ok so thank you for all of those who looked past the crappy summary and decided to read it anyways. THANK YOU! I am terrible at summaries. Always have been. I've been sitting on this story for a while.

So basically Will Scarlett is a girl in this story. Yeps. She is 16, homeless and awesome at kicking butt with her trusty knives but she can also shoot cause her brother taught her before he left. She's quite the badass (if I do say so myself) and doesn't like it when people judge her because she is a girl. Let's see where this story takes us, shall we?

CHAPTER ONE

Will POV

"Will, do you have to go?" ten-year old Angela asked teary eyed.

"Yeah, Angel. I'm going to London. I'll be back. I'll see you at Christmas. I promise. But everybody in this town needs the money I can make there."

"But what about Robin Hood? He can get us the money! He helps people! That's what Papa used to say." said Ella. She said that to calm down Angela, I knew but I could see that even at 14, in her situation, she wanted to believe it too.

Robin Hood. The very name made me nauseous. Off course I knew of Robin Hood. The supposed Prince of Thieves. He was rumored to trick rich nobles out of their money and give it to the needy. Well, here was the town I was in, and beside the gold coins that occasionally were found, there was no reason to believe he existed. Bedtime stories to calm a young child's starving belly and ease their desperate minds. But here I was, with a small group of kids around me living in the dirty alleys, with barely enough food for a bite each. Sometimes, I would risk a trip to Sherwood for a bit of meat and the whole village would feast on venison and sit around fires, laughing as we ate illegal meat.

"Will?" I turned and smiled at Warren.

"Will...I…"

"Yeah?"

"I...come home soon. OK, Will?"

I nodded and hugged him, "I'll see you again before you know it. Take care of them."

He slowly wrapped his arms around me. A few seconds later, we were still in that position, and my defenses started kicking in. I tensed.

"Uh, Warren? You can let me go now."

He pulled black blushing, "Sorry" he muttered.

I shrugged and attached my knives to my waist.

"Bye!" Angel cried harder.

Pulling her into a tight hug, I pushed back tears. Angel was my favorite. She was the one that lead me to this place when I was sobbing, and covered in soot from the ashes after three days. Yeah...that's a long story. Well, long story short, the asshole sheriff burned my family home to the ground while a different asshole, aka my dad, was passed out drunk inside. I don't think he realizes I wasn't in there too. But like I said...asshole.

"Angel, I have to leave."

She shook her head and held tighter, "But what if you never come back? What if you love London more than us and decide to stay and you don't want me anymore?" she sobbed.

Prying her off, I crouched to her level and wiped at her tears, "Angel, look at me. Nothing, and I mean Nothing, will ever keep me from coming back for you. No matter what happens. Even if London is the most beautiful and wonderful place in the world, I will hate it because you're not there to brighten my day. I will always come for you. OK?"

She nodded and I stepped back, "See you later." I said and walked away.

The soft tune I whistled through the trees echoed slightly in the warm air. I could sense someone watching me but honestly, I was in way too fine a mood to care. I was alone. I was free. I mean I love those kids to death, and I would do anything for them, but it was so nice to only worry about myself for once. Just me. The idea of being alone used to terrify me. I would cry myself to sleep every night after the fire because I was afraid that when I woke up, Angel and Ella and Warren would have left. I was broken. I have been since I was three, but I used to hide it so well. But now, I still flinch when someone touches me or lifts their hand near me. I guess I healed. But I don't know.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice the huge man blocking my path until I tumbled backwards to the ground.

"Woah there, girl" he laughed.

I scowled, leaping to my feet and drew my knives.

He laughed again, "Girl, put those away, before you hurt yourself. I ain't being responsible for ya slicin' yerself open there."

I glared at him, "Try me."

"An' its disrespectful to beat a girl. Yer gonna make me look like an oversized brute, you are." He continued ignoring me.

I sighed, "I don't have time for this. I need to be at the Blue Boar Inn by nightfall" and glanced at the darkening red horizon.

"Girl, if you go to that inn all by yerself, especially dressed like that, yer gonna get yerself eaten alive by them patrons"

"I think I can handle myself, thank you very much. My only problem with men right now, is you."

He laughed again, "Girl, I like your spirit. Put yer little toys away. I'll walk ya to the inn."

I shook my head, "I'll be fine thanks." and brushed past him, but he just fell into step beside me with no trouble keeping up.

"Name's John. My friends all call me Little John." he said, rolling his eyes.

I stopped. Little John?

"Little John?"

"Yeah, well it's a joke. I guess. 'Cause Little is actually me last name, and I'm really big."

"No. Little John? As in Robin Hood and Merry Men and all that?"

"Yep. Suppose I am. He's my best friend. So, Girl, what's yer name? Seems unfair that you know mine."

I snorted. Very unlady-like, "Hell no. But you can tell your friend something for me. You can tell him that he's a right bastard and absolutely no help whatsoever to most of us. And that there are little kids being raised by teenagers in alleyways thank to his so called "help" and if he really wanted to help, he would give food and go further than the outer farms. And you know what else? You can-"

He interrupted my angry tirade with a shrill whistle, "Well Girl, if you have such a problem with Robin Hood, you should tell him yerself. I am a simple outlaw and my memory isn't the same."

I backed away, "NO! I… YOU-" I stuttered.

I kept walking backwards, hoping to find a low hanging branch to grab but bumped into someone.

Turning, I grabbed at my knives again. The man was around my height, with a handsome, young-looking face. His outfit matched that of John's. He grinned and shook his head at the knives. And suddenly twenty or so men of varying sizes surrounded me, none as big as Little John's, but all dressed the same. And all had arrows or swords aimed straight at me.

Well, shit Will, girl. Nice going. Now every forest dweller is ready to gut you.

"Aw, Lil' John. She sure isn't anything to be callin' about. Look at her." said the guy that I had backed into.

"Sure she don't look like much. But I'm guessin' by the way she talks and holds them little prickers, she could seriously injure one of us Much." he replied.

"Uh. Still right here. Stop talking about me as if I wasn't!" I complained.

"Aw, Girl. Put those away before a finger slips off a string." Little John told me.

"Listen, asshole. My name is not Girl. And I'll be damned to Hell if you think for one second that I'm just gonna lower my best defense with all y'alls arrows aimed at me."

"Wow, girl's got some bite to her. I see what ye mean, John. Should we take her to Rob?" another asked, stringing his bow back over his shoulder.

"That's what I was thinkin'. She has some choice words for him anyways. Plus, maybe she knows somethin'. At any rate, there's no sense in shootin' her so ye might as well drop the arrows."

I looked around. Behind the unarmed guy there was a tree i had a chance of getting up if I could get past the men. I could outrun them on the branches and the innkeeper, Ron could keep them away if I got there first.

Shifting to face him, I smiled at John at replaced my weapons at my hips.

"There, see now. We won't hurt ya. We just-Oy!"

I took off at a full sprint and slid under the lowered-bow guy's arm before vaulting into the trees. They all crowded around the base trying to find me but I had already lept six trees over and landed back on the ground.

"OY! GET BACK 'ERE!" the boy, Much, I think, shouted. I could here someone pounding after me, a lot faster than I was going. Knowing Blue Boar's was just around the next corner I began shouting, "Ron! Ron! Help! Ron!" over and over.

Rounding the corner, he came out just as the inn came into view. He looked shocked to see me sprinting full speed towards him.

"Woah, Wilda, calm down. What's wrong?"

"Okay, 1. my name is Will. Short for Wila. Not Wilda. and 2. They're after me."

"Whose after-Oh." he sighed, "It's Much. You best go inside. Have my wife fix you up something for dinner."

I nodded my thanks.

The inside of the inn was nothing special. Seriously. It was just a big wooden space with splintering and chipped blue (hence the name) tables and chairs. A rickety staircase led up to the rooms and a bar stood between the eating space and the kitchens.

"Oh, Will. Yer finally here! i was so worried you had gotten lost or robbers or…" Sally trailed off and tucked a stray piece of tangled dirty-blonde hair behind her ear. She looked distressed. Ash and dirt spotted her rosy cheeks and she smiled at me with tired eyes, "But it don't matter. You are here now. Let me get you some food."

"Thanks Sally. Ron said he will be right in." I smiled already calming down at the thought of her thick vegetable stew.

MUCH POV

I panted as I rounded the corner after the girl. I slowed as she skidded to a halt in front of Ron. He was a good friend and I hoped he would hold her until I could get my tired legs to drag themselves another quarter mile. My pace quickened when the girl hugged him and slipped inside.

"Ron." I called, "I need to bring the girl back with me. Little John insists on her seeing Robin."

He glared at me, "Now listen here, boy. You and yer friends aren't going to touch a hair on that girl's head. I will not allow you to turn that poor girl into one of yer fighters. I will not have it!"

"But Ron!" I protested.

"Don't you give me that look! That girl has been through more than all those Merry Men put together and she could probably beat all of you too if she wanted to dirty her knives. Now you are all going to leave her alone in peace. You can just go tell your boss that he can't use her in the war. No sir."

I tried protesting again but he shook his head and went inside. Well then.

I trudged back home slowly, dreading having to explain this. I just lost a girl. I was going to be the laughing stock of the group when I explained it.

"Much! Did you get her?" asked Alan the moment I walked in.

"Uh. No."

"Well, boy. Where is this girl I've been hearing so much about." asked Robin.

"I lost her." I said shamefully.

"Well, she seems to be quite the woman. She managed to evade your advances quite well. Call up a meeting. We must figure out how to deal with this intruder." he laughed.

"this meeting is called to discuss a disturbance in our fair Sherwood." Robin said standing by a fire. Everyone else circled, trying to be closest to the heat. Unfortunately, around 100 men don't quite fit around one fire.

"Aye. the girl." called David, "She's looks quite harmless. But her tongue cuts sharper than the blades she threatened with."

Everyone laughed at this.

"I talked to her for a bit. She seemed very un-trusting. She refused to even give her name. Although she didn't take well to hearing who I was or that I was one of yer men." Little John added, "she actually used some very unladylike language to describe how she felt." We all laughed again. And yes, we do laugh a lot.

"She managed to dodge around David and climb a tree. Next thing we know she's hits the ground halfway down the road and makes a run for it." he said, "I sent Much after her. He was the fastest of all of us."

"Well I almost caught her, mind you. The innkeeper let her in then started yelling at me. He said she had been through a lot and he doesn't want you to recruit her. But he also believes she could win in a fight against us if she tried. Apparently she's amazing with those knives. She had a bow too but she never nocked it. Not once."

Robin looked thoughtful, "I would like to meet her. We need to send someone to intercept her. But he can't frighten her or use force. Just talk. Convince her to meet with us." We all shifted uncomfortably, knowing that anyone of us would probably put the girl on edge.

"I can go. I am a man of the church, despite the company I keep," he broke off and chuckled, "I will go and plan to meet her soon after she leaves."

Robin looked relieved, "Thank you Tuck."

HEY! So if you liked it: REVIEW! If you hated it: REVIEW! I you didn't have an opinion, well then get one and REVIEW!

Yep. I have the seconds chapter all ready. I will tweak it depending on feedback, but as I write it, it is definelty getting better! I swear, even if you hated this chapter because it is badly written, it will improve! A lot! I have another chapter and a half typed so if I get reviews I will update weekly if I can!