Little Sister's Have No Fun
Chapter 6: Hyperventilation
By: AquaDreamingz
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Lily widened her eyes in horror as she saw the ones who plotted her death and the deaths of her family. It was family or at least one of them was. Alfred, Cousin Alfred, wanted her dead. Because . . . because of Robin Hood . . . Because her stupid sister was dating Robin Hood. The man walking beside Alfred was none other than the sheriff of Nottingham. That man was Prince John's lackey. He was always having the sheriff doing the dirty work or having the sheriff order some mindless drone to do it.
Alfred and the Sheriff were still talking quietly as they passed her hiding spot. She couldn't believe this. "Oh my God," she whispered.
Her cousin whirled around at the noise. "Did you hear that?" he questioned his companion worriedly. Apparently the discussion of killing his family had taken a toll on his nerves. He was more than a little antsy.
The Sheriff frowned slightly, "No. I didn't hear anything." He glanced at Alfred, "You need to calm down a bit. It's not like I'm asking you to kill your mother. Just a old geezer and his two offspring: an idiot and a midget." Lily fumed silently. She was so not a midget and Marion wasn't an idiot. She just wasn't all that bright. If dating Robin Hood had proved anything it was that.
"I guess," Alfred responded. He still didn't look all that comfortable but he was starting to relax.
'He's coming to terms with killing his family,' Lily mentally seethed.
Lily waited noiselessly for the two men to pass before running upstairs to her sister's room where her sister was humming and brushing her hair. "Marion! Marion!"
Marion turned to look at her little sister before turning uninterestedly back to her brushing, "What is it, Lily?"
"Alfred! And the Sheriff! They were talking! Downstairs!" Lily all but shouted, not really making any sense.
"You were eavesdropping again. You should leave people alone," Marion said pointedly referring to Lily's previous interruption.
"Look! Just because I walked in on you and Robin exchanging spit is no reason to ignore me! Someone is trying to kill us!" Lily raved.
"We were not 'exchanging spit,' we have more class than that. We were kissing," Marion almost huffed but she was too dignified for that. "And who, pray tell, is trying to kill us?"
"Alfred and the sheriff!" Lily shouted.
"Lily, have you been eating those plants again? Besides no one is trying to kill you or me. Try living in the real world."
Lily glared at her, "I wasn't eating any plants. The stable boy told me that they smelled really good so I went to sniff some. And fine, if you want to die, then be my guest!"
"Lily! Honestly! No one is trying to kill you! Get over it! Do something helpful for a change," Marion exclaimed finally losing her temper.
Lily narrowed her eyes and stormed out of the room. "I'll just tell Robin. He knows the Sheriff is trouble. He'll believe me!" she hurried out to the stables where she secretly changed into the men's breeches she had stolen from the stable boy before tacking her horse, Awesome Blossom, and leading her out.
"Come on, Rose," she clucked softly, using the horse's stable name. She quickly tightened the girth and fixed the stir-ups before climbing onto a stump and then on to the tall chestnut's back. She gathered the reins in her hands before urging the horse into an easy canter.
The normally long walk to Sherwood was fairly quick by horseback so in about forty-five minutes she reached the edge of the woods. Lily slowed Rose down a trot and posted lightly as the sun disappeared behind the canopy of leaves. The rays of light sifted through the leaves making an almost fairy tale feel to the whole forest. Sherwood was pretty. Too bad the scum of England inhabited it. Well excluding Prince John, her former cousin Alfred (She was so going to do something about being related to him), and the sheriff. Well and the others she was sure existed. Though she supposed Robin wasn't all that bad.
Soon the trees became pretty thick and she had to slow Rose down even more until they were walking. Lily purposely crashed the branches around her, making as much noise as possible so Robin would come and try to rob her before realizing that it was she.
'What is taking him so long?' she muttered mentally to herself. 'I'm being extremely loud. More so than usually."
Eventually an arrow flew past her head and embedded itself in a tree next to her. "Robin!" she cried out gleefully. "About God damn time."
"Lily?" Robin Hood questioned.
"Yes!" she responded.
"Hmm. I didn't think you were one to swear," his eyes curved in a smile. "Talk bombastically maybe. But swearing? Never!" his eyes teased her even though she had only met him recently.
"This is serious! I overheard the Sheriff talking to my cousin this morning!" she replied frantically.
"The Sheriff?" his eyes narrowed. "What were they talking about?"
"You! And that they have to find out where you're hiding and things like that. I told Marion and she didn't believe me so I came to find you! I don't know what-"
"You talked to Marion about this?" Robin interrupted. A lovesick expression overcame his features before he took control over his body once more.
"Yes," Lily replied cautiously.
"Well, I trust Marion and I think she knows what is going on in your house a little better than you do."
"What?" Lily exclaimed. She did not like this. Not one bit. "Look, genius. I know this might be hard for you grasp but see this," she pointed to her ears as she continued, "they work. I can hear, you know! I can tell when someone says, 'kill the whole lot of them when you get the information.'" Lily's eyes nearly released the tears that had built up at the remembrance of the fact that someone who she had known all her life wanted to kill her and her family. She glared at Robin Hood, "If you won't help me or at least believe me than I'll just have to deal with this on my own. She wheeled Rose around before kicking her into a canter despite the thick foliage.
She urged Rose faster and faster as a few loose tears ran down her face. She tried to forget that her own cousin plotted her murder, her sister didn't believe her, and the person who should completely understand didn't. Rose broke into an all-out gallop as she leapt out of the woods into the bright sunlight. Her eyes were blinded for a second and she quickly pulled Rose to a stop.
A little shaky, she grinded her teeth at a final decision: if they weren't going to help, then she was going to save all their sorry arses. She blushed slightly at the harsh mental statement but decided it was the best thing to do. She would have to save her family from the Sheriff, Alfred, and . . . and themselves.
She turned Rose toward the manor and broke into an easy canter. She hoped that whatever happened she wouldn't be too late.
Lily tied up Rose's reins, loosened the girth, and pulled up the stir-ups before heading into her home. She brushed her hands on her breeches before realizing what she was wearing. Oh shoot!
"Lily!" a voice spoke from behind her.
A feeling of dread overcame her as she turned to face her cousin, "Alfred?" All the memories overwhelmed her.
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"Alfred!" a miniature Lily yelled as she chased her cousin from her room. "I'm busy!"
"Busy working on my birthday present?" Alfred teased.
"Alfred!" Lily shrieked. "You stinker! Maybe I shouldn't give it to you!"
The younger Alfred pouted, "Hey, you can't do that!"
"Watch me!" was Lily's quick response. But of course Alfred had gotten his present. With a little extra surprise so he'd still be shocked.
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Lily, Marion, and Alfred lay in a field behind the manor. Lily was only four years old while Marion was eight and Alfred was six.
"Alfred? Marion? You won't ever hate me, right?" Lily asked softly.
Marion and Alfred turned sharply to her. "What do you mean?" Marion softly questioned.
Alfred was a little more to the point, "Lily, we could never hate you. You're too cute to be hated!" He then rolled onto her and began tickling her without mercy.
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More memories pushed and prodded at her mind as she stared in fear at her cousin. Quickly and almost instantaneously her expression changed to her normal cheerful expression, "Did you want something?"
Alfred's gaze seemed to pierce right through her, "What are you doing with men's clothes on?"
Lily gulped. "I . . . uh . . ." She looked around for an excuse. Alfred stepped closer to her.
"Hey, I promise I won't tell. Can I ask you something?"
Lily looked into his eyes. Maybe it wasn't Alfred she saw this morning. Maybe she just had made a mistake. Perhaps she thought someone else was he due to the bad lighting. "Sure."
"What do you know about Robin Hood?"
-:-
Written: Unknown
Revised: July 23, 2005
