A/N: Okay, this is my first fanfiction I actually hope to stick with. Allan has started betraying the gang, (T-T we still love you, Allan) but hasn't been found out yet. I'm not starting on any particular episode or before one so far. I'm hoping my OC isn't a Mary Sue, so please RR!
EDIT: I'm sorry for those who have just read this, but I couldn't help it. I went through it and thought I might improve a few tiny parts. Nothing important, but I felt like some part needed more feeling. And again, something felt… off.
Chapter One: Messages and meetings
OC POV
Most messengers prefer not to go through Sherwood Forest because of the 'dangerous outlaws.' That was why I sat atop my black stallion, Thunder, trotting lazily through that very forest. What were the chances I would run into them?
'Even if I did run into outlaws, what are they going to do? If they tried to steal my horse he would rebel for sure; it's a miracle I'm still up here! What else did I have they would take? Money, trinkets, weapons, food? No. Nothing. Except my daggers, but they weren't worth anything. Just me, my stubborn horse, and the message I am to deliver.' I tried to re-assure myself.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by Thunder slowing down dramatically and throwing his ears back. I leaned down to his neck carefully.
"Hey boy. What is it?" I whispered into his ear. "Outlaws?" Even though I had been trying to re-assure myself for the last hour I'd been riding through the forest, my voice still cracked. My horse whinnied as if in response. He came to a standstill and I listened. Nothing but my own breathing and the slight breeze blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves and sending shivers down my spine. I noticed the lack of birdsong, but that was usual in this part of the forest. Birds preferred the other side of the forest because it was greener and more worms lived in the ground.
That's when I heard a loud whistling sound. I sat up and looked around attentively, finding the sound to be something large coming at me fast from my right. I couldn't get a better look at it because it knocked me off my horse, bruising my side and scaring my horse off. I groaned and turned over, only for a rope to tighten around my right ankle and pull me up off the ground. Needless to say, I screamed and waved my arms around like a maniac. Never in all my experience in delivering secret messages and escaping from shackles and cells alike to do so had THIS ever happened.
'Okay, Cynthia. Calm down and get out of this. You're an escape artist. WHO IS AFRAID OF HEIGHTS! It's okay. Just take your boot off and brace yourself. What about the outlaws? Run. You'll be fine…' I thought desperately, trying to calm down. Already I thought I heard footsteps. All of the blood rushing to my head wasn't helping. What would the outlaws do to me? Kill me? Torture me? Leave me out in the woods alone to die?
I looked up at my boot the rope was caught on and tried to reach it by curling up. It seemed to lessen the blood in my head, if only a little. I got within a few inches of my boot before I fell back down, breathing heavily, my blood racing back to my head again. Then I saw the forest floor. The height seemed to lengthen and I began to wonder if it was better to stay up here. I felt bile in my throat from being upside-down. I had grown up in this forest, but everything seemed to have changed. Now there were outlaws and guards and I was no longer used to the way the forest worked. Oh, and did I mention I recently learned there are also traps?
"Oi! There's nothin' on this horse!" A voice complained loudly. I heard a soft whinny that belonged to Thunder. He was getting impatient.
"Well then, let's check the rider!" Another voice with a thick British accent answered matter-of-factly. My heart beat faster. I had to escape! I reached for my boot again, when it occurred to me to simply try and slip my foot out. I let my head fall back down and wiggled my foot around, tucking my heel next to my ankle and pointing my toe. It shifted a little. My heart rate sped up even more, and my head felt even worse with all the blood gathering in it. Suddenly, my boot slipped off my foot, and I was falling for what felt like forever, screaming pathetically. I managed to land on my arm instead of my head, and I simply lay there, catching my breath and letting the blood leave my head. My arm throbbed with the impact of the unforgiving forest floor.
"Ha! Someone escaped your trap, Will!" The same voice from earlier announced loudly. I scrambled to my feet dizzily and pulled my two daggers out of their respective sheaths.
'Will? Probably coincidence.'
"Do you really think you can beat us? You're way outnumbered." A man with blond hair and an annoyingly high pitched voice said.
"Do you think I won't try?" I breathed, still trying to regain my breath and dealing with an enormous headache. I watched as a few other people walked out from behind trees in a circle around me, carrying various weapons. I looked around me, counting how many there were. It was the only sensible thing I could think of right then. There were 6 people, all of them seeming to be male, but I couldn't really concentrate. My head was still spinning.
"You look a little dizzy. You're not thinking straight. We just want a small donation for the poor, and we'll let you be on your way." One of the men stepped forward. He had soft blue eyes, brown hair, and a friendly voice.
"I don't have anything." I said groggily.
"What do you mean? You have a horse but no money?" A tall man with a nose that reminded me of an elf asked, raising an eyebrow. I simply nodded, not wanting to give away how afraid I was by my voice. I heard leaves crunching behind me and I whirled around, immediately regretting it due to the pain in my head.
"Cynthia?" The voice was familiar. He was a tall man with brown hair, a little moustache, and green eyes. Wait, green eyes?
"Will!" I almost screeched, sheathing my daggers and giving him a hug that seemed to surprise him. The sudden movement bothered my head, but I didn't care. Will Scarlet! He had saved my life time and time again when I lived out in the forest. He was truly my most trusted friend. We pulled back at the same time, hearing hoof beats. It sounded like more than one horse.
"The Sheriff!" A large man with a curly black beard announced. Will grabbed my wrist and pulled me farther into the forest, following the man with the blue eyes that seemed to be their leader.
"Split up and meet back at the camp!" The man yelled, looking over his shoulder at the other outlaws. Will pulled me right, and I instantly recognized this part of the forest. I took the lead, heading to a rocky area with several small cliffs we could easily hide under and the horses couldn't get past. I dove under a little cliff with barely enough room for both of us to hide in, and Will followed, blocking the entrance.
"What's wrong with the Sheriff?" I whispered a little loudly, being out of breath. Will seemed more in control of this as he softly whispered with an incredulous look on his face:
"We're outlaws."
"What? What did you do?" I whispered back, this time a little quieter.
"I stole some flour." He said sheepishly, before adding: "But the Sheriff tried to hang me for it and Robin saved me."
"How much flour did you steal?" It was my turn to be incredulous.
"Only two sacks. There's a new Sheriff." Will explained.
"Wait, so you're a part of the great Robin Hood's gang?" I asked, going back to his earlier statement and unable to keep myself from smiling a little. He nodded and seemed to be listening to something intently. I did the same, and soon heard the guards talking.
"We can't go any farther this way unless we dismount." One of the guards noted.
"It's not worth it. We'll never find them with all of these cliffs." A second one complained.
"The Sheriff won't be happy. They intercepted a royal messenger. A good one, too." The first one said, worried. My breath caught in my throat. Me! They were looking for me! If what Will said was true, I needed to stay away from the Sheriff to deliver my message. I had no idea who to give it to, though. I had simply been told to start looking in Nottingham and that the Receiver would make himself/herself known.
"Good messengers are good at escaping and hiding! We won't find 'im. Let's go." The second guard said dismissively. We listened in silence as the hoof beats got quieter and quieter, not daring to break the silence with so much as a breath of air. When I looked back at Will he was giving me a peculiar look. I let out the breath I had been holding.
"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious. I had only now noticed how close we were.
"You're a royal messenger?"
"I told you I'd try." I said, shrugging slightly from where I lay.
"You did." It was his turn to shrug, after which it was rather quiet and slightly awkward. "We should probably get back." Will said quietly. I nodded and waited for him to move. He blushed, realizing he was blocking the entrance, and got up, putting out his hand to help me up. I took it, finding myself blushing as well as I stood up.
"Who are you sending a message to?" Will asked while walking in the direction of the camp they were supposed to meet in. I followed, smiling at how much I remembered about the forest. His question made me frown.
"I… Don't know. I was told the receiver would make themselves known and to start looking in Nottingham."
"Well, what's the message?"
"Not to tell anyone but the Receiver what the message is." I said, laughing a little.
"You don't trust me?" Will asked, looking over his shoulder. This question shocked me.
"Of course I do! I wouldn't be alive without you!" It was true. Will had helped me survive when I ran away. I hadn't known the first thing about shelter or hunting back then. Will smiled and shook his head, walking to a small ravine covered in fallen leaves. He pulled a little lever on the side of the cliff I hadn't even noticed and the floor lifted up to reveal a hideout that was complete with hammocks and a kitchen. The other 5 outlaws had made it back before us.
"Whoa! Did you build that?!" I gasped, my eyes widening. Will laughed and walked over to the other outlaws.
A/N: Does anyone think the plot was a little fast? Maybe there was too much conversation? Something felt off… Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! :D