Djaq
Basics:
Name: Saffiyah Begum
Nicknames: Djaq
Age and DoB: 20, November 12th, 1172
Gender: female
Relationship: is in no relationship; potential interest in Will
Occupation/Rank/Title: Outlaw; joined ranks with Robin and gang after they freed her and other Saracen slaves. Previously medically trained by her father.
Contact Information: kegel84@gmail.com
Appearance:
Height: 5'2''
Eye Color: brown
Hair: brown, worn short
Distinguishing features: being Saracen makes her stand out
Played by: Anjali Jay
Style: Usually disguises herself as a man and therefore dresses in that manner; feels far more comfortable that way.
Personality:
Djaq has adopted for herself the role and name of her dead twin brother.
She is rational and practical, even in dire situations. Djaq cares deeply for her friends; being perceptive of people, she’s able to understand what her friends feel. She is the one who notices that something is off with Allan when he is betraying the gang. Still, she believes in the good in him and tries to show it to him. She cares about his well-being even after he has been banished from the gang, all the while still being loyal to the others.
Being a Saracen and having been brought to England as a slave, Djaq doesn't have a particular attachment to England or the English people, but rather a strong loyalty to the gang of outlaws who helped her and her countrymen escape. She is always ready to fight for her friends.
This loyalty makes her stay with the gang for now, pushing thoughts of returning to her homeland to the back of her mind, as she does not even consider abandoning the outlaws while they are still fighting the sheriff. She may not want to admit this directly, but to be able to keep the role she had adopted might have played a part in her decision to stay, too; she is not completely willing to quickly go back to the female role in her home country, no matter that she wishes to return there some day.
She is also ready to rely on her herself and her own abilities, if needed, as it happened when she was captured, while Robin was holding Gisborne captive. Djaq faced the sheriff alone, relying on her knowledge to come up with a plan to escape several times.
She knows a lot about science and medicine and believes in its progress. She can also be secretive about it when she sees her friends disapprove of it, as they did with the ledger that showed how to make black powder.
This can also be considered as one of her weaknesses: she sometimes keeps matters to herself that might have better been shared with her friends, be it such information, or personal feelings.
Djaq is usually confident about her medical skills, but ready to be detached and rational about not being able to save everyone. Despite this, it hit closer to home than she wanted when she thought she had failed Robin in saving Marian, after she was stabbed by Gisborne as the Nightwatchman.
Djaq wishes for there to be peace in the Holy Land. As to who has the crown, she only cares in the sense of what will ensure peace. She has joined the fight between Robin and the sheriff as a loyal part of the gang. She is a good fighter and proving to be one of the lads.
Background:
Hometown: Djaq is from the Holy Land, near Acre.
Family: Her father was a physician. She had a twin brother named Djaq who was killed in the Crusades. She has a living uncle in the Holy Land named Bassam.
History: Saffiyah grew up together with her twin brother Djaq. It was her brother who was supposed to follow into the footsteps of their father, who was a physician, but it was Saffiyah who was the one more interested in medicine and science. Although her family was not fully happy with it, her father shared his knowledge with her, and she was able to tend to wounded soldiers on the battlefields alongside him. Although some people did not approve of this, her father always had a way about him that calmed everyone, and Saffiyah was grateful for it.
During the war, she saw injuries and death in her work alongside her father, but for a long time it seemed as if her family was safe, like luck was always on their side. Then, her mother died of a fever and, soon afterward, her father followed; her brother though remained a source of stability and reliability for her. When Djaq was killed by Crusaders, his death greatly shook any sense of security Saffiyah had, leaving her feeling vulnerable. Her brother had shown her how she could defend herself, but now that he was dead, it seemed like she had no power at all in a world that was dominated by men and their wars, which were raging in her home country.
It was during this time, when Saffiyah was grieving for her brother, that she and other Saracens were taken captive. She had been tending to wounded men from a recent battle, when more Englishmen turned up, and caught her and survivors of the battle. They were brought on a ship to England to be sold as slaves there. Saffiyah realised quickly that an even worse fate would befall her if the slave traders were to notice that she was a woman. From this time on, she pretended to be a boy, taking on the role of her brother, as well as his name.
She resolved to get out of captivity, but also to make sure that all her fellow men would do so, too. Several months passed until they arrived in England, and Djaq had to pretend and lie, to keep up her new identity the entire time. During such a long time, it was often hard to hide obvious clues that she was a woman; it was only with the help of the other Saracens, as well as well-planned lies, that she could hide whom she really was.
The fact that she was to be sold by Englishmen to other Englishmen, when the same had already taken part in the war in the Holy Land, understandably gave her no good impression about the country and its people. She was distrustful of any of them, and was surprised about the doings of the gang when they stopped the slave trader in Sherwood Forest.
Djaq and the others Saracens were freed, and she helped the outlaws in shutting down the mine where the slaves had been intended to work. She still felt resentment against the people of this country, and could not bring herself to care when she knew the boy Rowan had gone to kill Marian, who was unknown to Djaq, and moreover, was an Englishwoman. As the outlaws had freed her and the other Saracens, she considered it right to help them, and also saved Little John's life with her medical skills, although she was met with scepticism on the side of the gang.
She then decided to join them for good. She felt that the gang needed her, and she liked the fact that she could be needed, at the same time able to stick to the new-found respect she had for the outlaws.
Although Will and the others found out quickly that she was a female, she kept the role of a man for the outsiders' eyes. For one, she wanted to be accepted as one of the lads, and not be considered a girl. She also felt that she could both be in more danger, as well as a liability, if the sheriff's men knew there was a woman with the outlaws, no matter that she was able to fight just as well as the men.
Djaq became an integral part of the gang and seemed to have an especially close relationship with Will and Allan. There were several critical moments in her time with the gang, however.
One occasion was when she was captured after a raid of Locksley manor, and could not be certain for a time that someone would come and free her. Some doubts came up in her mind as to the importance Robin set on her, as he was unwilling to trade her for Gisborne. Rationally, she could understand his hesitance, as she learnt later that Gisborne had tried to kill the king and therefore potentially hindered peace in the Holy Land. Djaq realised even more than before, that Robin saw the bigger picture.
Djaq sometimes considered herself to be able to see the same, when her friends had doubts that she thought to be somewhat backwards. She has a deep belief in knowledge and science, and so could not stand the thought of the knowledge in Lambert's ledger being lost. She figured that she would know how to use it wisely. She had a slightly troubled conscience about keeping it, after her friends had decided to burn it. But the fact that troubled her most about her action was that she had to lie to her friends at all, and could potentially be found out; less so that she had kept the ledger, which she felt to be the right decision.
Djaq appeared to be the first to notice that something was wrong with Allan, and tried to get him to confess his betrayal. She didn't succeed in this, and was sad to see him banished from the gang, thinking that he could have changed, but was also ready to accept the way things had gone.
Recently she has gotten to know a young squire named Lucatz, who was new in Nottingham. She kept her connection with him secret from the other outlaws, while hoping to possibly gain information from him about the sheriff.
During a fight in the woods, she made use of the black powder she had made with the information she gained from the ledger. Much got caught up in it, and later said that he had to tell Robin about it - which is something Djaq fears greatly, as she is worried to be banished from the gang as Allan was. Djaq managed to get Much to promise not to tell Robin for now, nevertheless resolving privately to make more of the black powder.
At the Masquerade Ball, she and Will pretended to be a couple, leading through the charade that got the gang to the sheriff's treasure.
Over time, Djaq has developed an interest in Will that goes beyond being friends. She feels for him as a stead-fast person with an open, though quiet character. Will is somewhat younger than Djaq and hasn't seen much of the world as she has, but they share a cause, and Will has experienced some of the same pain as Djaq has - losing family.
Writing Sample: (from a fic)
It was well into the afternoon when they reached camp. They found Much sitting tiredly next to the fire, watching Robin’s slumbering form. He startled a bit when they entered the camp, apparently having been half asleep, himself. Djaq could see an empty plate next to him and smelled that there was still food simmering in the pot over the fire.
“There you are,” Much said, standing up.
Djaq moved over to him. “How is the wound?”
“Robin bandaged it,” he explained.
“Let me look at it,” she said, sitting down beside Much, who looked over to Robin.
“You need to take care of him first. Something is wrong with him.”
Djaq watched their leader thoughtfully. Of course something was wrong, but as far as she could tell, Much had no real idea what had happened. He simply hadn't seen what had been done. Only she and Will had, and she was sure Will hadn't told Allan or John about it. It was not her place to tell Much about it, either.
“He's sleeping now,” she said quietly.
Much nodded, lifting his shirt then to let her take a look at the bandaged wound. The blood hadn't soaked the bandage which was certainly a good sign. Djaq figured that Much had to be hurting, though.
“I'm going to prepare something that will help you sleep later,” she suggested.
“Robin didn’t need anything.” Much was still watching his friend. Djaq smiled. It was a good thing Robin was sleeping; he needed the rest. Everything else had to come later. She stood up and retrieved her bag, looking through the herbs that would help Much sleep, despite the pain he had to be feeling.
Then she would go and look at Will's leg again, check out Allan, and Robin, once he was awake, which would probably and hopefully not be before long, after all the strain he had been through.
She had her work cut out for her, and it took most of the evening. Yet in the end, it turned out that everyone would be well. Or well enough, at least. The thought came to her later, when she was sitting next to Will, renewing the dressing on his injury. Much had fallen asleep on his bed, John and Allan following suit. The question came to her as she began to tend to Will's leg.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Who?” Will questioned, but he didn't ask what Djaq meant. She knew it had to be on his mind, too.
“Much.”
He shook his head. “No, I can't,” he said quietly. “It would be wrong.”
Djaq nodded. She had felt the same way, but still considered that Much had to learn about it. She wondered if Robin would leave him and the rest of the gang out of the loop. Maybe Robin did not even know that she and Will knew what had happened.
Name: Saffiyah Begum
Nicknames: Djaq
Age and DoB: 20, November 12th, 1172
Gender: female
Relationship: is in no relationship; potential interest in Will
Occupation/Rank/Title: Outlaw; joined ranks with Robin and gang after they freed her and other Saracen slaves. Previously medically trained by her father.
Contact Information: kegel84@gmail.com
Appearance:
Height: 5'2''
Eye Color: brown
Hair: brown, worn short
Distinguishing features: being Saracen makes her stand out
Played by: Anjali Jay
Style: Usually disguises herself as a man and therefore dresses in that manner; feels far more comfortable that way.
Personality:
Djaq has adopted for herself the role and name of her dead twin brother.
She is rational and practical, even in dire situations. Djaq cares deeply for her friends; being perceptive of people, she’s able to understand what her friends feel. She is the one who notices that something is off with Allan when he is betraying the gang. Still, she believes in the good in him and tries to show it to him. She cares about his well-being even after he has been banished from the gang, all the while still being loyal to the others.
Being a Saracen and having been brought to England as a slave, Djaq doesn't have a particular attachment to England or the English people, but rather a strong loyalty to the gang of outlaws who helped her and her countrymen escape. She is always ready to fight for her friends.
This loyalty makes her stay with the gang for now, pushing thoughts of returning to her homeland to the back of her mind, as she does not even consider abandoning the outlaws while they are still fighting the sheriff. She may not want to admit this directly, but to be able to keep the role she had adopted might have played a part in her decision to stay, too; she is not completely willing to quickly go back to the female role in her home country, no matter that she wishes to return there some day.
She is also ready to rely on her herself and her own abilities, if needed, as it happened when she was captured, while Robin was holding Gisborne captive. Djaq faced the sheriff alone, relying on her knowledge to come up with a plan to escape several times.
She knows a lot about science and medicine and believes in its progress. She can also be secretive about it when she sees her friends disapprove of it, as they did with the ledger that showed how to make black powder.
This can also be considered as one of her weaknesses: she sometimes keeps matters to herself that might have better been shared with her friends, be it such information, or personal feelings.
Djaq is usually confident about her medical skills, but ready to be detached and rational about not being able to save everyone. Despite this, it hit closer to home than she wanted when she thought she had failed Robin in saving Marian, after she was stabbed by Gisborne as the Nightwatchman.
Djaq wishes for there to be peace in the Holy Land. As to who has the crown, she only cares in the sense of what will ensure peace. She has joined the fight between Robin and the sheriff as a loyal part of the gang. She is a good fighter and proving to be one of the lads.
Background:
Hometown: Djaq is from the Holy Land, near Acre.
Family: Her father was a physician. She had a twin brother named Djaq who was killed in the Crusades. She has a living uncle in the Holy Land named Bassam.
History: Saffiyah grew up together with her twin brother Djaq. It was her brother who was supposed to follow into the footsteps of their father, who was a physician, but it was Saffiyah who was the one more interested in medicine and science. Although her family was not fully happy with it, her father shared his knowledge with her, and she was able to tend to wounded soldiers on the battlefields alongside him. Although some people did not approve of this, her father always had a way about him that calmed everyone, and Saffiyah was grateful for it.
During the war, she saw injuries and death in her work alongside her father, but for a long time it seemed as if her family was safe, like luck was always on their side. Then, her mother died of a fever and, soon afterward, her father followed; her brother though remained a source of stability and reliability for her. When Djaq was killed by Crusaders, his death greatly shook any sense of security Saffiyah had, leaving her feeling vulnerable. Her brother had shown her how she could defend herself, but now that he was dead, it seemed like she had no power at all in a world that was dominated by men and their wars, which were raging in her home country.
It was during this time, when Saffiyah was grieving for her brother, that she and other Saracens were taken captive. She had been tending to wounded men from a recent battle, when more Englishmen turned up, and caught her and survivors of the battle. They were brought on a ship to England to be sold as slaves there. Saffiyah realised quickly that an even worse fate would befall her if the slave traders were to notice that she was a woman. From this time on, she pretended to be a boy, taking on the role of her brother, as well as his name.
She resolved to get out of captivity, but also to make sure that all her fellow men would do so, too. Several months passed until they arrived in England, and Djaq had to pretend and lie, to keep up her new identity the entire time. During such a long time, it was often hard to hide obvious clues that she was a woman; it was only with the help of the other Saracens, as well as well-planned lies, that she could hide whom she really was.
The fact that she was to be sold by Englishmen to other Englishmen, when the same had already taken part in the war in the Holy Land, understandably gave her no good impression about the country and its people. She was distrustful of any of them, and was surprised about the doings of the gang when they stopped the slave trader in Sherwood Forest.
Djaq and the others Saracens were freed, and she helped the outlaws in shutting down the mine where the slaves had been intended to work. She still felt resentment against the people of this country, and could not bring herself to care when she knew the boy Rowan had gone to kill Marian, who was unknown to Djaq, and moreover, was an Englishwoman. As the outlaws had freed her and the other Saracens, she considered it right to help them, and also saved Little John's life with her medical skills, although she was met with scepticism on the side of the gang.
She then decided to join them for good. She felt that the gang needed her, and she liked the fact that she could be needed, at the same time able to stick to the new-found respect she had for the outlaws.
Although Will and the others found out quickly that she was a female, she kept the role of a man for the outsiders' eyes. For one, she wanted to be accepted as one of the lads, and not be considered a girl. She also felt that she could both be in more danger, as well as a liability, if the sheriff's men knew there was a woman with the outlaws, no matter that she was able to fight just as well as the men.
Djaq became an integral part of the gang and seemed to have an especially close relationship with Will and Allan. There were several critical moments in her time with the gang, however.
One occasion was when she was captured after a raid of Locksley manor, and could not be certain for a time that someone would come and free her. Some doubts came up in her mind as to the importance Robin set on her, as he was unwilling to trade her for Gisborne. Rationally, she could understand his hesitance, as she learnt later that Gisborne had tried to kill the king and therefore potentially hindered peace in the Holy Land. Djaq realised even more than before, that Robin saw the bigger picture.
Djaq sometimes considered herself to be able to see the same, when her friends had doubts that she thought to be somewhat backwards. She has a deep belief in knowledge and science, and so could not stand the thought of the knowledge in Lambert's ledger being lost. She figured that she would know how to use it wisely. She had a slightly troubled conscience about keeping it, after her friends had decided to burn it. But the fact that troubled her most about her action was that she had to lie to her friends at all, and could potentially be found out; less so that she had kept the ledger, which she felt to be the right decision.
Djaq appeared to be the first to notice that something was wrong with Allan, and tried to get him to confess his betrayal. She didn't succeed in this, and was sad to see him banished from the gang, thinking that he could have changed, but was also ready to accept the way things had gone.
Recently she has gotten to know a young squire named Lucatz, who was new in Nottingham. She kept her connection with him secret from the other outlaws, while hoping to possibly gain information from him about the sheriff.
During a fight in the woods, she made use of the black powder she had made with the information she gained from the ledger. Much got caught up in it, and later said that he had to tell Robin about it - which is something Djaq fears greatly, as she is worried to be banished from the gang as Allan was. Djaq managed to get Much to promise not to tell Robin for now, nevertheless resolving privately to make more of the black powder.
At the Masquerade Ball, she and Will pretended to be a couple, leading through the charade that got the gang to the sheriff's treasure.
Over time, Djaq has developed an interest in Will that goes beyond being friends. She feels for him as a stead-fast person with an open, though quiet character. Will is somewhat younger than Djaq and hasn't seen much of the world as she has, but they share a cause, and Will has experienced some of the same pain as Djaq has - losing family.
Writing Sample: (from a fic)
It was well into the afternoon when they reached camp. They found Much sitting tiredly next to the fire, watching Robin’s slumbering form. He startled a bit when they entered the camp, apparently having been half asleep, himself. Djaq could see an empty plate next to him and smelled that there was still food simmering in the pot over the fire.
“There you are,” Much said, standing up.
Djaq moved over to him. “How is the wound?”
“Robin bandaged it,” he explained.
“Let me look at it,” she said, sitting down beside Much, who looked over to Robin.
“You need to take care of him first. Something is wrong with him.”
Djaq watched their leader thoughtfully. Of course something was wrong, but as far as she could tell, Much had no real idea what had happened. He simply hadn't seen what had been done. Only she and Will had, and she was sure Will hadn't told Allan or John about it. It was not her place to tell Much about it, either.
“He's sleeping now,” she said quietly.
Much nodded, lifting his shirt then to let her take a look at the bandaged wound. The blood hadn't soaked the bandage which was certainly a good sign. Djaq figured that Much had to be hurting, though.
“I'm going to prepare something that will help you sleep later,” she suggested.
“Robin didn’t need anything.” Much was still watching his friend. Djaq smiled. It was a good thing Robin was sleeping; he needed the rest. Everything else had to come later. She stood up and retrieved her bag, looking through the herbs that would help Much sleep, despite the pain he had to be feeling.
Then she would go and look at Will's leg again, check out Allan, and Robin, once he was awake, which would probably and hopefully not be before long, after all the strain he had been through.
She had her work cut out for her, and it took most of the evening. Yet in the end, it turned out that everyone would be well. Or well enough, at least. The thought came to her later, when she was sitting next to Will, renewing the dressing on his injury. Much had fallen asleep on his bed, John and Allan following suit. The question came to her as she began to tend to Will's leg.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Who?” Will questioned, but he didn't ask what Djaq meant. She knew it had to be on his mind, too.
“Much.”
He shook his head. “No, I can't,” he said quietly. “It would be wrong.”
Djaq nodded. She had felt the same way, but still considered that Much had to learn about it. She wondered if Robin would leave him and the rest of the gang out of the loop. Maybe Robin did not even know that she and Will knew what had happened.