Fic: Campfire Curiosity - Kate, Robin; K
Title: Campfire Curiosity
Author: punkfunkdisco
Characters/Pairings: Kate, Robin; mentions of Marian and Much
Spoilers: Series 3 generally, I guess, and series 2 finale.
Rating: K (or U, for this community)
Word Count: 729
Beta: The angel thinkpink20, bow down before her patience in the face of my rubbish punctuation.
Disclaimer: I did not create, nor do I own, any of the characters. Not making anything from them.
A/N: Written for the Write Kate Right competition at treatmuchright. I've tried to give her a bit of empathy, tact and team spirit. I also seem to have entered my own Write Robin Right competition too! Cross posted to my fic journal, dear_lydia.
Summary: Set on one of Kate's first nights in the camp, she has some questions about what happened in the Holy Land.
The firelight was too weak for Kate to read Robin's expression. The flickering shadows across his face masked any subtle clues to his mood and for a split second, Kate wasn't sure whether to approach him, but it was something she had to do.
Robin looked up at her as she made her way to sit with him by the camp fire, his face still unreadable. Seeing it was Kate, he returned to staring deep into the fire. Kate sat down and deliberated over the best way to broach the subject.
“There are rumours...” she started. Robin raised his head and shot her a confused look. “No one actually knows...” she continued.
“Knows what?” Robin asked with indifference.
Kate always preferred the direct approach, even if it backfired on her or annoyed other people, at least it got a response.
“What happened to Marian?” she blurted out, her words tumbling out in an effort to get this conversation over with, “I mean, you all came back from the Holy Land and no one knew where Marian was and we realised that she was...” even some things were too direct for Kate, “but no one knows exactly what happened.”
Robin didn't answer straight away and Kate didn't blink until he did; instead, she swallowed hard and waited.
“It's none of your business,” he replied eventually, barely above a whisper and not moving his gaze from the fire.
“But the villagers...we cared about her,” she tried to explain. “Those years you were away fighting, Marian helped us.” Pausing for a deep breath, Kate continued, “We need to know what happened, Robin. I need to know.”
Robin's eyes looked to the sky in remembrance. Unsure of whether to open up to this girl, he closed his eyes to block her out.
“Robin?” she pleaded gently.
“Guy killed her.” He answered directly, somehow sensing that she was not the type to give up. “She told him she loved me and he killed her. Happy now?”
The statement hung in the empty camp and Kate chewed over the information. No, of course she wasn't happy. Marian had been a good person, Kate and the rest of the villagers in Locklsey had looked up to her. For once in her life she had nothing to say. She didn't want to ask any obvious questions, she didn't need to; it was clear from Robin's manner exactly how he felt. Plus she didn't want to make him relive any more than he already had done.
Instead, her mind wandered as she looked awkwardly around the camp and she started to think about Much. As Robin's faithful companion, surely he must have been affected too?
Kate noted that Robin had not left her company and was still staring determinedly at the flickering flames. In her mind this seemed to signify that he might want to talk. Encouraged by this, she asked her question:
“How did Much take it?”
Startled, Robin looked up.
“Much?”
“Well, yeah, I mean...he grew up with Marian too, didn't he?”
Robin let out a sigh. As usual he hadn't really thought about how Much was feeling.
“I bet he put his own grief aside and looked after you,” Kate said with a gentle grin.
Robin thought about his fitful sleeps on the long journey back from the Holy Land and how his nightmares had often woken him. How he had always woken to find Much sat upright next to him, wide awake. He suddenly realised the seasickness excuses had been a feeble cover-up.
“Yes,” he said quietly, “Yes he did,” he continued with more decisiveness. Suddenly he slapped his palms down on his thighs and got up.
“Where are you going?” Kate called after him as he walked off.
“To find Much.” Robin said to himself.
“Great.” Kate said with a sigh to no one in particular.
Alone by the camp fire, she thought about the Marian she had known. The one who had fought for justice from the most dangerous of positions and had done everything she could to help the poor of Nottinghamshire. Now Kate had a chance to do the same and fighting alongside the outlaws would give her a chance to change things; Kate wouldn't let them down.
Author: punkfunkdisco
Characters/Pairings: Kate, Robin; mentions of Marian and Much
Spoilers: Series 3 generally, I guess, and series 2 finale.
Rating: K (or U, for this community)
Word Count: 729
Beta: The angel thinkpink20, bow down before her patience in the face of my rubbish punctuation.
Disclaimer: I did not create, nor do I own, any of the characters. Not making anything from them.
A/N: Written for the Write Kate Right competition at treatmuchright. I've tried to give her a bit of empathy, tact and team spirit. I also seem to have entered my own Write Robin Right competition too! Cross posted to my fic journal, dear_lydia.
Summary: Set on one of Kate's first nights in the camp, she has some questions about what happened in the Holy Land.
The firelight was too weak for Kate to read Robin's expression. The flickering shadows across his face masked any subtle clues to his mood and for a split second, Kate wasn't sure whether to approach him, but it was something she had to do.
Robin looked up at her as she made her way to sit with him by the camp fire, his face still unreadable. Seeing it was Kate, he returned to staring deep into the fire. Kate sat down and deliberated over the best way to broach the subject.
“There are rumours...” she started. Robin raised his head and shot her a confused look. “No one actually knows...” she continued.
“Knows what?” Robin asked with indifference.
Kate always preferred the direct approach, even if it backfired on her or annoyed other people, at least it got a response.
“What happened to Marian?” she blurted out, her words tumbling out in an effort to get this conversation over with, “I mean, you all came back from the Holy Land and no one knew where Marian was and we realised that she was...” even some things were too direct for Kate, “but no one knows exactly what happened.”
Robin didn't answer straight away and Kate didn't blink until he did; instead, she swallowed hard and waited.
“It's none of your business,” he replied eventually, barely above a whisper and not moving his gaze from the fire.
“But the villagers...we cared about her,” she tried to explain. “Those years you were away fighting, Marian helped us.” Pausing for a deep breath, Kate continued, “We need to know what happened, Robin. I need to know.”
Robin's eyes looked to the sky in remembrance. Unsure of whether to open up to this girl, he closed his eyes to block her out.
“Robin?” she pleaded gently.
“Guy killed her.” He answered directly, somehow sensing that she was not the type to give up. “She told him she loved me and he killed her. Happy now?”
The statement hung in the empty camp and Kate chewed over the information. No, of course she wasn't happy. Marian had been a good person, Kate and the rest of the villagers in Locklsey had looked up to her. For once in her life she had nothing to say. She didn't want to ask any obvious questions, she didn't need to; it was clear from Robin's manner exactly how he felt. Plus she didn't want to make him relive any more than he already had done.
Instead, her mind wandered as she looked awkwardly around the camp and she started to think about Much. As Robin's faithful companion, surely he must have been affected too?
Kate noted that Robin had not left her company and was still staring determinedly at the flickering flames. In her mind this seemed to signify that he might want to talk. Encouraged by this, she asked her question:
“How did Much take it?”
Startled, Robin looked up.
“Much?”
“Well, yeah, I mean...he grew up with Marian too, didn't he?”
Robin let out a sigh. As usual he hadn't really thought about how Much was feeling.
“I bet he put his own grief aside and looked after you,” Kate said with a gentle grin.
Robin thought about his fitful sleeps on the long journey back from the Holy Land and how his nightmares had often woken him. How he had always woken to find Much sat upright next to him, wide awake. He suddenly realised the seasickness excuses had been a feeble cover-up.
“Yes,” he said quietly, “Yes he did,” he continued with more decisiveness. Suddenly he slapped his palms down on his thighs and got up.
“Where are you going?” Kate called after him as he walked off.
“To find Much.” Robin said to himself.
“Great.” Kate said with a sigh to no one in particular.
Alone by the camp fire, she thought about the Marian she had known. The one who had fought for justice from the most dangerous of positions and had done everything she could to help the poor of Nottinghamshire. Now Kate had a chance to do the same and fighting alongside the outlaws would give her a chance to change things; Kate wouldn't let them down.