Free A Hoboken Hipster In Sherwood Forest by Mari AKA Marianne Mancusi Page B

Sheriff of Nottingham myself. So be still and enjoy this night of sanctuary I offer you, or fend for yourself out in the wilds. I do not care which."
    And with that, he storms off into the night. I stare after him, extremely pissed. How dare he? No one talks to me like that. What a jerk!
    "Do not mind him, lad," Little John says, interrupting my internal rant. "He will come back."
    "What's his problem?" I growl.
    "He is angry because he knows you speak true," Little John says with a shrug. "But he is afraid."
    Afraid? The big bad outlaw is afraid? I'm in the freaking 12th century here and I'm not scared. Well, maybe a little, but still. "He doesn't seem afraid. He just seems like a stubborn old goat to me," I complain, hoping they won't take offense to me bashing their head guy, even though he obviously deserves it.
    Luckily the men just laugh. "Aye," Friar Tuck says, raising his glass. "He can be at that!"
    "A right bastard at times," agrees Allan aDale. "I've penned many a song about it."
    I shake my head. "So why do you guys follow him? I mean, he is your leader, right?"
    The laughter dies away and Little John turns to me with a serious expression on his burly face. "Because, young Christian, beneath that prickly shell lies a truly great man. A man who saved us all."
    "We were nothing before Robin came along," Will Scarlet continues. "Penniless outlaws who'd all but lost the will to live. We roamed the countryside, starving and alone, unable to show our faces in the villages for more than a day or two, lest the sheriff get wind of our location. But Robin saw the good in us."
    "He pulled us from the taverns where we drowned our sorrows in watery brews and bade us follow him," chimes in Friar Tuck. "He offered us sanctuary here in this forest—a simple hideaway where we can live freely and without fear of being caught. Here we can await the true king's return, and there is always enough to eat and, of course, to drink." He holds up his mug with a smirk. "In Sherwood Forest we work together and never want for any creature comfort."
    "So you see, Christian, Robin may seem as unbending as a mighty oak, but his heart is true," Little John concludes. "He cares more for us then he does his own life. And he will gladly die to protect what he has built here."
    Wow. And here I just thought he was a pig-headed jerk. Serves me right for jumping to conclusions. "I'm going to go talk to him," I say.
    "Perhaps 'tis better to wait," Little John suggests gently. "He is a good man and will see that you are right once he thinks upon it a bit."
    "Meh, I've never been one to let the sun go down on an argument," I say. "I’ll be right back."
    I head away from the fire, its warmth fading with its glow. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they do, I see that there is a small pond not far from the camp. I walk toward it, pulling branches away and letting them snap back behind me. I hope there are no ticks in Sherwood Forest. Or that lyme disease has yet to be invented.
    I find Robin seated on a rock by the shoreline. The full moon illuminates half of his face. He's throwing pebbles into the water, watching them skip before sinking into the depths of the pond.
    I walk over and sit down on an adjacent rock. It's not the most comfortable seat in the universe, but better than the damp ground, I guess. Seriously, my kingdom for a La-Z Boy recliner.
    "I'm sorry," I say in my sweetest voice—the non-threatening one I used to reserve for calming my third foster father down when he was in one of his drunken rages. "I was out of line. I'm a guest here and I overstepped my bounds."
    "Aye," Robin says, kicking at the muddy ground with his leather-clad toe. "But you said only what needed to be said. And bravely too, I might add. With little thought to your own situation. I admire your courage."
    "Huh?" I was not expecting this. Was he actually apologizing?
    He sighs before speaking. "Do not think for one moment I am unaware of the