The servant looked bitterly up at the grey sky and then down once again at his sodden muddy boots. He sighed and trudged on wishing that he were still in Bishops Lynn. There was supposed to be a feast with whole suckled pigs, roast duck, and puddings, (oh the puddings!), even the thought made his mouth water. He'd heard that the town had prepared all of it's best dishes, even leftovers would have been a treat.
Instead he was trudging back to Spalding next to a slow, lumbering baggage train, freezing in the chilled morning air. All because the weakling of a ruler King John Softsword caught a cold. He snorted in distaste. How he wished that he had been servant to King Richard instead of his sniveling master.
King John had caught a cold a couple of hours after he arrived in Bishops Lynn and sent his baggage train home ahead. As the servant trudged through the black sludge of the Wash as it was known, he hoped fervently that the tide didn't rise. Half way across the mud flats, it did exactly that. At first it was just streams of seawater running around the escorts feet, but gradually the water rose and began to fill the estuary. The servant noticed the water when it reached his shins. He looked down and yelped. He ran forward and began urging the cart horses forward until they were at full speed. It was no use. As the water level rose and the current grew stronger the horses drew to a halt. The servant looked on in despair. They would all be punished for their stupidity, he was sure of it. By this time the water was up to his waist and he could barely move. It took all his strength to jump onto the nearest carriage.
The horse pulling it began to buck and scream. It wouldn't calm down. It tried to swim away but its harness kept it anchored to the carriage, until it snapped, that is. The horse broke free, whinnying its relief and happiness.
At first nothing happened but, as soldiers jumped off the carriage to restrain the horse, the carriage began to lift and move, the servant could do nothing as it began to drift away down the estuary on the incoming tide.
The carriage came to a stop with a bump that knocked the exhausted servant into the water, he dragged the carriage side on to the shore and knotted it to a fallen tree with some thick vines before slumping to the ground, his back to the carriage door. It opened. The servant fell back into the space within and gasped at none other than the crown jewels. Now the servant may not have liked King John but he valued loyalty and pondered what to do with his discovery. He remembered talk of the group of outlaws that many were calling Robin Hood's Merry Men and decided he need to hide the carriage along with its treasure.
He found a shallow cave further down stream and placed the cart inside. He covered the entrance with branches leaves and vines until it seemed to blend in with the forest surroundings. In fact he was just admiring his handiwork when a man dressed in very strange green stained clothes appeared behind him. The servant jumped and cried out when he saw the drawn bow pointing straight at him. “What are you hiding?” asked the stranger.
“Nothing, I was lost in the forest, I'm so glad you've found me!” replied the servant.
“I'm not,” said the stranger, “now I have to take you all the way back to Sherwood Forest.” The stranger moved quickly, just as the servant registered what he had said. “You're one of Robin Hood's men!” he exclaimed, but the stranger didn't reply. He tied the servant up and began to drag him through the forest. The route they took confused the servant and at times the outlaw, for he had decided that is what the stranger was, seemed to fade into the forest, even though he was only a few steps ahead. It must be those strange clothes, the servant thought to himself.
The servant knew that he had to escape. He was sure that they torture him to find out what he was doing and he couldn't let the crown jewels, of all things, fall into the hands of a band of robbers. After three days of walking he made his move. He had been loosening the knots carefully, wary of the fact that he might be discovered, but he wasn't. On the night of the third day, he slipped from his bonds and ran away into the night to get help from the town of Spalding.
Of course he was caught. The outlaw was an accomplished woodsman and quickly found his trail. The servant made it to the edge of the clearing in which the town was situated before he was jumped from behind and dragged back into forest. The outlaw angrily set about cooking dinner. The servant was deliberately given none.
It was the next morning when the soldiers came. They surrounded the camp and restrained the outlaw before dragging both captives back to Spalding. As they entered the town the outlaw bent his head and wept. The servant asked “why are you crying?”
“For months I have fought for what I believe in. Here my beliefs are dead.”
They were separated after that and the servant never saw or heard of the outlaw again. The servant was taken to the keep in the centre of Spalding where he told of the location of the Crown Jewels to the Lord of the Manor but the Lord didn't believe him. He was thrown into the dungeons where he stayed for two whole days.
King John was still very sick but he heard about the servant's story. Out of desperation to find the missing jewels he ordered a search party to take the servant with them to find the missing carriages.
Despite his weakness, after three days of starvation, the servant complied and lead them to the cave.
They were dubious when they first saw the branches and vines but as the servant cleared them away, the soldiers saw the carriage and finally believed.
When he returned to Spalding, King John was delighted, so much in fact that he summoned the servant the very next day. He whispered in a barely audible voice, “Servant, what is your name?
“Roger Bigod your Majesty.” the servant replied.
“Well then, Roger Bigod, I appoint you as 2nd Earl of Norfolk as a reward for your loyalty, bravery and the return of the Crown Jewels!”
Roger Bigod was speechless, he had never had a penny to spare from the moment of his birth. This moment would be the most incredible experience of his entire life. And all because he knew where to find the crown that got lost 'in the Wash'.
And so, like all good stories, this one has a happy ending. The servant who became an Earl ruled his lands and subjects wisely and fairly. The outlaw belonging to Robin Hood's band of Merry Men was released by order of the Earl and was given lands to work with his family. The King lived only a few more days after this story ends, but enjoyed a privilege that not many kings did. He died peacefully in his sleep, secure in the knowledge that the Crown Jewels were safe.
There is one more question remaining. In the world today there are many types of people. The question is what type are you?
Are you like the servant, loyal and brave?
Are you like the outlaw, who fought for what he believed in?
Or are you like the Lord, a person who doubts what he can't see?
Sometimes it is important to trust in people because loyalty and trust in the right places can change lives.
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I wrote this for a short story competition.
