Chapter Six
My heart pounded as Robin wrapped a cloak around me. I pulled the hood up over my eyes and smeared the red berry juice all down my pant leg, attempting to make it look like blood. Robin rubbed some dirt on his fingers and smudged it across my cheeks and forehead, and even a dot on my nose. He chuckled slightly and I couldn’t help but laugh along.
I brushed my fingers along the dagger that was tucked inside the cloak, tracing the intricate designs. I bit my lip, looking down. My hand trembled slightly as I ran my finger along the blade. I looked back up, wishing I could see Robin’s face, but all was dark.
“It will be okay,” he said. “Don’t worry. If you need help, just yell and we’ll come for you.”
“But what if the bind me up and I can’t yell?”
“Someone will know,” Robin assured me. “You won’t be alone.” I nodded in reply and turned, but Robin stopped me by saying: “We could never leave you behind.” I prayed that it was true.
Robin, Will, Little John, Thomas, and I walked to the edge of camp, saddling up a few horses. I started to climb on one by myself, but I felt a hand quickly yank me down. “You won’t need your own horse,” Will said. “You’ll ride with me.”
“I’d rather not,” I said haughtily, walking to where Robin stood. “Which horse will I ride?” I asked him.
“You’ll ride with me until we get near the edge of the forest, then you’ll have to stay there and listen till Will makes the call.” I nodded in reply and Robin climbed on his horse, outstretching his hand to me and pulling me up behind him. I heard the other men and Thomas’ and John’s wives wishing them a farewell, as long as some of the other wives and children.
I was sure that everyone could hear my heart racing over the hoof beats of the horses as we rode through the forest, branches whipping at our arms and legs slightly. I clung to Robin, the warmth of his body giving me a sense of comfort. My eyes slowly closed, and my ears listened to the sound of the air passing by us.
“Ailwin,” a voice said in my ear. I unhooked my arms from the figure’s waist, opening my eyes sleepily. “Do you think you can do this? You look tired.”
“I can do this Robin,” I whispered. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t,” Robin replied. I felt my hood slide back slowly, and for one single moment, I thought that he had turned around and was about to kiss me. Oh how I longed for that to be the case. A breeze ruffled my short hair and I knew, it wouldn’t happen, not how I looked, not now. I felt his hand slide through my hair, tussling it, and then replacing my hood back over the light blond strands. My heart ached as I slid down from the horse and hid beneath a bush, it tearing at my cloak. I heard the sound of hoofbeats slowly fade away and let out a breath.
You will hear the sound of a wagon coming along the road, along with hoofbeats of horses. You can tell that it is the kings’ horses because they will be more heavy footed due to pulling the cart. You will also be able to hear the armor of the guards. When you first hear the sounds, crawl out of the bushes and to the side of the road until Will makes the call. Then crawl out into the middle of the road and pretend you are in pain. I repeated Robin’s instructions through my head twice over before I heard the sounds.
Clink, clink the sound of armor. The sound of the creaky wagon wheels caught my attention and I listened for the pounding of horse hooves. I put my ear to the ground, listening to the vibration of the movement less than a mile away. Crawl out into the middle of the road…
I slowly left my hiding place and crept to the edge of the road, listening once more to the sound of the caravan. I crawled across the ground, moans coming from my parted lips. Wait, I thought. Damn! Did he make the call yet? I hadn’t heard it, but maybe he had…
“What was that?” I heard the wagon stop, and the horses as well. I closed my eyes, breathing and out. I couldn’t hide now, I was already halfway across the road. “Do you see that up there?” a man asked. I heard the hoofbeats increase and a I groaned, a real groan this time.
Its too late now, just act like you’re in pain. I let out cries of agony, squinting my eyes. “Help!” I cried. “It hurts! I can’t move my leg! It hurts too much! Oh Lord help me!”
“Hurry!” One of the men said and I heard his footsteps increase, but suddenly the stopped. I rolled onto my back, moving my head from side to side.
“Stop,” someone hissed. “It might be a trap.” I felt my heart pound as the footsteps continued slowly towards me. I moaned, rolling onto my belly and crying out.
“It hurts,” I whispered. “Please, help me.”
“He looks only to be fifteen…maybe younger,” the first voice said. I flung my arm across the ground, my fingers touching the foot of a man. I felt myself stiffen, and I was sure they had seen it. Oh Lord, I prayed. Please, let the others be okay. Don’t make this go all wrong because of me.
“Where do you hurt?” the second voice asked, his voice snake like, venomous and thin.
“My leg,” I moaned, moving my hand to clutch my upper leg, where I had smeared the red berry juice.
“What happened?” the snake asked again. “How did you get hurt?”
“I…” I paused. An excuse? I hadn’t come up with one… “I was hunting with some friends and we were shooting deer and one of them accidentally hit me with an arrow.”
“Where’s the arrow?” he said, and I could feel his eyes tracing over my body for a sign of the arrow.
“I…It wasn’t an arrow,” I lied. “It was this.” I gripped the dagger and yanked it from the cloak. “He was field dressing the deer and-”
“Why isn’t there any blood?”
I felt my heart rate increase. Oh no…oh no this can’t be happening! It wasn’t supposed to happen like this! No! “I cleaned-”
“And where are your friends?”
“They ran to get help-”
A whistling sound rang past me and I felt a weight topple down beside me. I rolled over feeling the body of a man. His skin was cold and clammy, and I could tell it had been the man who had been questioning me, the one with the venomous voice. I felt blood drip down his back and I knew, an arrow had pierced him. Shouts reached my ears and the cries of horses. I stood up quickly, oh how I wished I could see! It would be so much easier to find Robin and the others!
“Robin!” I cried, running in the direction to the wagons. I could hear the ringing of swords around me and the whistles of arrows as they flew past me and sunk into their enemies.
“Get up!” a voice yelled at me and I felt a strong hand grip the back of my cloak, somehow managing to swing me up onto the horse. “You idiot!” he hissed as we rode away from the sounds of fighting. “What were you thinking? Why didn’t you wait for the signal?” Will said, disgusted.
“I just forgot!” I shouted.
“Shh,” Will hushed. “There may be guards around.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” I said. “You could have made the call sooner. I could hear the wagons from where I sat! It would have looked very weird if I had just suddenly crawled out of the bushes!”
“Not if you did it at the right time!”
I felt tears prick my eyes and I bit my lip. I felt a small raw patch where I had bit it last, digging my teeth into it harder. “It wasn’t my fault,” I mumbled. “It just wasn’t.”
* * * *
Tears leaked from my eyes as I sat at the enterance of camp. Robin, John, and Thomas hadn’t come back yet, and I prayed that they were okay. Please come home safely Robin, I prayed. Please come home to me.
I was shocked by my own thoughts and my hand automatically went to the dagger. It was so beautiful, so carefully made, so special. Why had Robin given it to me? I know he had given it to me to protect myself, but…why this dagger?
“There they are!” I felt my heart race as Will shouted from the tower. I ran out of the camp. I knew Robin was to the left, I could sense his lean figure and his lighter footsteps. I rushed over to him, tears flooding down my cheeks.
“Thank God you’re safe!” I cried, running up to him. But he didn’t acknowledge me, and if he did, I couldn’t see it. “Robin, I’m so sorry,” I rushed after him; trying to grab hold of his shoulder, wrap my arms around him, link his arm, anything to let him know that I truly was sorry. But he just brushed me off, like a seed in the wind.
* * * *
My hands shook as I ran my fingers across the coat of a horse that was tied up to a wooden post. Robin had trusted me, had given me a special job, and I had blown it. My heart ached at the memory of him leaving me standing there like a fool, a fool who suddenly felt more than she was supposed to.
“This wasn’t the plan,” I whispered. “I wasn’t supposed to love him.” I was shocked my the truth hidden in my own words, I did love him…what else was the feeling I got whenever he was near me, the way my heart raced whenever he touched me…It had to be love, didn’t it?
“What are you doing?” a voice made me jump in fright, taking me away from my thoughts.
“I’m leaving Thomas,” I said calmly, finishing up saddling the horse. I untied him and climbed on, holding him steady.
“You can’t leave Ailwin, we need you.”
“I messed up Thomas, I don’t belong…” I whispered, tears forming quickly. I quickly swallowed them down.
“But Ailwin, you’ll be killed if someone finds you!”
“They won’t find me Thomas,” I replied.
“Where are you going to go then?”
“None of your business,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. “Tell…” I paused. I took a deep breath before continuing. “Tell Robin that, I thank him for taking me in and being so kind to me, but that I can’t stay here any longer. Tell him I’m sorry for everything.”
“But Ailwin-”
But Thomas didn’t have a chance to finish. I quickly kicked the horse and took off, leaving the camp in Sherwood Forest far behind me. Tears ran down my cheeks in rivers as I entered the village of Nottingham, slowing the horse down. No sounds of villagers or horses were on the road, why would there be? It was night after all. I got off the horse and lead him to the familiar stables, unsaddling him and tying him up.
I left the stables and walked to my house. I raised my hand to knock on the door, but suddenly, I felt as if I couldn’t. Three days was all the time I had spent in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but I felt as if those three days had been my whole life. My knuckles rapped softly on the door and I heard my mother sigh from the small bedroom. I could hear her gentle steps on the wooden floor and the creaking of the door as she opened it.
“Its me mother,” I whispered. “Its Ivy.” My own name now tasted funny on my lips, stale and tasteless. I felt my lip tremble as her arms wrapped themselves around me, her burying her head in my shoulder. “I’m okay,” I whispered into her ear, my fingers running through her hair.
“Come inside,” she said, pulling away and sniffling. She lead me inside, her hand clasped with mine. The house was the same temperature as outside, except the fact that a small fire burned in the bedroom. “Where have you been?” my mother asked me, the embers making a crackling sound as she prodded them to keep them enflamed.
“In the forest,” I whispered.
“And what did you do to your hair?”
“I…I cut it.”
“By yourself?” I nodded in response and she quickly sighed. “You should have had me cut it at least, you would have looked more presentable, more like a lady.”
“Don’t you get it?” I hissed. “I wasn’t supposed to look like a lady! I joined Robin Hood and his men, I found them, joined them and…” I trailed off, the tears quickly returning.
“Left them,” my mother finished for me and I nodded again. “Why did you leave them if you wanted to be part of them so badly?”
“I made a mistake. I ruined everything for them.”
“Because you are a girl?”
“No! They didn’t even…know I was a girl.”
“How…?”
“I dressed up as a boy, cut my hair, stole the sheriff’s horse and became an outlaw, as simple as that.”
“And they never found out?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. My name was Ailwin, no one even hinted at knowing that I was really a girl.”
“So you ruined it for them by being blind?”
I let out a heave of angry breath. “No!” I nearly shouted. “No its not because I was blind! It was because of my own stupidity, it was just because I was being me.” Tears ran heavily down my face and I felt the plops land on my shaking hand. “I couldn’t stay there any longer,” I whispered. “Not when I felt the way I did.”
“And…how did you feel?” my mother asked quietly, her footsteps coming towards me. She put her arm around me and helped me sit down on a small stool near the fire, the heat doing nothing to ease my shaking.
“I fell in love.” The four letter word felt so rich on my tongue, like a treat, like some magical happiness that could only be found with that word, like a little piece of heaven.
“With whom?”
“Robin Hood.” The fire’s heat increased, or at least I thought it did. My heart began to speed up at the sound of his name on my lips. My cheeks seemed to rise in heat and color at the thought of his strong, bold features. I closed my eyes, remembering the words he had told me that day we practiced archery. The frustrating, laughable, bittersweet moments we had shared wouldn’t stop replaying in my mind. The day that I wanted him to stroke my hair, to kiss me, the day I had ruined everything.
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