Lady Locksley

Chapter 24

One of the Lads

"The best way to begin your attack is to strike downwards, before they have a chance to defend themselves. Like this."
Little John was endlessly enthusiastic about his quarterstaff, and always keen to share his fighting techniques with the other members of the gang, when asked.
Generally of a taciturn nature, he was a gruff fellow who nevertheless came alive when approached with genuine interest. He could go to great lengths describing his passions in surprising detail when prompted, and Roana had decided it was time she learnt to fight with weaponry other than a bow. This had lead to an impromptu lesson on the virtues and usage of the quarterstaff.
"Ok, your turn," Little John turned to hand her the staff and she took it, positioning her hands as he instructed; left hand holding the weapon at the base, and right hand placed midway along its length. The staff was warm in her hands where John had been holding it.
"Good." John seemed satisfied. "And stand like this."
He demonstrated a fighting stance, with legs apart and his right foot set slightly forward. Roana mirrored him, and he nodded his approval, then gestured at the nearest oak tree.
With more bravado than talent, Roana swung the staff downwards to whack the base of the trunk, before bringing it up and hitting the tree on the left side at face level. She then drew it back and thrust into the trunk at waist height.
Allan and Will, who were stood nearby, watching, exchanged grins, and Allan called out, "Oof! Winded! I'm not sure we can trust her with that in the camp. What do you think, John?"
Roana shot him a dark look. "Behave yourself, A Dale, and you won't have anything to worry about."
The three men laughed, and Roana handed the staff back to John, secretly pleased. Life as an outlaw was certainly turning out better than she had initially imagined. She had assumed it would take a lot more getting used to, but she had adapted well.
She quickly fell into the camp routine, sharing the chores, joining in the camaraderie, hunting with Much and Allan, who had taken to tagging along regularly. She was also using their downtime to learn something different from each member of the gang.
Djaq had taught her how to light a fire and forage for medicinal and culinary herbs, as well as how to sew. Much had taught her how to catch, skin, and cook a rabbit. Will had taught her how to make an arrow from the wood of a beech or ash tree, using goose feathers as fletching. And now Little John was imparting his wisdom about the quarterstaff.
She was keen to learn pickpocketing from Allan, who was an excellent cut purse, but Robin was reluctant to allow her far from the camp at the risk of getting apprehended for theft. Instead, he had agreed to allow her to visit the nearby hamlet of Edwinstowe later that afternoon with Allan, to distribute fresh meat commandeered from the Sheriff's butcher to the needier villagers.
While the tall tales Allan had shared with Gisborne appeared to have worked in keeping William away, Robin remained vigilant. Marian had confirmed that William had left for Filey five days ago, and there was no news of his return. Roger of Stoke had sent word that he and three other men had arrived at Filey Manor, which eased Roana's mind. The men were decent fighters, handpicked by Robin for their trustworthiness, and more than able to handle themselves if things got heated with William. Roana sincerely hoped that they wouldn't.
She was beginning to relax, growing accustomed to life in the forest, and was finding it easier by the day to push William from the forefront of her mind. Deep down, she knew that she would have to deal with him at some point, but the longer she could hold it off, the better life could be in the here-and-now.

                                           ******

Sarah of Edwinstowe was accustomed to using her feminine wiles for her own gain. Slim, blonde, and buxom, she worked the bar at The Dukeries Lodge, and supplemented her meagre wage with gifts from eager men who were keen to attract her eye. A lusty young woman who embraced her sexuality, she was not averse to a tumble, as long as the lucky recipient had earned her time and ministrations adequately. Because of this, she had developed a reputation, and used it to her advantage.
She was becoming quite a favourite of the Sheriff's guards, who often visited the Dukeries and paid well. But her aim had always been to bag herself an outlaw and ride the coattails of the infamy it would bring.
Robin Hood, however, had proved a very hard nut to crack. Everybody knew he was besotted with Lady Marian of Knighton, and, no matter how hard Sarah tried, he seldom even glanced in her direction. Instead, she managed to snag the attention of Allan A Dale, a member of Hood's gang, and an extremely good-looking man in his own rights.
It was obvious straight away that Allan was only looking for a good time, and Sarah could provide that in abundance. She had used every trick in her extensive book to pleasure him, and, to her surprise, he had given as good as he got. Sarah wasn't used to unselfish lovers, and he blew her mind. On that occasion, she had been happy to overlook the subject of payment.
However, as with all of the decent ones, getting him into bed hadn't been the problem. Persuading him to stay was. In the weeks after their night of passion, she had cajoled, tempted, even begged him to bed her again, with no luck. Allan, it would seem, did not return to the scene of a previous 'crime'.
A cannier woman would put it down to experience and move on. But Sarah was hard-headed and persistent, and she wasn't prepared to give up on him just yet. Therefore, when she saw Allan in Edwinstowe on that sunny Friday afternoon, she decided that, on this occasion, nothing was going to stop her. She would win him back come hell or high water.
Hitching her skirt up to reveal a flash of shapely leg, and pulling her bodice down to show off her greatest assets, Sarah set out across the main street. She put all of her effort into her feminine gait, swaying her hips seductively and earning a wolf-whistle from a passing miller. She gave him a wink, and then refocused her attention on Allan A Dale.
He was stood talking to Aylwin the Shepherd, a stout, hearty man who was known for his bawdy drinking songs in the Dukeries of a Saturday evening. A family man, Aylwin wasn't one of Sarah's regulars, but they got along fairly well. He greeted her as she joined the two men.
"Afternoon, lass. How's you? Looking lovely, as usual."
"Why, thank you, kind sir," Sarah dipped into a curtsy and flashed him a wide smile. Allan didn't even look at her, preoccupied as he was with a conversation that was going on further down the street between a fellow outlaw and Erline, the midwife. Disappointed, she nevertheless persevered.
"Hello, Allan. Long time no see."
Allan glanced at her and flashed a smile, nodding in greeting. "Alright?"
"All the better for seeing you." She was pulling out all of her best lines, but he wasn't yet ready to take the bait and dismissed her easily, turning to Aylwin.
"This is from Robin," he handed the shepherd a wrapped bundle. "Feed your family tonight. And I'll pass your message on."
"Bless you, Allan. And bless Robin Hood," Aylwin gushed, gratefully. The bundle of meat would feed his family for a week, if not longer.
Allan made to walk away in the direction of his friend, but Sarah quickly placed her hand on his arm. Looking down at it and then up at her face, he seemed vaguely puzzled. "Sarah. Everything ok?"
Sarah could already sense that she was fast losing him by the way his eyes wandered away from hers, latching onto the hooded figure down the road, and she decided to make her move while she had him to herself.
"I've been thinking about you lately, Allan," she stroked his arm with her thumb, and his attention snapped back to her. Pleased, she squeezed his bicep ever so gently, and blinked her green eyes slowly. "I was wondering if you'd like to get together sometime. Just me and you."
As she looked deep into his eyes, Sarah couldn't help but notice the flare of surprise. Her hopes briefly revived, she then watched with a sinking feeling as his features settled into uncomfortable apology.
"Look, I'm sorry, Sarah. It was great and all, but it was a one-off. You don't need an outlaw like me holding you back. See you around."
Before she could muster up a reply, he had shaken off her hand and was walking away to meet his companion. Numbly, Sarah watched him go. She watched the wide flash of his friend's smile of greeting, and the way her nut-brown hair tumbled from her hood as a sudden breeze blew it back. And she watched as Allan smiled back in a way he had never smiled at Sarah, and placed a hand on the small of the women's back as they turned to walk away.
A kernel of anger took root within Sarah's chest. She wasn't used to being turned down, especially not in favour of another woman. She was well aware of her own qualities and experience, and knew that they would outshine a young slip of a girl who slept rough in the forest any day of the week.
Picking up her skirts, Sarah flounced over to Erline, who was also holding a bundle of meat and looking mighty pleased.
"Who was that, Erline?"
Blissfully unaware of any need for censorship, Erline replied guilelessly. "Why, that was Lady Roana, formerly of Locksley. Robin Hood's sister. I delivered both her and Robin, back in the day. Such a beautiful family, they were. It's so good to have her back after all this time."