Queen Margaret and the Robbers is a nice story written by Albert F.
Blaisdell based on the times of the War of the Roses. It's a thrilling
story of how Queen Margaret was saved, protected and sheltered from the
robbers by a gentle-hearted outlaw.
One day when roses were in bloom, two noblemen came to angry words in
the Temple Gardens, by the side of the river Thames. In the midst of
their quarrel one of them plucked a white rose from a bush, and, turning
to those who were near him, said,
"He who will stand by me in this quarrel, let him pluck a white
rose with me, and wear it in his hat."
Then the other gentleman tore a red rose from another bush, and said,
"Let him who will stand by me pluck a red rose, and wear it as his
badge."
Now this quarrel led to a great civil war, which was called "The
War of the Roses," for every soldier wore a white or red rose in
his helmet to show to which side he belonged.
The leaders of the "Red Rose" sided with King Henry the Sixth
and his wife, Queen Margaret, who were fighting for the English throne.
Many great battles were fought, and wicked deeds were done in those
dreadful times.
In a battle at a place called Hexham, the king's party was beaten, and
Queen Margaret and her little son, the Prince of Wales, had to flee for
their lives. They had not gone far before they met a band of robbers,
who stopped the queen and stole all her rich jewels, and, holding a
drawn sword over her head, threatened to take her life and that of her
child.
The poor queen, overcome by terror, fell upon her knees and begged them
to spare her only son, the little prince. But the robbers, turning from
her, began to fight among themselves as to how they should divide the
plunder, and, drawing their weapons, they attacked one another. When the
queen saw what was happening she sprang to her feet, and, taking the
prince by the hand, made haste to escape.
There was a thick wood close by, and the queen plunged into it, but she
was sorely afraid and trembled in every limb, for she knew that this
wood was the hiding place of robbers and outlaws. Every tree seemed to
her excited fancy to be an armed man waiting to kill her and her little
son.
On and on she went through the dark wood, this way and that, seeking
some place of shelter, but not knowing where she was going. At last she
saw by the light of the moon a tall, fierce looking man step out from
behind a tree. He came directly toward her, and she knew by his dress
that he was an outlaw. But thinking that he might have children of his
own, she determined to throw herself and her son upon his mercy.
When he came near she addressed him in a calm voice and with a stately
manner.
"Friend," said she, "I am the queen. Kill me if thou
wilt, but spare my son, thy prince. Take him, I will trust him to thee.
Keep him safe from those that seek his life, and God will have pity on
thee for all thy sins."
The words of the queen moved the heart of the outlaw. He told her that
he had once fought on her side, and was now hiding from the soldiers of
the "White Rose." He then lifted the little prince in his
arms, and, bidding the queen follow, led the way to a cave in the rocks.
There he gave them food and shelter, and kept them safe for two days,
when the queen's friends and attendants, discovering their hiding place,
came and took them far away.
If you ever go to Hexham Forest, you may see this robber's cave. It is
on the bank of a little stream that flows at the foot of a hill, and to
this day the people call it "Queen Margaret's Cave."
