Robin met Joe when he was seven. He was a peasant boy, son to a farmer. Five years old, dressed in pants and a loose top with longish hair. He looked miserable.
Robin was bored too. There were hardly any other people his age in the area, and he had just argued with Much, his only real friend around. Joe looked about right. Younger than him, easy to boss around. Not like that Marian girl- she was bossier than he was.
He walked over to the little boy, who was throwing stones into the pond, looking annoyed.
"Hey kid," Robin said standing next to him, feeling all grown up next to the smaller child, "what's up?"
"I'm bored," he replied, blandly, "I hate being the oldest."
"What's wrong with that? I'm the oldest."
"You got no brothers and sisters, matey," the little boy replied tiredly, imitating his father's language, "you're the young master of the house up there." He nodded towards it.
It wasn't going quite as he had planned. "Yeah well… doesn't that mean you have to show me respect!"
"No."
"What?!"
"You're my age- why should I treat you any different. You ain't the lord yet."
Not going his way at all. "I'm still better than you!"
The boy was on his feet in an instant. He was taller than Robin had first thought. Big for his age, Robin put him at about six. He had dark brown hair, and stormy blue eyes. His skin was weather beaten, and he was already covered in scratches from work.
"You are not," snapped the boy.
"I am too."
"Prove it."
"Prove it? How?!"
The little boy raised his fists, his feet spread to being shoulder width apart and his head ducked. "Beat me."
"What?"
"Beat me."
Robin crossed his arms, staring down at the boy. "Are you sure?"
"I'm certain?"
He weighed up the pros and cons of fighting the younger boy. If he backed down he was a coward, if he lost, he'd be an equal. If he won… the boy would basically become his slave. He grinned. There was only one way it could end.
Robin copied the other boys stance.
"I'll be fair," smirked the little boy, "you can swing at me first."
Robin looked surprised. "If you're sure."
For a moment or two he looked over his opponent. Then without warning, he struck out hitting… air. The boy had dodged the hit. Robin tried again and again, getting more and more frustrated. As a result, more and more tired.
"Stop dancing around!" he complained as the younger boy literally ducked under the swing.
"All right." The fist came from no where, hitting Robin in the nose, the next the he knew he had been head butted and he was on the floor with the younger boy standing above him, grinning.
"You're not better than me," grinned the little boy, "but you're not bad." He put out his hand. Cautiously Robin accepted. He knew how to loose graciously. "I'm Joe Hunter. Fred Hunter's son."
"Robin of Locksley- but you know that."
"Actually I never knew your name, just your face.," the little boy grinned from ear to ear. "Nice to meet you Robin."
The two were friends from then on. It was always the three of them, Robin, Much and Joe. Joe and Robin sided together often, they were closer and had very dominant personalities. It meant they were close, but also that they were rivals. It was one of the reasons why Much became his man servant in later years, Robin trusted them both, but Joe was too independent.
Joe got work at the nobles house as a stable boy. Which really just meant there was more time for them to mess around together, have some fun.
In those years, Joe started out being the tallest, up until the time he reached about fifteen, then Much and Robin beat him. He ended up being quite a short man, never meant that he was underestimated.
In that time, Much and Joe had heard a lot about Marian. The daughter of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Not all of it good. Often Robin complained about her being bossy and rude. That was until he was about fifteen. Then all of that started to change.
Much and Joe teased him about it solidly for two years, then finally Robin could take it no longer and decided it was time for them to meet. He still considered Marian far too bossy, he just found it now something that made her desirable.
Marian was visiting Locksley with her father, she was sixteen, Robin seventeen. Their romance had hardly flourished, the friendship on the other hand had.
Much and Joe had been waiting outside throwing a ball between the two of them, getting bored. Robin brought out Marian, and whistled to his friends.
Traditional Much, he became quiet, flushing red, speaking very little. Joe… was usual Joe. He was charming, sweet, conversational, and hardly flirtatious. He understood that this was 'Robin's girl', he just wanted her to feel comfortable. Marian on the other hand had never felt so comfortable with a male before, with no feeling of threat that he might become romantically attracted to her.
It was strange, and yet made sense.
Over a period of a few months, Marian almost spent more time with Joe than she did with Robin. Simply because she felt safer with him, he would listen to her, argue with her, agree with her. Robin was a gentleman, but he had yet to learn how a lady like herself would want to be treated.
It lead to Joe and Robin's first big fight since they were kids.
"She's my girl!"
"I know that! She's just a friend of mine. Like you bloody are! Don't you get that?"
"So how come your spending so much time with her?"
"Because she's good to talk to! Girls have opinions too you know. Maybe you should try talking to her like that. Christ don't act so up yourself!"
"Yeah well-"
"Look, Robin, read my lips. I do not fancy Marian. I am not attracted to her in the slightest. She is your girl, you will end up marrying her. And I look foreword to the day when I am best man at your marriage. So for the love of God get off me!"
Robin sighed. He had Joe pinned to the ground, he was sitting on top of him, his hands almost ripping at his friend's clothes. He released him and flopped to the ground next to him. Robin's own lip was bleeding and he could feel a black eye coming up. Once again, Joe was hardly scratched, but a nasty welt was coming up on his cheek bone.
"Sorry."
"Yeah yeah," muttered Joe, "don't be so paranoid."
"I just…"
"Love her?"
"No!"
Joe started laughing, he jumped to his feet. "What ever, just don't hurt her."
"Is that possible?"
Joe just shook his head, walking away.
Sometimes, Joe was a complete mystery to Robin.
Marian on the other hand was just as confused as Robin. At the age of sixteen she was already used to having a lot of attention put on her. Joe was certainly paying attention to her, but not the sort she was used to. She had her suspicions… she simply had to test them.
For about a week, without Robin being present, Marian flirted with Joe. Fairly obvious. She flattered her eye lashes, touched his arm, his leg. She pressed herself to him. She got nothing. He acted as though she weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. He might have said "it's a bit hot in here" or something to that effect. But otherwise. Nothing.
To Marian, that was as good as a confession. Joe Hunter was… not interested in females. It had to be the only explanation.
Months Marian began to avoid him more and more. Joe noticed quite quickly, he was hurt, but suspected that she had caught on to Robin's jealousy. That was all he put it down to.
Robin was not so fooled. He tried to talk to Marian, tried to reason with her. He never got to why Marian was avoiding his best friend. Just when he was starting to get really concerned- everything changed back to how it was. As far as Marian and Joe were concerned, nothing had happened. They laughed it off when Robin tries to bring it up. Robin never found out why that was.
It happened almost exactly a year after Marian and Joe met. Marian could not take it any more, and asked Joe out for a walk. Joe himself was quite happy, he hoped it would rekindle their friendship. He had always liked being friends with Robin's girlfriend.
Finally Marian faced him.
"Joe."
"Yes!" he looked up at her.
"Are… are you… do you like men?"
Joe frowned, staring at her. "What?"
"Do you like men?"
For some reason, he seemed to find this quite funny. A smirk grew across his somewhat effeminate features. He was definitely a good looking guy, small sharp nose, defined jaw line, full lips, wide stormy blue eyes and brown hair, bleached in places by the sun. He was slim, but he was muscular, and strong for someone his size. He wasn't tall for a guy, only a little taller that Marian herself. When he smirked, he looked almost evil.
"Is that why you've been avoiding me?"
"No!" his eyebrow raised. "Maybe…" the other joined it. "Yes… fine- yes."
He chuckled. "I should have figured it out."
"Are you?"
"Nope. Not in the slightest."
"But… you've never… I mean… you're… sixteen… and you've…"
"So?"
"But…" She was confused.
"Because I'm not attracted to you?"
"No!"
He laughed, almost cruelly. "Not everyone is Marian. You're a lovely girl, just not my type."
"Then what the hell is?"
He hesitated. "It doesn't matter."
"Well yes it does- prove that you're not!"
"And if I am then what?"
"What?"
"If I was- what would you do? Report me to the church? Tell Robin? Have my entire family disgraced?"
"No I-"
"Then don't make this a fuckin' issue!"
Marian stopped. She stared at Joe. The look in her eyes was different to what Joe was used to. "Joe… what's happened to your voice?"
"What about it?"
"It's… higher- you sound like a girl…"
His eyes widened, then he shook it off, coughing. "I get like that when I'm angry," his voice was bad to normal, "my sisters have always teased me about that."
"How many sisters do you have?"
"Four, and mum might be pregnant again."
"That's unusual…"
"What is?"
"Usually family's stop having children after they have a son. Not intentionally anyway."
Joe paled . "You're family stopped."
"Noble family- different rules. And besides, my mother died when I was quite young. Father never wanted to marry again."
He had been found out. "Don't tell anyone," he whispered, his voice was back to being high pitched, his effeminate features appeared for feminine than ever. "I just need to do it for my family… I'm the only boy they have."
"You're not a boy," snapped Marian, "why should you-"
"Five girls, sickly mother, only my father works. I work as well. Girls can't always get well paying jobs. Especially at my age."
"What's your real name?"
"Josephine Seanna Hunter. Jo for short."
Marian smiled. "Makes sense really… Jo… Joe… just add an 'e'."
"Yeah… I was named after my grandmother."
Marian frowned. "But should Robin's father-"
"He knows. He and my father go way back. Dad moved away for a while, came back here when I was four. Decided it was best that outside I was a boy a year later. Before little girl clothes were too difficult for me to move around in, so I had always worn boys clothes. Robin's father chose to go along with the trick, because it would help dad. He's a good guy… I'm grateful to him too. Giving me a job, treating me like a boy."
Marian sighed. She studied her friend. Somehow she was surprised she had never guessed earlier. A lot of Jo's attributes were fairly feminine. Personality traits as well features.
"You have to keep my secret," begged Jo, "please!"
"Of coarse I will. Just promise me something."
"Anything?"
"When it's just the two of us, wear a dress?"
Jo made a face. "I don't like dresses."
"You're just used to being a boy."
Jo shrugged. "Well… we'll see…"
The two left the forest feeling much better. Jo finally had someone out of her family knowing who she really was and Marian had a friend she knew she could trust.
The rest, as far as Marian, Robin and much were concerned, was history. Robin's father died when Robin was eighteen, making him the lord of Locksley. Much became his man servant, Joe the head of his household with Thornton as his guide until Thornton believed Joe to be ready.
Two years late Marian and Robin were engaged. Joe and Much practically mauled Robin that it took him so long to arrange the marriage, the party the three of them had that night lasted almost too long. They awoke in the morning with pounding headaches.
Later that day Jo slipped off to go and congratulate Marian herself.
Marian was in hysterics when she set eyes on the severely hung over Jo. Jo was not happy.
"I've just come here to say congrats- I can leave you know-"
"Just come in," chuckled Marian, "and put on a damn dress, I want to be able to talk to you properly."
Irritated, Jo did as she was told and wore the plain blue dress, and put on the smallest amount of make up possible. Once the two were alone, Marian noticed something very strange about her friend. She was quieter than normal. Happy, but not ecstatic.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing…" Jo had turned her voice back to being a girl's.
"Liar."
"It's nothing just-"
There was a pause.
"Go on…"
"It's nothing. Just feeling a bit left out you know."
Marian sighed. "Listen, I've been thinking. Maybe it's time you… gave this up. You know? Became a girl for-"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I can't. Not till Lizzie gets married- I can't even think about it till then."
"Lizzie's ninteen-"
"Exactly."
Marian put her head to one side. "Are- are you in love with Robin?"
Jo looked up startled. "What?"
"I mean I don't mind if you are, but you-"
"Me in love with… with Robin?" a grin stretched across her face.
"Well… yeah…"
The laughter started. Getting more and more hysterical. She was practically crying.
"Marian, p-please," she choked, "I have seen that boy in more embarrassing situations that you probably ever will! I grew up with him, saw him every single day of my life for the past fifteen years. In love with him? Never in a million years!"
The older girl chuckled at herself. That made sense. Marian had known Robin for about as long, but she had never really been with him as long as Jo had been.
"Besides," her laughter had stopped to a small chuckle and a grin, "he's a pain in he arse- why you agreed to marry him I don't know." She smiled, more gently, "you're too good for him, but I don't think you two would find anyone else who would suit the two of you better." She winked. "You'll certainly argue for the rest of your life."
Marian put her arm around Jo holding her tightly. "I can't wait for you to get married too."
Jo shook her head. "No thanks. Personally I don't like the idea of marriage- and that's not just because I've spent most of my life acting like a boy."
Marian said nothing. It was a classic Jo thing so say, so she wasn't that surprised. At the same time, she was a little sad for her. It was going to be a long time before she'd be able to show anyone who she really was.
It was a year later before things started really taking a turn for the worst. Robin and Marian had both promised each other a long engagement. A year , even two didn't seem all that bad. Then the slow build up of energy in Robin just had to be released. He finally announced that he and Much were going to the Holy Land to fight to get their land back.
Joe was furious. At first he, Jo was still a 'he in their eyes', demanded that he come with them. He did not want to be abandoned by his friends, or abandon his friends to a strange country where the violence was inevitable. He did not believe for a moment that Robin or Much would be able to take the horrors that she had heard from veterans returning from there.
And still Robin was stubborn. He was going and that was final. He refused to let Joe come with him telling him that he was the only man that he trusted Marian's life with. That Joe was the only one who could keep the person who was to look after his lands and his people in check. That Joe was too independent to come with him and take orders, instead he was needed in Locksley, and in England, to keep an eye on the goings on at home and keep him updated.
That evening, Robin and Much left, with only Joe as their witness that they were gone. The villagers knew, they had bid their master good bye, with prayers and little tokens of good luck to bore him safely there, keep him alive and bring him home. He was a favourite amongst them.
Joe was left to pick up the pieces. She became Jo and met with Marian, comforting her, promising that Robin would come home and look after her. That he would marry her as soon as he arrived home.
Yet, as a future playwright would soon say, hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. Marian was furious, hurt and upset that Robin had left, had abandoned her. As much as Jo tried to tell her that he had not, there was no reasoning with her. Jo simply hoped that thing would change soon.
They did. For the worse.
Guy of Gisborne took over Locksley as it's guardian. Soon the people were frightened of him, even Thornton was under his thumb. The only one with the guts to have a mind of his own was Joe Hunter. He stayed the head of the household, along side Thornton, but Gisborne kept his dark eyes on him. Making sure.
Vaisey became the sheriff of Nottingham instead of Marian's father. Prince John's hold on England tightened. Plots against the rightful king grew. The taxes on the people increased to the point where people were starving so as not to be hung.
Joe became restless. For a year she kept her tongue. Simply because her family were still in Locksley. For a year she endured watching Gisborne's pathetic attempts to woo Marian. For one whole year she kept her temper and her words. Then… her family moved to London. Joe stayed behind. And finally, she could take no more of the torture of having to be under the thumb of an unfair and controlled lord, watcher her people suffer.
One night, Joe stole. She took a little amount of coins and jewels to sell. She quietly distributed the coins amongst the families. Enough to pay their taxes for two months. It wasn't enough, but it would do.
She knew she would be caught, that was what she was counting on. She kept the jewels, hid the clumbsily, under her bed in a sack. The missing small fortune was discovered. Gisborne was furious. The house was searched and soon the jewels were found under Joe's bed.
'He' was brought before Gisborne. He had been beaten, his lip was bloody, his eye was black and his cheek swollen And still he was smirking as though he were king.
"What do you have to say about this?"
"Say? Whad'ya mean say?" he looked up at him from beneath hooded eyes, "I took ya shit, got some of my own shit- deal with it. You don't need it."
"So you admit you're a thief?"
"Admit it! I wear that with fuckin' honour and pride mate. I stole off some moron who thinks he's a lord! Where is Gisborne anyway, sir? I've never heard of it."
Joe was so calm, so cocky. So… frustrating. Gisborne stormed to hit him himself. Once he reached the little man, Gisborne found himself hesitating. He was still standing straight, his head held high and his bloodied lips smirking as though he had won. If Gisborne hit him, he would just be confirming that.
"Lock him up tonight," hissed Gisborne, "we take him to Nottingham for a trial tomorrow."
Joe laughed. "Fair trial right? Yeah right- I'll be hung on the spot."
"You're a thief."
"No- I'm a martyr. A thief implies I took something that is yours."
"You took from the master of this house."
"Who is my friend. Who would have wished for me to take from a pillaging piece of sh-" the slap echoed about the room. And still Joe spoke. "Piece of shit like you."
And still the smirk stayed.
That very evening. Joe escaped. Keeping her locked up in the house was a bad idea. She knew the house like the back of her hand. Better even. By the time morning came, she had taken some more money, this time for herself, some food, clothes, played a prank, taken a horse and was long gone.
Gisborne was furious! Not only had he woken to find his clothes covered in shit, with a note attached saying 'here's your money back, with some interest', but he was made to look a fool. Something he would not stand for.
As for Jo. She left Marian a note, not wanting to risk her life for knowing what had happened to her. Gisborne knew of their friendship, and probably suspected that Jo would go there.
Marian found the note the next day, attacked to an arrow at the foot of her bed. It said:
'I hope to see you again- you are the best friend I could have asked for. Keep safe. I love you. Josephine Seanna Hunter.'
Another person to have left Marian without so much as a note good bye. It left Marian feeling bitter. And still… she understood, especially after Gisborne had come round to explain the situation, that Jo had more of a reason to run so fast than Robin did.
Two more years passed. Marian heard nothing from Jo in that time. She missed her friend, but hoped what ever she was doing it was bringing her happiness and keeping her safe.
The finally, Robin returned.
During the party that Robin had set up for his people he kept asking around for Joe. He had not heard from him in years. He could find him no where. All he knew was that he had disappeared two years before, at the dead of night. No one really knew why.
When Robin finally had a chance to speak to Marian, even she did not have a definitive answer.
"She- he was accused of theft from Gisborne," Marian told him.
"Theft? What for?"
"Probably your people. I heard them talking once soon after they left, about them finding money they did not know they had, before for two months taxes. It wasn't long after the introduction of higher taxes."
"Joe did that?"
"I think so."
"Sounds about right."
"But he was caught. Gisborne practically sentenced him to the gallows. So… he ran. Taking somethings with him and…" Marian grinned, "covered his room in… uh… horse dung."
Robin chuckled. "Does sound about right. Joe's never been the regular type."
'You have no idea…' thought Marian. Aloud she said, "I haven't heard from him since. I'm not sure if he's been on the run… or if he's safe. But I'm fairly sure Gisborne will be crowing once he's found."
Robin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Very likely to be true."
Marian silently wandered if perhaps she should tell Robin his best friend's secret. At the same time, she felt it would be wrong. Jo had yet to tell her to tell Robin. Until that day, Marian would keep that secret with her.
Deep in her heart, Marian was certain neither she nor Robin would see Jo ever again. She wished that she would but somehow she sincerely doubted it.
Robin on the other hand was far more hopeful. He prayed that as soon as word of his return had spread, Joe would come home. And together they could make a difference to England. Robin, Joe and Much together.
Didn't seem that unlikely…
