The Sword of Davalon

by Tom Jolleys

  ‘Good morning boys, how did you sleep?’

  ‘Not too bad I suppose,’ replied David.

  ‘That’s good. Well there’s water for washing, and on the table there’s some oats and milk.’

  ‘Great, porridge for breakfast,’ beamed Johnny.

  ‘Thanks,’ said David, as the friar walked over to Diana, who was still asleep in her own private nest.

  ‘Anyone awake?’

  ‘Oh, err, right friar. Wow, I haven’t camped out since we flew to France a couple of years ago!’

  ‘GIRLS!’ spouted Johnny, who was nearby and could hear their conversation.

  ‘You flew to France!’ said Friar Tuck, looking rather puzzled.

  ‘Oh nothing, just a dream,’ she said, realising her blunder. ‘Can I have a wash please?’

  ‘There’s a bowl of water just over there by that tree,’ he said, before toddling away with a deep furrow across his forehead. Within fifteen minutes the children were sat around the huge, oak table. Three bowls of crushed cereal grains and a large jug of milk lay in front of them.

  ‘This isn’t porridge,’ moaned Johnny.

  ‘Oh stop whining,’ whispered Diana.

  ‘And it tastes horrible,’ he choked. ‘There isn’t even any sugar.’

  ‘What did you expect?’ snapped his sister. ‘Here, try a little honey, that should sweeten it.’

  ‘Anyway eat it all up,’ added David. ‘It will do you good, and just think, this is probably what Little John had for breakfast.’

  ‘Mmm, I never thought of that,’ mumbled Johnny, who quickly devoured the rest of his meal.

  Friar Tuck walked over to the table, wobbling along like an overweight penguin. ‘Did you enjoy your meal?’

  ‘Great,’ said Johnny.

  ‘By the way, friar, where is everyone?’ inquired David.

  ‘Oh they left some time ago, before you were even awake. They have a long day ahead of them. As we said last night, the Sheriff’s men are collecting taxes, so Robin will be preparing an ambush.’

  ‘But we could have helped,’ sighed Johnny.

  ‘Now, now, we know you fought bravely against the Sheriff’s men, but this really is men’s work, and you’re all too young to get involved in our problems. We don’t want any of you hurt now do we? There are still plenty of us left here to guard the campsite, and if you feel like going for a walk or even hunting, then one of the men will accompany you.’

  ‘No thank you friar, we’ll wait for Robin and the others to return,’ said Diana.

  ‘Well you may have a long wait, but as you wish,’ said Friar Tuck, who walked over to one of the guards.

  Johnny was clearly disappointed. ‘You could have ambushed the Sheriff’s men on your own, David. With the Sword of Davalon that is.’

  ‘Look, Johnny, we’re their guests, if they wanted our help they would have asked for it.’

  ‘What shall we do then?’ asked Diana.

  David looked around the campsite and noticed a number of longbows, stacked up against an old tree stump. ‘Well we could have an archery contest.’

  ‘That sounds like a good idea,’ said Diana, with a glint in her eye. She ran over to the friar, closely followed by her brothers. ‘Can we borrow a few longbows and some arrows for an archery contest?’

  ‘Of course you can my dear, but these bows are much too long for you, especially you Johnny. However, it just so happens that we have some smaller bows. The village children use them when they come to visit us. Just wait here a minute and I will go and find out where they are.’

  ‘Hey that’s brill isn’t it?’ beamed Johnny. ‘Our very own longbows.’

  Friar Tuck returned with a selection of bows, a multitude of arrows and a large object that resembled an archery target. ‘Here you are, and here’s a tiny one for you, Johnny. I suppose we should call it a shortbow!’ joked the friar.

  ‘Whizzo,’ exclaimed an excited Johnny.

  While David and Diana chose their bows, Friar Tuck set up the target before showing them how to use their bows safely. Then using his own bow, the friar took aim and fired at the target, which was some twenty feet away. The arrow whistled through the air and hit the target just outside the centre circle.

  ‘Wow, pretty good,’ said Johnny. ‘Can I go now?’

  ‘Yes of course, but be careful,’ replied the friar.

  Johnny took aim and fired, using his small bow and a very small arrow, but instead of releasing the arrow, he let go of the bow. Johnny was left holding the arrow, while on the ground in front of him lay the bow. Everyone burst out laughing, even the guards high up in the trees.

  ‘Never mind,’ chuckled the friar, ‘have another go, but this time release the arrow, not the bow.’

  Johnny felt really stupid, but he took aim again and fired, ssssm, hitting the outer edge of the target.

  ‘Well done,’ said Friar Tuck, clapping his large hands together. In fact the sound of clapping rang out from the trees, and Johnny raised his bow into the air as a sign of appreciation.

  ‘Do you want to go now, sis?’

  ‘No, I’ll go last. I want to see how you do first.’

  David carefully took aim and fired, sssss, but the arrow sailed past the target and disappeared into the forest.

  ‘Well that wasn’t much good was it?’ said Johnny, cheekily. ‘Anyway it’s Diana’s turn now, so I think we should all duck, this arrow could go anywhere.’

  Diana stepped up to the mark, took aim and fired, ssssm, nearly hitting the bull’s-eye! A ripple of applause rang out once more, although Johnny and David stood motionless.

  ‘What a fluke,’ said Johnny, ‘I bet you can’t do that again.’

  ‘Well I’ll have a go.’ She took aim again and fired, ssssm. This was even better than her first attempt, hitting the exact centre of the target. Even David had to applaud his sister.

  ‘Where did you learn to shoot like that?’ quizzed the friar.

  ‘Oh I’m taught archery at my new school.’

  Friar Tuck looked thoughtfully at the children. ‘Now I know you’re very special children, and I also know that you have many secrets to tell. Would you confide in me a little, trust in me and tell me more about your very special lives?’

  ‘Oh we do trust you friar,’ said Diana, ‘and I do think it’s about time we told you more about ourselves, if that’s all right with my brothers.’

  ‘It’s fine by me, sis.’

  ‘Great,’ said Johnny, ‘but you’ll never believe it.’

  ‘Well let’s sit down and you can tell me all about it.’

  The friar sat opposite the children, then David began. ‘Well friar, we come from the 21st century. It was quite by accident. Johnny, using something we call a computer, tapped into some form of time machine.’

  The friar was unmoved, listening intently, believing and trying to understand everything that was being said.

  ‘Anyway we knew about Robin Hood, Maid Marian, the merry men and yourself friar, from watching films and reading books, although we didn’t know for sure whether the stories were true or not. In fact it was Diana who mentioned Robin Hood, just as we tapped into our time machine. So we arrived here yesterday with our special powers, which were given to protect us from any dangers.’

  ‘I see,’ said the friar, ‘but what are your people like, and how has life changed?’

  ‘Most things have changed,’ answered Diana, ‘although I suppose we still look the same, but people can now fly through the air in things called aeroplanes, and man has even landed on the moon.’

  ‘I’ve been there,’ bragged Johnny, ‘but it’s a horrible, dusty place, and no one lives there because there isn’t any proper air to breathe.’

  ‘But do you still have wars?’

  ‘I wouldn’t like to dishearten you friar,’ contin
ued Diana, ‘but wars have been fought in which millions and millions of people have died, especially in the First and Second World Wars. Thinking about it, our history is blighted by wars – it just seems that people don’t get on with each other very well. And there are now weapons of awesome power. There are nuclear and chemical weapons. If just one nuclear bomb was dropped on Sherwood Forest, then everyone within miles and miles would be either killed or injured. And the survivors would soon be affected by radiation, which is a sickness caused by the bomb. It is a strange world we live in, friar, as though the Earth was split into two pieces. In the area we live in, the people have quite a good life, there’s lots of food, nice clothes and good houses, but in other areas there’s only poverty. Millions of people, including children, die of starvation or disease every year.’

  ‘Oh Lord, what sort of world have we created?’ said the unhappy friar. ‘So Armageddon is actually possible.’

  ‘What’s Armageddon?’ asked Johnny.

  ‘Armageddon my child, is the final battle between good and evil – the destruction of the world!’

  ‘But it’s not all that bad,’ said Diana, who could see that the friar was really upset. ‘We still play games, there’s still a lot of love and friendship in the world, and many people still go to church. Well at least some do,’ she said, looking at David and Johnny. ‘And pop stars, oh they are people who sing songs, have raised lots and lots of money for the starving people of the world.’

  ‘Well that sounds more promising,’ said the friar, now more his jovial self, ‘but if you can travel through time, then couldn’t you help to stop these world wars? For instance the First World War, couldn’t you arrive a year earlier, tell everyone what was going to happen, and thereby prevent the war?’

  ‘I’ve already thought about that,’ said David, ‘but, well it’s difficult to explain. If we changed the past, then that in turn would affect the lives of everyone in the future. For instance, if the two world wars hadn’t happened then millions more people would have lived a lot longer. There would have been new inventions. There would certainly have been many more poets, singers and writers. Our parents and grandparents might have married other people, meaning that we probably wouldn’t even have been born. And if we were never born then Johnny couldn’t have tapped into our time machine, and therefore we couldn’t be here now. In fact if we did change our past on such a large scale then we would simply die!’

  ‘Ooooh,’ shrugged Diana, ‘I never thought of that.’

  ‘It is indeed complicated,’ said the friar, ‘but I really do understand what you have said, and there is no doubt in my mind that you are correct. You have a very wise head on your young shoulders, David, but I don’t think you came here by chance. I firmly believe that you were sent here for a specific purpose, of which only time will tell. You know you have made me a very happy friar, even strengthening my faith in the Lord above. Now I know that only He can forge out the future of our lives. Yes I am a very happy man, and I thank you all for confiding in me.’

  ‘That’s all right,’ said Johnny.

  ‘Actually friar, I am studying medieval history at school,’ said Diana. ‘Can you tell me if King John or King Richard the Lionheart is on the throne of England? There seems to be some doubt.’

  ‘There certainly is some confusion, as Edward III is King of England. Didn’t you know that this is the Year of Our Lord, 1336?’

  ‘But we were told that the outlaw Robin Hood fought against King John, that would be about the year 1200,’ added Diana.

  ‘Yes and I’ve seen Robin Hood on the television, which backs up Diana’s story,’ said Johnny.

  ‘I really don’t know what a television is, but it seems that although you can fly and do other amazing things, your history books are quite wrong. So you have learnt something as well my children.’ Then the friar summoned one of the men, who returned twenty minutes later with four bowls of piping-hot soup and a basket of freshly-made bread.

  ‘Mmm, this is delicious,’ said Diana, before nudging Johnny’s arm. He was dipping his bread into his soup. ‘Watch your table manners – stop dunking your bread.’

  ‘Oh but that’s the proper way to eat this soup,’ said Friar Tuck.

  Johnny grinned while they all proceeded to dunk their bread, and the friar listened carefully to the children as they told him many more amazing facts about their own world.

  Chapter 7:

  Ambushed!

  The children were still talking to Friar Tuck when one of the guards, high up in the trees, blew his horn three times.

  ‘That’s the distress signal,’ frowned the friar, ‘something’s gone wrong.’

  Then they heard a distant voice calling for help, and a few seconds later, Will Scarlett staggered out of the forest. He was injured, bleeding from some wound to his arm, and he was breathless from running all the way back to the campsite. Two guards helped him over to the table.

  ‘Sit him down here,’ said the friar. ‘Now take it slowly and tell us what happened.’

  ‘Hh, hh, hh, well when the hh, hh.’

  ‘Bring some water,’ said Friar Tuck to one of the guards.

  ‘When the Sheriff’s men, hh, hh, had collected the taxes, hh, hh, from the nearby villages.’

  ‘Here, drink this.’

  ‘Thank you friar, that’s better. So we ambushed them, but surprisingly they gave no resistance. We were just about to send the soldiers back to Nottingham, when, hh, hh, we were attacked from all sides. Arrows rained in on us like a, hh, like a black cloud. Several of our men fell instantly, and then in front of us appeared ten mounted soldiers. They weren’t the Sheriff’s men, they were knights from afar, all dressed in white. The position was hopeless, so Robin gave the order to retreat, but as we turned, we were faced by more of these knights. The Sheriff’s men then approached on foot as the knights attacked on horseback. There was a, hh, hh, tremendous battle, but we were outnumbered at least three to one. I was hit by an arrow and fell back into some bushes, but I did hear Robin order his men to surrender, just as he was hit in the chest. I fear he may have been killed! All I could do was watch as our men were rounded-up and marched back to Nottingham.’

  ‘What happened to the dead and injured?’ asked Friar Tuck, earnestly.

  ‘They were slung over horses and taken away.’

  ‘We’ve got to attack the castle,’ shouted one of the men.

  ‘Wait a moment,’ said the friar. ‘The castle is impregnable, we’ll never be able to take it by force. What we need is a plan, otherwise we’ll all end up in the Sheriff’s hands.’

  Just then, Maid Marian appeared on horseback. She knew something was wrong, so she quickly dismounted and ran over to the group huddled round the table. ‘I heard the signal – what’s happened?’

  Friar Tuck stood up and took her to one side. ‘I’m afraid it doesn’t look good. The men have been ambushed.’

  ‘And what about Robin?’

  ‘Will Scarlett thinks that Robin was hit in the chest by an arrow, but he doesn’t know how bad it is. All he knows is that he saw him fall to the ground.’

  ‘Oh my Lord. What can we do? What can we do, friar?’ she wept.

  ‘Now calm yourself Marian. I will have a word with the men. Don’t you worry, we will think of something.’

  Meanwhile the three children had walked away from the table and were formulating their own plan of action. After several minutes they rejoined the others, where Marian was tending to the cut on Will’s arm – fortunately it wasn’t serious.

  ‘Excuse me friar, can we talk to you for a minute?’ said Diana.

  ‘Not now my child. We’re all very busy working on a plan to free Robin and his men.’

  Not to be ignored, Johnny tugged on the friar’s sleeve. ‘That’s just it, we have a plan – remember our powers?’

  ‘Oh yes, I’m so sorry, we
’ll go over there and have a chat. Marian, we’ll be back in a few minutes. I suggest you lie down and try not to worry – we will think of something.’

  ‘I know you will, friar.’

  He patted her on the shoulder before walking over to the children. ‘Right then, what’s the plan?’

  ‘Firstly the situation,’ said David. ‘It seems that the Sheriff has recruited some special fighting men, so how many soldiers will be defending the castle?’

  ‘It’s difficult to say, but with these extra mercenaries, the Sheriff could have at least seventy soldiers at his command, maybe a hundred.’

  ‘We haven’t seen the castle, and we know it will be heavily guarded, but is there any way we can gain entry?’

  ‘Well the Sheriff is unlikely to allow anyone into the castle, except perhaps for myself. After all, he doesn’t know that I am a member of Robin’s band. But we need to act quickly, I don’t think the Sheriff will wait long before hanging them all.’

  ‘Right then friar,’ said Diana, rather maturely for her tender years. ‘Will the villagers fight?’

  ‘I would hope so after the number of times that we have come to their aid.’

  ‘Good,’ continued Diana. ‘Can you send someone to every village, asking them to assemble here tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock or even earlier? Tell them to bring their weapons, oh, and the women and children must come as well.’

  ‘But we can’t risk the lives of women and children.’

  ‘Don’t worry, there’s always a small risk but they shouldn’t be in any danger,’ added David. ‘We just need them as bait to lure out the soldiers. We also want them to build shields out of thatch, and these shields must be mounted on three legs, similar to the archery target.’

  ‘Why the shields?’ asked the friar, thoughtfully.

  ‘So that the men will be protected while they’re firing arrows,’ said Diana.

  ‘Not only that, friar,’ said David, ‘but if the shields are light enough to carry, then they’ll be able to change position and hopefully outmanoeuvre the opposition.’