Sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger last time - I would say I'll never do it again, but I try not to tell lies :P Here's the battle, minor Doctor whump in this chapter, just to let you know - I'd like you to be aware of what you're getting yourselves in for. Just to remind you, there will be NO CHARACTER DEATH in this fic. I speak from bitter experience when I say that reading a fic in which the Doctor suddenly dies without warning can crush your soul forever. Anyway, on with the show...
The Doctor dragged Rose backwards as Robin and his men leapt into action, firing arrows and attempting to knock the guards off their horses. They group was not quite surrounded, so they did not need to worry about anyone creeping up behind them, but that was the best that could be said of the situation. They were one man down, taken by surprise and outnumbered, not thinking about the fact that they had Rose and the Doctor with them, who they were trying to protect.
One of the guards' horses reared, knocking down Much with its hooves, and the guard urged it on towards the Doctor and Rose, wielding a lethal looking sword that was stained with blood – Rose found time to hope that it was old blood, not the blood of anyone fighting on their side right now.
The Doctor let go of Rose's hand and shoved her hard to the left, before leaping to the right and narrowly avoiding being hit head on by the horse's hooves. Rose looked up from the hard ground where she had landed, peering around to make sure the Doctor had gotten out of the way in time. She saw him a few metres away, propping himself up on his elbow and surveying the battle, which seemed to still be going strong.
Rose looked from her position on the ground, picking out each of her new friends and making sure they were alright. The battle had changed to being mostly fought with swords, and more on the ground than on horses, which gave Rose enough confidence to sit up, as she was less likely to get shot with an arrow at this point.
She spotted Robin, fending off three guards at once, and Little John just behind him, using his staff to beat back the soldiers with a surprising amount of force. Rose saw Alan fighting one guard who had manged to get hold of two swords and, furthest away from her, Marian, who had put on her mask and was fighting with such speed and agility that Rose looked on with envy.
As she began to hope that they might get out of this one, Rose suddenly remembered: Much. He had been knocked down by the horse that had charged. She stood up, spotting his body lying prone on the ground in the midst of the fighting. A good stamp from one of the guards' metal boots and it would all be over. Rose didn't even stop to try and find a weapon – by the time she could think it through she was already running towards Much's figure, the Doctor's shout of "Rose!" barely registering. Her only thought was to get to Much and get him out.
Everything happened very quickly after that. Rose had reached Much and was dragging him to safety, out of the immediate danger of the battleground, when she heard Robin holler "Marian!" She whipped round to see Marian kneeling, clutching a gash in her side as a guard raised his sword over her head, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Before Rose even had time to react (how did these people act so fast?) the guard had keeled over, one of Robin's arrows embedded in his chest.
The Doctor dashed over to Marian, trying to help her up and get her into the trees, removing his long coat and using it to staunch the bleeding. But no-one had remembered the guard on the horse who had dashed at Rose and the Doctor. The horse came crashing through the trees, and Rose let Much fall to the ground as she started towards the Doctor and Marian, who were right in its path. Rose had no idea what she was going to do, but she had to do something to stop it from happening. The guard bounded up, turning the horse at the last second so he stopped right beside the Doctor. With one smooth movement he cracked the Doctor on the head with the hilt of his sword.
Rose was faintly aware of the strangled "no!" that was ripped from her throat, of the guard giving Marian the same treatment as the Doctor, of the rest of the guards taking heed of some unknown signal and retreating down the muddy path. All she could see was the Doctor being dragged onto the back of one of the horses, skinny limbs dangling, face blank, eyes shut. Rose was suddenly back in her home on Christmas day, dragging the newly regenerated Doctor down to the TARDIS to keep him safe. She wasn't keeping him safe now.
She started to run towards the guards, as they rode away on the path through the trees, rounding a corner and out of sight faster than she could even reach the spot where the Doctor had lain. Rose kept running though, stopping only when she felt Robin's hands grab her upper arms, bringing her to a halt and holding her still.
"We have to go after them," she said immediately, not even turning around to look at Robin. "We have to save them now. Come on, we've got to go, we can't leave them."
"We can't go after them now, Rose," said Robin, and Rose could tell from the tone of his voice that he having trouble remaining calm. "There's Much to take care of and Will as well and we've got to have a plan—"
"But we've got to save them now!" Rose exploded, jerking herself away from him and spinning around, looking him directly in the face. "You told me what happens if anyone you know gets captured, you said it yourself, at dawn, we've got less than 24 hours before they'll be hanged and you can't just sit there! And Marian, if they find out who she really is, if they find out she's not just another one of your men you know what will happen to her, to her and her father and you need to help them! And what about the Doctor, he doesn't even have a weapon and he just won't fight, he hates violence! We have to save him, he can't die, I need him..."
Rose found that the tears building up in her eyes and the sobs that were queuing up in her throat had rendered her unable to continue her rant at Robin and she let her arms, which had been raised in anger and frustration, fall limply to her sides, slapping against her legs. She kept her lips pressed together, determined not to break down. She couldn't help save the Doctor and Marian if she was a wreck, but Robin wrapped his arms around her and gave her a comforting hug, and before she knew it she was crying into his chest.
Rose had noted earlier that there were so many similarities between the Doctor and Robin, but at that moment all she could feel were the differences. The Doctor was taller than Robin, and ever so slightly skinnier. He smelt different and his arms wrapped around her in different places, holding her to him so tightly as though he never wanted to let go again. She sniffed, telling herself firmly that she needed to get a grip. Afterwards Rose came to the realisation that actually, in the 12th century, hugging was probably not a very big thing among people who didn't really know each other, and this made her even more grateful that Robin had comforted her this way. Not only had it given her the time she needed to get her head together, it had also reminded her of the way in which she and the Doctor would hug at the end of an adventure when they were once again safe, and Rose was determined to have another of those moments with the Doctor, whatever it took.
Robin let go of Rose, stepping back and scrutinising her, probably making sure she wasn't going to break down even further. "We'd better get Much back to the camp, then we can make a rescue plan." He gestured to John and Alan, who came over and lifted Much. Alan gave her a sympathetic smile, and John patted her on the shoulder as he passed. They seemed just as worried about Much and Marian – and possibly the Doctor – as Robin was, and it comforted Rose to know that they were sure to fight just as hard to get them back.
"Do you think we can do it?" Rose was surprised to find that her voice was holding strong, when on the inside she felt like she was crumbling to bits.
Robin allowed himself a small smile, complete with sparkling eyes. "If there's one thing I'm good at," he replied, "it's a just-in-time rescue."
I do love a good rescue! I might not be able to get the next chapter out tomorrow, what with this family party and everything, but it's almost finished so I'll try my best. When I write I tend to write so much that the next chapter is nearly finished before I add the chapter before, so there is a chance, do not lose hope! Thankyou for all your reviews again, I can't tell you how happy they make me!
Update: Will probably not be able to update until Saturday at the earliest :( I am sorry, I am so sorry.
Also, I have done rigorous research, and I was right in the first place - it is "hanged" not "hung". Aaaaah, damn you English language!