Robin sat comfortably in a pile of hay that had been placed down for the horse. The horse, which Robin affectionately named Delilah, stood near the young bird as it casually munched on the hay. A book with sheets of paper on it lay in her lap and a bottle of ink sat on the ground next to her. She placed the quill into the ink, dabbed at it, and began to write.
Dearest Sister,
I hope you received my last letter. I apologize for leaving so quickly, but as I said before, I could not wait and I had to leave immediately. Currently I am on a cargo ship that is heading towards the mainland. From there, I plan on riding south to my kingdom. Lately my dreams have been getting worse, and I fear that something did happen or will happen to Khiel. I hope by going home, I will find that everything is okay. I promise when I return, I will take Amy off your hands for a few days to make up for leaving without warning.
Love,
Robin
Robin leaned over to blow on the ink. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked the letter over. The bird had been on the ship for several days already, and although her accommodations were less than comfortable, she was at least glad she was on her way home. But still, she couldn't help but feel homesick for both Velstand and Khiel. She missed Anya, Amy, and Damon, and a few others. She wanted to write them all letters, telling them how she was fairing. Folding the piece of paper in front of her, she placed it aside. She took another sheet and placed it on the book. Robin was about to start on another letter when she head footsteps coming down the stairs. Lifting her head, she saw one of the sailors approaching her.
"Lady Robin," the sailor stopped, grinning down at her as he offered his hand. "The guys were wondering if you would like to spar with us?"
Robin placed the pen and book on the ground, taking his hand to help herself to her feet. The bird nodded eagerly as she smiled to the sailor. "Of course!"
This should get my mind off my problems for at least a little while. The sailor led the way to the main deck of the ship where half the crew all stood around laughing and joking. When the young woman appeared on the deck, the men started to whistle and cheer, clapping the sailor on the shoulders as they told him good job. Robin couldn't help but blush at all the attention she was getting.
"Here Rob, you can use my stick." One of the sailors held out a wooden sword, which Robin took with a smile.
"What are you talking about, Fred? You don't have a stick." Another sailor shouted to the man who gave the sword to Robin. The others laughed at the joke, which caused Fred to flush.
"Enough of that, now." Robin said above the laughing. The bird gripped the sword, swinging it around to get a feel for it. "Alright boys, who's first?" A large, muscular man pushed his way through the crowd. He came within inches of Robin, looking down at her with a sly grin. The man towered above her, and to her dismay, smelled awful. The bird winkled her nose, but nonetheless smiled up at him as she held out her hand. "Good luck." She said with a bit of a laugh.
This should get some good practice in.
"I'll try not to hurt you too much, lil' missy." The man laughed as he stepped back and positioned himself. All the sailors stepped back, circling around the two as they prepared to begin the fight.
"I have money on Rob!" A sailor shouted from the crowd. "No way! William is going to crush her!" "Don't lose to a girl, Bill!" The sailors laughed.
Robin ignored all the comments that were being shouted. A smirk formed on her lips as she prepared for spar. Would he take the first move, or would the overgrown man wait for her to charge? Her question was answered as the sailor ran towards her, thrusting the sword at her stomach with deadly force. Robin quickly spun out of the way, relieved that she was able to avoid the attack so easily. But she didn't have time to worry about that now. The bird maneuvered to get behind him, using the flat part of the wooden blade to hit the back of his knee.
Bill stumbled forward a bit, which caused the sailors to laugh and cheer. He turned around, his face blood red with anger. He charged again towards Robin, slashing the sword at her head. Robin ducked and quickly flipped the sword around to jab the hilt into the man's stomach. He let out a grunt and doubled over slightly. Robin took the opportunity to get around him again, hitting the back of both knees to knock him down. Another loud cheer was let out among the crowd, but Robin knew the large man would not go down so easily. William got back to his feet and turned to face her. His face was still red, but now a few veins were sticking out on his forehead.
"You better not mess with me girlie." William said angrily. "No one makes a fool of me!" He turned and grabbed another stick from one of the sailor's hands. Swinging both swords about his body, he set off on another charge, which caused Robin to gulp. He thrust one of the swords her again, which Robin parried quickly. Then the other sword slashed towards her and hit her in her right arm. The bird let out a grunt, quickly switching the sword to her other hand. The impact of the blow made her entire right arm numb, and now she had to rely on her left hand to attack. Robin knew of two ways to end the fight, and she didn't exactly want to do either of them. She had to decide quickly. The man swung his swords again, and the bird jumped back to avoid it. Quickly she ran towards him before he could catch his momentum. Lifting her sword as high as she could, it came crashing down on the back of his head. The sword broke in two at the impact, and the man fell to the ground with a thud.
All the sailors laughed and cheered, coming over to congratulate Robin on her victory. The bird couldn't help but feel bad though. "Don't worry about it," Fred reassured her as the other men dragged William off to his bunk. "He has a head as hard as a rock. He'll be back to his normal self in a few days, and by then, you should be long gone from his wrath." Oh, that surely made Robin feel better.
The captain came onto deck, shouting orders and yelling at his crew to get back to work. All the sailors scrambled in different directions, still laughing at the fight that would surely be talked about for days on in. The captain approached Robin, glancing awkwardly at the broken piece of wood in her hand. "We should arrive to our destination tomorrow, milady." The man gave another one of his famous hearty laughs. The captain had other plans of his own, but after seeing the way the woman was able to handle herself in a fight, he decided against it.
Robin nodded and smiled at the captain. "Thank you." She held out the stick to him, which he took with a laugh. With a sigh, Robin turned away to return to her comfortable spot in a pile of hay. But with her right arm out of commission, she was unsure if she would be able to write another letter.
As Robin returned to her place next to Delilah, a feel of excitement and anxiousness filled her stomach. Tomorrow she would be on her way to her destination. In only a few days, she would be safely home.