-Kirklees Abbey-

"Luke!" Elsie said, finishing Robin's sentence. "Luke Scarlet?" It was Luke's turn to blush. "That same little boy who used to pull my pigtails when he thought I wasn't looking?"

He gave a simple nod.

Elsie laughed lightly. "You certainly have grown up."

Grinning shyly, Luke avoided the amused grins of the others.

---

After everyone was properly fed and watered, the evening was spent swapping stories about the things that had passed over the last seven years. Elsie did not have much to tell, since learning the ettiquette of a proper noble lady was not exactly filled with adventure. Her life in Wycombe had been quiet and it wasn't until her travels back to Locksley that a more thrilling tale began. Of course, the others were quite keen on hearing a complete account of the capture and imprisonment in Nottingham. Elsie weaved her story with care, trying not to leave out a single detail.

When Elsie had finished her tale, it was Robin's turn to catch her up on what they had been dealing with since his return from the Holy Land. With the Much's help, Robin told her of their return to Locksley, finding it a broken village under Gisborne's rule and Nottingham even worse under the sherriff. She learned of how Will, Luke, and Allan were nearly hanged and how it began their campaign against injustice. They shared some laughs while remembering the first impressions of Little John and Djaq. Elsie was brought up to sped on the traitorous mission of the Black Knights and their goal to dispose of King Richard. This was something she had been acutely aware of, having been witness to plenty of suspicious conversations between Gisborne and the sheriff.

The atmosphere took a dramatic turn when the gang realized the part of their story that came next - Marian. It took Robin a few moments to begin speaking of that fateful journey to the Holy Land. The forest and all its inhabitants seemed to stop in that moment when Robin spoke quietly of the assassination attempt on the King. The rest of the gang seemed to scarcely breathe when he spoke of Marian's death - something that hadn't been done since her burial.

Silent tears rolled down Elsie's cheeks. The news wasn't easy; Marian had been a dear childhood friend of hers as well. It sickened her to think what Robin had gone through - what he was still going through. She knew his pain. Marian had been special to him long before he chose to go to war. It was no surprise that the two of them had managed to rekindle that love after all those years apart.

No one spoke for some time after, letting the weight of those past events work itself out. Staggeringly, John, Allan, and Luke retired to their bunks for the night. Much lingered a while longer before heading off as well. Elsie's eyelids were starting to droop, but she did not want to leave her brother alone, especially after having to relive his worst memory for the sake of her knowing. She caught herself nodding off and quickly jerked awake. Looking across the fire, Robin was watching her with a playful grin.

"You should get some rest," he insisted, standing up. "You have earned a decent night's sleep."

Elsie nodded and got on her feet, taking his hand in hers. "I am very sorry about Marian."

Robin pulled her into a hug. "Yeah, me too." He inhaled deeply as though he were trying to finalize this moment of grief. "But for now, I am glad to know that you are safe."

Giving him one more squeeze, Elsie crawled into one of the vacant bunks. Seconds after lying her head down she had drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

---

It was mid-morning and the heavy scent of bacon floated across camp on a light breeze. As the aroma reached her nostrils, Elsie's empty stomach lurched, rousing her from slumber. Propping herself up on an elbow, she glanced around to see that everyone else was awake. She tossed off the blanket prepared to investigate the source of the smell.

"Morning," she said, greeting the other as she plopped down next to Allan.

"Did you sleep well, my lady?" Much asked.

Elsie nodded. "Yes, thank you, Much. Those bunks are surprisingly comfortable."

"Well, you get the first serving of breakfast," Much declared, passing her a plate of steaming food. "I hope you are hungry."

"I am," Elsie replied eagerly, taking the hot plate. She set to work with no nibbling involved - all ladylike manners forgotten. The food was heavenly, especially after living on bits of stale bread for so long. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed she had an audience.

"I'm not being funny, but you shouldn't eat that fast," Allan remarked, taking his own plate from Much. "Stomach ache."

Robin laughed as he joined the group. "Alright lads, listen up." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace of sorts. A wooden medallion hung on a piece of twine. "Luke, since you helped up rescue Elsie from the castle, you have earned this my friend." He smiled and handed Luke the necklace. "You are officially a part of our gang."

Luke grinned broadly as the others clapped him on the back, offering their congratulations. Elsie smiled politely as she watched, not quite certain of its significance.

"What is that you gave to Luke?" Elsie asked when Robin sat down beside her. She was curious to learn more about their life in the forest.

"A tag for identification," Robin explained, "so that the people, and particularly the sheriff, will know exactly who is a part of our gang and who is not."

"Oh, I understand. That is clever," Elsie replied. She went back to the contents ofher plate for a moment before asking hopefully, "Will I get one?"

Robin pursed his lips and stared into the distance for a moment, almost debating his answer. All eyes were on him waiting to hear his answer.

"No," he said firmly.

"Why?" Elsie insisted.

"You will not be staying in the forest," Robin replied, chuckling as though the idea of it was completely absurd.

"Why not?" Elsie demanded. She could not believe that he would dismiss the idea so quickly.

"The forest is no place for a lady," he assured her. "You would grow tired of it quickly."

"But master, surely -" Much started. He wanted to point out that both Djaq and Marian had lived in the forest with them.

Robin cut him off, glaring pointedly at him. "That was different. I have made my decision and Elsie, you will not be staying in the forest. We will take you to Kirklees Abbey. There you will be safe."

"It is not your decision to make!" Elsie growled; tears began to flood her eyes. She felt somewhat betrayed since Robin obviously did not think she was worthy to join his cause. "I will not go to Kirklees."

And in a rather childish move, Elsie stalked away and into the forest.