"If you two are done with all this frivolity we have more important things to discuss," said the man with the icy blue eyes as he glared with disdain at the easy rapport between the two of them. Rhiannon smiled brightly, believing that he meant to include her. "You can go prepare all of us something to eat," he said scathingly as he turned away from her.
            "What?!" she exclaimed angrily, her mouth open in shock.
            "Robin, you're not being fair. She—"
            "Am I not the leader of this band? Am I not Robin Hood?" he shouted in anger at the seeming betrayal of his most loyal follower. "I make the decisions here. Yes, she can join our number, but she must carry her weight. And she will do that as any other woman should: by cooking and cleaning. Now, get to it!"
            "Yes, sir," said Rhiannon angrily as she turned from him and pushed her way through the men, stomping off into the forest. John started to follow her, but Robin's hand on his arm forcefully stopped him.
            "Just what do you think you're doing? I said we have things to discuss."
            "She doesn't know her way around the forest. She doesn't even know where camp is. We can't just let her wander around by herself."
            "She can take care of herself, as you well know," said Robin pointedly. "Forget her. Will can follow her and make sure she finds her way to camp."
            "No, I'll go get her and take her back to camp myself."
            "Why is this slip of a girl so important to you, John?"
            "Why shouldn't she be? She's one of us now. We look out for our own, don't we Robin?" And with that John disappeared into the forest in the same direction Rhiannon had headed.
            It didn't take long to catch up with her, for she hadn't wandered far. He found her leaning against a tree in defeat, clearly trying to hold back the tears shining in her bright hazel eyes as she gripped her arms fiercely over her heaving chest.
            "Are you all right?" he asked quietly, trying not to startle her. She jumped slightly, throwing his concerned face a mere glance before consigning her gaze to the ground where he couldn't see her hindered tears.
            "I'm fine. Really. I just needed to cool down a bit before facing him again."
            "Of course. Would you like me to show you to the camp now, or would you rather wait a little while?"
            She took a deep breath before answering. "I'd like to wait. And you don't have to show me anything. I can find my way on my own."
            "But I want to show you," he said quietly. She looked up sharply, as if trying to make sure she had understood him correctly, or if his intent was honorable. But when she saw nothing but kindness and concern in his face, she looked down again, a troubled look coming over her face.
            "Perhaps you shouldn't try to befriend me, John. It could prove dangerous to your position as your…I mean, our leader has already taken such a dislike to me. And I'm sure he expects all the other men to follow his example, and they will probably be more than ready to do just that."
            "My position?" he murmured with a hearty chuckle. "What care have I for my 'position'? We are all equals here, Rhiannon. I make my own decisions about who I befriend and who I don't. I follow no man's example—"
            "But Robin leads you, does he not?" she asked, almost indignantly, interrupting him.
            "I follow no man's example, without good reason. Robin may be the leader of this band, but he does not control anyone's thoughts or actions, especially mine. I am not as weak-willed as all that."
            "I did not think you were. But…men with such…such charisma as Robin, they can cloud the mind with their words. I should know," she finished quietly, almost to herself.
            "And what would you know of such a thing?" he asked sharply, bristling at the thought of some man misleading her in any way.
            She smiled wearily and almost self-mockingly. "More than most would presume. I am not as young and innocent as everyone takes me for. I have lived and made mistakes, a great many in fact, just like everyone else. I am no stranger to foolishness. But I will not be lead astray by such a one as him again," she said with heat and vehemence in her suddenly hard, lilting voice.
            "Such a one as whom, Rhiannon?" he asked, gazing intently at her. Her eyes quickly rose to meet his questioning gaze, a look of fear coming over her for a moment. But the look soon cleared and she smiled swiftly, as if covering its passing.
            "Why Robin, of course. Who else could I be speaking of? Come John, I believe I have recovered from my anger. And though Robin thinks he will have me beat yet, he is in for a surprise or two. He may soon discover that I can be just as stubborn and unmoving as he is," she finished with a sly smile before she linked her arm through John's and began leading him in the direction of the camp. Then it suddenly hit him that she shouldn't have known which direction to go in.
            "How…how did you know…" he stuttered, confusion clear on his face.
            "How did I know how to find my way to camp, is that what you wish to know? Well, a magician cannot reveal all her secrets, dear John, lest everyone soon become disillusioned with them, so to speak, and decide they are not worth the trouble."
            "And are you worth the trouble, Rhiannon?"
            "That is for me to know…and you to find out," she finished coyly, gazing up at him from underneath the veil of her thick eyelashes. John was suddenly stunned by a fierce and almost overwhelming attraction, so overwhelming that he had to look away from those stunning eyes lest he do something he might regret…and get a severe whipping for it.