Robber Royale: Fairytale of a Thief and a Scoundrel

Quarters

They always left Quarters as early in the year as the roads were dry enough for travel, not returning until late fall again, when the opposite was true. Not only was there very little work when there was very little travel, but the cold, the wet, and the mud were hardly cheerful conditions to work in; not to mention the danger of the mud making them easier to track. And so, as soon as they'd grown successful enough, they'd begun looking for somewhere to hole up during the off season.

They'd found Quarters by random chance one year and made it their seasonal home. The first couple years it'd been just them, the place being abandoned when they were away, but that was no longer the case.

He whistled as they approached, the resounding whistle making some of the men smile. It was good to finally be home.

Ol' Dobbins, Haudsle's husband, came to him as soon as they were in and dismounting, the drawbridge shut safely behind them.

"Oh good sir! Bless you, bless you and welcome back." Though stooped with age as well, he was still strong and able, like his wife.

He and the men had come across the two of them hanging in debtors cages, condemned to death. They had been the first to find refuge at Quarters, taking the roles of servants and caretakers, though no one had asked them to. Despite Fox's protestations, they continued to call him 'sir' and cry blessings on his head continuously. Never forgetting, not for a moment, what he'd done for them; no matter how little an act he considered it to be.

He embraced Dobbins, patting him heartily on the back, then stepped away, looking over to Clyde who had been most anxious to get home. After Dobbins and Haudsle had come to stay, Clyde announced, the night before their return to Quarters, that he was bringing Kierra back with him to be his wife. Kierra had been his regular for years, in fact Fox knew he'd been spending most of his earnings the last couple years providing enough for her so that she didn't have to...work...elsewhere. No one dared argue with him, and so home she came to stay, her three little ones in tow...all of whom looked like Clyde anyways.

And so it went from then on, be it friends and families, orphans or others who had attached themselves to them, the inhabitants at Quarters grew. But, they were very careful in their choices, preserving its safety, preserving it as a sanctuary. The unspoken rule was that this was home, not a place for entertainers and loud men; this was only for people you could call family.

He watched Clyde who stood, still embracing Kierra, though having to do it around her big belly, the other kids hanging on him; one on each leg and one at his back, a firm grip around his waist.

He felt happy for his friend, while, at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder, as he had countless times since he'd left, whether he still had a certain guest here...or whether she'd given up on him and left long ago.

He'd left instructions that she was to be allowed to go if she'd wanted, blindfolded and escorted of course, he just didn't know if she had. Or if she had even been able to, if she'd wanted. Had her injury taken a turn for the worst? Had he run like a coward and left her to die alone? That had kept him up longer hours than the previous wondering even. And the fact that he had been more aggressive in his pursuits this year, unable to sit still and obsessed with action, had undeniably everything to do with the tension he'd suffered because of it.

He looked around at the people gathering to welcome them, but didn't see her.

If she had been well enough to, and had left, all the better he told himself...trying to believe it.

He looked beyond the people to the great house, searching, and suddenly noticed something; then he looked from there to the other buildings, and beyond to the fields and orchards. What on earth? He looked over at Dobbins again and found him smiling proudly.