A Shot Gone Awry

The bow's string bit into my already calloused fingers and a few strands of unruly chestnut hair floated into my eye. My prey, an unsuspecting doe made the slightest noise as she waded through the brush in my direction. A few more steps and I would let the arrow fly in a path that would cleanly pierce her heart. The furry creature would never even see me perched high in the tree with my dark leather vest and pants. I smiled and pulled the string back to take aim. My bicep burned comfortably with the familiar weight.

The doe looked up suspiciously from nibbling on the grass and I finally heard what she had. Below me in the trees more leaves rustled and I saw the bronze fur of a large mountain lion crouching on a strong branch. If I had been lower it could have pounced on me but as it was the damned thing was just going to take my kill. The deer turned to bolt and I cursed as I let my arrow fly. Not wasting any time to see if I hit her, I knocked another arrow and took aim at the mountain lion. It looked up at me and twisted to the side, out of the tree. The arrow thumped solidly into its side and it fell to the ground dazed. I wasted no time launching myself out and rolling as I hit the ground. My bow slid comfortably over my shoulder and I ran flat out in the direction the deer had taken. That deer would feed me and several others who needed it. I wasn't letting it go. After tearing through underbrush, briars, and over a fallen tree only to find a few drops of blood I concluded that my arrow hadn't brought the animal down. Dammit all to hell! That stupid mountain lion just had to get in my way. Just my luck. Leave it to Robin to screw everything up and lose dinner. If I didn't head back now and find something else then the kids in town would be disappointed. They counted on me to feed them most nights. Remembering the felled lion I rushed back wondering if mountain lion was edible. At least the hide would be good for something.

The spot where he had fallen held only a pool of blood to prove he had ever been there. I followed the crimson droplets to a large leafy fern and drew a knife from my belt not knowing how much life he had left in him. Carefully I pulled the leaves of the fern back and dropped my knife in surprise.

Laying in the leaves, half conscious and very naked, was a bloodied blonde young man with my arrow sticking out of his side. I stumbled back a few steps and stared in shock until he moaned. His moan brought me out of my daze and I fell to my knees letting my hands flutter helplessly for a moment before I regained my senses. I decided that this was a great time to prioratize and I could worry about covering him up later and besides it wasn't like I had never seen a naked man before. Or a dead man.

"Are you awake?" I asked while leaning down to to listen to his heartbeat. He gave a weak grunt in reply but it was a good sign and I saw his eyelids flutter. Gently I slid my hand underneath him and felt to see if the arrow had passed all the way through. I exhaled in relief when I felt the arrowhead. My life just got a whole lot easier and his life just got a whole lot more likely to continue.

The arrow had missed anything major but he was losing a lot of blood and I needed something to stop it with. I shed the cloth sack on my back that I used for small game like rabbits and pressed it against the base of the shaft. He cringed away from my hand and his breathing became more labored.

"We're going to have to walk a little bit, OK? It's not far and you can lean on me but you have to carry some of your weight." I looked at his face as I spoke but he just closed his eyes and let his head lull to the side. There was a loud crack as I whipped the back of my hand against his cheek. He opened his eyes.

"Not necessary" He mumbled in a husky voice. Putting one arm behind his back and keeping one on the wound I managed to get him up and leaning heavily on me. If I had been your average girl who hadn't been roughing it in the woods for the past year then I didnt have a doubt in his mind that he would have bowled me over. As it was I had difficulty walking the short distance to my hideout. On any other occasion I would hesitate to take someone here but it did seem like I had somehow shot this boy. I would sort that out later.

We got to the base of the tree that supported my home right before he passed out completely and I checked that he was still breathing before setting him on the platform that I used to lift heavier items into the treehouse. I grabbed a vine on the huge tree and shimmied up into the high branches where I lived in a very well concealed dome like structure made of entwined limbs and ply wood. After a few minutes of tugging the rope connected to the platform I managed to pull him inside and only jostle the arrow a little. I layed him down on the pallet on his side and retrieved the pitcher of water and a bowl. Now came the really fun part.

I snapped off the end of the arrow with some difficulty and grabbed hold of the tip that was sticking through his back. I'm pretty sure he was drifting in and out of conciousness at this point and I felt really bad about this. Not sure if it was the right thing to do I reached out to stroke his dark blonde hair that was dampened by sweat. He tensed at first but then let his head fall against the pillow. I yanked the arrow out in one hard jerk and used a rag to staunch the new blood flow as he arched his back. Thankfully the bleeding soon slowed and I wrapped a bandage around his midsection and turned him gently on his back. He was once again unconcious.

After covering him with a blanket and checking his breathing I wet a rag and tried to scrub away the sweat and grime. As the dirt came off in streaks I began to notice how handsome he was. His face was slender, chiseled, and graced with high cheekbones. Working my way down over his shoulders and stomach revealed that his body was also slender but well muscled in a way that made me clench in places that hadn't felt that way in a long time.

I also spent some time trying to get the blood off of myself seeing as how a lot of it had ended up on me. By the time I finished cleaning up it was dark outside and any hopes I had of catching anything else had disappeared. Hopefully everyone would be alright without me for a night and I could make up for it later with some big game.

I took an extra blanket and laid down next to the boys prone form, listening to him breathe. It was comforting to have someone with me after being alone for so long even if he did have to be injured and unconcious for me to get him here. I smiled and drifted off to sleep where images of my arrow piercing the mountain lion ran through my head over and over.

　

 

Thoughts

The next morning sunlight shone through the small window and I woke early to find the boy still out cold. In the light I could see that my vest was still covered in blood so I unclipped all my knives and gear from it and reattached them to my one other vest that I rarely wore because of the strip of smooth stomach it revealed. I turned away from the boy and stripped the old one off quickly and slipped into the buttersoft brown leather. When I turned around he had opened his eyes and was staring intently at me.

"Oh, so you're a peeping tom now?" I grabbed the bowl of drinking water off the small table that served as one of the few pieces of furniture and walked over to him, helping prop him up and hold the bowl to his lips as he drank eagerly. Once he had drank the contents of the container I sat it down on the floor and studied his face intently.

"Who are you?" I noticed how perfect his lips were as they shaped the words. I had been alone for too long.

"Who are you?" We both deserved answers but he was not going to get many. I sure was.

"None of your business" He stared hard into my eyes. I let it drop for now. He wouldn't be going anywhere for a while so I had plenty of time to coax out answers.

"You can call me Robin." I said, fiddling nervously with the blanket. Suprisingly his eyes didn't widen at the infamous name. Atleast it was infamous in Nottinghamshire. Even if he had heard it he was unlikely to connect it to me as I was a girl. "How do you feel?" I waited to hear his voice, this time determined to really listen to it.

"Sore."

I nodded. His voice was deep but smooth like water running over stone. "That can be expected."

"Where am I?" He asked looking around at the woven walls of branches.

"My home. You want to explain what happened? Who shot you?" At my last question he slid a dark look my way to which I responded by crossing my arms.

"I really would prefer not to." He replied smugly. "You're a wierd girl, you know that Robin?" Now he was looking at my weapons that I kept strapped to my body.

I shifted to hide some of the glinting metal. My voice was dry when i answered. "So I've heard."

He put his arms behind his head or atleast tried to but made a face as the movement stretched his wound and settled for only one arm. Then something occured to him. "Am I still naked?"

"Completely" I almost wanted to laugh. Almost. Only my lips twitched slightly.

"And you carried me here... naked?" His face wasn't paling like I wanted it to. He just looked kind of suprised.

"Yeah" I snickered and dug through a chest to find what I was looking for. The loose leather pants I wore when I needed to disguise my slim figure as that of a man might fit him since we were both tall. The pants were useful. They were a relic of my previous years as an assassin. You didn't earn much as a hired killer if you showed up looking delicate as a spring flower. "Here. These might fit. I wouldn't advise getting up but I have things I have to go do and you might be more comfortable with some clothes." I grabbed my bow and quiver. "Just stay here and rest. I'll be back before nightfall with dinner, OK?" I tugged on my hunting boot one last time and stepped to the edge of the small doorway before turning around to stare a response out of Chase.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing. I'll just hang here in your little fort like a damsel in distress. Happy?" My hand itched to hit something. This was not a little fort and my life was not a game. What I did for the people in the town kept many from going hungry while the government officials sat back and got fat. Shaking off the anger, I forwent any response and turned to climb nimbly down the tree.

Before I started my descent, I couldn't resist saying atleast saying "You know, you could atleast thank me for saving your ass."

"Thank you." He looked at me again like he was really seeing me. I wanted to twitch uncomfortably. "And my name is Will. Will Scarlet." I took that as my cue to leave.

Upon reaching the ground I crouched, scanned for any sign of wildlife, found none, and set off in search of good hunting ground, my brain whirring. The gorgeous guy in my house was really throwing a kink into my plans. There really was no reason to even think about him. As soon as Will was able he would leave and go back to wherever he came from hopefully never to be seen again. I didn't want him here and so he would leave.

The truth that I didn't want to admit to myself was that Will scared me. The way he had just looked at me- like he was really seeing me- was not something I wanted. While I did not feel horribly guilty about my previous life as a killer for hire it was not something I wanted to just walk away from like it never happened. I was here to prove to myself that I could be good- that I wanted to be. So far I could honestly say that helping these people was turning out to be truly rewarding. Now this guys shows up and I don't like that he could see a bit of me. I didn't want my secrets exposed.

Then again, I was probably overthinking things. He got hurt, he showed up, I fixed him, he would leave. End of story. For all I know those meaningful looks could be gas.

Getting back to hunting, I had already decided that it would be best to stay closer to the treehouse and focus mainly on my snares and whatever big game I happened by.

Four rabbits and three extremely unlucky turkeys later the sun was slipping lower and I doubted I could carry any more. Will and I would eat one of the fatter rabbits and I could take the rest into town afterward. He had to be starving by now.

Needing my flint to start a fire I jogged back to my tree by instinct and tied my kills on a lower branch for the time being. The climb up was a bit more difficult with tired muscles but I managed to make it up only to find an empty room. The cot was empty and the blanket discarded on the floor. The pants were gone.

For a moment I simply looked around the small room as if he could be hiding in the walls. After confirming that no such thing was true I cursed myself for being so stupid. Will knew where I lived and the sheriff and his goons were looking for that little piece of information. After all, I was helping the very people they strived so hard to make miserable and right now my name was only a whisper on the wind.

"Oh but Robin he was just so cute and he needed you so badly." I cursed using words I had accumulated over many years. I was half suprised lightning didn't strike me down. "Stupid idiot!" How had the guy even crawled down? Yesterday he had been mortally wounded! Then again that wound had come from an arrow of mine even though I was sure the only thing I shot was a deer and a mountain lion. My brain chewed on this fact for a moment, trying to come up with an answer. Maybe I had hit him with the shot aimed for the deer? Had he been lurking nearby? Was he some sort of freak?

I kicked the table as hard as possible which not only sent a shooting pain up my leg but reduced the piece of furniture to splinters. Grabbing my dark green cloak and mask, I half climbed half fell out of the tree. I angrily cut down the meat and set off toward town to do one of the few things I could get right.

Jailbreak

The darkness kept me well hidden as I went from house to house giving to the most needy families. I would make sure my hood kept my face and body fully concealed before knocking on doors, handing out food, and accepting thankyous. It was such a good night for sneaking around that I considered making another raid on some of the richer citizens homes. They didn't need all that they had and I didn't feel too bad about relocating some of the goods.

Approaching the Henderson's small home with my largest turkey I heard a terrible wailing. The Henderson's were a family of six with a struggling farm. Mr Henderson had been in an accident the previous harvest season and never fully recovered. He now had to rely on a cane to walk around and their four children were running the farm almost completely on their own.

I hesitantly knocked on the door knowing that I would be welcome but not knowing what I was interupting. The door flew open almost instantly and a petite girl greeted me. The sound of crying grew louder without the barrier and I cringed.

"Hello Robin." Millie spoke sweetly to me. If I didn't know better I would say she had a crush on me. The cloak and simple leather mask kept up the appearance of my being a boy. Her attention still made me uncomfortable but there was nothing I could do about that. Looking closer though I could see that there was worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong Millie?" I asked and handed over the turkey, wondering if she could even hold it with her small frame. My voice had switched into a lower tone instead of my natural feminine one.

"Oh Robin it's terrible!" Tears welled up in her eyes, "The Sheriff took Christopher because we couldn't pay our taxes! Mother is hysterical." Well that explained the crying. Christopher was one of the four children and Millie's brother. He was only fifteen, one year older than Millie. The Sheriff was really trying to teach the people a lesson if he had resorted to taking children. If he was in a really bad mood he would likely arrest the whole family before it was over. Maybe even execute some of them.

"Where did they take him? The jail?" There were weak places in the rotation of the guards and I could get in if my timing was right. If I decided to mount a rescue mission. Did I have enough arrows with me? Would I have to kill the guards? Was it worth it? The Henderson family would have to leave the farm and almost everything else behind but they would atleast have each other.

Millie nodded. "What are you going to do Robin?" Her voice was so hopeful that it hurt.

"Tell your parents to get ready to leave fast. Christopher will be joining you shortly." She nodded and I turned to leave. I could hear her quick footsteps in the house as I melted into the dark. "Tonight's a good night for a jailbreak." And just like that, with those few sentences, a series of events had been set in motion.

　

The town of Nottingham was a good sized town that had previously been flourishing until the new Sheriff swept into office and began to tax the people into hunger and poverty. The market place was barely a third of what it had once been and the jail had seemingly doubled in size to hold those that could no longer cough up the payments required.

Until now I had only looked eagerly at the brick building, wishing that I could storm in and release those that suffered inside. Now I had no choice. No one could sit by while children were taken. My hunting and stealing were not enough anymore. I never expected to wind up killing again.

I breathed slowly in and out while crouching behind the tree line by the jail. In times like these it felt good to imagine myself as someone fierce instead of just a girl. I imagined myself as the Robin everyone else saw. In my assassin days I had liked to pretend I was a bearded man with tattoos. We all had our personality quirks.

Supposedly the guards were suppose to circle the perimeter every five minutes and atleast two were suppose to be by the main and only entrance at all times. Laziness lead to half hearted patrols and dozing guards which was just fine by me. Every one of them were armed with some sort of weapon they would just love to use. They were lazy, but they weren't stupid enough to go unarmed.

From my spot in the trees I could see the back of the building and one of the guards patrolling. He carried a club on his belt. I knocked an arrow, closed one eye, breathed out, and let my arrow soar. It cut off any cry he could have made when it pierced his throat.

Giving myself no time to feel remorse I kept low and ran to the jail. Pressing my back against the rough brick, I waited. I didn't have long to listen to my heartbeat in my ears before the next guard rounded the corner. Once again an arrow struck it's mark with deadly accuracy. This was going better than I could have hoped for, and then I rounded the corner

By some miracle of bad luck this goon had decided to walk counterclockwise instead of the expected clockwise. Both of our eyes grew wide and he went for a knife by his side. I brought my bow up as he attempted to split my skull. My right foot kicked his knee hard and I whipped the bow towards his brutish head. Somehow the man, who I was now realizing to be very large and to apear very stupid, expected the move and wrenched the bow from my grip with a loud grunt while also slashing my upper arm with his knife.

Jagged pain flowed down my arm as I rolled backward, drew a knife, and threw it with my thankfully uninjured right arm. It made a sickening thump when it struck his eyeball. It was gruesome.

Checking my left arm I determined that it would be okay for a while and then loped over to retrieve my knife. Then I proceeded to scoot along the wall until I made it to the end where I knew two guards were waiting just feet from me. My arm protested as I drew back another arrow and turned the corner in a whirl. The first didn't stand a chance and fell dead almost instantly. The second, too stunned to react, got a knife promptly stuck in his ribs. I had not lost my touch.

As I entered the jail the stench of unwashed bodies and desperation cloaked me. Some thin bodies were already looking at the door and noticed my quiet arrival while others continued to sit or lay where they were, looking dejected. Most did look up, however, when I grabbed the keys and walked quickly down the row of bars looking for Christopher.

Finally I found him near the end and struggled to get the key in the lock. He rushed to the bars, looking happy and afraid.

"Robin! You came! I told them you-" He practically shouted.

"Shh!" I checked the entrance before whispering. "There may be more guards around." The lock gave a slight click. The door swung open and Christopher barreled out. "Stay in the shadows and cut through the woods. You're family is waiting for you. Good luck."

"Thank you Robin. You are the most honorable man I know. We owe you." He didn't ask what I was going to do, either because he knew or was too eager to leave,                                                                                                                    but he was gone in a flash. I went to the next set of bars and opened the door, ushering people out. They mumbled thanks and left just as quickly as Christopher. I could only pray that they wouldn't be caught. Again and again I opened doors until every person was free and out of the building.

Just as I was finishing with the last cell and about to leave, I heard a noise from the back room. I knew that there couldn't be more people back there so I had forewent searching it. The noise came again and this time it sounded like a sob. Taking my bow off my shoulder, I inched quietly toward the door. It opened with suprisingly little noise to reveal a scene that made my blood boil.

One man stood with his back to me as a second one held a girl roughly against the wall. She couldn't have been over fourteen and she looked absolutely horrified as tears streamed down her cheeks. I don't even think she really saw me. The jailbreak had been quiet and fast enough that the guards still didn't know it had even happened yet. Boy, were they about to.

My arrow hit him right where I knew it would hurt most, his groin. His mouth was no longer pressed sloppily against hers but was now howling in what I was sure was agony. My smile almost turned into giggles as he sank to the floor. I would leave him alive so he could enjoy that wound. The other man was just beginning to turn when I caught the side of his head with my bow and he fell unconcious. Stepping over the man who still had my arrow sticking out of his family jewels, I aproached the girl. She wimpered and tried to push herself as far against the wall as possible.

Not wasting any time I grabbed her shoulder roughly and looked into her huge oval eyes. Absently, I noted that she was very pretty with her golden hair and fair skin. "Run" I pushed her toward the door. She stumbled as fast as she could on shaky legs and made it out into the night air, me close behind her. We were precisely two steps out of the door when the two men appeared. I didn't even have time to draw my bow so instead I socked one in the face and turned around to see that the other was holding the girl roughly by her hair. His nose gave a crunch and a spurt of blood as my fist collided with it. The girl broke free with a cry and looked questioningly at me. I pushed her in the direction of the forest, hoping that she knew how to get around in there without getting eaten by something.

Fingers grabbed my hood and a good portion of hair with it. I barely had time to yell "Go!" at her before I was jerked backward. I tried to twist around but the agony shooting through my head was too much. Uncerimoniously, I was dragged back into the jail. The second man followed, rubbing his swollen jaw angrily. The girl didn't join us so I assumed she had gotten away. Good.

Without giving me a fraction of a second to respond, the hand in my hair turned me around and delivered a punch that almost broke my jaw. I barely managed to keep the hood on my cloak up but things could go much worse if they found out I was a girl. The scene with the girl had proven that they didn't holds their morals in very high regard.

Somewhere between the punching and my stumbling back I was able to assess the situation. Two grown men stood in front of me looking ready for blood. Where the hell had they been? Were they patroling the forest and heard the noise? All I knew was that I was in trouble. My bow and quiver of arrows were trapped uncomfortably behind my back and the bars and my head was reeling from the punch. Things quickly got worse when the one I had knocked out with my bow came lumbering into the room. The other one wouldn't be joining us any time soon.

The same one who had punched me now pressed his forearm against my throat. I tried to struggle but I could barely draw in a breath, much less escape.

"Look who decided to pop in." His rotten breathe was all I could smell as he hissed the words. It made my head feel even fuzzier. This close I could see the blackheads on his nose and the vein on his forehead. Just when I thought I was going to not pass out he threw me to the ground where my head bounced off the stone. One of the other men decided it was his turn to have some fun and picked me up by the front of my cloak only to slam me into the bars of another cell. My arm was aching from where I landed on it but that did not stop me from reaching for another knife. I slashed upward with it, aiming for the soft area underneath his chin. Sadly it missed its mark and opened a slash on the goon's cheek.

He hissed and punched me in the stomach. Twice. The other idiots were actually smiling.

"Let's see who is behind this mask shall we? Who is Robin Hood?" He said it so dramatically that I wanted to roll my eyes. I would if I wasn't so terrified.

"Go to hell" My voice was low but I knew he heard me. His response was to reach up and rip my mask off with a hard jerk. I knew the second they realized I was a girl. They took a second to widen their eyes and express their shock and then they realized just how much more fun this would be for them. It was almost funny how the pieces fit together at almost the exact same time for each of them. Just not really.

Number two tossed me into the guy who had yet to have a chance to use me as a punching bag. I guess it was his turn now. How nice that they were sharing.

"You mean to tell me that this pretty little thing is Robin Hood." He made tsking sounds "That's no way for a lady to act. Maybe we should teach you some manners." Somehow he managed to hit me in the stomach even harder than his friend before back handing me into the bars. I sank to the ground, tasting blood. My vision was starting to blur around the edges.

Number one piped up "I think we should just kill her."

Number two crouched down beside me. "I think we should have some fun first. We shouldn't waste such a pretty little thing." I spat a bloody glob on his face. Instead of the angry respose I thought I was going to get he just calmly reached out, wrapped his fingers around my throat, and jerked me forward, letting me go to sprawl on the floor. He looked positively thrilled. I wanted to break his already crooked nose but my limbs wouldn't obey me any more.

Suddenly he was a heavy weight on top of me and I tried one last time to struggle. His elbow wipped across my face and I passed out for a second. When I came to the asshole's fingers were wiggling into my pants like maggots. I closed my eyes, still trying to buck but knowing it was over. Atleast I saved those people. Atleast I made the world a slightly better place. I would be missed when I was dead.

There was a sound like a strangled scream and all of a sudden he was just... gone. I no longer had his weight on top of me. I was okay.

I opened my eyes, one first and then the other, and stared at the ceiling. Not seeing, not breathing, just relieved. I think I would have stayed like that for a while if I hadn't had my view blocked by a pair of enraged eyes and a mess of dark blond hair. It couldn't be, but it was.

Will

Rescued

 

I watched, strangely detached as he took inventory of my body, looking disgusted when he saw how the hem of my pants was pushed lower than it should be but I guess he thought better than to fix it. I wouldn't have cared if he had. Everything hurt. All that mattered was the pain. And maybe him.

"Good to see you again, Robin." I kind of sighed in response and he grabbed my cloak and bow which had both been torn off. He slung them over his shoulder before trying to gather me in his arms as gently as possible. It was funny that I hadn't screamed this whole time but now wanted to desperately. When Will straightened I had to bite the inside of my cheek to hold in sobs. I hadn't been roughed up this badly since I had killed that duke.

I had so many questions for Will bubbling up inside of me. Then again, I also had a lot of blood bubbling up inside of me. His smooth steps jostled me as little as possible as he quickly exited the jail and melted into the forest. I kept my eyes on his face while he moved swifly through the trees even with my weight. Every now and then he would look down at me and our eyes would meet but he didn't speak.

Eventually I closed my eyes and let the feelings seep in. I'd almost died. Worse, I'd almost been raped. But I hadn't been. I was alive and presumably safe against Will's chest which was warm and bare and nice. It was a really good place to be.

When he finally stopped moving I could hear the trickling of water and I wanted to turn my head but couldn't. It would hurt too much. He sat down with me in his lap which was... nice. It was just so wierd to have someone rescuing me.

"Are you okay?" He leaned down like he wanted to bring his face close to mine but he didn't. His right hand hovered over my face where I was sure a bruise was blooming.

"I'll be fine." My voice was raspy and tired. The adrenaline was starting to wear off and my eyelids drooped.

"Do you mind if I..." He gestured toward my body. He wanted to check my wounds and it probably wasn't a bad idea so I nodded. Will probed delicately at the back of my head. Satisfied there he moved onto my jaw, running cool fingers along my skin. It felt wonderful. He frowned when he got to the deep slash on my arm. Taking my cloak he wet it in the small stream we were sitting beside and wiped away as much blood as he could. When Will was satisfied with that he grabbed my wrist where I had pressed my balled up fist against my stomach in an unconcious effort to stop the ache.

Moving my hand aside he placed his own hand right on the exposed flesh underneath my vest. He looked at me questioningly. I didn't breathe.

"Is this okay?" What was he doing? I nodded yes because I wanted him to touch me. I needed someone to touch me right now. Pushing my vest up, he laid his palm on my skin. I tensed, not expecting his touch to be gentle enough to not hurt. But it was. His thumb rubbed small circles above my belly button. He didn't try to push any further, just rubbed reasuringly. I wanted to weep with joy.

"You can rest now if you want." I was already leaning my head against his chest before he was done speaking. I'm not really sure if I fell asleep or passed out but either way the blackness rushed up to meet me.

Waking Up

 

I woke up in fits. At first when my eyes opened I would see leaves overhead as Will moved quietly through the trees with me in his arms. Then the pain would overcome my conciousness in a black, blurry haze and I would be plunged back into darkness. I don't know how many times this happened, but it was enough for me to realize that we were traveling for a very long time as darkness turned into daylight and then dimmed again.

Finally I woke as Will's arms unwrapped themselves from my body and laid me gently back onto a soft surface. My groggy eyes registered his blurry face in the dim firelight. He wasn't alone. There was another beautiful woman leanding over me. Just as I was about to open my mouth another wave of agony caused my muscles to spasm. I breathed in sharply and my eyes fluttered closed. I passed out again. 

I lost all sense of time after that. The pain induced unconciousess felt different now, more like it was drug induced. I didn't wake up again but it felt like there was always someone there with me. Words cannot even describe how much I hated being so helpless.

When my body's pain had dulled and the drugs wore off, I woke for the last time to dim morning sun streaming through a flap in the tent where I laid. There were people talking nearby.

"You shouldn't have brought her here." A male voice. One that I didn't know.

"What was he suppose to do? Let her die?" This came from a frantic female.

And then came the voice that I wanted to hear. "She saved me. We can trust her."It was Will. Boy, was I glad to hear him. It made my hand itch for a weapon a little less. Still, I wanted my bow back.

"The hell we can! You don't even know who she is!" The angry male spoke again. He was practically shouting. It took a while for Will to speak again and when he did his words were quiet.

"Her name is Robin. I think she's Robin Hood." No! No, Will! Oh, God this was bad. These people could turn me in and I wasn't in really great fighting condition. I had to get out of here fast.

There was a moment of stunned silence and then the man laughed. "You expect me to belive that this human girl is the same person that we have been hearing about for the past  year?" He asked between laughs. "Look at her!" I was planning my escape route as he spoke so I didn't really have time to be offended. First I had to figure out if I could move. Well, wiggling my toes didn't seem to cause too much discomfort.

"Look at her bow!" Will was less calm now. "Believe me, she knows how to use it. And I found her being beaten by the guards after she released all of the prisoners. She saved Isabelle!" Who the hell was Isabelle? Some girl in the prison, I guess. Maybe the one I got caught for.

"And that is why she's still here." The man sighed reluctantly. "This Robin has saved one of ours and she deserves sanctuary. So we will give it to her. But be careful." His footsteps retreated.

The woman spoke to Will this time. "I am going to check on Isabelle again. Robin should wake up in an hour or so." Wrong. I was awake now. The canvas door of the tent opened and she left. Will sat beside me on the bedroll. I tried to stay still as long as possible just so I could listen to his breathing, but after a few minutes the tickle in my throat became too much and I gave a weak cough. It didn't feel great but it didn't feel awful. Next I tried to stretch my legs. Once again, not that bad.

"You feel alright?" He asked, watching me. It was wierd how alike this situation was to when we met. The roles were just reversed.

"Yeah, hunky freaking dorry." My voice crackled from disuse. "How long have I been asleep?" I just needed some facts. Something solid.

"Three days. Most of the first day was spent traveling. After we got here Linota gave you something to knock you out because you kept moaning. It sounded... painful." He shuddered.

I sat up, feeling lightheaded for a moment. The blood had been washed out of my hair and I was still in my own clothes. "I feel suprisingly good." I stretched again to prove it. Everything ached with a passion but nothing felt as if a white hot poker was being applied to it. I could probably even walk.

"Yeah, my mom- Linota- is pretty good with herbal medacine." I stood and the room tilted slightly. Will popped up beside me and offered a hand so that I wouldn't fall over. Once I was sure I wasn't too tipsy I pulled away from his hands and reached for my bow. I was shocked to also see my quiver of arrows, slighly depleted from my adventure. They were a comfortable weight against my back.

Turning around, I nearly bumped into Will, who was crowding me even more than necesary in the tent. It was thankfully tall enough for me stand without stooping. I don't think I could handle stooping right now. Using my fingertips, I pushed his chest until he was at a distance I could handle. People couldn't just migrate toward me that fast.

"Listen, we need to talk." I paused and licked my lips. He looked at me expectantly. Will was acting different from how I remember. Although, I guess we had met in different circumstances. He still looked at me the same. With the same piercing eyes. "So you know I'm Robin Hood and now they know I'm Robin Hood. " I gestured toward the opening in the tent. "And I don't know what's going on but things seem to be going real bad real fast. So I'm going to leave."

"You don't have to leave yet. Actually, you probably can't. It's a long way to travel and you're not up to it. It's safe here." He smiled devilishly, revealing straght white teeth. "Even for outlaws."

"This isn't funny. I killed those men. By law I should be put to death. It would be best if I just go back to my tree, pack my stuff, and get the hell out of dodge."

He jerked his head toward the door. "Come on, let's get some food. You don't have to worry about anyone turning you in. Isabelle told us how you saved her so we owe you. We're a very... tight knit community." Now he tried to pull me out of the tent. My shoulder throbbed along with the rest of me, but I stayed put. Finally he stopped his half hearted attempt and looked at me. "You don't have to worry about us. I promise."

Questions

"I have a few questions for you." I told Will, looking at him warily. Now that I had gotten over the whole being rescued ordeal, my suspicion was growing.

His face didn't go serious all of a sudden as I had expected, but kept the slight smile. "I bet you do." Then he just turned and walked out of the tent, expecting me to follow. For a moment I thought about just staying where I was. But, I realized, that would get me exactly nowhere.

My breath caught in my throat when I stepped out into the dim morning sun. In front of me was atleast forty people milling about, in groups, and ducking in and out of more tents. Each one immediately stopped to stare at me. I stared back, openmouthed, but not for the same reasons as them. I stared because out of the men and women- and they were mixed preety evenly- there was not a single dress in sight! Every single woman wore a version of my own now-grimy tight leather pants.

The tension in the air was palpable but while some looked at me with an expression aproaching anger, others looked outright happy to see me.. Will was walking towards a large group of people around a fire with what I assumed was a cauldron of stew cooking over it.  I scurried quickly after him.

I watched as a scowling woman pressed two bowls into Will's hands. Her scowl was meant for me. What was wrong with these people?

"So about those questions..." I said, catching up to Will. I stood akwardly among the other people as he filled the bowls with stew. This close I could smell the rich aroma and my mouth watered. The days without eating had finally caught up to me as my stomach almost cramped from emptiness. Will turned around and offered me one of the bowls. I took it eagerly, putting it to my lips and draining it in seconds. Over the rim I could see him smiling at me but I didn't care. He offered me his bowl which I also took, drinking slower this time. Now that we were standing still, Will seemed to be moving my way in covert shifts and shuffles. He probably didn't even mean to do it.

I was halfway through the it when a little boy broke away from his friends and bounded over to pull on Will's shirt. The boy smiled sweetly at me before turning back to Will.

"She's not really Robin Hood, is she?" I coughed and almost choked on my mouthful of food. When I was finally done sputtering, I used my hand to wipe my mouth. Will laughed.

"I hate to tell you that she really is."

'Will!" All I could do was stare at him. Now I was getting angry. The little boy looked at me, awestruck. It wasn't unusual for anyone to have that reaction. I was a bit of a celebrity.

"Go on Koray. You can talk to her later." Koray- a pretty name i noted absentmindedly- hurried away just as quickly as he came, this time shooting looks of wonder back at me. My eyes strayed to the other people around us. The staring had become less obvious now but I would have to be blind to not notice that they were still looking.

"What's wrong with them?" I whispered to Will. I could understand hostility or curiousity, but this was just rididculous.

He answered in a whisper that matched mine. "You scare them." My eyebrows rose.

"If they all know who I am then they shouldn't be scared. Maybe a little diasapointed that Robin Hood is a woman, but not scared." I said, handing the bowl back to him half eaten. His eyebrows lifted but that same smile stayed where it was. And the worst thing was, I was staring to like it. Hell, I think I liked it from the very first moment it appeared.

"They don't care that you are a woman." I thought about this, pieces clicking in my head with an almost audible snap. No dresses, tents in the woods, not caring if I'm female- these were strange people. But were they dangerous people? "They are afraid of you beacause you are an outsider, but they're willing to accept you because you saved one of ours."

"Isabelle, right?" I asked, thinking about the girl's scared eyes. There was no way I could have not helped her.

He nodded and shuffled forward, even more into my personal space, right before a woman walked up to us with large, proud steps. If I hadn't been paying close attention I wouldn't have noticed the questioning look she sent Will's way. I could understand why she would, I could practically feel his breath on my neck.

"Robin, this is Linota. She's the one who took care of you." Now that he said something I could see the resemblance in the two. They had the same dark blonde hair and cheekbones, but she looked too young to be Will's mother. There wasn't a gray hair or wrinkle on her. I realized suddenly that most of the people around me looked young and healthy, each of them pretty in a slender, graceful way. Those must be some damn good genes.

"Thank you for that." I said, holding out my hand to her. She hesitated a moment, looking at my outstretched hand as if it were a foreign object, before taking it and giving an akward shake. Weird. Just as soon as the akward moment came, it was gone and her features softened into that of motherly concern.

"It's my job. I'm glad you are awake. I wasn't expecting the drugs to wear off for a while longer but of course I'm not use to treatin-" Her gray eyes widened and she stopped speaking abruptly. I felt Will tense beside me. "Will, why has she not bathed yet?" Linota spoke in a soft, rumbling voice. She fixed her glare on Will who, to my astonishment, looked down at the ground. I got the feeling that he was almost submitting, something I had yet to see him do.

"We were going there now actually." This was news to me. I didn't know we were going anywhere. "How is Isabelle?" He asked. Will was concerned about her. I had the feeling that everyone was concerned about everyone as far as this group went.

"She's fine. And this one-" She gestured to me. "needs to get cleaned up. I'm sure she would appreciate it." I nodded vigorously, suddenly feeling the grime that felt as if it had worked itself into my very being.

Just like that she turned on her hill and walked purposefully away. I got the idea that she was a woman who couldn't be stopped when she put her mind to it. I liked that thought.

 

 

 

 

Scrubbed Raw

It I had just decided to stay in the stream a little longer, I don't think things would have gone quite as, uh, rocky as they did.

As it was, I really did enjoy the bath. I wasted no time stripping naked. Will barely cleared the tree line before I was wading in with the rough bar of soap in one hand and grimy leather clothes in the other. My bow and weapons sat on the bank. Smooth pebbles shifted underfoot as I made a beeline for the small, picture perfect waterfall.

We had walked long enough into the forest that I could be sure I was alone. My spirits had immediately been lifted by the sound of running water and Will had almost been laughing as I assured him I could find my way back, all but stripping then and there.

Ten minutes later I trudged out of the water scrubbed free of a layer of dirt and skin. It's odd how much better being half raw feels after an extended period of not bathing.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 08.04.2013

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Widmung:
To myself, which may seem a little ridiculous to some, but I think is remarkably appropriate. Also to my favorite authors, for writing what inspired me to.