by Sara Ansted
"Stop! Breathe," she commanded. "That's just what I'm saying. I do know these woods, and I've never once seen any seven foot man gallivanting about with a party of friends. Trust me, if they were there, I'd know."
Isaiah sat up straight. "But he has his camp, and the raids, and I'll find it, even if you don't know where to look."
"I've heard the stories." Evey chuckled. " And I know what they say. Do you really think a huge, self-sufficient camp could ever stay hidden in the woods for long? Especially from me? If there's a Robin Hood at all, he wouldn't be that dumb. They'd be a small nomadic group, and you would never find them. But there isn't one, so you don't have to waste your time."
Isaiah was quiet and solemn for a long minute.
"Wow," he said, at last. "For a wild woodland orphan girl, you sure don't have much of a sense of adventure."
"It's not about adventure. It's about reality," she said sternly, and then shrugged. "But go ahead. Try to find your Robin Hood. I suppose it won't hurt anyone."
He grinned impishly, which she found strangely attractive. "I knew it. You secretly wish you had found him first. You want to be in his band, too."
She tried to make her voice sound aloof. "The idea has its benefits, but no. I'm content enough, as I am. Just as I am."
"Are you?"
"What do you mean? Of course I am."
He looked at her with concern.
"You might have saved me purely for convenience or greed, but I don't think you did. I'm a total stranger who could compromise you, yet we've been talking like we were old friends."
He was right. It was suddenly obvious that the awkward tension had been gone for a while.
She pulled her hood a little lower. "Weird."
"What is?"
"What you said. That we've been so relaxed and everything. And you keep acting like you know what I'm thinking."
He shrugged. "Some people are easy to read."
"Alright, sir-knows-everything. I'm too easy to read, apparently. So let's talk about you some more." She had to stop and think of a question. Nothing really good came to mind, so she went back to the last subject. "You want to join Robin Hood's supposed band. Why?"
"I search to right the wrongs in the world because I know it to be important. Someone has to. But I also search for adventure and danger because life without true friends is as empty as a dry riverbed. And I'm trying to find something to fill it."
"That's, um... poetic. Is it a knight code or something?"
"No. I composed that. I know it's bad."
"Oh." Evey had never liked poetry, but she wanted to sound interested. "Do you talk like that with your friends?"
The air went suddenly tense again, and Isaiah became overly interested in a leaf near his boot. She went back to poking the fire, trying hard to pretend that she hadn't said something wrong.
"No," he mumbled, and Evey's face grew hot as she understood.
"Oh... I didn't mean to... uh..."
"It's not your fault. I just don't fit in very well with the guys my age. I got knighted early, and I don't like dice or fist-fights." He shrugged again.
She studied Isaiah's face in detail for the first time. His eyes were very blue. They perfectly matched his honey brown hair. Inexplicably, she wanted to say something poetic about them.
All the other parts of his face weren't remarkable in any particular way. He had a strong, but not overly broad chin, with sparse stubble. His nose was, if anything, a little odd-shaped. It was a sincere and honest face, though, and she kept being drawn to his eyes.
"I really am sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to embarrass you. But I know what you mean about not fitting in. I guess I've got Hobbes. He's my dad's old horse. But there aren't any... I guess I just don't have anyone..."
She couldn't finish. It sounded too depressing.
Once again, Isaiah did know exactly what she meant. He looked at her very seriously and said, "You do now."
She suddenly felt like a part of something, however small it might be. His piercing blue eyes showed no guile and no joke. Just an honest offer. She didn't trust her voice not to crack, and it took her a moment longer to speak than she would have liked.
When she finally could, she whispered, "So do you."
The atmosphere changed again. Instead of silent and tense, it became silent and calm. It was the most comfortable quiet that Evey had ever experienced, broken only by the intermittent chirping of crickets.
CHAPTER NINE
Evey had the most peaceful dreams she could remember. They weren't of anything in particular. Just relaxing scenes. Lazy rivers. Sunsets. Waterfalls. Meadows of wild flowers. When she woke, she didn't want to move for a long while. It had been such a restful night's sleep.
Down on the forest floor, Isaiah rolled up the blanket that Evey had given him. She'd have to do something about her hood before she went down there. It was perfect for cart raids, but wearing it constantly in the heat of the approaching summer would just be silly. Not to mention, it wouldn't hide much up close.
She spotted a small tear along the bottom hem of her cloak. With the help of a dagger, she tore off a wide, and somewhat crooked, strip of the green material and slashed two holes in it. Not exactly a work of high fashion, but it would have to do.
With her mask in place, she shinnied down the far side of the trunk and snuck up behind Isaiah, just as he stood up.
"Morning!" she said exuberantly. The newly rolled blanket flew from his hands and landed in a crumpled heap.
He leaned on the tree took a deep breath. "Did you rescue me just to scare me to death?"
"Me?" She adopted the most innocent tone she could.
"You should be a traveling player," he said dryly.
He shook out the blanket and started re-rolling it while Evey casually helped herself to breakfast.
"Would you like to find Robin Hood today?" she asked through a mouthful of cold rabbit. He turned in surprise.
"I thought he didn't exist."
He pretended to stay unimpressed, but the gleam in his eyes gave him away.
Evey smiled. "Maybe so, but I know a pretty good way to follow in his footsteps."
"Really? Okay, yeah." He cleared his throat. "So, um. Shouldn't I have a mask like yours, or something? You know, so they don't recognize me when we do the handouts?"
She raised an eyebrow and tugged her hood into place. "Um. I guess a mask isn't a bad idea, but what exactly do you think we'll be doing? I know I sure don't plan on being seen."
Isaiah cocked his head, with wide, confused eyes.
Evey rolled her own eyes dramatically. "Oh, boy. Don't tell me you thought we were just going to march through town, tossing coins out, or something."
"Well..."
"First of all, do you want us hanged? I can't think of a better way to turn ourselves in than by strutting around with all this stolen silver. Second, people don't like to openly accept charity. It's a matter of honor."
He made a face. "Really? People are opposed to free money?"
"Yes and no. I guess it depends on why the money is free, but most common people would rather earn a living honestly. That's why we all..." She paused, aware that she might get herself in serious trouble. Isaiah was a knight, after all.
"Why you what?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"Why you don't like the king?"
"I never said that," she blurted, and walked a bit faster.
"Stop," he called. She waited for him to catch up, ready for a lecture on disloyalty. "Please, don't be afraid. I don't think his taxes are right either."
"No, they're not," she whispered.
"Kings depend on their people. They need money and loyalty to run a country, but they should earn that loyalty, not beat it from them."
Evey looked up at him. "You're good with words. You put everything so simply."
Isaiah shrugged and walked on. "A lot of good it does. No one listens
to me."
"Maybe someday," she said half-sadly. "You might actually get your chance to make a difference. Not like me."
"Don't say that," he protested.
"Well, it's true. First, I'm a girl. Second, I'm a girl. Third, I'm a poor nobody who is also a girl."
He awkwardly lifted a hand toward her, and then dropped it again.
"You have more power than you think."
This time she shrugged. "Plus, I'm small. You're not exactly Robin Hood, but even you've got a good six or seven inches of height on me. Maybe eight. People think I'm helpless because I'm little."
He lifted his hand again, and put it gingerly on her shoulder. "You have a strong spirit, and you care about other people. Those are more important than being tall."
"A lot of good they do," she mumbled.
"Maybe someday," he replied with a smile. "Now, let's get going. I believe you were telling me how exactly to go about this business of changing people's lives."
She couldn't help but smile back.
They approached the cottage from the rear. Evey fondly put her hand on the window sill. "This is where it all started. Her name is Alaine. She has a little girl who'll be eight soon. Gwin. The husband went off to war and never came back."
Isaiah nodded. "So, what do we do?"
"Watch and learn."
Isaiah stayed by the window, where he wouldn't be seen. Evey scurried around to the front door. Luckily, both mother and child were away from the house.
Two chicken nests filled the corner of the tiny room. Evey dropped three coins under each hen, then slipped out and joined Isaiah by the window. It wasn't long before the family returned.
"Dear, would you fetch the eggs please?" Alaine called to Gwin. Under her breath, she added, "Let's hope there are some today."
The tiny girl gently petted the hens awake and expertly lifted them to uncover the eggs. After the first hen, she gasped and stared at the coins. Then she lifted the second hen with her eyes shut. After a few seconds she couldn't stand the curiosity. She peeked through one eye.
"Mamma! Mamma! Look here!"
"What's wrong, dear?" Alaine dashed from her work at the table. "Goodness gracious, it's a miracle. We're surely watched over!"
She danced around with her daughter and looked vaguely heaven-ward. "I don't know what we've ever done to deserve these miracles, but we are more grateful every day."
Evey and Isaiah went back to the cover of the nearby forest. Evey grinned from ear to ear. She never got tired of thinking up new ways to hide coins at the widow's house, and it never failed to make her feel light and happy.
Isaiah met her with a very solemn expression. She didn't know what it meant, so she ignored it.
"Care for another go?"
He nodded quietly. They went to four more broken down cottages, each worse than the previous, and left the silver in the most surprising places that they could think of. Even after five stops, Isaiah's face was hard and blank.
Finally, Evey had to say something. "So... what did you think?"
He didn't answer. Maybe giving away money was too hard for him. Was he more like the tax collectors than she thought? If that was his problem, then he'd never.... Evey looked closer. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
He looked back at her. "I never knew."
"Never knew what?"
"That there were people who were so poor. The hens and the child all slept in the same corner. There was nothing in there. Those twins were skin and bones. And that man with the twisted leg!"
Evey leaned against a tree. "Yeah, but today we have ten bags. We'll call it a holiday. Everyone gets a little extra."
"I never knew," he said again.
Evey didn't quite understand his reaction. But then, she knew what it was like to have nothing. Isaiah was a knight with connections. He had probably never been hungry a day in his life. Giving to the poor was just an abstract idea. Now it was real for the first time.
"Alright. You've got the next one," she said as they approached an old lean-to.
"Me?" He held up both hands and backed two steps away. "But you're the expert. I'm not quiet or fast enough."
Evey closed the distance and put the coins into his hand.
"I had to learn somehow, didn't I?"
After several deep breaths, he said, "Okay."
The owner of the lean-to was gone. Isaiah went in and nosed around the place for several minutes.
"Come on," she said. "Just pick somewhere."
"I just want it to be right," he said, and he dithered a bit more.
Whistling came from the road. Evey peeked out casually, then sucked in her breath.
"He's coming. Hurry up."
Isaiah froze and looked around in a panic.
She gave him a push to set him going again. "He'll see us any second!"
The whistling grew louder. Finally Isaiah made a decision and turned to leave. Evey caught him by the collar.
"He'll see us that way," she hissed as loud as she dared. "Out the back."
Only moments after they dashed out, the man entered his lean-to, grabbed some kind of tool, and left again.
Evey let out a long sigh of relief. "You'll have to work on your speed."
She gave Isaiah a playful jab.
He took her by the shoulders. "Marion, thank you. This is the best day of my life. I feel... I feel..."
"Like you could walk on the clouds and not break through?"
"Yes, exactly. Do you do this all the time?" he asked.
"For seven years."
"Seven!!" His hands fell and his jaw dropped open. "Robin Hood's got nothing on you."
As they delivered the silver throughout nearby villages, they talked and laughed. It was never hard to keep up the conversation. The job took all day, but neither of them minded. When the sun set, they went back to the oak, tired and happy.
Isaiah leaned against the tree and propped his feet on a fallen branch. "I could stay like this forever."
"Me too."
"Well... we could."
She dropped her head. "I wish."
"Why couldn't we?"
"Talk about something else."
"No. Why couldn't we?"
The firmness in his voice surprised her, but she waved him off. Rage and despair boiled together in her stomach, leaving her sick and miserable.
"I don't want to talk about it."
He leaned forward. "Something's bothering you. Tell me."
"No!" With that, she walked away through the trees.
Before she could disappear, Isaiah darted after her. He grabbed her wrist and turned her around. "Please?"
She pulled free. "Don't look at me with those sad puppy eyes."
"I just want to help. You don't have to do everything alone, you know."
She groaned. "Being stubborn is really hard with you around."
"Come on." He smiled and led her back.
She slouched against a tree. Isaiah sat close and stared at her until she spoke.
"I'm getting married."
Obviously, that wasn't the answer he had been expecting. He sat back and just said, "Oh."
She folded her arms. "It's not like I want to. I don't have a choice. Well... not really."
"Neither do I," he mumbled.
"About what?"
He lifted his eyebrows.
"Oh," she said. A moment later her eyes went wide. "OH!"
"Uh huh."
She sat down next to him. "You too, huh? It's so unfair."
"Yeah, but there are worse things, right?"
"Not many." She chucked a pebble at a low tree branch.
Isaiah adopted a look of sincere concern. "Is it really that bad?"
She frowned. "You obviously have no idea what it's like to be a girl."
Now he looked thoroughly confused. "No?"
"Look," she said. "How would you feel if your only purpose in life was to get marr
ied off? In the real world, I'm nobody. I'm useless."
He furrowed his brow. "You're not useless."
"Isaiah, you're a really nice guy, but you're still a guy. Getting married won't change anything for you. You'll still fight wars and run castles and maybe even advise the king. You have a future. I don't."
"But you can-"
"Oh, think about it!" She stood again and started pacing. "I don't see any girls getting knighted. No one has a woman for a steward or a chamberlain. I can't even inherit my father's property because I was a daughter, not a son. I'm free out here, but the moment I'm married, this ends. No more forest. No more tax carts. I'm done."
Isaiah's mouth hung open. Evey couldn't tell if he was shocked at her ferocity or just trying to digest what he'd heard.
Her hands itched for something to do. Even the pacing didn't help. Almost unconsciously she reached for her bow and fired at a nearby tree. Five well-grouped shots later she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you. It isn't your fault."
Isaiah waved his hand vaguely. "It's okay."
"I just really, really don't want to get married. Not like this anyway."
"Clearly. So why are you doing it? You're good enough at all this. You could live out here. They'd never find you."
She fired three more shots. "My future isn't the only one involved. It's good for everyone. My uncle won't have to scrape out a living from day to day. Our village will get more trade. Socially and materially I'll have things I've never had before."
Isaiah vaguely rubbed at the stubble on his chin for a while. Even shot three arrows while he sat there.
"What about your betrothed?" he finally asked. "Is he a good man?"
"He's insufferable!" Two more arrows hit the tree. "He couldn't even stand being at our home. Probably not enough servants and finery for him. His father treats me like a prize horse to be bought and sold. And they're obsessed with gold."
Isaiah's face hardened. "That's horrible."
"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it." She emptied her quiver into the target tree.
Isaiah walked with her to retrieve the arrows. "I've never seen anyone shoot like that."
