Flaming Arrows, Burning Bread- a Robin Hood BBC fanfic

A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I am so sorry that I've been away for so long- exams are coming up, softball is coming to an end, and of course it's almost the end of the school year. But I'm back, and this time I've decided to try writing in a new fandom that I recently became obsessed with.

Before you read, I'd recommend the series Robin Hood on BBC to anyone. I guess it's not completely necessary to understand the plot since this won't be canon, but it's an amazing show and I can't believe they cancelled it! Also, message me and tell me who your favorite guy is (mine is most definitely Allan with Much, Robin, and Will coming in close second). Anyway, thanks for reading this long author's note, and now we can get down to business :)

Note to readers of Broken Promises: I have currently run out of ideas for it, so anything would be great help. I've decided to keep writing fanfiction for the time being and work on my own novel over the summer. Thank you for sticking with me all this time, especially if you're reading this story and have absolutely no idea what it's about.

Ok, now we can begin (sort of)…

Author: Drew Demeter

Pairings: It's a surprise!

Rating: T to be safe, may have to change it to M for future chapters

Summary: Sir Guy of Gisborne's daughter, the one he never wanted but was forced to keep, has joined Robin Hood's notorious gang of outlaws against her father's wishes. But between strained loyalty to her father and growing love for a certain blue-eyed outlaw, this girl is not what she appears.

Warnings: probably nothing worse than the series- maybe some added adult themes.

Disclaimer: Everything you recognize from the show belongs to BBC (unfortunately)

*Takes place between seasons 1 and 2

The Stranger

It was a cold day in Nottingham when she left. The leaves had just turned colors, fading from vibrant greens to soft browns and orangey hues. Fall was always her favorite time of year- it wasn't so hot that you could practically feel the flies swarming around you. And it wasn't so cold that you could hear the chattering teeth of the people in the dungeons.

Brianna of Gisborne- Bri for short- had always hated life at the castle, but what other choice did she have? Her mother, a lady of high rank, had died in childbirth, and her father had promised the dying woman that he would always keep the baby safe and sheltered. And that he did- Bri had never before left the walls of Nottingham, even though her father had recently received the estate of Locksley. She had always resented him for that- Guy of Gisborne didn't even let his own child into his life and home. No, she was kept at the castle for safekeeping, wandering around day in and day out and being harassed by the stupid guards.

Well, not all of them were stupid. Before he died of pneumonia that past winter, her favorite guard Daniel taught her how to defend herself. Bri was quite possibly one of the only maidens in England who could duel against a full-grown man and win.

Of course, no one could know about that. The Sheriff, who acted as one of her primary caregivers when Gisborne was away, would definitely hang her for treason or something like that if he ever found out. None of the men in her life were ever really fatherly towards her. Hell, the closest she and her real father had ever gotten to love was an awkward pat on the back when her favorite of the castle hunting dogs died.

And that, Bri reasoned with herself, was why she was leaving. If she quite possibly spent anymore time in that dark, sinister place, preoccupied with thoughts of a father who hid her away and a mother who was cold in the grave for sixteen years now, she would go insane. And then they'd lock her in the dungeons for sure, as the castle guards had threatened to do many times when she appeared at the dungeon doors with food for the prisoners.

It was relatively easy to get out of the castle- once a week, with her father's approval, the guards let her attend the market in the central square. The trickiest part was finding a way to distract her escorts so she could slip out of one of the gates and get away from Nottingham.

Even that turned out to be easier than expected. When they entered the market, Bri just pretended she had seen a man stealing from the baker's stall. While the guard went up to sort things out, she pulled the hood of her plainest brown cloak over her head and ran out of the city, taken shelter behind an old donkey cart. Before she could cause any disturbance with the cart driver, she disappeared into the forest surrounding Nottingham on the north side.

Once she was out of sight of any of the castle guards, Bri threw back her head and laughed, spinning around and around in circles, so happy to be free. She knew now there was no turning back; she would never be able to live the life of luxury again. Well, at least not until the king returned from the Holy Land. Then she would be able to come out of hiding, find a husband, and start a family. She'd never have to worry about her father again.

Finally, she plopped onto the ground, dizzy and giddy, and dug her fingers into the cool fall leaves still wet with morning dew. She had hidden a short dagger in her cloak before leaving the castle, and Bri felt its outline against the material of her thin dress. She would have to get more reasonable clothes, she thought, if she were to live out here. Maybe she'd even cut her long dark hair and dress like a boy, just for the sake of being able to move around.

But all of that would come later. First she had to find who she was looking for.

Sir Guy of Gisborne sat in the bath at his manor in Locksley, taking the time to enjoy the warm water and smell the aroma of rose petals drifting around him. The bath was a comfortable place, he decided. Perfect for thinking and scheming.

The bath was also a place of melancholy for him, since roses were the favorite flower of his late wife, Lady Mary of Gisborne. She had been like a light in a very dark sea for him, always there, always smiling. He remembered, back when they were betrothed, how she used to grab his hand and press it to her soft cheeks, red with happiness. And then he would laugh.

But that was a long time ago. Before the baby came. The damn baby who wasn't even a son, who would kill Mary and leave him all alone. The baby who never slept, but cried and cried for her mother. The baby who grew up distant from Gisborne, because she reminded him too much of Mary. They shared the same dark brown curls and the same freckly face. The only things that Brianna hadn't inherited from her mother were her eyes. While Mary's were light and vibrant blue, Brianna's were dark and not as round, like Gisborne's.

Lost in his memories, Gisborne hadn't realized that he had started to cry, tears dripping down his hooked nose and splashing into the bath. As he was wiping them away carefully, there was a frantic knock on the door.

"Come in," Gisborne called, thanking God that he was in the bath and the tears blended in well.

A messenger from the castle, dressed in the traditional yellow and black, strode in with a panicked expression on his face. He looked very scared.

"Master Gisborne, sir-"

"Spit it out, will you, or I'll have your tongue cut out!" Gisborne spat, feeling more like his old self.

The page looked more frightened than ever.

"Well, Master, it's your daughter."

"What about her?" Gisborne said coolly. She probably just tried to feed the peasants again or something unnecessary like that.

But he wasn't prepared for what the man said next.

"She's gone missing, sir."

With a howl of rage, Gisborne jumped out of the bath and, wrapping a towel around himself quickly, took out the little dagger that he kept in his pocket for times like this. The man was dead before he could move.

Gisborne didn't care about the girl. In fact, he wished her dead.

But Brianna knew plenty of secret plots, having been invited to meetings since the time she could walk. The Sheriff reasoned, "if she's never to go out, there's little harm in her presence, is there Gisborne?"

And Gisborne could only imagine who she would tell them to.

Allan and Will had gone out scouting earlier in the morning while the others practiced with their weapons of choice. Now, the young men came running around the corner, panting and wide-eyed.

Robin put up a hand to stop Djaq from impaling him with the sword they were practicing with. He eyed his men expectantly. "Well?"

Both men were doubled over, sucking in breath. It was Allan who was first to recover. "There's…a girl," he pointed in the direction where they'd come. "A… girl… in… the forest."

Robin nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Well, let's go see who she is lads." And with that, the ragtag group of five followed their leader towards the stranger.

Allan and Will brought up the rear, occasionally shouting which direction to go but mostly talking in hushed tones.

"Did you get a chance to see her face, mate?" Allan leaned in towards his best friend, ever the lady's man. It was a wonder how he and Will were even friends- whereas Will was quiet and shy when it came to women, Allan was loud and radiated confidence.

"No." Will replied, stroking his developing mustache thoughtfully. "Just looked like she was resting to me. Her head was turned away."

"I heard that some nobleman's daughter was kidnapped recently." Allan replied. "Reckon it's her?"

But before Will had a chance to answer, the group came to an abrupt halt and Allan practically slammed into the back of Little John, a tall hulk of a man who always carried a staff with him as his weapon of choice.

"Sorry, mate," Allan muttered at the glaring John, flashing him a quick smile. Hey, it worked on the ladies.

Robin came back towards them and hauled Will to the front. The rest of the group tagged behind.

"That her?" Robin asked, pointing out a small figure sitting at the stream a couple of yards away. She was wearing the same cloak as the other girl. Will nodded in agreement.

"That's the girl we're on a mad goose chase for?" Much, Robin's talkative former manservant and best friend pushed his way to the front of the group, crouching on one knee. "She's a bit of a thing, isn't she? How'd she get out here?"

"Well, she doesn't seem like much of a threat," Robin reasoned, starting down the hill. "Why don't we go ask her, eh lads? Anyway, even if she were to put up a fight, we outnumber her six to one."

The rest of the group consented, and Robin lead the way to the strange girl.

Bri was just bending down to take a sip of water from the little stream when she heard a branch crack behind her. On full alert, she spun around and found herself surrounded by a ragtag group of outlaws, from the looks of it. They all had their weapons drawn, and Bri had no choice but to stand still in surrender. She would never win a fight against these people.

Besides, they might be the group of outlaws she was looking for.

A handsome young man with shaggy brown hair and foggy blue eyes walked up to her, his arrow tip close to her chest. "This," he said mischievously, "is an ambush."

Bri was ready for this.

"I don't have any money, sir, or anything except the clothes I am wearing." She wondered how long it would be before they realized she had a dagger. Hopefully long enough for her to finish. "I just want to ask you a question."

Behind the man who was obviously the leader, there was a handful of other people, about five maybe. Four men and one woman, a Saracen, dressed to look like a man. The leader turned and seemed to consult the others before he answered, "Sure, why not? I guess one question won't hurt."

"But try anything funny," a blond man piped up, "And we'll have no choice but to kill you."

Bri gulped, but now they were all looking at her expectantly. So she pressed on. "I'm looking for Robin Hood," she said, watching as the others exchanged looks of amusement. The leader put down his bow and arrow and smiled at her.

"That would be me," he said, sticking out a hand. Bri shook it heartily and looked curiously behind him at the others. She recognized some of them from the castle- Robin Hood's gang almost always had business there. Sadly, the Sheriff always locked her in her room when the outlaws came calling, so she had to do with peeking at them through the window as they made their escape. Watching the gang had convinced her to come find them in the first place.

Robin was still staring at her, his head cocked a bit to the side, thinking. "I don't suppose you could tell me who you are?" he asked gently, smiling. Bri, feeling warm and embarrassed, smiled back.

"I'm Brianna- Bri- of- just Bri," she said, reminding herself that the outlaws didn't like her father anymore than she herself did. "And I've come to see if you could help me."

Robin just looked at her expectantly, so she continued.

"I've been confined my whole life in the castle- my mother died when I was but a child, see, and my father wishes me dead as well. So he kept me locked up. All the same, I've heard tell of what the Sheriff and Guy of Gisborne are doing to the people, and I want to stop it. So I escaped and came here to ask you if you had any purpose for me here."

"Oi," said a man behind Robin. He had bright blue eyes and light brown hair with plenty of stubble on his face, as to be expected of an outlaw. "We've been up to the castle many times. Not bein' funny, but why 'aven't I seen you there?"

"I'm kept locked up," Bri said quietly. "It's like the dungeons in its own sort of way. I was never allowed to travel away from Nottingham. The Sheriff always kept me in during executions and the like b'cause he thought I'd be hurt or have a chance to run away. You see," she said, dropping her voice a little mostly out of habit from when she lived in the castle, "I know all of the Sheriff's plans, and I can help explain them to you, if only you'll let me stay. And I know my way around the castle even blindfolded. I want to help others, really I do. Just give me one chance."

Although the other men chatted in dropped voices, Robin had already made up his mind.

"You seem like you'd be a valuable asset, and if I can see the way you fight I'd like you even more. What do you say, lads? Give Bri here a chance?"

And every single outlaw nodded yes.