I've decided most of the character twists, except for one. The Maid Marian. If you have any ideas, comment below! She'll be joining the story in a couple chapters. Along with fire…lots of fire. Also if it hasn't come across very clear - Robin is often mistaken as a man and doesn't care to correct anyone. It was hard to figure out how to get that idea across in third person. It's one of the reasons I stopped writing this originally. And another thing…should Tuck secretly follow along?
Litle stretched looking towards the light coming from a small window above her bed. Finally she was out of that god forsaken town. She had seen the woven tapestries at the manor woven with pictures of far off places or plants she had never set eyes on. Her days had been made up of mundane tasks that seemed to drag on longer with each passing day. The opportunity with Robin seemed like heaven's blessing to her at the time. However, she hadn't realized how cold the world was. In her small town only sickness had ever given her a fright or a guard whose intentions seemed impure. Seeing someone die before here was something else entirely. She clutched the blanket close, squeezing her eyes shut in an attempt to will the memories away. John snored from the floor. He was wrapped in various blankets now all partially strewn about. Looking back at the light falling from the window Litle said a silent prayer.
A young man set food on the table where some merchants sat. Their loud voices carried through the hall as Robin walked towards them.
"Good morning!" one of the men said cheerily, " I thought I heard someone mention you coming in last night!"
"Morning Edward. Where's Thomas at? I want to see if we can tag along with you."
"You should know Thomas better than that, eh?" Edward laughed leaning back in his chair, "He's never up till almost noon unless we be in the midst of travelin. Heading towards Bestwood sometime after noon, I'd suppose. Ol' man likes ya so I doubt he'd object." He patted her shoulder before going back to his plate.
"It won't just be me this time."
"Oh?" Edward raised a bushy eyebrow, "Did ya heart finally fall for that lass? The blonde one with the broody brother in tow? She looks a bit too sweet for a man like ya."
Robin rolled her eyes. "No, not because of that. They lost their livelihood because of a blunder I made."
Back in her room Robin quickly packed her things into a tight bundle. Along with a wrapped package Tuck had given her the day before. Hopefully the fabric was a good enough quality to pull off someone of low nobility. The Huntington Manor had sent out invites to all the local nobility about the Earl's oldest daughter's coming of age. It was the perfect place for the arsonist to target. If all went well she could slip out of the merchant camp when they stopped by the manor on their way down north. All Tuck, or anyone, had found out was the arsonist was still fairly young with light colored hair. Just thinking about all the possible suspects made her temples throb. She glanced at her bed longingly. Some day soon she'd sleep in a bed for a whole week.
"Let's go!" She called, knocking loudly on the twins' door.
"Out here!" Litle responded from the front doorway.
"Tuck got us out here ages ago. I had thought we were going to be late the way he had us moving." John scoffed, lifting a heavy box at Thoma's request."Yet you got to sleep a whole extra hour. Maybe I should start calling you 'my Lord' with the way he treats you. What job did Thomas give you for this trip?"
"Job?" Robin grinned patting John on the back as he walked towards the caravan. "I just get to walk and enjoy the trip." John's frown deepened.
"Don't let' 'em fool you! Robin here earned his keep several times over." Edward ruffled Robin's hair before helping John load up the box.
"How did I get stuck with horse duty? I don't know the first thing about them!" John grumbled making his way towards Litle.
"Let's move out!" Thomas's voice boomed over the crowd as the leading horse started towards the main road. The trip would take at least two days until Huntington Manor and two more until Bestwood. After that they would be on their own to get to Nottingham. Robin glanced over at Litle and John. This would be a tiring trip. Thomas may seem lazy to most, but once he got his people moving he didn't allow for rest except for an hour at noon & to make camp for the night. He didn't wait for stragglers.
Surprisingly Litle had somehow managed to find herself a spot on one of the wagons before the day was through. Robin was envious of how she was sitting so serene watching the caravan and men trudge down the road. Ever since her father was murdered she had fought bitterly to keep what she owned. She had felt the loneliness deep in her bones until she had met Tuck years later. The jealousy sat a heavy weight in her stomach.
"Break!" Thomas called as the wagons slowed down. Everyone quickly got to work tending to the horses, refilling their water supply, and resting when they were able. "Robin! Use your magic and see if you can fetch us some food for dinner."
She nodded at Thomas before glancing at John with a smirk. "Time to earn my keep." Fetching her bow & quiver she headed into the woods.