You've undoubtedly heard the tale of Robin Hood, but what if I was to tell you they got it all wrong?
First of all, Robin is female.
{All characters other than my own belong to J. R. R. Tolkien}
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She was 11 years old when she learnt to trust her instincts.
The white wizard raised an eyebrow as he observed the young girl shoot twigs from her own crafted bow. To no surprise, the "arrows" weren't making much distance, however he was rather impressed with her accuracy.
Archery had always been the girl's favourite activity at training, however bows were always too expensive for her mother to afford, that added to the cost of a good quiver and arrows.
But with an angled stick and flexible vine, she was able to create her own bow. Even though the sticks only flew a couple of metres due to low elasticity, and it felt as though there was no right place to rest her hand, she was rather chuffed with her contraption.
The wizard lowered his gaze to observe her two daggers which rested on his lap. He rubbed his thumb over her carved initials and traced the sharp silver with his finger.
"These blades have been crafted with a sturdy hand." He announced, lifting one dagger and admiring it's polished metal. "They will serve you well, Eretria."
The girl loaded her bow and aimed towards the 'x' which she had carved onto a fallen log. It would have been easier to hit a tree, however she did not want to harm her soft natured friends.
"Let's hope I never have to use them." She remarked, releasing her hold and grinning as the twig hit her mark and deflected back onto the forest floor.
Turning on her heel, the young girl strolled over to the wizard and grabbed her dagger out of his grasp.
"Wanna see what I taught myself?" She questioned, spinning the blade in her hand.
"Astound me." The white wizard replied, resting his back against the rough bark of a tree as he once again observed the girl with a raised eyebrow.
She grinned, before spinning at a fast pace and releasing the dagger from her grip. The blade flew past her target and into the thick leaves of a bush.
"Damn." She mumbled, sprinting over to retrieve her knife whilst continuing to shout. "I hit it before, maybe I just need to warm up."
The wizard tightly gripped his staff as the girl repositioned her body, and he readied himself to deflect the blade in the case of the young girl showing any sign of butter fingers.
She attempted another throw, and the wizard released his held breath as it flew in the correct direction, however still managed to miss the target.
After non-stop attempts and anendless amount of throwing, the young girl began to grow irritated as she continued to miss the 'x'.
She huffed, steadying herself for another spin, however the wizard placed his hand on her bicep, preventing the girl from performing her trick.
"You are thinking too precisely." He stated, slightly shaking her arm in order to ease her muscle tension. "As your body spins, lock your gaze onto your target. You are succeeding in making yourself dizzy by failing to focus on your mark."
Lowering her daggers, the girl practised spinning her body whilst keeping her eyes locked onto her target, only looking away for the millisecond in which it took to turn her head over her left shoulder.
"Rest your mind, child, and trust your instincts as to when you should release."
The young girl closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, before a devilish grin broke onto her face.
"You sound like a nimrod." She retorted, a quiet snort escaping her mouth.
With a slight roll of his eyes, the white wizard rested himself back up against the tree, however not before firing a quick comeback.
"And you throw daggers like a nimrod. Prove me otherwise."
The young girl took another deep breath, before relaxing her muscles and spinning, once again sending her dagger flying through the air.
It hit the target.
The young girl grinned with pride, looking over her shoulder and towards the wizard, before sprinting to retrieve her blade.
"Always trust a wizard." Saruman proclaimed, he himself rather proud of the girl's achievement. "I would have assumed the trainers to teach their students the importance of a locked gaze."
"I never made it that far..." The young girl uttered, a sudden wave of sadness overcoming her being at the memory of her trainer, John. A man who had taught her so much. She quickly shook away the despair, acknowledging the fact that she was now happy and safe.
"Manny, can I ask you something?" She questioned, slowly stepping over to where the wizard resided.
"Whatever you wish, my child." He replied, moving slightly to the left in order to create room for the girl to rest her back.
"How will I know if the time is right?"
"The time for what?" Saruman questioned, as the young girl lowered herself beside him, leaning her body against the bark of the tree.
"To kill."
This question slightly startled the wizard as an uneasy silence began to seep it's way into the atmosphere. He was wordless on what to say. However, the young girl explained her concern, breaking the tension.
"It's just- I have these blades, and I know how to use them, but I am worried that I will have to use them in order to kill one day." She confessed, drawing lines in the moss with the tip of her dagger. "I don't want to hurt anything that doesn't deserve to be killed."
Saruman considered her question, before creatively constructing his answer in a way which could interest an inspire a child such as the girl.
"Eretria, my child, you hold the soul of a bear. You are intelligent, strong, and independent. From the information in which you inform me with the stories of your past, your perseverance through hardship is evident. You display energy and a playful nature, much like the bear, however you know when to hold your ground and let your courage take action."
The white wizard, turned his eyes to observe the pure face of the young girl, a smile adorning his features at the sight of her wondrous expression.
"If you stay true to these characteristics, then you will know by the feeling in your heart of when the time is right. Always listen to the yearning of your instincts."
The young girl smiled widely, nodding her head in appreciation of the wizard's words.
"I will, thank you Manny."
"You are always welcome, little bear."
She was 11 years old when the white wizard taught her the value of self trust.
