Fic: Nobody Left

[roh_fics]

Title: Nobody Left
Characters: Will, Luke
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen
Word count: 625
Notes: Set just after 2x04, "Angel of Death." Written for a challenge at hoodland.

Will watched the sun go down, and as the last light died, his father's face began to fade. He'd see it again tomorrow and the day after, as he had every day since his father's death. But one day, an errant wind or even a careless traveler would knock over the stones and that would be the end of Will's small tribute.



He sighed and felt sadness creep from his heart and settle into his bones, just the way it had when his mother had died. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his parents, but his mother was only a wisp of memory and soon, his father would be the same.

The sound of leaves rustling under a booted foot drew Will out, but he didn't turn around. Luke dropped down next to him and for a long while, they sat in silence and tried to take measure of their grief.

"I never noticed before." Luke's voice cut through the silence. "You look just like Da."

Will pondered this. "Do I? Never thought about it before." He scratched his chin and gave his brother a long look. "I guess you do too. A bit."

"That's good, right? If we want to remember him, we'll just need a looking glass."

"Yeah. Don't have one here. But I'm sure you have a mirror in Scarborough."

Will heard the sharp intake of breath from Luke long before he heard the words his brother spoke.

"Scarborough? No, Will, I'm not going. I'm going to stay here. With you and Robin. I'm--"

"No, you're not. You're going...home."

Luke crossed his arms and glared, an expression Will was certain he'd seen on a much younger face not a year before. "It's not your choice. I'm staying. You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can." Will wished he had a weapon handy. He'd never hurt Luke, but sometimes the threat was enough to get his little brother in line. He balled a fist instead, making sure Luke saw the action.

Luke backed away a little, but his expression remained defiant. "Are you really going to fight me now?"

Will shrugged. "If I have to. I can't let you stay."

"You don't have to protect me. That was Da's job, not yours."

Will recoiled as if he'd been slapped. Was that the impulse that had led him to send Luke back? That he needed to be both brother and father now? He ran tired hands through his hair and tried to reason with Luke.

"Listen, will you? Life here is...hard. It's dangerous. There's always someone after us. We never get a good night's rest, we're always hungry."

"So? If you can do it, I can. I've been hungry before, remember?"

To this, Will didn't have a handy reply. The outlaw life was difficult, but it was no worse than the life he and Luke had led before. In some ways, life in Sherwood Forest was better, and Robin gave his men a bit of power, a chance to be free men. It would be wrong to deny Luke the chance. And yet, and yet...

Will decided to change tack, a final attempt to sway Luke. "You're right. I don't want you to stay, but I can't tell you not to. I'll speak to Robin." He stood up and dusted the mud off his legs. "But I need you to know something.

"If we die, and I promise you that day is coming, there'll be nobody left. Nobody left to remember Mum. Nobody left who looks like Da." He turned and walked off towards the camp, letting Luke absorb the blow.

If anyone was surprised when Luke set off for Scarborough the next morning, they chose not to tell Will about it.

Comments

[alesh101.livejournal.com]

Oh! That's so lovely. I hate that Will has to be so hard with the only person he has left, but he makes a really good point. I love that they see Dan in each other.

Lovely fic.

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I just think Will runs out of ways to get through to Luke, so he goes for shock value. It's a bit underhanded, but whatever works, right?

Whoever cast the show did make parents and siblings resemble each other somewhat, so it's not too farfetched, lol.

[corrielle.livejournal.com]

Oh wow... this is really lovely. I like that the argument that convinces Luke is about legacy and remembering... it made me think about how easy we modern folks have it with our photographs and videos. I remember faces of family members who died years ago, but I don't think I'd be so good at it if I had only my memory to go on.

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I think things like legacy, memory and even just carrying on a family name or tradition must have mattered a lot more back when it was harder for ordinary people to archive their experiences in writing.

It also makes me think about how much easier it would be in that world to adopt a completely new persona, to disappear from your old life and show up in a new one. I wonder why Allan never tried that, lol.

[sylvi10.livejournal.com]

This is such a great missing scene to write! I was always sort of disappointed that Luke didn’t stick around, and I like to think he might have wanted to. But it’s really easy for me to imagine that Will would not have wanted him to stay, for his own good, kind of in the same way that Dan wanted Will to join his family in Scarborough. I like how Will goes from threatening to acknowledges that he can’t make Luke go if he doesn’t want to, giving him the freedom of decision that he had wanted from his father. It’s beautiful how they see their father in each other’s face. You’ve made me feel that something almost exactly like this must have happened.

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed by Luke's return to Scarborough too, but only because having a brother around might have given Will more to do, lol.

You’ve made me feel that something almost exactly like this must have happened.

Wow, that's quite the compliment. Thanks so much! ♥

[robinfanatic.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. Will's last lines... oh my. *sniff*

I would've loved to see more of Luke on the show after Dan died. But I suppose if they'd brought him back, the writers would've killed him off, too. Nevermind. Ignore what I said. I'm glad Luke returned to Scarborough. We know he's safe & sound.

Lovely fic. Thanks for sharing.

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for reading.

I suppose if they'd brought him back, the writers would've killed him off, too.

Luke strikes me as the classic "redshirt" that way, so yeah, he would have been the first to fall in the proverbial avalanche of rocks in the S3 finale.

I do wish the show had at least hinted at what happened to him, i.e. maybe Allan goes to Scarborough to tell him Will's in the Holy Land or something.

[jadey36]

Lovely fic; the penultimate paragraph is especially moving.

[roh-wyn.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Love your icon, btw.

[jadey36]

Thanks!

[arliddian.livejournal.com]

(It's very sad that I no longer have any fandom-appropriate icons.)

I love this. Love how Will has to go through all the different ways of trying to convince Luke to leave. Poor things have so much on their shoulders.

Small note, but I also love how Will has no illusions about the gang's invincibility. He knows the costs of everything they do and he knows that it won't last forever.

Now I really need to re-watch RH! (Though I do not own and thus am completely ignoring S3, hahaha.)