Enjoy What You Don't Know
Rebekah sat on a small wooden bench in the garden, absentmindedly picking at a scab on her knee. This was one of many that she had gotten by playing with the twelve year olds, Robin and Much. She didn't even bother to look up when she heard two sets of footsteps approaching. Rebekah figured who it was. She did look up, however, when she felt a rough hand tug her foot off the bench and yank her skirt, which she had pulled up to look a t her knee, down to her ankles.
Before her stood Robin, his eyes blazing in anger, "Rebekah! Don't you know that it's not proper for you to have your skirt pulled up like that! What if someone besides Much and I saw you? Do you want to be shamed?"
"I wasn't doing anything wrong," the seven year old wined.
"Of course you were. That is not ladylike! It's improper, no one is supposed to see your legs like that!"
"Stop yelling!" Rebekah hollered at Robin, jumping to her feet as if to defend herself better. "I don't see what was so wrong about it."
"Ladies are not allowed to pull their skirts, dresses or anything else for that matter, up," Robin chided. Rebekah wondered what the 'anything else's' were.
Seeing the distant look in her eyes, Robin's anger boiled up again, "Are you even listening to me? Can't you see I'm trying to protect you?"
Much cut in, "Master, maybe your being a little harsh with her-"
"No, I'm not. She needs to learn Much, and if a good scolding is what'll do it - then a good scolding is what she is going to get."
"But don't you think that would be better left to Mother and Father Binder?"
"Much, it's kinda like a puppy. You have to scold them right away - if you wait till later they won't remember what they are in trouble for-"
"A puppy!" Rebekah screeched. "I am not a puppy, Robin!"
"Hush, sit and be quiet," Robin's eyes were laughing that he had managed to get his little almost sister's goat. But he had to make sure that she understood the impropriety of her actions, "Clarion, is younger than you and I've never seen her lift up her dress."
"There was nobody around," Rebekah defended, stomping her foot to the dirt in a huff.
"That's exactly what the Cyclops said."
Rebekah gawked at Robin, "What!"
"Odysseus, he told the Cyclops that his name was Nobody before he stabbed the giant's eye out. Then when all the other Cyclops' asked who did it, the one could only say that 'Nobody did it.'"
Rebekah looked completely befuddled, "What does that have to do with anything?" She really hated all these legends and horror stories that Robin had committed to memory.
Robin sighed, as if he felt she couldn't understand anything. "It means," he said, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, like he was talking to a two year old. "That even when somebody thinks that nobody's around doesn't mean that - no wait that's not it. It means that even when nobody isn't around that… Um-"
Robin looked wholly perturbed and embarrassed when he saw both Rebekah and Much blinking back at him with vacant looks in their eyes, "Oh, never mind! The point is that you need to keep your dress down at all costs." And with that, Robin grabbed Much's sleeve and began dragging him away.
Running to catch up to them, Rebekah said, "Wait, where are you going?"
"Much and I are going to go swim in the reservoir outside the back of the castle."
"We are?" Much said rather startled. Sometimes he wished that Robin would inform him of their plans.
"We're not allowed to do that," Rebekah said, walking briskly to keep up.
Robin stopped and turned towards her, "How do you know that this is something that we can't do? No one's even asked."
"That's part of the problem, if you don't ask the answer is always no."
"Wrong, if you don't ask the answer is always yes. Our parents will never know." Robin began to walk again, pulling Much behind him like a stubborn mule.
"Do we need to bring anything to eat, Robin?" Rebekah said tugging on his shirt sleeve to gain his attention.
Robin stopped once more, "I didn't say anything about a 'we' now did I?" Seeing the pained look in her eyes Robin diverted his head in an attempt to avoid her gaze, "Rebekah, girls can't come. You can't swim in a dress."
"But Robin-"
"The answer is no. And that's final," he added the last line that his Father was forever using when dealing with him.
"Who says?" Rebekah placed herself directly in front of the two boys.
Robin looked down at her, "I say."
"Let me put that another way: who of importance says?"
Young Loxley looked furious and, ignoring Rebekah, quickly sped up, leaving Much no choice in the matter. Rebekah, stood dumbfounded, staring after them. A mixture of hurt and anger building inside her, "Oh, no they don't. I'm going too." Turning on her heal she raced into the house.
"Here it is Much, our own private swimming hole," Robin said proudly. How he loved his brilliant ideas!
Much eyed the reservoir hesitantly, "Master, are you certain that there are no crocodiles in here?"
"Those are only in moats, not here."
"Are you sure that this is safe to swim in?"
"Of course, Much!"
"Well, it doesn't look all that clean to me."
Robin silently mocked Much, moving his mouth in a derogatory way to imitate what his companion was saying. Robin began to take his shirt off, "You don't have to come, you know. You can just sit here and watch, but that's only if your a coward, Much. But don't worry on my account."
Much watched as Robin stripped down to his braise and took a flying leap into the reservoir. Robin splashed around and dove under the stagnant water, holding his breath for a good while, Much stood and looked on. Shoving care and consequences to the wind Much began to remove his own outer garments, "What am I doing? What am I thinking? Oh, bother, this is ludicrous. Master! Master, I'm coming!"
When Much was beside him, Robin wiped water from his eyes and smiled at Much, "What took you so long?"
Much cringed as Robin took a mouthful of the liquid and spurted it out towards him, "Master, I-" That was all he managed to get out before Robin sent a wave over his head. Much rocked backwards, sputtering. So, if that was how it was going to be… Laughing heartily, Robin never expected the giant splash that came in his direction.
Meanwhile back at the cottage, Rebekah opened yet another drawer and began to rummage through it, "They have to be in here somewh- There they are!" Grinning triumphantly, she held up a pair of breeches that had long been outgrown by Robin. Lord Malcolm of Loxley had sent them over to save for her little brother, Don, when he could fit into them.
Impatiently, Rebekah pulled them on under her skirt - a perfect fit! She whipped the skirt off and tucked her blouse into the top of the pants, she was ready.
Much was finally getting into the games. They were splashing and dunking each other, seeing who could hold their breaths the longest, jumping into the water from the shore. Oh, yes - Much was now having fun and praying that they didn't get caught. He had heard that the new Sheriff, Vaisey, was rather harsh, the opposite of Edward. Why, when Edward was Sheriff, till a few months ago, Robin could just flash a cheeky grin and get away with - well murder if he wanted. But this new Sheriff, Much was devilish scared of him.
After tossing on one of Robin's hooded cloaks, Rebekah began to leave the small farm her parents worked. "Where are ya going?" Rebekah shuddered as the little boy's voice piped up behind her.
The seven year old turned around to face the little boy with brown hair and russet eyes, "With Robin."
He squealed with delight, "Can I come too?"
Rebekah bent down and put a finger to her lips, "No, Don, you can't." She noticed his scowl and added quickly, "You have to stay here and keep watch. You can't tell anyone where we are, understand?"
The boy, five summers old, nodded vigorously. Standing up, Rebekah pelted down the road, praying that none of the other little 'uns found her. Although she felt a slight twinge of quilt, as she did the same thing to her little brother that Robin had done to her.
"Master! Master, I don't know if this is a good idea. That tree is awful high and this water's not very deep. Master!"
The boy's pleadings were cut off by a loud splash! The girl rolled her eyes, she knew exactly what was going on. Not wishing to appear in a rush the girl began to stroll off the lonely street and onto the emerald grass. The grass always did grow better here, she observed. Careful not to slide, the young brunette made her way down the little knoll in the direction the sounds were echoing from.
Haughtily, she stood and watched the boy's inappropriate behavior. Robin, unscathed from his daring jump, and Much wrestling in the water - half undressed she might include. Arms clasped behind her back, Marian of Knighton watched her friends outlandish behavior, amusedly.
Coming up from having had his head pushed under, Much spit unsavory water out of his mouth and blew it out of his nose. He caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Turning to focus better Much let out an involuntary gasp, "Master Robin-" The words died upon his lips, however, as he was shoved under the water. Much floundered madly, he just had to tell Robin.
Once clean air was filling his lungs, Much shouted before Robin could pull him under again, "Marian!"
Startled, Robin looked over to the water's edge, yep. Marian. Grinning, Robin decided to be impertinent, "How are you today, milady? Like what you see?" He puffed out his twelve-year old chest for Marian's benefit, smiling roguishly.
From the bank, Marian sniffed, "I'm sorry - what is there to see, that you are referring to?"
Robin clutched his bare chest, as if affronted by the statement. Marian looked irked, "Do you realize how ill behooving your actions are?"
"Ill behooving? Much, did you think that?"
"Um…" Much stammered, trying to sink as much of his exposed chest beneath the shimmering liquid as he could manage. This was so mortifying.
"I hate to disrupt your fun," Marian continued, looking Robin dead on. "But there is something that I feel compelled to tell you."
"And what might that be?" Robin scooped up another mouthful and 'splerted' it out over to the slowly disappearing Much.
Marian had no time to get the next words across her lips, for a lone figure came sprinting down the hill. The person wore a hood, but that had fallen down in the rush to get to the water. It reveled long, dark, blond hair tied neatly back. Marian knew that it was Rebekah. As the young child shot passed she began to jump in order to reach the pool sooner, Marian's hand snatched at the back of the hood. Marian was fast, quicker than any eleven year old lady had a right to be, and the younger girl was arrested in her tracks.
This sudden stop, caused Rebekah to fall backwards to the ground. Robin broke into gales of laughter and Marian, lifted the shamed Rebekah to her feet. Marian shook her head sadly at Robin, "Do you even know where this water comes from?"
"Like you do?" Robin mouthed off.
"I lived here for most of my life, remember? So yes I do know."
"Then enlighten us, Marian."
"It is the drainage from the garderobes. This is the cesspit."
Robin looked blank, "The cesspit? The cesspit!" Robin was trying to frantically run through the water now and Much was not far behind him. They made it to the shore to a chorus of Much screaming, "This is revolting!" Once on dry land, Rebekah and Marian watched as the two boys spit every ounce of saliva from their mouths. The gagging and choking sounds were very diverting for the two girls and Rebekah was terribly happy indeed that Marian had saved her from the same fate.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!" Robin screamed, making a face and turning a slightly green color.
"You wanted to argue about it," Marian said daintily as she turned her back and hiked up the hill. This would teach Robin of Loxley. Calling over her shoulder, Marian had to toss one more thing at Robin, "Mayhap, I shouldn't have bothered to tell you. Then you could have been ignorant in your bliss."
Well how did you like it? I would love to find out! I can't improve without help. So move your mouse over and hit the 'review' button. Please, Robin doesn't want to have gone through that 'revolting' experience for absolutely nothing. I don't own Robin Hood BBC but I do own my thoughts - and they can be rather realistic (that's as close as I am going to get to 'owning' anything). Also, if you are curious about Rebekah's family here it is:
James - Father
Lynne - Mother
Rebekah - 7
Clarion - 6
Don - 5
Lynne - 4
Gill Daniel - 2
Tatiana - 1
Jacob - in the womb
Plus there are six others on the way! Yah I know, Rebekah kinda has a big family. Lynne, the first, has watched Robin and Much practically since they were born, they are as good as family.
(Garderobes are also the medieval toilets, just so ya know…)
P.S. I know that there is no reservoir behind the castle, but…