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Chapter Two

And so it was, Marian's whimsical dreams kept her glued to her bed for longer than she had anticipated. By the time she dragged herself free from her quilt's comfortable embrace, it was nearly noontime. Oh, she'd certainly catch some heat from Lady Kluck for sleeping in to this degree, but it was hard to feel too bothered about it--it was the best stretch of shut-eye she'd gotten since arriving home in Nottingham, that was for certain.

Marian shuffled out of her smallclothes, dressing herself in clean linens and donning her hat. It did become rather tiresome wearing the same clothing day in day out, but the royal tailor did have some of the best stitching in the land. It was just like a bored noble to take such things for granted!

As the vixen was slipping her shoes on, a delicious smell began to waft into her sensitive nostrils. Oh, that must have been lunch! She sniffed the air, trying to divine what was on the menu for today. It seemed like beef stew, which was hardly uncommon, but still quite delicious. As the fox padded her way through the halls of the castle, chasing that delectable scent, her path was suddenly obstructed by a group of guards, likely headed to their posts after enjoying their own meals.

One head out of the group looked awfully familiar, and it took Marian but a moment to recognize him as the crocodile from last night. His eyes met with hers for a long second, before he gave her a knowing grin and walked off, continuing to banter with his colleagues. Ooh, she hated that smug face of his, but it wasn't like she was going to decline his offer. There was naught to do after supper but re-read the same dog-eared books she'd already skimmed through a hundred times over. This was something new and exciting...

"Oh, sorry I'm late." The canine called into the dining hall, but it seemed to be empty. Had everyone eaten already? She supposed it wasn't too out of the ordinary, as she was normally one of the first to the table. As slender as her physique was, Marian loved food, especially if it was currant pie.

She ladled a bowl of stew for herself, grabbing a heel of bread and taking a seat at the long table. The fox munched thoughtfully on her meal, thinking on the events of last night, as well as her plans for the day. All of it seemed so mundane until after supper, when she'd steal off to the tournament grounds and try her hand at archery. Marian wasn't sure why, but the idea of having a bow of her own intrigued her. Perhaps she'd be a natural at it!

The badminton court was more like a bit of rope affixed to two decorative pillars, but it served well enough. It was the vixen's daily exercise, as well as a bit of valuable social interaction with her lady-in-waiting. She was here as usual, likely waiting some time for Marian to show up. The fox was a bit embarrassed, but she picked up her racquet and shuttlecock nonetheless.

"Pleasant dreams?" Lady Kluck chided, letting a loud giggle leave her beaked mouth. "I haven't known you to sleep in that late since you were a girl, my dear. You're not feeling under the weather, are you?"

"No, just been having a spot of trouble getting to sleep lately." Marian replied, serving the shuttlecock to Kluck's left side. The hen swatted the cork back toward her, and the two began their daily bout, each of them having a good feel for how the other played. "Say, do you know much about that crocodile fellow? Tall, stubby legs, deep voice..."

"Hmm, can't say that I do. I know he's the Captain of the Guard, and a crafty sort, but I've not spoken with him at any length. Why do you ask? He wasn't rude to you, was he?" Kluck's next serve was a bit more forceful, and Marian had to exert herself to catch up with it, lest she lose the game. Her servant was very protective of her, which the fox appreciated a great deal.

"Oh, nothing like that. I've just seen him around the castle a tad more than usual as of late." Marian replied, panting a bit as they continued playing. It was odd, she didn't think there was any harm in a guard teaching her how to shoot, but she still thought better of telling her lady-in-waiting of her nightly plans. Kluck would likely discourage it, anyway. It was no secret she harbored disdain for Prince John and his men.

After badminton, which Marian had lost at badly, it was time to return to her bed chambers and wash up. Kluck had prepared a bath for her, which was steaming hot by the time she wandered back to her room. The fox discarded her clothes in a basket nearby, testing the water's temperature with a toe before slipping into the bath.

She relaxed for some time, being in no particular rush. The soaking vixen perused a few chapters of a childrens' book while she reclined, as those were just about the only things she hadn't read back-to-front a million times. Afterward, Marian lathered her fur, rinsed, then left the basin entirely, towel-drying her slender frame. While she was still a bit damp, she dabbed a bit of perfume onto her wrist, as it wouldn't do for a noble lady to smell like a wet dog.

Air-drying her fur, dressing herself, and supper all seemed to fly by, her mind so distracted by thoughts of her nightly undertaking that she scarcely remembered what she'd just eaten. It was some kind of meat pie, but the lingering flavor on her tongue was her only clue. After leaving her dishes for the servants, Marian stole out into the courtyard, giddy with excitement over what was soon to occur.

It was almost night-time, though an hour or two of light still remained. Most of the castle's denizens were busying themselves with maintenance, cleaning, that sort of thing. This left her fairly confident that she and her tutor wouldn't be disturbed, especially considering the tournament grounds were usually empty at this time of night.

Upon Marian's arrival, she was greeted with relative silence. Her dark-brown eyes scanned her nearby surroundings, with no sign of her reptilian teacher. It was then that the fox began to doubt herself--had the captain been toying with her? She tried to recall his tone from last night, and ascertain in her mind whether or not he was joking. If it was a jest, it was certainly a cruel one!

Stubbornly, the vixen elected to wait a bit longer, to see if he was really planning on showing up at all. For twenty minutes she stood there, occupying herself by tapping a steady beat on one of the wooden stalls, occasionally removing her shoes to feel the grass between her toes. It was just as she was fed-up and about to head back to her bedchambers that she heard a set of heavy footfalls approaching her.

"Ha. I had a feeling you'd show, my lady." That gruff voice sounded out, making Marian's ears twitch and flatten in displeasure. It was so unlike her beloved Robin's voice, which was remarkably inviting and smooth in its cadence. She supposed it was rude to judge someone on their voice alone, but he looked much like he sounded, to boot. Big, brawny, and decidedly austere.

"By dint of boredom, yes." The fox replied, letting out a little sigh. "Have you brought the bow, by chance? I'd very much like to see it." Marian was trying to play it cool, and guard her enthusiasm. It shone through like a beacon in her words, however.

"Aye, I've brought your bow, my lady. It's but a step up from a child's, but it ought to serve you just fine." Bringing a hand from behind his back, the burly captain of the guard brought forth a well-crafted bow, albeit about half the size of the one she'd attempted to use yesterday. She took it in her hands, running her fingers along the polished wooden surface. It was beautiful!

"Oh, it's lovely." She smiled, her tail betraying her excitement by wagging beneath her dress, jostling the hem of her well-stitched garment. "Will you teach me how to use it?" There was a bit of condescension in his voice when he spoke of her bow being nearly child-sized, but she supposed it wasn't too far off from the truth. The fox was nowhere near Lady Kluck's level of strength, that was for sure.

"Sure, if you think you're up for it. Let's head on over to the target, shall we?" The captain smiled, motioning for her to lead the way. Marian shivered a bit, still getting used to his odd mannerisms, but appreciating his tutoring nonetheless. She padded over to the target, placing herself about 10 yards from the painted bundle of straw she would attempt to hit.

"Here." The crocodile grunted, handing her an arrow. It was a crude thing, a roughly-whittled stick with feather fletching and a stone head. His large, scaled hands brusquely gripped her shoulders, forcing her into a stance that put her square with the target. "You're going to want to turn your hips slightly. You're practically facing away from the target like that."

"Guhh." Marian vocalized, her fur standing on end as he so roughly handled her. Who did this ruffian think he was to touch her in such a way? Still...he was probably used to training soldiers, not delicate maidens such as herself. She tried to remind herself of the favor this reptile was doing for her as she nocked that arrow, drawing it back.

"Wrong." The captain groaned, startling the fox who was just about to loose her arrow. It sailed a good meter over the target, harmlessly biting several inches into the ground. "Go get it. Try again."

"Rrrr...I wouldn't have missed, had you not surprised me!" Marian fired back, stamping the ground. What nerve! Still, she sheepishly did as she was told, making the walk of shame beyond the target and retrieving her ammunition. With bow and arrow in hand, she grumpily assumed the same position he'd instructed her into, attempting another draw.

"Hold it like that for a moment." The crocodile grunted out, taking a step back to inspect her stance. His coral-colored eyes ran down to her toes, then all the way up to that comely bust of hers. He stood in her peripheral vision, but she could have sworn she saw him licking his lips for a moment. "Like I said, your hips need to pivot more toward the target. Here."

Those broad, powerful hands of his reached out, grasping her hips through her modest dress. Marian squeaked out in surprise, wriggling slightly in his grasp. She thought to protest for a moment, but reminded herself that this was probably perfectly normal behavior when teaching a new recruit. "Turn them like this." He insisted, squeezing her waist gently and guiding her to the left.

"Ah, alright..." The vixen replied, quiet as a mouse. Her arms were quivering a bit from holding the draw for so long, but it was probably good for her to build up some core strength like this. It wasn't often she exerted herself in such a fashion, and could only benefit her in the long run. "Am I holding it correctly?"

"Try to bring it completely vertical. You're holding it at an angle." The reptile countered, grinning as he watched her struggle with the draw weight of such a small bow. She was a sheltered, delicate thing after all, wasn't she? Feeling a bit emboldened, the captain moved forward a half-pace, his hips pressing in against Marian's backside.

The fox, however, was far too distracted with trying to perfect her aim to notice his rather overt advance on her. Her tongue poked out of the side of her maw as she concentrated, straightening the bow before letting the string twang forward...

It was a hit! The stone head of the arrow made a low thump as it sunk into the target, and even if it was nowhere near the bulls-eye, she still felt a swelling of pride in her chest. It had been her first real attempt, and she hadn't mucked it up horribly! How exciting this was all turning out to be.

"Ah, very good." The captain chuckled out, his hands giving her waist one final squeeze as he rubbed himself in against her. Lord, if her rear end wasn't the softest, most gorgeous thing he'd ever come into contact with...he wanted to swat it, to grip it with both hands and pull it toward him--but there was no way she'd allow such a thing. Not yet, at least. "Not bad for your first shot, eh? Still could use some work, though."

"I'm a bit surprised myself!" She giggled, covering her muzzle with a hand in a rather ladylike manner. "I daresay I'm a natural at this." The vixen bounded off to retrieve her arrow, before returning to her position beside him and readying another attempt. It was a few more hours before the two of them were through, though her teacher decided to play it safe and lay off the touching for the rest of their session. He had her hooked, there was no need to be hasty and scare her off.

Marian practiced until the moon hung overhead, bathing them in pale light. It had gotten late so quickly, she hadn't even realized with the fun she'd been having. "Oh, heavens. I ought to head back to my bedchambers, or I'll be sleeping in again..." The vixen remarked, albeit rather reluctantly. "Ah, do you think we could do this again tomorrow night?"

"Mm, I'll consider it. I do think I'll be requiring some sort of payment for my services, however. Prince John doesn't include 'teaching you how to shoot' in my salary. That bow also came from the royal armory, which will be coming out of my pocket." As Marian began to speak, he raised his hand to silence her. "Worry not, my lady. We'll discuss that sort of trite business nonsense tomorrow night. Do get some rest."

With that, the crocodile began to walk off toward the castle, his red cloak swaying behind him in the cool breeze. It was a bit chilly, and with nothing else to do, Marian decided to follow suit. Upon arrival in her bedchambers, she slipped out of her clothes, and into a deep, peaceful sleep. Fanciful dreams of adventure and romance filled her mind, staying with her until the morning came.