So soon after our last false tragedy, Sherwood was graced with a true one.
It breaks my heart but I feel that I must write as much as I know.
"Come on Levon!" Thomas yelled as the guards drew nearer.
Unfortunately Levon was exhausted and was incapable of running any faster.
He heard people falling to the floor and turned to find that John and Luke had hid beside the door and punched the guards as they ran through. Levon would have thanked them but he was to busy struggling for breath.
"And people claim that I struggle to run," Much said, observing the exhaustion. This comment came with a realisation that made Much practically beam with happiness. Long had he prayed that he would surpass someone in any physical activity and the day seemed to be arising.
"Time to do some more running mate" Little John told him. John was another prime example of someone who struggled to keep up in a typical chase. Of course, this could be blamed on his overwhelming size. Yet even he arrived at the desired place long before Levon.
Now Levon had previously been a perfect example of an outlaw. Young and strapping, he was agile and quick in his movements. He had been blessed with the beautiful appearance that circulated the bloodline of royalty but thankfully, he seemed the only member to not be cursed with vanity. People often say that someone kind would have a 'heart of gold,' and this would be the perfect way to describe Levon.
Just the thought of running made poor Levon wish to drop in a mixture of exhaustion and despair. "No thanks" he puffed in response to John's suggestion for more practice.
Levon was always getting tired lately. He had not been sleeping well. The cough that he had been bothered with for weeks still refused to leave.
No one cared of course. Everyone was busy with their own issues, mainly revolving around wedding plans.
Surprisingly the gang had become oddly willing to participate in such 'festivities' but not for the reasons Marian would have wished.
"Here is the plans and here is how we're going to sabotage them" Much would announce and everyone would gather round. Under the pretense of 'lending a hand,' many members had been silently observing ways in which they could bring dismay to the supposed happy day.
This was save for Robin of course. He seemed to stop caring. About everything.
He had clearly become a defeated man. Countless attempts have resulted in nothing but heartache. The spark about his person that I had previously admired had seemed to flicker and I feared the day that there would be nothing but darkness.
Levon couldn't stay focused on these problems with his health. Exhaustion leads to sickness. He knew it was finally time to go see Pete.
Guilt flooded him, abandoning his cousin at such a busy and confusing time. He loved her like a sister and thought it proper that she had at least one legitament friend. Any small amount of time spent with her made it clear to all that she was extremely conflicted. Never able to remain still, something about her was always working at an immense pace. Worry lines ebbed at her beauty, which stayed exquisite regardless. Yet there was minimal resemblance to the carefree and happy young woman he had known at the start of this year.
Levon worried about all of this and many more issues as he paced around Pete's working space, awaiting the old man to return. The door slamming was an imminent sign that the physician had arrived. Without bothering to turn around, Levon knew that the man was in a terrible mood. This was after all, a regular occurrence.
The deep groan that followed told Levon that his presence had been recognised and not pleasantly. Any normal person would be greeted with the sight of an obvious outlaw, shown by the green clothing. Pete only saw this as a nuisance.
"Which one are you?" he said in that gruff deep voice, "Allen, or that other one. I forget his name. Starts with the letter L"
Levon turned to reveal his face. "It's Levon actually.
Pete just grumbled about too many people with blonde hair, ignoring his previous rude comment where he showed his lack on interest in knowing Levon's name.
"You know my day doesn't revolve around you outlaws," Pete told him grumpily. "What's wrong with you?"
"Well I'm always tired. I've had a constant cough for the past few months. And I've lost a bit of weight. Sometimes the coughs result in a fair amount of blood. I also have no appetite anymore. There is constant pain in my chest. I wake often with night sweats." Levon realised only then, when he said it all at once, how serious his condition sounded.
Pete's look of concern worried Levon. The old man grabbed Levon's hand and examined it closely. Only then, did Levon notice how deformed his nails had become. They seemed to swell and the colour had changed drastically.
"So what is wrong with me?"
"Well, you coughing up blood, you are constantly exhausted, you look terrible…"
"Hey!" I cut in. "No need for nastiness."
Pete ignored him. "You have lost your appetite. Your weight. Your nails. All of which are symptoms of a consumption."
Levon didn't know what to say. He had learnt from Marian and Luke's conversation that a consumption was an extremely worrying condition. The words that stayed in his memory were certain death.
"Does that mean…?" Levon couldn't even say it.
"Nothing is definite," Pete said in an entirely new tone. This tone was worse. Kindness in such a man was such a rarity.
He did not sound very certain.
"Is there anything that can be done?"
Pete just shook his head. "I'm sorry."
Levon went into a trance after that as he wondered back to camp, not knowing what to say to anyone.
He could not say if the walk was either much faster than usual or much longer. Time seemed to have changed.
"I think we should have a nice dinner tonight. I kind of have something to tell everyone," he told Amelia.
"I don't have time Levon," she told him, barley looking up from all of the laundry she was vigorously scrubbing. She was smiling as she did so but she pretended to sound angry. "You men are pigs. I have hours of cleaning to do and by then I will be far to exhausted. You are all extremely lucky that I have grown fond of you. Else I would have fled long ago. Ask Lilly."
So he did. It was always difficult to find her. She had an uncanny ability to flee whenever an unfavorable situation arose. This could be why many of us had heard so little of her. There had been nothing but unfavorable situations lately. Her dark hair and skin made it easy for his to slip into darkness so she could maintain the safety in her silence. Finally, Levon was able to track her and enquire about his dinner. Her response was as predicted. "I hate cooking for you lot. It is a thankless job that times a terrible amount of time and effort. And someone always finds something to complain about."
"I swear I will give Much a severe talk, and besides, after my news I do not think anyone will worry about the food."
She sighed. "Fine, but be warned. You know how impossible it is to get all the gang sitting and eating at one time?"
It turned out it was very hard.
I was asked first. But I was already on my way out of camp. "Sorry mate. Marian is forcing me to help her with wedding plans tonight. There shall be major sabotage," I told him, attempting at an evil laugh. This failed.
Luke was running about our medical area as he pulled out supplies and filled his satchel. "I am meeting Pete tonight. He's going to help me improve my stitching up a wound. You never know when you're going to need me to stitch you up." Luke told me. Levon severely doubted that he would need Luke to stitch him up any time soon. Or ever as the case turned out.
Matthew had been talking to his brother but also quickly leapt up to give his excuse as he too headed for the exit. "I promised that I would help Tuck with the new church decorations." Matthew said. "I could never refuse a man of the cloth."
John had recently joined Amelia with her large tub as he she forced him to assist her. All the while she talked endlessly about matters that appeared trivial to John as he pretended to listen. "Amelia said I had to help clean" John groaned. "Trust me, I would much rather be eating."
Michael and Much were running to catch up with me. "I will be helping Allen pretend to help Marian," said Michael, acting opposite to the best friend that he claimed to be to Marian.
"Why would I force myself to a whole night in everyone's company? So everyone has yet another time to be cruel to me?" Much complained. "Besides, I'm going with Allen and Michael to help Marian with wedding plans. Did you know that I'm friend with her now?" It was strange how excited this made him. Maybe the men around here really do treat him rough.
Thomas was enjoying his pre-tavern drink. This would be followed by many drinks at the tavern, and then a post-tavern drink. "I always go to the tavern on Sunday nights." It would kill me to break tradition, he told me. "And the same goes for Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and sometimes Saturdays. Ok fine, all Saturdays" He exaggerated, but only slightly.
Roger did not even pretend to be interested. "No" he said. Plain and simple
"Why not?" Levon said as he tried to get him to elaborate. "because I don't like you lot."
Will just coughed awkwardly and mumbled some lie. Levon did not think that he even said words. Only the occasion vowel.
Benny just shrugged "I don not wish to be the only one there. It sounds like you've failed so far."
"Robin can you please order everyone to stay for dinner?"
Levon had temporarily forgotten the current social state of our leader.
"I've learnt that if people want to do something they will do it. You can try as hard as you can. For almost a year practically. And still they will simply walk all over you."
Levon's temper was well and truly lost.
"You are all wasting your lives!" he yelled. We all stopped in shock. Levon never yelled.
"For once I have something to say and no one has time. Well we will have to miss dinner and cut right to the chase. That is what you all seem to enjoy doing. Well, I am dying."
Everyone's faces changed expression instantly. He stopped yelling.
"I saw Pete today. He said I have a consumption. The worst part is that none of you had the time to hear it. Or even notice that I've been sick these past few weeks."
The impact had been made. It was time for a dramatic exit. No one dared stop him as he walk out.
Unfortunately he was just heading off the castle to do the whole speech again when he told Marian.
Sure enough he was greeted with "sorry I simply can not talk right now. Do you know how hard it is to plan a wedding?"
"Well all I need is a little bit of your time. Then you will probably grant me more."
She was very confused. "I have a consumption."
He was given the whole night. Wedding plans were long since forgotten.
"You can't die" was her conclusion "You are one of the only sane people that I know."
"It's true" he told her. "Everyone is a little crazy. Dying puts things into perspective."
Levon could see she was close to tears.
"Don't you start," I told her, "you will get me going."
"But you're Levon. You were the one who helped me when I first started stealing from Prince John. You dressed up with me and helped me clear my name without complaint of the danger it put you in. You didn't approve but you risked your life anyway. You are one of the nice ones around camp who actually refrain from teasing Much and never lecture to me about Robin. Therefore I won't allow you to die."
He scoffed. "I don't know if you have much say in the matter. And what did I say about tears? I see you starting."
"Ok, I'm fine. No tears."
"So now I'm dying and shall be gone soon, you can honestly tell me what you feel about Robin and Guy."
"Can I have one night without a mention of them?"
"If tonight is my last night you will regret not getting your feelings out."
She sighed but gave in. "Well I was perfectly happy marrying Guy until Robin fake died. Up till then I had convinced myself I didn't have feelings for Robin. It all came back then. Now I know. I will always love Robin, more then I love Guy but it doesn't change anything. What if Robin was the one who was suddenly dying? Where would I be left? Living in a forest somewhere, wondering where my life went. At some point, people have to be sensible."
"You never know," I told her. "You could die tomorrow. Then would you regret not going with the option that would have made you happy."
"You are rather annoying when you are like this."
They ended up reminiscing about all their past times and saying goodbye a million times in case he died without seeing her again.
I felt rude, interrupting them.
"I figured you would be here," I told Levon.
"Did you plans fall through?"
I smiled, "come with me."
After escorted him back to camp where he was greeted by a peculiar sight. All the gang was gathered round, plates at the ready and guilty looks on their faces.
"I guess what we're trying to show is that we were being extremely rude before and we should have taken the time to just sit and listen." I told him.
"We swear we will take times to enjoy the finer things in life," John continued. "I swear to never help my wife clean again." She gave him a hard wallop, egging on al of our laughter.
Levon let a single tear go. We all groaned at him. But these were the moments that he was going to miss. Just being around gang members who had inevitably become friends.
"So can we eat now?" he asked, wiping away the tears.
Everyone snapped out of their awkward emotional stage and we sat down to the first mandatory gang group dinner.
Levon felt like something was missing and finally realised. Edging away from the table he approached Robin and said quietly, "isn't it custom for a dying man to be granted one final request?'
Robin didn't like the sound of where that was going and said, "I'm prepared for the worst."
"It's just, as I'm dying and all, I would kind of like all of my friends in one place."
He sighed and turned to the gang. "Are there any volunteers to go and get Marian?"
Roger practically leapt from his seat. "I'll do anything to avoid the emotional stage that I know is coming."
It was lucky that our camp was so close to Nottingham. Or unlucky, if you prefer to look at that way. Robin was trying not to. Everyone waited in suspense, wondering what would happen. Finally Roger returned with Marian edging behind, clearly on edge as the rest of us. I didn't expect Robin to even look at her but thankfully he was polite as he gestured to a chair beside Michael. Everyone let out their breaths as it was obvious that there would be no fighting tonight. They didn't directly talk to each other or anything but that would have been asking too much.
Benny stood up and announced "I now feel that it is time for a speech." Everyone groaned and tried to pull him down but he fought them off.
"It has been my privilege over this past year to be Levon's roommate and I hope it is not insensitive to state, that I hope in death he will finally be a sound sleeper. I feel that I should have honored those days during the first year when I had the cabin to myself and had quiet nights. But now, I guess I think I actually may miss your constant roaring."
"Kind rewords were never spoken," Levon said through his laughter.
More stories were told. More wine was drunk. And one of the best nights at camp was enjoyed.
Here is the part where I say that it was all a mistake.
Pete had misdiagnosed and Levon was perfectly fine.
Well I'm afraid that I cannot.
Levon died a few days later.
Everyone misses him. He was always the most cheerful one around camp. No one tells us to just sit and talk anymore.
We had a small service. We fired lit arrows into the lake in his memory.
It was a little overdone but he was always the one we would go to for ideas on funerals and things like that.
I would also like to say that we all appreciated life a little more. But once again I cannot. I can say that his dinners remained. Every Sunday it was mandatory for all members to be together and talk about non-outlaw related things.
So in short, Levon was one of the best gang members we ever had. He didn't die fighting but he still died doing what he loved. That was to make an impact. And he definitely did that.