Black arrow

The action takes place in England during the war of the Scarlet and White Roses (1455-1485).

The story tells the story of the young Richard Shelton (often referred to as “Dick” - a diminutive of “Richard”), the son of an English knight and pupil of Baron Daniel Brackley.

Prologue

In the Tenstall Forest, near the secluded village of Tenstall, stands the Moth Castle, the Shelton's family nest, which - behind the orphanage of Richard - is managed by his guardian: the brave, prudent and ruthless Sir Daniel Brackley. Sir Daniel is constantly expanding his domain, seeking the opportunity to cash in on the war. So now he went camping, frightening the inhabitants of his fresh acquisitions along the way. He needs reinforcements. Bennett Hatch - the county’s bailiff and Sir Daniel’s right hand in peacetime and wartime — should lead the remaining fighting peasants to him, and charge the castle’s defense with the old archer Eppliard, who lives in the village. From the very beginning, a sinister atmosphere thickens around Dick Shelton: first, hints of one of the peasants about the moral qualities of Sir Daniel, then - the sinister jokes of old Epplyard, and finally - the death of the old archer in front of Dick and Hatch from a black arrow with black plumage fired from an extra long distance by an unknown shooter ...

Now to organize the defense of the castle with a minimal garrison - there is no one, Hatch is forced to stay in the castle - and to provide security for another minion of Sir Daniel - the priest Oliver Oats. Before sending the detachment at the church doors - inconceivable blasphemy - they find a message from a certain “John-vengeance-for-all”, who promises Sir Daniel, Hatch and Sir Oliver - in deathly rhymed verses on a black arrow in their hearts — and death to all their supporters - for death and the ruin of many, including Harry Shelton.

An embarrassed Dick leads a squad to Sir Daniel instead of Hatch.

Two boys

That night, Dick leads the squad to the village of Cattley, where Sir Daniel settled with his troops on the eve of the decisive battle. Sir Daniel dispels his suspicions about the murder of his father, talking about the "dark business in which they suspected a certain DeCuort" and - cooling the ardor of the youth with a cynical statement that he will not rush into battle, but will wait - who will take, and then - will join the winner . Meanwhile, a very important captive escapes from Sir Daniel.

Dick sent a letter to Sir Oliver. On the way, he catches up with a boy - John Matham, who lost his horse in a swamp, selflessly helps him overcome obstacles on the way to Holywood Abbey - not realizing at the age of 18 that he is in front of him a girl dressed in a man’s dress, intended by Sir Daniel to be his wife. Together they become witnesses to the death of Selden’s detachment sent to the girl — thieves in the Tenstall Forest kill their enemies with black arrows, and Dick kills one of the thieves with a dagger; they sneak into the robbery camp, eavesdrop on the conversation of the robbers - the leader of which, Ellis Daquort, directly accuses Sir Daniel of the murder of Harry Shelton; quarrel over it, make peace; spend the night in a sand pit; run away at dawn from the ominous blind leper who turns out to be Sir Daniel - and follow him to the castle of Mot.

Mot Castle

In the castle, despite the desperate situation caused by the loss of that party, to which Sir Daniel joined, strange things begin to happen. John disappears, Dick is transferred to live in a room above the chapel, the oath of priest Oats turns into an exchange of secret terrible signs under the supervision of a "living" carpet, and again - a black arrow with a message ...

In the evening, John escaped into Dick's room - and Dick finally understands the reason for the ridicule of adults. John is a girl, Joanna Sadley. Young people declare their love - and swear to die together. Now Dick no longer doubts the betrayal of the guardian. Soon, in a secret passage, the killer was about to enter the room, but his plans were violated by an “attack on the castle”. Dick and Joanna run in the same secret passage, delving into the castle’s dungeon, revealing the secret of the carpet along the way and almost killing Bennett Hatch. Hatch himself opens a secret spring for young people to open the exit, and tells him how to escape from the castle.

However, only Dick manages to escape. Wounded and exhausted - he gets to Ellis DeCuort ...

Milord Foxham

Six months have passed. Dick is now one of Deceworth's assistants, who turned out to be not so much a robber as a spy for the York party. In the town of Shorbi-on-Till, Dick relentlessly follows his former guardian in search of Joanna's tracks. Having received information that Joanna is hidden in a secluded house in the far part of the city, Dick goes there for reconnaissance, sees Joanna for the first time in a woman’s dress, and participates in a fight with unknown people on the seashore. The commander of the unknown is the former guardian of Joanna - Lord Foxham. Having joined forces, the people of Dick and Foxham steal a suitable vessel in the port - and try to kidnap Joanna. A winter storm destroys their plans. Lord Foxham is injured.

Dressing

Under the influence of Lawless - one of the robbers of Daworth - Dick decides to enter the house of Sir Daniel in Shorbi, in order to kidnap Joanna not by force, but by cunning. There he meets Alicia Risingham - the niece of the commander of the Lancaster army in the city of Lord Risingham, meets his beloved, kills the spy of Lord Shorbi, to whom Sir Daniel now destined to marry Joanna, tries to escape - and is captured in the church. Priest Oliver Oats makes him hostage to tomorrow's successful wedding of Joanna and Lord Shorbi. During the wedding, Dequorth, who entered the church with his supporters, kills Lord Shorbi and injures Sir Daniel. Oats betrays Dick - Dick hands himself over to the court of Lord Risingham, to whom he subsequently passes on the traitorial letter he received from Sir Daniel to the Yorks. Lord Risingham releases Dick.

The Hunchback

Dick meets Richard Gloucester - the future King Richard the Third, valiantly participates in the Battle of Shorbi - for which he was knighted, but learns that Sir Daniel managed to slip away with his captives. Dick receives 50 horsemen from the duke - and rushes in pursuit. On the way, he picks up Alicia Risingham, abandoned by the minions of Sir Daniel, who were divided into two parties. Dick correctly calculated which of them was Joanna, but - during the attack it turns out that Sir Daniel himself was hunting for his pursuers. Dick's warriors are scattered, but Joanna manages to escape - and the three young men go on foot to Holywood, where they are crowned the next morning with the blessings of Lord Foxham and the Duke of Gloucester. That same morning, Ellis Duckworth kills Sir Daniel with the last black arrow, promising to spare the priest. The Brotherhood of the Black Arrow has broken up.

Since then, Dick and Joanna happily live in the forest where their love arose - away from politics and war.

• Richard (Dick) Shelton
• Joanna Sedley
• Ellis Duckworth
• Sir Daniel Brackley
• Sir Oliver Oates
• Bennet Hatch
• Nicholas Appleyard
• Richard Gloucester
• Lord Shoreby
• Alicia Risingham
• Will Lawless
• Skipper Arblaster ( English Captain Arblaster )

• Tunstall Forest . In the preface to the first edition of the story, Stevenson says that the Tunstall Forest did exist in antiquity in the vicinity of the village of Tunstall Hamlet and the eponymous church parish (Tunstall Parish), located in the south-east of Suffolk County, in the Suffolk Coastal area, 18 miles from Ipswich and about 10 miles from the coast of the North Sea . The writer visited these places in 1873 , becoming acquainted with local traditions.

• The Till River is identified with the modern Deben River, the city of Shoreby-on-the-Till with the city of Orford in Suffolk , the Risingham Castle with the Framlingham Castle, and Kettleley with Kettleburgh. and Holywood Abbey with Leiston Abbey.

• In the notes to the main text, R. L. Stevenson points out:

At the time that the events described in our story took place, Richard the Hunchback was not yet the Duke of Gloucester; but, with the permission of the reader, we shall call it that for greater clarity.

• Richard in the story is already an adult, commands troops. But the novel takes place between May 1460 and January 1461 . Richard was eight years old in October 1460. The title of Duke of Gloucester, he will receive only nine years.

• Colorfully describing the fictional battle of Shorbi, Stevenson was guided by historical descriptions of the first major battle of the Rose War - the Battle of St. Albans in 1455.

• In Shakespeare’s play “Henry VI, Part Three,” Richard is also represented as fighting in the battle of St. Albans , and he was not even three years old at that time.