Post of the Month

~ November 2005 ~

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Robert/Merries ~Written by Siiri, Annie, Rhys & Gwyn. 

 Posted on the HoS Yahoo group February 2005.

"Alan, what news have you brought from Nottingham?" Robert asked.

Alan had been sitting with chin on hand, listening to the crackling of the cook-fire, his thoughts drifting. Robert's question brought him out of those thoughts.

"All seems relatively peaceful in Nottingham itself," he replied Robert.

"What, even with Gisbourne in charge?" John guffawed.

"It would appear so," Alan replied. "There were the presence of Gisbourne's men all over the town, as there usually are. But no more so than usual. They frequent the alehouses and the bawdy houses like usual, when they are not on duty. I kept my head down and observed them. They didn't notice me. And I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about them."

Will had drunk enough ale by now to be in a jovial mood. He studied Alan with a wicked gleam in his eye. "And what was YOU doing in a bawdy house in order to observe all this, minstrel?"

Alan lowered his head and didn't reply, feeling his face grow hot, as a vague ripple of amusement swept around the fireside company.

"Singing for his supper, most like," Much grinned.

John laughed. "Singing for SOMETHING, that's for sure!"

"The good folk of Nottingham ain't in revolt yet, then," Will observed. "What with Gisbourne bein' in charge an' all."

"Hate to disappoint you, Scarlet, but no," Alan answered meaningfully.

"Shame," Will said. "He's bin askin' for one for a long time now."

"How long has the Sheriff been away from Nottingham now?" Rhiannon queried, taking a restive Ellie from Robert and rocking her in her arms in the hope of getting the infant to sleep.

"He left Nottingham for London at King John's command before Easter - and Easter was early this year," Tuck recollected.

Robert chuckled as he rose and felt to his right to find the woodpile to add wood to the cookfire which he could hear was getting low. "Easter in the presence of King John - what a wonderful prospect that must have been for the Sheriff to look forward to!"

"Must have had a lot of explaining to do," Tuck agreed.

"And must have done a lot of praying," John remarked sarcastically. "Wonder if the good Lord listened?"

Tuck reached for the ale-skin and settled himself comfortably back down on his cloak spread on the ground. "The good Lord will always listen, John. Even to the likes of the Sheriff."

"Aye, but sometimes you don't get what you pray for," John said, nudging Will sitting beside him, who dealt John a grin, liking that thought.

Robert crouched on his heels before the cook-fire, idly poking it up. "Any news of when the Sheriff is due back in Nottingham, Alan?"

"Not that I heard," Alan replied. "So far as I know, Gisbourne has received no word from de Rainault as to when he will return to Nottingham. At least, whilst I was in Nottingham, no messenger arrived bearing that news."

"Gisbourne must be having a fine old time," John observed. "Surprised he hasn't come more after us in the meantime."

"He is in the process of training new men," Alan said.

"Arrow-fodder," Will chortled. "New target-practice, lads."

Robert grinned, still idly stirring the embers of the fire up with a long branch. "As long as Gisbourne issues them each with a bell to put round their necks so I can locate them as targets, it could be fun."

"They'll come into Sherwood sooner or later, won't they?" Much asked.

"Oh yes," Robert answered. "Gisbourne will try out his new recruits in Sherwood sooner or later. We'll have to be ready for them."

"You don't think Gisbourne's holding off because-" Tuck began.

"No," Robert cut in quickly. "My being his half-brother makes absolutely no difference to him. I'm outlawed, fair game. Besides," he lowered his head, pulling a vague frown of unease at the ground, "he would doubly love me to be out of the way for good, now. Since my father publicly acknowledged him..."

From where he sat, Tuck studied Robert's suddenly troubled facial expressions with not a little troubled feeling of his own. Born blind, Robert had no idea sometimes what emotions he gave away by his facial expressions, had no or little idea how to mask his face like sighted people to keep his feelings hidden - and it was at times like these, that the other outlaws, after a year of learning how to read Robert's physical behaviour, could read clearly in his face what he was feeling. No-one said anything when an unaware Robert clearly displayed such discomfort in his facial expressions, not wishing to intrude on the obviously personal feelings running through his heart at the time.

And it was obvious that the matter of his father and Gisbourne troubled him, thought Tuck, watching Robert's face. Robert feared for his father, and Tuck knew why. Who knew what Gisbourne could be capable of.

"So we ought to be ready for Gisbourne and these new recruits of his," Nasir remarked from where he sat.

"Oh yes," Robert replied quietly.

"There's something else I think we should possibly ready ourselves for," Alan began, his conversation with Gwydion Bryn in Martin's alehouse now coming to the front of his mind. "A piece of news I heard today - not in Nottingham, but on the way to here...."

Robert sharply jerked his head up in response to Alan's words, immediately alert to the note of trouble and unease in Alan's voice. "What is it, Alan?"

Alan hesitated further, then rose and walked the few steps across the fireside to where Robert was still crouched on his heels before the fire, poking it up. He crouched on his heels beside Robert, and laid a hand on Robert's shoulder.

"I don't think this is good news for us," Alan said quietly. "I heard a report that a band of outlaws has sprung up not too far away. They seem to be frequenting the woods outside Lincoln at present. Robbing travellers who go through the woods to reach Lincoln. Apparently they have been heard to boast that they will come to Sherwood next - to oust us. To see Robin i' the Hood off, I believe were the words used."

A solemn silence fell over the company around the fireside as they digested this piece of news.

"Where did you hear this news, and who from, Alan?" Robert asked quietly.

"In Martin's alehouse today - and from an old friend whose path happened to cross mine. He was concerned for me and he had heard that I joined Robin i' the Hood's men - I think he thought it necessary to warn me," Alan replied.

"And how accurate a source would you say your friend is." Robert wondered who this "friend" of Alan's was, but for now decided not to ask questions in that area.

"Well, he'd just come from Lincoln," Alan said, "so make of it what you will. But he's an honest man. He's not a troublemaker, and I believe I know him well enough to know that he is capable of separating the wheat from the chaff. I know him well, and whilst he likes to sit in alehouses and pick up on all sorts of gossip and chatter, he's no troublemaker."

"If he's bin listening to gossip, though...." began Will

Alan half turned in the direction of Will's doubting voice. "And you are the one who always says we shouldn't be complacent, Scarlet!" He turned back to Robert, and his hand still lain on Robert's shoulder, gave it a brotherly squeeze. "I just thought you ought to know, Robert. That's all. My friend seemed to think it necessary to tell me, to warn me - that to me indicates he doesn't think what he has heard in Lincoln is pure gossip."

"If he had been in Lincoln recently, it would seem that he knew what he was talking about," Robert said quietly. "I think we sometimes are too blinkered as to what could be happening outside the immediate area of Sherwood and Nottingham - what could be happening on our parameter - just outside our territory - and how it may have the potential of spilling over that line and affect us. It's always useful to spin our web of information so it stretches to reach further than we think we need it to." He gave Alan's arm a pat in silent thanks for the information, and rose to stand, warming his hands over the heat of the cook-fire which drifted upwards.

"We ought to find out whether this is gossip or not," said John.

"I agree," Robert said. "Much, I want you and Alan to sniff around a few of the villages nearest the Lincoln Road tomorrow. Find out what you can from the people there. What they may have heard of these outlaws from travellers who have gone along the Lincoln Road in the past few days."

Much nodded, then realising like many times before that Robert couldn't see his silent reply, added hastily: "Aye, Robert, we'll do that," and he shot Alan a look for confirmation.

"We'll set off at first light," Alan said.

"These other outlaws are operating outside Lincoln," said Rhiannon. "Is that within Gisbourne's jurisdiction?"

"If they are outside the town's boundaries and spill any further towards Nottingham with their trouble-making, it's possible that some of his soldiers may pick some of them up...." Robert stood in thought at the fire. "Maybe Gisbourne isn't aware of them as yet. Or maybe he has only just become aware of them and is about to do something. Time will tell."

"Make a change for him to go after another bunch of outlaws," Will said. "A change is as good as a rest for Gisbourne, innit?"

"Well, he wouldn't want TWO groups of outlaws running around Sherwood," Robert said. "If this other bunch seem to be spilling out from the surrounds of Lincoln and spreading in the direction of Sherwood, he would probably think they were aiming to join forces with us - and he would want to nip that in the bud."

"It could be then that he'd unintentionally rid us of this potential problem," John said.

"It could be. But there's no harm in us being prepared," Robert said.

"It is always as well to be prepared," Nasir said.

"Who do you think they are, these other so-called outlaws?" Rhiannon asked.

"I don't know," Robert replied. "Opportunists...."

"Summer outlaws," Nasir suggested from where he sat.

"Aye, perhaps." Robert stood and considered everything. "Summer's the time people like that come out of the woodwork and camp out in the woods. Form loose bands and turn to thievery. In winter they tend to go to ground - return to their families and wives. Shelter from the elements - and the law."

"Gutless feebles," Will said.

"Well, who wouldn't like to be beside his own roaring fireside come the depths of winter. Being an outlaw seems only an attractive prospect in summer when there is plenty of food around. Whatever," said Robert, "I think one thing is clear - whoever this band is, they are not like us. They don't have the same aims or intentions."

"They're lookin' out only for themselves," Will said.

"And that makes them dangerous," Tuck pointed out.

"So what now?" Will said. "We move from here?"

"Not yet," Robert answered. We'll hear what information Much and Alan gather tomorrow, first. Then we may know the best camp to move to. For the moment...this camp is well-hidden and on the far side of Sherwood away from both Nottingham and Lincoln. We would have advance warning if these other "outlaws" were to come along the Lincoln Road and enter Sherwood. Plenty of villages near the Lincoln Road - and we have our spies in those villages. They'll soon come and find us if they are beset by this group."

"We need to go somewhere we ain't goin' to be ambushed easily," Will said. "Like our camp by the lake."

"Yes, I agree." Robert thought of the camp which protected by the sheer rock face at its back, thick forest to its other sides and by old folk tales that the area was haunted and some sort of monstrous creature lived in the lake nearby. "We have extra weapons stored there, as well. It's also a fair way from any of the villages - should there be any clashes between us and these other "outlaws", we don't want innocent villagers getting caught up in it or their homes turned into a battleground."

"You sound like you're expecting trouble, Robert," Tuck said softly, watching his friend. "We don't even know yet if the news Alan has brought about these other outlaws is the truth...."

"It's as well always to expect trouble, Tuck," Robert said, "then at least we are armed with some small measure of preparation."

"And if the news ain't the truth then we ain't got anything to worry about, do we?" Will said, already focusing with a strange pleasure on the prospect of possible conflict. Things in Sherwood had been far too quiet recently....

"We're currently a little too close to Sedgeley than I'd like, given this potential situation," Robert said. "We've managed to avoid being connected to the village so far by the Sheriff and Gisbourne - let's keep it that way. We don't want a repeat of the scenarios that occurred at Wickham when we were connected solidly to THAT village."

He turned from the fire to face the company nearby. "So we'll do some digging around on the morrow, find out all we can about these other "outlaws"....and once armed with that information, we'll move on from here."

Will nodded in silent satisfaction, pleased that at last the group would be moving on to another location.

_Only hope THEY don't hold us up,_ Will thought, shooting a look at where Rhiannon sat at the fireside with Ellie asleep in her arms. They hadn't so far....but so far, there hadn't been much trouble in Sherwood since Rhiannon had returned to the band with the child...

He shot a meaningful look at John, directed his glance briefly to Rhiannon, and then looked back at John. John just gave a slight shrug in response, but Rhiannon's sharp eyes picked up on the silent exchange between the two men. She frowned slightly to herself in thought, well knowing what Will was communicating to John, but said nothing. After a year of being with the band, she had Scarlet's full measure and was in no way intimidated by him, belligerent though sometimes he could be.

If Will had a problem with she and Ellie being present in the band, then he would have to come to her and speak to her directly about it. Rhiannon resolved privately now to wait until that time, and so for now, said nothing.

Robert crouched on his heels once more before the fire, listening to the flames. The fire was low, smoke drifted up into his face, fanned by the whisper of a summer night's breeze. Around him, the fireside company was quiet. He listened to the peace around him, rubbed a weary hand across his face and thought back over the day.

All was well. Tuck had returned, as had Alan. Neither had brought exactly palatable news back with them from their respective errands, but such was life. At least now at the end of this day the band was together again, and there was strength in their unity. They would deal with any potential problems when they arose. Tomorrow was a new day...

Robert rose from the fireside. "It's late. We should sleep."