The Queen's Thief

Chapter 16: New responsibilities

(For those who don't know what a Manticore is its the picture above.)

*16 years old*
*Enchanted Forest*
~Sam's pov~

It was almost midnight when I got back to camp and Robin looked happy to see me.

"So was the tip right?" Robin asked after he lead me somewhere so no one could hear.

Which made sense because he had sent me on a secret mission.

"Well most of it." I said as I took the sack on my shoulder and set it in front of him. "The item isn't dangerous yet, but will be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Where the information was wrong was it was extremely guarded. They had magical traps I couldn't detect and I set one off as I was leaving."

"Are you alright?" He asked as he realized I was covers in cuts and bruises. As well the large blood stain on my pants.

"I'm fine now. I hid away in the room of a kind girl and she patched me up." I smiled as I spoke.

He smirked at me before changing the topic.

"So what exactly is this dangerous treasure?" He pulled the egg out of the sack. "An egg?"

"It makes since you don't know." I laughed as I took the egg from him.

"It is a dragon?"

"No, much worse than that. Besides dragon eggs have a more scale like look to them and their bigger." I held the egg close to keep it at the right temperature.

"Then what is it?"

"A Manticore." I looked up at him and he looked shocked.

"Ok it has to be destroyed."

"No. It's not getting destroyed." I said as I moved away from him. "If taken care of by the right person they can be good and safe. Unless provoked."

"And who would train it?" He asked pointing to the egg.

"Well they imprint on things like ducks. As long as it's not by someone who will abandon it, raise it wrong, or mistreated it it will be good." I continued to hug the egg.

"Fine you get one chance. You'll be the one to raise it. Keep that egg with you at all times and if it harms anyone that is innocent or one of my men. I will be put down on the spot." He warned me.

"Even if it does it protecting me? I know not everyone here particularly likes me but they do put up with me." I said to him as I put the egg back into the sack. "Mostly the ones who joined after I did."

"Ok. Only if they are trying to harm you or it depending on the situation." He said as he shook his head like he'd regret that decision.

I decided to walk down to the creek near by and I washed the blood out of my pants and back to my tent. I hung my pants on a line and decided to head to bed for the night.

Since I'm the only girl in the Merry Men still I have my own tent and Robin made sure it was close to his incase anyone tried to hurt me.