Dawn (BBC Robin Hood Fanfic)

Trust

Julia

Robin hushed the gang and looked at his feet. Obviously, he was angry. He shuffled his feet as he walked in front of the gang, clearly trying to organize what he was going to say. Maybe he was going to pronounce sentence on somebody he suspected as the spy?

He took a deep breath, "Lads, I am willing to hear the traitor out. No sentence will be carried out until after whoever has finished speaking. Step forward. If you do not speak now, you will be found out soon enough."

The band of outlaws was quiet. Djaq held onto Will's arm and I stood next to Much. Little John, who was furious that Robin even had to ask, held his tongue. As I scanned the people around me, the only person who seemed nervous was Allan. Even though his hands weren't fidgeting, his feet were shuffling back and forth. Maybe he was hiding something. I soon began to doubt myself after thinking that. I just couldn't picture anyone here to be a spy for the sheriff. Why would they betray their king?

The seconds that past felt like an eternity. I hoped somebody would speak up but, it hadn't happened. Robin huffed to himself, "Okay if that's how it's going to be, I'll have to live with it. Why would any of you betray the king? England? This is what we are fighting for." The words he spoke weren't directed at anyone in particular, but they were firm to the whole group. "Have you forgotten, lads?"

The moments following Robin's speech were quiet. The only sound that was heard was the chirping of birds and the sway of leaves in the wind. It was like the air around us wanted to keep us away from the awful present.

"Let's get back to work."

Soon the camp roared back to life as the outlaws began sorting through treasure they had found and Much soon began making dinner. He put a rabbit in his arms and began to dress it. I sat at his side, studying his face. Maybe he was the spy? I didn't really know any of these people. Why had I put my trust in them?

"Much, what is going to happen?" I sat quiet, patiently waiting for an answer.

He stopped and smiled at me, "I don't know. I just know that I am innocent in all of this. I was his servant in the Crusades as we both fought the war. I don't know what to make of this!"

"Much," I said, trying to think of how I could put my thoughts into words. "I think that you are a very trustworthy man. I don't know if I can trust anyone," I glanced at my feet, which were crossed, "even you."

As those words left my lips, I thought of the kiss that Much and I shared. As soon as I finished my thoughts I looked back at Much, whose face had fallen.

"Julia, I will protect you." He gave me a small grin, trying to help my spirits. "You can trust me," he whispered, caressing my cheek. 

We moved our faces closer together about to kiss when suddenly we heard a loud noise. It sounded like fighting. Robin was shouting at Little John as we stood and rushed down the hill. Much ran ahead of me, as the whole gang watched as his's outlaw tag was ripped from his neck. 

I couldn't hear what Robin was saying before but, the last thing he said was clear. "Do not come back, Little John. I know what you did." 

"What's going on?" Much yelled as John dashed away from the group. 

"Little John was the traitor." He explained. "That's it. He is never welcome back into our gang." 

"I can't believe this." Allan protested, feeling helpless. "He can't be."

Robin put his hand on his shoulder, "It's difficult I know but, it had to be done." 

"We need to talk about this," Djaq frowned as John disappeared into the brush. 

Robin huffed, "It can't be changed, Djaq. We can't trust him anymore." 

(This chapter is highly based upon the Robin Hood episode Ducking and Diving. The quotes used are my own and I have changed the plot of that episode to fit this story.)