Of course it was stupid. They were practicing thievery using stumps and make-believe. Elena and Will had grown up with these skills, honing them in the streets of Nottingham for survival, not by playing at pretend. The group was eating more food than they could steal, and their supplies were running low, but this was the wrong answer. Most of the men and women in this camp only had talent that lay in the land, and empty exercises such as this weren’t like to teach them anything. Arthur and David, for instance, had already vastly improved their skillsets by following Will along in the real world, not an imaginary one.

“I appreciate your assistance,” Tuck continued. He had stopped the fake carriage in the middle of the fake road, looking as pitiful and unimposing as possible. “You are very kind, my obviously wealthy friends with no apparent military affiliation.”

Alan approached Elena from the side, jumping in place as if appearing from behind a tree. The lack of actual trees made it laughable.

“I can clearly see you,” she said with a smirk, which he seemed to take as a compliment.

Locksley joined them, too, from equally fictitious cover. A non-existent arrow was nocked in his bow and half-drawn, aimed at Will. Alan countered his movements and hopped up on the driver’s stump, his sword at Will’s chest. But this caused Locksley to call for a hold, scolding Alan for getting too close. “Remember when you two came after me in the woods? You came too close, which was when we got the upper hand on you. Remember how easily I disarmed Will?”

“I do remember that,” Alan cackled.

“Shut it.”

Elena nudged Will with her foot again. “I don’t think I heard about that, actually.”

“That’s because it never happened, that’s why we didn’t tell you.” Will grabbed Alan, who looked eager to tell the story. “Oh look, Robin has more to say! Let’s all listen to Robin.”

“The point is,” Locksley continued, “never give them the chance to attack. If you’re taking something from them, have them place it on the ground and step away from it. Don’t let them hand it to you.”

“You’ve got a bow on him,” Alan protested. “He can’t do anything to me. You’d shoot him first.”

Locksley puffed his cheeks and shrugged. “Here, let me.”

He tagged Will on the shoulder, and the two of them exchanged places. “Nice carriage,” he commented as he sat.

Will sneered. “Thanks, I built it just for you.”