Robin Hood: Just the Middle
Title: Just the Middle
Author: arliddian
Rating: G
Fandom: Robin Hood
Characters/Pairing: Robin, Allan, Much
Timeframe Post-season 2
Summary: After everything they've lost, the outlaws pause to reflect on what they're fighting for.
Word Count: 249
Author's Note: For the drabbles100 challenge. Prompt: "middles".
Warnings: Mention of character death.
Disclaimer: Don't own it; don't sue me.
Little John's death hit them hard. After the burial, the outlaws returned to a camp that now seemed too empty for only three people, the air feeling heavy with thoughts of all they had lost: Little John, Will and Djaq, Marian, Carter, Tom, Roy...
They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour. There was no discussion of the next step, no attempts to find the good in the situation. They were outnumbered, isolated, and rapidly becoming outmanoeuvred. They were losing, and they knew it.
"So is this it?" Allan asked quietly. "Is this the end?"
Much blinked and glanced from face to face. Pressing his lips together, he answered, "No. This is not the end. And it's not a horrible new beginning, either." His eyes shone with fierce determination, a desperate hope. "This is just the middle of the story. That's what it is! The middle. So we've got to keep on going."
"If this is the middle, when's the end going to come?"
"When Nottingham is free," Robin said, looking up at his comrades. "When the Sheriff is defeated and peace restored. That is the end we're fighting for." He nodded, seeming to draw strength from his own words. "Much is right. We keep fighting until we reach that end, no matter how long it takes."
Allan gazed into the dying fire, considering his friends' words. "Just the middle, eh?"
Much nodded firmly, and a small, sad, enigmatic smile appeared on Robin’s face. "Just the middle."
Fin
Author: arliddian
Rating: G
Fandom: Robin Hood
Characters/Pairing: Robin, Allan, Much
Timeframe Post-season 2
Summary: After everything they've lost, the outlaws pause to reflect on what they're fighting for.
Word Count: 249
Author's Note: For the drabbles100 challenge. Prompt: "middles".
Warnings: Mention of character death.
Disclaimer: Don't own it; don't sue me.
Little John's death hit them hard. After the burial, the outlaws returned to a camp that now seemed too empty for only three people, the air feeling heavy with thoughts of all they had lost: Little John, Will and Djaq, Marian, Carter, Tom, Roy...
They sat in silence for what seemed like an hour. There was no discussion of the next step, no attempts to find the good in the situation. They were outnumbered, isolated, and rapidly becoming outmanoeuvred. They were losing, and they knew it.
"So is this it?" Allan asked quietly. "Is this the end?"
Much blinked and glanced from face to face. Pressing his lips together, he answered, "No. This is not the end. And it's not a horrible new beginning, either." His eyes shone with fierce determination, a desperate hope. "This is just the middle of the story. That's what it is! The middle. So we've got to keep on going."
"If this is the middle, when's the end going to come?"
"When Nottingham is free," Robin said, looking up at his comrades. "When the Sheriff is defeated and peace restored. That is the end we're fighting for." He nodded, seeming to draw strength from his own words. "Much is right. We keep fighting until we reach that end, no matter how long it takes."
Allan gazed into the dying fire, considering his friends' words. "Just the middle, eh?"
Much nodded firmly, and a small, sad, enigmatic smile appeared on Robin’s face. "Just the middle."
Fin