A/N: This story is inspired by Seasons 3&4 of "The New Adventures of Robin Hood" (I specifically mention those two seasons because of actor changes so the season 3&4 characters are the ones I imagined writing this) but it can really work with any Robin Hood media as long as you don't mind historical inaccuracy and know that in this, Marion is part of Robin Hood's gang and she can fight, and they live in a hidden camp with other people (including some civilians) in the Sherwood Forest. Oh and Friar Tuck is an amazing cook and knows a lot about medicinal herbs.

This is Day 2 of Whumptober 2023, prompts were: Thermometer / Delirium / "They don't care about you"

The Tower

The room was almost completely silent except for the sounds of water dripping down the walls, howls of wind, buzzing of the flies, silent breathing and occasional whimpering coming from the person lying on the ground. The distant noise of the outside world rarely made it inside and when they did they caused pain or longing, often both. Marion's body lay limp on the floor, her unseeing gaze fixed on the cobblestone wall. There was nothing inside. No blankets, no utensils, not even an excrement bucket. The stench of the room made her gag when she was first thrown in there. By now, her nose went blind to the odor but the buzzing of flies kept reminding her of what was hidden in the dark corner of the room. The only source of light was a small, square opening at the top, but the walls of the tower were high, too high. And the light that reached her wasn't even enough for her to see her legs, let alone anything else. She considered climbing but the damp walls were slippery, making it almost impossible to climb. And yet, despite all of this, she'd imagined the place would be even worse in the summer heat. She shivered as a gust of wind hit her naked body; her teeth clattered.

Drifting in and out of consciousness in the dark room, she lost track of time. She knew damn well it was designed to break her, psychological torture as well as physical one. Goosebumps covered her skin as she lay on the freezing and wet stone floor with nothing shielding her from the elements. Her clothing was removed and taken away from her before she was thrown inside the room. At first, she tried to walk, jump, or do anything to warm herself up, but with time, she gave up. There was no point and with barely any food, if that thin, stringy soup could even be considered food, her body began to slowly shut down. She'd lost energy and even getting up took an enormous amount of willpower and exhausted her beyond belief. So she lay there, on the wet ground, shivering, only getting up to relief herself at the opposite end of the room. Despite all that happened, she tried to keep a shred of dignity and was determined not to soil herself where she lay. Getting up to relieve herself was an enormous task, those few steps left her exhausted. It helped that she didn't get much food, at least she didn't have to get up often. For water, she licked the damp walls. The water was disgusting but kept her alive. After mustering all her strength to get water or relief herself, she would crawl back to her spot and collapse on the floor, drained of all her remaining energy. She'd curl into the fetal position, hugging her knees to her chest, her body shivered from the cold, and her mind drifted in and out of consciousness.

As the days passed, the darkness in the room started to take shape, forms of her enemies, people she'd killed, her current captor. Primal screams would erupt from her chest on occasion and were heard by no one by these walls that likely heard the screams of hundreds of people before her.

"They don't care about you," her capturer told her every time he brought her food.

Deep down, she knew it wasn't true. She knew that Robin cared, and Friar Tuck, and Little John, and so many others. She knew they cared but she wasn't in the right state of mind, the delirium slowly started to set in and she doubted if anyone was even looking for her.

When she was left alone, her hallucinations would come alive. "They don't care about you," the shadow person would whisper from underneath the executioner's hood. Words echoed in her head, weakening her resolve, making her loose hope. She dropped her head to the ground, lying in that unreal state between being asleep and awake. Time no longer mattered; her mind began shutting down.

The door was flung open and the room was flooded with light but Marion didn't even notice, she didn't opened her eyes, her mind so far away that she didn't hear the loud noises and shouting behind her. She just lay there motionless.

"I found her." A voice reached her eventually. Familiar one. She'd heard it before.

Behind her, Robin Hood looked at her pale, frail, and naked body as she lay on her side, her back facing him. He took off his woolen cloak and ran towards her, knelt on the floor and covered her with the garment, gathering her to him. With the cloak wrapped around her, he tucked it in safely so it wouldn't slip, trying to prevent what little dignity she had left. He picked her up and cradled her on his lap, brushing her hair away from her face, her skin freezing under his touch.

"Oh, Marion," he whispered caressing her cheek. "Wake up." Her eyes fluttered open, unseeing. "You're safe now."

Heavy steps sounded behind him as Friar Tuck ran into the tower and knelt next to them. He pressed the back of his hand to Marion's forehead, then her neck, and tutted. He looked into her eyes and ordered, "We need to warm her up, she's too cold. Get her to one of the rooms and I'll get her something warm to drink."

Without hesitation, Robin got up, still holding Marion in his arms clutching her to him, he made his way out of the tower and across the yard to the main building, ran up a set of stairs, and barged into one of the chambers, ignoring everything and everyone around him. He knew his way around instinctively, not much had changed despite this being the first time he'd been in this castle since his father's death years ago. His ancestors built this torture tower, it hadn't been used in decades but the new lord of the castle was quite fond of it. Was, as he was now dead, his body lay in the courtyard. With the evil lord gone, the servants were happy to do everything in their power to help. They were victims too.

With Marion in his arms, Robin made his way to his old bed chamber. It looked exactly the same as it did when he had to leave it. The lovely chambermaid started the fire, and as he entered it was already raging in the fireplace, sounds of wood crackling filled the room along with the warm air. He placed Marion on his old bed and covered her with the blanket. He circled the bed and sat on the other side, leaned against the headboard and gathered her to him. Despite being bundled up in his cloak and blanket her body still felt cold. He rubbed her arms as he hugged her. "Come on, Marion, you can do this. Come back to me."

In her delirium, she clung to him, desperate for the warmth he provided. She freed her arm from the cloak and wrapped it across his stomach to get herself closer to him. He placed a kiss on the top of her head. Still cold. "That's it." His hand rubbed her back. Under different circumstances, he would have been acutely aware of her naked body next to him but her safety was his primary focus and the only thing that occupied his mind.

Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep, and Robin had no idea how long they were there for. No one disturbed them although he heard Friar Tuck outside the door giving directions on how to prepare his herbs infusion and food, then he left some warm food right outside the door, ready for them when they wanted it. Robin appreciated that. As she slept bundled up in his cloak and blanket, enveloped in his strong arms, Marion's body started to warm up. But as they lay there, Robin's legs went numb, but he didn't dare to move and disturb her sleep. He just held her tighter, afraid that if he were to let go, she'd disappear again.

Eventually, she stirred, unsure where she was, she lay motionless. For the first time in days, she finally felt warm and wondered if she was already dead. Frankly, she didn't care where she was, she snuggled closer to the source of warmth next to her and took a deep breath. A familiar scent. She moved her palm. Taunt muscles under her hand. A realization hit her.

"Robin?" she whispered. "Is that really you?"

"Welcome back, sleepyhead." He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

She pulled back to look at him and he immediately averted his gaze. Confused, she looked down, the fabric of his cloak slipped and while she wasn't fully exposed, it was close. She reached with her hand to cover herself, now fully aware of how he found her, her cheeks flushed.

She tried to push herself up to a sitting position only to fall back, too weak to support herself.

"Easy there." He helped her up.

"Thanks." She offered him a weak smile as she looked around the room, it looked familiar. "Where are we?"

"My bedroom," he replied flatly.

She raised her brows.

"My old bedroom," he clarified.

Marion looked around the room, childhood memories coming back. "How? How is that possible?"

"They held you at Locksley castle. They didn't think I'd come here looking for you."

Exhausted, she slumped back down to her previous position, laying her head on his chest. She was too tired to think, the news overwhelming. Robin adjusted the blanket and circled her with his arm, gathering her to him again.

"I'm so tired," she said.

"I know. But I need you to eat something warm first and then you can go back to sleep. Can you do that for me?"

"In a minute. I just want to stay here for a second,"

"Fine with me." He smiled and rubbed her arm as she lay her head on his chest listening to the beat of his heart. Hours ago, she was sure she'd never see him again. Now she was in his arms that she missed so much, that she dreamed of in the darkness of her cell. She only needed a minute to gather her strength, she thought as she closed her eyes. Only a minute, she repeated as she fell asleep lulled by the sound of his heartbeat.

The End