Lost in the Woods

[jamesoftaversal]

Who: Sir James, Robin, and a brat (closed)
What: A poor little lamb has gone astray, and needs some help
When: June 12
Where: Sherwood Forest

Comments

[jamesoftaversal]

Sir James didn’t know that he liked being made the object of fun and/or pity for a peasant boy, even in a good cause, though he indeed did not know the way to Wadlow. Neither did he know the proper greeting to give a man in Robin’s unique position. So he settled for a nod when they met in the spot Robin had indicated and jumped right to the point, trying to keep his voice low enough for Wat not to hear.

“Look, I’m probably stating the bleeding obvious here, but I don’t think this is a simple case of a lost child. It looks to me that he’s been abandoned, not misplaced. You know as well as I do-since time immemorial, people want to rid themselves of a burden, whether that’s a child or a sick puppy, and so dump it in the woods. Happens all the time. And they’ve got all kinds of reasons…some of them almost understandable.” He watched the boy. Whether it was from boredom or irritation or to help rally his spirits, Wat had started pelting stray objects at a nearby tree. He was trying to find the one that made the loudest noise or the biggest splat when it hit its target, if Sir James’ memories of boyhood were anything to go by.

“I was visiting my brother a few years ago when some of his people found the bodies of two children in the forest,” he said even more quietly, still watching Wat, and watching his horse wince as shattered clots of mud flew closer. “A brother and sister, apparently. A little younger than our Wat here. We couldn’t tell for sure what actually killed them. The Lancashire weather, probably. Lord only knows how long they were stuck out there before they died. And Lord only knows what the poor things went through.” (Or afterwards. Wild animals seemed to have found the bodies before the wood gatherers did, and Sir James shivered at the memory.)

At any rate, that was long ago and there was nothing to do about it now, though it wasn’t too late for Wat, so Sir James shrugged, and sighed, and turned back to Robin and the here and now. “If that’s the case-if Wat’s father really did abandon him here-I wonder if taking him back is the wisest course of action? Not that I’ve got an alternative suggestion at hand.”

[robin_hood49]

Robin nodded, listening intently as Sir James spoke even as he kept an eye on Wat. "I agree, that seems to be the case." So far, he had not come across anything as gruesome as Sir James described; perhaps that had just been luck, although he found himself hoping that he and the gang had made it so that most families that might have considered such action put in a position where they did not have to worry so much.

Perhaps, it was a naive hope, but it was still there.

At the implied question, he turned his gaze on the knight. "I will ensure that it is the right decision." His eyes bespoke the conversation he intended to have with the boy's father. Children would not be abandoned to the forest, not on his watch.

[jamesoftaversal]

“Oh, you will, will you?” Sir James arched an eyebrow. Robin made it sound like he was still a lord, and Wadlow one of his manors. Oh, well. There were some things Sir James didn’t want to know, and besides, as he himself said, he didn’t have a better idea of what to do with Wat. He wasn’t inclined to take him in himself. The arrangement he had made with Sir Nicolas to take in Clun’s orphaned and poor children had worked out well for both of them, and even if he could think of a family that had room for Wat, he felt a certain loyalty to the agreement that precluded him gathering in strays from other places.

“Then let’s do it. How far are we talking about, anyway? Because unless you’ve got some horses stashed away near here that we can use, it appears we’ve got my one for the three of us, and she’s not that strong. If it’s someplace nearby, Wat can walk, but if we’ve got to cover some distance, it may be more efficient for him to ride and us to walk, since his legs are so much shorter than ours.”

He turned to Wat, intending to ask him if he had walked from Wadlow or if his father had brought him in a cart, but it seemed that the boy had noticed the effect his game was having on the palfrey, and was throwing ever larger clumps of mud at the tree, the better to make her flinch. “Oi! Boy! Quit teasing that horse if you know what’s good for you!” Sir James shouted. It was a warning, not a threat. He was sure Balius could take care of herself if sufficiently provoked. To tell the truth, Sir James wouldn’t mind watching that.

[robin_hood49]

Robin returned the raised eyebrow. "Yes, I will." Not all peasants of Nottinghamshire supported Robin and his gang, but none were likely to go against them unless coerced by threat or substantial payout. He could see no reason for either to come into play here. Still, he intended to ask a few trusted residents of Wadlow to keep an eye on the situation. If it came down to it, there was the orphanage not far from Locksley to which he could take Wat; however, he would much rather try to sort things out with the family, first.

At the question of distance, Robin glanced thoughtfully in the direction they would be headed. He and the gang were so used to traipsing all over the shire, it took actual consideration as to what the journey would mean for anyone unaccustomed to that. "It is a few hours, at a steady pace. I will have no need of the horse, and--" he looked toward the boy, frowning at the way he was amusing himself "--I reckon that Wat will be fine. But, if he tires, perhaps you could trade off with him." The expectation that Sir James would ride was not in judgment of his physical state, only that Robin knew he did not likely make such excursions by foot often, if ever.

When Sir James rightfully corrected the boy, Robin gestured with his head. "Let's be off before he provokes your horse into doing him an injury."

[jamesoftaversal]

“Several hours? Blimey, his father really didn’t want Wat to show back up on his doorstep, did he?” Sir James’ eyes followed Robin’s glance. Wadlow seemed to lay at an angle to the way to Teversal, and he knew the angle would only grow larger the further they went. He’d be lucky if he got home before dark set in, and that was if they traveled “at a steady pace,” something they’d be hard pressed to do with a child in tow, two of them on foot and one on horseback, and no road or even path in sight. “I had hoped to be back to help with the haying today,” he said. Sir James was tempted to leave the boy in Robin’s care and be on his way, but he couldn’t do it. He trusted Robin more than he once did, but it still didn’t seem right to leave a child in the hands of an outlaw, no matter who the outlaw was. He sighed. “Well, if Teversal got hit by the same rain that hit us in Nottingham last night, they won’t be cutting hay, anyway. And its not like I made any promises. It’s just…you know how it is with haying and harvesting-all hands on deck, whether maid or master.”

“So…. Let’s do it,” he said briskly. “The sooner we start, the sooner we’re done.” He opened his mouth to call to Wat, but stopped in his tracks and slapped his thigh in irritation. “Wait. Food. We’re going to need some,” Sir James said. He started thinking out loud: “That long a trip…Wat’s probably starving already if he spent the night here…I’m sure we’ll be hungry, too, well before we get there…not many berries are ripe yet, and killing and cooking something will slow us way down….” He bowed his head and bit his lip while he calculated. “I’ve got some emergency travel rations, but it’s only a few bites, in case I get trapped by a rainstorm and can’t lay any snares or build a fire.” He peered at Robin, a little embarrassed but more sure he was on the right track. “Look. If you’ve got some kind of a camp, or a cache, either nearby or on the way….I can mind the boy while you fetch us some supplies. I don’t need to go with you-I don’t want to go with you; I don’t want to know anything about your camp, or how you do things, or any of the rest of it. Just melt off into the woods the way you do, and then--hey presto!-show up again. Can you do that?” He intentionally used the vague term “supplies.” Food was all he dared ask for, explicitly, but what had started out as a standard commute could be turning into an overnight journey by the time it was done, and he’d welcome anything else Robin thought might come in handy. Especially if it, or they, had four legs and a saddle.

[robin_hood49]

"I'd guess it will take us a bit under three hours." Robin gave Sir James a grim look when the knight pointed out how far the boy had been brought. Of course, on an excursion with his father, it must have seemed like less time had passed to get here; and if they had gone cross-country, that would have shaved some time off. Also, it was possible that Wat had wandered further on his own after being lost. Regardless, they now had a trek on their hands-- one with which Robin was so familiar that it did not strike him as being that very long, but with the others unused to it, the time would likely crawl for them.

The mention of haying and knowing how it went had his gaze leaving Sir James and going back toward Wat. He did know, and he missed it. All of it. He was meant to be seeing to those very sorts of activities in Locksley, had been raised for it...

...but he had an important task now, and he would see to it. "I will find something for us to eat along the way." There was a rations store closer to Wadlow, which he would dip into when they neared it, although it would happen as Sir James suggested: with him going off to it. Fortunately, it was not far from the road, so would not take him long to visit. "If you would not mind sharing your rations with Wat now, I will replace them as best I can in addition to sorting out a meal."

[jamesoftaversal]

Sir James gave a careless shrug. He had assumed Robin would share what food he had when they stopped, and the loss of his travel rations was so small an issue that it hadn’t even crossed his mind. It must be a mark of how hard up Robin was now that he made a mental accounting of such things.

He patted Balius to comfort her after the annoyance of Wat’s “game” and pulled a pouch out of his saddle bag. “Hey, Wat! Hungry? Here you go!” he said, tossing it to the boy, who by now had moved several more yards down the path and was sketching something in the dirt with a stick. (At least he had obeyed the command to quite pestering the horse…eventually.)

“We can let Wat ride for this first leg,” Sir James said, turning to Robin. “I’ve been in the saddle for a while and could use a break, anyway.” He was about to continue when Wat interrupted.

“Oi! What’s this, then?” he called out. He was fingering the contents of the pouch and eying it, and, alternatively, Sir James, suspiciously.

“Food! You eat it!” Sir James shouted back. “Smoked perch and a few dried plums,” he said to Robin by way of an explanation. “It’s an odd combination, I grant you, but it’s wholesome and it travels well and it doesn’t need cooking. And he’ll eat it if he’s hungry enough. So, Wat!” Sir James called cheerfully. “We’re going to take you home now. Ever ridden a horse?”

Wat was still suspicious, of both the food and of Sir James. “I’m not supposed to go off with strangers,” he said.

Sir James sighed. Would they ever get this thing started? But it was a sensible rule that he shouldn’t argue with. “Well then, we’d better introduce ourselves so we won’t be strangers. I’m Sir James de Molyneux, the lord of Teversal.” He regretted it as soon as he said it-this boy could make up anything when he got home and cause all kinds of trouble. “And this….” He hesitated. It wasn’t sure if Wat recognized Robin, or even if Robin wanted to be recognized. So he hedged to let Robin make the decision for himself. “This man…needs no introduction.”

[robin_hood49]

Robin nodded when Sir James suggested letting Wat ride first; while the boy clearly had energy, he had been through a long night, and there would be plenty of time for him to run along the way. Wat's reaction to the food was not what Robin would have expected, and his eyebrows went up as Sir James replied. His surprise turned to wry amusement with the knight's aside about his rations. Considering Robin could not remember the last time he ate perch and had always been fond of plums, it sounded fine to him.

Whereas that rather amused him, Wat's suspicion of them made it difficult not to laugh. The boy was smart to know better than to hie away with anyone he did not know, but in his position, Robin would have been glad for the help. He watched as Sir James told Wat whom he was, and finally did chuckle when Wat scoffed at the lead-in to Robin's introduction.

"And why's that, then?" Wat shot back. "If you're some high-and-mighty lord, what's he that he's above an introduction?"

"I'm Robin Hood," Robin exclaimed, trying not to laugh. The child had spirit, that much was certain.

Wat eyed him critically. "Nah, Robin Hood's bigger, i'n he?"

Robin glanced at Sir James, disbelief scrawled across his face despite the suppressed laughter dancing in his eyes. "No, he's not, considering I'm him. But, another thing to consider is that we are trying to help you get home, so you may have to trust us on this one."

[jamesoftaversal]

Sir James would be the first to admit he knew next to nothing about rearing children, but he did know it was imperative for the adults in a child’s life to keep a united front. So he tried not to laugh when Wat said Robin was too short to be the vaunted outlaw Hood-truly, he did!-but he couldn’t help himself. A guffaw burst out despite his best attentions; at least he turned his head away from Robin to minimize the effect.

“I know what you mean, Wat,” he eventually said. “A man’s heroes never live up to his expectations when he meets them in the flesh. But that’s the way it goes. And this really is Robin Hood, I swear it! He tried to rob me once, yet I lived to tell the tale. Think about it: you really must be in a pickle if the two of us are joining forces to help you out! And he’s right-all we want to do is get you home as quickly as possible." Wat appeared to be softening, but still looked dubious, so Sir James leaned in and said confidentially, “Think of the bragging rights you’ll have with your mates when you see them.”

That seemed to decide the issue. Wat gave a slow nod of agreement. “Right, then!” Sir James said cheerfully. “I’ll give you a leg up, shall I? First, wipe your feet on that rock there so I don’t get a fist full of mud, and...oof!...there we go! Swing your leg over like that and I’ll see if I can shorten the stirrups enough....” (He couldn’t.) Wat shifted about a bit, obviously trying to get the feel for what he was doing. He seemed both comfortable and curious about this new experience, his interest in riding piqued enough to overcome his doubts.

“Now...” Sir James said more sternly. He made the necessary adjustments to turn Balius’ bridle into a halter so that the bit wouldn’t pull against her teeth as he led her. “I’m going to guide the horse, not you. I saw that game you were playing and it doesn’t make me trust you not to hurt her mouth. All you have to do is hold on to the pommel there. You don’t have to worry about falling off. Why, with saddles like this, you can even go to sleep...” (And pray God you do, Sir James thought to himself) “And still stay on board. Done it myself.”

He tugged at the reins to make Balius step up, and gave a gallant bow to Robin Hood to prompt him to lead the way.

Sorry this is so late. Work is really kicking my butt!

[robin_hood49]

Sir James's amusement at Wat's reply increased Robin's own, and he nodded to Wat as Sir James explained how they had come to be acquainted, throwing in a conspiratorial wink at the mention of bragging rights due to meeting him. He decided to let the knight handle the issue of his horse, being that it was his horse, feeling that Sir James had the right of it in not letting Wat guide the animal.

"This way," Robin declared, setting off in the direction they needed to go.

After a few moments of companionable silence, Wat piped up from the back of the horse, "This is the life, ain't it? Yeah, a man could get used to this." Robin glanced over to see the boy holding on with his knees, his hands laced behind his head in a lordly fashion, and grinned at Sir James.

"Enjoy it while you can," he advised with a chuckle. Despite his cheerful demeanor, he was listening carefully for any sign of travellers approaching from either direction. There was a reason the gang did not often walk along the roads, and almost never when they were alone.

((OOC: No worries! I'm usually the one apologizing for slowtimes, anyway; it's always fine with me. Hope work lets up for you soon!!))

[jamesoftaversal]

“Looks like we’ve got a little Allan a Dale on our hands,” Sir James said to Robin, jerking his head back to indicate Wat. Too late, he remembered Allan was a sore subject with Robin. Well, screw it, he thought. Wat was acting a lot like Allan a Dale at the moment, and he didn’t see any need to tiptoe around the outlaw’s delicate sensibilities with such an innocent observation.

At the same time…. He and Robin were mostly able to walk astride, making conversation much more conducive than if one had to follow the other down the path. As his time in Nottinghamshire had gone on, Sir James’ curiosity about Robin Hood had increased, especially since he had learned more about local history and politics and the possible national ramifications of the same. But where to start? Sir James wasn’t even sure what to call the man: “Robin” implied too much friendliness between himself and a man who was, after all, on the wrong side of the law; “Hood” was a descriptor and not a name; “Locksley” was no longer accurate; and “Lord Huntingdon” seemed ridiculous under the circumstances. And he couldn’t just pop out with a question like, “So, what’s this about you taking on Prince John?” now, could he? He’d have to sidle up to the good stuff, and start with a benign topic.

Luckily, there was on at hand. “So, how long were you over there? The Holy Land, I mean,” he asked.

[robin_hood49]

Robin knew Sir James had not meant anything by the mention of Allan, but the mention still made his jaw set. He would rather give the boy more credit than the comparison implied, and nearly said as much; however, they had a long walk ahead of them and he would prefer not to start it out on a bad note, so he merely gave Sir James a tight smile, then kept an eye on Wat for a few moments longer.

Having a new topic of conversation was good, and the subject was not completely unexpected after the initial surprise of being questioned about it after this long. Usually, he was the outlaw when people asked these days; it was rarer that anyone considered him as a Crusader anymore. So much had happened since then... it nearly seemed a lifetime ago, now. "A little under five years," he replied. "Just around five, factoring in the travel to and from. You?"

He could talk about it like that. Removed conversations, vague things like time... that, he could do. Talking about more specific situations was more difficult.

[jamesoftaversal]

“Me? Fifteen years. Or thereabouts-you lose track of time after a while. Long enough to start thinking of it as home, at any rate. Yes, I was there before this current crusade was even a twinkle in Richard and Phillip’s eyes.” He glanced back as Wat. He seemed to be occupying himself by de-tangling Balius’ mane, which was harmless enough. “I didn’t realize you were there so long. What did you think? Of the country, of the cause, of the conduct of the war…of the whole ball of wax.” Sir James grinned. “It occurs to me that you’re the only man I’ve met in the shire who’s free to speak his mind. I mean, what’s the worst I can do if I don’t like what you say? Go squealing to Vaizey that you’re a traitor?”

[robin_hood49]

That was quite a long time. Five years had been hellish enough; Robin did not want to even consider serving thrice that.

He grinned a bit at the idea of anyone complaining to Vaizey about his alliances. "Yeah, see how far that gets you," he joked. Teasing aside, he considered the question for a moment. "The country is beautiful, and the civilians I met were, by and large, kind and thoughtful. As for the war..." He shook his head. "From what I saw, we accomplished nothing more than killing a lot of people, and having a lot of our people killed, as well. We consider one another heathens, but our beliefs are not so very different." After a few steps, he continued, "I know it will not stop until someone capitulates, and I also know that is unlikely to happen. I do not envy the king the position he is in, as he cannot concede defeat there, yet has a kingdom to rule here."

He would reserve comment on the matter of conduct. Richard was the best hope for England and, the last Robin had seen of him, the closest thing a king could come to being a friend to one of his subjects. Robin doubted he would ever be able to reconcile those aspects with the atrocities perpetuated under the king's orders; even if he tried to sort it out, it would be a personal issue, not a topic of conversation.

Backtracking a bit, he asked, "Has it been difficult for you to return after so many years away? It must be quite an adjustment."

[jamesoftaversal]

“It’s been quite an adjustment, but at least I expected it to be unsettling, if that makes sense. I made a point of taking the long way home so I could acclimate gradually, so to speak. That helped, some. I was worried about actually running a manor by myself, since I hadn’t ever done that before and since I was the second son so wasn’t especially trained up in it, but it’s been easier than I thought. Managing serfs isn’t so different from commanding foot soldiers-make sure they know you’ve got their backs and are fair in your judgments and that you’re all working toward the same goal, and that in return you expect them to work hard and keep their noses clean, and then get out of their way so they can get the job done. I forgot how nasty English winters are-it gets dark so early!-but, on the other hand, I forgot how nice the summers are, too. This is the first summer in I don’t know when that I haven’t had to worry about dropping from the heat, or the skin peeling off my face from sunburn, or not getting enough to drink. And speaking English! We spoke Norman at home though my father made sure my brother and I learned English as well so we could communicate with the common folk. But I haven’t had any English common folk to talk with since forever, and I’m sure my people are sniggering behind my back at my accent and grammar. Well, at least they’re not sniggering in front of me. Thank God for small mercies!”

Conversation was easy because of the width of the path, but Sir James still couldn’t look Robin in the eye while they talked, not because of the subject matter, but because he had to keep a watch out for tripping hazards and troublesome tree limbs. So he wasn’t quite sure at how to take Robin’s words about the crusade. It sounded as if he was disillusioned with the cause, and with Richard, which went contrary to what Sir James had gathered. Well, they had a point of agreement, then.

“I’m with you on the crusade, by the way. People here seem to think of me as a ‘crusader.’ Usually I let it slide because it’s not worth the effort to explain the subtleties of the situation over there, but I can tell you this: This notion that Richard could take a bunch of Frenchmen and Englishmen halfway across the world to some place none of them have ever been before and win a war against the locals defending what they consider to be their Holy Land has got to be one of the most dumb-ass ideas a King of England has ever had…and this country has suffered through plenty of royal dumb-ass ideas in its time! I tell you, it’ll be the ruination of both our lands before it’s all over.”

[robin_hood49]

Robin smiled as Sir James enthused about his return to England, although his smile faded at the comments regarding the king.

"That's an interesting comparison, running an estate being like commanding men. I had not considered it, but in some ways it's true." He had been in charge of his estates since childhood, and had been running them independently for a few years before leaving for the war, so it was a more natural situation for him than for the knight; he had been raised for it. Planning crops and balancing books was not something that played into his military experience, but there was something to be said about the similarities between dealing with soldiers and peasants. "And yes, the weather is so much different; quite a relief under the harshness of the desert."

He bit his thumbnail as he considered how to address the question of the war. "King Richard is dedicated to a cause which was instigated by the pope, and forges ahead with a history of some success by foreign armies against the local people. I doubt it will ruin us" --unless Prince John destroys the country before the king returns-- "and I reckon it would have done so to their land much sooner than this were it to happen at all. Still, the area is holy to all of us, and I do not think any one group has more or less right to it than the others."