Rachel Andric and Final Death

Chapter 1: Lost Memories

Will Scarlet sat in one of the empty rooms in the Sheriff of Nottingham's mansion, trying to calm himself down. What he was planning to do was verging on suicide, yet what choice did he have? Alone, forgotten, and struggling to survive every day, he'd finally become determined to get Guy of Gisborne to remember his fiancée, Rachel Andric.

It was difficult to remember Guy as the gallant knight who had fallen so hard in love with Rachel. Since Will's mother the Editor had rewritten The Story, the Merry Men—Will's family—had been captured and forced to work as slaves to repair a wall along the Sheriff's home. Guy took great pleasure in driving them, occasionally beating Will's uncle Robin Hood. Will wanted nothing more than to beat Guy as hard as he'd whipped Robin, but he held himself back.

He sat in the room, waiting for the time that he knew Guy and the Sheriff would be eating their noontime meal. He found himself thinking about the times he'd shared with the Merry Men, particularly his friend Alan-a-Dale, who had undergone Final Death not so long ago. He chewed on his fingernail, considering the plan he'd come up with.

He had the desperate hope that if he could get The Story to remember Rachel, he could rescue her from Final Death. Both Ewan, Rachel's brother, and Alan had come back from Final Death, though Alan had been only briefly returned to torment Will.

Their returns convinced Will that Final Death wasn't a true death. No one could come back from the dead, and Final Death must not have been "final" in Will's mind. If Ewan and Alan could come back, Will knew Rachel could as well.

He ran a hand through his red hair as the bells rang one in the afternoon. It was time to move, yet he was assailed by doubts. What if something went wrong? What if Guy killed him? What if the Sheriff murdered him? He knew that the Editor had left the villains with their memories intact, and he knew they would all remember him.

Pushing the doubts aside, Will went to the door and opened it carefully, looking out into the hallway. There was no one out there, and he entered the hall, touching his sword for comfort. He'd left his bow behind, afraid it would mark him as an obvious enemy. The sword wasn't unusual for a man to be carrying around.

As he walked through the mansion, he took in the cool breeze through the opened windows. He was very afraid it would be the last breath of fresh air he would inhale as he stopped outside of the dining room. Breathing deeply one final time, he slammed open the doors and stepped inside.

Guy of Gisborne shot to his feet at Will's sudden entrance. "What is the meaning of this?" he bellowed, spilling his wine onto the Sheriff beside him. "Who are you?"

In spite of everything Will had seen Guy do in the past week after The Story changed, it hurt that he had completely forgotten him. They had risked their lives together multiple times, and the fact that he could just forget all of that stung. "My name is Will Scarlet," he said, concealing his emotions. "And it's time you remembered The Story."

The Sheriff, a short, bloated bald-headed man with tiny pig-like grey eyes, snorted. "I think the boy is out of his mind, Gisborne." But he winked at Will, confirming his suspicion that the Editor had left her cronies with their memories intact.

Guy failed to notice the wink from the Sheriff. "What sort of story?" he asked, frowning.

"Remember her, Guy," Will said. "Rachel Andric. Your fiancée. She gave her life for you! The least you can do is have the decency to remember her."

"I have no fiancée," Guy said, casting an amused look at the Sheriff. "Unless you know something I don't?"

"I do know something you don't," Will insisted. "You do have a fiancée! Rachel Andric! You have to remember her! She loved you!"

"I think you need a chance to cool off," Guy said, smirking.

"I'm Will Scarlet," he said. "I'm a Merry Man. Think about it! There are two Merry Men missing! Me... and Alan-a-Dale."

For a brief moment, he thought he saw recognition appear on Guy's face. Then it was gone. "Take him out!" he yelled at the guards. "Lock him up where we put troublemakers. A night in prison ought to fix his mind."

"Guy!" Will protested as his arms were grabbed. "You've got to believe me! Please!"

"You should kill him," the Sheriff suggested. "He's a nuisance." He grinned at Will, taking great pleasure in the suggestion.

Guy, however, shook his head. "He's a boy," he said. He went to one of the guards and muttered something in his ear. The man nodded, looking a little confused, and they both hauled Will from the dining room.

He expected to be taken to the dungeons, but they dragged him upstairs instead. The second guard let the first lead, and Will was tossed in a well-furnished room and locked in.

Will was greatly confused. He recognized the room—it was Guy's. He had robbed it several times with the rest of the Merry Men, and he recognized the posh room. Why would Guy send him there?

Unless... he believed Will? But he hadn't seemed to. Was he hiding it from the Sheriff? Or was he simply curious as to why he seemed so insistent? Impatiently, Will glanced out the window, just making sure they weren't setting up the gallows for him. He'd been there and done that. Never wanted to do it again, in fact.

It took a long time for Guy to come to the room. He closed the door behind him about an hour and a half after Will had been brought there. He leaned against it, watching Will carefully. "The Sheriff wants me to kill you," he said.

"I'd rather you didn't side with him, then," Will answered. "What do you think of me?"

Guy shrugged. "Somewhere deep inside, I feel like you're not completely insane," he said. "That's why I had you brought here, without the Sheriff's knowing. You seem certain of what you're saying, even if it sounds insane to me. And who would want to tell me that they were a Merry Man?"

"You believe me, then?"

"I wouldn't go that far," he said quickly. "I would hope I would remember my fiancée, unless she isn't that memorable."

"She is memorable," Will insisted. "She's beautiful, and she loves you."

Guy smiled bitterly. "No woman truly loves me, Will Scarlet. They see me as a monster, and they hate me. I'd love to believe what you're saying, but it seems too insane."

"Haven't you had this nagging feeling that something is terribly wrong?" Will said. "When you look at the Merry Men, don't you feel that somebody's missing?"

"Two," Guy said hastily.

"Alan is dead," Will admitted. "I'm the other one that's missing. Don't you recognize me? Don't you remember Merlin, Red, and Ewan? How we fought to get to the heart of The Story, and how you died before we reached it?"

Guy crossed his arms. "Your words don't make any sense," he said.

"She woke you up from the sleeping curse!" Will persisted. "Then you did the same for her."

"The—the sleeping curse?" Guy looked stricken. Then there was a thudding sound, and Guy stiffened before falling forward.

The tip of a crossbow bolt was jammed in the door, red with Guy's blood.