Chapter 13
Rhiannon stood among the other outlaws, admiring their just finished hide out. Will pulled the lever, and the door swung open, revealing the spacious interior of the shelter. The shelter was in a sort of L shape, wrapped around the hill. The entrance was at one end of the L shape, resulting in the outlaws not being able to see around the bend. That was where the sleeping quarters had been positioned. Will had built long benches, which seemed to join seamlessly with the shelter's walls. These were divided up into beds by planks of wood. These beds would be used by Robin, Much, Djaq, Will and Little John. Robin and Will had set up two hammocks that hung from the vertical support posts that supported the camp's roof for Rhiannon and Allan to sleep in. Underneath the benches, the Outlaw's belongings, and any valuables they had seized would be stored. In the main part of the shelter was a small kitchen area, and a place for the fire to be placed, with room for the outlaws to sit around it as they ate. Will had come up with a mechanism that allowed the outlaws to open up part of the roof to act as a Chimney to get rid of the smoke, but that still allowed them to close it if it was not required, or if it was raining, or snowing.
Rhiannon smiled up at Will, "its perfect" she told him. Will looked back at her, a faint red tinge to his cheeks.
"Home sweet home" Allan pushed between the pair, entering the shelter. Imagining in her mind how great it would be to stuff Allan's foot into his overused mouth, Rhiannon followed him, looking around the shelter, smiling at the way the place already felt like home. A sudden chime made them all whip around.
"That's the alert. Someone's coming" Will reminded them, and the gang leapt into action, arming themselves and leaving the camp, running through the undergrowth. The outlaws reached to top of a hill, and dropped to the ground, watching the road than ran past the other side of the hill. A lone rider was trotting along, and Rhiannon breathed out in relief. It was Marian. The Outlaws all relaxed at the same time, and got up from where they had lain, hidden. Robin hurried down the hill, while the others slowly walked down the hill, giving Robin and Marian the most amount of time alone together as possible.
"Marian, what's been happening in Nottingham?' Robin asked, after gently kissing Marian.
"Nothing much. The sheriff has been furious that winter broke early this year. He's had to cancel a meeting between himself and several of the other sheriffs that support Prince John because the roads are in such poor condition."
"Do you know what they were going to talk about?' Robin asked as the rest of the gang reached them.
"Some plot against the king. Guy hasn't told me what exactly"
"Thank god winter came early then. Robin sighed, "How long do you have out here?"
"I told my father that I was out picking flowers, and he'll tell Guy that if he comes to the house, so I shall be able to stay out until nearly dark."
"How is your father?" Rhiannon asked as Marian slid from her saddle. Marian smiled at her younger cousin.
"He's reasonably well, considering the state of things. How has things been out here? It feels like I have not been able to get out of the house for weeks."
"The shelter's finished" Robin told her as they walked up the hill. Rhiannon dropped behind; picking up a fallen branch and sweeping away the painfully obvious tracks in the snow they were leaving behind, while Djaq led Marian's horse up the hill. Satisfied that the tracks were gone, Rhiannon dropped the branch beneath a tree, and walked back to camp, knowing that now she was quite near the camp, that no-one would notice the tracks, as the camp was far from any eyes that may follow the roads winding path.
Rhiannon stretched as she entered the camp. Robin and Marian were sitting together by the fire, and Much was in the kitchen, preparing a small lunch for everyone. Rhiannon walked into the bed area and picked up her sharpening stone, before returning to the fire and sitting down opposite Robin and Marian, where she was joined by Little John and Will.
Running the stone over her sword, Rhiannon sighed, glancing regularly across the fire at where Robin and Marian where sitting, talking quietly to one another. Inside, she was highly amused at how poorly Robin was handling the situation, and, on a couple of occasions, she almost burst into fits of giggles. Meeting Djaq's eyes, Rhiannon knew that she was not the only one having issue controlling themselves, as the other woman's eyes were glinting with amusement.
After she had finished with her sword, Rhiannon rose to her feet and put her sharpening stone back in her bag, stepping over Allan, who was stretched out beside the fire, sprawled in a catlike position as he basked in the campfire's warmth.
"Make yourself at home" she sarcastically invited him as she walked back to her seat beside the fire as Allan received a bowl of lunch form Much.
"Don't mind if I do" Allan jested, before belching loudly.
"Sorry Marian" he apologized, but everyone else had burst into gales of laughter.
"Allan, that was disgusting" Much told the blond outlaw
"Would you have maybe preferred it coming out the other end, Much?" Robin asked, and Marian sighed dramatically.
"How do you ladies cope with all of these little boys?" she jokingly asked Djaq and Rhiannon, causing Robin to stop laughing, a hurt look upon his face.
"With practice" said Djaq, thinking of the amount of time she had been with the gang
"And experience" added Rhiannon, thinking of her brothers.
"We're not that bad" Allan protested from where he lay.
"They're not, you are" Djaq teased him. Rhiannon giggled.
"And to think I was innocent before I met you all"
"That's complete Bullocks Rhiannon, and you know it. Who was it that was one of the most notorious pranksters in the shire from the age of eight?"
"That doesn't count" Rhiannon said, blushing, "I'd already known you, Much and Marian for years"
"Rhiannon, of course you were innocent before you met Robin, Much, and I. You met us the day after you were born" Marian reminded her and Rhiannon scowled.
"I was still innocent but" she protested, pouting, while Little John, Allan, Djaq and Will laughed.
"Ah, Marian, remember how little she was, and the first time I got to hold her." Robin reflected, while Rhiannon glared at him across the fire.
"Oh yes, she was so cute and little. Do you remember the first time she smiled at us?"
"And the day that she took her first steps, inter her father's arms"
"And the day that she used a bow and arrow for the first time"
"How could I forget, Marian, I was the one she was aiming at."
"And she didn't miss by as much as we expected" Marian laughed, reflecting on how a seventeen year old Robin had fainted after Rhiannon's arrow had flown within inches of his head.
"Ahem, when you're quite done" Rhiannon muttered, glaring furiously at Robin and Marian, her face burning red, "or I shall use you both as archery targets, and this time I won't miss."
A.N. I was going to have that last conversation a few chapters later, but I decided that it fitted in well here. Please Read and Review.
R.W.