![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
queenofmayMarian wanted to lay down. Somewhere cool, somewhere dark and just breathe. She needed to see to her wound. She just wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes, but that was impossible.
Every step he took was agony, everytime her body shifted in his arms even minutely pain seared through her body, and still she did her best bite back even the smallest cries. Her cheek and her hand would pay for it later, even if neither had saved her from a smattering of tears during running jumps.
The rain was simply cruel irony.
It was slower with Robin carrying her, but the one time she'd convinced him to let her try to walk she'd fallen again. She kept trying to tell him it wasn't that bad, but she knew neither of them were listening anymore.
Marian had passed out once or twice before she told him she had been stabbed, words squeezed out between lips that clenched with each step. That it had happened when Gisborne punched her. He must have had a dagger in his hand. She was still trying to say it couldn't be that serious--a shallow wound, at best--when she was handed off to Little John at the cave. And then given Much's bed, while Djaq began tending to her.
She was handed a wineskin by Robin, but her prostration only stopped because of Much's face. She couldn't scare Much or put him off when he looked that scared. Instead she took it, trying to give him a smile even as Djaq's fingers in her wound caused her to lose all concentration as stars exploded again.
The drinking began then, she couldn't help thinking this was all too much fuss.
It just needed to be sewn up and bandaged.
Which was why Marian simply nodded, whispering 'Do it', when Djaq looked up at her and said, "This will hurt. Are you brave?"
Pain arched through her and her body arched upward. She pleaded with the inside of her skull, where her vision was shifting black and red in waves that threatened her consciousness, that she would do anything if that would stop. The waves lessened and someone was crying. Was that her? That sobbing that was the only sound echoing in the gave?
In a world of blurry faces she looked for Robin's, and found him, looking at her. He reminder so much of when he looked younger and she pressed her lips together, trying for something other than the pitiful state she couldn't push away. There was no smile to pull on. Only that dull ache and flame inside her stomach.
His voice was calm, too calm she knew, when he spoke. "This needle is thick and blunt, are you prepared?"
And trying to distract her. To when she'd spoken those words to him, when mending him.
If he was kidding it couldn't be all that serious, could it?
Marian nodded, with a wince at the movement, "Give it to me."
~*~
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Marian murmured, rousing again from the darkness.
"I'm sorry," Djaq said quietly.
"Why?"
"I did not think you would be so brave."
She moved away and Marian turned her head slowly, experimentally. The world didn't swim any more than expected. There had been two sacks of wine. She'd be surprised if it didn't swim at all. But at least she could focus; and so long as she didn't move her torso it didn't send more than a tendril of pain into her back.
Her eyes found Robin, working on his arrows, and she smiled.
"Well," he said looking up and pointing at her with a dagger. "The bad news is that you've been stabbed, but the good news is you don't have to marry the man who stabbed you."
Marian couldn't suppress the smile on her lips deepening, even as she was more able to think on logistics now. "What will happen now?"
"When the king comes to Nottingham, I’ll make an entrance. He'll let me speak. He trusts me. I'll present the evidence, the physician will corroborate it, and--" He waved his hand slightly. "--Gisborne will be done for."
She watched his face carefully, her voice quiet when she spoke again. "Will he hang?"
"Yes."
Marian moved her head, looking away from Robin, toward the cave wall not too high above her, where the fire light cast dancing shadows. She blinked, telling herself it was the pain in her stomach which cause her to blink away the water in her eyes.
"Marian this is a man who would force you to marry him. A man who tried to kill the king. A man who stabbed you," Robin said his force growing stronger.
She turned her head back slowly, reluctant. "Even so, I will never support hanging."
Robin stared at her, mouth opening to speak and then closing without. Instead he simply looked away.
"What?"
He shook his head.
Marian frowned. "No. Tell me."
His head shook again. But then his voice came. Softer. Barely a whisper she could hear. "I think you feel for him."
Marian almost frowned, almost looked away, but did neither. "He's a human being."
"Hardly." Robin was staring at her, she could see his shoulders tensing. "You are stirred by him."
"Stirred?" Marian said the word and laughed. It hurt. In her stomach. And in her heart. She looked away smiling in amusement. She was laying there, fresh from surgery and Robin couldn't let it go that she wouldn't be like their enemies. That it had to be something more.
"He said it. And he was right, wasn't he?"
"Grow up."
It was quiet. A rebuke. At him. (Maybe, at all three of them.)
"Well, this morning, when you thought you had to marry him, you were happily resigned to your fate." The anger was coming now with the darkened tone. "His qualities and his genuine feelings."
"I was trying to be brave."
"But why?" He exploded, more exasperation than anger. "This whole Nightwatchman thing, it's--"
"What whole Nightwatchman thing?" Marian interrupted him, having to keep herself from struggling in his direction. "I am only doing what you do but with more intelligence."
Robin was up then. Stalking toward her. Voice loud.
"You would have thought you would have learned by now! Everytime you go out you get arrested, or stabbed, or betrothed! You should stay at home and do your embroidery," He said, sneering at her.
Marian laughed, incredulously, amazed that she was laying on this bed, newly stitched closed, and he was finding new ways to hurt her still. She looked away toward the closed wall, anger and hurt mounting against each other. Against the feeling of utter helplessness that denied her being able to stand up and walk away from this.
"I did not mean that." Came the soft whisper from the opposite side of the cave.
Marian looked back, eyes dry, but her voice was stiff. "Even my father, who is old and infirm and has a lot more to lose than you do--"
He was walking toward the door, unwilling to look at her now, but she wouldn't stop. She pushed herself up from the bed, stitches literally screaming and her vision blurring. "--even he supports me more than you do!"
She cried out in pain, but held the tears in check, only half listening as Djaq reappeared telling her she needed to sleep.
Every step he took was agony, everytime her body shifted in his arms even minutely pain seared through her body, and still she did her best bite back even the smallest cries. Her cheek and her hand would pay for it later, even if neither had saved her from a smattering of tears during running jumps.
The rain was simply cruel irony.
It was slower with Robin carrying her, but the one time she'd convinced him to let her try to walk she'd fallen again. She kept trying to tell him it wasn't that bad, but she knew neither of them were listening anymore.
Marian had passed out once or twice before she told him she had been stabbed, words squeezed out between lips that clenched with each step. That it had happened when Gisborne punched her. He must have had a dagger in his hand. She was still trying to say it couldn't be that serious--a shallow wound, at best--when she was handed off to Little John at the cave. And then given Much's bed, while Djaq began tending to her.
She was handed a wineskin by Robin, but her prostration only stopped because of Much's face. She couldn't scare Much or put him off when he looked that scared. Instead she took it, trying to give him a smile even as Djaq's fingers in her wound caused her to lose all concentration as stars exploded again.
The drinking began then, she couldn't help thinking this was all too much fuss.
It just needed to be sewn up and bandaged.
Which was why Marian simply nodded, whispering 'Do it', when Djaq looked up at her and said, "This will hurt. Are you brave?"
Pain arched through her and her body arched upward. She pleaded with the inside of her skull, where her vision was shifting black and red in waves that threatened her consciousness, that she would do anything if that would stop. The waves lessened and someone was crying. Was that her? That sobbing that was the only sound echoing in the gave?
In a world of blurry faces she looked for Robin's, and found him, looking at her. He reminder so much of when he looked younger and she pressed her lips together, trying for something other than the pitiful state she couldn't push away. There was no smile to pull on. Only that dull ache and flame inside her stomach.
His voice was calm, too calm she knew, when he spoke. "This needle is thick and blunt, are you prepared?"
And trying to distract her. To when she'd spoken those words to him, when mending him.
If he was kidding it couldn't be all that serious, could it?
Marian nodded, with a wince at the movement, "Give it to me."
~*~
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Marian murmured, rousing again from the darkness.
"I'm sorry," Djaq said quietly.
"Why?"
"I did not think you would be so brave."
She moved away and Marian turned her head slowly, experimentally. The world didn't swim any more than expected. There had been two sacks of wine. She'd be surprised if it didn't swim at all. But at least she could focus; and so long as she didn't move her torso it didn't send more than a tendril of pain into her back.
Her eyes found Robin, working on his arrows, and she smiled.
"Well," he said looking up and pointing at her with a dagger. "The bad news is that you've been stabbed, but the good news is you don't have to marry the man who stabbed you."
Marian couldn't suppress the smile on her lips deepening, even as she was more able to think on logistics now. "What will happen now?"
"When the king comes to Nottingham, I’ll make an entrance. He'll let me speak. He trusts me. I'll present the evidence, the physician will corroborate it, and--" He waved his hand slightly. "--Gisborne will be done for."
She watched his face carefully, her voice quiet when she spoke again. "Will he hang?"
"Yes."
Marian moved her head, looking away from Robin, toward the cave wall not too high above her, where the fire light cast dancing shadows. She blinked, telling herself it was the pain in her stomach which cause her to blink away the water in her eyes.
"Marian this is a man who would force you to marry him. A man who tried to kill the king. A man who stabbed you," Robin said his force growing stronger.
She turned her head back slowly, reluctant. "Even so, I will never support hanging."
Robin stared at her, mouth opening to speak and then closing without. Instead he simply looked away.
"What?"
He shook his head.
Marian frowned. "No. Tell me."
His head shook again. But then his voice came. Softer. Barely a whisper she could hear. "I think you feel for him."
Marian almost frowned, almost looked away, but did neither. "He's a human being."
"Hardly." Robin was staring at her, she could see his shoulders tensing. "You are stirred by him."
"Stirred?" Marian said the word and laughed. It hurt. In her stomach. And in her heart. She looked away smiling in amusement. She was laying there, fresh from surgery and Robin couldn't let it go that she wouldn't be like their enemies. That it had to be something more.
"He said it. And he was right, wasn't he?"
"Grow up."
It was quiet. A rebuke. At him. (Maybe, at all three of them.)
"Well, this morning, when you thought you had to marry him, you were happily resigned to your fate." The anger was coming now with the darkened tone. "His qualities and his genuine feelings."
"I was trying to be brave."
"But why?" He exploded, more exasperation than anger. "This whole Nightwatchman thing, it's--"
"What whole Nightwatchman thing?" Marian interrupted him, having to keep herself from struggling in his direction. "I am only doing what you do but with more intelligence."
Robin was up then. Stalking toward her. Voice loud.
"You would have thought you would have learned by now! Everytime you go out you get arrested, or stabbed, or betrothed! You should stay at home and do your embroidery," He said, sneering at her.
Marian laughed, incredulously, amazed that she was laying on this bed, newly stitched closed, and he was finding new ways to hurt her still. She looked away toward the closed wall, anger and hurt mounting against each other. Against the feeling of utter helplessness that denied her being able to stand up and walk away from this.
"I did not mean that." Came the soft whisper from the opposite side of the cave.
Marian looked back, eyes dry, but her voice was stiff. "Even my father, who is old and infirm and has a lot more to lose than you do--"
He was walking toward the door, unwilling to look at her now, but she wouldn't stop. She pushed herself up from the bed, stitches literally screaming and her vision blurring. "--even he supports me more than you do!"
She cried out in pain, but held the tears in check, only half listening as Djaq reappeared telling her she needed to sleep.