The Rebels of Cordovia (3 page)

“Why didn’t the people rebel and defend
themselves?” asked Daniel with disgust.

“They couldn’t. There were too many
Kingmen.”

He lifted a curious brow. “So what happened to
the servants?”

Robin shrugged. “Who knows? The servants and the
Legionnaires decided it wasn’t safe to stay within the Palace. So
they moved into the villages and hid in disguise among the people.
They’re still alive today. If Rupert ever finds out where they are,
he’ll hunt them down. Our very own neighbors could be a devoted
servant or one of King Edmund’s Legionnaires.”

“Really? How long ago did this happen?”

“Around thirty years. Papa wanted me to know the
history of Cordovia because no one is allowed to teach the
truth.”

Daniel’s brow creased with anger as he asked,
“How about the king’s son? Couldn’t he come back and reclaim his
kingdom?”

Robin shook her head. “Rupert made sure he never
returned. He put guards in charge to search all ships that come to
port and at the borders.”

Daniel whipped the reins against the horses and
they trotted down the road toward a farmhouse. What he just learned
was quite upsetting. Hopefully he could make a difference to this
beautiful country. When he saw a young woman and five children
standing near her home, he pushed the depressing news from his
memory so he could put on a smile. Everything this lovely young
lady had told him spurred him on… to try harder to free these
people from oppression.

They delivered all the bread and pastries from
the back of the wagon to everyone Robin could think of in town. The
grateful faces and kind words of the people were touching to both
Robin and Daniel. She noticed the way Daniel acted when he saw the
poverty of the people. When she had told him about the history of
Cordovia, Robin could see the anger flaming from his eyes. As they
headed back to town, she contemplated whether or not to talk to him
about joining their little band of men and women.

Perhaps this was a good time to ask him but she
would not divulge whom she was… just invite him to join and say
that she knew the leader. How should she go about it?

Taking a deep breath, she turned toward him and
said, “Have you ever thought about joining one of the rebel
causes?”

Daniel jerked his head toward her in surprise
and said, “What?”

“Well,” she began cautiously. “There are a few
groups that have joined together to fight this tyranny and…” She
hesitated. “It’s all about protecting our rights: freedom, justice,
equality. We need to protect our families from persecution. The
king has taken our rights away and we need to get it back.”

He nodded as he watched her speak. Daniel
noticed how strong she felt about the subject and he was impressed.
Not too many people voiced their opinion because they were afraid
of being arrested if someone of authority heard them complaining or
slandering the king. She had spunk.

He had not expected such a refined lady to care
about such causes. This made him take notice of what an unusual
person she was. He wished all women had this kind of interest in
what was happening around them.

Robin glanced at her lap and smoothed her dress
with her hands. Then she took a deep breath and looked into his
eyes as she asked, “Have you ever heard of Robin’s Rebels?”

A smile played at the corners of his lips. “Yes,
I have. What about them?”

“Well, they’re a group of young people who are
fighting for a just cause.” She looked at his muscled arms, which
held the reins of the horses. “You could be a great asset.”

Daniel watched her and grinned. He was not one
to brag but for some reason he was glad that she noticed his
strength.

“These rebels buy food for the needy and clothes
for the children with the money they take from the tax collector,”
said Robin.

“I’ve noticed they seem to stand out from all
the other rebel groups,” said Daniel with a nod. “I’ve also heard
of another group called the Freemen. They have about fifty men and
are growing every day. They are hoping to have one hundred good
fighting men by next week.”

“One hundred?” she asked with surprise.

“That’s right. The leader has been recruiting a
lot of smaller groups.” Daniel tried so hard not to grin as he
said, “I hear that he is one person who is difficult to beat.”

Robin’s eyebrows rose curiously. “He is? What
cause are they fighting for?”

He shrugged, suppressing a smile. “The same as
Robin’s group, I suppose. He’s determined to win over every rebel
group there is. By the way, I hear this Robin character isn’t much
to look at. Kind of scrawny!”

Robin smiled as she eyed his muscles. “Probably
scrawny next to you!”

She laughed and he grinned from ear to ear. “You
think so?”

“But Robin’s very wiry,” she added. “I
understand he’s a good fighter, especially in archery. He’s won
many an archery contest.”

“Really?”

Daniel thought for a moment. He was known as one
of the best archers in the community. That did it. He would
challenge the leader to an archery contest for sure. It was
important to him to be considered the best. Besides, if this
scrawny young man did win, then he definitely wanted him. Hopefully
Miles was able to convince the group to accept the contest between
both rivals.

As they rode home, he looked at the lovely woman
sitting beside him. He felt an attraction toward her that he had
never felt for a woman before. It was much more than her beauty and
he knew it. Perhaps it was her spunk as she talked about the
rebels’ cause. Or maybe it was the way she helped him as they
handed the goods to the families. He loved how she held the
children on her lap and spoke with soft reverence.

One little girl by the name of Amy gave her some
wild flowers and kissed her on the cheek. Marie hugged her with
such affection and promised to bring her a new dress when she came
back. He noticed how she always inquired of the parents if the
children had enough clothes because she could round some up if they
needed some. This kind of devotion to the people impressed Daniel.
She was so compassionate.

When she turned her head toward him and their
eyes met, something passed between them. Instantly he knew this
would be one woman he would have a tough time getting off his
mind.

It was evening when Polly arrived at Robin’s
home, announcing a meeting with Miles once again. She was a short
woman with blond hair, and in her mid-twenties. Polly was
enthusiastic about their cause and did all she could to donate her
time.

Robin sighed and then told her that she would
meet everyone at the barn. She needed to get her disguise on first.
She couldn’t allow anyone outside her group to know who she
was.

After putting on her clothes, she looked at
herself in the mirror and smiled with humor. Daniel had said she
was “scrawny.” That made her laugh. Robin was taller than the
average woman and this was an advantage to her. It would be easier
to look like a young man without any suspicion. And yes, she was
wiry.

Robin’s little group was fairly new. The first
thing they vowed to do was to stop the tax collector every time he
came to Charlottesville. That was a good beginning. It would show
the king that they meant business. All the other groups of rebels
were doing their part in their own villages, as well. The people
were giving a message to the king.

The first time they stopped the tax collector
was on his way back to the palace. The only road leaving their town
was through the woods, so Robin’s men were prepared. They had put a
log in the road and the coach had to stop. As soon as it did,
Robin’s men jumped out from their hiding places with bows and
arrows aimed at the driver and two guards. Seeing how out numbered
the three men were, they quickly dropped their weapons and
surrendered.

The tax collector had thrown out a large bag of
money and said, “I give up. Here is the money. That’s all I have.
The people didn’t have much on this trip.”

Robin smiled as she told him to get out of the
coach. She knew there was much more. She climbed in and searched
everywhere. After a moment, she lifted a small curtain that was
draped over the front of the seat for decoration. When she saw a
small door, she opened it. The hole was stuffed with bags of money.
She grinned. He had tried hiding the door with a drape over the
seat.

The next time the collector came to town, Robin
decided to do something different. While they were parked outside
the Baker’s Shop to collect his money, Andrew chatted with the man
and kept him busy while Polly walked up to the driver and the
guards and offered them some ale. It was a hot day and they quickly
hopped down and accepted the gift.

When the powerful sleeping drug in the ale took
effect, Robin’s men dragged them into an alleyway and stripped them
of their clothing. After putting on the men’s clothes and getting
into position, Robin gave the signal that her father could stop
talking and give his taxes to the collector.

The man suspected nothing. He didn’t check the
faces of his driver or guards, but just yelled, “To the palace! I’m
done for the day.”

The coach headed out of town and toward the
woods.

The taxman yelled to his men as they entered the
forest, “Watch out for thieves this time, men! Be on guard!”

With a snicker, Merek yelled back, “We sure
will, sir. We don’t want to be caught by Robin’s Rebels again.”

Merek was a hefty man and loved to be a comedian
at times. He chuckled as they entered the woods. When they arrived
at the designated spot, Robin’s men were standing in the road
waiting. She knew all the stops the taxman made in town and had
everything planned out perfectly.

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?”