~xxxv~
If This is to End in Fire..

Surely the snake had to know she couldn't outfox a fox, much less a raven. She could slither wherever she so pleased, but she knew deep down that the raven would catch her, break her neck with her talons and show just who would come out on top at the end of the day.

Ears flicking to and fro, the chestnut mare watched the bay steed gallop past their hiding place in the bushes with the guard astride.

The mare's master gave a keen whistle before lightly kicking her steed's ribs, racing after the messenger at top speed before a neigh sounded from the left of the path and she looked at her companion astride the white stallion that met her eyes for a second before she looked away from his green eyes as they got closer to the messenger, and she said, "Now!"

The brunette jumped off the stallion's back to tuck and roll as he hit the leaf-covered ground, hearing a light 'thud' as his companion also hit the ground in the same fashion, and he looked over at her as she nimbly hopped to her feet with grace he imagined came with her profession.

Ella lightly shook her head of leaves to hear a whinnying sound from the bay steed that had been halted by both the outlaws as well as her mare, jogging after the messenger's wake with Archer shortly following as they came upon their friends.

"…'understand the urgency of your request; King Richard returns from the Crusade within the month, and fresh troops await him in Lothborough so we must be ready.'" Tuck read aloud of the parchment pilfered from the messenger.

"Richard's actually returning?" Ella asked as she and Archer had returned while Tuck was reading, placing her hands at her hips. "She must be vying to keep her position as Sheriff for a longer time than expected if she's divulging this to the prince." She mused blandly.

"Doesn't sound like she's lying," Guy agreed with a slight huff as he straightened from having helped Alan bind the messenger's arms at his back.

Robin nodded to the brunette, "read the rest." He handed the stallion's reins to Kate.

Tuck consulted the parchment again, "'you asked for three-hundred men and supplies, and I will dispatch them at sunset to join your forces in northern Duncaster… England will soon be yours.'"

"Where did Isabella get her three hundred arms from?" Robin demanded at large, looking at the others to see the overall bafflement at this newest news. He folded his arms and added over his shoulder to the messenger ready for departure, "You tell the Sheriff this message: 'England will never be a slave to Prince John, not while Robin Hood fights for King Richard!'" And with that, the messenger who had been seated on his horse's saddle backwards took off through the forest back to Nottingham.

Ella pondered on the flawed calculations regarding Isabella's sudden count of arms, watching the messenger be sent away, and for some reason her mind strayed to the populations of the three villages in the province right before they heard John's yell from the other side of the path near the incline. They've taken them… "Damn it!" She hissed, following Robin and Alan and Tuck as they ran to the direction of John's voice at top speed, Guy and Kate plus Archer bringing up the rear so all seven of the outlaws skidded to a halt when finding John.

"Who've they taken?" Robin called.

"The men from Clun, at least a hundred of them!" John answered.

"Robin!" Much yelled as he appeared at another end of the ravine, adding, "it's the same with Nettlestone!"

"Two hundred arms…" Archer commented quietly.

Ella whistled keenly for her mare, descending the small incline as the chestnut steed skidded to a halt at her call with a whinny. "Robin, she's going to hit Locksley next!" She exclaimed as she quickly mounted the horse, causing her to rear slightly, "Guy, come on!" She declared, watching as her husband soon descended the incline to hoist himself up onto the horse's back. She sharply kicked her sides, causing Gem to neigh and gallop away down the path at top speed.

"Those men aren't soldiers," Guy reminded as he glanced behind them to see the others shortly following on the other horses, clinging to his wife as they began to reach the outskirts of the forest.

"Take the reins!" Ella instructed, feeling him reach past her to grab the reins as she drew an arrow from her quiver to nock it just as they burst through the green at the edges of Locksley. Gem skidded to a halt just long enough for them to see a flurry of movement as they could easily spot the soldiers rounding up the able-bodied men and boys, and Guy drew his sword as she urged the chestnut horse gallop forward into the fray. "Ya!"

With a neigh Gem jumped over the low fence that divided the wild from the village outskirts, rearing only for her master to send an arrow flying at the guard that tried to herd a small crowd of men out of their homes, cutting him down with ease.

"Head for the forest, go!" Guy shouted to the men as he and Ella dismounted the mare, urging the surprised men in the direction of the wild before he ducked as Ella let another arrow fly at a guard that sought to sneak up on him from behind a shed; he looked at the guard who fell back with an arrow in his throat before smirking briefly at his wife, earning a likewise grin from her, rushing into the fray with her at his heels as she switched her bow for her sword and followed his lead.

"Go, into the woods!" Ella urged as she punted another guard away from trying to shepherd the men and older boys off, watching them run into the green before the guard lunged at her from behind and attempted to bring her down; she stomped her foot onto his own, hearing a curse before she used her free hand to hurl him over her shoulder and proceed to ram her sword's blade into his chest when he hit the ground, yanking her blade free only to turn and come face-to-face with another guard that had a surprised look on his face. She froze for a second and would have slain him as well had he not fallen forward to land on the ground next to the other, and she looked from the dagger stuck in his back to the green eyes of Archer as he had been the assailant.

Archer smiled wryly at the mildly surprised look on the woman's face, nodding to her, "You alright, then?" He asked.

Ella returned the smile and nodded back, "I had it sorted." She replied, looking away at catching sight of movement to see a bald brunette man astride a bay steed urging his men to fall back to Nottingham. "Archer, hand me a knife." She said as she extended her hand for the weapon.

"It's not an arrow, y'know…" Archer commented as he handed the knife to her, watching her keep an eye on the bald man.

Ella flicked her wrist and sent his knife flying in the brunette's direction; a smirk curled her lip upward as the man gave a curse in pain when the knife stuck into his right shoulder, and when he glared over at her from departing she called bitingly, "Tell that conniving snake to go to hell!" She huffed as he jerked the horse's reins and gallop away after his defeated men.

"So this sister I have, you two really didn't get along, did you?" Archer asked of her as he noted the village was cleared of soldiers, looking at the woman as she turned to regroup with the others and he followed her leave.

Once he had been settled with the others, and once she had given him half of the gold promised to say he would get the remainder when the Sheriff was defeated, he had asked if Guy and Robin were the only family he had when Guy had informed him of Isabella and how she had tried to kill them basically since she had arrived in Nottingham.

Frankly, Ella was relieved he had stayed with them and didn't think to seek out Isabella; no doubt she would never believe Archer's word and would most likely kill him.

He had already lived through that before.

"We share the same name, and frankly, she doesn't deserve much mercy from me. 'Sides, she's half-mad with vengeance against Guy, and Robin." Ella answered as she returned her sword to its scabbard, looking at him as he had flanked her and she huffed wryly, "A bit demented, but it's a family nonetheless, isn't it?" She wondered.

"Yet you three sound like the saner part of it." Archer mused, recalling what she had told him the day they met about living poor, and he looked to his brother as he noted the smile on her face when she looked in the same direction. "As sane as you can get, leastways, living in the forest so long." He added with a folding of his arms.

Ella felt her brow twitch slightly as it often did when around him, and she reflexively slugged his arm, smirking cheekily when the younger man rubbed his arm and scowled sorely at her. "The more I think about it, the more I think you're moreso related to Guy than Robin; he gets on my nerves sometimes, kind of like you." She sighed.

"That was the loveliest compliment I've heard, dear sister." Archer drawled in the same manner, lowering his hand from rubbing the probable-bruise on his arm.

Ella tilted her head sweetly, "I aim to please." She smiled again as her husband came to greet her leading Gem by the reins, patting her mare's neck gently in thanks before the trio returned to the woods.

Thunder growled in the heavens, casting a foreboding manner about the dusk-afflicted forest.

Gem whinnied softly as she flicked her ears, being shushed by her master who was busy brushing her.

"I know, I don't much like it either…" Ella mused quietly as she patted her withers, looking at her mare as she nickered and her ears flicked to take note of something behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see her husband; she smiled at him, receiving a slight smile. "Shouldn't be out, y'know, it's going to rain soon." She mused.

Guy stepped further into the small thicket where they had stored the horses, receiving a nicker of greeting from the mare as she let him run a hand along her neck. "You should follow that advice." He replied, looking at her as she finished brushing her mare to consult the small bag she had kept from the market and withdraw half of a carrot. He momentarily recalled the day when she told him her mother could tell a storm was coming just looking at the heavens, and he watched her feed the carrot to her mare. A smile tugged at his lips and he added, "You've spoiled her." He added.

Ella huffed softly through her nostrils at his words and she smiled, patting her mare's withers again before turning to him, pausing as a loud snarl sounded from the heavens. "Storm's coming." She muttered, frowning softly before folding her arms, looking at him as he gestured they leave the thicket and she nodded.

Guy reflexively took her hand as they stepped out into the darkened forest, flinching slightly when a drop of rain broke through the canopies above to hit him on the tip of his nose, and hearing her giggle; he made a face as he looked at her only for another drop to hit her on the nose, and he smiled cheekily.

Ella wrinkled her nose before catching his cheeky smile, and she slipped her hand free to smack his arm playfully, trotting ahead of him with a bounce in her step before yelping slightly when he grabbed her coat from behind and pulled her into his arms.

The rain began to softly descend on the forest.

"You look happy, possibly the happiest I've seen." Guy said thoughtfully as they made their way back to camp, earning a slightly surprised look from her, to which he smiled at.

Ella shrugged innocently, replying, "Even though we're living in the forest?" She looked at him.

"Once we overthrow Isabella, I just might kiss every inch of Locksley Manor…" Guy snorted slightly, earning a quiet laugh from his wife.

"Maybe we can be free for good." Ella nodded, glancing up at him and adding, "I managed to leave a reminder on her pretty face, by the way, when she had you locked up… I should've killed her, but I narrowly missed her head." She huffed.

Guy could only imagine how she had done so and a rueful smirk pulled at his lips, "Perhaps joining Hood has done you good after all." He rumbled quietly.

"As it's done the same for you." Ella replied in the same tone, stopping near a tall oak and looking at him with that fondness in her eyes as she added, "you don't sleep like you once did after we returned from Acre, and I can see the real you clearly… the you that I love." Her lips formed into a warm smile, and he had to fully take note that she looked most beautiful when she smiled.

Guy smiled slowly before stepping closer to gently push wet locks of hair from her lovely face, holding her stare before saying, "It was not finding a new purpose that has made me a better man." He inclined his head to press his lips to hers, feeling her lips move against his as she reciprocated and her slender fingers reached to curl in his hair, hearing a happy sigh come from her as he pulled her close to his chest.

"What's that?" Tuck asked as he lifted an oval-shaped piece of silver from the floor of the camp.

"Looks like a pendant… El, this belong to you?" Archer commented before he looked to the archer sharpening one of her daggers.

Ella put her things down to reply, "I don't wear much jewelry…" She trailed off at seeing the pendant in hand, stepping forward to gesture for it and she frowned slightly as she looked on the silver object. "But I'm pretty sure I've seen it before…" She muttered.

"That's Isabella's…" Guy said as he had come forward to see what the commotion was about, looking at the silver pendant held in her palm and adding as she looked at him with a raised brow, "It belonged to our mother, she would never take it off it seemed." He looked to his wife.

Archer frowned as well, "then what's it doing here…?"

"What're you lot looking at?" Robin asked as he poked his head in, having perked up at mention of Isabella's name and made his way to the odd quartet.

"Isabella's pendant…" Ella answered with a slight exhale, watching a frown furrow his brow.

"Then what's it doing here?" Robin asked as he looked to the couple.

Guy scoffed, "You honestly think this was on my person?" He asked with a raised brow.

"Well she is your sister…" Robin began to say.

"And she is my sister-in-law, but that doesn't mean it was in my coat." Ella cut in patiently, looking at the outlaw and adding with honesty in her eyes, "Guy wouldn't have her pendant, Robin. And if you trust me you should trust my husband." She stated.

Robin held her stare and momentarily recalled how often he had called her the nobleman's guard dog, before he sighed slightly and nodded. "Good point… Keep it; if this is only half of it, then the other half must be somewhere else." Hopefully not anywhere inside the camp.

Ella nodded slightly in return before she looked away as Alan, Much, Kate and John returned from bringing more of their stocked supplies into the camp from outside and she turned away to place the pendant piece in the inner folds of her tunic.

Another shower started about fifteen minutes later as Robin gathered everyone into the camp to have a chat, proposing with a sense of finality in his voice that they take the castle and hold it until King Richard returned.

"There's no way we can take a castle; it's impenetrable." Much was first to comment.

Guy then proposed, "Unless we take the tunnel." He was received with seven respective looks of confusion, and he nodded slightly to his second who sat in the lower bunk near him with her bangle in her hands, before he continued. "Ella knows of this as well; it's a secret entrance into the castle that the Sheriff had built after the failed ploy in the Holy Land, when he became a bit paranoid about his safety. Not a soul knows about it, not even Isabella. It leads from a derelict church in the west side and leads directly into the heart of the castle." He said as he drew his sword to draw a small illustration of the map in the dirt floor.

"We take the tunnel and then Isabella from within the castle walls and… persuade her, to have her men stand down; we take the queen, we win." Ella finished with a hardened edge in her calm voice as she looked to her husband briefly before looking to Robin and then the others. "This is the best chance we have to keep things stable until King Richard returns." She finished.

"If we tie the break-in with the convoy that leaves with supplies and men, the guards will be distracted with the convoy, and it'll be easy for us to get in." Robin agreed with a nod.

"Count me out." Kate was first to decline the idea, looking to Guy with a stinging scowl and adding, "I don't trust him."

John agreed, "How do we know we can trust him?"

"Because we want the same thing." Guy stated as he returned his sword to its scabbard.

Kate wasn't finished with him as she stepped closer, "Since when have you bothered to care about what we want?"

"All I want is Isabella, because she betrayed me to Prince John and has done nothing but tried to kill me since she came here!" Guy snapped as he glared slightly at her.

"That sounds more like the disgusting human being known as Guy of Gisborne…!" Kate snapped hotly as she attempted to get at him.

Ella was first to grab her, yanking her arm behind her back in a painful way and she heard a curse and a yelp come from the blonde, glaring at her even though she knew the others were looking between the two with caution. "As ludicrous as this may sound to you, I understand! I understand how painful it is to lose someone you love, how you can't think about the ones who killed them without getting angry… But they're not going to come back, even if you despise and demand vengeance for what happened to them… Do you understand?" She let go of her and stepped away as she watched her rub her arm gingerly, hazel meeting blue with the slightest mistiness in the former's gaze, and she added evenly, "They may not be living in this world, but they still live on in our hearts… All we can do is keep living, and hope to see them again." She slightly huffed as her muscles relaxed in her hands, her pale blue eyes lingering on the blonde's hazel gaze that had stayed on her while she talked.

Robin chose that moment to state, "We go through the tunnel. I say 'we', I mean those of us standing here; Gisborne and Ella's fates are the same as ours. Tuck, Archer and John, get some tools to make weapons; Alan, Ella, Much and Gisborne, melt some money down to make arrowheads." He instructed, nodding to his companions who split up to do as told.

Ella looked over her shoulder at Kate as Robin chose to speak in private with her, and she sighed slightly as she looked away and kept behind Alan. "Think I got through to her?" She wondered quietly at large, kicking a twig away with the toe of her boot.

"Depends if you'd have twisted her hand off if she didn't?" Alan wondered blandly as he looked back at her.

"I was defending my husband, thank you very much…" Ella's brow twitched before she gave him a look, adding more to herself, "at this point I'm the only one who can smack some sense into his thick skull…"

"Love you too," Guy rolled his eyes as he overheard her, catching her left hand in his palm as she had attempted to hit him, and smirking cheekily when their eyes met.

Ella ran her hands along the horse's face, earning a quiet nicker. She smiled up at her gentle brown eyes, leaving a peck on her soft nose. "We'll win this, I know we will… We have to, don't we, to be free at last?" She murmured softly, receiving a flick of the ears from the chestnut mare as she seemed to calm more at hearing her native tongue. She smiled again and exhaled, stroking her cheeks again before she pulled back. "Be good, old mum." She turned to leave the thicket and made sure the horses were concealed again, sparing the thicket one last glance before she turned away to rush to where the camp was at top speed… She looked over her shoulder again as she had the sudden and irritating feeling of eyes on her back, finding nothing when her sharp eyes scanned the green of the forest, before she continued on.

Perhaps she was imagining things.

The boys were exiting the camp just as she arrived, her husband looking to her as he tossed her sword to her as he had kept it for her while she went to visit Gem.

Ella caught the sword expertly and fastened the belt at her waist, sidling to his left to stand between he and Archer. "We still going through with this then?" She asked.

Robin nodded, "Aye. We get into the castle, capture Isabella, and release the prisoners; if the convoy leaves, then we've failed. Tuck, John, it's up to you two to stop it; no matter what…" He paused as John twitched a bit in anxiety before he added seriously, "This could be the last time we see each other."

Guy stepped back a bit as he, Ella and Archer watched the four men exchange hand-shakes and brief hugs, following Robin when the little exchanges were done as the latter motioned he follow.

Ella looked back at the camp as she asked, "Alan, will he be joining us?" She looked at Robin.

"Apparently Isabella has had him pardoned… He's a free man." Archer informed when his sibling's jaw tensed a bit at mention of the redhead.

"Hang on, that's not possible… Alan's been with us for the last few months, there's no possible way he could've begged her for his freedom. Alan may be certain things, but I don't think he'd make the same mistake twice in one lifetime." Ella declared with a disbelieving shake of her head, looking between the four men with her.

"If it's been decreed, then it must be true." Much mused aloud, noting the conflicted glint in her eyes. "Sorry, Ella."

Guy met her gaze that had lifted to finally search his, and the confirmation was clear in his blue stare, his left hand reflexively finding hers as she averted her gaze with a slight slump of her shoulders.

Ella squeezed his fingers tight, looking ahead and exhaling.

It wasn't long before the odd group found the tunnel, which was located beneath an old grave that had since been disturbed and had a pile of dark rocks covering the opening. With a bit of muscle exerted between Guy, Robin, Archer and Much the tunnel was opened for them; Robin was the first to enter, shortly followed by Much and then Archer, and Guy and Ella went last with the nobleman covering up their tracks should they be followed.

At this point it wouldn't surprise him.

It only took fifteen minutes or so before the odd group got to the secret door. Taking a brief moment to ready themselves, with Robin and Archer and Guy and Much their swords and Ella her daggers, the five burst into the room. Much to their surprise the door had led into the Great Hall, which was eerily and surprisingly void of life.

"Where is she?" Much hissed.

Ella scanned the room to find not a soul was present, before she motioned to the men, "Come on, I have a hunch." She took off up the stairs at top speed, hearing Guy shortly follow with Archer, Much and Robin at her tail. The corridors that led from one way or another were also void of life, thus ruling out the thought that Isabella was inside the castle's depths… The outer corridors were their best bet, then.

At hearing the clopping of boot heels along one corridor that oversaw the stone courtyard below, the five quickly stopped to plant their backs to the stone wall of their hall they had taken; the woman flexed her grip on the daggers' handles, glancing at her comrades as they all distantly heard the commotion of a revolt coming from the entrance into Nottingham.

Tuck and John had done their part well.

"…Blamire, you must protect me. The peasants are trying to storm the castle." Isabella said; the nobleman's wife glanced around the corner for a split second and recognized the brunette man she had dubbed as the one from the village before she ducked back behind the corner.

Why did she know?

"Can't help… sorry." Blamire replied plainly.

"They'll tear me to pieces!" Isabella insisted.

Blamire kept an indifferent tone as he replied, "I can't help, I've got to be somewhere else…"

"I just gave you an order!"

"…You have no idea what's happening here, do you?"

"But you… you can't just leave me here to be massacred by those brutes! …For pity's sake, help me."

Blamire paused to leave as he stated solemnly, "If you wish to escape here alive, hear this: deliver Gisborne to the gates of Nottingham."

"That doesn't make any sense…" Isabella started to say.

"Goodbye, Sheriff, and good luck!" Blamire wished before he left the corridor.

Ella perked up as a hint of blonde strode past her from the end of their hall, recognizing it was Kate, and she nearly snatched her arm before the girl stepped into the open; she gritted her teeth and looked at the four with her with a sharp look, before hearing Kate speak to Isabella.

"…Tried to poison me against Robin." Kate said coldly.

Isabella certainly hid her surprise very well, "What of it? You don't belong together anywho; an ill-raised peasant girl… Hardly worth a companion for a man of noble blood." She started to leave when Kate grabbed her and pinned her to the nearby wall, striking at her before Isabella shoved her off and returned the blow.

"Ella!" Much hissed as the second archer stepped into the open to help the blonde.

Kate fell back and gripped the stone pillar of the corridor with a grimace, looking up in surprise as Ella appeared and said, "Oi!"

Isabella rounded on the other woman, giving a huff and wiping her mouth absently as the other was putting her weapons down near the window. "I thought you dead." She drawled coldly, smirking.

Ella's lip curled into a dangerous smirk and equally-cold blue eyes. "It would've been a nice reprieve from having to see your charming face." She gestured she come forward with a hand, her body tensing for the impending struggle.

Isabella rushed her with a snarl, right hand flying to drop the other with her clenched fist, giving a grimace when her hand was caught in the other's grip and her arm was yanked painfully behind her back; she headbutted her in the chin, causing the archer to grimace and sharply twist her wrist so a cry of pain came from the younger as she broke the bone, being shoved away so she stumbled forward into the corridor.

"Ella…" Kate looked at the archer with both surprise as well as reverence as she had just watched her break that woman's wrist.

"Stay back, Kate… She's mine." Ella instructed with venom in her voice intended towards Isabella, a cruel smile playing at her lips as the other flinched slightly at her broken forearm. "Come on, poppet, I would expect the bitch d'jeur related to my husband to at least risk breaking a nail!" She drawled.

"Takes one to know one, doesn't it!" Isabella snarled back as she met the other's charge and swung her leg out to trip her, twisting as the archer hopped over her foot to land on solid floor to send her left fist flying right into the other's nose.

Ella bit back a growl of pain as her nose throbbed painfully at probably being broken, to which she yanked her forward by her outstretched arm and pulled with all her might, throwing Isabella over her head with a cry of exertion. She dropped down onto her and stabbed her elbow right into her ribs, hearing a gasped oath escape her enemy, and she straddled her to send her own fist into the other's nose to repay the favor.

Isabella found the strength to kick her off, rolling to stagger to her feet as her enemy mirrored her, grimacing as it hurt to just take a breath; she launched herself at the other to slam her into the stone pillar, slender hands grabbing hold of the archer's neck and she glowered into her piercing stare as she tried to strangle her.

Ella inhaled to then headbutt her right in the forehead, making her own head spin at the blow but she quickly regained her senses to see her rebuttal had stunned Isabella enough so she fell back against the opposite wall; she panted slightly and reached up with a silent count to three as she set her nose back in place, grimacing at the stabs of pain, perking up as Isabella launched herself at her one more time. She sidestepped it on habit, grabbing a fist-full of fabric when the younger nearly fell over the niche's opening, and yanking her backward. "Didn't you know that ravens always foreshadow death?" Having drawn a knife from her belt, she rammed the blade deeply into her back, hearing a vain gasp of pain come from the younger woman.

Guy, Robin, Much and Archer had stepped into the corridor to watch the struggle; while regret started to bleed into his system towards not giving his little sister one last chance to redeem herself, satisfaction that he was avenged drove away what regret had rooted in his veins, pride starting to take regret's place as he watched his wife straighten from having made sure the woman who shared her name was dead.

Ella panted, and then gave a steady exhale of relief that that had been taken care of, wiping her knife's blade on the inner fabric of her coat before returning it to its place in her belt pouch. She looked over at her companions and smiled a little, a soft huff escaping her nostrils. "She had it coming." She said.

Kate looked past her at the dead Isabella and stepped forward to kick at the woman's leg with a foot, noting she didn't stir, to which she looked on the archer. She gave a nod. "What was that bit about getting angry?" She wondered, the hints of a smile playing at her lips.

Ella's eyes softened and she chuckled, embracing her tight and giving a squeeze when being received rather awkwardly, drawing back to sniff. "You softened her up a bit, if it helps." She doubted she could feel as compassionate towards Marian the way she felt towards Kate.

"Hang on, you didn't resort to that when we were in York." Archer mused as both women came towards them.

"I normally don't resort to hand-to-hand… but this was personal." Ella replied as she shrugged her quiver back on and fastened her sword at her waist, looking up as her bow was offered by Guy, pausing slightly.

Robin wasn't a fool, and he huffed, "Come on, still got to secure the rest of the castle." He said to Kate, Much and Archer, nodding to the couple before he and the trio left them to have a moment.

Ella watched them go and she shrugged a little. "I'm sure most of the castle is empty, if the convoy has been sent out… well at least before Tuck and John intervened…" She trailed off as his calloused fingers tipped her chin up, biting her lip as he slightly turned her head as if checking to see she was all right. "Guy, I'm fine…"

"Killing her wasn't what I had in mind, when I suggested we take the castle as well as overthrow her." Guy rumbled quietly, watching her eyes lower and look elsewhere with guilt starting to darken her gaze, before he let go to say with a steady exhale, "But it was inevitable from the start. There was no doubt in your skill, as deadly as it is, and I must admit it was Isabella's folly to have underestimated just who she had wronged." He briefly glanced past her at his dead sister before he met her eyes that had looked up at him in pleasant surprise, and he added with pride in his low voice, "You are beautiful when you're angry."

She was also vicious when crossed, but she was his wife, and he would expect no less from the woman who had fought for and loved him from the start.

Ella smiled slowly and lifted a hand to trace her fingers along the scar on his cheek, letting him keep her hand, and she hummed softly. "Rather her than you… I've saved your neck over a dozen times by now, and would you expect any less of me in the future?" She wondered, hints of cheek starting to brighten her eyes.

"It would be extremely difficult to become accustomed to not having you in my life." Guy huffed, receiving a soft chuckle, and he brushed locks of hair back that had gotten free of her braid away from her lovely face, to which he kissed her forehead. "Come on." He murmured, reluctantly drawing back and away to lead her by the hand after their friends.

Once Robin stated that the castle belonged to the people of Nottingham once again, it seemed the joyous moment would not last very long, as Much was the one to end it as he called their attention to the mote.

A clattering of boots sounded as the outlaws jogged to the mote where Much had motioned them to, eight sets of eyes looking on a large bundle that had been rolled up in burlap; with Robin, John and Much's help, the large object that had been bundled in the burlap rolled out until they were met with the sight of a dead Alan a Dale.

"Let me through!" Ella ordered as she brushed past Kate and Tuck to drop to her knees at the redhead's side, her stomach lurching as she was first met with his still-open green eyes before she checked his pulse with two fingers. A growl of frustration was caught between her teeth before she moved her hand to gently close his eyes at confirming the general belief, a lump of tears threatening to clog her throat as she looked to her friends and shaking her head. "Murdered." She said hoarsely, straightening with Tuck's help as he had come forward after her and turning away to her husband as he had shortly followed her to the front, closing her eyes as Tuck rolled the burlap over their dead companion's body.

Guy folded an arm around her shoulders as she held onto his chest, looking up as the sound of carriages coming to the town soon came, to which a look of horror filled his eyes as his face paled. "Close the gates…" He said slowly as he drew his sword with his free arm.

Ella looked up at also hearing the carriages, only to let out a horrified gasp she hadn't known was present as she followed his gaze. "Robin!" She cried with fear in her voice.

"Man the battlements!" Guy commanded as he then ordered the villagers inside to move back and away, pulling Ella with him into the castle; Robin, Much, and John who carried Alan's body were the last to get on the safer side of the mote.

The entire host of Black Knights stood only yards from the entrance into Nottingham, with Vaisey at the helm.

A sneering smile curled Vaisey's lips as he drew his sword, "this'll be fun."

an: i honestly don't think there are words to describe how sorry i feel for not updating sooner. and with that, i might mention that the finale of this story is in two chapters. and since i love you guys so much, the second chap is also here. you know the drill no? ;)