Part 6

Will pressed himself in-between the wall hangings, this was the moment he had been dreading since he had started to follow Gisborne and Marian from Nottingham. He held his breath as Marian and Guy entered the room and heard the big solid door close. Peeking round he looked to see Gisborne smile at Marian and then the bed which she eyed as one facing her death.

Marian swallowed hard, there was no one to get her out of this hole she had dug for herself this time. She was here alone with Gisborne and he wanted right here and now to take their marriage one step further, the final step, to consummate the vows they had taken about a week or so before. She took a deep breath as he told her not to be afraid and his hands grazed her neck. It took every inch of self control for her not to flinch from his touch.

Just when she thought all was lost a couple of footsteps alerted her and Guy to the fact that they were not alone after all. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Will and drew her cloak about her body as if that would ward off Guy's advances.

It took Gisborne a few seconds to register who the intruder was, but when he did he said. "What are you doing here? I was about to take my wife to the marriage bed."

"I think not." Will told him, his tone bland and his face void of any emotion, but it was clear that he was not moving until he had served his purpose, carried out his mission.

"How did you get in here?" Guy asked, his rage bubbling at the thought that one of Hood's men was in his room.

"I have been following you. I made a vow." Will replied in the same tone he had used before.

"I made a vow about a week ago and now I am about to consummate my marriage." Gisborne shot irritably back.

"I can't let you do that." Will told him.

"Why?" Guy demanded.

"I promised and because you are not actually married." Will answered.

"WHAT! I was there with Marian before the priest, we promised ourselves to each other. Of course I am married."

"See that is just it. You were not talking to the priest you were talking to me. I was the priest and as I am not ordained, the marriage is null and void."

Marian and Will watched as Guy remembered back to that day, that moment, expressions flickering across his face as he went through the ceremony in detail. Finally he replied, "Ha! But no one else knows. I can kill you and pretend that it is legal."

"No you can not," said Marian breaking the silence she had so far been keeping.

"Why?" Guy pleased. "Marian this is our chance to find happiness, to be together."

Marian did not reply as he expected her to, instead Will said. "There are a total of three witnesses that know the truth, you can not pretend, it is not real, it did not happen. You are not a married man."

"Witnesses? Who?" Guy demanded stepping menacingly close to Will who stood firm not deterred by his enemy in the least.

"There was the priest who I knocked out and Allan, your right hand man, remember him? He helped me and then there was…."

"The priest and Allan will have perished when Nottingham was ruined," Guy spat back at him.

"Not if Robin Hood brought the Sheriff back, just after you left." Will rationalised.

"Did he?" said Marian with a whisper of hope.

Will shook his head and honestly said "I don't know, by that time I had left and was waiting to follow you both wherever you went."

"We were leaving at sunset," Guy began, adding. "Where was Robin Hood then? He failed; he failed to find the Sheriff. Now the whole town are dead and with any luck Robin Hood too."

"No!" protested Marian. "I don't believe he died too."

Guy ignored her comment and asked Will. "You said three witnesses, you have only named two."

"Me." Marian told him this time gaining his attention and standing beside Will. "I was the third witness. I knew as I said the marriage vows that the priest was Will."

"No!" Guy shouted. "Why Marian? Why?"

"To keep herself alive," Will replied. "I suggested she accept your proposal, she was not that keen on the prospect but I told her of my vow and she relented."

"What vow?" Guy demanded. "And we could still be married, what about that thing you peasants do?"

"Hand fasting you mean?" Will asked.

"If that is what they call it, then yes."

"That is different," Will explained. "First both parties have to want to get married and then there is the ceremony with the holding of the hands and the tying of the knot. So you are not united by hand fasting either. The truth is you and Lady Marian are not married at all."

"Marian," Gisborne said, turning to face her. "We can get married here in Durham. The priest here can marry us, we can still be together."

Marian moved away from him and replied. "No I would not marry you if you were the last man on earth Guy of Gisborne. My heart belongs to another."

Guy looked confused and answered. "So it wasn't Hood you love, it was him, it was Scarlett?"

Marian shook her head and answered "No you were right in the first place, it is Robin," she pulled the hidden ring out, took off the one Guy had hurriedly bestowed upon her finger replacing it with Robin's engagement ring and they all heard the clink as the wedding band fell to the floor. "We are to be married. I love him. I love Robin Hood."

"NO!" Gisborne shouted not for the first time during the conversation. "No that can not be, he is dead."

Marian shook her head and said. "Even if you are right and he perished. I will go and fight in his place."

Guy snarled and said cruelly. "What? With just Will Scarlett here for company?"

"I am sure that we will meet many more willing people along the way, who are only to happy to join in our fight for justice, for freedom and for the King."

Gisborne turned his attention and hatred to Will and said. "You. This is your fault."

He realised at that moment his sword lay beside the bed and drew his dagger from his belt instead. And the next sequence of events happened so quickly that it left Guy stunned for a moment afterwards.

"No!" Marian said coming between him and Will, raising her arms, her palms facing towards him, to protect Will from Gisborne.

"No Marian, I promised Robin I would protect you." Will said but she would not budge and the dagger that was meant for him went straight into the palm of her left hand instead.

She yelped in pain and that was enough for Guy to retract the dagger with a painful twist as he did so. Will pulled her away and ran for the door. He tugged her with him as they ran through the corridors, out of the castle. Panting out of breath they hid in a small copse just outside the castle walls. Will tore at her cloak and bandaged her hand which was dripping with blood and then tore off more to fashion a makeshift sling. They sat there holding their breaths as Gisborne rode out of the castle at a fast pace looking for the woman he still wanted as his bride, now for revenge more than love.