Discoveries
~past~
Marion had gently tried to warm Robin's heart to the fairy, but was met only with a blankness in his eyes and a coldness in his attitude. The months of care and protestations of love for him, seemed as nothing. The cold, vengeful anger was returning and the man she loved would soon start to slip away. She'd be damned if she let that happen, she pulled him back from the brink once before ...rotting in that prison.
A living corpse...less than human ...nothing but a mass of diseased rags and hate chained to a wall, an unrecognisable baggage of humanity. Holding down both fear and revulsion...she held her head high and whispered his name over and over again, when all she wanted was to flee that sight and pretend he never existed.
He was here and she would not lose him again.
In her whole life she had never once doubted her love for this man, her Robin of Loxley. Yet some things were even beyond her experience when it came to him, some things were never meant to heal, and some lessons were learnt too bitterly. Robin would always be haunted, she knew that....these last few years they all were to some extent.
The truth when used as some would say 'economically' can change events and Marion in her wisdom did something which many would find unethical to say the least.
< I will not lie to Robin, he knows me too well, besides I love him at times I feel more than he deserves. But I will not see him fall into the abyss>.
And so she did the unthinkable...she began a lie ...a great lie that would help create a legend and heal the man she so desperately loved. His anger and hatred would have to be turned and quickly, the fairy would have to become as dear and precious to him as Marion and more so.
If Severi was hurt by Robin or died in their encampment they would lose everything they had fought for. Robin would be seen as big and cruel a monster as the sheriff, from then onwards the people would lose their faith in him and then it would be only a question of time before he was betrayed for the bounty. That or the people would be slaughtered by a Sheriff blinded with the lust for revenge. Either one was a price too high to pay for the starving people, and not to say, Robin of Loxley.
But the more she thought about it the harder it was for her to find the lie that would keep the stranger safe, both from Robin's and the villager's anger.
Little Ronja, his servant, loved him; worshipped him even. The look of fierce protectiveness that overcame her could easily have been mistaken for madness. But she rarely left his side, this night was different however and Marion bid her visit her private chambers. Robin was out hunting with some of the men so they would be undisturbed there. The girl sent a hesitating glance towards Severi who smiled at her and showed her his approval without even opening his mouth. It was strange this power he seemed to possess, speaking with mere looks. He had opened up to Marion during the last couple of days, or at least he wasn't openly afraid of her. But he wouldn't discuss his past or his relations to the Sheriff. At Marion's questions about his stay at Nottingham Castle, Severi's face became a closed book. Therefore Marion decided she would have a talk with the girl somewhere private.
Marion had heard from Wolf about the kidnapping and the shock of finding out who the 'prisoner' was. Everyone thought at first the little maid was mad, but then the inexplicable happened. That stallion damn near kicking her front door in and the frantic unspoken race to the encampment shortly after. It was so out of place so unreal, not one but two men sharing the same face yet so with souls so obviously different.
Robin just stood there watching from a distance...alive and dead at the same time. Rage and shame that's what she felt ..as she threw herself from her horse to block further blows to the stricken man. They disgusted her, the mob...preying on the weak and innocent. Her people, their own damn people, how could they, couldn't they see he was sick and defenceless, did they deserve her help and her pity when they became the mindless rabble, the beast.
It was a moment of blinding truth and pain for Marion. Robin would have stood aside and let an innocent man die at the hands of the mob without any remorse.
She had to bind the two together somehow and Ronja was the key. Her shouting and talking of a great king telling her to bring his son to the forest for protection seemed wild and fanciful. But in these dark days, why not ...there were survivors here from all over the country claiming sanctuary not in the churches but in the bowery and the old woods. Many were smuggled into these woods by priests and nuns ...knowing their own parishes would soon be under the scrutiny of the ever land hungry crown.
Strange, the church forbidden by the crown to harbour or give aid, did all this in secrecy at the even greater risk of ex-communication. The less a church or community had the more they seemed to help. In truth the riches and power had corrupted the church as many of the higher positions were bought and occupied by nobles and not the true men and women of faith.
As they entered the tent where Marion sometimes spent together with her lover and more secretly, her husband, Marion kindly asked the girl to sit down and offered her some bread. Ronja accepted the loaf of bread and ate it quickly, the habit of people not knowing when the next meal will appear. When Marion sensed Ronja felt settled in she looked at her with an open and wise gaze:
"I want the truth Ronja, all of it...tell me everything, everything you saw and you heard in Nottingham Castle. If you lie to me I'll know it...you are under my protection here in this forest, but I must know everything ...if our friend Severi is to survive. I need to know why the sheriff wants him back and why you must protect him from the men."
Oh, the eyes of this poor creature as she realised the secret she carried for her master had to be reviled. And crying she told Marion what she could, with her own tiny whisper of a voice. Severi was carrying a child, Marion's and the Sheriff's child, and the witch had prophesied a son. With Marion as the mother she would have no choice but to marry the Sheriff to save both her own and the child's life. Ronja told how Severus had been kind and how the sheriff would beat and touch him. She spoke about the day Marion met Severus at the castle and how Severus was beaten and taken down to 'the room'. She'd been there to clean him up when they brought him back. She'd seen ...what the sheriff had done...the blood and the dirt the bites and the master's mess all over him. Nearly killed him doing that, but the sheriff was happy about something, and kept smiling. That's when they ordered the painter to start the family portrait of Marion, the sheriff, his mother and the baby.
The sheriff seemed to go from sad to mad and back again. He was worse then....losing interest in the women and young girls ...but not Severi...he kept going back and hurting him all the time, and then she was there when the witch examined Severi and told the Sheriff that if he killed Severi the baby growing inside him would die and all their plans to gain the throne would die as well. This child, treated as a shadow her whole life, no one even noticed if she was in the room when secrets was discussed, why would they? She was almost invisible, barely skin and bones, and well aware that secrets should stay in the rooms they first had been uttered.
In a heartbeat Marion's world was turned upside down. She remembered the painting, she remembered the Sheriff telling her it would be a portrait of her, his gift to her on her 25th. birthday. She'd been so happy those days, she had Robin to herself for almost a month and they had never been happier. And now she was to be a mother. Mother! The word struck her mind with such force she was sitting there, completely motionless for a whole minute, her head struggling to cope with the immensity of the word. She was to be a mother and she wasn't even pregnant!
So it was magic. Magic was to blame for all this and magic would have to save them, or at least- that would be Marion's plan. She sent the girl back to the tent where she told her to watch over Severus, and not to tell him what they had been talking about as that would only upset him. Back in the tent Marion began to think and thinking brought about recognition or skew on reality and how far the witch had gone to get her son on the throne.
Fairy or not, Severi would be killed if they found out he was carrying the Sheriff's child. But if he were carrying someone else's ..someone the sheriff wanted power over ...that would make the greatest of difference.
If this were to work then she would need help, the little maid certainly and the boy Wolf, maybe later on. Marion could not afford to be wrong on this, she had to bind Robin to Severi, quickly and publicly before the damage became to great and the encampment split into fractions.
Now that she knew of Severus' condition it was patently obvious, and it was something he was trying to desperately hide. What a sensation, to suddenly have to face the fact that you are an expectant mother to be to the child of the Sheriff. And as if that wasn't enough, the child was created by dark magic, a forced life only created to help a mad man to secure the crown. And in the middle of this a defenceless, innocent man who'd also been forced, forced to carry the child forth as some sick, twisted incubator. Maybe he was a fairy, why else would he have been chosen to bear such a burden? For a man alone don't have the body to carry forth a child. She would have to act fast, of that she was aware, but first she needed to come to terms with the fact that she in a couple of months time might be a mother..
*-*
Severus Snape was a man known for his ability to bounce back in no time. Years of training when it came to pain and bruises always kept his immune defence in high alert. But now he needed the aid of a wand and potions. And in the middle of nowhere in the year of 1194 AD Severus would have to rely on nature to take its course. He still was too faint to feel the small tremors beneath the ground where he was standing, sitting or laying. But his recovery shot forward although he didn't know it yet. Thankfully no one bothered him in his new living-quarters. The only one visiting him every day, besides the ever faithful Ronja was Marion. She had even woven him a black winter cloak, resembling to great extent the one he kept back at Hogwarts, to help him keep warm, and Severus treasured every moment he spent together with this kind-hearted woman. He knew little, though, of the contents of the conversation Marion had with Ronja the night she'd taken her away for a talk. Ronja didn't tell him what they'd been talking about and Severus saw no reason to ask. After all the girl had proven to be more than trustworthy..
Seven days after his arrival to the hidden forest village, Severus took his first hesitating steps outside. He was feeling as good as one could expect considering he'd been used several times as a punching bag and the fact that he was a man and somehow pregnant.. He was starting to get dangerously depressed, though. Out here there was nothing stopping dark, hideous reflections of the past from hunting him in his sleep. Things he'd kept in the dark, too awful to even consider, so ghastly that his mind shuttered by the mere thought.. Suspicious eyes locked in on him as he took some stumbling steps towards a group of trees nearby. At his heals Ronja was watching his every step as a mother watching her one-year-old son taking his first steps. He was allowed to go outside as long as he was easily spotted and didn't try to run away. No one really reckoned he would try to escape anyway, the way he was looking.
A boy strolled towards him as he leaned against one of the trees of where he'd sought refuge. He was about thirteen years old, maybe younger. Severus didn't try to start a conversation, in fact he preferred if he'd be let alone. But the boy seemed to have other plans.
"Hi, I'm Wolf!" the boy presented himself with a big grin. He was a small boy, not resembling his sturdy father at all. On the top of his head a knitted cap threatened to shoot off due to an abundant crop of blond hair. His face was open and showed traces of someone enjoying pranks. Severus simply nodded and turned his gaze elsewhere, indicating he wasn't interested in a conversation. But the boy was a resistant one and he turned to Ronja who was standing close by Severus.
"Is it really true he is a fairy?" Ronja nodded with a serious look on her face. Really! Severus sighed. She was so persistent with this fairy-story that there was no end to it. He had adopted her name for him, Severi, but there was no way he would pretend to be a fairy sent from a land far away. He simply didn't discuss his whereabouts with anyone. It was enough for them to know he wasn't the Sheriff's brother. Anything else was none of their bloody concern.
"I knew it! The boy's face literally lit up as he said it: "I knew you was special the day I saw you talking to your horse!" All right, now he was curious, the boy had caught his attention. He gave him a questioning look that the boy immediately translated to be an invitation to speak to him again.
"The day before you came here, I saw you being chased by the Sheriff and his men. I saw how you talked to your horse, without even using words. No regular man can do that, therefore you HAVE to be a fairy!" Ah, the simplicity of young inexperienced minds! Severus actually smiled.
"So you think I'm a fairy, do you?" he said, his voice settling smoothly in the cold air. The boy nodded proudly.
"I even bet you can do magic tricks!"
"And if I tell you I can't?" Severus asked mildly, amused.
"Of course you won't show me any, you don't want to blow your cover do you? And besides, its dangerous- doing magic tricks. You could end up being burned at the stake for it."
"Well then, maybe you could show a hiding fairy where you people keeps his horse?" Severus smiled and crossed his arms.
"Sure!" the boy answered: "Dad and I built him his very own paddock! I'm the only one he lets near, it almost bit dad in the arse the other day for getting to close!" the boy laughed and showed them the way. Shadow was a magnificent sight as always where it rummaged around in its closed inhabitant. It neighed cheerfully when the smell of its master reached its nostrils. It was as it was saying 'hello' as it stuck its head outside to great the man he'd adopted as its master. Wolf eagerly opened the paddock for Severus to go inside, but he never got that far.. A sharp yell awoke the whole camp from its drowsiness and suddenly six, seven men came running towards Severus, with Little John in the lead. A strong hand jerked hold of Severus' shoulder and dragged him away from the opening of the paddock, where the horse now went rigid.
"Just where do you think you are going?!" he snarled at the wizard as the rest of the men had a hard time shutting the paddock. Severus met his gaze with an honest look.
"I was simply visiting my horse, my Lord," he added in a sarcastic undertone.
"I'm in no shape to ride away from here anyway, and if I did, where would I go? Surely the great John Little wouldn't believe his own personal punching bag would abandon him, would he?" A cold smirk appeared on his face as he felt the grip around his shoulder tighten. Hazel brown eyes glared at him revealing nothing but disgust and loathing, but the gigantic man, much resembling Hagrid by his looks, said nothing. Severus was simply pushed in the direction of his tent.
As for Wolf, he was in much more severe trouble. John took his son aside doing nothing to hide the anger in his eyes.
"What did you think you were doing, son?! He could've escaped!" he growled to the boy who was now squirming in his grip.
"He just wanted to see his horse!" Wolf protested: "He wasn't gonna escape!"
"Haven't I told you to stay away from him?! That man is dangerous!" John's voice rose with each word. But Wolf had inherited the stubbornness of his mother.
"Severi isn't dangerous, dad! You're only afraid of him because he looks like the Sheriff!" A shiver went through the big man's bones with the mentioning of the one man his great heart could find no forgiveness.
"Do you remember, son," he breathed: "what the Sheriff did to your uncle, my brother? That piece of filth deserves every amount of pain, every ruthless breaking of his spirit as the Sheriff did to Peter!" Tears welled up in John's eyes by the mentioning of his brother's faith. He had always been a man easy to take to tears. Wolf looked at his father for a moment, sympathy in his face.
"I'm sorry for what happened with Uncle Pete, dad. But that wasn't Severi's fault. And he's not the Sheriff's brother, he just looks like him."
"Don't tell me you believe his lies, son," John said heavily before he turned and walked away.
*-*
Back inside the tent Severus sat down, out of breath as usual. Ronja sat down beside him, watching him in silence. They often sat like that, cherishing the silence while the noise of the camp outside was the only thing reminding them where they were. The girl knew when not to talk, and that was what made Severus adore her the most. So wise given her age, yet still innocent and childlike those big, grey eyes were. But they hid a great sadness, the memory of a life no human being should have to face. One might wonder how the Sheriff handled his disappearance. Of what he'd snapped up of rumours the man wasn't too pleased. Apparently he had given Robin the respite of ten days to return Severus in one piece or else he would have hell to pay.
Those days were now coming to an end, and Severus could feel the tension rising once more in the forest. There were many who had wives, relatives and other loved ones staying behind in the village down by the Nottingham Castle, and as always when the Sheriff was furious these were the ones that would pay. They had accepted Robin's, that will say Marion's, decision to let the stranger stay. But amongst the shadows in night-time whispers spread as time grew short. Why should their loved ones have to pay for the life of one scoundrel, bastard brother of the Sheriff? Severus Snape knew only too well luck was the one thing that had saved him so far, how long it would last, that was another matter. Beneath his clothes his secret was growing rapidly by the day, causing both pain and worry in the process. So if he got so far as to carry the child to term, then what? He was a man, for god's sake, he wasn't able to give birth! Severus had ignored this simple fact as long as his mind managed, but now he could escape it no more. He'd never heard of any curses or spells able to impregnate a male. This would have to be an agent and long forgotten spell by his time in the future. It gnawed on Severus' tired mind all day and night these days. How could he do anything about a curse cast that he didn't even know the name of? And how could he do anything as long as his wizard abilities was vanished?
Down in his swollen belly there was a sudden movement as the creature shifted and stirred. He carried the Sheriff's son. What life would be granted this child created by force, inheriting the rotting blood of an insane father? If he was by his right mind Severus would cause the end of the poor creature's misery. If it by some miracle survived a birth and wasn't killed straight after, what faith awaited it? The curse of his father's blood would give him a poor life. If he wasn't killed he would be the killer. Many would suffer during his reign as king after his father. Severus was carrying the very pest that could end this miserable community.
'I cannot let that happen!' Severus closed his eyes as a terrible plan brewed in his despairing mind.
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