It was Robin who first noticed Will's arrival. He was standing at the edge of the clearing, trying to work out how best to approach him. John heard Robin call Will's name, and began walking in that direction. He heard just enough to send his blood boiling. Robin was asking reasonable questions, and though Will wasn't lying, it was clear he was hiding something. John blindsided Will, rushing at him before the younger man could even brace for the impact.
Mara ran after her brother, and Fanny too was following the sound of the altercation. They arrived in time to see John, in an attempt to pin Will down to better strangle him, uncover the wounds covering his abdomen. The sight of the open cuts and blood checked John's rage. He sat back, almost deflated, as all of the anger dissipated. Mara's eyes widened in shock. To her mind, it had for a moment seemed that Will's stomach was covered with red ribbons. Though he was now covering the exposed gashes with his shirt, she thought she could see the blood seeping through.
She tried to process what he said, trying to take in the message he was conveying. The details kept competing for her attention though, and she felt she could take in no further information. Wulf was to be hung. The color drained from Fanny's face. John went to Fanny, and wrapped a protective arm around her. Mara stood, hugging her arms to herself, feeling as though the ground had been pulled out from under her. The nature of the situation confronting them, all of them, was being revealed. The marriage, the executions, and the sheriff's plot. There was more, however.
Robin challenged Will, his intentions, his plan. John half expected a sarcastic retort, a typically Will response. He was surprised by the words he heard.
"That depends on you, Locksley."
The unspoken resentment, almost hatred, was coming to the surface. Will felt far too exhausted to pretend anymore. He started with the obvious, that he had always grappled with his doubts about Robin, that Will did not easily trust a few grand gestures from someone better known to him as a bully. When Robin asked the reason for his hatred and distrust, Will felt exposed and bare.
He was on the verge of disclosing the secret he had quietly maintained for most of his life. It had driven him, tormented him, and also sustained him. It had given him a place to lay all blame for everything bad in his life. It had also, had he been honest, given him a sense of a higher destiny, something to strive towards. And here stood a direct participant in the shaping of his life, asking him why he was so angry.
With a simple reply, Will bared his soul. They shared the same father. Though the nature of the relationship between Will's mother and their father should have sparked some curiosity in Robin's mind, Robin had managed to close the possibility from his consideration. He remained stubbornly ignorant. The more Will spoke, the more upset and angry Robin became. Will was finding catharsis in speaking this truth, the words coming faster. As he challenged Robin's weak protests, Will found a lightness, a release. He gave up the weight of his shame, and laid it down at the feet of this man who, for better or worse, was his brother.
In Will's words, there was a compliment and a challenge. Robin was capable of inspiring even the unwilling, but to lead meant to fully commit. John had asked him before, would Robin join them. Now Will was asking again. Robin looked around him. He felt he had failed these people, and looking at Will, failed in ways he had never realized. They still stood by him though, willing to believe, willing to follow. Robin embraced Will and called him brother. Though he had spoken words of equality, Robin was experiencing it in a way he never knew was missing. He stood amongst them, a flawed human. They were all human, but striving to act with nobility in honor even in the face of the worst circumstances.