Author's Note:

Hi, so this is a story that besyd101 and I had collaborated on a year or two ago. I decided to start updating on here while fixing it up a bit. Don't worry, we already finished the book, so it shouldn't have too many gaps between when I update or not. Anyways, it is based on her book A Red Noble (its really good, you should go check it out!) but it is much different. Red is different holding a sharp tongue and having a secret that is not in Red Noble. Also, Snow, Alexander, and Lolly are not in it; however, my main character is in it instead. I do hope you enjoy and please, take your time to read it and review!

"How much longer do we have?" Red asked, glancing over at her lead guard. They were traveling to Nottingham and Red was completely protected by her guards who rode in front, beside, and behind her. Her father wouldn't dare gamble with her life which meant she couldn't even ride a few feet ahead of them if it would have brought any danger upon her. And since they were going through a forest surrounded by hundreds of rumors, it didn't seem like anytime soon she was going to be left to herself.

"Not too much longer, m'lady, I assure you," replied her lead guard, keeping a careful eye on the path ahead. She nodded, feeling slightly relieved by the statement before the horses in front of her pulled back and thrashed their front legs in the air out of surprise. Red settled her horse, who had been startled when the rest of them were as well, and looked over her guard's heads to see what had caused the horses to become frightened. She quickly identified the source as a young man who stood in front of the horses with a large grin on his face.

"This, my friends, is an ambush," said the man, smiling as rustling came from the left. Red turned her head as five other young men came out, aiming all kinds of different weapons at them. The largest one of them surprised Red. He was awfully large compared to the small girl and she was thankful for the fact that he cared the least reliable weapon out of all of them- a wooden staff. Three of them held swords, while only one held a bow with an arrow already nocked into it. He stared intently, glancing at each one of her guards.

"They are all guards?" asked the bow wielder to his friends who shrugged. Red bit her lip, staying quiet as they all started looking at them.

"Spread out, will you?" the bow wielder announced, but her guards didn't move. They were her protection, after all, and a few bandits in the woods wasn't going to stop them from doing there job.

"We will not."

The bow wielder gave a deadly look at her lead guard. "Not just guards. There is someone in the middle," he said to his friends. "One more time, spread out!" Red caught the bow wielder's eye and sighed. He had spotted her.

"Do as he says," she finally announced, knowing that they were not anyone here to kidnap or kill her. They wanted valuables. Her guards turned to face her ready to protest but she held up her hand. "I said, 'do as he says.' The quicker we get on this, the quicker we will be on our way." The guards slowly nodded, knowing that even though they took orders from her father, they took orders from her as well.

When the guards had slowly separated from her, the outlaws took her features carefully. Finally, the man who had frightened the horses spoke up. "Well, if I had known there was a pretty lady here, I would have had Robin reconsider this ambush," he said, staring at her with a wide grin on his face. She glared over at him and he smiled innocently. "I was talking about the horse," he added, holding his hands up in the air. She rolled her eyes before glancing over the group carefully. They all were quite handsome and it was a shame that they were outlaws, but Red was quick to notice a young Saracen in the group. It surprised Red, since she had never heard of many Saracen outlaws especially in England.

"And your name is...?" asked the bow wielder, lowering his weapon in an effort to seem less intimidating. Red stared at him intently, feigning a look of fearlessness.

"Lady Ruby."

"A noblewoman," he announced, sharing looks with the rest of his group. Red nodded, ignoring the many chuckles from the members.

"Yes, and I'm sure there is a point to this ambush?" she asked and the now unarmed bow wielder nodded.

"There is, you show me all your valuables and we take ten percent. I think it is reasonable." He stared at her before she finally nodded.

"And then you'll leave us on our way?" He nodded while the horse startler and another gang member came to her horse. She slowly got off, allowing them access to look through the valuables she carried.

"I must ask that you leave most of the jewelry. It is a gift from my father and...its all I have to remember him by," Red had said, forcing fake tears to gather in her eyes. The bow wielder watched her carefully, searching her face for an inch of the lie. It was smart of Red. She had very little coins on her which was much less compared to the large amount of jewelry she had. He nodded, smiling reassuringly at her.

"I will try, milady, if you continue cooperating nicely." She nodded.

"Are you kiddin' me, Robin?" asked the bandit who had startled the horses. Red turned her head to glance at him in fake wonder. "Yes, her father wears jewels."

"I never said he wore the jewels, I said he bought them for me," Red replied calmly, irritated that 'Robin' (who she had assumed was the leader since he had been doing most of the talking) had bought her little act yet one of his gang members was harder to fool.

"Oh, well my apology. It doesn' change the fact that she's lying to ya'."

Red shook her head. "I would lie about my father giving me jewelry?" she asked innocently and he nodded at her.

"Seems like it." She snorted, turning her head the other way while shaking her head.

"Unbelievable. I'm not lying," she insisted.

"Do not lie to an expert liar, I can see right through you," he replied, gathering most of the jewels before looking expectantly at her. She glared at him while taking off her necklace and sticking it in his hand. Then, she grabbed the pouch of coins that was tied underneath her cloak and tossed it at him, hitting him in the chest.

He smiled , catching it before it fell to the ground and showed Robin who looked at it carefully. "Keep ten percent, leave her the rest." The 'expert liar' nodded, while carefully handing her back her coins and a few of her jewels.

"Just so ya' know, if it were any other man, you would've fooled him," he whispered as his friends got ready to leave. She stared him in the eye defiantly.

"And yet, that does not change the fact that you have stolen from me." He smirked.

"Now don't take that personal, it's just, well, business." His distracting blue eyes lit up with amusement as he raised eyebrows up and down at her before walking back to his friends.

"Thank you for your generous donations. You may all be on your way," said Robin as they walked back into the woods with Red staring after them. Thankfully, Nottingham wasn't too much longer.