Royalty. It as the Merry Men’s main target, anyone with money that abused it. No one in politics or the royals cared about the lower class, the ones working day and night to put food on the table, only to have the money they’ve worked so hard for taken away by taxes. Which raised every other day, which didn’t allow for people to even save up. They don’t need the scraps of money most can give, they already have loads, more than enough to last three times their lifetime. So why do they take so much? Because they can, because their greedy. That was the impression that was left with Marion. Never in his life had he ever come across someone with wealth that was a decent person. Prince Jon had been a pain in his ass since he’d been crowned, he always had his hand out and an awful smile. Anything he wanted he got or rather, took.
It wasn’t until his teen years that Marion and Lil John actually started doing something about it. Turns out the two of them had a knack for stealing, however, it didn’t go without getting a name for themselves. Among the lower class, they were considered somewhat heroes, never keeping any more than they needed for themselves. Among the wealthy, they were thieves and needed to be arrested. Somehow along the way, they’d gotten more to join their crew, each teaching the other new tricks and hacks. They’d even gotten a name (though Marion doesn’t remember if they gave themselves the name or if someone else did). The Merry Men, a group who stole from the rich and gave back to the poor, they never took more than they needed - normally. Which is what lead Marion to be slipping into one of the rooms in the castle the merry men had come to know well. After one of them sneaking in often enough, you’d think they’d figure out security, yet here he was. Eyes scanning the room quickly, settling on a box across the room. Marion made quick work, getting into the box silently eyes lighting up at the sight. A jewelry box was exactly what he wanted, however he couldn’t smuggle out a whole box. His nimble fingers hooked around one of the bulker necklaces, jewels dangling and hanging all around it.
His motions stilled, he’d been so distracted he hadn’t heard anyone coming, he couldn’t even get to the window before the door opened. He stopped dead in his tracks, he’d gotten in and out of hundreds of palaces, castles, and houses without being caught - how had he let himself get distracted here? It shouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t been in the room before, plenty of them were new when he first got there. He couldn’t bring himself to move, there was a hope that if he stood still they wouldn’t notice him.
