Hi everyone! Hope you're enjoying the story so far. If not, hopefully this one will be better. :)
Happy Pentecost!
Selfishness in Spring
"Why do you not wear the armor of a knight, Sir Greensleeves?" Alastaire Redwolf asked me as I sat in the ring of newest recruits around a fire. "Do you not fear the swords or falls from the great heights?"
I grinned as I responded. "I am too well acquainted with many such worse injuries to fear them. And while my armor be'th little, be assured that I can get to where I am most needed the most quickly."
The Knights of the Cooper Order now numbered in the dozens! Many courageous souls joined us out of ambition, admiration, gratitude and inspiration. Galleth's greatest strength is his speeches. Yes, his combat abilities had grown by this time, plenty of dueling partners and never short of foes, yet his arrogance had become something more similar to charisma.
"Rest well tonight, lads." I tell them standing up to take my leave. "In the morn, we have training in tests of speed and agility." I chuckled as I left. "Where whatever armor you deem necessary!"
To which their quite murmurs fell into discussion as to how serious I truly was.
I shared a tent with Galleth tonight. I more oft preferred sharing with Little John despite his thunderous snores. But Galleth had been taking his position as leader and founder of the Order so much more seriously lately. With our many new recruits he found himself, need more supplies, methods of training, and strategy for our attacks. All of which he asked for my words over the others. Hence, he had been keeping me close by.
"Galleth." I addressed him as I entered the tent. He looked back at me over an opened map of the kingdom. In it were several small red flags. It was my newest method of keeping track of where we were most needed.
"Godspeed, Good Robin." He greeted me. He was standing over a stump which we currently shared as workspace. "Come fore with, you must see this!"
Galleth was actually over on my side of the tent. It seemed no matter what boundaries I have set, he always oversteps them. In the way of a child at least. Galleth simply gets too excited and does what he wants still. Like crowding over my planning maps and obviously adding in his own notes the way he is right now.
"Look here, Robin!" He says. "I have found an improvement in your Muck Sting Heist strategy!"
The moment he said it, I regretted writing the name on the plans. Correcting him I said, "Its 'Mock' Sting, Galleth. Tis for the novice training on the morrow."
"Why do you call it a mock sting? Is that a word? I do not wish for my new knights to be harmed intentionally!"
I rolled my eyes as I tried to explain. "Mock refers to the distraction a third of the party partakes in while the rest move about in search of the hidden parchment in the trees. The 'sting' refers to the delayed realization of their foes that their treasure is no longer in their possession."
"Well, I believe I can do it better!" Galleth declared cheerfully.
I scowled as I stood beside him. "Oh?"
"Yes!" He said. "For you see, though I am a Knight-"
"By your own decree." I said it beneath my breath. Galleth never heard it.
"My heritage is that of other noble thief masters, have I told you this?"
As a matter of fact... he had not. I realized that Galleth has said very little regarding his family in the time I have known him. Mostly, he only speaks of himself. "No."
With one word I sealed my fate.
Galleth posed with a fist in the air. A signal that he was about to launch an epic... and very long story. "Well! Tis' mine a long and mighty lineage. Across the world and across time itself does the Cooper name reach and persevere. It begins with the Very First Cooper Thief, a noble man but of poor birth, Slytunkhamen!"
I will spare the entire conversation, lest my hand grow numb from writing. But of all Galleth's tales I have ever heard him tell, the story of his ancestor not only held my attention, they also revealed much of Galleth himself. For the first time, he spoke of others with genuine admiration. His grey eyes became that of child's, whose heart believed in all the great and wonderful things in this world. I was so engrossed by his praise of these past thieves deeds, it took me quite by surprise when Galleth finally came to the end!
"...Thus, my father passed the book onto me, and..."
He slackened, and Galleth's eye began to search the ground. "And... Here I am." His voice rang with such uncharacteristic sorrow. I would call it unimaginable if it was not in front of my own eyes. Yet it made so much sense. Galleth must have heard all those stories at least a thousand times in his youth. His want of glory and boisterousness is not for want of fame for solely himself. His greatest desire is to one day have just as a fantastic tale to be told about in his own legacy. He wishes to be remembered like his ancestors. Noble its own way... to be motivated by the acts of your family.
Galleth walks himself over the hanging bed and slumps into it. "Here I am... And what hath I really done, Robin?"
My voice takes its sympathetic tone. One of neither sarcasm nor false disguise. "You have upheld the honor of the Cooper name, Galleth. Of everything else, your family should be proud to count you as a successor."
Yet Galleth argued against these words. "Yet I am not the keenest mind, greatest strength, nor swiftest of foot in my own Order!" He sighed. "I see the corruption of the nobility. I see so many wrongs that I can make right, so many I can help are all around me, yet I see others doing more than I to aide and amend. Should handed over the leadership of the Order to you, I could perhaps slip away into the foreground of history and naught be sought again."
He was humbling himself. Admitting to his own foolery. Lamenting his pride and values. And he made me so angry to see it!
I took hold of Galleth's shoulders and forced him to stand on his feet and look at me in the eyes! Frightened steel against flaming emeralds. "Now hear this, Sir Galleth! You are far from perfection, but any who dare say you are not fit to lead, even you, shall face my fury! Say you not smart, strong or fast if you must, tis good you know your weaknesses and strengths at last! But could a talentless raccoon bring all these men together? Could he inspire them with speech after speech and alight their warrior hearts? I say, nay!
With that I shoved Galleth back onto his bedding. He grunted upon landing. I still had more to say. "I just sat through you're entire family's history. For heaven's sake it is probably past midnight! But in all those hours, did I hear of one Cooper who could gather good people with such charisma as you? Or head straight into danger with so little regard to his own safety? Again, nay!"
My fire rage might have burned down the tent if I stayed any longer. Before I left to find peace among the trees and stars, I turned back to Galleth. "I take that you see my intelligence as strength. You have praised it many a time before. Little John is as abundant in strength as a tree is to leaves. Hucklebee is faster than any other on this land. But Galleth?"
"Yes?" I could not tell if he was asking in fear, wonder or confusion.
"What good are our talents if they are not united? You were brave and determined enough to go out and start gathering the Knights of the Cooper Order. I would not have cared to bring other people into my fights, while Hucklebee and Little John were all great distances away from each other. At the time, neither were they even able to fend off the villains so close to them. Never would we have been able to help so many others on our own. Nor taken initiative to hatch such grand schemes. Cunning, strength and speed are talents to be reckoned with. But without a brave heart to guide them, what are they? Think on that the next time you feel like abandoning your own Order!"
With no wooden door, I could only close the flap roughly behind me as I left.
The next morning, I was overseeing the recruits training. The green fields contained sprigs of wildflowers growing without rhyme or reason. Under the bright, cloudless sky, twenty young men dashed through a field in a sloppy configuration. "They need to spread out more." I mentally note. "Even an army of pursuers can overlook something. A man who gets away is a chance to get reinforcements." Many of these men seem promising. Many wish to fight, but they are rough around the edges. All of them seeming to favor only one style of fighting over the other.
I see one man trip and fall behind. His teammate laughs and leaves him behind. I roll my eyes at the behavior. That was young Oliver Stay that took the fall, and it was Ebenezer Adams who mocked him. I walk off the hill to meet the trainees.
The last to arrive is Oliver, panting and out of breath. The others send him scalding looks. I keep my own face as unreadable as a statue's. "Your teams time is acceptable, I anticipated you all coming much later. I saw that Godfrey's idea to surround the enemy in the forest proved useful. Ebenezer's idea to take their own weapons is also worth noting, and Christopher, it was wise to be wary of the traps I set." Each man smiles in turn. Oliver, I stand in front of him last. From the corner of my eye, I note Ebenezer's smug grin.
"Oliver..." I begin. The lad looks downhearted, but accepting. "At each turn I saw you aide your teammates where you could. You cut Ebenezer from the traps, quickly patched Christopher's wound, and were the first to cover Godfrey when he had to reclaim his weapon." He looks hopeful. "But!" I added, and his smile drops. "I did see you fall as you crossed the field."
"Ha!" Ebenezer laughs. The laughter dies with own scalding look of my own.
"Do you think that funny, Mr. Schnouzer? "I demand. "You find it funny, that in a real situation you would be responsible for your own teammate to be captured, probably tortured, and in the worst case killed?"
He doesn't even look guilty for his actions. "It's his own fault! Ebenezer folds his arms. "Clumsy clot!"
That was it.
"Hm." I simply said. "Well, that certainly makes it clear to me. Christopher and Godfrey, report to Sir Hucklebee first thing tomorrow. He will be giving more improvised combat training. Oliver..."
"I... I understand if you do not deem me passable for the ranks of the Order, Sir Robin."
I smile at him. "I will see you tomorrow. At my tent. We will discuss which position in the Cooper Order most suits you."
His, and all the other trainee's jaws, go slack. Oliver is the quickest to recover. "I-I I mean, at what would most fit your schedule, Sir Greensleeves?"
"After the mid-day meal would seem best. I believe tomorrow you are on breakfast duty? I will see you then!"
The three all walk off to their own duties, and turn to go prepare the course for the next batch of recruits. "What if I?" Ebenezer demands.
"Ah, Ebenezer!" I clap my hands together. "You may return home. I am afraid the Knights of the Cooper Order have no need for a bully who cannot work as a team with its fellow members."
"But-!"
"We are brothers-in-arms, young Ebenezer. Brothers! A true brother would not leave another to harm at the expense of his success. That is selfishness. What the Order fights against. Return home with these thoughts."
The sun is setting when I realize that I have not seen Galleth for the entire day. "Strange. He usually insists on seeing the entrance testing." Yet I have seen no sight or sound of the racket-making raccoon for an entire day. The first place I search is the tent, he is not there. But his sword and armor are.
"What?" I pick up his empty helmet. "Galleth only removes this to rest. When he lets his guard down. Why does he not have it now?" Infamously, Galleth never removes the entirety of his armor in any situation. He may to bathe, though I have never gone with him to the river. This brings about both my curiosity and my worry. Then, panic strikes me. "He couldn't have left!"
I dash out of the tent. I am truly alarmed by this. Could what I have said be misinterpreted? Or could Galleth have decided to leave the Order out of self-pity just the same? It would be Galleth's greatest blunder of all!
I cannot create an alarm as I step out of the tent. I look quickly to the left and to the right. I need to look for Galleth, and if I cannot locate him I will need two more who can help. I find Hucklebee and Little John merry-making with some of our other senior members. Little John simply catches the look in my eye and pulls Hucklebee to the side.
"Oi, now! What's this, Robin?"
"Galleth is missing." I tell them.
"Training?" Little John suggests.
"Nay," I reply. "Galleth would most definitely be wearing his armor to do that. I found his helmet, sword and armor lying forsaken in his tent." Both their eyes rise in alarm. They now understand the seriousness of this. "At ease, friends. There is no indication Galleth has come to harm, but he is our leader, and he should not be unguarded in the dead of night like this."
Our cam does provide a measure of security. However, honor among thieves or not, it is unwise to let one's guard down around unfamiliar faces. An enemy could sneak into our ranks, and there was no protection outside the sights of our own look outs. "Hucklebee, walk about here and, without raising alarm, talk to the others to see if they have seen Galleth today. Find out what he was doing and who could have seen him last. Little John, head to the lookout posts, collect their reports, in case they hath seen him coming or going."
"What 'bout you?" Hucklebee asks.
"My search will be outside the perimeter. I will go to the west side lookout and tell him I am stepping out. I'll check the river and see if I can find tracks or any sign of Galleth. We'll report back at Galleth's tent in two hours. If the information you find this crucial, come find me immediately. Above all: do not make anyone privy to our search. T'would be unwise to create panic at this point."
The rabbit and bear nod in agreement. Already armed with my bows and arrows, I take off.
Being back in the forest with the full moon to provide me with light brings back old memories. Memories of solitude. Where I had few places I could or wanted to go. Where allies were few and I had to fight to prove my worth. Now... Now I find myself wishing to find Galleth and bring him back to the safety of the Order's company. Now I worry of the consequences young 'knight' finding out their leader is gone. Plus, I feel an aching need to rest and have this search over with. "Galleth, where are you?"
I go by the river first. I find that I have quickly run out of breathe. "Ha... Ha... Mayhap, yelling at Galleth so late last night and training the young ones hath made me neglect rest?" Rubbing my head, I then look up at the stars. It has not even been an hour. I still need to find Galleth. But a weary mind is easily distracted, and my mind and body were both in agreement.
The forest is quiet save for the love-song of crickets, dark with the exception of fire bulbs growing along the river side. I cannot forget my mission. Yet the pleasantness of this night... "With all those men around, I may never have another chance." I find a hollow tree to stash my clothes in. I undo my bindings and release a relaxed breath. Holding my own shoulders I sigh. "For now, Robin dies and Marian lives."
My old name.
The one I threw away when I survived my house being set on fire by the Sheriff. I was a gifted archer, but Friar Tuck explained to me that in this world, none would take woman's word or actions as seriously as a man's. I hid my gender out my desire for revenge. For years, I robbed the rich in Nottingham and returned it's bounty to the people. I became a symbol of hope, a guardian to the weak, and a hero to the helpless! But in the back of my mind, I knew this wasn't for justice. It was revenge. My brother, Robin, had been killed along with my parents. To honor him, I made it so it would be his name that history would remember. But when I got my revenge on the Sheriff, I told him who I truly was before he met his demise.
I reminisce for a brief moment before wadding into the depths of the slow-moving river. "Ah...!" I sigh. I am lucky if I can find this solitude for one hour in a month. Little John helps by explaining that I fear water because of 'Marian's' death. In a way, tis true. Robin dies when I come back to being Marian. Once I leave this river and put my clothes back on, I will be Robin again. Running my hands over my arms to get them wet, I feel the great tension flowing away with the river.
"Even my voice has become husky like a man's." I say to my reflection. "Has become a habit. I wonder if I can even sound like a woman again."
I think back to the time when I was expected to become a lady. My mother had a lullaby she would sing for Robin and me.
"Go... Go..." My voice does not come out naturally, so I have to relax and reteach them their natural tone and vibrations. As my voice comes back to my, I find my bath has turned into a waltz back and forth in the river.
"Go down to the river.
See The Moon Queen from afar
She is singing for her lover,
She will tell you who you are.
"See the moonbeams hide her face,
Hear her song enchant and charm.
She will dance with the water's grace
Hold you in an embrace so warm.
"Sleep my love, there is no danger.
I come and go to give you light.
Now that we are both together.
Shall the dark return to light.
"See the moonbeams hide her face,
Hear her song enchant and charm.
She will dance with the water's grace
Hold you in an embrace so warm.
"Moon Queen, take not my love.
Though your kingdom holds soft light.
Without my own sun to shine above
Will there be eternal night.
See the moonbeams hide her face,
Hear her song enchant and charm.
She will dance with the water's grace
Hold you in an embrace so...warm."
My mother may not have been the best of rhymes. Her voice could more than make up for it, though. Her lullaby brings back happy memories with her and father. But in my blissful relaxation, I have neglected my own protection. I hear the snap of a heavy tree branch. On top of that, it was a branch still connected to a nearby tree! Accompanied by a man's voice! "AHHH!"
Galleth!
I met eyes with him for the briefest moment before he disappeared in a mighty splash just a short length away from me! What is he doing out here?! Has he seen me? With lightning speed I run from the river covering myself. "Wait!" Galleth's voice only makes my legs move faster. I practically dive into the hollow tree and once more make myself Robin. My run has mostly dried me off, but twould be unwise to let Galleth see. "Ugh... mayhap the ruse is at an end." I lament. I cannot be a woman and be Robin Greensleeves! My comrades who admire me would turn in disgust. I would be abandoned to roadside, disgraced. Hucklebee, perhaps not Little John, but... Galleth. Now do I realize it is him who I fear telling the most! To know that his friend and comrade is woman... Would he be more heartbroken or angry? I do not wish to know. Then again... he may already.
No. He saw a woman out here. Robin Greensleeves is not a woman. The woman Galleth saw is a stranger, and he has known Robin for a great many moons! I will have to act my way out of this. I am frustrated. I went looking for Galleth and could not find him anywhere. Now, find him. I have seen no one else. I can do this. I have to!
I jump to a branch in the trees as I hear running, soggy steps coming my way. "Maiden! Young maiden, I meant no harm!"
"Galleth!" I shout angrily from my perch. "What in highest of names are you doing out here!?"
"Oh!" Galleth sees me, he seems awkward and embarrassed. "Robin, I...did not expect to see you out and about at this time of night."
"I am always out here." I reply sarcastically. "I come out hunting for mad raccoons who go missing without a word and wander out where they have no business being!"
He flinches at the remark.
I jump down and poke him squarely in the unarmored chest. "What were you thinking? And why are you soaking wet?"
"Ah! That." Galleth looks down at his dripping shirt. The only garment he has on him. "I... uh...I was...Pondering."
"You?" I ask.
"You are angry, my friend. But yes, that is the truth. I could hardly train after we had our... discussion last night. So I... I finished my rounds, it took rather longer than usual, I admit. I suppose, I was think about what you said quite deeply."
I knew it. He has been doubting himself and I have said something that has only made it worse. I'll want to apologize. I will have to wait 'til Galleth finishes to know how to rephrase my words.
"I revealed quite a lot to you. I suppose I left myself vulnerable. And you... the way you illustrated my place here with our comrades made me realize something..."
Whatever Galleth has realized he is wrong. I cannot let him leave the Order! It will never become known if we do not have him. And the more people who know of us, the more we will be able to led aid to those too weak or unable to defend themselves. More fame also needs more inspired brothers-in-arms. These people need more hope! And no one can inspire more than Galleth!
"I realized..." Galleth said. "That you are my best friend!"
What?
Galleth flings his arms around me in a tight embrace. "Robin Greensleeves, to whom I bare my soul and worries to, you have returned my heart to its true course! Never will I doubt that I am a worthy Cooper and the worthiest of knights! The Knight of the Cooper Order will be the strongest, swiftest, bravest and most cunning of knights in all the land. By the Thievius Raccoonus, I swear it!"
That is his conclusion? I must admit to myself that I am happy with this outcome. Galleth will be more determined than ever to make his Order work out. Despite whatever motivations either of us may have previously had, here and now the Order will become a light to the world so drowned in darkness. It will need a foolishly brave knight to lead it, I now see; and it will take a talented team behind him to fight our intended adversaries.
Despite my joy, I must still stand my ground. Removing Galleth's arms from my person I say, "That is all well and good, Galleth. I am grateful to know you are staying, and your vigor returned. Now, for the final question: Why are you so wet?"
Even in the darkness I can see him turn red. "Well... it was late before I realized myself the time, so I came to the river to bathe before going back. Then I... saw a lady?"
"A lady?" I ask, sounding like I don't believe. "In the middle of nowhere?"
"Yes!" Galleth's eyes turn away from me. He speaks as if he were dreaming. "Her song came into thine ear. A melody alluring and beautiful, I could not resist! I saw her, a lovely silhouette against the moon in the water. I listened to her song, climbing a tree so she would not see me. Alas, the branch could not hold me long and I fell into the river. I chased her this way, when I found you. We must find her, Robin! The dangers of the forest will kill her before sunrise."
My face is disbelieving, even annoyed. Not all of it artificial. "A woman. You were peeping on a woman. In the river."
"I... I admit twas a compromising position to admit. Just the same, I must-"
"Galleth." I stop him right there and look him sternly in the eyes. "I just came from there, looking for you. I did not hear another person, I did not see another person. You were exhausted and saw an illusion of the moon and your tired mind. The river you fell in broke the illusion."
"I... I suppose that could be true." He looks disheartened. Now I feel a little guilty.
I put my arm about Galleth's shoulders. "Let us return. You saw the woman in your waking dreams, perhaps you will see her even better once fall asleep. We have caused Hucklebee and Little John a good amount of worry by now. Let us return."
Galleth brightens up a little. "Aye. Tomorrow I must meet our new recruits. I hath prepared a rousing speech for them in advance!"
As I fell asleep that night with Galleth snoring across from me, I began having my own ponderings. This man called me his best friend, should I not trust him with my secret? I knew I never could. Galleth sees me as a hero. If I were to fail in his eyes, that would break my own heart along with his. That thought is painful. I want to see the Knights of the Cooper Order be recognized for the deeds to the people. I want to see Galleth's dreams come true as much as he does now.
Mayhap it is selfish of me to keep who I am from him. He, who considers me so close and has shown me the weakest side of him. But I cannot stay with him as Marian! Only Robin can bring glory and honor to the Order. So I decided to keep my identity for a time longer. To believe I can hide myself forever is a fool's dream.
Yet... for a short time, Galleth was able to make me dream like a fool. What has this man done to me?
A/N: For those who may have guessed: Yes, Robin is a girl.
For those who didn't: SURPRISE!
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