Hood Part 1

Sherwood

OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS! I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT POSTING ON FRIDAY NIGHT! THURSDAY NIGHT MY PARENTS SPRUNG A SUPRISE LAKE VACATION ON ME. THEY WERE LIKE "PACK YOUR STUFF, WE'RE LEAVING TOMORROW." I SPENT 48 HOURS WITH NO WIFI AND WAS COMPLETELY OFF THE GRID FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME. SO I'M POSTING AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER TO HELP MAKE UP FOR MISSING FRIDAY'S DEADLINE.

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​"Come on, it's only another mile or so," she said motioning. "I hope the others will accept you."

Then a thought hit me. That's why she was stealing, I thought. She was feeding other kids​.

"Though if the group allows you to join us and you get sent on food trips, be aware of a couple of guard apprentices. They don't wear uniforms and they're pretty sneaky. Again I'm sorry about stealing from your cart. If you decide not to stay with us, as long as you swear not to tell anyone about us here, we'll take you back home and never steal from your family's cart again."

"You know I've heard stories about a Robin Hood out here in the forest. But the stories tell of a young man with a small group of men as his followers. How did those stories get started?" I asked.

"Just a stupid rumor. My girls all dress like boys and men never think women can be smarter than they are. Look!" She exclaimed, pointing. "There it is!"

In front of us stood a tiny cottage. Robin walked right up to the door and knocked hard.

"Who stands at our humble door?" Called a female voice from inside.

"It is the one of many names. The one who those of Sherwood bow before." Robin replied.

The door swung open to reveal a young couple, barely older than myself. They were both dressed simply and in the woman's arms lay a small bundle. As Robin and I stepped inside and the door swung closed, the bundle squirmed. When she saw the bundle move, Robin threw herself toward the woman.

"Oh, Mary! When?" She exclaimed with delight.

"She was born only yesterday," the woman, Mary, replied.

The blanket wrapped around the bundle fell back, revealing a tiny baby.

"What is her name?" Robin asked.

Mary and the man looked at each other.

"Her name, is Rosemary."

This seemed to have some kind of significance to Robin. Two tears dripped down her cheeks.

​Robin quickly wiped away the tears.

​"Who is your friend?" The man asked.

"This is Phillip. He is the son of a man who's cart I stole from. I was noticed and almost caught, but Philip was sent after me to catch me and take me back to his father. He has agreed to see how we live before he runs back to his father to get me arrested. Philip, meet Mary and Adam. They take care of anything we cannot ourselves. Are the boys here?"

"No, they are hunting. They've been gone the entire time you were gone. They only came back once a day to drop off meat. You know how John hates to be idle when you are away."

"When will they be back?"

"They'll be back by sunset."

"That should be soon. Phillip, I will go open the passage to the underground while Adam blindfolds you. After that I'll guide you into Sherwood. If you chose to join us then we will show you how to access the underground."

She left the room and Adam began to wind a strip of fabric around my face. Not long after it was secure I heard light footsteps and a hand slipped into my own. The hand had an odd texture. It was callused, but somehow it was soft too.