This is my first attempt at writing fiction of any kind….giving it a go as a way of getting creative during Covid times. Reviews and feedback appreciated!
Will awoke with a start as a loud noise filled the room. Startled, he quickly sat up. His many years of well-honed survival instincts automatically kicked in and had him reaching for a blade before he was even fully awake. With a curse he realized there was no blade to be had and scooted backwards towards the wall behind the bed, in anticipation of putting protection between himself and whatever threat was present.
As he looked wildly around the room his gaze connected with a rather sheepish looking Bull who was in the midst of bending clumsily to pick up a sword that he had quite obviously dropped on the floor. Will rolled his eyes and sighed loudly in exasperation. He reached up and ran a hand through his hair as he took a deep breath and prayed for patience.
"Sorry Will….Rob asked me to come check on you as he was busy. You gonna sleep all day?" Bull, likely in anticipation of a reaction from the notoriously hot-tempered younger man backed slowly towards the door as he added this last part.
Will briefly shot the man a glare before shaking his head, trying to gather his senses and shake off the fog of sleep that remained. He leaned forward and forced himself to sit upright on the side of the bed facing the other man. The room spun for a moment as he braced himself with his hands to hold himself upright.
"It's fine Bull….how long have I been asleep for?"
"I don't know. A few hours at least….Rob was 'gettin antsy. He checked on you himself a few times…said you looked half dead."
At the mention of Robin, Will suddenly recalled with horrifying detail the last few moments of events before he must have passed out. He winced and closed his eyes as he realized that he had openly wept on his older brother. Granted, the man had practically forced him to accept the comfort, but Will was man enough to give Robin credit that he had not appeared disgusted by it either. The man appeared to take most things in stride it seemed, even long-lost brothers who broke down in tears.
Well the humiliation of the day is now complete.
Will could not recall the last time he cried. Not since he was a child and watched his mother die. Even then, he hadn't been given the time to properly mourn her before his entire world had been turned upside down.
Lost in thought, Will barely remembered Bull's presence until the man spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.
"Hey…..you alright Will?"
Will opened his eyes and glanced over at the older man that he had come to know the past two years in the forest. The man looked both concerned and somewhat ashamed as he dropped his gaze to the floorboards.
"I'm sorry 'bout earlier…we thought you turned traitor. Shoulda known you wouldn't betray us. Hey….how come you never told us you were 'alf noble and Rob's brother?" Bull looked a bit in awe as he brought up this last point. Like most of the men in the camp, Bull worshipped Robin.
"I'm fine. I just…I understand why you thought that. I have been behaving badly the last some months….it really was not something I intended to share."
Normally he would never have admitted his faults out loud in this manner, but suddenly in this moment Will felt like he owed the other man some explanation for his behaviour. He knew this likely stemmed from the knowledge that he really couldn't say with certainty that he never intended to fulfill his promise to the Sheriff of killing his brother. He certainly would not have done so at the expense of saving the others who remained in the dungeon, despite his animosity towards Robin. At least I hope not. I know I am not that heartless…
The memory of his night in prison and the long journey back through Sherwood made itself known suddenly by the still throbbing pain from the lashes and stitching as the adrenaline of the rude awakening abruptly subsided. Still…the pain certainly felt better than it had hours earlier and Will felt sudden gratitude towards Azeem for his painstaking efforts of sewing him up. Will had been hard pressed not to show pain with his brother looking on, but he could recall few incidents since his mother's death where someone had taken the time to care for his well-being. He knew his new-found status of being Robin's brother certainly didn't hurt either. Azeem is Robin's friend…not mine. I can't remember the last time I was able to call someone a true friend.
Knowing he was at risk of falling into melancholy, Will forced himself back to the moment as he looked up at Bull and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry…..I guess I just need a moment to wake up."
"Sure Will, Rob will be glad to see you I'm sure."
Will almost laughed out loud at the man's bold statement. Somehow I doubt that.
Bull tossed him a quick enthusiastic grin before he turned around and left the hut to return to the others.
Will forced himself to standing and glanced around until he spied his boots. Ignoring the yelp of pain from his bruised and wounded body, he quickly putting them on and forced himself to walk outside into the daylight. He could tell by the position of the sun it was now late into the afternoon. Although he knew it was likely only several hours since the confrontation with Robin in the clearing, it felt like an eternity had passed since he had finally passed out from his wounds.
He left the doorway to the hut and made his way over to a container of water that was leaning against what was left of a burnt tree. Ignoring the obvious filth of the water with slight disgust, he dove his hands into the cold water and quickly splashed some on his face and through his hair.
As the sudden shock of the cold water finally worked towards clearing his addled mind of the remaining cobwebs of sleep, Will slowly tuned into his surroundings.
His eyes widening with horror as he fully took in all the destruction. While he knew he had been in an exhausted daze after his confrontation with Robin, he wondered wildly how he had not noticed the extent of the fires that had ravaged the once thriving forest village. Will felt shaken as he took note of the freshly and hastily dug graves to the right of the clearing. Although Will had gone much of his life trusting himself to few people, he had genuinely liked the people he shared the forest with and his chest squeezed in pain as he realized the loss of so many of their comrades.
Will was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of voices. From a distance through the trees he caught sight of Robin crouched down by the campfire and the others nearby. Will's felt his heart skip a beat at the thought of having to face his brother and the men after his shocking announcement. He was at a loss to explain even to himself how he had let such a thing slip out in anger and he knew with every fiber of his being that life had now changed. He had changed things and this was not something that could be undone. The sudden desire to turn and walk away from everything and everyone gripped him. How easy it would be just to disappear. Would they care? Would Robin?
Rebuking himself for this cowardly thought, he gave himself a mental shake and strode purposively in the direction of the camp. Time to face the crowd.
