Robin Hood's Daughter
Chapter 10

Copyright© 2017 by harry lime

The small group of resistance fighters moved into the forest mounted on steeds provided by the good Lady Cordelia in a display of good will to their cause. They managed to cover most of the distance at a sharp trot but had to dismount and lead their horses when the undergrowth grew too dense for mounted progress. The knights took turns in clearing the way with their long swords and eventually they reached the fast-flowing river that marked the boundary of Rowena’s hidden realm.

Those in the encampment were delighted with the addition of the trio of Knight Templars to their cause.

Rowena knew each of them had their own agendas related more to the never-ending quest for the Holy Grail and safety for Christian travelers in sacred paths in the Holy Land than to personal enrichment or matters of the flesh. She was still in her own way enamored of the handsomest of the knights, Sir Lawrence, but was circumspect in her behavior and protective of her reputation in the eventuality that he might possibly find her suitable for marital partnership. Sir Roland was sensitive of her feelings and accepting of the fact that he was far too advanced in years to be her consort in matters of the heart. Besides, there were plenty of joyful milkmaids with sturdy haunches ready to bring him solace on a cold winter’s night.

The entire retinue of the visitors from the Holy Land was five and twenty including smiths and handlers for their mounts and several squires with varying degrees of fighting skills. One of them was called Patrick the Viking because he had been captured by the invading hordes from the north when he was but a youngster too small and weak to carry a heavy sword. The Norsemen gave him a captured crossbow taken from the French at some raid on their shoreline several years past.

He quickly excelled with the use of the device and eventually became proficient in constructing arrows that flew straight and true to the mark at much longer distances than most bows of customary design. Patrick was uncertain of his true age, but he related the age suspected by the Vikings to be a single year shy of twenty winters. He was generally silent and only talked of his far-away bride in the frozen land of the Vikings along with a pair of young ones still barely able to walk on their own two feet. His woman was called Ingrid and she apparently was gifted to him for his exploits in raiding the lands of the warlike Scots ever ready for a good fight and afraid of no man especially the “raiders from the north”.

He became good friends with Rowena because they were much attuned to the skills of the bow. He constantly pestered Rowena with the superiority of the crossbow over the long bow and she merely laughed at his biased opinions borne from his reliance on the crossbow and lack of skill with the long bow. Rowena had to admit the crossbow had the advantage of a lower trajectory and generally had explosive velocity at the point of impact. Still, she felt the long bow’s range made it more dangerous in the hands of a skilled archer and she knew even the light armor of mounted warriors would be penetrated by a properly designed shaft.

Sometimes, she would converse with Patrick even in the dead of night and they would work on the shafts to ensure they had sizable inventories in the eventuality of an unexpected raid by the sheriff’s men. The Knights Templar fighters were more inclined to use of the sword or the axe and left the archery to their squires or talented common folk to back up their fighting skills. It was truly a necessity and not a luxury to have trained archers with them at all times because of the danger from enemy archers engaging them from a distance with deadly results.

Rowena pitied Patrick’s sense of loneliness being so distant from his wife and child and fell into a routine of massaging his back and shoulders that eventually fell into actual contact with his hardened shaft. It was entirely accidental at first but then after careful sorting in her mind of the consequences of her actions, Rowena agreed to drain the boy of his pressures in the privacy of her tent and under the promise of complete silence about such matters to protect her reputation. She told him,

“Do not expect anything more, Patrick, just pretend I am your Ingrid and you are in her grasp the entire time.”

Patrick was obedient to her terms and at such times; he would simply raise her hood to cover her face and addressed her as “Ingrid” to thank her effusively for her gentle ministrations on his behalf. It was a fine solution for Rowena’s reputation and for affirming Patrick’s loyalty to his spouse in a far distant land.

The connection between Rowena and the young archer went without notice amongst the forest dwellers with the possible exception of Sir Roland. The battered, mature knight was conflicted only to the extent that he had entertained thoughts of a twilight union with the much younger and adventurous daughter of Robin Hood. Of course, that was with the full knowledge that she would probably drive him to his grave sooner rather than later.

The appearance of the Knights Templar in their midst had momentarily extinguished his ardor in that direction because the youth and vigor of Sir Lawrence matched by his handsome exterior was enough to convince him that Rowena had far better options than a worn-out older knight with aching joints in the cold winter months.

 
There is more of this chapter...
The source of this story is Storiesonline

To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account (Why register?)

Get No-Registration Temporary Access*

* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.

Close
 

WARNING! ADULT CONTENT...

Storiesonline is for adult entertainment only. By accessing this site you declare that you are of legal age and that you agree with our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.