Lady Locksley

Chapter 7

Robin Hood

The past ten years had been testing ones for Robin of Locksley. Orphaned at thirteen when his father, Sir Malcolm, had perished in a fire, Robin had been pushed into a nobleman's role at a tender age, taking over the running of Locksley land and stepping into his father's shoes as Earl of Huntingdon. Times in Nottingham were hard as more and more men were sent to fight in the Crusades, leaving the villages sparse and vulnerable to thieves and outlaws, and Robin was thrust into adulthood early.
In 1187, aged twenty, Robin was summoned to the Holy Land to fight alongside King Richard as one of the King's guards, leaving his lands largely unprotected. Five years later, wounded and traumatised by his experiences in the war, Robin returned to England to find Nottingham suffering under the iron fist ruling of the new Sheriff, and his land lost to Sir Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's Master-at-Arms. Refusing to be a part of the cruel regime, Robin was outlawed by the Sheriff and driven out of Locksley to live in Sherwood Forest with a band of men, each with a bounty on their heads.
Such trials may have bested a lesser man; Robin, however, seemed to thrive as an outlaw. The confident and resourceful child that Roana remembered was still very much evident in the man who stood before her today. His days as a nobleman may have been behind him, yet Robin still held conviction in his own abilities, and was very much the leader of his small group of outlaws, who clearly looked to him for guidance.
Physically, he still resembled the child he had once been, yet older. His hair, brown as a nut, fell in a wing over his forehead, and his blue eyes were twinkling as he took her in.
"My little sister, all grown up!" He exclaimed, looking her up and down. "I hope my men did not scare you." He glanced at his fellow outlaws in amusement, grinning at the smaller man who was still rubbing his shin, his face a grimace of pain. "Although I see you can handle yourself. You okay, Allan?"
"My lady was too quick for him," Alice announced, airily, braver now that they were out of danger. "He has bad reflexes."
Robin and the tall, bearded man named John laughed. Allan scowled at them.
"Bad reflexes, my eye," he said, indignantly. "She took me by surprise." Alice raised her eyebrows behind his back and nodded, sagely. "Anyway," Allan continued. "What's this about a sister? You never mentioned a sister. Have you heard him mention a sister, John?"
"Nope." John said, gruffly, and Robin laughed again.
"I've had no reason to. I thought she was living a lady's life in Filey." He looked at Roana, a question in his gaze. "I didn't expect to find her wandering around in Sherwood Forest."
"I have come from seeing Marian," Roana explained. "She told me where to find you after Thornton turned me away from Locksley. I had no idea my noble brother would be living the life of a heathen."
"Hey, less of the heathen," Allan said, defensively.
Robin laughed and spoke to Roana and Alice. "Don't mind him. He doesn't like to be outsmarted by anyone, let alone a girl." Allan huffed and turned away.
"We cannot stay for long," Roana said, conscious of the time that had passed. "Alice and I will soon have to return to the castle. I wanted to reunite with my brother while I am in Nottingham."
"You're staying in the castle?" Robin looked intrigued. "You must explain in more depth. But first, let's get off the main road through the forest. Let me show you to the camp."

******

If Roana had been expecting blankets around a rough campfire, she was pleasantly surprised.
The outlaws camp was a feat of carpenter wizardry. Hidden by a huge aperture set in the incline that ran down into a shallow valley which opened via a lever situated on the rock face beside it, - Roana could not confess to even beginning to understand how it worked - the camp itself was surprisingly functional and well-organised. To the right was a sleeping area which consisted of wooden frames built to contain eight beds; four on top and four below. These were filled with a variety of blankets and fleeces. To the left, there was a cooking area, with a semblance of a stove top as well as a deep, steel bowl and makeshift fire pit. There was also a number of seated areas fashioned out of what looked like oak.
The rest of Robin's gang met them at the campsite, appearing out of the surrounding woodland like wraiths, each of them armed and ready for combat. There seemed to be an atmosphere of lightheartedness among them as they jostled one another and joked at each other's expense. They fell quiet at the sight of Roana and Alice.
"Men," Robin announced. "I'd like you to meet my sister, Roana, and her maid, Alice."
He gestured to welcome Roana and Alice into the camp, and Roana looked around at the newcomers, blinking uncertainly. They stared back at her in surprise.
"This is Will Scarlett," Robin introduced, indicating a tall, finely featured young man with a shock of dark hair, who nodded in greeting, shyly. "And Djaq," he continued, motioning towards a small, dark Saracen who appeared to in fact be female. Djaq nodded with a smile.
"You have already met Little John and Allan A Dale. And you must remember Much." The final outlaw stepped forward enthusiastically, throwing his shield to the side.
"My lady! What are you *doing* here?"
Roana laughed in delight. "Much! It is really you, old friend. I had no idea that you still served my brother."
"Actually, no," Robin interjected, quickly, slapping Much on the back. "Much has been released from his duties and is now a loyal member of my gang. And," he smiled at Much. "My best friend."
Much seemed to inflate with pride and grinned happily. "Hear that?" he said to Allan, who had rejoined them after securing Roana and Alice's mounts. "He said I'm his best friend."
"Thanks for the update," Allan replied, sarcastically. "I'll sleep better tonight for knowing that."
The rest of the outlaws laughed, but Much continued to preen, clearly used to Allan's sharp tongue.
"I'm sure you are his best friend, Much, after being by his side for so long as his loyal servant," Roana said. Much had been retained by the Locksley family for many years. The son of a local miller who Sir Malcolm had many favourable dealings with, Much had been hired as a servant at eleven to assist with the day-to-day running of Locksley Manor before moving into a personal assistant role to the young Robin. He had always been patient and friendly with Roana, and she never forgot a kindness.
"Oh, he's loyal, all right," Allan commented. "In fact, we can't get rid of him."
Much rolled his eyes and looked at Roana. "Ignore him. I generally do."
There was another murmur of laughter, but this time in Much's favour. Allan shrugged, noncommittally.
"Come - sit, sit," the Saracen woman, Djaq, had brushed two seats down and gestured for Roana and Alice to be seated. "Robin, I did not know you had a sister?"
Although she dressed as a boy, Djaq had a beautifully soft and lilting voice, and huge, brown eyes that belied her gender. Her skin was the colour of coffee, and her hair as black as night. She was clearly at home amongst the men of the group, and appeared to own the adored gaze of the young man, Will.
As Roana accepted a seat, gratefully, while Alice moved to examine the cooking area, Robin spoke. "Yes, I have a sister, one who was sent to be raised by our aunt and uncle in Filey upon our mother's death. I have not mentioned her as I would prefer that she wasn't a part of these troubled times. However," he looked at Roana, eyebrows raised. "It would appear that she has foisted herself upon us, and Nottingham. And I do not know why. Roana?"
Roana gazed around at the assembled outlaws, a little self-conscious at the attention. "Well," she began, haltingly. "I have to admit, I am not here by choice. My attendance was requested by my betrothed, Sir William of Bridlington."
"What?" Robin's voice was furious. "You are to marry Sir William? It cannot be." He looked around at the gang. "Sir William of Bridlington is a known enemy of the king, and cousin to Vaisey. He is almost certainly in allegiance with Prince John." Robin's mouth was set in a grim line. "You cannot go ahead with this."
Roana shrugged, helplessly. "Believe me, brother. I do not want to. But William threatens Eleanor and Robert's home and land, and I owe them my loyalty and protection. Unfortunately, this means marrying a man that I loathe."
Djaq, Will, and Much looked aghast. Little John thumped his staff on the ground in disgust.
"It is true," Alice spoke up, blunt as usual, her voice distracted as she rifled through the kitchen area. Much crossed over to remove a jar from her hands. She looked at him askance and addressed the group. "Sir William is a tyrant. I have heard talk of his plotting, and from the horses mouth. But my lady has little say in the matter. He intends to marry her and claim Filey."
"I can well imagine," Robin said, shaking his head.
Roana was stunned. Alice knew so much more than she did herself, and that was worrying. She feared that she was walking into the situation unprepared.
"So, wait a minute," Allan spoke up. "Your sister has shown up, out of the blue, after who knows how many years, and she's getting married to an enemy of the king. Yet we have just lead her to the camp as if everything is normal."
"Allan, I am sure that Roana will not betray her own brother," Djaq argued, catching Roana's eye.
"Of course not!" Roana exclaimed. "Allan, I understand your suspicion, but I am not here to betray any of you. I was forced to accompany Sir William to Nottingham, and I took advantage of the inconvenience to revisit my childhood home, and meet with my long-lost brother. Unfortunately, I was not aware of the situation. I apologise if I have jeopardised anyone by coming here, but.."
She looked at Allan, imploringly, and his gaze seemed to soften as he met hers. He acknowledged it with a small nod and turned away.
"You have no need to defend yourself, Roana," Robin stated, firmly. "But being here will not bode well for you. You are playing a dangerous game by mixing with outlaws. You could have been followed."
"Sir William does not know that I hail from Locksley. He does not know that we are related." Roana asserted. "We have not been followed today, but I will be sure to keep watch from now on. I will not lead danger to you."
Robin nodded, seemingly satisfied, and glanced round at his gang, who visibly relaxed under his gaze. "And what of William's business in Nottingham?"
Alice, who was foraging around the camp area, picking up and examining various objects, followed closely by Much, who kept taking them off her and replacing them in the correct place, spoke up. "I've heard talk between the Sheriff and Sir William of an army of black knights. They mean to kill the king and his men upon their return. They have Prince John's full approval."