To Save a Life

"It's history."
"Then history will change."

The beeping of my comm pulled me from sleep. Instantly awake, I flipped it over and read the message. Throwing back the blankets, I grabbed clothes and quickly pulled them on. I shoved my comm into a pocket as I ran from my room, glad that since I was at headquarters I only had a short distance to go as I ran for the situation room at full tilt. I skidded to a stop, managing not to bang into anything, and demanded, "What's our time?"

"Twenty-eight hours, forty five minutes and falling. Time is running out!" one of the techs answered me.

My eyes flicked over him; but I didn't recognize him, so ignored him. "How did we get such a close time?"

"I don't know," the tech sputtered. "The clock was at one week, five days, and then just jumped!"

"Set the pod. I want to Jump in thirty minutes," I ordered as I bolted from the room.

I started stripping on my way to the locker room, figuring the faster I got changed, the faster I could get back to the situation room and check the calculations. Even though the techs were trained and retrained, no one jumped without checking the calculations personally. I pulled open my locker, dodging the old ballerina costume that fell out of the junk, and reached for the clothes and supplies I would need. I had gone back a few times in the past weeks to monitor the situation, but this time I would be staying for at least forty-eight hours. I quickly threw together my pack with blankets and supplies, than set it aside to get dressed. I wrapped my breast band around my chest and secured it before wiggling into braies, shirt, breeches and a tunic. I picked up the gambeson and mail shirt that I had been using and put them with the pack. I would need them later.

I was double-checking my pack when my Captain walked in. “You ordered a Jump, Marian?”

“Yes, sir. The Event moved up in the time line. If I want to be there to prevent it, I need to leave now.”

He nodded. “I cleared you. The calculations are almost done. Medical is waiting for you.”

I nodded and tightened the last strap. The Captain hefted the pack as I stepped back. “Report to Medical and then to Command. I’ll make sure the calculations are ready.”

I rushed down the corridor to Medical and submitted my body to their scans and shots. This was the part I hated the most, but I understood the necessity of it so I submitted with ill grace. The last thing they did was give me the shots that would protect me from the illnesses of the time I was headed for. I winced as the needle entered my skin. With all the advances made over the years, shots still hurt.

When I entered the situation room again, the pod was set up with my pack already inside. The Captain handed me a slate as I stepped up next to him. Practice made me able to scan and approve the calculations in seconds. I handed the slate over to the tech after unlocking the data with my thumbprint. It couldn’t be loaded into the pod unless I unlocked it first, which prevented me from being sent back without my authorization.

The Captain clasped my hand, shaking it quickly. “Good luck, Marian. Remember you have only one chance and forty-eight hours.”

“Yes, sir.” I slipped into the pod, shoving my pack over to the side and prepared myself for my trip. A medic hurried over and gave me one last shot, the one that would knock me out and allow me to survive the pain and disorientation of the Jump. The pod was sealed above me as the sedative took effect.

* * * * *

When I opened my eyes, my first view was of the foliage above my head. I sat up, groaning. Even with the sedative, I still had a massive headache from the time switch.

Wincing against the sun leaking through the canopy, I looked around for my pack. It lay on the ground a few feet from me. I hauled myself to my feet, ignoring the pain as best as I could. I unstrapped my sword, bow, and quiver, quickly buckling my sword belt around my waist before swinging my quiver into place. I felt instantly better once I was armed. Although I didn't look very female, who knew what type of people I would come across before I found Robin. I adjusted the quiver, pack, and bow so that all of them rested easily on my back.

I knew I had to find the outlaws and convince them to let me join them in order to more easily carry out my mission. I decided that the quickest way to find them would be to locate the road and let them find me instead. After checking to make sure there was no trace of my arrival or how I had arrived, I took off in the direction I most likely suspected the road to be. Once on the road, I figured it would only be a matter of time before I was stopped.

Since I had arrived early in the day, I had plenty of light to see my way. I rushed as quickly as I could placing my feet carefully to avoid leaving tracks or breaking branches. Much sooner than I anticipated, I found the road. I paused and looked both ways, unsure of which direction to take. I needed to head away from Nottingham town and deeper into the forest, but there was no way to tell which direction I should head from where I was.

I had just decided on the direction I was going to take and stepped out onto the road, when someone dropped out of the tree above where I had been resting. I jolted back, startled, as more men appeared out of the forest. I had been concentrating on the road and hadn't thought to check the trees.

The tallest of the men, there were seven of them in all, leaned on a staff as he blocked the road. "Where do ya think you're going, lad?" he asked in a slow drawl.

I lifted my hands away from my waist, careful not to make a move towards either my sword or my dagger. "My name is Miles. I served in the Holy Land with Sir Roland from Lincolnshire. My Lord told me to journey to Sherwood Forest when I returned home and to seek out his friend, Sir Robin of Huntingdon." I paused, looking around. I knew I would recognize Robin from spying on him the last few weeks, but I didn't see him among the men.

The man grinned as he looked around at the other men. "And why would ya think to find a nobleman here in the woods, lad?"

"I met Sir Robin in Arce when he met with Sir Roland. When I became sick a few months ago, Sir Roland sent me north and instructed me to travel to Locksley and find Sir Robin," I explained. "I didn't even make it as far as the village before I realized something was wrong. I remembered Sir Roland speaking of the forest and Sir Robin's love of it so I hoped I would find him here."

"And why do you wish to find him, lad?"

I took a deep breath and prepared to spin my story. We had developed one, just in case I needed a reason for wanting to meet with Robin. "I didn't just serve with Sir Roland, I am his son. His bastard son. So I can't exactly go to Lincolnshire, my brothers will try to kill me. Sir Roland sent me to Sir Robin to keep me safe."

The man who had been questioning me looked at the others. "We should take him to Robin," one of the others spoke up now. "He can decide what to do."

The first man nodded in agreement. "Take his weapons. If he fights..." he shrugged. I knew the men wouldn't be gentle if I fought them so I left my hands up as they removed my sword belt, bow, quiver, and pack. I was surprised that no one went through my pack, but watched as it was swung up onto a shoulder. Someone else shouldered my bow and quiver while a third hooked my belt and slung that over his shoulder. Two men fell into place around me and motioned for me to start walking in the direction I had chosen before they waylaid me.

The outlaw that had taken my bow walked to my right. As we walked along, he took my bow off his shoulder and studied it. "Where did you get this?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because its make looks very familiar," he replied.

I held my hands out for it, but he shook his head and put it back on his shoulder. "I got it in the Holy Land. When Sir Robin came to visit my Lord, I was waiting upon him. As he left, Sir Robin noticed that I was trying to repair my bow. It had been broken during a Saracen attack. Sir Robin saw I was having trouble so he stopped to see if he could help. When he saw my bow was beyond repair, he gave me his own bow, explaining that he had a second back at his camp. I tried to refuse but he insisted I keep it. I was able to save Sir Roland in the next attack because I had the bow. If nothing else, I would like to thank Sir Robin for the chance to save my father."

The man held his hand out when I finished. "Will Scarlet."

"Nice to meet you, Will Scarlet," I said with a smile.

The man on my left held out his hand when I turned. "Much. We'll see what we can do when we get to Robin."

"I'm hoping he'll remember me."

The first man, the one I suspected was Little John, turned around to glare at the three of us and the two men lapsed into silence.

The walk through the forest didn't take as long as I thought it would. Far sooner than I would have thought, we were moving off the path and deeper into the forest. This part of the forest wasn't as clear as the area I'd run through earlier, and I stumbled a bit as we moved. Either Will or Much caught my arm so I didn't fall.

There were a few men scattered around the permanent camp when we entered, but my attention was immediately drawn to the man in the center of the clearing by the fire pit. He looked up from fletching an arrow as we approached. Other than his clothes, he didn't look much different from when I had seen him in Arce. He was thinner, harder-looking, but I could still see the humor lurking in his blue eyes. "It takes seven men to escort one boy?" he asked as he stood up and crossed the distance to us.

"The lad says he knows ya," John told him. "Claims he met ya in Arce."

Robin stepped closer to me and put his finger under my chin, tilting my head so I had to look up at him. I had forgotten how tall he was, that I had to look up to meet his eyes. "I met a lot of men and boys in Arce," he said. "Why would I remember one?"

I found myself mesmerized as he locked eyes with me, unable to look away or even remember my proof. Robin seemed to be in almost the same state, unable to look away either or even remember he had been questioning me.

A throat cleared behind me, breaking the spell. Will stepped forward, giving me an odd look, and handed Robin my bow. "He had this."

Robin stepped back away from me, turning the bow over in his hands. He only needed a few seconds to find where he had carved 'RHL' many years ago. "Where did you get this?" he demanded.

"About a year ago, you attended Sir Roland at his camp in Arce. King Richard had sent you to see how his troops fared. When you left a boy was trying to repair his bow. You stopped to help and when you saw the bow couldn't be repaired, you gave him yours." I pointed to the bow still in his hands. "That bow. Sir Roland thought Locksley would be safer for me than Lincolnshire."

"Why?"

I decided to tell him the truth I had told the others. "My father believed you to be an honorable man. Nothing I've seen since I returned to England has proved him wrong. My brothers would be happy to see me dead."

Robin ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I remembered him using to buy time to think. "You're Roland's son, but not Elizabeth's?" he questioned.

I nodded, confirming what he suspected, that I was illegitimate. "Until Roland returns home, its not safe for me to go to Lincolnshire."

"No, of course it isn't. Why did Roland send you North?"

"A fever went through camp a few months ago. I took sick and never fully recovered. Father thought I might do better to be back in more familiar surroundings."

Robin motioned to his men. "Give him back his belongings. This son of Roland doesn't mean us any harm." As proof, he handed me back my bow. "You're going to need that, Miles" he said and I glimpsed the smile I had occasionally seen before as he said my name. He strode off, calling for John and Much to join him.

My quiver and pack were dropped at my feet, but Will took my sword belt from the man who had carried it and joined me. "Let's find you somewhere to sleep," he said.

I smiled gratefully. Although I did want to be left alone, I didn't want the others to think I was untrustworthy. Will helped me choose a place and set up my bedroll. Like the others, I didn't have a tent but he showed me how to use some branches to make a sort of lean-to. When we gathered around the communal fire pit for the midday meal, I was bombarded with requests for how the war was going. Even after pointing out that I had been traveling for many months and sick before that, they begged for news. As I spun tales, filling in what I couldn't remember living with information from my studies, I watched Robin. He couldn't help hearing what I said, but I saw he didn't like to be reminded of what he had left behind. His face was shuttered, cold, as he picked at the food on his plate. As soon as he could, he escaped from the community space of the shared meal.

I helped clean up after the meal, then asked Will if there was somewhere I could wash up. He gave me directions to a nearby stream, and offered to accompany me. I turned him down, assuring him that I would be safe enough with my weapons.

I paused at my pack long enough to get soap and a towel before going in search of the stream. When I found it, I discovered that the spot Will had directed me to was a natural little pond. It was cold enough that I didn't want to linger, but I stripped down to wash off. There was a rock by the side of the pool that was in the sun and when I finished bathing, I stretched out on top of it.

I must have dozed off because the next sound I heard was Robin calling my name. I scrambled off the rock and rushed for my clothes but had only just snatched them up when he came into view. I froze in shock as he stumbled to a stop, breaking off mid-syllable. We were both frozen in place; me because I couldn't believe I had been so careless to get caught already. I couldn't tell what Robin was thinking, a mask had slammed down over his face when he realized what he was seeing.

When he continued to stand there without moving or saying anything. I used the opportunity to pull my clothes back on. I felt less vulnerable once I was dressed again. I scooped up my weapons when I was done dressing, not because I believed Robin meant me any harm, but because I didn't know what else to do. I was beginning to be unnerved by his silence, but at the same time I was afraid if I was the first to breech it, he would strike out at me.

I approached him slowly as I would a skittish horse and took him by the hand, leading him away from the pool. I had seen a fallen log not far from the pool and I led Robin over to that, guiding him to a seat. I sat down beside him. "I couldn't tell you the truth earlier," I confessed. "Its not safe for a woman either here or in Arce. When my mother died years ago, I presented myself to Roland as a son knowing he would accept a boy more easily. I kept up my subterfuge through training and the fighting, but Father discovered my lie when I fell ill. That was the real reason he sent me home."

"Why continue the lie?" he asked at last, after studying me for few minutes.

"You wouldn't have accepted me as a girl," I pointed out.

"What's your name? Your real name," he changed the subject, ignoring what I said.

"Marian, but I'd prefer to be Miles at least for now. When Roland gets back and I can go home to Lincolnshire, I'll become Marian again."

Robin studied me. "Are you really Roland's get then or was that a lie too, Marian?"

"No, I really am Roland's child. His daughter though, not his son like I explained to you. It was just easier for me to get to him by pretending to be a boy and easier to stay with him." I didn't think I needed to explain to Robin that I was Roland's descendant, his great-granddaughter many times over. All of the Time Jumpers traced their ancestry so that we could use our family connections if we needed. This was one case when I was glad I knew them.

"So what do I do with you now?" Robin asked. He seemed to be recovering his aplomb the longer we talked which I was glad to see. It had been unnerving me to see him unbalanced when I always remembered him so contained and in control.

"I'm hoping that you'll let me stay. And that you won't tell the boys I'm a girl. I really can protect myself and use the weapons I carry. And quite honestly, skirts are annoying."

Robin considered me for a few moments. "I remember watching you use the bow and since I assume you were trained by Roland, I'm going to accept that you are able to protect yourself. Since you obviously kept your secret while living in a camp at Arce, you can keep it here. If you cause any problems though, you're gone. No questions asked."

I nodded, accepting his rules. I knew I would only need to keep the secret for a few days. Once I completed mission, I would return home and never see Robin again. I felt my heart clench at that thought. I didn't want to never see Robin again but I knew once this mission was over, I would be re-assigned. "Agreed," I told Robin, refusing to allow my misgivings to creep into my voice.

Robin tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. "Let's get back to the camp. The dark creeps up fast in the forest and I'd rather not be stumbling around in the dusk."

#19

I followed him back to camp, along a different path than the one I had taken to get to the pool. I was puzzled as to why there were so many worn paths in the forest and mentioned this to him. "We're not the only ones that live here," Robin replied. "And the hunters use many of the same paths. We just have to be careful to move before they get to close to us."

When we returned to the main camp, we discovered that Robin's spies from Nottingham had returned. Allan A Dale and Wil Stilely were sitting by the fire pit, spooning food out of the pot. A covered harp lay on the ground near Allan's feet, but it looked like it had been dropped haphazardly. Both men looked exhausted and it was only from my own spying on previous occasions that I recognized either one of them. Robin dropped down beside them and handed Allan a flask that John had passed over. "What news, boys?" Robin asked.

Allan paused in eating and glanced at Wil Stilely, who continued to shovel food into his mouth. The two men obviously hadn't eaten in quite a while and neither looked certain on who should report to Robin. When Wil just continued to eat, Allan set his bowl aside and drank quickly from the flask. "Its not good, Robin," he finally said.

"What did you find out, Allan?" Robin asked.

"The Sheriff made an arrest two nights ago. He arrested Sir Richard of the Lea for treason," Allan finally blurted out. "For treason for helping Robin Hood."

Robin stood up and kicked at the dirt. "And he will hang?"

Allan nodded as he picked up the bowl again. "In the morning."

Robin ran a hand through his hair. "I have to think. We can't allow Richard to hang just for helping us. We can't leave him at the tender mercies of the Sheriff."

"If you go into Nottingham, the Sheriff will hang you instead," John growled at Robin.

"Then I won't go. Or at least Robin, Earl of Huntingdon won't go. We need a plan." He looked around at the rest of the group. "We need a good plan." A few moments later, he was barking out orders and assigning places and jobs in the rescue. I waited, but I wasn't given an assignment.

When Robin finished, he stalked off, away from the group. I followed after him, determined that I wasn't going to be left behind. I knew that this was the incident I was waiting for. This would be when the attempt on Robin's life would be. I hadn't been able to discover who the killer was, but I knew the attempt would take place in Nottingham town. "I'm going with you," I told him when I caught up to him.

"No. You aren't," he replied.

"Aren't the rest of them going to think it a little odd that I don't go?" I questioned. "You're even taking Nasir. If I don't go, they're going to wonder if you don't trust me."

"I trust you, but you shouldn't be in the thick of the fighting."

"So don't put me in the thick of it. Roland trusted my bow more than my sword arm. Put me somewhere I can do damage with my bow. It's a good strong bow as you well know."

He nodded, agreeing with my assessment. "All right. You'll stay on the battlements with Will Scarlet, Wil Stilely and David of Doncaster. You'll help cover our retreat after we free Richard and you will listen and follow any order Will Scarlet gives you. Is that clear?"

I nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"Make sure your quiver is full and you're prepared. We leave long before first light. The sheriff likes his hangings at dawn."

* * * * *

I was shaken awake in the dark of the night, when not even the moon was up to light our way. Moving as quietly as the rest, I gathered my bow and quiver before following Will Scarlet out of the camp.

The sun was just coming up as we got into place. Will Scarlet stationed me where I could see all of the action and reminded me that my job was to cover the retreat. I knew that would be part of my job, but my main job was to make sure Robin survived this encounter. I knew that if Robin died here today, the entire course of history would be changed. In the original history, Robin hadn't died but somehow the course of history had changed and Robin would die in the courtyard below me unless I did something about it.

I huddled under my cloak and watched as the rest of Robin's men stole into their places. Robin wanted everyone in place before Sir Richard was led out so that there was no shuffling around. Robin had attended many hangings before and knew the layout and order of the way things went. Robin had instructed the men to be prepared to protect Sir Richard once he was freed. Those of us on the battlements were to cover the retreat with fire. I didn't want to kill anyone but I wouldn't hesitate to strike down the person who threatened Robin, otherwise I intended to shoot to wound.

I looked up as I heard the trumpets sound and watched as the Sheriff and Guy of Guisborne walked out of the castle, followed by five guards surrounding the man I assumed was Sir Richard. Around the courtyard I could see Robin's men shuffling closer as they vied for the best view of the scaffolding so they could free Sir Richard. Originally Robin had intended to cut him down himself, but John had persuaded him that Robin would be a better choice to engage Guy and the guards with Much and some of the other men. I knew Nasir was in charge of freeing Sir Richard while Robin, John, Much, and some others engaged the guards.

As the guards and Sir Richard mounted the scaffolding, I drew an arrow out of my quiver and notched it on my bow string. I took aim at the closest guard. As soon as Nasir threw off his cloak and started the rescue, I would be ready. I was expecting the Sheriff to make a big speech, but he simply motioned to the executioner and watched with a gleeful smile on his face as the rope was placed around Sir Richard's neck.

The next movement happened so fast that if I hadn't been watching closely, I would have missed it. Nasir leaped from his spot beside the scaffolding and knocked the executioner away from the stool. A quick swing of his scimitar and Sir Richard was free and being helped down. It all happened so rapidly that Sir Richard was off the scaffolding before anyone had a chance to react. Nasir wasn't so lucky.

I took out the guard aiming for Nasir as he lunged and the force of the arrow toppled him backwards. The next few minutes were a flurry of motion and I actually lost track of Robin for a few minutes. Guards and men were running here and there. Will, David, Wil, and I were kept busy picking off the guards that came at their backs. When the rabble cleared and I was able to see again, Robin was surrounded.

Two guards held their swords at Robin's throat while Guy of Guisborne stood poised to deliever the killing blow. History tells of Guy living past this moment. Without considering the ramifications, however, I pulled an arrow, notched it, and let it fly.

I had practiced long and hard for this moment; my aim was true. The arrow took Guy in the back, as two other arrows took out the guards. I looked to my side to see Will Scarlet and David beside me. Robin looked up in time to see me notch another arrow. A slow grin spread across his face as he picked his sword up from where it had fallen and ran for the gate. David and Wil Stilely backed away from the edge of the battlements while Will Scarlet and I scanned the courtyard. I put another arrow in the leg of a guard who had raised a bow and was taking aim at Robin as he reached the gate. "Let's go," Will hissed as Robin cleared the gate and a well placed sword blow caused the portcullis to come crashing down.

Will and I ran for the edge of the battlements and the ropes we had anchored there in the dark. Wil Stilely and David were waiting at the bottom to cover our descent. "You go first," Will said as he turned to be sure we hadn't been noticed yet. I nodded, swung my bow onto my back, and grabbed the rope.

Strong hands caught me at the bottom and I turned my head to see Robin. "Thank you for the rescue," he said as he made sure my feet were steady on the ground.

"Just doing my part," I replied as I moved out of the way to allow Will to join us.

John joined us. "We need to get out of here," he said. "The guards are starting to raise the portcullis."

Robin nodded. "The injured and Sir Richard are already away. We're the rear guard. Everyone good here? No injuries?" He waited til we all answered in the negative. "Shall we lead them on a merry chase?" I watched as another grin took over his face. The others picked up any weapons laying around and followed Robin as he headed back towards the main gate.

We reached the gate just as the portcullis was raised off the ground. As soon as the guards saw us, a few of them squirmed underneath and took off after us. The guards were hindered by their armour and weapons, while Robin and the rest of us had shed everything that would slow us down. We still carried our bows and quivers, but any other weapons had been left behind. Our goal wasn't to kill these guards, but to lead them far enough astray that they wouldn't find the camp or the other men, especially the injured ones.

Soon Robin decided that we had led them on enough of a chase and we began to circle back towards Nottingham. The others broke off one by one until only Robin and I were left leading the chase. I didn't have the breath left to ask Robin what his plan was, but trusted that his intention wasn't to get us killed. "Just a few minutes longer, Marian," Robin told me. I jerked my head at him, surprised that he had used my real name. He shrugged. "There's no one to hear us. Just follow me. We're almost to the end." I nodded since I didn't have the breath left to answer him.

Robin leaped over a fallen log and I followed him, scrambling a bit as my shorter legs were unable to make the leap. He grabbed my hand as I half-fell, half-slid down the other side and pulled me underneath the log. The guards were only a few minutes behind us, but we had plenty of time to hide in the hollow underneath before they followed us over. They continued running after they had crossed the log, making it only about ten steps before they tumbled into a trap. The branches broke beneath them, dropping the guards into a pit. Robin waited a moment, then pulled me out the other side of the log, away from the sight of the guards.

I glanced over my shoulder as we ran in the direction we had come from. The guards couldn't see us or the direction we were heading. After a few minutes, when we were well out of sight of the pit, Robin slowed down. "Are you all right?" he asked. "We can stop for a minute so you can catch your breath."

I nodded and stopped as he did. I inhaled, letting my respirations settle back down. "What will happen to them?" I asked.

"The Sheriff will send other guards sooner or later and haul them out. We use those pits a lot. There's a bunch of them scattered all over the forest." He took my hand and squeezed it. "I saw enough killing in the Holy Land, Marian. I try not to kill anyone else if I can help it."

I pulled my hand from his and clasped my arms around myself. "I think I killed Guisborne," I confessed.

Robin approached me slowly and when I didn't back away, slid his arms around me. "If you did, you did it to save me, Marian, and I can't fault you for that. I saw your shot. You had the only clear shot."

I could feel myself choking up and when Robin's arms tightened around me, I let myself cry. He murmured nonsense as I wept and when my cries died down, he dug out a handkerchief and handed it to me. "Dry your face and we'll wash it before we return to camp. We wouldn't want the others to think you cried like a girl."

I looked up at him and when I realized he was teasing, punched him in the arm. Laughing with him now, I followed him back to camp.




Author's Note: This is (I think) only the first installment, stay tuned for more adventures of Robin and Marian.