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Entry tags:
- allan,
- allan/will/djaq,
- angst,
- djaq,
- little john,
- much,
- one-shot,
- robin,
- robin hood (bbc),
- sap,
- will
RH: Change
Fandom: Robin Hood (BBC)
Pairing: Allan/OC, Allan/Will/Djaq
Warnings: Angst, sap
Rating: PG
Summary: Complications, in the form of Allan's wife. S1 canon only, obviously.
"Are you outlaws?"
Will lowers his axe slowly, giving her a curious look. He nods at Djaq after a moment, once he's ascertained that the woman isn't carrying any kind of weapon herself. She doesn't look like she belongs here, though she isn't exactly frightened. Her clothes are worn, yes, but of decent quality, well mended and more or less clean, her hair tied in a neat plait to keep it out of her way. She holds her head up high, her grey-blue eyes calm and intent.
"We are," he says, cautiously. "Who're you?"
"Ellen," she says. He waits for her to say more -- a town name, her father or husband's name, anything that will give him more of a clue. Behind her, Djaq is tucking away her knife; within easy reach, but out of the way. "Are you really outlaws?"
"Are you lost?"
She sighs, giving him a careful look and then nodding. "You certainly look like outlaws."
Will raises an eyebrow slightly, not sure if he should take that as an insult or just a normal observation. He opens his mouth to say something but she shakes her head and cuts him off before he's even entirely sure what he meant to say.
"I'm looking for Allan a Dale. I heard he was a member of a band of outlaws around here. I came to look for him. Can you take me to him?"
Djaq nods at him, and that somehow makes it easier to nod and say yes without really thinking about that too much. He tries to think, though, of what Robin would do -- some way of protecting them in case she's a careful trap laid by the sheriff. Something, too, that won't make Djaq roll her eyes at him in exasperation. "Do you swear you're nothing to do with the Sheriff of Nottingham?"
"I -- "
"Let me blindfold you," Djaq says. Will winces a little at the hint of sharpness in her tone, although the exasperated look she casts in his direction is more fond than anything else. She pulls a strip of cloth from somewhere and goes over to the girl, tying it around her head firmly. "We have to be careful."
Ellen relaxes a little. "I understand."
Djaq smiles at him then, reassuring, and takes the girl's hand in hers. "Come on. I'll lead you -- make sure you do not fall."
He isn't sure quite how many times Ellen falls or trips over something, despite Djaq's guidance, but it's enough times to make him very, very glad that they weren't very far way from their current camp to start with. She obviously isn't used to moving through a forest, and not very used to travelling at all. Djaq is surprisingly patient with her, though, and Will follows her lead, making sure there's nobody following them, making sure there's no trouble ahead.
The moment Djaq takes the blindfold from the woman's eyes, she's looking around, wide-eyed, smiling just a little. "I just know Allan would love this place. He always loved places like this. Not to live in, but I know he could get used to it..."
"How do you know Allan?"
"Are you really all outlaws? Do you all live here?"
Will sighs softly. "Yes, we're all outlaws, and we live here. This is Djaq, and I'm Will Scarlett. We serve -- "
"Robin Hood," the woman says, nodding slightly. "I'd heard that much. Where is Allan?"
"He should be back soon," Djaq says, and then puts her hand on Will's arm to drag him away from Ellen a little. She keeps her voice low, but the tone is fierce, concerned, and there's a touch more of accent than usual. "Who is she? She does not belong here. She's not used to the forest. She's not even like the Lady Marian -- at least she can look after herself."
"I don't know, Allan's never said anything -- "
"Ellen?"
They both look up to see Allan staring at the woman, his mouth not quite closed. On the one hand, it makes Will almost want to giggle, at the sight of him like that. At the same time, the way Ellen is looking back at him -- smiling, her eyes soft -- makes him worry.
"I thought you'd've forgotten me by now," Allan says, to Ellen. He seems to almost have grown roots, with the way he just stands there and looks at her. After a moment she walks over to him, skirt rustling, and takes his hands in hers.
"Of course not," she tells him, seriously. "How could I forget you? Just because you and Tom went off together for adventures -- just because you didn't even tell me anything about it -- "
"Ah, well, about that -- "
" -- I couldn't forget you."
Unnoticed by the rest, Robin arrives in the camp, looking around with raised eyebrows. He clears his throat, not quite sure who to ask the question of since Allan doesn't look capable of proper sentences quite yet. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, exactly," Will says, feeling awkward, especially because Much and Little John arrived with Robin and are now staring at the scene with the same puzzled glance Robin has. "We found her wandering through the forest, she asked if we were outlaws, and asked us to bring her to Allan. We did -- with a blindfold on, just in case... Djaq thought of that. And now she and Allan..."
Djaq's hand brushes his arm, the closest she gets to affectionate gestures with him so far. Both of them glance involuntarily at Allan and the woman, Ellen, wondering exactly what they are to each other, exactly what they're quietly speaking about. Robin frowns a little and nods at Will, his I'll deal with this expression firmly in place. "Allan, who is this?"
Allan looks up, pulling away from her a little and looking sheepish. "Well... to cut a long story short, Robin, she's my wife. I mean... yeah. My wife."
He doesn't even look at Will and Djaq. They share a look and then, together, turn to leave. For right now, Will thinks, they can both do without knowing any more, whether it's one of Allan's lies, and no matter who exactly the victims of it are.
---
"I'm not being funny," Allan mutters, "but you'd think they could give a man a little more privacy."
Ellen laughs softly, putting her hand on his arm. "I'm glad to be here, you know. I've missed you."
"I, ah..." He clears his throat a little and nods. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
For a moment, she just looks at him, trying to read his face. He tries to be as difficult as possible, because -- quite frankly -- he just doesn't like being read like that. People can think what they want about what he's thinking, but they're not supposed to actually try and get inside his head. Finally, she looks aside, biting her lip. "Do you even feel anything for me anymore?"
Allan looks at her for a long minute, like he's trying to remember something, or trying to figure something out. Finally, he shrugs, looking away from her at something -- anything -- else. "It's been a while..."
"We were friends ever since we were children, do you remember?" she says, putting her hand on his arm again and squeezing gently. "You and Tom and me and my brothers. We always had fun, even if I couldn't keep up. You always took care of me, if you could..."
"I still will," he says, quickly, and then, "I mean, if you need me to. How are your brothers anyway?"
"Always bickering. Harold got married last spring... James is courting. How is Tom?"
Allan shakes his head.
"Surely he's not -- "
"He was hung."
Ellen looks at him for a moment and then nods. "I understand. I'm sorry. He was always in trouble -- but of course, you both were... But I did like him. Do you want to talk about it? Were you there? Didn't you try to save him?"
"Of course I tried to save him," Allan says, too quickly, too vehemently, and then he looks away, thinking that Djaq or Will would understand not to ask questions that like. Djaq or Will would know it all, of course, and not need it explaining, but still... Ellen is a complication he'd really rather do without, if he's honest with himself, which is
something he's good at avoiding.
"I'm sorry," she says, but he can see she doesn't really understand what there is to be sorry about.
He shakes his head, brushing away the apology. "So... why did you come to find me?"
"I wanted you to come back. It's hard..."
"You don't look that bad off," he says, and then wants to kick himself, because, of course, she doesn't. Her brothers might be idiots at times, but they'll be looking after her. It just shouldn't be their job. "I'm sorry. If I could, I'd look after you. You know I would."
"Would you? Do I?"
He takes her hands in his, a little surprised at the honestly wondering look on her face. He always thought she was too -- well, to put it bluntly -- stupid to notice that he always lied, never really told her the whole truth. The look on her face is a bit hurt, too, and before he quite knows what he's about he's kissing her, gently, comfortingly. "I would."
She kept her eyes open during the kiss, and now she looks at him again. "But you can't, can you?"
"I need to talk to Robin."
Ellen nods, once. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
He turns away from her, wondering where Will and Djaq have gone now. He'd like a chance to explain to them exactly what is going on. Maybe even ask Djaq's advice. The girl has a lot of sense in her head, after all. More sense than Ellen, walking into the forest in her long dress and demanding from the first group of outlaws she met that they take her to him. She was always like that, though. And he always yelled at her for it. And she'd always thank him for helping her and then do it again.
Robin is leaning against a tree, watching Much making dinner. He doesn't look up when Allan approaches, but Allan knows full well that he knows he's there. He clears his throat. "It wouldn't be fair -- to her, or to us -- to keep her here, would it?"
"Are you looking for an excuse to send your wife away? Or are you honestly thinking of the best for her?"
"I don't know."
Robin looks up at him and nods slightly. "She's not the kind of woman who'd like it here. She's not used to living like this, like Djaq is, and she's no Marian. And for Will and Djaq's sake -- "
"Do they really have anything to do with it?"
"You tell me," he says, shrugging slightly. "But I think they matter, and I know they're unhappy."
Allan pauses for a moment, glancing over his shoulder and back at Ellen, standing there with her hands clasped demurely, waiting for him. He sighs softly. "I know."
---
Will stops, after half an hour or so of walking -- wandering aimlessly, really. Djaq stops as well, not even saying anything, just standing beside him, her shoulder against his. They're almost back to the path through the forest where they met Ellen in the first place. She knows that he's wishing he never made the decision to take her back to camp. She doesn't say a word, though, not ready to until he is.
Finally, he sighs. "What do you think of her? Allan looked... kind of happy to see her."
"I don't know about that," Djaq says, shrugging a little. She tries to picture it for a moment, Allan and Ellen, the look on his face when he saw her -- the open mouth, the almost-dismay. Then she shakes her head, sure she's reading into it emotions that aren't there. "She's a pretty girl. I think she's probably Allan's type."
Will makes a face. "I'd rather not think -- still, she must really love him. Or they've had some good times together, anyway. I know Allan doesn't come from anywhere local, though I can't remember if he's ever said where. I mean, he probably has, but I've never believed him so far... Still. She came this far to find him, and it's a brave thing to do, so..."
"She came here looking for someone to take care of her, though."
"So she trusts him."
Djaq shakes her head. "I don't know. She has to be... strong, to leave home and look for him, I suppose. But if all she's looking for is someone to take care of her... She's not good at travelling in a forest, even if she can sew and read and everything else."
Will shrugs slightly, looking away from Djaq. For a moment, they stand in silence, not knowing what to say. Djaq moves just a little closer and without even thinking, Will puts his arm around her -- and then notices, and spends the next five minutes agonising over whether she minds, whether he's squeezing too tight. A minute later, he gets her elbow in his gut gently.
"Relax."
"Sorry."
They're still standing like that when they hear noises coming towards them from close by. It's easy to melt into their surroundings, keeping close together and waiting. It's hardly likely to be a threat, of course, moving that loudly, clumsily and obviously, but it's better to be safe than sorry when you have a sheriff who'd like nothing better than to catch you and do unspeakably painful things to you. Or at least have them done to you -- he'd probably rather not get his hands dirty.
They see the minute she comes into sight that it's Ellen -- not quite as calm and composed as earlier, crying, clumsier than ever despite not being blindfolded this time. Before Will can even make a move, Djaq has scrambled up and run towards the girl. He follows, slower, puzzled by the look on her face.
"I hoped," she says, the minute she sees them, "that he'd changed."
"He has," Will says, thinking of the way Allan was at first, and the way he is now. Sure, he's still dishonest, still lies sometimes, and is still good at talking people into things they'd never normally agree to -- going to Scarborough, for example. And he still hasn't quite absorbed the general ethos of the group when it comes to killing people, or running off with loot. But he's still changed. Will knows now that if he's in a sticky situation, Allan will come to get him out, no matter what the personal risk. And Allan knows that he and Djaq and all the rest of them would do the same for him in return.
Ellen shakes her head slowly. "He hasn't changed one bit. Always making excuses."
"Where are you going?" Djaq asks her.
She shrugs. "Home."
Will bites his lip, giving her an odd look. "Why did you come here if you're only going to run away...?"
She shakes her head again. "You don't understand. I'm his wife. He was supposed to agree to come home with me, not to say that -- that -- I mean, he's never told the truth before! Why did he have to tell me now? He could've pretended, he could've..."
Djaq looks torn between disgust and the urge to comfort. Will bites his lip and shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Will you be alright, travelling home alone?"
"I got here, didn't I?"
He shrugs. "Yes, but you're saying you need Allan. Don't you need him for that?"
Ellen frowns a little, giving Will a look like he's the strangest thing she's seen in quite a while. Except possibly Djaq, who gets a portion of the look as well. "Don't you understand? I'm a woman. I shouldn't travel alone. I only did because I was trying to find him, because he's my husband. Now -- now he's dead to me, so I can travel alone and I can remarry and do anything I want! I can have a proper husband, who doesn't run off to find adventure."
Djaq looks as though she doesn't know what part of that to object to first. Ellen looks at them both impatiently for a moment, and then shakes her head again, making a small motion as if washing her hands of them.
"I'll be fine from here. You can go away."
They watch her, until she's out of the forest, anyway. They have a feeling Allan would prefer it that way. And then they turn for home -- or, well, the campsite, anyway, if it can be exactly called home. They walk in silence, wondering, thinking things over.
Will reaches for Djaq's hand and holds it in his. "Maybe things will go back to normal," he says, hopefully.
"Maybe," Djaq says, and falls straight back into a thoughtful silence.
---
"I thought you'd be back ages ago," Allan says, looking up at them as they come into camp. It's dark now, and there's food waiting, and Much already wrapped up as best as he could contrive and snoring. All of it is so familiar -- as if Ellen never arrived -- that Will, for a moment, wonders if she ever came at all. It'd certainly be easier if he'd simply imagined it all, after all.
"We followed Ellen until she was safely out of the forest," Djaq says, bluntly. After a moment, Allan nods.
"Thank you."
Will shrugs slightly, moving to sit down beside him and reaching for a portion of the food -- mostly cold now, of course, but still perfectly edible. Perhaps more edible than other things he's been eating lately. And the fire is warm after the chilly twilight of the forest all the way home. "It seemed like the right thing to do," he says, to fill in the sudden silence.
"Yeah. Thank you."
"Did you ever love her?" Djaq asks, tilting her head to the side a little, inquiringly.
Allan shrugs. "I used to think I did. I think I didn't, ever, but maybe I did when I married her. I couldn't stay in one place for long -- even when I was growing up I used to... anyway, I don't love her now. I know what love feels like now and it's not like that. Still... I hope she'll be okay."
"She can look after herself better than she thinks."
"That's good to know," he says, and smiles a little. Then he shakes his head. "Did I worry you?"
"Why would you worry us?" Will asks, when he means yes, and he moves a little closer to Allan. Allan shifts slightly as well, so that his shoulder is pressed to Will's, warm and reassuring.
"I don't know, I just thought..."
"We understand. Let it go," Djaq says, firmly, shaking her head at him. She gets up, brushing herself off, and investigates the pile of blankets, dragging out enough for them all and then looking up, raising an eyebrow. "It's a cold night. We could..."
"Yes," Will says, and he thinks he says it a little too quickly, but Djaq and Allan just grin.
"Fine with me."
Pairing: Allan/OC, Allan/Will/Djaq
Warnings: Angst, sap
Rating: PG
Summary: Complications, in the form of Allan's wife. S1 canon only, obviously.
"Are you outlaws?"
Will lowers his axe slowly, giving her a curious look. He nods at Djaq after a moment, once he's ascertained that the woman isn't carrying any kind of weapon herself. She doesn't look like she belongs here, though she isn't exactly frightened. Her clothes are worn, yes, but of decent quality, well mended and more or less clean, her hair tied in a neat plait to keep it out of her way. She holds her head up high, her grey-blue eyes calm and intent.
"We are," he says, cautiously. "Who're you?"
"Ellen," she says. He waits for her to say more -- a town name, her father or husband's name, anything that will give him more of a clue. Behind her, Djaq is tucking away her knife; within easy reach, but out of the way. "Are you really outlaws?"
"Are you lost?"
She sighs, giving him a careful look and then nodding. "You certainly look like outlaws."
Will raises an eyebrow slightly, not sure if he should take that as an insult or just a normal observation. He opens his mouth to say something but she shakes her head and cuts him off before he's even entirely sure what he meant to say.
"I'm looking for Allan a Dale. I heard he was a member of a band of outlaws around here. I came to look for him. Can you take me to him?"
Djaq nods at him, and that somehow makes it easier to nod and say yes without really thinking about that too much. He tries to think, though, of what Robin would do -- some way of protecting them in case she's a careful trap laid by the sheriff. Something, too, that won't make Djaq roll her eyes at him in exasperation. "Do you swear you're nothing to do with the Sheriff of Nottingham?"
"I -- "
"Let me blindfold you," Djaq says. Will winces a little at the hint of sharpness in her tone, although the exasperated look she casts in his direction is more fond than anything else. She pulls a strip of cloth from somewhere and goes over to the girl, tying it around her head firmly. "We have to be careful."
Ellen relaxes a little. "I understand."
Djaq smiles at him then, reassuring, and takes the girl's hand in hers. "Come on. I'll lead you -- make sure you do not fall."
He isn't sure quite how many times Ellen falls or trips over something, despite Djaq's guidance, but it's enough times to make him very, very glad that they weren't very far way from their current camp to start with. She obviously isn't used to moving through a forest, and not very used to travelling at all. Djaq is surprisingly patient with her, though, and Will follows her lead, making sure there's nobody following them, making sure there's no trouble ahead.
The moment Djaq takes the blindfold from the woman's eyes, she's looking around, wide-eyed, smiling just a little. "I just know Allan would love this place. He always loved places like this. Not to live in, but I know he could get used to it..."
"How do you know Allan?"
"Are you really all outlaws? Do you all live here?"
Will sighs softly. "Yes, we're all outlaws, and we live here. This is Djaq, and I'm Will Scarlett. We serve -- "
"Robin Hood," the woman says, nodding slightly. "I'd heard that much. Where is Allan?"
"He should be back soon," Djaq says, and then puts her hand on Will's arm to drag him away from Ellen a little. She keeps her voice low, but the tone is fierce, concerned, and there's a touch more of accent than usual. "Who is she? She does not belong here. She's not used to the forest. She's not even like the Lady Marian -- at least she can look after herself."
"I don't know, Allan's never said anything -- "
"Ellen?"
They both look up to see Allan staring at the woman, his mouth not quite closed. On the one hand, it makes Will almost want to giggle, at the sight of him like that. At the same time, the way Ellen is looking back at him -- smiling, her eyes soft -- makes him worry.
"I thought you'd've forgotten me by now," Allan says, to Ellen. He seems to almost have grown roots, with the way he just stands there and looks at her. After a moment she walks over to him, skirt rustling, and takes his hands in hers.
"Of course not," she tells him, seriously. "How could I forget you? Just because you and Tom went off together for adventures -- just because you didn't even tell me anything about it -- "
"Ah, well, about that -- "
" -- I couldn't forget you."
Unnoticed by the rest, Robin arrives in the camp, looking around with raised eyebrows. He clears his throat, not quite sure who to ask the question of since Allan doesn't look capable of proper sentences quite yet. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, exactly," Will says, feeling awkward, especially because Much and Little John arrived with Robin and are now staring at the scene with the same puzzled glance Robin has. "We found her wandering through the forest, she asked if we were outlaws, and asked us to bring her to Allan. We did -- with a blindfold on, just in case... Djaq thought of that. And now she and Allan..."
Djaq's hand brushes his arm, the closest she gets to affectionate gestures with him so far. Both of them glance involuntarily at Allan and the woman, Ellen, wondering exactly what they are to each other, exactly what they're quietly speaking about. Robin frowns a little and nods at Will, his I'll deal with this expression firmly in place. "Allan, who is this?"
Allan looks up, pulling away from her a little and looking sheepish. "Well... to cut a long story short, Robin, she's my wife. I mean... yeah. My wife."
He doesn't even look at Will and Djaq. They share a look and then, together, turn to leave. For right now, Will thinks, they can both do without knowing any more, whether it's one of Allan's lies, and no matter who exactly the victims of it are.
"I'm not being funny," Allan mutters, "but you'd think they could give a man a little more privacy."
Ellen laughs softly, putting her hand on his arm. "I'm glad to be here, you know. I've missed you."
"I, ah..." He clears his throat a little and nods. "Yeah, I know what you mean."
For a moment, she just looks at him, trying to read his face. He tries to be as difficult as possible, because -- quite frankly -- he just doesn't like being read like that. People can think what they want about what he's thinking, but they're not supposed to actually try and get inside his head. Finally, she looks aside, biting her lip. "Do you even feel anything for me anymore?"
Allan looks at her for a long minute, like he's trying to remember something, or trying to figure something out. Finally, he shrugs, looking away from her at something -- anything -- else. "It's been a while..."
"We were friends ever since we were children, do you remember?" she says, putting her hand on his arm again and squeezing gently. "You and Tom and me and my brothers. We always had fun, even if I couldn't keep up. You always took care of me, if you could..."
"I still will," he says, quickly, and then, "I mean, if you need me to. How are your brothers anyway?"
"Always bickering. Harold got married last spring... James is courting. How is Tom?"
Allan shakes his head.
"Surely he's not -- "
"He was hung."
Ellen looks at him for a moment and then nods. "I understand. I'm sorry. He was always in trouble -- but of course, you both were... But I did like him. Do you want to talk about it? Were you there? Didn't you try to save him?"
"Of course I tried to save him," Allan says, too quickly, too vehemently, and then he looks away, thinking that Djaq or Will would understand not to ask questions that like. Djaq or Will would know it all, of course, and not need it explaining, but still... Ellen is a complication he'd really rather do without, if he's honest with himself, which is
something he's good at avoiding.
"I'm sorry," she says, but he can see she doesn't really understand what there is to be sorry about.
He shakes his head, brushing away the apology. "So... why did you come to find me?"
"I wanted you to come back. It's hard..."
"You don't look that bad off," he says, and then wants to kick himself, because, of course, she doesn't. Her brothers might be idiots at times, but they'll be looking after her. It just shouldn't be their job. "I'm sorry. If I could, I'd look after you. You know I would."
"Would you? Do I?"
He takes her hands in his, a little surprised at the honestly wondering look on her face. He always thought she was too -- well, to put it bluntly -- stupid to notice that he always lied, never really told her the whole truth. The look on her face is a bit hurt, too, and before he quite knows what he's about he's kissing her, gently, comfortingly. "I would."
She kept her eyes open during the kiss, and now she looks at him again. "But you can't, can you?"
"I need to talk to Robin."
Ellen nods, once. "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
He turns away from her, wondering where Will and Djaq have gone now. He'd like a chance to explain to them exactly what is going on. Maybe even ask Djaq's advice. The girl has a lot of sense in her head, after all. More sense than Ellen, walking into the forest in her long dress and demanding from the first group of outlaws she met that they take her to him. She was always like that, though. And he always yelled at her for it. And she'd always thank him for helping her and then do it again.
Robin is leaning against a tree, watching Much making dinner. He doesn't look up when Allan approaches, but Allan knows full well that he knows he's there. He clears his throat. "It wouldn't be fair -- to her, or to us -- to keep her here, would it?"
"Are you looking for an excuse to send your wife away? Or are you honestly thinking of the best for her?"
"I don't know."
Robin looks up at him and nods slightly. "She's not the kind of woman who'd like it here. She's not used to living like this, like Djaq is, and she's no Marian. And for Will and Djaq's sake -- "
"Do they really have anything to do with it?"
"You tell me," he says, shrugging slightly. "But I think they matter, and I know they're unhappy."
Allan pauses for a moment, glancing over his shoulder and back at Ellen, standing there with her hands clasped demurely, waiting for him. He sighs softly. "I know."
Will stops, after half an hour or so of walking -- wandering aimlessly, really. Djaq stops as well, not even saying anything, just standing beside him, her shoulder against his. They're almost back to the path through the forest where they met Ellen in the first place. She knows that he's wishing he never made the decision to take her back to camp. She doesn't say a word, though, not ready to until he is.
Finally, he sighs. "What do you think of her? Allan looked... kind of happy to see her."
"I don't know about that," Djaq says, shrugging a little. She tries to picture it for a moment, Allan and Ellen, the look on his face when he saw her -- the open mouth, the almost-dismay. Then she shakes her head, sure she's reading into it emotions that aren't there. "She's a pretty girl. I think she's probably Allan's type."
Will makes a face. "I'd rather not think -- still, she must really love him. Or they've had some good times together, anyway. I know Allan doesn't come from anywhere local, though I can't remember if he's ever said where. I mean, he probably has, but I've never believed him so far... Still. She came this far to find him, and it's a brave thing to do, so..."
"She came here looking for someone to take care of her, though."
"So she trusts him."
Djaq shakes her head. "I don't know. She has to be... strong, to leave home and look for him, I suppose. But if all she's looking for is someone to take care of her... She's not good at travelling in a forest, even if she can sew and read and everything else."
Will shrugs slightly, looking away from Djaq. For a moment, they stand in silence, not knowing what to say. Djaq moves just a little closer and without even thinking, Will puts his arm around her -- and then notices, and spends the next five minutes agonising over whether she minds, whether he's squeezing too tight. A minute later, he gets her elbow in his gut gently.
"Relax."
"Sorry."
They're still standing like that when they hear noises coming towards them from close by. It's easy to melt into their surroundings, keeping close together and waiting. It's hardly likely to be a threat, of course, moving that loudly, clumsily and obviously, but it's better to be safe than sorry when you have a sheriff who'd like nothing better than to catch you and do unspeakably painful things to you. Or at least have them done to you -- he'd probably rather not get his hands dirty.
They see the minute she comes into sight that it's Ellen -- not quite as calm and composed as earlier, crying, clumsier than ever despite not being blindfolded this time. Before Will can even make a move, Djaq has scrambled up and run towards the girl. He follows, slower, puzzled by the look on her face.
"I hoped," she says, the minute she sees them, "that he'd changed."
"He has," Will says, thinking of the way Allan was at first, and the way he is now. Sure, he's still dishonest, still lies sometimes, and is still good at talking people into things they'd never normally agree to -- going to Scarborough, for example. And he still hasn't quite absorbed the general ethos of the group when it comes to killing people, or running off with loot. But he's still changed. Will knows now that if he's in a sticky situation, Allan will come to get him out, no matter what the personal risk. And Allan knows that he and Djaq and all the rest of them would do the same for him in return.
Ellen shakes her head slowly. "He hasn't changed one bit. Always making excuses."
"Where are you going?" Djaq asks her.
She shrugs. "Home."
Will bites his lip, giving her an odd look. "Why did you come here if you're only going to run away...?"
She shakes her head again. "You don't understand. I'm his wife. He was supposed to agree to come home with me, not to say that -- that -- I mean, he's never told the truth before! Why did he have to tell me now? He could've pretended, he could've..."
Djaq looks torn between disgust and the urge to comfort. Will bites his lip and shifts from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Will you be alright, travelling home alone?"
"I got here, didn't I?"
He shrugs. "Yes, but you're saying you need Allan. Don't you need him for that?"
Ellen frowns a little, giving Will a look like he's the strangest thing she's seen in quite a while. Except possibly Djaq, who gets a portion of the look as well. "Don't you understand? I'm a woman. I shouldn't travel alone. I only did because I was trying to find him, because he's my husband. Now -- now he's dead to me, so I can travel alone and I can remarry and do anything I want! I can have a proper husband, who doesn't run off to find adventure."
Djaq looks as though she doesn't know what part of that to object to first. Ellen looks at them both impatiently for a moment, and then shakes her head again, making a small motion as if washing her hands of them.
"I'll be fine from here. You can go away."
They watch her, until she's out of the forest, anyway. They have a feeling Allan would prefer it that way. And then they turn for home -- or, well, the campsite, anyway, if it can be exactly called home. They walk in silence, wondering, thinking things over.
Will reaches for Djaq's hand and holds it in his. "Maybe things will go back to normal," he says, hopefully.
"Maybe," Djaq says, and falls straight back into a thoughtful silence.
"I thought you'd be back ages ago," Allan says, looking up at them as they come into camp. It's dark now, and there's food waiting, and Much already wrapped up as best as he could contrive and snoring. All of it is so familiar -- as if Ellen never arrived -- that Will, for a moment, wonders if she ever came at all. It'd certainly be easier if he'd simply imagined it all, after all.
"We followed Ellen until she was safely out of the forest," Djaq says, bluntly. After a moment, Allan nods.
"Thank you."
Will shrugs slightly, moving to sit down beside him and reaching for a portion of the food -- mostly cold now, of course, but still perfectly edible. Perhaps more edible than other things he's been eating lately. And the fire is warm after the chilly twilight of the forest all the way home. "It seemed like the right thing to do," he says, to fill in the sudden silence.
"Yeah. Thank you."
"Did you ever love her?" Djaq asks, tilting her head to the side a little, inquiringly.
Allan shrugs. "I used to think I did. I think I didn't, ever, but maybe I did when I married her. I couldn't stay in one place for long -- even when I was growing up I used to... anyway, I don't love her now. I know what love feels like now and it's not like that. Still... I hope she'll be okay."
"She can look after herself better than she thinks."
"That's good to know," he says, and smiles a little. Then he shakes his head. "Did I worry you?"
"Why would you worry us?" Will asks, when he means yes, and he moves a little closer to Allan. Allan shifts slightly as well, so that his shoulder is pressed to Will's, warm and reassuring.
"I don't know, I just thought..."
"We understand. Let it go," Djaq says, firmly, shaking her head at him. She gets up, brushing herself off, and investigates the pile of blankets, dragging out enough for them all and then looking up, raising an eyebrow. "It's a cold night. We could..."
"Yes," Will says, and he thinks he says it a little too quickly, but Djaq and Allan just grin.
"Fine with me."
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In a way it's surreal: All of it is so familiar -- as if Ellen never arrived -- that Will, for a moment, wonders if she ever came at all. It'd certainly be easier if he'd simply imagined it all, after all., on the other hand it is convincingly realistic. Your portrayal of Ellen, from the different perspectives, makes clear that we only ever see some aspects of her personality. And this goes for Allan as well: There is a part of him that is never wholly disclosed. Nonetheless, in the end it doesn't matter, since Djaq and Will trust and love him enough.
And, as always, wonderful character interaction. :)
Thank you very much for an intriguing read! :)
Here's a little typo: Will shrugs slightly, looking away for Djaq.
no subject
That's the effect I was going for, so I'm glad it worked.
Thanks for noticing that.