Chap 7
Later that morning, Robin found Rhiannon sitting at the edge of a river that ran through Sherwood.
"You okay?" he asked, sitting down beside her. Rhiannon nodded, glancing sideways at him. Robin noticed how her eyes were red and slightly puffy looking. He tentatively wrapped a comforting arm around her slim shoulders.
"The pain goes away, eventually" he told her after a minute, and Rhiannon shook her head, her gaze still focused on the flowing water.
"It doesn't feel like it. It's been a while since that happened, and the other villages that lost family during the plague have got over the pain. Why do I feel it so much, so badly still?"
"Because for the pain to truly fade, you need others around you. The other villages probably only lost one or two family members. You lost your entire family, and you were alone and cut off from everyone who cared about you. You're bound to take longer to heal than everyone else" Robin told her. Rhiannon looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"When did you get so wise?" she asked, a tone of disbelief in her voice. Robin laughed.
"It happens in the middle of a war"
"The crusades?" Rhiannon asked, curious. Robin nodded and got up, offering Rhiannon his hand. Rhiannon allowed him to help pull her up, and he led the way as they slowly walked back to camp. They hadn't been walking for long when Rhiannon stopped walking.
"Hey, Robin"
"Yes" Robin answered, turning around to face the younger person. Rhiannon had a thoughtful look upon her face.
"Are we at war?"
"Well, the crusades aren't over, you know that"
"No, that's not what I meant. Are we, as in, us and the Sherriff and Sir Guy, at war?" Robin paused as Rhiannon stepped towards him, thinking.
"I guess so" Robin admitted. Rhiannon nodded and kept walking
"Well, I guess we're all going to get clever then, aren't we?' she mused as she walked past him, and Robin smiled.
"I guess you're right" he agreed as the hurried back to the campsite.
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At about midday, Robin and his group of followers prepared to leave their camp. Much packed up his cooking utensils, and hid them in some bushes, and the other outlaws hid the sparse belongings they had around the campsite, knowing they would defiantly have to relocate after this heist. Rhiannon followed them as they went through their familiar routine of preparing for a heist, sharpening weapons, checking bow and arrow supplies, sliding into their outlaw personas.
They then all left, heading to the main road that wound its way through Sherwood, walking in either single file, or in pairs. Rhiannon walked behind Will and Allan, and in front of Djaq, watching the backs of the two men in front of her. Will and Allan walked close to each other, like brothers. Rhiannon smiled. They were complete opposites, but they were the best of friends. Crouched low to the ground as they reached the side of the road. Robin hurried out onto the path and checked the road for recent tracks, concluding that no horses had passed by all day. Rhiannon bit her lip, as the other outlaws took their positions, some on the other side of the road, some on the same side as Rhiannon. Rhiannon crept into her hiding place. Robin crouched beside her, staying close to her under the pretence of making sure she would be okay on her first raid, especially as she was inexperienced. Much stood beside Robin, and Rhiannon knew Will was nearby on her other side. Allan, Djaq, and Little John were hidden on the other side of the road amongst the green foliage. Licking her lips, Rhiannon removed four arrows from her quiver and placed three of them in the ground in front of her, within easy reach. The fourth she placed in her bow, and rested it their, waiting, waiting.
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It was not long after, maybe a hour at most; that they heard the sound of hoof beats in the distance, and the entire group stiffened slightly, before preparing their weapons. Rhiannon saw Will test the sharpness of his axe blade out of the corner of her eye. Rhiannon crouched lower, and tested her bowstring once more, before notching an arrow in her bow, and drawing the bowstring back as the hoof beats drew near. Rhiannon listened intently, counting the different sets of hoof beats under her breath, hearing both Robin and Much do the same thing next to her. A minute later, the horses came into view. A group of six mounted solders surrounded a carriage, gearing suspiciously at any branch that dared to move as if it had an outlaw hidden behind it. Another six solders followed the carriage, and Rhiannon could se two perched on the top of the carriage. She glanced sideways at Robin, whose eyes had narrowed dangerously. Rhiannon stayed very still, barely breathing as the carriage drew closer. Finally, Robin drew a breath.
"Now" he whispered. Rhiannon pulled her bowstring back even further and fired. She missed the solders, but her arrow embedded itself in the carriage. Rhiannon fired again, using the arrows she had pulled out earlier, as the other outlaws leapt from their hiding places. Rhiannon jumped from her hiding place, drawing her sword, after she had released all four of the arrows she had drawn earlier. One of the solders instantly challenged her, and Rhiannon expertly swung her sword to meet his, reacting instinctively, and not seriously thinking about what she was doing. Her sword was merely an extension of her arm, and she fought the solder off, plunging her sword into his chest. A spurt of blood erupted from the solders mouth as he fell from his horse, dead. Rhiannon never saw him hit the ground, as she had turned to face her next foe. The fight continued around her, with the outlaws outnumbered clearly. Finding a moment to catch her breath, Rhiannon glanced around. Robin was nearby, taking on three of the foot solders at once. Much was beside him, taking on another. Rhiannon whipped around when she heard a distinct thud, and saw Will being pinned up against the carriage by a solder larger than Little John, a sharp knife dangerously close to his neck. Rhiannon reached to her quiver and drew an arrow, sliding her bow from its holder, where she kept it during a fight while she was using her sword. She notched the arrow to the bow, and taking less than a second to aim, she fired, the arrow embedding itself into the solders back with a satisfying thwacking sound. He dropped to the ground with a cry of pain, and Will scrambled free, nodding his thanks towards Rhiannon as she climbed up onto the carriage, her target being the two guards posted upon the roof. She climbed up to the roof, and, sword drawn, fought both guards at once. Rhiannon smirked. The two guards in question, she soon figured had been placed upon the carriage roof as they were expert archers, and abysmal swordsmen. It did not take long for her to dispatch them. Perched from her lofty view point, Rhiannon could see the entire battle. She sheathed her sword and drew her bow and arrows once more. She held an arrow, notched, in her bow, and scanned the fight. Most of the solders had died, surrendered, or had run off. Rhiannon heard Robin yell a warning, and spun around, and saw a solder with a crossbow aimed at her. Reacting instantly, Rhiannon fired an arrow at him, cursing her foolishness. She commenced watching again, maintaining constant vigilance. She spotted another crossbowman with his weapon aimed at Robin's back, and shot him, just below the armpit. The crossbowman howled in pain and dropped to the ground.
The remaining solders were quickly overcome, and were not so subtlety persuaded not to return to the forest. After they had left, the group turned their attention to the carriage. Rhiannon, who had returned to the ground, looked curiously at it, as Will and Little John forced open the locked door at the rear of the carriage. A satisfying splintering noise was heard from the wooden door, and the outlaws pulled open the door. Inside the carriage there were three locked, wooden chests, and all of the outlaws simultaneously grinned, and Much licked his lips.
"Food" he groaned, and Rhiannon patted him on the back.
"You never change, do you Much?" she asked, without expecting an answer. Robin, Will and Djaq scrambled into the carriage, and Will examined the locks. He pulled out one of his axes, and smashed it against one of the locks. The lock splintered, and Robin broke it free and swung the chest lid open. The outlaw's faces were bathed in a golden glow from the large pile of coins that had been poured into the chest. Allan gave a whoop of glee, and Will moved on the other next chest, quickly breaking the remaining two chests open. Robin pulled a couple of large sacks from where he had hidden them during the fight, and all of the outlaws helped shovel handfuls of gold into the bags. Eventually the chests were empty, and the bags were full. They all jumped from the carriage, and Djaq cut the horses loose, before they all disappeared into the undergrowth. Robin drew beside Rhiannon as they walked back towards camp.
"So, what do you think?" she asked as the walked in silence. Robin glanced at her, smiling.
"Not bad for a first raid, not bad at all" he told her, and Rhiannon laughed.
A.N. As always, please review. It might be awhile before my next update, as I go back to school soon. Sorry.
