The zine kicks off with a touch of humour in Alan's Alms for the King:
"Wonderful show," the Earl of Hammerwich told Gisburne and de Rainault a little later. I do so love this sort of thing. however, there are just a couple of things. I appreciate the break after the act with the dancing pig was unavoidable, but I did think that that anecdote of Abbot Hugo's was just slightly in poor taste."

Todd also gives us the nicely atmospheric & thought-provoking Winter Haven:
"What's wrong with the woman?' asked the young nobleman.
"She's ill. We were going to take her to Wickham, but the storm and the fire ..."
Loxley faltered. His keen senses were fully alert. The blonde youth spoke nobly, dressed nobly;but there was something in his blue eyes ...

Culmination by Mikka is a wonderfully dream-like vignette with a great twist ...
"Drink," Lilith's voice was as smooth as honey.
Robin felt the potion sting his lips. His mouth and throat burned for a split second -- and then he felt a blanket of complete peace clothe his mind and soul.
"Now!" she thought.
"Do you love me" she asked. The Hooded Man could only say one thing, she knew.
"Yes," he sighed ....

And the excellent Circle Unbroken by Julie & Janet has a "reunion" which we have long wanted to see!
As Marion entered the darkness of the chapel, a shaft of sunlight spilling through the window dazzled her eyes. She blinked violently, then stared ahead through teared vision to where the "Christ of the Lilies" graced the wall.
And she bit back a cry. The painting had changed. The wooden cross was gone, replaced by one of fire. Surrounded by bleeding lilies, crossbow bolts drawing his life's blood to feed the hungry earth, her husband, Robin of Loxley, hung suspended before her ...

We loved the concept behind The Sword by Cindy, & apart from it being a good story, Cindy gives us a great villain.
De Liel's face hardened. "The sword," he demanded. Tell me where you've hidden it. Once I've regained possession of it, I shall drag you before the King in chains."
"That you may," the outlaw agreed, alluding to the knight's threat -- one that he had heard many times since coming to Sherwood, "but I'll never surrender the sword to you."

Louise's The Meeting Place is an amended version of a story which originally appeared in Legend #4.
"You'll have to return home soon," Arianrhod said at last.
"Never! I never want to go home again. I'm going to stay here with you."
She shook her head sadly. "It's not possible, Guy," she repeated softly.
"I thought you were my friend, but you're not!" Guy snapped. "If you really were my friend you'd let me live here with you and you'd take me with you when you moved on."
"But it would be no life for a child! Not for a child like you."

Laura's Tales is a lovely piece of work; again, a good read with some gorgeous atmospherics.
"Fath ..."Robert began -- but halted, dumb-struck, as he stared at his rescuer.
A tall man, dressed in ancient, cross-gartered trews and a well-patched tunic stood before him. The man's hair was as fair as Robert's -- and much longer, falling like a peasant's or an ancient king's, well below his broad shoulders. His moustaches were nearly as long, or so they seemed to Robert, who was accustomed to the Norman fashion of clean-shaven men. Falling to either side of the man's chin, they reminded Robert of the whiskers on the seals he'd seen when playing on a beach in Scotland. Is he a man, wondered the boy ... or is he one of the silkie?

Wayland's Riddle by Pen is a good solid read and this excellent tale contains some terrific ideas.
The smith was standing at the entrance, shaking his head. "Have you not solved my riddle yet, Hunter?" he laughed. "Did you give up so easily?"
"Your riddle cannot be solved." Herne held the sword out to him. "Choose another."
"There is no other."
"I have no son."
"But Gwenna of Loxley will."

Jacquie's Riches Below we loved because of its wonderful and decidedly non-Mary Sue heroine & because Jacqui neatly subverts the "Robert-moping-about-Marion" theme in a way that we found very satisfying!
"There is a tunnel. It goes downwards, then up again. I'm sure we could swim through it, with a big enough breath. Are you with me?"
She realized that he would not abandon his scheme. What did she have to lose? Only her life, she thought to herself. "I'm with you," she said quietly. And, closing her eyes, she slipped down into the water.

The next two pieces, Red Dragon Falling by Jae & A Price To Be Paid by Linda, are linked by events, but the latter story isn't a sequel to the former. To say too much about Red Dragon Falling would spoil its impact -- but it will make you look at two particular RoS characters in a very different light!
"It's a dream, man, don't you understand that? It's a bloody dream about a man I don't even know. People I've never seen. And I'm gonna die in that dream sooner or later, that's what scares me. When I wake up, I feel like I'm ..." He paused to gather his thoughts. "Like I'm 'alfway there. 'alf dead. I ain't scared o' dyin'. I just want to know why."
As he finished speaking, the shaman tossed a fistful of the incense into the flames. Startled by the sudden flash, Will drew back. As he sat, stunned, the shaman's hand reached through the flames towards him. His worn sleeve, which should have blazed up, was untouched by the fire. Then it seemed that the man's face leapt up from the blaze itself.
"Come," Herne intoned. "Meet death."

A Price To Be Paid by Linda is a fine story containing ideas which will, we think, raise a few eyebrows; however, Linda's suggestions offer excellent food for thought, & we were very impressed by their originality.
"Be of good cheer, Marion of Sherwood," Skuld said reassuringly. "I mean no harm to you or your consort. Have you not heard that the Norns can be kind?"
"Lady, I don't know You," Marion said, with a little more confidence. "Did You turn the Wheel and restore my life?"
"Nay, lass. That was the work of the Lady Rhiannon. This place belongs to Her. I can do nought here without Her gracious permission."
At that moment a mare that seemed whiter than a snow drift galloped into the circle. Then the graceful creature disappeared, leaving a woman in her place garbed in a gown that was so green it could have clothed the trees ...

Finally, we have Of Wolves, Werewolves and Wolfsheads by Sue & A Tapestry In Time by Rowena, which we chose to put together because of their fantastical elements & the way that the two stories rather complemented each other. Sue's fine story, apart from its wit & slightly subversive air, raises all kinds of fascinating ideas & possibilities, as well as explaining what really became of one of our favourite non-regular characters!
"Before you commit yourselves to letting me be part of your lives again, there's something that, in all fairness, you should know. I'm hoping you'll say yes, all the same, because Herne says only you can help me and if you can't, I'll have nowhere to go. But I'll understand. You see, there's a -- family curse, of sorts, that I didn't realize I had until a few days ago. I'm -- well, to be honest with you, I'm a --"

Meanwhile, we first read Rowena's very visual A Tapestry In Time in "Chronicles of Sherwood" & loved its wonderful dreamlike, fairy-tale qualities, the characterizations & all the different destinies of the Swords of Wayland.
"Wayland -- do you know what you've created?"
"Yes, my lord, I do." The Smith's manner was almost churlish.
"The powers of light and darkness are within these swords. They must never again be together. They must be separated by time and distance."
"I know," Wayland snapped. "You may be a god, but you cannot teach me my job."