Tales of Dimensia: The Hood -By Heart-

As the forest remains silent in the night, all is calm. The moon shines in the skies over the land of Dimensia. The canopy created by the treetops breaks apart in some places, allowing the heavenly light to seep through. Suddenly someone is seen running through the forest. They've a case on their back filled with arrows and in one hand, a magnificent bow. On their head a hood, so concealing their face. It is obviously a man. He leaps through the forest as if he knows every corner, every stone, an every tree. Then he stops. Arrows fly from the darkness in the woods that remains untouched by the moon's brilliant rays. He steps out of the way as if time had slowed for him. Before long he escapes from the forest to find himself in a small village. The sound of pursuing soldiers rolls over the hills behind him. One emerges from the forest ahead of the others but his heart is met by a single arrow, shot perfectly from yards away by the hooded man. He climbs up onto a rooftop and like a warrior of the night, he swiftly navigates the buildings until he comes to one. Jumping down, he knocks on the door. A large man answers the door, surprised to see the hooded figure before him and welcomes him in. "It has been a long time, old friend", says the large one.

"Aye, too long, in fact. I've a request for you, my friend. We are both aware that I can keep this up no longer. I am too old. But I've no successors", the hooded one resonds.

He sits in a seat to the far end of the room, as far away from the door as he can manage.

"You think I can follow you up?" The larger man laughs. "You are ill in the head, friend. I am no more suited than you."

"Of course you aren't. I would never ask such a task of you. You have a life here in Dimensia. I could never eprive you of such a glorious arrangement. I wish you would do me a favor, however, and find someone more youthful than you and myself. Perhaps a youth itself."

At this the larger man's expression grew grim. He stands from his seat, towering over the hooded one. "Now you listen to me. I shall wish no such path on any child. The path of a rogue is one of great peril. To even consider such lunacy is beyond comprehension, especially if it be the child I believe you to mean."

"Hear me out, friend. Your niece is perfectly capable. Her prowess with a bow and arrow very much surpasses my own at her age."

"The child is an infant, only three by age."

There is suddenly a loud knocking on the door followed by the hurried ramblings of royal soldiers. They demand to be let in before they force their way. The hooded one removes the arrow case from his back and places it into his friend's hands then too hands him the bow. Afterwards, he removes the hood and the garment it is sewn to. His face is that of a red headed man of at least his mid forties. He leaves it in his seat then climbs into a back window. "Long live King Richard", he says expectingly.

"Down with Prince John," his friend responds. "We shall always remember Nottinghamshire and Sherwood Forest, Robin. They be in good hands now."

"No, John. Since King Richard's untimely demise and Prince John's son, Prince Edmond's rise to power, they are not in good hands. But should you make the right choice as I know you will, they shall be."

Robin then disappears through the window and into the night. The Royal Soldiers barge in through the front door moments after John has hidden every article his friend had given him. They hold their crossbows to him as they investigate the area but they do not shoot. They've no jurisdiction in Dimensia other than the pursuit and capture of fleeing criminals. They'd also had no power to John. King Edmond had never recognized John as a criminal for he'd left Nottinghamshire before Edmond had ever risen to power. After a thorough search, they leave. John's wife scurries down the stairs, a child in her arms. "He was here, wasn't he?" She asks, holding the child close

"Aye, he was."

"You knew all along that it would happen one day. The day she shot that arrow before him in play, you knew he'd come."

"Aye, that I did."

"What will you do?"

John marches up the stairs and into a room. In that room is a young girl in bed, only an infant though older than the one in the arms of John's wife. "I don't know. Oh Lila, what am I going to do with you? You may very well be...The Next Great Hood." The child turns over in her sleep. The moonlight beams through the window and onto her beautiful face as she slumbers, unaware of the path she may very well take. Her hair, nearly as white as snow, glows in the light and gives her a certain radiance. She is truly meant to do great things one day.

The fields just outside of Dimensia is alive with laughter and excitement as ten year old Lila sits on a blanket eating with her aunt, uncle, and cousin. She first takes large bites from a watermelon almost the size of her entire body. John laughs as he observes her warrior's appetite. His wife, Sarah, giggles admirably as well then wipes the seeds from around Lila's mouth. Her and John's eight year old son and Lila's cousin, Ronald, too attempts to gorge himself but Lila seems to have the advantage of a second stomach and continues to eat while he falls over from tiredness. Later that evening, Lila wanders through town on her own. She sees a fruit cart and reaches for an aplle but her petite hand is swatted away by the merchant. "Filthy street urchin, leave here now," he says, scolding her as if she were a disobedient pet. But his loyalty soon changes. "Unless you have any money." Lila disrespectfully sticks out her tongue and leave, disappearing around a corner.

Within a matter of seconds, a blur dashes by the cart. An apple is missing. The merchant does not notice. It happens again, this time catching the merchant's attention. The blur speeds by again, this time grabbing multiple apples. On a rooftop above is a small girl with a hood pulled over her head, hiding her face. She looks down on the confused merchant with a giggle and chomps on an apple but suddenly she's lifted by the collar. Behind her is her uncle. She nervously waves to him with a cute smile as he scolds her. "You realize how unacceptable that is?"

"But you said that," she begins.

"Bite your tongue there, child. I've told you that it is your job to steal."

"That's what I was," she starts again, still getting cut off.

"From the Rich so that you may give it to the poor."

John pulls the hood from her head. Lila suddenly ceases to speak at all. She sinks rapidly into a state of remorse. "I'm sorry", she says as if the life had been robbed from her body. Her uncle suddenly notices that her eyes had been blood red only a second ago but they'd quickly returned to green when he removed the fabric from her cranium. "Can we go home now, uncle John? I'll pay him for the apples I stole."

"That's...that's alright. I will pay the man now. You head home, then. Keep that hood off of your head", John warns her as she runs off.