This is the last chapter, people! Sorry it took a while to update - Alex and I had a lot of things going on on our lives and we kind of neglected this fic. An epilogue will be eventually updated :)
A short summary for those who forgot were we stopped:
Without knowing, Josh lead the Sheriff's men to the merry men camp. After the attack, a bunch of merry men were taken by the sheriff's men, including Kate and Javier. Castle, who had fled, couldn't take the guilt anymore and decided to go back. He and Ryan made up a plan to free the merry men that were imprisoned. Castle turns himself in and ends up sharing cell with Kate. At first Kate was angry at him, but after his love declaration she forgives him. However all her plans to escape fail, so Kate gives up. When the merry men are being transferred to the main square to meet with their destiny, Castle's friend Niall frees them, paying the action with his life.
And now, Queen of Thieves' last chapter:
The sound of a soldier screaming orders echoed through the dark walls. The sheriff's men were still faraway, but it was a matter of time before they reached the three merry men and the two corpses.
"Rick." Kate placed her hand on Castle's shoulder and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry, but we've got to go. The soldiers - there will be reinforcements here soon."
"Niall..." his voice was thick with grief as he fought to stop the shaking. "He - he - Niall - "
"I know," she murmured. "He's was a good guy, Castle. I promise we'll bury him as he deserves."
"Where the arrow - " his whisper broke.
"Where the arrow falls," she agreed gently. "Come on." She extended a hand and heaved him up, casting a sad smile at Javi who watched, passively, as the man he thought had betrayed them leant heavily on his leader as they carried on down the corridor.
"This way." Javi led them out of the corridor and into the courtyard, half dragging Castle behind a pile of rubble as he peered out, checking their path was clear. "Damn," he said, ducking back down to face Beckett. "More guards. They're looking for something."
"Or someone," she interjected. "They're almost certainly looking for us. Or the others."
"Either way, we've got our hands full." He jerked his head towards Castle who had collapsed against the wall, eyes closed, muttering "Niall" every other second. It took Beckett a moment to answer. It shook her to see a soldier, a man like Castle, as broken as this after a friend's death.
Death was death, she knew, but in all her time as the leader of the Outlaws, she had thankfully had very few brushes with it. There had been her mother, and there had been the odd Merry Man, but throughout it all, she'd had Espo, Ryan and Lanie to lean on.
Castle had no one.
"I've got him," she murmured. "You cover us. The stables are just outside the walls." With a brisk nod, Javi was motioning them forward, and taking a deep breath, Kate leapt out, dragging Castle with her.
There was a moment of blissful silence and then a shout. With a muttered curse, Beckett picked up the pace and darted towards the gate, ducking and weaving as arrows flew in all directions, hoping Castle was with it enough to dodge the missiles.
She was reluctant to look behind her for Javi, the chime of her mother's voice ringing in her ears: "Looking back loses the race," but she couldn't help it when a particularly blood-curdling scream reached her. Pulling Rick to a halt, she spun around to catch a glimpse of her brother pinned under a huge soldier, face clenched in agony as he fought to keep the sword at his neck away, but he was obviously weak - they haven't have a proper meal in days, and the blade inched closer and closer as the man in armour began to prevail.
"Javier!" Kate yelled, dropping Castle's wrist and taking a wobbly step towards the pair. His head shot up at the sound of his name and panic appeared to seize him.
"No! No! Kate, stay back! Go!"
He broke off with a grunt to fend off a punch from the man on top of him. Beckett floundered. She wanted to run to him, save him, help him, but it would hinder their escape and at the moment, escape had to be her priority.
She turned back to where she had left Castle and let out a gasp. In front of her was another soldier, his sword drawn and poised at her throat. She gulped. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. He pushed it further towards her, eyes glinting with malice, mouth turned up in a sneer. She inched her hand across her waist but felt her heart drop when she remembered she wasn't armed.
Beckett took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she wasn't being impaled. On the contrary, she was face to face with a man whose familiar grin made her sag with relief, and she launched herself at him in a brief embrace.
"Kevin! You found us!" Her brother nodded and tossed her a blade of her own.
"You know me, Kate. I'll always find you."
And then they were suddenly back to back, fighting off the hordes of men pouring out into the courtyard from all sides. The clashing of swords was the only sound as they twirled and jabbed and slashed and killed, slowly moving towards the gate. Merry Men kept popping into Beckett's line of sight and in no time at all, the Sheriff's men were trampled down by a mass of green.
When the last soldier had been slain, Beckett finally let her guard down. She sheathed the now - bloodied sword she held in a tight grip, and sighed. The King's yard was a mess of corpses glittering in red, robed in fine fountains of blood as the last drops of life and duty drained from them. They had won, yet she could feel no joy in their victory; only sadness at the cost of it all.
Javi moved to stand next to Beckett and Kevin and the three looked out across the mass grave and turned, as one, to greet their returning men - all tired and bruised, but wearing small smiles - they were free.
"Hey." Beckett looked up to see Castle watching her.
"Hey," she whispered in reply. He stepped closer. It seemed like he was his old self once again.
"That - that was incredible. What you did there." He gestured jerkily to his old home. "I - I'm sorry. For - for betraying you, and leading you on, and - "
"Shh," Beckett smiled, placing a hand on his cheek and caressing it. "It's over, Castle. You saved us." His boyish smirk returned for one second.
"I know, right? Did you see that, in the corridor? That was pretty impressive, if I say so myself," he boasted. She tutted at him.
"I knew I shouldn't have said that." His smile dropped and he leant forward to look at her seriously.
"Beckett, can you - will you forgive me?"
"Kate," she replied. "Call me Kate."
"I am so, so sorry," he breathed. She nodded.
"I know."
Then they were kissing. It was magical, perfect, unreal. She let her hands wander his chest, the chest she had admired for so long, closing her eyes at the gentle tugging of his fingers in her hair. She moaned a little at the sensation, feeling him probe her tongue with his and suddenly all her nerves were firing and God, it was wonderful.
When they came up for air, Kate let herself be pulled close to him, his arms around her waist, hers encased between them, and felt the tears begin to leak from her eyes. Weeping, she shook with sobs she could no longer hold back, and allowed herself to be comforted by the man she loved.
She knew, no matter what had happened, that she was safe with him.
The people cheered as Kate Beckett and her Merry Men rode their horses away from the castle and King Bracken. They wore worn grimaces of happiness as they left the city, and the only comfort Beckett allowed herself was linking her hand with Castle's as they rode side by side.
That was the last time that any of the Merry Men were seen on the prairies around New York. But they left hope behind, in the good people's hearts. Soon a revolution started, the monarchy ceased to exist and the people started to vote for their leaders. Without their army, the King, his sheriff and the Hunt were defenceless, they had a fair trial and paid with their lives for their crimes - no one objected for the measures taken against their former sovereign and his pawns.
There was no need for the Queen of Thieves or her followers anymore; but she remained a legend, a promise of hope to the people and a warning to the leaders. For every villain will always find an anti-villain, a hero that will stand for what's correct and will do what must be done.
