A WORKSHOP IN HULL
IN the candle light, for the room was dark and had no windows, an old man was bent over a large stable.
He was stooped, from sitting at it for many nights and weeks.
He was peering through a lens at a gold coin, one of hundreds in a chest to his right on the table.
It flickered in the light.
However, when he reached to lift another coin, one not from the box, one from a velvet purse to his left, it seemed to flicker in an almost dull way.
The coin in his left hand, gleamed far brighter.
It glittered.
Apart from that, the markings and engraving, the size and everything, were exactly the same.
A mirror image.
He grinned to himself and set the coin back in the chest, clinking it against a two hundred others, before sliding the glittering coin back in the back and putting it in his pocket.
Heavy footsteps on the stairs behind him did not make him turn.
A man, young, only twenty or so, stepped into the candle light.
"Well?" His voice was low.
The old man sneered at him over his shoulder, "It is finished."
The man walked to look at the coins in the chest, dipping his hand inside it and lifting it to stare at the coins.
A woman, young, around the same age, glided to his side form the stairs, wrapping her arm around his neck and leaning closer to look.
He lifted his hand between them and tipped it, so one by one the coins clinked back inside the chest.
She giggled, although there was a glint in her eyes, and stretched up on her toes to passionately kiss him.
The man chuckled and pulled back, "Loren…"
"David…" She grinned back and giggled, looking down at the coins, one arm around his back, her other hand resting over his heart.
"They are works of art." She gushed, playing her part so well, she even had her lover nearly fooled that she was a simple foolish woman.
In truth she was nearly as treacherous as he.
He grinned, although it looked more like a sneer.
"Indeed…" His eyes flashed at the old man who had not moved, "No one would tell that they were not real."
"My business is not what you do with them." The old man croaked, "Only that I get my money."
"Quite right." Loren pouted.
"Adam!" David called and a young man, the youngest in the room, stepped towards them.
"Give the man his money brother!" David called, before bending his head to nip at Loren's ear lobe.
"Payment wear its due…" He growled playfully in her ear, causing her to shriek in laughter and giggles, pretending to bat him away.
The charade captured the old man's interest long enough for Adam to slip his hand into the old man's pocket and retrieve the bag of gold coins he had earlier put there.
He then slipped it inside his own cloak, and as the old man turned around, pretended to retrieve it.
"Here." He said in an almost sad tone.
He did not sneer like his elder brother and his paramour.
The old man took the coins with a grunt, and with that David slammed the lid of the chest containing the fake coins down, picked it up, and threw it at his brother, who only just caught it.
"Come on then!" He snapped, "We want to reach Nottingham by tomorrow morning."
Adam started to climb the stairs silently, still holding the heavy chest.
The old man was sat looking at the purse, before his hand flew to his side to reach for the bag he had put there himself.
"Wait!" He shouted and David groaned, turning to face him, reaming at the bottom of the stairs, Loren at his side.
They looked perfectly at ease, if not a little bored, as if they knew this would happen.
Adam looked uncomfortable.
The old man pushed himself away from the table to face them.
"Think you can steal from me and trick me do you… well… I will show you…"
With an abrupt moment Loren snapped her arm forwards.
A silver dagger flew through the air and landed in the old man's chest.
The force of it made him groan and cough, before tumbling to the floor.
She leant back against a wooden strut, perfectly at ease.
David chuckled to himself and bent forwards to rip the dagger out, before kicking the old man onto his front.
He also swiped the bag of coins form his belt.
"A genuine gift…" he stressed at Loren, chucking it at her.
She caught it and slipped it between her breasts down the front of her chest.
Adam swallowed; staring at the old man's form.
"You did not have to do that."
"Grow up." David snapped, "Or you can stay here while we ride to make our fortune…"
Adam stared at his brother.
"If all goes well tomorrow…" Loren ran her hand over the back of his neck as a way of attempting to coax him, "we will never have to be in this business again…"
"Get off me." Adam wrenched away, and it caused the fake coins in the chest to clink together.
David sneered at him brother.
"To Nottingham then."
MATILDA'S COTTAGE
Marian rolled over in bed just before dawn.
She was curled on her side, facing the window and the fire.
Her eyes were closed… stinging with dry tears, as she Robin picked something up off of the table beside her before walking sit in a chair beside the window, resting his elbows on another table in front of him.
Marian was asleep as he set a jug of wine down before him, and poured a glass.
If she had been awake, she could have seen that he had been crying.
He sniffed and set the jug back flat on the table, before picking up his glass.
His heart tore as he stared down at the liquid, swirling it around the glass…
He put it down abruptly and rested both his elbows on the table, before resting his face in his hands.
As he sniffed he ran both his hands over his forehead and through his hair.
He folded his arms on the table and turned his grief stricken face to look at Marian, who was still asleep.
Her lips were slightly parted, small dark rings under her eyes from tears that she had cried all night... even in her sleep.
He stood somewhat shakily and looked out of the window at the cool, grey, and clear morning.
He did not want to cry any more.
He knew neither of them did.
They were grieving… but there was no more need for tears…
Robin and Marian, although they did not say it… both wanted to honour their lost child by being strong.
He moved his hand over the foot board of the bed to look at his wife, who was still asleep.
She rolled slightly further onto her front, hugging the thin pillow and sniffing quietly.
Robin knew that she was waking up.
He swallowed at staring at her form.
The colour was returning slowly to her skin… she did not look nearly as pale, or as frail…
She just looked tired.
"R'bin?"
Her voice was unclear, low and a mumble, but he heard it.
"Shhh… shh shh shh shh…" He hushed her like he did when she had confessed that she 'chastised Robin Hood', when she thought she was dying on the rock in the cave.
"Shhh…" He watched as her eyes fluttered open blearily, staring at the sunlight which could be seen through the window.
She was still for a moment, as Robin picked up a jug of water off of the chest by his knees and then walked to come back into her view.
She mastered her tears and blew a breath out of her mouth, pushing herself up onto one arm on her side.
Her free hand immediately went to her lower stomach at the stiff cramping sensation that was going through her whole body.
She felt hollow.
"Let me..." Robin's gentle voice filled her ears as he walked closer, wrapping his arms around her to take her hands, helping her to sit up.
She set her legs heavily over the side of the bed, and she sat, feeling dirty, tired and sore and sad, with her feet on the floor.
She swallowed as Robin sniffed, handing her a cup of water.
"Here." He said gently and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her back.
Marian drank the water somewhat shakily before setting the cup on the small table at the side of the bed.
Robin rubbed her back and she sniffed, lifting her face to stare with red eyes at him.
He hushed her tearily and wrapped her in his arms again, her head tucked under his chin, as he rocked them gently.
Matilda appeared in the doorway to ask if either of them wanted a bath, but when she saw them embracing, she sighed quietly and turned away.
Robin held Marian tighter.
"Shush…"