Robin of Loxley: Freedom's Call

Robin of Loxley was a mountain boy. He had been born on the slopes of Mount Nantyo, a giant peak that towered over the village of Loxley. From his birth until he was six years old, Robin's father had called him Little John. He had carried Robin everywhere, and when they weren't together, Little John would cry for his mother or his father. His parents were busy with work, but they would always return to Little John as soon as possible.

"What will you do when I'm big?" Little John asked his mother one day.

"I'll love you no matter what," she said.

Little John grew older, and his curiosity about the world around him began to grow as well. He asked questions about everything, from how to gather food in the forest to how far away Loxley really was. One night, he even asked how exactly humans had come into existence. Little John's parents were surprised by this question, but they didn't laugh at Little John for it. Rather, they told him all about the Gods who made humans and the animals and plants that lived with us on Earth. They told him about Dennathor the Lord of Light, who had been a great hero among men but whose time was long since passed; and Belthorin the Lord of Darkness, who was a great villain who was also long since passed; and Melinthruin the Lady of Life and Death; and finally they told him about Anjalith the Lady of Spring, who was always present among people today in various forms--a nymph or a wild spirit or a beautiful maiden. Then they told him about the Great War between Good and Evil that had ended some hundreds of thousands of years ago, although it might have seemed like only yesterday to someone like Little John who hadn't yet grown up enough to understand such things properly--and then his parents kissed him goodnight and left him alone in his bed to sleep...

But Little John could not sleep that night. He thought about what his parents had just told him as he lay in bed under thick blankets. The more he thought about it all, the more questions he found himself asking: Who were these Lords? Why were there still evil things around if there were so many powerful Lords? A chill crept up his spine as he imagined thousands upon thousands of ways that evil could manifest itself in this world before the dawn came...

When morning came at last, it found Little John wide awake and smiling brightly just like usual. He felt strangely energetic after considering all those dark things last night; it seemed like he could run all day straight through if given a chance! But instead he went off with his parents to help with whatever work they might have this day...

Over time, Little John grew taller but not much smarter than he had been when he was little. People began calling him Robin now instead of Little John (although some called him Robin Goodfellow because sometimes he would get into mischief), but even though he matured physically he never changed intellectually or emotionally from what you would expect from a young child: He kept up with his curiosity about everything around him; he still cried whenever anyone left home; and despite growing physically stronger than most other boys his age, he still ran away any time someone picked on him--and even if someone did pick on him Robin wouldn't stand up for himself unless others were watching so that everyone would know what a strong man he was!

As years passed by little by little, Robin grew more curious about why things were happening around him: Why did rich people live in nice houses while poor people lived in dirty hovels? Why did bad things happen to good people? Why couldn't people be happy all the time? And why did Duke Richard's son Prince John seem to enjoy making other people unhappy so much? At first Robin thought perhaps these things happened because people wanted them to happen that way--but then why did so many other people seem unhappy themselves? As time went by Robin watched for answers in many places: books written by wise men (although none seemed wiser than Old Mikkelson over at Loxley Village); rumors whispered around taverns late at night; travelers from faraway lands stopping through town from time to time; even sometimes when two men got into an argument over something seemingly trivial back at home in Loxley Village! But nothing ever seemed to make sense! Something always seemed out of place whenever Robin tried to make sense of life outside Loxley Village--at least until one day when Duke Richard put out word that anyone who could capture Prince John would earn himself three thousand gold coins (enough money for anyone to retire on). At first Robin listened as others talked about this offer excitedly wherever it traveled: "Three thousand gold coins!" "That's enough money for me to buy my own castle!" "Why don't you go catch yourself a prince?" "Three thousand gold coins!" "Didn't you hear