Robyn Hood: Fight For Freedom (9 page)

I ambled through the forest, silent in spite of my heavy skirts, aiming for a worn path I knew of that wormed around the edges of
Sherwood Forest before swirling over to Marian’s castle.

In my walk I heard a male voice… singing. For a split second I feared one of my Merry Men would magically appear and haul me off to enter some sort of fight against the singing stranger, as they were prone to do.
But after several tense seconds I relaxed and recalled I was alone.

Curiosity getting the better part of me, I angled my path towards the singing voice. If I was lucky maybe it was a fat lord with an equally fat purse, trying to lull a genteel lady.

The closer I got to the singing the more I appreciated the joyful song. The unnamed singer was clearly a great musician. (Not at all like Dan!)

I slowed down as I neared the voice, lurking among the trees and bushes
to inspect the singer. It was a young lad, he had to be my age or younger. He was comely, and as he strolled through my forest he trailed his fingers across the harp strings and sang like a lark.

Instantly I knew he was neither rich nor intelligent. The blasted boy didn’t carry a single weapon on his person, much less a purse. All he had was his harp,
which he played prettily enough to make the King’s minstrels jealous.

I made up my mind to leave the poor boy be. He was obviously a cheerful, if not oblivious soul. I had no quarrel with him, I could only hope he kept to the outskirts of Sherwood and didn’t venture closer to my camp. (Because then surely my men would force me
into some kind of musical match against him, just to spite me.)

I abruptly plunged through the trees, half startling the singing boy.

He spun around and nearly bolted, but paused when he caught sight of me. He smiled but continued his song, quickly falling out of sight as I hurried to Huntingdon Castle.

Sneaking into the castle was easier than I ever previously remembered. Maybe it was because I had earned nerves of steel after chatting so much with George
, or maybe it was because I had finally garnered enough experience with full skirts that I could walk without tripping.

I sashayed through the gates of Huntingdon, and the guards on du
ty gave me only an appreciative secondary glance.

Once inside I navigated my wa
y through the town section before sneaking through the inner walls, walking with a band of washing maids. I broke off from them at the stables and boldly walked around it, heading for the gardens.

None of the guards stopped me, or even appeared to be suspicious of me, a single lady wandering around without a chaperon or friend at her side. I got to the gardens without a hitch, and I was sitting on a bench reflectively staring at the castle keep. I had never been to Marian’s room, I didn’t know where it was much less how to
get inside.

“Lady Mary?”

I twisted and peered over a rose bush. Marian was smiling at me with her pretty, blue eyes. “Why Lady Marian. How good it is to see you,” I greeted, standing up.

“And how good it is to see you!
Come, we must catch up. Tell me how the Gamwells fare,” Marian invited, holding out her arm.

I looped my arm through hers, as I often did with
Elizabeth, and Marian yanked me around the garden. We traveled down a well worn path, popping out by the kitchens. Marian pulled me inside, immersing us with the servants. We were pushed forward like lily pads on a pond before Marian wrangled us out of the bustling kitchens and into a narrow hallway.

“Your room is situated in a very strange place, Lady Marian,” I laughed in a warning tone.

“Shh,” Marian urged, taking a turn down a twisting hall. She stopped outside a wooden door, opened it, and pushed me in before shutting it behind her. “We can talk freely here. This is just an extra storage room. No one comes this way.”

“How reassuring,” I muttered
, glancing around the dust filled room. All that was in it were crates, barrels, and some rolled up rugs.

Marian frowned. “My room is positively flocked with babbling ladies maids. We could never talk there. You’re just lucky I was able to pull myself away without being noticed.”

“Why the extra security?” I asked, plopping down on a dusty crate. “Did they catch you yesterday morning?”

“No, worse. Prince John has been making noises that Sir Guy of Gisborne is in need of a wife,” Marian sighed.

“So?” I shrugged.

“I’m the perfect candidate for that unlucky position
,” Marian said as she started to pace. “Father and Mother are extremely upset that I’m blatantly supporting you. It’s hurting their standing with Prince John, that’s why marrying me off to one of his favorite knights would solidify the relationship. The only reason Father didn’t immediately agree is because he’s not yet completely under my mother’s thumb, who is all for it, and because Sir Guy is drop dead broke.”

“But Prince John isn’t go
ing to be our ruler for forever. You’ll be sunk when King Richard returns,” I objected.

“I
know
, but the talk is that King Richard
isn’t
going to return. Face it Robyn, you and the Merry Men are the only ones who are seriously raising money to free him. Even his own supporters, like my father, don’t dare move with Prince John breathing down their necks.”

“We’ll get the ransom. And I won’t let them marry you off to Sir Guy,” I vowed before groaning as I recalled that particular knight. “Of course he has to be the only competent knight Prince John’s brought with him. Otherwise I could just challenge him to a duel and off him, but I’m not willing to take that chance with Sir Guy,” I said, sucking on my lip.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve decided, I’m coming back to Sherwood with you,” Marian shrugged, stopping in front of my crate.

“No you aren’t Marian,” I sharply
said.

“Yes I am, Robyn! You don’t get how horrible this is!” Marian snarled, reaching out to shake my shoulders.

“Bear with it Marian. You are our only source of information in such a high level of nobility. We
need
you here. I’ll go back to Sherwood and talk things over with the Merry Men. We’ll calculate how much more we need to free King Richard and figure out something to end this Sir Guy business. You can expect my return in two or three days,” I said, standing up.

Marian backed away as I brushed off
dust off my dress. “You promise?” she sulked.

“Promise. I’ll come up with a plan Marian,” I said, meeting her gaze with my own sharp, brown eyes. “You’re a part of my company too. I won’t throw you to the dogs.”

“Whenever did you grow to become so heroic?” Marian sighed, reaching out to hug me.

“You have no one but yourself to blame for that one.
This is your Outlaw Dream. You made me into Robin Hood,” I winked.

“I did, didn’t I?” Marian wondered, her forehead wrinkling.

“Come now, you had better get back before your cackling guard hens realize you’ve flown the coup,” I said, starting for the door.

“The same goes for you. How on earth did you procure Much’s permission to leave the camp.”

“I did a lot of swindling,” I said, opening the door.

“I bet,” Marian snorted behind me.

Within two hours I was back a
t my camp in Sherwood, trading the dress for my more desirable lincoln green uniform.

“W
hat did Marian have to say?” Much asked, waiting for me outside my hut.

“Nothing good, that is for certain,” I called through the door, straightening my green hose before grabbing my pheasant feather cap, placing it on my head. I threw the door open with a bang. “She wants to come live with us in Sherwood.”

Much grew violently pale, behind him Will Stutely turned green. Will Scarlet’s color remained normal, but he inexplicably gained four wrinkles on his forehead. Similarly, Little John snapped the bow he was trying to mend.

“What did you say?” Little John carefully asked, seated in front of a fire a short distance away from my hut.

I left my room, closing the door behind me. “Her mother and the prince have plans to marry her off to Sir Guy of Gisborne, that odiously pompous knight who was riding with Prince John when we robbed him,” I explained, walking up to Little John’s fire.

“The one with the bad haircut?” Much recalled.

“That would be him,” Will Scarlet agreed. “Little John and I got a good look at him in Nottingham Castle. I can’t believe Maid Marian’s father would let her marry such a fop. He’s not a knight, he’s bloody broke!”

“Says the earl who
lives in the forest like a common squatter,” Will Stutely piped in.

Will Scarlet shot him a glare.

“Lobb,” I called.

“Yes Robyn?” Lobb asked from the edge of camp. He was returning from guard duty. “Go with Tom and get Friar Tuck. Tell him his assistance is required.”

“Yes Robyn!” Lobb hummed before disappearing off into the woods.

“What do we need Friar Tuck for?” Much asked. “I thought you finally gave up saying your last rites before every robbery we pull.”

“This is about King Richard’s ransom. If I recall correctly Marian said he was being held for 150,000 marks. Unfortunately when we rob we don’t just get solid coins. We have gold and gems as well. I’m hoping Friar Tuck will help us get those valued and switched. Better yet, he may be able to find others who are trying to free King Richard. He’s connected with our band, but he
is
a priest. Even Prince John would think twice before killing one of God’s men,” I said. “Much, Stutely. Could you start to gather up the gold? We’re going to count it.”

“Right,” Will Stutely
nodded.

“Sure thing Robyn,” Much agreed, casting a wary glance at Little John and Will Scarlet.

“What will we do about Marian?” Will Scarlet prompted.

I rubbed my forehead. “I’m still trying to figure that out,” I paused for a moment. “It would almost be easier to get enough money to free King Richard from his prison rather than try to dissuade Sir Guy of Gisborne against Marian.”

Little John snorted and Scarlet chuckled.

I smiled at their familiar actions. Leave it to Marian to create enough chaos that would get all of our minds off the last few days.
“When I get our monetary amount amassed I plan to visit Marian. With luck we’ll be able to free King Richard within the year,” I said.

“In no way would that be in time to save Marian,” Little John said
, moving to stand closer to me.

“Correct. But big mouth Marian will inform her father, who might possibly hold out from giving his consent before Chr
istmas,” I gambled, taking a few steps away from the tall man. I was
quite
aware of his presence after his shocking confession. I couldn’t help it.

“The dashing outlaw Robin Hood needs me, or so I am told?” Friar Tuck announced, plowing through our camp with his large girth. Lobb and Tom hovered in his wake.

“Why it is the good Friar Tuck! I did not expect you to arrive so soon,” I greeted, walking up to my father-figure with a grin.

“I was on my way to visit you when these two nervous rabbits found me,” Friar Tuck said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Lobb and Tom.
“So, what causes the Bold and Brave Robin Hood to call me?” he winked, affectionately patting my head.

“It’s about King Richard’s ransom,” I said.

“Ah,” Friar Tuck acknowledged.

“I mean to figure out how much of his ransom we can pay,” I said. “We need to start counting our assets and calculating this out.”

Friar Tuck rubbed his chin and nodded. “I know Queen Eleanor is mustering up as many funds as she can get. I shall put my ear to the ground and see if I can’t come up with a sum.”

“Excellent. If we’re lucky we might find others who are hoarding up wealth for King Richard’s release as well. I know most of the crusaders are camped across
Europe, but surely some of Richard’s agents have returned by now,” I said.

“Be careful Robyn,” Friar Tuck warned. “Prince John and King Phillip of
France have offered to pay Henry of the Holy Roman Emperor 80,000 marks to keep King Richard. Prince John means to keep Richard out of the country.”

“Prince John is an inept tadpole,” Will Scarlet declared. “The day he becomes King of England is the day I shall see our monarchy weakened.”

I glared at my Merry Man. “You’re already an outlaw Will, but talking like that is sure to see you further outlawed, if that’s possible.”

“Even if you do speak truly,” Little John agreed.

Friar Tuck laughed and rolled up the sleeves of his brown robes. “Let’s take a look at your riches, shall we Robyn?” he said, smoothing the whole thing over.

“Certainly my dear Friar. Come, this way,” I said, leading the Friar through our camp.

After counting, guessing, approximating, and calculating we discovered we had approximately 30,000 marks of wealth in our scattered, safe house locations.  It wasn’t even a
third
of the ransom.