Aiming Straight, Aiming True.

Chapter 5 - Bad News

Robin Hood sat crouched in a large tree watching animals and people stroll by. He was waiting for some rich fool to walk by to teach them that being rich did not protect them all the time. His own dark wooden bow sat lazily across his lap as he watched everyone walking by. Bored by the lack of the rich, he shot a young buck that had just wandered by.

He jumped down and swung his bow back onto his broad shoulders before picking up the buck. Just has his antlers through he thought admiring his kill. Well better trade you, don't want to go hungry tonight he thought as he picked it up. Robin Hood hurried along, his face utterly recognisable without his hood.

No one knew what he really looked liked except a few. Like his merry men and his own true love that he had not seen for sixteen years,  not since he had taken their daughter away from her. His daughter, his little Arena.

He had not seen or heard of his daughter for the past sixteen years. Ever since he left her with Nicholas the farmer and his beautiful wife Ella and their son Cederic. He knew that she would be well looked after but he knew that Arena would be different. If Arena was his daughter, she would be a mixture of her mother and himself but the question was how much.

Had she taken to her mother's ways or his or both. He sighed, she would be sixteen now boarding on a young woman. She must be good with a bow at least. I gave her one of my own creations as a final gift he thought sadly. He longed to go and see her, to see how Arena was fairing but he couldn't risk Arena's safety. He was still wanted for all the crimes he had committed but no one would recognise him as he wasn't wearing his hood.

He couldn't let them know that he had a child. Not even his merry men knew of Arena or his true love. If anyone found out, he would not be the only one punished. Arena's mother and Arena herself would be punished. There were two different groups in England. The privileged and the non privileged. There were no in the middle. You had a good and comfortable life or you didn't. Robin Hood was trying to change that but by having a child, something new and dangerous had been created.

No one like Arena existed, there was never a child able to be in either world. If others found out about her, she would be an outcast and any chance of a good life that Robin could give his daughter, would mean nothing. She is fine Robin, Nicholas promised he would never tell, he thought.

He walked into the near by village and hurried to the butcher.  It didn't take long for both men to decide on a price and Robin Hood strode out, his pocket heavy with gold. Now where to eat before returning to the men he thought searching.

His forest green eyes landed upon the only inn in the village and he shrugged. If there is a hot meal and ale, that's fine with me he thought as he hurried towards the inn. The inn was called the hooded stranger. Robin smirked at the sign over head complete with a rough drawing of a hooded man. He shook his head as he headed into the crowded, noise inn. Smoke curled up to the rafters from the warm fire in the fireplace and from the amount of men smoking cigars.

Pretty, young serving maids wandered around refilling drinks and flirting with men trying to get extra money. A young girl with golden brown eyes and flaming red hair smiled and hurried over to him. Her dress barely covered anything and Robin adverted his eyes from her nearly revealing chest. "How may I help you sir", she asked battering her eyelids.

Robin Hood cleared his throat and firmly kept his eyes on her smiling face. "I would like a hot meal and some ale madam", said Robin in his deep manly voice. His green eyes pierced the pretty golden brown eyes fiercely until she adverted her own eyes.

"Yes of course, I will bring it out shortly, make yourself comfortable", she yelled as she hurried away.  Robin smirked  at her reaction at the treatment she had received and sat down at an empty table close to the open window.