Long, long ago, a wicked and greedy Prince John ruled England. He was unkind to the common people of Nottingham and had no consideration for the poor. Under his charge, the rich became richer while the poor became poorer. The Prince ordered the Sheriff of Nottingham to tax people so heavily that some were forced to become outlaws. One of the outlaws was Robin Hood. He and his band of merry men would steal money from the Sheriff and give it back to the poor.
Robin Hood had a trusted companion named Little John. Robin Hood would rob the rich merchants and the Prince’s caravans that carried the huge taxes collected from the poor as they crossed the Sherwood Forest, which was the home of Robin Hood and his men. He would then distribute the loot amongst the poor. His generosity earned him the name ‘Prince of Thieves’ among the common people.
The Sheriff of Nottingham announced many rewards for the capture of Robin Hood but it did not stop him from doing good deeds. Robin Hood had many people who served him. They made him their leader. They acted as informers and would warn Robin Hood whenever the Sheriff had any new plan to catch him.
The rich were scared of going through the Sherwood Forest. The pressure to capture Robin Hood increased on the Sheriff of Nottingham. One day when Robin Hood and his friends robbed the Prince’s caravan again, the Prince called the Sheriff of Nottingham to the Palace. “This is the last time that Robin Hood has humiliated my men and me!” said the Prince in anger, “Sheriff, what are your troops doing? Why haven’t they caught that thief as yet?” he yelled.
“We are doing our best, Your Highness. I assure you that we will have him soon!” replied the Sheriff in a polite tone.
The prince said, “You should! Otherwise, someone else will be punished!”
The Sheriff made a new plan with his men. He decided to announce an archery competition to be held in Nottingham. “Let us have a competition to choose the best archer in Nottingham. Robin Hood cannot resist such a competition. He will surely come; when he does, my guards will capture him,” he told his noblemen. All of them agreed. The winner would be announced as the best archer in Nottingham and would get a kiss from Lady Marian, the earlier Sheriff’s daughter.
Now, Robin Hood was an excellent archer; there was none better than he with a bow and arrow in the whole of Nottingham. And he could surely not resist taking part in the competition. Robin Hood’s loyal men dissuaded him. “Robin, this competition is being held to trap you,” said one of the men. “It would be foolish to go into the lion’s den,” said another. But Robin Hood was not willing to listen.
The next day all arrangements for the competition were made. The crowds were all seated and ten contestants were there. The Sheriff turned to one of the guards and stated in a whisper, “Has Robin come?” “No, Your Highness, Robin has red hair. None of the contestants has red hair.” The Sheriff laughed, “He must be scared!”
Two strangers appeared at the competition–a beggar and a duke. “Nobody will recognize us in these disguises. I will win the competition and the kiss, but no one will know that the winner is Robin Hood,” said Robin Hood, disguised as a beggar to his friend Little John, who was disguised as a duke.
The competition began. William, the Sheriff’s man, who had also participated and the beggar were competing for the first prize, a golden arrow, after ten rounds. It was time for the last arrow to be shot; the winner of this round would be the best archer in Nottingham.
William took aim first and shot; it was very close to the centre. The Sheriff applauded. “Good shot, William!” he said. Then it was the turn of the beggar. He let go of his arrow. The crowd cheered wildly. It went through William’s arrow and the bull’s eye. The cheering caught the Sheriff’s attention and he turned to see what the matter was. By now, Robin had drawn another arrow and took a shot. It too hit the bull’s eye. When the next arrow also hit the bull’s eye the Sheriff realized that something was wrong at the bottom. That was no stranger. That was Robin Hood! No one could shoot arrows in such fashion.
“Get him, you fools! That is Robin Hood,” shouted the Sheriff.
The whole crowd broke into frenzy as the Sheriff’s men at once arrested Robin Hood.
“Off with his head!” said the Prince.
But Little John moved like a flash of lightning and grabbed the Prince. He put a knife at his throat and told him to release Robin Hood. The Sheriff’s men had no alternative but to let go of Robin Hood. Once Robin was free, a fight ensued. Robin and Little John fought the guards bravely. Swords clashed and the arrows flew! Before escaping Robin Hood climbed the audience tower and stole a kiss from Lady Marian.
Back at the Sherwood Forest Robin Hood and his friends got together and celebrated. Little John sang a song making fun of Prince John.
