Rose stood next to the embracing cousins both letting tears fall down their faces. She felt sad for Victoria she had told Rose about Robin, Guy and Allan everyday. She felt useless she knew no one's name and felt like nobody wanted her there. By this time everyone had crowded around Victoria and was trying to comfort her. Kate had streams of tears running down her face. Tuck was the only one not to move, he hadn't removed his eyes from Rose since they arrived.
Rose looked at Tuck and he turned away to look at a tree. Rose had never had anyone which was the main reason Victoria had hired her. Rose felt insanely jealous, because Victoria was surrounded by people who loved her. Rose went and sat on the logs around the cooking pot.
After a while everyone came to join her and she introduced herself to the whole gang. They smiled weakly. Tuck then stood up and announced "Tonight we will have a feast to honour the ones we have lost and the ones who have come back to us." They all smiled, any excuse for a feast.
Victoria left the men to go catching food and took her chance to walk up the hill near the camp. The tribute to Will's father was overgrown with moss again and she decided to clear it, again. She thought of the day her and Allan had sat together up there, when the gang realised the whole of Loxley was afraid of her and how Will had come through the trees and frightened them. That was the day Allan almost confessed his feelings for her and when they found out who her father was- no, he was no father of hers.
Thinking of her father brought more tears to her eyes, tears of anger. She felt like she had betrayed the man she loved, her cousin and her best friend. But she had warned them why didn't they take notice? Victoria stayed were she was until she was called for the feast.
*
Rose agreed to help catch some food for the feast. She, Much, Archer and Tuck set off towards a large group if trees they didn't talk except from Much who babbled on about the cooking of the food and how he would have to catch it then cook it himself.
Tuck walked in front every time he looked at Rose something inside of him jumped but he would not allow himself to fall for a white woman. It would just end in heart ache. They spotted some deer in front of them and Archer took control. He signalled that he and Much would go behind the deer and Tuck and Rose stay in front ready to catch them when they fell. Tuck immediately panicked and so did Rose. She would have preferred to stay with Archer, Tuck didn't seem to like her. Tuck felt if they were alone together he would do something stupid.
They did as Archer said and stayed where they were, they were as silent as possible. Tuck's heart was racing and Rose walked forward careful not to tread on any stray sticks or branches. The deer nearest the pair raised their ears but lowered them quickly. Rose took her bow from behind her back and took out an arrow from it's sheath. She aimed at the largest of the deer and waited for archer to strike another one.
Tuck stood behind her and without thinking sniffed the air around her. He then let his eyes widen and shook his head as it became fogged with lustful images.
Archer let an arrow go, it was a younger deer and at the same time Rose let hers fly towards the largest of the deer. The rest started running in all different directions the deer Rose had hit was running as blood shot out of it, she had hit it's neck. It was running towards Rose and Tuck. He pushed her out of the way and they both fell to the ground. The deer ran past and started to falter. It fell a few yards past the pair.
Tuck looked up at rose he had landed on her legs. "Um thanks." She muttered. Archer and Much walked through the trees and grinned at them. Tuck lifted himself off of Rose and pulled her up from the ground. She then walked over to the deer and picked it up. "Who fired the arrow?" asked Archer. Tuck indicated Rose, he couldn't speak. "Well if we're having a feast we need more than one deer." He smiled at her and nodded. They then made their way back arguing over who should take Rose's deer.
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