Very Early Monday Morning, Section of the Beach
Gwynn was standing on the beach as the sun came up. She was dressed for travel and leaning slightly on her bow. She was also trying very hard not to cry. She hadn't told many people that she was leaving today. Eve knew and she left messages for Tim, and Tori and Conner, too. Her family seemed determined that she was going back to England to stay and never to return...
...but this was not a decision that sat well with Gwynn. So, she left messages with her loved ones that she would find a way to come back soon. There would be a way and she would find it.
"The last time I saw you look like that was when you and Phillip had to part ways for the good of England."
She glanced at her father and then glanced back at the ocean. "I know my duty, sir," her voice was even.
She heard Robin sigh heavily. "Look at me." She shook her head. "Gwynn, look at me."
She looked up at the sky to try to blink her tears back and then turned to look at her father. "I'm sorry that my decisions hurt you so deeply Gwynn. I'm not perfect, but you are my daughter and I will always want to do what I think is best to protect you and keep you safe."
She shrugged. "You will do what you will."
Robin didn't like the flat tone of her voice. He wanted to hear emotion and fire like she usually had when they spoke or argued. He saw how stiff she was holding her body and he hated seeing how she was fighting back tears. "We were scared, Gwynn. All of us were very scared for you."
Gwynn gave him a surprised look. "You're never scared."
"I was the other night. Right in front of my eyes, I saw my beautiful daughter get somehow turned into my very little girl and then a forest animal, a red fox. That was hard for all of us to see."
"But unlike some of my classmates, I was turned into something pretty," Gwynn murmured. Because, yes, still, that was a point.
"You're always beautiful, Gwynn," Robin said hoarsely. "You look like your mother but you have all of the wrongs of your father."
"There's nothing wrong with you as a father. It makes you the man our kings have needed."
"But not always the father my daughter needs." Gwynn looked at him in surprise. "Will is right, Gwynn. You may look like your mother, but everything else about you is exactly like me and I have fought against that for a very long time. I sent you away to this school because I wanted you to be safe and to be the Lady that your mother was, but you're too much like me." He sighed. "When I saw you fighting that creature during your ceremony, it scared me, Gwynn."
"I was in no real danger," Gwynn said quietly. "I'm skilled with my weapons and I had classmates up there that were fighting just as hard as I was."
"It wasn't easy for your father to see that thing attacking you, no matter how impressive you were up there." Gwynn's eyes widened in shock. "Yes, Gwynn. You looked good and strong up there and I was proud of you. You've taken your duties seriously and I can see that you've been keeping up with your training as well." He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "You've done well, Gwynn."
Gwynn hugged her father tightly. "I've had a good teacher," she finally managed to say.
"Who is going to keep teaching," he said firmly. Then his voice softened. "But, I can oversee your training during visits back home if you are planning to stay the summer here with your friends."
Gwynn stared at him for a moment and then she was hugging him again. "Thank you, father. Thank you."
He laughed and sat her away from him so he could look down into her eyes. "I won't take it easy on you, Gwynn. We can't afford to go easy if you want to fight the enemies of England or if you're going to stay here and fight things like that creature."
"I have never taken the easy way out of anything, and I'm not going to start now."
Robin nodded. "I have no doubts about that." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Gwynn. I may not always show it, but I always feel it." He smiled. "We're ready to leave, but Phillip will be coming to say goodbye first."
Gwynn gave him a look.
"Don't be so hard on him, Gwynn. He was reacting out of fear for a subject and friend."
"I will do my best."
Robin nodded. "Fare thee well, Gwynn. I'll see you again soon and we'll make sure we get you to where you want to be."
Gwynn watched her father walk back up the path to head into town and then to home. When he was out of sight, she sat down on the sand and buried her face in her knees. She was so relieved that he was letting her stay that she wanted to cry. However, she had to keep her composure until after Phillip left. It wouldn't due for her king to find her on the sand and crying like a child.
She heard his boots approaching over the sand and then he was sitting down next to her. When it was obvious that she wasn't going to say anything, Phillip sighed.
"It was never my intention to hurt you, Gwynn."
"Because ordering me to pack up and leave my second home was only going to cause good things to be said, really," she pointed out. "I can't imagine why treating me like I didn't have a brain of my own would hurt me."
"I reacted badly." When Gwynn gave him an incredulous look, he shook his head in irritation. "Damn it, Gwynn! I had just seen my closest friend, the lady I love, my own personal guard turned into a six year old child! Then when I was trying to adjust to that, you were then turned into a forest creature."
"I've been in worse --" She changed her words around. "You've seen me in more dangerous situations, your Majesty."
Phillip winced. Gwynn was still hurt and upset by his orders on the night she should have enjoyed more than anything. "No, Gwynn. Phillip. King I may be, but I will always be Phillip for you." He sighed. "I have seen you in danger before, but that creature was not like John's armies or Nottingham's men. It had several heads and it was huge. You can't be upset with me for being worried about your safety upo there."
"Phillip," she started out quietly. "I was not alone up there. Had I gotten hurt and was unable to fight, one of my classmates would have given me aid and I would have been all right. We would not have allowed any of us to die. We always work together here, Phillip."
"Be that as it may, it wasn't easy for us trapped away from you to see that happening and not know if we were about to watch you die or get seriously hurt." He looked at her. "You should have warned us, Gwynn."
"What could I have said, Phillip? Yes, I could have told all of you that something always attacks the graduates and you would have shown up here with an army and my father with his men and quite possibly all of the Uncles as well." She shook her head, frowning. "You would have done that and the people here would have reacted as if we were being invaded. An army would have been mustered by those here and it wouldn't matter if one of your men asked for me, because I know how we all react to what looks like an invading force asking for one of us here. Somebody could have been hurt or even killed before I would have made it to the front lines and saw your banner." She looked at him. "Remember what I told you happened when Nottingham came after me here? The students and teachers all rallied to defeat him and his men. You storming in here with an army because you think I need protection would have only caused a disaster."
Phillip frowned. "There's been trouble here often, then?"
"Nothing that we haven't been able to take care of." She looked at him. "If there was truly danger, I would have sent for you. And there have been times that I have come home after anything really bad happened."
Phillip was quiet for a moment. "It certainly explains your moods and your sadness sometimes when you have come home. I worried for you because you wouldn't tell me what was wrong."
"I didn't think I could," she admitted. "Or that if I told you, you would demand that I return to England right away and never return here."
Phillip let out a breath. "It would make you happy to stay here for awhile longer." It wasn't a question.
"My first responsibility is to you, Phillip," she said quietly. "But yes, it would make me happy."
"Then you should stay."
Her eyes flew to his face. "Really?"
"Really. I could never bear to be the cause of your sadness, Gwynn. If this place makes you happy, how can I force you to leave it before you have to?" He got to his feet. "However, I will expect reports more often than you have sent before." He looked down at her. "If you get hurt I will come here myself and carry you back to England, Gwynn. I will not risk the most important person to me like that."
Gwynn got to her feet and looked at him for a long moment before hugging him. "Thank you, Phillip. Thank you."
"Are you still my knight, Gwynn Hood of Locksley?"
"I am in service to your majesty and I will continue to be so for as long as you have need of me."
"Say it Gwynn, please."
"I will serve you as my father served yours." There were tears in her eyes. "From this day forward and forever."
He hugged her again and kissed her cheek. "From this day forward and forever," he repeated. "Be safe, Gwynn. I expect see you soon and to have a report sooner than that."
Gwynn watched as he walked away.
She needed to carry her things back to her room and make some phone calls. However, for right now she was just going to enjoy the fact that she was staying for a little while longer.
...but this was not a decision that sat well with Gwynn. So, she left messages with her loved ones that she would find a way to come back soon. There would be a way and she would find it.
"The last time I saw you look like that was when you and Phillip had to part ways for the good of England."
She glanced at her father and then glanced back at the ocean. "I know my duty, sir," her voice was even.
She heard Robin sigh heavily. "Look at me." She shook her head. "Gwynn, look at me."
She looked up at the sky to try to blink her tears back and then turned to look at her father. "I'm sorry that my decisions hurt you so deeply Gwynn. I'm not perfect, but you are my daughter and I will always want to do what I think is best to protect you and keep you safe."
She shrugged. "You will do what you will."
Robin didn't like the flat tone of her voice. He wanted to hear emotion and fire like she usually had when they spoke or argued. He saw how stiff she was holding her body and he hated seeing how she was fighting back tears. "We were scared, Gwynn. All of us were very scared for you."
Gwynn gave him a surprised look. "You're never scared."
"I was the other night. Right in front of my eyes, I saw my beautiful daughter get somehow turned into my very little girl and then a forest animal, a red fox. That was hard for all of us to see."
"But unlike some of my classmates, I was turned into something pretty," Gwynn murmured. Because, yes, still, that was a point.
"You're always beautiful, Gwynn," Robin said hoarsely. "You look like your mother but you have all of the wrongs of your father."
"There's nothing wrong with you as a father. It makes you the man our kings have needed."
"But not always the father my daughter needs." Gwynn looked at him in surprise. "Will is right, Gwynn. You may look like your mother, but everything else about you is exactly like me and I have fought against that for a very long time. I sent you away to this school because I wanted you to be safe and to be the Lady that your mother was, but you're too much like me." He sighed. "When I saw you fighting that creature during your ceremony, it scared me, Gwynn."
"I was in no real danger," Gwynn said quietly. "I'm skilled with my weapons and I had classmates up there that were fighting just as hard as I was."
"It wasn't easy for your father to see that thing attacking you, no matter how impressive you were up there." Gwynn's eyes widened in shock. "Yes, Gwynn. You looked good and strong up there and I was proud of you. You've taken your duties seriously and I can see that you've been keeping up with your training as well." He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "You've done well, Gwynn."
Gwynn hugged her father tightly. "I've had a good teacher," she finally managed to say.
"Who is going to keep teaching," he said firmly. Then his voice softened. "But, I can oversee your training during visits back home if you are planning to stay the summer here with your friends."
Gwynn stared at him for a moment and then she was hugging him again. "Thank you, father. Thank you."
He laughed and sat her away from him so he could look down into her eyes. "I won't take it easy on you, Gwynn. We can't afford to go easy if you want to fight the enemies of England or if you're going to stay here and fight things like that creature."
"I have never taken the easy way out of anything, and I'm not going to start now."
Robin nodded. "I have no doubts about that." He leaned in to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Gwynn. I may not always show it, but I always feel it." He smiled. "We're ready to leave, but Phillip will be coming to say goodbye first."
Gwynn gave him a look.
"Don't be so hard on him, Gwynn. He was reacting out of fear for a subject and friend."
"I will do my best."
Robin nodded. "Fare thee well, Gwynn. I'll see you again soon and we'll make sure we get you to where you want to be."
Gwynn watched her father walk back up the path to head into town and then to home. When he was out of sight, she sat down on the sand and buried her face in her knees. She was so relieved that he was letting her stay that she wanted to cry. However, she had to keep her composure until after Phillip left. It wouldn't due for her king to find her on the sand and crying like a child.
She heard his boots approaching over the sand and then he was sitting down next to her. When it was obvious that she wasn't going to say anything, Phillip sighed.
"It was never my intention to hurt you, Gwynn."
"Because ordering me to pack up and leave my second home was only going to cause good things to be said, really," she pointed out. "I can't imagine why treating me like I didn't have a brain of my own would hurt me."
"I reacted badly." When Gwynn gave him an incredulous look, he shook his head in irritation. "Damn it, Gwynn! I had just seen my closest friend, the lady I love, my own personal guard turned into a six year old child! Then when I was trying to adjust to that, you were then turned into a forest creature."
"I've been in worse --" She changed her words around. "You've seen me in more dangerous situations, your Majesty."
Phillip winced. Gwynn was still hurt and upset by his orders on the night she should have enjoyed more than anything. "No, Gwynn. Phillip. King I may be, but I will always be Phillip for you." He sighed. "I have seen you in danger before, but that creature was not like John's armies or Nottingham's men. It had several heads and it was huge. You can't be upset with me for being worried about your safety upo there."
"Phillip," she started out quietly. "I was not alone up there. Had I gotten hurt and was unable to fight, one of my classmates would have given me aid and I would have been all right. We would not have allowed any of us to die. We always work together here, Phillip."
"Be that as it may, it wasn't easy for us trapped away from you to see that happening and not know if we were about to watch you die or get seriously hurt." He looked at her. "You should have warned us, Gwynn."
"What could I have said, Phillip? Yes, I could have told all of you that something always attacks the graduates and you would have shown up here with an army and my father with his men and quite possibly all of the Uncles as well." She shook her head, frowning. "You would have done that and the people here would have reacted as if we were being invaded. An army would have been mustered by those here and it wouldn't matter if one of your men asked for me, because I know how we all react to what looks like an invading force asking for one of us here. Somebody could have been hurt or even killed before I would have made it to the front lines and saw your banner." She looked at him. "Remember what I told you happened when Nottingham came after me here? The students and teachers all rallied to defeat him and his men. You storming in here with an army because you think I need protection would have only caused a disaster."
Phillip frowned. "There's been trouble here often, then?"
"Nothing that we haven't been able to take care of." She looked at him. "If there was truly danger, I would have sent for you. And there have been times that I have come home after anything really bad happened."
Phillip was quiet for a moment. "It certainly explains your moods and your sadness sometimes when you have come home. I worried for you because you wouldn't tell me what was wrong."
"I didn't think I could," she admitted. "Or that if I told you, you would demand that I return to England right away and never return here."
Phillip let out a breath. "It would make you happy to stay here for awhile longer." It wasn't a question.
"My first responsibility is to you, Phillip," she said quietly. "But yes, it would make me happy."
"Then you should stay."
Her eyes flew to his face. "Really?"
"Really. I could never bear to be the cause of your sadness, Gwynn. If this place makes you happy, how can I force you to leave it before you have to?" He got to his feet. "However, I will expect reports more often than you have sent before." He looked down at her. "If you get hurt I will come here myself and carry you back to England, Gwynn. I will not risk the most important person to me like that."
Gwynn got to her feet and looked at him for a long moment before hugging him. "Thank you, Phillip. Thank you."
"Are you still my knight, Gwynn Hood of Locksley?"
"I am in service to your majesty and I will continue to be so for as long as you have need of me."
"Say it Gwynn, please."
"I will serve you as my father served yours." There were tears in her eyes. "From this day forward and forever."
He hugged her again and kissed her cheek. "From this day forward and forever," he repeated. "Be safe, Gwynn. I expect see you soon and to have a report sooner than that."
Gwynn watched as he walked away.
She needed to carry her things back to her room and make some phone calls. However, for right now she was just going to enjoy the fact that she was staying for a little while longer.