~Chapter Thirteen~

In This Moment

The sun that warmed the cold land of England had hidden itself behind the horizon, leaving the Moon and night to take over. The silent world tucked in to sleep however the forest of Sherwood was alive with folk music and dancing. The night nipped at the gathered people under the treetops of the forest. A huge bonfire was built where many drank or danced or just kept warm with conversation.

Marian and Robin sit just outside a treehouse watching the others as they gather by the bonfire below.

"How is it that a once arrogant young nobleman, has found contentment living rough with the salt of the earth?"

Robin smiled at her question, "I've seen knights in armor panic at the first hint of battle. And I've seen the loneliest, unarmed squire pull a spear from his own body, to defend a dying horse. Nobility is not a birthright, it's defined by ones actions."

Marian looked taken back by his words, "It's interesting to hear you say that."

Robin shook his head solemnly, "I didn't. My father did."

"Did the holy quest raise your hatred of him?"

Robin turned his gaze from Marian, "I don't know. All I know was that our last words spoken in this world were spoken in anger. I was lost after my mother died. My father too and for a short time he found comfort in the arms of another woman. I thought he was betraying my mother's memory. For the love of a twelve years old boy who would never forgive him." Robin meekly smiled as he glanced over to a intently listening Lady, "Anyway, who says I'm content? I've my plans for the future."

Marian laughed at his last words, smiling a beautiful and bright smile, "No?! A grander scheme than this?" Her hand gestured to the forest empire that he created.

The rich boy chuckled and shook his head at Marian, "No, a simpler one. A home, a family...love."

The Lady Marian smiled at his words, "Men speak conveniently of love when it's serves their purpose. And when it doesn't it's a burden to them." Her eyes flickered over to the man at her side, "Robin of the Hood, Prince of thieves. Is he capable of love?"

They simply look at each other for a moment, sharing a smile.

Below there is a commotion as Wulf pushes through people, "Father!" The boy continued to barrel through the crowd to his father who sat near the fire, "Father! Mother, she's dying!"

~~

Sitting a ways from the fire sat Will and Evemina. The final sentence of Wulf's rollers echoed throughout the camp. Her emerald eyes widened as she immediately stood to her feet.

Fanny was dying?!

The maiden was swiftly joined with Will at her side. Her eyes stared at John and Wulf as they sprinted towards the hut that housed Fanny. The celebration was put to a halt as they all awaited the outcome. Silence was thick in the forest as all eyes were fixed upon the hut.

Evemina paced back and forth, holding in her breath. "Mina?"

Her emerald eyes glanced over to an equally worried Will Scarlet.

The young man placed his hands on the maiden's shoulders, "Fanny is going to be fine."

"B-but the baby..."

"The baby will be fine too."

"But the stress! It could really hurt the baby." The maiden glanced around to the hut.

"Mina..." Will softly whispered, causing Evemina to meet his gaze. "Do not worry."

From the hut, Friar Tuck and John exited the hut making the maiden more anxious. To stop her from pacing and to comfort her, Will wrapped his strong arms around Mina and held her close.

Will Scarlet was worried too. Fanny was a good woman who had a large heart. She was like the replica of his late mother in every way. So of course he was not as calm as he seemed on the outside. He was just as stressed out as the maiden in his arms. Evemina had a very eventful day like that man. It made Will's blood boil at the thought of that man and the thoughts that must have been running through his mind.

Fanny's screams cut off Will's thoughts short, making every muscle in both the maiden and the young man to stiffen.

"Will." Evemina whimpered as she placed her head against him, trying her best to not listen to the screaming.

The young man began stroking the maiden's hair and hushing her as if she was the baby.

Wulf stepped out of the hut and closed the door behind him. Fanny continued screaming bloody murder making John Little fearful and anxious to see his wife. Wulf had to barricade the door to not let the giant man inside. At that moment, everything was silent within the hut and outside it. Will and Evemina set their eyes on the door of the hut as John makes his way in.

Minutes seemed to turn into hours as they all awaited patiently for the news. Whether the baby made it and Fanny did not, the bandy did not make it and Fanny did, or the one everyone prayed for both were alive.

Suddenly the door slams open, John comes out with the baby wrapped warmly. The large man lifts his newborn above his head to show everyone with his mighty grin. "My son!" Everyone cheered in happiness and once again the music started up, now having another thing to celebrate. John quickly hurries to a crowd of his men, "Look at this little baby, isn't he wonderful?"

Evemina began smiling and taking in deep breaths of relief. The expression of John's face told that both mother and child made it.

"I told you they would be fine." Will whispered down to the maiden, causing her to fix her smile up at him. The young man leaned in to her, "I'll be right back." His eyes spotted Marian coming out of the hut, "Go dance with Lady Marian and I'll find you."

The maiden nodded at his words and skipped away towards her Lady.

"Marian!" Evemina called, causing the lady to smile at Evemina.

"Eve!"

The maiden made her way over to the Lady and puffed out her chest, "Would you like to dance, madam?" Evemina asked in her deep 'manly' voice with a little bow.

Marian laughed at her friend, as she was about to accept. "This lady is spoken for."

Lady Marian and Evemina glanced over to see Robin, smiling brightly at Marian as he washed his hands with a wet rag and threw it off to the side.

Robin took Lady Marian's hand and the two went off dancing with the long throng of dancing people. Evemina could not help but smirk at the sight of the couple. Oh she was quite annoyed with Robin but that smile he wore on his face was nothing like the smirks she remembered. It was so simple! Robin and Marian were in love. Evemina reflected on the look on her friend's face as he took her hand. A warm feeling lingered in her heart to see the beauty of life unfold right before her eyes.

All of a sudden, a white flower popped into her vision. Her eyes went to the flower than to the person holding it to see a smiling Will Scarlet.

"May I have this dance?" Will gentlemanly asked, holding out the flower to Mina. His voice was soft and almost shy. Almost.

A beautiful smile spread across her gentle face as she accepted the flower and smelled it. Familiarity lingered in her nose at the scent of the sweet nectar until she realized it was the same flower that was placed on her gravestone... and from her memory it was her favorite wildflower. "Of course." Evemina replied as she swiftly stuck the white flower in her ebony black hair.

Will lend out a hand to the maiden who gladly accepts and the young man lead Evemina close to the dancing but far enough to go unnoticed. Under the dark blanket of the moon and stars, the two danced along with folk music. Their movements were lively just as the folk music echoing throughout the camp and in sync just like the moon and the sun in their neverending dance across the sky.

Laughter and smiles filled the space between Evemina and Will as their hands touched or grabbed the other. Twirling around each other with no care of the world around them as they lost themselves into the music. Neither of the two noticed nor would they have cared as people spotted the two laughing and dancing. None of them were rendered in shock however. Instead they admired the maiden to enjoy the company with a very angry individual. But as they see now, a true smile graced upon his face as his usually hate filled hazel eyes were glimmering with laughter and true happiness.

Once the song was over, the two slowly stopped their dancing and were catching their breath. They glanced at each other simultaneously and began laughing once more.

"Will! Evemina!" A voice called for them.

The laughing pair turned their heads to see John striding over with a little baby in his arms.

The maiden let out a squeal of excitement and hurried over to the new father to meet the new baby. The giant laughed at the sight of Evemina sprint/hopping over to him to see his new son.

John lowered the baby to Mina's eye level and immediately she let out a gasp. "Oh he is so precious." Her emerald eyes soaked in the tiny little person's face with a radiant smile. His little eye blinked open to reveal his light blue eyes. "He has his father's eyes."

The giant puffed his chest out with pride at her words, "He's going to be a tough little lad like his pa."

Will snorted at John's words, "Little lad? He's going to be a giant."

Evemina and John chuckled at the young man's words, nodding their heads in agreement.

The maiden continued to admire the baby causing John to notice that look in her eye. It was the same emotion that he had seen on Fanny's face when she met one of their friend's newborn, before John and her made their large family. The look of wanting a baby and to start a family. He could remember when he saw that look in his Fanny's eyes as she stared at the newborn with that same beautiful smile, he fell in love with Fanny all over again.

John secretly flickered his eye to Will who was already taking glances between the maiden and the baby than back to Evemina. This is what he would like to call an experiment. These two in every action and everything they did was what people would do if they were a couple in love. However it was quite obvious that neither knew of their feelings truly. Fanny and him had been making bets for the last week to see who will finally realize that feeling in their heart first.

"Evemina?"

The maiden tore her emeralds away from the precious baby and to John, "Yes?"

Immediately on John's lips was a fight between a competitive smirk and a calm smile. "Would you like to hold him?"

Evemina's eyes broadened at John's question.

He wanted her to hold the baby?! Um... YES!

The maiden vigorously nodded to answer and held out her arms for the baby. Carefully John made the transfer to Evemina who cradled the little infant in her arms.

If it was remotely possible, her smile only beautified. "Hi." She softly whispered to the baby who stared up at the woman with silence until a toothless smile appeared. Evemina was making faces at the little baby who laughed that adorable little baby laugh.

Evemina giggled at the cuteness of the laugh before smiling at Will Scarlet that sent the young man in a deeper spiral of feelings.

The moment she took the baby in her arms and smiled down to the infant, left Will utterly speechless. His heart pounded in his chest and at the same time it tightened so much he could hardly breathe. All he could think about was how beautiful Mina looked while holding the baby in her arms. Something in him just wanted to hold her like he normally would. The only difference now was that he wanted to kiss her. God did he want to. There was no battle between his mind and his heart at this.

Will than got confused, why were these feelings coming back? What do they mean? His eyes never left Evemina as he thought but as soon as the maiden smiled at him... He knew. The young man adored her even when they were little but not to this extent. With her here, Will was able to become more like himself and never was he this happy. All he wished to do was make her smile like that again and for the rest of his life. That's when his eyes widened and his breath was stuck in his throat.

He loved her.

A force nearly made the young man lose his breath almost entirely. It was as if a wall was holding back a river than all at once the river raged through his entire body. At the pit of his stomach a fluttering sensation grew more intensely with every passing second. However he realized as he watched the happy little woman now, nothing in his heart had changed. He loved her all along and he just... did not notice.

He could still be himself always around her, because she brought out that side of him with that smile of hers.

When they were kids he was not not afraid to hide anything about himself from her. So that adoring feeling he felt when he noticed that he had when he saw Mina's 'death' was actually him in love with her.

He agreed to himself that he would give his life for Mina or do anything for her just as he had done countless times in the past.

From the moment they met officially when he was in the stockade, he knew he could trust her with everything. Especially about his past.

But above all else, she was his best friend in the entire world.

The maiden in question was still beaming to him and the giant man who stood at his side. As Will sent her an adoring smile, he took the time to really soak in the qualities that made Mina, Mina. Her emerald eyes always sparkled brightly. He loved it when those pair of eyes were on him because it breathed new life into him and made him catch his breath at the sight. Her smile was another great breath-taker, especially with this smile he studied now. The beam touched every corner of her face, lighting up her beautiful eyes and making her laugh that much happier. He loved how small she was compared to him both in height and width. It made him feel like he had to protect this tiny petite woman from anything that comes their way. He also enjoyed pestering her with his teases. It was  a thrill to see that challenging look in her eye and the surprise of what would come from her mouth. And the way she held the small infant in her arms. He than wanted to have a family... with her. Nothing in this world would complete his life besides having Mina at his side and their family growing in her.

Gods... all he wanted to go right there in this moment was smother her with this new found feeling and take her breath away as she does to him. But the young man held back the raging river as he continued to stare at Mina bouncing the baby gently in her arms.

Marian had rushed over to Evemina to visit the baby once again, leaving Robin somewhere amidst the dancing crowd.

John chuckled loudly, causing Will to glance up at the giant. His light blue eyes twinkled down to the young man in a knowing manner. "What is goin' on in that mind of yours, Scar'let? You've been awfully quiet."

Will shrugged his shoulders to the man, not really in the mood to explain or tell.

"I know a look when I see it." John whispered down to Will, "You fell fer her didn't ya?"

The young man was quiet for a few moments till he parted his lips finally. "I might have."

John beamed down to the man and clapped Will on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

Scarlet blinked a few times at the man's words, before turning his eyes back to a chatting Evemina with a little baby still in her arms. "I do not know if she'll feel the same." Will whispered to himself but Little caught it.

"I believe she does but does not know it. Kinda what ye went through a few moments ago."

"Maybe."

"Will." John's voice was suddenly serious that immediately caught Will's attention. The unwavering pale blue eyes stared into hazel ones, "Nottingham is going to be wanting her dead. If somehow we met his forces in battle... You need to make sure she's safe, lad. If you do not want to lose her than you need to be ready to defend and protect her with not your fists nor daggers."

John was right and Will knew that. Evemina, in the eyes of everyone outside the forest was seen as a criminal just like him but even greater.

In this moment, Will declared to himself that he would lay down his own life to protect the maiden smiling before him.

All of that because... he loves her.

(End of Chapter Thirteen)

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is random but I have to ask this....

Is it only me or when John holds the baby up does it remind you of Disney's Lion King? Just saying xD