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fellowshippers2004-07-28 10:22 pm
charlottemay.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2004-07-28 10:22 pm
Deep in the Forest (6/?)
Title: Deep in the Forest (6/?)
Author: Charlotte May
Email:charlottemay43@hotmail.com
Rating: PG13 (may be R in later chapters)
Pairing: Dom/Billy, Orlando/Elijah, Karl/Miranda
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. I intend no disrespect to Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd or anyone else mentioned in this story.
Warning: AU
Feedback: Always welcome!
Summary: There are some very familiar faces running round Sherwood Forest. Yes, folks, it’s a LOTRPS Robin Hood story! Do I really need to point out that it’s an AU? ;-)
Author’s notes: Thanks to everyone who’s commented so far – it’s much appreciated.:-)
As usual, huge thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
red_moon_rising for the beta.
Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five
Cross-posted to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
monaboyd, fellow_shippers and my lj.
Deep in the Forest
Part six – in which Miranda makes a decision and Billy and Dom share a horse.
Miranda pouted and threw her needlework across the room in frustration. She was mad as hell and wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. She’d never been angry with her father before. Until today, she’d accepted without question everything he said, but what Karl had just told her had brought her cosy little world crashing down around her ears.
It was the lies about Karl’s love life, particularly the part about the sheep, which had made her mad. What kind of perverted mind would come up with something so sordid? She decided not to dwell on the sort of person that would believe such a slanderous tale. Miranda could hear her father’s voice. “You don’t know what you might catch from a man like that, Mirry darling. Orlando’s a much better bet. Good breeding, you know.” Breeding? Ha! From what Karl had told her, there wouldn’t have been much of that going on. If she wanted celibacy (and after experiencing Karl’s goodnight kisses, she most definitely didn’t) she’d join a nunnery.
She’d come to the conclusion that no matter what he said, her father didn’t have her best interests at heart, he wanted her married to someone with a title and money, so he could show off at court. He was ruthlessly ambitious and was prepared to make up preposterous stories to make her do what he wanted. Well, she’d got news for him… this was the twelfth century and she wasn’t going to be treated like a piece of property.
And there was the stuff about Orlando’s father… Even after what Karl had told her, she still found it difficult to believe her father was planning to kill the Duke of Mansfield. In her heart, she was sure Karl would never lie to her, but perhaps he’d made some horrible mistake. She knew what he’d said fitted in perfectly with the way her father had mentioned repeatedly that Orlando would be Duke and she would be Duchess, as if it was going to happen soon. And she knew her father hated the Duke, though she’d always found him a sweet man, if a little eccentric. But was her father a murderer? No, she just couldn’t believe it.
Standing up, she squared her shoulders. There was only one thing for it. She was going to have to confront her father and find out what he intended to do. Yes, and she was going to tell him that under no circumstances was she going to marry Orlando.
Of course, if that didn’t work, she could always burst into tears. That usually had the desired effect.
====
Orlando followed Elijah down the torch lit passage, trying to keep his head down and his knees bent. The one problem with Friar Astin’s plan to swap clothes was that he was almost six inches taller than the portly friar and the habit he was now wearing was noticeably short, hovering somewhere just below his knees… hence the stoop. He couldn’t see how this foolhardy plan could possibly work. Anyone who had seen Astin enter the castle would know instantly that he was a different man. They’d only got out of his room and past the guards because Viggo had distracted them by dropping a torch and almost setting fire to some wall hangings.
But as always, he’d allowed himself to be swept away by Elijah’s enthusiasm. Just like a few minutes ago in his room when he’d been completely unaware of Friar Astin’s presence and he’d almost… well. The memory made him blush. He was eternally grateful the Friar had coughed when he did.
So here he was, hunched over and heading for the gatehouse, hoping against hope that no-one would see them.
“Orlando!”
Oh fuck. He stopped and turned round slowly at the sound of the familiar voice. “Miranda!”
“I thought it was you!” she exclaimed. “I’d know your walk anywhere.”
Bent double and hidden in a monk’s habit? So much for disguise, Orlando thought grimly. They were definitely going to get caught. Trying to compose himself, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Miranda frowned. “I live here, silly.” She peered at Orlando. “Have you hurt your back?” Orlando straightened up and stretched, shaking his head. Miranda looked puzzled, then carried on. “And why are you dressed as a friar? I think you’re wearing the wrong size habit by the way. They’re supposed to be longer than that, you know. And who’s your friend?” She smiled sweetly at her would-be husband. “Aren’t you going to introduce me? I’m sure I know him from somewhere.”
Orlando knew exactly why Elijah looked familiar and he wasn’t going to be the one to remind Miranda of the wanted posters that had been all over town for months. The likeness of Elijah had been frighteningly good. “I… ah… we…”
But before he could come up with anything coherent, Elijah said, “I’m Sam… and we’re going to a fancy dress party.”
Miranda’s eyes lit up. “A party? Why wasn’t I invited? Can I come?”
“I…you can’t… it’s not really suitable…” stammered Orlando.
“Not for someone like you,” added Elijah, shaking his head vigorously.
She raised an eyebrow, then tapped the side of her nose knowledgeably. “I get it. Karl explained about… you know. Boys only. I understand.” She pursed her lips while she thought for a moment. “Orlando, I’m going to tell Daddy I don’t want to marry you.” She leaned in toward him and whispered, “I don’t want a celibate marriage, sorry. Hope you’re not too disappointed.”
“I’ll survive,” said Orlando, struggling to keep a straight face.
Miranda patted his arm. “That’s very brave of you.” She pointed down the corridor. “Anyway, must dash. Got to give Daddy a piece of my mind.”
“I’ll survive?” echoed Elijah, staring at Orlando in disbelief, as they watched Miranda’s retreating back, then turned and began walking toward the gatehouse.
Orlando shrugged. “She’s kind of sweet. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
Elijah smiled. “Sometimes, you’re just too…”
Orlando stopped dead and grabbed Elijah’s arm, his mouth dropping open in horror as a sudden realisation hit him. “She said she’s going to see the Sheriff… and she’s bound to tell him she’s seen us!”
Elijah’s eyes widened as the full implications of Orlando’s words sank in. He broke into a run. “Let’s get out of here!”
====
Dom shifted his position yet again. No, it didn’t make any difference. Whatever he did, his cock was rubbing up against Billy’s arse. Horses were not built to carry two people, especially when the poor sod at the back was horny as hell. The friction was tortuous – he’d been half hard for the last ten miles and he was absolutely positive Billy could feel him through those skin tight leggings. In fact, a couple of times he was sure Billy had wriggled backwards into him on purpose.
When they’d rescued Sir Ian, they’d quickly decided to share one horse and let the Duke have the other, and Billy had pointed out that Pippin was the slightly larger animal and therefore more suited to carrying the two of them. So here they were, still at least eight long miles from camp and Dom was ready to explode with frustration.
A couple of hours before, when they were outside the town walls, Dom had explained the situation to the Duke and it hadn’t taken Sir Ian long to realise that rescuing Orlando was going to be a much trickier proposition than his own rescue had been. So he’d decided to enlist the help of David, Duke of Portland, who lived at Welbeck Abbey, a little to the north of the outlaw’s encampment. He’d decided to ride with Billy and Dom to their camp, get a fresh horse and carry on to Welbeck immediately.
“I say,” said Sir Ian, as they trotted along, “this is a fine animal, Dominic.” The Duke patted the horse between its ears. “Does he have a name?”
“Merry,” replied Dom through gritted teeth. And how he wished he was riding Merry now…
“That’s unusual,” said Sir Ian.
“Why’s he called Merry?” asked Billy. Dom was sure he felt Billy’s voice vibrating through his body, adding to his discomfort. He shuddered.
“He… was a… Christmas present from the other outlaws,” he stammered. “You know… Merry Christmas.”
Billy half turned in the saddle and grinned at Dom. “Don’t tell me, you’d had a few too many ales?”
Dom swallowed hard. Billy’s mouth was inches from his and he found himself drawn inexorably towards it. He licked his lips and glanced up, straight into Billy’s eyes. The look on the other man’s face made him gasp. It was pure lust. “Billy,” he whispered.
“Yes?” He saw Billy’s gaze flick down to his mouth and back again. Dom could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He had never wanted anyone so much.
“I say, could we stop for a minute? Nature calls.” The Duke’s ringing tones broke the moment and before Dom could say anything else, Billy had turned away.
“Sure,” said Dom. “We could all do with a break.” They stopped, then he jumped down from Pippin and waited as Billy did the same. They watched the Duke tie Merry’s reins to a tree and disappear into the undergrowth, then they slowly turned towards each other. Dom smiled. “Alone at last.”
“Aye. Do you think he’ll be long?”
“I hope so.” Dom leaned in toward Billy and softly kissed him on the lips. Billy responded instantly, wrapping his arms round Dom’s neck and pushing him back into a nearby tree, grinding their hips together. Dom was amazed when Billy took charge, dictating the slow, sensual pace of the kiss, timing every sweep of his tongue with the movement of his hips. Dom felt his knees slowly dissolve into jelly until he was sure only the pressure of Billy’s body pushing him against the tree was keeping him upright, then a loud crashing noise made them spring apart.
“Only me,” said the Duke mischievously. “I tried clearing my throat and snapping a few twigs but you didn’t hear me. I had to virtually uproot this bush before you noticed I was here.”
Dom and Billy both blushed crimson. “Sorry,” they muttered in unison.
Sir Ian grinned. “Don’t apologise. I quite enjoyed the show. But we really ought to get on. I need to get to Welbeck as soon as possible.”
=====
“Daddy?” Standing in front of her father, Miranda didn’t feel quite as brave as she had in her room.
“Yes, Mirry darling?” The Sheriff smiled indulgently at his daughter. She smiled back nervously.
No, she was going to say it. After all, what could her father do to her? She took a deep breath. “I’m not going to marry Orlando. I want to marry Karl.”
“But darling, I told you what Karl was like.”
“You lied!” she spat. “He doesn’t kick puppies… or do it with sheep.”
“Ah… but he does do unspeakable things to kittens.”
Miranda thought for a moment. This was new. She looked at her father doubtfully. “I don’t believe you,” she said slowly.
The Sheriff changed tack. “You’ll be much happier with Orlando.”
No, he wasn’t fooling her with that one again. Who did he think she was? Some dumb blonde? “You mean you’ll be much happier.” Miranda was bristling with righteous indignation. “I love Karl… and Orlando’s gay, for God’s sake. What kind of marriage would that be?”
“A very profitable one,” said the Sheriff coldly.
“You disgust me,” exclaimed Miranda, surprised by her boldness. Suddenly, she began to believe the rest of what Karl had told her. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you have planned for Sir Ian?”
“I don’t think the old Duke has much of a future, Mirry darling.” He smiled to himself, but Miranda noticed the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Not much future at all.”
She gasped. Karl had been right. “You’re evil. I’m going to tell Orlando what you’re going to do to his father.”
“But darling, you don’t know where Orlando is,” said the Sheriff smoothly.
Miranda frowned. “Of course I do. I’ve just seen him. He’s going to a fancy dress party with his friend, Sam. I should be able to catch up with them quite easily.”
The Sheriff suddenly stood up and yelled at the top of his voice, “Guards!” Two burly men immediately ran into the room and skidded to a halt in front of Lord Bean. “We have an escaped prisoner and his accomplice on the loose in the castle… Find them!”
Author: Charlotte May
Email:charlottemay43@hotmail.com
Rating: PG13 (may be R in later chapters)
Pairing: Dom/Billy, Orlando/Elijah, Karl/Miranda
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. I intend no disrespect to Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd or anyone else mentioned in this story.
Warning: AU
Feedback: Always welcome!
Summary: There are some very familiar faces running round Sherwood Forest. Yes, folks, it’s a LOTRPS Robin Hood story! Do I really need to point out that it’s an AU? ;-)
Author’s notes: Thanks to everyone who’s commented so far – it’s much appreciated.:-)
As usual, huge thanks to
red_moon_rising for the beta.Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five
Cross-posted to
monaboyd, fellow_shippers and my lj.Deep in the Forest
Part six – in which Miranda makes a decision and Billy and Dom share a horse.
Miranda pouted and threw her needlework across the room in frustration. She was mad as hell and wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. She’d never been angry with her father before. Until today, she’d accepted without question everything he said, but what Karl had just told her had brought her cosy little world crashing down around her ears.
It was the lies about Karl’s love life, particularly the part about the sheep, which had made her mad. What kind of perverted mind would come up with something so sordid? She decided not to dwell on the sort of person that would believe such a slanderous tale. Miranda could hear her father’s voice. “You don’t know what you might catch from a man like that, Mirry darling. Orlando’s a much better bet. Good breeding, you know.” Breeding? Ha! From what Karl had told her, there wouldn’t have been much of that going on. If she wanted celibacy (and after experiencing Karl’s goodnight kisses, she most definitely didn’t) she’d join a nunnery.
She’d come to the conclusion that no matter what he said, her father didn’t have her best interests at heart, he wanted her married to someone with a title and money, so he could show off at court. He was ruthlessly ambitious and was prepared to make up preposterous stories to make her do what he wanted. Well, she’d got news for him… this was the twelfth century and she wasn’t going to be treated like a piece of property.
And there was the stuff about Orlando’s father… Even after what Karl had told her, she still found it difficult to believe her father was planning to kill the Duke of Mansfield. In her heart, she was sure Karl would never lie to her, but perhaps he’d made some horrible mistake. She knew what he’d said fitted in perfectly with the way her father had mentioned repeatedly that Orlando would be Duke and she would be Duchess, as if it was going to happen soon. And she knew her father hated the Duke, though she’d always found him a sweet man, if a little eccentric. But was her father a murderer? No, she just couldn’t believe it.
Standing up, she squared her shoulders. There was only one thing for it. She was going to have to confront her father and find out what he intended to do. Yes, and she was going to tell him that under no circumstances was she going to marry Orlando.
Of course, if that didn’t work, she could always burst into tears. That usually had the desired effect.
====
Orlando followed Elijah down the torch lit passage, trying to keep his head down and his knees bent. The one problem with Friar Astin’s plan to swap clothes was that he was almost six inches taller than the portly friar and the habit he was now wearing was noticeably short, hovering somewhere just below his knees… hence the stoop. He couldn’t see how this foolhardy plan could possibly work. Anyone who had seen Astin enter the castle would know instantly that he was a different man. They’d only got out of his room and past the guards because Viggo had distracted them by dropping a torch and almost setting fire to some wall hangings.
But as always, he’d allowed himself to be swept away by Elijah’s enthusiasm. Just like a few minutes ago in his room when he’d been completely unaware of Friar Astin’s presence and he’d almost… well. The memory made him blush. He was eternally grateful the Friar had coughed when he did.
So here he was, hunched over and heading for the gatehouse, hoping against hope that no-one would see them.
“Orlando!”
Oh fuck. He stopped and turned round slowly at the sound of the familiar voice. “Miranda!”
“I thought it was you!” she exclaimed. “I’d know your walk anywhere.”
Bent double and hidden in a monk’s habit? So much for disguise, Orlando thought grimly. They were definitely going to get caught. Trying to compose himself, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
Miranda frowned. “I live here, silly.” She peered at Orlando. “Have you hurt your back?” Orlando straightened up and stretched, shaking his head. Miranda looked puzzled, then carried on. “And why are you dressed as a friar? I think you’re wearing the wrong size habit by the way. They’re supposed to be longer than that, you know. And who’s your friend?” She smiled sweetly at her would-be husband. “Aren’t you going to introduce me? I’m sure I know him from somewhere.”
Orlando knew exactly why Elijah looked familiar and he wasn’t going to be the one to remind Miranda of the wanted posters that had been all over town for months. The likeness of Elijah had been frighteningly good. “I… ah… we…”
But before he could come up with anything coherent, Elijah said, “I’m Sam… and we’re going to a fancy dress party.”
Miranda’s eyes lit up. “A party? Why wasn’t I invited? Can I come?”
“I…you can’t… it’s not really suitable…” stammered Orlando.
“Not for someone like you,” added Elijah, shaking his head vigorously.
She raised an eyebrow, then tapped the side of her nose knowledgeably. “I get it. Karl explained about… you know. Boys only. I understand.” She pursed her lips while she thought for a moment. “Orlando, I’m going to tell Daddy I don’t want to marry you.” She leaned in toward him and whispered, “I don’t want a celibate marriage, sorry. Hope you’re not too disappointed.”
“I’ll survive,” said Orlando, struggling to keep a straight face.
Miranda patted his arm. “That’s very brave of you.” She pointed down the corridor. “Anyway, must dash. Got to give Daddy a piece of my mind.”
“I’ll survive?” echoed Elijah, staring at Orlando in disbelief, as they watched Miranda’s retreating back, then turned and began walking toward the gatehouse.
Orlando shrugged. “She’s kind of sweet. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.”
Elijah smiled. “Sometimes, you’re just too…”
Orlando stopped dead and grabbed Elijah’s arm, his mouth dropping open in horror as a sudden realisation hit him. “She said she’s going to see the Sheriff… and she’s bound to tell him she’s seen us!”
Elijah’s eyes widened as the full implications of Orlando’s words sank in. He broke into a run. “Let’s get out of here!”
====
Dom shifted his position yet again. No, it didn’t make any difference. Whatever he did, his cock was rubbing up against Billy’s arse. Horses were not built to carry two people, especially when the poor sod at the back was horny as hell. The friction was tortuous – he’d been half hard for the last ten miles and he was absolutely positive Billy could feel him through those skin tight leggings. In fact, a couple of times he was sure Billy had wriggled backwards into him on purpose.
When they’d rescued Sir Ian, they’d quickly decided to share one horse and let the Duke have the other, and Billy had pointed out that Pippin was the slightly larger animal and therefore more suited to carrying the two of them. So here they were, still at least eight long miles from camp and Dom was ready to explode with frustration.
A couple of hours before, when they were outside the town walls, Dom had explained the situation to the Duke and it hadn’t taken Sir Ian long to realise that rescuing Orlando was going to be a much trickier proposition than his own rescue had been. So he’d decided to enlist the help of David, Duke of Portland, who lived at Welbeck Abbey, a little to the north of the outlaw’s encampment. He’d decided to ride with Billy and Dom to their camp, get a fresh horse and carry on to Welbeck immediately.
“I say,” said Sir Ian, as they trotted along, “this is a fine animal, Dominic.” The Duke patted the horse between its ears. “Does he have a name?”
“Merry,” replied Dom through gritted teeth. And how he wished he was riding Merry now…
“That’s unusual,” said Sir Ian.
“Why’s he called Merry?” asked Billy. Dom was sure he felt Billy’s voice vibrating through his body, adding to his discomfort. He shuddered.
“He… was a… Christmas present from the other outlaws,” he stammered. “You know… Merry Christmas.”
Billy half turned in the saddle and grinned at Dom. “Don’t tell me, you’d had a few too many ales?”
Dom swallowed hard. Billy’s mouth was inches from his and he found himself drawn inexorably towards it. He licked his lips and glanced up, straight into Billy’s eyes. The look on the other man’s face made him gasp. It was pure lust. “Billy,” he whispered.
“Yes?” He saw Billy’s gaze flick down to his mouth and back again. Dom could hear the blood pounding in his ears. He had never wanted anyone so much.
“I say, could we stop for a minute? Nature calls.” The Duke’s ringing tones broke the moment and before Dom could say anything else, Billy had turned away.
“Sure,” said Dom. “We could all do with a break.” They stopped, then he jumped down from Pippin and waited as Billy did the same. They watched the Duke tie Merry’s reins to a tree and disappear into the undergrowth, then they slowly turned towards each other. Dom smiled. “Alone at last.”
“Aye. Do you think he’ll be long?”
“I hope so.” Dom leaned in toward Billy and softly kissed him on the lips. Billy responded instantly, wrapping his arms round Dom’s neck and pushing him back into a nearby tree, grinding their hips together. Dom was amazed when Billy took charge, dictating the slow, sensual pace of the kiss, timing every sweep of his tongue with the movement of his hips. Dom felt his knees slowly dissolve into jelly until he was sure only the pressure of Billy’s body pushing him against the tree was keeping him upright, then a loud crashing noise made them spring apart.
“Only me,” said the Duke mischievously. “I tried clearing my throat and snapping a few twigs but you didn’t hear me. I had to virtually uproot this bush before you noticed I was here.”
Dom and Billy both blushed crimson. “Sorry,” they muttered in unison.
Sir Ian grinned. “Don’t apologise. I quite enjoyed the show. But we really ought to get on. I need to get to Welbeck as soon as possible.”
=====
“Daddy?” Standing in front of her father, Miranda didn’t feel quite as brave as she had in her room.
“Yes, Mirry darling?” The Sheriff smiled indulgently at his daughter. She smiled back nervously.
No, she was going to say it. After all, what could her father do to her? She took a deep breath. “I’m not going to marry Orlando. I want to marry Karl.”
“But darling, I told you what Karl was like.”
“You lied!” she spat. “He doesn’t kick puppies… or do it with sheep.”
“Ah… but he does do unspeakable things to kittens.”
Miranda thought for a moment. This was new. She looked at her father doubtfully. “I don’t believe you,” she said slowly.
The Sheriff changed tack. “You’ll be much happier with Orlando.”
No, he wasn’t fooling her with that one again. Who did he think she was? Some dumb blonde? “You mean you’ll be much happier.” Miranda was bristling with righteous indignation. “I love Karl… and Orlando’s gay, for God’s sake. What kind of marriage would that be?”
“A very profitable one,” said the Sheriff coldly.
“You disgust me,” exclaimed Miranda, surprised by her boldness. Suddenly, she began to believe the rest of what Karl had told her. She narrowed her eyes. “What do you have planned for Sir Ian?”
“I don’t think the old Duke has much of a future, Mirry darling.” He smiled to himself, but Miranda noticed the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Not much future at all.”
She gasped. Karl had been right. “You’re evil. I’m going to tell Orlando what you’re going to do to his father.”
“But darling, you don’t know where Orlando is,” said the Sheriff smoothly.
Miranda frowned. “Of course I do. I’ve just seen him. He’s going to a fancy dress party with his friend, Sam. I should be able to catch up with them quite easily.”
The Sheriff suddenly stood up and yelled at the top of his voice, “Guards!” Two burly men immediately ran into the room and skidded to a halt in front of Lord Bean. “We have an escaped prisoner and his accomplice on the loose in the castle… Find them!”