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Bennett Hood crouched behind a bush in Sherwood Forest. He peered through the leaves. A carriage procession rumbled through the woods. Several rows of samurai outfitted with armor and lances proceeded the first carriage. Inazuma banners rose from a golden carriage. They fluttered in the wind.
Bennett tsked. “Having a parade to flaunt her wealth. And no doubt she’s on her way to collect even more taxes. Her Majesty Makoto, Archons rest her soul, would never have stood for this.”
The Raiden Shogun replaced her twin sister, Makoto, when she died in the currently ongoing Khaenri’ah War. While Makoto was benevolent and cared after all of her citizens, Raiden was determined to squeeze every last mora from the populace like one would wring a rag.
Exhaling, Bennett adjusted his viridescent tricorn hat and feather atop his head. He glanced down at a broken green compass, an artifact from his late father. Eyes closed, Bennett breathed in the smell of dirt. He gripped the compass tight. I’m still continuing your work, Dad. So just watch this.
Using his Pyro Vision, Bennett lit an arrow. One eye closed and tongue sticking out, Bennett drew back the bow. Aimed for a carriage. Let go. The arrow sailed in a fiery arc over the carriage and into the woods. The tree ignited.
Bennett’s stomach sank. “Oh… oh no.”
“Fire!” a samurai cried. The procession groaned to a halt. Thanks to the dry, hot weather, the flames spread quickly. Smoke billowed from the trees. Kairagi ran about shouting orders and flocking to guard Raiden’s carriage.
“Oh, just my luck…!” muttered Bennett, rubbing the back of his head. Several Kairagi from the rear ran towards the front of the procession to help, leaving the carriages unguarded. “Wait, actually…” Bennett grinned.
Bennet crept forward, keeping low to the ground and using the underbrush as cover. He approached a carriage before slipping inside the door. Chests, crates, and various pricey artifacts were stacked in piles. Bennett whistled. Snickering, he opened a chest and stuffed as much mora as he could into bags. “Come on, come on…!” Bennett opened the door, while cramming the bags down his vest and tunic.
“Hey, is that…? Thief!”
Bennett tripped over his feet. He landed face first in mud, mora flying everywhere. “Ah, ah!” Bennett scooped up mora into his pockets before running. “Raiden wears Makoto’s face, but is a disgrace!”
“After him!”
Chest heaving, Bennett ducked behind a thorn bush. After a moment, a pair of Kairagi stopped nearby.
“I saw the green hat and bow on his back. It must be Bennett Hood!”
“That troublemaker again? Wasn’t he the one who when trying to rob a lord, he freed all the horses from the stables to stampede through town?”
Bennett blinked. Is that what happened? I took a hoof to the head and blacked out. Don’t remember a thing.
Once the Kairagi left, Bennett raced through the woods. He kept off the well-traveled paths in favor for familiar and faint animal tracks. Having been raised here, he knew Sherwood Forest like the back of his hand. Eventually, Bennett emerged through a pair of trees into the hamlet of Nottingham.
Chest tight, Bennett walked through the streets. Ramshackle wooden houses listed to the side, their windows boarded up. Store shelves sat half empty. Wanted posters blew on the wind. Heads hanging, people walked past, their faces longer than a basset hound’s ears. Inazumans around these parts barely had two coins to rub together when Makoto was alive. Now Raiden’s taxes left them with only one.
On a street corner, a dirty faced child held out a chipped cup. They wore pants with holes at the knees and rags for shoes. The last winter before Makoto left for the war, she organized a clothing drive for the needy, but already it had degraded into disrepair. Bennett retrieved a few stolen mora from his leather bag and dropped it in the boy’s cup. The child flashed a grin. “Thank you, Bennett Hood! Now my sister and I can have dinner tonight!” He darted off into the alleyways.
A few years ago, the streets would have been lively with people smiling and dancing, celebrating the summer festival. The entire neighborhood pitched together to hold a grand feast so no one would go hungry that day. Sighing, Bennett shook his head. Times have changed.
Bennett turned down a dirt pathway towards the outskirts of Nottingham, leading back towards the forest. A squat orphanage lay amidst the forest tree line. A giant maple tree leaned over the house. Dying, its leaves fell to the ground. As Bennett approached, he could hear children’s squeals and cries.
Bennett opened the door. “Hey ho! Guess who’s back from another swashbuckling bungled robbery!” Gasping, a half dozen kids rushed up to him. Chuckling, Bennett placed his hand on Klee’s head. “It’s good to see you all, too. I’ll show you some archery moves later. For now, I—”
Frowning, Kujirai clutched a Temari ball to his chest. “Last time we did archery you shot a bee’s nest. Remember? You ran through the woods screaming so loud we thought you were gonna get discovered and arrested.”
“T-this time will be different! Run along now. I need to speak with Friar Pegg.”
Klee ran off to go fetch him. The other kids followed Kujirai outside to play Temari.
As he waited, Bennett gazed across the room. A counter lay before him covered in quills and papers. In the corner sat a half bookcase with picture books. Wooden horses and straw dolls lay on the floor before it. Several buckets caught dripping water from the roof. Bennett breathed in the smell of must.
The door opened to reveal Friar Seamus Pegg and Maid Sucrose. “Hello there, Friar Pegg and…” Gasping, Bennett straightened. He dipped his hat at Maid Sucrose before taking it off and bowing. “Maid Su—whoa!” Bennett tripped over his feet, arms pinwheeling.
Maid Sucrose chuckled behind her hand. “Hello to you as well.”
“I have a ‘donation’ here from Her Majesty, the Raiden Shogun, for everyone. Just let me… uh… Oh no.” Bennett patted down his green tunic and pants. “I know I fell coming out of the carriage and I gave some to that boy on the street, but… Oh, here!” Bennett pulled out a leather sack tucked into his waistband. Held it out. One mora coin slipped out of a hole in the bottom. It rolled across the floor. Fell over.
“Awww, not again.”
Sighing, Friar Pegg inclined his head. “Thanks for the thought.”
“You stole from Her Majesty herself? Are you all right? You’re not injured, are you?” Sucrose held up the hem of her lavender dress up and hurried over to Bennett. Sucrose’s veil trailed behind her. Rather than any nobility trills and frills, Maid Sucrose wore simpler clothes to better assimilate into the peasantry. As the youngest daughter of a dozen children, her noble father barely noticed her at all. Maid Sucrose often ran away to play with Bennett and the orphanage kids here.
Grinning, Bennett flashed a thumbs-up. “I’m right as rain. Those samurai grunts will never catch me; I’m too quick.”
Smiling, Sucrose pressed a hand to her chest. “You’re so brave.”
“More like foolhardy.” Friar Pegg adjusted his brown monk robes before sitting down at the stool behind the counter. He shook his head. “You haven’t changed one bit since you were a child living here. Like father, like son. You’re the only one foolish enough to dare to face her.”
Jaw clenched, Bennett gripped his compass. “So you say, but ‘Wears Makoto’s face but is a disgrace’ is being muttered under people’s breath more and more.”
“Yes, but you outright defy and steal from her. If they ever caught you, you’d hang for all of Inazuma to see!”
“Ahaha!” Bennett grinned, his smile radiating light like a prism. “Think I’d be doing this if I feared dying? I’m gonna live on forever!”
Friar Pegg blinked. Frowning, he leaned back. “What are you talking about—?”
A neigh rang out through the air. Everyone froze.
From outside, a deep samurai voice called, “Where is Bennett Hood? We know he’s here! We followed a trail of coins that fell out of a hole in his pocket.”
Bennett clamped his head. “Seriously?! You gotta be kidding me.” He ran towards a window in the back and threw it open. “Friar Pegg, Maid Sucrose, take the children away from here. I’ll act as a distraction so you can—Hrgk!”
A Kairagi pressed his blade to Bennett’s neck. Flinching, Bennett raised his hands. The samurai climbed through the window, sword still at Bennett’s neck. “Oh, trust me; we know how slippery you are. We’ve completely surrounded the place.”
Several samurai burst through the front door. Outside, Bennett glimpsed Klee and Qiqi had latched themselves to the legs of a samurai. Another soldier lifted a struggling Sayu into the air.
Bennett shouted, “Hey! Leave the children alone!”
Someone rammed the sword hilt into the back of Bennett’s head. He crumpled to the ground. Ears ringing, Bennett lay on the floor, dazed. He strained to look up. Froze.
Raiden stood over Bennett, coolly assessing him. Nose crinkled, she sheathed her sword. “Street rats like you are a pestilence to the glorious Inazuma. And a diseased nation cannot live for eternity. All vermin will be expunged… and those who aid them.” She turned to Friar Pegg, eyes narrowed to slits. “Tax evasion, aiding and abetting fugitives, and accepting stolen mora that funds the campaign against Khaenri’ah. To think a man who is meant to worship my divine self would commit such blasphemy. What answer could you possibly give to justify your crimes?”
Maid Sucrose curtsied deeply at the waist, not daring to look up. “Um, Y-your Majesty, if you’d p-permit your lowly servant to speak… Bennett Hood is only concerned with the welfare of your citizens. And these children could not survive without—”
“Not another word. She’ll hang you, too,” hissed Friar Pegg. The monk bowed deeply. “There is no answer I could give that would satisfy you, Your Majesty. But Celestia as my witness, if I am to die, then I am satisfied I’ll die with a clean conscience.”
Raiden struck Friar Pegg across the face with her hilt. Crying out, he fell to the ground. “Speaking to the deranged only addles the mind further. Remove the two of them from my sight.”
Grimacing, Bennett raised a hand. No, you can’t take Friar Pegg, too…! You…
Vision going black, Bennett fell unconscious.
Bennett shivered inside his prison cell. Chill radiated off the stone walls. He sat on a wooden plank attached to the wall with chains. Guards were stationed outside the iron bars. A grimy bucket lay in a corner for doing business. Sighing, Bennett leaned against the wall. Breathed in the smell of mold and urine. Closed his eyes. Guess this is it, Dad. I just hope I left enough of an imprint during my life.
Footsteps echoed through the narrow stone hallways. Raiden approached the prison cell. Gazed at Bennett for a moment. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the guards. The samurai nearly tripped over themselves to bow and leave. Raiden raised a brow. “I must admit I have been most curious about the Bennett Hood who freed all manner of beasts from the stables for them to stampede through Nottingham.”
Groaning, Bennett scratched the back of his head. “It was an accident, I swear.”
Raiden narrowed her eyes. “Your youthful appearance, mud streaked and torn clothes… Why you hardly look different from the waifs left behind in the wake of the Khaenri’ah war. Their faces haunt me even now.”
Bennett stilled. Cut a sharp glance at Raiden. “Who are you? You’re not Her Majesty.”
Exhaling, Raiden looked away. She murmured, “Indeed, I’m not. ‘Wears Makoto’s face but is a disgrace’ is it? Such rings true. I am Ei, Makoto’s younger twin sister. The Raiden Shogun is a puppet I created who rules Inazuma in my place. After Makoto died…” Eyes screwed shut, Ei pressed a clenched fist to her chest. She breathed in and out. “I could not bear the thought of the war stealing any more lives. I ordered my puppet to end the war as quickly as possible. It appears raising taxes to amass war funds is her solution.”
“I see… Can’t bear the thought of losing lives, huh?” Bennett inhaled deeply. Eyes closed, he leaned his head against the wall. The stench of mold smothered him. Bennett shivered. Rainwater dripped.
“You know, I’m an orphan, too.” Bennett’s whisper carried in the quiet cell. Smiling, Bennett traced the cracks in his father’s compass with a thumb. “Fifteen years ago, a drought ravaged the land. Much of Nottingham was on the brink of starvation, but even then, the taxes wouldn’t let up. When they couldn’t take mora, they took food. My father stole the food back and died for it. But his bravery saved lives. Inspired me to take up his cause.
“So my dad isn’t really dead at all.” Gripping his compass, Bennett jabbed a thumb to his chest. He grinned. “I’m keeping his spirit alive. And I’ll pass that onto my children and they to theirs. And bards will spin tales about Bennett Hood for years and years. Maybe even centuries! And, in that way, we become legends. And legends never die.” Bennett’s eyes smoldered. He whispered, “Your sister, the late Majesty; my father; all the soldiers in Khaenri’ah war… they aren’t dead. We can live on for eternity.
“Her Majesty Makoto cared so much for her citizens that she organized drives for those in need. Courageously led the war front even if she wasn’t an experienced fighter.” Bennett tilted his head to the side. “Are you carrying on her spirit?”
Still, Ei gazed at Bennett. After a long moment, Ei dipped her head, bangs covering her eyes.
“B-bombs away!”
A mine sailed through the air before exploding. Smoke filled the cell. Ducking, Bennett shielded his head with his hands. “That wasn’t me! I didn’t do anything!”
“Bennett, it’s me! Maid Sucrose.” Maid Sucrose ran up to the prison cell. Brows furrowed, she jammed different keys into the lock. “That was an invention Klee and Sayu made. Are you all right?”
Bennett ran to the bars. Grabbing them, he tried to peer through the smoke. “I’m fine, but where’s the Raiden Shogun?”
Sucrose froze. “She’s here? Where?”
“She was! She…” As the smoke cleared, Bennett could see the hallway was empty. That’s…
Sucrose unlocked the door and pulled on the door. “If she’s close by, we need to leave. Follow me! Friar Pegg is this way!”
“R-right!”
A few months later, Bennett burst into the orphanage. Grinning, he placed two sacks bursting with mora onto the counter. “Here you go! Snagged these off of two samurai tax collectors who were taking more than their quota.”
Maid Sucrose, who was standing by the counter, jumped at the door banging. Father Pegg shook his head. “With taxes being lighter, we really don’t need all this.”
Frowning, Maid Sucrose clasped her hands. “Yes, there’s no need for you to risk life and limb anymore.”
Shortly after Bennett had escaped from prison, Ei instituted fewer taxes. She took to the front line personally. The latest news stated that tides had turned for the better, its end hopefully on the horizon.
Waving a hand in dismissal, Bennett turned to the door. “What kind of bandit would I be if I didn’t rob the rich? Anyway, there’s a noble’s carriage that’s going to be passing by Nottingham soon. I’m off to lighten its load!” He raced outside.
“W-wait!” cried Maid Sucrose.
“If you’re not careful, some unlucky accident is going to happen again!” called Friar Pegg.
“I’ll be fine! Nothing can keep me down.” Bennett flung open the door. The sun shone brightly amidst a cloudless sky. As long as there’s people clothed in greed, I will help those in need. I’ll keep your legacy alive forever, Dad.
Laughing, Bennett dove headfirst into the forest. His peals of laughter echoed throughout the woods.