Robin's Song

It's Too Early To Throw A Knife

Arlo

Outside my guest bedroom window is the most beautiful pond I have ever seen. There was a pond back at this castle, but this one is unique. The dark liquid is surrounded by different species of plants and large stone rocks to the right. I'll have to ask Robin if he's ever cliff-jumped from those rocks before. Ever since we arrived here, Robin has told tons of stories about the things he has done while living here. My personal favorite was when entered a women's beauty pageant held in the village. Robin said he put on a dress and everything.

Explosive laughter comes from the hallway. It's early in the morning, but I woke up sooner than that. My sleeping routine is healthy, but it felt like I didn't get a second of sleep last night. This morning, I enjoyed the quiet while I let the others sleep, or try to sleep. I haven't heard a sound since now so I guess we've reached the time where we are awake.

I pull the gifted robe over my pajamas before entering the hallway. Robin's door is open; I poke my head in there briefly to see if that is where the chatter is coming from. Before I could stop myself, my hand pushed the door open further. My body doesn't leave the threshold but I take in what his room looks like. In our dorm, we're not allowed to personalize anything. This bedroom compared to the one at school is very different. Robin's bed isn't made, of course, but the stacks of books in the corner of the room are what surprised me. It's almost reaching the ceiling. Robin had once mentioned that he's not a big reader so I wonder why he has an impressive collection of books.

"Watch this."

"Fox! Put that down."

Yelling comes from down the hall, near the sister's bedroom. My head swivels out of Robin's room and to the other open door. Quickly I rush to see what all the fuss is about. Warm sunrays leak out of the room and into the hallway, but what was in the room wasn't too welcoming. Right as I walk into the room, a knife flies past the left side of my face. It sticks right into a painting beside me, just barely missing my face.

"What," I stutter out, my eyes wide, "Just happened."

"I told you, my aim is perfect," Fox says in a proud voice. Once I pry my scared eyes open, I see her sitting criss-crossed in a chair across the room. She sweeps her hair to one side, uncaring as she leans her head against her arm. A squeaking sound comes from the bed and I see Eden sitting there, her mouth slapped over her face in shock. Over on a nearby couch, Robin is hunched over with his head in his hands.

"I didn't mean to show me in the room," Robin mumbles as he pinches the area between his eyes. I agree with him, it is way too early to be throwing knives. Especially near my face. I think I should be surprised more, but it was Fox who threw the knife, so it's expected from her.

"Apologies, Arlo. I bet you're awake now," Fox chuckles out as she stares through the window. I pry the thrown knife out of the painting and I set it on a nearby table, out of her reach. Robin scoots over on the couch and I plop down next to him. I asked them what that was about. Eden sits up from the bed covers she's under. They fall to her waist, revealing her nightgown. Though she just woke up, her eyes still sparkle.

"Well," She starts, her eyes drifting to glare at Fox, "Robin and Fox were arguing about who had the better sword accuracy." I nod along to what she tells me. I glance nervously at Robin who gives me a small shrug. "Then, Robin asked Fox to 'prove it', so she grabbed a knife out of her bag. Then, you were here for the rest."

"I think she's sleep-deprived," Robin leans over and whispers into my ear. This gets a pillow thrown at him from the chair Fox is sitting in. Robin lifts his arm with the pillow but before he can chuck it back, I grab it from him.

"You two act like children," I accuse them while tucking the pillow under my arm. In sync, they both shout a 'Not true' at me. I think my case still stands.

"So, what's on the agenda for today? What plans should we work on before your father gets back?" Eden questions, switching the topic. I agree, we don't have a solid plan as to what we're doing here.

Robin sits up straight and opens his mouth, "We can talk plans over breakfast, that should be ready in about an hour. But, I do have something fun for us planned. Trust me, it'll be fun. It might even help take the stress of this situation out."

"Sounds good to me," I stand up with Robin. He informs us to meet him in the hallway so they can all go down together. Fox rises from her chair to make her way out of the room. She grabs her bag and her dagger on the table before moving back to her room.

"Fox is my sibling so I say this in a sibling way," Eden talks while sliding her legs out of the bed and facing Robin and me. "She is the worst person to sleep in the same bed with. I think I'm bruised from where she kicked me in her sleep," She says while rubbing her back.

"Keep that in mind, Robin," I chuckle at him. He sends me a sharp side-eye and asks what I meant. I look down at my nails, pretending to be busy with something else. "Oh, nothing," I finish before moving past him and down the hall.

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This chapter was over 1000 words in my google doc, but wattpad says it's under 1000 ;0;