Robin Hood, Courtney Garner [novels for teenagers .txt] 📗

The pants were useful. They were a relic of my previous years as an assassin. You didn't earn much as a hired killer if you showed up looking delicate as a spring flower. "Here. These might fit. I wouldn't advise getting up but I have things I have to go do and you might be more comfortable with some clothes." I grabbed my bow and quiver. "Just stay here and rest. I'll be back before nightfall with dinner, OK?" I tugged on my hunting boot one last time and stepped to the edge of the small doorway before turning around to stare a response out of Chase.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing. I'll just hang here in your little fort like a damsel in distress. Happy?" My hand itched to hit something. This was not a little fort and my life was not a game. What I did for the people in the town kept many from going hungry while the government officials sat back and got fat. Shaking off the anger, I forwent any response and turned to climb nimbly down the tree.

Before I started my descent, I couldn't resist saying atleast saying "You know, you could atleast thank me for saving your ass."

"Thank you." He looked at me again like he was really seeing me. I wanted to twitch uncomfortably. "And my name is Will. Will Scarlet." I took that as my cue to leave.

Upon reaching the ground I crouched, scanned for any sign of wildlife, found none, and set off in search of good hunting ground, my brain whirring. The gorgeous guy in my house was really throwing a kink into my plans. There really was no reason to even think about him. As soon as Will was able he would leave and go back to wherever he came from hopefully never to be seen again. I didn't want him here and so he would leave.

The truth that I didn't want to admit to myself was that Will scared me. The way he had just looked at me- like he was really seeing me- was not something I wanted. While I did not feel horribly guilty about my previous life as a killer for hire it was not something I wanted to just walk away from like it never happened. I was here to prove to myself that I could be good- that I wanted to be. So far I could honestly say that helping these people was turning out to be truly rewarding. Now this guys shows up and I don't like that he could see a bit of me. I didn't want my secrets exposed.

Then again, I was probably overthinking things. He got hurt, he showed up, I fixed him, he would leave. End of story. For all I know those meaningful looks could be gas.

Getting back to hunting, I had already decided that it would be best to stay closer to the treehouse and focus mainly on my snares and whatever big game I happened by.

Four rabbits and three extremely unlucky turkeys later the sun was slipping lower and I doubted I could carry any more. Will and I would eat one of the fatter rabbits and I could take the rest into town afterward. He had to be starving by now.

Needing my flint to start a fire I jogged back to my tree by instinct and tied my kills on a lower branch for the time being. The climb up was a bit more difficult with tired muscles but I managed to make it up only to find an empty room. The cot was empty and the blanket discarded on the floor. The pants were gone.

For a moment I simply looked around the small room as if he could be hiding in the walls. After confirming that no such thing was true I cursed myself for being so stupid. Will knew where I lived and the sheriff and his goons were looking for that little piece of information. After all, I was helping the very people they strived so hard to make miserable and right now my name was only a whisper on the wind.

"Oh but Robin he was just so cute and he needed you so badly." I cursed using words I had accumulated over many years. I was half suprised lightning didn't strike me down. "Stupid idiot!" How had the guy even crawled down? Yesterday he had been mortally wounded! Then again that wound had come from an arrow of mine even though I was sure the only thing I shot was a deer and a mountain lion. My brain chewed on this fact for a moment, trying to come up with an answer. Maybe I had hit him with the shot aimed for the deer? Had he been lurking nearby? Was he some sort of freak?

I kicked the table as hard as possible which not only sent a shooting pain up my leg but reduced the piece of furniture to splinters. Grabbing my dark green cloak and mask, I half climbed half fell out of the tree. I angrily cut down the meat and set off toward town to do one of the few things I could get right.

Jailbreak

The darkness kept me well hidden as I went from house to house giving to the most needy families. I would make sure my hood kept my face and body fully concealed before knocking on doors, handing out food, and accepting thankyous. It was such a good night for sneaking around that I considered making another raid on some of the richer citizens homes. They didn't need all that they had and I didn't feel too bad about relocating some of the goods.

Approaching the Henderson's small home with my largest turkey I heard a terrible wailing. The Henderson's were a family of six with a struggling farm. Mr Henderson had been in an accident the previous harvest season and never fully recovered. He now had to rely on a cane to walk around and their four children were running the farm almost completely on their own.

I hesitantly knocked on the door knowing that I would be welcome but not knowing what I was interupting. The door flew open almost instantly and a petite girl greeted me. The sound of crying grew louder without the barrier and I cringed.

"Hello Robin." Millie spoke sweetly to me. If I didn't know better I would say she had a crush on me. The cloak and simple leather mask kept up the appearance of my being a boy. Her attention still made me uncomfortable but there was nothing I could do about that. Looking closer though I could see that there was worry in her eyes.

"What's wrong Millie?" I asked and handed over the turkey, wondering if she could even hold it with her small frame. My voice had switched into a lower tone instead of my natural feminine one.

"Oh Robin it's terrible!" Tears welled up in her eyes, "The Sheriff took Christopher because we couldn't pay our taxes! Mother is hysterical." Well that explained the crying. Christopher was one of the four children and Millie's brother. He was only fifteen, one year older than Millie. The Sheriff was really trying to teach the people a lesson if he had resorted to taking children. If he was in a really bad mood he would likely arrest the whole family before it was over. Maybe even execute some of them.

"Where did they take him? The jail?" There were weak places in the rotation of the guards and I could get in if my timing was right. If I decided to mount a rescue mission. Did I have enough arrows with me? Would I have to kill the guards? Was it worth it? The Henderson family would have to leave the farm and almost everything else behind but they would atleast have each other.

Millie nodded. "What are you going to do Robin?" Her voice was so hopeful that it hurt.

"Tell your parents to get ready to leave fast. Christopher will be joining you shortly." She nodded and I turned to leave. I could hear her quick footsteps in the house as I melted into the dark. "Tonight's a good night for a jailbreak." And just like that, with those few sentences, a series of events had been set in motion.

　

The town of Nottingham was a good sized town that had previously been flourishing until the new Sheriff swept into office and began to tax the people into hunger and poverty. The market place was barely a third of what it had once been and the jail had seemingly doubled in size to hold those that could no longer cough up the payments required.

Until now I had only looked eagerly at the brick building, wishing that I could storm in and release those that suffered inside. Now I had no choice. No one could sit by while children were taken. My hunting and stealing were not enough anymore. I never expected to wind up killing again.

I breathed slowly in and out while crouching behind the tree line by the jail. In times like these it felt good to imagine myself as someone fierce instead of just a girl. I imagined myself as the Robin everyone else saw. In my assassin days I had liked to pretend I was a bearded man with tattoos. We all had our personality quirks.

Supposedly the guards were suppose to circle the perimeter every five minutes and atleast two were suppose to be by the main and only entrance at all times. Laziness lead to half hearted patrols and dozing guards which was just fine by me. Every one of them were armed with some sort of weapon they would just love to use. They were lazy, but they weren't stupid enough to go unarmed.

From my spot in the trees I could see the back of the building and one of the guards patrolling. He carried a club on his belt. I knocked an arrow, closed one eye, breathed out, and let my arrow soar. It cut off any cry he could have made when it pierced his throat.

Giving myself no time to feel remorse I kept low and ran to the jail. Pressing my back against the rough brick, I waited. I didn't have long to listen to my heartbeat in my ears before the next guard rounded the corner. Once again an arrow struck it's mark with deadly accuracy. This was going better than I could have hoped for, and then I rounded the corner

By some miracle of bad luck this goon had decided to walk counterclockwise instead of the expected clockwise. Both of our eyes grew wide and he went for a knife by his side. I brought my bow up as he attempted to split my skull. My right foot kicked his knee hard and I whipped the bow towards his brutish head. Somehow the man, who I was now realizing to be very large and to apear very stupid, expected the move and wrenched the bow from my grip with a loud grunt while also slashing my upper arm with his knife.

Jagged pain flowed down my arm as I rolled backward, drew a knife, and threw it with