The dawn broke through the opened windows of the small cottage like a beam of light piercing a shroud veil…Outside of the small abode dew clung to the grass after the downpour of the previous night, each individual drop shimmering in the early morning sun…Like miniature stars in a galaxy of green and brown…However something seemed off…As a brown hooded figure slowly pushed the door open to the small abode…His shoes tapping against the cobbled stone floor…Yet he seemed silent as a ghost.
He approached the bedside…Where inside lay the sleeping frame of a scrawny boy in his late teens, a tide of messy earth brown hair spilling out from the top of the ragged animal furs that covered his body…The boy's quiet snores cutting through the silence of the cottage. And the figure moved his hands into the depths of his brown cloak and pulled something out…
…...
Robert tossed in his sleep, the itching, prickling sensation of the straw mattress digging into his skin as he tried to get comfortable…However he felt a small patch on the mattress where the straw didn't did into the skin of his neck like a thousand, tiny coarse, needles…He rested his head against that smoother patch, his sleeping body squirming slightly, his hands clinging to the old sheep's skin he used as a blanket…Yeah…This could work…This could definitely work…
However his train of thought evaporated like water in a kettle as he felt a freezing liquid as cold as the northern ice splash against the bare skin of his face. The sudden contact of the liquid immediately sent echoes of shock throughout his body and within moments he was by all means fully conscious…
"Arrrghhh! OK OK! I'M AWAKE!" He cried, clutching his face as the last of the liquid splashed against his now soaked face.
He shot up from the bed, frantically rubbing his eyes to get the last of the liquid out, he could here chuckling coming from two individuals. Looking up he could see the blurry forms of the brown hooded figure who in reality appeared as a rather tall, burly man in his mid to late forties. His hair was in the fashion of a monk and an iron cross hung from his neck…
"Was that really necessary Uncle?!" Robert groaned, he hated it when the cranky fool pulled his little pranks on him…His Uncle Percy always seemed to be the black sheep of the many priests and monks in England, he was a man of god and at the same time he knew how to have fun with his family, Robert had seen him drink and flirt with the women of the town…frequently and without even a shred of regret despite his position, yet somehow they still considered him a priest…How so he would never know.
"Finally awake I see nephew? Good, once you're out of bed and have eaten your breakfast I believe that we should talk…It's a rather serious talk mind you so don't dawdle or lollygag."
Robert who was too busy shivering with cold and too shocked at what had just happened didn't have the stomach or the time to process what had just happened so he gave the smallest of nods and shot up and out of bed…
Downing his pitiful breakfast and making sure he looked slightly presentable he raced out onto the small earthen path to the cottage where his uncle had awaited him patiently…It was a beautiful morning, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and the sky was coloured a wondrous ocean blue hue. If only he could have woken up under different circumstances…
"Listen Robert, I know that you're trying to do the right thing and trying to get Anne away from Roger but this isn't the way to do it."
"I have no idea what you're talking about uncle."
"Don't lie to me Robert, it's obvious. Walter complaining about a stolen pendant, Roger losing a few shillings every so often…It's disturbing how you insist to keep doing this, I can't keep lying to them for much longer…Eventually you'll learn your lesson and it'll cost you an arm or a leg…Possibly even literally. But you get my point don't you? I'm not telling you to stop…But I'm just letting you know, actions have consequences."
Robert smirked slightly, placing a hand on his uncle's shoulder and chuckling merrily.
"Relax, it's not like they'll ever catch me. Besides I'm sure that I can handle myself anyway. Oh and they deserve it."
Percy sighed, a twinge of disappointment evident in his voice as the middle aged man spoke,
"Very well, if it helps a merchant from London will be arriving by cart today. A rich bloke too, heavy pursed, nice clothing…I'm sure that he wouldn't notice if a couple of coins went missing. And now I really must be going, don't do anything stupid Robert…" Before he turned his heel and turned at the small earthen crossroads connecting the miniature abode and the village.
The teenager's young, bright eyes lit up with almost overwhelming avarice…A merchant…From London? Arguably the greatest city in all of Europe, rivalling the majesty of Rome, Paris and Florence…The riches that could be taken from him…Hell he could most likely take a small percentage of the coin and be set for life…He could get Anne away from Roger…He certainly knew what he would be doing today…
But first he'd have to tend to the fields…
…...
Sickle-work was surprisingly easy once you had gotten into a good rhythm and Robert knew this arguably better than anyone else as he pulled a large bunch of the golden coloured plants towards him, the blade of the sickles slicing through the thin stalks and pulling the harvested material towards him before dumping it in a small wooden wheelbarrow until the golden yellow grain piled high within the wheelbarrow, at which point he lowered his small sickle and fastened it to his belt, at which point he admired his handiwork and pushed the miniature wheelbarrow towards a rather small ornate windmill that stood proudly upon a large hill more than a few yards away…
He dumped the wheelbarrow at the entrance to the mill rather shoddily, a couple of the stalks falling from the large pile and mixing with the muddy earth below before he turned back to see the tiny village…
Perlshaw it was called, a village…Well more akin to a small hamlet, it was little more than a handful of small rustic buildings dotted around in a close proximity with one another, with only a couple of the features of a normal village, a tavern, a church, a mill and a small, "Blacksmith." It's population numbered less than 100 people and most of the…Community's people knew and greeted each other by name.
It may have been an incredibly small and irrelevant settlement however it's people were loyal to each other…Mostly…It was also the only home that Robert had really ever known, Tewkesbury… was the rather large market town that was only a couple of miles north of the hamlet, it was a place that Robert would often go to, either to nick a few shillings from the stalls of unsuspecting shopkeepers or to walk around and admire the impressive architecture of the buildings.
It was also quite likely where the merchant would be coming in from…And Robert watched from the top of the hill and waited…And waited…And waited...
…...
The sun had begun to slowly dip behind the horizon…The skies going a beautiful tangerine orange sheen that spread across the sky. The dusk really was beautiful at times, it was such a shame that Robert had much more nefarious ideas in mind for what he'd be doing.
He eyed down the entrance to the tavern…His beady eyes watching the door…It took a few seconds however the doors flung open with a loud bang as a well dressed man with a rather heavy looking purse and a pair of well armed guards burst from the tavern door.
The merchant himself was very clearly intoxicated, his chubby cheeks red and his thin spindly legs stumbling over each other, all the while the guards stood watch with clear embarrassment and disdain of the merchant as their hands rested on their arming swords.
Robert smirked as he saw the scene, it was humorous to say the very least and he knew that he could probably rob the small bag of coin from the merchants waist without the guards noticing.
He took a deep breath and approached the three men, a rather smooth and confident grin on his face.
He seemingly tripped up when he was only a couple of feet in front of the men, falling to the floor with a rather audible thud, the first guard offered him a hand which he gratefully took.
"Up you get sir, sorry if we're the reason you fell." He said in a rather jovial voice.
Robert smirked under his breath as he hoisted himself back up with one hand, the second one sneaking slowly to where the small bag was fastened to the merchant's belt, hearing the gold coin rattling inside.
"Oh thank you, it's nice to know that there are still some good people around…" he stated merrily, feeling the bag come loose and fall into his hands.
He turned his tail and slowly began to walk down the street, happy that his mission was a success…There surely had to be a lot of money in the purse…What he could do with it was driving him mad with glee, he could save Anne from Roger! He could do so much…Oh so much…
"Wait a second…Hey…STOP THIEF!" he heard a loud and angry voice bellow from behind him, as if he had enraged a great monstrous beast.
Robert's train of thought was immediately shattered and the volume of the shout shocked him greatly and he could hear the heavy footsteps growing louder and louder…A single voice in the back of his mind said only one thing…Run…
He broke into a sprint…His legs trying to carry him as fast and as far as they could….However his attempt was futile…He felt the full weight of one guard slam into his back, sending him tumbling to the floor below…Pain flared across his body as he collided with the floor and then…He could feel the agonising pain everywhere as he felt the contact of armoured hands beating against his body…
He was flipped over onto his back and suddenly he felt cold steel slash across his face and he cried out in pain…Blood flying from a cut across his right eye...Then another slash to his leg rendered him immobile…He tried his best to crawl away…But he felt an armoured boot fall down onto his back knocking the wind out of him and Robert braced for impact…Knowing what would come next…