A/N - It's getting increasingly difficult to find time to write, but the good news is that we are near the end. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13

The group made their way to the castle, handily dispatching what few Jaffa remained along the way. Once inside, Sam quickly led them into the dungeon in search of King Richard, who was exactly where she told them he would be. When Jack asked how she knew where he was, Sam replied wryly that despite assumptions to the contrary she hadn't spent her entire stay at the castle reveling in the lap of luxury.

The king, in turn, led them to a hidden part of the dark prison where they also found the men from Harry's planet who had come in search of their own errant king many days before. They were dirty and underfed but otherwise unharmed, and it took every last ounce of Jack's self-control - and an elbow to the ribs from Sam - to keep him from making acerbic comments while they praised Harry for his intelligence, strength and valor.

When they finally emerged into the courtyard of the castle, King Richard appeared somewhat dazed, but the moment his subjects recognized him, he was greeted with a deafening cheer. Reenergized by the crowd, he gave them a smile and a wave, before turning to offer his profound thanks to his rescuers.

Beaming now, the king clasped the hand of each team member in turn, coming finally to Arden. But as he extended his hand to the forest dweller, he paused, his attention drawn to a small group of people escorting a tiny, silver haired woman into the courtyard.

The king was obviously stunned. His eyes were glued to the woman, and it was a long time before he spoke. "Elsa?" he whispered. Then louder, "Elsa!"

Elsa bowed her head as she approached, her eyes sparkling. "Hello Richard."

The Protector of Sherwood Forest and the King of Nottingham continued to gaze at one another. Jack leaned toward Arden. "I'm, ah, sensing there's some history there."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Arden's mouth. "When she was a young woman, Elsa fell madly in love with a handsome prince."

Jack eyebrows shot to the top of his head. "The king?"

"Aye."

Jack watched the two embrace. It was apparent they hadn't seen each other in a very long time. "What happened?"

Arden shrugged. "Elsa was a commoner from the forest, and the prince was royalty and promised to another. So he was faced with a choice: forsake Elsa or give up his throne."

"And he let her go?" Jack never considered himself much of a romantic, but it was easy to see that even after all this time, the king was still taken with Elsa. And for reasons he really didn't want to examine too closely, the thought of losing one's true love didn't sit too well with him.

"Actually, no. Elsa found out about the prince's dilemma and left on her own, disappearing back into the forest to live out the remainder of her life with her people. The prince, however, was heartbroken. He searched for her for many years, but as you might imagine, it is nearly impossible to locate a child of the forest when she does not wish to be found.

"Elsa thought he would ultimately forget about her and take a wife that would allow him to fulfill his royal legacy. But after he became king, Richard refused to marry the woman who was promised to him - or any other woman for that matter. As a result, he has no heir."

Elsa withdrew from the king's embrace, though he refused to let her go completely. She beamed at her kinsman. "On the contrary, Arden, the king does have an heir."

"No, Elsa," Richard corrected her softly. "I assure you I do not."

For the first time since he'd met her, Jack thought Elsa looked nervous. Her gaze shifted between the king and Arden for a long while. Finally, she took a deep breath and began, "I have kept this secret for many years..."

"Elsa?" The king pulled away from her a bit, uncertain of what she was about to tell them.

But she addressed him directly, holding onto his arms for support. "When I left you all those years ago, I was with child." She turned to Arden. "Your father, my son, was the child of the king." Arden's jaw dropped, clearly shocked by this news.

Elsa drew herself up and stood proudly before both men. "Richard, I'd like you to meet your grandson."

oOoOoOoOo

Thrilled with the revelation that Arden was his grandson, the king decided a celebration was in order. That evening he hosted a huge feast on the castle grounds in honor of the new prince and, of course, Robin and Marian and the Merry Men, to whom he was infinitely grateful for ridding the kingdom of the Sheriff and returning him to the throne.

As the musicians began to play and the people of Nottingham began to sing and dance, Jack and the others gathered together to watch the festivities. Before long, Elsa, who had been at the king's side since they were reunited, finally stepped away for a moment to join them.

Jack smiled at the tiny woman as she drew closer. "Thank you, Elsa. For all of your help today."

She chuckled. "It is I who should be thanking you." She cocked her head at him and narrowed her eyes. "But then, I believe I told you that you were destined to help us."

Jack clasped his hands behind his back and began rocking on his feet. "Yes, about that - how did you know?"

"As I've said, it was foretold by the original Robin and Marian. They said they would come to us again when we needed them most."

"I'm sorry, Elsa," Daniel said, "but you've got the wrong people. We're not a reincarnation of your ancestors. We're just travelers from another world."

Elsa shook her head. "No, you fit their descriptions perfectly." She looked at Jack. "You, Robin, are a natural leader with a keen mind for battle. You have a gruff facade but are a good man at heart." She turned to Sam. "And Marian, the beautiful. A warrior in your own right, you've always fought alongside Robin, who's completely smitten with you."

"Well, that much is certainly true," Daniel mumbled to Teal'c, who inclined his head.

"Will Scarlett," she said to Daniel, "you're Robin's best friend and have been so since long before he led the Merry Men." She addressed Teal'c. "You, Little John, served Robin's enemies before declaring your loyalty to Robin and his cause, and have fought bravely with him ever since."

"Okay, this is getting a little weird," Daniel said under his breath.

Finally, her gaze came to rest on Harry. "And the Friar Tuck. A late addition to the Merry Men, you were originally mistrusted until you ultimately proved your worth."

The group gaped at Elsa in stunned silence before Jack finally spoke.

"Yeah, well, that could describe anyone," he said, then playfully scowled at Sam when she shot him a look that clearly questioned his sanity.

Elsa gave them a sly smile. "Alright, then, perhaps this will convince you." From a satchel, she pulled out something heavy, wrapped in linen. When the item was finally revealed, the four earthlings gasped, and even Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

She extended the device to Jack who examined it carefully. "The original Robin and his Merry Men left a few things to our people, including this," she told them quietly.

Jack looked up, eyes wide. "This is a Beretta M9 service pistol."

"When I saw you with the same weapons, I knew."

The group stared at each other, dumbfounded.

oOoOoOoOo

The party continued well into the evening, but the group remained preoccupied, debating for several hours how Elsa might have obtained a military issue handgun. However, the conversation didn't turn really interesting until they learned that Arden and several of the other forest dwellers also carried the Ancient gene.

In the end, Jack finally called a halt to the discussion by gifting Arden with the Chariot, much Harry's consternation, and declaring that they would never speak of the topic again, since it was all starting to make his brain hurt anyway.

With the matter at least somewhat resolved, Arden returned to the party, while Harry went off in search of souls in need of saving.

"Curious how he only seems to be interested in young, feminine souls," Daniel mumbled, watching as the ex-NID agent approached a particularly buxom brunette.

Sam yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "Yes, well, I think I'm going to turn in."

"You can't leave yet, Sam," Daniel pled. "There're supposed to be fireworks later."

Jack shifted uncomfortably and regarded his team. He had been meaning to tell them about his new assignment since the celebration began but had not yet found the right opportunity. Now that the party was drawing to a close, he decided it was now or never. He cleared his throat.

"Look, guys, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." They looked at him expectantly, and he took a deep breath. "Hammond's stepping down, and he wants me to take his place as head of Homeworld Security."

"But that's in Washington!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jack said. "I'm supposed to start making arrangements to transfer there next week."

As he explained the details of his move, Sam's mood grew increasingly pensive. While Daniel and Teal'c congratulated him on his new assignment, she remained completely silent, finally quietly slipping away from the rest of the group.

Jack excused himself from the others as quickly as possible to follow her. It didn't take him long to spot her standing under a nearby oak just a few feet away, watching the revelers dancing at the party.

"So," he said, as he sidled up beside her.

"So," she replied, without shifting her gaze from the celebration.

"So, I guess everyone got their happy ending," Jack stated.

She turned to look at him, her tone challenging. "Did they?"

"Well, sure," Jack replied, refusing to take the bait. "We helped our colleague, found the treasure, killed the bad guy, and saved the king. What more could there be?"

"What about the part where the hero gets the girl?" she asked pointedly.

The faintest trace of a smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "You don't think that's just a little cliché?"

"Maybe a little." Sam shrugged, trying her best to seem indifferent. "But then, not all clichés are bad."

Jack moved closer to her, not fooled in the least. "You may have a point there."

He knew it was time to put it all on the line, so he blew out a large breath and took her hands in his. "Look, Sam. Just because I'm leaving the SGC, it doesn't mean I'm leaving you. As crazy as it sounds, I was kind of hoping that this move just might give us the chance to finally be together."

She searched his face but found nothing but cautious optimism there. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Really," he confirmed.

At that, her face erupted in the brightest smile he'd ever seen. Instantly, he pulled her to him, and in the next second, they were kissing each other with an unrestrained passion, increasingly oblivious to the catcalls and whistles that began emanating from the crowd.

"Again?" they heard Daniel groan.

"Indeed," Teal'c answered.

"Jeez, would you guys get a room?" Harry yelled from the where he was currently entertaining a bevy of young beauties.

Jack pulled away from Sam, with a mischievous grin on his face. "You know, that's not a bad idea."

In the blink of an eye, Sam found herself in a lavish bedroom in the castle. It had the same huge bed, rich furnishings, and plush fabrics as the other room - though this one included a large balcony with a view overlooking the party below.

Sam spun around, taking in her surroundings. She looked at Jack in surprise. "I thought you gave the Chariot to Arden."

"He let me hang on to it for one more night." He held up his hand to show her the ring.

Sam's eyes were sparkling, taking it all in. "And all this?" She gestured around the room.

Jack shrugged. "The king owed us one."

"Ah," she replied. Jack moved in for another kiss, but Sam stopped him playfully with a hand in the middle of his chest. "Bit presumptuous of you."

Jack looked at her, surprised and slightly concerned. "Are you objecting?"

She gave him a sultry smile and then in a low and seductive tone replied, "Not in the least."

"Thank god." He took her in his arms. "I love you, Carter," he whispered, drawing her close.

"I love you, too, sir," she whispered back.

His lips found hers, and he moved against her sensuously, his actions hinting at the promise of much, much more. Suddenly, the sound of fireworks exploding rent the night. Sam gasped and turned away from Jack long enough to see the remnants of a colorful display illuminating the edges of the dark sky.

She turned back toward Jack to find him gazing at her intently. "We're missing the fireworks, you know," she said seductively.

His mouth turned up in a half grin. "I thought maybe we'd make some fireworks of our own."

Then he drew her to him once again, and though the king supposedly put on the most impressive pyrotechnic display in a thousand years, it paled in comparison to the sparks that flew in Jack and Sam's room that night.

And so they all lived happily ever after. Or, at least, for the most part...

TBC...

A/N - Epilogue coming up!