When Alan a Dale returns to Sherwood from Normandy after the death of his wife Mildred there, the outlaws find him changed for the better due to his life experiences in the past four years since they last met. He is able to dream, and yet still be a realist, is more capable, and stronger in many ways, able to stand up even to Scarlet.
A year passes, and Alan finds his own valuable place in the outlaw band, a loyal and gentle man who brings his own quiet stability to the group.
But Alan holds some secrets about his origins which the outlaws do not know of yet...
