*cough* right- this is the ending. I've very sorry, but I thought about it and thought about it- and this- to me is the only ending that makes sense.
Allan coughed- and when he did he brought up a great deal of blood, which concerned his friends- but they could not contain their joy as he awoke. Surely if he was concious- he would only get better! And for a few days- he was. However living in the forest was hardly the best way to recover from wounds. Living as an outlaw was hardly the best way to keep up your strength. Constantly moving, running- dirty, diseased. And so it was that on the fourteenth day of July 1198, Allan a Dale gave up on life. Don't waste your food on a dead man. he had said. save it for those who can use it. They had tried to keep him awake as long as possible, telling jokes, stories- they forced laughter, and refused to keep from smiling- so that the last thing he saw was not of sadness. As they sang a song of home, Allan a Dale passed away.
Years passed. Good King Richard was freed from captivity, forgave his brother and died. Prince John became King John- until he became too greedy and as a result died, along with many of his men. The outlaws themselves eventually settled down- John left first, leaving to search for his son, and soon even Robin was no longer dwelling in the forest but there was always a gang somewhere carrying the phrase "We are Robin Hood"- and so the legend grew. No one knew of the tale of the Eccles brothers and Allan a Dale- what happened to them was not sung of, or written down it simply faded away as many other great tales do, along with the lives of the people their tales touched- the young boys and girls who played 'outlaws' in the streets, the thatchers who put roofs over peoples heads- the footsoldiers who became unidentifiable, who all merged together in the memories of England.
Quentin walked through York with his wife and watched a man who had set up a game. Come on, mate, give it a go, I swear I've lost so much money on this it's not even funny. He watched as men approached him and played- not noticing their money disappear into the man's purse. He saw a guard spot the man and, because he couldn't watch this stranger be caught, he walked upto him, sat down and said.
"I'm not being funny- but I'd clear off if I was you- you've been spotted." Then with a wink he stood and joined his wife. It had been five years since Allan had passed away, and the pain never left his chest- but he in his eyes he wasn't gone, every time he looked at a child playing, or someone joking- laughing, he thought of Allan. As long as there were people alive who remembered him, Allan lived on.