A Forgotten Legend: Anaivere the First

Part Five: Magna Carta

Five years after the midnight battle in Sherwood Forest, in a cold winter, a rumour was spread throughout Nottingham: the well-known mistress of outlaws, Anais d'Nottinghamshire, was dead. Someone said she died due to pneumonia, the others said she was assassinated. No one knew the truth behind that rumour, excepted Robin Hood, Alan-a-Dale, and Crown Princess Anaivere Plantagenet. When Anais was alive, despite that the taxes were risen continuously, doubled, tripled even quadrupled, Nottingham citizens didn't die much from starvation.

Luckily, in 1215, five years more after that, there were a few nobilities stood by the peasants' side, especially low-ranked nobilities such as the barons. They made a rebellion toward the unpopular King John, who would sign a peace treaty to give most of his power to the barons.

The barons, who was led by the Crown Princess of England, Anaivere Plantagenet, made a treaty that limited the high-ranked nobilities and the king's power and rights, prevented illegal imprisonment to citizens, and also, reduced the taxes. The treaty was named "Magna Carta", which means "The Great Charter", was signed by King John himself, on the day of 15 June 1215, at Runnymede, near Windsor Castle.

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15 June 1215,... Runnymede...

Led by the Crown Princess Anaivere, the barons and other low-ranked nobilities such as knights, went to a green meadow at Runnymede near the Windsor Castle to have the hated King John signed the peace treaty which was written by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This would be witnessed by many of citizens around there. The King also came with some guards and his eldest son, the eight-year-old Prince Henry. At that time, King John was forty-seven-year-old and his niece, the Crown Princess, was round thirty-one.

"Although I knew you had pity on those peasants, I had never expected you led those nobilities to have a rebellion against your uncle, Little Anaivere..."

"My dearest Uncle John, as the Crown Princess, my duty is to care for my citizens, not to harm them..."

The little prince behind King John peeked aside to see the people who were "rebels" that revolted against his father. He saw a noblewoman standing at the lead, or, his cousin, to be precise. Behind the Crown Princess, not only the barons followed, but also Robin Hood, his right-hand man Little John and the minstrel Alan-a-Dale.

"That is Anaivere Plantagenet, the Crown Princess?"

The little prince asked his governor who was standing behind. And he replied:

"Yes, Your Highness. She is the eldest daughter of your aunt, Princess Anne..."

"So... thou once told me that the eldest son of the king is the successor to the throne. Why I am just the Prince, not the Crown Prince?"

"This was Her Majesty Queen Eleanor's will, and we are to oblige to it. I didn't know why Her Majesty chose Her Royal Highness to be the successor to the throne..."

"This is not fair, not right. A girl cannot become the Crown, can she?"

King John scolded his son for being annoyed. The Archbishop of Canterbury handed out the treaty, "Magna Carta", onto the feast table which was prepared for this day.

King John had no way to refuse the situation. His unpopularity was undeniable, and there was no way he could reverse it. England's people hated him, even his niece was also one in whom that rebelled against him and the other nobilities. Despite being a royalty, the Crown Princess stood by the peasants' side.

The king looked at the people who was standing behind their mistress, there were the ones whom he was always seeking - the infamous and beloved legendary outlaws, Robin Hood and his merry men. There were even the Church who also stood by the poor citizens' side: Friar Tuck, the brothers of Nottingham Cathedral, Mother Maiseline and the sisters of Nottingham Abbey.