John turned to Much and nodded his head. With a sigh Much gathered his weapons and reluctantly followed Little John out of the cave. "I– I don't understand," Edyn said. "How did they…?" she trailed off. Her question was answered by a malicious laugh. She looked up at Pitts still being held by Djaq's firm grip. "You!" she hissed.
His smile spread wider. "Who else do you think would?"
Shaking her head her sorrow quickly changed to rage. "How could you? After what just happened to Marian you still laugh at the idea of the rest of us dying. How could you be so heartless as to find death a joyful occasion?" He did not reply, simply kept the smirk on his face until Djaq slammed his body to the closest wall. "We should kill him," Edyn said astonished by her own words. "I don't want to have to wait for the Sheriff's men to kill him with us."
Again he laughed and Djaq looked over her shoulder at Edyn. "He cannot die. If we kill him then Robin will have no proof that Gisborne was in the Holy Land and attempted to kill your King."
"This is the physician that pretended to treat him?" Edyn asked in a small voice.
She got no reply, though she didn't need one. Of course he worked for Sir Guy and the Sheriff, who else would be heartless enough to allow someone like Marian to die, and now it seemed the rest of them also. Edyn shuddered at the thought that soon they may all die. Little John and Much were already trying to defend them, but they were only two against many. They were surely going to die. And it wouldn't be long before the Sheriff's men would come barging into the cave and murder the rest of them. How cruel life could be to the few good people left in Nottingham, Edyn thought as she recollected the last few days she had spent with Robin's men, the few that remained anyway. Her anger suddenly surged again as she remembered that Allan and Will were not there. They would have a slightly better chance against the Sheriff with two more men.
Edyn jumped in shock as Robin emerged from where Marian lay. His eyes were dark with anger and he seized his sword along with his bow and headed outside. He truly looked terrifying and Edyn suddenly realised what love and heartache could do to a person, it could almost drive them mad. Djaq watched Robin go and hesitated before she glared at Pitts and let him go, lowering her Saracen blade and followed Robin outside.
Shouts and cries could be heard outside and Edyn's hands shook with fear and confusion. She desperately wanted to go outside and help, but how? Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Pitts take one the few remaining bandages from his bag and headed for the cave entrance. "Oi!" Edyn cried leaping after him as he waved the cloth high above his head calling out to Sir Guy. She had almost grabbed the back of his shirt as he stepped out into the sunlight and she heard an arrow whistle passed and rebound of the rock face just in front of her. She withheld a shriek and fell back to the ground inside the cave.
She climbed back to her feet and looked over her shoulder. From where she stood she could not see what was happening outside but she could hear everything – the shrieks of pain, the sound of arrows cutting through the air, Robin's men yelling, almost growling, trying to boost themselves up as they ran down towards the Sheriff's soldiers. What if they would die? There was so few of them. Edyn sniffed at the thought of them falling, joining Marian in death.
With a heavy heart she slowly approached where Marian lay and sat herself on the ground and leant her back against the makeshift bed. She sniffed again and now that she had the privacy she allowed herself to cry, to fully open up and let all her emotions out. She brought her knees up to her chest and hid her face in her hands. Not one moment in her life had seemed as horrific as this one. Her mistress, or rather her friend was now dead, the few people who respected her were now fighting for their lives and the one person she truly thought she had fallen for was gone, abandoned them when they needed help the most. Her cries continued to rattle through her chest and her voice became deep and hoarse. The fact that she herself may die shortly seemed unimportant compared to everything else that was circulating in her mind. I just want it to end, she thought with a sigh.
She didn't know how long she sat there slumped against the rock bed. Her tears had eventually stopped and she simply stared at the leaf litter that covered the cave floor. She jumped when she heard footsteps approaching. It didn't even occur to her that all the noise from outside had died down. She looked up to see Robin and his men approaching. They had done it! She scrambled to her feet to get out of the way and stared in shock at the sudden appearance of Allan and Will. No one said anything and she assumed they had explained themselves while they were outside.
Robin struggled to speak as he tried to organise his men, his voice cracking slightly when he asked Will to make a coffin. Little John approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder as he hushed him. "In time. First, we say goodbye."
There was silence as they all stood watching Marian's lifeless body. Will was the first to break the silence and when Edyn looked over her shoulder at him she noticed a tear fall from his eye. She knew he would be feeling guilty. He hadn't been here when Marian had died and he would be torturing himself mentally with the guilt of it all. Edyn remembered when his mother had passed how he blamed himself for it, refusing to let anyone comfort him. She went to take a step closer to him but stopped herself rocking back to where she stood before. The rest of the gang were all saying a few words for Marian and Edyn felt herself well up again when Robin muttered his love for her.
Allan then took a step closer to Marian's body, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her more closely before he claimed that Marian was breathing.
"What?" Edyn asked as Djaq moved towards Marian, her voice still sounded odd, strained and tired.
They all gathered closer as Djaq rested her Saracen sword beneath Marian's nose. A moment later they all saw the blade fog up as Marian let out a breath. "She is breathing!" Djaq announced as Robin reclaimed his position next to Marian where he had spent the last few days. As Djaq began to check Marian for more signs of life she began explaining of the physician's draught freezing the body so that the person appears dead, luckily for Marian she was young and healthy and was able to fight against the draught. From where Edyn stood next to Will she could see the rest of the gang all looking around in astonishment waiting for Marian to open her eyes, the last bit of proof they needed to finally put their mind to rest. Much was hurriedly wiping his tears from his face with his sleeve, but Will she noticed seemed unconvinced, his eyes never leaving Marian's body and his expression remained unchanged.
Edyn held her breath as she watched as Marian's eyes finally flickered open. She let out a small cry and suddenly grabbed Will's arm to stabilise herself. There was a round of cheers as Marian looked around confused at the crowd gathered around her. Robin gave her a teary smile and cupped her face in his hands as if he were never going to let her go.
Soon after the overall shock had died down Will was sent out to make a stretcher and Edyn was asked to help him with the fabrics. She gathered the old blankets and followed Will outside into the warm sun. She found herself sniffling still as she tore the fabric into strips and made a temporary mattress for Marian to lie on. She had not been able to stop the tears since Marian had opened her eyes and she couldn't understand it, everything was good again. Marian was alive and soon she would be well again, so why was she still crying? Will glanced at her as he brought over some thin logs, which he had smoothed out by removing all sticks and branches from them. She hastily wiped the tears from her face and let out a sigh.
"You alright?" he asked.
She nodded her head. "I'm fine, I just–" she paused and shook her head. "Nothing."
They were silent for a while as Will held up the structure so Edyn could tie on the fabric. Finally Edyn could no longer retain her curiosity. "Where were you?" Her voice was low and she looked up into his eyes trying to read his expression.
At first he refused to look at her, keeping his eyes on the wood in his arms before he eventually met her gaze. "I was making a mistake," he admitted simply. "And I wish I could take it back."
"We needed you here," Edyn added unable to stop herself. She didn't want to make him feel bad but some things she needed to say.
"I know," he said bowing his head pretending to study the half build stretcher.
Edyn felt guilty. He was obviously feeling bad enough and now she was making him feel worse and she had no reason to do so. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I'm just– I still feel upset over everything that happened the last few days."
He shook his head. "I deserve to hear them." Again his green eyes met hers and for some odd reason she wanted him to be closer, for him to hold her, to comfort her. She wanted him to be as close as he was that day at the castle and she had no idea why.
Forcing herself to tear her eyes from his she focused all her attention on the task at hand. It wasn't long before they were finished and carrying the stretcher towards the cave, but then Will stopped her.
"I almost forgot, I have something of yours," he said and Edyn surveyed him curiously as he dug his hand deep into one of his trouser pockets. Finally he pulled out something that was dangling from a thin piece of leather.
Edyn gasped and brought her hands to cover her mouth. "H-how did you…?"
"It was amongst the money and valuables we took from Gisborne the other night. I noticed you weren't wearing it the last few times I saw you," he explained. "Here," he held out her mother's necklace for her to take, which she accepted with shaking hands.
"I don't understand," Edyn muttered. "He took this weeks ago, with the tax collection. It should have been taken to London with the rest of the money."
"He must have kept it," Will replied not bothering to explain how the money never made it to London anyway.
"But why?" Edyn questioned.
Will shrugged his shoulders. "Why does he do half the things we've all seen him do?"
Edyn gave him a half smile. "True." He went to pick up the stretcher and leave before Edyn placed a hand on his arm. "Thank you, so very much. I owe you one."
He simply shook his head and brushed it off. "It was nothing."
Edyn wanted to laugh at his response. To him it was nothing, but to her there was no greater gift she could have received and she wanted desperately to express her gratitude.
As it was now getting dark they decided it was best to leave at first light in the morning to head to Knighton Hall. Edyn had tied her mother's pendant around her ankle and concealed it in her boot so it would not be seen by anyone. She remembered the outcome of the last necklace that had been stolen and she didn't want a reoccurrence.
Early the next morning they carried Marian through the forest and Edyn then became nervous of Sir Edward's reaction. Would he be mad? Would he yell at her in front of everyone or wait until they left. Would he ask her to leave Knighton Hall? She suddenly became very anxious at the thought that she may lose her job. She didn't see Sir Edward as a cruel man but he was very protective of his daughter, she was all he had and he wouldn't let anything happen to her if he could help it. As they approached the house Sir Edward came out to meet them looking at them with wide eyes. Robin immediately began explaining the situation as John picked Marian up into his arms to carry her upstairs. Edyn sent Robin a smile in thanks, she was glad she was not the one to explain it to him.
Once inside she headed straight to the kitchen to get Robin's men some food. She was absolutely famished and she guessed they would all be sharing her hunger. Inside the kitchen Janet looked up from the pot she was stirring and immediately began demanding an explanation. "Where the hell have you been? Who's out there? You do realise the master has been fretting like nothing I've ever known, been refusing to eat or sleep until his daughter was to return. He's absolutely furious with you!" Edyn tried her best to ignore the words been spoken to her and began piling a plate high with whatever food she could find. "What do you think you're doing?" Janet continued. "Have you seen yourself? You're an absolute mess, your hairs everywhere and you're covered from head to toe in mud! I'm not even going to mention the smell."
"Sorry, Janet, but I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment to answer your questions," Edyn muttered as she headed for the door. Not surprising Janet went to follow her. "Don't!" Edyn snapped. Her tone even shocked herself. She hadn't meant to sound that harsh but the stress and lack of sleep was catching up with her. "Just stay in here," she continued.
Janet seemed to be frozen as she simply watched as Edyn left the room. She had never known Edyn to have a temper or ever heard her raise her voice, not even slightly. She was curious to know what had happened to get that sort of reaction out of her but decided it was best to listen to what was asked of her and remain in the kitchen as she meant to.
Upstairs, Edyn noticed Will stood keeping watch, staring out of the window near Marian's room. "Will, here eat something," she said to him softly.
He gratefully accepted taking some bread and cold meat before he resumed his watch.
Inside Marian's room Much was the first to reach for the plate of food grabbing the largest slab of cheese she had placed on the plate. Allan quickly took Much's spot and Edyn then approached John and Djaq whom was inspecting a wound on John's arm. "That looks nasty," Edyn said as John gladly accepted the chicken being offered to him. Djaq barely glanced at the plate and shook her head. "Djaq, you need to eat. After everything you've done you deserve it more than anyone," Edyn pushed.
Djaq smiled at her. "Thank you," she said finally taking the few remains on the plate and Edyn got the feeling she was not being thanked for the food she was giving out.
"Gisborne!" Will suddenly came into the room and hissed at them.
Edyn hurried passed the plate to Much and was about to head for the door when Sir Edward stopped her. "No, I'll go, Edyn. I'll send him away."
The tension in the room was so thick it could have been cut with a knife as they all stood listening to Sir Edward trying to reason with Sir Guy. Eventually Sir Guy had had enough and growled angrily at Sir Edward before they heard him stamp up the stairs. The room quickly turned to chaos as they all tried to find somewhere to hide. Even Edyn found herself shaking with fear and she was the only one who could be seen. She watched as Djaq hurriedly leapt into Marian's boot chest and Edyn hastily straightened the cloth that usually hung over it and she felt Allan's foot collide with her shoulder as he leapt out the window. Edyn straightened up just as Sir Guy pushed the door wide open, she could see Much flattening himself against the wall behind the door and she tried to hide her smile at his idiocy.
Sir Guy merely glanced at Edyn and went straight to Marian to lean over her possessively. Sir Edward soon followed him and stood near Edyn before he pushed someone's foot under Marian's bed. She had no idea who it was but they were lucky Sir Guy had not noticed it. She watched as Marian opened her eyes to look at Guy before her eyes strayed away from him slightly, looking up at the veil above her head. Curiously, Edyn followed her gaze and hastily covered her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Holding himself very stiff Robin had himself positioned between two beams up behind the veil, completely unseen by Sir Guy. Edyn glanced at Sir Edward and he too looked at her with the same astonished expression she knew she wore on her face.
Thankfully, Sir Guy did not linger and left them soon after he had muttered some words of comfort to Marian, completely oblivious that she was staring right at his enemy. As soon as the door was closed the outlaws all emerged from where they hid. Edyn noticed John's head poke out from under the bed and she wondered where Will had hidden as she lifted the lid of the chest to help Djaq out as she spotted two feet drop drown from the chimney into fireplace. She grinned widely as Will's tall lanky frame squeezed from the fireplace. "What?" he asked as he brushed the soot from his shirt.
"Nothing, just– who thinks to hide in a chimney?" she giggled quietly.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I panicked," he admitted. Her laughter was cut short as Robin left the room in a huff quickly followed by Sir Edward. They all looked at each other nervously and they heard Marian call out weakly, "Robin…"
Edyn moved to her side. "He's just outside. He'll be back in a moment."
Marian gave her a meek smile and reached her hand out towards Edyn's. Edyn took the hand offered to her and smiled. "You look terrible, Edyn." Edyn giggled. Marian was back.
Several hours later after Robin's gang had left and Edyn was pottering around Marian's room, preparing things for the wedding the following day. She glanced over at Marian worriedly. Was she going to be up for it? Marian it seemed guessed what was worrying Edyn and asked her to help her up and to get changed.
"My lady, are you sure?" Edyn asked as she helped pull Marian to her feet.
"I must," Marian replied wincing at every movement. "I have a wedding to attend tomorrow and I must not look as if I have recently been stabbed."
Edyn sighed. She had a point but it seemed wrong that Marian was pushing herself so much. She even asked that her father take her to Locksley so that she could see Sir Guy. While they were away Edyn was requested to go to Nottingham and collect the dress Marian was to wear the following day from the seamstress.
When she arrived the seamstress proudly showed Edyn her work and even she had to admit it was a beautiful garment. It was made from the finest material and the stitching and embroidery was unlike anything Edyn had ever seen. "I hope your mistress will like it," the older woman said.
"I'm sure she will," Edyn replied as it was carefully folded and wrapped so it was protected for the journey back to Knighton.
"And please congratulate your mistress on her wedding. She is a very lucky woman. Sir Guy is exceptionally handsome and many women I see to here often remark on how they wish to become the future Lady Gisborne," the seamstress said as Edyn headed for the door. Forcing herself to smile she assured the woman she would and left. It seemed everyone was happy for the wedding with the exception of the bride.
That night Edyn spent hours preparing Marian for her wedding the following day and all the while Marian sat silent staring at her gold gown that hung where her Nightwatchman attire usually resided, musing over everything that had happened and was about to happen. She had many different kinds of oils and lotions rubbed into her skin and through her hair before it was braided and Edyn looked on at her miserably as she worked.
The following day came too quickly. Edyn rose earlier than usual and prepared Marian's morning meal before she brought it in to her. When she pushed the door open she found Marian already awake, laying on one side and staring blankly at the wall.
"Good morning, my lady," Edyn said placing the tray of food down at her table and opened the windows to let the morning air in. "How are you feeling?"
There was a pause before Marian spoke softly. "I'm fine." It was clear she wasn't but Edyn thought it was best to keep herself silent. Reluctantly Marian rose from her bed and sat down in front of her mirror refusing to eat the food that sat in front of her. Edyn got to work untying the ribbons that held Marian's hair in place and let the curls drop down Marian's back. While she worked she occasionally looked into the mirror at Marian's depressed reflection, each time she noticed her own reflection mirrored Marion's expression. "Edyn, please!" Marian said suddenly making Edyn jump. "Do not look at me like that."
"Sorry, my lady," Edyn said determined to keep her face expressionless.
"Everything will be fine. I will soon adapt to my new lifestyle and maybe one day I will grow to love Guy as much as he loves me," Marian said trying to convince herself.
There was silence and Marian suddenly bowed her head and sighed. "I love him so much, Edyn. More than when we were younger. I didn't think it was possible to feel this way about a person," Marian whispered softly and it didn't take a genius to know she was talking about Robin. Unsure of what Marian wanted to hear for comfort, Edyn gently placed a hand on her shoulder and moved closer though she still remained standing behind where Marian sat. Surprisingly Marian turned and rested her own hand on Edyn's, and Edyn didn't stop herself as she moved even closer and brought her other arm around Marian so she could squeeze her shoulders. Marian squeezed Edyn's hand tighter and leant her head against Edyn's. The both of them sat unmoving for a while, enjoying the closeness that was so inappropriate for the two of them being a noblewoman and a maid.
A while later Marian was finally ready and Edyn had donned a new dress for the occasion, which she hated to admit but several times she caught herself admiring her reflection as she added the finishing touches to Marian's appearance. Sir Edward was to go to the castle and try and act against the Sheriff during the King's arrival so he would not be attending the wedding. He waited silently by the carriage for Marian to approach. Outside many villagers from Knighton had gathered to wish Marian luck for her new life as Lady Gisborne. Flower petals were thrown in the air and floated down upon Marian making the whole picture looked beautiful for everyone to witness apart from the few people who knew the whole story of the wedding and the heartache it was causing.
As the carriage approached Locksley Edyn gave Marian a small smile and said, "You look beautiful." Marian tried to return the smile but Edyn could see it was a struggle. Outside the church they could see Sir Guy walking towards the carriage as it came to a stop. Edyn stared at him curiously as she climbed out and offered her arm to help Marian. Sir Guy was quickly ushered inside and Edyn found herself having to leave Marian after straightening her dress and ensuring Marian looked as perfect as she could before she headed inside the church to await Marian's entrance.
Throughout the ceremony Edyn noticed she spent the majority of it staring at the floor mulling over recent events. She gasped when she heard the bells sound loudly and Much's voice echoed through the church as he called the wedding to halt. From his babbling as he struggled against the guards who tried to hold him down they all soon learned that the King that was arriving in Nottingham was not in fact the King, a pretender organised by the Sheriff. There was a panic as Marian tried to leave to go to her father. Roughly Sir Guy had grabbed her arm and persuaded her to remain at his side. Edyn closed her eyes with sorrow as Much was dragged from the church still shrieking and yelling before a splashing sound was heard.
She got the surprise of her life when Marian removed her ring and placed it on her right hand before she mustered what strength she had and swung her fist into Sir Guy's face sending his falling to the ground. Marian then ran from the church, catching Edyn's wrist as she ran past and the two of them ran into the warmth of the sun. They looked up to see Robin galloping towards them. The smile that spread across Marian's face was the first genuinely happy expression that Edyn had seen in quite a while.
Marian didn't even hesitate as she clambered up on the horse behind Robin and the two of them galloped off towards the direction of Nottingham. "Edyn!" She turned to see Much swinging himself up onto a horse and offered a dripping wet hand to her. She gladly accepted and sat behind him and clutching the back of the saddle tightly as they followed the figures of Robin and Marian through the dust.
Arriving at Nottingham they split up before Marian suddenly ran back to Robin. He leant down in the saddle and the two of them met each other with a kiss. Edyn smiled widely at the two of them as they broke apart and Marian quickly ran back to her and the two of them headed towards the east gate of the town.
By the time they had managed to get passed all the guards at every entrance Robin and his gang had already caused havoc in the Great Hall. Marian instantly went to her father's side and Robin's gang all stood at the top of the stairs staring in admiration at the commotion they had caused. Robin winked in Marian's direction before they all departed and Edyn felt Marian's hand grab her own. The two of them shared a smile. For the moment, everything seemed good again and Edyn wanted to hang onto this moment as long as she could.
A:N/ I rushed to have this done quicker than normal because I'm itching to start on the second series. It's a lot more exciting and most of the idea's I had in mind when I first started this take part in the second series so I hope the next few chapters don't disappoint. Apologies for the ending being a bit dodgy, I couldn't think of how else to finish it…
I know I've spread these last two chapters out over several days but I felt I had to so it would seem realistic, from what I can gather from the show there is no mention of how many days have passed, if any at all. To me it looks as if everything from Robin getting Pitts right up to Sir Edward organises the rebellion against the Sheriff happens all in the one day. I know I'm blonde but I didn't realise that much could happen all in 24 hours – so I tweaked it a little.
Please feel free to let me know if there are some bits that seem odd or you don't like. I want you all to enjoy it as much as I am writing it, so please review. And as always thankyou to my reviewers!