Chapter 3 - The school for new Hoodies

By the end of the next fortnight Locksley Manor stood ready for its new purpose- to be a place of education for 32 children (ages 5-16) from Locksley and a few other villages close by. The school will help Robin bring forth the thoughts and morals he wishes to awake in the English people, which allows them to make up there own minds about them and since he is a nobleman they can grow into not fearing men with power.

Obviously, even if Robin is both helpful and kind, he does not have patience enough to do this on his own. He needs help. That is why he convinced Little John, Lizzy, Allan, Much, Angel and even sent a proposition to Friar Tuck in Langar to participate in the working process. The very thought of a reunion of the gang made most of them accept, but some needed a little more convincing...

SUBJECT & TEACHER(S)

Archery: Robin of Locksley, Allan a Dale

Drama & acting: Lizzy, Much of Bonchurch

Religion, morals

and ethics: Friar Tuck?, Robin of Locksley

Handcraft &

wood work: Little John, Allan a Dale

Horse handling: Angel Boxham

Both John and Lizzy felt eager against doing something they really love. A pub is not Lizzy's place and even if John is very happy living with his family he finds it hard adjusting to the restricted way of living. So for them to have something they can go to carrying passion and meaning makes all the difference in the world. Allan, on the other hand, was very happy with the pub and cottage-sharing with Lizzy so he was the one hardest to get on board. As you all know, and surely can understand, Much loves acting but taking on this job would also be helpful in the escape of his cook. The cook who he is so desperate not to keep on falling in love with.

Allan walks up the stairs in the grand house towards the classroom, which used to be Robin's private chambers. (Now he is more satisfied sleeping in the common room, where he also eats and spends most of his time when not working.) He is holding a hammer in one hand and a pink gaura-flower in the other. As he arrives to the brown door he can hear children's laughter from inside and when he opens it he can see why:

Lizzy is dressed up like a jester with red, yellow and green clothes and wears a jingling hat that is just as colorful. She is jumping like a frog around the room, between the children that are sitting on the floor. The laughter is loud, so Much must take the words right down from his belly to overpower it.

"Now, listen, everyone!" he commands as Lizzy jumps to his side and stands up straight. "Can anyone tell me what this kind of entertainer is called?"

Almost everybody's hands go up in the air, but there is one little girl with straight dark hair that does not join the others.

"Julie?" Lizzy says, now out of character.

The little girl shakes her head with her thumb in her mouth. Lizzy understands.

"Let me give you all a clue!" she continues. "The word we are looking for is what Sir Much has been called a thousand times!"

Everyone laugh again, not because everyone know the word but because of the embarrassed look on Much's face and the teasing look on Lizzy's. When she gets sight of Allan she lights up in a wide smile.

"Prankster, buffoon, clown or..?"

"Fool!" Julie exclaims, shyly and still with her thumb placed in her tiny mouth.

The classroom is again filled with laughing voices. Much's features are blushing as he takes the lead again.

"Yes, well, a fool's duty is to entertain royalty and noblemen. It can be during a feast of some kind or a ball..."

Allan raises his arm and Much nods at him.

"Does that mean that you are in no need of fool's?" he asks. "Since you're both, I mean."

There is the laughter again! Though Much is not laughing.

"Very funny, Allan. Was it your intention to disturb our lesson?"

"Not really." Allan answers, buoyantly. "Just came to borrow the dressed fool for a moment!"

Lizzy walks across the room and meets up with him.

"Do you think you can survive with only Sir Much for five minutes?" she asks the students, who start to giggle in between the group.

"Sure they can!" Much answers for them as Lizzy and Allan closes the door.

Lizzy takes off her jester hat and Allan watches as her blonde long hair falls to her shoulders.

"You sure take your job on full-heartedly!" Allan points out. "Not that I don't like it."

Lizzy grins teasingly.

"Good, 'cause I happen to love it!"

Allan smiles.

"I have something for you."

"Is it that hammer?" Lizzy asks, wondering, and Allan realizes he is holding up his right hand when it should be the contrary. He giggles it away and gives her the flower, to her actual surprise. Their eyes meet.

"Hi." Allan says, silently.

Lizzy smiles.

"Hi there. Thank y..." is all she has time to utter before he kisses her gently on the mouth. After a few long seconds he brings back his head.

"Thank you." she finishes the sentence and embraces him in a hug as her lips surrounds his one more time. Lizzy tries to say something in between the kissing.

"You know... I wouldn't... mind having... your child someday..." she says, in a dreamy state.

Allan instantly stops what he is doing and looks quite startled. He pulls her away from him, gently.

"Where did that come from?" he asks, upset. "I'm not being funny, but aren't a girl supposed to be married before she can start mentioning that stuff?"

Lizzy reflects his reaction.

"Well, if she hasn't had any proposals she must be allowed to say something!" she contradicts.

He turns even more upset.

"With those words?"

She crosses her arms.

"I thought very carefully about what I was going to say, Allan, even if you do not seem to believe it. And what I said is what I mean!"

Allan stands numb before Lizzy.

"You're a nuthead." he finally says and walks away towards the stairs.

"You're a trickster!" Lizzy shouts after he's gone.

Though this would seem to be a big quarrel between these lovebirds, it was in fact not that dangerous. None of them liked it, of course, but there has not been one couple that has ever lived without problems. Or friends too, for that matter.

"Right everyone! Gather around!" Angel insists when beginning her first class of Horse handling on the meadow behind the stables. Bud is with them, chewing softly on the green grass. "How many of you knows how to ride?"

Just one hand is lift up in the air among the five students at the age of ten. The boy has dark, curly hair and perky cheeks.

"Arnold." Angel observes. "That's good! Well, how many of you has ridden or merely been on a one before?"

Now all hands are in the air. Angel smiles.

"Then you'll find that this is not much more difficult. Horses are determined creatures, you know, and if they let you get close to them once you can be sure about doing so again..."
Robin shows himself outside of the stable building, but no one sees him. Bud has grown tired of the grass and is now searching persistently in Angel's red bag, which she wears on her right shoulder. The children starts giggling when she repeatedly tries to push his giant head away. Then she starts to laugh.

"See! Here we have an excellent example- Bud, stop it!"

Robin smiles feeling very amused about the whole scene. Suddenly a horse whinnies vastly from the other side of the village and once turning around Robin sees Much running against him, anxiously.

"You better come, Robin!" he says and they both move quickly to Locksley Manor.

On a black horse, that is shining because of the flat combed hairs, a small man is placed with a dark-purple cloak covering his head.

"What is your business here, stranger?" Robin asks, naturally.

The man brings back the hood and Robin recognizes him as Abbott Wilkins, Sir Edward's advisor and right hand. That he has come to Locksley in such a hurried state could only mean one thing...

"Edward was a good sheriff!..." King John exclaims as he stands in front of Robin, next to Wilkins, in the castle courtyard. His hair is redder than it was when they last met and he is wearing that royal golden crown high up on his head. On his body he wears a thick, long and red coat with lots of little crowns on it. Robin thinks it looks ridiculous, plus that his froze bitten cheeks and dry mouth does put several years more to his age.

Robin has not been there long and the first fifteen minutes included only false polite behavior together with himself feeling actual sorrow about his father-in-law's passing. Clearly and unsurprisingly, King John felt nothing but greed.

"...But let me be frank, Locksley, when I say that I expect the next sheriff of Nottingham to be even better! He must be willing to do whatever I want him to, for me to do the same in return!"

If the circumstances were different, Robin would have laughed right in the shallow king's face. But he did not.

"I believe in the trust of loyalty, my lord." he only says. "I'm just not sure that I can trust you. If you mean to give me the position, I can promise that I will do what I think is best for the people of this region. Not for myself or any other."

The smile in King John's face quickly fades into something truly nasty. The greed suddenly shows in its actual form, getting Robin to think about how wrong it is having this "childish" man as king of their grate nation. He sure is naive enough to put his trust in everyone's pretended love for him.

"Yes..." King John begins. "You're all about the people, aren't you? At least we have one thing in common then. I suppose it would do no good killing you now, at least that is what Wilkins thinks!"

Robin looks suspiciously at the traitor Wilkins, who directly looks away. He feels a tickle of intimidation travel through his back. The king continues.

"You see, I too want their love. But you have been so troublesome for such a long time now according to Vaisey and Prince Philip that it would be as good as suicide to get rid of you, since you truly have the love of all the people!"

That is not entirely the case, according to Robin.

"Therefore I want us to be friends!" John continues.

"Friends?" Robin repeats, unconvinced.

The king grins.

"Yes! So that none of us will face the fear of extinction."

"And what guidelines will this so called friendship be based on?" Robin asks.

"On you doing what I want, when I want it. As simple as that!"

Robin snorts with an sarcastic smile, once again finding his courage to stand his ground.

"That way you can freely be the new sheriff and the people will learn to not see us as enemies. Instead they will love us as one!"

"I'm sorry, your highness!" Robin answers determined and quickly. "The only way to get me to do that is to kill me and use my body as a puppet. I am a noble again, but that does not mean that I'm obliged to quit my previous beliefs!"

Now the king looks rather angry. His eyebrows are drawn closer to his eyes as he more or less stares at Robin.

"Is that so? Well, then you can kiss your chance of becoming sheriff goodbye!"

He turns to Wilkins, who has been standing silent behind them all the time.

"Abbott Wilkins, congratulations! You have just been promoted!"

Robin gets upset.

"No, hang on a second!..." he exclaims.

King John takes a long step closer to him so that they stand face to face.

"You chose to turn your back against my wishes and that will grant you nothing! Do not expect any loyalty or favors from me in any upcoming future."

Robin presses his lips together, as if not to scream.

"So be it. King John."