hello it has been a while...i know...i wasnt sure how to end this exactly...this is what i decided...and sooon i'm going to write a new story for you alll...so be happy. But this is the last chapter of this particular story...which has taken me nearly a year to write...i started october 23rd 2008 and finished it october 2 2009...whoa!!! so all you reviewers get a shout out....first Gizzysgirl my friend your reviews never cease to make me smile thank you thank you i hope you update your story too soon...next the classisit (spelled wrong im sorry) your stories are amazing and i love your reviews...candyflossgirl...thank you "dreams on fire" will always bring out the rob/mar mushy shipper in me....Arria Rose...my friend thank you for the french lessons (lol) and Liisa...your reviews, your comments, your vids i will always love...please finish your vid you were telling me about for RH im sooo excited to see it!!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Robin hood BBC...I do own the smiles i get from watching it...i do own the happiness i feel when seeing Jonas...thats about it that i own
Chapter Thirty Four: I love you now and forever (Epilouge)
Today, the winds, which normally blew about with all their might, were silenced. Today, the gulls had ceased their shrieking cries. Today, the sun shone with light beauty and grace, that had not been seen on the ship in the past few days.
The past few days had been horrendous. While everyone was suffering bouts of seasickness Robin had shakily sank down on one knee to his lady, to his love.
"Now?" she asked, almost horrified by the very thought.
"Well, yes," he had said though he almost was thrown to the ground by another sharp turn of the ship.
As the two lovers concentrated on the future, the rest of the gang had been thinking about the moment.
Allan, as he stared down at the dark waters was certainly thinking about the moment. He could not handle sea sickness. He couldn't…he just…
And suddenly another wave of bitterness rushed to exit his mouth and his entire system. Allan hoped, that with the filth, so too went his obsession with Meg. He wouldn't call it an obsession so much as an…
"Yuck," muttered John sympathetically as he watched protectively over Allan.
"Thanks I made it myself," muttered Allan sarcastically thankful that to have this moment of breathing space.
"How long?" asked John.
Allan shrugged. "It seems to have been all night mostly, is it still night by the way?"
John chuckled. "It is morning now; you need to try to get some rest son."
Allan shook his head. He gripped the railing of the ship feverishly. "This is better. This is better than…" Allan stopped short suddenly because he heard a light laugh behind him.
He had turned sharply to see Meg laughing at Guy's clumsiness. He had fallen to his feet in front of her and now she was helping him stand up.
"Thanks," he groaned.
Meg shrugged. "Some people can't handle sharp turns."
Guy rolled his eyes. "I can handle anything."
Meg raised a brow. "Then can you handle this?"
Guy was not ready for her lips, which suddenly, and dramatically pressed themselves against his. He closed his eyes and he sunk into this dreamy abyss while the battle between vessel and sea raged on.
Allan could not watch any longer he turned back to the hypnotic waves and let forth from his mouth another wave of...
"I'm so sorry," said John patting his friend on the back.
"I'll get over it," said Allan. "We'll get home soon enough."
John shook his head. "Sickness, I did not mean."
Allan closed his eyes and hit his head against the railing. "I know John, I know."
The depressed and sick man caught the attention of Much and Eve who had been living very much in the moment cooing over Clara. Marian, earlier that day, had told the two that they could watch Clara. As a sort of practice for when their child came.
Guy had wondered if it was safe to put his daughter, his adorable light, into the arms of someone like Much.
Much had scowled and made faces until Eve, holding the beautiful baby, had soothed her lover's spirits. They were not affected by the crashes of the waves, but noticed Allan's drooping head.
"Think he is alright?" asked Eve.
Much shrugged. "Just feeling under the weather."
Eve smiled at Much. "Really? Where I am, the weather is clear and bright."
Much was about to question his love's sanity when she lightly kissed his lips.
"Oh," was all the outlaw, and future father, could manage to say.
"Hopefully that was a good oh," said Eve.
Much nodded. "The best."
Will and Djaq were sitting on the ship holding hands. Their fingers wrapped around the others and intertwined in perfect harmony. Djaq leaned her head against Will's shoulder.
"Is something the matter?" Will asked.
Djaq shook her head but Will could clearly feel her sadness.
"Tell me," he insisted.
"With all the talk," she said, "of family, of children, of marriages, I can't help missing him."
"Djaq?" he guessed.
"Djaq," she answered remembering her brother.
Will kissed her forehead. "Sometimes," he said in a whisper, "sometimes on this journey I found myself missing my father, and mother. I mean, we were surrounded by everything French which was so like my mother."
"Really?"
"Really," Will continued, "she tried her best to educate us in every aspect of French culture and society."
Djaq smiled a bit. "And how well did that work?"
Will smiled fondly at the memory. "Considering how adamantly us Scarletts are English we did not take her lessons well."
Djaq laughed.
"But she was a good sport about it," said Will with a smile. "She was always good about it."
And while there was a mixture of happiness, confusion, vomit, sadness, Marian looked down at Robin who remained on one knee.
"Are you going to keep me waiting?" asked Robin.
Marian shrugged. "I need to think about it."
"You need to what?" Robin asked exasperatedly.
"You've asked me this question a lot Robin, I do not want to hurriedly tell you anything. Just in case…"
Robin's eyes widened. "You're scared aren't you?"
Marian's face reddened. "Am not."
"You are," said Robin with a smile, "you absolutely are."
"Stop saying that," pleaded Marian.
"You are scared of saying yes," said Robin teasingly. "Admit it."
Marian groaned. "Fine! Fine, I admit it, I am scared of saying yes."
"And why is that?" asked Robin.
Marian hugged herself. "Because…because…because I do not want to lose you again!"
Robin almost lost his balance. He stood up and took Marian's trembling hands in his own. "What are you talking about? Lose me?"
Marian was near tears. "Robin, every time you propose to me, every time, you go off to war, or Nottingham burns down, or Gisborne decides to marry me…"
"You brought it up this time," Robin jokingly interrupted her.
"I'm being serious," said Marian, "what if we are bad luck? There's always an obstacle, there's always something in the way."
"What's in the way now?" Robin asked passionately.
Marian rolled her eyes and gestured to the stormy seas. "Is that enough of an obstacle for you? Is it?"
"I don't know what you're—"
"We could die today Robin," she said. "look at this ship, look at your men! Sure they are calm, but anything could happen, in a moment, in a second, I don't just don't want to lose you again."
Robin put his arms around Marian. He held her tightly against his chest.
"Listen to me," he said soothingly, "listen to me carefully, I love you. I love you more than anything and there is nothing that is going to stop me from loving you. And I'm not going to stop asking you to marry me, not until you do."
Marian chuckled into Robin's chest. "How many times are you going to do that before we get back home? Are you ever going to follow through with your propose Robin of Locksley?"
Robin shook his head. "Is that a bet?"
Marian nodded.
"Fine," said Robin.
He put his arm around Marian and led her towards the cabins. There they found Stephan reading in his room. Stephan believed that prayer was the best way to outlast the storm. Prayer and meditation…he had made sure that everyone knew that he wanted to be undisturbed. So this interruption, by his brother no less, had to be something really important.
"Are we sinking?" asked Stephan closing the book and facing his friends.
Robin shook his head. "No."
"Then what is so important that you—"
"We want you to marry us," said Robin.
Marian stared at him with her eyes wide. Stephan chuckled.
"You mean when we reach England?"
"I mean now."
"Now?" Stephan almost dropped the good book.
"Now?" Marian asked looking up at Robin.
"Now," said Robin simply.
Of course 'now' meant a couple of things. It did not mean that very moment in time, for there were no witnesses to the union and no witnesses to the contract. So that had to be taken care of. Marian and Robin found themselves running into every corner of the ship to find their friends and gather them together for this occasion.
Then, once everyone had been gathered, including some of the crew, Stephan still had shaken his head.
"What?" asked Robin.
Marian chuckled.
"You need some rings, two I think," said Stephan mockingly.
Robin bit his lip.
"I have a ring," called out Guy who stood next to Meg.
"Guy," said Robin, "if yours was the last ring on earth, I still would not take it."
"Ouch," said Allan. "That was brutal."
Guy shrugged. "That was my only offer."
"Thanks, but I'm fine," said Robin irately.
"I told you," said Marian, "something always goes wrong."
Robin shook his head. "I have one for you my lady." He felt in his pocket for the ring and then showed it to her as proof. "It was my mother's. I have had it ever since she died. And now, now I am going to give it to you."
Marian delicately looked at the ring as if it was the most precious item on the earth. "Are you sure?"
Robin nodded. "But I am still left ringless."
"Nope," said Eve who held Clara in her arms. She cocked her head towards Much. "He has one."
Robin raised a brow at his companion. "What?"
Much nodded and then shrugged. He suddenly produced a ring wrapped on a bit of twine which hung around his neck. He took it off and untied the ring from the twine. He left Eve's side and walked to Marian and Robin who stood facing each other.
"Here," he said. "This was my mother's ring. When she died she gave it to me, and told me to sell it. If I sold it, she said, I would have enough money to live on. But I did not do as she requested. After she died, and was buried, I did go to the market place in my village. But I could not, I would not, let the last piece I had of her go. Not for any money in the world."
The outlaws were almost moved to tears. Even Guy, realized his eyes were watery.
"Are you sure," said Robin, "that you want to give this to me?"
Much nodded. "I could not think of a better man who deserves this ring. And I know that my mother's spirit is all around me. The ring is just an earthy item. I know that."
Much stepped away from the couple to stand beside Eve. Though Eve was slightly preoccupied at the moment, what with holding a baby, she rested her head against Much's shoulder.
"I love you," she whispered for his ears alone.
"Hopefully for more reasons than that womanish display of emotions," whispered Much wiping a tear.
"For that and all the other reasons Much," answered Eve.
After the rings, the now still had to be pushed further because the couple was in need of a marriage contract. Though Robin insisted that no self-respecting outlaw would ever need a marriage contract, Marian said that sometimes symbols, like marriage contracts, were important. Guy, backing up Robin, pointed out that the two of them did not have marriage contract.
The thought of Marian's previous marriage made Robin cringe. Suddenly he found himself very much in favor of a marriage contract.
One of the crew had piece of parchment, Will found a quill in his room, and Stephan wrote out his brother's marriage contract to the woman he loved.
When that was done, Stephan said they needed to sign their names and then they could begin the wedding.
Robin and Marian were the two quickest people in history at that time to have written out their signatures. The desire of marriage burned with fiery passion in their hearts. To become one in the night, in the soothing cover of darkness, was one matter. One matter that they had taken care of already. But, this was something special, something that they proved to themselves and to their loved ones.
And all of these preparations distracted the passengers of the storm. It distracted them from the nightfall, the moon, stars and slowly creeping sun of the next day. The signatures were signed as the sun shone creating a special light upon the approaching union.
Today would be different from the last.
Today, the winds, which normally blew about with all their might, were silenced. Today, the gulls had ceased their shrieking cries. Today, the sun shone with light beauty and grace. Today there were no storms, nor thoughts of the unknown. Today there was no talk of unrequited love, and the filth and bile in a man's system. Today there was no sad talk of missed loved ones who lived on in a name, or a memory.
Today was different from the last.
Stephan cleared his throat. "Everything in life is a choice."
Marian raised a brow and Robin chuckled.
"I did not tell him to say that," he whispered lovingly squeezing her hand.
"The choices we make, even the most mundane and ordinary, often find a way of changing our entire lives. It does not seem out of the ordinary that Robin should love Marian, or that she should love him in return. And, in this moment, there are many people in the world who are conducting this same ceremony. What is special, what is different, what is unique, is that they choose to do this today. They choose to spend the rest of their lives loving each other. They choose each other."
Robin nodded. "It's true."
Marian bit her lip to hide her smile.
"Robin?" said Stephan.
"Yes?" said his brother.
"Repeat after me," said Stephan. "I, Robin of Locksley."
"I, Robin of Locksley."
"Do take Marian Fitzwalter, to be my lawful wedded wife."
"Do take," said Robin taking a breath, "Marian Fitzwalter, to be my lawful wedded wife."
"To have, and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death parts us," said Stephan.
"To have," said Robin with a huge grin, "and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death parts us."
"Marian," said Stephan turning to face Marian. "Repeat after me. I, Marian Fitzwalter."
"I, Marian Fitzwalter," said Marian slowly.
"Do take Robin of Locksley to be my lawful wedded husband."
"Do take," said Marian with tears rolling down her cheeks, "Robin of Locksley to be my lauwful wedded husband."
"To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death parts us."
"To have and to hold," repeated Marian, "in sickness and in health till death parts us."
"Place the rings on the other's finger," said Stephan instructively.
Robin and Marian tremblingly placed rings on their lover's finger.
"Do have anything you wish your partner to hear? Vows?" asked Stephan.
Robin looked at Marian. "Marian, you are my essence and all that I am. I would have walked the ends of the earth to find you, to love you, to call you my own. To me you are perfect and I cannot wait to live the rest of my life with you, by my side."
A tear slid down his cheek.
"Robin," said Marian chocking back her own tears of happiness, "you are my love, my husband, and my best friend. And you might be the lord and master of Locksley, or Sherwood, but firstly, you are the lord of my heart. I take you as my husband legally though you have always been mine in my heart and in my soul. I love you Robin."
"You may kiss the bride," said Stephan.
Robin and Marian walked close to each other and slowly, carefully, as if this was a delicate matter of the highest importance, they kissed.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Stephan. His words were drowned out by the cheers that rang throughout the heart of every man and woman who watched the wedding. Even Clara, who Guy now held in his arms, smiled at the marriage of her mother to the man she loved.
"I love you my wife," said Robin breathlessly.
"I love you, my husband," said Marian hugging Robin.
So today all the troubles were forgotten. Today was for the celebration of Robin and Marian's union as husband and wife. They had faced pain, loss, and death to reach this point. Outside, across the sea was the reality they would all eventually face.
There was so much to be done still, and by the small band of outlaws, priests, and ex-murderers. There was so much evil still left in Nottingham and the oppressed still cried out for the return of their savior. In Nottingham, a man cracked his knuckles and sat upon the sheriff's chair with an evil grin. In England, a prince who acted like a king sat upon his brother's throne with an evil chuckle. And, in the Holy Land, a king fought like a soldier to recover Jerusalem. All things needed to be put back in their places.
Now, today, in this moment, none of that mattered.
All that mattered was that Robin Hood had done what he had set out to do. He had done what few dared believe was possible. He had brought a band of brothers together for one ungodly purpose. He had crossed an ocean, and befriended his estranged brother. He had fought doubts, insecurities, and misunderstandings in his battle for his lady. And now he held her, forgetting his hardships as if it was all a bad dream.
"I'm never letting you go," he whispered into her ear.
"I'm never leaving," she replied.
"I take you," said Robin, "now and always to be my wife."
"I take you," said Marian, "now and always to be my husband."
what did you all think??? also if you have any suggestions for the sequal i'd love to hear them...lots of love to you all.....