Meg gasped as she jerked up. She groaned as she rubbed her forehead.
She had been lying on a cotton cot in the middle of a forest, nowhere near the river. The river! Guy, who disappeared! She started breathing fast, like she was having an anxiety attack. She tried mollifying her panic, but nothing helped.
She looked down and touched her side. She touched her side. Although it was bandaged, it hurt like ten wasps stung her at the same time. She breathed a sigh of relief, but that relief was short-lived.
She looked at her surroundings and noticed a couple of tents scattered about and a few weapons lying nearby. A warm aroma permeated the air. Meg smiled as she sniffed it. She looked and saw a pot hanging over a freshly-burning fire. The smell of meat exuded from it.
Meg raised herself with a groan. It must have been a while since the executions where she was stabbed, so she wondered how she must have healed so quickly, since her pain wasn't as strong as she thought.
The contents in the pot tempted Meg to take a ladle and taste some of it, but she quickly stopped herself. It was at that moment that she heard a rustle through the woods. Meg was about to reach for a nearby weapon when a gentle hand grabbed her arm. She gasped and almost released a shriek until she saw the man. He was young, had blonde hair and sparkling hazel eyes, and a small beard. Over his back was a large shield. He even smiled.
"Who are you?" Meg demanded.
"Much, at your service," the man replied, bowing. Meg raised an eyebrow at him.
"I'm Meg," she said slowly. "What am I doing here? I thought I was dying."
"My friends and I found you lying beside a tree by the river. At first glance, we thought you were dead, but one of our friends, Kate, noticed you weren't dead, but just lost a lot of blood. We wanted to help you."
"Oh." But why was she left in the forest, when the last thought she had had been of Guy holding her in his arms?
"Please," he gestured at the soup, "help yourself. I made it myself, added my special ingredients, the Much Touch." Meg hesitated. "It's not drugged or anything like that." The man chuckled. "I mean, do I look like some kidnapper?"
"Fine," Meg complied. She sat down with Much and ate with him the soup, which tasted delicious. The meat practically fell of the bone and the potatoes and carrots were as soft as freshly-baked bread. The herbs exploded in her mouth.
After they had finished eating, Much's other friends-Allan, Kate, and Little John-entered the camp. Much introduced Meg to them and they to her. They exchanged introductions and a couple of additional words. Kate explained how Meg had lost a lot of blood due to her deep stab wound. She required a stitch, but she was lucky to have been in a coma during that.
"Where's Guy?" Meg asked suddenly, when they all had run out of topics to talk about.
"Guy?" Much scoffed. "What would you have anything to do with him?"
"We escaped the executions together. There was this soldier about to stab him, but I…" her words trailed off. They knew the rest.
"We found him near the camp a couple of days ago," Allan replied, scratching his head. "He and Robin Hood are in York as we speak. Why, we don't know."
"When will he return?"
"We don't know."
"Then, why did he leave me in the middle of the forest?!" Meg burst. "Surely, he mustn't have thought I died and just left me there?"
Everyone shrugged their shoulders.
Meg placed her hands on both sides of her temples as she attempted to calm herself down. Allan approached her and placed her arms down.
"Hey, I know you've been through a lot," he said, "but you need to relax. Where do you live?"
"In the village of Wadslow," she replied. "My mother is the lady of the Manor."
"We'll take you there, you know, just to ease you're mother's mind. She must be worried sick about you."
Meg had completely forgotten about her mother. First, her father died in his sleep before she was accused and brought to Nottingham, and now her grieving mother probably had more to grieve about.
Meg agreed to their proposition. She followed them out of the forest for an hour. It was late morning when they reached the village, located on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest. A couple of houses and a chapel were neatly arranged in a row on one side. The other side had a piece of land dedicated to farming, a barn, and the farmer's abode. At the end was a small, two-story brick house, otherwise known as the Manor. The farmer tending to that small piece of land tilted his straw hat when he saw Meg and greeted her.
"Good morning, Meghan, although it isn't that good. Quite cold, isn't it?" His voice was raspy but energetic.
Meg nodded her head. "Good day, Benjamin, and yes, it is quite cold."
Upon seeing them at the entrance, a middle-aged, stout woman exited the Manor and approached them. Her gray hair was fashioned into two braids. She wore a magenta dress with sparkly golden linings at the edges of her sleeves and the bottom of her outfit. She extended her arms out for Meg, and she ran to the woman, hugging her.
"Meg!" the woman exclaimed, releasing the embrace. "I was worried sick when you disappeared for nearly a week. You know how I am like when my baby girl is out and about and not returning at the appointed time."
Meg explained to her mother what happened, which resulted in her gasping and saying a couple of curse words. "…But these people here saved me, so I owe them a lot for keeping me alive," Meg finished.
The woman turned towards the outlaws. "You are all deserving of my gratitude and respect. I am Lady Natalia." She pulled out of her pocket a bag. "Accept this money as a thank-you gift for saving my daughter. Give it to the poor. They need it more than I do."
Kate took the money. "Thank you, my lady. Rest assured the money will go for a good cause."
The outlaws said farewell to Meg and her mother and departed from the village. Natalia took her daughter by the arm and led her inside. She bade Meg to recline on her bed and cover herself with a blanket while she go prepare a hot cup of tea. As Natalia was in the kitchen, preparing the beverage, Meg went to her bedroom, laid down on her bed, and blanketed herself. When her head finally rested against the soft, feathery pillows, she started thinking.
"Guy, where are you, and why weren't you there for me?" she said, voicing her thoughts out loud.