As Allan hit the floor, I called out.
"NO!" I screamed. Everything stopped, apart from my scream's echo. I did not know I could make a sound like that. Neither did anyone else. The guards stopped in their tracks, bemused. This gave the gang time to cut them down, as easy as spearing fish in a barrel. I raised my bow to where the archer stood on top of the wall and shot. He fell onto the ground. The Sheriff and Gisbourne stopped. Everyone had frozen at the sound of pain that filled the air.
Seeing they were outnumbered, the two cowards ran for cover. I sprinted to where Allan lay.
"No, Allan, stay here," I said as his eyes locked onto mine. "You'll be okay, you'll be fine," I said. He shook his head a fraction.
"I'm dying Meg," he stated. He seemed at ease with this, which was so wrong.
"No you can't!"
"I love you, Meg James"
"I love you, Allan A Dale,"
"Meg let John through, we have to get Allan to camp," Robin said as John went to pick him up.
"No, don't you touch him!" I shouted and Robin put his hand on my shoulder.
"You love me like a brother- now trust me like one- let John bring him to safety." I nodded.
And once again I found myself running harder than I ever had. We made it back to camp in what-felt-like-seconds, and Allan was laid out on a bed. Djaq pulled out the arrow and started to clean the wound. I held Allan's gaze as I spoke, not wanting to ever look away.
"You can't leave me!" I said. "What have we learnt Allan? What have we learnt from you going? That we can't be apart. We belong together." I was nearly crying as I said this and his eyes fluttered and closed. Tears streamed now but I felt his heart and I carried on.
"All of those things we were going to do…get married, have children. Remember, that's what you told me you wanted to do! You can't say that and then leave me- you can't leave!"
"He said that?" whispered Will. I nodded.
"Djaq?" Robin asked.
"His pulse is slowing and his breathing is strained. It will be a long struggle."
"Allan!" I demanded, but he would not open my eyes. I had to leave. I ran. The others called but did not follow. I ran to my parents' graves, which were just behind my brother's.
"Everything is going wrong," I told them all. "I'm going to lose everything all over again! Tell me what to do," I felt nothing, not an ounce of spiritual guidance saying anything, though I knew they were there. Maybe they just did not have an answer. "Tell me!" I shouted. "TELL ME! Please…" There were no answers here. I felt the weighty stare of my family, but I knew they could not help me today. Getting up off of the ground, I sprinted into our house, abandoned since I had left. There I went to my bedroom and took out a necklace made of rope. On it hung two wedding rings, my mother's and my father's.
I then went to my brother's room. It was the first time I had been here since…I looked over at his bed, which lay unmade. I tucked in the blankets and moved to the box on the side. Out of it I took his pendant, also a ring, but a commitment one from my parents. I took mine off of my hand and slid them all onto the same string, tying it round my neck. I looked for another place of comfort and ran to the lake and looked into the water. The tree blossom fell behind me as I looked at a reflection I did not know. I saw a young girl, frightened of the world where she was alone; with nobody by her side she was weak. In that second I realised that I was the girl who needed someone there, who could not cope by herself, and I ran to the man who I needed by my side forever.
When I got back to camp, no-one questioned where I had been. I saw Marian and Robin, hand-in-hand and felt more alone than ever. But neither said a condescending word, or a stern comment. Will stood with his hand on Djaq's shoulder as she finished sewing the wounds. I wondered if this was an open gesture of their love, or whether, when times were hard, this was the only thing that could make it any better. They all looked with loving eyes as I knelt by Allan's head.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I am sorry I left you I will never leave you again. So please don't leave me!" I got no reaction and it moved me to tears. I put my head on his chest, reassured by his steady breaths.
"You have what you wanted Allan. You saved us, you can come back. Come back to the lads. Allan, you've earned it. Come and stay with me, please." I looked round at Robin, unsure of his reaction to my promise, but he merely nodded.
I sat with Allan. I did not count the hours, they did not matter. It was before sunset when Robin came and sat with me, pulling me into his arms.
"It's okay," I looked round. Everyone else was sat with food. "Want any?" Robin said. I shook my head. "Thought not," It was nice to sit and relax. The last hours I had been so tense. As the sun went down, the others joined us, until we had formed a huddle, a picture of a family. It just had one person missing. We tried not to stare. We sat facing the entrance of the camp. I had my hand on Allan's leg, retaining constant contact. Djaq got up and walked to his head.
"He's gone," she said. I turned my head into Robin's shoulder as tears flowed down my face. I had lost the one final thing I had. He was my saviour when my brother died- who was going to save me now? I don't think any of us moved for at least an hour. I didn't twitch a muscle until I felt exactly that under my hand.
The blue eyes that I loved fluttered open and a silk voice said my name. I must have been dreaming, either that or I had gone mad. But then I saw the others look in that direction.
"Allan!" Much screamed.
"His body fights back!" Djaq laughed.
I sat still as a statue, and flinched back when Allan slowly reached out his hand to me.
"I'm real," he soothed. "Let me show you I am real." I took his hand, which was cold, but alive all the same. I smiled and fell to his side. For the first time, I realised I was exhausted. And for the first time, I had overcome whatever power that tried to take my loved ones away from me.
"I love you, Meg James."
"I love you Allan A Dale," I said and laughed. Closing my eyes, I let sleep take over me.
I woke in the morning to hushed voices and realised I was alone on the bunk. I yawned.
"Leave her there Allan, she had a tough day yesterday," John said.
"And I didn't?" Allan laughed, but did not call me.
"It is okay, I am awake!" I yawned. Allan leapt up like a spring bunny to hug me. I felt myself relax into his embrace. Just then, Djaq and Will came through the trees, presumably back from collecting fire wood.
"Will can I talk to you?" I asked.
"Um…okay," he said and led the way round to the side of the camp. I saw no use in being subtle.
"Do you love Djaq?" I asked and laughed.
"Er…Is it that obvious?"
"Only to me. But maybe, just a thought, one day you should tell her,"
"She likes me?" he said and I smiled.
"This convosation never happened, okay?"
Much was the last one to arrive, making the gang complete.
"Carriage of gold, on the North Road, moving to Nottingham!"
"Let's go lads!" Robin called. And everything was back to normal, at least, the old normal, where everyone was happy. I was not naïve. I did not think it would last. But for now, as we set off up the hill to steal some gold and give to the poor, everything seemed as if it had fallen back into place on top of the knife edge.