A/N: Hello! is new Thought I might as well post this here (only beacuse mydoctortennant told me to!) My RH series, based on the BBC version. It gets better as it goes along, and longer! Enjoy! -
Chapter One - Daine
"I can't believe you!" Daine looked at the new Lord Merton with horror. Since her father, the old Lord Merton, was killed her life had been getting worse and worse. "Outlawed?"
"Yes, because you, like your father, are against the Sheriff. Therefore, you are outlawed. I'm being kind to you; I'm letting you go now, before the Sheriff finds out. You can start a new life away from here; I'm giving you a chance."
Daine looked at her belongings in her hand that had been packed by her nurse, then to the new Lord Merton who was gesturing towards the door; and then to the cart waiting for her outside. This isn't what her father would have wanted for her. They were against the Sheriff, they all were. She had to do something.
"Fine. I'm leaving." Lord Merton looked relieved at this, he did care about her, he wanted what was best for her. "I'm leaving home, but not Nottinghamshire." Before the Lord could argue, Daine had raced out the door, past the cart and away from her home.
Daine had planned for this. Daine had known that something would happen to her eventually, that's why she learned how to fight with the help of her nurse. A pang of sadness hit Daine, she would miss her nurse. Her nurse had done so much to help her, getting her husband to teach Daine to fight, teaching Daine to read and write herself and much more. Tears fell from Daine's eyes as she continued to run.
The outlaws sat around a fire in their latest camp. Allan was telling them stories of him and his brother's drunken antics. It may have still hurt him to talk about his brother, but he felt reliving their times would help heal the wound.
"And then, this huge guy came up to us and tried to start a fight! He was saying that my brother had stolen from him his livestock and his daughter! Turns out that he had. Didn't find that out until after I got the living daylights beaten out of me!" Most of the outlaws were unsure if they should laugh or remain silent. Allan noticed their discomfort and laughed. "Sorry fellas, keep forgetting most of the stories about my brother end like that."
Much was the first to answer back. "Well don't tell them to start with, and then you won't have to remember!" Allan was about to rise up to Much's comment when Will came rushing into the camp. He'd been put on "spy duty" in the forest that afternoon, like most afternoons.
"Robin!" The outlaws stood up, sensing the seriousness of the situation. Will continued to speak in between gasps for air. "There's a bunch of guards. Just north of here. They have an outlaw. And it doesn't look good." At this Robin grabbed his bow and ran to where Will was pointing. The other outlaws followed suit, Will coming up behind, still catching his breath.
"What do you want? I have nothing." Daine was bored now. The guards had caught her running from a village and jumped to conclusions. They believed she was running away from a theft. "I have nothing to hide!"
"I don't believe you. You're an outlaw." She'd been an outlaw for 5 minutes and she was already caught. Admittedly she did look suspicious. She'd pulled her scarf over her face at the last minute, to protect her identity. Her father's name was already tarnished, and even though he was now gone, she would do anything to save what little dignity he had.
Daine rolled her eyes, and sighed. "Please, just let me go. I haven't stolen a thing. You can check my bag if you must, but all you'll find is clothing." She immediately kicked herself for this. Daine had something of great value to her in that bag. If the guards caught her with it, they would assume she stole it and she would surely hang.
Robin and the group arrived at the scene Will had told them about. Surely enough, there were a group of guards harassing an outlaw.
"Why haven't they arrested him already?" Allan asked.
"I don't know." Robin pondered on this for a while. "Maybe he's stalling for time, waiting for something?"
"Well, whatever he's doing shouldn't we be helping?" Much was the one to suggest this. Robin looked to Much. Much was right, they had to help.
"Look!" Djaq pointed at one of the guards. He'd gone into the outlaw's bag and pulled out something shinny. "That must be what they are after!"
"Well, there's no helping him now. He's guilty." Allan was about to turn away when Will pulled him back.
Down below, the outlaw was grabbed by a guard and his hands were tied. The main guard yelled for the outlaw to be taken to the Sheriff, and then started to walk away. The outlaw turned around and looked right at Robin and his men. His eyes caught Allan's.
"I'm not being funny but..."
Daine saw Robin Hood. She had hope. But she was still being taken away, wasn't he going to help? More tears fell, just like the ones that had fallen many times in the last few days.
"Seriously?" Just like Much, to question Allan. "She's a girl?"
"Yeah, I mean just look!" They looked at the outlaw in the guard's custody.
"All the more reason to go then," said Robin, smiling the way he always did before they were about to go into "battle".
"OUTLAWS!" Daine and her captor turned around quickly to see Robin and his men running down the hill. The smile returned to her face. They worked their way through the guards; many had run before they got there. Cowards she thought, and took this opportunity to hit the guard behind her in the chin.
He promptly let go of Daine, who moved away from his clutches. Her hands still behind her back, she stood in an attacking stance, just like she had been taught. "Why you little..." The guard advanced on her. She lunged forwards, throwing her weight at the guard. He fell down.
"And I was just about to do that for you." Daine turned to see one of Robin's men, the one who she had looked in the eye. He walked behind her and untied her hands. He took her hand and pulled her towards the hill. She tugged away.
"No! They still have something that belongs to me."
Allan stopped running and came back to her. "Which one?"
"Not sure, they all look the same to me! The one with my bag?"
"Good enough for me!" They both ran to the guard that had taken Daine's bag. He was holding onto it still. Must be for evidence Daine thought.
Allan ran and punched him. Daine went for the gut and then snatched her bag from him. She quickly checked for it. A wave of relief washed over her when she found it buried in her cloak. But her weapons? She looked round for them.
Allan was getting a bit anxious. "What now?"
Daine rolled her eyes, Typical, always wanting to leave without thinking. "My weapons. There they are!" Daine ducked under flying guards, and grabbed her bow, quiver and twin daggers. Allan pulled her back and retreated her to safety.
Once over the hill, they ran the long way round to the camp. They didn't stop until they got there. First ones back. Allan stood there panting, and Daine lay on the floor gulping in air. Allan laughed at the lack of stamina the girl had, but Daine failed to see what was so funny.
"Well I'm sorry. I haven't been living in the woods for who knows how long. I was in my home, my house, with my..." Daine stopped talking, and slowly broke into tears. Allan, feeling very awkward in this situation, was very grateful for the next two outlaws returning.
Will and Djaq noticed the crying girl on the floor. Djaq went to comfort her, and Will spoke to Allan. "What you done now?"
Allan, feeling cheeked by this comment, just said, "I haven't a clue!"
Eventually, Robin, Much and Little John arrived back at camp. Daine had stopped crying at this point and told Djaq that she was just scared and it had caught up with her. It wasn't the whole truth, but it would do for now. Each of the late arriving outlaws took a look at Daine. She still had her scarf over her face, but she knew that they knew she was a girl. The outlaw who had rescued her had told her.
She felt nervous under their eyes, and like she was being judged. She willed Robin to remember her from the good old days when Edward was Sheriff, but she had changed a lot since then. It was five years ago.
Robin finally took his eyes off her, and went to her bag. He found her chain and said, "This what you stole?"
Daine can be very easily annoyed, and this annoyed her a lot! "I didn't steal it! It was given to me years ago by my parents." She glared at Robin. He just sat there smirking. He turned his attention to her chain in his hands. Daine noticed that Robin recognised it. She snatched it out of his hands and looked defensively. Robin decided not to press the matter there and then; he thought she'd just snap at him.
"So what are we going to do with you? It's obvious you've been outlawed. But why? What's your name?"
Daine thought for a moment. Should she go for a guys name like the female who calls herself 'Jack', or not? "I'm Daine. I've been outlawed for living in the wrong place, wrong time. Like most outlaws." She pulled her scarf down revealing her face for the first time.
Something about this girl triggered memories for Robin, he felt he knew her from somewhere. And the chain she claimed to own didn't help matters.
The Sheriff was annoyed. His guards were in the Great Hall, moaning about outlaws. Like every other stupid day.
"La de dah de dah. Do you really think I care about the outlaws? A clue, no." The Sheriff sighed. Robin Hood had somehow managed to find his way into his castle without being there.
"But sir, the outlaw they rescued had the late Lord Merton's heir loom." The Sheriff let what the chief guard had told him sink in.
"The late Lord Merton's heir loom?" The guard nodded. "Well, that was passed on to his daughter, who was recently outlawed." The Sheriff thought a moment. "Does that mean that, a. She had been robbed or b. She was the outlaw? Do you know?" The guard shook his head. The Sheriff hissed in a low whisper. "I do."
"She was robbed?"
The Sheriff stood up in anger. "No you idiot! She was the outlaw! And you let her get away!"
"How do you know sir?"
"Because." The Sheriff showed the guard his evil smirk. "She was as against us as her late father." The Sheriff returned to his seat, then yelled, "GISBOURNE!"
"Well, Daine, you can either move on through this forest or stay here and risk getting caught again."
"I'm staying here." Daine gave the outlaws a serious look that none of them could protest against. She realised that she was being rude and continued to speak in a less harsh tone. "I can help. I know how to fight." This didn't stir much of a reaction. She sighed. "I cook."
Much grinned, knowing that he wouldn't always have to cook with Daine here. Robin looked around the group.
"Anyone have a problem with Daine joining?"
"None what so ever!" Much walked over to the girl and offered his hand. She gingerly took it and he shook it with much enthusiasm. "I'm Much, that's Little John, Allan, Will, Djaq and well that's Robin."
Daine smiled, a little overwhelmed. The outlaws laughed, and Daine felt herself blushing.
That night, Robin visited Marian in Knighton. She smiled as her knight stood on her windowsill.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?"
Robin chuckled, "Just thought I'd come and see you." Robin and Marian shared a moment looking lovingly into each others eyes. Then Robin adopted a serious look on his face.
"What is it?" Marian knew this look all too well, and had seen it a few too many times.
"Nothing, I was just wondering if anything had been said to your father."
"My father? Why?"
Robin sighed. "It's just, today in the forest we saved someone from the Sheriff's guards. She's been outlawed. "
"And what's this got to do with my father."
"This girl has hold of the late Lord Merton's family heir loom."
"Which he gave to his daughter. Robin you need to be more clear, I still fail to see what this has to do with my father." Marian suddenly stopped talking, and realised what Robin was thinking. "You think that she is Lord Merton's daughter, and that the Sheriff has outlawed her because her father was against him."
"Possibly. Just be careful. You should be all right, if Gisbourne is still stirred by you. He might see your actions at the wedding as lashing out for being lied to."
"So you're encouraging me to sweet talk your enemy, for my own protection from becoming outlawed?"
Robin thought a moment, then nodded. "As wrong as it seems, but yes. I just don't want to see you in the same position as me. Especially when you are a crucial part of our success, spying for us and everything." Robin smirked, and Marian playfully hit him.
"I'll be careful, I promise." They smiled again and then she kissed Robin.
The next day Daine awoke very confused. She'd been dreaming she was at home, with her father, mother and her... she couldn't bring herself to think about him. It startled her to look up at trees, and hear snoring men. Slowly the previous day's events filled into her head.
She remembered leaving home, her almost arrest, her first fight and meeting the outlaws. They were all so welcoming. Especially Allan. He seemed more than willing to fill in all the details about being one of Robin Hood's men or women. Will was the one who handed her the tag, he had to make one for her and gave it to her once he'd finished. Much showed her how his 'kitchen' worked, which sparked Allan off to make some remarks. Djaq warned her they never agreed and were always like this. It was only Little John that said very little to her. Djaq said this was normal too, and that he never said much.
"It'll be good to have another girl around. We have Marian, but she stays with the nobles." Djaq had told her.
After breakfast, the outlaws set out to find a little more about Daine. They sat round, all eyes on Daine. She hated being looked at, especially when people where trying to read her. It reminded her of those many awkward parties she'd been to.
"How old are you?" Allan was doing most of the asking. The others were just laughing at him.
"Why are you asking me these questions?" Daine didn't like telling people things about herself.
"Because, as your new buddies, I think we should know!"
Much chipped in at this point, "Allan, go easy on her, she's been through a lot. I reckon the last thing she wants is you in her face, poking around her business like that."
Daine smiled. She liked Much, he was very blunt, said what he thought. "I'm 18, but you're not going to get any more out of me. Much is right; I don't like people nosing into my world at the best of times."
"What? Not even anything about your family?"
Instantly Daine went into defence mode. "You will most certainly not know anything about my family!" Allan was taken aback by this. Daine stopped herself from talking and returned to her usual tone. "I, unlike yourself, do not like to divulge information about my family."
"Not even to those you trust?" A certain curious look played across Allan's face.
"I find it hurts more when those you trust use what you have told them against them." Daine turned her head away, fighting back the tears burning her eyes. No one quite knew what to say after that, so they all turned to someone and had their own conversations. Daine was fine with that, she needed a few moments to gather her thoughts and get over herself.
Allan came and sat by her, "Sorry, didn't mean to offend or nothing."
"It's all right. I need to stop dwelling in the past, and live now." She gave Allan a half-smile, who took the liberty of flashing her one of his cheesy grins, making her laugh.
Gisbourne was storming down the corridor. Revenge came sooner than he expected. And it waited for him in the next room. Marian's father...
Marian raced into the camp, "Robin! ROBIN!" Everyone got up, Robin raced towards her. Marian was distressed, anyone could see that. Daine hung back behind Allan. She knew Marian, and she would be the last person she would want to see, because it meant bad news for her father. "Robin, you were right."
"Right about wha... Oh no." Marian nodded, close to tears. "Not Edward. Who else?"
"I don't know, Robin they have my father!" Everyone's heart sank.
"We go, to Nottingham."
That's the first chapter! Feedback is love!
