Boys Will Be Boys (OTA, tag Marian)

[lordoflocksley]

Robin sat hidden amongst an evergreen tree near the lake. From his position, he had perfect sight and aim at an acorn tree which seemed to have held onto many acorns even in the cooling weather. It was as if God himself wanted Robin to do what he was doing. Sure, he was in a strange village with unimaginable things like candles with no flames and

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[andrejkoscuisko]

Andrej was walking in the park. His security were rather more distant than they had been. Well, no one was around.

"Holy Mother! I mean ow!" Something had hit his head and now there was an arrow in the oak tree above him. Security came running, looking to see who had fired. It took Andrej a moment longer than the troops to spot the dark-haired boy under a distant tree. The troops instantly pushed Andrej behind them.

"What did you do that for?" It was to the boy, not the security.

[lordoflocksley]

When the acorns had hit his target, he grinned and laughed at the funny reaction.

Robin was a little taken aback when the boy seemed to spot him and a defensive sort of expression crossed his face. "Because it's funny." His accent was British, but lighter than what it was when he would be a man.

[andrejkoscuisko]

The other boy had an accent Andrej had never heard before. His own Standard carried more of an Aznir accent than it would when he was older but at least he was fluent in both.

"You think shooting at other people is funny?" Andrej said. So it wasn't an accident or mistake. He would have to send his security to take the boy to the authorities but he wasn't quite sure who that might be.

[lordoflocksley]

"I didn't shoot you." He said it in a very childishly irritated way as he rolled his eyes. "I shot the tree and made a few nuts fall on you. That's all. I didn't think you'd be such a baby about it." He gave the younger boy a look of attitude.

[andrejkoscuisko]

"I am not a baby," Andrej yelled back. "It has been nearly two years past since my father cut my cheek and made me his heir. I am a man with my own estate even."

The security hadn't moved in case the other boy tried to shoot again but they relaxed slightly. If the boy could be believed, it was a prank more than an assassination attempt.

"Why do you like to hurt other people?" Andrej asked. "It isn't funny." Not from the perspective of his little bonked head anyway.

[lordoflocksley]

He rolled his eyes again. Robin had no idea how that boy could be considered a man, but then some families were very strange.

"You're reaction was funny." Which came out sounding like a 'humph' almost in defense of his actions. "It couldn't have hurt much. They're only acorns. That's why I called you a baby."

His eyes looked at the strange men hovering around the younger boy and he crinkled his nose. "Do you always walk around with so many adults." Who didn't seem to have any personality whatsoever.

Stranger and stranger.

[andrejkoscuisko]

Andrej thought about that. "I do enjoy watching my Uncle Radu turn red when my cousins and I misbehave in church," he mused aloud. "That is because he is strict and I do not like him. Is it the same thing?"

Andrej looked at his security. "Yes, or more. They are my security. My Lord father and Lady mother have said they are for my protection and so I must stay with them." He liked to hide from them at home sometimes but it made his mother upset and so he didn't do it often. "Do your father and mother not care where it is you go?" Of course, his own parents weren't here to watch. Still, he was the heir and should have his security.

[lordoflocksley]

The boy was strange, but at least he was able to understand. Robin nodded. "Same thing." Of course, Robin didn't really hate the boy, but the concept was similar.

When the boy asked Robin about his mother and father, he pouted. "My father and mother aren't here to care, but they'd let me do what I wanted."

Not really. He'd get the strap on his bare behind by his father if he had been caught.

[andrejkoscuisko]

So the other boy hadn't meant to hurt anyone. It had just happened that way. Andrej and his cousins had had pranks go wrong before. They had been punished.

"That is strange to me. My Lord father and Lady mother almost always see to my plans. When they don't they know that someone knows where I am. Servants or security at least. It would be fun to be able to go where one wanted, I think." For Andrej, that was not to be.

[lordoflocksley]

"How come you can't?" Robin looked at the security surrounding the little boy, then frowned. "They keeping you prisoner?"

He could do something about that.

[andrejkoscuisko]

"Prisoner?" Andrej was puzzled. "They are keeping me safe. My father is the Koscuisko prince and I am his acknowledged heir. There are people that would do me harm to shame my Lord father and my family. And at home there are servants to help if I have need. No, not prisoner."

[lordoflocksley]

His brow furrowed a little. "Why can't you keep yourself safe?" Robin had his bow and he'd fight anyone who tried to hurt him. "I have servants back home too, but I'd rather save myself."

[andrejkoscuisko]

Andrej had to think about that for a moment. "But ... there is only one of me. Even security does not go alone into danger. It is also traditional to have four security but here I seem only to have two." Little Andrej shrugged. "My Lord father is very traditional. If he only provided two then he undoubtedly had a good reason." Andrej wasn't sure what a good reason for breaking with tradition might be.

"Given a choice, I think I would rather not have to save myself or be saved. It might be fun to save other people."

[lordoflocksley]

Well, Robin had to agree with the boy on the last part. "I like saving other people too. One day I plan on fighting along side the King to save all of England."

That was what he wanted to do when he was older.

[andrejkoscuisko]

"The Autocrat does not herself fight but it would be wonderful to go to war," Andrej agreed. "But the Bench would not allow it. The only planets left to take are in Gonebeyond." Andrej sighed.

[lordoflocksley]

Well now the boy was just talking garble. Robin furrowed his brow a little and looked at the boy with a strange expression. "What's a planets?"