And the bath was indeed much needed, after all of those years in the forest; also because, without a proper hygiene, it literally even is the body odor which can betray your presence. A problem which, for foxes, is probably their Achille's heel: not only do they have a strong smell, but they use a lot of different ones to communicate; and what's worse, that's subconscious: just like gestures or vocal inflections for humans, they involuntarily emit smells.
Until Robin was by himself, that wasn't a problem. But now that his family was back, they needed to eliminate this problem for the sake of stealth: the idea is to penetrate the Castle of Nottingham right this night, and they need to go as unnoticed as possible.
Robin led his family to the waterfall, where they take what basically is a natural shower. "Father, father!" fervidly exclaimed Roxanne, the most outspoken and daring of the two females, "was this the waterfall our mother always talked us about?" "You mean, the one of" – Robin and Marian intensely stared in one each others' eyes – "that precise night?" "Yes, father, the night of the waterlily ring, as she always have called it! Was all of it actually true?"
Robin sighed – He had to teach his offspring about that moment, and what it actually meant.
"Yes. And it have been both the best night of our life… and the worst as well. The best, because there our love reached its peak. And the worst, because I couldn't move forward and grow. I mean, that moment was absolutely wonderful: the best thing anyone can feel, and we have been so lucky to have felt it! But then, some people just remain there, still thinking to that moment and hoping things can always be as such, and I unfortunately was one of them. I should have moved forward, take my responsibilities and let my moment of romance and bliss becoming the foundation of a family. Inebriated by it, I instead waited that moment to repeat itself, I even tried to recreate it, but simply couldn't, and still desperately trying to reach it, it became such an obsession I even neglected my duties in protecting us from our enemies. Moments like that are a gift, a seed which should be left growing into a tree and then giving its fruits. But I just stopped at the seed. Luckily, the tree grew into your mother, and now you are the fruit of all of it."
Marian and Little John, but perhaps Robin even more so, where all quite baffled at hearing him talking like that: he never uttered such deep, thoughtful reflections in all of his life. But all of the battering, hardships and suffering of those years, and above else the fact he had by now became a father, made him a different, more mature person. His wild youth was by now completely ended: he needed to step up, and become a good parent to his kits.
In part because of that speech, in part because they needed to go as unnoticed as possible, they walked up to the church trying to be as silent as possible: Marian told Little John in hush tones the plan he enacted to protect herself and the offspring, while Robin tried to learn the names of their litter. They then arrived at the church: Robin and Little John were to go first, then Marian and the kits would introduce themselves. It was the tod to knock the door, and Friar Tuck opened it, the other two kneeling down in sign of respect.
"Robin, Little John! You are welcome! I notice this boy has something different from his usual self, almost like he has returned to his old ways. Have you decided it's time to move forward, and accept the proposal of Mother Bunny?"
"Father, I thank her for the proposal, but once again I have to decline it, and for five good reasons."
The kits came out: "Do you have the time to officiate four Baptisms?"
Friar Tuck was both elated, but also confused as well. "Robin, whence do they come out? And what's the… fifth reason?"
Marian as well came out, smiling, and respectfully kneeling like the two males did.
The Friar was about to faint for the joy; he gave her a hug and asked: "Marian, the niece of King Richard, the Queen of Sherwood! Weren't you dead?"
"Father, it's a complicated question… I will explain in another moment. Do you have time to baptize them? I did it as soon as I gave them birth, but I don't know if that's valid…"
"If there's a case of necessity, everyone yet having been baptized can baptize everyone. But lest we fall in an error, I will officially baptize them right here and now."
"Yes, but let's be as silent as possible", said Robin; "we must arrive in Nottingham when the night will fall, and must be stealthy."
The Friar dusted up the old Graduale, which Marian fondly remembered as the book on which she was taught singing and praying: and while hiding in the forest, she still sang all the appropriate chants for all the occasions, as a way to keep contact with civilization. The kits obviously had been introduced to them as well, and had would have had no problems following the Rite with the chants – Would not have been for the fact only the Friar, in a soft, whispering voice, was singing, to avoid anyone could have heard him outside the church.
Once the Rite was celebrated, Marian told the Friar of her plan, asking to absolve her in case she had done something wrong. "You did, in a way: you made your beloved one suffering from the grief all of these years, and for your plan to succeed anyway someone else had to die. But you saved your offspring, and in that you did an act of authentic heroism!"
"We just are made for one each other, none of us can do good without doing something bad… Can we anyway ask a question?" asked Robin.
"Whether you need, I will help you doing anything."
"It's about Prince John – You have nothing new about him?"
"In these years, he has spent all time between London and Northern France, trying keeping his possessions on the continent – He also got married to a French noblelioness, Isabella of Angôuleme, and an heir to the throne, Prince Henry, was also born. I think the true reason why he eased his hand was being occupied with his new family and especially the heir, rather than the two of you having been given for dead."
"Thus, we need a plan to block him once and for all – I think I'll need to make a step back, something different is needed."
"Don't worry, I have an idea. If it's your intention going to Nottingham, seize the Castle – I'll join you there."
"Thank you so much, Father. Now can we have our… gear back?"
"For sure. It's in my home, right next to the church."
Robin came out with all the necessary: bows, crossbows, arrows, daggers, swords, axes, ropes, hooks; but also a soft, white bundle.
"What's that?", asked Marian.
"That's for you, sweetheart. But I'll give it to you for your birthday: now we all should take some weapons, tonight we're going to have… fun."