Robin Hood fic: ""Silly" Much" 1/1
Title: "Silly" Much.
Characters: Much, Djaq
Prompt: Flight.
Summary: Djaq returns, and she and Much chat.
Glossary at the end of the ficlet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From where he sat, Much could see birds. So many birds, all fluttering about, singing and chasing one another. Through the air. Flying.
Flying. Able to change where they were with scarcely more than a thought, their place in life nailed down by nothing. If they disliked anything, they could take wing and be far away from the dislike in seconds flat.
'Climb the tree, Much. Fetch my armor, Much. Get us dinner, Much. Provide an excuse for my absence, Much.'
"I am a snake," Much decided to himself. "A snake guarding a nest and the fledglings, even when the fledglings were fully-grown gyrfalcons." The alternative mental image would be of a half-starved dog keeping watch over chickens. "I am a snake," even as - particularly as - sparrows and nuthatches flew branch to branch overhead, even as he remembered sermons - as a child and in the Holy Land - about the Serpent and its role in Creation.
Robin was right, I do not know much. But one thing Much did know, was that snakes could not fly. I am a snake.
The snake's ears twitched and his eyes noticed something that was not-so just a moment before. With senses honed keeping watch on the growing Robin, on missions through the Holy Land, and aboard ships voyaging between the two, Much stood up silently, watching the nearly-imperceptible movement of the brush.
"Djaq?" Much asked when the source of the movement was visible. Djaq and nobody with her. Not even Will.
"It is I," she said. "It is good to see you, Much."
"Yes, well, thank you. Salām ʿalaykum."
" ʿalaykum salaam," Djaq reciprocated.
"Back so soon?" Much asked when neither of them proved able to suggest something to talk about.
"Yes."
"Alone?"
"Will...chose to find employment along the docks." He may go to Italy, to find employment and seek the exotic there.
"Oh. And -" stopping himself when he suspected, based on Djaq's words and what was not said, that there had been a falling out. "So..."
"So...?"
"You're back. You're back in Sherwood!"
"Yes, I am."
"Why? I mean, I'm glad to see you, don't think that I'm not happy to see you safe and sound...but why -"
"Sherwood?"
"I was going to say England."
Djaq shrugged. "So...you are a snake?"
Much nodded.
"If you are a snake, Much," Djaq said, her expression telling him that she couldn't picture him as such a creature, "then you're one of those serpents which eats the dangerous ones."
"Me, eating dangerous...? No, I don't even like to fight."
"No one does, Much. Even King Richard makes peace," and punctuated it by sitting down next to him. Not rubbing-flanks close, but next to.
"Djaq -"
"You are silly, Much," Djaq said, switching back to Much's Old English.
Much ducked his head. "Aw. You don't mean that."
"I do."
Looking up, meeting her bright eyes, "Really?"
"Very silly," Djaq confirmed. "I don't need to be a Sufi to know that a person needs a developed sense of humour in addition to honour and humility to be complete." To herself and sad, "Will's humility was incomplete," and supposed she hadn't wanted to see that, to admit that before.
Much had overheard, but he said nothing - what could he possibly say? "You're saying I'm complete? Me, a manservant?"
"Gaius Julius Caesar was a pirate's prisoner and a soldier. Our shared Prophet was a carpenter," and Much opened & then shut his mouth, understanding. "We are what we make of ourselves, using the tools we have been given. Some squander it and bring ruin to everyone around them. Others make the desert bloom."
"I'm not a gardener," Much confessed. "As a matter of fact, I'm very much not a good gardener. I've killed potted plants without meaning to."
"Much," Djaq said, her gentle smile not chiding him as some people would, "it was more than simply a literal statement."
"Oh." As his mind formed images of what she may've meant, "Oh!"
A silent nod.
"Much?" Djaq asked after a companionable silence.
"Hm?"
"Have you ever left Sherwood? Aside from to travel to Jerusalem."
"Uh... No. No, as a matter of fact. There was a week in part of Italy, but that was en route, so it doesn't count.
"You?"
Djaq shook her head. "Mecca and Medina, Qom, and Jerusalem." And here, but that went without saying.
"Then you have tr-"
"Those were pilgramages," Djaq said. "I have traveled for my soul, traveled for battle, and traveled as a prisoner. I have never traveled for its own sake."
"Same here," Much said. "Oh, going to Richard's Court, but that was duty, same as going to the Holy Land."
And the question hung in the air between them.
Finally, "Think you'd like it?"
"What?" Djaq asked.
"Traveling. For its own sake, I mean."
"I do not know..."
"I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
She smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Much."
On the Continent and in the Holy Land, Much had seen snakes rear up and lash out at people and at prey. No, horses rear up. Is it rearing up if they don't have hind legs? Snakes don't have any legs, that's why they're snakes. And when a snake lashed out from a tree, leglessly leaping, it was airborne for no more than a second...whereupon it went promptly crashing into the brush and stones below.
This snake took to the air, and did not plummet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Glossary:
Silly = Blessed. (related to "saelig" which meant "happy")
"our shared Prophet" is a reference to Jesus. Both religions place great importance on him.
Characters: Much, Djaq
Prompt: Flight.
Summary: Djaq returns, and she and Much chat.
Glossary at the end of the ficlet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From where he sat, Much could see birds. So many birds, all fluttering about, singing and chasing one another. Through the air. Flying.
Flying. Able to change where they were with scarcely more than a thought, their place in life nailed down by nothing. If they disliked anything, they could take wing and be far away from the dislike in seconds flat.
'Climb the tree, Much. Fetch my armor, Much. Get us dinner, Much. Provide an excuse for my absence, Much.'
"I am a snake," Much decided to himself. "A snake guarding a nest and the fledglings, even when the fledglings were fully-grown gyrfalcons." The alternative mental image would be of a half-starved dog keeping watch over chickens. "I am a snake," even as - particularly as - sparrows and nuthatches flew branch to branch overhead, even as he remembered sermons - as a child and in the Holy Land - about the Serpent and its role in Creation.
Robin was right, I do not know much. But one thing Much did know, was that snakes could not fly. I am a snake.
The snake's ears twitched and his eyes noticed something that was not-so just a moment before. With senses honed keeping watch on the growing Robin, on missions through the Holy Land, and aboard ships voyaging between the two, Much stood up silently, watching the nearly-imperceptible movement of the brush.
"Djaq?" Much asked when the source of the movement was visible. Djaq and nobody with her. Not even Will.
"It is I," she said. "It is good to see you, Much."
"Yes, well, thank you. Salām ʿalaykum."
" ʿalaykum salaam," Djaq reciprocated.
"Back so soon?" Much asked when neither of them proved able to suggest something to talk about.
"Yes."
"Alone?"
"Will...chose to find employment along the docks." He may go to Italy, to find employment and seek the exotic there.
"Oh. And -" stopping himself when he suspected, based on Djaq's words and what was not said, that there had been a falling out. "So..."
"So...?"
"You're back. You're back in Sherwood!"
"Yes, I am."
"Why? I mean, I'm glad to see you, don't think that I'm not happy to see you safe and sound...but why -"
"Sherwood?"
"I was going to say England."
Djaq shrugged. "So...you are a snake?"
Much nodded.
"If you are a snake, Much," Djaq said, her expression telling him that she couldn't picture him as such a creature, "then you're one of those serpents which eats the dangerous ones."
"Me, eating dangerous...? No, I don't even like to fight."
"No one does, Much. Even King Richard makes peace," and punctuated it by sitting down next to him. Not rubbing-flanks close, but next to.
"Djaq -"
"You are silly, Much," Djaq said, switching back to Much's Old English.
Much ducked his head. "Aw. You don't mean that."
"I do."
Looking up, meeting her bright eyes, "Really?"
"Very silly," Djaq confirmed. "I don't need to be a Sufi to know that a person needs a developed sense of humour in addition to honour and humility to be complete." To herself and sad, "Will's humility was incomplete," and supposed she hadn't wanted to see that, to admit that before.
Much had overheard, but he said nothing - what could he possibly say? "You're saying I'm complete? Me, a manservant?"
"Gaius Julius Caesar was a pirate's prisoner and a soldier. Our shared Prophet was a carpenter," and Much opened & then shut his mouth, understanding. "We are what we make of ourselves, using the tools we have been given. Some squander it and bring ruin to everyone around them. Others make the desert bloom."
"I'm not a gardener," Much confessed. "As a matter of fact, I'm very much not a good gardener. I've killed potted plants without meaning to."
"Much," Djaq said, her gentle smile not chiding him as some people would, "it was more than simply a literal statement."
"Oh." As his mind formed images of what she may've meant, "Oh!"
A silent nod.
"Much?" Djaq asked after a companionable silence.
"Hm?"
"Have you ever left Sherwood? Aside from to travel to Jerusalem."
"Uh... No. No, as a matter of fact. There was a week in part of Italy, but that was en route, so it doesn't count.
"You?"
Djaq shook her head. "Mecca and Medina, Qom, and Jerusalem." And here, but that went without saying.
"Then you have tr-"
"Those were pilgramages," Djaq said. "I have traveled for my soul, traveled for battle, and traveled as a prisoner. I have never traveled for its own sake."
"Same here," Much said. "Oh, going to Richard's Court, but that was duty, same as going to the Holy Land."
And the question hung in the air between them.
Finally, "Think you'd like it?"
"What?" Djaq asked.
"Traveling. For its own sake, I mean."
"I do not know..."
"I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
She smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Much."
On the Continent and in the Holy Land, Much had seen snakes rear up and lash out at people and at prey. No, horses rear up. Is it rearing up if they don't have hind legs? Snakes don't have any legs, that's why they're snakes. And when a snake lashed out from a tree, leglessly leaping, it was airborne for no more than a second...whereupon it went promptly crashing into the brush and stones below.
This snake took to the air, and did not plummet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Glossary:
Silly = Blessed. (related to "saelig" which meant "happy")
"our shared Prophet" is a reference to Jesus. Both religions place great importance on him.