Robin Hood’s Rescue – Act 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maid Marian was strolling through the castle courtyard with her lady-in-waiting, Ella A’Dale, when a strange carriage came rolling in the gates. Maid Marian’s curiosity was piqued and she moved closer to get a better look at the occupants of the carriage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She was shocked when Lady Gayle emerged, dragging behind her the notorious outlaw Robin Hood! Robin gave Maid Marian a brief glance as the guard hauled him off toward the dungeons.

 “I see there’s a new prisoner in the castle.” Maid Marian said innocently to the Sheriff as he walked by.

“Yes,” answered the Sheriff. “We are expecting a visit from Queen Cowalor and the last thing I wanted was Robin Hood setting upon her. So we laid a trap and he fell right into it.”

“How clever of you.” responded Maid Marian.

“Well, it wasn’t that hard.” drawled the Sheriff. “You see – we seem to have a spy in our midst.” The Sheriff moved close to Maid Marian and peered at her menacingly. “All we had to do was plant the false information with the spy and then he – or SHE – passed the message onto the outlaw.”

“A spy, you say?” asked Marian nervously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Oh, don’t fret, my dear.” The Sheriff’s face was very close to Maid Marian’s and with a hard look in his eye he grinned at her. “We are very close to smoking out the traitor and when we do, he – or SHE – will be joining Robin Hood in the dungeon.” The Sheriff laughed fiendishly.

Marian gulped as the Sheriff turned and strode away. At that moment, horns rang out in the castle to announce the arrival of Queen Cowalor – the real queen this time.

 

DUNGEON

 

 

Robin paced back and forth in the dungeon. He had tested the iron bars and it seemed there was no way out. From his tiny cell window, he could see that the Queen and her entourage had arrived in the castle courtyard and were being greeted by the Sheriff as the peasants looked on through the castle gates. Just then Robin heard someone coming.

“Who’s there?” he called out.

“Quiet!” whispered a feminine voice that Robin recognized immediately. “Do you want to bring the whole castle guard down upon us?”

 

 

Robin looked through the bars to see the beautiful Maid Marian hurrying toward him. The sight of her filled his heart with joy. Robin and Maid Marian had been in love before he went off to war some years before. But she had never forgiven him for leaving and although she supported him in his mission to help the peasants, her heart was still cold toward him.

“What are you doing here?” Robin entreated. “If the Sheriff discovers you’re working with me, he’ll declare you an outlaw and have you arrested. I demand that you leave here immediately!”

“You DEMAND???” Maid Marian was indignant. “I take demands from no man – especially one who is fool enough to try ambushing the Queen’s carriage by himself. Now hurry – we must get you out of here while the Sheriff is busy with the welcoming ceremony. Put this on,” she said as she shoved a bundle through the bars of the cell. “I knocked out the guard and managed to steal the keys, but it will only be a matter of time before we are discovered.”

Robin held up the bundle to see the dress of Maid Marian’s lady-in-waiting, Ella A’Dale.

“You want me to wear a DRESS?” he hissed at her.

“Do you want to get out of here or not?” she whispered as she unlocked the cell door. Robin hurriedly threw the dress over his head and pulled on the glasses she handed him.

 

 

 

“You’re beautiful.” She winked as the two of them ran up the dungeon stairs. When they got to the top they peered round the corner to see the guard Maid Marian had knocked out, sitting up and rubbing his head.  They held their breaths as he pulled himself up and started toward the dungeon. Marian pulled out a short sword from the folds of her skirt, preparing to do battle. Just then though, the guard was distracted as Ella came running down the corridor toward him.

 

 

 

 

“Help! Help! There is an attacker on the loose in the castle!” she cried.

“I know,” replied the guard. “I am sure they were trying to break into the dungeon.”

“No,” panted Ella, out of breath. “I saw them run that way – toward the welcoming ceremony! Oh, I fear that the Queen is in danger!”

A panicked expression crossed the guard’s face before he turned and ran in the direction she had indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I say, you make a fetching lady-in-waiting,” Ella grinned as Robin and Maid Marian appeared at the dungeon door. She held out Robin’s sword and his bow and a quiver of arrows. “You’ll probably be wanting this. Good luck.”

Robin and Marian dashed down the corridor in the opposite direction to the way the guard had run. They reached the door and were just about to turn the handle when it was pulled open by someone on the other side.

 

 

 

“Maid Marian! I knew it!” declared the wicked Lady Gayle. “Now we have two prisoners for the dungeon!”

“You’ll have to catch us first, my lady” responded Maid Marian as she and Robin wielded their swords. Lady Gayle was an impressive swordswoman, but faced with two equally skilled opponents she soon started to shrink back. Yet, for some reason neither Robin or Maid Marian could fathom, her devilish grin never left her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But as they broke past her and ran through the door, it became clear what she was smiling about.  Maid Marian and Robin ran smack into the middle of a company of guards.