Chapter Text
“Oh, come on! It doesn’t even look like me!” Eddie ripped the Wanted poster off of the wall of the tavern to take a closer look. The nose was wrong, the nose was always wrong.
A gruff voice responded with a snort, “You should be happy about that. Less of a chance for someone here to recognize you. Which is of course a good thing when you have a price on your head, put there by the Prince himself.” Eddie’s right-hand man, “Little” Jim Hopper made a good point. His years as the former Sheriff of Hawkins made him a wealth of information in an invaluable strategist.
Eddie took a gulp of ale and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his forest green tunic and responded trying to keep his voice low, “You’re right, of course. It’s just a bit insulting you know. They’re looking for me, but they can’t even get my face right. Like they aren’t even putting in the effort. They all know what I look like; I grew up in that keep before my father was disgraced and fled. It feels like an intentional slight.”
To change the subject from Eddie’s father Hopper looked around the tavern, “When is your informant supposed to get here?”
“He should be here at any time. Look for a 15-year-old with curly hair and a gap-toothed grin.” The two men spent the next 20 minutes sticking to the shadows their table in corner provided, making innocuous small talk before Eddie spotted the person they were waiting for. He didn’t wave the boy over, trying not to call attention to them, and waited for him to notice them. After about a half a minute he recognized Eddie and made his way to the table with his own mug of ale.
The twos Alphas could scent the excitement wafting from the young Beta and put out their own calming scents. They didn’t need anyone to catch wind of anything unusual happening in their little corner. Eddie stood to welcome the new arrival, “Dustin, good to see you again! It’s been too long!” And he wrapped the younger boy in a brief hug. Keeping his voice low, he introduced Hopper “This is Little Jim Hopper, he’s helping to plan our events.” Whispering now, he explained to Hopper who Dustin was, “Hop, this is Dustin Henderson, one of the squires for Earl of Loch Nora, Heir of the Duchy of Hawkins, Steve Harrington.” Hopper didn’t give much away as he shook the boys’ hand other than a widening of his eyes.
“Nice to meet you Dustin, shall we sit.” All three took their seats and looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention.
“So, Dustin, what do you have for us?” Eddie drummed his fingers on the table, he rarely could sit still, always needing movement to keep him in one place. The only time he could keep still was on a job when it could literally cost him his life if he didn’t.
“Word came today that the latest caravan headed to London on the road through Lincoln will be leaving tomorrow morning at dawn.” He looked around as he whispered the information so only the two at the table could hear him.
Jim rubbed his face with one of his large hands, “That doesn’t give us much time, now does it?”
Eddie tugged the hood he was wearing further over his face making sure his features were obscured, “No it doesn’t. But I think we can still pull this off.”
“Yeah, Steve said the plan wasn’t known until today to try and keep it under wraps and give bandits no time to plan to hit the caravan.” Of course, what Billy Hargrove the new Sherriff didn’t know was that for the past few months it was the Earl himself passing information to Dustin or Lucas his other squire to share with Eddie, who he only knew as Robin Hood from the Wanted posters, to intercept the shipments of taxes making their way out of the area. Eddie still wasn’t sure what the Earl’s motivation was, and at first thought it was a trap to capture him and his friends, but the information was always accurate, and the raids seemed to go off without a hitch.
“Okay, why don’t you give us the logistics and we can make sure our plan works.” The three sat and discussed everything in hushed voices, Eddie feeling the familiar rush knowing that soon he would be in the thick of it again.
***
“I don’t know why I have to be there. It makes no sense.” Steve Harrington was an Earl, there was no reason for him to have to accompany a tax caravan to London. Not to mention that he was well aware that they would be set upon by Robin Hood and his Merry Band. He didn’t want to throw a wrench into whatever plan they had put in place by being there, and there was no way to get them word about any changes.
His advisor/ valet, Jonathan Byers, stopped his work packing the valise, “My lord, it was a summons from your father at Court and a ‘request’ from Prince Jason himself. I don’t think you can refuse again.”
Steve huffed, “Jonathan, we are alone, please call me Steve.” Jonathan nodded before Steve continued, “I know that, but you know that me being on the caravan tomorrow is inconvenient.” Even in his bedchambers Steve was careful not to be more specific, the Omega knowing that he could trust only a few in the household; the Beta in front of him, his Lady in Waiting Robin Buckley, and his two squires Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. There was also the Stewardess of the Keep for the Sheriff of Hawkins Nancy Wheeler who passed along any important information coming through Billy Hargrove’s household. They were all Betas and as such, very good advisors and helpful at keeping Steve on an even keel. Jonathan right now was helping by sending out his calming scent to assist Steve to keep his scent from going distressed which is a dead giveaway that something is amiss.
“I know. But there is another wrinkle in the plan. Nancy told me that because you are going to be there, the Sheriff is going along too, leaving his deputy, Tommy Hagen, in charge while he is gone.” With that information Steve felt himself go pale, the Sheriff being there lifted the danger of the whole thing another level, and there was no way to call everything off.
Squaring his shoulders and trying to shake off his dread Steve asked, “Why does me being there have anything to do with the Sheriff being there?”
“Steve, we’ve talked about this, and I know you are in denial, but he wants to start courting you, officially. Nancy said she thinks he is going along to ask your father for permission.” Jonathan went back to packing as Steve stood there with his mouth open.
Shaking his head, he tried to refute the information, “He’s delusional then, my father would never agree to me Mating with a Sheriff. He has always said he wanted me for at least a Duke if not higher. You know that even though I am an only child and set to inherit, he wants a strong Alpha titled in their own right to succeed him as Duke of Hawkins and to do that he needs to see me Mated to who he picks.” There’s a bitterness in his voice at being nothing but a pawn for his father since he was born an Omega instead of an Alpha like generations of Harrington men before him. All his father saw in him was a bargaining chip for money and political power.
“Normally I would agree, but Nancy told me more this afternoon. The Sheriff gets sloppy with hiding his correspondence since most of his staff can’t read, and she saw a letter from the Prince. He is inclined to intervene and get your father to accept Hargrove’s courting based on the large amount of taxes he’s collected for the Crown. It appears it was a deal they struck some months ago. And despite more recent shipments being ‘lost’ along the way, it seems to have been enough.” Steve gasped and couldn’t hold back the distress in his scent this time, collapsing as his sweet strawberries and cream scent soured to the smell of rotten fruit. Jonathan panicked, hoping the young man wouldn’t go into a drop. He rushed from the room and came back a few moments later with Robin in tow. He had already filled her in on the situation, so she went directly to Steve and tucked him under her chin to start scenting her citrusy fresh scent. Scenting would have worked better with an Alpha, but there were none they trusted, so they made do. Eventually Jonathan climbed up on the bed, after locking the door, to help by gathering them both in his arms and pumping out his own calming scent of freshly cut wood to help the Omega back to himself without going into a drop. Once Steve was asleep, they took off his shoes and tucked him into his bed to get some rest.
“This is awful, I wish there was something we could do,” Robin whispered. She had tears in her eyes as she raked a hand through her dirty blond hair, not remembering she had it tied up in an elaborate up do Steve had done for her that morning.
Jonathan, with his own sad eyes, said, “Me too, Robin. Me too.”