Orphan of Destiny

Mistress Hode took Maryam by the hand again. “Lass, are you a Christian?”

Maryam swallowed, then quietly answered, “No, ma’am, I’m not.”

“But my Rob says you’ve stood by him, fought at his side. This is true?” she asked.

“Yes, Mistress Hode, it’s true. He’s a little rough around the edges sometimes, and he’s not quite as good with a longbow as he believes, but I’ve never met a braver or more loyal soul,” Maryam said.

Mistress Hode beamed and pulled Maryam toward the house. “’Tis good enough for me. Come, lass, I mean no offense, but you’ve been riding hard for a long while and I’ll bet it’s been some time since you’ve had a proper bath. My maid will draw us water and we’ll have a nice chat. Allan, Will, there’s a bit of venison left up in the smokehouse. If you two wouldn’t mind, you might hunt us a roebuck for our evening meal, although Lord knows there’s not many deer left, with everyone as hungry as they are. We don’t have much,” she said to Maryam and Little John, “but we’ll feast this evening. Will, you and the rest to your jobs now. My Robin boy is home, and for one night at least, Sherwood will know no sorrow. Off with you!”

Pulling Maryam behind her, Mistress Hode disappeared into the house with Angel at her heels. Will, Allan and the other men attended to everything needing to be done. They led the horses toward the pasture behind the barn. A large cook fire was lighted in the pit, and before long it was just Robard, Tuck, Little John and me standing in the yard.

“What now?” I asked.

“Now we give my mother her celebration. There’s been enough crying today. Tomorrow, I’ll ride to Nottingham and speak to this Shire Reeve.”

“Robard. .”

“No, Tristan. Enough talk. Look at the state of my home. If my father were alive, he’d die of disgrace. What of my poor mother having to live like this with the house and everything else falling down around her? Will and Allan have to scrape up whatever they can just to feed the hungry. We’ll have words, this Shire Reeve and I. Of that I assure you.”

With that, Robard stalked off and disappeared behind the house.

“I think young Hode is asking for trouble,” Little John remarked.

“Yes, he needs to take leave and think. We’re in no shape to make another enemy of the Shire Reeve,” I said.

“You’ll stand with him against the Reeve?” Little John asked.

The breeze picked up just then and a small dusting of snow whipped up into the air and blew across the ground at us. I felt the wind cut through me, and if I had not been raised by Christian men, I would have thought it a sign, an omen of evil things to come. Despite my upbringing, for a moment I did think so. Something bad was coming our way.

Little John, if he saw any of it, said nothing. I looked him in the eye. “All the way,” I said. “All the way.”

20

The celebration lasted late into the night. Given the circumstances, and not wanting to upset him, I avoided talking with Robard about his desire to seek out the man responsible for his father’s death. Will Scarlet came back with a deer he had shot in the forest. It was cleaned and cooked, and we enjoyed a spartan but delicious meal at Mistress Hode’s table. It was easy to see how much Robard enjoyed being home, and I cursed fate for taking his father from him and spoiling his return.

I caught Maryam studying him carefully, knowing as did I how hot tempered and capable of rash acts he was. Yet as the night wore on, he appeared to relax somewhat, as if the edge of his anger had dulled, and when the time for sleep arrived, I thought perhaps he would have a clearer head come morning.

Maryam had bathed and washed and combed her hair, and she wore a new tunic Mistress Hode had somehow found and altered to fit her. Her cloak had been washed and mended, and Maryam looked positively radiant. She laughed and joked with Robard and the men, and they obviously enjoyed her company, though it was evident she also made them nervous, as they remembered her skill with daggers.

When our meal ended, Tuck, Little John and I made beds on the floor of the main room of the manor house, near the fireplace. We offered to sleep in the barn, but Mistress Hode would have none of it. Robard went to his room in the back of the house, and Will, Allan and the others departed for their own homes on the property. Maryam was given a bed in the upper level next to Mistress Hode’s sleeping quarters. We fell fast asleep. It had been an eventful day and we were all exhausted. Sleeping indoors, even on the hard floor, covered by the warm quilts provided us, was a welcome treat.

I’m not sure what awakened me in the early morning hours. My sleep was usually deep and undisturbed, but perhaps a creak of a floorboard or the whispered sound of clothing passing nearby brought me to my senses. The fire was a bed of coals and the orange light gave off a soft glow, lighting the room just enough to see dim shapes. I heard the snores of Tuck and John, then the front door creak slowly open and shut. I stood and investigated immediately. I had slept in my clothes, and only needed to buckle on my sword as I crept quietly through the house.

When I stepped through the door, I scanned the yard to see who was about this hour and caught a glimpse of Robard heading into the barn where the horses were stabled. My suspicions were confirmed. He had not given up on his intention of confronting the Shire Reeve but hoped to sneak away. Doing so would prevent his mother, Maryam and me from trying to talk him out of it.

The night air was cold and the ground was covered in thick frost. The half moon was low in the sky, so daybreak was still some hours away. A few flakes of snow flew about on the breeze, but the sky was clearing and cloudless toward the east.

Following Robard to the barn, I made no attempt to keep silent. The three of us had been traveling for months, always on guard, ever alert for danger, and surprising a King’s Archer in the dead of night was never a good idea. He had closed the barn door behind him and I opened it and stepped inside. A small oil lamp burned from a hanger on a post near the horse stalls, but Robard was nowhere to be seen.

“Robard?” I called out. He did not answer.

“Robard, it’s me, Tristan. I know where you’re going. Don’t do it alone. Let’s talk about it first.” The barn remained silent.

I stepped farther in and looked up at the loft where hay was stacked. I strained to see into the darkened corners but still did not find my friend. How had he disappeared?

“Robard, I know you can hear me. Believe me when I say I understand your feelings. We’ve both lost-” For a moment the words would not come as an image of the crosses lining the lane at St. Alban’s flooded my memory and grief briefly threatened to take over again.

“Just know I share your sorrow, but please, I beg of you, do not do this.”

There was another small door leading to the corral outside directly across from me, and I wondered for an instant if perhaps I had misjudged Robard’s intent. Maybe he had been unable to sleep and had merely gone for a walk to clear his head. But I discounted the thought; he would not have left a lamp burning where a fire could easily start.

Just as I was about to call out to him again, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped in fright. “Don’t do that-” I said, turning to face Robard. But before I could ask him where he thought he was going, his gloved fist shot out and connected solidly with my jaw, and I fell to the ground unconscious.

Something poked me in the chest and my eyes opened wide. “Robard, stop it. This is no time-” I looked up and found not Robard, but his mother, Little John, Maryam, Angel and Will all staring down at me. There was enough light to see them clearly, which meant it must be early morning. I sat up. Little John reached out to pull me to my feet.

“Where is my son?” his mother asked me as I rubbed my aching jaw.

“He’s gone?” I asked Will.

“Aye, he’s nowhere about, Master Tristan. We’ve looked everywhere,” Will answered.