Hey!!! guess what?? this is the first chapter of the sequal to "He would move heaven and earth" If you liked that you're going to love this...i hope...anyway i hope that you all enjoy and read and review this to tell me what you think as i have never done a sequal before...also here's an intersting note it is october 24th...ten days after robin hood's birthday (well the birthday bbc gave him) dont ask me why i know that...i just do...
Disclaimer: I do not own Robin hood....i wish i did because i love him so...I do however, own the first two characters you will meet...Brian of Kent, and Martin of Longborough...otherthan them i own zip...nada...niete...zero...nothing...
To Create A Better Forever
Chapter One: Unremarkable Happiness
The day had begun unremarkably. It began with a sunrise in the east and clouds bedecking the blue sky. It began with the songs of birds and the rustling of leaves in Sherwood Forest. And it began too, with the familiar screams of peasants and serfs calling out for justice. While the sheriff was gone they suffered under the rule of one Brian of Kent. Brian of Kent had been the sheriff's master at arms but due to the sheriff's lengthy absence he proclaimed himself the new high sheriff of Nottingham.
At this moment he was sitting in the sheriff's chair in the great hall. It was ten o'clock in the morning on this unremarkable day. Brian was eating breakfast. Everything on the table had been stolen from farmers' fields. Brian smiled as he wolfed down a helping of eggs. This was looking to be like a pleasant morning, for a Monday.
The doors to the great hall were suddenly thrust open and Brian's lieutenant, Sir Martin of Longborough, strode in calmly.
Well…at least he appeared calm.
"Good morning my lord," mumbled Martian.
Brian looked up from his eggs at the intruder. He smiled. "Martin, how is your wife?"
Martin raised a brow. "Well my lord Isabella is…"
"Tut-tut-tut," replied Brian, "do you think I care about your wife?"
Martin shook his head.
"You have interrupted my breakfast," barked Brian. "What is your excuse?"
Martin had news to give to his master. This news, which he was terrified to give, would be even worse for Brian to receive. Martin forced his shivering spine to halt in its course. He fought the threatening sweat that would drop in little beads down his aching forehead.
It was all about the appearance of calm.
"I said," said Brian impatiently, "what is your excuse?"
"The ships have just docked at port," replied Martin
"Yes and?"
"Sources…spies really…report that, that," Martin coughed.
Brian rolled his eyes. "There are other ways of making you talk normally." He lightly tapped the dagger he had been using to cut up his pork.
"Spies report that he is back home."
"Vasey?" Brian asked and then laughed. "We are strong enough to deal with that windbag. He was too soft on these serfs wasn't he Martin?"
Martin nodded. "Vasey is not back, he is dead."
Brian laughed viciously and clapped his hands so loudly that the entire castle seemed to be in applause. But then it quickly died away as Brian asked, "If the sheriff is dead then who is…" And then he figured it out. "Tell me it is not…it could not be…"
"My lord," said Martin. He began to speak when suddenly someone else entered the great hall. It was a woman. She had long black curly hair which she kept down. She wore a beautiful blue dress and no jewelry. Yet the woman did not need any jewelry to accent her beauty. She stood by Martin.
"Must you always interrupt me?" asked Martin angrily as he slapped the woman's face.
The woman dropped her eyes. They were filled with tears and fiery anger at the way her husband dared to treat her. One day she would run away and leave him forever. One day she would get out of this miserable county, this miserable country and just leave…
One day…
"Isabella," said Martin to his wife, "go back to our quarters. Wait for me…" He smiled mischievously at her and touched her inflamed cheek with his cold fingertips. Then he snapped his fingers and moved his head towards the exit of the door.
Isabella quietly began to walk out of the room. Suddenly she stopped and looked back at the two men who controlled everything and ruined her life.
"By the way," said Isabella with a mischievous smile of her own, "the spies have confirmed it: Robin Hood has returned." Then she closed the doors to the great hall and laughed all the way back to her quarters.
Sometimes she could make life more tolerable. Sometimes…
Brian shook his head. "You need to control your wife better Martin."
Martin nodded. "She speaks when she should not. I should never have bought her from that impetuous brother of hers." Martin shrugged.
"Don't you get it?" Brian asked angrily standing up and knocking the plate of eggs and pork to the floor. The plate clattered as it hit the cold stone floor and shattered into a million pieces.
Martin remained stiff in front of his master. He was silent. The idea of saying nothing was a much better choice than saying the wrong thing and facing his master's wrath. Everyone had his place in the world. It was the position you were born to have and to hold to the end of your days. He was sheriff Brian's lieutenant and master. He was the husband of Isabella Gisborne and therefore her lord and master. Everyone had there place…
But some people did not believe in the order of society. Some people fought against restrictive orders because they believed in the supposed justice and freedom. But all that sprouted out of their supposed justice was disorder, anarchy, and chaos.
Brian had taught him that, and Brian had been taught such things by Vasey. There was a long and glorious tradition of this belief. Only with this strong steadfast belief in social order could you rule with a strong iron fist.
"How could you not have seen this coming?" screamed Brian angrily walking up to face Martin. Though Martin was considerably taller than his master, Brian's furious scream brought Martin metaphorically down in size a few inches.
"My lord we believed him to be dead," said Martin.
"Obviously," said Brian grabbing Martin's collar, "you believed incorrectly!"
He thrust Martin backwards almost knocking him to the floor.
"What should we do?" asked Martin regaining his balance.
Brian brushed himself off and smiled wickedly. "I want you to kill him, and all of his outlaw friends. I want you to do what no one else has been able to do before. Kill Robin Hood."
Martin blinked. "My lord, there is a reason why no one else has been able to kill him before."
Brian nodded. "Yeah, because they were not good enough, they were not strong enough. To be frank, they were not me."
"You have a plan then?" Martin was interested.
Brian nodded. "But it involves you too."
"Me?" Martin pointed to himself.
"Well I'm not going to dirty my hands with his murder, I am the sheriff of Nottingham!" At this Brian began to clean his hands as if he was Pontius Pilate himself cleaning off his hands of the blood of Jesus. As if he was, with this action, bestowing all the death onto Martin of Kent, onto the peoples' hands.
This rage unwillingly sent a shiver through Martin's spine.
"We will need to involve another in our plan," said Brian quietly.
Suddenly, this unremarkable day was beginning to turn remarkable. The sun, which had previously shone, in the clear sky, was hidden by clouds. And these clouds began to darken and scream as if they were enraged by the sheriff's deals and schemes.
"Who?"
"Your wife," said Brian with a smile, "shall help us weed out these outlaws from their hiding places so we can kill them for all of Nottingham to see."
"Isabella?" Martin asked with bewilderment.
"Yes," answered Brian. "Isabella."
"What if she refuses?" asked Martin too curious and in awe to retain his formerly cool posture.
Brian fingered his sword with delight when suddenly he winced. There was clear red blood on his index finger. He wiped it off on Martin's shoulder so that it would forever stain his clothes.
"I do not think she will refuse…do you?"
And as the two men deliberated in their plans and the capture of a great enemy, somewhere else in Nottingham a group of travelers were stepping off a ship. These weary voyagers had been gone from their beloved England for months or, a year, or in some cases a few years. But each one, even the child in her father's arms, was happy to return home.
"When do you think she's going to start speaking?" Guy asked Meg as the two of them walked off the ship. They were the first off, just in case Clara needed anything on land…
Meg shrugged. "I don't know. I've never had one of these before."
Guy rolled his eyes and kissed his child's forehead.
"Okay," said Meg, "not a funny joke."
Guy shook his head as the two of them set their feet on steady land and waited for everyone else to pile out. The next two people to walk down were Eve and Much. They were holding hands and Much kept glancing at Eve's stomach.
Eve giggled. "Much, it won't just come bursting out of my stomach like that. You're not going to miss it if you don't watch it constantly."
Much nodded. "I know, I know…I just worry about you. I want you to be safe…and I want our child to be safe and healthy and—"
"Sh!" Eve said kissing Much on the lips. "I understand."
The two of them then walked down and stood beside Guy and Meg.
Allan and John then walked down together with Stephan right behind them.
"Feel any better?" Stephan asked Allan who still looked a little pale.
Allan nodded. "Getting a little better bit by bit thanks."
"What about the other thing you need to heal your body of?" John nodded discreetly gesturing to the direction of Meg and Guy….specifically Meg.
"No, no not yet," Allan said sadly.
"Soon as we get some time," said John, "I'm going to take you to a tavern and…"
"A tavern?" Allan asked with laughter. "John, this is not France. Here, we are wanted men. Here we are outlaws."
John shrugged. "Soon that will not be the case." He gestured to Stephan. "Maybe he can come with you to the tavern? Being a priest and all…"
Stephan rolled his eyes. "I'm not listening to you two."
"Don't drag him into my misery John," said Allan though he was happy that John worried about him so.
The three men then joined the group on land.
Next Djaq and Will walked out of the ship they were holding hands and smiling at each other.
"When this is all settled," Will was saying, "when this madness is done, I am going to make an honest woman out of you."
Djaq smiled mischievously. "Are you suggesting Will Scarlett, that I am not honest?"
Will nervously shook his head. "No, I mean uh…"
"Because we can stop having sex if it bothers you so much," said Djaq with a bright smile.
Will kissed her. "You are a cruel woman."
They then joined the large group on land and waited for the last two to venture to land.
The newlyweds, Robin and Marian, then descended off the ship. They were holding hands and looking at each other with complete contentment. They were husband and wife, through and through. Nothing could change that, nothing could break that vow they had whispered to each other in the day and the night.
"I love you," said Robin.
"I love you," said Marian.
"I swear to you," said Robin in a whisper, "I shall make this country right again, and then we shall live the life we always wanted."
"What about Clara?" asked Marian.
Robin smiled. "I think we should first worry about the sanity of Nottingham, then move on to the smaller problems."
"I knew I married you for a reason," said Marian.
"Hey," said Robin, pretending to take offense. "What about my charm and good looks?"
"Oh," said Marian, "yeah I married you for them too."
Robin kissed her mouth.
And there was happiness in that kiss, pure unfettered happiness. So that kiss spoke of all the things they would do together. It spoke of the justice they sought for and would achieve. It spoke of a Nottingham free of any suffering or hardship. It spoke of a love that would be free of any pain or sorrow now that they were together. It spoke of a home…
So the entire gang was off the ship and ran off to Sherwood Forest to begin their plan of attack. To begin the goals Robin and Marian had spoken of in their kiss. And to achieve everything imaginable.
But as they set off into the forest they would all learn to call home somewhere, in the castle of Nottingham a door was knocked on. Isabella went to answer the door and found it was her husband.
"My lord," she said darkly.
Martin nodded. "The sheriff has a plan for you."
"What does he want with me?" Isabella asked turning away from her husband.
"You will look at me when you speak to me!" Martin yelled loudly.
"Or what?"
Suddenly Isabella felt a sharp poke in her back. She jumped and whirled around to find her husband pointing a sword at her.
"Oh," she said, "so this is what has become of our marriage has it?"
"Do not tease me," said Martin angrily. "The sheriff has asked you a favor, and you will willingly follow through with his plans."
Isabella did not reply.
"Robin Hood has returned," said Martin, "and with him, his gang of followers. They have invaded and will, undoubtedly, infest this shire."
"What do you want me to do about it?" Isabella said trying to sound brave in the face of death.
Martin chuckled. "I want you, my sweet, sweet, wife, to seduce him"
"Me?" Isabella asked in bewilderment.
Martin nodded. "Bright girl, I always said."
Isabella shook her head. "You are a cruel husband."
"I do not pretend to be any other kind of husband, I never did."
"If my brother knew about you then…." Isabella began to say.
"Then what?" asked Martin with fake interest. "You think he would have rescued you? Think again Isabella, think again."
"I cannot seduce him. They say he is in love with another. Do you not listen to the songs?"
Brian smiled. "Then you have not heard? She has been married for nearly a year, and lives somewhere in France."
"France?" Isabella asked.
Martin shrugged. "That is what the sheriff told me that the former sheriff told him."
"I do not know where to find him," said Isabella.
Martin smiled wickedly. "Then you will do it?"
"Do I have any other choice?"
"No."
"Where do I find him?" she asked again.
Martin took her hand and forcefully walked her out of the castle and outside into Nottingham town. "Start wandering through the forests, I am sure that you will not need to find him…he will find you."
He pushed her away and waved to her as she left.
"Happy hunting," he whispered as she ran off.
"Happy hunting, Isabella."
Now, what neither Brian nor Martin knew, was that Marian was no longer married and, indeed she was in the forest with Robin. They also did not know that Guy of Gisborne was back in England, in Nottingham, and living in the forest. And, what no one seemed to remember or know, was that Isabella and Guy shared a bond that was not breakable by any priest or man of the cloth. It was not shaped in a union but made of blood.
Isabella and Guy were brother and sister.
The day was getting interesting…
Whoa!!! they're brother and sister...anyone else shocked?? okay i know its from the show but i promise you it'll be interesting...more interesting than the show did her...and the situation...plus this time guy is with the outlaws...and robin has marian...what is isabella going to do?? anyone else curious???