Sherwood Forest

Avalon 8.11 Tax Collectors and Other Thieves, part 3 of 6

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

The travelers crossed Cunigsworth Ford and entered the forest proper, as Father Tucker called it.  He told them it was the king’s preserve and poaching deer and other game animals was strictly prohibited and carried the stiffest penalties.  They promised to be careful.

The road, which had become hardly a path, took them through several hamlets and by midafternoon they arrived at the new village of Wellow.  Wellow did not have so much as an inn.

“Quite all right,” Father Tucker said.  “We can spend the evening on the grounds of Rufford Abbey.  They are not far from here.  Cistercians, but nobody is perfect.”

The travelers purchased some foodstuffs for the next two days they would be traveling through the woods, so they would not have to poach in the king’s preserve.  The man in the market said he was astounded by the old Roman silver the travelers used.  Lincoln shared a gold piece with the man, and he said he might bury it for future need and to keep it out of the hands of the tax collectors.

Katie came up to the priest at one point, with Boston beside her.  Boston blurted out, “Helen is west from here.  We have to go through the forest.”

Katie quieted her.  “I wanted to say it is nice of you to lead us to where we need to go, but I believe we can take it from here.  You said yesterday we passed the turnoff to Sheffield.  No one would be upset of you decided to go home.”

Father Tucker shook his head.  “After a short way, the road to Sheffield, as I named it, divides and one branch goes straight south, right through Warsop and through the woods to Nottingham.  That road is patrolled by soldiers who are regularly sent out to protect travelers against the woodland thieves.  But it is the thieves that I wish to meet.  The Lord has burdened me with a heart for these hoodlums.  They need spiritual guidance, not to mention a good moral compass. But there is a different road from Rufford Abbey that crosses the forest to the west—one not patrolled by troops and said to be full of thieves.  It will take us to the west, to the River Maun and the village of Maunsfeld.  From there, the road turns south again, to Newstead Abbey, a good Benedictine Priory, and down the River Lean to the village of Lenton, right near Nottingham.”

“And you thought to put us all in danger by taking us on this road?” Boston said, but she was not complaining.  She smiled.

“Posh,” the priest said.  “Given what you folks can do, I imagine the thieves will be the ones in danger.”

Rufford Abbey proved to be harsh place.  The Abbot left them alone after he squeezed a donation out of them, and the monks completely ignored them.  They did not offer so much as a bit of bread and water for their supper.  Without saying good-bye, the travelers took their leave early in the morning and started out across Sherwood Forest.  In fact, Lincoln, who had the wagon that morning, was about the only one who said anything.

“I thought you said this was a road,” he said it several times, along with, “Not much of a road.”  By lunchtime, they crossed the main highway to Nottingham and found a dozen buildings there, including a brick longhouse for about twenty soldiers.  They were warned of the dangers of the road they traveled on, but Father Tucker insisted they were headed for Maunsfeld, and this was the only road they could take.  The soldiers did not argue.

Less than an hour after lunch, the travelers heard horses behind them, coming up fast.  Father Tucker got excited, thinking it might be the thieves.  The travelers imagined it meant trouble and they armed up, just in case.

When the men arrived, they turned out to be soldiers, about twenty, though not from the crossroads blockhouse.  The man out front claimed to be Sir Guy of Gisborne, special agent to the sheriff.  He got personal and demanded answers from the travelers, which they willingly gave, as much they could.  It did not matter how kind and open they were.  The man was a jerk.  Finally, Father Tucker stepped up and got in the knight’s face.

“Look here,” he said.  “These good people are under the protection of the church and deputy to the sheriff or not, you have no right to stop them and prevent them from making their lawful journey.”

Sir Guy grinned, and while affective, it did not reach the level of Decker’s full-on crocodile grin.  “I do if they are scofflaws who have not properly paid their taxes.”  he looked behind and waved to a group of his men.  “Search them for coins and contraband and search the wagon.”

About half the men dismounted, but most of the travelers stayed on horseback, including Boston who got a good look at all the faces in that moment with her good elf eyes.  Only Lockhart, Katie, and the priest got down to talk to Sir Guy.

Lockhart took a step forward where he could look down on Sir Guy.  “Sorry,” he said.  “We can’t let you do that.”  Katie and Decker raised their rifles.  Boston and Alexis pulled their wands.  Tony and Lincoln got out their handguns.  Nanette held the reigns to the wagon while Sukki and Elder Stow prepared themselves, and Sukki prayed she would not have to kill anyone.  Lockhart cocked his shotgun and blasted the nearest tree.  The buckshot cracked a branch, tore off chunks of bark, and the Norman horses jumped at the sound of thunder.  The soldiers stopped where they were, except the few who turned to go back to their horses.

Lockhart turned the shotgun to Sir Guy’s face, but before he could say anything, he got interrupted by one of the soldiers in the back still sitting up on his horse.  “Guy. Let them go.  We have what we need and maybe they will kill some of the thieves in the woods.”

Sir Guy gritted his teeth like he wanted to say something, but he waved his men back to their horses and spun on his heels.  When he mounted, they rode off, back the way they came and the travelers all relaxed.

“I don’t think he has given up,” Katie said it first.

“No,” Father Tucker agreed.  “He will be back as soon as he figures out the best way to disarm you.”

“Keep moving,” Lockhart said.

“Wait.  Boss,” Boston interrupted, and everyone paused to listen.  “Back in the group.  The one who talked to Sir Guy.  That was Hoffen, Sir Hubert from Normandy, and Budman was with him.”

“Are you sure?” Lincoln had to ask.

“Yes.  I didn’t see Englebroad or the Doctor, but Hubert and Sir Bernard were definitely there.”

“That explains what I was feeling,” Katie said softly.

“Keep moving,” Lockhart spoke up and looked at Elder Stow.

“I’ll set the scanner,” Elder Stow said.  “They should not be able to sneak up on us.”

Lockhart nodded and the group began to move down the road.  They mostly walked their horses for fear of the uneven ground, and because Ghost had a hard enough time pulling the wagon over the rough terrain, road or not.

After another hour, they came to a crossroad.  South looked like a farm road or maybe a hunting trail.  Father Tucker explained.  “It heads toward Rainworth Water, the same little river that runs beside Rufford Abbey.  The north trail comes to a ford on the river Maun at the king’s lodge.  Our better road goes straight to Maunsfeld.  We are about an hour away from there.”

“Better Road?” Lincoln said, though Tony presently had the wagon.  Father Tucker nodded before he realized Lincoln was being sarcastic.

“Wait,” Elder Stow yelled.  “There are three soldiers in the woods to the south.”  He paused to look in that direction, and an arrow came, not quite to the road, but it thunked into a tree near enough.  They all heard it and saw it, and Boston shouted.

“I hear the horses approaching fast.”

“Tony,” Lockhart yelled to the group.  “Tony, get the wagon to Maunsfeld.  Decker, guard Father Tucker.  Katie…”  He started down the south hunter’s trail at a good clip, and Katie followed.  Lockhart imagined outflanking the men in the woods, or at least taking their attention so the others could get away.  He was not the best man for the job, but Katie was, and he did not exactly have time to think it through.

Boston and Sukki rode ahead to clear the way for the wagon. Tony got Ghost up to a good trot, Lincoln and Alexis helping.  Elder Stow rode right behind the wagon.  He wanted to pull out his screen device and set a screen wall behind them, but he had no time to work on the device.

Decker wanted to follow Lockhart, but he hesitated as he watched the wagon move.  It turned a corner when the soldiers became visible behind.  He thought to give the soldiers a chase.  “This way,” he said to Nanette and Father Tucker, and led them up the horse trail toward the king’s lodge.

When the soldiers arrived at the crossroads, they saw the wagon tracks on the road ahead, watched Decker, Nanette, and Father Tucker disappear up the north road and heard Lockhart’s shotgun in the south.  Sir Guy cursed.

************************

MONDAY

The travelers and thieves meet and the travelers find Helen in the middle of it all, but then, as is standard for the Kairos, things turn strange.  Something has fallen from the sky.  Until Monday, Happy Reading.

*

Avalon 8.11 Tax Collectors and Other Thieves, part 2 of 6

M G Kizzia Leave a comment

That evening, the travelers found a place to camp not far from the road they would take into England Proper, as Father Tucker called it.  He explained to them that the lowlands they were in used to be considered part of Scotland, but the Normans came up and stole at least the southern part of it, like Galloway.  Lincluden Abbey was still in Norman lands.  He was actually on his way to Scotland but got as far as Lockerbie and turned around to go to Dumfries and to the building at Lincluden.

“They needed a proper priest to serve them until the bishop could appoint a priest.  He eventually sent both a priest and an abbot to discipline the monks there, so I am no longer needed, though I suppose a thank you would have been nice.  Anyway, I got to thinking about home and so, here I am.”  He smiled for them all.

“Why were you trying to get to Scotland?” Katie asked, and Alexis, who was cooking the deer, nodded, like she wanted to ask the same question.

“Yes.  Well, I ran afoul of the sheriff.  I’m from a little town south of York called Sheffield.  You probably never heard of it.”  To his surprise, a number of travelers heard of it.  “Well, anyway, John Lackland had his eyes on Sheffield Castle, but King Henry granted that place to the Lovetot family.  Good people overall.  Well, Lord Lovetot died suddenly in an accident when Sir Guy of Gisborne was his guest.  Some believe Sir Guy murdered the man for John.  He has that sort of reputation.  But I argued with the sheriff, Lord Sir Ralph Murdac, that the eldest daughter, Maud at age thirteen should be given to ward the castle until such time as she came of age and married or until the king should decide otherwise.  I guess I was persuasive because Lord Murdac agreed, and Maud, with help, gained the Hallamshire properties.  Too bad for John.”   Father Tucker let out a small laugh.

“Lovetot,” Lincoln interrupted.  “We are looking for Helen Lovetot in this place.”

“The little one?” the priest looked surprised and then not surprised.  “She is a strange one, but with a good heart.  Lord Lovetot only had the two daughters, which is why I had to argue so hard to keep the property in the elder one’s hands.”

“But it sounds like things worked out,” Katie said before Decker mentioned the obvious, with Nanette nodding.

“You said you ran afoul of the sheriff.”

“Yes.”  He picked up a stray stick to stir the fire.  “As soon as Richard left on the holy crusade, John forced Lord Murdac out of his place, seeing as Lord Murdac frustrated John’s ambition.  Lord Murdac appealed to Longchamp and Puiset, the men left in charge of the kingdom while Richard was away, but nothing ever came of it.  John got one of his friends to take the spot.  The Baron William de Wendenal is now Sheriff of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and the Royal Forests, and a meaner man has never been born.  John wants money, and his new sheriff is happy to steal everything, every penny from the people, right down to the food out of the mouths of the babies.”

“So, you tried to argue with the new sheriff?” Katie asked, trying to piece it together.

“No.  I ran away,” the priest admitted.  “I got Lord Furnival to watch over Maud, Helen, and Sheffield, and keep it out of the hands of John and his baron, but then I got fingered as a main conspirator that kept it out of the hands of John in the first place.  Forget Longchamp and Puiset.  All they do is argue and no one is there to stop John from doing what he pleases.  I ran to Scotland to escape the kingdom altogether and thought about how this would be a good time to go on a pilgrimage to Rome.  But the Lord Almighty got hold of me and calmed my panic.  The Lord turned me to Lincluden where they needed a priest.  And now, it is time to pay the piper.  That is one of Helen’s expressions, but I have found it useful more than once.”

“So, Boston,” Lockhart said.  “Looks like we might see the Sheriff of Nottingham.”

Boston grinned and nodded while the priest said, “Nottinghamshire?”  He knew the town, but he was not sure what they were implying.

“I wonder if Robin Hood is around,” Boston said through her grin.

“Yes.”  Father Tucker picked up the conversation.  “I have heard there are all sorts of hoodlums like poachers, robbers, and even murderers hiding out in the forests, just waiting to prey on unwary travelers.  I have heard of this Robin Hood.”

“Yes!” Boston said.  “But the story says they are free Englishmen and people who are starving under the heavy tax burden imposed by the sheriff.”

“Yes, I imagined that to be true, but like other secrets that have been discussed, we will have to see when we get there.”

People nodded and quieted.  “Standard Watch,” Lockhart said.

###

Father Tucker proved a gruff man, not given to putting up with nonsense, but at the same time, he came across as gregarious and kind.  He had a good heart and smiling proved to be his natural state.  He wore a short knife to cut his meat, and a long knife that would not qualify as a sword.  He said it was to defend the innocent.  People did not question him about that.  He also had a bow and a few scraggly arrows, he said, to fetch his meat to go with his daily bread.  He nearly gagged when Decker first told him to keep his arrows, raised his rifle, and took down a deer with one shot.  Decker was well practiced by then.

It took ten days to reach Nottinghamshire and Sherwood Forest, or the Royal Forest, as the priest called it.  That first day on the main North-South Road, they passed some soldiers—Normans.  Father Tucker hid his face from the men, but after that, after some thought and prayer, he went out of his way to show his face to whoever they met on the road.

“I will fear no evil because the Lord is with me,” he said.

Most of those ten days were pleasant.  They stayed at village inns on the third and fourth days but found the accommodations uncomfortable and the food barely edible.  After that, they opted to stay alongside the road.

“You should eat the food that the monks eat in most places.  You have no idea how inedible food can be,” Father Tucker said.

“Army food,” Decker agreed.

By far, Father Tucker spent most of those ten days with Decker and Nanette, once he found out they were Christians, not Muslims, and they were engaged and looking to marry.  They shared openly with the father that they were traveling through time and trying to get back to nine hundred years in the future.  It allowed them the chance to talk openly around the campfire about past time zones they traveled through and hopes for the future if they did not give too many future details.

“So, Margueritte married Roland,” Father Tucker said once privately to Boston.

Boston nodded.  “My Roland was named after Charlemagne’s friend.  But he was a grand nephew, or great-grand nephew named after Margueitte’s husband.”

“I see,” he said.  “Sort of like being part of the family.”

“Alexis is the only family I have right now.  She was Roland’s sister, but she became human to marry Lincoln, and now she is too human for words.  Alexis’ elf is still in there, somewhere, I think.  But sometimes it is hard to find.”

“Yes.” the father said.  “Elf.  I am still getting used to that.  You people have opened my eyes to so many things.  I’m sorry.  My poor mind can only handle so much at a time.”

Boston kissed his cheek and left him so he could find Nanette.

Alexis called it twelfth-century premarital counseling.  She said she and Lincoln could have used some of that, especially at first.  She imagined she had an inkling of what Decker and Nanette must be going through, being separated by a hundred years in their upbringing and worldviews.  “Conventions, attitudes, cultures change in a hundred years, especially those hundred years,” she said.  “Nanette got brought up in horse and buggy days, but Decker left the future more than fifty years after men landed on the moon.”

Father Tucker quickly realized the same thing.  As an outsider, and one barely able to follow the things they talked about, he did what he could to help bridge that gap.

Then they came to Cunigsworth Ford and crossed a small river into the forest.