Title:
A Tussle in the Hay
-Or what happens in Winton stays in Winton.
Summary:
On a rainy night, Robin and his lady friend enjoy a sweet roll in the hay… and then a young lady Marian enters the scene and things get complicated… Pre-series? Check. Teenage Hormones? Check. Kittens and rainbows? Uh…. Nope, butthere will be some fluffcoming up don't worry!
Characters:
Robin/OC, Robin/Marian
Guest appearances by Much, Allan Will, Luke…
Chapter one:
The wedding crashers
Sometimes a seemingly small decision can produce a remarkable outcome.
It started with something as innocent as a visit to an elderly relative... It started with a young nobleman and his manservant, both still in their late teens, traveling trough the east midlands, slowly but surely making their way home to Nottinghamshire and the small village of Locksley. Little did they know this journey would prove to be a life altering one…
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"I say we keep moving."
"Surely, Master, you can't be serious! It's dark and it's late! And we should really try and ge-…."
" I mean it, Much. If we keep moving, we can be home by this time tomorrow."
"If I don't get something to eat soon, I don't think there'll be much left of me by this time tomorrow," the shorter of the two teenagers whined in a high pitch voice. He knew he was pleading to deaf ears. He knew he didn't have much say in the matter, but the thought of spending the night in the saddle was not a thrilling one.
His master, however, was as persistent as ever. "Don't be such a baby!," young Robin chided his traveling companion with a light smack to his shoulder. "What part of 'No vacant rooms or available beds' didn't you get?!"
"He said we could sleep in the stable. Didn't you say we could sleep in the stable?" Much called out to the man guarding the entrance of the building on the opposite side of the street.
"I sure did!," the keeper of the 'Harrow Inn' replied in a bored yet amused tone. "It's probably the best offer you'll get in this town tonight…. Unless, of course, you lads are part of the wedding party…. "
Robin of Locksley eyed the man with renewed interest. "A wedding, her in Winton?!?…but of course… that would explain the burning of bonfires and the ringing of church bells." There was a slight pause, one in which you could almost hear the wheels in the teenagers head turning. "Was that by any chance a traveling theater ensemble we passed by riding into town?!?," he asked and sauntered closer towards the inn keeper.
"That wouldn't surprise me," the short but sturdy looking man said with a cynical twist of his lips. "The bride's father, the earl of Eglinton, is… how shall I say?, rather pleased to have found such a suitable match for his precious daughter. The old fool has ordained a wedding feast worthy of a princess. Lot's and lot's of guests, the noblest of the nobles from all over the shire. "
"Which leaves you with more customers than you can accommodate?! Sounds like a sweet deal to me," Robin, nodded, prodding for the man to continue.
"You got that right, I'm not complaining! You wouldn't believe the amount of ale brewed solemnly for this occasion …and then there is wine of course… and food… They are serving enough pork, ham and sausages to feed a small village…"
"Ha, I told you I could smell meat roasting a mile away!" Much triumphantly cut into the conversation. "Please master, I don't care how dusty or dingy or cold that stable is, I'd much rather stay there, than bounce around on a horse all night…"
Robin raised his eyebrows at his servant's rather passionate outburst, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Much, I think you might actually be on to something here my friend!"
"I am? I mean of course I am…" The young man puffed his chest out and beamed a smile that was luminous. "I guess this means we're staying. I'll take the horses to the stable!" He sprung into action almost stumbling over his own feet in his haste. "Thank you master, you won't regret this! I bet if the night is kind, there may be leftovers in the morn--…."
"Much," Robin interrupted his friend mid-ramble.
"Yes, master?"
"Wrong way! I believe the stable is over there!," Robin smirked, helpfully pointing out the direction for his friend. "Isn't that correct?"
"Ay, That's right!," the innkeeper nodded., still following the conversation with great interest.
"Oh… " Much looked over his shoulder towards the building that clearly served as a stable. "I knew that," he said, with as much dignity as he could muster. "Of course I knew that, I was just… Hey, if the stable is this way then where are you going?!" he called out after his master who had taken off in the opposite direction.
Robin turned around and shot him his trademark cheeky grin. "I don't know about you, but I, for one, am not planning on going to bed hungry."
"Master, are you saying what I think your saying?" Much's eyes grew wide. "You'll get us both in trouble for this," he added, with a nervous side glance at the innkeeper.
The old man, chuckled at this. "Don't let little ol' me get in the way, lads. I'd do the same thing if I were in your shoes," he mused. "The festivities are being held by the courtyard to the west of the Great Hall next to the church.. There are tents set up everywhere, you can't miss it… "
And with that, the plan was in motion…. Sometimes a seemingly small decision can produce a remarkable outcome.