Written By Time - Year Two
Title: Written By Time
Author: ladylovelace
Rating: PG - 13
Pairings/characters : Much, Robin, Guy, Isabella.
Word Count:
Warnings: None
Summary: Robin does himself an injury. Guy's cousin does him an injury.
Disclaimer: I own very little, and certainly not and recognisable characters. More's the pity.
This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past.
- Agathon
Year Two - Much & Robin
Summer soon faded into Autumn, marking the beginning of Much's second year of servitude.
People travelled to and from Nottingham in the Autumn, when it rained less and it was safer to travel. Sometimes, they would stop at Locksley on their way through, visiting family and friends.
It was during this year that a boy and his father were passing through. As much as he hated to admit it, Much had enjoyed the outlandish stories the boy told, though he was sure they were not true. He knew he shouldn't be charmed by someone who was a such a ridiculous show-off, but somehow, he couldn't help it, and so kept fantasies of a friendship to himself. Allan probably wouldn't have wanted to be friends with him anyway, he was only a servant, after all, and he and his father were clearly free men. From Rochdale, too, wherever that was. It sounded nice.
Years later, when he and his master rescued a man in the forest on their way back to Locksley, Much didn't recognise him as the boy he had met all those years ago. He was not surprised, however, when all was said and done, that Allan didn't like him, since he had expected that even then. His father had always told him that no-one would ever love him.
Much did not worry about friends, for the most part; it was always just the two of them, he and Robin, though there were plenty of children around their age in the village. Much noticed, one day when they did try to play with the others, that there was something off about them. He realised later, that not only did they not know Robin, but they were well aware that he was, at least in name, their lord. He wasn't actually doing any governing of the estate, that was left to others who knew how, but he was still the Earl of Huntingdon, and that set him apart from the other children. It made them wary, and as such not a lot of fun to play with.
Much, on the other hand, after the shock of seeing that his new Master was no older than he was, had never thought to be concerned by his presence, or by his status. Sometimes, when they would play in the woods, away from the manor and all of the trappings of wealth which his Master enjoyed, Much thought of Robin only as his friend, and the habit of calling him “Master” was just that - a habit.
The year came and went quickly, Much enjoyed the fairly comfortable life of being the servant-cum-companion of a lord and all was well in Locksley. Robin only managed one minor injury when he slipped on the icy ground in the winter and sprained his ankle. Much had carried him all the way back home, that day.
Whilst the injury hadn't been in any way life threatening, save perhaps for the chance of Thornton murdering both boys for their recklessness, the moment it had happened would be etched into Much's memory forever.
They had been playing near the edge of the forest, wrapped in what felt like a hundred layers of clothing to keep out the cold. One moment, Robin was running ahead of Much down the hill and the next he had disappeared. The grass was still covered in little crystals of ice and Robin had lost his footing on the rabbit-hole covered hill, slipping and catching his foot in one of the burrows. He cried out in pain and Much found himself tearing towards the sound, not even considering that he himself could easily slip.
He freed his master's foot carefully and examined his injury. Much knew nothing of medicine and couldn't possibly have done anything helpful for his master, and he knew it, so he did the only thing he could do. He wiped away the tears which were forming in the smaller boy's eyes, lifted him as carefully as possible and made his way as quickly as he could back to Locksley manor. The relief he had felt when the physician had said it was only sprained and would be fine in a few days had nearly caused Much to faint.
A few days of entertaining Robin whilst he wasn't allowed to move around on his own was actually quite enjoyable. Robin taught Much all about the surrounding areas and their history and who the other nearby lords were (and which ones he didn't particularly like). Much listened carefully to all the place names Robin mentioned but he didn't recognise any of them. Robin said that was because Much had come from somewhere beyond Nottinghamshire, but he didn't know exactly where.
They also shared secrets. Robin told Much that he really didn't want to be a lord to all these people, he didn't think he could handle the responsibility and he really didn't want everyone to look to him when their crops failed or their animals died or they didn't get a contract they had been relying on to feed their family.
He also didn't particularly like the idea of having an arranged marriage to some girl he wouldn't meet until a few weeks before he was supposed to bind himself to her for life.
Much told Robin of his life before he had come to Locksley. He told him about being hungry all the time because his father couldn't afford to buy food, even though it was only the two of them. He had no brothers or sisters since his mother had died when he was only very young and the other children in the village avoided him because his father was not the most honest of men and had spent plenty of time in the stocks.
He also told his master how happy he was that he lived in Locksley now and that Robin was so kind to him and how he was never hungry or cold or lonely here, and that he thought Robin would be a good leader to his people, when the time came, because he viewed them as equals even if they didn't see him that way, and that one day the villagers would love and respect him as Much did.
Much told Robin not to worry about an arranged marriage, either, because they couldn't make him do anything he didn't want to and if it came to being forced into marrying someone he didn't like then they could always run away and live in the forest together.
Robin had smiled at that and declared that he and Much would always be best friends. Much had never been happier in his whole life than in that moment.
As far as Much was concerned, their days inside in front of the warm fire were far too short and he hated himself for being just a little disappointed when Robin announced that his ankle didn't hurt any more. Of course, this was quickly proved to be a lie when he tried to run on it and collapsed, nearly frightening Much to death for the second time in as many weeks.
After that a servant was always watching them to make sure Robin was completely healed before he tried to run off again, and their secret conversations stopped because of this. Still, it was nice to have a break from all of the running around he and Robin usually did. It seemed to Much that Robin would never tire of running and climbing, he was always on the move and really quite awful at sitting still.
By the time summer came around again, the injury was long forgotten and the boys were back to playing as they always had, which was just fine with Much, because he loved seeing Robin happy and Robin was always happiest outside in the fresh air, running through the forest.
Year Two - Isabella & Guy
Guy had been appropriated by Philip as a sparing partner towards the end of the previous year. Isabella realised that not a day went by that Guy didn't need help bandaging a wound of some kind, since Philip was not really interested in improving his skill but more in defeating a weak opponent.
In the spring it rained relentlessly, one could easily sink up to their knees in the mud on most days and Isabella found herself stuck in the house with little to do. She took to watching her brother and her cousin train from her window. On a day when the rain was so heavy that the two boys were obscured into shadows and it was impossible to tell them apart, Isabella had lost interest in watching them and turned to practising her English. She was quite startled when her brother came staggering through the door to the rooms they shared, bent over almost double and gasping for air.
When Guy collapsed on the floor, the only thing that Isabella was aware of in the world was the large dark stain on the back of her brother's shirt. She rushed to pull his much larger frame onto her bed, overjoyed to hear him breathing, even if it was shallow and ragged. With blood soaked hands she tore off what was left of his shirt to reveal a long, deep gash between his shoulder blades. She screamed for someone to help her but no-one came, she was alone in the house except for Guy and Philip.
Through hot tears and near debilitating panic, Isabella managed to gather a wash basin and a rag and set to work with shaking hands to clean around the wound. Thankfully, Guy had by now passed out and his breathing had become more even, though there was still a rasp to it. Once the area surrounding the wound was clean, Isabella realised it would have to be stitched if it was going to heal properly. She had never stitched a wound herself, but she had seen it done once or twice and was fairly confident she could do it.
Even the finest needle she owned looked too large and blunt, the sewing thread coarse and not strong enough. There was no other option though, save leaving her brother to bleed to death. Isabella cleaned the area once again and set to work, making the stitches as small as she could and wincing every time needle pierced flesh. She thanked God more than once that Guy was not awake to experience this.
When her uncle arrived back from wherever he had been, he found Isabella lying beside the still sleeping form of her brother, silent tears running down her cheeks. She told him what had happened, and like the level headed man he had always been, he inspected the wound to make sure it didn't need more attention, and then went to find Philip.
Philip was beaten and made to sleep in the stables for a week, as punishment for attacking an unsuspecting opponent from behind. His father, Isabella and Guy's uncle, wanted a more severe punishment, but their aunt would not allow her sister's children to be put above her own. Philip had always been his mother's favourite, even above her two older daughters, and his father had learned that to treat the boy as anything other than his favourite son would only bring him heartache from his wife. In the end, it was better not to argue, but to keep a closer eye on Philip and be sure that Guy got some proper training as soon as he was able.
Isabella hardly left her brother's side while he recovered. All the while, though, she practised her English. Guy told her she spoke English almost as well as their father had, and that the only way to improve now would be to go back and hear it spoken more. She promised him that they would go back, as soon as he was well they would look for the first opportunity to get him away from the cruelty of their cousin.
By the beginning of the summer, Guy's wound was healed enough that his uncle took him out to train every day. Philip was away travelling with his mother, so he would be unaware that his easy target would not be so easy next time. Isabella watched her brother improve every day. His archery had always been quite good and was still improving steadily, and his skill with a sword certainly rivalled Philip's now.
That, however, was not the height of it. Isabella watched her uncle teach Guy how to use a dagger, he showed him where a small wound could be most effective - where very little effort could incapacitate a man quickly and kill them slowly. It was not, Isabella knew, the most honourable method of overcoming an opponent, but it was quick and silent and the dagger which their uncle presented to Guy was a small curved blade easily concealed about one's person, perfect for dispatching someone who would take you by surprise. Isabella was aware of the lesson Guy was being taught here, and she was sure Philip had not been given the same wisdom. She wondered if her brother realised what her uncle was hinting at.
By the time the leaves were falling in the forest, Isabella saw her brother fighting and training like the king's knights. When Philip returned, Guy would make a formidable opponent. More than formidable.
Next Chapter
Author: ladylovelace
Rating: PG - 13
Pairings/characters : Much, Robin, Guy, Isabella.
Word Count:
Warnings: None
Summary: Robin does himself an injury. Guy's cousin does him an injury.
Disclaimer: I own very little, and certainly not and recognisable characters. More's the pity.
This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past.
- Agathon
Year Two - Much & Robin
Summer soon faded into Autumn, marking the beginning of Much's second year of servitude.
People travelled to and from Nottingham in the Autumn, when it rained less and it was safer to travel. Sometimes, they would stop at Locksley on their way through, visiting family and friends.
It was during this year that a boy and his father were passing through. As much as he hated to admit it, Much had enjoyed the outlandish stories the boy told, though he was sure they were not true. He knew he shouldn't be charmed by someone who was a such a ridiculous show-off, but somehow, he couldn't help it, and so kept fantasies of a friendship to himself. Allan probably wouldn't have wanted to be friends with him anyway, he was only a servant, after all, and he and his father were clearly free men. From Rochdale, too, wherever that was. It sounded nice.
Years later, when he and his master rescued a man in the forest on their way back to Locksley, Much didn't recognise him as the boy he had met all those years ago. He was not surprised, however, when all was said and done, that Allan didn't like him, since he had expected that even then. His father had always told him that no-one would ever love him.
Much did not worry about friends, for the most part; it was always just the two of them, he and Robin, though there were plenty of children around their age in the village. Much noticed, one day when they did try to play with the others, that there was something off about them. He realised later, that not only did they not know Robin, but they were well aware that he was, at least in name, their lord. He wasn't actually doing any governing of the estate, that was left to others who knew how, but he was still the Earl of Huntingdon, and that set him apart from the other children. It made them wary, and as such not a lot of fun to play with.
Much, on the other hand, after the shock of seeing that his new Master was no older than he was, had never thought to be concerned by his presence, or by his status. Sometimes, when they would play in the woods, away from the manor and all of the trappings of wealth which his Master enjoyed, Much thought of Robin only as his friend, and the habit of calling him “Master” was just that - a habit.
The year came and went quickly, Much enjoyed the fairly comfortable life of being the servant-cum-companion of a lord and all was well in Locksley. Robin only managed one minor injury when he slipped on the icy ground in the winter and sprained his ankle. Much had carried him all the way back home, that day.
Whilst the injury hadn't been in any way life threatening, save perhaps for the chance of Thornton murdering both boys for their recklessness, the moment it had happened would be etched into Much's memory forever.
They had been playing near the edge of the forest, wrapped in what felt like a hundred layers of clothing to keep out the cold. One moment, Robin was running ahead of Much down the hill and the next he had disappeared. The grass was still covered in little crystals of ice and Robin had lost his footing on the rabbit-hole covered hill, slipping and catching his foot in one of the burrows. He cried out in pain and Much found himself tearing towards the sound, not even considering that he himself could easily slip.
He freed his master's foot carefully and examined his injury. Much knew nothing of medicine and couldn't possibly have done anything helpful for his master, and he knew it, so he did the only thing he could do. He wiped away the tears which were forming in the smaller boy's eyes, lifted him as carefully as possible and made his way as quickly as he could back to Locksley manor. The relief he had felt when the physician had said it was only sprained and would be fine in a few days had nearly caused Much to faint.
A few days of entertaining Robin whilst he wasn't allowed to move around on his own was actually quite enjoyable. Robin taught Much all about the surrounding areas and their history and who the other nearby lords were (and which ones he didn't particularly like). Much listened carefully to all the place names Robin mentioned but he didn't recognise any of them. Robin said that was because Much had come from somewhere beyond Nottinghamshire, but he didn't know exactly where.
They also shared secrets. Robin told Much that he really didn't want to be a lord to all these people, he didn't think he could handle the responsibility and he really didn't want everyone to look to him when their crops failed or their animals died or they didn't get a contract they had been relying on to feed their family.
He also didn't particularly like the idea of having an arranged marriage to some girl he wouldn't meet until a few weeks before he was supposed to bind himself to her for life.
Much told Robin of his life before he had come to Locksley. He told him about being hungry all the time because his father couldn't afford to buy food, even though it was only the two of them. He had no brothers or sisters since his mother had died when he was only very young and the other children in the village avoided him because his father was not the most honest of men and had spent plenty of time in the stocks.
He also told his master how happy he was that he lived in Locksley now and that Robin was so kind to him and how he was never hungry or cold or lonely here, and that he thought Robin would be a good leader to his people, when the time came, because he viewed them as equals even if they didn't see him that way, and that one day the villagers would love and respect him as Much did.
Much told Robin not to worry about an arranged marriage, either, because they couldn't make him do anything he didn't want to and if it came to being forced into marrying someone he didn't like then they could always run away and live in the forest together.
Robin had smiled at that and declared that he and Much would always be best friends. Much had never been happier in his whole life than in that moment.
As far as Much was concerned, their days inside in front of the warm fire were far too short and he hated himself for being just a little disappointed when Robin announced that his ankle didn't hurt any more. Of course, this was quickly proved to be a lie when he tried to run on it and collapsed, nearly frightening Much to death for the second time in as many weeks.
After that a servant was always watching them to make sure Robin was completely healed before he tried to run off again, and their secret conversations stopped because of this. Still, it was nice to have a break from all of the running around he and Robin usually did. It seemed to Much that Robin would never tire of running and climbing, he was always on the move and really quite awful at sitting still.
By the time summer came around again, the injury was long forgotten and the boys were back to playing as they always had, which was just fine with Much, because he loved seeing Robin happy and Robin was always happiest outside in the fresh air, running through the forest.
Year Two - Isabella & Guy
Guy had been appropriated by Philip as a sparing partner towards the end of the previous year. Isabella realised that not a day went by that Guy didn't need help bandaging a wound of some kind, since Philip was not really interested in improving his skill but more in defeating a weak opponent.
In the spring it rained relentlessly, one could easily sink up to their knees in the mud on most days and Isabella found herself stuck in the house with little to do. She took to watching her brother and her cousin train from her window. On a day when the rain was so heavy that the two boys were obscured into shadows and it was impossible to tell them apart, Isabella had lost interest in watching them and turned to practising her English. She was quite startled when her brother came staggering through the door to the rooms they shared, bent over almost double and gasping for air.
When Guy collapsed on the floor, the only thing that Isabella was aware of in the world was the large dark stain on the back of her brother's shirt. She rushed to pull his much larger frame onto her bed, overjoyed to hear him breathing, even if it was shallow and ragged. With blood soaked hands she tore off what was left of his shirt to reveal a long, deep gash between his shoulder blades. She screamed for someone to help her but no-one came, she was alone in the house except for Guy and Philip.
Through hot tears and near debilitating panic, Isabella managed to gather a wash basin and a rag and set to work with shaking hands to clean around the wound. Thankfully, Guy had by now passed out and his breathing had become more even, though there was still a rasp to it. Once the area surrounding the wound was clean, Isabella realised it would have to be stitched if it was going to heal properly. She had never stitched a wound herself, but she had seen it done once or twice and was fairly confident she could do it.
Even the finest needle she owned looked too large and blunt, the sewing thread coarse and not strong enough. There was no other option though, save leaving her brother to bleed to death. Isabella cleaned the area once again and set to work, making the stitches as small as she could and wincing every time needle pierced flesh. She thanked God more than once that Guy was not awake to experience this.
When her uncle arrived back from wherever he had been, he found Isabella lying beside the still sleeping form of her brother, silent tears running down her cheeks. She told him what had happened, and like the level headed man he had always been, he inspected the wound to make sure it didn't need more attention, and then went to find Philip.
Philip was beaten and made to sleep in the stables for a week, as punishment for attacking an unsuspecting opponent from behind. His father, Isabella and Guy's uncle, wanted a more severe punishment, but their aunt would not allow her sister's children to be put above her own. Philip had always been his mother's favourite, even above her two older daughters, and his father had learned that to treat the boy as anything other than his favourite son would only bring him heartache from his wife. In the end, it was better not to argue, but to keep a closer eye on Philip and be sure that Guy got some proper training as soon as he was able.
Isabella hardly left her brother's side while he recovered. All the while, though, she practised her English. Guy told her she spoke English almost as well as their father had, and that the only way to improve now would be to go back and hear it spoken more. She promised him that they would go back, as soon as he was well they would look for the first opportunity to get him away from the cruelty of their cousin.
By the beginning of the summer, Guy's wound was healed enough that his uncle took him out to train every day. Philip was away travelling with his mother, so he would be unaware that his easy target would not be so easy next time. Isabella watched her brother improve every day. His archery had always been quite good and was still improving steadily, and his skill with a sword certainly rivalled Philip's now.
That, however, was not the height of it. Isabella watched her uncle teach Guy how to use a dagger, he showed him where a small wound could be most effective - where very little effort could incapacitate a man quickly and kill them slowly. It was not, Isabella knew, the most honourable method of overcoming an opponent, but it was quick and silent and the dagger which their uncle presented to Guy was a small curved blade easily concealed about one's person, perfect for dispatching someone who would take you by surprise. Isabella was aware of the lesson Guy was being taught here, and she was sure Philip had not been given the same wisdom. She wondered if her brother realised what her uncle was hinting at.
By the time the leaves were falling in the forest, Isabella saw her brother fighting and training like the king's knights. When Philip returned, Guy would make a formidable opponent. More than formidable.
Next Chapter