Robin Hood - A Tale Untold

Prologue

Nottinghamshire, England, 1192

A zephyr tickled the silken leaves high up in the boughs of Sherwood Forest and all was calm and still. A hedgehog snuffled in the undergrowth while a doe perused the fronds of a shrub. The quietude was pleasant and each little creature lingered fondly, but then birds scattered from the tree, a flurry of brown and black, and the deer lifted their heads before fleeing as a wooden carriage, encrusted with silver and drawn by two white stallions, rattled through the greenwood.

A steady breath.

Within the carriage sat a nobleman, laughing as he counted his wealth.

The string was drawn back towards his ear.

His two pretty daughters, adorned in satin garments, sat across from him.

Let go.

The laughter stopped when an arrow flew through the window and lodged itself above the nobleman's head.

From the thickets and shrubbery emerged men, brandishing staffs and swords and roaring an English war cry. The horses reared up, tugging at the reins and throwing the driver from his seat with the sheer force. The horses were then cut free and sent running by two masked men, while some others caught the driver, who'd attempted to flee.
   Inside the carriage, the daughters shrieked with fear and held onto each other for dear life, while the right-side door was flung open. The nobleman paled, his bottom lip trembling, as he looked up to see an arrow pointed straight at him, all drawn back in its bow. The man was masked like the rest - a handkerchief around the mouth and nose - but his was dark green while everyone else wore brown masks. Behind him stood two other men, giving looks of intimidation to those seated in the carriage.
   "Now," spoke the green-masked man, his voice calm and thick with a distinctive Yorkshire accent, "I don't think either of us want me to fire this arrow, do we?"
   The nobleman shook his head slowly.
   "Great that we're on the same page... Now, we'll be taking your money, treasures and clothes, if you don't mind."

Soon enough, the bandits had bagged the money, grabbed the treasures and stolen the clothes, leaving the nobleman and his two pretty daughters shivering in their undergarments.
   "I'd just like to thank you once again," the green-masked man bowed gratefully (and sarcastically), "You've done your country a wonderful service."
   Just as he turned to leave, the nobleman cried out, his voice shaking, "Who even are you?!"
   The outlaw paused and then turned back around. Beneath the mask, his lips curled into a smirk. He then pulled it away to reveal a young man, stubble adorning his face, and his deep brown eyes glinted, thrilled. It wasn't a face they were going to forget in a hurry.

"They call me Robin. Robin Hood."