With all their talk of doing this together, with the size of the castle and the festival grounds, Robin and Alice had no choice but to split up to try and find a way to gain an audience with the king.
Robin thoughts were distracted though, her first delight at being amongst all these magical talking animals was slowly fading when she noticed the poverty that was everywhere. Most of the people bustling around the market place were in rags, with only the merchants and a few of their customers dressed in ostentatious bright colours, a clear sign of their wealth.
Robin's eyes were drawn to a poor family of mice staring longingly at a cheese stall managed by rather overweight boar. The mouse family was so skinny they looked near starving… and just a sliver of cheese from this stall would have fed them for a few days. The boar, his nose in the air, didn't even give them a glance.
Seeing this disparity between rich and poor was making Robin's palms itch.
It was the easiest thing in the world to sweet-talk the merchant and keep him distracted whilst she pocketed a sample of his best cheese; wrapping it in some cloth and tucking it into her pouch. She then followed the mouse family as they sadly walked away.
"Sir… I think you dropped this!" She called, using her sleight of hand to pick up a bundle that most definitely wasn't on the floor.
The second the slightly bewildered mouse had taken the package from her hand Robin strode purposefully away, not looking back until she'd turned a corner and concealed herself in an archway. From her cover she then took a peak. The father mouse had opened the parcel and was starring around in astonishment, mother mouse was crying with relief while their dozen children danced and cheered at the sight of so much cheese.
Robin ducked back around the corner a wide smile on her lips and a warm feeling in her heart, that moment of happiness confirming that this was what being Robin Hood was all about.
…
Robin pushed away from the wall and continued walking her route taking her towards the gatehouse. That is when Alice found her, grabbing her by the arm an excited gleam in her eyes.
"You won't believe it" Alice enthused, as she dragged Robin out of the market gates, "It's too perfect for words… I have found the perfect way to get close to Aslan…"
"So are you going to tell me what it is, or do I have to guess?" asked Robin dryly.
"They are having an archery competition and the prize is a golden arrow and will be presented by the king. Isn't it wonderful!?"
"So you want me to enter an archery competition?"
"No," said Alice with a triumphant grin, "I want you to win an archery competition."
"But… I mean…" said Robin dropping her voice, "Don't I have an unfair advantage being Robin Hood and all?"
"I'm not saying you need to beat them badly…" said Alice, "Just enough to get to see the king. You could pretend to be someone else… less skilled… maybe have an alias… Margot the Magnificent or such like."
Robin stopped wearing a confused and disappointed frown,
"Margot? You seriously think I look like a Margot?!"
Alice, humour in her eyes, smirked and shrugged.
"Well if you didn't want to compete as Robin…"
…
Robin reluctantly joined the queue of competitors registering to compete as Alice made a move to join the crowds gathering around the archery range
"Oh wait!" cried Alice, hurrying back like she'd forgotten something important. She kissed Robin on the lips.
"For luck."
It was just a peck but Robin smiled and tried to suppress the blush that bloomed with the kiss.
"Thanks…" She eyed the motley competition lining up with her and quietly added to herself, "Not sure I'll need it though."
So 'Margot the Magnificent' signed up with the crocodile guard captain and followed the parade of other archers onto the field. Robin was already feeling she had an unfair advantage as most other competitors only came up to her waist.
Robin lined up between a duck and a warthog and eyed the target.
She had been waiting for someone to explain the rules; the arrow limit; how they were to take turns. She was waiting for this to be like the tournaments back home. But instead, on the count of three, everyone was firing chaotically at the targets all at once.
Not wanting to be left behind Robin grabbed an arrow… pulled back the bow… inhaled… exhaled… and… thwack the arrow hit the line between the yellow bulls-eye and the red circle around it, just where she'd aimed.
Alice whooped from the side-lines, cheering at her from beside an old hound dog on crutches.
Robin eyed the targets for her competition. There seemed very little skill amongst the people around her. There was an Old English Sheepdog who had to keep blowing his hair from his eyes to see his shot and tortoise so fearful he ducked back down into his shell every time he fired. Further along though, at the far end of the archery range a skinny stork was competing against a rather overweight and badly dress wolf. Robin was dismayed to see they had both got in shots as good, if not better, than her own.
There could be no holding back now.
Robin grabbed a second arrow… pulled back the bow… inhaled… exhaled… and… thwack a perfect bullseye.
She looked back down the targets, the stork and the wolf were both in the bullseye too.
Regretting her first instinct to play down her skill, Robin knew this last shot would make or break their plan to get close to the king. She hadn't expected much in the way in competition, but that stork… he was firing arrows so badly made they hinged when they hit the target… some still had leaves on them… but still he was hitting his mark. That was impressive archery even if she said so herself.
Robin drew her last arrow and pulled back her bow… she paused wondering if she should show off and shatter her previous arrow or go wide and keep a little in reserve for when she met that incredible stork in the final.
She checked the end target again. The wolf's first shot had gone much wider than Robin's first so if she just needed to come in second…
Robin inhaled… exhaled… and thwack the arrow landed in the bullseye snugly beside the first.
…
"Attention everyone…" announced the crocodile guard captain. "The final contestants are… the honourable Sheriff of Nottingham" There was considerable booing and hissing from the crowd as the wolf stepped forward and bowed. "And the spindle legged stork from Devonshire…" This time the crowd cheered loudly. Robin figured this stork was some kind of local hero. "And Margot the Magnificent…" there was a cheer, although not quite as enthusiastic as the one the stork had received. The loudest voice belonged to Alice who stood on the fence whooping and whistling.
Robin gave a short nod, mostly directed towards Akice. There was something niggling at her thoughts though. She should be focusing on this contest… and yet she was sure she'd heard the name 'Sheriff of Nottingham' somewhere before.
The target was moved back thirty paces by one of the vulture soldiers.
The Stork was eagerly prattling away about how he excited he was to be competing… and being there… and winning the prize…
The wolf sheriff just grunted, ignoring his chatter.
Robin could already see from the way the wolf was aiming it wasn't going to hit. So bolstered, she turned to Alice in the crowd and gave her a little wave. Alice grinned and waved back, it seemed their plan was going well. But then, just as Robin heard the whistle of the shot, she watched Alice's face drop. Turing back Robin saw an arrow sat in a perfect bulls-eye. She how no idea how the arrow could have hit but there it sat in the centre of the target.
Next up was the spindly stork. This competitor Robin wanted to watch. Robin knew full well she could beat the sheriff splitting his arrow, but she was eager to see what this amazing archer would do.
The arrow he picked was more a leafy twig… and still he chattered away in his excitement. He aimed, his line looked good but the Sheriff was close and tipped his bow just as he fired. As horrified as Robin was with the cheating, her jaw dropped at the dexterity as the stork pulled out a second arrow and fired, knocking his first arrow back on course to hit the bulls-eye, shattering the sheriff's previous shot.
The crowd cheered loudly. Robin couldn't blame them.
"The winner…" called the captain of the guard.
"Hey, I still need my go!" she cried. Robin felt her voice develop the petulant tinge that always annoyed her mother but she was a little hurt that they'd forgotten she was there.
The stork laughed and bowed low to her.
"Of course, dearie, take your aim."
Robin, not keen in being called 'dearie', lined up for her turn. But how was she going to beat a trick shot like the one the stork had just pulled off? Using her impeccable aim to shatter an arrow would not have the same effect as usual, considering the stunt she was following.
Robin took a breath… if it was a one shot contest it didn't have to be one arrow.
There was one trick shot she'd practiced a few times with increasing success, but she needed to take the chance if she was going to get the help Alice needed to speak to Aslan.
Robin pulled three arrows from her quiver, adjusting the flight feathers of two. She balanced the arrows carefully between her fingers. Taking a breath she glanced left and right at the rest of the archery targets around her. Finally focusing all her attention on the target ahead, she slowly drew back the bow… inhaled… exhaled… and… th-th-thwack… One arrow split the dart that the stork had previously fired. The other two soared to the side, twisting to finding the heart of the two nearest targets left from the earlier contest. A perfect bulls-eye three-times over.
The crowd was silent for a moment. Even the stork stopped chattering and his jaw dropped.
The crocodile guard captain grabbed her arm and held it above her head.
"The winner!"
There was a roar of applause. Robin sought out Alice. Her friend was celebrating, dancing with a group of young rabbits, it was adorable.
…
As Robin approached the royal tent the little niggle that had bothering her since hearing the badly dressed wolf's name was getting stronger. The hairs on the back of her neck started to rise as a troop of heavily armed rhinos filed in behind her. Something was wrong.
But there before her was the king she'd come all this way to see. He wasn't as regal or as powerful-looking up close. He looked kind of weedy and his crown was too large for his head; his oversized ears the only thing stopping it turning into a collar.
"Archer I commend you." announced the king rising from his throne. "And because of your exceptional skill you shall get what's coming to you…"
Robin found herself distracted by an enormous bear in a pink tunic, and sporting the most ridiculous blonde moustache, sitting beside the king. He was scowling at her like she'd done something terribly wrong. And to the king's left there a very pretty fox in a pink gown looking at Robin with the most confused expression, and in her hands rested the promised golden arrow.
"…our royal congratulations." Crooned the king, holding out a paw to Robin.
So she bowed low, took the paw and picked one of the king's many rings to kiss. That's what you were supposed to do when presented to royalty… right?
Wrong.
"Release the royal fingers." He exclaimed.
The lion shook his paw free from her grasp and then looked at his hands as if counting his rings in case she'd stolen one.
'Okay,' thought Robin, 'This isn't going well.' The guards behind her seemed to press closer. 'Not well at all.'
"Ah…" continued the king, taking a sword from behind him and raising it as if to knight her… "I now pronounce you the winner…"
Robin froze, still bowing low and still mighty confused by the sense of wrongness that rang through her throughout this whole meeting. The kings blade caught the ties of her leather cloak and with a flick of his wrist he cut it away.
"…or more appropriately the loser."
There was a gasp from the crowd, but the king looked confused at Robin when she straightened up, as if he was expecting to find something hidden in her cape. He recovered quickly though.
"Seize him!" he commanded.
Robin found herself surround by a dozen burly rhinos.
"What's going on?" Robin protested, as strong hands fixed a metal collar to her neck and bound her arms so she could barely move. "You've got the wrong girl!"
"I think not…" said the king, leaning closer, "You won't fool me again dressing up as a woman… I'd know you anywhere… Robin Hood!"
"Who?" Robin bluffed, although she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips.
'But he couldn't mean her… Was there another Robin Hood? And animal version in this realm?'
Her ruse maybe would have worked if Alice hadn't shouted her name from the side-lines and tried to rush forward the second she was arrested; but it seemed like a badger dressed as a monk and a very tall rooster were holding her back.
'So where is Robin Hood… their Robin Hood?"
Robin's eyes darted around for the stork. He'd been too good an archer… and too cocky… and too tricky… could he possibly be...?
A red fox in a green tunic and feather capped appeared, nonchalantly leaning on the tent rail beside the king. He winked at the lady fox and Robin and then grinned at the angry lion.
"Have you just arrested Robin Hood?" The smiling fox asked.
The lion looked from the fox to the bound Robin.
"Yes…" cried the king happily." Look… See… I've finally outsmarted him!"
The fox nodded, still grinning.
"Are you sure?"
The lion looked from the fox to Robin… to the fox… to Robin… to the fox… to Robin… to the fox…
He stared a long and hard at the fox…
"Guards!" The lion suddenly screamed, pointing to the interloper. "It's Robin Hood! Seize him!"
The fox pulled out his sword, and the king with his own blade still in hand, rushed at him. Their swords clashed.
"Now Little John!" called the fox as he skipped under the approaching guard's arms to continue his fight with the king.
The large bear in the king's tent, pulled off his moustache, leaped the railing but not before ripping out the centre pole cause the whole thing to collapse into the king and his soldiers.
Robin had finally worked it all out, this king wasn't Aslan but an animal version of Prince John… Robin Hood's greatest enemy. They probably hadn't jumped to Narnia at all… Robin had thought at the time that the rabbit they'd followed was more faun than grey.
Still tied up and held in the tight grip of the Sheriff of Nottingham Robin can do little to help.
Suddenly there was a cross between a Scottish battle cry and a squawk as a white chicken in a blue gown came charging at Robin and the Sheriff. The chicken was barrelling towards them like a charging line-backer.
The force of the impact knocked Robin against the side of an orange tent while the Sheriff flew into his back into a stall of pies.
Robin then found herself unceremoniously lifted up onto the shoulder of the Little John, as he fled from the ensuing chaos of chasing guards and collapsing tents as Prince John's army descended into confusion.
"Put me down!" Robin demanded, but there was a whole troop of weasels and rhinos in pursuit and the bear wasn't stopping. He dashed in one side of a large marquee and back out the other… only for a charging troop of elephants coming the other forcing them to veer right and disappear into the forest.
"Put me down! I have to get back to Alice!"
…
…