(no subject)
“Of all the ways to go, really,” she scoffs. “A stray arrow in the chest? Really, Robin, I expected much more out of you. Perhaps a vicious fight to the death with the Sheriff? Or Guy, you might have enjoyed that one more. Or both. Honestly, I’d always thought you’d waltz in here covered battle scars from head to toe with a story for each one of them.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” he says, softly. He’s smiling at her and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop. She’s sitting, upright, on the bench overlooking what she’s explained to him are train tracks, and he’s lying down, head in her lap. He’s drowning in her scent, and if this is death, then he thinks it’s really not so bad.
She looks down at him with a gentle expression. Her fingers run through his hair and he closes his eyes, reveling in the nearness of her.
“I’ve missed you,” she murmurs. “Everything about you. Your arrogance. Your stupidity. Your irresponsibility. Even your silly flirting, as hard as that may be to believe.”
“I’ve missed you as well,” he says, hoarsely. “God, Marian. Your stubbornness. Your pride. Your coldness. Your kisses, your scent, your hair…” He raises a hand to her cheek. “I realized I’d taken you for granted.”
“It was very quiet without you,” she admits, laughing. “All of a sudden I had no idea what to do with myself. There was no one to save, no one to scold, no one to be angry with. I thought I’d die again, this time of boredom.”
For once, he doesn’t say anything. Just contents himself with finally being close to her.
“What did you see?” she wonders. “When you first came here, I mean.”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me,” he replies, grinning.
She rolls her eyes at his antics, and flicks at his forehead. He grabs her hand and laces his fingers through hers. “Well,” she begins, “I saw… you, mostly.”
He blinks. “Me?”
“It was almost like… being in a dream.” Her eyes grow unfocused, like she’s replaying everything in her head. “I wasn’t sure if I was actually dead or merely…dreaming. I saw snippets of our life together. The day we first met. The day you gave me your ring. The day you told me you were leaving for the Holy Land. Things like that.”
She glances down at him. “I saw you bury my ring in England. In Sherwood. Beneath that tree I so foolishly climbed when I was a girl. You were so sad, I wanted to - but I couldn’t -”
He remains silent, twisting her fingers with his. Finally:
“I saw you, too,” he says, quietly. “The day you punched me in the nose for stealing your hair ribbons. The day I left for the Holy Land. All those memories. It made me realize how much I really loved you.”
She smiles. “We never said that to each other enough. ‘I love you.’ It seemed like we were just figuring things out when it all - when I -”
“When you died,” he murmured, “part of me did, as well. And for everyday that I lived and you did not, more and more of me became nothing but dust in the wind.”
“Melodramatic as always,” she says, caressing his forehead. “You did well enough for yourself.”
“I’m not being melodramatic!” He sits up, feeling an intense urge to let her know how much he’d suffered without her. “I put up a brave face. I threw my tantrums. But I had to continue fighting for the people. I had to keep fighting against the Sheriff. But when it was all said and done, Marian, when I had a moment to spare, when I couldn’t keep the thoughts away any longer… you were the only one I thought of.”
“I know.” Her voice is muted. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He frowns. “You’re my wife.”
She tilts her head at him, a small grin on her mouth. “You’re being oddly nice to me. It seemed like we were forever antagonizing each other, before. Is this what will become of us? Are we to become the old, boring, nice couple?”
“Hardly!” He laughs at her. “This is only temporary, my dear. We haven’t seen each other in years and I’m still adjusting to the idea of being dead. Once I’ve settled in I’ll be good old annoying Robin and you’ll wish I’d never died in the first place.”
She reaches for his hand. “I never thought we’d end up like this.”
“What, dead?”
“At such a young age.” She makes a face at him. “The thought had crossed my mind, of course… with the times we were living in, the actions we were committing on the other side of the law… it’s rather sad, isn’t it?”
He pauses, rubbing circles in her palm. “There was something else I saw before I came here,” he confesses. “Something that was not part of our life.”
“What was it?”
A smile drifts to his face at the memory. “You and me,” he begins, “living in Locksley Manor. We were married, and well into our thirties. We had children, Marian. Two boys. They had your eyes. They were beautiful children and they worshipped the ground you walked on.”
She smiles, and he can see a glimmer of wistfulness in her eyes. A pang resounds in his heart. “They sound wonderful.”
“I’m sorry.” The words fall out of him. “For not giving you children. For not giving you marriage when you’d wanted it. For not giving you the long, full life you deserved to have.”
She shakes her head. “No, Robin, you -”
He cuts her off. “No!” The beginnings of tears glisten at his eyes. “I should not have gone to the Holy Land. I should have stayed and married you and given you children. Or perhaps I should have stayed away from you altogether! If you had never met me, you would have never - you would have never been - you would have never died - but you did and it’s all because of me, it’s all my fault!”
“Stop it!” She cuts him off harshly. “Do not blame yourself. I was at fault, too! I paraded around as the Nightwatchman long after you told me not to. I manipulated Guy purposely, in order to get what I wanted. I tried to kill the Sheriff. These actions were all committed by me, independently. They were not your fault.”
He clutches her to him, his grip fierce and tight. “You should not have died so young,” he whispers. “You deserved so much -”
Abruptly, she pushes him away and shoves her finger in front of his lips, effectively shushing him. “Be quiet,” she snaps. “None of it is your fault, and sitting here whining about it isn’t going to change what’s already happened.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, rubbing at her hands in an appeasing manner. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” she goes on, glaring. “There’s no point in thinking about the past, or thinking about what we should have done. So - be quiet or I’ll have to sew your mouth shut!”
He can’t help but laugh. “I’ve missed you,” he tells her, looking at her fondly.
“I did miss you as well,” she mutters, “but if you keep this up I’ll send you back there myself.”
He chuckles and moves closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “What was this you mentioned about… waiting? Hm?”
She tries and fails to glare. “This is the middle ground… it lies between the world of the living and the actual afterlife. When someone arrives here, a train -”
“A train?” he asks, curious.
“It’s sort of like a fancy-looking carriage. And don’t interrupt.” She swats at him. “A train comes to take you to… beyond. Of course, once you’ve gone on, you can’t really come back, except in special circumstances. Carter, as you’ve seen, came back to talk to you. My father had heard that I wouldn’t be much long after him, so he stayed and waited for me.”
His throat goes dry as he pieces the information together. “Carter said that he’d never met you yet,” he says, hoarsely.
“Yes, that’s true.” She looks away, a flush of embarrassment on her face.
All of a sudden, he’s consumed with an incredible amount of love for the woman in front
of him. “Are you telling me that you’ve been here for - for -”
She looks distinctly uncomfortable. “Well, the train came for me, but I decided to stay back. And before you say anything, it was not because I couldn’t bear to go on without you or something nonsensical like that. It was merely because I knew you would be very - very sad and - and -”
He draws closer to her until their noses touch. “Marian,” he whispers.
Her eyes widen. “What?”
He moves closer and closer until her lips are a hairsbreadth away. “Shh,” he murmurs, before sealing the distance and pressing his lips against hers, pouring into the kiss all of the intensity, passion, and regret of the past years. It’s been far too long. Much too long.
When they pull away, she smiles against his lips. “Now that I’ve missed.”
“Oh, is that all I’m good for now?” he pretends to look hurt. “For my kisses? I feel used and violated.”
“Robin, if you don’t kiss me again, I’m leaving.”
“Now, now, no need for threats.” He grins against her skin before pulling her close and kissing her again.
**
When the train finally comes to a slow stop in front of them, they don’t move for a long while, content simply to stay in place, steam billowing out in heavy clouds.
At length, Marian squeezes his hand. “Come on,” she says, softly, “we’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
“You’ve kept them waiting long enough,” he corrects her.
“You’ve kept me waiting long enough,” she retorts. She stands, and pulls him up with her. “Do you know how bored I was while you were off gallivanting with your men? Don’t make me regret it, Robin.”
“I’ll spend the rest of forever making it up to you,” he declares, grinning cheekily at her.
“More of your useless drivel?” she remarks, but there’s a smile hovering on her lips. He allows her to lead him to the edge of the platform, where the door to the train carriage slides open.
“Are you sure you’d rather not wait for the rest of the gang?” Robin asks her, teasing. “After all, you’ve been here for quite a while. I imagine you’ve probably grown quite attached to the place. We could sit here for fifty more years until Much and Will and Djaq and the rest of them show up!”
She sighs, a long-suffering sigh. “Robin, get in.”
He grins and steps inside, taking the first available seat. She sits down next to him and he automatically wraps an arm around her. He’s gone for far too long without her by his side and he’s not likely to relinquish her now that she’s finally here again. “So is this the beginning of our forever?”
"I'd certainly hope so," is her reply. "We've waited for long enough, I think."
Robin glances down at the woman in his arms, with her chestnut brown curls teasing his chin and her soft form pressed comfortably against his, as if she’d been made perfectly for him and he’d been shaped precisely for her. He feels himself relax for the first time since her death.
Eternity sounds quite nice to his ears.
“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”
- The Princess Bride
.
The end.
“Sorry to disappoint,” he says, softly. He’s smiling at her and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to stop. She’s sitting, upright, on the bench overlooking what she’s explained to him are train tracks, and he’s lying down, head in her lap. He’s drowning in her scent, and if this is death, then he thinks it’s really not so bad.
She looks down at him with a gentle expression. Her fingers run through his hair and he closes his eyes, reveling in the nearness of her.
“I’ve missed you,” she murmurs. “Everything about you. Your arrogance. Your stupidity. Your irresponsibility. Even your silly flirting, as hard as that may be to believe.”
“I’ve missed you as well,” he says, hoarsely. “God, Marian. Your stubbornness. Your pride. Your coldness. Your kisses, your scent, your hair…” He raises a hand to her cheek. “I realized I’d taken you for granted.”
“It was very quiet without you,” she admits, laughing. “All of a sudden I had no idea what to do with myself. There was no one to save, no one to scold, no one to be angry with. I thought I’d die again, this time of boredom.”
For once, he doesn’t say anything. Just contents himself with finally being close to her.
“What did you see?” she wonders. “When you first came here, I mean.”
“I’ll tell you if you tell me,” he replies, grinning.
She rolls her eyes at his antics, and flicks at his forehead. He grabs her hand and laces his fingers through hers. “Well,” she begins, “I saw… you, mostly.”
He blinks. “Me?”
“It was almost like… being in a dream.” Her eyes grow unfocused, like she’s replaying everything in her head. “I wasn’t sure if I was actually dead or merely…dreaming. I saw snippets of our life together. The day we first met. The day you gave me your ring. The day you told me you were leaving for the Holy Land. Things like that.”
She glances down at him. “I saw you bury my ring in England. In Sherwood. Beneath that tree I so foolishly climbed when I was a girl. You were so sad, I wanted to - but I couldn’t -”
He remains silent, twisting her fingers with his. Finally:
“I saw you, too,” he says, quietly. “The day you punched me in the nose for stealing your hair ribbons. The day I left for the Holy Land. All those memories. It made me realize how much I really loved you.”
She smiles. “We never said that to each other enough. ‘I love you.’ It seemed like we were just figuring things out when it all - when I -”
“When you died,” he murmured, “part of me did, as well. And for everyday that I lived and you did not, more and more of me became nothing but dust in the wind.”
“Melodramatic as always,” she says, caressing his forehead. “You did well enough for yourself.”
“I’m not being melodramatic!” He sits up, feeling an intense urge to let her know how much he’d suffered without her. “I put up a brave face. I threw my tantrums. But I had to continue fighting for the people. I had to keep fighting against the Sheriff. But when it was all said and done, Marian, when I had a moment to spare, when I couldn’t keep the thoughts away any longer… you were the only one I thought of.”
“I know.” Her voice is muted. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He frowns. “You’re my wife.”
She tilts her head at him, a small grin on her mouth. “You’re being oddly nice to me. It seemed like we were forever antagonizing each other, before. Is this what will become of us? Are we to become the old, boring, nice couple?”
“Hardly!” He laughs at her. “This is only temporary, my dear. We haven’t seen each other in years and I’m still adjusting to the idea of being dead. Once I’ve settled in I’ll be good old annoying Robin and you’ll wish I’d never died in the first place.”
She reaches for his hand. “I never thought we’d end up like this.”
“What, dead?”
“At such a young age.” She makes a face at him. “The thought had crossed my mind, of course… with the times we were living in, the actions we were committing on the other side of the law… it’s rather sad, isn’t it?”
He pauses, rubbing circles in her palm. “There was something else I saw before I came here,” he confesses. “Something that was not part of our life.”
“What was it?”
A smile drifts to his face at the memory. “You and me,” he begins, “living in Locksley Manor. We were married, and well into our thirties. We had children, Marian. Two boys. They had your eyes. They were beautiful children and they worshipped the ground you walked on.”
She smiles, and he can see a glimmer of wistfulness in her eyes. A pang resounds in his heart. “They sound wonderful.”
“I’m sorry.” The words fall out of him. “For not giving you children. For not giving you marriage when you’d wanted it. For not giving you the long, full life you deserved to have.”
She shakes her head. “No, Robin, you -”
He cuts her off. “No!” The beginnings of tears glisten at his eyes. “I should not have gone to the Holy Land. I should have stayed and married you and given you children. Or perhaps I should have stayed away from you altogether! If you had never met me, you would have never - you would have never been - you would have never died - but you did and it’s all because of me, it’s all my fault!”
“Stop it!” She cuts him off harshly. “Do not blame yourself. I was at fault, too! I paraded around as the Nightwatchman long after you told me not to. I manipulated Guy purposely, in order to get what I wanted. I tried to kill the Sheriff. These actions were all committed by me, independently. They were not your fault.”
He clutches her to him, his grip fierce and tight. “You should not have died so young,” he whispers. “You deserved so much -”
Abruptly, she pushes him away and shoves her finger in front of his lips, effectively shushing him. “Be quiet,” she snaps. “None of it is your fault, and sitting here whining about it isn’t going to change what’s already happened.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, rubbing at her hands in an appeasing manner. “I’m sorry.”
“We’re here now, and that’s all that matters,” she goes on, glaring. “There’s no point in thinking about the past, or thinking about what we should have done. So - be quiet or I’ll have to sew your mouth shut!”
He can’t help but laugh. “I’ve missed you,” he tells her, looking at her fondly.
“I did miss you as well,” she mutters, “but if you keep this up I’ll send you back there myself.”
He chuckles and moves closer, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “What was this you mentioned about… waiting? Hm?”
She tries and fails to glare. “This is the middle ground… it lies between the world of the living and the actual afterlife. When someone arrives here, a train -”
“A train?” he asks, curious.
“It’s sort of like a fancy-looking carriage. And don’t interrupt.” She swats at him. “A train comes to take you to… beyond. Of course, once you’ve gone on, you can’t really come back, except in special circumstances. Carter, as you’ve seen, came back to talk to you. My father had heard that I wouldn’t be much long after him, so he stayed and waited for me.”
His throat goes dry as he pieces the information together. “Carter said that he’d never met you yet,” he says, hoarsely.
“Yes, that’s true.” She looks away, a flush of embarrassment on her face.
All of a sudden, he’s consumed with an incredible amount of love for the woman in front
of him. “Are you telling me that you’ve been here for - for -”
She looks distinctly uncomfortable. “Well, the train came for me, but I decided to stay back. And before you say anything, it was not because I couldn’t bear to go on without you or something nonsensical like that. It was merely because I knew you would be very - very sad and - and -”
He draws closer to her until their noses touch. “Marian,” he whispers.
Her eyes widen. “What?”
He moves closer and closer until her lips are a hairsbreadth away. “Shh,” he murmurs, before sealing the distance and pressing his lips against hers, pouring into the kiss all of the intensity, passion, and regret of the past years. It’s been far too long. Much too long.
When they pull away, she smiles against his lips. “Now that I’ve missed.”
“Oh, is that all I’m good for now?” he pretends to look hurt. “For my kisses? I feel used and violated.”
“Robin, if you don’t kiss me again, I’m leaving.”
“Now, now, no need for threats.” He grins against her skin before pulling her close and kissing her again.
**
When the train finally comes to a slow stop in front of them, they don’t move for a long while, content simply to stay in place, steam billowing out in heavy clouds.
At length, Marian squeezes his hand. “Come on,” she says, softly, “we’ve kept them waiting long enough.”
“You’ve kept them waiting long enough,” he corrects her.
“You’ve kept me waiting long enough,” she retorts. She stands, and pulls him up with her. “Do you know how bored I was while you were off gallivanting with your men? Don’t make me regret it, Robin.”
“I’ll spend the rest of forever making it up to you,” he declares, grinning cheekily at her.
“More of your useless drivel?” she remarks, but there’s a smile hovering on her lips. He allows her to lead him to the edge of the platform, where the door to the train carriage slides open.
“Are you sure you’d rather not wait for the rest of the gang?” Robin asks her, teasing. “After all, you’ve been here for quite a while. I imagine you’ve probably grown quite attached to the place. We could sit here for fifty more years until Much and Will and Djaq and the rest of them show up!”
She sighs, a long-suffering sigh. “Robin, get in.”
He grins and steps inside, taking the first available seat. She sits down next to him and he automatically wraps an arm around her. He’s gone for far too long without her by his side and he’s not likely to relinquish her now that she’s finally here again. “So is this the beginning of our forever?”
"I'd certainly hope so," is her reply. "We've waited for long enough, I think."
Robin glances down at the woman in his arms, with her chestnut brown curls teasing his chin and her soft form pressed comfortably against his, as if she’d been made perfectly for him and he’d been shaped precisely for her. He feels himself relax for the first time since her death.
Eternity sounds quite nice to his ears.
“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”
- The Princess Bride
.
The end.