by Shea, K. M.
Marian nodded once before standing and calling out. “Did you hear that, boys?”
“Loud and clear,” Little John said, stepping out from behind a hut.
“It is an agreeable solution,” Will Scarlet said, materializing next to my fire. “Little John and I were being impatient. We should have never brought it up in the first place… but it was the only way to explain everything.”
“All that matters is that Robyn said no,” Much announced, following Little John to my fire.
“For now,” Little John amended.
Much ignored him. “Let’s forget all of this foolishness. The contest, Little John and Scarlet’s asinine arrest, their confessions, everything.”
“For now,” Little John repeated.
“You were listening in? This was a set up!” I realized, leaping to my feet. “Marian you betrayed me!” I shouted.
Marian shrugged. “They would never believe anything I said unless they heard it fall from your lips. Would you have rather told them face to face than tell me and have them happen to overhear?”
I winced as I thought about that possibility. “No,” I sighed.
“So let’s celebrate, Robyn is back, everyone is safe, and it’s breakfast time,” Will Stutely said, appearing with a pack of Merry Men.
I smiled, mildly moved but, above all, relieved to be leaving the topic of love behind me. “Of course. I am Robin Hood and you are my band of Merry Men. Let us be Merry!” I shouted.
All of the Merry Men had turned out of their beds by this point, and most of them shouted and raised their arms in agreement.
After several seconds of shouting the Merry Men split up to do the morning chores. I was about to investigate the whereabouts of my longbow and quiver, but Marian grabbed me by the elbow.
“Walk with me,” she bid. “It’s dawn, I need to be getting home soon.”
I complied, and together we trailed over to the pen that held the Pony, Crafty, the new horses stolen from Nottingham, and a still saddled Nearly Dead.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked as Marian ducked in the pen to snag her horse.
Marian turned around to consider me for a moment before speaking. “I’m coming to live with you and the Merry Men.”
I was statue still for a moment before reacting. “What? Are you insane?! You can’t Marian. Sherwood is hardly the place for a Lady. I don’t care how robust you are, you are a being of nobility and power. You can’t stay here Marian.”
“I’m coming,” Marian stubbornly refuted. “I can’t stand living in that castle any longer with the odious Sir Guy of Gisborne constantly nipping at my heels like an accursed lap dog! Not to mention my father and mother, pandering to the Sheriff and Prince John, I cannot stand it any longer Robyn. I must leave. I can survive in the woods just as well as your other Merry Men!”
“It’s not a matter of surviving Marian,” I said in a pleading voice as Marian swung onto Nearly Dead’s back. “We need you out there. You are our main source of information and supplies! The only way we hear credible information about the Prince or King Richard is through you! We need you right where you are.”
Marian looked unconvinced.
“Just wait,” I pleaded as I swung the wooden fence open. “I’ll come to you tomorrow. Somehow. I’ll break in. We can talk.”
“Fine,” Marian frostily agreed. “But you better show up, Robyn. Otherwise I’m riding back here with as much supplies as I can carry, and I won’t return home until King Richard is back on the throne,” Marian vowed before heeling Nearly Dead. The grey mare took off, tearing out of the camp. I shut the fence behind Marian’s speedy exit before I rubbed my eyes with my hands.
“Did something happen?” Will Scarlet asked.
“Did something happen to Marian?” Little John asked.
I jumped, startled by their suddenly appearance. “Umm,” I uttered. They continued to stare at me with open, reasonable expectations.
Apparently they would be following Much’s orders and would pretend like nothing happened. I felt relieved, but at the same time I was having a hard time looking at them the same way.
“Robyn, are you even listening?” Will Scarlet teased, one of his eyebrows quirking up.
“Yes,” I said, sheepishly itching the back of my head. “Yes, something happened with Marian. She’s decided to make things even more complicated than they already are,” I said before nervously laughing and striding off.
I would have to get over their silly confessions. I needed to.
Chapter 5
Alan-A-Dale
True to my word, the following day I found myself wandering through Sherwood, wearing one of the dresses I had snagged and improved upon during my stay at Nottingham castle.
I did not take Crafty or the Pony. My plan was to waltz up to Marian’s castle— dressed as a passable female—and sneak my way to Marian’s quarters.
I had a terrible time convincing Much and Will Stutely to let me go meet her. In the end they only consented as long as I left Little John and Will Scarlet behind. (I suspected that duo was going to get the lecture of a lifetime in my absence.) Honestly, I was a little glad to be alone. Things were still a little awkward between the three of us.
I ambled through the forest, silent in spite of my heavy skirts, aiming for a worn path I knew of that wormed around the edges of Sherwood Forest before swirling over to Marian’s castle.
In my walk I heard a male voice… singing. For a split second I feared one of my Merry Men would magically appear and haul me off to enter some sort of fight against the singing stranger, as they were prone to do. But after several tense seconds I relaxed and recalled I was alone.
Curiosity getting the better part of me, I angled my path towards the singing voice. If I was lucky maybe it was a fat lord with an equally fat purse, trying to lull a genteel lady.
The closer I got to the singing the more I appreciated the joyful song. The unnamed singer was clearly a great musician. (Not at all like Dan!)
I slowed down as I neared the voice, lurking among the trees and bushes to inspect the singer. It was a young lad, he had to be my age or younger. He was comely, and as he strolled through my forest he trailed his fingers across the harp strings and sang like a lark.
Instantly I knew he was neither rich nor intelligent. The blasted boy didn’t carry a single weapon on his person, much less a purse. All he had was his harp, which he played prettily enough to make the King’s minstrels jealous.
I made up my mind to leave the poor boy be. He was obviously a cheerful, if not oblivious soul. I had no quarrel with him, I could only hope he kept to the outskirts of Sherwood and didn’t venture closer to my camp. (Because then surely my men would force me into some kind of musical match against him, just to spite me.)
I abruptly plunged through the trees, half startling the singing boy.
He spun around and nearly bolted, but paused when he caught sight of me. He smiled but continued his song, quickly falling out of sight as I hurried to Huntingdon Castle.
Sneaking into the castle was easier than I ever previously remembered. Maybe it was because I had earned nerves of steel after chatting so much with George, or maybe it was because I had finally garnered enough experience with full skirts that I could walk without tripping.
I sashayed through the gates of Huntingdon, and the guards on duty gave me only an appreciative secondary glance.
Once inside I navigated my way through the town section before sneaking through the inner walls, walking with a band of washing maids. I broke off from them at the stables and boldly walked around it, heading for the gardens.
None of the guards stopped me, or even appeared to be suspicious of me, a single lady wandering around without a chaperon or friend at her side. I got to the gardens without a hitch, and I was sitting on a bench reflectively staring at the castle keep. I had never been to Marian’s room, I didn’t know where it was much less how to get inside.
“Lady Mary?”
&nb
sp; I twisted and peered over a rose bush. Marian was smiling at me with her pretty, blue eyes. “Why Lady Marian. How good it is to see you,” I greeted, standing up.
“And how good it is to see you! Come, we must catch up. Tell me how the Gamwells fare,” Marian invited, holding out her arm.
I looped my arm through hers, as I often did with Elizabeth, and Marian yanked me around the garden. We traveled down a well worn path, popping out by the kitchens. Marian pulled me inside, immersing us with the servants. We were pushed forward like lily pads on a pond before Marian wrangled us out of the bustling kitchens and into a narrow hallway.
“Your room is situated in a very strange place, Lady Marian,” I laughed in a warning tone.
“Shh,” Marian urged, taking a turn down a twisting hall. She stopped outside a wooden door, opened it, and pushed me in before shutting it behind her. “We can talk freely here. This is just an extra storage room. No one comes this way.”
“How reassuring,” I muttered, glancing around the dust filled room. All that was in it were crates, barrels, and some rolled up rugs.
Marian frowned. “My room is positively flocked with babbling ladies maids. We could never talk there. You’re just lucky I was able to pull myself away without being noticed.”
“Why the extra security?” I asked, plopping down on a dusty crate. “Did they catch you yesterday morning?”
“No, worse. Prince John has been making noises that Sir Guy of Gisborne is in need of a wife,” Marian sighed.
“So?” I shrugged.
“I’m the perfect candidate for that unlucky position,” Marian said as she started to pace. “Father and Mother are extremely upset that I’m blatantly supporting you. It’s hurting their standing with Prince John, that’s why marrying me off to one of his favorite knights would solidify the relationship. The only reason Father didn’t immediately agree is because he’s not yet completely under my mother’s thumb, who is all for it, and because Sir Guy is drop dead broke.”
“But Prince John isn’t going to be our ruler for forever. You’ll be sunk when King Richard returns,” I objected.
“I know, but the talk is that King Richard isn’t going to return. Face it Robyn, you and the Merry Men are the only ones who are seriously raising money to free him. Even his own supporters, like my father, don’t dare move with Prince John breathing down their necks.”
“We’ll get the ransom. And I won’t let them marry you off to Sir Guy,” I vowed before groaning as I recalled that particular knight. “Of course he has to be the only competent knight Prince John’s brought with him. Otherwise I could just challenge him to a duel and off him, but I’m not willing to take that chance with Sir Guy,” I said, sucking on my lip.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve decided, I’m coming back to Sherwood with you,” Marian shrugged, stopping in front of my crate.
“No you aren’t Marian,” I sharply said.
“Yes I am, Robyn! You don’t get how horrible this is!” Marian snarled, reaching out to shake my shoulders.
“Bear with it Marian. You are our only source of information in such a high level of nobility. We need you here. I’ll go back to Sherwood and talk things over with the Merry Men. We’ll calculate how much more we need to free King Richard and figure out something to end this Sir Guy business. You can expect my return in two or three days,” I said, standing up.
Marian backed away as I brushed off dust off my dress. “You promise?” she sulked.
“Promise. I’ll come up with a plan Marian,” I said, meeting her gaze with my own sharp, brown eyes. “You’re a part of my company too. I won’t throw you to the dogs.”
“Whenever did you grow to become so heroic?” Marian sighed, reaching out to hug me.
“You have no one but yourself to blame for that one. This is your Outlaw Dream. You made me into Robin Hood,” I winked.
“I did, didn’t I?” Marian wondered, her forehead wrinkling.
“Come now, you had better get back before your cackling guard hens realize you’ve flown the coup,” I said, starting for the door.
“The same goes for you. How on earth did you procure Much’s permission to leave the camp.”
“I did a lot of swindling,” I said, opening the door.
“I bet,” Marian snorted behind me.
Within two hours I was back at my camp in Sherwood, trading the dress for my more desirable lincoln green uniform.
“What did Marian have to say?” Much asked, waiting for me outside my hut.
“Nothing good, that is for certain,” I called through the door, straightening my green hose before grabbing my pheasant feather cap, placing it on my head. I threw the door open with a bang. “She wants to come live with us in Sherwood.”
Much grew violently pale, behind him Will Stutely turned green. Will Scarlet’s color remained normal, but he inexplicably gained four wrinkles on his forehead. Similarly, Little John snapped the bow he was trying to mend.
“What did you say?” Little John carefully asked, seated in front of a fire a short distance away from my hut.
I left my room, closing the door behind me. “Her mother and the prince have plans to marry her off to Sir Guy of Gisborne, that odiously pompous knight who was riding with Prince John when we robbed him,” I explained, walking up to Little John’s fire.
“The one with the bad haircut?” Much recalled.
“That would be him,” Will Scarlet agreed. “Little John and I got a good look at him in Nottingham Castle. I can’t believe Maid Marian’s father would let her marry such a fop. He’s not a knight, he’s bloody broke!”
“Says the earl who lives in the forest like a common squatter,” Will Stutely piped in.
Will Scarlet shot him a glare.
“Lobb,” I called.
“Yes Robyn?” Lobb asked from the edge of camp. He was returning from guard duty. “Go with Tom and get Friar Tuck. Tell him his assistance is required.”
“Yes Robyn!” Lobb hummed before disappearing off into the woods.
“What do we need Friar Tuck for?” Much asked. “I thought you finally gave up saying your last rites before every robbery we pull.”
“This is about King Richard’s ransom. If I recall correctly Marian said he was being held for 150,000 marks. Unfortunately when we rob we don’t just get solid coins. We have gold and gems as well. I’m hoping Friar Tuck will help us get those valued and switched. Better yet, he may be able to find others who are trying to free King Richard. He’s connected with our band, but he is a priest. Even Prince John would think twice before killing one of God’s men,” I said. “Much, Stutely. Could you start to gather up the gold? We’re going to count it.”
“Right,” Will Stutely nodded.
“Sure thing Robyn,” Much agreed, casting a wary glance at Little John and Will Scarlet.
“What will we do about Marian?” Will Scarlet prompted.
I rubbed my forehead. “I’m still trying to figure that out,” I paused for a moment. “It would almost be easier to get enough money to free King Richard from his prison rather than try to dissuade Sir Guy of Gisborne against Marian.”
Little John snorted and Scarlet chuckled.
I smiled at their familiar actions. Leave it to Marian to create enough chaos that would get all of our minds off the last few days. “When I get our monetary amount amassed I plan to visit Marian. With luck we’ll be able to free King Richard within the year,” I said.
“In no way would that be in time to save Marian,” Little John said, moving to stand closer to me.
“Correct. But big mouth Marian will inform her father, who might possibly hold out from giving his consent before Christmas,” I gambled, taking a few steps away from the tall man. I was quite aware of his presence after his shocking confession. I couldn’t help it.
“The dashing outlaw Robin Hood needs me, or so I am told?” Friar Tuck announced, plowing through our camp with his large girth. Lobb and Tom hovered in his wake.
/> “Why it is the good Friar Tuck! I did not expect you to arrive so soon,” I greeted, walking up to my father-figure with a grin.
“I was on my way to visit you when these two nervous rabbits found me,” Friar Tuck said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Lobb and Tom. “So, what causes the Bold and Brave Robin Hood to call me?” he winked, affectionately patting my head.
“It’s about King Richard’s ransom,” I said.
“Ah,” Friar Tuck acknowledged.
“I mean to figure out how much of his ransom we can pay,” I said. “We need to start counting our assets and calculating this out.”
Friar Tuck rubbed his chin and nodded. “I know Queen Eleanor is mustering up as many funds as she can get. I shall put my ear to the ground and see if I can’t come up with a sum.”
“Excellent. If we’re lucky we might find others who are hoarding up wealth for King Richard’s release as well. I know most of the crusaders are camped across Europe, but surely some of Richard’s agents have returned by now,” I said.
“Be careful Robyn,” Friar Tuck warned. “Prince John and King Phillip of France have offered to pay Henry of the Holy Roman Emperor 80,000 marks to keep King Richard. Prince John means to keep Richard out of the country.”
“Prince John is an inept tadpole,” Will Scarlet declared. “The day he becomes King of England is the day I shall see our monarchy weakened.”
I glared at my Merry Man. “You’re already an outlaw Will, but talking like that is sure to see you further outlawed, if that’s possible.”
“Even if you do speak truly,” Little John agreed.
Friar Tuck laughed and rolled up the sleeves of his brown robes. “Let’s take a look at your riches, shall we Robyn?” he said, smoothing the whole thing over.
“Certainly my dear Friar. Come, this way,” I said, leading the Friar through our camp.
