Part Three:
Carter awoke to the sound of men crying out, he bolted up unsure of what was going on. He pulled on his boots. Carter had become accustomed to sleeping with his clothing on. As Carter dashed from his sleeping quarters he saw a rider coming into camp. Someone was approaching their campsite and right now there was no way to tell if it was friend or foe. The darkness had not lifted from the forest enough for them to get a clear look upon the rider. As the rider got closer Carter could tell that it was a woman. Will ran up immediately to the rider, he knew instantly that it was his wife upon the horse. "Carol what are you doing here?" He was worried about her risking her life to come to him.
"I have come to tell Robin that the Sheriff is planning on taking a wife." She said, "He is rather upset about the blow that he was dealt yesterday."
"A wife, who, and why is it important enough for you to risk your neck to tell Robin?" Will demanded of his wife. He could not believe that she would ride out risking her life for the Robin. Carter could tell that Will was deeply upset that she would risk her safety to save him
"It's the Lady Abigail." She said looking at her husband and then at Robin.
Carter was shocked. He did not think that the sheriff would be willing to go that far to get even with him. Will could see the pain that was in his brother's eyes hearing that Lady Abigail was to marry the Sheriff. He was still upset enough with Robin.
"A wife of royal blood." Will said looking at his brother. "With that he will be after the throne."
"Not only will he get even with you Robin, but he will have all of England under his rule." The Lady Carol said to him.
"I have to stop it." Carter said thinking with his heart not his head. "I can not allow Nottingham to have the thrown, or Lady Abigail." He started towards his horse.
Lady Carol turned to her husband. "You must not let him go alone Will." She said knowing the pain that Robin was feeling. "Imagine if that was me and how hurt you would be. It is the same pain that I felt knowing that my cousin was about to hang you, my love."
Will thought about what his wife had just said. Robin was his brother, he could not let him go off on his own and get himself killed. After all, Robin had risked his life yesterday to save him and keep Will on this earth with his wife. "Wait Robin, you can not take the sheriff on alone. He will know that you will be coming. We need to come up with a plan. We will do this together brother." Will said putting his hand on Carter's shoulder.
Carter stopped. He knew that Will and the Lady Carol were right. He could not take on the sheriff alone and he would need help to get Lady Abigail out of this, get them both out of this alive.
Carter, Will and the others sat down around the campfire to come up with a plan. They would also need the Friar to help get Abigail out of marrying the Sheriff. Carter could not let that happen at any price. In his heart he knew that he was willing to die for her. His love was that deep and that great for her. The marriage according to the Lady Carol was to take place the day after tomorrow, which did not give them much time to plan and get everything in order. They had to hurry if they were to stop this.
Will made sure that Lady Carol was tucked safely in the forest protected from anything that might happen while they were trying to rescue Abigail. He knew that he would not be able to live with himself if anything had happened to her. He knew that the sheriff was not going to just let Abigail go and he did not want his wife in the middle of anything that might come of Robin visiting him.
They had their plan intact. Carter followed the Friar into the city. This had to work. There was too much riding on it for it to fail them. They walked up to the gates of the city. Robin's hands bound behind his back. The friar spoke to the guards at the gate before they went inside and up to the chapel where the good sheriff was about to marry the Lady Abigail.
"What is it Friar." Carter said hearing the sheriff's voice.
Friar Michael stepped to the side pulling Carter into the room, "I bring you the outlaw Robin Hood." He forced Robin to his knees. He had to make this believable at least to the sheriff nothing could seem amiss and arise the good sheriff's suspicions.
"I see that you have brought me the scoundrel." He said looking at Robin. The sheriff let go of Lady Abigail's arm and brought his hand down across Carter's face. Carter could feel his skin sting from where the sheriff had hit him. Carter's eyes met Lady Abigail's. He tried to speak with them, letting her know that he was going to get them out of this. Carter watched as the sheriff's lips came down upon Lady Abigail's. Carter felt his anger begin to boil. He could not let him touch her like that.
"I will run you through Robin Hood." The sheriff said letting go of Lady Abigail. "But first I want you to watch me marry your love."
Will was listening outside the door. He was ready to burst inside to save his brother is things were to go wrong. He heard footsteps in the hallway. He glanced the direction that they were coming from. No one else needed to be in that room and Will would stop anyone who tried to enter. Robin was going to have his hands full with the one-armed Sheriff. Will chuckled at the thought of what Robin had done to the mighty Sheriff of Nottingham.
Will was not prepared to come face to face with the Sheriff's witch Kerry. She looked him in the eyes. "Oh, Lady Carol's lover." She hissed at him. "I see you've either come to take the young lady again or perhaps to witness the great sheriff take out your leader. You can not save him." She spat.
"Nothing is going to happen to Robin Hood while I am standing here." He said to her.
"I have seen it. I know that he is going to be killed." She said to him, "and you will see him in hell."
Will could feel the coolness of the steel from a blade as it was being pressed against his skin. He needed to think fast to keep the witch from getting into the room, and to keep her from never seeing his beloved Carol again. He grabbed her wrist throwing her into the wall. Will pulled his dagger from his bootleg and stood ready to defend himself from the witch. She lunged at him, not seeing the glisten from the steel blade in his hand. She ran straight into it driving it deep inside her belly.
Inside the chapel Robin was biding his time. Abigail was still to close to the sheriff for Robin to strike him with out hurting her. That was the last thing that Robin wanted to do. He looked into her eyes and she stood there tall, towering over the short sheriff. Carter watched in horror, eyes wide as the sheriff with his one remaining arm pushed Abigail to the floor with a knife across her throat.
Lady Carol stepped out from behind the pillar, "my good cousin, what do you think that you are doing?"
"It's none of your concern my dear lady." He said to her.
"It is of my concern dear cousin when it involves you holding a young woman a knife point." She pointed out to him. "Let the woman marry you on her own free will."
"Carol that is enough from you." He spat at her. "I will do this the way that I see fit to. What I do and how I do it is for me to decide."
"I will not argue with you my dear Sheriff." She said turning her back to him, "but I will not see you harm an innocent woman to get even with an outlaw."
"I am not!" The sheriff screamed at her. "I am not doing this to get even with an outlaw. I have no need to get even with him."
"I see dear cousin that even you can not lie to me." She said looking at him. "Is this not the very same outlaw whom you had the unfortunate crossing with the other day? The very one who took your arm from you."
"That is enough woman." The sheriff snapped at her. "And when I say that this is none of your business I mean it dear lady. Do not cross me Carol. I am not the one who lost my virtue to an outlaw."
"That my dear cousin is alas not something that you need to worry yourself with." Carol said.
Will heard his wife's voice coming from the other side of the door. What in bloody hell was she doing there? He had told her to wait in Sherwood where she would be safe, and now she was here in the middle of trouble. He did not know how things were going to go in there, with Robin at the mercy of the sheriff and no one but the Friar to save his sorry arse if things were to go wrong. Will needed to decide if he was going to stay put outside the door like Robin had instructed him to, or if he was going to go blazing in to make sure that nothing happened to his dear wife.
"You see my dear cousin, I did not lose my virtue to an outlaw. I lost my virtue to my husband they way that it suppose to be." She said.
Robin watched the expression change on the good sheriff's face as the Lady Carol let the news out of her marriage to the outlaw. The friar noticed the sheriff's distraction with the Lady Carol and slipped the ropes from Robin's wrists freeing him from his bounds. Carter watched as the sheriff rant at Lady Carol. He needed to get Lady Abigail away from him, that knife was too close to her swan like neck.
Carter eyes never left the sheriff. The sheriff loosened his hold on Abigail enough for her to bring her knees up sharp and swiftly into his groin. The sheriff screeched out in pain as he doubled over from her knee. Carter quickly took advantage of the situation. He ran over to Abigail pulling her away from the sheriff. He pulled her over to where the Friar was standing.
"Milady, that was too dangerous," Carter said to her as he brought his lips down onto hers, "friar get them out of here now."
The sheriff quickly regained his bearing and was back now on his feet. "You will pay for that milady dearly." With sword in hand he charged at them. Carter turned pulling Abigail out of the way as the sword glanced his arm. Abigail's blood curdling scream could be heard out in the courtyard. As she watched Carter's bloodstain the shirt. Carter grimaced from the pain of the metal searing into his arm. He pulled back.
Will heard Abigail's scream. Damn his brother, he thought as he pushed his way into the room. Will looked at Robin, then at Abigail letting his eyes rest knowing that his Carol was safe.
"Give me your sword damn it Will!" Carter yelled at his brother as the sheriff continued to advance upon him.
"Bloody hell Robin, you came with out a sword." Will exclaimed as he slid his sword over to his brother.
Carter picked up the sword still cradling the one arm that the sheriff had managed to hit with his own blade. Carter now faced the sheriff armed making the battle a little more even. "Now my good Sheriff let's see if you are as brave with both of your arm's missing."
"You will pay for that Robin of the Hood." The sheriff snapped back as he swung at Robin.
Carter laughed as he dodged the sheriff's swing. "Aye you may have a harder time with life missing more than your arms."
"Get him Robin, don't let the one armed bandit best ya." Will jested.
"I'll cut your tongue out rogue and hang you from the rafters by your entrails for marrying my cousin outlaw." The sheriff said with his attention drawn away from Robin. Carter took that moment to swing a blow upon the sheriff just missing his good arm.
Carter and the sheriff went back and forth ducking and attempting to hit each other. The sound of metal hitting metal rang out through the chapel. Somehow in the fighting Abigail was forced into a corner with the sheriff now in front of her she had no where to turn. The sheriff grabbed Abigail forcing his lips down upon hers. "Prepare to say good bye to the rogue Robin."
"Robin!" Abigail cried out, she pulled a dagger out from inside her cleavage. The sheriff was closing in on Robin fast and she was not going to let him die at the hands of another. She charged towards the sheriff plunging the dagger into his back. Abigail pulled back her hands covered now in the sheriff's blood. She was shaking from what she had just done. The sheriff turned the dagger embedded in his back. He took a couple of steps towards Abigail before falling dead at her feet.
Carter looked at Abigail. Her eyes now wide with fear and her body was trembling from the sight that had unfolded between them. Carter crossed the room pulling her into his arms.
"You came for me." Abigail said to him.
Carter cupped her face in his hands, "I'd die for you." He said bringing his lips down onto hers. Will watched the two lovers reunited. He took his wife's hand and softly whispered, "let us leave them alone."
The friar looked at the two of them and loudly cleared his throat. Carter stopped and looked at the friar. Then Carter looking deep into Abigail's eyes, "marry me my Abigail?"
Carter pulled Abigail in for a long deep kiss. As he opened his eyes and pulled away from her, the surrounding was different.
"Yes John, yes." Abby said to him.
Carter blinked. What had he just done? He looked at Abby snuggled deep between his arms. What he could not do awake he had just done in his sleep. She was his soul mate now and forever. He reached up to capture her lips once more.
The end!