The Last Song of the Sirens

Chapter Zero

I am in love with a man who is in love with a ghost.

When I lie by his side in the early morning hour the truth behind these words are sharp like the crisp air, and they tug on my attention like a numbly burning ache. My eyes flutter open to the relative darkness of the outlaw camp, and there are still soft snores coming from the other beds. Neither of us knows it yet but this morning, which I choose to call fateful but at the time doesn't think much about, is the last we will spend together, and it looks exactly the same as every other morning. Robin sleeps silently, as if he is hiding even in sleep, but his slumbering is not a relaxed state of mind. He lies squeezed into the corner and I cling to his disinterested body - as if the physical proximity can make up for his emotional distance - letting my fine, blond hair drape across his chest. Then Robin murmurs something in his sleep, gives out a sigh and his head falls to the side so that I can see the scowl which claims his face now that he cannot resist it.

I suppose we both thought his loss would subside once we acknowledged our attraction towards each other. 'Moving on' he called it. Yet instead of disappearing the loss morphed, found new shapes and corners where we failed to fight it. I refuse to say out year together has been miserable, but it never became what we wanted it to be. He cares for me, loves me even, because I was the soothing balm which helped him to see life again. I, on the other hand, love him beyond reason, with every fibre of my soul - like I suspect that he still loves Her. I have accepted the differences in our commitment because a little piece of Robin Hood is better than nothing at all, but it is a lonely feeling to carry two people through a relationship. I know he wouldn't have pursued it unless I had been so persistent. He chose to love me because it was easier, and because he wanted it so badly a bond grew between us from sheer willpower. He forced himself into this to survive, and here I am the valiant rescuer. Forgive me if I sound bitter – on this day only one person of the still living has a bigger chunk of Robin's heart than I do, so I should be grateful. The one who he loves more is called Isabella and I feel no jealousy towards her; she is his daughter after all.

I should present our ghost as well, since she has a leading role in all of this - so big in fact, that she can be referred to as simply 'Her', and there is no doubt as of who I am speaking. Her name is Lady Marian and I have never met her. She is a hovering shadow, his wife, his love, his world. No matter how much of myself I give to him he will always love her more. That is the cause of my bitterness, but we have both learned to live with it.

Now Robin's eyes flutter open and then he gives me one of those looks – confused as if he doesn't quite know who I am or what I am doing here. He always belongs to Her in the morning, even as he smiles and gives me a wet kiss on my waiting lips.

"Moring, Denise," he murmurs absently.

"Morning, my love," I respond. Then he rolls up into a sitting position and swings his legs over the bunk which we share, stretching his arms to wake the tired limbs to a new day. He will leave the camp with some vague excuse, take his bow and be gone for an hour. I must let him miss her, so I push down the pain of his distance and see him disappear out through the door.

This is our last day, but because I am a bard, I will start at the beginning of my tale and let the rest of this day wait. It is now nearly a year ago that I first came to Sherwood Forest, and that is where our journey shall begin. Forgive me, I have presented Him and Her, but am yet to introduce myself – the bearer of the eyes which I will lend you and the mistress of the voice which you will hear.

My name is Denise Digby, the last lover of Robin Hood, and this is my story.


A/N: So this is chapter zero - b/c it is set before the fic starts - of a short multichapter fic (Chapter 0-7 I think).

This fic is different from anything else I have written for several reasons:
-It is my first attempt to write in first person. The entire fic will be written from the eyes of an oc.
-It is extremely oc based. I don't like it when oc:s take over a fic, but Denise is more like the eyes and the voice of the fic, which is actually about Robin.
-It ships Robin with an oc. I hate that lol. But Robin/Marian is the superios ship, which is why I get away with it

This fic may or may not have two alternative endings, depending on fan reactions.

I hope someone gives it a chance

xxxTrixxx