Hi. I'm probably not the only one who is unbelievably disappointed with the series 2 finale, and have therefore written my own version of what series 3 would be like if Dominic was fired, and they hired me instead. (Hint Hint BBC!!!)
I won't reveal too much, just that I'm a HUGE RobinMarian shipper, so……..
Series 2 spoilers, so if you haven't seen it, then don't read this unless you want to be seriously spoiled!
Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood or any of the characters (at least not in this chapter). They belong to British folklore and Dominic whatshisname
Comments appreciated, flames will be torn up, and fed to Gizzy in the beginning of my torture session!!!!!
"Some dreams are the nightmare kind, the kind that bring all of your worst fears to the surface. These are not real dreams. They are figments of your imagination. The real dreams are the ones we work towards- that job you want, that lifestyle you want, or that one true love of your life"
……………………………………………………………………………
The voices were back.
Barely audible, just on the edge of his consciousness, where the annoying memories and
forgotten names lurked.
This was the second time he'd heard them in……. well, a while- the time wasn't quite definite in his head. They were different this time round, but only just so that you'd notice. There had been more the previous time, higher pitched, more worried. They were calmer now, a slight edge of panic still remaining, but definitely more relaxed.
He realised that there must be something slightly wrong with him if he was being this methodically observant. He wondered momentarily where these skills had come from before he remembered. Marian. In the early days, when he had sat outside her window, waiting for her wake up so that she would come out and ride with him. Later, when he had listened for the moment when Gisbourne finally left, so that he could he could have a moment alone with her, if only to talk of some trivial matter. More recently, after her father had passed, listening out for her quiet sobs in the darkness. It was at these points that he would get up, tiptoe across to her bed, and hold her. She never complained about his being there, never mentioned that an unmarried couple should not share a bed, she simply collapsed onto the bed, and let him hold her all night long. Because of her, he had been able to hear when Gisbourne and his friends had sneaked into the camp in Acre (he knew it was Guy, even if she would not believe him). Marian. It was strange how one word can trigger such a response in someone. He rolled over, almost expecting to feel her warm body lying next to him, breathing gently, and instead found only the rough material of his bed.
That was another difference. It had been soft the first time, the time with the worried voices. Sand? The Holy Land? His mind still wasn't functioning properly, and yet slowly he was becoming more aware of his surroundings. There was less light here, a slight rustling in the background. The voices were becoming clearer, but separate words still couldn't be picked out.
It seemed that someone had been very aware of him aswell, for suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder, a gentle shake, then a rougher one. He responded accordingly, moaning like a small child woken from his sleep.
A small cry of excitement, a call out for someone. That voice. High pitched, anxious…..Much! His manservant swam hazily into view, along with the trees and bushes that made up his home. Home. The horrors of Acre seemed a million miles away, if not further.
Much's call for help had obviously been heard, as Allan and John came running down the hill, nearly slipping on the permanent layer of leaves scattered on the floor.
"What, we go away for two minutes, n' you decide to finally wake up?"
"Allan, just be quiet," the larger man replied, surveying his leader with a somewhat nervous look.
For Robin had stopped listening to his friends, and had entered the maze of mind once again. Flashes. That was all they were, and yet slowly they were putting themselves back together. Acre. The King. The Sherriff. The plot. Djaq. Will………Marian.
Only three people around him, three missing. It had been real!
And to the surprise of his comrades, Robin Hood burst out crying.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
It was true. She was dead. They had stayed behind. His frienends were still standing around him, and yet he didn't care. Three of the people he cared about most in the world were in a foreign country miles and miles away. And Marian, his Marian, his wife! She was lying in some grave, a mere pit in the sand. Certainly not a fitting end for a noble woman, especially not one that he loved so much. Edward would kill him if he were still here. She deserved so much better, but he'd been in such a rush to get away from the horrible place, the place of so many bad memories, that he hadn't cared.
The tears carried on flowing freely, much to the shock of the men crowded around him. This was Robin, a man who they'd known for years, who they trusted with their lives, who had helped them out of so many tight spots. Who was sitting here, crying like an infant.
"Allan, go and fetch help. Now!"
"What's the point Much? Something's wrong, and I don't think that a spoonful of medicine is going to help!"
"Well how do you know if you won't even try?"
"If you're so worried about him, then go yourself!"
"No, he needs me here!"
"Much, he doesn't even know we're here!"
"Lazy."
"Whinny"
"Greedy"
"Bad cook, Teacher's pet.."
"Traitor!!"
"STOP"
The two men turned to look at the giant, both glancing at their feet in shame.
"Alright, now Allan, go and fetch someone, he clearly needs to be looked at. Much, I can see that you are worried about him, but maybe you should try and make us all something to eat?"
There were small nods, tiny signs of agreement, murmured apologies, before Allan walked off, followed by the call of "I think they're in the cave!"
Robin's sobs had now ended, and he simply sat on the cramped bed staring at his feet. She was gone, and it was his fault. She'd nearly died last year, and been captured countless times all because of this pathetic stubbornness. And now she really was gone. He slowly became conscious of the strange looks he was receiving, and attempted a weak, watery smile. It was obvious that neither man believed this pathetic attempt at happiness, so he simply turned around, staring at the simple wooden structure surrounding him. Will, the man had been a genius with wood, even better than his father before him. Now happy, in some far off land with Djaq. Djaq. An amazing fighter, honest to a fault. He hoped that they would be happy- it certainly seemed that they would be, when they had finally announced their love to one another. He remembered fondly how he had been the only one who did not seem visibly surprised or (in Much's case) slightly disgusted. He had been through this many times with Marian, and…… and there was her name again. No matter how hard, how hard he tried to get away, it always came back. An ever revolving circle. A trap he could not escape.
"Robin! You are awake!" That voice, highly accented even now. Obviously a woman, no matter how hard she tried to disguise it. He turned his damp eyes to face her. A young Saracen woman, a massive grin plastered on her delicate face. And behind her, a tall, skinny man, the same grin, running headlong down the hill.
His worries momentarily forgotten, he reached out, and hugged Will and Djaq as they descended down towards him, a puffing Allan wandering along behind them, trying not to show how tired he was. Djaq took Robin's head in her hands, smiling one of her brilliant smiles.
"Oh thank goodness you are alright!"
"Yeah, we were getting pretty worried there for a minute," Will added, mirroring the smile of his girlfriend. Even that word was enough to make his lower lip tremble, and John must have noticed because he suddenly dragged the couple away from Robin's bedside, and began having a frenzied whispered conversation with them. You didn't need to be incredibly clever to figure out what they were talking about. Robin knew that they would react like this, and yet the tears had needed to fall. He could see what would happen next- Djaq looking slightly anxious, trying to ask him questions as gently as possible, Much at his side, babbling like a young child, trying to think of explanations. Allan would make sarcastic comments, trying to mask the fact that he was genuinely concerned. Will would stand at the back of the group, silent yet strong and worried. And John would be with him, joining his friend in his silence, but giving Robin that comforting 'I know what you're going through' look that could only be used by older men. Old men. Old men became widows, not those in their early twenties.
By now Djaq was back, crouching at his side, eyes wide and wondering.
"Robin, is there something wrong?" He simply turned his head away from her, and she immediately entered her doctor mode, asking him questions which he either would not or could not answer.
Will and Allan had retreated to an opposite corner, muttering and occasionally shooting glances in the direction of the doctor and her patient. Much (as he'd expected) was yapping away about something, and eventually John was forced to physically drag him away.
Robin knew that he would have to talk eventually, and yet surely it must be obvious what had upset him. They'd been there. And why were Will and Djaq not in there swanky home in the Holy Lands?
These questions and more swam around his head, and yet he couldn't make sense of them. He could only concentrate on one thing.
"Marian. She's dead," he muttered, sounding as if he was under water.
This set in motion a huge chain of events. Much's soup was knocked on the floor by it's chef, causing said man to jump backwards into John, who in turn fell into the pile of swords that had been thrown on the floor earlier. Allan spat out the water that he had been drinking, soaking Will. The smaller man was grabbed, only to jump a good 4 ft in the air when the boiling hot soup touched his feet. There was a great amount of yelling, empty threats screamed at Much, before slowly all attention returned to the man sitting on the bed, knees drawn up to his chin.
"How can you not remember?" You were all there!" This was again met by empty looks, which left Robin with only one choice.
We went to the Holy Land to save the King, remember! But the Sherriff got there first, sent a fake messenger, we were all sentenced to death- we were all tied up on those big wooden posts out in the desert!
This was met by looks of recognition, but they quickly disappeared.
The Sherriff brought Marian out, tied her up as well. We got married, or at least started to. Much was crying. Then Carter…..Carter, he got off his horse, cut us free. We found the King, chased the Sherriff and his men into the town. Carter was stabbed by someone, I didn't see who. The King was shot, Gisbourne came towards him, but Marian, Marian, she ran forwards, got in the way. Gisbourne stabbed her through the chest, she fell. Djaq, you couldn't do anything. I finally put a wedding ring on her finger. And we buried them, near the camp, the King standing by our side. And then Will, you and Djaq, you stayed, stayed with the pigeons.
Blank looks, worried glances that said 'he's finally lost it' met him at the end of his story.
"Oh, so I suppose you don't believe me then!" he yelled, finally finding his strength and standing up on his bed. "You were there! You were there when we were on the posts, you were there when the King was shot, you were there when we buried them…"
"Robin, please sit down." A weak voice near his feet found him, along with a pair of deep brown eyes, filled with fear. "Robin, sit." Djaq whispered. She was suddenly very close to him, with the air of a mother who is trying to explain to her young son that his ghosts aren't real.
"Robin, what you said, some of it anyway is true. Yes, we went to Acre to find the King, he tied us up, but the rest, the rest is pure fantasy."
"But.."
"Robin, please listen to me!" He agreed, sitting stock still, not daring to hope. "You passed out about 3 hours into our torture; you've been like this ever since. A deep sleep, brought on by intense dehydration. You've been asleep for a week. All of the stuff that you said happened after we were tied up, none of it happened."
Dun dun dun!!!! Bet you didn't see that coming- well actually, I'm pretty sure you did, but oh well.
Now, I know it's cheesy and corny and implausible (but not impossible), but I miss Marian and this seemed like an interesting way of bringing her back!
"Complain to the BBC about her death if you care!!!"
I'll post the next chapter when I get 3 reviews (starting low) which may be the end of this evening!
First to post gets a cyber cookie (one of those triple chocolate chip ones)!
