Sherwood (11 page)

“
Everyone is
eating their breakfast by the fire.” Enders said, leaning against
an adjacent tree and looking in her direction. “We'll be ready to
leave in a few minutes.”

“
Have you
eaten?” Harlow asked, using a gruff voice she'd learned from
listening to Aldridge Chadwick every time he spoke.

Enders sighed, and looked
out over the lake. “I haven't been hungry.”

Harlow kept her eyes
straight and even. “Go eat some breakfast before we
leave.”

Enders raised an eyebrow at
her. “I'm not hungry.”

“
You're our
strongest archer and our best swordsman. Without energy you can't
do much to protect yourself or anyone for that matter. I'm counting
on you to be at your best. So,” she said, taking in a deep breath
and turning her body to him, her arms crossed, “Go eat some food
before we leave.”

Enders almost smiled. He
nodded before turning his back and walking back the way he'd come,
toward a fire burning in the distance where she saw Reggie and
Elwin tiredly eating by the flames.

Harlow took in one more
deep breath before leaving the lake and having a piece of beef
jerky with her unit.

*~*~*

They'd set off about an
hour ago and they were almost at their destination. It was a cut
off pathway from the main road that led through a small clearing,
which gave them some time to set up and wait out the caravan to
raid.

They were about ten minutes
away from the main road, Harlow walking backwards and taking up the
rear of the line. Reggie and Elwin were in the middle, supposed to
be covering both of their sides while Enders took up the
lead.

“
My wife
would not be happy about this,” Reggie confessed, giving a hearty
laugh.

Elwin snorted. “Aye, unless
she's looking for a way to rid herself of you.” He laughed at his
own joke, receiving a small punch from Reggie.

Reggie laughed deeply,
enjoying the conversation. His laugh echoed throughout the forest
and reverberated off the trees.

Enders immediately turned
around and looked at them, as did Harlow, giving the two men
condescending looks for their rowdy behavior.

“
Have you
forgotten how dangerous this forest is?” Enders scolded, after
hushing them.

Harlow tried to stay quiet,
not particularly in the mood to disguise her voice.

“
Oh please.
We have to lighten up if we intend on keeping our sanity.” Elwin
said, although he complied with quieter tone. He kept his voice
low, turning to Reggie again. “I agree, though. My soon-to-be bride
would be appalled at the things we're doing.”

Reggie gave another laugh,
although quieter this time.

Enders again turned around.
“Reggie!” He hushed him, warning him for his voice and turned
forward again.

Elwin rolled his eyes.
“When you become engaged, you'll understand.”

Enders had finally had
enough of them. He turned his body and caused them to stop short,
making Harlow turn around and look at him. “I understand fine
enough, Elwin. Now, stay quiet.”

Enders turned back around
and started walking slowly, leaving Elwin confused. He raised an
eyebrow before exchanging a glance with Reggie as they
walked.

Harlow kept forward for a
little while, knowing nothing was behind them, and wanting to keep
the men from ripping each other apart. She watched as the two
looked back to Enders.

“
Are you
getting married, Enders?” Reggie asked, in his usual more gentle
tone.

Enders' back seemed to
become as stone. He froze and the muscles in his back became rigid.
He took a sharp intake of breath and decided to keep walking.
“Aye.”

Harlow froze for a moment,
watching the way he reacted and the way he held himself. He didn't
look unhappy, but he didn't look jovial either. Her heart started
to sink to her stomach.

Enders was still walking
stiffly and almost mechanically.

Elwin let out a booming
laugh that echoed around the forest. Harlow imagined he did it
spitefully toward Enders.

Enders spun around again
and stared at Elwin, his eyes enraged and fiery. He was fuming with
anger. “If it's all the same to you, Elwin, I'd like to live to see
mine.”

Harlow kept her eyes
straight and even, trying to mask her disappointment and
unhappiness. She focused on the forest and the forest
only.

Elwin and Reggie fell
silent as Enders turned forward again. Every started walking, but
the silence only lasted a moment.

“
You mean,”
Elwin started. Harlow rolled her eyes at his desire for needless
conversation. “You've never met her?”

All was quiet for several
long seconds.

“
I have,”
Enders said, before sighing and adding, “once or twice many years
ago.”

Harlow let her curiosity
peak, although she kept her eyes still and forward.

“
What was she
like then?” Reggie found the courage to ask.

“
How do you
know her?” Elwin chimed in, obviously surprised by Enders'
engagement.

Still, Harlow's heart sat
like an anchor in her stomach. She reminded herself that Enders
wouldn't have been interested in her anyway, but it didn't numb her
sadness.

“
We were
children then. I don't remember much about her. Her father is a
friend of my father.” Enders said, his back muscles still tense and
stone-like.

Harlow raised an eyebrow,
but didn't say anything. He'd only talked about his father once or
twice. Harlow knew that he left Enders' family and that he may have
been part of the military in Sherwood. Otherwise, his statement
left her confused and estranged.

Elwin was the one out of
the two men that got enough courage to ask, “What do you know about
her?”

Enders tensed even more, if
that were even possible. He stopped walking momentarily before
picking up the pace again. Harlow decided it was best to keep an
eye on the forest behind them and turned around to walk backward
again.

She noticed that Enders
started to speak with more confidence, or maybe he was trying to
gain more confidence anyway. “She's the daughter of a Sherwood
general. She had long, brown hair and brown eyes. Other than that,
I know not much.” He said it quickly.

“
Not even a
name?” Reggie asked sympathetically.

Harlow froze in her
spot.

Her heart started to race a
mile a minute.

Enders sighed.

Harlow turned her back and
watched him as his back muscles tensed even more under his
shirt.

She knew what he was going
to say before he said it.

“
Harlow
McBride.”

*~*~*

It was the first time in
months that she'd heard her own name.

Her heart sank and
fluttered at the same time. She was half elated that it was her,
but half angry because that these plans were made without her. Her
father already signed her off? He'd already prepared for her a
suitor?

He hadn't even told
her.

The way she saw it, Enders
seemed content about the engagement.

In only a few seconds, she
saw a future that scared her, with an uncaring husband, a life she
never wanted, and her only and greatest joy being the sight of a
full moon every so often.

Her worst fears were coming
to life and she had no way to fight it.

A domesticated life never
fit her wants and honestly, she never saw it as her
destiny,

She couldn't deny how
attractive he was. She knew he was handsome, but how handsome would
he be in ten years?

Elwin and Reggie quickly
zeroed in on Harlow, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped.
They watched, waiting for a battle or some kind of fight to break
out.

Enders turned around to
take a look at her.

She hadn't realized it
fully, but her anger was written clearly all over her face. It put
the men on the edge and made them doubt her ability to think
correctly.

Enders spotted her reaction
and it looked as if he mentally kicked himself for telling them.
But, it needed to be said.

“
Henry, I--,”
Enders began.

“
We're almost
to the path that the caravan will be coming down.” She said in her
gruff voice. “Let's go.”

The men complied, all of
them falling behind her as she stomped past them and headed on her
way. Over the next few minutes, she tried to hold onto her anger
and hatred, but she found that the more time passed, the more she
hadn't blamed Enders. It pained her heart, but she blamed her
father.

They finally made it to
their spots, took up their positions and waited for the
caravan.

They tied up the driver
when the horse-drawn caravan came through and took all the useful
items.

The raid went well, they
weren't caught, and nothing out of the ordinary happened, except
the awkward silence that filled the air. It seemed usual enough
that this was the case, but no matter how much Harlow tried to get
over the situation, she found herself getting more
angry.

They made it back to camp
in record time, no one wanting to be in the awkward silence any
longer than they had to.

They walked into camp when
other recruits had been on the training grounds. Robin met them as
they entered, asking about the items and the finer details. There
wasn't much to report and after giving him all the items they'd
obtained, everyone went their separate ways.

Harlow went to the pier,
kicking off her boots and lazing around the wooden bridge. She
dipped her toes into the sparkling water.

She sat for a long time,
not counting anything, but simply watching over the horizon. She
wondered how this could have happened. How had she let it go right
past her head.

The pier creaked gently
under her.

She looked at the end,
noticing Enders walking toward her, his head held low and watching
the wooden planks beneath his feet. He sat down beside her,
slouching gently, and completely engulfed in his thoughts. “I
didn't know if you knew.”

Harlow shook her head. “No.
I didn't know. She doesn't know either. Our father never told
us.”

“
I'm sorry
for not telling you earlier.” Enders said, looking out over the
horizon.

“
Don't be.”
Harlow said, siting up. “I don't blame you.” She finally took a
glance at him, her heart beating a mile a minute and her eyes
scanning over his good-looking features.

“
Are we okay
then?” Enders asked, a small smile plaguing his lips.

“
We're going to be
family soon. I'd say we have to be okay.” Harlow said, although she
was mixed on how she felt about that. She didn't know if she should
still be mad or if she should condone the butterflies that
fluttered in his stomach by the look on his face.

Harlow lifted one hand and
tugged on the brim of her hat, making sure it was securely in
place.

There was no way he would
marry her, she decided.

She knew there was nothing
to worry about then.

The realization made her
only slightly disappointed, but she knew that there was no man that
would accept what she'd done. When Enders found out she was a
woman, he would reject their engagement and find someone
else.

It was only a matter of
time.

And that's what Harlow
forced herself to believe.

Chapter
Ten

Harlow walked out of the
cabin early in the morning, her hands reaching up and meeting the
edges of her hat, tucking all renegade strands of hair into the
rim.

She noticed that it was
barely dawn, the men were asleep, and the only signs of life were
that of the birds.

As she walked out onto the
dirt, she steered away from the pier on the lake. Her legs were
sore and tired, her eyes didn't want to stay open, and renegade
strands of hair kept falling out of the rim of her hat.

Last night was troublesome,
tiring, and stressful. It was her third raid in the last two weeks
since Robin had promoted her; It worked out fine in the end, but
raiding was far more stressing than Harlow anticipated.

Harlow walked lazily to the
opposite side of the lake, a place she'd seen frequently. She used
this path to reach the area of the lake that was most secluded,
where she would bathe in the night. Harlow stopped next to a tree,
watching out over the lake as the trees blew in the
wind.

She inhaled, closing her
eyes and taking in as much air as she could, knowing that this
morning would be the last of her peace for the day. Robin had
specifically informed her that her unit would be setting up another
post on the east end of the camp.

“
You ready?”
A voice sounded behind her. She opened her eyes, exhaling the
breath she'd taken in previously.