~Chapter Six~

The Rich Boy

Daylight filled the land as Evemina raced towards the distant Dubois Manor.

She had slept the night away when she was exhausted from her crying and most of the next day. That day was yesterday, because Evemina knew that Marian would be safe for now as the black mare and herself rested for some time. The maiden decided to ride in the afternoon to the Manor. However plans were decided for her.

At the crack of dawn, Verity woke her up by nipping her cheek. Evemina had been confused at the strangeness of her horse since ever would Verity was never known to do such a thing. Therefore the maiden took the rude awakening as a sign of 'we must ride now'.

Through the dewy morning, Evemina rode strongly to her home. Now looking at the thatched mansion hiding behind stone walls sent a feeling of relief and happiness. Verity thundered up the dirt hill to road to the manor with full speed.

Verity never behaved this strangely before... Evemina was mystified and stared at her horse.

As she neared the residence, yells could be heard behind the walls, "Evemina has returned! Open the gate!"

As she rapidly approached the wooden gates opened for her immediately after the yells. Verity and Evemina passed the gates into the courtyard, the wind whipped her hood off of her head, revealing her face.

The maiden pulled Verity's reins back sharply to slow into a trot. Her emerald eyes scoured the courtyard to see a strange sight.

Marian was outside the Manor... with a man. Her Lady looked distressed and sad as she cradled something in her hand. The man had long blonde hair and tanned skin with a soldier's clothing of leather. His eyes stared at Marian both sympathetically and sadly as if understanding what her feelings were.

"Evemina?"

The maiden glanced down to see her Lady's lady-in-waiting standing beside her, a smile formed on her lips. "It's good to see you, Sarah."

Sarah studied the maiden carefully, "You return so soon. Did everything go well in Papplewick?"

Evemina bit her lip in thought as she wondered if she could trust Sarah not knowing who the traitor could be. "Of course. They were not there. They had moved to another town. It was too much of a ride for Verity so we returned."

Sarah nodded with sincerity, "I'm sorry that you did not get to see them."

Evemina nodded before turning to the stranger with Marian, "Sarah, who is that with Lady Marian?"

The woman glanced over, "Robin of Locksley."

Robin of Locksley? The same man who played with Peter... Robin?

A sense of detestment grew at the sights of him.

"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be in the Crusades?" Evemina retorted distastefully.

"Evemina." Sarah calmly whispered, causing the maiden to glance back. "Peter and Robin have been in a prison for five years... He just escaped a few months ago."

A light shone upon Evemina's face, "Where's Peter than?" The maiden glanced around for any sign but only spotted the distressed face of Sarah, "He died trying to escape." Evemina's expression faltered into dispair, "Peter was struck by an arrow in his back... He gave Robin the family ring before running out toward the Muslim soldiers to allow Robin and his... companion escape. He died an honorable death."

Evemina listened carefully and nodded at her words. No wonder Marian seems so depressed and she could understand why Robin would be upset as well.

Without much of a glance, Evemina quietly flicked the reins and Verity trotted towards the stable.

"Evemina, wait!"

The maiden glanced back to Sarah who jogged back along Verity's side, "Yes, Sarah?"

The brown eyes of Marian's lady in waiting stared into the emeralds, "Marian has been worried about your safety. We are both glad that you are safe again." Evemina nodded with a slight smile before she returned to traveling back to the stables.

"Marian!" Evemina gazed back to the sound of a male's voice and saw Robin following after her Lady, "Marian, My purpose in coming here, was not to hurt you... I swore... I swore to your brother that I would protect you."

Marian's eyes were sad as she stared at Robin, "You can not replace my brother."

"I do not want to replace him." Robin responded his voice held sadness, "Marian, I've returned to my home to find it destroyed and my father murdered. And the only explanations for it are the ramblings of an old blind man." The man gestured to a man sitting on a bale of hale near the stable with a blindfold and stark white hair.

Marian shook her head slowly, stepping slightly away from Robin, "All I remember of you is a spoiled bully who used to burn my hair as a child."

Robin responded by taking a step closer to the saddened Lady, look ing her straight in the eyes, "Please allow that years of war and prison may change a man."

Marian stared at the man before her, breathing heavily. "Robin, whatever happened between you and your father, you mustn't believe...what they accused him of." Lady Dubois set her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't." Robin answered seriously.

Suddenly Robin looks up towards the stone wall and takes off in a sprint. Evemina watched curiously as Robin climbed the ladder to sit beside another man on the wall.

"Evemina?"

The maiden glanced over to see Marian' s face, "My Lady..." Evemina bowed her head and got off Verity.

"You are back so soon."

"Marian I come with very important news." Evemina strolled over to her Lady and whispered seriously, "There is a spy of Nottingham in the Manor."

"What? How did you come to find this?"

Evemina opened her mouth to speak when in the corner of her eye, she sees Robin and... a very dark skinned man leap into a heap of hay.

"What is it?" Marian questioned as the men ran closer. Evemina suspiciously eyed the dark man sprinting past her to the old blind man quickly heads and the stables while Robin goes to Marian's side. "What is it?"

"It's Nottingham soldiers." Robin answered.

"Coming here? Is this your protection?" Marian questioned the man.

Robin uneasily gazed into her eyes, "I've killed some of the Sheriff's men."

Marian sighed, "Oh dear."

The man remained dead serious as he watched the Lady of Dubois, "I fear I've placed you in danger."

Marian gave him a 'no kidding' expression with a hmm. She whisked her hands up to sho Robin away, "I can take care of myself just go!" The dark man exits the stables on a beautiful horse with the old man behind him, "No that's my horse!" Marian hollered.

"A truly magnificent animal, my lady." The dark man responded with a smile.

Robin unsheathed his sword, remaining on the ground.

The thunder of hooves roared louder, creating fear in Evemina's heart. Her home is no longer safe... thanks to Robin of Locksley truly. She would not be able to stay here with the spy and the Nottingham soldiers now at breath's range to entering the Dubois Manor.

"Go!" Marian hollered to Robin.

Locksley glanced back and approached, "I said I've sworn to protect you."

Marian shook her head, "And I say no more boyish gestures."

Robin replied with a teasing smile, "I'm not leaving."

Evemina watched in fear as her emerald eyes spotted Guy of Gisbourne entering the Manor with his men.

"Stop them! They're stealing my horses!" Marian hollered.

"You're so kind, Marian." Robin whispered to her. With a swat on her bottom with his sword, Locksley took off running to the extra horse, the dark skinned man was holding for him.

Evemina knew that she had no other choice, "Marian I cannot stay."

"What?"

Evemina quickly mounted onto a rumbunkous Verity, "My life is in danger and I fear it will risk yours too."

The maiden urged Verity onward just as Robin hopped onto his own horse. Evemina joined the side beside the dark skinned man, as they raced out of Dubois Manor getting shot at by crossbows.

As they raced down the dirt beaten path, Robin noticed the new addition. "Who in God's name are you?"

Her emerald eyes met Robin's, "I'm also wanted by Nottingham, Locksley. I endanger Marian if I had stayed."

After her curt explanation, the four continued on thundering across the hills of Dubois.

The chase was on.

For a day and a half, the four rode endlessly over the moors and hillsides of England. For a time, the guards were coming up on them but now they had a good head start from the soldiers. Verity's breathing became irregular and it worried Evemina as they four continued to race further away.

They pause at the top of a hill and look towards the way they came. Robin pulled a arrow out of his horse's rump causing the horse to whinny in pain. "Have we lost them?" Locksley questioned his friend.

The dark skinned man takes out a strange leather object and put it to his eyes, "No." He glances over to the company, Evemina was checking on Verity and knew she could not stand to run not that much longer. Her eyes met the dark man and sadly shook her head, "My horse carries two and yours is lame. We can not outrun them."

"Leave me, master Robin, I slow your escape." The blind man pleaded to Locksley.

Robin glanced back to a sea of trees behind them, "We can loose them in the forest."

The blind man gasped, "Sherwood Forrest is haunted, master."

Robin stared at the approaching guards in the distance, "Either we take our chances with the ghosts or become ghosts ourselves."

The four quickly turn to the forest and raced down the hill. Entering the forest, they quickly lead their horses as far as they could and hid in a large thicket. There they waited silently. They could not continue into the forest or Guy would continue to persue the tired company.

Having this time, Evemina covered her head with her hood quickly, now being able to relax. Her emerald eyes carefully studied the lone of the forest as Guy and his men rode to it. Guy guided his horse a few steps in before noticing that his men halted before Sherwood, "Come on, damn you! There are only three of them." Guy hollered to his men.

A soldier glanced at hiss leader, "It's not the man we fear sir, it's the evil spirits."

Guy returned a rather displeased expression before turning to the forest, "Robin of the Hood!!" His gruff voice echoed off every tree, "Son of a devil worshipper!!" A slick grin appeared on Guy's face, trying to reel in Robin from hiding, "Your father died a coward, cursing your name and squealing like a stuck pig!"

Evemina quickly gazed over to a very unsettled and aggravated Robin as his eyes glared venomously at Guy of Gisbourne.

The black skinned man noticed this anger and spoke calmly to Locksley, "You will bring no justice to your father by dying today."

As the maiden stared at the face of Robin, she felt a twinge of sympathy for him for she knew what it was like to have a loved one be murdered in a such disturbing manner. However Evemina still did not like him. Something in her willed her not to and that smirk of his.

All she could think of about that is 'spoiled little rich boy'.

Why do I hate him this much? Hatred roared through her veins at his presence. Sure she disliked him for being a brat to Marian... But dear God.. She hated him with such deep dislike.

Guy of Gisbourne listened for any sounds before a scowl washed over his sly grin. The cold man wheeled his horse around and than took off with his guards.

(End of Chapter Six)