in particular. Ryan watched the two with a pinched expression and laughed only when Tom was nearly knocked out of the saddle by a wayward branch.
Operating out of habit, Crafty and I nearly led the group to our main camp in Sherwood before I finally snapped out of my fit of joy.
“Halt!” I shouted, pulling back on the reins. Crafty locked his legs and skid to a stop, the horses behind us scrambled to avoid smacking into Crafty.
The singing Lobb slipped right off Crafty’s back, and Will Scarlet barely avoided running him over.
“What, what is it?” Tom shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Little John added.
“Bloody hell Robyn, you could warn us next time,” Will Scarlet chided.
“Robin, what happened?” Ryan asked.
“Ow,” Lobb said from the ground. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Crafty set a hoof down next to his head.
“I almost forgot,” I said, twisting in the saddle, ignoring Lobb’s whimpers. “I’m not coming back.”
“WHAT?”
“Not coming back??”
“But Robyn, you have to!”
I ignored Tom, Ryan, and Lobb and kept my gaze fixed on Little John and Will, who had moved their horses back behind Crafty.
Will Scarlet uncomfortably shifted, but Little John nodded at the other three Merry Men. “Tom, Ryan, Lobb. Head back to camp. We’ll see you there in a bit.”
“We don’t take orders from you,” Ryan snarled.
Tom turned in his saddle to shake his head at Ryan in a warning before pulling his horse along side Little John’s. “If you don’t bring her back, we’ll feed you to the wolves,” he warned in a quiet voice before brightening. “Right then! Come along Lobb, let’s get moving!” he said before heeling his horse.
“Wait up,” Lobb complained, picking himself off the ground before lamely trotting after the riding pair. “I hav en’t a horse! You’ll have to slow down!” Lobb crossly called after them.
“Why should we, you silly gawp fish?” Tom laughed.
“I am not silly! It was I who opened up the gates!” Lobb protested, crashing through the woods after them.
“No, you destroyed the gate,” Ryan corrected.
The trio eventually fell out of my hearing range, leaving me with Little John and Scarlet.
“Robyn… you have to come back. You have to lead us,” Little John said after several moments of forest-y silence.
Crafty arched his neck and chewed his bit. I was silent.
“We need you Robyn. We can’t get by without you,” Will Scarlet evenly said.
“But you said—,” I started.
“Forget what we said!” Will Scarlet exploded.
Little John rubbed his forehead with a giant hand before reaching down to stroke his horse’s neck. “We were being fools, Robyn. I was being a fool. A wretched fool. The contest was unfair and I knew it. I just wanted—,” he broke off for a second. “I just. I, I was stupid Robyn. Please forgive us. Forgive me,” Little John said.
I wheeled Crafty around so I could properly face them. “Whether you were being foolish or not isn’t the question. You legitimately beat me and said you wanted to lead the Merry Men. Who am I to stop you?” I asked, gesturing with my free hand. (I didn’t dare release Crafty’s reins; there was no telling what the demon horse would do.)
“Robyn, you don’t understand! It wasn’t that I didn’t want you as a l eader anymore,” Little John said.
“It is the same for me. I would never see you replaced, ” Will Scarlet echoed.
“Then explain to me, Little John, and Will Scarlet, why you demanded tha t Little John should be our leader? Make me understand what you really meant by that. Please, enlighten me,” I hissed. Crafty, sensing my foul mood, pinned his ears and snarled at the duo.
Scarlet and Little John avoided my gaze and stared down at their hands.
I blinked back tears. So in the end they couldn’t even explain themselves. If they couldn’t do that much then surely they still didn’t want me as their leader. The two men I had trusted the most
Operating out of habit, Crafty and I nearly led the group to our main camp in Sherwood before I finally snapped out of my fit of joy.
“Halt!” I shouted, pulling back on the reins. Crafty locked his legs and skid to a stop, the horses behind us scrambled to avoid smacking into Crafty.
The singing Lobb slipped right off Crafty’s back, and Will Scarlet barely avoided running him over.
“What, what is it?” Tom shouted.
“What’s wrong?” Little John added.
“Bloody hell Robyn, you could warn us next time,” Will Scarlet chided.
“Robin, what happened?” Ryan asked.
“Ow,” Lobb said from the ground. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Crafty set a hoof down next to his head.
“I almost forgot,” I said, twisting in the saddle, ignoring Lobb’s whimpers. “I’m not coming back.”
“WHAT?”
“Not coming back??”
“But Robyn, you have to!”
I ignored Tom, Ryan, and Lobb and kept my gaze fixed on Little John and Will, who had moved their horses back behind Crafty.
Will Scarlet uncomfortably shifted, but Little John nodded at the other three Merry Men. “Tom, Ryan, Lobb. Head back to camp. We’ll see you there in a bit.”
“We don’t take orders from you,” Ryan snarled.
Tom turned in his saddle to shake his head at Ryan in a warning before pulling his horse along side Little John’s. “If you don’t bring her back, we’ll feed you to the wolves,” he warned in a quiet voice before brightening. “Right then! Come along Lobb, let’s get moving!” he said before heeling his horse.
“Wait up,” Lobb complained, picking himself off the ground before lamely trotting after the riding pair. “I hav en’t a horse! You’ll have to slow down!” Lobb crossly called after them.
“Why should we, you silly gawp fish?” Tom laughed.
“I am not silly! It was I who opened up the gates!” Lobb protested, crashing through the woods after them.
“No, you destroyed the gate,” Ryan corrected.
The trio eventually fell out of my hearing range, leaving me with Little John and Scarlet.
“Robyn… you have to come back. You have to lead us,” Little John said after several moments of forest-y silence.
Crafty arched his neck and chewed his bit. I was silent.
“We need you Robyn. We can’t get by without you,” Will Scarlet evenly said.
“But you said—,” I started.
“Forget what we said!” Will Scarlet exploded.
Little John rubbed his forehead with a giant hand before reaching down to stroke his horse’s neck. “We were being fools, Robyn. I was being a fool. A wretched fool. The contest was unfair and I knew it. I just wanted—,” he broke off for a second. “I just. I, I was stupid Robyn. Please forgive us. Forgive me,” Little John said.
I wheeled Crafty around so I could properly face them. “Whether you were being foolish or not isn’t the question. You legitimately beat me and said you wanted to lead the Merry Men. Who am I to stop you?” I asked, gesturing with my free hand. (I didn’t dare release Crafty’s reins; there was no telling what the demon horse would do.)
“Robyn, you don’t understand! It wasn’t that I didn’t want you as a l eader anymore,” Little John said.
“It is the same for me. I would never see you replaced, ” Will Scarlet echoed.
“Then explain to me, Little John, and Will Scarlet, why you demanded tha t Little John should be our leader? Make me understand what you really meant by that. Please, enlighten me,” I hissed. Crafty, sensing my foul mood, pinned his ears and snarled at the duo.
Scarlet and Little John avoided my gaze and stared down at their hands.
I blinked back tears. So in the end they couldn’t even explain themselves. If they couldn’t do that much then surely they still didn’t want me as their leader. The two men I had trusted the most
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