You've undoubtedly heard the tale of Robin Hood, but what if I was to tell you they got it all wrong?
First of all, Robin is female.
{All characters other than my own belong to J. R. R. Tolkien}
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She was 8 years old when she learnt the true meaning of loyalty.
It was a warm afternoon with a still atmosphere, no breeze to ruffle the bushes or stir the dry dirt. Just like most days, the market area was fairly quiet, most sellers reading a book or having a snack while they waited for customers.
The little girl waited patiently as her brotherpurchased some fruit and vegetables, her feet bringing her to a toy stall which sat across the street. Ms Paddington was well known for her gift in creating dolls and teddy bears.
Buttons eyes and porcelain faces stared back at the girl, until one pointed muzzle grabbed her attention.
It was a small knitted fox with fluffy ears and a furry tail. The critter was dressed in green, a pointed hat sitting atop its orange head, with a small red feather tucked within the rim. But the feature which really jumped at the girl was the quiver of arrows which rested on the fox's back, and the bow he held in his left paw.
Usually the little girl didn't take much of an interest in stuffed toys, but this one had been crafted with immense detail and vibrancy. None of the other toys held weapons nor much colour, and it was then that the girl knew she wanted the fox.
She knew that her mother wouldn't spend money on a toy unless there was a special event such as a birthday, and the little girl had just over half a year to wait for her special day. But if she waited, there was no way the fox would still be there when the time came around.
Using the advice her brother had given, the little girl glanced at Ms Paddington who had her head deep in a book, not even noticing the girls presence, then back to the knitted fox.
Wrapping her small hand around the toy, she swiftly removed it from the bench without disturbing any of the other dolls, then flipped open her leather side bag to place the fox inside. It was only a small toy, therefore it would easily fit, but before she could even bring the fox to the opening, a large hand snapped onto her little arm.
She yelped, looking up to see the beefy face of the towns butcher, his expression contorted into a scowl as his beady eyes stared down at her with a menacing glare.
"What do ye think you is doing, little rat?" He seethed, and tears began to poor down the little girls face as her arm swelled to bruise from his constricting grip.
But before the man could get more aggressive, a hard impact rammed into his arm and forced the butcher to release his grip on the child.
"Leave her alone!" The little girls brother growled, stepping infront of his sister with a fierce expression. He was a lean kid, but also strong for his age.
The butcher let out a deep, dry chuckle from within his meaty chest, and tore the fox out of the little girls shaking grasp.
"The lil mole stole this!" He roared, grabbing the attention of a few passersby. "She deserves eh punishment!"
"I was the one who told her to do it." The boy stated, stepping forward as he craned his head to meet the eye of the bulky butcher. "It's my friends birthday and I had nothing to give them. I thought my sister could get away with stealing something because she's both smaller and a female."
The little girl shook, frozen in fear as she continued to stand behind her brother with tears streaming down her face, before a harrowing slap caused her to gasp in shock.
The butcher had gripped onto the boys arm, sending his other beefy hand to his small face with a solid impact. The onlookers whinced, before continuing on their way. It wasn't unlikely to see a little boy being smacked on the street for stealing.
"If I catch ye sneaking by again, I'll have ye heads on one of meh meat hooks!" The butcher threatened, his stocky body towering over the children. The boy nodded, grabbing the hand of his sister as they both bolted down the street and away from the terrifying man.
They were silent, their boots scuffing against the dry ground as they reached an even quieter area of town. Silence settled between the two children, the little girl sniffing as she wiped at her tear stained cheeks.
"Im s-sorry." She sulked, lifting her heavy eyes to view her brothers red cheek.
"We've been over this before." The boy uttered, looking back down at his sister with a frown. "We only steal from people who have a lot to spare, and we only steal for those who need it. Not for ourselves."
The little girl lowered her gaze to the dust, dragging her feet as her brother continued.
"Ms Paddington puts alot of work into her toys. If anything, she deserves double the pay."
For a fourteen year old, the boy was exceptionally wise.
"I don't know why I tried to steal it, I was being greedy. I'm sorry." The little girl apologised again, and her brother sighed.
"Well I hope you really wanted it." He muttered, before holding out his basket of fruit and revealing the stuffed fox beneath two apples.
The girl gasped, grabbing the toy and holding it to her chest with a gleeful beam on her small face.
"Thank you! But how? It would've been so hard!"
"Tricky fingers and diverted attention." Her brother stated with a smirk, twiddling his fingers at the giggling girl. "I'll teach you, it's very effective."
And with that, the siblings walked hand in hand the rest of the way home.
That day, although unknown to the boy, the little girl had learnt an important life lesson from the actions of her brother. She made an oath to herself that she would never abandon anyone she held dear in a time of need, even if it caused her own discipline.
She was 8 years old when she learnt the value of loyalty.
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The flashback chapters following this one are going to get interesting and intense, so be prepared!
