Sherwood Read online

The man nodded and looked down at a parchment in his hands, his eyebrow raising after a moment. “You Harrison's Boy?” The man had a large build and an incredibly deep voice that intimidated her.

  In her men's disguise, she was tiny, incapable of heavy lifting and harsh labor. But, she had no choice but to deal with whatever was given her.

  Harlow looked at him with a skeptical look. “Aye.” She nodded, trying her deep voice again. She knew this would be hard. She would probably be a very quiet fighter of this rebellion.

  The man smiled. “Nice to have ya'.” He held his hand out at her for a handshake. When Harlow took it, as best as she could, the man continued. “The name's Aldridge Chadwick. Your father was a good fighter years back. Can't wait to see what you could do with a sword, that's for sure.”

  Harlow smiled and looked up at him as they broke the handshake. “Thanks. I'll do my best.”

  The man shook his head, a smile still on his lips, as he looked down at the parchment. “Alright, McBride, you're weapons are on the table to your right. You've been equipped with the essential items.” The man pointed to his right to a line of tables with equipment set out on the surfaces. “Grab your stuff and report to the training area immediately.”

  Harlow looked to the table of equipment and nodded. “Thank you.” Harlow said, stepping aside and walking toward the table.

  The man nooded her goodbye and called the next person in line.

  Harlow stood in front of the table, overlooking the equipment. She noticed bows, quivers, arrows, throwing knives, and other random objects that Harlow had never seen before.

  Harlow scanned over the items, picking up a bow, although she never imagined using it. She examined it before she picked up a quiver of arrows and swung it onto her back.

  She walked to the next table where the throwing knives sat in a neat, clean order. She smiled involuntarily as she picked one up. She'd never been able to throw knives before, but she imagined that she'd get a kick out of it the most. She picked up five, making her way to the next table.

  A Sheathed sword sat plainly in a stack next to the arrows. She placed the bow leaning on the table in front of her before picking up the sword and unsheathing it by several inches. The blade was clean and fresh. They must either have an on-site blacksmith or someone from a close-by area as supporter of the cause.

  She looked at the handle, which seemed unique in the shaping and form. Harlow raised an eyebrow at it, before looking at the rest of the sword handles in the pile. They were all unique, whether by their emralds or by their handle-shaping.

  She couldn't imagine using the sword either, but it would have been strange if she hadn't taken one. She sheathed the sword, like the way she found it, and wrapped the straps around her hips, letting it hang by her side.

  A bag sat next to the swords. Inside the bag were basic provisions for training, scout trips, and general Military Business.

  She grabbed a bag from the table, flinging it over her shoulder and picking up her bow that layed against the table.

  Harlow taking in a deep breath before she started walking away and toward the training area, but not before hearing the man she'd just met booming out another name. “Enders Hode!”

  Harlow froze slightly, looking back and catching a glimpse of the familiar face. She turned away quickly, keeping a brisk pace toward the training area.

  She should have known better.

  Chapter Four

  Enders stood silently in the archery range area with the other trainees. He set off angry vibes at first, but as time passed of him, and the others, standing around, his anger subsided into exhaustion.

  “Are you alright?” A voice sounded from behind him. Enders turned around to face the speaker, kinda suprised by the sudden noise. Harlow was suprised in herself, that she had the courage to ask, given their previous interaction the previous night.

  Harlow found herself asking the question before thinking about it. She'd kept her eye on him since she'd seen him arrive. She started mentally kicking herself for being so transparent.

  He nodded, offering a small, thin smile. He had been totally consumed by his thoughts, but upon realizing his ill-timed anger, he softened and looked at the person who'd spoken to him. His eyebrows furrowed for a moment. “Have we met before?” He kept his eyes trained on her, trying to place a face with it's match in time.

  Harlow cringed at the question, but immediately covered it up, smiling brightly, but in the most masculine way she could. “I don't think so.”

  “Sorry,” Enders blurted out. He'd obviously seen the reaction she'd tried to hide. “I don't mean to be rude. You look familiar.”

  Harlow nodded, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. “I think I have a memorable face is all.”

  He let out a breath of air. “I have a lot on mind, but I'm fine. Thank you for asking.”

  Harlow nodded, looking into the distance for several seconds. She raised an eyebrow when she looked away from him. He was shockingly polite, which wasn't something that she frequently came across in her village.

  She noticed the training areas were complete with a swordplay and archery areas. The areas were simple enough. Wooden blocks were formed into circles on the grass, meant to be boundaries during the training sessions.

  “My name is Enders.” The man said, looking off into the distance, but turning toward her and holding out his hand for a handshake. “I realize I never introduced myself.”

  Harlow looked at him, her gaze ripped from the field she'd been staring at. A smile appeared on her lips only slightly as she wondered how many men in her village were this polite. She reached her own hand to her left, taking his hand in what she deemed a masculine grip. “Henry McBride.”

  “Harrison McBride's son?” Enders raised an eyebrow, his jaw slightly slack in what may have been shock or suprise.

  Harlow nodded eagerly at the new name and the recognition. “Aye.” She said, trying her best to imitate the way she'd heard these men speak. She sighed, looking down at the equipment in her hands. “Came here in his place.”

  “From the stories I've heard, the man was a true soldier. Only second to Robin Hood himself.” Enders beamed at his own knowledge on Sherwood's past.

  Harlow nodded, a smile still exposing itself on her lips. “You know of the stories? They're his pride. He used to repeat them endlessly for me when I was a child.” Harlow said, looking forward, the lake glistening in the sun's light.

  Enders nodded, smiling. “I was always interesting Sherwood's history and the outlaws. I've read countless works about them.” He said before turning his own eyes to the side and examining the training area. “The tales always hailed your father as a great man.”

  “Do you come from a military family?” Harlow asked, a smile on her lips as she tried to make casual conversation.

  Enders was silent for a moment, trying to figure what to say. He turned his eyes on Harlow. “You could say that.”

  Harlow raised an eyebrow at him in curiousity as he turned his eyes forward. She was about to ask what he meant when a loud, booming voice came over all the men and echoed throughout the trees.

  “Attention!” Harlow recognized the man as Aldridge Chadwick. “Get in line formation men!”

  Harlow felt the air tense a bit around her. She saw Enders face grow serious and slightly strained. She couldn't tell if he was anxious, angry, or exhausted. It wasn't too much of a stretch to say he was all three.

  Aldridge surveyed the people in front of him, as he stood up on a fallen, oak log. He nodded, looking them over. “You guys are a relatively small group. Get to know each other. You'll be training together for the next eight weeks.” He looked toward his left, seeing something beyond the cabins; something Harlow couldn't see because of her placement.

  “We'll start by splitting off into groups at the weaponry range. Follow me!” He announced, hopping off the log and taking a few steps to his right. “Let's go!” He boomed again, his voice taking on a slightly more gent
le tone.

  The crowd of men started to move. Sure, there actually wasn't many of them, but Harlow hadn't been surrounded by this many people before, let alone men.

  She immediately turned to Enders, who had relaxed a bit before walking along with everybody else.

  “Enders?” Harlow whispered, trying to get his attention as he walked in front of her. She sped up her pace a tad, making her way to his side.

  “Hm?” Enders raised an eyebrow to her, glancing in her direction, asking her what she wanted.

  “You said you read a lot about Sherwood History, right?” She asked, her eyebrow raised as she followed the crowd in suit, glancing every so often at Aldridge as she did so. She was out of his earshot anyway, but she wanted to be sure he couldn't hear the two talking.

  “Aye. Why?” Enders glanced at her, eyebrows furrowed.

  “What's the story behind Aldridge Chadwick? He says he fought with my Father, but I can't remember reading that.” Harlow was still trying her best to keep her voice steady and low. “He seems educated.”

  Enders looked between bobing heads to Aldridge's back. “He is educated.” Enders said, looking at Harlow, a small chuckle on the verge of escaping his lips. “He was born into a rich family. His father was an important financial advisor for the previous king, so Aldridge knew all about the King's corrupted ways. When King Wesley came into power, he escaped from his own Father and the king and came to Sherwood.” Enders had kept his eyes straight, but took this opprotunity to glance at Harlow. “He gave Robin all the information he had on the King, which gave the Militant's of Sherwood the time to construct, reinforce, and generously offer the people of Sherwood a place of refuge. Without him, this place would be in shambles. He doesn't like to be mentioned in the stories. He enjoys his privacy.”

  Harlow eyed the back of Aldridge's head. “He seems so young.”

  Enders shrugged. “Probably a decade and a half before our time.”

  Harlow turned her eyes on Enders. “So what does he do now?”

  Enders looked back at her, an eyebrow arched quizzically. “You ask a lot of questions.”

  Harlow shrugged this time. “I'm a curious person.”

  Enders nodded, turning his eyes forward, and drawing in a refreshing breath. “He fights here. He's really in charge of strategy training.” Enders paused, pushing a hand through his brunnette hair, letting it spike up slightly at the movement. He didn't care enough to make it neat again. That's when Harlow noticed an incredible amount of stress in his hazel eyes; It was almost suffocating how much his eyes echoed with stress.

  Enders sighed again, his eyes lighting up a little like he was suprised he'd forgotten something. “Oh, and when you're father left, Aldridge took the position of second-in-command. He answers only to Robin Hood.”

  Harlow looked ahead at the mass exodus of people following the man in the lead. “Why are you so interested in Robin and the outlaws?” Harlow blurted out accidentally. She prayed she didn't offend him with the seemingly rude comment.

  Harlow's heart sped up as she reviewed his information in her mind. It wasn't that she thought he was weird, or even that she judged him. What bothered her really was the possibility of Enders figuring her out and exposing her as a false soldier. She would be sent home immediately and indefinitely. That much was certain. She felt her palms grow slightly sweaty as she thought more into it.

  Although, Enders seemed caught up in his own problems and situations at the moment. It may not even be a thought in his mind that she'd be lying to him.

  Enders shrugged. “I always had a knack for adventurous things.”

  Harlow breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw that he wasn't offended. “So, what will you do when you meet Robin Hood then?” She asked Enders, as they walked alongside each other.

  He sighed, looking down for a moment before looking at her. “Ya know, I've thought about that for five years, but never had I thought it would be like this.”

  Harlow tilted her head at him, furrowing her eyebrows in the process. “What do you mean?”

  The crowd stopped moving at that instant. Harlow almost didn't notice as she stopped a hair before colliding right into the person in front of her.

  Harlow watched Aldridge as he stepped up onto another fallen, oak log and surveyed the area. This time he looked to his right, waiting patiently. He had his eyes trained on something.

  No, not something.

  Someone.

  “Come on, Rob.” Aldridge said, tapping his toe on the oak, impatiently. Harlow made a mental note that he was a busy man, and not to bother him unless under emergency situations.

  Harlow watched as someone came barreling out from behind a cabin at the left. The man was smiling, although he looked like he was running late, picking up his pace while pulling a quiver of arrows onto his back. He was tall, but not taller than Aldridge. His hair was brown with hints of grey streaking through it. His green and brown attire, and the sword hung on his hip, made him look young and adventurous. He was generally handsome, although he had an older look to him; Overall, this man reminded Harlow of her own Father.

  “I'm here, Chadwick.” The man said, a playful, almost carefree, smile invading his lips.

  “About time.” Aldridge said in response, shaking his head and stepping off the log. He walked to the left side and watched the man as he attempted to fix himself up in finality.

  The man looked up at everybody, and smiled slightly while letting out a breath of air. “Alright, men!” He said moving to the middle of their vision.

  Harlow raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed awfully happy for someone in the middle of a war.

  'Maybe he's lost his mind' she thought to herself, taking an opprotunity to look at the other men around. No one really looked all that concerned about him. She recoiled her thought. Maybe it was too harsh of a judgement. 'Or...maybe he's just trying to keep it,' she nodded silently to herself, feeling that the latter thought was far more accurate.

  Barely a second passed before she turned her eyes on Enders, who looked up at the man, his jaw hung slack, his mouth agape, and his eyes open wide.

  He looked bewildered, shocked, and suprised all at the same time.

  In that moment, two things happened at once.

  First, she looked back up at the man. Then back to Enders. She mentally shrugged, throwing the issue on the backburning. Whatever he was so shocked about, she could ask him later.

  Second, she had realized that her heart thumped against her chest at a faster than normal. She was nervous, maybe? She was aware that Enders was handsome, but was she really getting all girly here? She shrugged it off, taking several deep, quiet breaths as the man on the oak log started to talk.

  “Men,” He said adressing them, “We are not fighting in a war. We are fighting in a revolution!” The man smiled as some clapped and others hooted. Harlow did nothing but stare with an eyebrow raised. It wasn't as if she was too good for all the noise. Instead, she'd taken to make mental observations of how the men acted. She made several notes to behave accordingly next time.

  In the midst of the two second cheer, she noticed an absense of sound on her left side. Turning her head, she saw Enders, still staring agape at the man on the log. “Enders?” Harlow asked, nudging him a bit. “You okay, man?” She asked trying to sound masculine and friendly.

  He shook a little with the movement, composing himself, closing his mouth, and turning to her. “Yeah. I'm fine.” He said, nodding a bit, trying to cover up his stares.

  “I am Robin of Locksley.” The man said, putting his arms to his sides and lowering his torso slightly, a playful grin on his lips as he did so.

  Harlow found herself wondering if he was always so carefree. She instictively raised a hand to her hat, which sat snuggly on her head. She ran her hand around the lining of the hat, reassuring that no hair had escaped it's grip on the strands.

  Harlow knew that being impressive was important, not only for her father's reputation, but also for he
r own dignity.

  She turned her attention to Enders, who'd kept up his composure a bit since she'd last noticed. Harlow nudged his arm again, this time smiling. “The hero of the tales.” She said nodding toward the man on the make-shift stage.

  Enders smiled slightly, nodding and turning back to Robin.

  Robin took a moment to survey the men in front of him. “Alright. Seperate into three groups!” He ordered them, pointing to three areas for them to gather. He emphasized the equality of the groups being crucial, and watched as a frenzy of men scurried for their places among groups. “Aldridge has group A, I'll take group B, and William...” He searched around the vicinity for William. He turned to Aldridge. “Is William here?”

  Aldridge raised an eyebrow. “He came back last night from the trading party raid.” He nodded toward a cabin at the edge of their gathering. “I imagine he's resting for training and overslept. I believe his rest is overdue.” Aldridge said, giving Robin a push in the direction of not waking the man.

  “Right.” Robin said, smiling as he looked at the crowd again. “We'll let him be then.” Robin concluded, nodding happily at the decision.

  “Group C, then?” Aldridge raised an eyebrow at Robin, who beamed almost proudly at the recruits in front of him.

  “Hm?” Robin asked, looking at him. “Oh! Yes, Group C will come with me.”

  Aldridge suppressed a smile before he sighed. “Right, well, Let's go then.” He beckonned his group to follow him, as Robin did the same to his.

  The crowd started to move. It was her group after all and she had intended to follow in suit, until she had opened her mouth to speak and noticed that Enders was on the move. He had moved from where he stood and made a driven effort to jump groups.

  Her legs moved her before her brain did. All she knew is she wanted to be in a group where she knew somebody, and Enders was the only person she knew.

  'It's not because he's attractive,' she tried to rationalize.

  She met him at the very edge of the group, where he had dodged his way rather inconspicuously. Harlow walked along with the group following Enders' lead. Harlow sped up to his side and looked ahead, acting as everyone else was.