Beyond Sherwood Forest

I told you my aim was true. You both saw!

- I don't know what I saw. - Whatever that thing is,

it dares to poach from the king's forest.

An offense punishable by death!

Malcolm, there! Behind you!

William, Malcolm, follow me!

Don't let it escape.

There! I told you I hit it.

Malcolm, wait!

Perhaps you need a larger target.

You'll see. Someday I'll be the greatest archer in all of Nottingham.

Oh, my! I'm to be married

to the greatest archer in all of Nottingham?

How terribly exciting.

I never said I wanted to marry you.

Where are you going?

Hunting with my father.

Godspeed, my great archer.

Whoa.

Help me.

Are you mad?

You saw what it did to Roland.

I saw that beast strike him down.

Now I see a man attempting to do the same

to a wounded, helpless woman.

William: What witchcraft is this?

Perhaps the answer lies in the blood itself.

A being that bleeds yet does not die.

Who's ever heard of such a thing?

Malcolm: No one.

Which is why we need tell no one of her existence.

Just what the devil are you getting at, Malcolm?

To be virtually unstoppable

in the face of all who stand in your path.

Imagine wielding such power.

Which of us is mad now?

- If Roland was here... - Roland is dead!

Which means that I am now sheriff.

And it's I who shall determine what is to be done with her.

Until we can determine who she is,

where she came from

and her connection to that cursed beast,

she'll return with us to Nottingham

where we will send word to King Richard seeking his counsel.

King Richard is a bloody fool and so are you

if you cannot see what power you have in your hands.

I'm sorry, old friend,

but I have sworn an oath as deputy, as did you,

to live and die by the laws of the king.

If I cannot depend on you to be silent,

so be it, old friend.

Father!

Run, Robert, run!

No!

Young master Robert, come out.

I know what you must be thinking,

but the quarrel I had with your father

has nothing to do with you.

No harm will come to you, I promise.

These tracks are deep.

Perhaps so are the purses of their makers.

When was the last time you had a proper night of fitful rest?

When Richard returns at last from the Crusades we can all rest.

Something disturbs your sleep.

You worry too much, John.

Come, I've got a plan.

Man: There you are, my dear.

I've turned the castle upside down looking for you.

I was beginning to fear you'd run away.

How am I to run

when you'd have me bound in the chains of servitude?

Must you always be so melodramatic?

Yes. If I must still wed Leopold, Earl of Austria.

- Duke. - Whichever!

It's of little importance.

These are dark times, my dear.

With Richard off fighting the Crusades,

it's critical that we make Austria our ally

rather than our enemy.

Is this to be a marriage or a goodwill mission?

Duke Leopold is a man of great power and influence.

A man who merely holds a seat of power

is not necessarily a powerful man.

Why, look no further than that charlatan Prince John.

Hold your tongue, child!

Sometimes you remind me so much of your mother

with your tempestuousness.

There's not a day goes by

that I'm not grateful that you entered this world...

the same instant my dear Lily left it.

You were her gift to me.

And yet you would ask me to spend the rest of my life

with a man 20 years my senior,

one I do not even know, much less love.

With our distant and tenuous blood ties to the throne,

you cannot marry for love,

only for country

and the promise of a more certain future

than any I could ever provide.

Get yourself cleaned up.

You'll be in your bridal gown within the hour

that you might be presented to Prince John.

Yes, Father.

Thank you.

Look sharp, men!

This is the domain of outlaws.

Right. Hyah!

Good morning, sir. You look rather taxed.

Perhaps we could lighten your load.

You're making a grave mistake.

We ride from Eden's Gate

on behalf of His Majesty Prince John.

Well, you and he can both take great comfort

in knowing that your loss shall be the gain of others

who I assure you need it far more than you.

Now the question is...

what to do with you.

I say we kill 'em!

Well, get on with it then, and be quick about it.

On your feet. Come on. On your feet! Let's go.

On your feet!

Go on! Get on! Go on!

Be sure to give our best to the prince

and His Lordship the Dishonorable Sheriff of Nottingham.

Bye!

Come on, let's drop this off at our camp

on the way to Bishops Down.

Don't suppose we've got time to grab a spot of something to eat?

Did we not already have breakfast?

Well, it's just likely there'll be serving while we're there

and I thought who knows if we'll have time to eat again, right?

And what of the chest?

Man: He took it all, milord.

Sounded like he had a bloody army with him.

It all happened so quickly.

We were surrounded, outnumbered.

I'd say more like outsmarted.

It was him, sire,

the hooded man.

It's a wonder he even remains at large.

Sire, he is nothing if not cunning.

We have scoured all of Sherwood for his encampment.

Clearly, you've not looked hard enough.

Robin Hood is a champion of the people.

- They harbor his encampment. - Then they must be made to pay.

I want all taxes raised immediately.

We'll leave them no choice but to give up their beloved champion.

You do not think this a proper course of action?

Tightening the purse strings is always good for business,

but surely another present can be found.

That chest has been in my family for generations...

bestowed upon my father at his own coronation.

It must be recovered!

Yes, sire.

I told you to fetch Marian.

The prince demands to see her at once.

Marian's gone.

The chest and now this.

Need I remind you, Malcolm,

the importance of this impending alliance with Austria?

No, sire.

And I believe I have an idea

how we may best find your cousin

so that the wedding can go ahead as planned,

while striking a blow against the people at the same time.

Whatever you have to do, do it!

Make arrests.

Burn Nottingham to the ground if you must.

I want her and that chest returned to me.

Robin Hood will be fitted for a noose within the week.

See that he is.

Or else you'll be taking his place.

You nearly killed me!

No, I nearly killed the deer

and surely would have had you not upset an otherwise perfect shot,

good sir.

Poaching in the forest of the king

is an offense punishable by death.

The king cannot be found in the wood today, I'm afraid.

Nor in all of England!

And until such time as he returns to reclaim his throne,

I shall continue to borrow from those who can afford to lose it.

Borrow?

You would steal from Prince John?

Why, you're nothing more than a common thief.

A thief perhaps, but a most uncommon one, I assure you.

And what might your business be in the wood this fine morning, sir?

You who not only speaks on behalf of the prince,

but also wears his crest.

Perhaps you're one of the sheriff's traveling tax collectors,

your pockets flush with the purses of hungry peasants.

I have no quarrel with you, sir.

I only wish to continue on my way.

And I shall be happy to allow you to do so,

but first I must demand a one-time, non-refundable traveling tax.

Do not challenge me, thief.

I have no desire to harm you.

Oh, duly noted.

You fight well,

particularly for a girl.