Part One
It took some time to register what the object was, but Kippy the Wagonman was faster than me. He yanked me back, and the second arrow missed by just inches, leaving a scream stuck in my throat. Now the two arrows stood buried deep in the tree behind us, the end still quivering from the force that had aimed them at us. At me.
“Get down, milady.” Kippy spoke low but fiercely. Without a word, I obliged, I would be a fool otherwise. The wagon laid on the side, one wheel broken and the other moved ever so slightly before it stopped. I pressed my back up against the roof, struggling to catch my breath.
“Is it the darned outlaws?”
Kippy moved his head over the edge and just a grimace told me that it was in fact the darned outlaws. Not a sound was heard, but if I wanted to believe the rumours, that was not a good sign. For two months now, a group of outlawed men had taken residence in the forest, making it their own, terrorising nearly everybody that ventured through. The Sherwood tax had to be paid by everyone, especially the rich. I grabbed the hem of Kippy`s shirt.
“What should we do?”
He glanced down at me, “WE shouldn’t do anything, milady. You keep down and I will…” He looked around, panic forming in his eyes. “I will talk to them. We don’t have any gold, and they will see that and then everything will be fine.” He swallowed, not believing himself. I bit my lip, there had been no tales of women being treated bad, but they all had money to offer instead. I groaned, why did I have to insist on this trip? I knew why, my sister was nine months pregnant, and had sent for me, begging me to come. She was afraid she would die in labour; how could I say no? The road through the forest was the only one, to go around would take days.
The song of a sparrow sounded, the signal apparently, because Kippy gave a yelp and sat down beside me, his eyes big and scared.
“They are here, milady. Biggest man I`ve ever seen in front.”
I had heard tales about the Sherwood men, outlaws hustled together, joined by a fearless leader. The women at the castle whispered amongst themselves about green eyes, echoed by the trees he lived in, arms shaped by drawing back the bow, fingers nimble, the bow and arrow followed his every bid. The married women giggled and stared knowingly at each other, making fun about taking a walk through the forest to enjoy the pleasures of the nature.
As I sat beside Kippy and listened to the soft whisper of footsteps coming closer, I wondered what they meant, because all I felt was fear beyond everything I`d felt before. Like the coward I was, I closed my eyes tightly and grabbed Kippy`s hand, feeling the callouses after years of leading the wagon. The footsteps stopped and someone kicked me lightly. I dragged my feet under my dress, holing up like a porcupine. If I kept my eyes closed, maybe it would all go away?
“Woman. Open your eyes.”
I shook my head violently. Kippy gave a whimper beside me, and I felt ashamed. I couldn’t let him pay for my stupid mistakes. Another kick, Kippy moved beside me but stopped when the man barked at him. “You just sit still. Do not speak, do not move. You have nothing to fear.” The man snickered as I opened my eyes slowly. “As long as you do as I say, that is.”
The man was enormous. His eyes weren’t green, they were brown, and his arms seemed better fit to throw a log than to shoot an arrow. There was a longsword on his left hip, almost half my length. He could crush me like a bug if he wanted to.
“Please, we do not have any gold. We are on our way to visit my sister, she`s in labour. You can take what you find, but please let us go.” I was proud of myself, the tremble in my voice could barely be heard.
“You know who I am?” He looked up quickly and seemed to relax, did that mean more had followed him? He didn’t need any help; he was an army in himself.
I lifted my head, “I have heard about the Sherwood outlaws, yes.”
He smiled crookedly. “Then why did you forget the Sherwood tax?” He said the words slowly, like I was an idiot. Maybe I was. I had thought it would be better to have nothing, safer. But I should have just brought some gold to pay us through.
“If the rumours are true, you have gold enough.”
Kippy gasped, was it too much? I curled up, anticipating another kick, but to my surprise the man opened his big mouth and gave a roaring laugh. He smacked his palms to his thighs and leaned over me.
“Woman. There is no such thing. There are always mouths to feed, children in need. Because of your short thinking, a baby will cry itself to sleep tonight. Hungry, since you thought you could evade the tax.”
Even though he laughed, I could hear the steel in his voice.
“Get up. If you don’t have money, we will sell what we can. The dress of yours isn’t the prettiest I`ve seen, but it will catch a pretty penny.”
The words made Kippy cry out and he threw his body in front of mine.
“Leave milady alone, she is of a pure heart.”
I rolled my eyes, although I appreciated the notion, I needed more than chivalry. The big man, the King of Sherwood, didn’t say anything, he simply lifted old Kippy up and put him down behind him. Out of nowhere there was another man there, grabbing Kippy`s arms and holding him still. I held out a hand when the man reached for me, halting him.
“Please, let me do it myself. Chances are you will ruin the dress. You don’t look like someone who is acquainted with a lady`s clothes.”
The man took a step back and smirked, happy now that I was obeying.
“You would be surprised, milady.”
The dress was dirty after the accident, which clearly wasn’t an accident now that I had time to think about it. They must have done something that made the wagon fall over, to stop us. I was on my feet, and although I held my head high, I had to hide my hands in my skirt so that he wouldn’t see how much they were shaking. The men had multiplied, now there were five of them, everyone silently waiting for me to undress. Kippy turned his head demonstratively and locked his eyes on a bush. The outlaws had no such hesitations. What were the odds that they would let us go? I thought about the stories, no one had been killed. Yet. Not regular people, that was. The sheriff`s men had diminished over the course of the two months, killed by silent, but deadly arrows appearing out of thin air.
The man dressed in green clothes and soft leather boots raised an eyebrow and nodded ever so slightly. Right, best to just get it over with.
I turned my back to him and focused on the damaged wagon, my trembling fingers struggled with the small buttons on the dress, but damned if I would ask for help. Someone cleared their throat and the men whispered among them, but I shut my ears and pressed back the tears forming in my eyes. This was nothing, I had a full set of underclothes, I would survive. Only Kippy would know what had happened. A shadow fell over me, and I gave up on the buttons.
“I`m working on it, ok? Just give me some privacy.” My voice broke at the end, revealing my fear.
“Milady, let me help you.”
The voice was unknown, and my head snapped up, meeting the eyes of the devil. He had to be, who else could devour me like that with one look? I didn’t know the colour green until now, was he made of the forest? He smelled like it, pine and birch and flowers, along with a musky scent. His head was covered by a hat, adorned by a hawk`s feather, the end tipping up as the man leaned over my hand and kissed it. Warm lips seared a hole in my skin, and I suddenly wished to be completely naked, so I could quench the fire. His lips were narrow, but they lifted humorously at the ends, like he was laughing at a joke only he understood. Skin toned by the sun and weather, straight nose, and I could just make out the black hair under the hat. He kept it short, same as the beard that made his face more masculine.
My hands dangled down my side, useless as his opened my buttons swiftly, like he had done nothing else. I felt his knuckles graze my stomach and I swallowed a whimper. What was happening? Who was he? I looked around; we were alone. Where had the rest of them gone? The thought of Kippy woke me, and I took a step back, hoping that the distance would help clear my head.
“Where is my wagon-man?”
The man, a head taller than me, but two heads smaller than the leader, dragged his eyes up from my breasts, the want in them clear even to me. He had the same leather shoes, dear-skin pants, and a dark green tunica. He didn’t have a sword, only a dirk, probably because of the longbow that hung over his shoulder.
The man smirked, “He`s safe. My men will strip him of any valuables, feed him and then he will be free to go.”
I frowned, “And what about me? Do you really think I believe that you and the other thugs will just let us go once I`ve undressed?”
His smile lingered, but his eyes darkened as they followed every curve of my body. With one finger he pushed the fabric down first one shoulder, then the next. I pressed my arms instinctually in, keeping the dress pinned up. He lifted one eyebrow and looked at me.
“Milady…”
I had a hard time breathing, his voice infected my mind. Then his words hit me. My men.
“What is your name, milady?”
My breath came in short huffs, a strange feeling to my stomach.
“Your men? The big man isn’t the leader?”
He only smiled, and my heart sank. I was in trouble.
“Marion, my name is Lady Marion.”
