More than a sennight had passed since the Lady Marian and her companion had stayed with the outlaws. Most of Rowan's band had quickly dismissed the event, more preoccupied with preparing for the fresh wave of foresters and outlaw hunters that would be flooding the forest, now that spring was here. That was certainly enough to take up the majority of one's focus, but Beau couldn't forget.

Perhaps it was simply that the others had not been there when Robin first saw Marian on the road. They had not seen how strangely he had reacted to the woman's presence. In Beau's time at court, she had seen many a jilted lover; and while Robin's behavior wasn't exactly the same, it wasn't all that different, either.

She knew Rowan hadn't forgotten either, because the generally serene girl was just a bit moodier than usual, probably still dwelling on the past her usually open father had neglected to tell her. Beau herself was not so bothered by this. Oh, she was nearly as curious as Rowan was, but she also understood very well the desire to leave the life before the forest behind.

"Robin Hood!"

At the cry, half whisper and half shout, Beau stilled, her green tunic and leggings blending in perfectly with the foliage behind her. Her heart was pounding just a little harder than normal. During her pondering, she had unthinkingly wandered within a stone's throw of the road.

Every year there were outlaw hunters, but it had been at least two years since anyone on the Nottingham Way had called out for Robin Hood specifically. The voice called out again, and Beau noted that it was the same one as before, and that it was female. Slowly and carefully, Beau moved towards the Way.

Just barely peeking out around the edge of a young oak, Beau caught sight of a fair-haired girl no older than she, wearing a simple dress and apron. She was walking right down the middle of the road, peering into the woods on either side of her. Every few steps she would call out again.

The girl had one hand in her apron's pocket, clutching some kind of blade, it looked like. Was this girl who obviously didn't know what she was doing really here to hurt Robin? Beau probably could have let her pass by, but she reasoned that the girl's cries might draw actual outlaw hunters. Plus, she was a little bored.

Slipping an arrow from her quiver, she raised her bow and stepped out from behind the tree. "What do you want with Robin Hood?"

Faster than Beau would have thought, the girl whipped the knife out of her pocket and pointed it at her. "A-are you a member of Robin Hood's band?"

"No." The girl's eyes grew wide with fear, and Beau started to doubt that she had come to Sherwood as an outlaw hunter. She decided to take pity on her. "But I do know him. He's a friend. What do you want with him?"

"I have a message for him. He's in trouble!"

Beau couldn't help but laugh. "He's an outlaw; of course he's in trouble!"

"I'm serious! There's a new sheriff in Nottingham, and he's determined to hunt down Robin Hood."

Beau had actually not heard about the new sheriff, but him wanting to hunt Robin was nothing new. "I'll be sure to tell him when I see him."

"No!" The knifepoint wavered. "I'm here on a mission for a friend, and I will not leave until I speak to Robin Hood himself!"

Beau realized that the girl was not going to be easily pacified. She sighed. "If you really want me to take you to Robin, then give me the knife."

"Give you my only weapon?" The girl laughed nervously. "How do I know you're not going to hurt me?"

"If you want to see Robin, you're going to have to trust me."

The girl frowned but grudgingly acquiesced. "Fine."

"Turn that knife around and toss it on the ground here, handle facing me."

The girl did as she was told, and Beau knelt quickly and scooped it up, keeping her eyes on the girl. She nodded towards the woods, gesturing for the girl to go before her. Once they made it ten paces into the forest, Beau pulled her to a stop.

"You try to escape, and I could hit you with this knife before you could take five steps." Beau was not at all certain she could (or especially would) do this, but it seemed like something a fierce outlaw would say, and the girl looked suitably intimidated. "Now, I'm going to have to blindfold you if you want to see Robin Hood."

The girl seemed less than pleased by the prospect, but allowed Beau to tie a scrap of cloth over her eyes. Taking the girl by the wrist, Beau tugged her farther into Sherwood, but not in the direction of Robin's camp. She had promised to take the girl to Robin, but it didn't mean she had to take her to him right away.

When they came close to the rowan grove, Beau saw Rowan herself sitting in the sun on the boulders outside the grove patching a kirtle. Tykell, who Beau had not seen in weeks, must have sensed Rowan's recent mood and was letting her lean against his side. The wolf-dog's head lifted as soon as Beau and the girl entered the clearing. Rowan looked up as well, her eyebrows knitting as she took in the scene in front of her. "Beau, who is this?"

Beau gestured theatrically. "This is…someone who says she needs to see Robin."

"My name is Jane!" Beau could sense the girl glaring at her from behind the blindfold.

Rowan looked back and forth between them. "Why did you bring her here?"

Tykell paced around the girl—Jane—sniffing carefully. His fluffy tail wagged, hitting her legs softly. Jane flinched.

"Is it a wolf?" she squeaked.

"Yes." Beau smirked.

"Beau," Rowan chided. "She's only half right. Ty, leave her alone, and Jane, you can take that off."

Jane tugged off the blindfold and looked around carefully. "Is this Robin Hood's camp?"

"No," Rowan smiled, "but Robin Hood is my father."

"You're the witch!"

Rowan's smile dropped and her jaw tensed. Beau looked away.

Jane's eyes widened in horror. "I'm so sorry; I don't mean anything by it, that's just how…"

Rowan's chin lifted. "Why did you need to see my father?"

Jane swallowed nervously. "I have a message for him from Nottingham. There's a new sheriff, and he's absolutely set on capturing Robin Hood and his outlaws."

"And that warranted a visit to Sherwood?" Rowan's voice was not harsh, but it was no longer friendly, either.

The fair-haired girl from Nottingham stiffened her spine. "No, I came on behalf of a friend, a friend who is currently sitting, wounded, in a cell just because he wanted to help you!"

"And who is this friend?" Beau cut in.

"Master Todd," Jane spat, "the son of the former sheriff."