R&R please! As for the Max and Nudge thing... I actually didn't do that on purpose, haha. The Max thing was just a common name for a dog/wolf, so I used it (I know I tend to use really weird names so I figured there should be ONE normal name), and the Nudge thing was because it's a good name for a horse, you know, because they nudge you on the shoulder when they want an apple...
The tavern was dead silent, several pairs of less-than-friendly eyes fixed on the group of five.
"Rangers," one man broke the silence, then spat to the side. "Why so many? Who be you?"
"I'm Gilan," Gilan responded. "This is Mauch," he said, pointing to Mauch. "This is Will Treaty," he said, pointing to Will. Several eyebrows rose. "This is Halt," he pointed to Halt, and that name got a gasp. "And that would be Robin Hood." Robin waved half heartedly into the silent tavern.
"Robin 'Ood," another man snorted. "Big name for such a little laddy. A mighty ring to it, that has."
"Inn Keeper," Will said. "Can we have some coffee and stew here, please?"
"Of course," the little man behind the counter said, getting out mugs and bowls. The Rangers sat at an abandoned table in the corner of the room, and the man who had spoken stood, straddled his chair, sat, and folded his arms over the back. He watched them with scarred, dark eyes, then spat to the side again.
"Why all the big names?" he asked, looking around. "Will Treaty, Halt, Gilan. Thought it was one Ranger, one Riot?"
"Reunion of friends," Halt said shortly. Robin took note on how Halt didn't mention there was a mission involved. "And apprentices, naturally." The big man turned his attention to the two younger ones. His attention shifted away from Mauch with a grimace, and he focused on Robin.
"Hullo, little Robin 'ood," the man said, squinting at the boy. "You seem oddly familiar. You a lord, anywhere?" Robin started to shake his head, then paused.
"I'm an orphan," Robin said slowly. "But, my uncle does own a manner." The man squinted harder and leaned forward.
"Wouldn't happen to be one down in Lafway, would it? Those eyes seem familiar. Ah, I know! Locksley, is it? Locksley manner? The same crazy eyes." the man said, clapping his hands together. "Never knew the old hoot had a nephew; could swear he only had a niece. Didn't he only have one sister, and didn't she die before she could have a second sucker?"
"No..." Robin said, uncomfortable now. "He had... ah, a brother."
"Perhaps," the man said thoughtfully. "You look an awful lot like your cousin, though, don't you? What was her name? Alis, was it?"
"Yes..." Robin said, very uncomfortable now. Will's eyes narrowed, regarding his apprentice. "Anyway, how do you know my uncle?"
"Used to work for him. Then his sister died, and the girlie went to the Ward, and he went bonkers. Fired half of us. Baron kept the girl because he was worried bout sending her to her uncle."
Robin just nodded, and Will watched the exchange with great interest. How had he not known the boy was related to Alis? It was in the face, the eyes most certainly. In fact, if it wasn't for the hair, they could have been identical twins... Will shook his head, and refocused as the inn-keeper came over and handed around bowls of stew, and returned half a moment later with mugs of coffee.
"Will you be having rooms tonight?" The inn-keeper asked, looking at the faces around the table and settling on Halt's as the leader.
"Yes. If you have a room big enough for five, that will do, if not, we'll be having two rooms."
"Very well... two rooms it is," the inn-keeper said. He eyed their cloaks, which were dirty and travel worn (all except Robin's of course, considering it was brand-new), and raised an eyebrow sceptically. "You have the money for this?"
In response, Robin dropped three gold coins on the table before anyone else could react. The inn-keeper nodded, collected the coins, and went back behind the counter and began polishing things with an oily rag. Robin became conscious of the eyes fixed on him, and realized how stupid it had been to do that- ah, well, what sort of person was stupid enough to attack five men that were so obviously Rangers?
Slowly the tide of conversation in the inn resumed, and they finished their stews and coffee, and had one of the girls working in the inn show them to their rooms. Will, Robin, and Mauch would share the larger of the two, and Gilan and Halt would get the smaller. When all had been set up and they were sitting on the beds, Gilan and Halt made their way into the other room to bid goodnights, before retiring to their own room.
"You know," Robin said, looking out the window as Gilan and Halt closed the door behind them. "It's a lovely night. I think I'm going to go for a short walk before bed."
"That is a wonderful idea," Will said, standing from where he had been sitting on the bed. "Would you like to come, Mauch?"
"No," the boy shook his head. "I'm tired. Night, have a nice walk." Robin turned and walked to the door, looking at Will. Will nodded, and together they exited the room. Like most inns, the bedrooms were on the second floor with a tavern, stables, and the rooms where the inn-keeper and his wife stayed on the bottom floor. They walked down the creaky wooden stairs and out the door into the crisp autumn air, stars and moonlight turning the whole country side blue and silver.
So absorbed where they in the night, that they didn't notice the three men in the shadows beside the inn. Will later blamed himself, he should have been more alert; but why should there have been an attack on such a brilliant night? Robin too blamed himself; why had he put the coins out so carelessly? Will paused as Robin walked on, and turned in a circle, eyes closed, arms spread wide, and breathed in the sweet night air of the northern country.
Robin's muffled scream forced his eyes to snap open, and his eyes fixed on Robin in the shadows. A huge man held the boy from behind, a hand over his mouth, a knife to the boy's throat. Without thinking, Will knocked an arrow on his ever present bow and leveled it with the giant's eyes.
"I have two companions, Ranger. Surely one will be able to stab the boy before you get them both," the man said. Will hesitated, realizing that even though he could have all three down in about ten seconds, they could stab the boy from 3 feet away faster. "It would be such a tragic loss, to lose the apprentice instead of his purse?" Will lowered his bow ever so slowly. One of the men with free hands cut loose Robin's purse, and the other held out his hand for Will's. Will released the tension in his bow to throw the purse. In the moment of catching the purse, the men were distracted. He pulled back the arrow and fired in the space of a heart beat.
Will seemed to see what happened next in slow motion. As the man fell, with his dying breath, he plunged the knife into Robin's side. Robin's eyes widened and his knees buckled, his hands grasping at the knife in his side, and looked at Will pleadingly. The boy said one word before his eyes closed.
"Will."
