I own nothing.
I present: Robin Hood with Swissbel
Thérèse's-Belgium
It is difficult to say whether this tail is true. Or if there was even a person of the wood known as Robin Hood. What we do know is that there was a man named Vash Zwingli and he did rob the rich to give to the poor. There was also a young noble lady but her name was not Marion at all. But there was a Sherwood Forrest and that is were we begin our tale...
Robin Hood's real name was Vash Zwingli and Little John was not a man named John. Little John was Vash's younger sister Lilli Zwingli. It would be easy to mistake her for a boy because she had short hair, to her shoulders, like her her brother and wore green like he did. One other thing that set Lilli and her brother apart was their precision and accuracy with a bow. Vash made sure that she knew how to defend herself with a sword or a knife, but their skill lied in the bow.
It was a normal day for them; dodging the sheriff's men, swiping some gold from the nobility to return to the poor who desperately need the money for the ridiculous taxes, and hiding out in the many trees of Sherwood Forrest.
Lilli noticed something about her brother's sleeve.
"Big Brother, I think that you should be more careful when you rob the rich."
"It's fine schwester. It was just like the last times and there is nothing to worry about." He brushed her off.
Lilli took his left arm and lifted it up showing a hole the size of the arrows used by the sheriff. "You almost were hit in the heart! Please be more careful."
Vash played with the hole. "Well, I'll admit it. They are getting better for being terrible archers."
"Brother!"
"Fine. If it will get you to stop worrying, I will be more careful." He promised.
It was at that moment when they heard the neighing of horses and the sound of a carriage on a dirt road.
They climbed down and hid in the bushes and watched to see who would be in the carriage. Vash saw a small coat of arms on the side and felt his heart skip a beat.
"That is Thérèse's carriage!" he whispered. Almost excitedly.
Lilli looked at her brother with that look a sibling gets when they figure something personal about their sibling.
"Do you still like her?" she teased.
"Quiet!"
Oh, he still liked her! This was amazing and she'll tease him about it later.
...
Thérèse got out of the carriage and greeted her cousin Oliver. She didn't like him as much as her other cousin King Arthur but with him away at war and her being sent to live here, she didn't have much of a choice. She was going to have to deal with his company.
"Dear cousin, I hope you had a safe journey."
Thérèse couldn't explain it, but there was something about his smile that scared her a little.
"Of course."
"And no run ins with any outlaws?"
"None were sighted."
"Not even Vash Zwingli?"
Thérèse's heart sped up and started to flutter. "No. I did not see him." I wish I did!
"Now Theresa-"
"Thérèse. Not Theresa." She corrected.
"Therese."
Rather than fight it, Thérèse let it slid though it was going to irk her. "Sure. Why not?" Now she was just being sarcastic.
"Therese, as you may have known, since the disappearance of my dear brother Arthur, there has been a horrid thief on the loose but fear not because the sheriff of Lauterbrunnen will soon have him in shackles." Oliver seemed like he was awaiting the day that he would finally hang Vash.
Thérèse's eyes went wide. "Such ambitions and all for a thief? He must be quite the thief to earn your fullest of attention."
"The worst! He always seems to know where the rich always are and then strikes! He is the most vile, the most inhuman, and the most snakelike man that had ever lived!" Oliver ranted.
Thérèse wanted to sock him in the eye and throw Oliver out of a window but she faked her smile and lied "Well, I wish that your men have the brains to capture him."
If Thérèse and Vash's childhoods were of any clue to how sneaky and swift Vash could be, no one was going to see Vash until he decided to reveal himself on his terms.
...
Lilli watched her brother walk in a daydream. At first, it was hilarious and she, Mathias, and Francis laughed about it. Then he started humming. Humming!
"Brother, are you well?" She was elected (forced by others not wanting to get sick) to see if her brother was well and not sick.
"Yes. I am well. Just knowing that she is near is enough."
"Dear God! He is lovesick!" Francis cried.
"Come on, Vash in love?" Mathias doubted.
"Miracles can happen." He reasoned.
"Tell those idiots to shut up or I make them quiet." Vash threatened.
"Mon ami, please give us the name of the lucky lady so we might avoid flirting with her." And so we know what name to use when we tease you with!
"Big Brother loves Lady Thérèse." Lilli betrayed her brother.
"Lilli!"
"Thérèse! Never thought that you would have liked her." Francis joked.
Vash glared at Francis and got defensive for Thérèse. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Francis held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing. I just never expected you to fall in love with her or anyone. You just never seem to care that much."
"I love Lilli. I love Thérèse. I love food and money. I care about the people which is why I steel from those who can afford to lose to give to those who can't. We all have things we care about, just different ways of showing it." He stared at their faces with the stupid grins.
"What?"
"Did you just say you love Thérèse?" Mathias asked with a growing smile.
"N-no! I-I-I didn't!"
"Vash loves Thérèse! Vash loves Thérèse!" They teased.
"I LOVE NOTHING!" Vash took his bow and a single quiver and ran off to where he would not be surrounded by immature idiots.
A week later, after the sheriff collected what little money the people of Lauterburnnen had, Vash made his rounds of giving money to the poor. It was difficult not to give it to them all at once but Vash knew that he had to space it out to make it look like they were barely surviving and still had enough to eat without it making it obvious that he was giving money.
Good thing Vash knew how to ration money. He was about to leave this one widow's house when her little boy, his name was Peter, asked if he was going to see Lady Thérèse.
"I-I, uh, what?"
"Lady Thérèse is coming around later to play with us later! Will you come with us Vash?" He gave Vash the biggest grin and his blue eyes were like his father's.
"She gives us some money to get by and has been trying to lower the taxes for us." His mother explained.
"That sounds like Thérèse." He murmured warmly.
"So you'll come?" Peter asked with too much energy for a nine year old.
"Why not." On the outside, Vash seemed cool and collected. But on the inside, his heart was jumping up and down and his brain had turned to mush.
...
Thérèse braided a little girl's hair as Peter told her a joke. She giggled as he told her what would happen if you let a Brit cook for you but she couldn't help but stealing glances at the stranger that came with him. He seemed tall and wore old beggar clothes but from how he carried Peter on his back, he was strong. Which meant he was well fed, which meant he was no beggar.
"Lady Thérèse, are you going to get married?" The braided girl asked.
Vash listened close.
"Maybe. But it was a very long time ago before I left for Brussels when I last saw him." She sounded wistful. Did she still love him?
"Will you ever see him again?"
"Well, I hope so." Her green eyes looked a little misty.
"My momma says that absence makes the heart fonder!" Peter gave her a toothy grin.
"Or forgetful. I bet he has forgotten all about me. I am so plain compared to the other ladies." She honestly thought I had forgotten her! Nay!
"NO! You're reeaally nice!"
"Thank you my dear."
The Beggar stood up. "I must go. I shall return soon and Lady Thérèse, there is no one that could forget you." He took her hand a gave her a small kiss on her knuckles. Then he winked at her.
She seemed surprised and her eyebrows scrunched in suspicion but she let him leave without further questioning.
...
In hindsight, they should have let Francis cook dinner because due to Vash's head in the clouds, the stew was burnt.
"If no one is going to say anything, then I will! Vash, I can't take it anymore! You need to marry Thérèse because if you continue like this, we'll die of food poisoning before of plague!"
"It wont work." he muttered.
"Why?"
"She is a highly respectable Lady and I'm a thief! I couldn't ask her to leave everything behind and live on the run with me?"
"She has class but that doesn't mean that she wouldn't run away with you. Just marry her!" Mathias offered.
"What do I have to offer her? Besides, no one just walks up to a lady with flowers and says 'Hey remember me? We were children together, will you marry me?' It doesn't work like that."
"Do yourselves a favor and don't cook."
"I'm serious Francis! I have nothing to offer her in place of the countless other offers she has probably gotten."
"Do you love her?"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you love Thérèse?" Francis repeated.
"I would die for her."
Wow, he didn't have to stop and take a breath between the burnt stew and his statement.
"Then there is your answer: your love."
"I'm an outlaw if you forgotten or have you been in these woods too long."
"You know big brother, one day you will be known as a hero!" Lilli said as she just came through the trees.
"You hear that Vash? You've been pardoned and you haven't been arrested yet!" Mathias joked.
"Now is your chance to sweep Thérèse off her feet and carry her off in style!" Francis joined.
"Laugh all you want knuckleheads but there is going to be an archery tournament within the week in Lauterbrunnen." Lilli stated.
"A trap to lure me in." Vash boredom stated.
"Yes it is. Though you could win with your eyes closed."
Vash stood up and bowed. "Thank you little schwester but I'm afraid that I am not invited."
"That's a shame because there will be someone very sad if you don't come." Lilli teased.
"The honorable sheriff?" Mathias mocked.
"Nope. Lady Thérèse." Lilli stole her brother's soup.
"Thérèse!"
"Yep. I heard from Natalya, who heard from Michelle, who heard from Miss Érzébet, Thérèse's lady in waiting, that she's going to give a kiss to the winner."
Vash shot out of his seat like he was set on fire. "Come on boys! What are we waiting for?" He grabbed his bow and quiver.
Francis tried to be the voice of reason. "Listen Vash, that place will be crawling with soldiers wanting to get that fancy price on your head."
"Faint hearts never won fair ladies. Fear not for this will be a performance unlike any other.
...
It was the day of the tournament and Oliver looked disappointed that Vash Zwingli hadn't showed. Thérèse didn't show it but she was saddened as well for a different reason.
Then she saw the beggar from the other day. The one she suspected to be her Vash. With each perfect bullseye, she grew more and more confident that the beggar was Vash.
Unfortunately, so did Oliver.
When he stepped up to receive the cash prize and the kiss, Oliver drew his sword and revealed Vash.
Now Thérèse did not know it, but Mathias and Francis were in the crowd and were ready to help their friend. Lilli was in the perfect spot to shoot Oliver and Èrzébet drew her sword, ready to defend her Lady. Thérèse threw herself infront of Vash stopping Oliver in his tracks.
"Get out of the way cousin!" He said the word like it was poison.
"I beg of you Oliver, spare his life!"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you also."
"I love him. Let him go!"
"You threw yourself infront of a sword because you love him but does he return your love?" He mocked.
"I love you more than life itself, mein liebling." He whispered in her ear.
Thérèse nearly broke down and cried when he said that.
"Your plea has not touched a heart of stone. The traitor to the Crown must die!"
"Traitor to the Crown!? That Crown belongs to King Arthur! Long live the King!" Vash shouted in anger. He moved in front of Thérèse as he docked an arrow and drew the bow.
The guards prepared their own.
"If you shoot, I shoot!" He pointed the docked arrow at the fake king.
The guards lowered their weapons but one of the younger ones released the arrow and it lodged into his thigh. Oliver raised his sword but he was struck with an arrow to his arm forcing him to drop his sword.
Èrzébet grabbed Thérèse's had and cried, "Run, this is no place for a Lady!" and proceeded to engage four soldiers at once.
Lilli didn't have to worry about Oliver now as he was handicapped and focused on shooting the guards in the way of her friends' escape.
Mathias and Francis took down some guards while they were focusing on getting the townspeople to safety.
Vash was doing very well for a man that had an arrow in his thigh and soon everyone was back in the safety of the woods.
As much as Vash tried to explain that an arrow was not a big deal, Thérèse forced him to take off his trousers so she could clean the wound. This caused for much snickering from the others and a bright red Vash.
Thérèse cleaned the wound the best she could with her limited knowledge of injuries and Vash quickly put his trousers back on. He shot a dirty look that made the immature ones shut up while Thérèse and Lilli didn't know what the big deal was.
Vash then excused himself and asked if Thérèse would like to go for a walk in the woods.
It was those special minutes between sundown and moonrise where it was still light out but dark enough for fireflies to begin glowing. Then the stars revealed themselves to the two lovebirds.
Vash guided Thérèse by the river where a mother otter was feeding her baby before they went to sleep and Thérèse smiled that kitten smile that made Vash weak at the knees.
He claimes it's from the wound but he won't admit to that.
Vash then led her to a field of Edelweiss. The silver flowers glowed in the moonlight and the stars smiled.
He got down on his knees while Thérèse was admiring the otherworldly beauty of the night. When she turned around, she saw Vash holding a single Edelweiss flower.
"Thérèse my love, will you marry me?" He asked shyly.
"Oh my darling, I thought that you would never ask me! Of course I will marry you!" She knelt down and gave him a chaste kiss. When she pulled away, Vash put the Edelweiss in her dark blonde hair.
"At least I chose a romantic setting." He joked resulting in Thérèse giggling that sounded like purring.
...
"Brother proposed! He also made a joke and gave her flowers!"
"Lilli, as much as we trust you, we have to see that to believe it." Mathias said and continued to try to flirt with Èrzébet.
"You know, there is someone that I would like you to meet. She is a Countess from Norway and I think you would get along quite nicely with her." Èrzébet said knowing full well that Signy was not going to like this Dane. But maybe she was wrong. After all, Signy was tsundere and Mathias was persistent.
Next: Hades and Persephone featuring America/Israel