Almost every other day since that night, Will had tried to come to the mill and the village to see her. They spent a lot of their time together, most of the time, they were hiding from the soldiers when they came to the village, but they still found ways to make it fun. Hiding in the forest, stealing kisses, Will hiding in the mill in plain sight of everyone. Now a year and a half later, here he was, aiming to spend his life with her. As he prepared himself a small satchel and grabbed his knives, he made sure that he was fully ready.

"Where are you off to?" Bull asked as he left his hut, and found Bull sat outside his own.

"I'm going to the village for the night." Will told him.

"Who's the lucky lass?" Bull asked him.

Will looked to him, he wasn't usually that transparent. "You'll find out soon." Will told him, if things went his way tonight, the world would know about her.

"Oh right, how long has this been going on for?" Bull asked.

"A year and a half." Will told him. "Now if you don't mind, I'm off." He told him.

"Send Kat my love Will." Will stopped as he walked past John and Fanny's hut as she spoke to him.

"Will do Fanny," Will told her before he gathered one of the horses and he rode off towards the mill.

When he was gone, Robin walked up alongside Fanny with John. "Where's he going?"

"He's going to deal with some personal matters." Fanny told him, and she and John shared a knowing look, before they went back to their lives.

Will meanwhile rode his normal route and he stopped the horse on the outskirts of the forest where he could see the mill by the river, and he reached into his pocket pulling out a ring. It wasn't expensive, it was metal, he made it himself, it was basic but that was all he could afford. He could not bear to be without Kat in his life, and he remembered a conversation that he had with her father not long ago.

He had been waiting for her to come back from the market with her mother, and her father had asked for his help with the mill.

"Simon, I have a question to ask." He told him as he sharpened one of his knives, they had taken to sitting around once the work with the mill was complete.

"What is it my boy?" He asked from where he washed his hands in a pail, it warmed Will's heart to hear Simon call him that, spoken like he truly cared for Will and from what Katherine told him, he did, and Will had to admit he cared for them to.

"Would you allow me to marry your daughter?"

Simon looked to him, this young man was an outlaw, but he loved his daughter dearly, that he could see.

"Will, you are an outlaw, my daughter is not, is that truly the life that you want for her?"

Will looked at him and Simon could see the realisation that Katherine and he would have the same relationship as John and Fanny. Will couldn't imagine being away from his wife.

"I won't be an outlaw forever." Will promised him.

"Will, the only way that would be possible is if you leave Sherwood and Nottingham altogether."

"If it was to keep her safe, I would," He told him. "I would leave this village and find another, earn a proper living, I would look after her and I would give her many children." Will promised.

Simon looked to him and he smiled. "I know you will." He rested a hand on his shoulder. "I already think of you as my son, Will Scarlett, you have my blessing."

Will had spent every day since then planning how he would propose, and he had finally decided on tonight, knowing that her father and mother would be away visiting their family in the village.

He put the ring back into his pocket, before he rode off towards the mill, tying his horse up outside once he reached it. This time he didn't knock on the front door; he walked straight in, and he found Katherine stood over the fireplace stirring a pot. She knew he was coming, and when she knew she always made sure there was a hot meal for him. He kept his eyes on her as he shut the door, walking as quietly as he could towards her after he placed his things down at the door. Walking up behind her, he slid his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. He felt her tense, and he saw her reach for the knife beside her – one of his – and he decided to speak so that she did not run him through.

"Now this I could get used to." Will told her and she dropped the knife turning in his arms.

"You're early." She told him as she faced him, despite the negative statement, her eyes were alive with happiness at his company.

"Good thing I did otherwise, I would not get to see such a picture." He told her, kissing her cheek. "Hello my rose,"

Katherine smiled softly. "Hello to you too, Will."

Will looked to her and he smiled. "Shall we eat?"

Katherine nodded. "You know where the bowls are." She told him and he laughed as he walked to the shelf that held bowls and he picked up two walking back to her.

"Go and sit, you cooked so I shall serve." Will told her and he gestured for her to go over to the table where he soon joined her with two bowls of the stew she had cooked.

"How's life in the forest?" She asked after a few minutes of silent eating.

"Life is good, Locksley is still pissing me off." He told her. "Other than that, can't complain."

Katherine smiled. "I bet; I wonder what it would be like to live in freedom."

"You could always join me," Will told her.

Katherine looked to him. "And leave my family?" She asked. "You know that I need to be here for my mother and father, I can protect them."

Will noticed that she was looking to something behind him, and he turned and saw her bow and arrows by the door, and he smiled slightly.

"I understand that, but they would be safe, they could come too." Will encouraged.

"You know my father won't do that." Katherine told him and she looked around them. "This mill is his whole life Will."

Will looked to her as she fell into silence, going back to their dinner, he ate slowly watching her.

When they had finished eating, Will watched Katherine as she took the bowls to the basin to wash, and he found himself touching the ring in his pocket. If this was what their married life would look like, then he couldn't wait. He watched and he thought back to all the things he had been told by the men of the forest and those in the village. Katherine continued to be known as the most beautiful woman in the village and he could not believe that she was his sometimes. He had seen other men stare at her when she went into the village or when she was selling grain at the market with her father and each time his blood boiled. He wanted to claim her, to show the world that she was his but as an outlaw he did not have the freedom to do that. Sure, some of the men in the forest had families in the village, heavens, John himself had seven children with Fanny, and another one on the way! But Will and Kat didn't want to be separated, they had spoken about this numerous times. Katherine always worried about where their relationship would go, if they married, she would live alone, whilst Will lived in the forest, for both of their safety, but that wasn't what bothered her. What bothered her was that if they were to conceive a child then there was a high chance that Will would not be able to see them, and they would miss out on having Will in their life. Will himself didn't want that either, he wanted to be there for his children, unlike his own father who abandoned him and his mother on the premise of his other oldest son's wishes. Will did not want to grow up like him and he did not want his children to grow up as he did.

"Shall we go for a walk?" Katherine asked him.

Will nodded, a walk sounded like a good idea, if the gods could see inside his head, his thoughts were not very Christian when it came to the woman he loved.

Katherine grabbed her shawl and Will held the door open for her as they headed outside, Will sliding his hand into hers to hold.

They walked along the riverbank, and Will caught Katherine looking to the sky a few times as the moon started to show amongst the heavens.

"What do you look for when you see the stars?" He asked her.

Katherine looked to him. "I look to find North." She told him.

"Why?" Will asked her.

"Because when you see the North star, you make a wish." Katherine told him with a soft smile.

"And what do you wish for?" Will asked her as they moved to sit on the riverbank.

"I wish for you to be a free man." She told him quietly. "So that we could be together and not have to live in secret."

Will looked to her, he saw the frown on her face as she thought of their life in secret. Of late-night walks lit by moonlight and he would stop at nothing until she was able to walk out in the sun, on his arm. Will knew that he was being crazy, that he was pushing something that did not need to be pushed, hopefully he would be a free man in their future, and she wouldn't be at risk of being in danger from the Sherriff or Guy of Gisbourne if they found out that she was married to an outlaw. Still the words he had been thinking through all day passed his lips so quickly that he couldn't stop them.

"Marry me, Kat."

He thought that she didn't hear him at first, because she hadn't moved, but when she did, she looked at him with an expression that he could not read properly.

"What?" She asked him.

"Marry me, Katherine." He repeated.

"Will, are you sure?" She asked him.

Will almost laughed, if only she knew how sure he was. He moved to kneel in front of her, one of his hands resting on her cheeks as the other delved into his pocket.

"Katherine, I don't have much, I know that I am an outlaw so this will be a trying and testing marriage, but I will protect you, I will love you and I will provide for you as much as any other man could for his wife." He told her as he pulled the ring from his pocket. "It's not much, but I did make it myself." He told her, holding the ring up so that she could see it.

Katherine looked to it and she smiled at seeing the simplicity of the design and she could not help but love it. The fact that he had taken his own time to make it, just made the ring more special than anything else.

"Oh Will," She smiled, and she held her hand out. "Of course, I will marry you."

Will could not help the smile that graced his lips, and he slid the ring onto her finger before he kissed her deeply and lovingly. This time when the kiss broke, he couldn't help himself and neither could Katherine. She pressed her lips to his again in a deep kiss and Will moved a hand into her hair. Neither of them seemed to know what had happened, but somehow, Will had laid Katherine back on the ground, using her shawl to protect her from the ground. The top lace of her dress had been undone, but she didn't seem to notice as her arms were around Will's neck, holding him to her. Will had lost his doublet and was down to his under shirt, hovering over her, one of his knees between her legs, a hand in her hair as the other kept him hovering above her. The only thing that never changed was that their lips were fused together in a kiss that left them both gasping and begging for more of each other. However, it was Katherine that came to her senses first as she felt Will's lips descend from hers to leave a trail down her neck.

"Will…" She gasped.

"Oh Kat," He whispered against her neck as he pressed kisses wherever he could.

"Will, stop, please." She gasped out.

"What's the matter?" Will asked as he moved back slightly to look at her.

"We need to stop." She told them, her voice breathless.

Will move off of her and allowed her to sit up. "What's wrong?"

"Will, we aren't even married yet, can we take this slow?"

Will was slightly confused, and this must have shown on his face as he looked back at her. "Okay, what are you worried about?"

Katherine looked to him as she tied her dress back together. "Will, if we were to go further, we could conceive a child."

Will looked at her and he suddenly felt a rush of anger. Didn't she want this in the future? To be the mother of his children?

He looked to her and he saw the conflicted look on her face and his anger was quickly replaced by foolishness. "Katherine, I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"Not just you," She reminded him. "I'm just not ready to risk being a mother yet Will." Will looked at her and he nodded in understanding. "I am sorry if this has upset you."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I know a woman's place is to please a man whenever he wishes." She told him. "But please don't take this the wrong way, I love you Will, but I'm not ready for that next step."

Will looked at her and his heart warmed, he was thankful that she felt that she could be honest with him about her feelings.

"It's okay," He told her gently resting a hand on her cheek. "When you are ready, we will take that step." He told her, he didn't ever want her to feel uncomfortable or that she had to do things just because he wanted to.

She looked up to him with a small smile of gratitude and he could not help but enjoy her smile, then he noticed her shiver and he noticed how late it was. Picking up her shawl he wrapped it around her and then he put his doublet around her.

"Come, let us go back inside." Will told her, and he stood, pulling her to her feet and he walked back into the mill with her where the hearth still burned warming the home. That night, Will found himself lying awake next to Katherine as she slept next to him, it wasn't unusual for them to share a bed, in fact the pair of them both took comfort in sleeping next to the other, but this night he could not sleep. He kept looking to her, the hand that lay on the pillow sporting his ring and he kept smiling to himself. His life was significantly improved in the past year and a half, and it was all thanks to her. The next morning, he woke her up at dawn and they set about making their breakfast before he helped her with her morning chores and setting the mill to work. He left her that afternoon, with a passionate kiss before he climbed into his horse and rode off back towards the forest with a promise to join her soon.

Will reached the camp by afternoon and the first person who joined him was Wulf. Wulf looked to Will as an older brother kind of figure and was always eager to spend time with him.

"Where have you been?" Wulf asked him as he got down from his horse once he reached his hut.

"I was out, what's it to you?" Will asked him.

"Dunno, but you seem happier." Wulf told him, he had noticed that Will had a certain spring in his step as he walked, and he had had it for a while.

"I am happier Wulf," Will told him.

"Are you in love?" Wulf asked him, he might have only been fifteen years old, but Wulf had seen his father have the same spring in his step after visiting his mother.

Will smiled as he looked to the boy. "I am Wulf," He confessed, and Wulf beamed brightly.

"Really?" Wulf asked. "Who is she? What is her name? Is she pretty?" He started asking questions a mile a minute as he followed Will into his hut.

"Wulf, calm down." Will told him. "Her name is Katherine and hopefully you will all meet her soon."

Wulf beamed and the pair left the hut so that Will could set about his own jobs. As he was getting ready to go for some practice throwing his knife, he was caught by Fanny and John.

"How are things, lad?" John asked him.

Will looked at him as he threw his knife, embedding it into a tree trunk, just slightly off centre to where he wanted it. "Things are well."

"Did you ask her?" Fanny demanded, she couldn't keep in her excitement, she had known Will was planning to propose to Katherine since she came across him making the ring three weeks ago.

"I did." Will told her.

"And what did she say?" John asked, since Fanny had told him that Will was proposing, he had been on tenterhooks waiting.

"She said yes," Will told them as he retrieved his knife, and he was suddenly picked up by John who cheered loudly that it set the whole camp to wondering what was going on.

"I am so happy for you Will, she will make a wonderful wife." Fanny told him as she hugged him once John had let him go.

Will hugged her back with a smile. "I know, we just have no idea how this is to even work at this point."

Fanny and John laughed, but this laugh wasn't one to poke fun, it was a laugh that showed that they had been exactly in this position at one point.

"Don't you worry about that lad, it all works out, it is hard at first mind, but once you get a routine, it all works out." John encouraged and this helped Will to feel a bit better about things. Eventually the couple left him and Wulf to their practice and Will kept thinking of the next time he could see Katherine. However, the next time the two lovers met, it was not the way in which Will had anticipated.