HOOD

Chapter three

"Where exactly are we headed?", Rod asked and took a sip of water that an hostess on the plane handed him just before they took off.
"England...", Suleiman said with his eyes glued to a magazine.
"But where exactly?... and how did you afford to get a private jet on a driver's salary?", Rod asked looking around the plane again. He had gotten onboard without any passport. Immediately they had left the hospital, three black SUVs pulled up at the next block and they got in. About an hour later , they pulled up to an airstrip. Rod knew he would find out what was really going on but didn't want to disturb Suleiman too much.
"Your father's home... Loxley Estate... and this belongs to Loxely", Suleiman said this time looking at Rod.
"How come aunt Luce never mentioned any of this?",Rod asked.
"She didn't know ... Your mom and dad died a year after having you... Your aunt never really met you dad... All she knew was Maddy ran off with Ben, a guy she just met and got hitched... next thing she hears is that they were both dead...", Suleiman said and closed the magazine.
"That's why she hates my dad... and me... ",Rod said and looked out the window.
"She doesn't hate you... She just almost lost a child... She doesn't mean what she said",Suleiman said and took a sip of his coca cola.
"I hope so", Rod said and leaned back on his seat.
"You'll understand better when you get home... Trust me", Suleiman said and shut his eyes. "Get some sleep Rob",He added.
"It's Rod", Rod corrected but Suleiman was already snoring lightly.

Rod woke up in a bed. A soft and big bed. The sheets were smooth and silky. He tossed and turned not wanting to wake up. Then he realized that he had fallen asleep on a plane. He jumped out of the bed and looked out the window. He was on the third floor of an old looking building. Surrounded by a forest that seemed to be unending. He turned around and studied the room. It was huge and smelt like a new wardrobe.
"You're up", Suleiman said, startling Rod. He was standing by the door.
"Did you drug me?",Rod asked as he walked up to a smiling Suleiman.
"You needed sleep... and I gave it to you... How do you feel now eehn?"
"Fresh", Rod said and sat on the bed. He looked around the room and saw pictures of his father, Ben.
"This was his room", Suleiman said as he picked up one of the pictures from the fire place.
"How did he... they... die?", Rod asked.
"Lunch is ready", said an old man with a British accent.
"Good", Suleiman said and placed the picture back. "This is Sherman... Your butler... His family has been working in the Loxley estate for years and years", Suleiman added.
"How do you do?", Rod asked.
"Very well, Master Loxely", Sherman replied with a bow and walked away.
"Alright then... After lunch we'll have a long talk and I'll answer any questions you have", Suleiman said and walked away too.
Rod didn't eat much. He excused himself and went to the large garden he had spotted behind the house earlier. The ground was covered neatly with grass while large bricks were interlocked to form a path. A water fountain sat at the center of the opening and vines with beautiful flowers clung to the fence.
"Beautiful... Isn't it?", Suleiman said just as he walked past Rod to the fountain.
"Yeah... I guess", Rod said and took a sit on a white wooden bench at the corner."I really miss aunt Lucy", he added.
"You'll be fine Rob", Suleiman said reassuringly and faced the fountain.
"You keep calling me Rob.. You're not retarded... So I'm guessing there's a reason you keep doing it", Rod said with a frown.
"What is your name, boy?", Suleiman asked with his back facing Rod.
"Rod... not Rodney... Just Rod... Rod... I never knew knew my surname was Loxely", Rod said.
"Your name...is... Robert Loxely... THE THIRD", Suleiman said and walked up to Rod.
"What?", Rod asked in confusion.
"Rod was a mistake...Have you seen your birth certificate?", Suleiman asked smiling.
"No... I...", Rod stammered and Suleiman continued.
"Do you know who Robert Loxely... The First... was?", Suleiman asked.
"No", Rod said and sat up straight still trying to wrap his head around what he just heard.Suleiman places a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Come with me Robert", Suleiman said and walked away. Rod rose quickly and cut up with him.
They walked back into the building and took the stairs up just past the living room. They walked down the corridor and entered the last door at the left. It led into a big room. The Master bedroom.
Suleiman walked up to the dressing mirror that ran from the roof to the ground of the room and stopped.
"Centuries ago, England was at war with the Arabians... people were drafted across the country indiscriminately into the King's Crusade...The church was running the whole show then... Your great great great great... great... not really sure... grand father, Robert Loxely the First was drafted some months to when he was to be wedded. He joined the Crusaders...and for the next four years, he killed for England... or so he thought... Some prisoners were being killed for no reason so he intervened... he set a lot if Arabians free that day... My great great great... great...great... blah blah blah... grand father was one of those prisoners...Robert got discharged and sent back home to Nottingham... Long story short, the Sheriff drafted him just so he could get his hands on the Loxely fortune... The sheriff told everyone that he was dead and claimed all Robert had in the name of the King... The sheriff took everything away including the woman he loved...My great great whatever, whose name in english is John helped Robert get it all back by teaching him how to use this", Suleiman said and placed his palm over the mirror. It lit up like a screen and scanned his palm. The mirror moved away to reveal an Amory filled with different bows and arrows neatly arranged with a black hooded jacket, hanging on a mannequin at the center.
"Woaw", Rod said without moving. His mouth fell open.
Suleiman walked into the amory, grabbed a bow and three arrows.
"This was the first bow used in the rebellion Robert started... Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor...", Suleiman said and smiled as he nocked the arrows.
"Wait... Robert Loxely...Rob... was Robinhood?", Rod asked wide eyed.
"Yes", Suleiman replied.
"This is crazy... I mean... The storied I've heard are ridiculous...", Rod said.
"Right... One man killing thousands with a bow and some arrows... Shooting a thousand arrows at once...hitting a target thousands of miles away...Ridiculous..", Suleiman said and pointed the three nocked arrows at Rod."Don't...move...", he added and shot the three arrows. None of them hit Rod but somehow the arrows hit the same spot on the bed post behind Rod.
"Are you crazy?... You could have killed me...", Rod yelled.
"But I didn't", Suleiman said and gave the bow to Rod.
Rod turned around and saw that the arrows hit the same spot.
"How did you do that?", Rod asked.
"Practice... Years of practice... Just like what I did to those kids in the alley..", Suleiman said and pulled out the arrows."The question you should have asked was... How did you repeat what I did to that kid... Huh?", Suleiman asked with a frown.
"I don't know... I just saw you do it...in my head and somehow... I did it too...", Rod said and went into the amory. He ran his hands on the leather jacket. "None of this seems real", he added and walked out of the amory then handed the bow to Suleiman.
"Robert... You always felt you were meant for more... much more... this is it... the destiny you were in search of... right here..", Suleiman said and gave the bow back to Rod who took it reluctantly. "Oh and one more thing... Your name is Robert Loxely... Rob... not Rod".