Page 161 of Queen of Sherwood

Even so many days after that meeting, we didn’t have an answer.

Another messenger came once Prince John arrived in our region and said the prince wanted to meet for a parley.

I was surprised at that. He could have easily quashed us, knowing where we stayed. We still hadn’t left, because where would we go? A royal with that many resources could scour the land until the end of time, if he saw it fit. His tendrils spread further than we could ever hope to run.

“We have to hear him out,” Little John said over a campfire one night. He had his hands clasped together, leaning forward over his knees. Stern and anxious. “At the very least, we must do that.”

“Could be a trap,” Tuck pointed out.

“Most likely is,” Will added.

“We’ve already rebuffed his summons to Nottingham,” Robert said next to me. “I agree with Little John: Perhaps we should try not to insult him again.”

“And what if he attacks us with his army? We’d never escape.”

“We’ll never escape now, either. We took too long. We tried to call their bluff and failed, sister, because it wasn’t a bluff. This is real.”

Slowly, I nodded. Robert was right, and so was Little John. We at least had to hear what the would-be king had to say.

WE BROUGHT A CARAVAN to the meeting spot designated by Prince John’s envoy. Our numbers were sizeable, yet not large enough to scare anyone into thinking we were going to lash out.

Over the past few days, I had resigned myself to our fate. Our short-lived dream of freedom was becoming just that: a dream.

Who was I to think we could withstand kings and princes? That I could go against the very grain of England and try to live a life against their rules and laws, without repercussions?

It was arrogant thinking. After George’s death, I hoped we would be able to start anew.

Clearly, that wasn’t meant to be.

I didn’t know exactly what the prince wanted, of course. I assumed he wished to have all of our heads on pikes outside the Nottingham gates.

Before joining the caravan, I spoke candidly with my mates. We all came to an agreement that, if it came down to it, we would die to preserve the lives of everyone else around us.

We would be the sacrificial lambs if it meant the rest of the Merry Men and Oak Boys were able to live without consequence.

The five of us for the hundreds of “outlaws” we had cultivated in our community over the past year.

Of course, I didn’t trust the word of any nobleman or prince. They had promised peace if we came in good faith. However, I understood the prince could easily have us killed on the spot, and then round up the rest of the rebels and hang them for treason once we were gone.

What else could we do?

When we arrived at the location northwest of Nottingham near the village of Newthorpe, Prince John’s army was already awaiting us.

He made a show of numbers, bringing no less than two hundred battle-hardened warriors with him to the negotiations. They stood in a jagged line along the outskirts of town.

Flags blew in the wind everywhere we looked. Red banners with the insignia of three golden lions.

Prince John was a blustery man with a big forehead that tapered down to a narrow chin. Large front teeth showed an overbite when he walked forth atop a small hill from the rest of his troop, adorned in battle regalia. His hair was a reddish hue, flat against the scalp where he wore his golden crown.

He didn’t strike a particularly intimidating pose. He wasn’t, by all accounts, a very imposing man. From this wide distance more than a stone’s throw away, I couldn’t make out his eyes.

The eyes told everything.

“The infamous Merry Men,” the prince announced in a nasally voice. He was flanked by armed men and a few Knights Templar—royal guards who didn’t go anywhere without him. “You have caused quite a stir in my realm.”

Our group stood in a huddle in front of our carriages. We showed no sign of force, and were at the complete mercy of this madman.

I had heard the stories of his cruelty and lust. The married noblewomen he impregnated while his gallant brother King Richard was away fighting for the “wellbeing” of the country.

---