Prologue:

Elizabeth Baggins was a young English commoner who was orphaned at the young age of three when her parents unknowingly wandered through a portal that lay far within Sherwood Forest. They tried to cross a deep, fast river in a makeshift boat when it suddenly overturned, the three of them swallowed up by the dark waters, and soon after depositing Elizabeth on the shore while her parents continued over the falls.

Only a few hours later did a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins find the unconscious child lying in the pebbly mud. He quickly took her in and cared for her until she was well, and kept her long enough for her to tell him that she and her family came through a 'strange little hole' in the forest. Immediately realizing that she was a visitor from the Strangelands, Bilbo took Elizabeth back through the portal at once. There he met her Aunt and Uncle, who were unwilling to take her in because they could barely take care of themselves let alone a small child. They were surprised to find that their niece's surname was identical to the surname of this strange little man they thought was a midget –for there were no Hobbits in England. Suddenly aware of this interesting little coincidence, Bilbo took her back to the Shire to live as a niece of his own. Elizabeth called him 'Uncle Bilbo' from that day to this, and loved him dearly with all of her heart.

She never went back to England for thirteen years. But one day, while picking berries by the river and thinking about Bilbo's upcoming birthday, she found the portal once again. Going through it, the sixteen-year-old girl didn't know what to expect on the other side…

Chapter 1

Gisborne, Locksley, and the Painted Man

The forest was just how she remembered. It was dark, frightening, and the air was stuffy and close. Elizabeth kept her eyes open, her ears alert. The bag of berries felt heavier with each passing moment. She picked her way through the thickets until she reached the hardly-beaten road that traveled through the center of the forest. There wasn't a single noise to be heard, save for the birds twittering occasionally, a deer rushing through the bushes.

She continued her trek through the forest until she reached the outskirts. There, Elizabeth found brown-green meadows edged with steep hills and rocky cliffs with tall rock fences as far as the eye can see. She was captivated and intrigued. It was similar to the Shire's landscape, but not as green…or as friendly. The air was cold, the sky overcast. Shivering, Elizabeth hugged her dark green cape tighter against her shoulders and set off across the meadow, determined to find another living soul in this cold prairie.

After two long hours of walking through the damp grass, the cold air seeping through her thick cape, her feet wet and frozen, Elizabeth spotted a single tree between two tall hills. A tall rock wall had been built along one hill, down the slope by the tree, and back up the slope of the second hill. She spotted two people walking atop the wall up the second hill. Stopping for a breather, Elizabeth leaned against her tall staff and watched the people climb up the hill and disappear at the top. Taking another breath to regain her strength, she started walking towards the tree once again but with more speed. A good, long rest under that tree with her book appealed to Elizabeth. She had walked through the forest in the Shire, through Sherwood Forest, and now through this cold, wet meadow to a single tree.

Elizabeth took the path that led over the wall to access the tree. She collapsed onto her bottom beneath it, breathing a sigh of relief. How wonderful it felt to finally get off her feet! She leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. As if fate hadn't been crueler, the sound of baying dogs and men shouting jerked her out of her restful state. Sighing again with annoyance, Elizabeth reluctantly heaved herself onto her feet and peered around the tree and over the wall. In the distance, large Irish Wolfhounds and soldiers on foot and on horses were in pursuit of a boy fleeing on foot; all heading in her direction. The boy glanced behind him, then picked up his speed – only to stumble to the ground and clamber back up to his feet and continue running for his life.

She had to help him! Snatching up her staff, she rushed towards the road over the wall to meet the boy. The boy ran straight towards her and collapsed against her, gasping raspily for breath. "H-H-Help me!" he panted. The dogs and soldiers were closing on them fast. Elizabeth's heart pounded violently against her ribs.

"Get up the tree!" she ordered. "Now!" The boy raced past her, and started up the tree. By now, the dogs were nearly on top of her. Elizabeth hurried towards the tree to get away from them. She furiously swung the staff at them as they snarled and snapped their jaws at her. "Get away!" she screamed at them. "Go!"

Then the soldiers arrived. "Outta the way, girl!" One soldier grabbed her by the arm and flung her aside. The boy was nearly to the top of the tree. The soldiers surrounded him, threatening him and ordering him down. Just then, another man on a horse arrived the scene. He wasn't one of the soldiers, for he wore no helmet. His wavy dark hair hung to his shoulders, framing his somewhat handsome shaven face as he jeered down at her with an angry glint in his dark, soulless eyes. A gold hoop decorated his right ear. He grinned maliciously at her, showing a set of crooked, dirty teeth.

"You'd better mind your own business, lass," he spoke. His voice was deep and gravelly. "The boy's a thief, and we're taking care of him. Now go away before I have the hounds set on you!" With that, he steered his horse away from her to address the boy. Elizabeth slowly climbed to her feet, picking up her staff.

"You're not playing by the rules, boy!" he called up to the child. "Deer don't climb trees. Perhaps he thinks he's a game bird!" The men laughed and jeered at his joke.

"Shall we teach him to fly?" the man on the horse asked the soldiers, who agreed as they laughed. The man nodded. "Get him down."

"Just leave him alone!" Elizabeth called out, her fists clenched with anger. "He's only a boy!"

The man steered his horse around to face her. "I told you to go away!" he growled. "Do we have to deal with you, as well?" He turned to a soldier with an axe and nodded to him. He lifted the axe in the air, about to chop the tree down. Elizabeth opened her mouth again to protest, when she was interrupted by a strange voice.

"Hold!"

Elizabeth whipped around to see a young good-looking man in a tattered cloak standing behind the wall. The soldier with the axe stopped in midair. The man on the horse, taken by surprise, turned to the new intervener.

"I'm curious: what man or creature so fearsome that it takes six men to attack it?" the stranger inquired, peering up at the tree.

"This is no affair of yours, either," the man fired back, casting a brief glare at Elizabeth. She felt relief wash over her, but then again, this man was by himself, and she was armed with nothing but her staff.

"Or are we treating the devil himself?" the stranger went on, peering up in the tree some more. He chuckled when he saw the boy, who was peering down at him with curiosity. "A small boy! A truly…dangerous animal."

The man hardened his glower at the stranger. "He killed one of the Sheriff of Nottingham's deer."

"We were starving!" the boy shouted down at him. "We needed the meat!"

Elizabeth felt her stomach turn. The Strangelands was in poor condition, worse than it was when she left it the second time with Bilbo, after he had learned that her aunt and uncle were unable to care for her. People were starving, dogs and cruel soldiers were treeing children for committing the crime of providing for their families …what else could possibly be wrong with this place?

"I advise you to take yourself and this incorrigible girl, pilgrim," the man nodded in Elizabeth's direction before continuing "and move on. This is the Sheriff's land."

"Wrong!" the stranger quickly replied. "This is my land and my tree. So whatever's in it also belongs to me."

Taken by surprise, Elizabeth glanced at the reactions of the man and his soldiers. They were, indeed, astonished as they observed this untidy stranger. The man's face was twisted with anger, but he managed a smirk. "Might I have the pleasure of your name, before I have you run through?"

"Robin of Locksley," the stranger answered, confidence evident in his voice.

Horror was etched on the man's face. Apparently, the stranger was telling the truth. Although the name meant nothing to Elizabeth, it certainly meant plenty to the man and his soldiers, who were muttering with surprise amongst themselves.

"Well, well, Locksley…" the man said softly, his voice dripping with bitterness as he relaxed his furious expression, showing the gold in his teeth from his wicked smile. "Welcome home." He turned to his men: "Kill him!"

Everything happened at once; the soldiers hauled out their axes and swords as they approached Locksley. Without blinking or flinching, Locksley pulled out a crossbow from behind the wall, aimed, and fired an arrow into the stomach of one of the soldiers. He called up to his companion, who was perhaps still at the top of the hill. "Azeem! It's time to redeem that vow!"

Ready for a fight, the man dramatically drew his sword. "Release the hounds!" he called out. Locksley fired another arrow into the soldier's head who was about to let the dogs loose. He tossed the crossbow up onto the wall, and he started climbing it. "Azeem! Get off your damned knees!" he called again, his voice growing frantic. Elizabeth frowned a bit. Get up off his knees? What did he mean by that? Locksley chucked his crossbow into a soldier's face as he was loading one of his own, knocking him down. Elizabeth pressed her back against the tree, clutching tightly onto her staff as she watched the stranger. The surviving soldiers and the dogs fled the scene.

The man, his sword ready, charged at Locksley, who leapt off the top of the wall onto the man's back, toppling him and his horse in a single blow. The boy cheered loudly from his perch. Knowing the boy was safe where he was, Elizabeth approached Locksley as he scrambled to his feet, and grabbed up the man's fallen sword.

The man tried to crawl away from him but Locksley was already standing over him with the sword at his throat. The man glared up at him. "Now, sir," said Locksley. "If you'd be so kind to give me your name, before I run you through."

"Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's cousin!" he snarled back. "That little bastard was poaching deer!"

Hearing that accusation, Elizabeth lost her temper. "Poaching? Poaching? Is it not a greater crime to starve a family? Have you gone insane?"

Blood rushed in her ears as she prepared herself to leap upon Gisborne and beat him within an inch of his life. But Locksley grasped her by the shoulder to hold her back. "Calm yourself. I'll deal with him." Elizabeth glanced warily at him before she reluctantly took a step back. Locksley pushed the tip of his sword deeper towards Gisborne's throat. Gisborne tore his hateful eyes away from Elizabeth as he bared his teeth at Locksley. "Go on, Locksley," he encouraged. "Go on!"

But he did not kill Gisborne. "I've seen enough blood spilled to last two lifetimes!" he stepped back, withdrawing his sword. "Now, get off my land!"

Gisborne got to his feet and walked away, bumping Elizabeth roughly in the shoulder as he strode past her. Locksley watched him leave, but he wasn't finished yet. "And tell Nottingham what happens to scum when they pick on small children!"

Gisborne, who had stopped to listen to the warning, turned and marched towards his horse that was waiting for him a short distance away. Locksley turned to Elizabeth. "Are you all right?"

"Y…yes, I am," she answered, keeping her eyes trained on Gisborne's back as he rode away and disappeared behind the hill. Locksley's eyes found Azeem, who was climbing down the wall behind them. Elizabeth turned to get a good look at him, as well.

"And you!" Locksley shouted at him, obviously angered about his absence. "You've traveled ten thousand miles to save my life, and leave me to be butchered?"

"I fulfill my vows when I choose!" Azeem replied. He was as tall as Locksley, but wore a turban and dark blue robes. The sword he held was a menacing blade that was very broad and curved, and his face was exceptionally dark and lightly bearded.

"And that does not include prayer times and mealtimes, or any time I'm outnumbered six to one?" Locksley argued, his anger on the rise even more.

Azeem regarded him with an incredulous look on his face. "You whine like a mule!" he exclaimed, giving him a friendly slap on the arm. "You're still alive!"

Elizabeth chuckled to herself. Azeem and Locksley seem like a trustworthy and friendly pair, as mismatched at they were. As Azeem walked towards the wall to observe the hillside, Locksley picked up his sword and turned to the boy in the tree.

"Have no fear, come down boy," he requested. The boy complied. When he hit the ground and got to his feet, he looked Azeem, Elizabeth, and Locksley over with his sparkling dark eyes, his tangled hair wafting over his face.

"Is it true, boy?" Locksley asked. "Did you kill a deer?"

The boy gave a faint smile. "Hundreds of them!" Then he turned and ran away. Locksley turned to Azeem. "You scared him!" he stated, but with a joking tone to his voice. Azeem, however, took offense, and didn't return the smirk. Instead, he remained stern as he trotted up to the wall overlooking the hills. He turned to Locksley.

"Interesting place, this…Eng-land!" he scoffed. Then he started walking back up the hill on the wall.

"I'd have to agree," Elizabeth agreed aloud.

Locksley turned to her. "Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Elizabeth Baggins," she replied. "I'm not from here, though."

"Where are you from, Elizabeth, if you're not from here?" he replied, a playful smile on his lips.

"Another place," she responded airily. He chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief.

"I've a few friends from there," he jibed. "Come, now. Where're you from?" Elizabeth warily stepped away from him, discreetly placing her staff between herself and Locksley.

"Let the girl alone!" Azeem's voice called down to them. "I can hear every word you speak!"

Elizabeth cracked a grin at Locksley as she glanced up at Azeem's intimidating and powerful stance from atop the wall atop the hill. "I like him," she stated, her smile still present.

"So do I," Locksley replied, glancing up there, as well. "Even though he takes some getting used to." He turned to Elizabeth, giving her a quick, admiring look-over. "We're going to my father's house. It would be an honor if you could join us."

Elizabeth, taken aback, tried to avoid the invitation. "Thank you, sir, but I really must be going…"

"I insist!" Locksley laughed. "Your family needn't worry, we'll look after you from now on!"

She hesitated. She glanced up at Azeem, who was scanning the land surrounding them. Then she looked back at Locksley. "Very well. But you've my Uncle to deal with when we return!"

Locksley cracked a wide grin. He shouted up at Azeem. "You hear that? She's coming with us!"

Elizabeth bit the inside of her lip. She trusted them, but she wasn't certain if there were more dangers they would be facing in the near future. Perhaps she should have never left the Shire.