Oh! Robin Hood was great last night! Marian and Allan hug so cute! Next episode looks fantastic except it won't be on til after Christmas! Argh! Ah well, I can always look forward to the Doctor Who Christmas special! Please read and enjoy! Not a lot of the gang in this chap. Its Djaq centric. To answer some questions I dont know whether Giz or the Sheriff will make an appearance.
She was bored. Bored with life at the camp. She hadn't left it in the last two weeks since the baby had been born and it was driving her crazy. Sure, she had been offered the release by Will who often asked whether she wanted him to take the baby so she could go out. But the truth was she didn't want to leave Ilara, she wanted to bring her daughter with her so she could experience what life outside the forest was like.
Robin had told her that he believed it safer for her not to bring the child out into the villages for fear that that might endanger Ilara. Rumours could spread very quickly in Nottingham and it would probably not be long before word that one of Robin's gang had an infant reached the Sheriff's ears. They all worried about what the Sheriff would plan if he ever found out about the child at their camp. No doubt he would come up with some malicious, horrible scheme to use Ilara against them.
That was why Djaq was sitting alone at camp, gently rocking the small body of her daughter in her arms. Ilara gurgled happily, looking up at her with her large sapphire eyes but not smiling. The little girl was not of the age yet where she could use her facial muscles to form a smile though Djaq was certain that if she did have the ability she would. Besides, her eyes were sparkling with happiness even if her mouth gave no indicator of her mood.
The rest of the gang had gone out to do the normal things like deliver money to the poor and capture a cart that had been spotted travelling through the forest by Much. She longed to go with them and escape the confines of the hideout but the grizzling baby stopped her. Still, maybe it wouldn't hurt just to go for a little wander when the guys were gone. They never need know about her little expedition, they would never even realise her absence for she would make sure she was back before their arrival.
With that decision set in mind the woman stood and headed over to her loft which had recently been lowered due to the fact she needed to be on ground level and beside Ilara's cot.
The cot was hand-made by Will, it was the object he had been crafting when Allan had harmed himself. The structure truly was a piece of art, the wood smooth and unblemished. You could barely see the joints where different pieces of wood had been attached together. Also, the intricate decorative parts Will had added as an afterthought were amazingly detailed and perfectly shaped. If the young man was not already a carpenter then he could have easily become an artist or a sculptor. On one end of the cot, carved into the material was a picture of a lion and a unicorn fighting and at the other was an immensely complicated leafy design.
From the loft she plucked a warm blanket for the child for the winter chill, although prevented within the camp was still harsh and unyielding outside the structure and also the infant's sling. A very useful tool that Much had presented Djaq with a few days ago that could be hung round the shoulders and used to cradle the baby. It was very simple and very effective.
Into this she placed Ilara, smiling at the slight hiccupping gurgle the baby gave as she settled down into the comfortable material. Then she grabbed her small dagger, just in case, and tucked it into her belt. She was certain that she would have no need for the weapon but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After she had completed these tasks the Saracen did a quick sweep of the camp to see that everything was in order and then departed, feeling free at last.
Djaq walked cautiously into the village of Locksley. She wasn't exactly sure why she'd chosen this village out of all the ones she could've considering it was probably the most risky because Gisborne and his men resided there. Maybe the reason she'd come here in particular was that she craved danger, the feeling of being perilously close to being caught or maybe it was the fact that she knew this was the place where Will had grown up and she wanted to show it to his daughter. It may also have something to do with the idea that if King Richard did return then this is where she guessed they would be living. Hopefully as a proper family, the Saracen thought to herself.
It was funny. At first she wasn't at all sure about her feelings towards Will and whether she could ever return his love as strongly as he felt it. But it seemed, after all they had been through and the fact he had forgiven her even after her deceiving of him, that she now also felt the burning passion of love in the pit of her stomach. Every time she glimpsed the man or if he brushed against her she experienced an odd tingling sensation, like there was something warm and fuzzy stirring inside her. This was something she had never come across but she found she didn't dislike it.
Clutching Ilara closer to her breast the woman slowly made her way through the groups of people standing around going about their daily business. There were a few children playing by a well, splashing each other happily, delighting in the squeals of fury that they provoked from the others; near them was a group of woman chatting amiably, one was weaving, her fingers flying across the threads, another was steadily sewing some sort of dress; further on was an young man hard at work on a small plot of land, raking at the earth, churning it up so he could sew some seeds that would be ready to grow after winter passed; beside that man was another, older male peasant, hard at work on a piece of metal he seemed to be shaping judging by the steady chink, chink of metal on metal.
Those were just a few of the people Djaq spied as she scanned the village lavishing in the normalcy of it all. It was refreshing to see people other than the men back at camp. It wasn't that she didn't like them. She loved the boys and would put her life on the line for them but it was exhausting spending all her time with the same people. This was different and reminded her that life was still going on just like it always did. A child changed nothing.
At that moment a gaggle of small girls ran her way all giggling and chattering nonsensicality between themselves. She frowned, they were heading straight for her and she couldn't understand the interest they would have in her. They stopped about a metre away from her as if stopped by some invisible barrier. Here, they just looked at her with nervous eyes and shuffled uncomfortably. She wondered what on earth they were waiting for. Then, suddenly, one of them seemed to pluck up the courage to step forward.
The girl, swallowed slightly and then said, "Um….me and my friends were wondering whether you actually was the Saracen, Djaq, from Robin Hood's gang?"
"Er…" Djaq began, not quite sure whether telling the truth here would be the best option or not considering the fact that the rumour mill could start very easily if she admitted her allegiance to Robin. Luckily, she was saved the awkward decision by the cry of Ilara who had stirred from her nest in the sling and was demanding attention immediately.
"Aw! A babe! It's adorable," the girl gasped and gestured for all of her group to come over, "Is it a she or a he?"
"Um…" Djaq was suddenly struck by a feeling of pride. They liked her baby and she wanted to show the child off, allow everyone to see how beautiful Ilara was, as it made her feel an immense surge of pleasure. This caused all her inhibitions to fly out the window. "She's a girl. Her name is Ilara."
"Ooh, she's so sweet. Look at her little fingers. My little brother was born a couple of weeks back and he isn't half as cute as she is. His name's Kerrian," another of the little girls spoke excitedly, "My name is Lucy."
"I'm Joanne."
"I'm Ellen."
"I'm Florence. Can I hold her? Please?" Djaq found herself bombarded by the children who were all clamouring for her attention in their plights to get closer to the infant. She felt a little overwhelmed even though the group were a considerable amount smaller than her but it was difficult to fend them off with a sling around her.
"Yes, you can hold her," the Saracen nodded, hoping that if one of them held Ilara they would back off a bit. She wasn't particularly sure about handing her child over but what harm could come to her daughter in the arms of a youth? She passed Ilara gently over to Florence.
As she watched the girl cradle Ilara she was struck with a sudden ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach, like she had done something dreadfully wrong. The stranger seemed to be getting on fine with the child, holding her in the right way and tenderly kissing Ilara on her cheeks and chucking her beneath the chin with her grubby hands. Grubby hands. Djaq noticed the unhealthy pallor of the adolescent's skin, the beads of sweat dampening her hair even in this freezing temperature and the constant sniffling accompanied by the occasional coughing fit which seemed to be directed into the face of her daughter every time. Florence was sick. Very sick and Djaq had just handed over her vulnerable, susceptible child into her arms. What had she done?
duh, duh, duuh! Sorry, I can never write a story without the drama. Sorry if Djaq was a little OOC. She would probably have more sense than to go out on her own but she's hormonal, bored and has been cooped up too long. What can I say?