"How is he?" Allan nervously asked Little John, seeing Robin lying immobile on the forest floor, his unblinking eyes staring blankly at the treetops over their heads.

"Him," Little John began, then finished his answer with a long, drawn out moan.

"Yeah. Well, can't say as I blame him." Noticing how exhausted John looked, Allan offered, "Go home, Big Man. I'll keep him company for awhile."

Little John gave Allan a grateful look, then surprised him by clasping him in a warm, hairy bear hug.

"Now, don't start," Allan begged, fighting back tears. "It's hard enough without you makin' me blubber. Go on. Go home and get some rest."

"Them, I liked," Little John said sadly, gathering up his few belongings.

Both men tensed when they heard the sound of horses approaching. Robin, however, remained frigidly still.

"Take cover!" Allan whispered urgently, but there was no need. The horses carried no enemies upon their backs, but only Will and Djaq.

Will's face was ashen; his eyes dark hazel orbs in his worried face.

"What's wrong?" Allan asked, helping Djaq dismount.

"It's Locksley," Will answered breathlessly, gulping for air. "It's-"

Because he could not finish, his wife came to his aid. Placing a steady hand on his arm, Djaq told them, "The king arrived, and ordered all of it burnt. The manor...the village...there is nothing left."

...

For a time, everyone remained frozen in disbelief, trying to make sense of King John's destructive order. All looked to Robin, who still had not moved. At last, his voice, hoarse and cracked, pierced the stillness.

"Where are my people?" he asked.

Will approached his friend, standing beside him in deepest sympathy. "Scattered," he answered. "The king's after the entire village."

"King John claims the people are harboring you, Robin," Djaq added. "You're wanted again, with a price on your head. The king's boasting he'll catch you and-"

"And carve off your face while you're still alive, then have you fed to wild animals." Will supplied the gory details, sparing his wife from saying them.

Robin sat up at last, his face still expressionless.

"I see," he said, then stood and faced the others. "Goodbye, my friends." Robin looked at each of them individually, then turned and began to walk away.

"Whoa there!" Allan cried, running and blocking Robin's path. "You're not gonna turn yourself in! Look, we all know how much you want to die right now, and we don't blame you, but we'll be damned if we let you."

"It's a good day," Robin murmured sadly.

"It's never a good day to die, Robin," Djaq told him.

Robin didn't have the spirit to argue. "Just let me," he begged. "Just let me go."

"No." Little John was adament.

At that moment, Much pushed his way through foliage and joined them.

"Robin?" Much's voice betrayed his concern. "I'm sorry I left you. I visited my family, like you told me to. But I'm here now. Are you...are you alright?"

Robin took one look into the caring eyes of his boyhood friend, and crumbled at last. Before them all, he collapsed to his knees and dissolved into tears. Sobs poured from his broken heart and spirit, shaking his body with their violence.

Djaq held Much back. "You must let him get it out. He can at last begin to heal."

"But I want to help him!" Much cried.

"He'll need all the help he can get," Allan agreed. "Being fed to wild animals! What?"

Will watched Robin sobbing in the dirt, but didn't see the broken man. Will saw the gallant hero who had risked everything to save him from the noose so many years before.

"We'll help him to help others," Will vowed. "That's what will heal him. That's who he is."

"We all help," Little John agreed. "We are Robin Hood!"

"We are Robin Hood!" the rest chimed in.

Hearing the familar cry, Robin lifted tragic red rimmed eyes. Summoning what remained of his courage, he silently promised, "I'll keep fighting, Marian. I'll keep fighting for you, my love."