Story [Robin Hood BBC] Never Surrender [Robin, S1 AU] -- Chapter 1 3/10

Title: Never Surrender
Author: Storms_Legacy
Fandom: Robin Hood BBC
Characters: Robin, Much, Allan, Marian, King Richard, Guy of Gisborne, Sheriff Vaisey of Nottingham, Carter, and Raymond of Durham (OC).
Genre: Angst, Adventure
Warnings: Spoilers through 1x13 and some S2 and S3 references
Disclaimer: Robin Hood BBC and all recognizable characters belong to the creators, Dominic Minghella and Foz Allan.
Notes: This fic is very AU to the end of the first series of RH - it takes off from the scene at the church in the season finale where Marian leaves Guy, only it diverges there. This is very historically inaccurate - the first episode of RH takes place in 1192, which is the year King Richard left the Holy Land to return to England. If the first series is a year (based on the growth of Marian's hair), that sets the finale in early 1193 and I have chosen to prolong the time he and his men stayed in the Holy Land for approximately another two years after that. Most of Never Surrender takes place in 1195.

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[b]Prologue[/b]

Hoofbeats pounded the ground. The sound echoed in the quiet forest, reminding the rider that time was of the utmost importance. The rider only prayed that the uneven tolling of the bell meant what he thought it did.

Sunlight hit Robin's face as the leaves of Sherwood gave way to the village of Locksley. He could feel his chest constricting as he drew near to the church where the woman he loved was giving herself to his enemy. There was still a flurry of activity outside. The women were cheerful, despite that most of the villagers disliked Guy of Gisborne.

Then Robin caught sight of Much, dashing from the opposite direction as if he was making a? No. The fear on Much's face made Robin's heart skip a beat. He pulled on the reins, asking the horse to slow as he reached the church?just as Marian and Guy came out, hand in hand.

Robin couldn't believe it as he saw them. Even though he had known that there was no way to avoid it, he still could not believe that she had gone through with it. His horror was apparent on his face as the reins slipped from his fingers. The faint smile on Marian's face turned to shock when she saw Robin. Guy's expression turned to a smirk as he saw Robin's own expression. Robin's chest felt like it was constricting to the point there he could not breathe. Without another thought, Robin urged the horse into a trot.

"Much!" he called, drawing his friend's attention from the newlyweds. He held out his arm to help Much onto the horse behind him ? they had to get out of here. They had to stop the Sheriff. Marian was lost.

"I'm sorry, Master," Much tried to say. "I got waylaid?"

"It's fine, Much," Robin choked out. A deep frown creased his face, but his eyes, focused on the road ahead, were where his pain could be seen. "What is done is done."

"But it was still under false pretenses," Much pointed out. "It is not King Richard who is in Nottingham. Sir Edward and the others are in great danger!" There was a long pause before Robin answered. When he did speak, there was steel in his voice rather than pain.

"Then we have a friend to save," Robin announced, spurring the horse forward.[hr]
Less than a month later found Robin sitting on the grassy hill overlooking his boyhood home. Things were falling apart. Not in the gang, maybe, but in Robin's head, everything was falling apart. What reason did he have left to fight for England?

The hardest part was that Marian had married Gisborne, and had seemed to be relatively happy. She was supposed to be [i]his[/i]! They had been betrothed before?but he had broken the betrothal when he had gone to fight in the Holy Land with King Richard. He had abandoned her. In a way, it seemed only right that she had married Gisborne anyway.
Robin leaned back, propping himself up with his hands. He still loved her, despite all of what had passed between them. A large part of him regretted what had been done. It had seemed like the best at the time?but Marian had been right. He had gone

 

Mira: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like the idea so far. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of it! I love the Robin Hood tale and the show is amazing, even with all of the anachronisms. What parts of the show have you seen?

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[b]Chapter One[/b]

[b][i]Two years later[/i][/b]

Heat beat down on bloodstained sands. A single man stood on what had been a battlefield earlier that day. His light brown hair was sun-streaked and his face tanned from the sun. Lines creased his face, though he was not yet middle-aged by most standards. A curved sword hung loosely in his hand, still stained by the blood of the men he had killed in the battle.

Sand buffeted him for a long time before he moved. He had to dislodge the sand that had built up around his ankles to do so. He sheathed his sword, already planning to clean the dried blood from the blade when he had a spare moment. He wore the uniform of the English King's Private Guard. The insignia on the cloth marked him as the Captain of the Guard.

Robin of Locksley was silent as he plodded back toward the camp and his King. A scowl settled on his face ? he was rarely without that expression these days. That scowl was what had carved some of the lines in his face.

It had been nearly a year and a half since he had returned to the Holy Land and his duties as Captain of the Private Guard. He and his men had foiled multiple assassination attempts and had undoubtedly saved King Richard's life hundreds of times over. At what cost, though?

Those who observed Robin on a daily basis had not noticed the change in him at first. Now, they realized what had happened to him ? Much in particular noticed it every day. It bothered the former manservant a great deal. There were many times that he did not even think he knew Robin anymore.

Allan agreed with Much in many ways. While he had not been with them the last time they had been in the Holy Land, he had thought he had known Robin fairly well. It seemed now that it had not been so. He barely knew the man who led the Guard anymore.
Robin trudged back to the camp, casting a wary glance at everything that moved. The attack that morning had come out of nowhere. He was not going to have another attack surprise them like that within twenty-four hours. They had lost almost a hundred men to the blades and arrows of the small Saracen strike force.

Much and Allan stood over by one of the tents when he entered the camp. Robin walked over to where they stood. His face was still as impassive as if he was walking in Sherwood Forest. The two former outlaws exchange glances, remaining silent for several moments.

"Did you find anything, Master?" Much asked finally. Robin wordlessly shook his head. He let out something akin to a sigh and moved away, not even bothering to look at either of them again. This was not even the beginning of how he usually acted anymore. Robin barely spoke at times and he was as stony toward everyone as the blocks of the castle at Nottingham. His moods were prone to rapid swings, but this was not an unusual mood for them to find him in.

Allan watched Robin go before he shifted his weight and shook his head. This was not the hero he had come to consider one of his closest friends. This was not the Robin Hood that had made him want to help people rather than just save his own hide?most of the time. Allan would be the first to admit that there were times that he would rather save himself than be fighting this forsaken war?.but he had gotten himself into this situation all on his own. He had followed Robin here, and he was going to do what he had sworn he would.

There was silence for several more moments before Much went after Robin. Their time in the Holy Land this time had been filled with pain and suffering ? more so than the last time. Four of them had come to the Holy Land and only three remained. They had lost the solid rock they had found in John Little. The wound was a fresh, jagged scar only a few hours old.

A year and a half had not made the difference in the battle earlier. Their survival so far meant nothing. John

 

Interesting beginning. I haven't seen this particular BBC-serie, but I like the setting you're working in. Good job.