Disclaimer: I don't own Robin Hood BBC

Epilogue

10 Years Later

"Through the pain, the sorrow; all the things that life may bring

When I felt that I could not go on

You were always standing there right by my side…

All the pain, the hurt, the wounds they can cut so deep.

Who'd have thought that we could feel so weak?

But I do believe in a force more powerful…"

Ruri Iro No Chikyu -Hayley Westenra

Hayley looked at the dinner table, it still had not been set, and her children were nowhere to be found! She figured Guy would be home soon and she knew he did not like to be kept waiting at mealtimes. A flustered Hayley heard laughter coming from the front yard, and she made her way over to the open window where she saw the children playing with each other, bringing a smile to her face and causing her to forget about being upset with them for the moment.

Guy's son, Seth who was now twenty, had come to live with them about a year into their marriage. Hayley had insisted the boy come live with them, as they had no children of their own at that time, and the house had seemed like it was missing something.

Seth had been the easy one to raise she remembered fondly, unlike his half-sister, Charlotte. Seth had taken after his mother, Annie, in almost every aspect. He was an easy-going child who never seemed to get into trouble, at least not on his own. Seth's features were that of his father though, and he was tall for his age, standing at least a head taller than most of his friends. He had his father's dark hair that framed a well-defined face and dark blue eyes, he was the spitting image of his father and there would be no denying that he was Guy's son.

Her daughter Charlotte was another story though; that girl was just as stubborn and just as moody as her father! When the child didn't get what she wanted she would often sulk just like Guy, sometimes Hayley found it hard not to laugh at how similar father and daughter were. There were many a day, though, where she thought Charlotte would be the death of her, due to the amount of mischief the girl seemed to get into daily, as trouble seemed to follow Charlotte around like a lost puppy! After a particular incident, Hayley had had enough and gone to Guy, after explaining the situation to her husband he had just laughed good-naturedly. "You know that she takes after you in that regard, you always were getting into trouble if I remember correctly. Besides, she is but a child how much trouble can she truly get into?" Her husband had eaten his words, not long after that, Hayley remembered.

Charlotte, who was now ten, had taken after Hayley in her looks though. Charlotte had her mother's brown curly hair that framed a petite oval-shaped face, sprinkled with freckles on sun-kissed skin, but she had inherited those famous Gisborne eyes, making Charlotte an attractive child. Hayley knew that Guy would have his hands full when she became of age and started courting.

The first few years of marriage had been hard on them both. There had been many a sleepless night for both Hayley and Guy due to frustration and agony over words said in jealousy and anger. Only after a failed assassination attempt on Hayley's life, that Vaisey had almost succeeded in, did the two of them realize what they meant to each other. Their marriage had improved from that day on, but not without lingering consequences from Vaisey.

Hayley had been told by the physician that she would likely never conceive due to the extent of the injury from the attack. So, when Hayley had found out she was pregnant with Charlotte it was a joyous surprise and a grand occasion. This was why Charlotte was called their miracle child, for she never should have been conceived let alone born.

The Gisborne family had wanted for nothing over the years, Guy made sure there was always food on the table, a roof over their heads, and warm beds to sleep in. When Hayley, and her husband had overthrown the former sheriff, King Richard had pardoned him of all previous charges and granted back her husbands lands, where Guy rebuilt his childhood home. Guy adored his children and treated them with respect, even Charlotte, which was highly unusual for a man of that time, especially one of his class. He had shown Hayley that he could be a warm, caring, and even an affectionate husband when it was just the two of them. Guy was always surprising her by how much he truly cared for his family and the lengths he would go to make sure the world knew these were his children, and she, his wife.

Hayley had also seen how her husband had slowly changed once Vaisey was no longer in power. He had made peace with Robin, something that many people thought would never happen. Robin had assisted Guy with King Richard's order to do whatever it took to regrow the economy in Nottingham, among other things over the years.

She was pulled from her memories though, as she heard Charlotte shout "Mother, Papa is home!" Before running up to her approaching father, arms spread wide open. Hayley watched in amusement as Guy crouched down to their daughter's level and allowed her to tackle him to the ground, laughing the entire time. It was these reserved moments that only happened in private, like this one, that made her glad she had accepted Guy's marriage proposal all those years ago.

Authors notes:

Well, that's it, folks! Did you like it, hate it? I tried to upload this story on 11/29/20 but fanfiction kept giving me an error after error message and I finally gave up. It seems to be working ok today 11/30/20, so maybe it will let me upload the story!

I do have a teaser trailer for this story on my youtube channel, and I say teaser because it's not quite finished but I wanted something for my fans. You can find it under FFAMasquerade2005.