Lady of Legend
ROBIN
LADY OF LEGEND
Deleted Scene #7 — Chapter 3: The Stable Boy
By R.M. ArceJaeger
Copyright © 2012 by R.M. ArceJaeger
All rights reserved.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by Platypus Press
Please do not read this scene unless you have read the book, as even early pieces may contain
later spoilers!
Author’s Note
In this scene, a stable boy comes out to greet Robin when she first arrives at the Blue Boar Inn. When he goes to inform the innkeeper that “Will Stutley” is there, Robin sneaks away into the forest.
Some readers thought this was problematic, as the Inn was in the “middle of nowhere,” so as far as the innkeeper knew, Robin had no reason to disappear and nowhere to disappear to. Because the innkeeper was acquainted with “Will,” he would likely have mounted a search for him, and would have quickly discovered Robin asleep in the forest, since she was tired and did not travel far into the woods.
Therefore, this scene was changed so that Robin did not wake the stable boy, thus making her escape more plausible.
Deleted Scene #7 — Chapter 3: The Stable Boy
The sky was a pallid blue by the time she reached the Blue Boar Inn. It took nearly all her strength to dismount and to hand her horse to the sleepy stable boy who came out to meet her. Rubbing the crust from his eyes with one hand and taking the reins in the other, he told her to wait inside, he’d fetch the innkeeper.
“Thank you,” she said. “Please tell him that Will Gamwell is here.”
Robin felt bad about the deception that would necessitate waking a tired man, but it couldn’t be helped — she must avoid interest at all costs. An abandoned horse would certainly generate interest, but this way it would be awhile before anyone realized that the ephemeral Will Gamwell really wasn’t Will at all. She watched the boy retreat inside the stable with the horse, and when she was certain that he was out of sight she turned and quickly crossed the road, disappearing into the adjoining forest.
Faintly in the distance she heard the boy call, “Master Gamwell? Master Gamwell!” but soon even that sound faded away. It was as if she had entered another world entirely, one where the only noise was the splintering of brushwood under her boots and the thin rustle of leaves in the wind.
The adrenaline that had sustained her throughout her long ride was gone, and in its place was exhaustion so complete that it made Robin’s sinews tremble with the effort of keeping her upright. Finally satisfied that she had trudged far enough away from the road to avoid any casual travel into the woods, Robin dropped her bow and quiver. It took four tries before her tired fingers could grip her belt tight enough to unbuckle it. Setting her bow and sword within easy reach, Robin sat down next to them; she was asleep before her head hit the ground.
End Deleted Scene
