The next morning he woke up with a head resting on his stomach. Careful
not to disturb to head, he looked down to see whose it was. Dark brown
curls fanned out over the head and shoulders of Rowan, tightly wrapped in
several multicolored furs, and asleep, looking much less threatening than
she had the day before.
Daniel looked at her for a moment. "It's not that cold," he murmured.
"That's what everybody keeps telling me," Rowan said in a crisp voice, eyes still closed, "but it is too. It's the middle of November for crying out loud. Did you know that you have a very comfortable tummy?" She rolled over and propped her chin on her arms, her arms on Daniel's stomach. "You seem to have found my clearing," she stated imperiously. She glanced over at the shadow cast by a small stake driven into the ground. "And if you don't want to be late for your next beating from Annie and Laria, you had better shift yourself." She sat up as Daniel jumped about a foot into the air and ran towards the weapons range.
As he approached, he could hear the dull thunking of wood on wood. He groaned. Annie had impressed upon him the importance of being on time the day before. With a big stick. He gingerly fingered the lump on his head and wondered if she was the type to hit in the same place twice.
Thwack! Daniel hopped up and down on one foot, rubbing his shin. Annie twirled her staff in one hand. "Next time you won't be late, she smirked.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Annie," said Rowan, emerging from the forest behind Daniel. "It was my fault he was late."
Annie raised one eyebrow at Rowan. Rowan drew herself up proudly to her diminutive height of 5'2". Annie looked at her for a moment; then poked her sharply in one side of her ribs. Rowan squeaked, doubled over and dissolved into giggles.
Annie tossed Daniel a staff. "Wait for Rowan. She's either the worst of us at the staves or the best of us at pretending and taking a beating lying down."
Annie tossed a staff toward Rowan, who straightened up just in time to catch it. She glared at Annie, rubbing her ribcage. Annie smiled an angelic smile and flounced off.
Grumbling, Rowan started a simple pattern, managing to knock Daniel's fingers only a few times. Despite the differences in their heights, they made very good sparring partners, probably because they were both so awful.
After half an hour of non-stop motion, Rowan simply fell over. In less than ten seconds, five of the six girls Daniel had met the day before were at her side.
"Steph, honey, are you all right?" Eva asked worriedly.
"Of course I'm all right, you fools. Annie, don't, it wasn't his-"
Thunk.
"-fault," Rowan finished with a sigh as Annie came up from behind to deliver a hit to the shin of Daniel's she hadn't already bruised.
"Really? Well, that's for the time I didn't catch you," Annie said to a very bruised and dejected Daniel. "Now, what's the matter, Steph?"
Rowan propped herself up on her elbows and eyes the girls gathered around her with disdain. "I got sick of the exercise and decided to lie down. Honestly, you get grazed by one measly arrow and you'd think you were turned to glass the way all of you fuss."
Hannah turned a glare on Rowan. "You could hardly call that being grazed by 'one measly' arrow. You were laid out unconscious for a week. We thought you were going to die."
"And there is absolutely no way we are going to let that happen again, "continued Eva.
"Oh, details, details," Rowan muttered. She held a hand out in Daniel's direction. "Help me up. We're going on a walk. I need to get away from these overprotective geese before I explode."
Daniel helped her to her feet and the pair walked into the forest.
The sextet of girls that had gathered upon Rowan's fall stood watching. "I think she likes him," commented one.
"Steph? Never," retorted another.
"He's nice enough," said yet another.
"Steph with tell us all of her plans in her own time," remarked Eva cryptically. "In the meantime, I've got work I ought to be doing, as do all of you."
Murmurs of assent ran through the group, though no one moved.
"That's what I thought," continued Eva. "Who wants to go spy on Steph and the new kid instead?" she finished brightly. By way of agreement, the group melted into the woods in the same direction the duo had left.
While this exchange was taking place, Rowan and Daniel had wandered a short ways into the forest. Rowan abruptly stopped and cocked her head to one side. She made a face and bounded over to and up the closest tree.
"C'mon up!" she called down to Daniel. "But hurry!" No sooner had he clambered up the tree, then Anna Kate went creeping past.
"Don't move," Rowan hissed to Daniel as she stealthily shifted to be above her friend. Rowan reached into a pouch at her waist and drew out an acorn. Taking careful aim, she threw the acorn and hit Anna Kate on the head.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head and peering up into the tree. "Dumb squirrels." There was a slight rustling as Megan came around from the other side of the tree, just in time to hear the comment.
"Dumb squirrels?" she questioned slowly. Just then, she too was targeted by Rowan in the tree above.
"Yes," replied Anna Kate primly. "Dumb squirrels."
Rowan giggled, betraying her position. Both victims below glanced sharply upward. Knowing the game was up, Rowan dropped out of the tree, grinning in an insane fashion. "'Ello!"
Megan, hands on hips, faced Rowan. "You Meanie! Why are you throwing acorns at us?!"
"Meanie yourself! All six of you were ganging up on Daniel and me to spy on us!"
"She has a point," Hannah commented, coming around the tree.
"Yeah, well.." Replied Eva, coming from yet another direction.
"'Yeah, well' yourself," grumbled Rowan. "Now will you all go away so I can have a decent talk with the newest member of our tribe!" She yelled, gesturing wildly into the tree, where Daniel was still perched.
Just then, an arrow with white fletching whizzed past Rowan's upraised hand and embedded itself in the tree directly below Daniel's foot. All froze, but no more followed. Rowan examined the shaft and pulled off a sheet of parchment.
"To Rowan Hood, unlawful resident of Sherwood Forest," read Rowan aloud, grinning at the introduction, though her impish expression quickly faded. "We have captured two of your high court, plus a few others of yours, and are detaining them pending your consent with my request. I look forward to meeting you soon, dearest Rowan. -Robin Hood"
Daniel looked at her for a moment. "It's not that cold," he murmured.
"That's what everybody keeps telling me," Rowan said in a crisp voice, eyes still closed, "but it is too. It's the middle of November for crying out loud. Did you know that you have a very comfortable tummy?" She rolled over and propped her chin on her arms, her arms on Daniel's stomach. "You seem to have found my clearing," she stated imperiously. She glanced over at the shadow cast by a small stake driven into the ground. "And if you don't want to be late for your next beating from Annie and Laria, you had better shift yourself." She sat up as Daniel jumped about a foot into the air and ran towards the weapons range.
As he approached, he could hear the dull thunking of wood on wood. He groaned. Annie had impressed upon him the importance of being on time the day before. With a big stick. He gingerly fingered the lump on his head and wondered if she was the type to hit in the same place twice.
Thwack! Daniel hopped up and down on one foot, rubbing his shin. Annie twirled her staff in one hand. "Next time you won't be late, she smirked.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Annie," said Rowan, emerging from the forest behind Daniel. "It was my fault he was late."
Annie raised one eyebrow at Rowan. Rowan drew herself up proudly to her diminutive height of 5'2". Annie looked at her for a moment; then poked her sharply in one side of her ribs. Rowan squeaked, doubled over and dissolved into giggles.
Annie tossed Daniel a staff. "Wait for Rowan. She's either the worst of us at the staves or the best of us at pretending and taking a beating lying down."
Annie tossed a staff toward Rowan, who straightened up just in time to catch it. She glared at Annie, rubbing her ribcage. Annie smiled an angelic smile and flounced off.
Grumbling, Rowan started a simple pattern, managing to knock Daniel's fingers only a few times. Despite the differences in their heights, they made very good sparring partners, probably because they were both so awful.
After half an hour of non-stop motion, Rowan simply fell over. In less than ten seconds, five of the six girls Daniel had met the day before were at her side.
"Steph, honey, are you all right?" Eva asked worriedly.
"Of course I'm all right, you fools. Annie, don't, it wasn't his-"
Thunk.
"-fault," Rowan finished with a sigh as Annie came up from behind to deliver a hit to the shin of Daniel's she hadn't already bruised.
"Really? Well, that's for the time I didn't catch you," Annie said to a very bruised and dejected Daniel. "Now, what's the matter, Steph?"
Rowan propped herself up on her elbows and eyes the girls gathered around her with disdain. "I got sick of the exercise and decided to lie down. Honestly, you get grazed by one measly arrow and you'd think you were turned to glass the way all of you fuss."
Hannah turned a glare on Rowan. "You could hardly call that being grazed by 'one measly' arrow. You were laid out unconscious for a week. We thought you were going to die."
"And there is absolutely no way we are going to let that happen again, "continued Eva.
"Oh, details, details," Rowan muttered. She held a hand out in Daniel's direction. "Help me up. We're going on a walk. I need to get away from these overprotective geese before I explode."
Daniel helped her to her feet and the pair walked into the forest.
The sextet of girls that had gathered upon Rowan's fall stood watching. "I think she likes him," commented one.
"Steph? Never," retorted another.
"He's nice enough," said yet another.
"Steph with tell us all of her plans in her own time," remarked Eva cryptically. "In the meantime, I've got work I ought to be doing, as do all of you."
Murmurs of assent ran through the group, though no one moved.
"That's what I thought," continued Eva. "Who wants to go spy on Steph and the new kid instead?" she finished brightly. By way of agreement, the group melted into the woods in the same direction the duo had left.
While this exchange was taking place, Rowan and Daniel had wandered a short ways into the forest. Rowan abruptly stopped and cocked her head to one side. She made a face and bounded over to and up the closest tree.
"C'mon up!" she called down to Daniel. "But hurry!" No sooner had he clambered up the tree, then Anna Kate went creeping past.
"Don't move," Rowan hissed to Daniel as she stealthily shifted to be above her friend. Rowan reached into a pouch at her waist and drew out an acorn. Taking careful aim, she threw the acorn and hit Anna Kate on the head.
"Ow!" she exclaimed, rubbing her head and peering up into the tree. "Dumb squirrels." There was a slight rustling as Megan came around from the other side of the tree, just in time to hear the comment.
"Dumb squirrels?" she questioned slowly. Just then, she too was targeted by Rowan in the tree above.
"Yes," replied Anna Kate primly. "Dumb squirrels."
Rowan giggled, betraying her position. Both victims below glanced sharply upward. Knowing the game was up, Rowan dropped out of the tree, grinning in an insane fashion. "'Ello!"
Megan, hands on hips, faced Rowan. "You Meanie! Why are you throwing acorns at us?!"
"Meanie yourself! All six of you were ganging up on Daniel and me to spy on us!"
"She has a point," Hannah commented, coming around the tree.
"Yeah, well.." Replied Eva, coming from yet another direction.
"'Yeah, well' yourself," grumbled Rowan. "Now will you all go away so I can have a decent talk with the newest member of our tribe!" She yelled, gesturing wildly into the tree, where Daniel was still perched.
Just then, an arrow with white fletching whizzed past Rowan's upraised hand and embedded itself in the tree directly below Daniel's foot. All froze, but no more followed. Rowan examined the shaft and pulled off a sheet of parchment.
"To Rowan Hood, unlawful resident of Sherwood Forest," read Rowan aloud, grinning at the introduction, though her impish expression quickly faded. "We have captured two of your high court, plus a few others of yours, and are detaining them pending your consent with my request. I look forward to meeting you soon, dearest Rowan. -Robin Hood"