by Tom Jolleys
‘Well call him up,’ said Diana. ‘We’ll be in massive trouble when mum and dad wake up and we’re missing – they’ll go crazy!’
‘It doesn’t matter how long we stay here,’ said Johnny, knowingly. ‘While we’re here, time stands still at home, so we won’t be missed. I know it sounds hard to believe, but I was on the moon for one whole hour, and when I got back home, it was exactly the same time.’
‘Do you feel better now, sis’?’ asked David.
‘Yes, at least we don’t have to worry about mum and dad. Well what are you waiting for, let’s get changed? And what’s this about a trip to the moon?’
‘Oh it’s a long story, I’ll tell you about it sometime,’ said Johnny, rather nonchalantly.
The two boys hid behind a tree and changed out of their pyjamas into the forest-green outfits, while Diana changed behind a small bush. When they reappeared, they looked like miniature versions of the real outlaws. David had the Sword of Davalon in its brown, leather sheath, strapped to his side, and Diana had Odessa’s Dagger containing Pollen of the Odessa Tree, similarly placed. Johnny had the Cloak of Mennea, which he thought was rather a tatty object, tucked into his belt.
‘What shall we do with our clothes?’ asked Johnny.
‘I think we should hide them in the hollow of this massive oak tree,’ replied David.
‘And I agree,’ said Diana. ‘And the computer controls as well. If you lose them in the forest then we’ll never be able to go home.’
‘But someone might find them,’ argued Johnny.
‘No, David’s right. Under that tree will be the safest place, and as it’s the tallest tree then we should be able to find it again.’
After smirking and pulling his face several times, Johnny reluctantly agreed.
‘I think we should go down this hill and look for a path,’ said Diana.
‘All right,’ said Johnny, ‘but let’s hurry up, we haven’t had our breakfast yet and I’m starving.’
The children made their way down quite a steep slope, past thick bushes and tall oak trees until they came out into the open, along a wide, dirt track.
‘The roads aren’t very good, are they?’ moaned Johnny.
‘Well what did you expect, a motorway?’ joked David.
‘Huh, motorway indeed,’ mumbled Johnny.
‘Stop muttering,’ said his sister, ‘anyway, let’s get to the top of this hill so we can see where we are.’
Suddenly they heard the sound of galloping horses on the other side of the hill.
‘Let’s run for it,’ said Johnny.
But by now they were completely in the open, and as they turned to run into the forest, five horsemen appeared at the top of the hill.
‘Seize them,’ ordered the Captain of the troop.
‘Hide in the forest,’ said David to Johnny and Diana. ‘I’ll try to hold them off. Don’t forget to use the cloak.’
They ran into the forest pursued by two soldiers, while David was approached by two others.
‘Now we can see you’re only a lad, so come peacefully and you won’t get hurt. You’re wearing the clothes of an outlaw, and we need information about Robin Hood and his band of thieves.’
David instinctively drew his sword from its leather scabbard, and the Sword of Davalon shone blindingly at the two soldiers, who also drew their swords. The first one struck his sword at David’s head, and as David swept back, the swords clashed in mid-air. But to the soldier’s amazement, his sword shattered into several pieces as though it was made of glass.
‘Well Jodadi did say that the sword was invincible,’ thought David, ‘and what else was it? I can control it with my own thoughts.’
David was now confronted by the second soldier, who thrust forward savagely with his sword. David jumped to one side, and the soldier went crashing to the ground by the thrust and weight of his sword. David quickly had the Sword of Davalon at his throat.
‘I surrender, I surrender – mercy,’ pleaded the soldier.
‘Then throw down your sword.’
As he tossed it into the bushes, David turned just in time to see several foot soldiers arrive at the top of the hill. The Captain could see that this young boy was a useful swordsman, so he ordered his men to take aim with their crossbows. David was frozen to the spot. He swallowed hard and stared back at the soldiers. He knew that he had no time to run or even dodge the bolts – his only defence was his sword, the Sword of Davalon.
‘Fire,’ ordered the Captain.
Four razor-edged bolts flew straight towards him. ‘Davalon,’ shouted David, and immediately, without even being able to see these deadly arrows, his sword flashed out at amazing speed, deflecting each one in turn.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Diana, who had fled into the forest pursued by two other soldiers, had heard David tell them to use the Cloak of Mennea. Johnny had opened it out and covered himself and Diana, saying to himself, ‘Work, Mennea, work.’ In fact it had worked, the two children becoming invisible almost in front of the two soldiers, and it was at this moment that these soldiers reappeared from the forest. They were both scratching their heads, wondering what had happened to the children.
The Captain shouted loudly at them both, ‘Have you lost them, you bungling fools?’
‘They just vanished into thin air,’ trembled one of the soldiers.
The Captain couldn’t believe what was happening. Two youngsters had evaded his men, and the third seemed to possess powers the like of which he had never seen before.
As David looked at the soldiers, wondering if they would attack again, a shadow from behind him loomed larger and ever larger, completely filling his own shadow and encompassing a huge area of the ground. David dared not look round, even though he was still holding his sword. Just then, arrows rained down upon the soldiers from both sides of the forest. Two of them fell instantly to the ground, and the Captain ordered his men to retreat back to Nottingham.
Suddenly a loud, raucous laugh rang out from behind him and echoed all around the trees. The figure behind David, bear-hugged him and tried to lift him up off the ground, but he failed miserably. ‘Well my champion, you might be a skinny lad but you’re as heavy as a mighty oak.’
David turned round to see the biggest man he had ever set eyes upon. He stood over two metres tall and was as broad as a bull. ‘Surely this must be Little John,’ he thought. The staff he was holding looked awesome, and seemed to have been cut and shaped from a small tree.
‘And what is your name?’ bellowed the man.
‘Oh I am David, sir, David Dalton.’
‘You don’t need to call me sir, David. Just call me Little John.’ Then he shook David’s hand, nearly crushing his small fingers, because he really didn’t know his own strength.
By now, the soldiers had ridden off, taking with them their injured men, and it was at this moment that Johnny and Diana came running out of the forest.
‘We saw what happened,’ shouted Johnny, ‘you were fantastic.’
‘Oh I didn’t know what to do,’ cried Diana. ‘I thought they were going to kill you.’
‘Now don’t you worry your pretty, little head,’ said Little John. ‘You’re in safe hands now.’
As David turned his head, some ten or twelve men came running out of the forest, all dressed in brown and green outfits.
‘Right men, we must return to camp as soon as possible, just in case the Sheriff should send reinforcements,’ said another outlaw, who seemed to be one of the leaders. David sensed that this must be Robin Hood. He looked just the same as he had imagined: long, fair, curly hair and moustache, indeed handsome, and carrying a longbow. He wore a peeked, green hat with a feather in it, had a quiver of arrows strapped to his back, and a sword hung down from his hip. He walked over and placed a hand on David’s head, ruffling his long hair. ‘Mind you, if reinforcement
s did arrive, I think this young lad could take care of them by himself.’ This brought about a gaggle of laughter from the assembled group. ‘I just hope you know what you’ve done. All three of you are now outlaws, wanted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, so if you want to join our merry band then you are most welcome.’
‘YES,’ said Johnny, quickly, ‘we’ll join your band won’t we David, Diana?’
‘Err, yes,’ replied David, trying to take in everything that had happened, ‘but I don’t think we’ll be able to stay very long.’
‘Well you can decide that later, after you’ve had a meal and a good rest. Lead on, Little John. Back to the campsite.’
Diana said nothing, she simply looked to the heavens and wondered what Johnny had actually done. Then she followed David into the forest, wondering what else could possibly lie in store for them!
Chapter 5:
The Campsite
The way back took them through thick undergrowth and past huge oak trees, making it difficult for anyone, especially the Sheriff’s men, to find their campsite. But after only ten minutes they came out onto a small, dirt track, which at least made progress easier. Another ten minutes went by before Little John led them away from the path and back into the darkness of the forest. Then from out of this darkness they came out into a wide, open space, a glade in the forest. Immediately they were hit by bright sunlight and the smell of meat, roasting on an open fire. A large, plump man wobbled over to them. He was dressed as a monk, and the children sensed that this must surely be Friar Tuck. In fact David looked at Diana and gave her a knowing glance.
‘Well who have we here?’ chuckled the friar.
‘These three children are: Johnny, David and Diana, and very brave children they are at that,’ said Robin.
‘Well I am Friar Tuck, sometimes known as the Happy Friar. I hope you’re hungry, I’m just roasting one of the King’s deer, so there’ll be more than enough for everyone.’
As they walked over to the table and sat down, two riders galloped into the campsite.
‘You’re just in time for a feast,’ shouted Robin, as they dismounted. One of them removed a hat, and as long, blonde tresses fell down over her shoulders, Diana just knew that this was the fair Maid Marian.
‘I wonder why heroines are always so beautiful,’ thought Diana. ‘She could be a pop star or a top model, and she doesn’t even wear make-up!’
‘I see we have guests,’ glowed Marian, joining them at the table where Robin introduced the children. They all sat down round this huge table, which had been hewn from a single oak tree. Johnny was sat opposite Little John, while David faced Maid Marian, and at the centre sat Diana and Robin Hood. At the head of the table sat Friar Tuck. Two men served them with food and drinks, while others were posted as lookouts, high up in the trees.
‘Oh we can’t have this,’ bellowed Little John. ‘Our poor, little Johnny is far too small to sit at this table.’
Johnny hadn’t said anything, but his head just peered over the top of the table.
‘Bring a milking-stool,’ said Little John to one of the guards, who rushed over and placed the three-legged stool underneath him. He was now precariously balanced on this stool, which rested on a long, wooden bench.
‘Is that better now?’ said Maid Marian.
‘Yes, thank you,’ replied Johnny, who was rocking unsteadily from side-to-side.
The children were soon chomping their way through a mega stew of vegetables and chunks of meat, but the battle and the walk back to the campsite had given them great appetites.
‘Anyway David, where have you come from and where are you going to?’ asked Robin. ‘This really is a dangerous place, especially for children.’
Johnny was just going to tell them about Jodadi, when David quickly intervened. ‘Well we’ve come a long way just to see if you and your men are actually real. We’d heard so many rumours that we didn’t know what to believe.’
‘Well as you can see, we really do exist.’
‘Is it true that you rob the rich to give to the poor?’ asked Diana, politely.
‘Yes indeed,’ replied Robin. ‘We were robbed of our homes and lands by the Sheriff of Nottingham, so now and again we rob the rich and give some of it back to the villagers.’
‘You are welcome to join our band,’ said Marian.
‘Thank you,’ smiled Diana, ‘but we really can’t stay long.’
‘Well you are welcome to stay for as long as you wish,’ offered Robin.
‘As long as you don’t eat all of our food,’ joked the friar, who chuckled to himself as he mopped up his plate with a chunk of bread.
Robin had sensed that there was something mystical about these three children, especially David, who had wielded his sword so brilliantly against the Sheriff’s men. ‘Your sword is unlike anything I have ever seen before,’ he said. ‘Can I have a closer look at it?’
‘Certainly,’ replied David, who stood up, drew the Sword of Davalon from its scabbard, and passed it over, hilt first, to Robin.
Robin picked up the sword, but as David released the blade, the sword plunged down onto the table, smashing two pots into tiny pieces. Robin tried again to lift the sword, but he could hardly move it, and by now, everyone was laughing at Robin’s apparent weakness.
‘Let me have a go,’ said Little John, standing up, his mighty frame towering over the sword. He bent down to pick it up, but even he couldn’t move it.
David realised that only he had power over the sword, so he whispered, ‘Davalon.’ Little John, who was still struggling to pick it up, suddenly flew backwards, still holding the sword, as it became light at David’s command. He lay outstretched on the grass, with everyone laughing out loudly. Johnny was laughing so much that he lost his balance and toppled backwards onto the ground. Now Little John and Johnny were both flat out on the grass, but they sat up, looked at each other and joined in the laughter. However the laughter ceased when everyone noticed that Friar Tuck, usually the most jovial of men, was sat in quiet contemplation.
‘Do you want to tell us more about yourselves?’ asked Robin. ‘You don’t have to say anything if you so wish, but just remember that you are amongst friends.’
‘Well there are certain things about us,’ replied David, ‘which you would find hard to believe. We’re not witches or anything like that, but on our journey here we were given some special powers. I was given the Sword of Davalon. That is about as much as I can say, although maybe one day we will be able to tell you everything. If you will just accept us as your good friends and as three young, normal children, then that will probably be for the best.’
‘Well then men, we have amongst us three very special children, and we will respect their wishes. But having said that, can I just have another look at your sword, David?’
‘Of course,’ he said as Little John passed it over to him. Now that David knew more about the sword, other people were able to handle it.
‘This certainly is a mighty weapon,’ he said. The golden hilt of the sword was embedded with variously coloured gemstones. The blade was long and sharp, silver coloured with engraved markings that David hadn’t noticed before.
‘Do you know what these symbols mean?’ asked Robin.
‘No, in fact we’ve been so busy that I hadn’t even noticed them.’
‘Let me have a look,’ said Friar Tuck. ‘I can read Latin, and I am familiar with some other languages, so maybe I will be of some assistance. Maybe I will be able to solve this mystery.’
Robin passed the sword over to the friar, and as he picked it up, the blade twinkled in the early evening sun. Friar Tuck inspected the golden hilt of the sword, and then concentrated on the markings emblazoned on the silver blade.
‘No, I have never seen markings like this before. I can say this though David. You have in your possession a sword of immense power. It holds secr
ets that even you probably do not understand yet. Yes, these are definitely not letters – they are signs or symbols representing a future in which you will undoubtedly be involved.’ As he passed the sword back to David, he added, ‘I feel sure that one day you will understand the full meaning of these symbols, and with it the Sword of Davalon itself.’ Then he bowed his head and said a short prayer to himself, asking hopefully for the children’s safe passage.
‘That’s it,’ bellowed Little John. ‘No wonder I couldn’t pick you up after you had single-handedly defeated the Sheriff’s men. It wasn’t you, David, who I couldn’t lift off the ground, it was the Sword of Davalon!’
‘Oh yes,’ said David, thoughtfully. He was just starting to realise how powerful his sword actually was, and how much control he had over it! He was also beginning to wonder why he had been given the Sword of Davalon by Jodadi!
Robin looked over to Johnny and Diana. ‘And I suppose you also have some very special powers.’ The children just nodded. ‘Anyway it has been a long day – I am sure we will hear your stories at a later date. I think it is time for you to rest. In fact it has been a long day for all of us, and tomorrow we must be up and ready before the sun rises. Sam has made up three beds of hay, and there are plenty of blankets, so goodnight and sleep well.’
The children said goodnight to everyone and then went over to their manger-like sleeping quarters. The sun was hovering above the horizon, casting a red glow across the sky, which covered the glade like a warm blanket. The children talked for a short while, but they were very tired and they soon drifted off to sleep. Two men cleared away the pots and chatted, mainly about David’s sword. The guards changed duty, looking down over the campsite from the oak trees above, which towered over the children like giant skyscrapers. There was now no movement on the ground, and the only person to be seen was Friar Tuck, who sat alone at the table and pondered!
Chapter 6:
The Archery Contest
The two boys awoke to the sound of birds chirping merrily away in the trees high above. Although it was quite early in the morning, the sun was already glancing flashes of light, like golden arrows onto their faces. As David was whispering to Johnny, the large shadow of Friar Tuck loomed over them.
