A/n: So, I got feels that fueled a random idea and I jotted it down. Apologies if it's badly written because this is 1000% self-indulgent fluff, but I tried to remain as IC as I could. Still... Author Regrets Nothing! ;P
AU ending for "For England...!".
I Will Always Save You
Spurring his horse faster, Guy of Gisborne raced down the road out of Nottingham town and into Sherwood Forest. There was only one road Winchester could have taken, so Guy didn't worry that this might be the wrong path. No matter what, he would find Marian and free her, his position with the sheriff be damned.
Only a few miles into Sherwood Forest, Guy spotted the wagon. Stopping some ways away on a forested hill overlooking the road, he got off his horse and observed his quarry. He did not see Marian, but he didn't expect to; obviously she was in the wagon with Winchester. Oddly, other than the driver, only one of Winchester's men rode on horseback as a guard. Guy was sure he'd had more men. Whatever the case, it would make his next task much easier.
Mounting his horse and spurring it into a gallop, Guy quickly overtook the wagon. The horses pulling the wagon neighed and stopped when he blocked their path, and the single guard dismounted, unsheathed his sword, and approached Guy in a fighting stance. Guy did the same, his sword ringing from its hilt.
The fight was a quick one. The guard was no knight, and Guy was very determined to get to Marian as quickly as possible. Striking the man down with a sword across his chest, Guy rushed to the wagon.
"Marian!" he shouted, his sword ready to end Winchester should he appear.
Unbeknownst to Guy, however, four more of Winchester's men had flanked him from behind, having sneaked out of the woods when they'd heard the clash of swords. Finally catching on to the men surrounding him, Guy faced them as surprise and dread filled him. Unlike the one guard, these men looked like hardened warriors.
A laugh sounded from behind. "Weren't expecting that, were you?" mocked Winchester as he emerged from the wagon.
Peeking into the wagon, Guy saw Marian, still chained and gagged. Annoyance filled him at the sight. "Set her free and I will let you live."
Again, Winchester laughed. He signaled his men, then backed up and leaned against the wagon with arms crossed.
This was not promising. Guy was a good fighter, but he couldn't take on four men at the same time, especially not ones that looked to be knights themselves. Before they attacked, Winchester said, "I don't want it over too soon, boys. Do make it fun for me, hm?" The men smirked, but Guy was too busy deciding who he should attack first.
If the first fight between Guy and the guard was quick, this one was even quicker. By their technique and skill, at least two of the men had fought in the Crusades, and the other two were older than Guy - their ages enough to make them more experienced without slowing them down physically. Guy ducked a sword swipe meant for his head, then another that hit a spot on the ground where he'd just vacated. He stumbled and lost his footing when one of the men tripped him with a sword from behind - they were, he realized, playing with him. Their laughter filled the air, and one of them grabbed Guy by his hair and backhanded him, sending him back to the ground. Another one kicked him across the back, and another his front. Squinting through the flurry of legs rushing at him, he saw the wagon, and then Marian. She looked so distraught. Winchester looked bored, his fingernails of more interest than a man being beaten to death, apparently.
Guy curled into himself as best he could, but it was useless. Before he could black out, however, he heard a strangled cry and the men suddenly stopped. All at once they left him where he was, rushing back to the wagon in a hurry. His ears were ringing from where they'd kicked him, so Guy tried his best to peek through the blood spilling into his eyes. Still, he could barely see. Obviously there was a fight happening, but he couldn't imagine who would be foolish enough to take on these men.
Even as he struggled to stay awake, Guy lost consciousness for several minutes. When his tired eyes opened again, he was astonished to find all the men on the ground, either dead or unconscious - he couldn't tell - and there was only Winchester, standing with a sword against his throat with, of all people, Lady Marian at the end of it. Guy blinked fiercely, thinking he was imagining things, but the picture did not change.
"On your knees," ordered Marian. Winchester looked defiant, but he slowly knelt. Without hesitation, Marian struck him across the head, knocking him out. She spotted Guy still on the ground and rushed over to him, and it wasn't until now that he noticed she was still shackled. "Guy," said Marian as she looked him over with great worry. "Are you all right?"
Guy only stared. How was this possible? Marian was just a woman - how could she have done this? "M-Marian?" Guy stuttered.
She smiled. "Yes, Guy. Can you sit up?" He tried to shake his head, but it hurt too much so he only managed a wince. "Here, let me help," she said as she sat him up so he could lay back against her chest. She held him firmly with both arms around him.
They sat still for a few moments, both breathing heavily and trying to process what had happened. Guy still couldn't believe it. Even he, a trained knight, couldn't fight those four men, so how could Marian have? Frustrated at his lack of answers, Guy asked, "Marian...how..." He didn't even know how to phrase it.
"Is it so hard to believe?" she asked.
"Well...yes," answered Guy. "You're a woman-"
"My father allowed me to train..."
"Marian, even I couldn't-"
"Do you think so highly of yourself and so lowly of me, Sir Guy?" interjected Marian, but there was humor in her voice.
Looking up at her, Guy found her smiling. All of a sudden it was all so funny. Marian began chuckling, then Guy joined in. Soon enough they were both laughing, but when it began to hurt he stopped, and Marian apologized.
Although she could not carry him, she helped Guy move himself into the wagon. The driver had run off, so Marian drove the wagon herself. Guy didn't ask where they were going, partly because he had no idea where they could go - she had been given to Winchester with the sheriff's permission, and he had just disobeyed his lord - and partly because he was too tired and injured to speak.
When night fell, Marian had to stop to give the horses a rest. Guy was glad of it; the wagon was not comfortable, and he couldn't sleep with all the jostling about. They camped for the night in a starlit glen off the road, but since Marian was afraid of somebody finding them, she didn't start a fire.
"Are you well?" she asked as she joined him inside the wagon.
"Well enough."
"Don't be stubborn, Guy. If you are injured I need to know."
Nodding, Guy tried his best to tell her about the worst of his injuries. Surprisingly, she seemed to know at least a little about how to mend him. He was beginning to wonder what else he didn't know about the Lady Marian. Whatever questions he had would have to wait, though, because his eyes were shutting without his permission, fatigue pulling him into unconsciousness.
When Guy awoke in the middle of the night to a shooting pain working its way across his chest, he was surprised to find himself wrapped not only in a blanket, but in Marian's arms. She was directly behind him, snuggled very close. While at first he was delighted, he soon realized that without a fire the cold could be very dangerous, and body heat was a good way to keep warm. Crestfallen somewhat, he still couldn't help but feel contented, somehow. He had always wondered if Marian truly cared for him in return, and today she had shown very clearly that she did. She would risk her life to save his when she didn't have to, and now she was looking after him when she could just leave. Whatever injuries they had inflicted upon each other in the past, he hoped this showed that they could move on, that they could, at least, truly be friends again. He hoped for something more someday, but for now he would take this.
Although it hurt to move, Guy snuggled a little closer to Marian, then vowed to forever take care of her as he knew she would always take care of him.
Fin.
A/n: Oh nooo, it's so fluffy, hahaha. I always found it annoying that Marian would just stand by and let Winchester take her. I always thought she was planning to escape after she got to Winchester's place 'cause Marian ain't no damsel in distress! xD
Also, if you're wondering how Marian managed to beat those guards, she didn't, at least not by herself. Remember that Robin was there to rescue her? While Guy happened to be unconscious, they ran up and helped her fight and left before Guy woke up - at Marian's insistence, of course. And, yes, the title refers to both of them!
