Chapter Fifteen

The wagon door was shut closed; the old woman pressed her back against the door.

Lily tossed the bag of coins onto the table amongst the crystal ball, deck of cards, and other tricks that a fortuneteller would use.

"I do not need my fortune told. But I must beg that you do not leave this wagon. For all of that money, I need to find a way out of this wagon to go and help a friend. I should return shortly. You must only sit here and you will be paid this and another bag just like it when I come back. Are we agreed?"

The woman walked around Lily and sat in a stool by the table. She hunched over, her shoulders coming up to where her ears must be. Of course, the scarf was pulled low to hide any identity of the woman.

"I said, are we agreed?"

The woman nodded her head slowly and began shuffling the deck of cards. Lily was annoyed. Now was not the time to be playing games. "Where is the exit?"

The woman fanned out the deck of cards and held them out to Lily.

Lily finally took one. When it was flipped over, it was of a man and a woman, watched over by another woman in the sky. Lily rolled her eyes and breathed out a sigh. "How can I get out of the wagon without being detected? I'm in a hurry."

The woman finally used her foot to lift the tablecloth and reveal a trap door. "Brilliant," Lily exclaimed. She immediately went to the floor and opened up the door. It was perfect. The wagon sat low enough that no one could see her slip out underneath and get her clothes from the barrel. She would have to change underneath the wagon if she wanted any privacy, but that's what she had to do in order to help Robin.

She crawled through the door head first, using her hands to slowly walk her body out of the wagon. After securing the door again, Lily crawled behind the wagon and then slowly moved through the crowds to her barrel. Sir Guy wasn't at his post any longer, but Lily didn't take the time to try and find him. She went straight back the wagon and began undoing her dress.

It was quite scandalous of her to be changing under the wagon in broad daylight, but she had to do it if she wanted to help Robin. Once changed, she laid the bag across the axel and then laid her dress out on top. "There. It won't get too wrinkled now."

Lily took some dirt in her hand and began rubbing it all over her face. She didn't have a sword or a bow and arrows. She would need to find something. After crawling out from the under the wagon, she roamed around the square. Everyone's attention was now focused on one of the gypsies who swallowed fire.

A barrel at the silversmith's shop was filled with old swords. They would have to do. Lily grabbed one and then made her way into the castle. It was somewhat difficult to maneuver through a place she had never been with guards everywhere. Luckily, the guards were making their way towards the south end of the castle to see the gypsies, allowing Lily to duck into corners to miss them.

Just as she turned a corner, a large staff came down to block her way. Her first instinct was to bring down her sword, but she looked up to see Little John holding the staff. She pulled back the sword and laughed.

"Oh, John. It's just you."

"Robin…" John called.

He appeared in a doorway, with his bow drawn. Once he saw her, he dropped his defensive stance. "I didn't think you could stay away."

Much, Djaq, and Will were all behind him. Robin glanced down the corridor then turned back to the doorway. "We don't have much time. Come on."

He led his team through hallways to a locked door. One nod from Robin and Will was at the door, picking at the lock.

Lily tapped her boot against the stone floor. "Robin. We're looking for a parchment. It should have a black seal on it with the crest of Prince John. That's all I know. Once we break the seal we can open it up and see if it's what we're looking for."

Robin nodded while observing Will. "And the crest of Prince John is…"

"An eagle."

Will pushed open the lock. "That was rather easy. I was hoping for a challenge."

"Maybe you should leave the Sheriff a note then, Will. Dear Sheriff, please make these doors harder to break into. Yours, Will Scarlet," Much replied as they all piled into the room.

It wasn't a very large room. In fact, it was rather drafty. And it was filled with parchments, all rolled up. It would take them hours to go through everything. Lily immediately went to the far corner of the room and began digging through the parchment. She looked back at the gang and gestured wildly to the room. "Well, come on. We haven't got all day."

The rest of them began digging into piles all over the room. Lily tried to be as organized as possible and not throw parchments into someone else's pile.

It was Djaq who found it. She ran over to Lily and held it out. Lily unrolled it and quickly began reading. She nodded enthusiastically as she continued to read down the paper. She looked up at Robin. "We have it," she said while rolling it back.

Robin snatched it from her. "Good. Now, you best get back to the fortuneteller's wagon. I doubt that Sir Guy will believe that you spent more than thirty minutes in there."

Lily nodded. "Be careful, with that, eh?"

Robin smiled at her. "As always."

They all walked out into the hallway, checking in front and behind them they made their way towards the square.

"Robin?" Lily said as she prepared to wander down and into the crowd. "I may need a diversion."

"I knew you would," he said with a smile. He nodded at Djaq who took out a flint and steel. Robin pulled out on of his arrows and wrapped a cloth around the top near the arrowhead. He strung it into his bow and then pointed the head down towards Djaq. She began knocking the flint and steel together until a spark jump from the steel to the cloth.

With the arrow alight with the flame, Robin began walking around to the courtyard. He stopped and looked back at Lily.

"This would be an excellent time for you to make your exit, Lily."

She turned without saying another word and galloped down the staircase. She navigated through the carts and the people until she was in the corridor just behind the fortuneteller's wagon.

Lily scampered underneath the wagon and began pulling her dress over her pants. She pulled off her top and tossed it over the axel. She knocked three times on the trap door. The old woman opened it and helped her inside the wagon.

"No one has been by to ask for me?" Lily asked as she put her arms into the sleeves and pulled the top of the dress up.

When she didn't receive an answer, Lily checked over her dress and then looked at the fortuneteller. She was now sitting at the table. The woman gestured one hand toward the empty seat across. Lily sat down, but shook her head. "I really I don't have time for this…"

The old woman grabbed Lily's hand and turned it over so that the palm was facing up. Her finger traced the line. Lily gasped at the roughness of the hand.

"You have found love early in your young life," the woman finally spoke. Her voice was much lower than she had imagined. "But your love line divulges into two different paths."

"Well, that's nice." She tried to pull her hand away, but the fortuneteller's grip tightened.

"You will have to choose between loves. One will be an eternal love—you will be secure in your love with him. The other will offer you excitement, however, you will never be sure of his affection. You will always be questioning his true feelings and motives."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Yes, well… that's very enlightening. Thank you." She reached down into her boot and tossed another bag full of gold on the table. "This is the other half that I owe you. Thank you for your help." She stood up to leave, but felt a hand on her arm.

"You do not understand. You must make this choice soon. You have already met these men. Your choice will define their choices from here on out."

"I cannot choose between any two men. I am committed to my king—nothing can or will change that. He will always be my king."

"But there is another—a Will?"

"Will? Will Scarlet is a child. I owe his father a debt—that is all."

"But there is an Allan."

Lily stopped short, her mouth dropped open.

The woman held a finger up. "Ah. I have discovered your secret."

Lily's eyes grew narrow. "What secret? It is no secret that he bothers me, that he follows me needlessly and ruins my plans," she said as she paced back and forth in the wagon. "It is no secret that I wish he would leave me alone."

"But you have feelings for him."

"Of annoyance, yes!"

"Of love."

Lily laughed. "Really? Love. No. I do not love. I do not hate him either. I am indifferent to him. Yes… indifferent. I don't care either way…"

The woman walked Lily back against the wall. Her hands reached out and pinned Lily to the wall, then one came back and pulled the hood of the cloak back from her face.

Allan stood to full height, smiling broadly. Lily's mouth, again, dropped open, but it only took her a second before she recovered and began hitting him.

"Let me go."

"Oy," he exclaimed after she had taken a good hit to his chin. He finally wrestled her hands to sides and braced her back against the wall.

Lily's breathing became very shallow as she could feel almost every part of his body flush with her own. She didn't want to look up at him, and kept her gaze locked on the crystal ball still on the table.

"Now, Lily. Did you get what you needed?"

"Yes."

"And what you wanted?"

She finally looked up at him. "What does that mean?"

His face was much closer than she had anticipated. She could feel his breath on her face as he dipped in closer. "I don't really believe that you are indifferent to me," he sighed out before pushing his lips against hers.

His hands didn't loosen their grip on her wrists. Instead his fingers moved to entwine themselves with hers. He raised them above her head, pushing them against the wall.

His teeth pulled at her lips, and finally coaxed her mouth open to deepen the kiss. Her body relaxed and before she could stop herself, a sigh escaped from her lips. She untangled her hands from his and brought them down to trace around his face as he moved from her lips down her neck. His hands began exploring her body now that they were free to roam.

"Stop, stop!" Lily said breathlessly. She used her hands to pull Allan's face. He took that as a signal to begin kissing her again. It took every part of Lily to push him back from her. "I really have to go," she exclaimed—her voice sounding shrill and each syllable coming out of her mouth in rhythm to her breathing.

Lily went to the door and turned back to look at him. "My shirt is on the axel underneath the wagon. Please don't lose it, as I have need of it," Lily said as she turned the knob. Before she could open the door, his hand stopped against the wood, keeping it closed.

"You can't say that you have no feelings for me, Lily."

His proximity made her go week in the knees again. "Please. I really should go."

"We cannot keep doing this—it is either me or the king. You best make your choice sooner rather than later," Allan said as he stepped back from the door. Lily threw the door open and raced down the stairs at the back of the wagon. She looked back only to see the door slamming quickly.