Trees rushed past her as she ran full sprint away from the gang of Guards. She stumbled momentarily as her skirt got caught on a twig. She cursed to herself, she needed a few seconds far enough away from the guards, just a few short seconds. She darted in between trees, aiming for where the forest is at its densest. Behind her she could hear the thudding of the guards horses. She decided there was no time to wait, untying the string that was tying the opening of her skirt closed. It was torn and tattered in a faded green fabric. With a single tug on another string the skirt opened at the side seam, revealing the trousers she was wearing beneath, along with the sheath with a short sword attached lower down her leg. While still dodging the looming trees, she shook a hood from the side of the skirt and throwing it around her shoulders, the skirt now becoming a cloak. She hastily tied the strings together again, tripping over a tree root. She rolled over and hauled her self up. The thudding of the guards horses was getting closer, and running was not working.
She slowed, catching her breath before hauling herself into a tree. The closest tree to her that she could manage. Years ago, when she was younger her two older brothers would climb the trees in the forest to get away from her. They were years older than her, and who would want their little sister hanging around them? But she knew they had loved her. Eventually they had taught her how to climb the trees like they did, and this is the tactic she employed. Reaching a reasonable height in the tree she pulled the cloak around herself hoping to blend in with leaves that surrounded her. It was her lucky day, the guards were stopping at the base of the tree she was in searching for her, when a rustle and a few snapping twigs caused them to ride away. She let out a sigh of relief, slumping down on the brach she was stood on. She tugged at a cord around her neck, allowing it to become sit outside of her clothes. On the cord was an acorn. A small acorn that had not had a chance to grow to its full size, about half way. This half grown acorn had be dipped in a pot of cooling metal by her sneaky brothers while their father, a black smith by trade, had his back turned. Some how they had made a hole in the acorn for the string, and then presented it to her. From that day she hadn't taken it off, as it was the parting gift of her brothers who left that day.
"That was a very impressive climb there. Those guards had no idea what tree you were in." She nearly fell from the tree she. Stood back from the base of the tree were 5 men. A bow was slung across the shoulders of one man, a tall staff in another hand, one with axes, and another with swords. She sighed gently, swinging both my legs to one side of the branch so her whole body faced the gang of men. She smiled, not that they could see because of the hood shading most of her face.
"Robin Hood? And his gang of men?" She smiled again letting her legs swing a little. "Much, Will from Locksley I remember you, and Lukie. I suppose you must be Alice's John, and you... Well no one knows much about you. You do look familiar though." She nodded my head to the sandy haired man with the sword. He threw his hands in the air, while the others fell about laughing.
"So," Robin called. "Are you going to get down from your tree or shall we get you down?" She paused for a second.
"As entertaining as watching you try to get me down would be, I think it might be a bit to embarrassing for you." She stood up on the branch. She turned around before she started the climb down, tucking the acorn away. She wasn't high up the tree, but descending to the forest floor took longer than she expected.
Eventually, and with an impressive thump she landed crouched at the base of the tree. She stood upright, pushing the hood off her head. She turned around, and there they were Robin Hoods gang of men. She could feel something moving behind her, trying to reach the cord around her neck.
"Whats your name?" Much stuttered at her, trying to sound like he was in control. She quickly decided the sandy haired one, with the familiar face was behind her.
"Arabella" She replied, the man behind her drew in a massive gasp in shock just as she turned and elbowed him powerfully in the stomach. His head hit her face causing her lip to split as he doubled over in pain. Little john grabbed her arm and for a second she was stunned looking into the momentarily pain stricken face. His eyes were a piercing blue. She stumbled back, tripping a little. For a moment she was shocked, he now had his hand on his knees regaining his natural breathing pattern. With a well place, unexpected twist of her arm Arabella broke free of little John. She looked into the face of this man for a second, he straightened up a little, looking back at her. She pulled the cord revealing the acorn.
"Allan?" He grinned all pain now gone, replaced by joy. He pulled her into a hug, as the others all stared at this strange sight. Much loudly cleared his throat.
"Is anyone going to explain?" He said in a huffy manner. Allan spoke over Arabella's head.
"Gang, This is my little sister Arabella." He grinned.
For a minute they were all shocked by this revelation, a smaller female version of Allan? They hardly coped with the one they had already. The two had broken apart, and she was wiping the blood from her lip while they spoke, but the joy soon turned to sadness.
"So how is Father? And Mother? What happened to them? I went back but you weren't there. No one would tell me anything" Alan asked sheathing the sword he had left with Will. When he turned around Arabella's smile was gone, replaced with sadness.
"When you and Tom left, the day you gave me this" She twitched the acorn "just before the winter things didn't go so well. Not that things had been okay before that. The Sheriff of Nottingham wanted more and more money from father. Money he didn't have to give. After the bad winter that year they knew they wouldn't last. Mother died in the winter. Gave me her food, so I wouldn't starve." She paused, not for effect but to hold the tears back. The men were all listening intently to her tale. Allan was getting paler and paler as she went on, "We lasted out the winter and summer came. Along with it came the Sheriff, and his guards. Father sent me to a friend of ours when he saw the guards, but I went to Merek. We watched from the other side of the street, they dragged father away took him to the castle. I never saw him again." There were now tears streaming down her face. Alan looked sick to the stomach, he was leaning heavily against a tree. Will put a hand on Arabella's shoulder. She gave him a faint smile. Robin had his arms crossed over his chest.
"Where did you go Allan? Why was it so important for you and Tommy to leave?" Her voice was a whisper. She took a step towards him, Wills hand falling next to his side. Her voice got slowly louder as she spoke. "I already know though, don't I? It wasn't what you told them, you wanted to see the neighbouring towns was it?" She was almost shouting now. "The pair of you went to con people out of their money, while your own family were dying!" Allan interrupted her angry too, his voice already a shout.
"You were with them! Mother starved for you, and Father, You watched the Sheriff take him away. You let them die." He spoke the last four words softly, regretting them as he spoke.
For a few minutes there was silence. No one moved, no one said anything.
"Well, that was certainly an interesting story." Much put in, trying to diffuse the tension.
"Much, shut up." Robin, Will and John said at the same time. Arabella lifted the cord with the acorn on it over her head. For a second she held it in her hand.
"You used to call me acorn. All of you did. I was the little acorn, Father the tree trunk. Mother the branches. Tommy and you were the leaves. I was an acorn. But the tree died. And so did the branches. The leaves all fell of the tree and were blown away in the wind. The acorn got moved from place to place. The acorn got sold to the highest bidder, Alan. The acorn had to begin a new tree, because the rest of its own tree was gone." She placed the acorn in his hand and pulled the hood up as she began to run into the woods.
"Wait!" Allan was running after her. He stopped because she was gone, disappeared. "Arabella is married?" He said to himself.
For days Allan asked himself why he left. Could he have changed things? How would things be different now? Who was his sister married to? He would have to find out.