“Come sit with me, John. I have a story to tell you…” said grandfather to grandson.
“What’s it about?” asked John.
“A long, long time ago, in England, right in the centre of Nottingham there was a forest. It was filled with oaks, birches and ferns. Wild beasts crept through the undergrowth. Within it lay strange huts and hovels, home to brigands and bandits...” improvised the grandfather as he pointed to the illustrations.
“Were there lions in the forest?” asked John.
“No, not lions – but there were howling wolves, ferocious wild boar, and birds of prey with piercing eyes. This forest in Nottingham was named Sherwood.”
“Why are you telling me about Sherwood Forest?”
“Well, because Sherwood Forest is where Robin Hood lived!”
“Why did he live in the forest? Was he a hermit?”
“It’s a long story. Robin Hood hadn’t always gone by that name. Before he came to hide in Sherwood Forest he was a lord, commanding wealth and respect.”
“What’s a lord?”
“A member of the nobility; someone who owned lands, and lots of peasants would live on those lands and work for him. He was a nobleman, but he answered to the king.”
“So was he like a businessman, or more like a knight?”
“Well, a little of both I suppose,” answered the grandfather, stroking his moustache with a perplexed expression.
“So grandpa, why did this business-knight go to live in the forest?”
“Well now let me finish, I’ve lost my place with all these interruptions. As I was saying...Lord Robin of Loxley led a pleasant life up in his castle, and he had a companion known as Maid Marian.”
“Was she pretty? And was Robin handsome?” John asked with enthusiasm.
“Yes, yes...they were beautiful and happy. But one day, Lord Robin was called up to fight against the Saracens in the Crusades.”
“What’s a crusade? And what’s a Saracen? A rugby player?”
“The Crusades were wars of religion, where Christians fought against Muslims. The English were Christians, and the Saracens were Muslims. As an English lord, Robin was expected to fight for his religion. And so he went off to battle, leaving Marian behind. He was a good-hearted man, gentle and obliging. He believed in the Crusades, and he fought with all his might for Christianity. But one day he defied his general’s order to execute a group of Saracens who were unarmed. Robin could not bring himself to attack the defenceless, as this went against his code of honour: no knight would ever face his enemy in an unfair fight.”
“So what happened to Robin?”
“He was sent back to Nottingham as a traitor. When he got back, he found that the Sheriff of Nottingham had confiscated all his lands and belongings. He fell into poverty and despair. He could not visit Marian, for the Sheriff had declared her dead two years before. It was then, my boy, that Sherwood Forest came into play. Robin used the forest as his hiding place, and covered his face with a hood. That’s when he got the name Robin Hood.”
“What did he do in the forest?”
“Robin Hood united all the people living in Sherwood who were angry with the sheriff. He quickly became known as the leader of the outlaws, for he was a brave and skilled fighter. He was the best archer in the whole forest, and some said there was no-one in all of England more deadly with a bow. Together, they plotted and schemed to steal from the rich and give to the poor. They fought for justice, and fairness. They wanted every man to live a decent life.”
“So this Robin Hood was a hero! What happened after that?”
“One day, Robin Hood and his lads held up a caravan that was transporting the Sheriff of Nottingham’s fortune. It was due to be delivered to the Saracen army. Because the Sheriff, and even the church, were funding the enemy’s army in order to dethrone the King of England! The entire Crusade had been nothing more than a plot to unseat the king! And so Robin fought a battle against the sheriff and his cronies. During the fight, Robin shared a long kiss with Marian. He’d never stopped loving her, and she was so happy to see him alive.”
“So did Robin Hood win the battle?” asked John.
“Unfortunately the sheriff’s men got the upper hand, and Robin Hood had to give himself up to prevent a bloodbath.”
“Did they put him in jail?”
“Even worse! The sheriff didn’t want to let him live, for he was a symbol of rebellion and vigilante justice. More than that, he wasn’t afraid of the sheriff. He was brought to the sheriff’s castle to be executed. But Robin Hood was a hero, and managed to escape! He had many friends to help him. Without good friends a hero is done for, no matter how brave he may be.”
“What then? What then?”
“It was a happy ending for our Robin Hood. He found Marian back in Sherwood Forest, and they lived happily there with all their merry men!”
“That was a great story, Grandpa!”
“That’s the story of Robin Hood!”
Alan Alfredo Geday