Helen squatted lown next to a fire, trying to warm herself. Her graying hair was pulled into a loose bun, and her tattered and worn dress was gathered around her legs. A family of six huddled around her, all fighting for the warmth of the same crackling fire. She then stood up, and wrapped her arms around herself.
The clearing spread before her, like a battlefield from a savage war. Tiny makeshift tents and huts scattered the expanse ground, and even more people sat miserably around them. She glanced over to the large weeping willow and almost pained to see the fresh mounds of dirt that had appeared there. Her fingers clenched in silent rage over the sad vision of the ragged sight of the people.
Suddenly, a clatter arose from the entrance into the clearing. Helen jumped to attention, along with a few of the younger men, anxious with anticipation of danger. A black stallion burst through two firs, and a cloaked man jumped down, a girl in his arms.
"Could somebody help me?" he shouted, frantically, "Anybody? Please, this woman needs help!" They all stood there, silent and still, dumbly not knowing what to do. The passion in the young man's voice made Helen speak up, "Over here, lad!"
The man looked at her and rushed through the crowd towards Helen. She led him into one of the larger huts, shooing all of the other people out. The man laid her down carefully on a pile of dirty rugs.
"'Twas naught but an hour past that she fell asleep, but into a sleep that I could not rouse her from. Her breath was shallow, so I kicked Horse into full speed, and..." he paused, tugging at the the covering so that it exposed her pale face. Her gaunt cheekbones showed how poorly fed she was. Helen gasped.
"'Tis Marian."
"What?" the man asked, looking dazedly up at the old woman's face.
"I said 'tis Marian, she hasn't come around here parts for a month now, I wonder what she'd got herself into," she clucked as she gingerly unwrapped her leg, "Now I do."
"Can tha do naught to help her?"
"The lass has lost too much blood, I reckon. The wound needs to be seared, that's for sure," she said grabbing for the short knife that hung from his belt, "Make her as comfortable as tha can." And with that she ran out of the hut.
The man wrung his hands, unsure what to do. He swept her damp locks back from her face, revealing an emerald ring hanging from a piece of twine from her neck. His fingers traced the smooth roundness of the ring, and his eyes drank up the delicious glitter of the beautiful hard stone embedded in the silver. His eyes lingered a little too long, and his greed got the better of him, for when Helen came back in, the ring was nowhere to be seen.
"Lad, tha better hold her down," she warned, before she pressed the steaming knife blade against the gash, and his nostrils flared with the putrid stench of burning flesh. Marian's back arched and she let out an angry growl before she fell into welcomed unconsciousness again.
Helen touched Marian's face tenderly, "Where did thee find her?"
"The Royal Forest,"
Helen shook her head, "I should've known...'twas one of her ventures out of the Barnsdale Wastes. 'Twill be my downfall trying to tame that one," then, she sat back on her haunches, looking at the man, "Thee should check on thy horse, for they have already taken the deer."
The man rushed outside, and ran to his steed, shooing away all of the ruddy looking children who had gathered.
The deer must feed them all?
He looked quickly around the clearing, before jumping onto his horse and fleeing the sight. He hoped the girl now known to him as Marian wouldn't mind if he left without saying goodbye. He was bad at that. As he rode through forest, he stuck his finger into the breast pocket of his green dyed tunic and brought out the shiny emerald ring. Horse slowed to a trot, and he fit the band onto his pinkie finger.
He never told her his name was Robert either.
(A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I need more! I CRAVE constructive criticism. So please, push that little blue button at the bottom of the page and REVIEW! Hope all you Robin Hood fans don't get mad at me for changing his name, there is a certain reason for this. (Hint-hint) And don't worry Marian fans, she will stop being damsel in distress in the future, and become a strong heroine we all love to see in the Robin Hood tales. The Merry men are also coming into play, along with the dreaded Sheriff of Nottingham, so just hold your jerkins!)
The clearing spread before her, like a battlefield from a savage war. Tiny makeshift tents and huts scattered the expanse ground, and even more people sat miserably around them. She glanced over to the large weeping willow and almost pained to see the fresh mounds of dirt that had appeared there. Her fingers clenched in silent rage over the sad vision of the ragged sight of the people.
Suddenly, a clatter arose from the entrance into the clearing. Helen jumped to attention, along with a few of the younger men, anxious with anticipation of danger. A black stallion burst through two firs, and a cloaked man jumped down, a girl in his arms.
"Could somebody help me?" he shouted, frantically, "Anybody? Please, this woman needs help!" They all stood there, silent and still, dumbly not knowing what to do. The passion in the young man's voice made Helen speak up, "Over here, lad!"
The man looked at her and rushed through the crowd towards Helen. She led him into one of the larger huts, shooing all of the other people out. The man laid her down carefully on a pile of dirty rugs.
"'Twas naught but an hour past that she fell asleep, but into a sleep that I could not rouse her from. Her breath was shallow, so I kicked Horse into full speed, and..." he paused, tugging at the the covering so that it exposed her pale face. Her gaunt cheekbones showed how poorly fed she was. Helen gasped.
"'Tis Marian."
"What?" the man asked, looking dazedly up at the old woman's face.
"I said 'tis Marian, she hasn't come around here parts for a month now, I wonder what she'd got herself into," she clucked as she gingerly unwrapped her leg, "Now I do."
"Can tha do naught to help her?"
"The lass has lost too much blood, I reckon. The wound needs to be seared, that's for sure," she said grabbing for the short knife that hung from his belt, "Make her as comfortable as tha can." And with that she ran out of the hut.
The man wrung his hands, unsure what to do. He swept her damp locks back from her face, revealing an emerald ring hanging from a piece of twine from her neck. His fingers traced the smooth roundness of the ring, and his eyes drank up the delicious glitter of the beautiful hard stone embedded in the silver. His eyes lingered a little too long, and his greed got the better of him, for when Helen came back in, the ring was nowhere to be seen.
"Lad, tha better hold her down," she warned, before she pressed the steaming knife blade against the gash, and his nostrils flared with the putrid stench of burning flesh. Marian's back arched and she let out an angry growl before she fell into welcomed unconsciousness again.
Helen touched Marian's face tenderly, "Where did thee find her?"
"The Royal Forest,"
Helen shook her head, "I should've known...'twas one of her ventures out of the Barnsdale Wastes. 'Twill be my downfall trying to tame that one," then, she sat back on her haunches, looking at the man, "Thee should check on thy horse, for they have already taken the deer."
The man rushed outside, and ran to his steed, shooing away all of the ruddy looking children who had gathered.
The deer must feed them all?
He looked quickly around the clearing, before jumping onto his horse and fleeing the sight. He hoped the girl now known to him as Marian wouldn't mind if he left without saying goodbye. He was bad at that. As he rode through forest, he stuck his finger into the breast pocket of his green dyed tunic and brought out the shiny emerald ring. Horse slowed to a trot, and he fit the band onto his pinkie finger.
He never told her his name was Robert either.
(A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I need more! I CRAVE constructive criticism. So please, push that little blue button at the bottom of the page and REVIEW! Hope all you Robin Hood fans don't get mad at me for changing his name, there is a certain reason for this. (Hint-hint) And don't worry Marian fans, she will stop being damsel in distress in the future, and become a strong heroine we all love to see in the Robin Hood tales. The Merry men are also coming into play, along with the dreaded Sheriff of Nottingham, so just hold your jerkins!)