After changing into a dark blue high-low dress because a passing servant as spilled wine down the front of her lilac one, Jas dashes through Locksley and over to the church where Gisborne was waiting anxiously. "Sorry," she pants as she reaches him, quickly slipping on a pair of black heels that made her even with him in height," I had a little problem with my other dress and had to change."
"It doesn't matter, Marian's not here yet."
"Did you find any answers you were seeking earlier?" He nods, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Jas's ear. The very tips of his fingers brush against her and she can't suppress a shiver, eyes fluttering closed for a moment. She missed the feel of his hands on her, the way they made her feel like her skin was on fire.
"Here she is." Jas swallows hard when she feels him leave her, breathing deeply a few times before she's able to gather her courage and join the other two. Marian looked as beautiful as ever in cloth-of-gold, the skirts of it trailing behind her and the white of her veil obscuring her face.
"I'm sorry I couldn't catch him in time, My Lady." With a forced smile, she takes one of Gisborne's arms and pulls him towards the church. "I've found that men are often a little dumb on their wedding and this one is only proving my point." Gisborne's brows furrow as he looks down at her.
"She's right, I'm afraid," Marian agrees softly from her spot on Gisborne's right. "My mother always said it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding."
"And we don't want to risk any bad luck, so come on." Jas tugs on his arm until Gisborne follows her of his own accord, both of them walking under the wooden arch decorated with flowers and ribbons, and entering the church.
"Lord Edward is at the castle," Gisborne mutters, nodding for one of the young boys to run out and ring the church bell. "It appears that Vaisey was right all along."
"Are you surprised?" She gives his arm a squeeze of encouragement, then moves to the first pew of the left, the groom's side where hardly anyone else would be sitting today. "You can do this, Guy."
"If you say so." He sighs, staring ahead of him at the wall as everyone fills inside. Marian comes in next, she and Gisborne kneeling before the portly priest and staring up at him as he begins to speak. Jas fights to keep her expression neutral as she watches on, not understanding a word that was spoken but getting the idea of it.
"Stop the wedding," comes a desperate cry from behind them, everyone turning to see Much in the doorway and pulling on the rope that caused the bell to ring. "Stop this wedding! He's not the real King!" Jas nods at the guards situated throughout the room, two of them moving to drag Much out of the room.
"It does not matter if the King is in Nottingham," the priest admonishes. "It has nothing to do with this wedding and you should be ashamed of yourself for interrupting." Jas's sensitive ears can pick up Marian's whisper, but not exactly what she'd said. She's going to do something rash. She felt bad at the prickle of happiness of what Marian might do, but the faint smile appears all the same.
"He went to the Holy Land and tried to murder our King!" Marian rises suddenly, Gisborne grabbing her arm to keep her in place.
"Your father will be safe," he promises, not bothering to keep his voice lowered anymore," I have made provisions. Marry me and he will be protected for the rest of his life."
"This is wrong!" Torn between watching the drama play out or helping her friends, Jas lets out a hiss and moves quickly down the aisle and grabs Much by the front of his shirt, dragging him out of the church. "You know this is wrong, Took!"
"I have no control over it," she snarls at him, pushing him backwards. The tears were stinging her eyes and she could see the same heartbreak in Much's blue eyes, though his was for his friend. "I am no happier about this than you are."
"Then why can't you try to stop it? Gisborne will listen to you!"
"Just…. Just stay here so I don't have to hurt you." Wiping the tears off her cheeks, she moves back into the church in time to see the ring being slid onto Marian's finger. Jas's legs almost gave out from under her, her breath hitching in her throat. "Oh no," she whispers, watching as Marian slowly slid the ring back off.
"This ring must go on the left hand," the priest states angrily.
"Don't do it." Jas moves quickly down the aisle and catches Marian's wrist before she could punch Gisborne, Marian letting out a gasp of pain as Jas pushes her away. "Try it, you bitch." Marian, in a moment of blind rage, tries to swing again, but Jas bends backward before catching the wrist and allowing her own fist to connect with the other woman's mouth.
Her lip bleeding, Marian sends one last look at everyone before running out of the church, Gisborne and Jas racing after her. They stop in the doorway of the church, watching Marian climb on a horse behind Hood and gallop off for the castle, Much running after them while the guests flood outside to watch it.
Jas could feel Gisborne stiffen when she wrapped her arms around his middle, her cheek pressed against his shoulder. "What on earth are you doing," he asks, looking down at her with a raised brow. She doesn't respond for a moment, giving a quiet sigh as she tried to think up a reason. In all honesty, she'd hugged him because of how downtrodden he'd appeared, like a puppy that had just been kicked by its owner. She couldn't very well tell him that, though because it would wound his manly pride.
"It's called a hug, Guy," she explains dryly," a common occurrence between friends."
"Are we friends?" Without releasing him, she peers up at him past a few stray curls that fell in front of her eyes.
"We've killed together and played I-Spy, if we're not friends, then I don't know what we are." His lips form a genuine smile at that as his arms slowly wrapped around her, pressing her tighter against him in a hug. Being so close to him was nice and she found herself breathing in the familiar scent of leather and sandalwood as she moved one hand up and down his back soothingly.
"You called me Guy earlier." It was her turn to stiffen in his arms, hearing his teasing tone and desperately wanting to smack him for it. He wasn't supposed to be the teasing one, that's been strictly her job since day one.
"Don't ruin the moment, Gilbert."
