by A Lonergan
"Who are you?" I asked after a few more sips of the water. My voice sounded almost normal now.
He leaned against the wall and I tried not to stare at him. His pants were covered in thick mud and his coat was worn out. His shoulders sagged and from what I could see from his eyes, he was tired. A bone-deep tired.
"You can call me Robin," he grumbled.
“It's been years since I have heard the story of Robin Hood." I mused. "That's what this is? A band of Robin Hoods?"
He kicked himself off of the wall and peered down at me. "I am doing what I can to help my people. I didn't ask for commentary."
"I didn't ask to be a slave or to be held captive over and over again, but here I am." I could feel my spirit being restored to me and it felt good. It felt better than good. I could have jumped from the bed if my leg wasn't broken.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I went back to the home to see what had happened to your captors." His hood fell over his eyes.
"What happened?" I tried to sit up but the movement pulled my stitches and I let out a whimper of pain.
His gaze shot up to mine. "You need to be careful. Just because the blade didn't hit anything vital doesn't mean you are out of the woods with your healing." He marched to the door and placed a gloved palm on the knob there. "The place was burning."
* * *
Rest was something I couldn't grasp. No matter how many times I tried, I could not sleep. I didn't know if it was because of the fact that I was in a new place or the fact that the place was full of men that I hadn't been able to see their faces. The sun shone through the window above my head and I stared at the door. I was at the mercy of a stranger, again. There was a knock on the door. I expected the person to waltz right in but they waited and waited, until I finally said they could come in. The man that had administered my stitches on my chest came in. He turned flipped the switch on the oil lamp that hung by the door. The soft light illuminated his brown eyes and his deep ebony skin. He wore leather britches and a green cloak was tied around his shoulders. On his back hung a huge white bow. I wondered if he had his arrows under his cloak or strapped to the other side of his back that I couldn't see.
"Is there anything I can do for you this morning?" The man took a step closer. "I'll also need to check your stitches and leg."
I closed my eyes and opened the blanket away from my chest. The only thing that covered me was the bandage wrapped around me. Not that it mattered, he had already gotten an eyeful when he had stitched me up. "Go ahead."
His fingers gently peeled away the bindings. He kept me covered where he could as he looked at my wound. "It seems to be healing nicely. But you will need assistance getting up from bed, especially with your leg."
I nodded my head against the pillow. I didn't know how I was ever going to go pee again, but I figured I could get creative. There was a bathing chamber connected to this room, which was convenient.
"I'm Little John but you can call me whatever you like. Some of the boys call me Doc. It doesn't really matter," the man said as he slipped his hand behind my back and helped me sit up. I knew he was going to help me out of the bed but I began to panic. My underclothes had been stripped off in all the chaos to get my leg fixed up and looked at, while my dress had been torn down the front to take care of the gaping wound in my chest. I also hadn't been provided panties when I lived with my aunts and it made all of this extremely awkward. "Don't look at me like that, young lady. I won't bite you. I brought you britches, but I will have to help you into them."
I swallowed back my sigh of relief. John tucked the blanket around the tops of my thighs while he pulled the cut off britches over my legs. He was especially careful with my broken one but no matter how gentle he was, it still hurt as he moved the material over my skin. I tried to bite my tongue but I couldn't stop myself from crying out in pain.
The door burst open and the man that had called himself Robin gave John a warning glare. "What is going on in here?"
John smirked and shook his head from his place on the floor. "She needs clothes and I am trying to put them on her the best I can."
I didn't bother with pulling the blankets over my chest. The bandages covered all of the important parts but the way he was looking at me under his hood had my skin on fire. I could practically hear him grinding his teeth together behind his mask. "I told you we needed a woman here. None of us should be doing this. She needs a proper lady to look after her and help her."
"When you find one, let me know. We don't exactly have the money to pay a fine lady to live with a bunch of heathens, Al- Robin."
Robin's eyes flashed before he fled from the room. The door slammed behind him. The artwork hanging on the walls rattled.
"What's his problem?" I squeaked as John helped me stand and we managed to pull the pants up on me without sacrificing my modesty in the process.
"He has been searching for a woman, but at every turn it keeps getting worse in the village. He has to make the decisions for his men and he is conflicted." John gave me a toothy grin and helped me sit on the edge of the bed. "One of the boys is a fine carpenter. He is working on a cane for you to help you move around, though it'll be a while until your chest is healed up for that kind of movement."
"So I will just stay here and wait for you to get back from your missions?" I asked. "What about the girl? What happens when he finds her?"
John said nothing as he pulled an oversized tunic over my head. It smelled like Bourbon and vanilla. A girl could get drunk off of the scent. I tried to keep my sniffing to a minimum. He looked me over with a grin. "Before you know it, you'll be swinging through the trees with us."
I laughed. "Doubtful, though I would love to learn how to shoot a bow."
"Robin would be the best one to teach you, he taught the rest of us."
I laughed and shook my head. "I think he would rather die than do that." I smiled. The first true smile I had since I got myself into this huge disaster. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"I want you to know you aren't a prisoner here. You can leave once you're healed." John touched his bow tenderly. "We would never do that. We have a code of honor."
Twenty-Six
Alister
I touched the handle of the cane tenderly. She would be able to do a lot more now, but the stress on her stitches worried me. Rink grinned at my uncertainty.
"You don't have to worry about it putting strain on her other injuries. As long as she doesn't put tension on the other side of her body she will be okay." He smiled at me but I didn't feel reassured.
I nodded my head and tested my body weight on it. The wood didn't give. It was crafted to perfection, only using the best wood in these parts of the forest. I pulled a bag of coin out of my pocket and placed it in the boy's palm. He frowned. "You don't have to do that."
"You working here takes away from your time in the village. The more you have to do for me, the more money you lose."
Rink shook his head. "You realize that I am here because I want to be, right?"
I nodded and ran my hand down the cane. "You also have a family that is depending on you."
"I can take care of my responsibilities just fine, thank you. I don't need your charity." He scowled and grabbed his knife from the table. He pushed past me and dropped the coin at my feet. "Thanks, but no thanks."
I rolled my eyes and picked the pouch off of the floor. He was a stubborn boy but I wasn't going to let him go without. He did a fine job crafting weapons and helping with the raids. Now he had made another fine item and I couldn't let him continue to do his work for free. I tucked the money under his pillow and left the room. He would find it and what he did with it was his choice. I wasn't going to follow him around and make sure he used it. But I was going to make sure he got it.
My knuckles rasped against the girl's door. I sighed when she sleepily told me I could enter. She reached over and winced as she clicked on her lamp.
"You didn't have to do that. I could have easil
y turned on a lamp here." I motioned to the one hanging beside the door.
She smiled. "I would like to be able to do something for myself."
I nodded my head and placed the cane next to her on the bed. She gave me a strange look. "I didn't realize you were the carpenter."
I laughed. "I'm not, I merely paid for it."
She frowned and touched the scar on her cheek thoughtfully. "I will repay you one day."
I smirked behind my mask. I could see the determination in her eyes and I knew she would do what she could to pay me back for it. "I never got your name."
Her frown deepened. "You can call me Ella."
The name didn't fit with her but I nodded anyway. "We will be gone for a few days, we have some business in the neighboring kingdom. If we end up longer than that I will send John back to look after you and keep you safe. I wish I could leave someone behind but unfortunately, that can't be done. You are safe here as long as you don't try to leave on your own. Climbing down the tree wouldn't be advisable."
She pinched her lips together. "Thank you for everything but I am not a child. I can look after myself."
"I have no doubt. The only thing that I am worried about is you popping your stitches and bleeding out." I swallowed hard. "Please, be careful. There is plenty of fresh food in the kitchen and water. You will have no trouble finding it."
"Please be safe on your journey."
Her words echoed through my mind as we rode out of the kingdom. Little John rode beside me on a white horse and the rest of the men were swinging through the branches around us.
The wind touched my face and I took a deep breath. There was no other feeling like the wind on my skin and I was happy to be rid of that stupid hood and mask. I couldn't handle the feeling of the rough material any longer. I hated that I had to wear it in the privacy of the treehouse but there was only so much I could do. I couldn't risk my identity with a stranger. But I felt responsible for that stranger. I knew she wasn't ready for us to leave, but a plan was a plan and we were needed in the village. There was a carriage of food being delivered to the neighboring kingdom from Tremaine and I had to make sure it didn't make it to its destination. Our people needed that food. The Royals certainly didn't. But then there was the girl in my bed. The girl that couldn't help herself or take care of herself. But this was supposed to be the most dangerous mission yet. I frowned. I hated feeling pulled like this.
"What is it?" John asked. He brought his horse to a stop and looked back at me over his shoulder.
I shook my head. "Nothing."
"You're an awful liar." John clucked his tongue and his horse moved from his stance.
"It's nothing that I can't take care of." I shrugged. I could take care of all of this. I had to.
"You're thinking about the girl."
I chuckled, but it didn't sound normal. It sounded like I was on edge. John saw through it and there was nothing I could do. Just like everything else in my life.
"No one would blame you if you went back. Have one of the men follow you and he will catch up with us in no time to take your place." John gave me a smile. He was trying to reassure me but it wasn't working.
Rink leapt from the tree above my head and landed to my left. "Go back to the girl, Alister. You know you need to. This mission will go to shite if you aren't one hundred percent in it. Isn't that what you always tell us? How many times have you sent some of us back to the camp?"
He had a point and I knew I was going to lose if I tried to argue. Plus the last thing I wanted was for more of the men to come down and argue with me. I was bound to lose then.
"Fine."
John raised his dark eyebrows and smirked. "That was easy. You usually give up more fight than that."
"I have been sleeping in one of the crappy bunks for the last week." I shook my head and led my horse toward the camp. "I'm tired and weak already. You were right. There isn't anywhere else I need to be than with her."
Twenty-Seven
Arabella
The cane had been intimidating but I knew with the treehouse to myself that I could try it out. Having it full of watchful eyes would have been too much and I would have stayed in the bed forever. There was only so much humiliation I could take. My arm shook as I got myself out of the bedroom. I was relieved to find that all of the lamps had been left on in the hallways and the majority of rooms. I was worried about a fire, but most of them looked like they were running low on oil anyway. I managed to make it to the kitchen where I collapsed in a chair.
There was a basket of fruit in the middle of the table that I took full advantage of. But after most of the fruit was gone, I knew I had to make it back to the bedroom then to the bathing chamber. I could smell myself still and I could no longer handle it.
It was impossible to get myself into a bath but the running water and a cloth did wonders on my smell. I went to wash my face and looked in the mirror hanging on the wall before I reconsidered. I didn't know the true faces of any of the men I was sheltered with. I could see how they wouldn't recognize me as the princess now, but when my face was clean? Would they? I couldn't risk my identity just like Robin couldn't risk his.
A shuffle in the hallway had me leaning against the wall and holding the cane in front of me in a protective stance. It wouldn't do much if someone was here, but I could try. I had broken free from a magical cottage and had somehow lived through it.
"Ella?" Robin's voice echoed through the room.
I let out the breath I had been holding. "I'm in the bathing chamber. I'll be out in a second."
I cleaned up the rest of my body the best I could but kept my face and my hair the way they were. There wasn't much I could do with that anyway until I could get into the bath.
When I opened the door I found Robin sprawled out on the bed and his chest rising and falling slowly. I frowned. I had taken his bed hostage and he had probably been sleeping in the worst conditions. Possibly even the floor. I moved around his legs hanging off of the bed and blew the lamps out.
* * *
"Ella?" The sound of my fake name had me jerking out of the deep slumber I had been caught in.
I blinked my eyes and sat up. "In here."
"What are you doing?" Robin asked from the doorway.
I smiled. "You fell asleep in the bed and I didn't have the heart to wake you. It looked like this room hadn't been occupied in a while so I figured I would try it out. I can't stay in your room forever."
Robin nodded from behind his hood. "You're right, so how would you like it if we orchestrated your own room? I don't know how long it will take you to heal but it wouldn't be a big deal for me to make this stay more comfortable for you."
"That's not necessary." I shook my head. I couldn't let him go to the trouble.
"You're right, there are ways around getting out of the treehouse and now that you're awake and patched up I don't see why we can't get you back to your family."
The blood drained from my face. What was I supposed to tell him? There was no way I could return home like this. Lady Tremaine would kill me as soon as she set eyes on me.
"Is something wrong?" Robin took a step farther into the room and the light showed that he wasn't wearing his mask. The only thing keeping his identity from me was the shadow cast from his hood.
I shook my head. "That would be great, if I had a family to return to. Those women that held me captive killed the only family I had."
The corners of his mouth turned down and he nodded his head. "You're more than welcome to stay here as long as you need. I am at your mercy, Ella. Say the word and I will do what I can to make this easier for you. My condolences to you."
And with that, he disappeared.
* * *
Getting around with injuries like mine was a lot harder than I had imagined. I had never broken a bone as a child and cuts were quickly covered in ointment to make them disappear. Scars weren't a thing I was used to and every time I looked in the mirror there was a piece of me that was proud
. I had been beaten down, but I wasn't going to lose. I had been kicked around but I was going to rise up. I squared my shoulders and wrapped my fingers around the cane that had become my new best friend and limped down the hall.
The sound of metal scraping against something pulled me from my wandering thoughts. I followed the sound and found Robin seated in a chair with his back to the door. He wasn't wearing his hood and it surprised me. I didn't say anything as I took in the way his body was built, the size of his shoulders and the span of his arms. On the back of his neck at the top of his collar were scars, deep scars. I gulped. He had experienced pain, probably some of the worst pain imaginable. His hair hung down on the back of his neck, almost covering up the evidence of the pain he had experienced. It was strange to see him without his hood, even if I wasn't looking at his face. But there was something familiar about the way his shoulders were set. The way he worked on sharpening his knife. His movements were fluid and precise and they made me think of a painful time I didn't want to go to. I blinked my eyes closed. I couldn't do this.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but I just wanted to see if you wanted some company." I sounded incredibly lame. I rolled my eyes at myself.
His shoulders straightened and he didn't turn around. "I actually prefer to be alone, but I wouldn't mind some company. How long were you held captive?"
I didn't think he was going to let me see his face so I walked to the weapons on the wall and observed them. I ran my finger down the handle of a long blade before I answered his question. "Months, I don't know. I didn't have sunlight to rely on and there was no way to pass the days but to hope that I would get out. I went to sleep when I was tired and woke up when I was rested. Some days the women woke me but there was never a time that I knew how long I had been there."