Anais Timbley - A deadly beauty

Chapter Four: Longbow, and rapier

When another child of the Rebels was sent to the Abbey after her parents were also assassinated, Anais showed deeply care of that child, even shared her bedchamber with the little Shakespeare. Furthermore, sympathising with the orphans who unfortunately lost their dearies, she considered and treated as they were siblings, although in fact it was just adoptive relationship.

Time passed by, the pain of parents loss slowly faded away and the mental wound was also constantly healed by loves which the nuns gave her. In 1237, five years after the incident, Anais had grown up a beautiful sixteen-year-old young lady, and as Alan-a-Dale himself commented to Mother Maiseline: "You know what? The child is indeed a wonderful gift that God has given them"

One day, Will Scarlet returned to Nottingham, with his fellow Little John, intendedly to fulfil their lord's last will of raising his daughter to continue his incomplete path. Seeing her mentor after such long time, Anais gladly ran toward and clung on Will.

"It's nice to see you again, Uncle William"

"Well, it seems that you have found some adoptive siblings, eh?", said Will when he saw the children staring at him.

"In the Abbey, everyone is my family", smiled Anais, "And who is coming with you?"

Anais's arms let him go, and he turned over to see his friend waving a greetings to the children.

"You said him? Don't you remember him? He's Little John, an adept at both archery and fencing, well, a fellow of mine. He and I returned here to train you, in order of the barons in Revolutionaries, and by your father's will"

Mother Maiseline, had just finished the morning's rosary, suddenly saw two familiar man in the courtyard, then gasped and called:

"For Heaven's sake, long time no see, Squire Little John and Will Scarlet!"

"Oh, a good morning, Mother! May we bring Anais along for a while?", greeted Little John.

"Why not, gentlemen? Take care for Lucille, also", replied Mother Maiseline.

"Who is Lucille?"

"The Spymaster's grandniece"

"What? I thought there was no survivor after that incidence!", surprised Little John.

"I don't know, but I found and brought her here. It was supposed to have a twelve-year-old boy also, but for some reasons, he had disappeared by the time I arrived. Thus I thought she is the last survivor after the assassination, just like Anais", told Will to Little John.

Knowing her mentors had returned to give her a training, Anais quickly ran into her bedchamber to prepare. However, she could not find a staff, nor anything that was capable to fencing. Accidentally, when she was going around the chamber searching, Anais found a dusty chest under the bed which she had never noticed that it existed. Wondering what could be inside, she opened it and surprisingly, it had nothing precious, but an old yet good longbow and a decorative rapier.

"Whose sword is that?", wondered Anais while she grabbed the rapier and unsheathed it. She looked at it admirably as she had never seen such a beautiful sword before.

While she was curiously examining the rapier, a voice suddenly called for her:

"What takes you so long, Anais?"

She turned over while putting back the rapier into the chest.

"Uncle Little John...? I was just..."

He spotted something behind Anais. An opened chest. "That chest", murmured he. His irises shrunk in utter surprise and his mouth muttered something. In the meantime, Will Scarlet and Mother Maiseline also came as they curious about what was happening down there.

"The chest... You opened it!", yelled out Will.

"I just found it under my bed! And I was curious to see what is inside...", excused Anais for opening the chest.

"We thought the past is in the past; however, you resurfaced it, Anais. Didn't you know whose longbow and rapier is that?", asked Mother Maiseline.

"I didn't... Mother", replied Anais, "I was intending to ask you..."

"You better not. We, or I, will tell you all things later, when it comes to right timing; however, it's not to-day", said Mother Maiseline, shaking her head, "People say, there are something that should not be revealed to some others. As you are Lord Timbley's daughter, you must be utterly cautious, both out there and in here"

Mother Maiseline herself came to close the chest, and put it in its original place while telling the girl:

"You and her are really much alike. And I can't stand losing any of my dearies anymore... Be cautious with the Guards and the Royal, if they know you and Lucille are descendants of the Rebels, then you are finished"

Anais nodded.

"Maybe the training can wait. We have something more important to do, Will", told Little John to Will Scarlet.

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry for this awkward situation, Mother Maiseline. We are leaving", said Will Scarlet.

A moment later, Anais was seen walking down the market with Lucille, after making promise to conceal themselves from the eyes of the Guards and keep as anonymous as possible. However, with the beauty of a young lady of sixteen, it was hard for Anais to avoid the admiration of many men. More unfortunately for both Anais and Lucille, the king was going to stroll down towns. The first reason, he would like to be sure there was no Rebel left around; and the second reason, he desire to find a lady that he could love, rather than a political marriage between him and Eleanor of Provence a year earlier. In his eyes, Eleanor was too young to be his queen - she was only thirteen at the moment and barely saw her husband since they married.

Anais and her adoptive sister heard the announcement of the King passing by from the town crier when they were walking along the streets. People bowed down when they saw the King's horse and the Guards around him. Anais grew angry at the first moment she knew that was the King, and remembered what Mother Maiseline had told, she concealed her anger and bowed down like other commoners. Suddenly, King Henry stopped by right in front of Anais and ordered her to let him see her face. Standing nearby, Lucille reminded Anais of Mother Maiseline's warning, so she forcibly looked up. The King was looking at her, as he thought, the elegant young lady in a golden-rimmed olive-green gown.

"What an astoundingly pure beauty, like a narcissi under the sun", grinned King Henry, "What is thy name?"

A drop of sweat rolling down Anais's face. She curtseyed and answered:

"The name is...", replied Anais, however, she couldn't made up an identity.

"What is thy name, young woman?", King Henry asked again, seemingly impatient.

How would Anais react to this hung-on-a-string situation? Standing right before a Royal, the flaming hatred in her heart started resurfacing, but could she conceal it to protect both herself and her adoptive sister?