AN: Thank you for your reviews, sorry I was unable to update yesterday, family commitment,

Part 13

"Carter!" greeted Much as he met the soldier, early one morning. As he walked his footsteps made a pattern in the dewy ground.

"What are you doing so far from camp and alone?" Carter replied, giving Much a hearty slap on the back and causing him to lose his balance. He was only prevented from falling by Carter's grip on his arm.

"Setting traps." He replied with a smile. "I did not think you would be here so soon."

"Did not Will and Djaq arrive back to say we were coming?" he asked.

"Oh yes a few weeks ago. But….you know…."

"How is everyone?"

"Well, come and see for yourself." He answered and they fell into step beside each other back to the camp.

The camp seemed overflowing as Carter scanned the encampment for Robin Hood. Marian saw Carter first and smiled, nudging Robin who was talking to a man Carter did not recognise. Then the gang gave Carter a real welcome and he felt suddenly as if he was home.

"This is Lord Spencer. Lord Spencer, Carter from the King's guard." Robin said introducing the men to each other.

"I do not think I know you." Carter said warily to Spencer.

"I am a reluctant Black Knight." Spencer confessed.

"We can trust him?" Carter whispered to Robin.

Robin replied just as quietly "We have to."

"What if he betrays us?"

"Then we are dead men…and women." Marian told him.

"But if we do not give him the benefit of the doubt we are dead anyway." Robin answered.

"Very well." Carter declared. "So is there a plan?"

"The plan at the moment is this….." Robin said and told Carter what his intention was if the King agreed.

0o0

"The King has been sighted in Sherwood, or so Rotherham tells me." The Sheriff told Gisborne.

"Prince John remains in London." Guy said thoughtfully, wondering where Vasey was going with this.

"Yes he has not quite forgiven me after all. Perhaps it is better he stays there, he will be safe at least." Mused Vasey. "But we have to stop Hood and the King and we have to stop them now."

"How do you propose to do that?" asked Guy, somewhat bored. However they tried to capture and kill Hood and his men it had never worked before, he was not convinced it ever would.

"You do still want power Gisborne? More that you could ever imagine?" he asked stepping up to his lieutenant and walking round him with a sly smile.

"Of course. Power will give me all that I lack."

"Including Marian?"

"I will take her by force if I have to."

"I would prefer her to hang." Vasey admitted.

"I want to force her to be my wife. You can not hang her."

"Why not? She did make an attempt on my life and now she lives with a bunch of outlaws in the forest. You can not still have feelings for her." Gisborne didn't reply, just stood there looking awkward. Vasey went on. "You do, you still love her after everything? Gisborne, tut, tut tut…."

"I….. I care for her, despite what she has done and said to me I still believe that there is hope."

"Hope, hope! Let's not believe in hope Guy, let's steam ahead and take the power we crave, we deserve. Power that can only be achieved, if the King is dead, Hood and Marian with him. Believe in ourselves in our ability to make it happen, and happen it will. We will force the King and Hood to fight, fight for their lives and die trying to save them." He encouraged and persisted.

"Perhaps, but could not Marian live?"

Vasey looked at him long and hard and said with the cruellest intent. "A clue-no. No one who tries to take my life is permitted to live. Has she recently given you reason to 'hope' she feels for you?"

Gisborne shifted from one foot to the other, and there was a long silence as the Sheriff waited for his answer. "No…no the last time she told me…."

"Told you what exactly Gisborne?" prompted the Sheriff.

"That she wanted to marry Locksley that she loved him." He answered forcing each word out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"See, my plan is better, Gisborne. Kill them all. There are plenty more lepers out there who will be only too willing to become a wife of a man such as you, with your status."

Gisborne sighed and shook his head, his mind telling him the Sheriff was right but his heart betraying it.

0o0

Marian and Robin walked through the forest after a meeting with the King, Carter and the remainder of the King's guard. He strode on ahead until she ran and caught him up and interlaced her hand with his; he slowed a little before stopping and swinging her round to draw her to a complete halt. She looked at him quizzically and he smiled, pausing to kiss her, to which she responded and all coherent thoughts fled from their minds as they indulged in each other.

Breathless he said. "You made quite an impression on the King in the Holy Land. He likes you."

"Jealous?" she asked, unable to keep from smiling at his discomfort and the knowledge that he was indeed envious.

"No," he was fast to reply and she chose to ignore the response.

"The plan," she asked, linking her hands behind his neck. "Do you really think it will work?"

He stood reflectively for a moment then said. "It has to."

"We could still be betrayed."

"It would not be the first time." Robin told her and she nodded in reply, recalling times gone past.

He leant in while she was still pondering and kissed her again, catching her by surprise. "Robin!"

"What?" he answered, kissing her neck.

"Robin," she said firmly pushing him to arms length.

"What?"

"I love you." She told him, thinking of the plan and what could go wrong.

"Marian." He uttered and brought her chin up with his index finger so that their eyes met. "I love you and in my heart you are already my wife. Just in case we are too late…."

"We can not be too late we have come this far." She said, reassuring him with a soft caress of her hand upon his face.

He shook his head sadly and replied. "The vision, in the vision the King wore the ruby ring he wore today….and more than that you died defending the King's life…."

"That might not be so, here, now."

"But Marian, others things from the dream have come to pass."

"That is all it was a dream…." She gently answered, stroking his face and drawing his head down to meet with hers. "It was only a dream." She uttered as their lips met and danced together. His hands drifted into the clouds of her hair and they demonstrated their love for each other through the strength and beauty of their kiss.