A sunny day of July 1232...

"Uncle William, what is the positive aspect of splitting an arrow by shooting it?"

"It proves that you are the best archer, my dear"

"I cannot find anything interesting in archery, Uncle William"

"Don't underestimate archery, Anais. A skilled archer could shoot you dead before you acknowledge it. Let me show you..."

Will Scarlet strained the bowstring and aimed at a shrub. He then released his fingers out of the arrow, and it flew straight into the target. When he came to retrieve the arrow, Little Anais saw a rabbit had been impaled dead.

"Maybe to-night we will have some nice rabbit stew", said Will Scarlet.

"I prefer rabbit pie"

Will Scarlet turned to look at Little Anais with an awkward sight then fairly shook his head.

"Lady Sylvia, why did you name the girl after a great archer while archery doesn't have any attraction to her?", murmured him.

Since the death of his uncle and his master, Robin Hood, Will Scarlet was now serving as a mentor and protector for his master's friend's child. The Sherwood Forest's outlaws had been disbanded and many had left Nottingham, only Will and Robin Hood's lieutenant, Little John, stayed in Nottingham by their master's last will. Entrusted by Lord Timbley, every day Will would come to teach the little girl what she needs and how to protect herself. However, archery wasn't Little Anais's favourite.

"Although they were both named Anais, but I didn't think that this Anais was born to be an archer like that Anais", murmured Will.

Thinking he should change the subject, so he drew out his dull broadsword and asked:

"Although I wasn't skilled in fencing but... didn't you want to learn this, Little Anais? This sword hadn't been used since my master died"

"Fencing? Teach me, teach me, Uncle William! I would like to learn! It seems less boring than archery", excited Little Anais, "and, uhm, who is your master? You did have a master, Uncle William?"

Will looked deep into the forest, proudly replied:

"Yes, he is a legendary archer of Sherwood Forest, a Queen's knight"

"Doesn't it matter if you teach me fencing now, Uncle William?"

"Shall we practise with wooden staff, Little Anais? If you get hurt, I will get some huge trouble from Lord Timbley"

Then, Will cut for him and his little apprentice two staffs from an oak tree's branches. A thought chasing inside his mind, why he accepted to be Little Anais protector and mentor but didn't ask his master's lieutenant to take it instead. Anyway, Little John was always better than him in fencing and staff-duelling.

"Fencing is literally sword-duelling, however, it differs from ordinary sword-duelling by its techniques..."

Will held the staff by its one end with a hand, then pointed it straight forward and got into preparing state. Little Anais as was told, did the same.

"Listen: the common move in fencing, differs from normal sword-duelling is thrusting technique. I was told by your father that it'd better teaching archery than fencing as even I wasn't skilled in it... Is it fine, Little Anais?"

"It will be fine. I am no longer a child, I am eleven now", said Anais while trying to be mature in front of her mentor.

"I said the same when I was your age to my uncle Robin. And you know what, he knocked me out when we was training like this"

"I am different, Uncle William!"

Right after she could finish her affirmation, she stepped forward and attacked Will, intendedly to start the lesson.

"Left, right, left... Side, front, side..."

Although this was the first lesson of fencing of Anais, she did so astoundingly that even her mentor had suddenly disrupted by surprise.

"What got into you?"

"I saw my father once trained with Uncle Little John like that", replied Anais.

"Then you weren't a rookie. You did remind me of Anais d'Nottinghamshire, a renowned archer at the age of sixteen... Although it's better not to mention archery to you..."

"Anais d'Nottinghamshire?"

"She was born a noble just like you, but gave up her title and moved to live in Sherwood Forest, as an outlaw who thieves the rich to feed the poor"

"O, wait, Uncle William? I am a noble?"

"Yes, why, your father is a lord, and your mother is a lady. However, they left their noble life to live here as commoners...", said Will while deepening his voice, "... Lord Ferdinand once told me when you were born, that he wondered if you would hate him for not giving you what you deserved... He tried his best to be a good father, don't you understand..."

Anais's staff fell down to her feet, and suddenly she sat on a stump nearby and cried.

"Eh, what's the matter, Little Anais?"

"Father didn't only try his best to be a good parent, but also to help other people from starvation. I knew more than you think, I'm eleven now! But, although I have such a great father and a kind mother, I cannot do anything"

"You are just like her, the legendary, I mean...", smiled Will and sat down by his ward, "don't you worry, I will make you stronger so you can both protect yourself and your people. I promise you as I once promised your father to mentor you"

Suddenly, someone rushed through the Forest, whom Will accidentally caught in his sight. That person wore a cloak which covered his face, so Will could not identify; and bearing a broadsword with a bow and arrows. Seemingly, that just looked like a hunter. However, hunters don't act like that when they are hunting. This led to Will's suspension. But later he just thought that person was simply in hurry as that one carrying a staff, like most of hunters when they went into the Forest to prevent snakes. Years after, he would be so deeply regretted that if he could sense something fishy from that suspicious person.

Will trained his ward the basics of fencing until dusk. After promising he would continue the training on the following day, he and his little apprentice left to the outskirts of the Forest, headed to Lord Timbley's cottage. Will carried along with him a rabbit which he accidentally hunted while demonstrating Little Anais "the art of archery" for Lady Timbley to make some pies.

When they arrived, the atmosphere was suspiciously silent, inside the cottage had no light of candles Lady Timbley always lit at the time. Feeling something terrible, Will asked Little Anais to wait outside, rushed in and a scent of blood stroke him. His eyes caught the side of the mistress laying unconsciously in a pool of blood. Will was so horrified that he dropped what he was holding to the ground, kneeled down on his knees and staring at the countess' lifeless body. Sensing something wrong, Little Anais stepped to the door and witnessed his mentor kneeling by her mother's body, as terrified as Will when he first saw the grimly scene. The poor girl hopelessly ran by her mother, just to find she had already gone. She screamed in fear and terror, swallowed by her own anguish then collapsed on the ground. Didn't she know, her father arrived at the cottage right after.

"William...", a weak voice came from the door.

Will turned over to see that figure and gasped in surprise. "My lord... Pardon me, I could not protect Her Ladyship...", cried he.

"Is... Anais... fine?"

"She is alright, my lord. She was... just... horrified when she found out Her Ladyship has died"

Lord Timbley stepped by his daughter and kneeled down, smiled in glad.

"Thank God...", said he then looked at Will, "I entrust my little angel to you, my good fellow. Protect her, care for her, and told her my apologies for not being a father she deserves... I could not protect my love, and I will not be able to protect my angel..."

"My lord...", cried Will, "If I realised this sooner... Her Ladyship wouldn't have died..."

"I will come there with her soon, I was shot... the poisoned arrows... They're... the Guards... I'm pretty sure he stands behind this assassination...", murmured Lord Timbley, "Bring Anais to the Abbey, Mother Maiseline knows what she has to do..."

Lord Timbley then looked at Will and gave him a gentle smile.

"You and Little John... I beg you to be my daughter's guardians, until she is capable of protecting herself... Raise her to be the heir of my will and... Her Highness's legacy... Raise her to be a Revolutionary... or a Rebel like her father..."

Lord Timbley collapsed on the ground right after he finished his last words. By his lord's order, Little Anais was brought to Nottingham Abbey, where could not be touch by Lord Macley or King Henry. Mother Maiseline agreed to adopt the child, and hid the comatose Anais in the underground chamber to avoid the sight of the Guards. When Will returned to the cottage the next morning, he realised it was burned down. He then secretly collected the remains of his lord and lady, later buried them under the willow tree in the Church's graveyard. In front of the couple's graves, he promised to protect the child of theirs, and even teach her to become a Revolutionary as a wish of Lord Timbley when he received the news of his wife's childbirth.

How would the eleven-year-old overcome the pain of the sudden death of her parents?