Follow My Heart by Rosa17

May contain spoilers. Alternative ending for 12/13.

Disclaimer; I do not own these characters.

Guy raised the sword as Marian stood between him and the King. He was one step away from succeeding in the mission, a mission which would make him one of the most powerful men in England perhaps the world. Then she spoke, he couldn't quite understand the words to begin with but as they settled in his brain he heard her say she loved Robin Hood, she was going to marry Robin and that she fought for England and was hardly going to allow him to take England away now.

He had never felt such anger, hurt, or betrayal as this. He had had his suspicions and he had been right all along. There was something between her and Robin and this he could not live with.

In an uncontrollable rage he swung his sword up and brought it down, Marian dodged him and backed away a little further. Again he raised his sword, and she moved again but not so far and he caught her. Her dress ripped as she pulled away from him and a trickle of blood seeped through the white of her dress. Marian fell to her knees clutching her side. Memories of the past haunting her mind.

He stood stock still as Robin came running out calling her name. Robin was followed by the rest of his gang and Vasey yelling at him to run. He chose to follow Vasey's orders, and joined the Sheriff on a horse and they fled the scene his blood stained sword still in his hand.

Djaq and Will went to the King's side as John and Much stood rooted to the spot and Robin took Marian in his arms, staunching the blood flow with his hand. Allan arrived to this scene and swallowed hard. This was not what any of them had expected at all.

After checking on the King and pulling the arrow from his back it was evident that his armour beneath his robes had taken the worst of the head of the arrow. Djaq then went to Marian; Robin reluctantly moved his hand to allow her to assess the damage.

"The King?. The King?" Marian said looking up to Robin's face for answers.

He comforted and reassured her that the King was well that she had indeed saved his life. Then he looked to Djaq for answers and found himself lying her on the ground so that Marian, his love could be tended as best as the conditions and Djaq's skills allowed.

Marian moaned with pain and Robin grimaced, wishing it was him lying there instead. Not for the glory of saving the King, but for his heart, that it would not be breaking into two right now at the thought of losing Marian. That if he died Marian would still be here on earth.

"Can you save her?" asked John.

"If anyone can it's Djaq," declared Will with confidence.

"I will do my best," Djaq told them and moved steadily and expertly as she could.

"Your tent? Your Majesty!" exclaimed one of his guards when Marian was taken there many hours later.

"My tent." Was his only reply.

The gang sat in constant vigil, not only watching Marian but Robin too. What would Robin be without her? She was his life. She was the driving force behind him. His companion. His soul mate. His wife. Yes they each admitted in their hearts the words Robin and Marian exchanged while waiting for the desert to take them, were enough to make this couple who they all loved, husband and wife.

Much thought it had been touch and go when she had been stabbed before but nothing compared to this. The wait to see whether she would live or die was agonising and the worst thing was she was unconscious and had been ever since she had asked after the King. There was nothing to do but hope, pray and wait that she might have the chance to live, to return to England with them.

It happened one night; the gang were sleeping from exhaustion, all except Robin. He could not sleep. In fact he had hardly slept at all since the incident. At first when she moved he thought the lack of sleep was making him hallucinate, he blinked. She moved again. He moved from his mat and was at her side in an instance.

Leaning over her and grasping her hands with his he asked. "Marian? Marian?"

It felt like deja vu, the time in the cave, but this was different somehow. She started to mumble his name but her eyes did not open.

"Marian! Marian" he tried again, louder this time and enough to stir Much and the other outlaws from their slumber.

Her tongue licked her dry lips and Djaq offered her sips of water. Then they all sat back and waited to see if she would waken fully. Her eyes took time to flutter open and the first thing she saw when her vision cleared was Robin, her beautiful hero. He looked as though he had cried and not slept for a week.

"Robin," she whispered. "Robin," the second time her voice cracked but sounded much more like the Marian he knew and loved.

"I am here." He told her bringing one of her hands to his lips and kissing her fingers tenderly.

"Lord of my heart……"

"Master of the bow, champion of the poor," he finished for her the corners of his mouth lifting in a slight smile.

"The king?" she said suddenly remembering the fight and Gisborne.

"He is well." John reassured her from behind Robin. And for the first time she saw that all the gang were there too.

"Gisborne?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Probably on his way back to England now with the Sheriff." Robin said gently.

"We have to find them, stop them, kill them," she said and tried to sit up. Only for the white blaze of pain to render her back to the mattress, tears of pain filling her eyes. Tears, that Robin wiped away, shushing and comforting her as he did so. Tears gathered on his lashes and she wished she had the strength to wipe his away for him as well.

"We will, I promise," he said. "When you are better."

"It might be too late then," she said softly.

"They failed to kill the King; they will go back to England with their tails between their legs. They will not conqueror England before we get back. They have the wrath of Prince John and the black knights to contend with first." He assured her and she visibly relaxed.

"And we will do it, together?" she asked him.

Robin nodded as the gang said in unison. "Together."

"I love you," she whispered, before falling into a healing slumber and for the first time in many nights Robin slept too by her side.

The King cleared his throat and looked at the congregation before him. A mismatch of people along with his guard who were the witnesses of the marriage he was about to perform. The wedding was all they had dreamed of, with a couple of exceptions, being the Sheriff and Gisborne were still to be defeated, the King as of yet was not coming home and last but not least the King would not be giving the bride away.

Clearing his throat again the King said. "Are we ready to begin?"

Robin nodded and smiled at Marian who was given away by Little John and the ceremony began. To Robin, Marian and the gang there had been a point when they thought that this would never happen, but it was happening, right before their eyes. And as Marian said in the desert she and Robin could not ask for better witnesses than them and this was true.

"I, Robin take you Marian to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and hold from this day forward. For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Too love and cherish 'til death us do part." He said his eyes never leaving hers and his hand rubbing the back of her fingers tenderly.

"I, Marian take you Robin of Locksley, Lord of my heart to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward and forever. For better for worse, for every disagreement we are bound to have. I promise to love and cherish you both now and for evermore, til death us do part." She replied still not quite able to believe it was happening but as she locked eyes with Robin and he slid the ring on her finger she knew it was.

"I now pronounce you man and wife," declared Richard. "You may kiss the bride."

There was a loud cheer but Marian and Robin did not hear it as their hearts beat out the sound of anything but each other. She raised a hand and intertwined his fingers with hers and then laid it upon her chest. His other hand swirled round her waist and pulled her snug to him.

"I love you my husband." She whispered.

"I love you my wife," he answered back.

Marian moistened her lips with her tongue in anticipation of the kiss to seal their marriage. It was soft, tender embracing the love they had and shared. A love that would lead them on together, in their fight for justice. A love for their people, the gang but especially each other.

Pulling away she asked. "What made you come to the Holy Land?"

"Allan said you were in need of rescuing and I just followed by heart." He grinned at her; she bit her lip nervously but returned his smile. "Now where was I?" he breathed upon his lips. Kissing her again and sealing their love and commitment forever, no matter what the new dawn might bring.

The End.