Princess of Thieves

A beautiful, young woman with long, blonde hair and sparkling green eyes was happily walking along a dirt path through a village. Gracefully she walked into a radiant tavern and sat on a stool facing a man with a scroll in his hand. She watched as the strange looking man read the scroll which he held, "Then the mighty warrior princess and her battling friend calmly walked into the sun set wondering what the scheming war god had in store for them next." Everyone started clapping at the well-written story. Slowly the woman left her stool and walked over to the man who read the scroll. "I'm sorry I'm late." She greeted. "Don't worry Marion. Here let me get you a drink" The man replied. "These tales of Xena and Gabrielle are so inspiring, if only I had a life like that." "Now don't you talk like that, you aren't a warrior and never will be. As for me well I'm the greatest warrior there is." The man said as he tripped over a stool, sending him crashing to the ground. "But these stories always seem so familiar, as if I wrote them, or at least watched them take place." Marion continued "That's stupid, Xena and Gabrielle lived over 1000 years ago." "I know but they still seem familiar. Anyhow maybe I should become like them, I mean it isn't unheard of. Take Robin of Locksley for example." "Shhh…Are you trying to get up killed or something?" The man said quietly "Rejox, you're such a coward, and you call yourself a warrior. Robin does what is right and I want to join him." "Are you feeling alright?" Rejox replied "Look, I'm serious. I'm sick of hearing these inspiring stories of courage, of both Xena and Robin, without helping anyone myself. You've always wanted to prove you're a warrior, so why don't we go together to Sherwood forest we can join Robin's rebellion." "No! That's insane, I don't want to be an outlaw." "Well I do and I'm joining Robin with or without you." Marion said and stormed out the tavern. Rejox followed her as she ran towards Sherwood Forest. "Wait Marion." He said as he caught up with her. "OK, OK we'll go but let's go at night that way if we change our minds we can return without causing suspicion." "OK, but you promise we'll go." "I promise." Rejox said gulping That night Marion woke covered in sweat, she quickly ran over to Rejox and woke him. "Are you OK?" He said sleepily when he saw her frightened face. "I just had the strangest dream. We were back in ancient Greece, I was Gabrielle, you know from the story and you were the fool…. what's his name…Jerkter...Jaker." "Joxer?" "Yes Joxer. We were trying to find a demon in a cave and when we did it turned out to just be a noise making thing-amy-jing. It was so…real." "Look Marion, you're not a warrior and you're definitely not Gabrielle so lets just go back to sleep." "Go back to sleep? No we can't remember we're going to find Robin." "You still want to do that?" "Of course, come on." She said and pulled Rejox out of his bed, as soon as he hit the floor she ran off once again making her way to Sherwood Forest. Marion and Rejox walked carefully through the forest, trying hard not to make a sound. Suddenly Rejox spoke, "Oh Rejox the Great, he's full of hate, isn't afraid of war, or scared of breaking the law, he's Rejox, Rejox the great." "Will you shut up, you're going to get us killed." Marion whispered "What…I'm only singing." He shouted back Then a man jumped out of the tree above them with a bow and arrow. He pointed the arrow straight at Rejox's head. Marion bravely stepping between the attacker and Rejox. "Please, we are causing you no harm." She said pleadingly. "What is your name?" The man replied in a deep threatening voice. "Marion." "Well Marion, my name is Robin, Robin of Locksley. What is your business here?" "We've come to join your rebellion." She said studying Robin. He had long, black hair with piercing blue eyes, and he was very handsome. "Really, then come. You must join us." Robin said and put his bow down to his side. Quickly he started walking away so Marion and Rejox followed him. After a long, tiring walk they reached their destination. Robin had lead them to a campsite where a few other men were gathered around a fire, swapping jokes and eating venison. "Please sit down." Robin said smiling. Marion and Rejox sat on a log near the fire. Robin sat next to them. "These are my friends, that man there is Will Scarlet, to his left is little John, Alan a Dale, and on his right is Midge." Robin introduced. "Pleased to meet you." Marion greeted smiling "So, Marion. How much money do you have on you?" Robin asked abruptly. Marion looked at him suspicion wondering why he would ask that question. After a little while she replied, "30 Marks." "And what about you." Robin asked again this time pointing to Rejox. "I carry no money on me." Rejox said confidently. Robin made a funny sighing noise then stood up. As he did so all of his friends stood up as well. "Do you mind if we find that out for ourselves." Will Scarlet said threateningly. "No body searches Rejox the Great!" Rejox shouted. All of a suddenly the men surrounded Rejox and pinned him to the ground, after just a second Little John took 7 marks from his pocket. "Tell me sir, why did you lie to us?" Robin asked. Rejox stood up annoyed at the search, "I didn't realise I had it on me." Again Robin made a funny sighing noise then looked at Marion. Before she had chance to move the men surrounded her and searched her for money as well. "She was telling the truth, she only has 30 marks on her." Will announced after a few seconds. Robin looked at Rejox, again the men ganged up on him and pinned him to the ground for a second, when he stood up he was only wearing his undergarments. "What are you going to do to us?" Marion shouted trying to cover her fear. "To him, we will send him back into town on a horse without returning his clothes." Robin replied confidently. "And to me." Marion shouted again "You can join us." "As a Warrior?" She asked confused "As a warrior." Robin confirmed. He gave a comforting smile and walked away. Marion followed trying hard to keep to his pace, "Why?" She said still trying to understand what just happened. "Because you told us the truth. Your friend lied, we may be outlaws but we are not cheats and we don't let them join us." He said and walked away from her. A few weeks later Marion had started settled in and had even learnt how to use a sword and a bow and arrow. Although she missed her normal life she knew this was where she belonged, fighting for what she believed in. One day after training with her sword Robin approached her. "Marion, there is something I've been meaning to ask you since you joined but couldn't before." "What is it?" Marion asked while putting her sword away in her sheath. "Where have we met before? I know you from somewhere but I just can't remember where exactly." "I get that feeling to, but I can not help you at all. I can't remember either." "Oh well, maybe it's just a coincidence." Robin said smiling then walked away as he did so Marion shouted over to him. "Wait, I've been wondering if you could tell me where I can get some writing material from?" Robin turned around surprised, "You write?" "Yes, well I mean I use to. And if I'm going to stay here I'd love to be able to write down all our adventures." "I'll try and get you some." "Great!" The following day Marion was awoken by the sound of a fight. She picked up her sword and looked around. Robin and his men were fighting another group of men dressed in black. Quickly she ran over to help her newfound friends. Almost immediately a man with a sword attacked her, she parried the blow with her own then kicked the man in the shin. He fell to the ground and she hit him over the head with the hilt of her sword, knocking him out. Suddenly she felt something hit her on her back, the impact sent her falling to the ground. The next thing she saw was a hand coming towards her face then everything went black. Robin heard the sound of a horse riding away, he looked up and saw one of the attacking men dragging the unconscious body of Marion. Robin started to chase but couldn't catch up with them and watched helplessly as Marion was dragged away. "Little John did you recognise their clothes?" Robin asked. "Yes they were made in the design of one of the local Lords, he lives in a castle in the forest to the west." "Then that's where we're going." Marion woke up, she was in a cold, dark cell with chains around her wrists. Quickly she stood and tried to find away out of her prison. After a few moments of searching a man suddenly appeared in front of her in a flash of blue light. "How did you….what…who are you?" Marion said still hazy from the pain in her head. "Gabrielle don't tell me you don't recognise me." The tall, muscular man said while smirking. "You have mistaken me for someone I'm not. My name's Marion." "Marion…Gabrielle. It's all the same thing really, where is she Gabrielle?" "Where's who?" "Xena!" He shouted "Xena…from the stories? Your insane, Xena is dead." "Look let me lay some facts out for you. You are Gabrielle…the battling bard from the stories. I'm Ares God of War and I want to find Xena." "How can I answer your question…Xena is dead." "For God sake, let me show you." Ares put his hand on Marion's forehead. As he did so she began to see back into her past lives until she reached one in which she was Gabrielle the Battling Bard. Ares took his hand off of Gabrielle's forehead. "What are you up to this time Ares?" "Same thing as always Gabrielle…I want Xena to be my warrior princess." "Well sorry to disappoint you but Xena is a man in this life. Her names Robin of Locksley." "I suspected as much, after all many people can really lead a rebellion that well. Prince of Thieves they called him, more like Princess of Thieves." Gabrielle quickly hit Ares in the stomach as she pulled back her hand he grabbed it stopping her from hitting him again. "If I can't make Xena my Queen in this life then I'm going to send her to her next life." He said then disappeared. Robin was outside a huge castle with his friends. They were using the cover of a small hill while discussing how they were going to get Marion back. "I say we just storm the place, we break down the front entrance and find her." Little John suggested "I like your enthusiasm friend but it wont work. We are going to have to find out where Marion is being kept before we go inside. Will I want you to…" "I know, sneak around the outside, and see what I can find out." Will interrupted. Robin gave a quick nod and watch Will run off. Meanwhile Gabrielle was sat in her prison cell, on the floor next to her she found a rock. Quickly she picked it up and started to hit the catch of the thick chains that surrounded her wrists. After a while she was successful and the chains gave way and fell off of her hands. Gabrielle smiled then searched for the door, it was hard to see since the room was so dark. Carefully she put her hands against the wall and began to feel for anything that felt like a door latch. Meanwhile Will had returned to Robin and was telling him what he had found out about the castle. "I think I have found the prison she is being kept in. There is a window on the second floor when I looked in I could see servants quarters, when I looked in to the window next to it there was a different room which looked like some kind of store room. But the distance between the two rooms was to large as if there was another room in between them that didn't have a window. I would guess that it is a prison cell, but whether or not Marion is in it is a different matter all together." Will explained "Well done, take us to the servants room window." Gabrielle was still in the prison cell but had now found a door. Quickly she searched for the lock with her hands but couldn't find one. "Great." She said to herself, "There must be a bolt on the outside." After giving a little sigh she sat back down on the floor. All of a sudden the door flung open, she looked up and saw the familiar face of Robin. "How did you get in here?" "We came through a open window in the servants room. Are you OK?" Robin asked "Yes, I'm fine. But Ares is looking for you Xena." "Xena? Marion it's me Robin." Robin replied confused. "Of course you don't know yet." Suddenly Ares appeared in front of them all with a smug look on his face. "I knew you'd come and find her Xena, you have gotten too predictable you know." Ares laughed. Robin put an arrow in his bow then quickly fired it at Ares's heart. Ares laughed and pulled it out with ease. "What are you?" Robin asked confused. "That's not important." Ares said then raised his sword to hit Robin. Robin quickly took his sword out of his sheath and started to defend himself. After a moment of fighting Robin started to recognise his opponent, then he looked at Gabrielle. "Gabrielle?" Robin said confused. Gabrielle realised that Robin had remembered who he once was and quickly joined in the attack. With the help of Robin's friends they defeated Ares and he disappeared say "Until next time Xena, until next time." Robin ran over to Gabrielle and hugged her lovingly. "Gabrielle, so we had met before." He smiled. "Oh my God." Gabrielle said with a worried expression on her face. "What is it?" Robin asked. "You sent Joxer back into Nottingham naked on the back of a horse." Gabrielle laughed "He'll get over it." Robin smiled back. Gently he held his soul mates hand and they happily left the castle together. Princess of Thieves by Kitana Copy write Kitana 2002©

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