Can somebody
tell me what's going on?
Don't be foolish, Walter.
Get him back to bed.
- Bar the door.
- I'm still the master of this house.
Richard, up.
Who is there?
Wake up, Thomas.
Open the gates!
Bastards.
Arrow.
The lantern.
I see you, you little bastards.
I see you!
Thieving maggots.
They've taken all our seed grain.
What are we going to do for planting?
Pray.
Hello, there!
- Here you go, lad.
- Thank you, Robin.
Robin.
The archers been called to ranks.
Bloody typical. I'm starving.
Hide these well.
We'll have them for supper instead.
Sire.
Your bath, Sire.
For the love of Christ, Loxley,
would you stop them doing that!
They love you, Sire.
My head. It's going like the bells of hell.
Is that it?
One more castle to sack,
then we're home to England.
Hail King Richard!
Release!
Push!
Push!
Hey, archer!
Stay alive!
I'll see you tonight.
Don't forget your money this time, little man.
It will be my pleasure to take it off you.
Push!
Move up!
Cover the King! Cover the King!
Barricades prepare!
Let us put these French to bed!
Raise the barricades!
Jimmy.
Calm and careful. Make it count.
Go!
Help!
Cover!
Now.
Go!
Move back!
Blood for France!
Go!
Lt'll make a fine pin cushion!
King Philip's arse!
Look what they do for the Lion Heart!
Push!
Push!
That'll burn all night, lads.
Don't let them put it out.
These pricks will smash through
in the morning, take all the credit.
Well done, Jimmy boy.
John...
Your Majesty.
An English princess
shut out of her husband's bedchamber
by a piece of French pastry!
Aren't you ashamed?
The shame is surely his.
Then go in and tell him.
Mewling at his keyhole
is neither one thing nor the other.
John.
Oh, God! What in heaven...
Mademoiselle, you will excuse me.
My son has need of my advice.
No, I don't. Ask her.
Mother, please, have you no decency?
I happen to be in a condition
that no mother should see her son in.
- Yes, I know, but it's my mother.
- That's enough.
On second thoughts, I think it better
that you do hear what I have to say.
Though I will not have you in my presence.
Mother.
The purpose of my being in this room
is to save the realm
from the consequences
of this unsuitable amusement.
Her uncle is the bloody King of France.
- My uncle is...
- Get down.
Her uncle wants her back.
Philip wants an excuse to cross
the Channel with an army.
And you have given him that excuse.
Take up your lawful wife and save England.
My lawful wife is as barren as a brick.
Is that truly the wife you want for me?
Hmm?
You, who honoured your husband
with eight children
so that even now
when death has taken the rest
you have a king and the runt of the litter
to call you "Mother.' '
Better the bastard of a servant girl
than bed the niece
of England's jealous enemy.
Or bed her and wed her, Mother.
I've asked the Pope's men
to arrange an annulment.
And do you think the Pope
will favour England's royal runt
over the King of France?
He might see his way
for the son of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
And for the future King of England.
Richard the Lion Heart is 40-years-old,
if not more.
And no babies.
I am a queen in the making.
Yes. Yes.
You see?
She is my Eleanor.
Now, you do understand,
this game is not about luck.
It's about the science of memory
and a quick hand.
Who'd like to take
a bit of fresh meat home?
Caught this morning. We have a pheasant.
Three choices. Right, left or middle?
Middle.
"The middle," he says. The middle.
I'm sorry about those onions, young man.
You lose.
Robin! Over here, they're needed for the pot.
Feisty one!
Aye, what else we got, what else we got?
The fire will do its work.
We break through at first light.
With a fair wind,
we can be home in three days.
You return to Nottingham?
I have a wife who waits for me.
I have a mother that won't die
and a brother who wishes me dead.
First thing I'm going to do is lock them up.
Your people will rejoice
to see you return home.
And that is a condition
I would like to keep them in.
To be remembered as I was.
My army knows better.
Lion Heart is mangy.
Every man in that army idolises you,
Your Majesty.
Don't mollycoddle me.
I understand how difficult it must be
to befriend a king.
Come on, Loxley.
Let us find some ruffians, drink and laugh.
Let us see if we can find an honest man.
Yes.
Let's do that.
Well, that's the thing, little man.
This is not a game of luck.
It's about the science of memory
and a quick hand.
I've got a quick eye. I'll be watching you.
Three choices.
Right, left, or middle.
I think I'll take a fourth choice.
- A fourth?
- Hmm.
I've been watching you
for a while now, Longstride.
There is no pea.
This game is a trick!
You take out the pea when you're doing
your slidings and your turnings.
I got you.
Don't touch it again.
I'll do it!
You lose.
You're doing better than you think.
Get in there, Robin.
Kneel, you ignorant bastards!
Kneel before the King!
All of you, move back, now.
No, no, Loxley.
These men are soldiers at play.
Sinners after mine own heart.
Which one of you started the fight?
I did, Sire.
I threw the first punch.
Ah, honest man.
And who're you fighting?
He was fighting me, Your Majesty.
I thought him to be a lesser man.
He was showing me different.
An enemy that shows his respect.
Stand up, the pair of you.
Not you.
Brave and honest.
Are you honest enough to tell a king
something that he does not want to hear?
What is your opinion on my crusade?
Will God be pleased with my sacrifice?
No, he won't.
Why do you say that?
The massacre at Acre, Sire.
Speak up!
When you had us herd 2,500 Muslim men,
women, and children together,
the young woman at my feet,
with her hands bound, she looked up at me.
There wasn't fear in her eyes.
There wasn't anger.
There was only pity.
For she knew that when you gave the order
and our blades
would descend upon their heads,
that, in that moment, we would be godless.
All of us.
Godless.
Honest,
brave
and nave.
There is your Englishman.
Right there.
- Well done, Robin.
- You showed him.
The whipping will be the worst of it.
The branding iron, that will be the worst.
Unless they hang us.
No. No, this will be the worst of it.
And this will be the end of it.
As soon as I get out of here, I'm gone.
I don't owe God or any other man here
one more minute of service.
We go all the way back to the same breast.
Wet nurse.
Indeed.
We've been close ever since.
Good.
Because England, under your friend John,
is a country with no fighting spirit.
I can take London with an army of cooks.
But Richard is on his way home.
And under Richard,
England is a different animal altogether.
Richard will return home
through the Forest of Broceliande.
We know the exact place.
He always travels ahead of his army
with only a few trusted knights around him.
With Richard dead, it will be easy for you
to turn the country against John.
There'll never be a better moment to invade.
Even dying animals can be obstinate.
Kill the Lion Heart
and you will be richly rewarded.
Heave!
Heave!
Heave!
For England!
For England!
I need a physician here!
A physician! Quickly!
Give us cover! Give us cover, now!
Cover him!
Cover the King.
Physician!
Why, Loxley? Are you not feeling well?
Physician!
Wine.
What's this?
- The King is dead!
- Dead?
Dead.
All right, then, Jimmy. Knock the pegs out.
We make our own fate from now on!
I'll come with you.
No, you're not. We don't take strays.
The more the merrier.
The road will be dangerous.
He might be useful.
Where we going?
To the coast and to a boat
before 3,000 desperate soldiers get there
and the price for a Channel crossing
goes up a hundredfold.
What about our wages?
If you thought it was hard getting wages
while he was alive,
try getting paid by a dead king.
All right, boys,
collect your gear as quick as you can.
I like the new church.
Lady Marion.
I would have been sorry to leave
without your farewell. Thank you.
I'm glad to speed you on your way,
Father Tancred,
but it was to seek out our new shepherd.
You have lately been missed
at Sunday worship and my sermons.
I like a quiet church, Father,
when I pray for a miracle.
Your new flock is women,
children and old folk.
Our men have gone to war
or returned broken.
Their orphans run wild in the greenwood.
Our fields are ready for planting
but we've no seed corn.
And the church barn is full of grain.
Surely, you do not expect the church
to let its corn be used to plant your fields?
That grain is bound for York.
I am Friar Tuck.
Father Tancred is elevated to York
where I know he will remind the Bishop
that the people of Nottingham...
The Bishop does not need reminding
that the people of Nottingham
should reap what they sow
and repent of their sins.
The miracle I pray for is that
the Bishop show some Christian charity.
As I said, Father,
I like a quiet church when I pray.
You will have trouble
from the Loxleys of Peper Harow.
You keep bees, Tuck?
I keep them and they keep me.
Stop!
Ambush!
You're a knight?
Where is King Richard?
Oh, God.
Where is the King?
- Dead.
- Dead?
Really?
If the King's dead, where are you going?
Deliver the crown.
Richard's crown.
Richard's crown.
How do we assassinate a king
who's already dead?
Bring back the crown!
Kill the horse!
You are English.
When it suits me.
Who are you?
Robert Loxley.
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
That's the King's horse.
Jimmy! Move!
Jimmy!
Robin, they're French.
Ambush.
Go.
John.
Don't know.
He's dead.
Help.
My sword.
Its value to me is great.
It belonged to my father,
Sir Walter Loxley
of Nottingham.
Do you know it?
Aye, I've heard of Nottingham.
Then the fate...
The fates have smiled on me.
You must take the sword to my father.
It will bring me peace.
I took it in anger and without his consent.
You must understand the bond of love
between a father and his son.
My father abandoned me to the world of men
when I was six years old.
I know little of the love
between father and son.
I beg you.
Longstride,
say you will.
I will.
It's a pact sworn in blood, Robin.
It's a scratch, Allan, and that's all it is.
Robin!
Loxley was making for the coast
to meet the ship.
That crown could be our passage home.
We're common archers, Robin.
If we arrive at the King's ship
with his crown, we'll be accused of murder.
How do you know
that the knights you see walking about
are actually knights at all?
There is no difference between a knight
and any other man
aside from what he wears.
All we need is about us.
Armour, helmets, swords,
and we make England wealthy men
with horses and gold.
Fate has smiled upon us at last.
And I, for one, shall not turn my back on her.
Take that crown off your head, Will,
and fill it to the brim.
We commit the soul of this boy
to your keeping, Lord.
We would ask, when he arrives
at the gates of eternity,
if you could let him in.
Goliath's got the soil turning nicely.
But for what?
- Nettles?
- Nettle soup and dandelion salad,
that'll keep us alive.
Come, Goliath. This way.
Until we get a miracle.
This way.
Marion, Sheriff.
Marion, I've been at Peper Harow,
waiting in vain
for Sir Walter to receive me.
Kindly tell him I have better things to do
than haunt his threshold.
That you have,
while robbers are roaming free in Sherwood.
That's sheriff's business.
Why don't you look to it?
Tell the old fool that next time,
I'll break his door down.
- And if he's too proud to pay...
- No, no, no, no. He's not too proud.
He's too poor.
In the name of King Richard,
you have stripped our wealth
to pay for foreign adventures.
Whilst at home, the Church,
in the name of the merciful God,
has reaped, without mercy, the largest share
of what we had set aside to feed ourselves.
Between a sheriff and a bishop,
I wouldn't care to judge
who's the greater curse
on honest English folk.
Marion,
why, oh, why do you make an enemy of me
when you have the means
to make me your protector?
What means?
If you leave now,
I will lengthen your life
by not telling my husband
of your visit when he returns home.
Your husband? After 10 years?
If he's not dead, he's rutting his way
through the brothels of the Barbary Coast.
So speaks a man of experience.
Well, think on it, Marion.
Sir Walter is dying without an heir.
Peper Harow will fall to the crown,
and you will be living in the hedgerow.
You'll be glad to come to me then.
Captain, there.
Sir, we were told
to expect 12 riders and the King.
Our beloved King is dead.
Long live the King.
And you are, sir?
Sir Robert Loxley of Nottingham. And you?
I'm the King's equerry, Sir.
Come aboard, gentlemen,
before the tide floats her. It's coming in fast.
And it's row, me bully boys
We're in a hurry, boys
We got a long way to go
Where we'll sing and we'll dance
And bid farewell to France
And row, me bully boys, row
And it's row, me bully boys
We're in a hurry boys
We got a long way to go
We'll sing and we'll dance
And bid farewell to France
And row, me bully boys, row
So what's the plan in the morning?
The boat stops at Gravesend
on the way to London.
We'll leave the honour of returning
the crown to them, and we'll be gone.
Where?
North.
Well, that suits me.
Row, me bully boys, row
But now we're returning
So lock up your daughters
We'll sing and we'll dance
And bid farewell to France
And it's row, me bully boys, row
Make ready, Sir Robert.
We dock in 20 minutes.
Gravesend?
No, My Lord.
The palace docks, Tower of London.
Will.
John. Allan.
- Where are we?
- London.
Holy Christ!
We dock in 10 minutes.
When this is done, be ready to ride.
What if... What if Loxley is known
to the King's mother or brother
or any of them?
Then we'll be riding for our lives.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Peter and Paul and Mary!
I knew it! I knew it!
Good morning, My Lord.
Some words of advice
on this tragic occasion.
You appreciate
everything must be done correctly,
so you will present the crown
to Lady Eleanor.
You will go down on the right knee.
Do not look in her eyes
when you tell her the King is no more.
And do not rise until all others rise.
Do you understand?
Yes.
Agnes.
My blue and gold brocade.
Yes, My Lady.
Part for the Queen.
Cease.
What's this? What's happening?
King Richard returns from France, My Lord.
Did Loxley deceive us?
Kneel.
Long life, my son.
Rise now.
A king is dead.
Long live the King.
Long live the King!
- Long live the King!
- Long live the King!
- Long live the King!
- Long live the King!
Rise.
You...
I don't know you.
Robert Loxley, Sire, of Nottingham.
Welcome then.
And how did my brother die?
In battle, Your Majesty, as was his way.
As was his way.
You deserve a reward...
Let's get the horses.
For bringing home the news.
Kneel.
Did you say you were from Nottingham?
Yes.
Your father, Sir Walter,
owes tax to the crown.
My crown.
Tell him it's bloody expensive
running a country
and everyone's got to pay their way.
We'll start with this.
Make way for the King!
Make way!
Your Majesty.
Make way for the King!
- Make way!
- Godfrey.
Godfrey, my friend. It's so good to see you.
- How were your travels?
- Good, Sire.
What happened to your face?
A hunting accident. It's nothing.
- Frightening.
- Your Majesty.
Call it a duelling scar.
The ladies will love you all the more.
I bow to your knowledge of the ladies, Sire.
You can get up now.
Sir Robert.
You will know of me, perhaps.
I'm William Marshal.
Your father and I were young men together.
Tell him I'm coming to visit him soon,
on spring's first black night.
I may have need of him.
I will. I'll tell him.
Whoever he is and whatever he is,
he knows too much.
Get rid of him.
Come on, let's follow.
Forfeit what you got.
Victuals, coin, clothing
or your life.
Thomas Cooper.
Is that you?
Are you sick, Thomas?
We're all sick.
- Where are the rest of you?
- Don't... Don't tell her.
Loop will be angry.
No, it's your mother
who's going to be angry.
Now, either you come with me,
or I come with you.
You choose.
Well, come on then. Where are they?
Answer me.
Four men, five horses, one grey.
- Have you seen them?
- That way.
The living king of sermons
Was delivered from his evil
But he couldn't talk his last
Because God took out his throat
God's crossbow took out his throat
By Christ! Can you not sing a happy tune?
Sing a foot-stomper about adventure
and daring and courage.
No. Sing something about a woman.
A large woman.
Fancy army, darling
I loves you all to bits
I'll climb up to your chamber
And under your mountainous...
Right. I'm done. The money's divided.
And so should we be.
Where will you go?
I think something is owed
for this good fortune,
and I mean to pay it back.
How so?
The inscription on the sword,
it taunts my memory.
Maybe it's just my imagination, I don't know.
But I intend to take that sword
back to its owner
and fulfil the request of his dying son.
Are you mad?
You just said we were in danger, Robin.
Now you choose to step back
in to harm's way?
They're bound to go there and find you.
We can't repay our good luck
with bad grace. It invites darkness.
- I'm going with you.
- And I, Robin.
- Yes.
- No.
Tonight is our last in company.
Tomorrow, we go our separate ways.
Pack up your share. We eat and sleep.
Will, you're on first watch.
Will.
Watch your step!
One of them got away.
Bastards! They've stolen my fortune.
Richard's army is coming home.
It costs money to keep it together.
Marshal, you speak for the money.
I do, Sire.
But to disband the army
could cost more than to keep it.
King Richard's campaigns were costly.
And the expected returns...
What is that to me, Marshal?
My brother's troubles are over!
They're over!
Clear the room.
So... Taxation.
Taxation?
Milking a dry udder gets you nothing
but kicked off the milking stool.
Mother, spare me your farmyard memories.
You have none,
and I don't understand them.
These are difficult times.
We can buy time.
I can send envoys to secure loans.
There are money chests from Sicily
to Normandy if you know where to look.
Cap-in-hand to moneylenders?
Your master's a king.
The crown is owed money at home.
The northern barons plead poverty,
but that's always been the song of rich men.
So, what's to be done?
Give me leave, Sire, to go north
with a company of mounted men.
I'll have the merchants and landowners
fill your coffers
or their coffins.
Englishmen killing Englishmen.
No man loyal to the crown
has anything to fear.
And loyalty means paying your share
in the defence of the realm.
That's well said.
Hmm? Don't you think, Marshal?
Mother?
Richard commanded loyalty
not by threats but by example.
Mother, your sainted son was an imbecile.
And you supported his every folly
from here to Jerusalem and back.
Yes, you worshipped him
when the warrior lost territories
hard won by his father.
You kissed his picture
while England had to pay
four years' revenue
to ransom him when he was captured.
You are just as much to blame as anyone
for the wreckage which is my inheritance.
I broke her skin more than she did mine.
Chancellor.
Marshal,
you served my brother faithfully
and my father before him.
I think you've spent enough time
with my family
and, no doubt,
would like to spend more with your own.
Therefore, and with regret,
I accept your resignation
of all your offices and matters of state.
The ring.
Your Majesty.
Choose carefully, Godfrey, the spot
where you would place your dagger.
For I will choose carefully, as well.
Open the gates!
Nottingham.
- Is this your people, Robin?
- I don't know. Might be.
They don't look much,
these Middle Englanders.
Well, they've been keeping your lot
in place easy enough, haven't they?
I hear that you Welsh boys,
you live on leeks.
You co-habit with sheep.
Bloody Scottish mule.
You wouldn't want to annoy a bee hive
with your noise, would you?
Your swords would be
no good then, gentlemen.
You're the town beekeeper?
Bless you, no. I'm the friar. Tuck's the name.
Well, Friar Tuck, can you tell me
where I might find Sir Walter Loxley?
If he's not up at Peper Harow...
How long will your business take?
Stay safe.
God be with you all.
That's it?
After 10 years?
Good Friar, where can a man get, well,
moderately insensible
on a drink around here?
Allan, he's a man of the cloth.
I'm sorry, Friar.
- Have you coin?
- I have coin.
Two pieces.
Each.
Have you tried the honey liquor
we call mead?
Come with me.
Gives a man a halo, does mead.
Girl.
Girl?
Either you're going blind
or you're looking for charity.
Are you the keeper of this house?
In a manner of speaking, yes.
I wish to see Sir Walter Loxley.
And you are?
Robin Longstride.
Plain Robin Longstride? No Sir?
No, ma'am. No Sir.
Are you here about the tax?
No, I'm here to bring him his sword.
His son's dead.
This way.
He'll take your horse.
Marion!
Marion!
Maggie, where is she?
Ma'am, Sir Walter calls for you.
I know, Margaret. I can hear him.
Tell him we have a guest.
I'm Marion Loxley. Robert's wife.
My Lady, I owe you an apology.
If I'd have known...
Bad news is bad news
no matter how it comes.
Indeed, I owe you thanks for taking the time
to deliver it here yourself.
Did you fight alongside my husband?
Yes.
Did he die well?
In an ambush, ma'am.
He was the man chosen
to bring home Richard's crown.
Marion, who is here?
A traveller, Walter.
This news will go very hard on him.
Bring him in.
Yes, yes.
Tell him Robert is in the Holy Land,
sends his love and will return soon.
Marion, our traveller will be thirsty.
Travellers are always thirsty. Is that not so?
Your name, sir?
Longstride. Robin Longstride.
Do you mock me?
Sir?
Your son,
he asked me to bring you this.
And how does Robert defend himself
if he has no sword?
The prodigal son will not return after all.
So, no tears, no forgiveness from his father.
No amends to be made.
Did you see him die?
I was with him when he passed.
His final words were for the love and bond
between a father and son.
Forgive my rudeness.
My grief has been waiting for this day.
So come, so that I may see you.
Robin Longstride.
A common enough but noble Saxon name.
So, you will dine with us.
But first, you must bathe, sir.
You stink.
I've laid out some of my husband's clothes.
I hope you don't find that too discomforting.
My Lady,
I'll need some help with the chain mail.
Winifred.
Winifred.
The coif has a clasp at the nape of the neck.
If you take off the coif,
you'll find lacings in the back of the tabard.
Thank you.
I'll have it washed.
Marion, more wine.
You've taken a long road to bring this to me.
I cannot decide
whether that makes you trustworthy...
Or manipulative.
Marion, I'm merely trying to gauge
the quality of the man we have as our guest.
Is he handsome?
Yes.
In the way that yeomen sometimes are
when they are sober.
Entertain us
with a tale of your life, sir.
We don't get many visitors any more.
Except tax collectors and other beggars.
I don't know where I'm from.
Only know where I've been.
So, Marion,
what colour are his eyes?
I don't yet know.
I have a proposal for you, young man.
You brought me this sword,
which has great meaning.
If you give me your time,
it is yours.
I could stay for a day, or more.
- I have a question to ask you.
And what is your question?
The words on the hilt of the sword,
what do they mean?
Well, I think I have much to tell you
about history. About your history.
That's very kind.
Well, you haven't heard the other half
of my proposal yet.
I want you to stay in Nottingham
and, for the time being,
become my returned son,
and therefore Marion's spouse.
Oh, that's enough!
- You've had too much to drink.
- Listen. Listen. Listen.
We both know that without a husband
you will lose this land when I die.
Do you dispute that? Hmm?
- No.
- No, so if I say this is my son,
he will be seen as that.
And, so, as your husband. Huh?
It is a fair contract.
It is not as if I expect you
to have children or...
No, the sword for your time, Longstride.
Are you in agreement?
- Yes.
Marion, go tell the staff
that my son has arrived
and our home is now whole again.
Tell them to ring the church bells
in celebration.
And more wine, please.
Hey! Hey!
I rose up in the morning
And I felt a dire need
To dream away the dreary day
and down a cup of mead
I felt the sting of honeybees
Home brew.
If I wasn't the village priest,
I'd try for the village drunkard.
Oh, great.
A man could get
very affectionate here.
I haven't seen so many women
for so few men outside a nunnery.
The secret to success
is never go for the prettiest one.
Start with the homely one on the left.
Right there.
She's about my size.
I'm going to make her smile.
I'm going to make you smile!
Come over here!
So, why do they call you Little John?
What are you trying to get at?
I'm proportionate.
So roll another barrel to the bar
And pour another cup or two
so I can soak my heart
Stop it.
What did I tell you?
It seems we are to share my chamber.
A ruse to convince the servants.
Well, if the aim is deception,
should you not be addressing me as
"My husband," or, "My dear"?
Don't be ridiculous.
Well, are you coming or not?
Ask me nicely.
Please, dear husband,
will you share my chamber?
Here.
I sleep with a dagger.
If you so much as move to touch me,
I will sever your manhood.
You understand?
Thanks for the warning.
Hello, dogs.
Godfrey.
Where are your men?
They're dead, My Lord.
And Loxley?
Alive.
Then fate has left him to me.
I hear a man's steps. Good morning, my son.
Morning, Walter.
Father.
Father.
So what is it that you know of my history?
Patience.
You must show yourself today.
Wear your sword.
Marion.
I'm here, Walter.
Reacquaint your husband
with his village and his people.
I'll see to the horses.
I feel invigorated.
I woke this morning with a tumescent glow.
Eighty-four.
A miracle.
I've always wondered
at the private conversations of men.
Husband.
This is rich country.
Where's your cattle and your sheep?
Sold, eaten, stolen, traded.
We've had seven lean years.
Our meat now is rabbit
or wild pig on a lucky day.
And deer?
If you're willing to risk your neck
to the King's executioner.
Every deer in the land
belongs to His Majesty.
These things are God's gifts first
before the King's possessions.
If it's illegal for a man to fend for himself
how then can he be a man in his own right?
Welcome home, sir.
Sir Robert.
Good morning, Joseph. Emma.
Sir Walter is our Lord, and you
are Robert returned and you should act so.
Sir Robert. You remember me?
Tom Chamberlain. Pig farmer.
You don't look a day older, Tom.
Sir Robert.
When will our young lads come back to us?
Will you find my Jamie,
tell him to come home?
With no work and little food,
the village boys have gone.
- To be soldiers?
- Poachers.
Look at that, mate.
Still here then?
For the time being, refer to me as Sir Robert.
I'll explain later.
My men-at-arms.
This is about as courtly as they get.
Allan A'Dayle, Will Scarlet and Little John.
Lady Marion.
I trust you had an historic evening.
For sure.
Lady Marion Loxley. My wife.
Well played.
A bit rash but well played nonetheless.
Right you are, Robin.
Sir Robert.
- Sir Robert.
- Sir...
- Sir.
- Sir.
- Sir Bob.
- Sir Robert.
Friar.
Ah, Marion. Good news travels
from Peper Harow this morning.
Sir Robert, nice to see you again.
You should've made yourself known
when we met in the field. Welcome home.
Yes, I should've. Forgive me, Friar.
What happens here?
We're moving
the Church's grain to York.
Politics out of London, I hear.
This is our grain. It belongs in this soil.
Lady Marion, I but follow the orders
of my superiors
and abide by their saying and rule.
Does His Holiness
know about your wealth of honey?
There are wolves in York, Sir Robert.
Voracious wolves.
The bees are my family.
I'm a procreator by design.
I'm not a churchy friar. Never was.
My bees give life.
They are my life, Sir Robert.
Should not the Bishop be told
so the clergy can spread
Nottingham honey on Nottingham bread?
What if the grain were not to reach York?
Then the bees need not be spoken of.
I was an old maid
when Robert courted me.
I was a daughter of a respectable widow
with a thimbleful of noble blood.
We were wed, and then a week later
he left to join ship
for France and the Holy Lands.
And that was my married life to a man
I hardly knew.
- A good knight.
- Short, but sweet.
I mean, he was a good knight.
A good knight-at-arms, a soldier.
Oh, yes,
my knight-in-arms, even so.
And I in his.
Stop! You'll break its neck.
Marion.
Easy.
I'm all right.
I can't move me legs.
I can't move me legs.
Thank you.
My Lord?
Oh, is it my turn now?
Thank you.
Nicely done, sir.
And to see Lady Marion Loxley's legs,
beyond my wildest hopes this morning.
I don't believe you know my husband,
Sir Robert.
Allow me to introduce
the Sheriff of Nottingham.
Welcome home, Sir Robert.
You make your mark quickly
by rescuing the King's ram from drowning.
What's this?
What's mine in coin I have the right
to take in goods or livestock.
If it's God's will.
Here's a ram's worth of tax
for the Exchequer.
Your insolence to Lady Marion,
I'll consider a debt between us.
Mead and grain alcohol?
I thought as much.
There's something that we need to do.
At your service.
All right, lads.
Should've left while you had the chance.
Something's afoot. Off we go.
Stop. Stop the horses.
You there! Move aside!
We're on Church business!
None shall pass
unless they can answer the riddle.
Moon-mad!
And what is the riddle, you insolent wretch?
What has 18 legs and isn't going anywhere?
Your next move will be your last.
Evening, friend.
I demand to know who you are.
We are men of the hood.
Merry now, at your expense.
"The Lord taketh... ' '
And we shall giveth back.
My advice is to plant it now, by moonlight.
Why is that, good friar?
When it sprouts,
I can claim it as a miracle from God.
The Church in York
would never deny a miracle.
How much further?
About 11 miles.
I thought you had left.
The fields have been planted.
I didn't want to wake you.
How did you find the seed?
If you have to ask, it's not a gift.
Thank you.
Pikemen, at the ready!
Arms to ready!
Prepare!
This King John is no king of mine!
You! Are you Baldwin? Open these gates!
In whose name do you come against us?
In the name of King John.
Pay or burn.
We have paid in money
and men for King Richard's wars!
And we have no more to give!
- Burn it.
- Archers!
Come on.
My Lord, this way!
In the name of John,
by the Grace of God, King of England,
let it be known to all who abide here
that a tax is warranted!
Those persons
refusing to abide by the law
will hereby be subject
to severe punishment.
By order of His Majesty, King John.
Father Tancred!
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
I have lost the confidence of King John,
but he may still listen to you.
Allow me to know better, William.
You are much wiser than your owl.
I dare say. I've lived longer.
Edward, take him.
Your Majesty.
John is no Richard, alas, Your Majesty.
But I serve the throne,
and the throne will endure.
Speak plainly, Marshal.
What's troubling you?
The crown is in peril.
Godfrey has been plotting
with Philip of France.
French troops have already landed
on our shores,
and they are murdering Englishmen
in the name of King John.
The northern barons
will make civil war against the throne.
Leaving our coast defenceless
against the invasion
which is certainly coming.
So it's left to John's mother to scold him
like a child and point him to his duty.
My son has an enemy in his court
closer to him than any friend.
An English traitor. A paid agent of France.
Why are you telling me
when you must tell the King?
Isabella!
It is you who must do that.
Tell King John that you've had word
from France, from Philip himself, if you like.
Why not tell him the truth?
That William Marshal...
Oh! A mother he mistrusts
bearing the word of a man in dishonour?
No.
If you wish to be queen,
you must save John.
And England.
No!
No! No!
Godfrey! The bloody Judas!
By the bowels of Christ, it's a lie.
You lie!
I'm sorry, my love.
- Sheriff.
- Up there.
Man won't give his name.
Demands audience with the sheriff.
Demands?
- Go away.
- My Lord.
Tax collections proceed apace.
Nottingham's turn is coming.
Good. Good.
Tell Sir Godfrey
that the Sheriff of Nottingham is his man.
May he put his stamp on my authority.
I see trouble
coming from Loxley of Peper Harow.
A blind old man gives you trouble?
Aye, and his son will give more.
The crusader, Robert Loxley,
has returned this past week.
Marion.
Go on! Go on.
Has he spoken yet?
He was spying, Loop.
Spying?
Robert, I'm ashamed of you.
Hello, Marion.
I've come to save you.
Know him?
Boys, this is Sir Robert Loxley, my husband.
Sir Robert, the runaways of Sherwood.
Untie him.
No, I don't think spies should be let off
so easily.
That was unkind.
You were a crusader?
Yes.
Did you hear that, boys?
You bested a crusader.
- My men are good fighters.
- I don't know about that.
I think the weight of numbers
might have been in their favour.
But they do move silently
like the creatures of the forest.
But that's only a skill if you stay as a man.
You don't become the creatures you hunt.
- We're soldiers.
No, you're not.
Soldiers fight for a cause. What's yours?
You don't have one.
That makes you poachers.
Common thieves with a lot to learn.
Like what?
I could teach you how to tie knots.
I could teach you which wood to get
to make your bows stronger.
I could teach you how to make arrows
that fly more than 20 feet.
And I can help Marion to teach you
how to stay clean
so you won't get sick.
I don't know who you're fighting, son,
but it's not me. I'm not your enemy.
If you want to chat,
you know where to find me.
Wife?
Marshal.
Stand aside! Make way for the King!
Your Majesty.
What the devil are you doing here? Hmm?
Sire?
Will you keep that animal still?
What's it got, palsy?
Do you think I haven't noticed
how you've deserted me?
If Your Majesty recalls,
our last conversation...
At our last conversation,
Philip of France wasn't coming our way
with an invasion fleet.
Was he, Marshal?
My friend Godfrey
is not the friend I thought he was.
He's stirred up
the northern barons against me.
They come south with an army.
Marshal, how dare they? How dare they?
Sire, forgotten men are dangerous men.
The barons need to be told
that when the French come,
we are all Englishmen.
- Fitzrobert.
- Baldwin.
We'll make an army of the north
and march on London.
The barons need leadership.
Wiser kings know
they must let men look them in the eye,
hear their voice.
Together, let us ride north to meet them.
They march against their king, Marshal.
Their king.
We will meet them with the pikes
of our militia in their gizzards.
You have lost your touch, Marshal.
Perhaps we'll look to the barons
without you.
Saddle up with a spare horse.
I leave immediately.
I want to know where to find Godfrey.
My Lord.
- I found him, My Lord.
Where?
Nottingham.
In plain sight, living as Walter Loxley's son.
Then we go to Nottingham.
Take no prisoners.
Leave no stone un-scorched.
Take two men, four horses.
Ride hard for the coast, then on to Paris
and give a message to the King.
I'll make the place famous.
Come, Allan!
I'll get them drinking. You get them dancing!
All right.
Music, laughter,
the crackle of a bonfire and a roasting pig.
Life has returned.
You have returned it, Robin.
How did you know it was me?
Who else would sit by me uninvited
like a friend from the old days?
How are you, William?
I'm well and troubled.
Ah. And what brings you?
I'm riding on to Barnsdale tonight.
I've heard something of the barons' anger
against the crown's tax collector...
The anger has turned into action.
They assemble to march against the King.
You think you can persuade the barons
to turn back?
Turn back, no.
To join King John against a French invasion.
- A what?
- Help me, Walter.
I cannot go with you.
I cannot speak for this king.
He is the only king we have.
But not the only hope.
Explain.
- Marion.
- I'm here, Walter.
This is my old friend,
William Marshal.
Lady Marion Loxley, my son's wife.
Lady, I was glad to see Sir Robert
when he disembarked in London.
I think you know better, Marshal.
Sir William, I know,
would like to meet Robin Longstride again.
We've met before.
Yes, Sir, I know. In London.
No, when you were a child.
Hobby-horse age.
Sir Walter and I returned from the Holy Land
to fetch you home.
But you'd gone.
We had lost Thomas Longstride's son.
It was a wound that never healed.
You need to know what I know.
Your father was a stonemason.
Is that pleasing to you?
Yes. It is.
But he was more than that.
He was a visionary.
What did he see?
That kings have a need of their subjects
no less than their subjects
have need of kings.
A dangerous idea.
Your father was a philosopher.
He had a way of speaking
that took you by the ears and by the heart.
None of these things
can be written down, Robin.
You must commit them to your very soul.
This is the science of memory.
"Rise and rise again
until lambs become lions.' '
Finally, hundreds listened,
thousands, who took up his call
for the rights of all ranks from baron to serf.
"Rise and rise again
"until lambs become lions.' '
What happened to him?
Close your eyes.
... foundation is set on
the rights of liberty for all people!
Longstride, give up the charter
and their names!
You were there.
You saw it.
I will not.
Not dead.
Not now.
Not now.
Here is my copy
of the main contract.
This charter of rights
was written by your father.
And here are... There are the names
of all the barons that signed the charter.
Fitzrobert, Baldwin, Marshal and myself.
What he wanted
was a charter for every man...
- Wait there.
To have the same rights.
Sir Walter? A messenger for you.
Bring him in.
Step forward, sir.
- My Lord.
I'm listening.
Peterborough's been burned
by the King's men.
Fitzrobert gathers an army
to slay King John in London.
Marshal requests your presence
at counsel in Barnsdale.
Wait outside, will you?
Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
The time for pretence is over.
Now, hold me like a son.
Go.
Maggie. Where's my lady?
I could not find her, sir.
Whether we fight for our lives,
our family and our honour,
we must fight till the death.
You've spent too long in the palace, William.
Spending time in the palace
gives me perspective.
As we speak,
King Philip sails for our coast.
Godfrey and his marauders are French!
Every minute that we waste in disunity
brings closer the destruction of our country!
We have been bled
by the King long before Godfrey.
Go back to London and tell the King
that we will meet him
on a field of his choice.
Make way!
We will not fight
to save John's crown.
Rather let him bend the knee to us.
I'll give you more,
Sir Baldwin.
My breast for your sword point.
Use mine.
Go on.
No?
Oh, this is what you want, isn't it?
This is what he wants.
Fine, I'd rather give it to you
than have it taken by the French.
You mistake me, Sire.
I have no right and no ambition
to wear the crown.
But let the rightful wearer beware.
From now we will be subject only
to laws that we have a hand in making.
We are not sheep
to be made mutton of by your butchers.
Godfrey set himself to turn you against me.
Then he did more than was needed
to accomplish that.
A very important decision.
Don't you think that we've paid
too much taxes for far too long...
This is where I was born.
- What does it mean?
- It means never give up.
We will not be loyal to a crown
that robs and starves us!
The King must listen to what we have to say!
A king does not bargain for the loyalty
that every subject owes him.
Without loyalty there is no kingdom.
There is nothing.
I'm here to speak for Sir Walter Loxley.
Let the man speak.
Let him speak!
Speak! Speak!
Speak, if you must.
If you're trying to build for the future,
you must set your foundation strong.
The laws of this land
enslave people to its king,
a king who demands loyalty
but offers nothing in return.
I have marched from France
to Palestine and back.
And I know
in tyranny lies only failure.
You build a country
like you build a cathedral,
from the ground up.
Empower every man
and you will gain strength.
Hmm.
Well, who could object
to such reasonable words?
If Your Majesty were to offer justice,
justice in the form of a charter of liberties,
allowing every man to forage for his hearth,
to be safe from conviction without cause
or prison without charge,
to work, eat and live
on the sweat of his own brow
- and be as merry as he can...
- Sir, Godfrey's men are on to Nottingham.
...then that king would be great.
Not only would he receive
the loyalty of his people
but their love, as well.
So what would you have? Hmm?
Castle for every man?
Every Englishman's home is his castle.
What we would ask, Your Majesty,
is liberty.
Liberty by law!
Your Majesty, My Lords,
the French fleet is in the Channel.
Sire, you have a chance
to unify your subjects high and low.
It falls on your nod.
I only have to nod?
I can do better than that.
I give my word
that such a charter will be written.
On my mother's life, I swear it.
Godfrey makes for Nottingham.
I must stay with the King.
I will send Baldwin and Fitzrobert with you.
We will meet again at the White Horse
when you are finished.
Robin, your father was a great man.
And you are your father's son.
Maggie, who's at the house?
Long live the King!
Gentlemen.
I'm the Sheriff of Nottingham.
I'm French on my mother's side.
Sir Walter! Sir Walter!
Loxley!
Show yourself!
Loxley!
Who calls here?
I call for Robert Loxley.
My son is not here to answer you.
That is the truth.
Because he's dead in a French ditch.
And who are you, sir, to say so?
Who am I?
I'm the one who killed him.
Fight me if you dare.
Lord have mercy.
Leave it on the table. Leave it! Next!
Next! Come on!
- Name?
- Loxley.
Christian name?
Marion.
Land?
Lady Marion Loxley?
I am.
Gentlemen, enjoy!
No one should have 4,000 acres.
Baldwin! Fitzrobert!
Take the southern flank
and circle in from the west.
Will and Allan,
get on the rooftops and pick your targets.
Lady Marion.
Quickly.
Follow me.
Somebody, please take the baby!
Save the baby, please!
John, down!
It's all right.
Go around.
Stand back!
Make way!
Hurry. It's all right. It's all right.
Please, hurry! Hurry!
Sword!
Get down,
you bastard French dogs!
Where will King Philip land
and when?
This is my last arrow.
Dungeness! Dungeness. Two days.
There we have it. We have two days.
Once before I said goodbye
to a man going to war.
He never came back.
Ask me nicely.
I love you, Marion.
Longstride!
What news of Walter and Nottingham?
Sir Walter is dead. Godfrey's hand.
Gentlemen, we go to war.
It is my first time. I shall lead.
Forward!
That's a lot of French.
What's to be done?
Archers to the cliff top.
Cavalry to the beach. We'll await you there.
- With me!
- Archers!
Excellent plan.
Cavalry!
Ready!
Raise arrows!
Raise arrows!
Ready!
Raise arrows!
Release! Release!
Release!
For the love of God, Marion!
Loxley,
circle your troops and then join the charge.
With me!
Release!
Release!
Forward!
Archers, forward!
Let's go, Marshal.
We're close enough, Sire.
This was not
close enough for Richard.
And look what happened to him.
Forward!
Protect the King!
This is for you, Walter.
No!
Marion!
Marion!
Surrender!
Sire! Sire!
They've surrendered, Sire!
Yes! To whom?
To him.
Longstride!
Longstride!
Longstride!
Longstride!
I did not make myself king.
God did.
King by divine right.
Now you come to me with this document
seeking to limit the authority
given to me by God!
Sire, you gave your word!
No.
- Sire, you give us our word, Sire!
- Did I command you to speak, sir?
- John...
- Or you, madam?
Sire, we looked to you!
Look to your estates, instead.
Archers!
You are fortunate
that I am in a merciful mood.
But as for Robin Longstride,
that mason's son,
for the crimes of theft
and incitement to cause unrest,
who pretended to be a knight of the realm,
a crime punishable by death,
I declare him,
from this day forth, to be an outlaw!
To be hunted all the days of his life...
- We will not stand for this!
...until his corpse, unburied, is carrion
for foxes and crows!
Hear me! Hear me!
By royal decree,
Robin Longstride,
also known as Robin of the Hood,
and all who shelter him or aid him
are declared outlaws of the realm,
Their properties forfeit,
and their lives shall be taken
by any Englishman on sight.
A nail please? And a hammer.
A nail!
Off you go. Come on.
Hey, boys.
- You've been practising tying your knots?
- Yes.
Have you been shooting
your bow and arrows?
Who hit something? Anyone?
The greenwood
is the outlaw's friend.
Now, the orphan boys make us welcome.
No tax, no tithe.
Nobody rich, nobody poor.
Fair shares for all at nature's table.
Many wrongs to be righted
in the country of King John.
Watch over us, Walter.
For the Lion Heart!