two unfinished fics and a drabble
Was going through my fic folder and found a bunch of stuff that never got farther than a scene, or that I forgot I wrote and have no idea where I was going with them. I picked out a couple that I like, but am pretty sure aren't going anywhere. And a drabble.
one
The castle was in an uproar. The Black Knights had gambled and lost, and John was fleeing to Paris. Vaysey was accompanying him, having layed his cards a little too early, and Guy would follow.
Marian walked through the castle in a daze. She could little believe that this reign of terror was over. King Richard was still in prison, but she had faith in Queen Eleanor and the council of nobles, especially now that John's meddling was put to an end. An end to Vaysey, an end to the savagery and cruelty--and she would be free.
She was abruptly shaken from her reverie. Guy grabbed her by the arms, his face pale before hers.
"Guy!"
"Marian--Marian," he said again, softer.
She looked up at him, her stomach doing little flips. "What is it?"
"I will be back."
She only looked at him. He dropped his head. "I cannot believe that this is the last I will see of you."
And it was a sobering thought. This man, who had taken up so much of her effort and attention over the past two years, suddenly plucked out of her life. She smiled at him ruefully.
"Marian," he continued, "I cannot ask you to come with me--"
She stiffened. "No. You cannot." And something seemed to break, the smallest hope that he must have been carrying around that she would come--that she would want to come with him. When he looked up, his eyes were sadder.
"Where shall you go?"
"My mother's estate, Winby. It will take some time to get a proper household together, but it will do until Knighton can be rebuilt."
There were no words after that. Guy turned to go--but whipped around. Marian knew what he was asking, and did not have the heart to deny him. She would think of it ashamed later, when she was wed, that she was keeping his hopes alive. But she let him kiss her, and she kissed him back.
The feel of his hands pressed into her back lingered a long, long time.
There was no goodbye, but she could not keep herself from watching until they disappeared into the distance.
*
She stayed in the forest for awhile, but there was little to do when the new Sheriff, who was fair if dull, arrived. The outlaws could not receive pardon, but neither were they actively hunted. At Marian's urging a fair steward was appointed at Locksley, and the outlaws accompanied her to Winby.
The first night there Marian collapsed on the freshly-made bed in complete exhaustion. They had ridden all morning and then had hours of cleaning and putting things in order before the manor house was made ready for regular use. Robin swaggered in with a grin that looked fit to split his face.
"I'm going to bed Robin, I'm exhausted."
He flopped beside her on the bed, head propped up on one hand. "Sure you won't get lonely in this big bed?"
Marian rolled her eyes. "I'm quite used to sleeping by myself, I think I'll be fine."
Robin leaned close to whisper, "Well we'll be married soon enough, perhaps you should get used to not sleeping by yourself?"
She propped herself up on her elbows to give him a proper glare. But then he kissed her in a way that she had let him only few times before. His hand tangled in her hair, strayed down to trace her clavicle, followed the curve of her neck. He kissed her inhibitions away.
In the morning, when Marian awoke feeling just as tired as she had when they'd finally gone to bed, she realized just how spectacularly stupid an idea it had been. Robin was still an outlaw, they didn't know when Richard would be freed, and if there was a child it would have no legal status. She was consorting with outlaws. But she couldn't be too upset; she grinned a little and scooted herself back against Robin's chest.
To her tenants she was married; they didn't know Robin was an outlaw and most of them hadn't been married by a priest.
and then . . . ? I'm guessing this would have ended up as emo R/M, or possibly G/M. Probably G/M
Purgatory
To his utter surprise, she is waiting for him.
"What are you doing here?" he says in his astonishment.
"It's not Hell, if that's what you're wondering," she says, straightening from her position leaning against some grey and indistinct structure. "It's Purgatory."
He swallows, a strangely physical feeling.
"But I thought . . ."
"You were remorseful," she says tightly. And then his eyes snap to her, really see her, and he staggers forward a step.
"Marian . . . "
She lays a finger against his lips. "I know." Her blue eyes are old and wise, lit with a strange light, and he accepts this. He is afraid, but those months of anguish and yearning win out and he raises a hand to her cheek. She closes her eyes a moment and, to his surprise, kisses his palm. She lets it fall.
"Am I to be judged?" He asks quietly.
She shakes her head. "Not yet. There are tasks for you."
"How long . . . ?"
"I do not know. That is why it is Purgatory."
"And you are here as well."
Her lips curl ruefully. "I was never as good as you believed me to be. I was never as good as I thought I was. But come," she says, taking his hand, "we have things to do."
He is immobile, letting her tug his hand. "I thought there would be peace," he says quietly.
"Did you really?"
There is a pause. "I hoped there would be. I feared there would not. I do not deserve it."
A smile flickers across her face. "You will."
*
They are suddenly in an orchard, green and gold with sunshine, branches laden with swelling fruit. The time of year it was when Guy . . . left.
"How did you do that?"
She grips his hand tighter. "Feel."
He closes his eyes and there is the sense of shift, of things closing and turning, and he can see in his head how it feels. He does not wait for her command but reaches out and suddenly they are in that small room in the castle, the place where she reached out and kissed him.
"Sorry," he says, and she takes them back to the orchard without a word.
"I didn't--"
"Your happiest place. It's the easiest to find, the first time."
He wants to ask what hers was, but he doesn't want to know.
Then the adventures of Ghost!Guy and Ghost!Marian follow. To what end (other than the obvious), I'm not sure.
Poker
At the time, strip poker had seemed like an acceptable alternative to Allan's suggestion of gambling for money, which Robin had firmly nixed, and far more entertaining than using acorns. What no one suspected, however, was how much of a natural Kate would prove to be, and just how bad John was at cards.
"Whose idea was this again?" Much huffed, after Kate layed down a full house.
one
The castle was in an uproar. The Black Knights had gambled and lost, and John was fleeing to Paris. Vaysey was accompanying him, having layed his cards a little too early, and Guy would follow.
Marian walked through the castle in a daze. She could little believe that this reign of terror was over. King Richard was still in prison, but she had faith in Queen Eleanor and the council of nobles, especially now that John's meddling was put to an end. An end to Vaysey, an end to the savagery and cruelty--and she would be free.
She was abruptly shaken from her reverie. Guy grabbed her by the arms, his face pale before hers.
"Guy!"
"Marian--Marian," he said again, softer.
She looked up at him, her stomach doing little flips. "What is it?"
"I will be back."
She only looked at him. He dropped his head. "I cannot believe that this is the last I will see of you."
And it was a sobering thought. This man, who had taken up so much of her effort and attention over the past two years, suddenly plucked out of her life. She smiled at him ruefully.
"Marian," he continued, "I cannot ask you to come with me--"
She stiffened. "No. You cannot." And something seemed to break, the smallest hope that he must have been carrying around that she would come--that she would want to come with him. When he looked up, his eyes were sadder.
"Where shall you go?"
"My mother's estate, Winby. It will take some time to get a proper household together, but it will do until Knighton can be rebuilt."
There were no words after that. Guy turned to go--but whipped around. Marian knew what he was asking, and did not have the heart to deny him. She would think of it ashamed later, when she was wed, that she was keeping his hopes alive. But she let him kiss her, and she kissed him back.
The feel of his hands pressed into her back lingered a long, long time.
There was no goodbye, but she could not keep herself from watching until they disappeared into the distance.
*
She stayed in the forest for awhile, but there was little to do when the new Sheriff, who was fair if dull, arrived. The outlaws could not receive pardon, but neither were they actively hunted. At Marian's urging a fair steward was appointed at Locksley, and the outlaws accompanied her to Winby.
The first night there Marian collapsed on the freshly-made bed in complete exhaustion. They had ridden all morning and then had hours of cleaning and putting things in order before the manor house was made ready for regular use. Robin swaggered in with a grin that looked fit to split his face.
"I'm going to bed Robin, I'm exhausted."
He flopped beside her on the bed, head propped up on one hand. "Sure you won't get lonely in this big bed?"
Marian rolled her eyes. "I'm quite used to sleeping by myself, I think I'll be fine."
Robin leaned close to whisper, "Well we'll be married soon enough, perhaps you should get used to not sleeping by yourself?"
She propped herself up on her elbows to give him a proper glare. But then he kissed her in a way that she had let him only few times before. His hand tangled in her hair, strayed down to trace her clavicle, followed the curve of her neck. He kissed her inhibitions away.
In the morning, when Marian awoke feeling just as tired as she had when they'd finally gone to bed, she realized just how spectacularly stupid an idea it had been. Robin was still an outlaw, they didn't know when Richard would be freed, and if there was a child it would have no legal status. She was consorting with outlaws. But she couldn't be too upset; she grinned a little and scooted herself back against Robin's chest.
To her tenants she was married; they didn't know Robin was an outlaw and most of them hadn't been married by a priest.
and then . . . ? I'm guessing this would have ended up as emo R/M, or possibly G/M. Probably G/M
Purgatory
To his utter surprise, she is waiting for him.
"What are you doing here?" he says in his astonishment.
"It's not Hell, if that's what you're wondering," she says, straightening from her position leaning against some grey and indistinct structure. "It's Purgatory."
He swallows, a strangely physical feeling.
"But I thought . . ."
"You were remorseful," she says tightly. And then his eyes snap to her, really see her, and he staggers forward a step.
"Marian . . . "
She lays a finger against his lips. "I know." Her blue eyes are old and wise, lit with a strange light, and he accepts this. He is afraid, but those months of anguish and yearning win out and he raises a hand to her cheek. She closes her eyes a moment and, to his surprise, kisses his palm. She lets it fall.
"Am I to be judged?" He asks quietly.
She shakes her head. "Not yet. There are tasks for you."
"How long . . . ?"
"I do not know. That is why it is Purgatory."
"And you are here as well."
Her lips curl ruefully. "I was never as good as you believed me to be. I was never as good as I thought I was. But come," she says, taking his hand, "we have things to do."
He is immobile, letting her tug his hand. "I thought there would be peace," he says quietly.
"Did you really?"
There is a pause. "I hoped there would be. I feared there would not. I do not deserve it."
A smile flickers across her face. "You will."
*
They are suddenly in an orchard, green and gold with sunshine, branches laden with swelling fruit. The time of year it was when Guy . . . left.
"How did you do that?"
She grips his hand tighter. "Feel."
He closes his eyes and there is the sense of shift, of things closing and turning, and he can see in his head how it feels. He does not wait for her command but reaches out and suddenly they are in that small room in the castle, the place where she reached out and kissed him.
"Sorry," he says, and she takes them back to the orchard without a word.
"I didn't--"
"Your happiest place. It's the easiest to find, the first time."
He wants to ask what hers was, but he doesn't want to know.
Then the adventures of Ghost!Guy and Ghost!Marian follow. To what end (other than the obvious), I'm not sure.
Poker
At the time, strip poker had seemed like an acceptable alternative to Allan's suggestion of gambling for money, which Robin had firmly nixed, and far more entertaining than using acorns. What no one suspected, however, was how much of a natural Kate would prove to be, and just how bad John was at cards.
"Whose idea was this again?" Much huffed, after Kate layed down a full house.