Todd was back for a visit. Rowan heard this fact long before she saw him, since he was arguing loudly with Lionel and Beau. Coming into the rowan grove, Rowan saw the quarreling trio sitting on one side of a campfire while Etty and Rook sat on the other side, looking as if they were both fighting headaches.
It was moments like this that Rowan was glad that she had the excuse of going to gather herbs, thereby occasionally giving her time to herself.
"What are they whining about now?" Rowan asked, flopping down onto the ground beside Rook.
Rook just dropped his head into his hands with a small, muffled groan.
Etty answered for him, "I don't even know, they've been at it so long. Was it weapons, perhaps? Yes, that's it. Lionel says not to use them if it can be helped, Todd says be a man about it and Beau says using or not using weapons have nothing to do with being a man or woman.
Rowan rolled her eyes. "So just tell them to hush."
Etty looked at Rowan over Rook's bent head. "May I remind you that we are talking about Beau and Lionel? And Todd isn't much better than the two of them."
"Todd is no better at all than either one of them." Rook spoke up at last. "And just so you know, right now I am seriously considering going back to live in my cave for a while."
"May I go with you?" Rowan asked, only half kidding.
"Come now, you two," Etty reasoned. "There must be some way we can get them to hush."
"I'm willing to hear out any ideas that you have." Rowan said in exasperation. Even though she had just gotten back to the grove, she was already starting to feel the beginnings of a headache. "Personally, I'm going to dowse them all in springwater if they don't stop soon."
"But then they'll all just start complaining, and that's just as bad as the arguing, if not worse." Etty pointed out.
"Do you have any better ideas?" Rowan asked testily.
"Well, no, but..." And then Etty, already irritable because of the noise, and Rowan, who wasn't faring much better, began to bicker back and forth about the best way to stop the others from bickering.
Sighing, Rook said, hoping to quell the two girls, "I think I might know what will work."
But they didn't even hear him, or else ignored him, one of the two. The former wild boy made up his mind and stood up, brushing the leaves off of his clothes before approaching Lionel, Beau, and Todd.
"Beau." No response. "Beau." Not even a hint of an acknowledgement, she was that caught up in hers and the boys' argument. "Beau!" he finally demanded loudly.
"Sacre bleu, Rook! What?" she burst out.
Before he could lose his nerve, Rook rested his hands on her shoulders and kissed her on the lips quickly.
A hushed silence as quiet as death fell over the entire band for a second. But it started up again as quickly as it had stopped when Lionel and Todd began to yell at Rook for what he had just done.
Slow smiles spread across the faces of the three girls as they looked at one another, eyes brightening.
Beau boldly wrapped her arms around Rook's neck and silenced him with a long kiss. Etty took Todd's hand and his gaze flashed to hers, pleasantly startled in the moment before their lips met. Rowan rose up on her tiptoes and tilted Lionel's head down to meet hers in the middle for the kiss that they had both just realized that they had wanted for a very long time.
And suddenly a blissful hush descended upon the rowan grove. But none of them noticed; after all, each of them were far too preoccupied.
This is a story that I've had in the back of my brain for a while, so here it is for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it! It is my first Tales of Rowan Hood story, so sorry if anyone feels a little OOC. Feedback is much appreciated and will make my day!:)