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“You are my master! Everything concerns me. I have followed you into battle. I have followed you into the forest. But I will not follow you into torture.”
- Much
We begin in the King Camp in Acre in the Holy Land in 1191. There’s obviously fighting going on, and when sword clashes get too near Robin’s tent, he wakes and rushes off. The King is under attack. He manages to get several arrows off before a hooded Saracen sneaks up behind him and stabs him. Robin lies there, bleeding, when Much shows up. But Robin doesn’t give him time to worry about Robin’s wound. They must defend the King. Robin makes it to King Richard’s tent just in time to stop the assassin from doing his job. They fight a bit (with awesome music in the background), and Robin ends up cutting the assassin’s arm, discovering a tattoo. The assassin takes off, and Robin awakens in Sherwood Forest with Much watching him. Much can tell what Robin was dreaming about, and he gives Robin a sympathetic look. He also shares the news that it is the King’s birthday and Gisborne will be celebrating in Locksley. Much goes on a bit of rant, but Robin finally cuts in with a little devious look on his face (complete with waggling eyebrows). They’re going to celebrate the King’s birthday, too. And that can only mean the gang will be up to no good.
We find Gisborne and a bunch of nobles (including Marian and her father) gathered in Locksley Manor, and they raise a toast to the King. He also announces his betrothal to Marian and gives her a ring (even though she’s hesitant to accept it). And right on time, Robin and company crash the festivities. But they’re quite polite about it. They relieve the nobles of their valuables and usher them into another room to wait until the outlaws have left. Gisborne tries to convince Robin not to take Marian’s ring, but it doesn’t work and the pair end up in yet another sword fight. Robin’s got Gisborne pinned to a wall by his sleeve (they need to leave because the Sheriff is arriving), and Gisborne ends up ripping his sleeve to get his arm free. We see the tattoo with the cut in it from the Holy Land, and Robin is none too pleased to find out that it was Gisborne who attempted to kill the King.
Robin’s kind of paralyzed with shock, and Djaq starts to drag him out of the house when Gisborne knocks her out. The gang (minus Djaq) rides off into the forest with Gisborne on their trail. Robin lets Gisborne find him and demands to know why Gisborne tried to kill King Richard and who else was involved. Gisborne says that King Richard would make peace with a Turk and that there would never be peace. This incenses Robin like we’ve never seen him before. He knocks Gisborne to the ground, and it's only after the gang reminds Robin that they don’t do violence unless necessary, that Robin simply knocks him out.
Back in Nottingham, the jailer has summoned the Sheriff because Djaq is just sitting in her cell staring straight ahead. The Sheriff isn’t impressed and leaves. Djaq has some sort of solution in a pouch around her neck and manages to get the door off its hinge. She is about to escape when the jailer catches her. Nice try. Back in the forest, Robin is still out of his mind with anger. None of the others seem to get what Gisborne did. Will says that he (Gisborne) should be given a public trial, that way everyone would know of his treason. In the end, the gang decides to go to Nottingham to rescue Djaq, and Little John knocks Robin out. Robin comes to, tied to a tree a short distance from Gisborne. He seems to be talking more sense now, telling Much he’ll explain everything to the gang, but he needs to speak with Gisborne first. Unfortunately, Much buys it and lets Robin down. And then all hell breaks loose…again. Robin demands to know who else helped Gisborne and says he’s dead whether he talks or not. Much tries to calm Robin, but it doesn’t work. Robin insults the gang and Much (calling them simple) and storms away.
In the castle, the Sheriff has been alerted to Djaq’s escape effort. She’s got liquid silver (which can burn through other metals), and so he demands she make him a batch in two hours. No pressure. Meanwhile, Little John and Allan have managed to get into the castle and are trying to set their plan in motion to rescue Djaq. Robin is moping by the fire, heating the tip of his sword. He takes another go at Gisborne, and Much ends up leaving (he and Robin have a fight). And yet again, we get a rather impressive Gisborne/Robin fight. This time with just their fists. They fight for quite a while until they both sort of collapse. Robin says that he went to the Holy Land to recover Jerusalem and discovered it was the Muslim and Jewish Holy Land too. I have to say, I like that Robin can respect the religions of other people.
Back at the castle, the rest of the gang is trying to find a way to get Djaq out, and we see her trying to make liquid silver. They get to the dungeon and are ambushed, and Djaq manages to find them. Unfortunately, she gets captured again in the process. Much has gone to fetch Marian, and she tries to talk some sense into Robin. The gang (well mainly the gang) decides it is best to trade Gisborne for Djaq. Robin ends up knocked out again by Little John. Marian goes to Nottingham and begs the Sheriff to consent to the exchange (she can manipulate men when she wants to). Things end up working out mostly to plan. They get Djaq back, but the Sheriff ends up burning Gisborne’s tattoo so that he won’t be identifiable by anyone from the Holy Land. The gang mange to escape, and both Will and Allan look very pleased (they both admitted earlier to having feelings for Djaq). Back at camp, Djaq asks Robin if it’s true that there would have been peace save Gisborne’s attack. He nods and she seems quite surprised he would trade Gisborne for her. We end with the gang all gathering round and enjoying a meal together.
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