Chapter 21
Will Scarlett blinked wearily, the tiny fire he had built, sheltered by the still falling rain, providing the only light to see by as he sat in the shelter, gazing wordlessly at the still motionless form of Rhiannon. Night had fallen, and still she slept on, her chest rising and falling evenly with each breath her body took, her eyes occasionally flickering beneath her closed eyelids as dreams flittered through her tired mind. Infrequently, her hand, or her foot, would twitch, causing Will's heart to leap into his throat, as he thought she was finally waking, before settling back into his stomach when she slept on. He contemplated trying to wake her, but then remembered Djaq's words about how sleeping would be good for Rhiannon's recovery. Will almost laughed at himself as he sat that afternoon, having unchained Rhiannon, twiddling his thumbs and humming a song his mother used to sing when he and Luke had been small. He couldn't remember the words, but he could remember the tune. He had gone out, and found a nice piece of dry wood, and commenced carving, whittling away at it. As Will sat, his fingers preoccupied, he allowed his mind to wander. He found himself thinking about what his relationship with Rhiannon could be best described as. She wasn't his best friend. That was, firmly, Allan's place. Allan was like his brother, like Djaq was his sister. Robin was an older friend, as was Much. Little John was a much appreciated father figure, although Will would never tell any of the others that, as it would make him appear childish. Will did not know what his relationship with Marian was like. She was Robin's, and Will was a little unsure about how he should treat her, considering her high status.
Rhiannon was different from everyone else. The way Will felt about her was so different from anything he felt with any of the other outlaws. When their eyes met, Will felt his heart accelerate its beating in his chest. He felt his skin tingle whenever she touched him. Will sighed as he thought about one time, when the two of them had been walking to a village, the previous week. They both been doubled over, laughing, from a joke Rhiannon had heard, and their eyes had met, green into grey. Will remembered how, at that moment, the only thing he wanted to do was to embrace the younger outlaw, and to kiss her passionately and never let her go. It was then, sitting in the little cave, beside Rhiannon's unconscious body and reflecting on his memories, that Will realized, with a start, he was in love with Rhiannon. He blinked, looking down at her, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.
"Rhiannon" he muttered, loving the way it sounded. Suddenly, Will yawned, and he realized how late it was. He lay down, curled up, beside Rhiannon, covering himself with a spare blanket. He last thought that ran through his head before darkness overcome him, was how nice it was to sleep without the penetrating sounds of Little John and Much's snoring.
RH RH RH RH RH
Will woke up just as the sun was beginning to peep over the horizon. He yawned, stretching out his long legs, and shuddered as he felt the coolness of the air. Although the snow had gone, it was still cold. He glanced down beside him, where Rhiannon lay, clearly still unconscious. Will was relieved as he listened to her breathing. When they'd initially come into the forest, it had sounded laboured, and painful, but now, it was back to normal, the heavy bruising around her neck, and the bandages that covered the wounds she had gained during her torture, were the only signs that anything was abnormal. Sitting up, Will pulled off his cloak and blankets, draping them over Rhiannon's prone body, over the pre existing ones. He brushed her forehead gently with his hand, further relieved that there were no obvious signs of fever or infection setting in. As Will bent to examine, the bruising upon Rhiannon's neck, he heard a tiny whimper of pain, so faint he barely heard it. Sitting bolt upright; Will just saw Rhiannon's hand twitch a little, before stilling once more. Will fought the urge to whoop loudly. It was one little sound, a tiny movement, that's all. It didn't mean that everything would be fine. Rhiannon was seriously injured. She would not wake up, and just go on like she had always done before. He knew that her recovery had only just begun. It would be at least a few days, or even a couple of weeks, if ever, until she was fully recovered. And that was only the physical injuries. God knew what sort of psychological damage had been done to the young girl than now lay helplessly at Will's side. Will leaned up against the cave wall, looking down at his friend, 'no, more than a friend,' he mentally corrected himself. He blinked, sighing. He realized how much he was missing the rest of the gang. As great as it was to be alone with Rhiannon, Will would enjoy it so much more if Rhiannon was actually conscious. He had not had any connection with conscious humans ever since Djaq's visit the previous day, and even that had only been fleeting. Will sighed and looked outside the cave entrance. The rain still poured, and Will hoped that the camp was holding up to the storm. Djaq knew where he was, but if their was an emergency. Will shuddered at the thought, and of what implications that scenario could foretell. He imagined Him and Rhiannon returning to the camp, only to find that it had collapsed, crushing the entire gang, or seeing their bodies huddled together, lifeless, slain by exposure to the cruel elements. Will closed his eyes against the images, his hand dropping to the comforting shape of his axe, hanging at his belt, seeking its familiarly.
RH RH RH RH RH
It was nearly midday, by Will's reckoning. He had lit the small fire once again, as the day had turned cold. He fed pieces of dry wood to the fire, the flickering light reflecting in his eyes. His thoughts of earlier that morning still haunted him, but he had tried to block them out by keeping his hands busy. He was so consumed, however, by what he was doing, and by his thoughts, that he completely missed the whimper that was uttered by his sole companion, and the sight of her thin fingers curling around the edge of a blanket. He did, however, hear the muffled groan.
"Rhiannon?" Will turned around, abandoning the fire and crawling to Rhiannon's side. Suddenly nervous, Will licked his lips, taking Rhiannon's hand and gently stroking it.
"Rhiannon, come on, open your eyes for me, please." He begged her, his voice quiet. Rhiannon groaned, moving her hand one more, and feeling Will's hand enveloped hers. Will watched, holding his breath, as Rhiannon slowly returned to consciousness, her eyes slowly opening, blinking wearily. She turned her face towards him.
"Will?"
A.N. Another chapter. Sorry for the slow updates, but I'm back at school. Only three months and 29 days to go. YAY!! Sorry. Anyway, next update should be up in, at latest, two or three weeks. Reviews will make it come sooner. It doesn't take long.
R.W.