Robin Hood Read Online Free

French bowmen on the castle walls, and he would be thankful for the cover.
     
Ahead of his group, a battering ram rumbled up the slope toward the castle's portcullis. Overlapping shields covered the ram like dragon scales, protecting the men within as they pushed it forward, the muscles in their arms and necks bulging with the effort. The soldier leading them, a man known simply as Little John, was as powerfully built as any manRobin had seen in his travels. His arms were as thick as oak limbs, his shoulders as broad as the wings of an eagle. He had the look of a brute and was as strong as any three men in the king's army. Robin had seen him on the battlefield, and so knew that John was a fearsome warrior. He had also sat across from him at a gambler's table and shared more than a little whiskey with him. John was a good sort, but usually had little success at games of chance. Just the kind of man Robin liked.
He saw Little John look up at the castle now, as if gauging the progress he and his company had made with the ram.
“Whoa!” John called. “Close enough!”
The ram slowed, then halted. The men within straightened and tried to catch their breath. All except John, who barely looked winded.
As Robin's company walked past, still under the protection of the barn door, Little John caught Robin's eye.
“Hoy, archer!”
Will and Allan looked over at the man.
“Stay alive!” John said. “I'll see you tonight!”
Robin grinned. “Make sure you bring your money, little man.”
Will gestured obscenely at the man, drawing a smile from Little John.
Moments later, the first crossbow bolt embedded itself in the door with a loud thwack. Within a few seconds bolts and arrows were raining down on them. Cheers and war cries went up from the French and were answered by the English soldiers behind Robin and his men. King Richard rode forward on his magnificent white charger, seemingly heedless of thevolleys coming from the enemy fortress. He hefted a spear, snagged an English flag on its point, and spurred his horse to a gallop toward the castle gate.
Robin nearly shouted a warning, wondering what the hell the king could be thinking. But he kept his mouth shut and watched, expecting at any moment to see Richard felled by one of the enemies' darts. But no. Perhaps the king was touched by God after all. He rode to the castle doors, threw his spear so that it stuck in the wood, and wheeled his mount back to safety.
“By God, I'm myself again!” he shouted, drawing new cheers from his men. “We'll put these French to bed with shovels! Charge! For England!”
Robin and his company hurried forward, as did the other companies of archers. Bolts and arrows still hammered into the barn doors; so many that Robin guessed they must now look more like hedgehogs than turtles. The darts that missed the wood dug into the earth, each bolt and arrow whistling like a giant bug so that the air seemed to be alive with them. The company was close to the fortress now. Robin could see that some of his men were beginning to look fearful, including Will and Allan, and young Jimoen.
“Don't worry about them,” Robin said with breezy confidence. “If you ignore them, they won't sting.” They were close enough. “Hup!” Robin shouted.
All four companies of archers halted and tilted up their doors, one end set hard in the ground while the other was lifted and held at an angle, so that the men were still shielded from the French.
Still the bolts carved through the air and struck at the wood. One burst through just in front of Will's face, missing him by a hair's breadth. Scarlet's eyeswidened and his face paled. But he managed to flash a weak smile Robin's way.
The first of the men carrying the sacks of naphtha came forward, crouching behind the barn door and watching as Robin, Will, and Allan nocked arrows to their bows. Robin looked down at the bag carrier, who slung the sack over his shoulder and secured it in place before looking back up at