The Heirs of Locksley

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“Well,” Marian said calmly. “Perhaps they found an adventure.”

“Marian, they were supposed to be nothing like me. They were supposed to be sensible and quiet and not at all prone to adventures.”

“Hmm,” she said, refusing to state any opinion about what Robin's children were meant to be like. If they were wild, she'd blame Sherwood Forest before she blamed Robin. Something about that place got into one's bones and made one rash.

THE HEIRS OF LOCKSLEY

The Ghosts of Sherwood

“So what did you think would happen, coming here? Knowing who their father is?”

[Redacted] was trapped. He had the look of a hound who had cornered a boar all by himself and then didn't know what to do with it. “Those . . . They're just stories. You aren't him, not really.”

“No, of course not. That man lived a long time ago,” Robin murmured. “I am much angrier right now than he ever was.”

THE HEIRS OF LOCKSLEY

What makes a good Robin Hood story?

Adventure. Charm. Good people we like looking out for each other— it's not enough to have a story about Robin Hood. He needs all his friends around him, and they need to be witty and skilled and admirable. Archery, of course we need archery. Clint Barton and Katniss Everdeen insist that we still need archery even in this modern day. And Robin needs to help people. He needs to denounce corruption and tyranny. He rebels and resists.