The night Robin was dealing with unfinished business from his past...

A small Inn, Milan

"How much you've got?" Carter asked and split the darkness with a lit candle. He sat up on his bunk and supported his weight on his elbow, his knife close by under his pillow.

"Not much. Almost nothing." Will Scarlet replied and the sound of his very few coins clinking joined his soft voice. He was sitting beside Carter, knees bent to his chest, eyes looking outside the window. "It will not do."

The lack of money had been a constant threat to their ambitious plans to cross the continent and finally reach the island they called home.

Djaq shifted on her bed, feeling her leg resisting her attempts to rest. Her wound had been a matter of concern for the four companions. Not only because it had been a serious one -although now healing- but it had raised a significant problem. Who could be trusted to help while the one to usually mend the wounded, was now unable to do so?

Carter was excluded for "my lack of interest in learning more ways to cut people open, and my fear that I won't be able to properly close them," as he had put it. The choice between Will and Marian had been difficult, but Will's anxiety for Djaq's health gave the solution. However, it had been very stressful for Marian to depend on the injured woman for instructions. She had managed with this crisis but for future incidents she had to be properly tutored.

Contrary to Carter's, Marian's desire to learn proved to be greater. During her training, Djaq was examining Marian's needlework on the pillow, marking her progress. Her attempts on Carter's frequently injured body were significantly better.

"I guess the prospect of flesh wounds inspires me more than trees and flowers." Marian commended.

"Too bad you cannot make a dowry out of marked arms and scarred chests." Djaq had teased her. "Not that he'd mind!"

"Let's hope I'll have the opportunity to negotiate." Marian replied to Djaq's humorous comment in the same tone, but below the surface there was worry.

It had been a long time since she last had news of him. Yes, they were getting home, but what was home now? What were they to find at the end of their journey? Would they find their friends together or estranged? Would they even be there? Would they even be alive?

Whenever these dark thoughts came and stopped her breathing, Marian struggled to push them away. She had to cling to hope if she was to make to the end. Thankfully she had nice memories to distract her.

"Marian?" Robin whispered the night after Carter was gone. "Are you sleeping?"

"No, still awake." Marian sounded serious, but the darkness hid her smile. "Do you need something? Are you hungry? Perhaps I could cook something for you."

"I'll never hear the end of this, will I?"

"Can we hear the end of this conversation?" Much's usual obedience to Robin's wishes, seemed to be in low levels when he wanted to sleep.

"We'd better go outside." Robin suggested.

"At this hour?" Marian replied, but was already out of bed.

In the vast forest, the rustling leaves beneath their feet was the only sound beside their quiet voices.

"I am glad, we're not fighting anymore."

"Give us time!" Robin laughed. He waited until they sat by a tree to speak again. "I miss him too, you know."

Marian looked at him, her eyes starting to adjust to the darkness. She knew what he meant. Her heart became a knot in her chest; every horrible feeling of the last days rushed through her like a wave.

"Your father. I miss him too."

"I know."

Robin's and Edward's close relationship had always made her happy. But it also made her jealous. Robin was the son Edward never had and sometimes it hurt Marian how obvious it was. She envied how preferable Robin's opinion was compared to hers. It took her several years and the revelation of the Nightwatchman business, to gain her father's respect, aside from his love. Edward finally accepted that his daughter was a strong, intelligent, brave woman who didn't speak out of turn as he thought, but she spoke when there should be words and others kept silent.

"Do you mind telling me again, about his final moments?"

"He said that it's good to dream, and he seemed very proud of you. You inspired him to fight, to make a stand. A great thing, Marian."

"Which led him to his death," Marian said ruefully.

"No, Marian." Robin told her. "You gave him reason to live. Something that the captivity in the castle had deprived him of. It was an end, I know, but if he had stayed behind, his death would be far worse."

"It was a miracle he survived as long as he did."

Robin kissed the top of her head, while she was leaning on his chest. "He also said, that I deserve your feelings."

"Which feelings exactly?"

"Affection, respect, passion..."

Marian punched him lightly on his arm. "That was done with affection."

"Clearly." They laughed together and it, their joined laughter was a sound full of youth and hope.

"I haven't told you before, but when you returned, my father hoped that we would be engaged again. He hadn't said so, but I could see it. He praised you very much. During the whole oneday you managed to stay out of trouble!"

"When I declared myself an enemy to the Sheriff Idid put an end to your father's plans, didn't I?"

"For what is worth I didn't think of giving you another chance until that very moment."

"It worked to my advantage that you and your father didn't see eye to eye on this subject."

Their kiss was as delicious as red wine. In all the ugliness of their world, this was the beauty; love. Why deny it?

And they didn't.

Djaq was now holding the cloth that Marian was working on most recently. "I could have mistaken it with my own work. Impressive."

Marian nodded, proud of her achievement. Will also assessed the product of her labor and smiled encouragingly.

"Good. Perhaps she can make a living out of that, because we really need the money!" Carter laughed.

"We might be poor -hardly the first time for some of us!- but at least we are together now." Will's remark was met with agreeing smiles.

The last time the four companions had entered a town in the Roman peninsula it wasn't obvious they were traveling together. Will was a soldier, returning from the Holy Land with bitter experience and all of his friends dead. He was no acquaintance of Carter's, an English merchant, who was traveling with his wife Marian and Djaq, their loyal servant. Not long before that, in an other town, Marian was a nun and Will was portraying successfully her brother, the priest. Carter was accompanying Djaq's alter ego, Saffya, a gifted healer from the East. Djaq had found a way to keep people from reacting to the color of her skin by making herself useful. When her advanced knowledge of medicine wasn't enough, Carter's blade ensured their safety.

And so it went, until now. They had entered Milan as their usual selves. Four friends going home.

Marian shaped her cloak into a pillow and put it under Djaq's leg. "We need a horse for Djaq, if not a carriage, if we're to move before she completely recovers and we cannot get those without spending money. And the ship fare is a different matter."

"That is far ahead in future."

"I know, but we can't postpone our worries till we see the land ending near our feet. We need to secure money now."

"The most pressing need is food. This old wreckage doesn't come with four portions of supper. Perhaps we could have chosen more humble accommodations -sleeping on the ground, for instance!- and eat better." Carter stood decisively in the middle of the room, looking over his shoulder to see if the other travelers in the sleeping hall could hear them. "Will, with me. I spotted a merchant who isn't too careful." He whispered the last sentence and moved to the exit.

Will nodded and hid his ax under his shirt.

"Why don't we sell some of the things we have? The price might not be as high as their true value but it will be a good one." Djaq suggested quietly.

"And miss my exercise?" Carter laughed. The truth was they could have been better with easy money from the trade, but none of them was too willing to accept Djaq's generous offer. That woman was robbed of her family, taken away from her homeland not once but twice. She had saved their lives, risking hers. The least they could do was to make sure that she'd have some part of her world intact. Those few heirlooms of hers would be hers forever.

The two men were gone and Marian unsheathed her sword for their protection. Djaq felt uneasy, not being able to defend herself.

Marian sensed Djaq tense. "We will be fine." she told her.

Goodnight, my love, Marian thought as she did every night. I'll find you soon.