Aiming Straight, Aiming True.

Chapter 40 - Losing time

Robin quietly left the castle grounds, heading towards the woods at the edge of the city. He needed to let his men know what was going on and to prepare them for whatever was to come.

The security had been tightened considerably since they had rescued Arena but he was Robin Hood, famous for sneaking off and this time was no different.

He waited patiently for the guard to turn so he could quickly climb the fence and be free of the castle's confining walls. How anyone could stay in that castle for long periods of time was beyond him. The guard turned, staring towards the east wall while Robin made a dash for the front gate.

He smiled slightly as he quietly climbed the gate and drop silently to the ground before dashing off. He missed this, missed the night air, the silent night as he passed through the sleeping city. It was the only time he liked being in a city or a large town. It was so peaceful.

He hated crowded spaces, that's why he would always stick to the woods or small villages. He was welcome there, not here in large towns or cities especially if they knew who he was.

He knew he was losing time as he crept through the city, silent as a ghost as he moved along. Ocasionally a dog barked or a baby cried from one of the dark houses but the city was mostly silent. He had spent too much time here, first planning to rescue his daughter and now waiting for her to get better. She only thought he was an uncle, Nicholas brother but he was her father, her real father.

He and Eliana had sworn to tell her when she was stronger, in private and when they knew what was going on with John. Guilt swirmed in Robin's stomach as well as anger. He felt bad with what happened with John and his lover, he hadn't known about the young woman, how could he. John had been distancing himself from Robin for awhile before that happened and everyone had secrets, including him.

He hadn't known that John had felt overshadowed, that he was tired of being second in command. They had been like brothers for years, it still hurt that they were now enemies. Robin knew that John knew Arena was his daughter. He didn't know for how long but he knew. Why else would he kidnap her?

Robin sighed tiredly as he reached the edge of the woods. He hoped that Arena would get better soon. When she knows the truth maybe I can hide her, from John, from Stephen and everyone else, he thought. No, he thought tiredly. She's too stubborn for her own good, she will want her way even if that means she's not safe, he thought.

I shouldn't have given her up, she should have been raised like Tom was but what if she had died while we had been stealing or taken prisoner. He knew he couldn't stay away if she was hurt or in trouble. So when he heard about her being involved with the prince, he couldn't stay away any longer.

He sighed, his green eyes slowly adjusting to the dark woods, silvery moonlight flittering through the trees was his only guide as he trod through the woods. He knew where the camp was but it was difficult navigating through the dark but he had a lot of practice at it. He smiled to himself as he remembered when he had been separated from his gang for a few days.

It happened ocasionally but he would never forget this particular occasion. It was the night after he had left Arena with Nicholas and Ella. Arena was still on his mind as he headed towards where one of the places the Merry Men occupied frequently. They always moved frequently, never more than a week just to be on the safe side.

There were rules that were followed when moving around a lot. Avoid large villages and cities, have a water source near by and if possible good coverage of trees from the elements and unwanted visitors. There was no moon that night so Robin had to rely on his memory and his ears.

He remembered his pounding heart and sounds of the woods at night. The hoot of an owl or a howl of a wild dog. He was wondering if he had made the right decision of leaving Arena when he stumbled on something very odd in the woods.