Chapter 12

When Lincoln woke up the next morning, Robin was busy doing something outside. He held a pouch of seeds in his hand, and each time a seed hit the ground, a cluster of mushrooms would spring up. He walked in a line as he did this, and soon a dense line of mushrooms made a circle around the whole house. While he was preparing for school, his other sisters and the Santiago family arrived, causing him to question what was going on.

"Yeah, no school today, bro. Rob will explain in a minute," Luna told him. Robin came inside and provided his guests with refreshments.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he said. "This unexpected summoning has to do with something Luna and I saw on the news last night. Luna?"

"Lisa busted Mom and Dad out! And they have a mob!" Luna said, causing everyone to gasp.

"Now, everyone stay calm. I asked you to come here because you'll be safe as long as you stay on my property. You probably noticed the line of toadstools as you came in. That line is to mark the reasonable distance that you can roam from the house alone. Any farther, and a responsible partner needs to be with you."

...

The Loud children's grandfather Albert arrived at Robin's house after a while, and Lincoln was very happy to see him. Contact with his Pop-Pop became very limited once the issues with his parents began and Rita started making him wear girl's clothes. Apparently, she and Albert had gotten into a massive argument that ended with Rita being disinherited.

Albert and Robin greeted each other as if they were old friends. When asked, Albert explained that they were, in fact, old friends. Albert pulled a grainy color photo from his wallet and handed it to Lincoln. The picture was of Albert and Robin wearing identical Navy uniforms and standing on the deck of a battleship, grasping each other's shoulders and smiling merrily while other sailors milled around them. Written on the back in permanent marker was:

Albert Willard and Robin Locksley on the deck of the U.S.S Providence.
May 10, 1972.
"Operation Custom Tailor."

"You see, Lincoln, Robin and I served together during the Vietnam War. In fact, he was impaled by shrapnel two hours after this picture was taken. I knew who he really was, but it still hurt to see him die right in front of me. But if he hadn't been standing where he was, I would've been the one to get impaled," Albert explained. "In terms of self-sacrifice, Luna couldn't have picked a better man to start courting than Robin Locksley." Lincoln wholeheartedly agreed.

Meanwhile, Robin and Lana were sitting on the roof facing opposite directions, Robin with his bow in his lap. They were keeping watch for potential enemies. Lana then saw two men in smart business suits approaching. She turned around and tapped Robin's shoulder.

"Hey, Rob! We got company!" she said. Robin turned around and looked where she was pointing, then nocked an arrow. When he was sure the men were approaching with a purpose and weren't simply out for a stroll, he pulled the arrow to his cheek and let it fly. The arrow lodged in the ground right in front of the two men, making them freeze in their tracks.

"State your business, or the next two shots go between your eyes!" Robin called to them, nocking another arrow.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot! We're just from Child Services!" one of the men cried, cowering behind a briefcase.

"We heard that there was a family living here, so we want to inspect the property and make sure it's a safe environment for children," said the other. Robin seemed to think about what they said for a moment.

"Think they're legit?" Lana asked him.

"They're not lying. I'd be able to tell if they were," Robin replied. "Alright, I'll let you in, but only if you leave immediately after conducting your inspection," he called down to the two Child Services workers. He somersaulted to the ground and escorted them to the front door.

"Gadzooks! Don't tell me this many people all live in a house this small!" one of them exclaimed upon seeing all of Robin's guests.

"Only two of them currently live with me. The others are seeking refuge from the approaching mob of escaped convicts," Robin explained before introducing Luna and Lincoln. "This is my girlfriend and her little brother. They moved in after suffering mental and physical abuse at the hands of their parents."

"I see. And do you have visible means of support?" asked the other inspector while taking notes on a clipboard.

"I am a rather talented blacksmith. I make knives, tools, and decorative weapons and sell them to various clients. It's a very lucrative business," Robin told them. "I also perform in a band alongside my girlfriend for additional profit. Yes, I'm well aware that my indoor smithy poses a certain amount of risk, but Lincoln and the other children know not to mess with things that they shouldn't."

"And who did you say these so-called 'abusive' parents were?"

"Their names were Lynn and Rita Loud. The two of them were formerly incarcerated, but are now running loose with a rampaging mob," Robin said, telling the truth. However, the two inspectors shared a skeptical look. "You don't believe me?"

"As a matter of fact, no we don't. We visited with Lynn and Rita, and there were no signs that there was any kind of child abuse happening," said the note-taking inspector. "In addition, they claimed that one of their children was kidnapped by another that ran away. Your girlfriend matches the description of the runaway." The bow was still in Robin's left hand, and his right hand ever so slightly began to inch toward the quiver still on his hip. "I actually see a few things that we can have you arrested for: aiding a kidnapper, holding a large number of hostages, and squatting on privately owned land."

"Lisa put you up to this, didn't she?" Lincoln blurted.

"No, but Lynn and Rita are old friends of ours, and we know they would never do such a thing," said the inspector without the clipboard.

"Well, surprise, surprise, they did. And for the record, this is my land and my house. My name, Robin Locksley, is on the deed," Robin said, presenting an official-looking sheet of paper to the inspectors. "Nobody kidnapped anyone, and everyone is here of their own free will. Now get out of my house before I have you arrested for trespassing!" The inspectors were adamant until they noticed some of Robin's guests with weapons from the armory: Albert with a double-headed battle-axe, Bobby with a spear, and Lynn with a two-handed sword. They gulped and looked at each other.

"Everything seems to be in order, so we'll, uh, just be on our way," one of them said before they both scurried out the front door as fast as they could. Robin turned to his assembled guests.

"Now that that little debacle is over with, we have a lot of preparation to do before that mob arrives in town. Let's get started!"