The Force of Destiny - Ch. 8
Title: The Force of Destiny, Chapter 8
Author: railise
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Little Little John, Little John, the Outlaws
Word count: 1474
Spoilers: While this alters the end of S2, there are still minor spoilers for the whole run of the show, including S3.
Summary: Little John gets an unexpected (but very welcome) visitor.
Disclaimer: I'd hope it was obvious that my little story isn't intended to infringe on the properties of the BBC or TA, but am saying so just in case it's not.
master list of chapter links
previous chapter
-8-
The wagon slowed when it neared Locksley, its driver warily scanning the trees on either side of the North Road. After a tense mile or so, the driver turned around.
“You’d better be telling me the truth,” he muttered to the boy riding in the back. “If they take anything of mine, it’ll come out of your hide.”
Unfazed by the threat, John Little-- the littler John Little-- calmly assured him, “They won’t.” Though I’d like to see you try to tan me with my father there, he mentally added, a grin flitting across his elfin features at the thought of this smallish man going up against the elder John.
He swung his feet over the back of the wagon, half-wishing he knew where Robin Hood’s band was camped at the moment, as he would much rather go straight there than hope they stopped this cart. It was the third he had ridden in along the North Road since he reached Nottingham earlier in the week, and he was getting impatient. His mother would be along soon, no doubt, and things would just be so much simpler if he had already found his father by the time she showed up. But, he had no idea where to look for them, and Mother would be even madder than she was already set to be if he went haring off through Sherwood on his own.
He had thought about going to Locksley and seeing if anyone there knew where the gang was-- not to mention it would be nice to see some of his friends there again,-- but it was dangerous, with Sir Guy in residence. If he was still in residence; that might have changed, but it did not seem worth the risk of finding out. John had gotten nearly as quick as any other boy over the years despite his injured foot, but knew he probably could not outrun the Sheriff’s lieutenant or one of his men.
So, hitchhiking along the Great North Road, it was.
They had just passed Locksley and were nearing the road to Bonchurch, when three arrows embedded themselves in the dirt in front of the wagon. The horse whinnied, the driver cursed, and John let out a whoop as he jumped down.
“Good day, my good man!” Robin called cheerfully, and other members of the gang were getting into place around them when the elder John, who was single-handedly blocking the road, caught sight of the boy.
“John?” the outlaw exclaimed, disbelieving, but immediately rushing over to embrace his son, regardless.
“Here now!” the driver spoke up. “The lad said you’d leave me alone, seeing as how I gave him a ride.”
The outlaws glanced at the younger Little John, who nodded. Robin stepped away from where he had taken up position beside the horse. “Then leave you alone, we shall.”
With an uncertain glance around, as if not trusting that they would not ambush him from behind, the driver gave the reigns a snap. Once he was out of sight, all attention was back on the boy.
“What are you doing here?” asked his father. “Where’s your mother?” As soon as the question left his mouth, a horrified expression crossed his face.
“She’s fine,” Little Little John said quickly. “I expect that she’ll be along any time now.”
Robin leaned his forearms on his bow. “She sent you, then?”
John’s cheeks heated. “Not exactly...”
“But, she does know you’re here?” his father checked.
Biting his lip, the boy hesitated before replying, “She’ll know.”
The larger John began to look upset, so Robin quickly said, “Let’s go back to camp, sit down, and figure out what’s going on.”
“What if Alice comes along while we’re there?” John the elder pointed out.
Will gestured to himself, Much, Allan, and Marian. “We could stay. Even if Alice doesn’t happen along, somebody else might.” The others murmured their agreement.
Robin stood and slung his bow across his back. “That’s fine. One of you, come back and let us know if anything happens.”
Marian nodded. “Right.” She and Robin exchanged a smile, but Little Little John regarded her warily. He remembered her sitting beside the Sheriff when he and his family were about to be burnt over hot coals, and wondered what had changed. Maybe he could ask his father later, when Robin was not around.
As the three set off into the forest, the outlaw John looked at his son. “If this is too difficult, I can carry you on my back.”
“I’m fine. But thank you for the offer.”
He did not see his father’s sudden smile at the polite reply, manners not being quite that common amongst the gang.
They soon reached camp, where Djaq was brewing medicines.
“Where are the others?” Robin asked.
“Eve and Kate have gone to find berries. Carter is hunting.” She glanced up, her eyebrows rising in surprise. “I see we have a visitor.”
“Djaq, you remember my son? Little Little John,” Little John said, grinning at the boy.
She smiled. “Of course. I thought you were just watching the road?”
“We were,” Robin replied. “Little Little John happened to be on it.”
Meanwhile, Little Little John was looking around in awe. “This is where you live? It’s amazing!”
“It certainly is,” Robin agreed. He gestured toward some seats in the living area. “Now, why don’t we sit down, and you can tell us what’s going on.”
Taking a stool next to his father and across from Robin, he told them. “We’ve been in Gloucester, and doing much better than here. Luke...” He trailed off, peeking uncertainly at his father.
“It’s all right,” Little John said softly. “Go on.”
“Well, Luke’s been asking Mother to marry him. But she keeps telling him no, she can’t, ‘cause she’s already married.”
Robin’s eyes flew to the man sitting near him, who appeared unsure if he should be pleased or concerned. “But, I’m an outlaw; she’s not legally married anymore.”
“That’s what Luke said, once. She told him never to say that again, and wouldn’t speak to him for the rest of the day.”
“She did?”
“Uh-huh.”
Concern was quickly losing out to satisfaction on Little John's features.
“So then, this baker who lives nearby, Sarah? Well, she kept making little cakes and things for him. And she told Mother that she was a fool for not saying yes to him. But, she doesn’t know why Mother won’t. Then, the other day, Sarah was talking to a friend of hers, and she said Luke was such a wonderful man, and she would give anything to be in Mother’s shoes, and Mother heard her. So, Mother went to Luke, and told him he should marry Sarah.”
Little John frowned. “He promised to take care of the two of you.”
“Yes, and that’s sort of what he said. But, Mother said it wasn’t fair to him, that she’d never say yes; and finally, he agreed. So, we moved over by a friend of Mother’s, and Luke married Sarah. Mother keeps telling everyone she’s fine, and acts happy, but she’s not. And then, her friend was over for supper the other night, and they were talking about it, and then Mother started crying and saying how she wished she 'could just be with John again.' I asked her about it the next day, but she scolded me for eavesdropping and told me not to think about that, because we were in Gloucester now.”
“So, you thought that if you came back to Nottingham, you could fix things?” Robin asked gently.
“Right.” Now that he was explaining things with his father right there, Little Little John seemed far less confident in his decision.
Little John gave him a sad smile. “John... It was a nice thought. But I lost my chance with your mother years ago.”
Little Little John jumped to his feet, frustrated by his father's pessimism. “Maybe you didn’t! Why would she say she wished she were with you if you’d lost your chance?”
“John.” Djaq’s word was quiet, but sharp, and even Robin turned to her. “The small John,” she specified. “Sometimes, things are not that simple, especially with adults.”
He harrumphed. “I don’t see why not. She wants to be with him, and you want to be with her, don’t you, Father?”
With a heavy sigh, Little John answered, “Djaq’s right. I’d love for it to be that simple, but it's not.”
Not getting the response he had wanted from any of them, Little Little John crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. Don’t be with Mother. But I’m not leaving ‘till she gets here.”
The corner of Little John’s mouth curved up. “Well, there’s one thing you’ve got right. You’ll stay with me until your mother arrives.”
next chapter
master list of chapter links
Author: railise
Rating: PG
Pairings/characters: Little Little John, Little John, the Outlaws
Word count: 1474
Spoilers: While this alters the end of S2, there are still minor spoilers for the whole run of the show, including S3.
Summary: Little John gets an unexpected (but very welcome) visitor.
Disclaimer: I'd hope it was obvious that my little story isn't intended to infringe on the properties of the BBC or TA, but am saying so just in case it's not.
master list of chapter links
previous chapter
-8-
The wagon slowed when it neared Locksley, its driver warily scanning the trees on either side of the North Road. After a tense mile or so, the driver turned around.
“You’d better be telling me the truth,” he muttered to the boy riding in the back. “If they take anything of mine, it’ll come out of your hide.”
Unfazed by the threat, John Little-- the littler John Little-- calmly assured him, “They won’t.” Though I’d like to see you try to tan me with my father there, he mentally added, a grin flitting across his elfin features at the thought of this smallish man going up against the elder John.
He swung his feet over the back of the wagon, half-wishing he knew where Robin Hood’s band was camped at the moment, as he would much rather go straight there than hope they stopped this cart. It was the third he had ridden in along the North Road since he reached Nottingham earlier in the week, and he was getting impatient. His mother would be along soon, no doubt, and things would just be so much simpler if he had already found his father by the time she showed up. But, he had no idea where to look for them, and Mother would be even madder than she was already set to be if he went haring off through Sherwood on his own.
He had thought about going to Locksley and seeing if anyone there knew where the gang was-- not to mention it would be nice to see some of his friends there again,-- but it was dangerous, with Sir Guy in residence. If he was still in residence; that might have changed, but it did not seem worth the risk of finding out. John had gotten nearly as quick as any other boy over the years despite his injured foot, but knew he probably could not outrun the Sheriff’s lieutenant or one of his men.
So, hitchhiking along the Great North Road, it was.
They had just passed Locksley and were nearing the road to Bonchurch, when three arrows embedded themselves in the dirt in front of the wagon. The horse whinnied, the driver cursed, and John let out a whoop as he jumped down.
“Good day, my good man!” Robin called cheerfully, and other members of the gang were getting into place around them when the elder John, who was single-handedly blocking the road, caught sight of the boy.
“John?” the outlaw exclaimed, disbelieving, but immediately rushing over to embrace his son, regardless.
“Here now!” the driver spoke up. “The lad said you’d leave me alone, seeing as how I gave him a ride.”
The outlaws glanced at the younger Little John, who nodded. Robin stepped away from where he had taken up position beside the horse. “Then leave you alone, we shall.”
With an uncertain glance around, as if not trusting that they would not ambush him from behind, the driver gave the reigns a snap. Once he was out of sight, all attention was back on the boy.
“What are you doing here?” asked his father. “Where’s your mother?” As soon as the question left his mouth, a horrified expression crossed his face.
“She’s fine,” Little Little John said quickly. “I expect that she’ll be along any time now.”
Robin leaned his forearms on his bow. “She sent you, then?”
John’s cheeks heated. “Not exactly...”
“But, she does know you’re here?” his father checked.
Biting his lip, the boy hesitated before replying, “She’ll know.”
The larger John began to look upset, so Robin quickly said, “Let’s go back to camp, sit down, and figure out what’s going on.”
“What if Alice comes along while we’re there?” John the elder pointed out.
Will gestured to himself, Much, Allan, and Marian. “We could stay. Even if Alice doesn’t happen along, somebody else might.” The others murmured their agreement.
Robin stood and slung his bow across his back. “That’s fine. One of you, come back and let us know if anything happens.”
Marian nodded. “Right.” She and Robin exchanged a smile, but Little Little John regarded her warily. He remembered her sitting beside the Sheriff when he and his family were about to be burnt over hot coals, and wondered what had changed. Maybe he could ask his father later, when Robin was not around.
As the three set off into the forest, the outlaw John looked at his son. “If this is too difficult, I can carry you on my back.”
“I’m fine. But thank you for the offer.”
He did not see his father’s sudden smile at the polite reply, manners not being quite that common amongst the gang.
They soon reached camp, where Djaq was brewing medicines.
“Where are the others?” Robin asked.
“Eve and Kate have gone to find berries. Carter is hunting.” She glanced up, her eyebrows rising in surprise. “I see we have a visitor.”
“Djaq, you remember my son? Little Little John,” Little John said, grinning at the boy.
She smiled. “Of course. I thought you were just watching the road?”
“We were,” Robin replied. “Little Little John happened to be on it.”
Meanwhile, Little Little John was looking around in awe. “This is where you live? It’s amazing!”
“It certainly is,” Robin agreed. He gestured toward some seats in the living area. “Now, why don’t we sit down, and you can tell us what’s going on.”
Taking a stool next to his father and across from Robin, he told them. “We’ve been in Gloucester, and doing much better than here. Luke...” He trailed off, peeking uncertainly at his father.
“It’s all right,” Little John said softly. “Go on.”
“Well, Luke’s been asking Mother to marry him. But she keeps telling him no, she can’t, ‘cause she’s already married.”
Robin’s eyes flew to the man sitting near him, who appeared unsure if he should be pleased or concerned. “But, I’m an outlaw; she’s not legally married anymore.”
“That’s what Luke said, once. She told him never to say that again, and wouldn’t speak to him for the rest of the day.”
“She did?”
“Uh-huh.”
Concern was quickly losing out to satisfaction on Little John's features.
“So then, this baker who lives nearby, Sarah? Well, she kept making little cakes and things for him. And she told Mother that she was a fool for not saying yes to him. But, she doesn’t know why Mother won’t. Then, the other day, Sarah was talking to a friend of hers, and she said Luke was such a wonderful man, and she would give anything to be in Mother’s shoes, and Mother heard her. So, Mother went to Luke, and told him he should marry Sarah.”
Little John frowned. “He promised to take care of the two of you.”
“Yes, and that’s sort of what he said. But, Mother said it wasn’t fair to him, that she’d never say yes; and finally, he agreed. So, we moved over by a friend of Mother’s, and Luke married Sarah. Mother keeps telling everyone she’s fine, and acts happy, but she’s not. And then, her friend was over for supper the other night, and they were talking about it, and then Mother started crying and saying how she wished she 'could just be with John again.' I asked her about it the next day, but she scolded me for eavesdropping and told me not to think about that, because we were in Gloucester now.”
“So, you thought that if you came back to Nottingham, you could fix things?” Robin asked gently.
“Right.” Now that he was explaining things with his father right there, Little Little John seemed far less confident in his decision.
Little John gave him a sad smile. “John... It was a nice thought. But I lost my chance with your mother years ago.”
Little Little John jumped to his feet, frustrated by his father's pessimism. “Maybe you didn’t! Why would she say she wished she were with you if you’d lost your chance?”
“John.” Djaq’s word was quiet, but sharp, and even Robin turned to her. “The small John,” she specified. “Sometimes, things are not that simple, especially with adults.”
He harrumphed. “I don’t see why not. She wants to be with him, and you want to be with her, don’t you, Father?”
With a heavy sigh, Little John answered, “Djaq’s right. I’d love for it to be that simple, but it's not.”
Not getting the response he had wanted from any of them, Little Little John crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. Don’t be with Mother. But I’m not leaving ‘till she gets here.”
The corner of Little John’s mouth curved up. “Well, there’s one thing you’ve got right. You’ll stay with me until your mother arrives.”
next chapter
master list of chapter links