The Rebels of Cordovia

by Linda Weaver Clarke

  The coach slowed down and came to a stop. Robin smiled when she saw the anger in the taxman’s face. He climbed out of the coach as he grumbled, giving her a sneer. She noticed how disgruntled and upset he was as he watched her pull the money from under the seat. After they left, he yelled at the men for not defending him. With that Merek grumbled as he climbed down from the coach and walked bow-legged into the woods, following Robin. The two disguised guards gave a kick to their horses and headed back to town.

  Peering from the woods, Robin noticed how shocked the man was, suddenly being left alone. After driving the coach back to the palace, he told the king what had happened. The news spread like wild fire about Robin’s Rebels. The driver and two guards said they had been jumped from behind, were kidnapped, and their clothes had been taken from them. They were large men and had been chosen for their strength. Apparently they didn’t want anyone knowing they had not been on guard and had been tricked by drinking the ale. That would have been humiliating.

  So the word began spreading around all the villages how Robin’s Rebels had overpowered two guards and a driver that was known for his strength in battle.

  Robin smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. It had gone so well. The secret was to do something completely different every time, so the attacks would be unexpected.

  It was time to meet Miles once again. She couldn’t figure out why the Freemen needed her men. She was doing just fine without them.

  After tying on her mask and placing her hat upon her head, she left for the secret meeting in the barn. When she entered, she saw Miles chatting with the rebels in a friendly manner. She liked his demeanor. He seemed like a jovial fellow.

  “So what’s on your mind this time, Miles?” asked Robin as she lowered her voice to sound like a young man.

  He stepped forward and introduced Simon who had come along for support.

  Simon gave a shy smile and nodded to the group. He was a hefty man with kind eyes and a soft voice. “I’m glad you allowed us to talk with you again.”

  Miles stepped toward her and smiled. “We’re here to convince you to join our group.”

  “Why would I want to do that? I don’t know what kind of leader you have. What if he is only doing this for fame and not for the cause of the people? What if he wants bloodshed and doesn’t want to reason with the king? And if a battle does pursue, what if he forgets about the safety of the people. I have a town to protect and I can’t…”

  Miles held up his hand and said, “I can assure you that our leader isn’t doing this for fame. He believes in the cause of freedom. He will never resort to bloodshed unless it’s in defense of the people.”

  Robin pursed her lips in thought, not sure if this was the right direction to go. She shook her head.

  Simon turned toward Miles and said, “I’ve got an idea.” Then he walked up to Robin and handed her a thread. “Take this and break it.”

  She smiled and broke it, and then handed it back to Simon.

  He then handed her a piece of cloth and said, “Tear this. Try and break all the threads in this material all at once.”

  Robin shook her head and said, “You know I can’t.”

  Simon nodded as he softly spoke, “Robin’s Rebels can be broken. But when you join with us, we’ll be too strong to break. We’ll be able to conquer the king and replace him with a righteous man. What do you say?”

  Robin hesitated for the one fact that she didn’t know the leader of the Freemen. What kind of man was he? Did he really care for the people?

  Miles approached her next and said, “I have been commissioned to challenge your group of men to a competition. Your men against ours! What do you say?”

  Robin’s eyes widened. This was unexpected. “A competition? What kind?”

  “Our wits against yours! Our strength against yours! Sword fighting, wrestling, and archery! How about it?”

  She laughed. “What’s in it for me?”

  “If you win, we won’t bother you again and will support your group anytime you need our help. You just give the word and we’ll help you out.”

  “And if I don’t win?” she asked cautiously.

  “Then you have to join our group and we’ll be one, fighting for the same cause. Of course, you will be part of the planning and strategy. You’ll also be in charge of your own men. We wouldn’t take that away from you.” He smiled and added, “But if you’re afraid you can’t win, we understand.”

  “Afraid?” Merek yelled. “We’re not afraid of nobody. You bring it on and we’ll win with our hands tied behind our backs.”

  Miles laughed. “Is that so?”

  Robin turned to her men and saw their interest. “What do you think? Is this something you’d like to do?”

  Merek puffed out his chest and smiled at Robin as he said, “My strength hasn’t been questioned by any man. I volunteer for wrestling. I’ve never been beaten yet.”

  She turned to Miles and asked, “Do we choose only one person for each event?”

  Miles nodded. “That’s right. Your best against our best! My boss has heard of your expertise in archery. So he wants to also challenge you, one on one, if you think you’re good enough.”

  “If I think I’m good enough?” she exclaimed.

  The group burst into laughter. They knew how good she was.

  Miles raised his brow as he asked, “Then it’s a deal?”

  After a moment of thought, Robin asked, “Do we have to beat every competition to win?”

  “No. Only two out of three…one for wrestling, one for sword fighting, and one for archery, which will be you and our leader. What do you say?”

  All the men and women yelled their approval. With Robin in archery and Merek in wrestling, they had it made.

  Robin looked around and saw the excited faces of her group. Then she nodded and shook Miles’ hand and set up a date for the competition.

  After Miles left, she pulled off her mask and said, “Who thinks he’s better at sword fighting than anyone here?”

  There were a few shrugs.

  “Then,” said Robin. “We’ll have our own competition. Whoever beats one of our own will challenge the Freemen.”

  Everyone agreed. As Robin headed home, she felt quite good about the deal she had made. If she won, they would help her out anytime she wanted. There couldn’t have been a better deal.

  She opened the door to her home with a grin and greeted her parents. When her father saw her elation, he asked how the meeting turned out and she told him everything.

  He nodded. “I think you made the right choice, dear. No one can beat you. You’re the best.”

  She smiled. “You’re just prejudice. Besides, I had a great teacher.”

  Andrew chuckled. “So can anyone compete in this sword competition of yours?”

  “Of course.”

  “That’s nice to know,” Andrew said as he threw his cane aside. “I just might think about competing.”

  ***

  Daniel laughed as Miles told him how the meeting went. He was elated. It couldn’t have worked out better. “I think two out of three is a good number to win. I’m quite excited about this. I love a challenge.” He rubbed his hands together with excitement. “So when’s the competition?”

  Miles stared at his leader and watched his joviality. He seemed happier than normal. In fact, he acted as if he could take on the whole king’s army.

  With puzzlement, he asked, “What happened in Charlottesville today?”

  “It was great. We delivered a lot of breads and pastries to many, many families. You should have seen the people, Miles. They were so appreciative.”

  “We? Who helped you?”

  Daniel grinned. “The most beautiful young lady I’ve ever met in my life. I’m not joking, Miles. She was lovely. And she believes in our cause and isn’t afraid to speak out. She said her mind and didn’t waver one bit.”

  Miles grinned. “I should have figured it was a woman.”

  �
�What?”

  “Your happiness!” Miles chuckled. “I thought it might be something more than just delivering food to the poor. Only a woman would bring that sort of joy to a man. What’s her name?”

  Daniel beamed. “Marie. She’s really something, Miles. She put those children on her lap and asked them questions about themselves as if she were truly interested in their lives. Then she asked the parents if the children needed clothes. She’s not wealthy by any means, but nonetheless, she acted as if she could get them clothes with the snap of her fingers.”

  Miles burst into laughter. “You’ve got it bad, Danny Boy.”

  “What?”

  “You’re enamored!” Miles laughed. “By the way, the competition is in a couple days so you’d better practice up.”

  Daniel shook his head. “It’ll be easy. Don’t worry about me. Let’s talk to the men and see who wants to volunteer for the sword fight and wrestling. We really need Robin’s men. They’ve made a name for themselves. We need good fighters with strength and wit to win this battle with King Rupert.”

  Chapter 4

  Andrew burst into Robin’s bedroom and woke her up. “It’s happened, Robin Marie. It finally happened. All that hard work your group and all the other rebel groups have done really paid off.”

  Robin sleepily stretched her arms above her head and smiled at her father’s enthusiasm. “What are you saying?”

  “King Rupert is angry. He’s real mad. He just sent out a decree that our kingdom is now at war with all the rebels. He has sent out his men to hunt down every rebel. I guess we hit him where it hurts. Money does it every time. I knew it would. Taking the tax money and buying food for the poor was perfect.”

  “War?” asked Robin with widened eyes. “Really?”

  “You bet!”

  “Now what, Papa? Do you have any advice about our next move?”

  Andrew nodded. “I sure do. Get your group together ‘cause we need to have a meeting. We also need to practice our sword fighting for the competition. We need to unite ourselves. We can’t be separate any longer.”

  When Andrew left the room, Robin climbed out of bed. She was stunned. It had worked. From what she had learned, Charlottesville had more taxes to collect than any other town. Losing all that money really angered Rupert.

  Robin hadn’t realized that she had made a difference until the last escapade. The news spread like wildfire and she knew something was going to happen. Now what? They needed a plan.

  ***

  Daniel woke his men with enthusiasm. The day had finally arrived. They had pushed the king as far as he would go. Now he was pushing back. It was war.

  After announcing the news to his men, he commanded, “Miles, send a group of men out to the villages and recruit as many men as you can. In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan.” He hesitated. “We need Robin’s Rebels. From all the gossip I’ve heard, they’re the best. Pick our best men for the sword fight and wrestling. We need to win this contest.”

  With that announcement, he sat down and began putting some strategies together. They needed to be ready when Rupert’s men began moving in. They needed to set traps, have a few sneak attacks, and get into the Palace to remove the king from his throne.

  ***

  Robin tucked the children’s clothing into her cart so she could deliver them to the families. She had stopped off at the Baker’s Shop to borrow her father’s cart and mule. He had built it especially for deliveries. She spread a canvas on top, securing it with a rope to protect the clothes from the wind.

  As she worked, Robin tried not to notice Rupert’s soldiers as they gathered into town. They acted as if they were taking up camp. That was definitely a bad idea.

  Nearby, she noticed a soldier who had been watching her for some time. He had a manner about him as if he was the leader of the group, and he made her very uncomfortable. She needed to leave as soon as possible.

  “Do ya need some help with that,” came a commanding voice behind her.

  Startled, she turned around and found the soldier grinning at her.

  “No, I’m just fine.”

  “No, you’re not,” said the soldier. “I’ve been watchin’ from afar. You need a little help.”

  “No, I’m fine, sir.”

  The soldier looked her up and down, which sent a chill up her spine. “A purty lady like yourself can’t drive this cart. Let me help ya. You tell me where you’re goin’ and I’ll take ya.” Then he stepped closer and took her arm. “I’ll help ya up in the cart, Miss.”

  Quickly, she pulled out of his grasp. He was being too forceful. This worried her and made her question his motives for helping.

  “I’m fine, sir. Please go about your business. I’m sure the king has some very important errands for you to do.”

  As the soldier put his arm around her and escorted her to the front of the cart, he said, “I have orders to help those in need. And Miss, I can see you’re in need. Besides, I’ll show you some of the scenery on the way.” Then he gave a lustful grin and leaned toward her as he said, “It’ll be fun, just you and me.”

  “No!” Robin yelled as she pushed him away.

  The man grinned. “I love a feisty woman.” Then he commanded, “Get in the cart or I’ll have to put you in.”

  Andrew heard the man as he tried to force himself upon his daughter. He had to pretend he was a cripple and needed his cane, but he couldn’t allow this man to bother Robin. Andrew instantly strode outside and raised his cane in the air, ready to smack the man on the head. Before he could swing, he felt a hand grab hold of the cane.

  “No! Let me take care of this,” said a deep voice.

  Daniel winked at him and then grabbed hold of the soldier, yanked him away from Robin, and threw him to the ground.

  “Be on your way, soldier!”

  The soldier blinked a couple of times, as if he couldn’t believe someone would handle one of the king’s men in such a way. When the man looked up at Daniel, his eyes flamed with anger.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “Uhm… A lecherous old man?” asked Daniel with a grin.

  The soldier’s eyes widened as he blurted out, “You’re under arrest.”

  “For what? Defending a woman’s honor?”

  The man immediately got to his feet. Seeing that the soldier was ready to fight, Daniel clenched his fist and gave a powerful punch into the man’s stomach. As he bent over and grunted, Daniel quickly gave a strong uppercut right into the man’s chin with all his might. A dazed look came over the soldier’s face as he crumpled to the ground.

  When Andrew looked at him with amazement, Daniel shrugged. “I didn’t do much. If you hit your opponent in the chin, he’s out. I was worried your cane would just infuriate him and he might have hurt you.”

  Andrew nodded as he looked around. “Quickly! Put him in the cart before someone comes back and sees us.”

  Daniel hefted the man into the cart and then winked at Robin. “Is it all right if we take him for a ride?”

  She nodded. “Of course. What are we going to do with him?”

  Daniel shrugged as he covered the man with part of the canvas. “We’ll come up with something.”

  He helped her into the seat and then climbed into the cart and sat beside her. With a whip of the reins, the mule took off down the street and out of town.

  As they headed toward the forest, he turned to her and grinned as he said, “Don’t worry. I won’t let Robin’s Rebels hurt you.”

  “Thank you so much,” she said with a snicker. “I really appreciate it.”

  Daniel looked at her and asked, “So you’re not afraid?”

  “Of course not. It’s the king’s soldiers that should be afraid.”

  He chuckled. “It won’t be too long until those rebels are joined with the Freemen, though.”

  “What?” Robin asked in astonishment.

  “I’ve heard the rumors. There’s some sort of competition going on. If the Freemen win, t
hey have to join. There’s one thing I don’t understand, though.”

  “What’s that?” she asked curiously.

  “Well, you seem to know a few of Robin’s followers. Why do you suppose they’re holding back?”

  Robin bit her lip and looked off in the distance at the woods and rolling hills in the background. She sighed as she softly said, “There are leaders of different rebel groups who don’t have any scruples whatsoever.”

  “Scruples?” asked Daniel with confusion. “What do you mean?”

  She looked into his eyes as she nervously rubbed her hand against her thigh and said, “Some don’t have a sense for right and wrong or even a conscience. When Robin heard of different atrocities this one group was doing, it made everyone angry. They had taken a bunch of aristocrats from this one town simply because they were rich and supported the king.” She bit her lip with sorrow as she anxiously rubbed her thigh and said, “The rebels did away with them.”

  “What?” said Daniel with stunned surprise.

  She nodded. “To Robin, that was uncalled for. We’re here to fight for our rights as individuals, to fight for our freedom, but not to harm innocent people because of their beliefs.”

  “That’s terrible,” exploded Daniel.

  She nodded. “That’s the very reason Robin’s Rebels don’t want to join other groups without knowing who they really are and what their cause is. What are the Freemen’s beliefs in this war? Is it for fame? Is it to protect the people? And how about their faith? We must do this with faith in God and hope He will help us.”

  Daniel pursed his lips in thought and then nodded. “Now I finally understand why they’ve been holding back. I don’t blame them.” In a more humble tone, he said, “I misjudged them.”

  He looked at her hand as it nervously rubbed against her thigh. He had noticed how she bit her lip with anxiety when she spoke of the persecution of the aristocrats. She believed in this cause and she was not afraid to express her feelings.