Hey! As some of you may know, I have been working on a story called Truce for BBC's Merlin. I recently finished all three seasons of Robin Hood and I have to admit I was quite entertained by the first two seasons; the third I found extremely lacking. So, this story, like the one I am writing for Merlin, will be off cannon. All I ask is that you give it a chance, other people who do not enjoy off cannon stories have been enjoying Truce. If any readers have jumped over to this story from Truce, then I promise I will have a new chapter up in a few days, I am sorry for getting sidetracked.
Disclaimer: I do not own the plot line or cast of Robin Hood.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Outlaw's Camp~
"So Robin, what's the plan?" Much asked as the group huddled around a morning fire.
Robin and Much had returned to England only a month prior, but they had already managed to make outlaws of themselves. It wasn't like they had very many choices, Robin wasn't going to let the Sheriff of Nottingham hang four people, just to reprimand him for speaking out in front of the other nobles. So, their two person group grew to a six person group, including Will Scarlett, Allan a Dale, Djaq, and Little John. They had been doing a decent job at keeping money out of the hands of the Sheriff, but they needed some way to make sure he wouldn't be able to threaten the King.
"I'm thinking," Robin replied. And he had been thinking, ever since he saw how power hungry the Sheriff was, Robin knew that they wouldn't have an easy time holding him back.
"I'm not being funny, you had better think of something quick. I don't fancy being chased by any more dogs." Allan quickly threw out.
Robin quickly turned to Allan, "Well, if you have any ideas, I would love to hear them!"
"Couldn't we just kill the Sheriff and be done with it?"
"How many times do I have to say no killing!? We do not kill unless it is absolutely necessary!" Robin had seen enough bloodshed to last a thousand lifetimes. Much was the only one who really understood why Robin didn't want to kill. Much had been by his side throughout his time in the Holy Land, throughout the time it took for his stab wound to heal, and was still there when the memories became nightmares. John, Will and Allan...could only imagine. They couldn't really understand why Robin was so against killing.
"Well, you've said it a lot, I just think we should consi…"
"Allan, that's enough!" John had seen Robin's face darken even more and decided it was time to step in. A thick silence fell over the group, only broken by the crackle of the fire.
"We need an ally," Will finally broke through the silence to quietly voice his idea.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Allan who replied but Much, "Great idea, except for the fact that no noble will side with a bunch of outlaws."
"There has to be someone who is willing to fight the Sheriff and Prince John," Djaq interjected. The group of outlaws began to bicker about whether or not an ally could be found.
The entire time, Robin had remained silent and had continued to stare into the fire. After a few minutes of ignoring everyone, he came to a decision. "All right, I know what we're going to do."
Robin expected the entire gang to quiet down immediately, but only Much stopped arguing. "Oi! I said, I have a plan!"
"And what is this plan?" asked Allan.
"Marian," Robin replied while smiling and looking at Much.
"Master, you can't be serious." Much commented in alarm.
Robin began to nod his head and chuckled, "Oh, I am entirely serious. It's perfect."
"Marian?" Djaq asked. "Is this some weird English thing?"
"No, Marian is a woman," Will told Djaq.
"You remember her, Will?" Robin asked him.
"How could I not? She was always in Locksley. If she is anything like she seemed, she will help us."
"Then it is settled, we will go to Marian and ask for her help." Robin informed the group. He started to stand up when Much stopped him.
"We don't even know if she is still in Knighton. I haven't heard anything of her since we returned to England. Also, you might be the last person in the world she wants to see."
The rest of the gang looked around at each other, they still didn't know who Marian was. "Will someone please tell us who this Marian is?" John asked.
"She's an old friend," Robin told John, ignoring Much's scoff. "She is the Lady of Knighton Hall and has been under the protection of King Richard since she was fifteen. She has always been loyal to him, therefore she is our best bet for an ally."
"What are we waiting for then? If we are going to avoid the Sheriff's men, it is going to take a solid day to get to Knighton Hall."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Outside Knighton~
The group set off through Sherwood on foot, taking all of the shortcuts they knew about. Now that they had a plan, or at least half a plan, they were eager to get to Marian. They were in such a rush that they made it to Knighton before nightfall.
"Well, this doesn't look promising," commented Allan. They had arrived at Knighton only to find it crawling with the Sheriff's men. "Sure seems like she is enjoying the protection of the Sheriff now."
Much jumped in quickly before Robin had a chance to retort. He was worried that Robin was remembering Marian for how she used to be. Times had changed, it was possible that Marian had as well. "We don't know anything yet."
"Much is right, we don't know. The Sheriff may have placed them here to make sure that she isn't collaborating with supporters of King Richard. We'll wait till nightfall, then go in." Robin was fairly sure that Marian would never betray King Richard. But, Allan's words hit the small seed of doubt.
They settled undetected under the trees just outside of Knighton. Not wanting to alert the guards to their position, they either remained silent, or spoke in soft tones. Robin stared Knighton Hall. They didn't even know if she was there and they were going to risk their lives to get in. In his silence, he overheard Djaq asking Will about Marian. He wasn't worried about the information Will had, but Much was an entirely different story. Robin didn't want his gang questioning his reasons for trying to gain Marian as an ally.
"So, Robin…You and Marian?" Allan asked offhandedly.
"What about us?" Robin asked, turning away from Knighton Hall.
"You know, were you two…" Allan let it trail off.
Robin let out a quick laugh before quieting again, "No, we weren't."
Much looked hard at Robin, until Robin turned away. He knew how close Robin and Marian were, even if they wouldn't admit it to themselves.
Robin fell silent again after he saw Much looking at him. He could feel the tension in his group over the coming nightfall, and finally he couldn't sit there any longer. Standing up, he slung his bow over his shoulders. "I am going to go look for other exits in case we need them."
As he was walking around the perimeter of Knighton, Robin allowed himself to be lost in the past.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Locksley Village: Ten years ago~
Will wasn't exaggerating by saying Marian was always in Locksley. From the time that she was able to ride a horse she was visiting Robin at Locksley Manor, or vice versa. As children, Marian was always trying to keep up with Robin, from riding horses, to racing on foot, to archery. And Robin was always taunting her, telling her that she would never be as good as him, mainly because she was a girl. But even as a child, Robin was fiercely protective of Marian. Only he was allowed to tease her, any other boy who did the same was risking a black eye.
As time went on, Robin's self decided role as her protector continued. Unfortunately, there came a time when this role would be seriously tested. It was the night that Robin was turning sixteen and there was a huge feast at Locksley Manor in celebration. Malcolm, Robin's father, had invited Marian's family over from Knighton Hall to join in; as well as all the people of Locksley. The feast ran well into the night, so Marian's father, Edward, decided to stay the night in Locksley.
After everyone had left, the men decided to sit and visit for a while in front of the fire place. Robin despised these conversations, but he knew as future lord of Locksley, that he needed to know the political workings of Nottingham. However, the conversation soon turned to Edward's position as one of King Richard's advisors, and what he thought the likelihood of war was. This was the final straw for Robin's patience. Earlier in the evening, as a present, Robin had received a new bow and he was dying to test it out some more. "Father, can I please go use my new bow?"
Malcolm pretended to ponder the request, "I don't know, perhaps it should wait until tomorrow."
"Please, I promise I won't shoot any thing I am not supposed to."
Malcolm and Edward both burst into laughter. "I don't know Malcolm, with a defense like that, I don't know how you can deny the boy."
"Very well," Malcolm replied while continuing to smile, "So long as you are careful."
Robin rolled his eyes, as if he needed reminding. He couldn't remember the first time he had used a bow, but the rules were always the same. And the first was always be careful, you don't want to hurt anyone. As he was running out of the door, his new bow in hand and a quiver full of arrows strung across his back, Robin replied, "Thank you, Father!"
He made his way to a field just outside of Locksley. It was his favorite place to practice; a few years prior, his father had put up some targets for him to use. He had just strung up an arrow when he heard a twig snap. Spinning around, he quickly pointed his bow at the sound. "Show yourself, or I'll shoot!"
"Robin of Locksley, if you don't stop pointing that at me, I swear this will be the last time you're able to hold a bow."
Robin sighed as Marian came out of the trees and into the field. "Marian, what are you doing out here?"
Marian ignored his sigh and made her way over to him, "I saw you leaving and I was tired of being holed up in the Manor."
"You should have stayed there and done your embroidery." Robin knew that one of the easiest ways to anger Marian was to imply that as a girl, she shouldn't do certain things.
"And you should have stayed and listened to our fathers. If you don't have to, then why should I?"
Robin couldn't think of a way to get out of that one, so he just kept talking and pretended he didn't see Marian's eyes narrow. "Well, because I'm older. And you should always do what older people tell you to do."
"Older!?" Marian exclaimed, "That's your reason? Robin, you aren't even a year older than I am."
"It still counts," Robin replied, while finally letting his arrow loose. Marian was about to reply when they heard a shout.
"Master Robin!" Much broke through the tree line and stumbled out into the field. "Master Robin, come quickly!" He gasped out, "It's the manor, there's a fire!"
Marian looked at Robin in shock and the three of them started to run back into the village, they stopped in horror on the hill overlooking Locksley. From there they could see the flames engulfing the manor and the villagers attempting to put out the fire. Robin threw his bow down and began to sprint towards his home, ignoring Marian's calls as she tried to keep up.
When Robin reached his home, he immediately ran towards the open door. The towns people attempted to stop him, but with a single goal in mind, he managed to dodge his way through them and ran into the burning home.
Marian wasn't so lucky, Much had caught up to her right as she was about to enter. He wrapped his arms around her and attempted to drag her away from the fire. "Much, let me go! My parents are in there! Robin is in there!"
"You can't go in there, you could die!" Much was doing his best to hold Marian back, but she was making it especially difficult.
"Much, they could die, please let me go!" Marian continued to struggle with him. She was hoping that perhaps Robin would find them and get them out. However, she watched with renewed horror as half of the building collapsed upon itself. A stronger sense of desperation flooded her and she quickly elbowed Much in the face, causing him to release her. Without further thought, she ran into the house, with Much following behind her.
"Mother! Father!" She called out while coughing on the smoke. She couldn't see anything, or anyone.
"Marian, get out of here, I'll look for them," Much pleaded with her. She didn't get a chance to answer because part of the floor above them came crashing down and with it came Robin.
"Robin!" They both cried out as they raced over to him. Robin released a groan, but did not stand up.
"We have to get him out of here, Marian." Much put one of his arms underneath Robin, and waited for Marian to help. "Marian!"
"Much, our parents…"
"We can't, we have to get out of here, now! You're parents wouldn't want you and Robin to die like this, so help me!"
Marian quickly made her decision to help Robin. Sliding her arm under him as well, her and Much half-carried him out of the burning home. They made it a few steps outside of the manor before the towns people grabbed them and pulled them further away. A few minutes later, only the charred frame of the home was left standing. The glow of the flames bathing the shocked villagers of Locksley.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Knighton Hall: Present Day~
Robin returned to the group waiting on the outskirts of Knighton. "I think I have our way in."
He continued to tell them his plan, and continued to ignore Much's questioning glances. When he was done, and the gang was satisfied with the plan, Much approached him.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Letting out a confident smile, Robin replied, "Of course I am. I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't."
Much shook his head, "Yes, you would. If you thought it would benefit England you would chop off your own head."
Robin's smile immediately fell away, "What's your point, Much?"
"Nothing…it's just that if Marian has turned against King Richard, I think it would bother you more than you say."
"Well, that won't be a problem, because Marian would never do that." Robin decided to end the conversation. He knew that Much was trying to prepare him for all the possibilities, but Robin couldn't handle the idea that Marian might be a traitor.
Much watched as Robin walked away in agitation. "I really hope you're right."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Again, for the followers of Truce, I am truly sorry for getting distracted. But, I hope you all enjoy this as well.
Honest opinions are always welcome!