I am in complete awe with this fandom, truly. Those of you who know me, or that have read anything from me before know how insecure I usually am about my work, so to have this kind of response is mind-blowing. I really thank each and every one of you who's reviewed, favourited or even read this first chapter. I hope that the rest of the story lives up to all the hype.

I've mentioned this in a review, but I'll say it again just in case: this story isn't finished yet, so I'll update once a week for now, since I don't want to ran out of chapters and put pressure on myself. I only need to write one or two chapters more, I think, so later I'll be able to update more frequently, but I'm not making any promises for now.

Thanks again for all the support. Love you all!

THE GREATEST ADVENTURE

(IS STILL TO COME)

CHAPTER TWO.

Walking was a much greater task than it had ever been before. Robin's body felt heavy and every breath he took brought a fresh wave of pain. But he didn't care. He was determined.

At long last he arrived at his destination: the tree where he had proposed to Marian the second time and she had agreed to spend the rest of her life with him. The same tree under which they would sit as kids, basking in the sun and in each other's company, long before they realized they were in love. Of all of Sherwood Forest, that was their spot –always had been. Robin knew that she would be waiting for him there. She had to be.

He wasn't wrong.

When he finally managed to emerge into the small clearing –tired, breathless, aching all over–, he saw her.

Marian was kneeling by the foot of their tree, her pale fingers tracing her own name carved in the bark. He had put it there himself almost a year ago, when he had come to bury her ring -the real one, the one he had given her when they had first gotten engaged; she had thrown it at his head when he left, but Much had retrieved it and kept it safe for years. She hadn't had a funeral in the Holy Land, so he had decided to give her one, in whichever way he could. He knew she would have appreciated his being so thoughtful and wouldn't have held it against him that he hadn't thought of telling the rest of the outlaws.

For a long, almost endless moment, Robin could do nothing but stare at the vision before him. Her small, delicate frame was wrapped in a grey cloak that contrasted nicely against her dark curls. Her skin was pale –too pale, so much so that she almost had a certain glow about her.

She looked more beautiful than she had ever looked before.

"Marian," he finally breathed, his voice hoarse and tired. She turned and suddenly her face –her beautiful, beloved face– was on him.

"Robin!" She jumped to her feet and leaped towards him.

His hand reached out to her almost on its own accord and he was surprised by how corporeal she felt to his touch. He had imagined she would be more ethereal, but he wasn't about to complain. After everything they had been through, the least he deserved was for her to feel real.

"I knew I would find you again," he whispered.

She arched a perfect eyebrow at him and her smile faltered just a tiny bit.

"You did?" she asked.

"Of course," Robin replied. He smiled cheekily, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Who else would come to greet me to the afterlife if not my own wife?"

"Afterlife?" Realization dawned the second the word was out of her mouth. "You're dying ?," she asked breathlessly.

If Robin had been his usual self, he would have noted how utterly terrified Marian had sounded just then. He also would have noticed how tired she looked behind her smile –a smile that was slowly fading away as her mind put together what little facts she had: Robin had been hurt somehow and he was now dying; he had come to this, their spot, to find her and he thought he had. The only problem was that she hadn't come to collect his soul to take to the afterlife.

"Robin, I'm not dead," she breathed.

She had half expected him to be too far gone to register her words, but somehow he did and there was a flash of sheer panic across his handsome features.

"W-what?"

"I'm not dead," she said again, taking his hand and placing it on her chest so that he could feel her heartbeat under his fingers.

For a long moment, that heartbeat was all Robin could feel, the only thing that could keep him from drifting off into oblivion. But the poison was quick, and much as he would love to stick around until he at least got some answers, he knew his time was almost up.

His legs were suddenly unable to support him anymore and Marian had to catch him before he fell to the ground. She stumbled under his added weight, but by sheer force of will she was able to lay him on his back.

"Everything is going to be fine," she said in what was meant to be a reassuring tone.

"I know it might not look like it, specially considering the circumstances," he whispered, his hand grasping hers with all the force he had left. "But I'm really glad that you're alive."

"Robin, you need to tell me what happened."

"I've missed you so much, Marian-"

"Robin, please ," she begged, her free hand rummaging around his body in search of a clue as to what might have happened to him.

"Poison," he finally said, pointing at a shallow cut on his neck.

"Poison," she repeated, her fingers tracing the small scar. He leaned into her touch and sighed contently. "Okay, that's good. What poison, do you know?" No response. "Robin?"

She looked at his face and saw in horror that his eyes were closed.

"Robin?" she said again, shaking him slightly. "Robin, open your eyes."

Cold fear gripped her when he didn't react. Everything inside her urged her to go looking for help, but at the same time she was physically incapable of moving an inch. He was still alive -she could tell but the very slight rise and fall of his chest-, she would not leave him to die alone.

" DJAQ! " she called, as loudly as she could manage. The other woman had scarcely left her alone in months -Marian could only pray she had remained close enough now that she was actually needed. "Come quick, Djaq! Help!"

Seconds dragged and with each passing one she could feel Robin slipping further and further away from her.

"Robin, please . We can't keep dying in eachother's arms. Djaq! "

Finally, after what felt like years to her, Marian heard light footsteps somewhere nearby.

"Marian?" came Djaq's tentative voice. She didn't want to intrude on the two lovers reunion, but she was almost certain that she had heard her name called.

"Yes , we're here. Please come quick!"

The urgency in her voice was undeniable this time -Djaq had debated whether she had heard it from the distance-, so the Saracen ran the rest of the distance until she emerged in in the clearing. The scene that met her eyes was as confusing as it was unexpected.

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes immediately falling on Robin's immobile form. "What happened?"

"He's been poisoned. I don't know with what or how, but I think it might have been through that cut in his neck."

"Is he breathing?" she asked, kneeling next to her friend and examining the wound.

"Barely. Djaq…"

"Come on, Robin. I went through a lot of trouble to bring you your wife back. You cannot die on us now," she whispered. Robin, of course, did not move.

Djaq immediately set to work. She opened the bag she had brought and started taking out an assortment of herbs and potions.

"I need to know what is poisoning him," she said without looking at Marian. "Much will probably know -or John. You need to fi-"

"I am not leaving him."

"We don't have a choice, Marian. I need to know if I am to have the slightest chance of curing him."

It was a good point -rationally, Marian knew this. But she wasn't thinking rationally. Not when the love of her life laid close to death. She was terrified to move and find him gone when she returned, but, at the same time, she dreaded to think what would happen if she didn't leave.

The decision was made for her a second later when Will appeared in the clearing.

"Are you alright? I thought I heard som-" the words died in his lips when his mind caught up with what he was seeing. "What is wrong with him?"

"Get Much. Or John. Or someone . He's been poisoned and we need to know with what." Marian spoke quickly, willing his friend to be on his way already.

Not one to argue, especially when the stakes were this high, Will simply nodded and took off, praying with all his might that his friends were nearby.