"Thank you, Drew." She smiled and blinked away tears.

"It is I that should be thanking you. Had you not come Erec would have tried to ride. I do not need to tell you what that would have done for his wounds. And we would have gone onto Greenwood...without provisions." Drew sighed. "Instead, we are safe in these underground rooms and we have the comforts of your cottage and clean clothing to wear."

"And you will soon have a hermit for a neighbor." She smiled as she half turned.

"And a hermit for a neighbor before darkness falls this eve."

"Morning shall be soon enough. Darkness comes early in the wood and the hermit will want to be situated inside the wood, far enough that he is not a beacon to our back door, but close enough to justify the freshly cut wood and the paths we have worn. Perhaps the hermit should use some of the material from the ruins."

"The stone and timber we cleared from our back door, for instance?"

"Just so." Gwyn called as she reached the open back door and went inside.

Drew shook his head and frowned as he finished preparing the rabbit for the pot. He was careful to set the skin aside. The hermit could dry the skins and save up enough of them to make a soft cloak for Gwyn. Mayhap a muff for her hands or line slippers for her feet...

"Drew?" John interrupted Drew's thoughts, "Gwyn said that you needed me?"

"I cannot believe that I did not see it myself." John said as Drew finished explaining. I was just grateful to find a respite from war and to see Erec beginning to mend."

"Aye. Our little sister is a very clever woman. We need to get started on a hermit shack at first light."

"I will search out a place now. There is time yet before it becomes too dark to see."

"Aye. I shall take this to Gwyn. She tells me we have mushrooms and wild carrots for our stew tonight and I know there was a potato or two she pulled from the garden."

"I will be back in plenty of time." John grinned broadly. "I have not feasted so well since we left Brecken."

---

"Are you lost lad? Else you are looking for me."

"Aye. I mean, Nay, I am not lost. I was looking for you. But Jordan always said I was better at hiding than tracking. He told me to get a good dog else I shall never catch anything at all. But I found you."

"Have you been looking for me long, then?"

"Only since you left the healer's room."

"What do you want from me? You cannot rob me, for I have no monies. You cannot kill me, for I was a soldier once and shall easily best you even with my lame leg. You have come to ask me to take you away with me then?"

"Nay. I have something for my father."

"Who is your father? Mayhap I can help you to find him."

"He is a brave knight and he has gone away to the king. He went away and then some men came and they went away again... with my mother. I am left here with Lady Alexandi." Robin shrugged. "She is good to me and to my little sister, but I miss Mama... and my father. Well, he is not my real father. He died. But he is going to marry my mama..."

"There now, do not you be sad." Gil hated to see any child cry, but to see Robin trying so hard not to cry, that was something he felt akin to physical blow. "If your father were here, and you could tell him anything in the world, what would it be?"

Robin looked around and frowned.

"There is no one here but you and I...unless you were followed?"

"No one sees me when I am hiding. Not unless I want them to. My father says it is a gift and that I would make a good army scout because I hear things..."

"Things like?" Gil's eyebrow went up. Being good at hide-and-seek was important enough to a boy of ten, but it hardly made for a good army scout.

"Well..."

It was an hour later when Robin finished his report, including the visits of the Bishop, the mysterious messenger, and the soldiers looking for Erec.

"That is an awful lot of information. Are you certain you remember it all correctly?" Gil frowned, "Some of it sounds..."

"You came from the courtyard and you stopped to talk to a gardener. He pointed you to the healer's room. You stood in the doorway and called out but no one was there. Matilde came behind you and told you to go in. She turned around and you took off your stockings before arranging yourself modestly on the table so she could look at your leg.

You told her you got the cut falling from the loft. She told you that it looked more like it came from a sword. You told her you heard rumors about my father and mother. She told you it was rubbish. Well, what she actually said was: You are sadly misinformed, farmer. I know her ladyship and his lordship and there is no truth to the tales of treason.

She told you about the ambush of my father's men. She told you my mama went as a healer to help where she could and that neither have been heard from since. You asked if she was that good of a healer and Matilde said Mama has a gift. That was when you told her of a merchant and his wife you met on the road. I think you really were talking about Mama and my father.

You said the merchant's wife missed her children and regretted having to leave them. You said she hoped they knew how much she loved them and missed them..." Robin paused to swipe at his eyes and sniffle. "Do you believe me yet? Do I need to keep going?"

Gil smiled as he shook his head. "That is impressive. I can see why your father believes you will make a good army scout someday. Tell me, just between you and I, where were you? I did not see you until you walked into my camp."

"My tutor suddenly became rather ill..." Robin shrugged, "I saw you first from the window in my room—"

"Wait." Gil held up his hand and gave Robin a knowing look. "Your tutor suddenly became ill?"

"Oh, Aye." Robin nodded, telling the truth, leaving out only the part that he had caused the illness. "It was not long after midday meal. He was pacing back and forth and lecturing and then he suddenly stopped and I would take an oath that he turned green. He ran out of the room and never came back. Must have been something that he ate."

"Must have been." Gill arched a brow. "But back to our conversation, you could not hear the conversation in the healer's room from our bedchamber window. Where were you?"

"I saw you coming and when you stopped to talk to the gardener, I ran to the healer's rooms. I got there first and went into the room where I slept before my new father promised to marry mama. I left the door open a wee bit and then I wiggled under the cot on my belly."

Gil nodded and put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "I am truly impressed. You have made your point. I will tell your news to the merchant. I wonder that he will believe that one boy could see so much..."

Looking around nervously, Robin reached under his shirt and pulled out two scrolls from his belt.

"I can read some now, so I am sure I got the right ones. I do not think anyone has noticed they are missing yet. They were in the basket of scrolls to scrape for reuse, but I think these are important somehow."

Gil looked around and hid them away on his person. I am leaving tonight. Do you think Matilde recognized me as you did?"

"I am not sure if she recognized you, but she understood you were telling her that Mama was alright. I am certain she will find a reason to meet with Sofi and I to pass along that bit of news. I trust Matilde. She will keep your secret."

"I would rather not run the risk of having another recognize me though. I should not return."

"But your disguise is very convincing. I was fooled at first. I thought I knew you from a distance but did not recognize you when you were close. It was not until Matilde mentioned the sword that I remembered. I saw you last with a sword because you were with my father's men."

"If you can recognize me, I dare not return else another might also."

"But there will be more news. Those messengers said they would come back. I will listen very carefully and learn all that I can. You must come back else I cannot tell my father what I learn. And there is still news of Mama's family and I do not like the Bishop at all. He is very old, and not very nice...and there is something about the way he speaks of the king..."

"I can hardly stay away then, can I? Is there a place close enough that you can get to it without being missed, but far enough that we would not be stumbled upon?"

"There is a split tree over that way not an hour's walk. It was hit by lightning but instead of dying, both halves kept growing. There is a large hollow knot on one of the trees up near where they split. If I have anything for you, I will hide it there in oilskins. I have a tutor though, and he makes it rather hard to get away..."

Gil arched a brow and Robin smiled.

"I said he made it rather hard to get away, not that he made it impossible to get away. The only day that I know for certain I can get away is Sunday after church. There is no school or work to be done and I am free to roam about."

"Very clever." Gil nodded his approval. "I shall hide myself within view of the tree. I shall come every other Sunday and stay from Sunday early morn until dawn the next day. If you come, we shall meet and I shall take your report. If you do not come, I shall take whatever you have left for me at dawn."

"Then I will make sure that I am there. How..." Robin looked around and then leaned in to whisper. "How is Mama? Really? And my...my father? There has been no word these many weeks and I ..." Robin cleared his throat, "That is to say that my sister, Sofi, is afraid that Mama is dead or that she is never coming back."

Gil squeezed Robin's shoulder and smiled.

"They are both very much alive. Your father was badly wounded in the ambush but thanks to your mama, he is mending well and shall be back to himself very soon. For sooth, when I tell them what a clever lad you are and all you have learned, they will both be very proud of you—as am I."

Robin blushed and dropped his chin as he found a rock to tease in the dirt at his toes. When he looked up, the soldier was gone.

Gil moved quickly out of sight and watched. He was very proud of the boy, but also feared for him. Now that there was someone to tell his secrets to, Gil worried Robin might take risks. But then, the boy witnessed his entire visit with Matilde with no one the wiser. Gil saw the boy look around and shrug before trudging off toward Brecken.

Stepping out quietly, he cleared out his little camp and walked off to find a place to hide until dark. Let everyone think the farmer left early. Besides, it would give him a chance to watch for anyone who might have followed Robin before he returned to Erec. He could only hope that Dermot was having as much success in Kingstown.

---

"Are you quite certain he said that the man held his stomach and turned green?" Gwyn quizzed. She could not believe Robin would do something so cruel to a man of the cloth, although she could understand his desire to be free of the schoolroom with its long lectures. Robin was an active boy and always learned better with hands-on instruction.

"I do not think Robin said the main grabbed his stomach, but as Robin told me the man became suddenly ill, Robin folded his arms over his stomach and he also said it was most likely something the man ate..."

"That little imp. I would wager he gave the poor man a dose of Ipecac. Vile stuff." Gwyn shuddered. "It will make you vomit repeatedly and quite violently for some hours together. I use it in cases of poison by ingestion. It is all that can be done to purge the poison from the stomach. Unfortunately, it does not always work."

"Well, it must have worked this time, for that imp made his way to the healer's rooms in time to overhear my entire visit."

"And you are sure that no one recognized you?"

"Matilde figured out that I was once a soldier and so I indirectly intimated that you were well. Robin and I both believe that she can be trusted not to tell of my visit. But we have arranged an out of the way place to meet, on the off chance that another might recognize me."

"That is doubtful." Erec smiled proudly. "Adults rarely see anything other than what they are told to see. If you go disguised thusly, and stoop and limp and say that you are a lame farmer, they will see you so. They will not make the connection to the hale young soldier that was one of many in my company so many weeks ago. Robin is just a very smart boy."

"That he is. Do you believe all that he says about the Bishop?"

"He is no longer a Bishop, per say. Well, he technically still holds the title, but he no longer holds the office. He has grown very old. I know that he was once on Hugh the Great's council. I remember the name. There were some rumors that it was his vote that swayed Hugh to attack King Axel of Far North...and his eldest son, Bruce, was killed in the battle."

"Aye. And it is rumored that Axel's son fell during a subsequent battle by Hugh's own hand."