The English rain drenched the outlaws and their camp, every one of them miserable and soaking. Every one except Djaq. Sword in hand, everything her sword could reach was reduced to splinters. Wet and fallen boughs, Robin's lamely placed practice targets, even small trees were dust if the Saracen had anything to do with them. Will Scarlet watched, fascinated at her change of character, from between two trees. She turned on him, soaking wet with unmistakable fire in her unfocused eyes, and charged at the tree on his right. He slid out into view with his hands up.
"I am sorry." Djaq said, dropping the sword. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, no." said Will, shaking his sleeve down over the fresh cut on his elbow. She nodded, out of breath, with her head bowed.
"What're you doing?" He asked.
"The sheriff captured me, was going to torture me."
"No, we were going to come for you –" Will said.
"And I am grateful." She spoke over him, her head snapped up. "But you were late. Had I not known the alchemy that I did, I would be dead." Will nodded with resign.
"This happened to my brother. I watched him die. I thought if I could wield a sword I could defend my family. But then my father died too."
"The sheriff captured me." She repeated. "That will never happen again." She stamped her foot. "I will kill him."
"Get in line." said Will. "Most of Nottingham wants to kill him, and that includes the spiders in the dungeons." She glared at him. She looked close to tears.
"Sorry."
"I have made a new family here. He will not take it from me." She kicked the sword towards him.
"I've never seen you lose your composition." said Will softly.
"Is that a tease?" She asked, glaring at him.
"No, no." he said quickly, hands up again. "It was a general, um…"
Djaq was crying now, great silent tears pouring over her face, mingling with the rain. Her face remained composed.
"He will not take it away from me." she said again softly. Will collected her in his arms and held her, swaying on his feet. She cried quietly.
"It wasn't a tease." He whispered. "It was telling you that you are beautiful, composition or no." He kissed the top of her hair, now completely drenched by the rain. He pulled her to the base of the nearest in-tact tree and sat down, keeping her as much in his lap and off the wet ground as possible. That's where the outlaws found them the next morning, sleeping soft and pressed together amidst the sleepy, misty damp after the rain.