"Good afternoon everyone," Gilan said to the assembled apprentices. He clasped his hands behind his back, grinning. "I presume you're all ready for our annual competition of Capture the Flag?"
Heads nodded. Marain stood in the middle of the crowd, for once comfortable with her short stature among everyone else. It was easier to avoid obvious notice that way. Gilan continued to speak and Marian felt the crowd shift around her. Owen leaned closer to Marian and whispered "Hey."
Marian winced but kept her eyes on Gilan. "Hey."
"I heard about what happened with Bryan before the archery range."
This startled her. She expected him to say something about hitting him, not this. "You did?"
"Marian I know this isn't the first time he's bothered you," he said. "Have you told Will?"
She snorted. "He's an idiot, and something I've had to deal with for a long time. Will doesn't need to be bothered."
She could almost feel Owen's disapproval but she continued to stare straight ahead. "But the point is you shouldn't have to deal with it," he said. "You're as much of a Ranger as anyone else here. If you don't say something, I will."
"No," she hissed, whipping her head around to look at him, finally. "It's my issue. I'll deal with it how I choose." Owen frowned and she touched his wrist briefly. "Really. If I decide I need help, I'll ask."
Owen thought for a moment and then nodded. She searched his face, eyeing the bruises. Marian tapped her nose. "Sorry about that," she said softly..
He shrugged. "I know you didn't mean it. But if you ever want to talk about what's been bothering you, I'm here." Then he grinned. "I think it makes me look more dashing anyway, to be honest." He struck a ridiculous pose, pointing his nose high into the air. "What do you think?"
Marian was about to respond when she noticed Gilan had stopped talking and was staring at them. Others had started to turn their heads. Both of them quickly straightened their shoulders, appearing as innocent as possible. Gilan waited a moment more to make his point, making Marian squirm a little, then continued.
"Remember. One pairing will receive a flag to post wherever they choose. Then they have to defend it against the other pairings of apprentices. This is the time for you all to show off every skill you have. We will have monitors throughout the forest. You won't see them," Gilan's smile turned a bit more competitive. "But they'll see you, and take notes on your performance. Our chief monitor this year will be Ranger Antony."
Owen's mentor stepped up beside Gilan and Marian closed her eyes, wishing Gilan might have changed his mind between now and the other night. Marian peeked at Owen and noticed the look of worry on his face. Antony wasn't going to make this easy.
"I don't think we are going to be partners," Owen said. They were hoping they would be paired together, but Marian knew with Antony picking the groups, there was no way that would happen.
"Good morning everyone," Antony announced, steadfastly avoiding looking in Marian's direction. "First, a quick rundown of the rules. You all will be given special blunted arrows, dyed red. If you manage to get hit in a "kill zone" you're out of the game. However, you will retain your real saxe and throwing knife. So use them responsibly. If you are cut, you are out of the game. You must be honest, if the Rangers discover an illegal player, they will be punished. Those attacking the flag, do so as quickly as possible. You don't know how long we will give you to accomplish your task. If someone takes the flag, the game is over and they are the winner. If no one takes it within the time I decide, the defenders are the winner. Clear?"
Heads nodded once again. "Good," Antony said. "Now, for partners." He pulled a piece of parchment out from under his cloak and started reading the names listed. "Owen is with Christopher." She saw Owen flash a grin towards the nervous first-year. "Jasper with David. Marian," he glanced up at her. "With Bryan."
"What?" Marian snapped her head up.
"You can't be serious!" Bryan cried at the same time.
Their voices cracked through the silence of the clearing. Everyone knew about the animosity between them. The only other person who didn't seem shocked by the pairing was Gilan. He stood behind Owen's mentor, his face inscrutable.
"Is there a problem?" Antony asked slowly. He absolutely knew there was a problem. He didn't care.
Marian crossed her arms and glared at Bryan. Bryan narrowed his eyes at her. "I will not be partners with her."
"You have no other option," Antony said. Marian looked at Gilan in a panic but she realized there would be no help from him. "Either you two work together or you are disqualified."
Marian clenched her jaw. There was no way that either Antony or Bryan were going to make her back down. She had gotten this far. "There is no problem," she said.
She could see Owen's frown out of the corner of her eye. But she kept her focus on Bryan, challenging him to quit. But he wouldn't take the challenge. "Fine," he ground out. "No problem with me either."
"Good," Antony said. Marian swore she saw a satisfied smile, but it was too fleeting to be sure. He continued down the list of names, pairing up the apprentices. Marian wasn't paying attention. Instead she was figuring out how she was going to survive the next few hours.
*RMRMRMRMR*
Marian was fuming. She followed after the mottled cloak in front of her, itching to head off on her own. But she knew she couldn't do that. The point of the game was to work with your partner, and one of the Rangers would spot her at some point. "Bryan," she tried again. There was no attempt to tone down the annoyance in her voice. "There is nothing to suggest they came this way. Even if they did, we should cross upstream."
"They would be expecting that," Bryan said, his voice dripping with derision. "You know the best defensible place for the flag is on the other side of the river."
She wanted to throw something at him. They had been trekking through the forest ever since Antony had dismissed them. The pair with the flag disappeared soon after the other Rangers did. The rest of the apprentices scattered as soon as the requisite waiting time was up. Of course Bryan had refused to take any of her suggestions.
Marian could hear the dull roar of the nearby river, and the falls it ran into. Bryan, much to her irritation, moved silently through the trees, swatting at the bugs that swarmed by them. Though she thought he snapped a few branches back at her just a bit too hard.
The vegetation was thick and brambles scraped at her legs. It was a relief when she finally emerged onto the riverbank, seconds behind Bryan. The forest rose above them and the open bank was covered in sweeping grasses. The swollen river rushed by, carrying with it debris from the inner parts of the forest and carving out the bank so the grass hung over the edge.
"I told you," she said, drawing up next to him and staring at the water. "It's too dangerous to cross this far down."
Bryan scoffed. "Scared?"
"I'm smart," she snapped.
"And I'm getting across the river." Bryan took off his cloak and bundled it up with his weapons. "If we come up from behind them, they won't expect it and we can take the flag faster than anyone ever has."
Marian looked at him helplessly. She could swim, of course, but the river was bloated with summer rains. The current was fast and strong and the river took what it wanted.
Bryan chewed his lip, looking at the water and trying to gauge where it would be best to cross. Marian groaned. "We need rope."
He looked at her and for a moment she thought he was going to jump in right then and there. "Why?"
"It will give us something steady to anchor ourselves as we go," she explained, digging through her supply pack that all the apprentices received at the start of the game. She pulled out a coil and then extended her hand towards him. "Give me yours."
He hesitated a moment and then dug into his own pack, slapping the coil of rope into her hands. Marian could tell he didn't like listening to her but she couldn't care less. If he refused to take her advice to cross somewhere else, she was going to do the best she could to get them across this river alive.
Marian knotted the two ropes together, pulling on them hard to make sure the knot would hold. Then she threaded an arrow through the end of one rope and handed the other end of the rope to Bryan. "Hold this," she said. Marian strung her bow and fitted the arrow to the string, rope dangling like a tail. She aimed for a tree close to the edge of the opposite bank.
The arrow flew through the air, the rope following like ribbon. She smiled with simple satisfaction as the arrowhead lodged into the tree. "Now, tie off the end," she told Bryan. He gave her a withering look, but followed her order without saying anything. He pulled the rope taut, water dripping from the middle that had landed in the river.. Then he knotted it and yanked on the end. "Satisfied?"
Marian didn't answer. Instead she took her weapons off and then wrapped them up in her cloak. "I'll go across first."
Bryan snorted and marched forward into the river without taking any precautions with his cloak and weapons. Marian growled, exasperated, but didn't stop him. Despite her dislike of him, her body tensed as Bryan inched further out into the rushing water. His cloak streamed out behind him, the current tugging at it. Bryan leaned against the force of the river, clinging to the rope for balance. Her simple handhold seemed too flimsy the closer he got to the middle of the river. At one point, Bryan stumbled and the rope bowed as he yanked on it to keep his footing. Marian's heart leapt into her throat and only settled when he climbed out on the other side of the riverbank, sopping wet.
Bryan raised his arm and gave her a thumbs up, signaling that she could cross. Marian picked up her bundle and balanced it on her left shoulder, reaching out for the rope with her right. As soon as she stepped off the bank and into the water, her boots filled with water. Marian grimaced as she took another step. If there was one thing she hated it was walking around with wet socks, water squelching between her toes. But that was something Ranger's had to deal with, so she suffered through it. Most of the time.
The deeper she got the stronger the current pulled at her body. She tried to feel the way ahead with her foot, searching for safe places to step. The river was moving too quickly and was filled with too much dirt to see clearly. Her clothing clung to her body and the spray misted her skin.
She was halfway across by this point and the water was up to her waist but she paused, breathing slowly in and out. As she stood there with her eyes closed she suddenly felt water lapping at her chest. Her eyes flew open and she looked upstream. The river was rising. Panic urged her to flee but she knew the footing was uneven. Her left shoulder ached from holding her supplies above the water but she kept her eyes focused on the other side.
The water continued to rise and she knew she had to hurry. Bryan was looking upstream but she yelled to get his attention. "Take this!" she said, tossing her bundle towards him. He reached out over the bank, snatching her cloak and supplies from the air. She wanted both hands free, but it didn't much matter when she took her next step.
The rock beneath her foot slid out from under her, twisting her ankle. Marian fell with a gasp, the water closing above her head. Her lungs filled and she struggled to find the surface as the current took a hold of her. The only thing keeping her oriented was the rope in her hand. She pulled on it, forcing her head back above water. When she broke the surface she coughed up the river water, snatching a few breaths of precious air. Then the rope snapped.
The current pulled her under again, throwing her against the rocks in the riverbed. A surge in the water slammed her against a boulder and pain burst behind her right temple. The rope burned her hand as it slipped through her fingers until she managed to stop her slide. Water was in her nose, her eyes, and her mouth. She prayed the arrow stayed lodged in the tree long enough for Bryan to help her get out of this.
As the thought crossed her mind, Marian felt the rope in her hands tremble. Then it went slack. The moment it did she was swept out into the strongest part of the current. Water assaulted her as she tried to swim out of the river's pull. She could hear nothing except the roar of the river. She was choking on water, unable to set her feet or swim away. The rocks pummeled her body as she fought the current.
Her foot found a rock that didn't slip when she pushed on it. She forced her head above the water and the sun blinded her. She sputtered and coughed up the water caught in her lungs, desperately needing her vision to focus. As the bank flew by on either side, she looked for something—anything—she could use to get to safety before the river took her over the falls.
Downstream to her right she saw a large shadow. From what she could tell it was stationary and her only hope to stop her tumultuous drowning. Marian twisted her body and forced herself onto her stomach by sheer force of will, striking out across the water. The more she swam the more it felt like she wasn't getting anywhere. The bank moved by in a blur and she couldn't mark any progress towards shore.
Marian kept trying to swim, praying she hadn't missed her mark. She felt a sinking feeling deep in her stomach the longer she stayed in the water. Her muscles burned and her chest hurt from swallowing water and trying not to drown at the same time. Marian was tiring and she wasn't sure how long she was going to stay afloat.
Her body slammed into something solid, and pain flared in her side as a sharp object ripped through her shirt and into her skin. On instinct she clung to whatever she had rammed into, the water cascading over her. Branches scraped her hands and tangled in her hair as Marian dragged herself along the obstruction. She could feel the branch swaying in the water, bending against the current. But it was stronger than her rope.
Stupid! She yelled at herself, heaving her body closer to the shore. When the water was shallow enough and she could stand without being swept away she practically ran to shore. Marian fell to her knees, retching up water and bile. It got in the way of her breathing and she just coughed more. Water dripped down her face and mixed with the blood on her arms and hands. Her clothes were sopping wet and she was starting to get goose bumps from the chill. What the hell were you thinking?
Marian finally caught a few breaths and her heart rate started to slow. It took a bit longer for the rest of her body to realize that she was safely on land and not drowning anymore. She flopped onto her back, letting the pain and panic wash through her until it faded into exhaustion. Then she just lay there, reminding herself that she was alive.
Something rustled behind her and she was on her feet in an instant. Marian crouched, balanced on the balls of her feet. She had no weapons and she was soaked from head to toe and back again.
A figure stepped out of the trees, and she saw the Ranger cloak first. She straightened and clenched her fists. She was going to give Bryan a piece of her mind. "What in the hell were you thinking?" she yelled. Then her face drained of all color when she saw who it was.
The Ranger cloak had thrown her, and in all honesty she hadn't expected him to show up. "Ranger Antony," she said. "I thought you were someone else."
"I know who you thought I was," he answered. His voice was crisp and monotone, certainly no invitation for her to respond.
Marian glanced upriver. "I should find my partner. Unless I'm disqualified?" She let a hint of challenge trickle into her question. She could think of no other reason Antony might be there. The monitors weren't supposed to interfere unless they were kicking an apprentice out of the game.
"The game is over," he said. "Owen and Christopher won." He tilted his head, assessing her dripping clothes. "We're calling the apprentices in."
"Oh," Marian said quietly. Disappointment settled in her stomach like a cold rock. Antony looked at her a moment longer. She expected him to comment or make a sarcastic remark. Instead, he simply turned and headed back upriver to the bridge and the campsite. Marian followed silently, grimacing when her feet squelched in her boots. Pain twinged in her side while she walked, and she pressed her palm to the wound to stop the bleeding. While they walked she reviewed what had happened in her mind, trying to figure out what went wrong.
Marian thought the knot must have slipped, but what really had her puzzled was the arrow on the other side. She had been certain it was anchored. In fact, it wasn't the knot she was worried about at the time.
She frowned, replaying the scene in her head. It was hard to remember past the panic and the onslaught of water. She could see Bryan standing on the bank, when the rope snapped. Marian slowed, coming to halt without thinking as she thought about it again. In her mind she saw the swirl of his cloak as he turned around…before the arrow snapped.
"Keep up," Antony snapped at her. Marian looked up but he was already moving farther ahead. She felt sick as the realization sunk in. Bryan had left her in the river while she was caught in the current. He had left her to die.
*RMRMRMRMRMR*
Robin gasped for breath, kicking at the sheets that seemed to be strangling him. He looked wildly around the room, the air pressing down on him. It was darker than usual and the walls were closing in. He ran to the window, now closed, and slammed the shutters open. Sweet, cool air rushed into his lungs clearing out the stuffy air of the room. Robin shuddered and closed his eyes, leaning his arms on the windowsill and resting his head as he gulped in the air. He told himself that he was fine, there was a way out of the room if he needed it. It took a few times to really believe it.
The shutters must have blown shut in the breeze, Robin thought. He may have to take them off altogether. It happened too many nights, where they closed without him knowing and once the room started to warm up the panic set it. The sleepless nights were getting too much.
Robin lifted his head from the windowsill as the faint sound of hoof beats reached his ears. His heart settled as his focus shifted from his nightmare to the rider coming nearer by the second, racing towards Locksley. Robin squinted, trying to make out who the figure might be, but the visitor was obscured by a large, flapping cloak. Not even the color of the cloak or the horse was discernible in the grey darkness of the early morning.
Robin pushed away from the window. He grabbed his boots and moved toward the door, hopping on one foot as he attempted to put his boots on while walking. He managed to do so without tripping. Then he snuck down the stairs, weaving to avoid the creaky spots in the wood. He didn't want to wake his guest, especially without knowing the reason for the stranger's visit.
The manor was dark, the coals gone cold in the fireplaces. It was the rare time of night when almost everyone was asleep. It was so quiet his breathing sounded loud in his ears, but no one interrupted his journey through the house.
Robin exited through a side door in the kitchen and positioned himself so he could see the visitor without being spotted himself. By the time the rider arrived in the yard Robin's hands were a bit chilled from waiting outside. The horse's hind legs skidded into the dirt as the rider pulled back on its reins. Its withers were stained from sweat and Robin could hear the horse's heavy breathing. Robin's fingers tightened around the handle of a dagger.
"Good evening," he said, emerging from the niche in the wall. "What brings a rider at his hour?"
The figure on the horse pushed back the hood of his cloak and dismounted, without a hint of surprise at his presence. Robin frowned. "Michael?" What was the king's seneschal doing in Locksley?
"Good evening Lord Robin," Michael bowed, still holding the reins of his horse. "I was wondering if I might have a word."
"Is something wrong?" Robin asked. His stomach flipped as he thought about the possible reasons Michael could have for coming this far this late at night.
"Nothing, as of yet." The seneschal reassured him. "But it is a matter of some urgency. Perhaps we could move the conversation inside? Though I do not wish to awaken anyone."
A young boy came running up the lane from the stables. When he reached the two men he looked at them bleary-eyed, unable to stop a yawn from escaping him.
"Can I take your horse, sir?" he asked, holding out his hand. Michael nodded solemnly and then handed the reins to him.
"Give him a rubdown, water, and some oats if you have it. He's worked hard today."
The boy bobbed his head in what was supposed to be a bow before leading the animal away. The horse's head drooped and he followed the boy complacently, his hooves thudding dully in the dirt.
"Come on," Robin said. "We can talk in my study. I'll have some tea made. Are you hungry?" he asked, entering the house back through the kitchen door.
"Please do not go to extra trouble," he said. "I shall rest here and then depart in the morning again, once Samson has recovered from the ride."
Robin stopped short when he saw Lucy up and moving around in the kitchen. A small fire was stoked and the kettle was already starting to boil. He never stopped being amazed at how quickly she could prepare for the unexpected.
The woman turned around. Her mouth tightened when she saw who his guest was but she simply waved the two of them through. "Go on my lords. I'll bring up the tea when its ready."
"Thank you Lucy," Robin smiled at her, attempting to ease the tension he noticed in her shoulders. But Lucy simply nodded once and then turned around, getting an early start on the coming day's meals.
When they reached the study, Robin circled the room lighting candles but left the small fireplace cold. It was a cozy room, with bookshelves that stretched from floor to ceiling and a lush, dark blue carpet that covered the stone floor. A desk took up one wall in front of a large window, holding of the few glass panes in the entire manor. A couch pressed against the wall adjacent to the desk. Robin could vaguely remember when this used to be his father's study, and every once in a while he would catch wisps of the phantom smell of pipe smoke and parchment.
"All right," he said, gesturing to the empty chair behind the desk for Michael to take. "What brings you to Locksley, and so late at night?"
Michael unbuttoned his cloak and draped it across the back of the chair. He sat straight-backed, his fingers clasped loosely together in his lap. "The King has not received a letter confirming that you are coming to the celebration."
Robin stopped halfway to sitting on the couch, staring at Michael incredulously. "That's why you rode all the way in the middle of the night? Because I'm not coming to a party?"
Michael's face looked grave and Robin finished his journey to the couch. Then he leaned forward and rested his arms on his knees, studying his visitor. "Michael, what is going on?"
"Robin," Michael glanced around the room and then leaned forward as well, lowering his voice. "The King must speak with you as soon as possible. But he cannot come here without raising suspicion. The future of England is at stake, and you are the only he can trust with this."
The lethargy he had been feeling the past few months cleared away in an instant. His mind started ticking away at the possibilities. "What does he want to speak about?" Robin asked. "What do I need to do?"
Michael opened his mouth to speak but then his eyes darted towards the door. He looked like a rabbit noticing a fox circling it's warren. Robin followed the path of his gaze and then frowned as he noticed a flicker of shadow beneath the crack in the door.
Robin circled his hand, indicating Michael should keep talking. The older man nodded. "It's quite simple really," he said, his voice no different than it had been moments earlier. Robin stood and glided across the room, stepping with the balls of his feet first to avoid making any noise. "He admired your craftsmanship of your bow and thinks it can improve the quality of our army if you agree to aid in the design and execution of wielding such a weapon. You see..."
Robin yanked the door open, expecting to have a figure tumbling into the room or at least staring up at him in shock. The hallway was empty. Robin peered up and down the darkened corridor, but he saw no movement or anything else suspicious. He listened hard for any sound that would indicate someone was hiding, but the hallway remained quiet and the air, still. Robin frowned and then shrugged. He was probably still a bit paranoid from having been on the run for so long, and talking about top-secret information in the dead of night didn't help matters.
He turned back to Michael, who was waiting expectantly. Robin shook his head then shut the door. "Nothing," he said. Michael pursed his lips and Robin knew he wasn't going to say anything more tonight.
"It would be a very good idea for you to come to the celebration my lord," he said stiffly. "It's been too long and the King grows restless."
Robin sighed internally. Something exciting was happening, something to distract him, and he was going to have to wait. And suffer through another party. "Well then, give the King my regards and tell him I am looking forward to attending."
Michael nodded and Robin thought he saw the slightest slump of his shoulders, something akin to relief. "Please, rest here tonight," Robin offered. "You can be back on the road when the sun comes up."
"I should be getting back," the seneschal said, but the weariness in his voice made Robin insist.
"You'll never make it back if you fall of your horse in the dark and break something. I'll have your horse ready to go and have Lucy prepare something hot for you when you wake." Briefly he thought about how nice it would be to offer a hot cup of coffee, but he quickly forced his mind away from that train of thought.
Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Very well. Only a few hours."
"I'm afraid my guest room is occupied, but you can take -"
Michael waved a hand. "No, sir. Thank you, but I am quite comfortable here."
Robin thought about trying to convince him to take Robin's room but decided that was not a battle he was going to win. "All right then. I'll get everything prepared. Sleep well."
"Thank you, Lord Robin. And if I may? The sooner you arrive in London for the celebrations, the happier the King will be."
Robin paused at the doorway. "Understood," he said, before shutting the door to this study and made his way downstairs to keep Lucy company. He wasn't going to sleep again tonight. Besides, he needed to start preparing for his departure. After months of nothing, suddenly he was already behind. Robin started making lists, preparing for alternatives and backup plans. His body itched to be on the road for something told him if he didn't leave soon, he would be too late.