Image by Richard Croft
Maid Marian was excited for tomorrow! The big competition for the Golden Arrow was going to happen, and she was hosting it in little old Nottingham. But what had her most excited was that she (and many others) thought the famous outlaw Robin Hood might be there. She had met him just once when she was quite young. Too young to fall in love her father would say. But those few hours she interacted with him had been replayed in her mind many times over the last five years. The thought of possibly seeing him put a smile on her face that would not go away.
It was the morning of the competition. Robin Hood and one of his Merry Men (whose name no one can remember) were to participate. The past few days leading into the competition had been chaotic. Robin and Little John had argued about which disguise to wear. Robin was afraid if the disguise was too intricate he would not perform well in the competition. But Little John was afraid if not careful he would be spotted by either the Bishop of Hereford or the Sheriff of Nottingham. Thus, they settled on a modest disguise - Robin would grow out his beard and wear red instead of his normal olive green.
Maid Marian greeted the participants as they arrived to the competition. She was keen on seeing Robin Hood and did not fail to greet a single participant. There were only about ten men left to greet. One of them caught her eye - he looked familiar but he had a scraggly beard and wore a very bright red shirt. Robin would never dress like that she thought. But when she greeted him his eyes had the same twinkle Robin's had had years before. She wondered if the man in red could be him.
The archery competition began. Robin was performing splendidly. The field of archers had dwindled from around 800 men to about 25 men. The targets kept moving further and further away. Robin thought to himself how he must not be distracted by the beautiful Maid Marian, who sat nearby. He must win this Golden Arrow first. It belongs in a reliquary he reminded himself, while thinking of Fail-Not. He let another arrow fly - bullseye! Another arrow, another bullseye! This time he got cocky and closed his eyes, yet the arrow did not miss its mark. The competition had only two competitors left, and the other man was one of the Bishop of Hereford's men.
Maid Marian watched in awe. The man who she thought might be Robin Hood was a very skilled archer. Her suspicions must be correct, she thought to herself. She was so happy! But at the same time she was worried. She noticed how the Sheriff of Nottingham looked at the man in red. She wondered if he too had suspicions about this man being Robin Hood.
This man of the Bishop's was really good. However, he was no match for Robin Hood. In fact, the only person who would be a match for Robin would be the man who possessed Fail-Not. The target was moved back to 100 yards. The official announced to the crowd (mostly made up of the losers) that the best shot would win. Robin's competitor would go first. He drew back his bow and released - the arrow hit the target soundly, and stuck to the ring just outside of the bullseye. Robin knew he that he had to execute the perfect shot. He nocked an arrow, drew back his bow, took a deep breath, and then released. Thump! The arrow stuck to the bullseye and the crowd went crazy!
Maid Marian had never seen such a great shot in her life. She ran out to the winner and gave him a peck on the cheek. Then she handed him the Golden Arrow!
Robin embraced Maid Marian after the win and cherished her light kiss. He took the prize and looked down at it. On the stem of the arrow were the words, "The secret lies with the Stone of Tristan." After Robin read this, almost everything went wrong for Robin and his Merry Men. The Sheriff of Nottingham along with the Bishop of Hereford came over to Robin and took the Golden Arrow out of his hands. The two men had figured out who he was - both from their own knowledge and from the whispers in the crowd.
The Sheriff of Nottingham marched Robin Hood away towards the city jail. Luckily for Robin, his men were not far behind (in fact they were ahead). After a couple twists and turns down the street Little John appeared in the middle of the road. He came up to the Sheriff and socked him right in the face. This strong blow by a giant man was enough to free Robin. They escaped to the Sherwood Forest.
Later that evening, a distressed Marian heard Robin had escaped. She knew that he could not yet be too deep into the forest. So, she went to search for him.
After walking into the woods for several miles she shouted, "Robin! Robin! Robin!"
Robin was sitting around a discrete fire with his men when he heard her voice. Immediately, he got up on his feet and went searching for her.
A few moments later, Maid Marian was in Robin's arms. They embraced and kissed (it was more than a peck this time). But then after they had greeted each other Robin was all business.
"My darling, do you know the meaning of 'The secret lies with the Stone of Tristan'?"
"My dear Robin, I do not. But I think I know someone who might. I will take you to him first thing in the morning!" Maid Marian exclaimed.
*Author's Note: This story is primarily inspired by "Robin Hood and Maid Marian" and "Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow." The inspiration for the competition comes from the story about the Golden Arrow, and it just so happens my story also involves a Golden Arrow. Coincidence? Nope! My story is quite a bit different in some ways. Maid Marian is not a part of the original. But in the end Robin Hood wins both competitions. The main aspect I took from the original "Maid Marian" story was the character Maid Marian. But also the part at the end where she goes looking for him in the Sherwood Forest was inspired by the original.
The Indiana Jones aspect of this story is partially the parallel of Maid Marian and Marion - I thought it was cool that their two names were so similar. Also, Marion from Indiana Jones met Indy when she was very young, so I made this connection in my story. The part of my story where Robin Hood loses the clue to his enemies also seemed like a very Indiana Jones thing to do (more on this in the next story). Another note regards the quote from my story, "The secret lies with the Stone of Tristan." The Stone of Tristan is a real thing...maybe. Also, this clue was inspired by a different movie, National Treasure - when the clue states, "The secret lies with Charlotte."
Bibliography.
"Robin Hood and Maid Marian" The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898). Web Source.
"Robin Hood and the Golden Arrow" The English and Scottish Popular Ballads by Francis James Child (1882-1898). Web Source.