Arthur Hood: the Heir of Robin and King

Chapter Twenty-Two

'Do you think the Lady of the Lake can give you your magic back?' said Esme as they left the train in the trees. Although she was asking Merlynna, she was spying Arthur very closely. She had done so ever since he had told her that he was both the heir of King Arthur and Robin Hood.

'I don't know but I need to try,' Merlynna replied, still on the lookout for Fury. 'And if she can give me my magic back, I can use it to help get Pridwen and the Sword in the Sword back to Arthur.'

'So what's the Lady of the Lake like?' asked Little Johnny as he swatted away a branch with his staff.

'Like I said before, this forest only allows in the good of heart. She can be a bit stand-offish though.' Esme stared at Arthur once again before taking Robin's Horn from her belt, it still changed from when Arthur had touched it. 'Are you sure you don't want it? It rightfully belongs to you.'

Though he felt a strong connection to it, Arthur replied. 'You keep it. You found it. It's yours.'

Esme threaded the horn back through her belt and replied, 'Thank you. But if you ever change your mind, just ask—'

Little Johnny had gasped sharply.

'What is it?' Arthur and Merlynna snapped in fright.

Little Johnny pointed up through the branches and the leaves up above.

'Is it Fury?' Merlynna added eagerly.

She and Arthur followed Little Johnny's gaze and saw a tree like no other. A tree that towered far above all the others, it shooting into the clouds and beyond.

'That–that-that's huge,' Arthur almost choked.

'We call it Jack's Tree,' said Esme. 'After Jack the Ogre Slayer. He used to live at the very top of it.'

'Have you ever climbed it?' asked Little Johnny.

'Although I consider myself a great climber of trees and the rest of the Children of the Forest too, you wouldn't get me up there.'

The children continued on but were soon met by a loud clanging noise. It sounded like the clashing of swords.

'And what's that?' Arthur, Merlynna and Little Johnny shrieked together.

'Sparring ghosts,' Esme replied.

'Ghosts?' breathed Arthur.

'Yep. The ghosts of Robin Hood's band of good fellows, the people that helped him fight tyranny.'

'Really?' snapped Arthur. 'Have you seen them?'

'Occasionally we will but they usually don't stick around too long.'

Once again, the children carried on through the forest. And with each step, they got closer to Jack's Tree, its trunk seemingly growing until it was wider than Arthur's house. Still far from it, they entered a path wedged between rolling crests, where the smell of water wafted on the breeze.

'We're close to a lake,' said Esme. 'Let's hope the Lady is there.'

The path took them through shallow caves and over swathes of fallen acorns. It was when they crossed a short foot bridge traversing a trickle that the lake came into view.

Surrounded by a pebbly shoreline, the vast body rippled and purled. And as a cloudy gloom above made the water look as black as night, a single ray of sunshine pierced down onto a rock in the water and over a figure basking in its warmth.

'Is that the Lady in the Lake?' snapped Merlynna.

Arthur could tell the young witch was ready to dive in.