"One more thing, milord?"

"What is it?" Erec turned, expecting more problems.

"I like her better than Lady Cornelia."

Erec blinked. That was a name he had not heard spoken in quite some time...and for good reason.

Lady Cornelia used to treat him like he was invisible, which did not bother him much since she was a shallow and empty-headed nuisance. Cornelia had since become a Harpy, seeking to sink her claws into him and his recently granted title and fortunes. He spent much of his time in court actively avoiding her and her advances.

Shaking his head to clear the irritating woman from his thoughts, he glowered at Drew.

"I know." Drew laughed. "Skewer myself."

As they continued to ride, Erec took Drew's barbed comments in stride, turning his thoughts back to the cause of the barbs.

He could hardly fault Drew for taking notice of his interest.

In truth, many years had passed since Erec found anyone that he wanted to spend so much time with.

...willingly.

There were the damsels at the many banquets...

Cornelia came to mind and he shivered.

...and the wenches from many a village pub. There were ladies a plenty that he encountered but none that he wanted to seek out.

...again...

Liar.

If he was given a chance, he would indeed seek out Gwyndolyn...again and again.

---

Gwyndolyn smiled as she worked in her little garden. Mostly the herbs were for healing, but some made their daily stews much more palatable, especially after seeping in the pot over low heat for a day or two. It was just one of the many things she learned from her mother. As she worked the soil, she wondered if she would ever have a daughter of her own to teach.

"Ah, there you are."

"Father. Are you not well? You are limping again."

"My leg is ailing me, yes. I think we shall have a bad bit of weather soon." He said looking up at the clear blue sky.

Gwyndolyn frowned. It may not be today or even tomorrow, but her father had seldom been wrong about the bad weather since his injury. He said that the bad weather made his bones ache. Since she had no way to verify and had never felt such herself, she could only take him at his word.

"Perhaps you speak truly, Father, but again I would caution you to keep such comments to yourself. Especially on such a bright clear day as we have. If the wrong person were to hear you, you could be accused of practicing dark magic."

"Yes, Yes." He waved her off impatiently. "But as it is only you and I, I am safe enough in my predictions."

"Where has Robin got himself off to?" She frowned, noticing for the first time the uninterrupted quiet.

"I believe he is probably hiding in the barn. He knows that we shall have to work extra hard now that the soldiers have come again and taken our stores. You know how he hates to work the fields."

"Aye." She smiled. "I am finished here. I shall find him when I put away my tools and then we shall both head out to the far field near the wood. It will be well passed midday when we begin and I would welcome the lengthening shadows of the wood as we work."

"Take some bread and cheese with you. Stay until you cannot stay longer. Our days are growing shorter and our time is running out to collect enough to last us the winter through."

"As you wish, Father." She kissed him on the cheek. "Perhaps if you would return to the house and take a seat near the hearth, the fire would warm your bones and they would not ache so. In truth, you cannot help in the field while your leg is ailing."

"You have a good heart, daughter." He smiled, his eyes twinkling with fondness. "...so much like your mother."

Gwyndolyn smiled back, feeling the sting of tears on the backs of her eyes as she left. It was not often that he spoke of mother, so when he compared her to Mother... She swiped at her cheek as she neared the barn. It was going to be a long day.

She braced herself to tug at the barn door, expecting it to be difficult with the broken hinges. But it opened easily and she stumbled back with surprise. Lord Erec must have sent his men to repair it. Stepping inside she returned her tools to their place and stopped to look around.

The barn was exceptionally tidy. All of the tools were scrubbed clean of rust and she could see the shiny bits where tips and edges had been sharpened. The stalls were mucked and the animals were already fed. A rustling sounded nearby and a bit of hay floated down around her shoulders, raining from the loft.

"Robin, come out. Father is ailing. He said there will be bad weather.

"But it is bright and sunny out."

"It matters not. It is up to you and I to gather as much as we can. Our days are shorter now and we are running out of time. I do not cherish the idea of blistering my hands and feet either, but neither do I wish to go hungry this winter."

She bit her cheek to stop her impulse to giggle as she heard Robin grumbling above as he made his way over to the ladder to join her. Instead of watching him descend, she made her way to where the tack hung and was once more surprised to see that all the tack was clean and in good repair. It was difficult to believe that the soldiers took such care...it must have been him.

"Robin, while I get Little Jacques ready, run inside and bundle some bread and cheese... and fill a waterskin for us. We are going to work the farthest fields near the edge of the wood. Since it will be late when we begin, the sun will already be high. But in that part of the field, the shadow of the wood may offer us a little shade."

Robin bobbed a nod and ran off to do as he was bid. He was a good little boy, despite his aversion to work. But she supposed that all little boys shared a similar aversion. Certainly, her other brothers had. She let her mind go back to the fond memories of when she and her brothers were young as she finished up. Robin ran out with his bundles just as she led Jacques outside.

"Excellent timing, little brother." She smiled proudly at him as he joined her and they three walked toward the far fields.

---

"I am so tired, Gwyn. Do not forget that my legs are shorter than yours, so I have to take more steps to keep up with you."

Gwyndolyn remembered making similar complaints to her brothers as they quickly outgrew her tiny stature. No doubt she would someday make such complaints to Robin as well. Already he was growing so quickly...

"Very well. I am also tired. Let us go to the wood and find a low branch to sit upon for a bit."

"Yes!" He yelped as he jumped up and took off running.

Gwyndolyn shook her head at his anxiousness. He left the bundle and waterskin behind in his haste. Gathering them up, she hurried after him. Hurry was not truly an apt descriptor, as they had been working in the hottest part of the day and the long shadows of the wood were just starting to reach the field. She was exhausted.

Perhaps they would find an evergreen with low branches. They could build up a bed of boughs underneath and hide away for a nap. She knew they should return to the fields, but she truly felt spent. She promised herself that if she allowed a nap now, she would rise extra early on the morrow and make up the time in the fields.

She really was not keen on the idea of starving this winter, no matter how much she disliked blistered hands and aching limbs...

"Robin!" She called out, "What say you we have a bit to eat and then find a hideaway to steal a bit of a nap?"

She could not see him, as he already disappeared into the wood but she heard him clear enough.

"Yess!"

With a chuckle she stepped gratefully into the shade and swiped at her brow with her sleeve as she followed after Robin.

"Rob?"

"Here!"

Following his voice, she found him, already working on their perfect napping spot. The branches reached out to touch the ground in an unbroken circle around a large old evergreen. Tying the branches aside to create an opening, Robin crawled beneath and cut away the branches lower, sweeping away lumpy bits from the ground underneath.

She found a spot to sit near the trunk of a nearby tree and nibbled as she watched him diligently working. He ran hither and yon gathering fresh boughs and carried them inside. When he finally emerged, he was grubby and dirt smeared his face. But his eyes were bright and his smile was proud.

"It is splendid." She said truthfully as she tore off a bit of the loaf and held it out to him. "Oh heavens, at least wipe off your hands first!" She chuckled.

"The Lord God made the dirt and a bit of dirt doth not hurt a body." He recited as he snatched the bread with a grin.

Gwyndolyn laughed. Garth was the one that taught her how to make a hideaway and he was also the one who used to say that very thing when mother would chide them for being dirty little grubs. She offered a quick silent prayer that her brothers would all return to them safely one day. Then to hide her melancholy, she took a big swallow of ale.

"Save some for me!"

She nearly spilled as Robin tugged the waterskin from her hands.

She chided him gently as she reached for the cheese and they two sat amicably as they finished their meal. It was already dark inside the wood, with only bits of light glittering through the branches from above. So, it was an easy thing to fall asleep, especially when Rob remove the tie, closing the branches and leaving them tucked snuggly in their cozy little nest.

It was some hours later when Gwyndolyn was startled awake. Darkness had fallen and Robin snored softly against her side. She was not sure what it was that made her...

There were voices. The voices were muffled but it was clear they were men. Her heart began to pound as she nudged Robin awake and swiftly silenced him.

"Someone is near about. Be silent!" She rasped in a low whisper. Rob tensed and nodded at her side. He was not so young when their brothers were taken and he well remembered them being dragged away...

She was confident that given the darkness of the wood, and the nature of their current hiding spot, no one would find them if they were silent. She worried a moment over Jacques before she remembered. Just before they closed up the hideaway, Rob had run out of the wood, promising to return soon.

"What was that about?" she asked as he returned and dropped to his knees to crawl inside.

"I unharnessed Jacques and sent him home. He deserves a nap too since he worked the hardest of all. I will fetch him later if we need to work yet this eve."

"That was kind of you." She said as he wiggled against her. They lay curled in the comfort of their little nest, his back to her front. Just before she dozed, she pressed a kiss upon his crown and whispered. "You have a kind heart, my little Robin...just like our Mother."

The plough and the freshly cut harvest would show someone worked recently but without Jacques standing in harness, there was nothing to indicate they were still near. So, she was surprised when the voices began to get louder and clearer. Robin began to tremble but he remained stoically silent as they held to each other in their hiding place.

There were three of them. They were soldiers. One was Oliver, and he complained a lot. One was Jackson, but the name of the third was not mentioned. They were looking for her and Robin! She could not gather from what they said if Father was yet living, but she had a very bad feeling in her stomach telling her that he was not.

Finally, they gave up their search but she and Rob stayed hidden until she heard the crickets.

"Robin, they have gone. We need to go!"

"But what about Father? And Jacques?"

"I am afraid we cannot help them. And if we stay it will not be well for us. We need to go now, while it is yet dark and make our way toward Brecken Moors Hall. Lord Brecken will protect us."

"But what will we eat? Where will we sleep? We have no money and no blankets. It will be cold and...we should go to the village to the north. They will help us."

"Nay. Remember the soldiers with Lord Erec said that the village was in ashes. That is why they turned back and came to us instead. We will keep to the wood and sleep in hideaways until we reach the far edge. Then we can keep low and cross through the fields toward the road. It will hide us from being seen by anyone on the road."

"We can run to the monastery when we get to the road. They will hide us for sure."

"No. We will cross the road and sneak through the fields toward the loch. If we make it that far without getting caught, we can hide and make our way to the village in the dark. We can beg someone there to help us get the rest of the way to Brecken Moors Hall."

"You think they will keep looking for us?" Robin swallowed hard.

"I do not know what to think. But I know we cannot go home and I know we need to stay away from the roads and we need to leave now!"

All the while they were gathering up what little remained of their food and the waterskin. Outside their hideaway, she stood and stretched before grabbing Robin's hand to start off. They had only gone a few steps when he pulled away.

"Wait!" He whispered harshly.

"No!" She hissed. "Rob!"

Robin reached inside the hideaway and pulled out a bough and a fist full of pine needles and leaves. She watched proudly as he used the bough like a broom to sweep around the area messing up their footprints and then scattered the needles and leaves about. To a casual glance, he had effectively erased their presence.