Week 14 Story: Robin Hood

Robin Hood and his band of outlaws were truly onto something this time around. One of Robin Hood’s spies in the city of York had uncovered information pertaining to a shipment of King John’s taxation collections. Namely, there was soon to be a large supply of gold on the move through the countryside, prime for the taking. A heist such as this would be nothing short of a walk in the park for Robin Hood and his band of outlaws.

While Robin Hood was excited to hear news of such an easy target, he still remained hesitant on pursuing this target. The king’s men knew this route would take them directly through outlaw territory, specifically his own. Why would they willingly take this route? Yes it was the fastest path, but there were other far safer options for travel. Robin Hood had an uneasy feeling in his stomach the morning of the planned raid, one that he could not ignore.

So with his instincts telling him no, Robin Hood called off the planned attack on the King’s Taxation transport, preferring to wait for a target that did not seem to be good to be true. The majority of his subordinates accepted this order, with only a select few feeling that their leader was simply going soft after so many years of living outside the law. These few would go against the orders of their commander, endangering the entire band of outlaws.

Late in the evening as King John’s transport of taxation funds was moving through the woods, the few men who decided to go against Robin Hood’s orders were positioning themselves to ambush the transport. As they leapt from the cover darkness it quickly become apparent that Robin Hood’s intuition was correct on this transport. Rather than be alarmed by the outlaws the presence the transport reacted as if they were expecting it, bracing themselves for an attack. This was a trap.

The following morning Robin Hood learned of his men’s disobedience. This left him with a decision to make. Leave to them to their fate, which surely is to hang, or risk the lives of others who obeyed his orders to save these few who let greed corrupt their better judgment. While he felt these men potentially deserved their fate for disobeying his orders, he knew it would be wrong to leave his men to die without even attempting a rescue. They may have been outlaws, but they were also a family.

Robin Hood’s spy in the city of York informed him that his captured men were being interrogated in the city’s jailhouse, with an execution scheduled for the following morning. This left very little time for a plan to be devised and a plan of action made in case his men turn on him and expose the location of their encampment. This left only a few hours to prepare, an almost impossible task, even for the legendary Robin Hood.

The following morning his men were in place in the town square, each with a specific job to do in accordance with the plan for it to succeed. The plan would not be initiated until the men were being marched up the steps of the gallows to their fate. As the ropes were swung over the heads of his men Robin and two other skilled archers took aim from a distant rooftop. Right before the trapdoors gave way Robin Hood and his other archers unleashed their arrows, cutting the ropes at the perfect moment as the executioner pulled the lever to release the trapdoors. As his men were falling to their freedom the remaining outlaws in the audience deployed a number of smoke bombs and distraction devices to allow for the group to escape.

Robin Hood and his band of outlaws escaped to the woods at the edge of York, where the king’s men dared not even follow, knowing they would never find the fugitives in the woods. Robin Hood managed to save his lost men this day, and they all learned to never go against the word of their leader ever again.
    

Author's Note: The basic story of Robin Hood is known to nearly every man, woman, and child in the western world. These tales describe the classic bandit who steals from the rich and gives to the poor who are in need in medieval England. His story has been told time and time again, in numerous languages and a variety of narrative styles. Originally the story was told through a ballad presentation that was commonly sung around the campfire. I attempted to present my narrative in this style, however the work came across as an imposter, and unnatural for my writing style. My inspiration for this story actually came from a Latino version of Robin Hood, Zorro. The idea of having Robin Hood and other marksmen cut the hangman’s rope with a well-placed arrow is exciting, while realistically impossible. Robin Hood is a cunning character that has survived for so long by relying on his wits. This is why he is able to see through King John’s ruse at the beginning of the narrative, choosing to avoid the planned ambush. His wits and ability to avoid a blatant trap allow for the narrative to develop from this point into something more substantial. In the end this is another adventure story with Robin Hood as the main character, but I believe it is one that is still rather entertaining. 
  

Bibliography: The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Robin Hood, Francis James Childs(1882-1898)

Photo Information: An actor playing the part of Robin Hood in a stage production
Source: Wikimedia Commons