A/N: Warning. This chapter is full of irretrievably fluffy fluff. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Epilogue
Happiness
Robin was still waiting to wake up in the forest, or at the very least on a reed mat in Bassam's living room. He still couldn't quite believe what had happened in the past few weeks, but he was beginning to accept that his new position was indeed reality. Allan had laughed and warned him not to let the power go to his head, but Robin had no intention of doing so. He understood the role of the Sheriff better than Vaizey had. He was there to help and guide the villagers, not simply to tax them into early graves. There were of course downsides to his office – death and taxes were unavoidable; there were laws to be enforced and punishments to be inflicted upon those who broke them. Robin accepted that, and he had grown to think that there were perhaps ways in which he could work with the restrictions, rather than be confined by them. One of his first acts as Sheriff had been to order the removal of the permanent scaffold in the courtyard that had served as a grim reminder of the fates of those who had crossed Vaizey, the last man to be hung there. Robin was content with his fortune. He may have lost the love of Marian, but he had the love of an entire shire to gain.
XXX
Much knocked on the door of the small cottage in a village north of Nottingham with a slight apprehension, hoping fervently that he'd got the right house. He'd spent many days tracing and searching, and now his efforts had finally borne fruit. Eventually the door opened and the house's occupant stood staring out at him, shocked into silence by the sight of the man on her doorstep.
"Lord Much," she breathed.
"Eve," he replied softly. She was exactly as he had remembered her, from her long, rich blonde hair and bright eyes down to her slightly crooked smile.
"What brings you to this village?" she asked, regaining her tongue fully.
"I have returned to Bonchurch," Much began nervously. "For good this time. And I was wondering if you would…"
"I would be happy to return as your maid, my Lord," said Eve.
"I would not like you to return as my maid," said Much, the hurt look in her eyes providing him with the momentum he needed to continue. "I'd far rather that you returned as my wife."
Much later reflected that he had not been hugged so hard in his entire life.
XXX
Being a woman, thought Djaq, was interesting. She hadn't worn a skirt on a regular basis for longer than she cared to remember, and she was still getting used to the fact that she didn't need to be a man to survive anymore. Sometimes she found that she missed those days, that renouncing her femininity had given her more freedom. But most of the time, she was just happy that she had Will and that they were safe together.
There were so many simple things about life in England that Djaq was only just discovering – sleeping within four walls and with a thatched roof over her head for example. It wasn't a slur on Will's craftsmanship, their lodging in the forest had been perfectly snug, but her new life was just so different to the one that she'd known before.
Their second visit to the Holy Land seemed like a far-away adventure. Sometimes she couldn't believe that it had even happened, but she was always glad that her and Marian's plotting had turned out for the best.
XXX
John knew that he'd found a good thing in life as soon as he had seen the old forge just outside Nettlestone. He had set himself up as a blacksmith with the money he'd received from the King, and he was finally able to channel his strength into something useful and productive, rather than just being the muscle of a band of outlaws. John couldn't really say that he sorely missed the forest life. He was not, by nature, the most social of creatures: a lot of the time his thoughts were company enough. However, it was those thoughts that had led him to track down his family. He knew that it was over between him and Alice. She had a new life and love now, and he didn't want to intrude upon that and cause her more pain than he had done already, but he had hoped that Little John would visit him.
John would never give up hope, but it had been a long time since he'd made his first visit…
Presently John's ears pricked up at the sound of a pony trap coming up the lane towards him. Little John was sitting up alongside the carter, grinning from ear to ear, and John felt happiness roar inside him.
XXX
Guy found it odd to be sitting in the Council of Nobles as a legitimate noble. Before he had only attended in his capacity as the Sheriff's lieutenant who had happened to control a bit of land. But now, he had no military duties and the only time he saw the inside of Nottingham castle was at this weekly Council. Heads had turned upon his return to Locksley with Marian in tow, and rumours of what had occurred in his absence were both rife and, occasionally, far-fetched. However much distaste the villagers had held for him before his departure, they were definitely glad that they had a permanent Lord once more, instead of occasional tax collectors and messengers from the Sheriff attempting to bring order.
As he had intimated to Robin that night so many weeks ago, Guy's priorities and desires had changed. He was no longer trying desperately to climb the ladders of position for the power that he had formerly craved. Now he worked to gain the respect of the village that was, officially, his. It was ironic that in willingly giving up his quest for power he had received so much. The villagers were gradually warming to him in the wake of Robin's installation as Sheriff, but Guy's deepest desire however, was simply to be able to keep the happiness that Marian and his fledgling family had brought him.
XXX
Will had planned to follow in the family trade and set himself up as a carpenter once he had settled back into normal village life. He and Djaq had moved into the old Scarlet house in Locksley, although Will had insisted that one day he was going to build them a much larger one on the outskirts of Nottingham. Djaq said that she had every faith in him, but he could tell that she didn't think the house would materialise any time soon.
Will had begun as a carpenter again, but over the weeks he found himself getting bored of making chests and caskets. He felt that something was holding him back in life. Allan, on one of his many visits to 'catch up with old friends' (and sample Djaq's cooking), had joked that Will should make a sign saying 'no chests, interesting projects only'.
It was at that point that Will realised what was holding him back. He asked Djaq, a touch sheepishly, if she would teach him to read and write. Will had enjoyed becoming literate, and when he finally did write a sign saying 'no chests', he felt happy that he had definitely achieved something worthwhile.
XXX
Allan had no idea what he was going to do with his life now that he had a small fortune of the King's gold to his name and he wasn't wanted for many various crimes. He supposed he'd do what he'd always done before being outlawed: travel around, living on the edge of the law. Robin had said that he could turn a blind eye to some of Allan's less than legal activities, but he was warning him in advance should he choose to do anything drastic. Allan had told Robin not to let the power go to his head, but he could understand the warning. He knew he couldn't go on living in that way. He travelled around between all his old friends, trying to gain some sort of useful advice that would help him find a purpose. John said that one day he'd find The One, and purpose would suddenly present itself. Allan didn't really believe him, but he had nevertheless found himself a permanent residence in an attempt to appear outwardly respectable, although it was a long time before he told anyone, not wanting to damage his reputation as a man of an altogether transient nature.
One day, though, Allan found his purpose, and he wondered why he had ever doubted John.
XXX
Marian gazed down at the tiny fingers clasped around her own, her son's grip so tight even in sleep. She found herself thinking of the day he had come into the world two weeks previously with a shiver. It had not been an easy labour and she almost had herself convinced that she was going to die. But Matilda's hearty words of encouragement and Guy's slightly softer ones of reassurance had seen her through and now both mother and baby were doing well. She pushed the memories to the corners of her mind and travelled further back.
"It's going to be a boy," she said to Guy one evening as they sat watching the fire flickering together.
"How can you tell?"
"I just can."
"Well, if you're sure… What name will you give our son?"
Marian didn't need time to think.
"Edward. For my father."
"Good choice."
There was silence for a while before Guy spoke again.
"And if nature proves you wrong and graces us with a daughter?"
"Hmm… You choose."
"Beth," he replied without hesitation.
Marian didn't ask why. She could tell from his tone that he it was something he did not want to disclose. They had shared a lot of their secrets in their time together, but she understood that there were some too raw to share straight away...
As events had unfolded, however, so Marian had been right, and so Edward had become the newest addition to their family.
Presently Marian felt a hand on her shoulder, gently bringing her back from her daydream.
"Good evening," she said. "You've been a long time."
"The Council ran on a bit. There's one thing you can't deny about Robin as Sheriff, he's certainly thorough."
Marian laughed and stood from her position watching over the cradle, stepping into Guy's arms and accepting his kiss.
"I love you," he mumbled against her lips.
"I love you too," she replied, and smiled inside. As long as she had her husband and her child she could not have been happier...
A/N: Nice big chink of GuyxMarian to finish with. After all, this was a GxM romance, however odd. What did you think of it in its entirety? I did warn you this last chapter was fluffy...
PS: There are so many different spellings of Vaizey; I went with the one that seemed natural to me.
PPS: I feel quite strange now that this epic saga has finished. It dominated my life for almost two months and now it's done. It started out as a one-shot and now look at it... This is the longest fic I have ever written, period, and now I feel a bit sad that it's over. I am, however, in the process of writing/ attempting to write a modernised version of RH, set in and around a (fairly corrupt) police station. (because I really can't get the idea of the gang as teenagers into my head and I don't want to be accused of jumping on that particular band wagon.) I'm having great fun transposing the episodes into a modern setting, so will you please say (gently), whether or not you'd be interested in seeing it?
I'm going to stop now else the author's notes will be longer than the story. Please review!