BBC Robin Hood God Save the Queen

Chapter 7: And the world spins madly on

--Palace of Poitiers--

Robin tossed in his bed trying to fight off consciousness due to his uncomfortable surroundings. For the past three days, he had found it funny that he had thought a proper bed with propers sheets were the best things in the world just to wake up confused why his bunk was so soft and warm instead of the familiar wooden hardness of his forest bunk. Yes, the Queen had asked them to stay for a few days to properly rest after the whole ordeal. Robin knew this was an excuse and saw right through the monarch's pretense. She had not resumed court. The Queen needed people she trusts around her until they could say for certain that Prince John and his Black Knights had gone. So the outlaws and the Malouins stayed.

He opened his eyes slowly to the blurry world. Quickly, he tried to rub the sleep off his eyes. There was a familiar fuzzy figure in white sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. And he was sure that his surroundings weren't the ornate walls of the palace room he had been staying in. Instead, he was quite sure that he was in his old room in Locksley. "Hello, handsome." She greeted.

With the sound of her voice, the Lord of Locksley sat up fully awake. "Marian." He returned breathlessly pulling her form nearer in an embrace. She was a vision looking exactly as she had when they met at the council meeting the first day he had gotten back to Nottinghamshire. Had it all been a dream? He sure hoped so.

She pulled away first and Robin loosened his hold on the girl slightly. "Saved the Queen and still alive. Not bad for an outlaw." The Lady of Knighton teased while she ruffled his unruly hair lovingly staring right into his eyes. "You've done well, my love." She smiled before moving forward gently kissing the outlaw on his lips before he could think of an appropriate inappropriate comeback.

Then he thought of the best reply. He held her closer once more happily deepening the kiss with the girl he once thought was gone from him.

Robin of Locksley opened his eyes blissfully when Marian pulled away again. For some odd reason, he was no longer sitting down and the weight of the girl was gone replaced by a warm and soft blanket. Instead, he found himself staring cross eyed at a big white butterfly resting at the tip of his nose. The butterfly took his consciousness as a clue and fluttered away out the open window. The outlaw sat up disappointed and confused. He was no longer in Locksley-- he was in the palace. He ran his fingers through his hair glancing around at the decorated walls and beautiful furniture in his room realizing that it had been a dream. Marian was still in a world that he could not reach.

But she approved of what he had just done. And it was at this thought that he found himself smiling. She was watching over him just like he thought. The very idea warmed him to the core.He'll be damned if he disappoints her. With renewed vigor, he got out of the soft bed to dress out of the night clothes and into the crisp white shirt, pale green yellow vest and proper pants hanging on the closet door. The Queen had been providing them splendid court clothing for their stay. They had all fit him like a glove so far. And there hasn't been a complain from the rest of gang.

In fact, he was sure that Will was loving it the most although he would not speak of it. It was the Queen after all, that had ordered Djaq into a dress. A maid had been assigned to the girl on the first day of their stay to transform the Saracen into a court lady. The effect on the gang has so far been appreciative. For the time being, although they still call her Djaq, she was once again what she was before she was taken as a slave. Djaq was the girl named Saffiya.

The sound of pounding hooves interrupted his thoughts making him glance out the window. There he saw, a young girl riding up to the palace alone in familiar black and white clothes she had worn as Leigh Thornton. Robin frowned buttoning up the vest. Evangeline had fallen ill right after the battle. Camille had informed them all that this was probably not from her wounds but from fatigue taking in consideration on what the Malouins and Raoul had told her. He could still hear the words of the lady physician in his head while he watched Carter, Raoul and the Malouins look after the unconscious girl inside her room. "This has happened before--just two weeks ago in fact. The body shuts down trying to save itself from losing all energy. When her mind assessed that the danger was over, it probably let body do its job. It is a good thing Carter had caught her. If she had fallen wrongly, we would have lost her all together."

The young lady had just come back to the land of the living yesterday. He was sure the crusader had been the one to watch her so they could talk. Carter had heard Alexander's one sided conversation while in battle and decided to ask Raoul about it. "Were Evangeline and Alexander ever together?" He had asked. The crusader and the outlaw, being the only other Englishmen in the room, were surprised to hear a confession from the members of La Soleil Rouge. In turns, Raoul, Michael, Gabe and Jean Baptiste, admitted and retold all their histories. They, including Eva, Leigh and her cousin Tristan, were once all part of Le Loup Gris, a gang handed to Alexander by his father. It was not surprising since they were all childhood friends after all. When Tristan had gone to join his father in the Holy Land, the depressed girl left her village in Cornwall saying that she would go check on Laurent. But instead, she had gone to St. Malo accompanied by Leigh to seek the company of her friends. It was there that she had become quite close to Alexander despite the fact that the rest were starting to walk away from the gang leader's slowly changing attitude. They warned her that the man she liked had changed for the worse yet the ever optimistic girl stood by his side and often acted as mediator between the leader and his former friends. In those times, they all secretly kept watch over her knowing Alexander's worsening demeanor. They had in fact, once or twice stepped in the otherwise empty Loup Gris hall to prevent the man from raising a hand against the girl at the end of their argument. And still the fifteen year old Evangeline believed Alexander when he apologized promising to change. Until one night, the five of them, three Malouins, Raoul and Leigh were having drinks in Gabe's work place only for the girl to run in crying with a bruise forming on her right cheek. Not only had the man hit her that night, but he had also tried taking advantage. In panic, she had stabbed the man in his back with a dagger from her sleeve. That night, they all returned to Evangeline's room with the girl to confront the man tending to his wound. They had all quit the gang together and Michael eventually asked the council if he could form his own if only as a check and balance against Alexander's. And it all happened in the span of four months.

"That is why she is taking it slower with you. Too slow even." Raoul had commented after the whole story was told. "In my opinion, you have proven yourself above and beyond Alexander ever had." Then the genius started tapping his chin. "I'm not saying you are worthy of her." He teased. "But you are much better than him."

"We warned you when you left Malo. We would have killed Alexander if he weren't Malouin. We might not be related by blood but that girl is our sister." Gabe admitted and warned at the same time.

The Soleil leader gave the stiff crusader a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Do understand that we would not be telling you this if we did not like you. That being said, I will warn you again. If you raise your hand against her, we will find out eventually. Remember that you are not under the protection of any Malo gang." He stated a bit too cheerfully.

"She is over the whole ordeal." The captain said pausing by the door before he followed his friends out. "We told you because we know that when she tells you, it would be candy coated and incomplete. It would probably start with the words 'It's a long story'. And you would not understand the importance which you need to understand. However, do not ask her about it, Chevalier. Believe me, she will tell you about it herself eventually."

Robin could not believe himself that something like that could happen to the girl just like he could not believe that the girl had gone riding this early in the morning. He marched out of his room grinning at the sound of worried reprimands and aloof responses echoing through the corridors as he approached the dining hall.

"Carter, you were the one looking after her yesterday night. How did she get past you?" He heard Camille inquire from the crusader.

"I'm a thief?" Came the suggested answer from the young girl. "Do you want to know what I found out?" She asked trying to change the subject.

"A good thief." Jean Baptiste replied with equal disregard.

"One of us." He heard the sword smith add.

"La Soleil Rouge, Madame." Michael had finished proudly. There was a indeterminable yell of frustration inside the dining hall. Robin marched right in taking his seat where beside the quiet outlaws that were watching conversation with amusement but trying very hard not to show it. Even the Queen sitting at the head of the table was silenced trying to keep from laughing.

"Now, dear, maybe I should take this from you." Raoul said slowly taking his wife's knife away from its place. "Oh good morning Robin." He greeted briefly before putting his attention back to his angry wife. "Have more wine." He suggested offering the lady his cup. But all her received from the girl was a glare.

"She's right you know." Carter said turning to face the young girl beside him. "Eva, you should never have gone out unaccompanied when you haven't even fully recovered."

Djaq nodded in agreement. "Exactly what I told you when Little John found you asleep in the forest. None of us could get you to wake up. Do you remember?"

"When did that happen?" Camille asked eying the guilty smiling girl.

"That time she stole jewels from the sheriff and I made her a box." Will answered honestly seeing that everyone was keeping their silence.

Eva pointed a defiant finger at the carpenter. "Boo you, Will Scarlett. I'm never giving you tools again." She jested. "However, do you want to know what I found out?" She repeated.

"Really, Evangeline." Carter faced the girl seriously. "You have to take better care of yourself." He joined in on the reprimand.

"Thank you Carter!" Camille cheered. "Knock some sense into her."

Evangeline gave the crusader an innocent smile. "But there is no rest for the wicked, Monsieur le Chevalier." She answered taking a bite out of an apple. "Do you want to know what I found out?" She asked again.

Robin threw his hands in the air. "Okay, Eva. Your total disregard for your welfare seems to stem from this revelation of yours." He propped his head with his hands placing his elbows on the table. "You seem eager to inform us of what you know. What did you find out?" He humoured the thief.

Evangeline grinned widely at him. "They are gone!" She cheered. "I was passing through a tavern, yes? And drinking in tavern bar was Veronica-" She started her quick retelling of her little escape.

"The little lady from the assassins guild? The one that likes to burn things?" Jean Baptiste inquired.

"The one who almost burned my workshop down when we broke up?" Gabe cringed.

The girl nodded while her two friends groaned in dismay hoping they don't come across the fiery girl. "The very same. In any case, she said she had passed the Prince and his Knights on the road yesterday so she decided to follow them while they ate lunch to learn what happened to the Le Loup Gris. But she also found out that they were to sail back to England this very morning! By Le Havre too." She looked at the people in the table waiting for cheers. But it didn't come. Instead she saw a few worried outlaws and concerned friends. "What?" She was now just equally confused.

"This means we go back to Nottingham." Robin answered her simply. "God knows what they would do to the people knowing we are away."

"Oh, come on! I know this means that they are regrouping for their next coup attempt but can we celebrate the fact that for now at least, the Queen is a little safer than she was... oh... maybe last week?" She pointed out dryly. "It is a silver lining, yes?"

"It means that they would probably raise taxes to recover their loss." Will sighed grimly.

"No more of this wonderful beef." Much eyed his plate memorizing how his food looks.

Djaq stared at her won plate. "No more salad." She stated honestly.

"Much's squirrel stew." Little John grinned when he elicited the precise aghast reaction from the smaller man.

Allan raised his hand seeing the table's humour come back slowly. "Not being funny, but can I stay here? I have had enough of that stew and he's quite possessive about that kitchen." He reasoned. Djaq playfully hit him in the arm.

Much recovered from his dropped jaw expression huffing with his arms crossed. Everybody had started chuckling after Allan's semi- truthful plea. "Revolting." He retorted. "All of you! Just... revolting." He finished.

"Much." Carter pointed his knife at the man servant. He looked back Evangeline with a small sly smile that delighted the girl while she bit into her apple. "Did you just call the Queen revolting?" He asked.

"Oh Much." Robin shook his head as he gave the small man beside him a comforting pat. "What have you done?"

Laughter echoed through the dining hall as they watched the Lord of Bonchurch pale and start incoherently stuttering an explanation to the monarch feigning insult. Robin laughed along with the others who started teasing the former man servant mercilessly. But then he found himself quickly lost in his own scattered thoughts. By next week, they would be back in the forest they call home and things would change again. They would have to move now that their camp has been compromised. Will is going to be busy making their new home but when they return, the cave should do nicely. They would be needing new creative ways to foil the sheriff's and Black Knights' plan. It should be easier now that Carter was with them. But he wanted the thieves along as well. They would be able to enter and leave unnoticed. However, Evangeline would undoubtedly refuse. The Queen needed protection as well and her three guards were all she has left. The three Malouins had their own agendas as well and they would never agree to be under the crown of England. He watched the couple laughing across him sadly, knowing they were about to be separated until the King returns. His mind drifted to the currently staggering Much who would undoubtedly be inquiring about Eve's welfare the moment they get back. He wondered if their little gang and their new friends could succeed holding off Prince John and his Black Knights' attempts to steal the throne. They had gone very close to getting what they wanted in this round. The people dining in this table had been very lucky. In his mind, Marian had undoubtedly helped by some odd kind of divine intervention.

A white butterfly flitted through the length of the table seemingly breaking Robin's train of thought. He followed it with his eyes as it fluttered out the window. When he brought his attention back to the joyful group, he caught Evangeline's small nod in his direction unnoticed by anyone else. "Heaven." She mouthed at him knowingly before cringing as Much hit a sour note in his song.

"Much!" He exclaimed stopping the man from singing anymore. "It would be a pity to survive the Turk, the sheriff and Prince John with his Knights, just to die by the hands of your own friends."

The Queen laughed. "I can have him locked in jail to ensure he does not escape your revenge." She offered Robin lightheartedly.

Much looked around the table. "You know, it is good I do not readily take offense. A smaller man will be insulted. A smaller man would be wounded-" He declared.

"Much. Shut up." Little John said sternly earning another round of laughter from the group.

Robin smiled when he caught his breath fingering his tag. The Black Knights will not give up. And their merry band wouldn't either. After all, they were Robin Hood.

--

Note: Aaaand it's done. I just checked my official word count and realized that this fic was long-- close to 70,000 words. In fact, if I check and find out that I've written this in under a month, I might just join that November fiction writing challenge that requires 50,000 words as a minimum. Yay! Anyway, I will stop rambling. I hope the whole fic made sense especially starting in Chapter 4 or 5 where I stopped following the RH episode format.

Thanks to Brazeau, Voldemorts Understudy and Orangeswillbeoranges for the fave and Isolde Mousie and evilloveberry08 for putting this fic on alert-- if i haven't thanked you already.

I hope you liked it. :)