CHAPTER ONE
The sun was low in the sky, and the heat was unbearable. All the workers in Locksley had been working extra hard in order to keep up with the new taxes and Elodie was no exception. Sir Guy had been working her double, in order to keep himself distracted from Lady Marian's constant rejections.
Elodie sighed wiping the sweat from her brow, she sat up, examining the patch or floor she had been scrubbing so meticulously for the last hour. She dropped her head when she realised that it looked just as dirty as it had done.
She stood up and with as much energy as she could muster; she carried the pale of dirty water, outside. And let the water run free down, into the village, smiling when she noticed her brothers playing carelessly by the lake. She brushed a lock of honey blonde hair from her eyes and turned to the grey haired woman standing next to her.
'Martha have you noticed Sir Guy sees to be a little' She paused, thinking of the right word'agitated recently.'
Martha let out a small, brittle laugh.
'Elodie, Sir Guy is always agitated'
'I know, I know but,' She looked down to her feet, 'I don't know, this is different he actually seems. Troubled.'
'Mmmmm, you know i heard lady Marian, left him for an outlaw!'
Elodie glanced up, Wide eyed 'Really?!'
A smile gracing her lips, as she nodded toward the house.
'Looks like the beast has arisen, you better go.' She smiled, Martha had always hated Sir Guy, but herself, he seemed almost kind to her, and she never knew why.
She kissed her best friend on the cheek and bid her farewell.
She squinted at the darkness of the lord's chamber.
'Milord, you're awake'
The only response was a slight grunt from under the sheets, and Elodie sighed.
'Milord you must rise. The villagers are worried for your well being'
She waited for what seemed like an eternity before he finally uttered a word.
'Out.'
She flexed her fingers into fists
'My Lord?'
'Leave me. I need not of your services, you may go now.'
He obviously didn't feel like talking and so she shuffled as gracefully as she could in her thick cotton dress, out of the room. Just as she closed the door and entered the spinning room, where she laid sir Guy's favourite jerkin out, she heard a squeaking on the floorboard behind her and spun round. A smile played elegantly across her lips, when she realised who it was.
'Allan'a'dale are you sneaking up on me?'
He put his hands up in mock defeat and smiled 'Nah, why would I do that to such a gorgeous lady such as yourself?'
She blushed furiously DAMN THAT ALLAN A DALE! And the effect his silky southern accent had on her!
After she had regained her composure she stared into his icy blue orbs and cocked her head to the side.
'I have no clue, and why are you up here? It's for the Lord of the Manor and his personal staff only.'
'Well i am his personal staff! Nah, just came to see if he's up, the villagers are getting a bit too rowdy tha's all.'
She smiled at him 'Well i shall inform you when he decides to wake, if ever.'
He nodded and walked back downstairs, leaving her alone in the spinning room.
Life was good.