from the sheriff’s rich cronies. I thought that wasn’t right, sire. So I decided to – um – make things a bit fairer.”
“By robbing the sheriff’s wealthy friends?” frowned the king. “I see. Well, I don’t really approve of stealing, you know, Sir Edward.”
“Of course not, sire,” said Sir Edward.“But we didn’t keep anything for ourselves. We gave it back to the peasants to make up for all the extra tax they were paying.”
“Oh well, I suppose that’s all right,” said the king. “I shall be happy to say no more about it. If you will forgive me for believing that letter, Sir Edward.”
“Of course, sire. It was very convincing,” he said. “The sheriff was an excellent forger.”
“And a thief!” said the king. “He was keeping some of my tax money and hiding it in a secret cave in the forest! Your gang came across it today.”
“Actually, it was young Master Cedric who discovered it!” Maud piped up.
“Did he indeed?” beamed the king. “Good lad!”
I blushed. “Well, it was by accident really, Your Majesty,” I said.
“ And he saved Sir Percy,” added Patchcoat.
“By the way, where is your master?” asked the king.
At that very moment there was a muffled groan from the platform. The mountain of manure appeared to be moving. Then a head popped up out of the stinky heap. It was Sir Percy.
“I say,” he whimpered. “Will someone kindly get me out of here?”
A few hours later Patchcoat and I were in the stable yard preparing to leave. We had just hitched Gristle to the cart while Sir Percy stood nearby checking his armour in a downstairs window. You’d think the first thing you’d say to someone who’d literally just saved your neck was “Thanks!”. But not Sir Percy. Once we’d hauled him out of the manure mountain he’d told me to fetch a cloth at once and clean the horse-poo off his armour. Oh well.
I was about to fetch Prancelot from her stall when the ex-outlaws arrived to say goodbye. Jack and Billy were both wearingsmart coats of mail and scarlet tunics bearing Sir Edward’s emblem, an eagle.
“What’s with the fancy outfits?” said Patchcoat. “We almost didn’t recognize you!”
“I used to be head of the castle guard,” said Jack. “Till Earl Crawleigh de Creepes sacked me. Sir Worthington gave me my old job back. He’s my boss now, along with the new deputy sheriff!”
“Deputy sheriff?” I said. “Who’s that?”
“Me!” said Maud. “So this lot had better mind their Ps and Qs!”
The ex-outlaws all laughed.
Billy had his bow over his shoulder. He unslung it and handed it to me.
“This is for you,” he smiled. “I saw you admiring it when we were in the forest.”
“Really?” I gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Oh yes,” he said. “I’ve got tons of bows now Sir Worthington’s put me in charge of all his archers!”
I thanked Billy again. Then the ex-outlaws said goodbye and returned to the castle.
“Wow! My very own bow!” I said after they had gone. “I can’t wait to try it out!”
Sir Percy came over from the window. “Right, chaps, I think we’re ready,” he said. “Cedric, fetch Prancelot and we’ll be on our way.”
“Yes, Sir Percy,” I said. I put my bow on the seat of the mule cart and was about to step into the stables, when who should appear but the king.
“Ah, there you are, Sir Percy!” he boomed. “I was hoping to catch you before you left. All cleaned up now?”
“Yes, sire,” said Sir Percy.
“Good! Otherwise we’d have to start calling you Sir Percy the Poop insteadof Sir Percy the Proud, eh?” the king guffawed.
“Ha ha ha! Most amusing, sire!” winced Sir Percy. “Well, I suppose we must be off. Long journey home and all that!”
“Ah, good old Sir Percy,” the king chortled. “You’re such a joker!”
Sir Percy looked a bit bewildered. “Um – I am, sire?” he said.
“Come now, Sir Percy,” the king chuckled. “As if you’d really try to leave
“By robbing the sheriff’s wealthy friends?” frowned the king. “I see. Well, I don’t really approve of stealing, you know, Sir Edward.”
“Of course not, sire,” said Sir Edward.“But we didn’t keep anything for ourselves. We gave it back to the peasants to make up for all the extra tax they were paying.”
“Oh well, I suppose that’s all right,” said the king. “I shall be happy to say no more about it. If you will forgive me for believing that letter, Sir Edward.”
“Of course, sire. It was very convincing,” he said. “The sheriff was an excellent forger.”
“And a thief!” said the king. “He was keeping some of my tax money and hiding it in a secret cave in the forest! Your gang came across it today.”
“Actually, it was young Master Cedric who discovered it!” Maud piped up.
“Did he indeed?” beamed the king. “Good lad!”
I blushed. “Well, it was by accident really, Your Majesty,” I said.
“ And he saved Sir Percy,” added Patchcoat.
“By the way, where is your master?” asked the king.
At that very moment there was a muffled groan from the platform. The mountain of manure appeared to be moving. Then a head popped up out of the stinky heap. It was Sir Percy.
“I say,” he whimpered. “Will someone kindly get me out of here?”
A few hours later Patchcoat and I were in the stable yard preparing to leave. We had just hitched Gristle to the cart while Sir Percy stood nearby checking his armour in a downstairs window. You’d think the first thing you’d say to someone who’d literally just saved your neck was “Thanks!”. But not Sir Percy. Once we’d hauled him out of the manure mountain he’d told me to fetch a cloth at once and clean the horse-poo off his armour. Oh well.
I was about to fetch Prancelot from her stall when the ex-outlaws arrived to say goodbye. Jack and Billy were both wearingsmart coats of mail and scarlet tunics bearing Sir Edward’s emblem, an eagle.
“What’s with the fancy outfits?” said Patchcoat. “We almost didn’t recognize you!”
“I used to be head of the castle guard,” said Jack. “Till Earl Crawleigh de Creepes sacked me. Sir Worthington gave me my old job back. He’s my boss now, along with the new deputy sheriff!”
“Deputy sheriff?” I said. “Who’s that?”
“Me!” said Maud. “So this lot had better mind their Ps and Qs!”
The ex-outlaws all laughed.
Billy had his bow over his shoulder. He unslung it and handed it to me.
“This is for you,” he smiled. “I saw you admiring it when we were in the forest.”
“Really?” I gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Oh yes,” he said. “I’ve got tons of bows now Sir Worthington’s put me in charge of all his archers!”
I thanked Billy again. Then the ex-outlaws said goodbye and returned to the castle.
“Wow! My very own bow!” I said after they had gone. “I can’t wait to try it out!”
Sir Percy came over from the window. “Right, chaps, I think we’re ready,” he said. “Cedric, fetch Prancelot and we’ll be on our way.”
“Yes, Sir Percy,” I said. I put my bow on the seat of the mule cart and was about to step into the stables, when who should appear but the king.
“Ah, there you are, Sir Percy!” he boomed. “I was hoping to catch you before you left. All cleaned up now?”
“Yes, sire,” said Sir Percy.
“Good! Otherwise we’d have to start calling you Sir Percy the Poop insteadof Sir Percy the Proud, eh?” the king guffawed.
“Ha ha ha! Most amusing, sire!” winced Sir Percy. “Well, I suppose we must be off. Long journey home and all that!”
“Ah, good old Sir Percy,” the king chortled. “You’re such a joker!”
Sir Percy looked a bit bewildered. “Um – I am, sire?” he said.
“Come now, Sir Percy,” the king chuckled. “As if you’d really try to leave
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