--Outlaw's Camp--

--Outlaw's Camp--

A noise woke me up and I snuggled deeper into my pillow. It (the pillow) was comfortable and warm and …its heartbeat lulled me back to sleep.

Since when did pillows have heartbeats??

My still mostly asleep mind slowly filled in the answer: It was just Allan.

Oh okay. I started to drift back to sleep.

Wait! Why was Allan my pillow!?

I opened my eyes in shock and was completely awake. I laid still and tried to remember what had happened yesterday. I had three major questions:

Where was I?

How did I escape the castle?

And probably the most important:

Why was Allan my pillow!?

I just laid there and waited for my memories to return and hopefully bring the answers with them. Then I heard the noise that had first woken me up and it acted like a trigger, sending all my memories flooding back.

I was in the outlaws' camp with Robin, Much, Little John, Will, Djac and Allan.

They had helped me escape.

… … … I waited but didn't get an answer for the most important one.

Wonderful.

Did I…?

I pushed that thought away before it even fully formed.

No. Definitely not. That wasn't something I would forget.

I tried to roll away from him and found that I couldn't.

Allan was lying on his back and I was on my side, curled into him. His arm was wrapped around my waist, hence my mobility problem.

Slowly I opened my eyes, one at a time, to see if my 'pillow' was awake or not. I couldn't tell. His eyes were shut but he had a smirk that made it impossible to tell.

Since my back was to the wall, I had a pretty good view of the camp. Will and Djac were straight across, sitting on a bed with their heads close together talking about something quietly. Much was at the fire, lifting and replacing a pot lid. That was what made the noise, I realized. Robin and Little John were nowhere to me seen.

"They went to get some game." Allan whispered in my ear, making me jump.

"Good God! You scared me!" I whispered back and began calculating my odds of getting back to sleep. I wasn't a morning person and could sleep all day if no one got me up.

"Sorry. And you cant go back to sleep." He apologized.

"Why not? How did you know?"

"Because I know you, love. Now get up." He said and kissed the top of my forehead.

"I happen to like sleep." I protested. I had decided to wait to ask him why we were in the same bed until I was actually awake so I could be mad at him again if I had to. You can't be mad when you're still half asleep.

"Don't we all?"

"Apparently not." I muttered and sighed, closing my eyes, "I'll get up when Robin and John get back."

"Well then get up, because they're back."

I opened them to glare at him but then saw that he was right. They were just reentering the camp with four rabbits, one in each hand.

"Mornin' lads." Robin greeted loudly as he threw his rabbits down by Much.

"Robin, Shush! Rachel's still asleep!" He looked over at me and saw that my eyes were open. "Oh, well. Good morning then."

I waved at him and the couple who had looked up when John and Robin returned. Allan lifted his arm and I sat up.

And promptly hit my head on the logs over the bed.

"Ouch" John said sympathetically.

"Owww" I muttered rubbing my head. Allan sat up (without hitting his head), laughed at me, and jumped down. "Thanks for the warning." I muttered. If he heard me he just ignored it.

I crawled over to the edge and got down but had to grab onto Allan's arm as another dizzy spell hit me.

"Are they always that bad?" Robin asked after it passed. I shook my head.

"They get worse if she doesn't eat enough." Allan supplied and I nodded.

"Well then, she needs to eat! I need to eat because I am starving!" Much said and started to clean and cook the rabbits. Everybody rolled their eyes at him.

"Today we're going to the villages around Clun this morning, there's about five of them. Them we'll come back here around mid-day for lunch and go to Nettlestone and those around it afterwards. You" Robin told me like he expected me to argue, "are going to stay here and regain your strength."

I nodded; I had expected to stay here at least today. I probably wouldn't be able to keep up with them today, anyway. I realized that he was still talking to me and turned my attention back to him.

"Djac is staying with you this morning and Will's staying this afternoon." He finished.

"Great."

From there they started talking about a family who had just had their first child and would probably need some extra food. I was once again using Allan as a pillow, this time his shoulder, and his arm was around my shoulders.

I still wasn't completely awake when the alarm went off, but even if the noise hadn't woken me up, the run there certainly would have.

Somebody had tripped the trap that was protecting the extra supplies and I tagged along since Much was staying at the camp to finish cooking breakfast.

"There isn't anyone here…" Will said, confused, when we reached the trap.

"So then what could have set the alarm off?" Robin wondered.

"A dog." I said kneeling down in the dirt. "Look at these tracks."

"A dog wouldn't be big enough." Will protested.

"Could one though? If it was big enough?" I asked standing up and looking around.

"I guess." He shrugged.

"You know something." Allan accused me. I shrugged and whistled, loud and sharp, and then stood waiting.

There! I heard a faint bark, too faint to tell where it was coming from. If I had not been listening for it I would not have heard it.

I whistled again. This time the bark was closer and the others heard it as well. They formed a line facing the direction it had come from. Allan and Robin were on either side of me, with Allan on my left and Robin on my right. Will and Djac were on the other side of Robin and John was on the other side of Allan.

The dog approached making very little noise. He was tall and slender with a gray/tan colored coat. He was at least as tall as my hip.

As he came bounding towards us I stepped forward and the others stepped back.

"Rain! What are you doing!?" Allan grabbed my arm and held me back.

"Relax, it's merely Alex." I said and shrugged him off.

"Alex? who is Alex?" He asked but I was not paying attention to him, I was already running towards my big oaf of a dog, who I hadn't seen since I got thrown in the dungeons.

"Hile! You big galoof!" I dropped on my knees and slid where he, on the other hand, ran right into me and knocked me backwards before covering my face in slobbery licks. "Where have you been? Good God, you stink!"

"Rachel, are you alright?" Robin called to me.

"Of course!" I looked at the others and saw that they had moved closer. "Come on, you big Oaf, get offa me." I told Alex and pushed him back. At first he didn't budge but after a last lick he backed off of me and stood by my side as I got up.

The gang started to approach but Alex started to growl and placed himself in-between them and me.

I sighed. This is what I had been afraid of. Alex was extremely protective of me and, while it had come in handy in the Holy Lands while I was a messenger for Richard, I might be a problem here. In order for hi to even possibly stay at the camp he was going to have to realize that these people were to be protected, not protected from.

Hmm, how should I do this?

Then I got an idea. I placed my hand on Alex's back and, once he was paying attention to me and not the gang, I called to Allan.

"Dag, come here, please? Just you right now." Allan had always been good with dogs and I realized that his scent was on me. As he approached I scratched Alex behind the ears and murmured to him.

When Allan got close enough I walked around Alex and held my hand out to him. Alex started to growl again but quieted when I said his name.

Allan took my hand and stepped next to me, holding out his hand for Alex to sniff. He smelled the offered hand and then sniffed the one that was linked with mine. He looked up at me and I relaxed. He wagged his tail and licked our linked hands before sitting down.

"Well, that was easy." I said and leaned against my childhood friend. He just grinned down at me and said "Of course."

I looked over at the others and saw them watching, worriedly.

"Willy, your turn!" I called and motioned for him to come. Alex had already met him the last time I had been in Nottingham, but he had been a puppy then, so I thought that it would be best to let them re-meet, just in case. I was right not to worry since Alex merely sniffed the offered hand and wagged his tail.

Djac was next. I was a little worried since he had only met Saracens as enemies but I needn't have worried because he did the same thing that he had done with Will.

After Djac came Little John and Alex offered his paw to shake, which John did before patting him on the head.

"Want to try again?" I asked Robin, who was standing back from the group a ways by himself. He had been lost in his thoughts; it was obvious by the way he stared at me for a second before comprehending what I had asked. His face had been without the usual arrogant grin and he had looked sad and lost; like someone who was not sure what they were doing and if it was worth it. But then the look had vanished like it had never been there and he forced his usual grin back on his face.

I looked around and saw that Little John had been the only other one to see it.

"I think not. Shall we go back to camp, lads?" The gang agreed and Robin led the way.

"Try again?" Allan asked me as we walked back to camp. Robin was still in the lead; Will and Djac were in front of Little John, holding hands. Allan and I were in the back, trailing behind the others, not holding hands but walking close enough to accidentally brush against each other. Alex was on my other side.

I nodded and then explained.

"Alex hasn't liked Robin ever since he and I got into an argument. We were both yelling at each other and I got up to leave. He grabbed my arm to stop me and Alex tackled him. Hasn't liked him ever since."

"What were you fighting about?"

"I had to deliver a message for the King and Robin wanted men to accompany me. But I thought that it would be safer without them. Eventually I convinced Robin that I Knew what I was talking about and he ordered the men to stay behind. Not that it really mattered. They disobeyed and lost their lives because of it." I bowed my head and a single tear slid down my cheek. They had been good men.

Allan slung his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him.