Black Arrow

Years before the main events, Oates, Sykes, and Appleyard perjured themselves to attaint a nobleman who would later be known as Black Arrow. He fled to France in exile, while his five-year-old daughter Joanna was made a ward of Sir Daniel and kept under guard in a convent. These early machinations set the stage for the enmities and inheritances that drive the story.

Scar and Richard are bound by a tense rivalry within Sir Daniel's circle, with Scar mentoring Richard yet remaining his adversary. The friction between them foreshadows the inevitable clashes to come. Their uneasy dynamic shapes later events around loyalty and betrayal.

On the eve of Richard's twenty-first birthday, he defeats Scar, though Scar is handicapped by his left hand tied behind his back. The crowd hails him as Sir Richard after he swears loyalty to the white rose of York. The victory solidifies Richard's standing in Sir Daniel's household.

Sir Daniel arranges for Black Arrow's seventeen-year-old daughter Joanna to be brought from the convent to his castle to keep her from being rescued by her father. He also plans to marry her to take full possession of her inheritance. The scheming binds Joanna's fate to Sir Daniel and Warwick's political games.

Appleyard is sent to confiscate livestock for Warwick's upcoming visit. Richard is sent to assist, but Black Arrow arrives with Lawless and a longbow and kills Appleyard instead. The ambush escalates tensions between the households and undercuts Daniel's control.

Richard accepts a challenge from the outlaws and faces them with staves but is defeated. He is sent back to Sir Daniel, wounded and humiliated, revealing the danger posed by the lawless elements around the castle. The defeat deepens Richard's resentment and Daniel's precarious position.

Joanna is being prepared for marriage and asserts her Lancaster loyalties by wearing a red rose in Daniel's household. Richard angrily snatches the rose and crushes it, signaling a personal rift between Joanna and her would-be suitor. The symbol underscores the bitter power struggle at the heart of the tale.

The Earl of Warwick visits Sir Daniel's castle and Daniel persuades him to outlaw Black Arrow. Warwick hopes to gain Daniel's support for his future revolt against King Edward IV. The alliance strengthens Daniel's grip on power but deepens the conspiracy.

Joanna overhears Daniel and Warwick plotting her marriage and escapes by stealing Sir Richard's clothing while he bathes. She slips away from the castle to avoid being forced into an undesired union. Daniel sends Scar and men to recapture her, intending to proceed with the wedding anyway.

Secretly, Daniel dispatches Scar and armed men to kill Sir Richard and frame Black Arrow for the murder. The aim is to seize Richard's inheritance and eliminate the rival who threatens Daniel's control.

Joanna ambushes Richard, but he overpowers her in the struggle. Scar shoots Richard in the shoulder, and Joanna comes to his rescue. To misdirect Scar, Joanna rides off to draw their pursuers away from Richard's wounded body.

Joanna is captured by Scar and taken to York. Meanwhile, Black Arrow and his men locate Richard and capture Scar, turning the tables on Sir Daniel's conspirators.

In York, Oates covertly betrays Daniel by telling Warwick that Sir Daniel had Richard killed and by exposing Daniel's plot. Oates also captures Black Arrow and his ally Will, dealing a major betrayal that shifts the balance of power.

During Sir Daniel's wedding in York, Richard, Black Arrow, and Will confront the conspirators and expose the truth. Oates is killed as Daniel is challenged in a blade duel. Black Arrow kills Daniel with a black arrow, and Richard and Joanna finally marry, riding off together.