Author's Note: Once again I don't own anything but my own plot. See my original disclaimer if you take issue.
On another note, I am so sorry for the wait! I moved into college last weekend and had class all week and this was the first chance I've had to work on this story! I'm going to make more of an effort to try and work on this, but what will probably end up happening is that I only work on this on the weekends. I hope you like the chapter! As always, reviews are a writer's crack so please comment on it! Thanks again!
Sherwood Forest
Despite the fact that Much and Marian had gotten themselves lost in the morning, by the early afternoon hour, they were still sitting upon stumps in the small clearing where they had found themselves after their walk. Much and Marian stared at each other, both at a loss for words at their current situation.
Suddenly they both heard the sound of footsteps approaching their little clearing. They could hear the loud crunching of leaves underneath heavy footfall. "If they are hoping to sneak up on us, you would think they wouldn't go traipsing through the leaves." Much whispered. Marian shot a glance at him that silenced Much's whispering.
Then the pair heard a voice, "Hello?" the voice inquired. "Did someone call for help?"
Much and Marian exchanged glances, both silently deciding whether or not to answer. Then Marian made her decision. "Over here," she called. "We're lost."
Much stood transfixed as he saw the owner of the voice enter from behind a tree. Being that Much did not have any sort of filter from his brain to his mouth, he blurted out, "You're a girl."
"Yes, I am a girl. And how long have you been lost out here?" She inquired sarcastically.
"Sorry," Marian replied. "Much doesn't really think before he speaks. What's your name?"
"My name is Sarah, and this is…" Sarah was cut off by a sharp gasp from the person she was just getting ready to introduce, Guy.
"Marian?" Guy inquired hesitantly. Marian stared at the man for a moment before she realized who he was. "Guy?"
"Marian is it really you?" He rushed towards her, arms outstretched as if he would attempt a hug. But Marian stepped back and instead his arms landed upon hers. "I thought I would never see you again."
"If you had done your job correctly, maybe you wouldn't have. Thankfully, your poor handy work and the intuition of Djaq saved my life in the desert. Because if you remember correctly, you left me to die there."
"That was never my decision! The Sheriff…"
"Of course the Sheriff! Because you never made a bloody decision on your own did you! You left me to die there. So don't act as if you care. If you cared you wouldn't have left me alone there, you wouldn't have tried to kill the King, you wouldn't have betrayed your country!" Marian shouted.
"How would you know what I've done since I left that day?! It may have taken me a long time, but I made the right decision. I fight with Robin now! How dare you talk to me like this?!" Guy returned.
"What do you mean you fight with Robin?" Marian inquired. "You hated Robin. You hate Robin."
"I don't hate Robin. I never hated Robin. I just always thought he was wrong. But I was wrong. The Sheriff, he sold me out. To Prince John. I should have known. All he ever wanted was power anyway." With that Guy trailed off, his gaze finally breaking from Marian's eyes and wandering down to the earth beneath him.
"Well, now that we've had that screaming match." Much mumbled. Another uncomfortable silence settled over the four.
Sarah broke the silence. "How long have you two been out here?" Marian replied. "Almost all day."
"We went for a walk this morning and got lost." Much added. "Leave it to you to get lost Much." Guy mumbled but both Sarah and Marian shot him a glance. Upon realizing their joint reaction, the two girls smiled at each other. "Do you have any idea which way you came from?" Sarah asked.
"I have a vague idea. We might have come from that way." Marian gestured towards the opposite way of Guy and Sarah's camp. "We need to get back to our camp."
"Hold on here for a moment. I'll go back and grab up our things from camp and we can head out." Sarah said.
Guy and Sarah headed back to their camp. Within about 10 minutes, the pair had returned to Marian and Much's location. "Now Marian, which way did you say we should go?"
Another Part of Sherwood Forest
Despite Robin's lack of explanation for the situation, the band of merry men started walking back towards their camp. The group made a slow journey, mostly because of Robin's debilitated state. Every few moments he would have to stop to catch his breath as pains wracked his frame. John was still carrying the Sheriff, much to the amazement of the rest of the group. Will, Djaq, and Tuck looked as if they wanted an explanation, but were too scared to ask.
A few hours later, they arrived back at camp. Kate welcomed them with fresh water and some game she had caught and prepared. Of course the meal had nothing on Much's normal cooking, but it was substantial anyway.
Uncharacteristically, Robin didn't eat and instead went to lie down in his bedding. The others wanted Djaq to go and help him, but there was nothing she could do for him. He would simply have to ride the pain out. Instead, after the meal, Djaq began tending to the Sheriff's leg. The gash was deep, but it wasn't anything more than what she could handle. She cleansed the wound and stitched it up.
As the sun began setting, the gang settled down to get ready for bed. Will and Djaq went off to their shared bedding and Archer, John, Tuck, and Kate all went to their respective beds. Allan pulled some of the extra bedding from where it was being stored and placed it near the fire for the Sheriff. The Sheriff was asleep, out from the pain killing drought Djaq had given him, and didn't even notice Allan's presence.
Allan then wandered over towards his bed. His was the closest to Robin's. He lay down, after giving a glance in their leader's direction and tried to go to sleep. He could hear Robin whimpering in pain from the bed next to him. He leaned up on his right elbow. His hand placed under his head. He took his left arm and placed it on Robin's arm. Their leader settled a bit, his whimpering toned down in volume. Allan then moved his hand up to stroke through Robin's hair. Immediately upon doing so, his body stilled. Alan continued to stroke his hair as they both fell into a deep slumber.
