Denial, chapter 29: Complicated
Title: Denial, chapter 29: Complicated
Author: robinfanatic
Characters/Pairings: Allan, Djaq, mentions Robin, Guy, Marian and Will
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Gen
Words: 1577
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; we just want to play in their universe
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial' and is set right after 2x11, "Treasure of the Nation"; Betaed by the evil and crazy wastingyourgum & darkentwisted
Summary: Allan wants Djaq to relay information to Robin about Guy and the Nightwatchman.
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
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Complicated
by robinfanatic
What would he say? Would he stand by and let Marian stay at the castle? Let her stay? Not bein' funny, Allan thought, like even Robin could control Marian when she put her mind to something.
Would Robin even believe one word he said? Would he even let him talk... or just kill him first? He had a feeling he knew what Will would do. Will wouldn't listen to him, not to say he couldn't blame him. But Djaq... maybe Djaq would talk to him.
Allan spurred his horse deeper into Sherwood galloping away from Nottingham as fast as the animal would take him. It wasn't the heat of the summer's day that caused the sweat to trickle down his face and burn his eyes. No, it was the vivid memory of the heart-pounding chase at the castle after he'd donned the Nightwatchman's mask and cape. That had been close. Too close. Not that he wouldn't do it again to help Marian.
He had to find Djaq. He needed the gang to know that he'd saved Marian. More importantly, he needed them to know that Gisborne knew about the 'man' behind the mask. He might be Gis' boy, but no matter what Robin said, no matter that Will could barely stand the sight of him, he wouldn't turn his back on his friends.
Gis' boy... he still wondered if it was just the black knight's drunken stupor that led him to his bed. He'd been so gentle, so tender, making Allan feel like there was no one else in the world that he cared for so deeply. He wondered if the wine and heat of passion had addled his own brain. Maybe it was just a dream. Damn... it didn't feel like a dream. The feel of the saddle against his arse massaged by the steady rhythm of the horse's gait reminded him of Gis pulling him close so hard flesh met hard flesh. Silently he cursed himself - how could he be thinking of his own urges when Marian was in trouble. Damn woman.
Taking the last half mile on foot, Allan approached the outlaw camp cautiously. He scanned the thickly forested path and suddenly felt the tip of a sharp blade at his back. "Oi!" he said, slowly raising his hands above his head.
"Allan A Dale!"
Allan sighed and turned around. "Djaq! Am I glad to see you."
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to Robin."
Djaq lowered her blade and gave Gisborne's man a sympathetic look. "Do you think that is a good idea? He told you to stay away from the camp. He'll kill you, and then Will may kill you again."
"I know, but it's important, Djaq. It's about Marian."
Djaq paled, her dark eyes intense. "Is she all right?" A spy in the castle was a boon for the outlaws but there were awful risks. Marian knew this life she'd chosen was dangerous. Robin knew it, too. Djaq pushed back thoughts that those decisions had come back to haunt her and wondered if Robin's reaction might be more dreadful than Marian's fate.
"You need to tell Robin. Maybe he'll think better of me--"
Djaq shifted impatiently and sighed heavily giving the former outlaw a would-you-just-spit-it-out kind of look.
"I saved Marian."
"What?"
"Guy knows about the Nightwatchman," Allan blurted out. "He caught Marian trying to steal from the stores in Locksley."
This could be bad, Djaq thought. Really bad. "Gisborne knows? And she's still alive?"
"Yeah. The sheriff thought we captured the Nightwatchman. Guy ordered a hangin' but I put on the cape and mask and caused a bit of a stir. Sheriff dinnit know it was me. I escaped before the soldiers caught up to me. It was all Guy's idea."
"Gisborne put you up to this?"
"Yeah, 'e did. Maybe he's not all bad. Like me... not all bad. We both saved her."
Djaq could see Allan's mind working, knew how he desperately wanted to be in Robin's favour again. It nearly broke her heart to see him like this. "Why didn't you bring Marian back to the forest?"
"She innit gonna listen to me, Djaq," he said dryly. "She trusts Guy."
"And do you?"
Allan shrugged. Guy said he didn't trust her but-- "He loves her."
Djaq looked down at the herbs in her hand. She needed to make more of the balm for Legrand's wounds. "I must get back to the camp before I am missed."
"Would you tell Robin?"
"No." The curt answer sounded harsh to her own ears and she knew what Allan's response would be.
"What! Why not?" he shouted pitifully, his gaze shifting restlessly. "I thought you were my friend, Djaq."
"What good would it do?" she reasoned. "Robin would rush off to the castle and only cause more problems. He can be so hot-headed--"
"Don't I know. But if he knew that if it wasn't for me Marian would be dead... if he knew I saved her life... maybe he'd let me come back to the gang." Allan's blue eyes pleaded with hers. "Djaq--"
"Marian is more good to us at the castle. And you..." Djaq pursed her lips. "I still believe in you, Allan, but you've done some bad things. We needed those food stores for the poor and you handed them right back to Gisborne."
"Look, yeah, I feel bad about that," he admitted. He perked up, anxious to have Djaq share more news with the outlaw leader. "Ya' know he turned out all the villagers in Locksley?"
"What?"
"The mercenaries 'ave moved in. The sheriff has set Locksley up as a garrison."
Djaq faced flushed. Those food stores they'd intercepted--that's where they'd been headed. Enough to feed an army. "So there are even more of them?"
"More? Wot' you mean?"
"We ran into others with the sheriff. I don't have time to explain." The gang was still exhausted after their run-in with the small band of mercenaries who were tracking Queen Eleanor. She was safely away but there was still Legrand to tend to. The Frenchman's injuries would have killed most men. His recovery would be slow, slower if she didn't get back to prepare the herbs she'd gathered to help the healing process. "I must go."
"Djaq--" He wondered if she might shed light on Guy's mysterious reference to Robin and the Queen Mother but she interrupted before he could speak.
"I trust you, Allan. You haven't led the sheriff to the camp. But Robin feels betrayed. And Will, I don't understand why Will--"
A pang of remorse made Allan choke up. He clenched his fist, desperately wishing he could set things right... with Robin... with Will. "Tell Will I'm sorry. I've tried. He won't listen. I don't want you to hate me. If I could change what happened..."
"Would you tell me w--"
"Not my place to say." Allan shook his head. "Ask Will. And next time we meet I hope you won't run me through with that sword before you start askin' questions."
"It cannot be that bad," she said. "Good-bye, Allan." Djaq turned to go.
"So you won't tell Robin? About Marian?"
"It would be better if Marian chooses to leave on her own. She does not need to be dragged from the castle kicking and screaming. Talk to her. Convince her to leave. Tell her that trusting Gisborne to keep her secret is dangerous."
"I don't know--"
"Robin would run in there like a fool, Allan. A man in love can do stupid things."
A man in love... or a desperate man who ends up hurting the one he loves, Allan thought.
Djaq could tell that Allan still wasn't convinced. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Robin could end up getting them both killed."
"He's gonna find out, Djaq." Allan tried to reason with her though deep down he knew what she said made sense.
"Who would tell him? You?" she chided him. "You can't get close enough to Robin without risking getting your throat slit, and you've told me that Will would do the same. So who? Gisborne? Or do you think Marian will tell him the next time he sneaks into the castle for a visit?"
Allan sighed. "I s'pose not. You're right again."
"Irritating, isn't it?" she said playfully. "Watch after Marian. She cares for you. She'll have your back, too."
"She already does," he said quietly as Djaq kissed him on the cheek then turned back toward the camp. His gaze followed the densely wooded path where she disappeared amongst the trees, then he turned and stared back in the direction of Nottingham. This time he didn't have Will to pull him in the right direction but oddly enough, he didn't need Will to tell him where that direction lay. This time what was right had to be the long way 'round. Things were complicated. He'd made a mess of his life... with Will, with the gang. Marian was going to need a friend in the castle. And Guy... that man was just a mystery at the moment. Sure it would be easy to chuck it all and let the wood swallow him up. But for once, Allan decided to put others before himself. They all needed him in their own way whether they realized it or not.
>>>---------------->>
Chapter 30 this way... some Legrand history for you...
Author: robinfanatic
Characters/Pairings: Allan, Djaq, mentions Robin, Guy, Marian and Will
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Gen
Words: 1577
Disclaimer: BBC & TA own; we just want to play in their universe
Notes: This continues the 'Round-Robin' fic 'Denial' and is set right after 2x11, "Treasure of the Nation"; Betaed by the evil and crazy wastingyourgum & darkentwisted
Summary: Allan wants Djaq to relay information to Robin about Guy and the Nightwatchman.
Want to play? Come join us! Check out the Rules and join in the Round Robin fun!
Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
>>>---------------->>
Complicated
by robinfanatic
What would he say? Would he stand by and let Marian stay at the castle? Let her stay? Not bein' funny, Allan thought, like even Robin could control Marian when she put her mind to something.
Would Robin even believe one word he said? Would he even let him talk... or just kill him first? He had a feeling he knew what Will would do. Will wouldn't listen to him, not to say he couldn't blame him. But Djaq... maybe Djaq would talk to him.
Allan spurred his horse deeper into Sherwood galloping away from Nottingham as fast as the animal would take him. It wasn't the heat of the summer's day that caused the sweat to trickle down his face and burn his eyes. No, it was the vivid memory of the heart-pounding chase at the castle after he'd donned the Nightwatchman's mask and cape. That had been close. Too close. Not that he wouldn't do it again to help Marian.
He had to find Djaq. He needed the gang to know that he'd saved Marian. More importantly, he needed them to know that Gisborne knew about the 'man' behind the mask. He might be Gis' boy, but no matter what Robin said, no matter that Will could barely stand the sight of him, he wouldn't turn his back on his friends.
Gis' boy... he still wondered if it was just the black knight's drunken stupor that led him to his bed. He'd been so gentle, so tender, making Allan feel like there was no one else in the world that he cared for so deeply. He wondered if the wine and heat of passion had addled his own brain. Maybe it was just a dream. Damn... it didn't feel like a dream. The feel of the saddle against his arse massaged by the steady rhythm of the horse's gait reminded him of Gis pulling him close so hard flesh met hard flesh. Silently he cursed himself - how could he be thinking of his own urges when Marian was in trouble. Damn woman.
Taking the last half mile on foot, Allan approached the outlaw camp cautiously. He scanned the thickly forested path and suddenly felt the tip of a sharp blade at his back. "Oi!" he said, slowly raising his hands above his head.
"Allan A Dale!"
Allan sighed and turned around. "Djaq! Am I glad to see you."
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to Robin."
Djaq lowered her blade and gave Gisborne's man a sympathetic look. "Do you think that is a good idea? He told you to stay away from the camp. He'll kill you, and then Will may kill you again."
"I know, but it's important, Djaq. It's about Marian."
Djaq paled, her dark eyes intense. "Is she all right?" A spy in the castle was a boon for the outlaws but there were awful risks. Marian knew this life she'd chosen was dangerous. Robin knew it, too. Djaq pushed back thoughts that those decisions had come back to haunt her and wondered if Robin's reaction might be more dreadful than Marian's fate.
"You need to tell Robin. Maybe he'll think better of me--"
Djaq shifted impatiently and sighed heavily giving the former outlaw a would-you-just-spit-it-out kind of look.
"I saved Marian."
"What?"
"Guy knows about the Nightwatchman," Allan blurted out. "He caught Marian trying to steal from the stores in Locksley."
This could be bad, Djaq thought. Really bad. "Gisborne knows? And she's still alive?"
"Yeah. The sheriff thought we captured the Nightwatchman. Guy ordered a hangin' but I put on the cape and mask and caused a bit of a stir. Sheriff dinnit know it was me. I escaped before the soldiers caught up to me. It was all Guy's idea."
"Gisborne put you up to this?"
"Yeah, 'e did. Maybe he's not all bad. Like me... not all bad. We both saved her."
Djaq could see Allan's mind working, knew how he desperately wanted to be in Robin's favour again. It nearly broke her heart to see him like this. "Why didn't you bring Marian back to the forest?"
"She innit gonna listen to me, Djaq," he said dryly. "She trusts Guy."
"And do you?"
Allan shrugged. Guy said he didn't trust her but-- "He loves her."
Djaq looked down at the herbs in her hand. She needed to make more of the balm for Legrand's wounds. "I must get back to the camp before I am missed."
"Would you tell Robin?"
"No." The curt answer sounded harsh to her own ears and she knew what Allan's response would be.
"What! Why not?" he shouted pitifully, his gaze shifting restlessly. "I thought you were my friend, Djaq."
"What good would it do?" she reasoned. "Robin would rush off to the castle and only cause more problems. He can be so hot-headed--"
"Don't I know. But if he knew that if it wasn't for me Marian would be dead... if he knew I saved her life... maybe he'd let me come back to the gang." Allan's blue eyes pleaded with hers. "Djaq--"
"Marian is more good to us at the castle. And you..." Djaq pursed her lips. "I still believe in you, Allan, but you've done some bad things. We needed those food stores for the poor and you handed them right back to Gisborne."
"Look, yeah, I feel bad about that," he admitted. He perked up, anxious to have Djaq share more news with the outlaw leader. "Ya' know he turned out all the villagers in Locksley?"
"What?"
"The mercenaries 'ave moved in. The sheriff has set Locksley up as a garrison."
Djaq faced flushed. Those food stores they'd intercepted--that's where they'd been headed. Enough to feed an army. "So there are even more of them?"
"More? Wot' you mean?"
"We ran into others with the sheriff. I don't have time to explain." The gang was still exhausted after their run-in with the small band of mercenaries who were tracking Queen Eleanor. She was safely away but there was still Legrand to tend to. The Frenchman's injuries would have killed most men. His recovery would be slow, slower if she didn't get back to prepare the herbs she'd gathered to help the healing process. "I must go."
"Djaq--" He wondered if she might shed light on Guy's mysterious reference to Robin and the Queen Mother but she interrupted before he could speak.
"I trust you, Allan. You haven't led the sheriff to the camp. But Robin feels betrayed. And Will, I don't understand why Will--"
A pang of remorse made Allan choke up. He clenched his fist, desperately wishing he could set things right... with Robin... with Will. "Tell Will I'm sorry. I've tried. He won't listen. I don't want you to hate me. If I could change what happened..."
"Would you tell me w--"
"Not my place to say." Allan shook his head. "Ask Will. And next time we meet I hope you won't run me through with that sword before you start askin' questions."
"It cannot be that bad," she said. "Good-bye, Allan." Djaq turned to go.
"So you won't tell Robin? About Marian?"
"It would be better if Marian chooses to leave on her own. She does not need to be dragged from the castle kicking and screaming. Talk to her. Convince her to leave. Tell her that trusting Gisborne to keep her secret is dangerous."
"I don't know--"
"Robin would run in there like a fool, Allan. A man in love can do stupid things."
A man in love... or a desperate man who ends up hurting the one he loves, Allan thought.
Djaq could tell that Allan still wasn't convinced. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Robin could end up getting them both killed."
"He's gonna find out, Djaq." Allan tried to reason with her though deep down he knew what she said made sense.
"Who would tell him? You?" she chided him. "You can't get close enough to Robin without risking getting your throat slit, and you've told me that Will would do the same. So who? Gisborne? Or do you think Marian will tell him the next time he sneaks into the castle for a visit?"
Allan sighed. "I s'pose not. You're right again."
"Irritating, isn't it?" she said playfully. "Watch after Marian. She cares for you. She'll have your back, too."
"She already does," he said quietly as Djaq kissed him on the cheek then turned back toward the camp. His gaze followed the densely wooded path where she disappeared amongst the trees, then he turned and stared back in the direction of Nottingham. This time he didn't have Will to pull him in the right direction but oddly enough, he didn't need Will to tell him where that direction lay. This time what was right had to be the long way 'round. Things were complicated. He'd made a mess of his life... with Will, with the gang. Marian was going to need a friend in the castle. And Guy... that man was just a mystery at the moment. Sure it would be easy to chuck it all and let the wood swallow him up. But for once, Allan decided to put others before himself. They all needed him in their own way whether they realized it or not.
>>>---------------->>
Chapter 30 this way... some Legrand history for you...