Maria and La Muerte were in the palace garden playing badminton. 

“It's your turn to serve, Maria.” La Muerte said.

Maria grabbed the birdie, “Are you ready, La Muerte?”

“Any day, now.”

Maria chuckled and served. They hit the birdie back and forth over the net.

“I'm getting too old for this.” La Muerte stretched her arm out to hit the birdie, “Oh.”

“Good shot.”

“Not bad yourself, mija.” Maria hit the birdie to La Muerte's side and she missed, losing sight of the birdie, “Oh. Oh, dear.” She looked around for it, “My dear, did you see where it went?”

“Oh, there it is behind you.” Maria went to La Muerte's side to grab the birdie. She saw a little boy, Skippy, reaching for an arrow that was right next to the birdie, “Oh! Well, hello. Where did you come from?”

Skippy looked nervous at the sight of Maria, “Oh, please, don't tell Prince John. Mama said he'll chop off my head.”

“Oh, don't worry, mijo, I won't say a word. Besides, you've done nothing wrong.”

“My, what a sweet little boy.” La Muerte said, looking down at Skippy. 

Maria noticed Skippy's hat and bow. She smiled sentimentally, “La Muerte, who does this young archer remind you of?”

La Muerte looked closer at Skippy's attire and giggled, “Oh. Dios mío, the notorious Manolo Sanchez.”

“That's right! Only he wears a hat like that.”

Skippy was calmer with the admiration he was receiving, “Yeah, and look at this keen Manolo Sanchez bow.”

La Muerte heard a small sneeze. She turned towards the garden gate and saw three more young children looking tentatively towards them. She chuckled and said, “Um, Maria. Don't look now, but I do believe we're surrounded.

Maria turned to see the other children. She smiled warmly and said, “It's all right, children. Don't be afraid. Come on.”

The children talked among themselves for a moment before they stepped through the bars of the gate.

“I told Skippy he was shooting too high.” Mia said when they all made it.

“Well, you know what?” Maria said, “I'm very glad he did. I got to meet all of you.” 

“Gee.” Juanita said with a smile, “You're very beautiful.”

“Aw, thank you, mija.”

“Are you gonna marry Manolo?” Mia asked.

Maria’s heart stopped and she became flustered, “O-Oh. Um…”

“Yeah.” Juanita added, “Mama said you and Manolo are sweethearts.”

Maria smiled sadly, “That was years ago, mija, before I left for London.”

“Did he ever kiss ya?” Toby asked.

“Uh, no. But he carved our initials on this tree.” She showed the children a tree in the garden, the initials of her and Manolo carved around a heart, “I remember it like it was yesterday.” She sighed sadly, “He probably forgot about me.”

“Oh, not Manolo.” Skippy exclaimed, “I bet he'll storm the castle gates, fight the guards…” Skippy made heroic poses with his bow and arrow, “Rescue ya and drag ya out to Sherwood Forest.”

“Just a moment there, young man.” La Muerte said, “You forgot about Prince John.”

“That old Prince John doesn't scare me!”

“I'm scared of Prince John.” Toby said, “He's cranky.”

La Muerte grabbed her badminton racket, pretending it was a sword, “I, Prince John, challenge you to a duel.” She and Skippy pretended to duel while the others watched in amusement, playing along with the game. During which, they praised Manolo and mocked Prince John.

Skippy pretended to impale La Muerte by sticking his racket under her arm, “Oh! Mercy! Mercy! He got me. I'm dying. Ohh!” She laid on the ground, feigning death.

La Muerte looked at Skippy, “This is the part where you whisk your true love off to Sherwood Forest.”

Skippy ran to Maria, grabbing her hand, “Come on, lady fair. Let's go!”

Maria chuckled as she ran with Skippy, “Oh, Manolo, you're so brave and impetuous.” They ran to a tree on the other end of the garden, “Oh. So this is Sherwood Forest.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Skippy said, “Well, now what do we do?”

“Well, usually, the hero gives his true love a kiss.”

“A kiss? Oh, that's sissy stuff.”

Maria giggled, “Alright, if you won't, then I will.” She wrapped her arms around Skippy, giving him a playful peck on the cheek. Skippy instantly pushed her off him, groaning as everyone laughed. 

…

After the children left, Maria and La Muerte went back inside the palace to Maria’s room.

“Ay, those children were just lovely, weren't they?” La Muerte asked. 

“They were wonderful.” Maria said. She opened a drawer and took out a wanted poster of Manolo Sanchez. She sat on her bed and stared longfully at his picture. 

Their game with the children made her think of the last time she saw him four years ago. 

Almost as soon as Maria returned from London when she turned eighteen, she heard word of Manolo being an outlaw. Wanting to get answers for herself, she grabbed a cloak and a sword, and set off to Sherwood Forest to look for him.

She must've looked for hours when she saw a hooded figure with a scarf over his face. Before she could ask him anything, he ran and she gave chase. He fired arrows in her direction to slow her down, but it only drove her to catch up to him.

When Maria caught up to him, they fought. First with fists, then with weapons. He was definitely stronger than he looked, his hits having more impact than she expected. She could tell he must've underestimated her strength too. With her sword, she knocked his bow and arrow out of his hands, holding her sword to his face as he laid on the ground.

“Alright, alright, alright. I yield! I yield!” 

Her heart stopped. She knew that voice. She lowered her sword, “Manolo?”

His heart stopped. He looked closer at the cloaked woman. He lowered his hood and scarf, “Maria?”

Manolo and Maria tearfully embraced each other as they were reunited. They talked as though they weren't brawling just a moment ago and caught up with each other.

“When did you come back?” Manolo asked.

“Just yesterday.” Maria said, rubbing her bruised sides.

“How was London?”

“It was great. Not as beautiful as Nottingham, but it's a sight to see. I learned and saw so much.”

“Did you learn how to fight in London?” The childhood friends smiled and chuckled sheepishly. They had done quite a number on each other.

“Maybe. I discovered so many stories I know you'll love.” She turned to him, “So what have you been up to while I was gone?”

Manolo turned away in shame. Maria sighed and said, “Manolo, I've seen nothing but wanted posters of you all over the kingdom. I want to know what's going on. If-If you're in danger… I want to know.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, “I promise I'll listen.”

Manolo looked into her large, brown, gentle eyes. How he had longed to see those eyes again. He'd drown in them if he could. 

“Prince John has been bleeding Nottingham dry.” He finally said, “I couldn't just do nothing about it. Joaquin and I have been stealing from the wealthy to give back to the people.” He turned away from her, “I can't imagine what you must think of me now.”

Maria shook her head and scoffed, “Manolo, what are you talking about? You're doing nothing wrong.” Manolo looked back at her and blinked, “Stealing isn't always so terrible. What about if a man stole to feed his children? Is that so bad? You're giving back to the people, Manolo. I see nothing wrong with that.”

Manolo smiled and took her hand, “I know. I'm just relieved you understand.” They smiled warmly at each other until they heard what sounded like royal guards in the distance.

“I have to go before they find me.” Manolo put his hood back on as he stood up from the ground.

“Wait!” Maria said. She got up with him and grabbed his wrist, “Promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to hear that you've been killed.”

Manolo took her hands in his, “I promise, Maria.” He heard the guards getting closer, “Please go. I don't want you involved in this.” Maria hesitated, not wanting to let him go again, “Go.” 

They reluctantly let go of each other and escaped their separate ways into the forest.

“Ah, young love.” La Muerte drew Maria out of her thoughts. 

“Do you think Manolo knows I love him?” Maria asked.

“What kind of question is that? Mark my words, Maria. Soon your uncle Richard will have an outlaw for an in-law.” Maria blushed as her nanny chuckled.

“I don't know, La Muerte.” Maria sighed and slumped back onto the bed, holding the poster to her chest, “We haven't seen each other in years. What if he's forgotten all about me?”

“Ay, mija. Don't lose hope. I'm sure you're on his mind just as much as he is on yours.”

Maria looked at the poster. It was all she had of him. She prayed that La Muerte was right and that Manolo loved her as much as she loved him.

Chapter Text

Manolo and Joaquin had set up camp in Sherwood Forest. Since they were outlaws, they never settled in the same place twice. Manolo was cooking by the fire while Joaquin hung their clothes up to dry. 

While Manolo cooked, his mind wandered to Maria. He hummed a song to himself, imagining he was singing for her and playing his guitar. How he longed to sing for her again. 

Joaquin looked over his shoulder to see Manolo daydreaming. He rolled his eyes and said, “Hey, how's dinner coming along, lover boy?”

Manolo didn't hear him and continued to fantasize. 

“Manny. Manny! Manolo!” Fed up, Joaquin chucked a shoe at Manolo’s head.

“Ow!” Manolo exclaimed, “Joaquin.”

He shrugged, “It's not my fault your head's in the clouds. A certain little lady is on your mind.” Joaquin smelled smoke, “Manolo!”

Manolo realized the pot was boiling over. The two men scrambled to put the fire out. They grabbed a damp blanket off the line and smothered the fire out with it.

“Ay.” Manolo rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, “I'm sorry, Joaquin. You're right, I was thinking about Maria.”

Joaquin chuckled, “Why don't you just marry her already? It's better than you feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I haven't seen her in years. I can't just walk up to her and propose.”

“Why not? You storm the castle, sweep her off her feet, serenade her with your melodious voice. She'll love it.”

Manolo leaned against a tree, “It wouldn't work out. I've thought about it over and over again, and it wouldn't work. What do I have to offer her?”

Joaquin smelled a spoonful of the burnt stew and winced, “Well, for one thing, you can't cook.”

“I'm serious, Joaquin. Maria isn't just anyone. She lives in a castle, her uncle is the king.” He sighed in dismay, “She's a high quality woman.”

“What's the big deal? She's got class.”

“The big deal is I'm an outlaw. She doesn't deserve a life always on the run. She'd have no real future with me.”

Joaquin looked at his heartbroken friend sadly. Before he could say anything to reassure him, they heard Friar Tuck who had stumbled into their camp. Friar Tuck was a round, balding man in his late fifties, a good man of the church.

“Oh, for heaven's sake, son.” He said, “You're no outlaw. Why, someday, you'll be called a great hero.”

Manolo chuckled, “Heroes? Well, Joaquin, it seems like we've just been pardoned.”

“Huh.” Joaquin mused, “I mean, you can't be pardoned if you haven't been arrested yet.”

“All right, laugh, you two rogues.” Friar Tuck said, “But there's gonna be a big to-do in Nottingham.” Friar Tuck tasted some of the stew, coughing and gagging at the taste, “Well-done, ain't it?”

“Hey, Manolo here is a quality cook.” Joaquin said, making Manolo smile sheepishly. 

Friar Tuck chuckled, “Well, old Prince John's havin' a championship archery tournament tomorrow.”

“Archery?” Joaquin scoffed, “Manolo could win that with a hand tied behind his back.”

Manolo chuckled, “Oh, please, I'm not that great.”

“Sure you are.” 

“Well, thank you, but I doubt we're invited.”

“No, but there's somebody who'll be very disappointed if you don't come.” Friar Tuck said.

“You're saying the Sheriff was looking forward to seeing us?” Joaquin asked.

“No.” Friar Tuck tasted more of the burnt stew, “Maria.”

Manolo’s heart stopped, “Maria?”

“Yeah. She-She's gonna give a kiss to the winner.”

“Kiss to the winner!” Manolo held his bow and arrows aloft as his energy rose, “Oo-de-lally! Come on, Joaquin! What are we waiting for?”

Joaquin did a double take at his friend, “Wait, wait, wait. Think about this, Manny. That place will be crawling with guards. You'll be arrested on sight.”

“You were the one who said I should sweep Maria off her feet.” He fired an arrow, hitting a tree, “Well, now is my chance. My friends, this will be my greatest performance yet.”

The day of the tournament, La Muerte was helping Maria do her hair to get ready, “I'd really rather not go.” Maria said.

“Oh, come on, now, mija.” La Muerte said, “It's not everyday an event like this is held.”

“What's so special about another shallow attempt of John winning the approval of the people who he's constantly draining for all their money?” Maria rolled her eyes, “I'm sick of it.”

La Muerte chuckled, “My, I'm surprised you've forgotten.”

Maria blinked, turning to look at her nanny, “Forgotten what?”

La Muerte knelt down and whispered, “Manolo Sanchez will be there.” Maria’s eyes grew wide as she looked at herself in the mirror.

“H-How do you…?”

“Let's see; an archery tournament with the chance to get a kiss from you. He must be there. In disguise, of course, but he'll be there if it means you are.”

Maria chastised herself for not thinking of it sooner. She was so sure he must've forgotten her, but could she have been wrong? She hoped so.

The whole town of Nottingham was gathered to watch the tournament. Trumpets were playing, the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day. Maria was giddy with excitement. 

“Slow down, mija.” La Muerte said. 

“I'm just so excited, La Muerte.” Maria said, giggling, “But how will I recognize him?”

“Oh, he'll let you know somehow. That young rogue of yours is full of surprises, my dear.”

Manolo and Joaquin were hiding in the bushes, watching as the guards and townsfolk gathered.

“There she is, Joaquin.” Manolo said when he saw Maria. His heart stopped at the sight of the woman he hasn't seen in years, “Isn't she beautiful?”

“Cool it, lover boy.” Joaquin said, shaking his head with a smile, “Your heart's running away with your head.”

“Ay, will you stop worrying?” Manolo put on a large hat that covered most of his head and a scarf to cover his face, “If you didn't know me, this disguise would fool you.”

“You're not wrong. But you still need to fool him.” Joaquin pointed to the Sheriff as he walked by.

“Too easy.” Manolo stepped out of the bushes and walked toward the Sheriff. Putting on a voice, he said, “Sheriff, your honor?”

“Yeah.” The Sheriff said, not recognizing Manolo.

Manolo eagerly shook the Sheriff's hand, “Meeting you face-to-face is a real treat. A real treat!”

The Sheriff was flattered by the compliment and didn’t bother to look closer at the disguised Manolo, “Well, now, thank you. Oh... Excuse me. I gotta go win this tournament.”

Manolo said nothing as he followed the Sheriff into the tournament to join the other archers.

Joaquin chuckled, “Either Manolo is a good actor or the Sheriff is as dimwitted as he looks. Wait till he sees what I have for Prince John.”

Joaquin put on his own disguise, which was much more elaborate than Manolo’s. He walked to where Prince John and Sir Hiss sat, mimicking the way he imagined royals walked, “Ah! My lord.” Joaquin said, talking as posh as he could, “My esteemed royal sovereign of the realm. The head man himself. You're beautiful.”

Prince John's face lit up at the compliment. His ego prevented him from looking closer to recognize Joaquin, “He has style, hey, Hiss?” The prince chuckled.

Joaquin feigned laughter, “You took the words right out of my mouth, P.J.”

“P.J. I like that. Do you know, I do. Hiss, put it on my luggage. P.J.” Joaquin faked a smile as the prince laughed, “P.J. Yes.”

Sir Hiss wasn't as convinced as Prince John and eyed Joaquin up and down suspiciously, “And you? Who might you be, sir?”

“I am Sir Reginald, Duke of Chutney.” Joaquin said, putting as much gusto into himself as he could, “And don't stick your tongue out at me, kid.” Sir Hiss blinked in surprise, offended by Joaquin, who turned his attention back to the prince, “And now, Your Mightiness, allow me to lay some protocol on you.”

Prince John took his hand away as Joaquin reached for one to kiss, “Oh, no. Forgive me, but I lose more jewels that way than. Please sit down.”

“Why thank you, P.J. Couldn't get a better seat than this, could ya? The royal box.” He looked down at Sir Hiss, “Hey, uh, excuse me, buster.” He grabbed Hiss's arm and yanked him out of his seat and sat down. 

Sir Hiss was appalled, “‘Buster’? You, sir, have taken my seat.” His anger rose as Joaquin and Prince John laughed together at his expense.

“Hiss, with you around, who needs a court jester?” Prince John said, “Now get out there and keep your eyes open for you know who .”

Sir Hiss blinked in shock, “You... You-You mean, l... I'm being dismissed?”

“You heard His Mightiness.” Joaquin said, waving his hand, “Move it, creepy. Get lost. Be gone, long one.” Sir Hiss finally left begrudgingly and highly offended. Regardless, he went to keep an eye out for Manolo in the tournament. 

Maria and La Muerte sat in the seat next to Prince John, paying no mind to the strange man he was talking to. Maria was too focused on finding Manolo among the archers, “Come on, Manolo, where are you?” She whispered to herself.

“What was that, my dear?” Prince John asked her.

Her heart jumped, not expecting her uncle to speak to her, “U-Uh, nothing, your majesty.” 

Manolo saw Maria sitting next to Prince John in the royal box.

Gathering all his courage, he walked up to Maria. “Ah, Your Ladyship.” He said, when she looked up at him, “If I may, it's an honor to shoot for your hand.” He raised his head enough to look her in the eye, “I hope I win the kiss.” He almost lost his breath at the sight of those beautiful eyes he hasn't seen since. He simply winked.

Maria looked into his eyes and her heart skipped a beat. It was him. Her outlaw has come back to her, “Oh!” She went along with the charade, “Why, how kind of you, my hooded friend. I wish you luck.” Maria leaned in closer and softly whispered, “With all my heart.”

Manolo smiled broadly under his scarf. She recognized him like he knew she would. He briefly nodded his head and reluctantly returned to the other archers. 

Maria was grinning from ear to ear. La Muerte was right. Manolo came. But why here? Why now? She didn't care about these questions right now. She was too happy to see her childhood love again. She felt La Muerte put a hand on her shoulder in silent support.

The captain of the royal guard told Prince John, “Your Highness, with your royal permission, we are ready to begin.”

Prince John nodded, “Proceed, Captain.”

“The Tournament of the Golden Arrow will now begin!” The crowd cheered as the trumpets sounded, signaling for the tournament to begin.

The archers took their turns firing arrows towards the targets. Some arrows missed, and the ones that hit the target didn't make a bullseye. 

The Sheriff hit the target when it was his turn. While it wasn't a bullseye, the town still jeered the Sheriff. Manolo fired his arrow and made a perfect bullseye, everyone cheering for the seemingly mysterious archer.

Prince John took notice of the hooded archer, “A perfect bullseye. Well, well.” 

“You know, P.J., I'd bet my fortune on the hooded one.” Joaquin told the prince. He hoped Manolo was putting on a convincing enough performance to fool the Sheriff.

Manolo chuckled at the support he got from the town. He had to keep up his charade and he wanted to gloat a little, “It looks like the golden arrow is in my grasp already. And then, I get to present myself to Lady Maria-”

The Sheriff scoffed, “Listen, dimwit, if you shoot half as good as you blabber-mouth, you're better than Manolo Sanchez.”

Manolo bashfully shrugged, “Manolo? The outlaw? I mean, thank you, but I'm not as good as him.” As he said that, he fired another arrow, scoring another bullseye. The Sheriff was shocked that the stranger managed to hit two bullseyes in a row.

Joaquin nudged the prince, “I like that fellow. He's quite the charmer.”

“Indeed he is, Reggie.” Prince John said, “Bravo! Bravo! Yes.”

“Oh, I heard you're having trouble actually catching Manolo Sanchez.” Manolo told the Sheriff, which clearly got on his nerves.

“He's scared of me.” The Sheriff of Nottingham said, “That's what he is. You notice he didn't show up here today. Heh! I could spot him through them phoney disguises.”

Manolo smirked, “Oh, I bet you could. I bet you could.”

“Attention, everyone!” The captain called out, “The final contestants are: The Honourable Sheriff of Nottingham.” The Sheriff bowed, only for the crowd to jeer him, making him scowl, “And the hooded archer from Devonshire.”

The crowd cheered for Manolo. He wished he could remove his disguise and relish in this praise as himself, as the outlaw who is risking it all to give back to the people. But all he could do for now was humbly bow, his smile hidden beneath his scarf.

Maria smiled broadly as she stood and clapped for her archer. It took all of his strength to not respond to his love's praise.

Prince John took notice of Maria's enthusiasm, “My dear, I suspect you favor the gangly youth, hmm?”

Maria blushed in embarrassment as she sat back down, La Muerte patting her back, “Uh... Why, yes, sire.” Maria said, “Well, at least he amuses me.”

“Coincidentally, my dear young lady, he amuses me too.” Prince John smiled menacingly as he took note of what he saw of this mysterious archer. There was only one archer in Nottingham who could possibly be as good.

“For the final shoot-out, move the target back 30 paces.” The Captain declared.

Manolo saw the Sheriff whisper something to one of the royal knights, who everyone called Nutsy. Nutsy nodded and went off somewhere just as the targets were set back.

The Sheriff went first for his shot. The arrow looked like it would miss the target, had it not been for the target magically moving slightly to the left in order to make a perfect bullseye. 

Now it all made sense to Manolo. Nutsy was inside the target, moving around for the Sheriff to win. The town booed at the obvious cheating.

“Oh, that cheating-” La Muerte grumbled.

“Come on.” Maria mumbled. 

The Sheriff, despite the negative reception of the crowd, felt pride and the need to gloat, “Well, that shot wins the golden arrow, the kiss and the whole caboodle.”

Manolo said nothing as he readied his bow and arrow, taking aim. With his own bow, the Sheriff knocked Manolo’s bow upright, causing him to misfire his arrow. Maria silently gasped.

Manolo was quick to think on his feet. He fired another arrow towards the one airborne. The second arrow hit the first, sending it downwards into the target, hitting a bullseye and splitting the Sheriff's arrow in two. With this bullseye, Manolo won the tournament. 

The crowd erupted into cheers for the mysterious hooded archer. Manolo looked around at the town's people with pride. He silently raised his bow to receive the praise.

Prince John smiled a wicked grin, “Archer, I commend you. And because of your superior skill you shall get what is coming to you. Our royal congratulations.”

Manolo walked up to Prince John and shook his hands, “Many thanks, your highness. It's a great honor to meet the great Prince John.”

“Release the royal fingers.” Manolo let go of the prince and let him pick up his sword. He bowed his head to be declared the winner of the tournament, “Ah! And now, I name you the winner. Or more appropriately… the loser.”

Manolo’s heart stopped in horror. With his sword, Prince John removed Manolo’s hat and tore his scarf, revealing himself to the town. 

It was all a trap to catch him. He should've known. 

Everyone gasped in horror. Not because Manolo Sanchez was there, but because he was caught by Prince John. La Muerte grabbed Maria’s arm in worry, but she didn't respond.

“Seize him!” Prince John declared.

The royal guards charged at Manolo all at once. He tried to get away, but there were too many of them as they bound him with ropes and chains. He couldn't escape from this now.

“I sentence you to sudden, instant and even immediate death.” Prince John said.

Maria gasped. Tears streamed down her face and her heart sank to her stomach, “No. No, please, your majesty, don't do this. Spare his life, I beg you.”

“My dear, emotional lady, why should I?”

Maria looked directly at Manolo, “Because I love him, you highness.”

Manolo looked up. He never thought he'd hear those words as he was being sentenced to death.

“Love him?” Prince John scoffed, “And does this prisoner return your love?”

Maria looked at Manolo as her tears continued to shed. Manolo looked back at her and said, “Maria, mi amor, I love you more than life itself.” 

Had it been under any other circumstances, Maria would've leapt for joy at his declaration of love. 

“Ah. Young love. Your pleas have not fallen upon a heart of stone. But traitors to the crown must die!”

“Traitor to the crown?” Manolo asked, “That crown doesn't belong to you. Long live King Richard!”

This riled up the crowd enough to declare, “Long live King Richard!” 

Prince John glared at the uproarious crowd, his anger rising tenfold, “Enough! I am King! King! King! Ah! Off with his head!”

The executioner walked forward with an axe in hand. 

“No! No, please!” Maria tried to run to try and protect Manolo, but was held back by La Muerte. She knew there wasn't much she could do, but she wasn't going to let her love die.

The guards held Manolo down on a block. As scared as he was of death, he was more hurt by the fact that Maria was witnessing his death. 

Manolo was preparing his final thoughts until death when all of a sudden, Prince John exclaimed, “Stop! Executioner, stop! Hold your axe!”

Everyone was shocked by the prince's sudden change of heart. One look on his face and things were starting to make sense. Manolo couldn't help but notice the look of terror on Prince John's face and that the disguised Joaquin was nowhere to be seen. No doubt in his mind that Joaquin had something to do with this.

“Sheriff, release my buddy. I mean, release the prisoner!” Prince John stammered.

The Sheriff was taken aback by the order, “Untie the prisoner?”

“You heard him loud and clear, you miserable old man!” La Muerte exclaimed, “Let the poor boy go!”

“Sheriff, I make the rules. And since I am the head man- Not so hard, you mean thing. Let him go, for heaven sakes! Let him go!” Prince John said. 

Everyone cheered as Manolo’s binds were undone. Maria let out a relieved laugh. 

“Don't just stand there, my dear.” La Muerte said, “Go to him.” The nanny watched as Maria ran to Manolo and threw her arms around him, “Ay, love truly does conquer all.”

“I owe you my life, Maria.” Manolo whispered.

“I didn't want to live in a world without you.” Maria replied. She felt a tear of his land on her shoulder. 

Thinking something was amiss, the Sheriff went around the royal box to investigate. Once he disappeared, the sound of a struggle was apparent to everyone. 

As quickly as Prince John changed his mind, he returned to his original intentions, “Kill him! Don't stand there! Kill him!” Manolo and Maria wrapped their arms protectively around each other.

Almost instantly, the guards were after Manolo and Joaquin, both out of their disguises. Prince John simply cowered as the brawl went on.

“La Muerte!” Maria exclaimed, seeing the Sheriff run towards her. La Muerte immediately turned to kick the Sheriff below the belt, sending him on the ground in pain.

“Don't worry about me, mija!” La Muerte said, “You and Manolo worry about yourselves!”

Maria saw a guard running towards her. Before she could do anything to defend herself, she was pushed away into a tent. It was Manolo, “Are you alright?”

Maria nodded, “I should be asking you. Besides, you know I can defend myself.”

“I know. Which is why you'll need this.” Manolo handed her a sword.

“Oh.” Maria smiled as she took the sword, “Thank you.” They exited the tent and continued the fight.

“Still think this was a good idea?” Joaquin asked as Manolo fighting a guard passed him.

“Of course, I do.” Manolo said, knocking the guard in the head, “In fact, this is going much better than I expected.”

“Yeah?” Joaquin punched another guard in the face, “Couldn't be any smoother! How do we plan on getting out of here alive?”

“Working on that!”

“My!” La Muerte exclaimed, dodging a guard, “I haven't moved like this in years!”

“Welcome to the team!” Joaquin said.

“Maria! On your left!” Manolo called out. Maria turned to see a guard about to attack her, allowing her to easily dodge and kick him.

“Thank you!” She called out.

Manolo let out a dreamy sigh. Everything this woman does makes him fall in love with her more and more. He almost didn't notice the Sheriff about to attack him.

“I should've known it was you the moment you stepped foot in the tournament.” He snarled.

“And look where that got you.” Manolo scoffed, “You might want to sharpen your senses more than your sword.”

The Sheriff was fuming at the insults. He charged towards Manolo only for him to easily move to the side, barreling into a crate. 

Manolo, Joaquin, Maria, and La Muerte escaped into the woods, but not before La Muerte turned to shout, “Long live King Richard!” 

Joaquin grabbed the older woman's arm, pulling her further into the forest as arrows were fired after them.

Chapter Text

Manolo, Joaquin, Maria and La Muerte hid in the woods from the royal guard. When they realized the sun had set, Manolo and Maria found themselves walking through Sherwood Forest.

“I'll admit, you made the tournament more entertaining.” Maria commented.

“What can I say?” Manolo said, “I can't resist putting on a show.”

The childhood friends chuckled before walking in silence. They found a spot in the forest with a perfect view of the stars in the night sky.

“Beautiful, isn't it?” Maria asked, sitting in the grass.

“Absolutely.” Manolo said, joining her, “You know, sometimes when I looked up at the sky, I'd wonder what you were up to.”

“So would I. I'd make up constellations I think you'd like.”

“Are there any up there now?”

Maria stared at the stars for a second, “Hm. Oh, there's one.” She took his hand, guiding it to point to a cluster of stars, “If you look hard enough, that one looks like a flower.”

Manolo had to tilt his head a little, “Oh, I see it. That's probably the most beautiful flower I've ever seen.”

They stared at the sparkling stars for a while until Maria said, “I have to ask, Manolo… why did you come?”

“What do you mean?” Manolo asked, “I wanted to see you again.”

“But you could've come at any time. Why didn't you ever…? You knew where I was, but you never…”

Manolo took in her words with guilt. With a deep sigh, he hung his head, “I don't know, Maria. You're a lady and I'm-”

“An outlaw?”

Manolo looked at her and nodded, “I can't just ask you to go on the run with me. No one deserves that life, especially not you. Besides, I couldn't risk getting arrested, let alone put you in harm's way.”

Maria’s heart ached for him. She placed her hand on his, “Ay, Manolo. I would've been an outlaw if it meant being with you.”

“You don't mean that.” 

“I do, Manolo. And you're not an outlaw. You're a hero to Nottingham, an archer, a musician, a friend. And above all… the man I love.”

Manolo looked up at her in surprise.

“I mean it. Everything I say. I love you, Manolo Sanchez. And I'd be willing to stand by you through anything, no matter what comes our way. Always have, always will.”

Manolo’s heart swelled. He never should've doubted Maria. Even as children, she was as stubborn as a rock. Once she had her mind on something, nothing could change her mind. 

He gently took her hand, “I'm sorry, Maria. I should've gone to see you.”

“It's alright.” Maria said, smiling, “What matters now is that we're together and nothing can tear us apart now. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“I don't think Prince John would approve of his niece running off with an outlaw.” Manolo chuckled.

“Of course not. But it's not like he can do anything about it, now, can he?” The childhood friends laughed together as they laid down in the grass, staring up at the twinkling stars above them.

They simply basked in the comfortable silence and breeze of the night. They couldn't remember the last time they had a peaceful moment together like this. 

Manolo turned his head to her, “Maria?”

“Yes?”

He held her hand a little tighter, “Will you marry me?”

Maria looked back at him, her eyes glimmering with glee, “I thought you'd never ask.” 

Leaning their heads forward, they ever so lightly brushed their lips together. It wasn't a deep kiss, but it sent intense sparks through them all the same. They've wanted to do that for ages. Why didn't they before? What held them back? Whatever it was, it didn't matter anymore.

They got up and had a peaceful walk through the forest, hand in hand.

“We haven't had a walk like this since we were kids.” Manolo said, looking at the fireflies. 

“And on such a beautiful night, too.” Maria inhaled deeply, savoring the night, “I wish I could save this moment in a jar.”

“Surprise!” Out of nowhere, Friar Tuck popped out from behind a tree, along with some Nottingham villagers, “Long live Manolo!”

Manolo and Maria glanced at each other sheepishly. Their night was just interrupted, but they were flattered by the praise the townsfolk gave them.

“And long live Maid Marian!” Father Sexton cheered.

“And down with that dreadful Prince John.” La Muerte said with her fist raised.

“You can say that again.” Joaquin said. He handed Manolo his guitar, “Here. Why don't you play us something, bud?”

“I'd love to, but I don't have anything prepared.” Manolo said, taking his instrument. 

“Come on.” Maria said, batting her eyes, “You have an audience. Give us a show.” 

Manolo looked into her doe brown eyes. It's been forever since he sang for her and he knew she wanted to hear his voice again, “Alright.”

Manolo: Oh, the world will sing of an English king a thousand years from now

And not because he passed some laws or had that lofty brow

Manolo’s song instantly started a party. Others had brought instruments of their own and joined in the song. 

While bonny good King Richard leads the great crusade he's on

We'll all have to slave away for that good-for-nothin' John

Incredible as he is inept, whenever the history books are kept

They'll call him the phony King of England

Everyone: A pox on the phony King of England

They sang and danced mocking Prince John while praising Manolo and Joaquin for their efforts in protesting the prince's tyrannical rule.

Joaquin: While he taxes us to pieces and he robs us of our bread

King Richard's crown keeps slippin' down around that pointed head, ah

But while there is a merry man in Manny's wily pack

We'll find a way to make him pay and steal our money back

A minute before he knows we're there

Old Manny will snatch his underwear.

The breezy and uneasy King of England

The song ended and the friends cheered. It was great that they could get together and pretend they were free from Prince John, even for a little while.

They didn't think much of the song, thinking it was harmless fun. Unfortunately, it would come back to haunt them all.

A few weeks after the tournament, things in Nottingham only got worse. The song being sung by the whole kingdom had angered Prince John so much that he tripled the taxes. Some townsfolk had to leave all together because they couldn't afford the increase. The rest who couldn't pay were arrested.

One night, Maria had snuck out of the palace with La Muerte's help to look for Manolo and Joaquin.

“Manolo!” Maria called out, “Manolo, where are you?”

“Maria?” She turned around and saw Manolo and Joaquin rushing towards her, “What's wrong?”

“Ay, it's terrible. Prince John practically has half the kingdom locked up. He has Luisa and her family. He just arrested Friar Tuck last night.”

“What?” Joaquin asked in shock.

“No…” Manolo said, “No, this is all my fault.”

“Don't say that. None of this is your fault.” 

“Prince John would've done this regardless of you or anyone.” Maria said.

“Regardless, all of our friends are in jail. We can't just do nothing.” Manolo said.

“Do you have a plan?” 

“Not yet, but we'll think of something. Come on. We need to figure out what Prince John is up to.”

The trio went back to the palace just outside the prison entrance.

“You're sure it's safe?” Joaquin asked. 

“I'm sure.” Maria said, “You can just walk in and out of the castle as long as you're not Manolo.”

“Luckily he's not here, is he?” Manolo smirked, putting on his blind beggar disguise. 

Maria chuckled, “Have I seen that disguise before?”

“Maybe, maybe not. We may never know.”

Manolo walked in the palace, putting on the voice he used for this particular disguise, “Alms. Alms for the poor.” From his glasses, he saw the Sheriff, and two guards carrying crossbows nicknamed Trigger and Nutsy. They were setting up a noose. 

“Correct me if I'm wrong, but is that the Sheriff I hear?”

“That's right, old man.” The Sheriff said, once again not seeing through Manolo’s disguise. The outlaw didn't know if he should be humored or relieved that the Sheriff hasn't figured it out yet.

He chuckled, “I figured that was you. What are you up to this time?”

“We're gonna hang Friar Tuck.”

“No! Hang Fri…” Manolo quickly cleared his throat, putting on his voice again, “Um, hang Friar Tuck?” He prayed to God that they wouldn't see through him now.

“You betcha. At dawn.” Nutsy said with a laugh, “And maybe it'll even be a double hangin'.” Trigger covered his mouth, trying to silence him.

Manolo breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't see through him, “A double hanging? Well, who else do you plan on hanging?”

Trigger, the only one with half a brain, was starting to get suspicious of the seemingly blind beggar, “Sheriff, he's gettin a little too nosey.”

“No, no, I didn't mean to intrude. You're going to have to look out for that Sanchez boy. If he shows up, your plans will be ruined.”

“Well, what do ya know, Sheriff?” Nutsy exclaimed, “He guessed it.”

Trigger elbowed his fellow guard, “Shut your clam.”

“Ay, there's no need to worry though. The Sheriff is no match for the likes of Manolo Sanchez. You'll have him in your grasp in minutes.”

The Sheriff ate up the praise he was getting. Manolo bit his lip to keep from laughing. It didn't take much to fool the royal guard or Prince John. All he had to do was stroke their massive egos.

“Sheriff, I still got a feelin' that that snoopy, codger knows too much.” Trigger said, glaring at Manolo.

“Oh, shut up, Trigger.” The Sheriff said, “He's just a harmless, blind beggar.”

Manolo turned to leave, “Alright. Good luck with the double hanging. Alms. Alms for the poor. Alms. Alms for the poor.” 

Manolo walked back to Joaquin and Maria to the entrance of the palace, both were just as shocked as him by the news.

“Hang Friar Tuck?!” Maria whispered, “A man of the church! Of all the dirty, underhanded…”

“You were right, Manny.” Joaquin said, “We have to do something.” 

“We're doing a jailbreak.” Manolo said, “Tonight. It's our best chance to save everyone.”

“A jailbreak? How are we supposed to-”

“We have to Joaquin, or Friar Tuck dies at dawn.” 

“If you're doing this, I'm helping.” Maria said.

“Maria, I can't ask you to-”

“You don't have to.” She firmly took his hand, “I'm an outlaw with you, remember?”

Manolo smiled softly, “I really wish I went to see you sooner. Your strength would've been a great help.”

“You're telling me.” Joaquin said, making the trio chuckle.

They set off to prepare for the break out. Not just for Friar Tuck, but for everyone.

Chapter Text

That night, Manolo, Joaquin, and Maria went back to the castle for the jailbreak. They brought a large cart to hold everyone.

“You remember the plan?” Manolo whispered.

“Yep.” Maria nodded, “Both of you be careful and don't stay longer than you need to.” She gave Manolo a quick kiss, “Good luck.”

Joaquin and Manolo silently snuck into the castle where the jail entrance was. They looked through the entrance way to see the Sheriff, Nutsy, and Trigger guarding the area. Thankfully this meant the first half of their plan would go well. 

“One o'clock and all's well!” Nutsy hollered as the clocktower chimed.

They heard the Sheriff talk about how he couldn't sleep with Nutsy calling out the time every hour. Trigger, the suspicious one, said he had a feeling there would be a jailbreak tonight. 

Manolo often wondered if he and Joaquin would be in jail by now if Trigger had been in charge and not the Sheriff. Then again, if Trigger was in charge, they'd most likely be dead.

The Sheriff brushed off Trigger's concerns as him being paranoid. 

When Nutsy walked close enough to the entrance way, Joaquin pulled him by the collar and Manolo knocked him out. Unfortunately, they weren't exactly quiet about it.

“Hey, did you hear that?” Trigger asked.

“Sure did, Trigger.” The Sheriff said.

Joaquin and Manolo panicked a little, quickly removing Nutsy's uniform off him for Manolo to wear as a disguise. To make extra sure no one could see through him, he put a scarf on the lower half of his face along with the helmet. This disguise would be harder to pull off since he was imitating a real person.

They couldn't stay hidden forever and the Sheriff and Trigger were getting closer. Holding his breath, the disguised outlaw stepped forward.

“Be careful, Manny.” Joaquin whispered. 

Manolo cleared his throat, putting on his best impersonation of Nutsy, “Hey, hey, hey, put the crossbow down. Where's the danger?”

The Sheriff rolled his eyes, “Oh, shucks, Trigger. It's only Nutsy. And ‘criminently,’ get back to your patrol. On the double. Git!” Trigger begrudgingly returned to his post.

The Sheriff sat down in a chair in front of the jail entrance. “That Trigger.” He grumbled, “He's gittin' everybody edgy. Nothing's gonna happen. That fat friar is gonna dangle from the gallows come daybreak.”

It took all of Manolo's strength not to attack the Sheriff on the spot. Instead, he said, “Ah, don't fret, Sheriff. You just sit there and get some rest. You deserve it, don't you?”

“Well, thank ya, Nutsy.”

“Here. Let me loosen that belt for you.” Manolo reached for the keys on the Sheriff's belt while lulling him to sleep with a lullaby he made up on the spot. It felt strange singing in disguise, but there wasn't much else he could do.

While Manolo was stealing the keys, Joaquin quickly and silently made his way towards them, hiding behind the jail tower.

Just as Manolo had gotten the belt loose enough to take the keys, the Sheriff stirred in his sleep, “Ooh. Oh, Nutsy, that's mighty sweet. Sing it one more time, will ya?”

Manolo rolled his eyes and repeated the lullaby, finally taking the keys off him. He'd have to tell Joaquin to not say anything if he heard any of that.

He handed Joaquin the keys and he quickly entered the jail, “Ok, go find the others. I'll find the treasury.” The two men nodded as they went to do their halves of the plan.

In order to avoid the guards, Manolo took to climbing the walls of the palace to try and find the treasury. As he looked into the windows to find the treasury, he did a double take into one of the rooms. It was Prince John's bedroom where all the money was being kept.

Manolo sighed in defeat. This was going to make things a little more complicated. Luckily, the room was almost right across the dungeon.

He climbed into the room through the balcony window as silently as he could. He looped a rope through a hook on the ceiling before tying one end of the rope to an arrow. Prince John stirred in his sleep, mumbling about how he wanted Manolo arrested or dead.

When the prince fell back asleep, Manolo shot the arrow through the dungeon window where he knew Joaquin was waiting. Joaquin looped the rope through somewhere else, shooting the arrow back to Manolo, creating a rope conveyor.

Manolo tied the two ends of the rope together, pausing whenever Prince John stirred. As silently as he could, Manolo picked up the bags of gold and tied them to the conveyor, slowly moving them down to the jail where Joaquin and the freed townsfolk were collecting the money.

It felt like an eternity before Manolo was sure they had as much gold as they could carry. Even still, Manolo took every last bag of gold in the room. It all belonged to the people after all.

Just as Manolo was about to leave, he noticed one more bag of gold at the foot of the prince's bed. He slowly grabbed it, not realizing there was a tear in the bag. He fired an arrow with a rope tied to the end. It hit the jail tower so he could swing off the balcony.

His heart stopped at the sound of coins loudly falling to the ground. Before he could do anything, Prince John had woken up. Manolo leapt from the balcony before he could be seen, but he knew his presence was known.

Prince John noticed his room was wiped of its gold. He frantically ran to the window to see the prisoners out of jail with the gold and Manolo.

“Guards!” He hollered, “Guards! Seize them! Seize them!”

Maria heard the commotion from the palace gate, “Oh, no…” She knew Manolo and Joaquin were in trouble, but she stayed put. She was afraid that if she moved, the plan would be ruined further.

“Everybody, this way!” Manolo called out to everyone. 

“Manolo!” Friar Tuck exclaimed as everyone followed him and Joaquin, “You don't know how grateful we are to see you!”

“It's really no trouble, Friar, but there's no time to chat. We need to get out of here!”

They ran from the guards who were charging towards them at full speed. Manolo and Joaquin protected the townsfolk from any flying arrows threatening to hit them. To try and go faster, they picked up the children and injured. 

Finally, they made it to the gate where Maria was waiting with the cart. “Come on!” Maria shouted. The trio helped everyone board the cart as quickly as they could.

“Move it, everyone!” Joaquin yelled, “We gotta go!”

“On to Sherwood Forest!” Friar Tuck exclaimed. 

“Stop!” Luisa cried, “My baby!”

Juanita was running towards them a good distance away, “Mama! Mama! Wait for me!”

Without a second thought, Manolo ran back into the palace to get Juanita. Among the guards was the Sheriff, “We got him now.” He snarled with a wicked grin. 

As Manolo ran closer to the gate with Juanita in his arms, the gate had closed.

“No!” Maria exclaimed, running to the gate.

Manolo handed Juanita to Maria through the bars of the gate, “Don't worry about me. Just get everyone to safety.”

Knowing there was no time to argue, Maria nodded and ran back to the cart, taking the reins, “Hya!”

Manolo turned back to see the guards and the Sheriff on his heels. He swiftly climbed up the gate, dodging any arrows that flew his way. When he made it to the top of the castle, he ran along the rooftop pathways to try and get away.

As he tried to avoid the guards, Manolo found the Sheriff had followed him to the roof. The arrow pointed at him was lit on fire, “Nowhere to run this time.” He said.

Manolo ran inside a small tower as the arrow was fired. The arrow hit a tapestry, lighting the tower ablaze.

The only way to escape was through a small window that led to the moat below. He hesitated, but after seeing the Sheriff load his bow with another arrow, Manolo jumped into the water. 

Joaquin, Maria, and Skippy had gone back to the palace to see if Manolo was ok. They saw him jump into the moa, arrows firing after him, and part of the castle on fire.

“Shoot him!” Prince John shouted, “Kill him! Kill him!”

“Come on, Manolo.” Joaquin said under his breath. 

“He's just gotta make it.” Skippy said.

“Please, Manolo.” Maria said, tears threatening to fall, “Don't do this.”

It was as if the world stood still. Everyone waited for Manolo to come up from the shallow waters. But all that came up was his hat with an arrow shot through it.

Maria gasped in horror at the sight, falling to her knees and covering her mouth with her hands.

“No.” Joaquin gasped, “No, no.”

“He's gonna make it, isn't he, Joaquin?” Skippy asked.

Joaquin and Maria tearfully looked at the child. All they could do was shake their heads in sadness. They couldn't bring themselves to say the words they didn't want to be true.

Skippy understood what was being said, his eyes welling up with tears. They all stayed silent mourning their hero. 

Just then, Skippy saw something in the water, “Hey, what's that? Joaquin, Maria, lookit, lookit.”

They all looked up. A hollow stick was moving in the water toward them.

“What the…?” Joaquin muttered. He leaned closer to inspect when the stick spat water in his face, “Hey, hey!” 

That was when Manolo surfaced himself from the water. Everyone sighed in relief. 

“Manny.” Joaquin smiled, “My god, we thought we lost you.”

“Manolo!” Maria jumped into the water with him, throwing her arms around him as relieved tears streamed down her face, “Don't you ever do that again.”

“I'm sorry.” Manolo said, holding her.

“Ah, not Manolo Sanchez.” Skippy said, climbing into Manolo’s arms when the lovers broke away, “He could've swum twice that far, huh, Mr. Sanchez, sir?”

Manolo chuckled, giving his hat to Skippy, “Of course I would, mijo.”

“We did it.” Joaquin said with a chuckle. 

The four shouted in triumph to the skies, “A pox on the phoney King of England! Oo-de-lally! Oo-de-lally!”

A few days later, for the first time in a long time, luck had made its way to Nottingham once more. King Richard had returned from the crusades and arrested his brother and the Sheriff for their tyranny. He pardoned Manolo and Joaquin, for even he knew they were truly heroes. 

Not long after, Manolo and Maria were married. As they exited the church, the whole town cheered for them, “Long live, Manolo Sanchez! Long live Maria!”

The two walked towards the carriage when La Muerte walked to Maria, “You have no idea how proud I am of you both.”

“Thank you, La Muerte.” Manolo said. 

“Plus, we should be thanking you for this.” Maria said, hugging her nanny, “You were the one who set us up.”

The newlyweds boarded the carriage which was driven by Joaquin, “Welp, I'd say I earned myself a nice long vacation.” He said to himself, “At least for a month.” He snapped the reins and the carriage went off.

Everyone threw flowers and rice at the carriage as Manolo and Maria waved at them as they left.

“I'm never letting you go again.” Manolo said, holding Maria.

“You better not.” Maria chuckled, kissing his cheek.

Back at the church, King Richard turned to Friar Tuck with a hearty chuckle, “Oh, Friar Tuck. It appears that I now have an outlaw for an in-law. It's not bad.”

“That you have, your highness.” Friar Tuck said, “That you have.”

Well, folks, that is how it really happened.