For the next few days, Cadiana didn't do much else but train with various members of the outlaws group. Robin wasn't content to let her stay with her weapon of choice-her blades. He had told her she needed to be better prepared.
So she worked with John, learning how to use a quarterstaff. SHe had gotten fairly good at it all ready, and John was pleased with her.
"It's quite a bit about strength," He had told her. "And you're as strong, or even stronger than most men. You'll do okay."
She worked with Robin, getting slowly better with a bow, and working on her sword skill. She was quite proud of that at least. Not that she ever managed to beat Robin, but she could swear that sometimes she was close.
She was seeing very little of Will, as he was busy with other things, raiding lonely travellers, keeping watch, hunting, and so on. That was fine with her. After he had kissed her, she had felt kind of uncomfortable around him. It bothered her, how it had felt. For God's sake, he was as good as her brother. She shouldn't be thinking about those kind of things.
In the meantime, she was learning a lot, and even though she was pretty sore from hitting the ground so many times (under John's supervision)
she was slowly beginning to love it in the forest with this band of outlaws.
Everything was going wonderfully, until one morning, Will grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the clearing.
"Where are we going?" Cadiana asked, going with him willingly.
"Robin says you need some practice." He said grimly, bringing her to another, smaller clearing. He was angry, Cadiana could tell. There were slight furrows in his forehead, and he was frowning. She realized that since he had started dragging her out here, he hadn't looked at her.
"What do I need to practice?" She asked, just slightly confused.
"He says you need target practice." Will said, stopping, and letting go of her hand. "With your knives. 'e's ordered me to 'elp you."
"What?" Cadiana said, her voice displaying her indignation. "I've been practicing since I was ten, what do I *need* more for right now? And what do you mean, 'e ordered you to?"
"I mean 'e's made it a direct order, that I'm to 'elp you." Will said, finally looking at her. "I told as much, that you didn't need the practice, but 'e insisted. Said either I took you, or 'e would."
"Why should that make a difference, other than that I'm willing to bet that you're better than him?" Cadiana asked him.
"Never mind Cady." Will said, practically wincing at her question. This troubled Cadiana some, but she let it go. "C'mon, we might as well do somethin'."
"Okay." She agreed lightly, trying to cheer him up a bit. "Pick me a target."
Will gave her a grin, obviously trying to do the same thing. "Split any leaf on a tree, right down the middle."
"Pathetic." Cadiana said, with a bit of a laugh, pulling out a blade, glancing at a tree , then turning back to Will. Not looking at the tree, she tossed the knife so fast that it became a blur before it hit the tree, slicing deeply into the wood. "That was a pathetic target Scarlet. But then again," She added nonchantly, "I wouldn't expect you to be able to hit that." Got you friend, she thought. She grinned and dashed away from him.
"Ooh, you wench." Will growled good naturedly, and took off through the trees after her, the opposite direction of the camp. He caught up to her after a minute or two, wrapping an arm around her waist and yanking her backward. She fell into him on purpose, knocking him down with her deliberate dead weight. At the last second, he twisted, and she hit the ground first. He had braced his weight on his wrists so that he wouldn't fall on her, something he was sure she would appreciate.
"Bastard." She called him with and affectionate tone in her voice. She looked beautiful lying in the grass, leaves throughout her black hair, completely disheveled.
She watched him with warm green eyes, and it was at that moment that Will decided to kiss her. He lowered his head, and captured her mouth with his. She was warm and willing beneath him, her hands threading through his hair, keeping his lips pressed to hers, as if he were trying to pull away. He slanted his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss, touching her tongue with his own. As he did so, he lowered himself to his elbows, one hand skimming up her side to the open neck of her shirt.
She made a little sound, and he pulled away from her a bit, breaking the kiss. He smoothed the hair from her face with less than steady hands, he admitted to himself. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"
She laughed, a throaty sound. "Not a chance Will Scathelocke. Not a a chance."
His head dipped to kiss her again, and was barely brushing her lips when they heard Much calling their names.
"Dammit." He cursed quietly, turning his head in the direction of the boy's voice. Then he levered himself off Cadiana brushing his clothes off while doing so. He held a hand out for her, and she accepted it.
They heard Much call for them again, and Cadiana called, in a relatively normal tone that Will was sure he wasn't capable of, "Over here Much."
Cadiana dropped Will's hand as Much came into view. It irritated Will that she felt she had to do that, but he kept his mouth shut.
Cadiana slid him a heated glance, and Will knew that if someone asked him his name, he probably wouldn't remember it. God, he *wanted* her. Badly. This thought shook him, scared him. For God's sake, he grew up with her, she was his best friends sister. Dammit, he cursed mentally. Get a grip Scarlet. You're losing your mind.
"Robin sent me." Much said. "He needs the two of you back at camp right away." The boy was oblivious to what he had just broken up, and Will gritted his teeth. Damn the luck. Quit it, he told himself. Stop thinking of her like that. You don't feel that way about her.
Then why? Will asked himself later. When Much turned and went on ahead, and Cady slipped her hand back into mine, why was I so happy about it?
----------
Author's Note: I would say thank you to my reviewers... but I didn't have any. So... yeah...
Abbie
So she worked with John, learning how to use a quarterstaff. SHe had gotten fairly good at it all ready, and John was pleased with her.
"It's quite a bit about strength," He had told her. "And you're as strong, or even stronger than most men. You'll do okay."
She worked with Robin, getting slowly better with a bow, and working on her sword skill. She was quite proud of that at least. Not that she ever managed to beat Robin, but she could swear that sometimes she was close.
She was seeing very little of Will, as he was busy with other things, raiding lonely travellers, keeping watch, hunting, and so on. That was fine with her. After he had kissed her, she had felt kind of uncomfortable around him. It bothered her, how it had felt. For God's sake, he was as good as her brother. She shouldn't be thinking about those kind of things.
In the meantime, she was learning a lot, and even though she was pretty sore from hitting the ground so many times (under John's supervision)
she was slowly beginning to love it in the forest with this band of outlaws.
Everything was going wonderfully, until one morning, Will grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the clearing.
"Where are we going?" Cadiana asked, going with him willingly.
"Robin says you need some practice." He said grimly, bringing her to another, smaller clearing. He was angry, Cadiana could tell. There were slight furrows in his forehead, and he was frowning. She realized that since he had started dragging her out here, he hadn't looked at her.
"What do I need to practice?" She asked, just slightly confused.
"He says you need target practice." Will said, stopping, and letting go of her hand. "With your knives. 'e's ordered me to 'elp you."
"What?" Cadiana said, her voice displaying her indignation. "I've been practicing since I was ten, what do I *need* more for right now? And what do you mean, 'e ordered you to?"
"I mean 'e's made it a direct order, that I'm to 'elp you." Will said, finally looking at her. "I told as much, that you didn't need the practice, but 'e insisted. Said either I took you, or 'e would."
"Why should that make a difference, other than that I'm willing to bet that you're better than him?" Cadiana asked him.
"Never mind Cady." Will said, practically wincing at her question. This troubled Cadiana some, but she let it go. "C'mon, we might as well do somethin'."
"Okay." She agreed lightly, trying to cheer him up a bit. "Pick me a target."
Will gave her a grin, obviously trying to do the same thing. "Split any leaf on a tree, right down the middle."
"Pathetic." Cadiana said, with a bit of a laugh, pulling out a blade, glancing at a tree , then turning back to Will. Not looking at the tree, she tossed the knife so fast that it became a blur before it hit the tree, slicing deeply into the wood. "That was a pathetic target Scarlet. But then again," She added nonchantly, "I wouldn't expect you to be able to hit that." Got you friend, she thought. She grinned and dashed away from him.
"Ooh, you wench." Will growled good naturedly, and took off through the trees after her, the opposite direction of the camp. He caught up to her after a minute or two, wrapping an arm around her waist and yanking her backward. She fell into him on purpose, knocking him down with her deliberate dead weight. At the last second, he twisted, and she hit the ground first. He had braced his weight on his wrists so that he wouldn't fall on her, something he was sure she would appreciate.
"Bastard." She called him with and affectionate tone in her voice. She looked beautiful lying in the grass, leaves throughout her black hair, completely disheveled.
She watched him with warm green eyes, and it was at that moment that Will decided to kiss her. He lowered his head, and captured her mouth with his. She was warm and willing beneath him, her hands threading through his hair, keeping his lips pressed to hers, as if he were trying to pull away. He slanted his mouth across hers, deepening the kiss, touching her tongue with his own. As he did so, he lowered himself to his elbows, one hand skimming up her side to the open neck of her shirt.
She made a little sound, and he pulled away from her a bit, breaking the kiss. He smoothed the hair from her face with less than steady hands, he admitted to himself. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?"
She laughed, a throaty sound. "Not a chance Will Scathelocke. Not a a chance."
His head dipped to kiss her again, and was barely brushing her lips when they heard Much calling their names.
"Dammit." He cursed quietly, turning his head in the direction of the boy's voice. Then he levered himself off Cadiana brushing his clothes off while doing so. He held a hand out for her, and she accepted it.
They heard Much call for them again, and Cadiana called, in a relatively normal tone that Will was sure he wasn't capable of, "Over here Much."
Cadiana dropped Will's hand as Much came into view. It irritated Will that she felt she had to do that, but he kept his mouth shut.
Cadiana slid him a heated glance, and Will knew that if someone asked him his name, he probably wouldn't remember it. God, he *wanted* her. Badly. This thought shook him, scared him. For God's sake, he grew up with her, she was his best friends sister. Dammit, he cursed mentally. Get a grip Scarlet. You're losing your mind.
"Robin sent me." Much said. "He needs the two of you back at camp right away." The boy was oblivious to what he had just broken up, and Will gritted his teeth. Damn the luck. Quit it, he told himself. Stop thinking of her like that. You don't feel that way about her.
Then why? Will asked himself later. When Much turned and went on ahead, and Cady slipped her hand back into mine, why was I so happy about it?
----------
Author's Note: I would say thank you to my reviewers... but I didn't have any. So... yeah...
Abbie