Can't See the Trees for the Forest

[sylvi10]

Title: Can't See the Trees for the Forest
Word Count: 4,695
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Allan, Djaq
Summary: Allan tries to teach Djaq how to walk silently in the woods. Eyes open or eyes closed, there are things they are sure to miss.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoiler for 1x08
Disclaimer: I own nothing

Comments

[roh_wyn]

This was lovely. There's some lovely imagery and use of language. I think my favorite part was this:

It was a more or less honest appendage these days-one that no longer wandered into promising pockets or fiddled deftly with locks, except when engaged in the serious business of outlawry.

That's a wonderful--and wonderfully unique--way of noting the changes in Allan's life, now that he's an outlaw.

I also liked the way this ended. There's no doubt that Allan is changed by his interaction with Djaq, but it's nice to see he plays a part in who Djaq becomes as well.

[sylvi10]

Thank you so much! You selected a couple of my favorite parts, too. :)

I'm really glad you liked the ending. I agree that Djaq probably influenced Allan's life rather strongly, but it's hard for me to imagine that as her dear friend he didn't also have some profound affect on her as well. Even though in this case it's just a change on the surface, really, it's meant to be an indication of maybe a little bit more . . .

Thanks again for reading and commenting!

[ravenya03]

*Sigh* Even all these years later, I can still feel the chemistry between these two! And after so long, it's wonderful to get a fresh new look at Allan/Djaq (because there's precious little out there!)

I think you really nailed Allan here; the way he's just a complete mass of contradictions and the way that he even manages to fool himself most of the time, but is nevertheless still incredibly perseptive when it comes to others. And the way you get Djaq is perfect too: how she's so strong, but she's put up all those walls to hide the fact that as an outlawed woman in a foreign country, she's incredibly vulnerable, with the boys as her only life-line.

He enjoyed her company, that was all. He wouldn’t question the way the beat of his heart quickened at an unexpected glimpse of her across the marketplace in Nottingham. Or the way he couldn’t help but grin at her when he caught her eye during one of Much’s frequent tirades, when she bested him in a fierce sparring practice, or when she threw up her hands in despair at the stupidity of

[sylvi10]

Ah, yes, the world needs more Allan/Djaq.

Yay! I'm so glad you liked this. The contradictions and defenses of these two are just so much fun to play around with. Each of them is practically their own little island of angst at this point in time (okay, Allan nearly always is, but here Djaq is working so many things out for herself, too), and then when you put them together . . . well, they seem to do this miraculous little dance around each other, and sometimes they meet and sometimes they don't. All those places where they almost connect but don't quite, or do connect but don't realize it, are just so rich.

I am very happy that you feel their chemistry in this story, as well as their fascination with each other. Yeah, I'm just very happy you liked it. Thank you so much for the comment!

[sylvi10]

Thank you so much for reading and commenting, jadey. I'm very glad you enjoyed it!