The Story
Long ago in the great Sherwood Forest of England, there lived a bold outlaw named Robin Hood. He wore a suit of Lincoln green, carried a longbow made of yew, and could shoot an arrow with more skill than anyone in the land.
Robin had not always been an outlaw. He was once a young nobleman whose lands were taken by the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham while King Richard the Lionheart was away fighting in the Crusades. Left with nothing, Robin took to the forest, where he gathered a band of loyal companions — Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, and Maid Marian among them.
They called themselves the Merry Men, but their work was serious. The Sheriff of Nottingham taxed the poor peasants so heavily that families had no bread for their children. Robin and his band would waylay the Sheriff's tax collectors on the forest road, take back the stolen coins, and return them to the villages.
One day, the Sheriff announced an archery contest with a golden arrow as the prize — a trap to lure Robin out of hiding. Robin came in disguise, dressed as a poor farmer. One by one, every other archer was eliminated. In the final round, Robin split his opponent's arrow clean down the middle. The crowd roared.
The Sheriff was furious when he tore away Robin's disguise and found his greatest enemy had won. "Seize him!" he cried. But Robin whistled, and his Merry Men melted out of the crowd from every direction. They escaped back into Sherwood Forest before a single guard could take one step.
When King Richard returned to England, he heard of Robin's deeds and came to Sherwood Forest in disguise himself. Robin welcomed all strangers generously, fed the king a fine meal of roasted venison, and spoke honestly about the corruption of the Sheriff. The king revealed himself, pardoned Robin, and stripped the Sheriff of his power.
Robin Hood returned to a life of honour — but the people of Sherwood always remembered the man in Lincoln green who had stood between them and injustice when no one else would.