A World That Will Not Turn to Ash (English)(From Ashes Vol.1)

Chapter 31 - Forever

Robin Hood mingled with the crowd of peasants gathered at the church and he looked around quickly to control the positions of his companions. They were all, except Tuck, near the entrance and they tried to go unnoticed among the people of Locksley.
The friar wasn't an outlaw and he could move freely, so he did not need to hide.
The nobles, however, had already entered the church along with Barret, and they were awaiting the arrival of the bride.
The closed wagon arrived, pulled by galloping horses, and it was escorted by the soldiers of Nottingham. It went to a stop in front of the entrance of the church. A guard opened the door of the carriage and he brought down Marian, without the slightest kindness.
Robin saw her stumble and fall in the dust of the road and he was forced to appeal to all his self-control not to rush to her aid. He watched, shaking with anger, as the soldier pulled her up, dragging the chain that was fastened around her wrists.
She was barefoot and she wore a shapeless garment of rough cloth. The hair was cut short and a wound on her face made her look terribly vulnerable, but the soldier who was holding the chain did not relent and jerked her toward the church, dragging her like an animal led to slaughter.
Robin Hood had to restrain himself from planting an arrow in the heart of the soldier and he bitterly regretted that he had convinced Gisborne not to kill Barret. Now, he was the one who wanted to murder that beast.
Djaq approached Robin indifferently and she put a hand on his wrist.
"We have to wait." She whispered to Robin and he looked at her, taking back control of his emotions.
"I know."
Outside the church there were too many soldiers, they had to wait for Gisborne distract them to enter the church and barricade the doors behind them, shutting them out.

Marian stopped at the church door and she wouldn't have been able to move if the guard had not pulled her forward yanking the chain.
For the second time she had to enter a church to marry a man she didn't want, but now her situation was completely different.
The previous year she had entered the church with the pride and the appearance of a queen, willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her father. Guy had awaited her arrival with impatience, so excited he was almost incoherent, but at that time Marian didn't realize it. For her, the black knight was just the bully henchmen of the sheriff who had lied to her on the return of the king in order to marry her and she had despised him for that.
But now waiting for her at the altar there wasn't Guy, but the cruel monster who had pleasure in humiliating her and enjoyment from her pain, the man who ruthlessly forced her to get into the church dressed as a penitent, as if it were she the one who needed God's forgiveness.
Barret turned to her, a satisfied grin on his face, and Marian was tempted to turn and run away, but she knew it was useless because the soldiers would inexorably drag her back to the altar. Barrett gave a significant look at Sir Edward and Marian forced herself to walk towards the groom.
Once again she sacrificed herself to protect her father, but this time the sacrifice was much bigger, almost impossible to deal with and the girl thought that maybe she couldn't do it, and that she wouldn't be able to pronounce the wedding vows even to save her father's life.
Barret grabbed her shoulder with his hand and he pushed her to make her kneel next to him, then the priest, visibly uncomfortable, began to perform the ceremony.
He had just begun to speak when a terrified woman had entered the church running, screaming and crying. The priest was interrupted and everyone turned to look at her.
"The devil!" She cried hysterically. "It's here! He came back from hell to take revenge!"

Guy haw waited for Marian's carriage to arrive in front of the church and he saw from afar when the girl was dragged into the building by one of the soldiers.
Even from a distance he immediately recognized the familiar figure of Marian, despite the cut hair and the humble tunic she was wearing. His heart sank when he saw how she was treated.
Allan had whispered him to remain calm and Guy nodded. Later, he could let go of his emotions and give vent in some way to the anger he felt, but as long as Marian had not been rescued, he had to control himself and to make sure that everything was going as planned.
He mounted on his horse and he made the animal to take the road leading to the church, putting him at a trot.

Robin watched Gisborne approaching on his horse and he thought that if he hadn't known that he had survived the ambush, his sudden appearance would impress even him.
The black knight rode solemnly his fiery stallion, black as the night, and, as he passed, the peasants were struck dumb in the grip of a superstitious horror or they fled screaming. Even the soldiers of Nottingham did not dare to approach him and they kept prudently at a distance, staring at him with undisguised terror.
A screaming woman ran into the church and others followed to take refuge on holy ground.
Robin saw that his companions had joined the terrified crowd, using it to get into the church without being noticed and he moved to imitate them, immediately followed by Djaq.

Roger of Barrett looked angrily at the woman who had dared to disturb the ceremony and he thought that the soldiers would have to be punished for letting her enter the church. Soon after, other terrified peasants had swarmed into the church in a panic.
"What's going on?!" Barret thundered, furious, grabbing a terrified man for questioning him, but the peasant couldn't do anything but babble nonsense about the dead coming back from the grave and Barret pushed him to the ground in frustration.
He was about to kick him when an all too familiar man had appeared on the doorway of the church.
Guy of Gisborne.
Marian jumped to her feet and for a long moment she stared at the black knight. Her face lit up with joy and she shouted his name, beginning to run to him, but Barrett grabbed her by the arm and he pulled back, throwing her to the ground, towards the altar.

When the eyes of Guy met Marian's ones, the black knight had the impression that the world around him had ceased to exist, frozen by the girl's blue eyes that, at that time, on her face tried from captivity and pain, seemed even larger and deeper than usual.
I will love her forever.
The thought crossed Guy's mind and suddenly he was aware of the inevitability of that feeling. It was a certainty, a truth that couldn't be changed or denied in any way, such as the color of the sky or the depths of the sea.
And he would have to give her up.
He looked at her with the impression that as soon as he looked away from her eyes, his heart would shatter to pieces, crumbling into a thousand of sharp shards, then Marian moved to run to him and Barrett threw her to the ground, violently.
That gesture was enough to break the spell that had paralyzed them and Guy looked at Barret with hatred, drawing his sword, but without approaching him.
"Don't you dare to touch her!" He shouted. "You don't have any rights on her!"
Barret was taken aback when he saw him appear in the doorway of the church, for a moment he even felt fear in recognizing the man who he was certain he had killed with his own hands, but he recovered quickly.
He grabbed Marian by her hair and he tugged it, dragging her at his side.
"You should thank me, I'm going to make your whore an honest woman."
Guy pointed the sword at Barret: he trembled with desire to reach him and run his heart through, but if he did so, he would only endanger Marian. He forced himself to follow the plan, he had to lure him out of the church at all costs.
"I'm warning you. Do. Not. Touch. Her."
"Try to stop me. Or your damned soul doesn't dare to step on consecrated ground?"
"I won't stain a sacred place with your blood. Come out, unless you're too much a coward to face me."
Barret let Marian go, then he drew his sword and strode across the church to attack Guy, determined to kill him once and for all. If Barret wanted his plan of becoming the new sheriff to work, Guy of Gisborne was to be killed and to stay dead, this time.
He attacked the black knight, but Guy, seeing him coming, turned his back at him and walked away from the church door, running to his horse. He mounted with a jump and Barret imitated him, taking an horse from one of the soldiers, then he spurred the animal to get it to gallop to reach Gisborne and he tried to hit his opponent with the sword to make Guy fall from the saddle.
Guy avoided the direct blow to his head and he took his horse away from Barret.
With a quick glance he noticed that the church doors had been closed, a sign that the plan was proceeding as planned. Marian soon would be safe from the aims of Barret and she would be lost to him forever.
Guy found himself feeling at the same time relief and excruciating sorrow, but then he was forced to set aside his own feelings and to concentrate to defend himself against attacks of Barret.
Robin Hood made him promise not to get involved in a fight, but Roger of Barrett didn't seem to be of the same opinion: he attacked Guy with ferocity, with the obvious intention to kill him and Gisborne struggled to keep his distance.
He raised his sword to parry a blow and the impact almost made him drop his weapon, while a pang of pain shot through his wounded back, taking away his breath for a moment. Guy took the horse away and he was forced to admit to himself that Robin had been right: he wasn't yet able to fight and if he had to face Barret, he would be defeated in a very short time.
He hated having to run away from his opponent, but if he was killed too soon he couldn't give Marian and Robin enough time to be able to get married.
He spurred his horse into a gallop, moving away from the church and he turned back to check what Barret was doing: the man had no intention of giving up the pursuit and he was following him closely.