WHAT WILL BECOME OF ENGLAND?

an independent roleplay blog for ROBIN HOOD of English folklore, based in the fourteenth century & with historical inspiration. no disney / ouat influence. by MARTY (he/him, 25+).

[grenewoden]

#GRENEWODEN. an independent roleplay blog for ROBIN HOOD of english folklore. set in the fourteenth century, largely inspired by legend and english history. written by MARTY (he/him, 25+). affiliated with @meiquene.

please read my rules before following / interacting. any memes i reblog are always open & accepting! this blog is new editor & iconless. i do write robin's dialogue in west riding dialect, but i will write in standard english for anyone who wants me to! you just have to ask, i won't mind at all.

rules. about. verses. current verses of interest are: canon, dragon age, modern.

as a general note: i do have some memory issues & this does impact my ability to run this blog. i may sometimes forget about drafts or plotting/starter calls or anything along those lines, so please feel free to give me a nudge if you think i might have forgotten about something! i won't be irritated by it at all and actually appreciate the reminder if it's been more than a week or so.

[meiquene-deactivated20240202]

he was so quiet. no matter how many times she might have complained to bess or john or even old wilford’s entire flock of sheep about his mouth ran on and on and on! as if she cared to listen! his silence now worried her. perhaps more than his wounds, and definitely more than their pursuers. how she wished to hear him speak about anything, tell her any wild tale or horrible joke, just to hear his voice.

and then, of course, he spoke.

❝ john’ll see to me. ❞

she had half a mind to gag him and, lord forgive her, she did look around for any leftover bandage that would suffice. john’ll see to thi, he says, as if she would be so fickle as to leave him at all - much less like this! even in the growing dark of the forest, her eyes shine with anger, indignant. ❝ i’ll have no one catching you either, robin hood, ❞ she said, a sharpness to her voice. she adjusts the coverings around him once more before settling in beside him. shoulder to shoulder, the length of her arm alongside his. she takes her bow and strings an arrow, then sits it carefully on her lap with the quiver close at hand. satisfied that she was equipped should they be ambushed, she continued, her tone milder. ❝ it is your own fault for marrying me. if you would have liked me to leave you, you ought to have thought about that sooner. ❞

[grenewoden]

Robin turned his head to her, clearly not fully there himself but grinning all the while at her words. He wanted to say something badly but the words had difficulty forming themselves, finding his tongue. He had married her because he was a fool, and desperately in love with her. Two reasons now, as well, why he wanted her to be gone far from here. He rested his head against her shoulder instead, and closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

It had only meant to be for a moment. Robin, however, was weak and exhausted and fighting a battle he had no hope of winning. When he opened his eyes again, he had no idea of how much time may have passed. All he was aware of was a sudden movement of Marian's, alerting him and sending him to sitting straight once again. He would be no good in a fight but his eyes scanned the area about them all the same.

"Wha'sit?" he asked, trying to spot out any danger in the trees. "S'it them?"

[grenewoden]

honestly i thought there'd be more gallows pole edits by now.........

[grenewoden]

well, rose got on marian and you know what that means

[grenewoden]

anyway, i am reminded that sometimes romance is not murdering your wife's childhood best friend who you both now hate even though you would absolutely do such a thing in cold blood if given the opportunity

[meiquene-deactivated20240202]

so far. she was not such a stranger to being alone - but it was all the worse when there was someone to miss. even more awful when it was winter, when the days grew dark and the meals lean. marian had been in preparation to welcome much of the village into the manor's walls - women and children, first, and the elderly. then whoever else might fit in besides that had neither warmth nor food. a number that seemed to grow every year.

❝ he always hated snow. i used to put it down his back, ❞ marian said by way of agreement, looking at their hands. even in the few weeks of winter that had passed, her cheek was paler, hair darker. spring suddenly felt years away. her head lifted as his hand brushed her chin, and she met his smile with one of her own. ❝ i shall pray for your safe journey, ❞ was all she said. i shall miss you, she did not dare. ❝ when do you go? ❞

[grenewoden]

ㅤ“ Three days, four. We've some business to see to, first of all, and then we'll be off. ” He looked apologetic, briefly. As sorry as Robin's face ever got. Winters were always long and miserable, dead and slow, and he did not revel in the thought of leaving Marian all alone. But he would not forgive himself if Margery, if his parents, were in need of his aid and he was so far from home, in darkest Nottingham, for his heart's sake.

ㅤRobin's hand moved to Marian's cheek, then, his fingers brushing through the strands of her hair. His fingers were still frozen solid - though warmer now, thanks to her efforts - but, as ever, he wished to be gentle with her. Soft. Especially if they were not to see each other until spring.

ㅤ“ Don't do owt I'd not do while I'm away, aye? ” he teased with a grin. It soon faded, a frown setting itself at his brow as his hand fell to her shoulder, then dropped to her own hand. “ If tha wants, I can ask some of t' lads if they'd stay. If there's trouble, wi' Guy or t' sheriff. John, perhaps, I know he'd not protest. Or Alan - ” And he smiled again. “ Though he would protest much. ”

[pinesourcearchive-deactivated20]

Though if there is a real selling point to seeing Pine’s performance in “Outlaw King,” it is to experience his evolving romance with Florence Pugh’s Elizabeth de Burgh. Amid their first encounters, the couple has an awkward dynamic typical for historical tales involving politically forced marriages. As the story unfolds, Bruce and Elizabeth’s chemistry changes to one that feels natural, thanks to the fantastic acting spark between Pine and Pugh. Each actor is electric on-screen in their own right, but when they’re together, the duo leaves a sweeping romantic impact that doesn’t get enough recognition.

— Slash Film: 12 Best Chris Pine Movies, Ranked

[meiquene-deactivated20240202]

❝ the sheriff. ❞ what good humor had been dancing around her lips disappeared completely. so he had earned himself such a reputation that even newcomers had heard of his cruelty. how pleased he must be. marian's eyes lifted from the sheep to look at robin, bright with anger. ❝ do you want know why old wilford's son died? ❞ she didn't wait for his answer. ❝ he was hanged. for stealing a bit of flour. ❞ and all over again, marian felt the shame of it. she had tried, during that winter, to keep everyone fed and warm - half the time the whole village had been packed into her manor. but there were some beyond her reach, through pride or simple logistics.

she realized she had stopped walking and, remembering herself, turned her head. forced herself to take a breath. when she spoke again, her voice was still edged - but lighter. she looked at this robin of barnsdale once more, eyebrows raised. ❝ the sheriff continues to surpass himself in greed and cruelty. what is it you and your friends might do that others have not? ❞

[grenewoden]

ㅤRobin had stopped as she did, though perhaps just a few steps ahead, having to turn back slightly to face her. Here, he could see Matilda's anger quite clearly. It was the sort he knew well, furious with the injustices of the local lords and their laws. The kind of men who so passively and carelessly punished the likes of her and her kin for no other reason than greed. He might have watched his tongue with somebody else. Matilda, though? She might appreciate what he was here to do. And, truthfully, he wished to impress her.

ㅤ“ Me friends and I are wolfsheads. Every last one of us. ” Such words were, naturally, spoken with pride. It had been some years since he had been outlawed, though only one or two, surely, since he had parted ways with Bell and his men. The vicious bite remained, the violent edge that sent a shudder through the lords and ladies even safely behind their thick castle walls in the dead of night, but its target had been refined. “ We've nowt to lose, understand. So we have come to make t' sheriff's life a misery. Back north, we steal from them as have too much and give to t' ones what are owed it and have nowt. ” His hands set on his hips, now, and he let himself smile again. Something sure and confident. “ I've no care for bullies. Nor men of t' law. We shall bring bread and coin on t' morrow to prove it. ”

[grenewoden]

rob promising marian he'll not kill guy like "i said nowt about not terrorising him"

[grenewoden]

@covrroucer. call.

ㅤ“ I need help from thi. Though, I admit, I am loath to drag thi into bother tha's better off not touching. ” Robin's face was open, earnest. He hated involving those who need not be involved in his schemes, but only a fool would move against the likes of Guy without preparing himself fully. “ If tha tells us no, I'll leave it at that. Aye? But I've business wi' Sir Guy, and cannot reach him by missen. ”

[grenewoden]

@meiquene. call.

ㅤ“ Here! Here! ” The words were hissed out between the bars he was currently trapped behind. Robin had rushed to them at the very first sound of her voice, while David was only just now pulling himself to his feet and moving toward the bars. Robin felt his hand upon his shoulder, gripping tight, as he pushed his own through the gap in the bars to try and catch Marian's attention.

ㅤHow easy, how unbothered he looked when she came into view. And of course, that flirtatious grin flickered across his face. As if he were not to die in the morning. “ My, fancy meeting thee in a place such as this. ”

[grenewoden]

this is still deeply merry men re: robian btw

[grenewoden]

what if u like for a little starter

[grenewoden]

thinking about the r.obin-m.arian-guy dynamic btw

[grenewoden]

"i would have freed you soon enough" "we're not free" "well, no one really is in a monarchy, if you think about it"

things robin has said to people he's tied up to steal from, 100%

[grenewoden]

hi i'm still not over the fact that tgp just proved you could so easily make a r.obin h.ood adaptation that was good actually instead of all the shit we've gotten over the years.

[grenewoden]

@meiquene. call.

ㅤ“ I want tha word, ” was spoken gently, as Robin squared his shoulders and bent his head, for once, to look Marian in the eye as he spoke. “ Tha'll follow us orders, as I give 'em. Swear it, lady. ”