Note: It has been a good while since I last wrote anything that wasn't an original story (I'm on fictionpress under the same name). This came to me one day when watching the Disney version and of course, I had to write it. Creative juices are a-flowing in my most intense academic year year (this September, I start university...provided I don't fail my A Levels).

Edit: Major typos corrected.

Teen Robin Hood

Mum had always said that if she ever won the lottery, she would send me to a private school. All those years, I hadn't taken her seriously. I hadn't needed to, since it was only a scenario I had to think about if it actually happened and the odds of that were startlingly low.

Then Mum actually won the lottery. After weeks of screaming, unplanned vacations, laughing in luxury, I found myself standing outside my brand new school with a suitcase in one hand, a rucksack in the other and the sound of her goodbyes echoing in my head. I had been standing out here for a while, unsure whether I should go in or wait for the welcoming committee that was supposed to greet me upon my arrival.

For something to do, I read the sign above the main building that told me where I was. Sherwood Forest Boarding School For Privileged Students – or those with money, anyway. The building was grand and old, like I had expected. The brick was worn and showed all two hundred of its years in every crack and blemish. Behind the main school building, I could just about see the flats where the students stayed during the school term. It comforted me if only a little to see they looked more recently built than the school.

The two huge oak wood front doors opened and a young lad about my own age stepped out wearing a pristine uniform including a blazer and tie. My blazer was casually thrown over my shoulder and the tie stuffed at the bottom of my rucksack so naturally I felt shabby standing in front of such a well-presented boy. I already didn't feel like I belonged here, mostly because all these kids who went here were seriously rich and knew no other life. I was a poor kid who got lucky.

As the boy approached me I noticed he was incredibly tall; built like a bean pole. His hair was thick and curly and his crooked, nervous smile made me feel at ease. The boy extended a hand which I shook.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting long," the boy said apologetically. "You must be Robin. My name is John Staves; I'm your new roommate."

"You mean I'm your new roommate," I said with a grin. "What happened to the old one, not good-looking enough for you?" John laughed, as I had intended him to.

"Call me Little John – everyone does." I looked up at 'Little' John, wondering how on earth he had scored a nickname like that. There was nothing distinctly little about him – you could probably spot him from a mile away. He seemed adamant that I call him Little John however so I just took it on board as one of the many new things I had to grow used to: a new school, a new place to live and a roommate who was twice the size of me but was referred to as 'Little'.

Little John politely took my suitcase for me and led me around the building to the back so I could dump my stuff in our room before having a tour of the grounds.

Our room was on the third floor and there wasn't an elevator but I didn't mind as much as Little John seemed to. He heaved my suitcase up all three flights of stairs and though he didn't complain, I could hear the raspy breaths of air he took once we reached our floor. I felt sorry for the big guy and offered to take my suitcase from him but he wouldn't let me; something about it being tradition and gentlemanly. The corridor was pretty bland with grey carpet and pale orange paint on the walls. All the doors on our floor were the same, save for the numbers. Ours was 406.

Little John opened the door with his key and there it was: my new room for the next two years. The cream carpet was like my old room at home but much clearer – in other words, it wasn't hidden beneath a mountain of clothes, school books, video games and leftover food. The walls were painted pale blue and deep red curtains hung either side of the two windows that looked out onto the school grounds outside. The beds, like the light wood wardrobe, were pretty basic and we both had a desk next to our beds. On Little John's side (it had to be his side, since my sheets were plain and his had rocket ships on them) was a notice board upon which he had pinned various things on them. A couple of pictures of his family, a timetable and some other sheets of paper I wasn't particularly interested in getting a closer look at.

There were some drawers conveniently stored underneath the beds and I thought that would be good for when I wanted to hide my junk in this spotless room. It looked like Little John had gone over it twice with a duster and four times with a vacuum cleaner. I'd have to be careful about putting things away after using them; I suspected Little John was some sort of neat freak.

"I have no idea what I'd do if it wasn't for the cleaners," Little John sighed happily, dumping my suitcase in the corner. I looked at him, surprised.

"Oh yeah, cleaners come in our rooms once a week to spruce the place up. What, you thought the headmaster would leave it to us to keep our rooms in living condition?" Little John laughed. "Just leave your rucksack on your bed – you can unpack later. I've still got to give you the grand tour."

I did as Little John said and followed him out our room. He made sure to lock it after him, informing me that even in a school as prestigious as Sherwood Forest, you couldn't be too careful – whatever that warning meant. Little John took me around the whole school building and I mooched along behind him, less enthusiastic than he was. It was just like any other school, now that I thought about it, just with way more resources. The science department (according to Little John) even had access to miniature space probes, although none had been used as of yet. Little John must have seen my bored expression because he realised that I wasn't getting a thrill out of the grand tour.

"I know it's not very exciting but it beats the bleep test, which is what everyone else is doing," he said apologetically. I kind of cheered up after he said that. Yeah, we weren't having fun but the situation could be a lot worse. Little John took me over the whole school and I grew less and less impressed by it the more I saw. It was exactly as was described in the brochure. Usually those things use pictures taken decades ago but this time, everything was up-to-date. It was so dull. I wanted to find, I don't know, a corner that was overrun with spiders or an ancient staircase that led to a lesser-used basement, rumoured to be haunted. Sherwood Forest Boarding School left nothing to the imagination. I was disappointed.

An ancient bell rang suddenly, the sonorous chimes alerting the school that the first lesson was over. All around us, students abruptly left their classrooms and hurried to their next lesson, bustling with excitement. I was barely noticed, knocked from all sides the other students didn't seem to realise they had a new student joining them – or they didn't care. Little John, being so tall, didn't have the same problem as me.

It was as I was being jostled by the throng of my fellow students that I saw her. She had just left her class and was laughing with a friend, her hair – the colour of dark chocolate mousse – flowing around her in the wind from the rushing students. Her pale skin was almost unnatural, if slightly unnerving and contrasted greatly with her dark hair. Her eyes were alive with life and as I watched her, she grabbed her friend's arm and stopped. She was staring at me, and I was staring back.

The corridor was thinning out by now and I thought that in a few moments it would be empty. There would be nothing standing between me and her. I tried to step towards her but a smaller student blocked my path. My movement seemed to snap the girl back to her senses; she spun on her heels and tugged her friend off in the other direction, away from me.

But not before I saw the vixen-like smile on her face.

"May Marian," I breathed almost inaudibly, but Little John heard me.

"You know her?" he asked me, surprised. I nodded. We were the only ones still standing in the corridor now. You would hardly think it had been heaving with students seconds ago.

"Yeah," I said, "I know her."

It was the summer my dad left. I was only eight and didn't really understand why my mum kept crying and dad didn't answer his phone when I tried to call him. We were supposed to go on holiday that year but obviously that plan was cancelled. I spent a lot of my time in the local park, kicking a ball around by myself. I was a scrawny little thing with a tuft of brown hair that stuck of at odd angles because I didn't quite know how to use a comb. I must have looked pretty raggedy that day I accidentally kicked my ball over.

The local park was little more than an empty field really. It was on my street so my mum didn't mind me going there and it was surrounded by all these other others, some fancier than the rest. I had kicked the ball into the back garden of a particularly grand house. Peering through a gap in the fence, I could see the ball just sitting there in the middle of the grass. I stayed at my peephole for a good five minutes, making sure there was no-one around. Without thinking about what the possible consequences could be, I made a running jump at the fence and managed to hoist myself up and over it. I landed heavily on the other side, tumbling into a large bush which, although it cushioned my fall, caused me to look even grubbier than before when I emerged.

As I reached my football, I happened to look up and saw a girl standing at the back door of the house. She was staring right at me. Her hair was slick and neat in two ringleted pigtails and she was wearing a pristine dress and shiny black shoes. Her pale skin seemed to glow. I gaped at her, caught in the act.

"What are you going in my garden?" she had asked me in a snooty voice.

"I...I was just getting my b-ball," I had stammered in return. The girl put her hands on her hips and took a couple of steps towards me, checking over her shoulder that she was alone.

"What's your name?"

"Robin Hood."

"I'm May Elsa Jennifer Theresa Marian. But you can call me May."

I had been stupefied by her. I later learned that she was a year younger than I was but to me she was years more confident and self-assured than seven. It was what I liked about May. I was even more surprised when May decided to play with me, tossing my ball in the air like it was hers and getting her hair and clothes messy. I worried about what her mother would say. She didn't care. May was happy to get untidy and do naughty things when her parents weren't paying attention. It was days before they discovered I had become a playmate to May and even then they never found out half the mischief we got up to. May had this way of wrapping me around her little finger; I would do whatever she asked me to in a heartbeat. I didn't know anyone else like her.

At the end of the summer when May told me she was moving away (she was only in the area while her townhouse was being decorated), we promised to never let anything come between us. May held my hand as she said it, her face twisted up with seriousness.

"I love you, May." I had said in a rush. "Let's get married when we're older." May had giggled and dropped my hand at that. Her parents were watching us from inside the house but May didn't let that bother her. She blushed, nodding – then leaned forward and kissed my cheek. She ran back inside and that was the last time I ever saw May Marian.

Little John let out a low whistle.

"Sounds to me like you've got a serious case of love," he said, with a grin. I grinned back but swatted his arm. Saying it like that, Little John made it sound so naff. Seeing May again after all this time I knew it hadn't just been a childhood crush, this was something much more serious.

"That's all very good for you but you're forgetting one thing Robin."

"What?" I asked, curious.

"You're not eight years old anymore! At Sherwood, we don't play by the rules of childhood innocence. We play by the rules of Prince Johnson," said Little John.

"Who's that?" I asked, and scrunched up my nose.

"At this school the Head Boy makes the rules that we students live by. Last year it was Richard Johnson – Prince's older brother. There wasn't a nicer bloke, believe me. Prince is nothing like his older brother: he and his two henchmen, Guy Nottingham and Liam de Vere terrorise us all. The teachers have no idea what kind of a tyrant he is, they all think he's as kind as Richard," said Little John. He was almost spitting and I sensed he and Prince had had more than one confrontation. I didn't like the sound of this Prince Johnson but didn't really see what it had to do with May Marian.

"You saw the girl May was with, right?" I had – vaguely. "That's Prince's little sister, Norrie. Prince has a crush on May the size of Saturn and because she's best friends with his sis, he's able to keep tabs on both of them. They both have to do whatever Prince says because he's blackmailing them; something about them repeatedly breaking curfew to meet up with boys. The kind of information they wouldn't want their parents to know. My advice to you Robin is to stay away from May."

I know Little John warned me but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't even stop thinking about May. I went to the rest of my classes for that day with Little John and all the while I was dreaming about May Marian and her pale skin. I hardly knew what subjects I was taking, my mind was so preoccupied. If it wasn't for Little John, I probably wouldn't have realised it was lunch time before I knew it.

And that was where I saw her. Lining up with some other girls in her year, May was chatting away with a girl wearing heavy eyeliner who I assumed to be Norrie. I detached myself from Little John before he could stop me and stood in front of May with a smile on my face that had enough dazzle to rival the sun.

"Hey," I said, smooth as whipped cream. "Remember me?" May stopped talking with Norrie abruptly and looked at me. She eyed me up and down as did her best friend and they tried to size me up. For a moment, I was worried. Would May remember me? After all, she was only seven when we met. Perhaps that summer hadn't been as memorable to her as it had been to me.

But then I saw a glint of mischief in her green eyes and I knew the May from that summer was still in there. A sly smile found itself haunting her glossed lips.

"Robin Hood. You're a sight for sore eyes," she said. Her voice was different, it had changed. It was more gravelly, less squeaky. I liked it. Norrie raised her eyebrows and nudged May.

"Who's your friend?" she asked, giving me a quick grin. I noticed that she had her tongue pierced.

"I was about to ask the same question." I didn't like that sneering tone in the person's voice. I turned around and was face to face with two intimidating older boys. They both had dark hair but one had it short and spiky while the other's was shaggy. The one with the spiky hair was practically bursting out of his navy sweater vest, he was so well-built. They were glaring at me, their fists clenched. I guessed they were only a few IQ points away from baring their teeth and barking at me as well. I squared up to these boys, ready to take whatever it was they wanted to throw at me when I felt a hand rest on my shoulder heavily. I looked around and saw Little John at my side, a grim expression on his face.

"Give him a break, Guy: he's new," said Little John.

"Make sure he keeps in line, won't you? Or it won't just be him who's in trouble," the boy with the shaggy hair warned. His voice was slippery and whiny, and it grated against my ears.

"Leave it, Liam. Robin was just going," May said, though her voice was smaller and her green eyes didn't have the same sparkle. Perhaps there was some truth in Little John's claim that she was being blackmailed; the May Marian I knew certainly wouldn't have bowed her head and submitted to such brutes. Staring after May like a lost puppy, I allowed Little John to lead me away from the scene.

Once we were out of earshot, Little John sighed and looked down at me.

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you old boy?" Little John cuffed me around the head but fixed me with a kind look. "Since you obviously can't let this go, I think it's about time I introduced you to the only people in this school who might be able to help you. Follow me."

Little John briskly left the dining hall and I scurried behind him, trying to keep up with his long strides. It wasn't easy. We walked down a long corridor and the further we went, the more I could see how neglected this part of the school was. There weren't exactly cobwebs and dust everywhere but the startling lack of wall displays and antique ornaments decorating the surroundings made it obvious that this part of the school was the one less travelled. At the end of the corridor, Little John led me up a flight of winding stone stairs. Our footsteps echoed around us.

At the top was a door with the words 'Merry Men' carved into the ancient wood. Before we went in, Little John stopped and turned to me. He explained that the room we were about to enter was a sanctuary of sorts, to him and his friends; Prince Johnson and his cohorts didn't venture this far down so they were relatively safe here. The room was supposedly multi-purpose: acting as a lunchroom, experiment space, music rehearsal site, library, chapel and a general hangout spot. Grinning at my sceptical expression, Little John opened the door and I was forced to push away my initial cynicism.

The room was indeed everything Little John had described. There was a long table against one wall that carried scientific tools such as a telescope, Bunsen burner and test tubes which I assumed made it the experiment space. The countless books shoved into a bookcase proved it was a miniature library and the cross hanging on the wall opposite where I was standing said 'chapel' to me. There were five other students already in the room, sitting on high chairs and eating their lunch. They all stared at me with intrigue as I followed Little John into the room and I was surprised to see a black girl among them; from the words 'Merry Men', I had assumed this was a place exclusively for boys. I had the feeling my entering the room had stopped their conversation.

"Who's this?" one of the boys asked Little John, breaking the awkward silence that hung over us. I could hear the threatened edge to his voice and wished I could tell him to relax. He looked like a naturally nervous boy; he had curly red hair, a long nose and a way of holding himself that screamed he was uncomfortable in his own skin. Little John put a hand out to me as if presenting some sort of project to a class of his peers. Which, in a way he was.

"Guys," he began.

"And girl," the one girl reminded him, raising an eyebrow. Her large hoop earrings swung violently with her indignation.

"And girl," Little John amended himself. "This is Robin Hood, my new roommate. Robin, I'd like you to meet my friends." The red-haired boy was introduced to me as Will Scarlet and the chubby blonde boy sitting next to him was Will Stutely. Stutely seemed at least to be more trusting than his counterpart and shook my hand warmly in greeting. The girl, who I now noticed was holding hands with Alan Dale, was called Ellen Hart and eagerly told me she and Alan were together. Alan was a wiry blonde with silver braces and a habit of singing. Fry Tuck looked faintly Middle Eastern and ascertained that he was the religious nut of the group by greeting me with 'God bless you'. Little John left it to me to plead my case with them.

"You all seem like really nice people and I know its presumptuous of me but Little John said you guys – and girl – are the only ones smart enough in this school to help me," I started, warming up to my main points.

"I am in love with May Marian. I already found out how hard it is just to talk to her but I want to be with her. To do this, I'm going to have to beat this Prince Johnson and his cronies but I'm only one boy. I can't do it alone. Will you help me?" Ellen nodded.

"You had me from the moment you mentioned it was for love. That creep Liam de Vere tried to keep Alan and me from being together; any excuse to get back at him is good enough for me and Alan. We're in," she said, not consulting Alan in the slightest. He surprised me by agreeing with Ellen at once, confirming in song that he was willing to help. It was clear who wore the trousers in that relationship.

"I'm tired of Prince Johnson always getting his own way. May – and Norrie for that matter – should be allowed to do whatever she wants without having to be afraid of him calling her parents. Count me in," said Fry. Little John reminded me that he was already on board with the situation.

"Wait a minute, are you forgetting something? We tried to stand up to Prince before and do you remember what happened to us?" Will Scarlet interjected. I surveyed the faces of everyone in the room; they evidently did remember but just in case they didn't, Will explained it. "He broke Alan's ukulele. Fry's clothes disappeared after he showered in P.E. Liam poured custard inside Little John's school bag. Will Stutely got his head dunked in the toilet and my head was forcibly shaved by the charming Guy Nottingham. Do you seriously want that to happen all over again?"

There was an overall mumbling of negatives. I had lost my support – or so I thought.

"You're just scared Will Scarlet. Stop letting people walk over you: you're not a carpet. We your friends thought that was okay until Robin opened our eyes today," Alan sang. "But now is not the time to give in to fear, Ellen's got the right idea. Robin's plight is exactly the excuse we require to show Prince Johnson his terror reign has retired." Fry Tuck, Little John and Ellen agreed enthusiastically but it was Will Stutely who managed to change Will Scarlet's mind about not helping me.

"Come on, Will. I've had enough of Guy's punches, Liam's pinches and Prince's insults – haven't you? Wasn't it yesterday you said you would do anything to get them to stop calling us lovers?" Will Stutely said.

"And this time won't be like the last, I guarantee it," Little John added.

"What makes you so certain?" Will Scarlet asked. I could see him wavering a little. He was being persuaded by all this. Little John beamed widely.

"Because we've got him," he said, and pointed at me. Something in Little John's voice must have convinced them all, because they agreed unanimously to help me. We were going to bring Prince, Guy and Liam down and get me close enough to May to ask her out within the month. Over the next few weeks, I stayed out of Prince's way as advised by my new allies and every day we met in our inner sanctum to brainstorm and decided what the next step was.

Over the next few weeks, I got to know the Merry Men and for bona fide Privileged Students, they were way more down to earth than I had anticipated. Fry Tuck was a genuine good guy; there wasn't anyone more considerate than him this side of the world. He was the best candidate for a future Head Boy – under his rule, this school would be a pleasant and open place to learn. Both Wills had contrasting personalities: Stutely was optimistic and cheerful while Scarlet was pessimistic and moody. However, that didn't stop them being best friends, often playing off one another's traits to get maximum laughs in and out of class. Alan's constant singing occasionally got annoying – sometimes I thought Ellen initiated a kiss just to get him to shut up. The two of them were incredibly loyal to one another and it was generally agreed they made a great couple.

Of course, I didn't just hang out with the Merry Men those following weeks. I did everything in my power to snatch a few moments with May Marian when Liam and Guy weren't around. For all the stories I had heard, I had yet to meet Prince Johnson in the flesh. It was a big school and there were only three of them, as a result it was quite easy to evade them all.

Mostly, I asked May how her day was going. She was always with Norrie so I made a point of never going anywhere without Little John, to balance the odds. Sometimes I included Norrie in the conversation but I never broke eye contact with May, ensuring she knew who it was I was interested in. I asked May about herself, what she'd been doing since we separated as kids. Her responses began short and non-committed but as I persisted, May eventually opened up to me more. I learned that her parents had split up three years ago and she spent her summers since with her dad in Spain. I listened to everything May told me about her life and threw them into subsequent conversations to prove I was paying attention to her.

Through our infrequent meetings, I got to know Norrie Johnson quite a bit too. Despite being Prince's little sister, it was obvious Norrie was not like him in the slightest. Granted, she was a bit upfront and blunt but as May's best friend, I tried my best not to judge Norrie too much. She was blonde but even I could tell from her darker roots that it wasn't her natural shade. I wanted Norrie to like me because if she did, I had a better chance of winning May over. I knew girls turned to their friends for advice on relationships so it was helpful for Norrie to have a high opinion of me. She didn't say much but I saw the way she interacted with other boys who tried to approach her, cutting them down with cruel words or a harsh look. Norrie greeted me with detached fondness.

As May and I grew closer, I ventured to tease her a little. This included messing up her hair and poking fun at her but nothing mean to hurt her feelings. I knew I was getting somewhere when May teased me right back. Once she even said I looked more feminine than she did, but she laughed kindly as she said it and pinched my cheek affectionately. I took this to mean she thought I was attractive and let her have the last word on the matter, grinning. Little John made fun of me later for it but I didn't care.

I also made sure I was the perfect gentleman to May. I opened doors for her, complimented her not only on appearance but on other more intellectual things too. I did not make rude or suggestive comments within May's earshot and I offered her small gifts of my friendship, such as my last cookie. I really hoped all my efforts were going to help me win her heart.

"Rob, can I ask you something?" Little John asked out of the blue. It was after curfew and we were both in our beds with the lights turned off. Because the lights on the grounds outside weren't on, it was so dark that I couldn't make out anything in our room. It was probably just as well. My old habits had caught up to me and my side of the room – and a bit of Little John's, actually – was a cluttered mess. I was lying on my back, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about tomorrow. Will Scarlet had found the address, Will Stutely and Fry had written the letter and Ellen had posted it. Alan had assured us that he had the perfect distraction for the teachers when the time came. All that was left was my part of the scheme.

"Sure, go ahead," I replied into the night. There was a long silence and I could hear Little John breathing deeply, as if working himself up to ask me. I waited patiently for him to spit it out, knowing we wouldn't get anywhere if I rushed him.

"Do you think...Do you think Norrie likes me?" I closed my eyes and smiled.

"Are you laughing?"

"No," I lied, trying to control myself. I eventually subsided into an amused state, my laughter under control.

"You've never spoken to Norrie," I pointed out. I thought of all the times May, Norrie and I had spoken while Little John observed us, detached and uninterested. Little John cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I tried to, once, back in second year. Prince wasn't even Head Boy yet but he shoved me against a wall and told me if he ever caught me talking to his sister again, he was going to break several bones in several inconvenient places. Then Guy punched me in the gut," said Little John. I could tell he was cringing at the memory and felt bad for the big guy.

"Do the others know you like her?" I asked.

"Oh god no, are you mad? They're my friends but they wouldn't understand. I'm happy to like her without talking to her. Its less hassle, you know?" And strangely enough, I did know. Little John was more reserved than the other Merry Men, in spite of his immense height. It was what made him such a dependable companion to have. With this last thought hovering around in my mind I rolled over on my side and told myself to go to sleep. I was in for a heck of a day tomorrow.

X

"I'm here," said May quietly. She was shivering slightly in the evening breeze; she was wearing a thick grey cardigan over pyjamas. At least she had swapped her bedroom slippers for her running shoes. Clearly she hadn't been able to escape before her head of year checked all was well in her room and didn't have enough time either to get dressed properly. Norrie was with her, dressed pretty much the same.

I had the Merry Men with me, minus Alan. We were all in our own clothes, which were usually reserved for the weekends. Alan had given us the time to escape by 'accidentally' letting the birds in the aviary out into the dining hall, a deed which he would find difficult to explain in the event the teachers eventually recaptured all the birds. The stars were out and with the floodlights off, were able to shine as brightly as they wanted. The moon was the size of half a nail and it too glowed with a kind of majestic purpose about it.

I stepped forward and left my friends behind. May did the same and joined me in the middle.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" May breathed. During the confusion at the end of our school assembly, I had slipped a note in May's blazer pocket which told her to meet me outside the flat that was between ours at eleven. We had to stay close to the wall so no-one could see us if they looked out their window. Being caught outside your room once curfew had passed was a serious crime that warranted a painful punishment.

I reached for May's hand and, conscious of our friends watching, pulled her close. I put my lips to her ear – god she smelt good – and whispered softly what I wanted to tell her from the moment I first saw her in that corridor. When I drew back, May was smiling.

"Of course, Robin," she said. "I've always been yours."

"Problem is you belong to me," a voice growled. I turned my head and saw Guy and Liam walking towards us, led by a chiselled blonde boy their age who I knew had to be the infamous Prince. He looked hauntingly like Norrie, who gave an audible squeak of surprise and even May looked scared. The three oppressing boys were still in their school uniform and looked all the more superior for it. Prince folded his arms slowly.

"Will Stutely, Fry Tuck, Ellen Hart, Will Scarlet, John Staves, May Marian, Norrie Johnson and–" Prince's eyes fell on me. "Robin Hood. Liam, note down their names so I can inform their head of years. I've heard a lot about you these few weeks, Robin."

"All good things, I hope," I said, trying to get a smile out of it. Prince glared at me with unrestrained hostility. His blonde hair was gelled to a point not unlike a horn.

"You've made a whole lot of trouble for yourself, Robin. Let me make it simple for you to understand: I make the rules and you follow them. One of those rules happens to be to stay away from May." I was still holding her hand but as Prince spoke, her grip loosened. She was trying to let me go. To compensate, I held on to her tighter.

"No. You're not the boss of me," I said, a little childishly. "You're not the boss of anyone. You're nothing but a cowardly bully – who else would try to rule behind two bulky henchmen? I'm not scared of you, Prince, and I don't think I have any reason to be."

"Robin–" Norrie began in warning, but Prince cut her off.

"You shut up," he snarled nastily. "Or I'll tell Mother and Father everything you've been up to this term. You and May are to go to your room. Right. Now." May quivered and abandoned my side, huddling up with Norrie. Then Prince approached me and jabbed a finger in my chest. I balked: it hurt. I resisted the urge to rub it better and listened to the low, threatening words being said to me by Sherwood Forest's Head Boy.

"You are a rude, ignorant little boy and I won't be spoken to like that. Move away from May and fight me like the man you think you are so I can show everyone here the child you really are." I hadn't been lying: I was not scared of Prince. Intimidated, yes – but at least we had a plan. I didn't move and saw over Prince's shoulder that neither May nor Norrie had moved from their position on the grass. They were clasping each other's arm in a similar vice-like grip. Norrie's face was grim, May's ashen. I guessed that they were scared for me, which was understandable under the circumstances. Prince was two years older, almost half a foot taller and indisputably more toned than I was. In a fair fight, I wouldn't stand a chance.

"One-on-one. It has to be, otherwise it's not fair," said Little John, just loud enough to be heard by everyone in the immediate area. "You can't have help from Liam or Guy."

"I can do whatever the hell I want, you stringy maggot," sneered Prince, but Little John had support.

"No, Prince. If you want to prove Robin wrong, it has to be a one-on-one fight," said Fry.

"Otherwise, we might have to tell everyone the great and powerful Prince Johnson can't even beat up one person by himself, he needs his babysitters' help," added Will Scarlet mischievously. Prince glanced over his shoulder at Guy and Liam for reassurance and they nodded and shrugged their shoulders, unsure what they had to do. Evidently annoyed by their lack of helpfulness, Prince turned back to me with one hand clenched in a fist.

"Don't hurt him!" pleaded May.

"Prince, please don't do this," said Norrie. Prince ignored them both. There was no-one standing between me and him. He gritted his teeth.

"Are you ready?" Prince asked.

"Oh, I'm not going to be the one who's fighting you," I said almost cheerfully. Prince looked confused.

"You're not? Then who..?" His eyes darted towards the Merry Men, considering each of them as his opponent.

"I am," a strong male voice said into the darkness of the night. All heads swivelled to the right; two figures were emerging from the darkness, one tall and the other spindly. I knew one had to be Alan – he arrived right on time – and the other had a long mess of blonde hair and a casual way of walking that told everyone he was the laid-back sort. A smattering of fair hair covered the bottom of his chin. Several voices spoke at once with varying tones of exclamation but all uttered the same word.

"Richard!" It was Richard Johnson, Prince and Norrie's eldest brother and the previous Head Boy. Will Scarlet, the best with computers, had found Richard's current address and the other Will and Fry had worked together to write a letter to him, describing the horrible ways his younger brother was abusing his power and asking him to make a surprise visit to sort Prince out. It seemed Richard was only too happy to straighten his brother out, having grown up with him and knowing precisely what he was like anyway.

"You...What are you doing here, Rich?" Prince asked, clearly nervous. Richard clapped a hand on Prince's shoulder heavily and smoothly led him away from us.

"We need to talk..."

As Richard and Prince were consumed by the shadows of the night, the rest of us stood eerily still and stared at one another. I don't think we were able to properly digest what had happened so soon. Prince was going to be dealt with. We were going to get our freewill back. For a moment, the nine of us were stunned into silence.

I gazed at May, my mind blank. Her rich chocolate coloured hair was flowing in tendrils around her shoulder in the soft breeze; she wrapped her arms around her body to keep in the heat. Her lips parted, she was going to say something.

"Bloody hell it's freezing out here. Can I go inside now?" complained Will Scarlet. I turned and looked at him, at all my friends. Will Scarlet was shivering exaggeratedly, looking peeved and next to him, Will Stutely and Fry Tuck were shaking hands for a job well done, grinning. Ellen said how proud she was of Alan for his vital role in the scheme and expressed it by kissing him. Passionately. I turned away and was surprised to see Little John in front of me. He told the others they could go back to their rooms; we would celebrate accordingly tomorrow. Will Scarlet was the first to make a move, and was followed by Fry, Will, Alan and Ellen. I wanted to stay out there a bit longer and it seemed I wasn't the only one. May, Norrie and Little John also remained outside. I nudged Little John and hissed a few choice words at him.

"Do you still think it's a hassle?" referring to what he said last night about it being less hassle to admire Norrie from afar. Little John shook his head and bravely stepped towards Norrie, who had linked arms with May again and was playing with the stud in her tongue by running it over her bottom teeth. Her pink hooded jumper was too big for her; the sleeves covered her hands entirely. I could hear Little John swallowing his nerves.

"So Norrie...When did you get your tongue pierced?" It wasn't the smoothest opening line but at least he had said something. Norrie's response of 'last year' was almost monotonous and it didn't seem encouraging from where I was standing. It must have been near-on devastating to Little John, who fell silent and shifted awkwardly on his feet.

I had almost lost hope for this relationship ever getting off the ground when I saw something. It was so subtle I nearly missed it: May discreetly nudged Norrie and this prompted her to start speaking again.

"I thought it was really cool how you stood up to my brother," Norrie said. May slipped her arm out from Norrie's and casually strolled away, leaving her best friend to it. When May stared at me with her glittery green eyes, I knew she expected me to follow suit so I did. The last thing I heard Little John say to Norrie was that he liked her jaw line He was such a goofball when it came to girls, but I think he was lucky that it seemed Norrie was at least remotely interested in him.

May slid her hand into mine and I was shocked by how icy cold it was. I brought my other hand around and rubbed it to warm it up a little. My eyes caught May's and we smiled at each other. She was wearing peach lip gloss.

"Let's run," May suggested. I didn't think twice about it. Holding on to May's hand, she and I escaped into the night, giggling with giddy glee. I was so happy to finally be alone with her. My beautiful May Marian, my girlfriend at last.