Disclaimer: "Okay, here goes. I do not own any of the Grimm Fairy Tales. I do not own any of the new and reworked versions of these fairy tales that Disney has turned into movies. I do not own any of the characters here in. The only thing I claim are the twists and turns I included in the story that were obviously not part of the original tales told by the Brothers Grimm or Disney. And also, my description of the main character."

And just as an FYI, in the chapters tab, it won't let me fit the whole title of the chapter, which is why it's shortened and choppy there. Just figured I'd explain.

Okay, sorry for interrupting. Enjoy. :)

The Boy Made of Wood and the Girl in the Tower

Luke turns to look at the doors as Pinocchio runs inside. "Forgive me King Luke, but Phillip, I'm afraid we're running out of wood for the bows and arrows you requested."

Phillip rubs his eyes and then looks to Luke. "Do you have any other wood he could use?"

Luke nods and says, "Certainly. Lancelot, send men to the woods to collect wood for Pinocchio. By the way, how are the ropes coming?"

Pinocchio smiles and says, "Rapunzel's hair is growing faster than they can string it together. Rope we have plenty of, it's the weapons that are coming up slightly short. Fret not my king. Everyone shall be readied with sword or bow alike by the time they arrive."

As he leaves, Phillip reaches out and holds Aurora's hand in his. "But will it be enough."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our champion."

Robyn, beneath her heavier coat, and the hat pulled low on her face, walks up to the stand where Prince John and all the other royals are seated to watch the competition. It had been a close call, but Robyn had never really been worried. She'd split her opponent's arrow in two easily, and now she's the champion of the archery contest.

Of course, with her hat on in replace of the hood, her face is still covered but the Prince does not recognize her as Robyn Hood. Nor does the Sheriff for that matter. Only Marian has any idea who she is, and that is because she is the only one who has gotten a truly good look at her face.

And Marian smiles as she picks up the golden arrow and Robyn kneels down in front of her. "As champion of the archery competition, I present you Sir David with this golden arrow."

David is the name Robyn chose for this competition, chosen because of the knight that had always taken care of Midnight at her old home when she hadn't been able to do so herself. Young Prince Luke is smiling down at her too, though whether he actually knows that she's Robyn or not is unclear to her.

And then Robyn freezes, her hand on the golden arrow to take it, as another young royal stands up from her chair. Snow White moves to stand next to Maid Marian and says, "I know of a girl who could do that just as well as you."

Sheriff of Nottingham laughs and says, "Here this young man stands, champion of our competition, best archer of our people, and all you have to say is that you know someone who could do it better."

Snow's head falls slightly and she says, "My apologies. It's just, your shooting reminded me of someone I knew once before." Young Snow White isn't much taller than when Robyn had left her home long ago, but she can still see the change in her sister. All the love and compassion is still there, but where a child once stood now stands a young lady. Elizabeth had done well in teaching her to school her emotions, but Robyn can still see the tinge of sadness that the memory of her long lost older sister brings.

Robyn lets the arrow fall back into Marian's hands, and she bows graciously before her sister. "My sweet Snow White, no apologies are required. As an archer I always find it intriguing when I'm told there is still but one who can best me." And Snow smiles as she lowers her hand to the one Robyn has extended. Kissing her sister's fingers lightly, she then releases and straightens slightly.

Snow tilts her head and asks, "Have we met before? I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Robyn grins and says honestly, "I do not believe I would ever forget your face Snow White. Rumors of your natural beauty and kind spirit spread far a wide. Perhaps it is in my familiarity with you that you feel you know me."

"Perhaps it is."

Looking back at Marian, Robyn takes the arrow again and says, "Thank you for awarding me this grand victory."

William stands as well and says, "As it happens we would like to grant you another honor." And Robyn gives the signal behind her back that Little John should get ready to send Midnight after her. William doesn't see, and continues on, "We are in need of a fine archer in our land to aid us in hunting a fugitive of our kingdom. Perhaps you have heard of him. He goes by Robyn Hood."

"Ah, I have heard of this man. Robs from the rich and gives to the poor. Is that right?"

"Indeed, he has stolen much from us and he needs to be captured."

Robyn pauses for a moment, and then turns back to Snow White. Extending a hand again, she takes Snow's hand delicately in hers, and then kisses her fingers again. "I bid you adieu my dear Snow White. I wish you all the happiness this world can offer."

And then with a flick of her wrist, she plunges the golden arrow into her quiver and hears Midnight start running behind her. Jumping up onto the banister, Robyn chuckles loudly and says to William, "But my dear Sheriff, where is the fun in all of this if I help you to catch me? I say, it would be rather bad form to have it all end by simply turning myself in."

She lands on Midnight's back as she jumps back, and William's eyes pop wide open before he screams, "It's him! It's Robyn Hood! Stop him!"

"Farewell my lovely royals. It has been a marvelous occasion." And with a swift kick Midnight bolts from the yard and into the town square and towards the open gates.

"Close the gates!" But Midnight is too fast, and leaps over the end of the bridge and onto the grass outside it. Running through the outer town, the people cheer her on as she runs through the streets and back into the woods.

Back at the castle later on that same day, Marian and Snow are sitting in her room. "Can I braid your hair Snow?"

"Sure."

"You've been awful quiet since this evening. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

But in her mind, Snow keeps trying to figure out how she might've known the man behind the hat, the man under the hood. Is it possible that she might know this Robyn Hood?

"Get back here you little puppet! We need a fire! And your owner said you would help us with anything we need. Ha, ha!"

Of course, Pinocchio knows his father isn't who they're referring to. They're referring to the man that Geppetto works for. Running as fast as he can, Pinocchio cries out when his foot catches on a root rising up out of the ground and he trips and falls down.

But as the men are about to come upon him, he hears the thud of someone landing on the ground behind him. Turning his head, at a particular angle that most people can't, he sees a man with a hooded cloak coming towards him.

"Please don't hurt me," he pleads.

"Be quiet kid or they're gonna find us." Robyn grabs him and swings him up onto her back. "Hang onto me alright. Don't let go." Pinocchio holds on tight, his wooden arms biting into Robyn's shoulders as he squeezes. She ignores that though and climbs back up into her nearby tree. Pulling Pinocchio around to sit in front of her, she puts a finger to his lips and then points at where the knights are finally coming into view.

They search slowly for a few minutes, but then one of the knights laughs and says, "Maybe he fell into the river nearby and he'll rot. Come on, let's get back to the castle."

Once they're gone, Pinocchio sighs and turns to look at his savior again. "Thank you sir."

"Don't mention it kid."

It's quiet for a moment, and then Robyn says. "Well, my curiosity is peaked, so I'm going to ask. What's your name and how are you made out of wood?"

"I'm Pinocchio. My father carved me and made me out of a large trunk from a tree, and then made a wish on a star. Then a fairy all dressed in blue named Glenda came down and granted his wish. My Papa wanted a child, and so Glenda made me alive."

Robyn stares for a moment, and then nods and says, "Okay. Well, come on. Let's get you back to camp and cleaned up."

"Can't you take me back?"

"Trust me kid, you don't want to go back. If those knights see you for just one second they are going to take you away and throw you in the king's fireplace."

Pinocchio shivers, or rattles more like, in fear, but still says, "My papa wouldn't let them do that."

"He might try to stop them, but one man against twenty or thirty isn't really a fair fight. Come on. Once we're back at camp I'll see about getting your father to come and join us as well." When Pinocchio smiles and finally nods his head, Robyn grins down at him. "Alright, hop back on."

He holds on tight as Robyn climbs back down the tree, and then skips alongside her as she leads the way back to camp. "Oh, what's your name sir?"

"Robyn Hood kid."

"Thank you very much Mr. Robyn Hood, for saving my life."

"Sure thing kid."

"Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Robyn grins and says, "Tell me about how you become a real boy. Surely Glenda gave you a way to become real and not stay wooden forever. It doesn't seem fair to create someone and have them be a perpetual child for all time."

"Well, I have to be honest and not lie. And I can't be selfish."

"Sounds like good qualities."

"Yeah, but I haven't been doing so well."

"How is that?"

Pinocchio hangs his head slightly and says, "I told a lie when Jiminy found me with a salesman."

"Is Jiminy your father?"

"On, no. Jiminy is my cricket. He's a conscience."

Robyn pauses briefly, and then asks, "Where's your cricket now?"

Jiminy hops up onto Pinocchio's shoulder and says, "Down here."

She looks to him briefly, and then says, "Wherever you were, you might want to stay there. The people at camp don't usually watch where they step."

He nods and chirps a little before actually saying, "Thank you."

At the camp, Little John stares for a moment before shutting his mouth when Robyn says, "Really John? I thought you of all people had better manners then to stare at new guests."

"Sorry, but…"

She nods in understanding and says, "This is Pinocchio. And from what I've heard on my way here, it would be beneficial to find his father and bring him here as well. Geppetto will most likely be devastated until he realizes his son is okay."

"His son?"

"Yes Little John, his son. I'd like for either you or Will to go and find him tomorrow if you can. He's a wood carpenter."

"Right, of course he is."

Pinocchio breathes out a sigh of relief and says, "Thank you Robyn Hood. How can I ever repay you for everything?"

Robyn bends down in front of him so they're at the same height. "You must promise me something Pinocchio."

"Of course."

"Promise me that one day you will become a real boy."

The smile that lights up his face is enough to let Robyn know that when he does, he will be a marvelous young man. "I promise Robyn Hood. I promise."

"Pinocchio! Oh, there you are."

Standing up from the chair he's working on, Pinocchio looks to his father standing in the doorway, leaning heavily against his cane. "Father, I told you not to strain yourself so much. Phillip has assured that we will want for nothing and yet you still insist on working in here when you know you can't any longer."

"I just wanted to check and see how things were going. Aurora's chair must be nice and comfy for when she rocks her baby."

"Indeed, and I promise that it will be when I've added the cushions."

"Oh, and you have a visitor son." Pinocchio looks up again, this time seeing Rapunzel standing shyly in the doorway. Geppetto smiles and then says, "I'll just be in the living room if you need me."

Pinocchio, now a young man, nods to his father and then says, "Hello Rapunzel."

"Hi Pinocchio. I brought some blue berry pie. I thought you might be hungry."

Smiling, he nods and says, "Come on in. We'll sit and have some together."

As she cuts the pie, Pinocchio asks cautiously, "How did you evade him today?"

"I took the alley behind the houses. He thinks I hate it there."

"I hate for you to go there. You shouldn't have to."

"Pinocchio, until Blake has either been banished or learns that I won't ever be his, I will take to the alley. It's not as if it's even dangerous. He just thinks I can't stand the dark. But I don't mind the dark. Not really. That's when you can see all the stars in the sky."

He smiles at her, and then takes her hand in his and says, "If I could I would stop him."

"I know you would Pinocchio. But I know that Phillip is listening too. He just wants to give Blake another chance to turn around. And maybe he will. We must give him a chance. Everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes and to be happy."

Pinocchio thinks back to his time in Sherwood Forest, before he'd been reunited with Phillip, again thanks to the good graces of Robyn Hood.

Rapunzel smiles gently after a moment and say, "You're thinking about him again."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Please tell me something else about him, this Robyn Hood you like so much. You're the only one here who actually knows anything about him at all really. Everyone else just knows rumors."

Pinocchio laughs lightly and says, "Very well. I told you about how he saved me. I told you of how he helped Phillip. Um, did I tell you of the time he helped Aladdin, the new Sultan of Agrabah?"

"Yes, I believe you have." Rapunzel watches as he thinks, and then reaches over and takes his hand in hers. "Perhaps not a story. Tell me something about him, about his character. He clearly made an impression on you."

He smiles as he looks at Rapunzel, her eyes waiting excitedly for a story of the famous outlaw Robyn Hood. "Well, he is kind. I don't mean like some people are randomly kind. He was genuine, always trying to think of others and how he could better help and serve them. When King Richard returned to rule over Nottingham, he left because he knew that his people would never be able to return to serving their king if he stayed. He'd done too much for them to simply overlook him as another townsperson again."

"He never talked like a townsperson. If I think back, he never really acted like one either. He knew as much as they did about town life, and he could do the same work they did, but he never carried himself like they did. He never thought about it, you could tell, but there was always a firmness in his step, like he always knew exactly where he was going, even if he had nowhere in particular in mind. And he talked like a philosopher or advisor would to a king. He was very smart, and his marksmanship has never been matched obviously."

Pinocchio pauses, and then says, "And there is one thing he said to me once that I can never seem to forget."

"What was it Pinocchio?"

Looking down at Rapunzel, he smiles while giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "Once Phillip and Aurora were reunited and he brought me and my father to this place, Jiminy asked if he would stay. Phillip would've more than welcomed him, and he wouldn't be counted an outlaw here or in Nottingham if the time ever came for him to be sent there."

Closing his eyes, Pinocchio says, "And I remember him just standing there for a minute, and even with his face still in shadow I could feel that he was sad for some reason. And then before he turned to go he said, 'No matter where I go, there will always be a place where when they see my face, an outlaw is all I will ever be. I can't change that, it was my decision, and I can't bring myself to regret it. But I can never go home, and I can't find a place that will ever be equal to the space it has left open in me. I'm sorry Jiminy, but my purposes are best served as a drifter, as someone who can be whatever I am called to be.'"

Opening his eyes, he looks to Rapunzel. "And then he gave me the golden arrow you see up there. Told me that it would just rust if he kept it and that he knew I would take good care of it. And then he was gone."

"That's not all silly. You forgot about how Robyn told you that the arrow should always be kept close to you."

Smiling, Pinocchio adds, "I didn't forget. I just knew you'd want to add it in."

"Oh, whatever. Come on. Let's go and fix some supper for your Papa."

"You can't Pinocchio. He'll come back and find me gone, and then he'll just return and take me again. Besides, there is no way down for me."

Pinocchio shakes his head and says, "Your hair Rapunzel."

"Pinocchio, you must go." And she pushes him out the window and lowers him quickly to the ground by her hair.

Looking up at the tower, he hollers, "I will come back for you, and when I do it will be with good news that Blake can never return. Will you come with me then?"

"Oh Pinocchio, if that were possible then yes I would come. Now go, go before he comes back."

Pinocchio runs back through the path he made in the woods, and stops at a nearby tree. With a pen and paper that he carried with him from Rapunzel's tower, he writes, "Phillip, I've found Rapunzel. I was right, Blake kidnapped her. If she comes back with me and tells you this, can you banish Blake? She will not come until she is sure he won't be able to come back to harm anyone else the way he did my father. Please, hurry back with a reply. Pinocchio."

He puts it in the message carrier of the bird that sits on the back of the horse he'd ridden out here. "Carry this to the King. Hurry, time is of the essence." The hawk screeches in reply, and then takes off and up into the air to head back to the palace. Pinocchio watches for a bit, and then hears the sound of hoofs beating against the ground.

Taking to the woods, he hides in the thick trees with his horse, and holds his head down to silence him. Blake, in his dark outfit, his eyes blacker than ever, trots down the path towards the tower. And before Pinocchio can second guess himself, he follows. "Rapunzel, let down your hair girl."

Her hair falls in a long train, and Blake grips it tightly and starts climbing up. Pinocchio waits at the bottom, and when her hair isn't pulled back immediately, he grips it gently and starts up too. Rapunzel's eyes widen when she realizes who's coming. Pinocchio, even while climbing, is gentle on her hair, being sure to not hold it too tightly or pull against it unnecessarily.

Blake looks around suspiciously suddenly and asks, "Who has been here? One of the plates is missing."

"I… I broke one by mistake. It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

"Damn right you're sorry. You're lying to me. Who's been here?"

Pinocchio hears a hard slap and Rapunzel's cry just before he pulls himself over the ledge. "Don't you dare hurt her."

"Ah, the wood boy. I should've known. Well, isn't this a nice little reunion. You know, I had really been hoping you would move past him Rapunzel, really I was. But since you two won't stand to be apart, I guess you two can live happily together in this tower forever."

Before he can blink, Pinocchio is punched in the face, and then thrown against the wall near the window. He hears Rapunzel's worried cry, and then the edges of his vision goes fuzzy before the world suddenly goes black around him.

When he wakes up, Rapunzel's head is in his lap. Lifting his head, he realizes his hands are tied behind him in the chair he's sitting in, and his feet are tied to the legs. "Rapunzel, where is he?" She lifts her gaze to his, and the gag in her mouth prevents her from speaking. She turns her head towards the window though to see that her hair is stretched across the room and down again for Blake to climb down.

His voice from way below hollers, "Oh, and just so you can know Rapunzel, I hope you two have a happy life together. What's left of it anyways. Ha, ha!" They see smoke lifting from the ground, and Pinocchio realizes that he plans to burn the tower down; with them still inside.

"Rapunzel, can you get to my hands?" But she turns so he can see that her hands are tied behind her back too, and then chained to the wall on the opposite side of the room. There is just enough slack for her to reach where she is in front of him, and no more left over. Pinocchio turns to look at his pack on the ground nearby, and realizes that Blake had gone through his things and taken to golden arrow that Robyn Hood had given him so long ago.

Cursing under his breath, he turns back to Rapunzel and says, "Hey, look at me Rapunzel. Look at me." Her tears stain her cheeks when she turns her head back up to see him. "I love you Rapunzel. I love you."

She cries even harder and he says, "Hey, it's okay. I love you, and I'll love you until I die. Do you understand?" She nods and mumbles something past the gag in her mouth. It's not something he can actually understand, but he knows that she's saying it back. "I know honey. I know."

Lowering his head to hers, he presses his lips against her hair and kisses her there before closing his eyes. This is how it would end for them. After all they'd been through, after he'd become a real boy and man and had found someone to love, this was how it would end. Locked and trapped in a tower, burned alive, like those knights had tried to do to him so long ago.

The crash that goes through the roof makes them both jerk their heads to look up. A rope extends through the ceiling and to the other side. And Pinocchio's eyes widen when he sees his golden arrow is the thing that shot the rope through.

The rope hangs down from the roof outside and extends down past the window. They watch it wiggle for a while as smoke continues to billow up from the ground. And Pinocchio can't help but smile and laugh in relief when Robyn Hood pulls himself up through the window and lands on the ground. His cloak is singed, one arm burnt from the flames below, but otherwise he looks as determined as ever.

Robyn looks at them for a moment, and then quickly gets to work. "I told you it was important to keep that thing close. You won't believe how much longer it took me to find you because I had to get it from whoever that is that took it from you."

Pinocchio is still laughing when he says, "I can't believe you're here. How did you find us?"

"The arrow Pinocchio. No time to explain. We have to get out of here before the tower burns down."

After she's unlocked Rapunzel and cut the ropes binding Pinocchio, Robyn climbs up to retrieve the arrow and rope before coming back down. "I will shoot this from here to a tree below. The landing will be rough, but at least we will avoid the flames." But as she ties it off and then shoots, the arrow is jerked back by the end of the rope. "Damn, it's not long enough to reach the edge of the woods."

"What about my hair?"

Turning to Rapunzel, Robyn asks, "You're hair?"

"It's braided and very strong. Blake has been using it to climb and descend the tower since I was put here. It we attach it to the arrow, can you shoot it there?"

Robyn pauses briefly, and then turns to Pinocchio and says teasingly, "You obviously haven't told her very much about me if she thinks I will miss my mark because of hair instead of rope."

They quickly tie one end of her hair to the post by the window, and then Robyn takes out a dagger and prepares to cut the hair close to her head. Rapunzel closes her eyes, dreading the moment, but when it doesn't come she opens her eyes to see Robin holding the blade close to her lips. Looking to Rapunzel, Robyn shrugs and says, "You like your hair. I can't blame you. It's quite beautiful. It will be enchanted after this."

"Enchanted? My hair?"

"Yes. You can make it grow back as soon as we get down, to whatever length you want it to be. Ten feet or just two extra inches. It doesn't matter. Now hold still. We haven't got much time."

She cuts it off, and Pinocchio watches the shimmer at the end of the cut ends of hair on her head before helping Robyn tie the arrow to the hair. Aiming, she shoots for the strongest tree she sees and fires. Sure enough, Rapunzel's hair is long enough to reach. "Go you two. Get out of here. I'm right behind you."

Rapunzel goes first, and then Pinocchio, and Robyn follows right after. But as she is halfway across, the fire reaches the top and the hair attached to the post is singed and breaks away. Robyn plunges down, holding onto the line of hair as it jerks and swings her into the tree line. She crashes to the ground and rolls until her back slams against the trunk of another nearby tree. Groaning, she rises to her feet, and cringes when she realizes her ankle has been twisted.

"Robyn!" Pinocchio sighs in relief when he finds her, but quickly pulls her arm over his shoulders when she limps slightly. "Hey, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. You two should go. I found your horse a ways back. You need to get out of here. There's no telling where Blake is or if he's woken up yet."

Rapunzel takes her other arm and asks, "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I always am. After all…" and she makes a sweeping bow before them, "… I'm Robyn Hood."

Pulling Rapunzel's hand into hers, she gently kisses her fingers. "And though our time together has been brief my dear, I do wish you the best of luck with our parting. Do take care of my dear friend Pinocchio. He can be quite a block-head sometimes. Pun-intended of course."

Pinocchio can't help but laugh again, and then watches as Robyn whistles and Midnight comes out of nowhere and settles down so it's easier for Robyn to get on. "Wait! Robyn, where are you going?"

And there's that same smile beneath the hood. "I'm going to lead our boy Blake as you call him on a very merry chase. Take care my friends. Oh, and Pinocchio." She tosses the golden arrow back to him and says, "Do always keep that close to you my dear friend. Good-bye and best wishes."

And she takes off, out of their sights. Rapunzel then looks back to Pinocchio and says, "You were right. He's amazing. How did he find us Pinocchio?"

He looks at the arrow in his hands, and then puts an arm around her shoulders and turns her toward where his horse is waiting patiently. "I think it had something to do with this. Come on. We need to get back to the kingdom."

At the road side, Pinocchio and Rapunzel break through to find Phillip and his army of knights trotting down the road at a fast pace. But upon seeing his friend, Phillip brings everyone to a halt. "Pinocchio! Thank goodness you're alright."

"Yeah. Robyn Hood saved Rapunzel and me."

Phillip's eyes widen and he says, "That horse of his really must be the fastest in the world then. He was at my palace not even a half hour ago, telling me that something was very wrong and that you were in danger." Rapunzel and Pinocchio look at each other in wonder. How had he already known that they were in trouble? "And then he took off, and he said that if you said that Blake needed banishment then we should banish him. Of course, when we ran into him on the road he was furious. He got away before we could arrest him. We could see the flames by then and knew that he must've done something terrible. What happened Pinocchio?"

"It's a long story my friend. I think perhaps we should go back to the castle while your men try and find Blake. Robyn said he would lead him on a merry chase, but I don't know how long he can keep him occupied."

Meanwhile, Robyn has just cut Blake off in front of him, and laughs when the man curses and starts following behind her. "I will get you for this Robyn Hood. I will have my revenge on that stupid puppet and on you. But you first. Come here!"

Robyn pushes Midnight as fast as she'll go, and when they break into a clearing near a shoreline, she turns her to run along the shore, kicking up sand behind them. "Robyn Hood!"

The arrow that pierces her side is as surprising as it is painful. Midnight whinnies, sensing her master's pain, but Robyn kicks again and says, "No, keep going Midnight. Don't stop. Don't let him catch you."

And even as she says it, she rolls off of Midnight, the pain causing a blinding darkness to engulf her eyes as she lands harshly on her back. Blake watches Robyn fall and laughs harshly while he rides past the hooded figure. Pulling his mare to a stop, he turns around, but finds that Robyn has already pushed himself into the water and is swimming out beyond the shore.

"Get back here! I will have my revenge!" Robyn dives down into the water as he shouts at her, and as fast as she can pushes herself deeper and deeper and further and further until she's sure Blake's haphazardly shot arrows won't hit her, at least not with full force. They soar through the water, but slow as they reach her. One cuts a gash into her arm, but none of the others make any great impact.

Blake just spots the blood rising to the ocean's surface when he hears the sounds of King Phillip's knights approaching. "Damn it! I will get you Robyn Hood! If it's the last thing I do!" He hops back on his horse and takes off, cutting back into the woods before disappearing from sight, the knights following him in pursuit.

Robyn waits as long as she can, and when the arrows don't continue coming she tries to swim back up. But her vision clouds, her arm and side scream at her, and as she gasps at the pain she sucks water into her lungs. The last thing she sees before the world goes completely black for her is a blur of bright red, and then two hands reaching out for her.

And when she wakes up to the pressure of someone pushing hard against her chest, she chokes on the water that's rising up her throat. Flipping her head to the side, she spits it up, and hears a soothing voice say, "There, there, that's it. Get it all out. Everything's going to be fine now."

Turning back over, Robyn looks up to see a girl with green eyes and striking red hair smiling softly down at her. "You will be alright now. I've tended your wounds with a healing plant from the sea. They will heal quickly, though you may still feel a slight pain from them for some time."

Robyn simply stares for a moment, discerning that she is lying on a dock somewhere, and tries to catch her breath. When she finally feels like she has enough air in her lungs, she asks in a groggy voice, "Who are you?"

The woman with red hair smiles gently, and runs a hand gently along Robyn's brow. It's then that Robyn realizes her hood has been pulled back. "My name is Ariel dear. What is your name? Do you remember?"

For a moment she doesn't answer, but then says softly, "Robyn."

"That is a very pretty name. It's a pleasure to meet you Robyn. I'm glad that you are okay."

Chapter 4! Yay! I hope you are enjoying. Chapter 5 to come soon. :)