AN: Okay….so this last week has been completely insane. School is back in full swing and I have been plagued by a bad case of writers block because of it. However, I want to thank everyone who has put me on alert or favorite. I am sorry it has been so long since the last update and I will try to stay on top of it this time around.
PrimevalAndPapaRoachLover: I am sorry that I didn't get back to you personally on the last comment but I assure you I read it and it made my day. :)
Disclaimers: Anything you recognize, I don't own…although believe me, I would love nothing more. Also, I make no money from this, it is purely for my own enjoyment and love of the characters. No copyright infringement or harm meant.
Spoilers: None, except that this takes place before Allan was Guy's man so an indeterminate part of season two as everyone is still alive and Allan hasn't betrayed anyone yet.
After Will left, I immediately became much more anxious and began to get restless. I didn't like not knowing what was going on and after that very awkward moment we just shared, I found the silence of the forest camp almost deafening. Without Will there to stop me and in order to keep myself occupied, I got up from the small bunk and picked up the tray from the floor and took it to the makeshift kitchen. I stoked the fire to get it going again before carefully washing the dishes and putting them and a few other items away. I picked up the flowers that I had left on the tray and weaved them into my hair as I pulled it off my neck. I went to wipe my sweaty palms off on my apron and saw how ragged and dirty I looked.
"What are you doing up?" Will asked in shock, causing me to jump as I was pulled back to reality.
"Will, I didn't hear you come back," I said breathlessly as my heartbeat returned to normal.
I turned to see Marian standing just behind him with a bundle of stuff in her arms.
"Lady Marian," I said with a quick curtsy.
"Please just call me Marian," she said, pulling me up out of my curtsy, " I brought some things that might make up feel a bit more comfortable out here in the forest."
She held up the clothes, blankets and other items that she had filched from the castle."Um….these might be a bit large for me," I said, holding up the breeches and shirts she had brought.
"That's easily altered," Marian said, waving it off as if it were nothing difficult.
Will looked on in amusement while Marian handed him a couple of the blankets. What neither one of them didn't know was that I did not know how to mend clothes as I had no one to show me or anyone left to mend things for.
"These blankets are for each of you since I'm quite certain that two winters have long since worn through the blankets that you do have," she said.
"Thank you Marian," Will said with a smile of genuine pleasure.
"You are extremely welcome," Marian said.
I felt an irrational stab of jealousy toward Marian as she and Will joked and bantered back and forth, almost as if she had intruded on my territory, even though in the rational part of my brain, the part that told me to feel guilty when she had saved my life, told me that she was doing this for Robin, and no one else.
"Where are the others?" Marian asked, growing serious when I came back out of my own thoughts and back to reality.
"Robin and Much went to Clun and the others are making deliveries around Locksley," Will said.
"Today? They do realize that the entire castle guard is out in the forest looking for each and every one of you, correct?" Marian asked.
The thought of the entirety of the castle guard being in the forest and looking for each of us made me shudder. Will noticed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, squeezing my arm in a silent show of sympathy.
"They're looking for me. I need to give myself up to them," I whispered almost inaudibly.
Will gave me a sharp look and his grip on my arm tightened ever so slightly and Marian shook her head.
"No one is going anywhere. Robin and Much should be safe in Clun as long as they keep themselves hidden in the village and the others are all smart enough to know how to take care of themselves if the guards find them. You and Will are going to stay here and stay quiet for the rest of the day," Marian started to say.
"I need to go to Nottingham and try and find a way to get some supplies for us. Not only are the food stores running low but we need more supplies to fix the camp and make it more secure," Will said.
"You can't. Send word to Robin or John through me and I will be sure to get you what you need. If either of you leave now, you are going to be sitting ducks in the Sheriffs game. He is trying to draw you out simply so he can catch each of you. Do you think that if he draws one of you out he does not realize that the rest of you will soon follow?" Marian asked.
As her and Will continued to argue, I went to the bunk I had spent the night on and gathered up a few small things as quietly as I could. I took the dagger that I carried on my person at all times and, after making sure that neither Marian nor Will were paying me any attention, I lifted my skirt and slid the dagger into it's hiding spot in the sheath on the side of my thigh then I straightened my skirt and myself and quietly and carefully climbed up on the bunk into the branches of the closest tree and slipped undetected out of the camp.
"Please forgive me Will," I whispered as I jumped from the tree and down to the ground.
"No one but God can forgive you now missy," I heard the familiar voice say with a maniacal laugh.
I turned and felt myself cringe when I saw who was standing in front of me and before I had time to scream, I was gagged and then hit over the head, everything going black before my eyes as I slid to the ground.
Okay, so sue me…..actually on second thought don't because I have no money to pay for it. Anyway, I know it's kind of short and probably not my best work but this is what came to me. Like I said before, I have been suffering from writers block on this chapter but the ending seemed to come pretty easily so hopefully that means I am moving past it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it regardless and the next chapter will be up in the next day or two because the ideas are starting to flow for this part of the story. Next chapter will most likely be from Will's POV.
Tell me what you think. Reviews are love :)