fic: For the Queen (8/8 alt ending)
Title: For the Queen (8/8)
Author: robinfanatic
Spoilers: S2
Rating: M
Warnings/Genre: angst, slash, romance/fluff
Characters/Pairings: Much/Carter, Robin/Carter (implied), Queen Eleanor, the Gang (minus Djaq & Will), Guy (earlier ch.)
Copyright: BBC owns; I just want to play in their universe
Summary: a multi-part, post-series 2 AU, wherein Carter still lives (three cheers for DeNile)! Adventure & romance await as Carter and the gang offer their services to the Queen Mother.
This chapter: OT3 (implied)
Dedicated, with love, to darkentwisted and thestorymaker
>->------------>>
Chapter 8
After a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, fine meats, and the tastiest of warm breads fresh from the ovens, the outlaws gathered in Queen Eleanor’s study. A map of England, the rest of the Plantagenet holdings, and the lands to the east was spread across the table.
“As if to add insult to injury, my son John is stooping lower than I would have dreamed,” the Queen told the men. “We have known of the games he’s played in his brother’s absence, but late last night I received word that he made landfall in Normandy and proclaimed himself Richard’s heir. He is raising a mercenary force and seeking the support of our mortal enemy, King Philip of France. I am sending you home, Robin, but not to Nottingham. Not yet.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Our best warriors have returned from the Holy Land,” the Queen said.
“They will be loyal supporters of King Richard,” Carter added.
The Queen smiled. “My thoughts, too, Carter.”
“You want us to gather crusaders to put down any forces John musters,” Robin said.
The Queen studied the faces of the men in the room. She laid her finger on the map, pointing at the English coast across from Flanders. “Guard the coastline, my friends. Repel the invaders.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow.”
>->------------>>
“You aren’t happy with this turn of events.”
Robin threw a tired look Carter’s way. After the evening meal, he’d wanted to be alone but wasn’t anxious to sit in his room. As much as he craved a normal life with a warm hearth, he found he preferred being outdoors where he could see the trees and the stars and breathe in the cool, crisp air of a late winter’s day.
“I would rather see action than sit across the sea in England and guard the coast.”
Carter smiled. “We are soldiers, Robin. We follow orders.”
“I know that, Carter,” the archer snapped.
Carter shook his head. He knew Robin was hurting but he couldn’t let him wallow in self pity, couldn’t let him head down a path that would destroy him. There was too much at stake. “Much was right.”
“Right about what?”
“You are trying to get yourself killed.”
“That is not true!” Robin glared.
“You’re reckless. Putting yourself in harm’s way.” Carter’s accusation was met with silence, which only enforced his suspicion that his words were true. “The people of England need you-“
“You and Much can carry on. Allan, Little John.”
“Marian would tell you that you’re a fool, Locksley,” Carter spat.
“Because I want to be with her?”
“Marian will wait forever for you. She would tell you that England needs you more than she does, and that you will share eternal bliss someday-not now-not while you still have one breath to do the right thing.”
“What if I don’t want to wait? You do not know what it is like.”
“Yes, I do! Not for a woman’s love perhaps, but you saw what my grief over Thomas’ death did to me. It consumed every minute of my life, haunted me in dreams. It almost killed me. You almost killed me. And I know how I would feel if something happened to Much.”
Robin’s lips trembled. “I miss her so much.” A tear fell down his cheek and his whole body began to shake.
“I know.” Carter wrapped his arms around Robin. “I know,” he repeated.
Robin buried his head on Carter’s shoulder. He cried a tear for moments he would never share on this earth with the only woman he had ever loved. Carter held him tightly, gently stroking the archer’s hair and desperately wishing he could erase Robin’s pain. He knew there were no words to soothe his heartache-only time might heal the wounds that ran as deep as the sword that took his true love’s life.
Much walked through the archway into the garden and almost called out to the two men, ready to feign the jealous lover act. He realized that Robin was crying and stopped short, swallowing the lump that welled in his throat. He watched the tender embrace between his lover and his friend, the two men he cherished most in the world. He felt torn by his own happiness and the grief he felt for Robin.
Much approached the men slowly and gathered them in his arms. He kissed Carter then brushed his lips against Robin’s, shivering as the outlaw’s wet cheeks met his own. Robin responded to Much’s kiss with clumsiness borne of desperation. He seemed lost, angry, and almost wild as he explored Much’s mouth then found Carter’s.
Breathless, Robin abruptly tried to pull away from their embrace but Much held him fast, running his hand through the outlaw’s hair. Much’s eyes grew soft as he looked from Carter to Robin. “Little John told me that the views out here are quite spectacular in the moonlight.” Slipping his hands into theirs, Much led them deep into gardens.
>->------------>>
Later that evening, Carter crawled into bed beside Much. He gently drew his arm over and curled his body around Much then planted a kiss on his shoulder. This might be the last time they’d sleep in a nice warm bed for many months to come.
“I’m not sure how I feel about sharing you,” Much said. “I fear that Robin might steal your heart.”
“That wouldn’t happen,” Carter insisted, turning Much to face him.
“You say that now but how can you know?” Much said, his voice cracking. “It hurt… it hurt so much… knowing his heart belonged to Marian, remembering how everything changed for good when we returned from the Holy Land. I cannot go through that again. Is it wrong for me to be so selfish?”
Carter kissed Much gently on the forehead. “Not at all. You own me, love. Heart, mind, body. I’m yours. What happened … in the garden … it doesn’t have to happen again. Besides, shouldn’t I be the one who is worried about him stealing your heart?” Carter asked. “He loved you a long time before-“
“But he does fancy you. I’ve known that since that first day. You came galloping into Clun on that horse like a shining white knight. Oh, the way he smiled at you. You’d think he’d died and gone to heaven. He was madly in love. Probably would’ve kissed you right there and then if Marian hadn’t been standing there. You could do no wrong in his eyes.”
Carter couldn’t hold back a grin. “Really?”
“Don’t you tell me that you didn’t notice!”
“And you’re tellin’ me that you didn’t feel the same way?”
“Well, yes, of course I did… well, at least until you tried to kill us-“
“Are you going to hold that against me forever?”
“Probably,” Much grinned as he shifted his hips, pressed his leg between Carter’s, and ran a hand down the soldier’s belly.
“Again?” Carter sighed as he closed his eyes and moaned softly against Much’s gentle touch.
THE END
>->------------>>
Earlier chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Alternate Selfish!Much chapter 8 here
>->------------>>
Historical notes from
Miller, D. Richard the Lionheart: the mighty crusader. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003.
Weir, A. Eleanor of Aquitaine: a life. New York : Ballantine, 2000.
Kelly, A. Eleanor of Aquitaine and the four kings. Cambridge, MA : Harvard Univ Press, 1950.
>->------------>>
Author: robinfanatic
Spoilers: S2
Rating: M
Warnings/Genre: angst, slash, romance/fluff
Characters/Pairings: Much/Carter, Robin/Carter (implied), Queen Eleanor, the Gang (minus Djaq & Will), Guy (earlier ch.)
Copyright: BBC owns; I just want to play in their universe
Summary: a multi-part, post-series 2 AU, wherein Carter still lives (three cheers for DeNile)! Adventure & romance await as Carter and the gang offer their services to the Queen Mother.
This chapter: OT3 (implied)
Dedicated, with love, to darkentwisted and thestorymaker
>->------------>>
Chapter 8
After a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, fine meats, and the tastiest of warm breads fresh from the ovens, the outlaws gathered in Queen Eleanor’s study. A map of England, the rest of the Plantagenet holdings, and the lands to the east was spread across the table.
“As if to add insult to injury, my son John is stooping lower than I would have dreamed,” the Queen told the men. “We have known of the games he’s played in his brother’s absence, but late last night I received word that he made landfall in Normandy and proclaimed himself Richard’s heir. He is raising a mercenary force and seeking the support of our mortal enemy, King Philip of France. I am sending you home, Robin, but not to Nottingham. Not yet.”
“Your Majesty?”
“Our best warriors have returned from the Holy Land,” the Queen said.
“They will be loyal supporters of King Richard,” Carter added.
The Queen smiled. “My thoughts, too, Carter.”
“You want us to gather crusaders to put down any forces John musters,” Robin said.
The Queen studied the faces of the men in the room. She laid her finger on the map, pointing at the English coast across from Flanders. “Guard the coastline, my friends. Repel the invaders.”
“We’ll leave tomorrow.”
>->------------>>
“You aren’t happy with this turn of events.”
Robin threw a tired look Carter’s way. After the evening meal, he’d wanted to be alone but wasn’t anxious to sit in his room. As much as he craved a normal life with a warm hearth, he found he preferred being outdoors where he could see the trees and the stars and breathe in the cool, crisp air of a late winter’s day.
“I would rather see action than sit across the sea in England and guard the coast.”
Carter smiled. “We are soldiers, Robin. We follow orders.”
“I know that, Carter,” the archer snapped.
Carter shook his head. He knew Robin was hurting but he couldn’t let him wallow in self pity, couldn’t let him head down a path that would destroy him. There was too much at stake. “Much was right.”
“Right about what?”
“You are trying to get yourself killed.”
“That is not true!” Robin glared.
“You’re reckless. Putting yourself in harm’s way.” Carter’s accusation was met with silence, which only enforced his suspicion that his words were true. “The people of England need you-“
“You and Much can carry on. Allan, Little John.”
“Marian would tell you that you’re a fool, Locksley,” Carter spat.
“Because I want to be with her?”
“Marian will wait forever for you. She would tell you that England needs you more than she does, and that you will share eternal bliss someday-not now-not while you still have one breath to do the right thing.”
“What if I don’t want to wait? You do not know what it is like.”
“Yes, I do! Not for a woman’s love perhaps, but you saw what my grief over Thomas’ death did to me. It consumed every minute of my life, haunted me in dreams. It almost killed me. You almost killed me. And I know how I would feel if something happened to Much.”
Robin’s lips trembled. “I miss her so much.” A tear fell down his cheek and his whole body began to shake.
“I know.” Carter wrapped his arms around Robin. “I know,” he repeated.
Robin buried his head on Carter’s shoulder. He cried a tear for moments he would never share on this earth with the only woman he had ever loved. Carter held him tightly, gently stroking the archer’s hair and desperately wishing he could erase Robin’s pain. He knew there were no words to soothe his heartache-only time might heal the wounds that ran as deep as the sword that took his true love’s life.
Much walked through the archway into the garden and almost called out to the two men, ready to feign the jealous lover act. He realized that Robin was crying and stopped short, swallowing the lump that welled in his throat. He watched the tender embrace between his lover and his friend, the two men he cherished most in the world. He felt torn by his own happiness and the grief he felt for Robin.
Much approached the men slowly and gathered them in his arms. He kissed Carter then brushed his lips against Robin’s, shivering as the outlaw’s wet cheeks met his own. Robin responded to Much’s kiss with clumsiness borne of desperation. He seemed lost, angry, and almost wild as he explored Much’s mouth then found Carter’s.
Breathless, Robin abruptly tried to pull away from their embrace but Much held him fast, running his hand through the outlaw’s hair. Much’s eyes grew soft as he looked from Carter to Robin. “Little John told me that the views out here are quite spectacular in the moonlight.” Slipping his hands into theirs, Much led them deep into gardens.
>->------------>>
Later that evening, Carter crawled into bed beside Much. He gently drew his arm over and curled his body around Much then planted a kiss on his shoulder. This might be the last time they’d sleep in a nice warm bed for many months to come.
“I’m not sure how I feel about sharing you,” Much said. “I fear that Robin might steal your heart.”
“That wouldn’t happen,” Carter insisted, turning Much to face him.
“You say that now but how can you know?” Much said, his voice cracking. “It hurt… it hurt so much… knowing his heart belonged to Marian, remembering how everything changed for good when we returned from the Holy Land. I cannot go through that again. Is it wrong for me to be so selfish?”
Carter kissed Much gently on the forehead. “Not at all. You own me, love. Heart, mind, body. I’m yours. What happened … in the garden … it doesn’t have to happen again. Besides, shouldn’t I be the one who is worried about him stealing your heart?” Carter asked. “He loved you a long time before-“
“But he does fancy you. I’ve known that since that first day. You came galloping into Clun on that horse like a shining white knight. Oh, the way he smiled at you. You’d think he’d died and gone to heaven. He was madly in love. Probably would’ve kissed you right there and then if Marian hadn’t been standing there. You could do no wrong in his eyes.”
Carter couldn’t hold back a grin. “Really?”
“Don’t you tell me that you didn’t notice!”
“And you’re tellin’ me that you didn’t feel the same way?”
“Well, yes, of course I did… well, at least until you tried to kill us-“
“Are you going to hold that against me forever?”
“Probably,” Much grinned as he shifted his hips, pressed his leg between Carter’s, and ran a hand down the soldier’s belly.
“Again?” Carter sighed as he closed his eyes and moaned softly against Much’s gentle touch.
THE END
>->------------>>
Earlier chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Alternate Selfish!Much chapter 8 here
>->------------>>
Historical notes from
Miller, D. Richard the Lionheart: the mighty crusader. London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2003.
Weir, A. Eleanor of Aquitaine: a life. New York : Ballantine, 2000.
Kelly, A. Eleanor of Aquitaine and the four kings. Cambridge, MA : Harvard Univ Press, 1950.
>->------------>>