He just layed there on his back, his eyes closed tight.
He didn't dare to open them, even though the night sky was so dark that he wouldn't have been able to see anything anyway.
If he didn't open his eyes, he could pretend that she was still lying there, by his side.
He could keep pretending that his heart wasn't broken into a million pieces, so small that they could pass through the eye of one of her needles.
He could keep pretending that his eyes weren't bloodshot from crying every night since she left.
He could still smell her scent; the scent that was so sweet and feminine, just like her.
He rolled over onto his side and opened his eyes.
There was no moon in the sky so the forest was the darkest it had ever been.
He opened his eyes so slowly, almost as if the memory of her would disappear once they were open.
He opened them and pictured her lying there next to him, facing him in the darkness that was the night of a new moon.
She was the picture of perfection, in his eyes.
Her eyes were so warm and loving, and her smile instantly lit up the room and was so very contagious.
Her laughter brought a smile to his face, no matter how down he could be feeling at that time.
She was everything to him, and now he was all alone.
He continued to lie there, pretending.
Lately, all he did was lie there in the dark and pretend she was still there, with him. And when daylight came, he would shut his eyes tightly and keep pretending. Pretending is what kept him alive.
If he stopped pretending, the pain of his heartache would be excruciatingly unbearable, and the longing for what once was would drive him insane.
The hours seemed to pass by slowly, now that she was gone. Night time was the worst. He didn't sleep so much anymore. On the off chance he did sleep, he would always wake screaming in the middle of the night. And every time he woke, he knew Much would be there. Even when he didn't open his eyes, he knew that Much was there; just sitting there at the foot of his bed so he wouldn't be alone.
There was a time where he couldn't wait to get out of bed, because of the promise that one day she would be there. But that promise was gone now. It disappeared the moment the light left her eyes.
These days he got out of bed, but he wasn't really there. He wasn't their leader; he was just the shell of his former self.
Everything they did reminded him of her. With everything they did, he would always see her helping them, like always. He would always reach out to her but she was never actually there.
He could hear the gang whisper about him, all of them worried senseless. He wasn't just their leader, he was their friend and it was killing them to see him like this. It was killing them to know that there was nothing they could do to bring him back. He had to bring himself back. All they could do was wait; and it was tormenting them.
The sun was beginning to rise, morning was about to arrive.
When the sun shone, and he woke up, she wasn't going to be there anymore.
The pretending would come to an end but the heartache and longing would begin.
It was a vicious cycle that had been happening ever since evil had taken her away.
She was dead, taken from him, and she was never coming back. She was never coming back, and in a way, neither was he. A part of him died with her, but that was the ultimate price. That was the ultimate price he paid for ever having given his heart completely to another.
The sun had finished rising and had taken the moon's place in the sky.
The sun was the brightest it had been in a while.
He rolled back over onto his back, eyes closed tight.
A few seconds seemed to pass, and he sat up suddenly.
As he had expected, Much was there. Much was at the edge of his bed, mixed emotions displayed on his face. The same mixed emotions that were displayed on his face every day. Much was relieved that his master and friend had finally risen but all the while concerned that he had not yet dealt with his grief. He needed Robin to deal with his grief for Marion. Until he did, Much would not be able to breathe easy. He needed Robin to show some emotion, any emotion, or it would kill him too. Much wasn't sure that he would survive losing his friend too.
Robin's eyes immediately began to water, and in seconds he was crying. It was almost as if he had finally heard Much's silent pleas.
The heartache and longing had begun.
The pain was excruciating.
But it was finally happening. He was finally dealing with his grief. Even though the pain of losing her would always be there, and although Robin would never be complete again, at least Much could now breathe a little easier knowing that his friend was still there.