by Kate Danley
The sun's rays fell through the branches, casting glittering motes that drifted down like warm snow. Robin spotted the owl who had saved him resting on a branch. She woke long enough to see who disturbed her slumber. The black raven swooped in, landing on the grass, calling out as he had the day Robin had followed him to Little John. And finally, a small, red-breasted robin lit on an exposed boulder. He cocked his delicate head at the happy couple.
"I do believe he means to preside over our exchange," laughed Marian. Her voice twinkled like water rushing over stones.
Robin turned to face her. He paused a moment to revel in the wonder that they were even here, to memorize the scent of her lavender water mixed with the earthy forest.
She took his hand and placed it on her chest, the delicate flutter of her heart beating beneath his palm. "I take you, Robin Hood, in the sight of everything that shaped us. You, who saved me. You, who brought hope to my days. Through everything, it has always been you. Always. Of all the men in all the world, I choose you."
Robin gazed deeply. "When I was at my darkest hour, it was your face, the memory of these, your laughing eyes, that kept me alive." He leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers. "I loved you from the moment I saw you. Your spirit, your fight, your bravery, your wit... The world stops when I see you and I gladly stop my world to step into this forever with you." He looked up at the birds and the trees and the spirits of the forest who had guided him to this moment. "I thank you for everything. All this time, I wondered why, but now I understand and see." He returned to Marian, "I swear I shall love you so fiercely, they shall sing songs of us a thousand years from now. You are my chosen wife. And I. Choose. You."
The small bird on the boulder gave out a loud peep of approval as their lips joined, sealing their hearts' oath in a promise to last for eternity. Robin and Marian laughed, holding each other close. The three birds took off, circling the clearing in a goodbye, and then disappeared into the heavens.
By the time Robin and Marian arrived at the camp, the party was in full swing. Little John jogged over to shake his friend's hand and kiss the bride. He reached out and knowingly picked a stray oak leaf from Marian's hair. And then Little John wrapped Robin up in a massive embrace. They held one another, for while it was a happy beginning, it was also an end.
"You'll be the uncle to our little ones," Robin swore to Little John when they finally parted. "Someone will need to teach them how to pound a nail and make an honest living."
"And you'll have to stop by every night to spend time with me and my wife. Marian and she are going to gang up against us," Little John warned with a laugh.
The celebration in the forest carried on until the sun came up. Much brought casks of ale and poured freely for the outlaws who rose up in Nottingham. Will brought in a balladeer to sing them the songs of Robin Hood. It kept them laughing deep into the night. Sir Richard was there. He clasped both Robin and Marian to his breast, overwrought with glad emotion that they were alive and well. He presented a gift to the happy couple - a chest filled with four hundred pounds. He leaned in as Robin tried to refuse it and said, "I always said I would pay you back. And after all, you are now family."
So began their new life.
Sir Richard brought all the outcast men to his stronghold and put them up until the matter with the Sheriff's murder was settled. They were found to be loyal subjects to King Henry, standing up against a usurper who was an enemy of the crown. The knights living in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire chose a new Sheriff and soon, those outlaws of the forest were allowed to return home.
Robin and Marian settled in a little house near Wakefield. Little John returned to his wife and family in the village of Hathersage.
Though cleared of wrongdoing, they had witnessed how quickly politics can make heroes into enemies. So, Robin and John spread a rumor that Marian had gone to a convent, and that Robin had been bled to death by a prioress. Supposedly, Robin had told Little John to open up the window where he lay and let him shoot an arrow where his body should be buried. It was a tale so heroic and outlandish, the bards could hardly wait to spread the story.
Robin and John rejoined the struggle for justice on the Isle of Ely and later Scotland during the second Barons War. But that's another story.
They all endured the reign of Henry III. They saw the rise of Edward I. Sometimes, someone would put together the pieces and swear they had met the famed outlaw. Then one of the merry company which had helped take down Nottingham castle would appear on the rolls of court in a town far away, and swear he was Robin Hood.
Robin and Marian lived together until the end of their days, doing what people want to do, which is just to live. To live and be happy and love one another. The tales of Robin's exploits grew, and it just caused them to smile. They knew the truth.
Fate is not a thing that anoints greatness on just a few. It is a calling each morning, an understanding of the preciousness of the hours. Greatness begins with an act of generosity that goes on to live in the hearts of others. It is the memory of kindness that grants a small few immortality. Their stories never end. They are added to and grow. But it is the capacity for immense humanity, to alter people's lives for the better, which elevates our heroes to a place of honor among us.
At the heart of greatness is an act which gives others hope, which causes others to believe.
May you find the thing that brings you hope, and in sharing this hope, discover your own greatness.
Long live Robin Hood.
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Other Books by Kate Danley
Visit http://www.katedanley.com for the full list!
The Woodcutter
Queen Mab
Olde Robin Hood
Twilight Shifters
The Dark of Twilight
Moon Rise
Light of Dawn
O'Hare House Mysteries
A Spirited Manor
Spirit of Denial
Distilled Spirits
In High Spirits
Maggie MacKay: Magical Tracker
Maggie for Hire
Maggie Get Your Gun
Maggie on the Bounty
M&K Tracking
The M-Team
Maggie Goes to Hollywood
Maggie Reloaded
Maggie Goes Medieval
Eine Kleine Nacht Maggie
Of Mice and MacKays
The Ghost and Ms. MacKay
Red, White, and Maggie
My Maggie Valentine
Acknowledgments
This story is based upon the original medieval ballads A Gest of Robyn Hode, Robin Hood and the Monk, and Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne. While Maid Marian does not make her appearance in the written Robin Hood ballads until centuries later (it was a pretty strict boys club back in the day), historical records have shown two of the candidates for the real Robin Hood were married to a woman named Matilda and Maude, who may have gone by Marian, who may have inspired her legend, so I chose to include her. I found a resource which noted a surname of "Leaford," which seemed to possibly intersect with "Sir Richard of Lea" identified in A Gest of Robyn Hode. She and Robin first appeared together on stage at the May Games, so I decided to honor that tradition. Forgive the artistic license. Sadly, only fragments of these plays survive, but records speak of their popularity and cultural influence. It is debated whether the May Games plays or ballads existed first (many believe they existed concurrently). I included the popular meeting of Robin and John on the log because none of the ballads discuss how they initially met, so why not stick with tradition. I also gave a nod to Robin's incorporation into pagan traditions as a figure known as the Green Man. In the May Games, an actor play
ing Robin often held the role of the King of the May or Summer King. A wandering minstrel makes an appearance in my story to quote the very first mention of Robin Hood in print (aside from the jail and legal records) from Piers Plowman by William Langland. The oral tradition of the minstrels and balladeers is the only reason Robin's story survived, so I thought it fitting to acknowledge "they're the reason for the season" as it were.
I would like to thank the Sherwood Forest County Park and Visitor Centre, Ezekial Bone and his Robin Hood tour of Nottingham, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Saint Mary's Church in Nottingham, The Robin Hood Legacy in Nottingham, Nottingham Castle and their caves tour, the National Justice Museum in Nottingham, Warwick Castle and their archery and falconry demonstrations, The New York Renaissance Festival (and the very patient teachers at the archery booth), Sherwood Forest Archaeology Project, Lindybeige, British History Online (BHO), The Cloisters Museum in Manhattan, the City of Nottingham, and the Nottinghamshire County Council. Additionally, I would like to thank J.C. Holt; R.B. Dobson and J. Taylor; Dan Koboldt; Kaitlin Hillerich; Dimitris Romeo Havlidis; Georgia Baker; Jill Armitage; Robert Landis Frank; the Mystery Files featuring experts Graham Phillips, Pauline Miller, Julian Luxford, Gary Holmes, and Mike Loades; Graham Phillips and Martin Keatman; and Jim Bradbury; among others. Their research proved invaluable in my search for Robin Hood. Thank you, too, to Brian Olsen for the alpha read, Steve Lockley for the expert fact-checking and editing, Melissa Crandall at Aye Spy Proofreading, and Adam Jackman, Kay Bratt, Karen McQuestion, and my family and friends for keeping my spirits up.
On a more personal level, I first fell in love with Robin Hood, as I'm sure many of us did, as a child through an old cartoon. Many thanks to those preschool friends and their families in Wheaton, IL, the Maffeis, the Kellys, the Crosses, the Boseys, the Balinskis (apologies for spelling! I'm pulling names out of my pre-school memory!), and especially those who danced with me to the Robin Hood LP record over and over and over again. Oodalaalee!
About the Author
Kate Danley is an award-winning playwright and novelist. She spent over five weeks on the USA TODAY bestseller list and has sold over half-a-million books globally. She has been honored with the Garcia Award for Best Fiction Book of the Year (The Woodcutter), McDougall Previews Award for Best Fantasy Book of the Year (Queen Mab), and her series Maggie MacKay: Magical Tracker has been optioned for film and television development.
Her first full-length script, the 1930s screwball comedy Building Madness, won the 2016 Panowski Playwriting Award. Her second full-length script, Bureaucrazy, was a semi-finalist in the 2017 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and 2018 Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle New Play Initiative. Her one-act Power was the overall winner of the Renegade Theatre Festival. Her short Kings of the World was honored as the 3rd place audience favorite in the 10x10x10 Festival, tallied from over 400 ballots. Her plays have been performed in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Ottawa (Canada), Bath (UK), Grande Prairie (Canada), Seattle, Houston, Baltimore, and Anchorage, among others.
She graduated from Towson University with a BS in Theatre Summa cum Laude and was named a Maryland Distinguished Scholar in the Arts. She trained at RADA London, The Groundlings, Folger Shakespeare, Theatricum Botanicum, and Acme Comedy Theater. She also attended the CTI Intensive and subsequent workshops in commercial producing, the Kenyan Playwrights Conference, and the Arvon at the Hurst writing program in radio drama. She performed her original stand-up at such clubs as The Comedy Store and The Icehouse. She belonged to the main company and wrote sketch for a weekly show in Hollywood. She won the Breckenridge Festival of Film Screenplay Competition for her feature script Fairy Blood. Her film shorts The Playhouse, Dog Days, Sock Zombie, SuperPout, and Sports Scents can be seen in festivals and on the internet.
www.katedanley.com
Legal Stuff
Olde Robin Hood is a work of fiction. All incidents and dialogue, and all characters and events with the exception of documented historical events and public figures, are products of the author's imagination. Quotes are taken from public domain publications and sources. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
Copyright ©2018 Kate Danley
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