Just a Dream

At night he dreams of her face. He hears her voice whispering softly in his ear, the soft chuckle she gave when she finally admitted that he could be a funny guy sometimes, and sighing when he held her in his arms. He never wanted to let her go in his dreams, for he could no longer hold her close in life.

"I don't want to wake up," He murmurs gently to her, touching her pale cheek, toying with a strand of thick brown hair. "I want to stay right here, with you, where I belong."

"No, my love," She chastises him, "You belong back in the world; you belong with life."

"How can I live while you lie buried in the sand?"

"You'll find a way. You always did manage to find some of the most creative ways of going about things, Robin of Loxley."

In his dreams he relives the moment over and over again, watching in horror as the steel pierces through her abdomen, racing to her side to find that it is too late. There is nothing he can do. His Marian is going to die, her blood seeping into the dry earth beneath her.

"Now, where were we?" She murmurs and, again, they exchange vows as he kisses her one last time before she removes the sword. "That's better." A peaceful expression before the light is snuffed from her beautiful blue eyes and her body grows limp in his arms.

"How can I go on, Marian?" He whispers again, fighting against the nightmares that threaten to take him apart. "How can I go on without you here to fight alongside me?" Her arms wrap around him this time, his head pressed against her heart, her slim fingers smoothing his hair, pressing her lips to his forehead.

"Shh, just sleep, Robin. Sleep for you have a long journey ahead of you."

"I do not want to leave."

"It's just a dream, Robin, and it will end soon. Don't fret, for you'll see me soon. You just have to close your eyes and I shall be there."

"Marian!"

"Master?" Much waits as his master wakes from another dream, drenched in sweat, tears mingling upon his cheeks. He's unabashed by them, wiping them away carelessly with his sleeve before he sits fully. "Master are you okay?"

Robin is silent, gazing stonily at the stars above him. "It was just a dream, Much, nothing more."