N/A: Dun dun dun! Chapter one…

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Chapter one: To be or not to be

Actually, the question was; to be bored or to be bored completely. In this case, the latter was most accurate.

With a sigh, Robin placed her head on her arms and closed her eyes, only to find that this didn't change her situation either. With an irritated huff she sat up again and thought about the reason she was here, all alone and bored out of her mind.

Six years ago, her father, the Lord of Locksley, had found it necessary to go on a crusade with King Richard, which, according to Robin, was the most pointless thing to do. He had left Robin with her older brother Peter, after officially appointing him 'Lord of the Manor and Keeper of thy Sister'. 13-year-old Peter had swollen with pride at those words, not caring that his sister was laughing at him.

But her laughter had since faded, for when after three years her father still hadn't returned, Peter too had departed for Jerusalem to find him. Robin hadn't heard from him since. Luckily, she wasn't entirely alone, because her servant and companion Sarah had always stayed with her.

Though she fondly remembered her father and brother, she missed them sorely. Not in the least her father's lessons and trainings with arms and horses. Those were not skills usually possessed by maidens of stature, but because her mother had died shortly after giving birth to her, her father had raised her by himself the best he could. That a girl's upbringing did not usually include riding and swordsmanship, he did not know nor realize.

All the better for Robin, who had always been a rowdy child, being raised among her father, her brother and their friends. There never had been put high expectations on her, like being a lady, wear dresses, be beautiful. Well, not that kind of expectations anyway. Her father didn't care what she did, if she just kept getting better at swordsmanship and archery and didn't run of with the stable boy. She smiled at the thought of Duncan, the tall, thin, pale stable boy who had always been afraid of her.

'Milady, shouldn't you be getting ready to welcome the Lords? I expect they will be arriving soon.' Sarah had silently approached her, hesitant to disturb her mistress' ponderings. Now she swiftly moved the curtains, letting the sun enter the bedroom.

'I think you should wear that marvelous green dress today. It will look beautiful on you.'

Robin smiled. As always Sarah tried to persuade her to wear more feminine attire such as dresses, but to no avail.

'Thank you for trying Sarah, but no. I'm uncomfortable enough around those men as it is, I couldn't use a dress with that as well.'

'But you always have a new excuse, Milady. Yesterday you said the humidity would make the flow of your gown ungraceful and yet it didn't rain.'

Robin tried to hide her smile under the covers, but couldn't keep a blush from creeping up to her cheeks.

'You caught me, Sarah. I'm sorry for making it up, but ever since I turned 17 two months ago you keep on pushing me to put one on. I just hate the way they feel to my skin. I have the feeling that I can't breathe or move when wearing them.' She managed to produce a slight pout.

'But because it seems to be so important to you, I'll wear one. Just for the visit of the Lords. The minute they leave, so does the gown!'

Robin threateningly raised a finger, though she knew she'd do it anyway, even if Sarah objected. What in the world made her make this promise in the first place? She couldn't have picked a worse occasion; those men were already staring at her, wearing a gown was only going to increase that. She sighed even more at seeing Sarah's delighted face.

'All right. You can pick one, I don't care as long as it isn't pink or anything frilly. Just a normal one will do, thank you very much.' Sarah huffed insulted.

'Never would I pick anything that wouldn't compliment you, Milady. I highly resent the insinuation! Now please come out of bed, I have the perfect gown for you right here.'

With another sigh Robin heaved herself out of bed. There was no escaping it now. She was going to have to face the Lords to protect her land in a dress. And that did not sound encouraging.

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It took a while for Robin to bathe, get properly dressed and get her hair acceptable. All three were things Robin often neglected or forgot, much to Sarah's dismay. Now Sarah was the one in need of a bath, for she had mercilessly washed Robin's body and hair, which had needed some serious tending to. She had been deaf for Robin's cries of pain and frustration, and hadn't been satisfied until everything was clean, neat and untangled. Luckily for Robin, it hadn't been necessary to cut of some of her hair, she liked it to be very long.

It had to be said, the result of Sarah's labor was very nice; Robin was wearing a beautiful dark green gown with long, wide sleeves and a few golden bands as it's only decoration. Robin's dark red, almost black hair was in a long braid and held out of her face by a simple golden band with a small emerald on her forehead. The stone and the dress were exactly the color of her eyes.

Satisfied, Sarah brushed her hair back. The result was worth the work. Definitely. She was going to keep this image in her mind, forever. Like an example how nice her mistress could look when properly taken care of. Sarah felt this as a personal compliment for her efforts and was glad.

'You are ready, Milady. If you go downstairs and have the breakfast I have prepared for you, than I will watch the road for any sign of the Lords' arrival.' After saying this, Sarah bowed and left the room to go to the tower and do as she had said.

Robin had nodded as a reply, and gave herself a once over in the mirror after Sarah had left. She sighed once more, then straightened her shoulders and went downstairs to eat: she was quite hungry now.

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Robin was finishing her breakfast when Sarah came thundering down the stairs and yelled: 'Milady, Milady! The Lords are arriving! There is just the two of them, hurry! You must meet them in the courtyard!!' Sarah was obviously flushed from running down the stairs and began pushing Robin frantically out of the kitchen while sweeping the breadcrumbs off of her.

'Remember to be polite, but don't act inferior. Don't be snobbish, but remember that you are the Lady of this Manor. Be proud, but stay humble. Do you understand?!' Suddenly Sarah felt the urge to lecture her, forgetting that it was no use. She sincerely hoped for the best…

Within a few minutes two horses came cantering into the courtyard. At the sight of it, Sarah hurried away.

The two men rode their horses very proudly, sitting straight, not unnecessarily moving arms and legs. They were dressed in expensive-looking clothes, which they were without a doubt. Both men had black hair to their shoulders, but only one had a goatee, which did not quite conceal his weak chin. For the rest, they didn't stand out in any way.

This didn't count for their horses. The horses were beautiful, with clean, shining skin and rolling muscles revealing their strength. They obviously had spirit, but still obeyed their masters' every command. Even though they looked tired now, they hadn't lost any of their majesty.

The riders halted their horses near Robin, jumped off and threw the reigns at Duncan, who quickly took the steaming horses to the stables. The men now walked up to Robin and bowed to kiss her hand.

'It is a pleasure to see you again, Milady.'

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N/A: Ok, so that was the first chapter! Do you like, or do you hate? Please let me know by leaving a review!!!