Lady in Lincoln Green - chapter 1

"Binny? Binny wake up!" Robyn heard someone hiss in her ear early one morning. "Robyn? Father wants you out on the front lawn, and he seemed really mad!" Her younger sister Marian's voice spoke softly in her left ear, Marian's bright orange locks of hair dangling in a way that if Robyn opened her mouth she most certainly would be filled with her silken hair.
"Alright, I'm up! I'm up!" Robyn called leaping out of bed. What does he want me for? she thought as she got dressed in an emerald green tunic, and trudged away to the front lawn.
"Miss Robyn!" He roared a way few have never heard him before. "I hear you, young lady, have been practicing archery, swordsmanship, and the staff!"
"Yes, father, is it illegal or something?"
"Well if you pursued it you could be arrested! And I for one will not have any lady of Locksley becoming an outlaw!" He roared again.
"My mother was a lady of Locksley, I am just a girl who has had the misfortune of having to live here," Robyn retorted. She was angry because archery was the only thing she enjoyed, but even still she tried to act calm, for she knew if she dared yell at her father he may be kind enough to toss her a quarter staff and little less than best her to death. Lucky for her though, her father started walking away obviously cursing her for mentioning the former lady of Locksley in a manner such as this. Robyn ran a short way across the bright green fields into the stables, grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows, and set off for Nottinghamshire to see an old friend by the name of Will Stutely. Between Locksley and Nottinghamshire is Sherwood Forest.
Even then Sherwood Forest was the home of the outlaws, so Robyn had been there many times before as a child, but in the past year her father saw it dangerous because of the outlaws. In her youth they had always been exceedingly kind to her. At that time however there was Charles that would stop Robyn and kindly escort her on to Nottinghamshire.
Walking upon the tree line welled more joy in Robyn's heart. She heard the birds singing their merry tunes, the green tops swaying gently in the breeze, and the air becoming calmer by the second. The birds, in her opinion, are the greatest minstrels ever anywhere because nobody has ever sung sweeter. The trees seemed to be dancing to the little minstrel's sweet singing. She didn't know it yet, but the air seemed fresher because Sherwood Forest knew it was Robyn's home, her second self, and she would not be me whole without being home.
"Hello Robyn; haven't seen you in a while," someone whispered in her ear halfway thru the forest. She turned around and the face of Will Stutely stared back at her.
"Hello Will, I haven't been around here in a while," she replied barely more than a whisper, "What are you doing in Sherwood Forest, shouldn't you be on your father's farm?"
"Binny how long has it been since you've been to Nottinghamshire?" He replied at roughly the same volume.
"Nearly 5 years, how much changed?"
"Oh you know, just taxes tripling, and laws changing."
"Taxes, that's how people are becoming outlaws?! Wait 'tripling' why so high? Have people always become outlaws by taxes?"
"Yes, just a moment, yes." He began, "alright, err... The townsfolk was having a brief financial mixup, and we country folk were doing pretty well, so we figured it fair to lower prices on crops. We became much wealthier, and the townsfolk much wealthier than us. You know the sheriff doesn't go out of town; he just collects after church on Sunday, so he doesn't know who's from where, he just knew we were becoming wealthier. As you can guess he told king Richard, and Richard doubled taxes. Well spring came along and activity went up so wealth went up, so he tripled it from original. Then fall came, and wealth went down; some communication went funny and nobody lowered the taxes in effect a lot of Nottinghamshire people couldn't pay and we had to flee to Sherwood Forest. Many got enough to pay taxes, but only that much. My parents are among them, but I stayed an outlaw because we didn’t have quite enough yet to get all of us out of Sherwood; just enough for my parents."
"Will, I'll find a way to help Nottingham. There will be happiness again in Nottingham." Robyn guaranteed him on the far tree line.
"Robyn, if you can, you're a saint." He laughed. With that she continued into the town of Nottingham. Five years ago it looked like a small, but nice English village. Now though it looked glum; maybe it was the the clouds that looked like rain would be here any minute, or maybe it was that some buildings were down homes and businesses alike, or maybe still it was the scattering of blood stained nooses. I will help this town, and the sheriff and Prince John will be on their knees begging me to spare their miserable short lives, Robyn thought immediately. Robyn turned to leave Nottingham and went back to Sherwood. She had stormed halfway through it before she had realized that the sky was no longer the clouds that she had seen back in Nottingham, night was coming. By this time the sky was black. It was around 10 pm. If she hurried a little faster she could make it home by about 3 her father shouldn't be out at that time. Robyn quickened her step, and got home around 3am as she had expected.
The next morning was business as usual. she had classes to read, write, cook, clean, and take care of a garden. Robyn had been doing this since she was 6 years old. Wasted 12 years if you asked her. Most girls don't go to school to read or write, and all she wanted to do was serve knighthood to a good king such as King Arthur. All day she kept scheming to save Nottingham.
This went on for about a month before a message from the castle arrived. Robyn’s father heard the message and bid the stout man farewell.
"Robyn, please come here," he asked in his normal kind voice and willingly she agreed curious to know what the message was. "Prince John has chosen a maiden to be his bride."
"Alright," Robyn replied dreading what would come next. "Why must I be aware of this, father?"
"Because you, Robyn are the maiden he's chosen." He said it the dreaded thing. How could he let me, she thought, his daughter, his own flesh and blood, marry that arrogant buffoon? Robyn felt her stomach harden with anger, there must be some way to not get married, ever.
"Must I get married to him then?"
"Yes I'm afraid you must Robyn. The prince chose a bride, and we must respect that."
"Fine, when are we to be married then, father?" She asked.
"Exactly one week. After the tournament."
"What tournament?"
"Any time someone of the royal family gets married a tournament is held, for king Richard it was
jousting." That gave the scheming little rogue an idea; she was tip top at the sword, the staff, and the bow. If she found out which it was she could practice that, win the competition revealing she a girl, become an outlaw, and never have to lay eyes on that squid that calls himself prince.
"Father may I be excused?"
"Yes however if you go into that unlawful Forest take a bow, but don't leave Sherwood til I see you back here," he said warningly. Fair enough she thought, as I don't want to go to Nottingham today anyway. Robyn returned to the stables, grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows, and strode off toward Sherwood Forest.
"Robyn! I've never seen you so angry, what happened?" Will greeted her with a worried look early into the forest.
"Not now Will. Can you tell me what the next tournament is at the castle, and when?" Robyn honestly tried to say kindly, however failed.
"It's archery 5 days heads, but you're not going. It's illegal. And why on earth are you so angry?" He rambled.
"Of course I'm going! My dad just married me off!" she yelled furious that he was so protective of her.
"To whom? The only person who could get you this mad is the King of Normandy," he asked still kindly.
"Worse than he, prince John," She said firmly, but was careful not to sound the least bit angry.
He gave her a helpful smile and said, "There will be a place waiting for you here in Sherwood Forest, and you have my luck. But Binny please don't spend the next 4 days in Nottingham, go back home," he warned. Robyn obeyed seeing as that was her plan anyway, though it went sorely wrong.
"Binny? Are you alright?" her sister Marian, 5 years her junior, asked. Robyn simply nodded; her tear stained face not looking up at her younger sister. To Robyn’s great displeasure, Marian sat down next to her.
"You're lying. How can I help?"
Robyn shook her head again. "No really Marian I'm alright." With that she left unwillingly. You just lied to your sister, I bet that makes you feel much better about yourself, said a nasty voice that seemed to sound like her father's spoke in the back of Robyn’s head, but a more logical, more hers said, you try explaining to a thirteen year old that you don't want to marry the prince. That silenced the nasty voice.
On Wednesday at 11:30 pm Robyn made the run for it. She grabbed the best long bow, hers (at least it was now), and a stuffed quiver of arrows, and strode off toward Sherwood. Just before the tree line she saw a few men what looked like having a picnic, one of which was the sheriff of Nottingham's younger brother.
"Hello there young lady where are you off to so late without your father?" The sheriff's brother jeered.
"I’m headed to the archery tournament in Nottingham," she stated with confidence. "And I'm gonna win!" Robyn continued heading off their laughter.
"You!" One of the men laughed. "You're no more than a string bean youth of what? 16? A man couldn't win at that age! You don't stand a chance!" He jeered.
"I can shoot any mark 100 yards away! Better than any man, too!" Robyn yelled back furious at the sexism he snorted at her.
"Well you have no way to prove it, do you, girl?" The sheriff's brother coughed. The three continued to tell her how terrible someone in her situation must be and how dumb she is while she glanced around furiously to find something to hit. Finally Robyn’s eye fell on a herd of the King's dear that just came into the field. The buck was some 5 score yards away.
"The buck!" she yelled interrupting 1 of the men.
"Sorry?" He said.
"I said I could hit that buck over there," she replied quite confident in herself.
The sheriff's brother emptied his purse and proceeded to count the contents. "I’ve got twenty silver pennies that say you can't," he said calmly after emptying the contents back. she did nothing but draw the string of her bow, and let an arrow fly faster than she ever knew she could. It lodged itself smack in the ribcage of the buck of the pack. Robyn turned behind her again to see three men gaping at her mouths open wide.
"What, you never seen a girl shoot before?"
"You, lass, just shot one of the kings deer! that's illegal," one man snorted. The sheriff's brother fired an arrow at her. Robyn fled into the Forest. The three of them were firing arrows at her; one arrow came so close as to take a small chunk out of her ear. Robyn shot one arrow; she really wasn’t aiming at anything, or if she was she was to tired to process what. Suddenly she heard footsteps running the other direction, so she slowed down, finally she looked behind herself.
"Oh, no," she whimpered, for when she fired back her arrow it lodged itself in the sheriff's brother. It hadn’t yet occurred to her what her relationship with the sheriff would become.