Robin De Noir and Maria Merryweather
Julija Martin September 28, 2013
Chapter 1
I don't like that Maria. Never did. So what if she's the moon princess. One thing that wretched book never said was that there can be more than one moon princess alive. In fact there can be three. I would've saved the valley. I had plans to all along. Then that blasted Maria Merryweather showed up and decided she was going to prance right into the forest and be the savior of Moonacre Valley.
If I ever saw one, she was a wench. With her flaunty, Merryweather dresses, with their costly bustles, she dresses like a princess. She always did, before she knew. Like she was better than I. That stupid, wretched, obnoxious, insolent little girl. They think I'm envious that she got the spotlight and I didn't get a thing. No. I'm being cautious. I'm being vigilant. I still have pride. I will not forgive them so easily.
Even after all this, she still needs more. So now, she's hanging on the arm of Robin De Noir. The brave little moon princess is trying to get a prince. Think I'm jealous? Well, this will still your words. My name is Raven Coeur De Noir. Robin's sister. The Robin and the Raven.
Chapter 2 Umbrella Bruises
I wake up in the dim light the only window provides. I sit up and look into a mirror. My black hair contrasts strikingly with my pale, white skin. Charcoal, lines my eyes and gives them a haunted look. Robin and I both do this as it is a cause of attraction. It's funny when I think of it, our hair colors. Black is mine, brown is Robin's and blonde is… never mind. Anyway, I am tall, just a few inches short than Robin. He is two years older than I, making me twelve. Everyone, including father, say that twelve is a pitiful age that I can't do anything whilst in. I am agile and quick, a great way to catch anyone.
My tight fitting, dirty, and torn night shirt clings to me with sweat. Nightmares have invaded my mind again. They did this for months after… never mind. I pull the sheets back and swing my legs around. The cold floor numbs my feet. I pad over to a large trunk that holds all my clothes. I grab a black V- neck shirt, black pants with a large silver buckle, my favorite black jacket with a metal zipper on the left sleeve and dark, dark green boots. I throw these items onto my bed and strip off my shirt and shorts. I splash my face with freezing water from the bowl on a table underneath my mirror. Then I slip my clothes on. I braid sections of my long hair and pin them on my head so they stick up like feathers. Then I pull raven feathers from a pouch on the table. I position them in a fan and then lift up a bag of charcoal sticks. Lifting one to my eye, I draw a thin line around them. I put everything away then open my door. Standing in the doorway was father. I bow to him.
"Go get a hat. Join me in the dining hall for further instructions." He commands.
I nod stiffly and do what he says. When I get to the door of the hall, I open it and locate father. I saunter over to him and sit in a chair next to Robin. He smirks at me and I mock salute back. I turn to father with a rigid posture.
"A Merryweather relative will arrive with her caretaker today. I am sending you two to intercept them and bring both back. If you wish to only disappoint me slightly, the girl will do." He announces to both of us.
I guard my expressions carefully, but a small bit of surprise shows on both our faces. I nod and he follows suit. I rise and bow to father. I turn my back and walk swiftly with Robin at my side. The hat sits forgotten in my hand.
"You may want to put that on. They shouldn't know you're a girl." He says softly.
I whirl on him with vehement rage. I glare at him for a minute then I turn around and stalk away towards the forest. I reach the edge and Robin leads us. When we reach the road to the mansion, Robin turns to me. Quietly, he tugs the hat from my hand and places it on my head. The black fabric crushes my feathers. He smirks at my expression. Like usual, I mock salute back. He crosses the road and hides behind a tree. I follow suit. Even if this is just a kidnap attempt, I am happy to spend time with Robin. He has been gone a while. He was searching for this girl actually. My thoughts are interrupted when a carriage trots by. I crane my neck to see inside and I see a girl around my age sitting inside. My grip loosens for a moment and I fall to a lower branch. The girl… the girl was the one who tortured my nightmares.
Chapter 3: Transformation
Robin and I slip from behind our trees and trail the carriage. When the carriage reaches the gate, Digweed gets out. When he reaches the gate, we jump onto the carriage. In a swirl of activity, I reach through the window and grab the nanny. I have her halfway out of the carriage when Robin yells and the old lady starts attacking me with an umbrella. My hat slips and her eyes widen. I straighten my hat as the carriage is pulled away and I fall off. Robin runs to the gate and screams with pure hatred. I join him at the gate and my bowler slips off entirely. It falls to the ground and is covered in dirt immediately. Robin turns to me franticly.
"Did anyone see your… you as a girl?" he asks with agitation.
I remain quiet and look at the ground. Robin grabs my shoulders and shakes them.
"Raven! You have to listen to me. I will not lose another sister. Father told me to protect you and that's what I'll do, till my last breath." He says, and then lowers his voice, "We are a family, us two. I can't lose you too."
I look and see tears about to spill from his eyes.
"The warden saw my hair. My hat slipped. Do you think she knows?" I ask him, my voice even and calm.
He nods and we walk away towards the woods.
"How angry will father be that we failed to take either one of them?" I ask
"Not too angry, she looks like the kind of person to try and brave the woods. We'll catch her then." He reassures me.
I notice he holds he's grasping his hand. A dark liquid seeps through a piece of fabric he holds to it. My umbrella bruises throb in sympathy. I ask Robin what she stabbed him with. He smirks and answers,
"A sewing needle. She's got spunk. Too bad she'll never be able to use that." He laughs with the thought of that.
We continue to walk in silence. At the edge of the forest, I take the hat off and kick it around until we reach the gates. The gatekeeper unlocks them for us and Robin leads me to the dining hall. It is lunch time so all the buffoons are stuffing their fat mouths. I sit next to a lady feeding my father and I snort in disgust. Robin sits on the other side of him. I hear him talking and then father roaring. It all sounds muted to me. Then Robin grabs my arm and drags me to the hall that our rooms are located off of. He opens his door to his gang fooling around in his room. They stop in silence and look me up and down. I haven't seen my brother's posse in a month. They went with him to stalk Maria Merryweather.
"Meet the newest member. Raven De Noir, meet my team." He announces.
Laughing fills the room.
"You're joking right Robin?"
"Like she could keep up!"
"She's twelve! Twelve!"
"She's a girl!"
Robin's mouth hardens into a white line. At the sight of this, the gang quiets instantly.
"No way man, you're serious? But she's a girl, and she's twelve!" one of the boys exclaims.
I glare at this boy while Robin explains some fine points to the guys. Finishing the lecture, Robin opens his trunk and hands me a red scarf, a black tunic, one of his old jackets, a pair of worn black pants and a necklace made of raven feathers. I examine the coat closely and realize that it is short feathers, not a black trim that surrounds my sleeve cuffs. I don't know how he knows that I love my clothes to have feathers, maybe because I never wear an outfit without feathers. Just like he always wears that necklace of Hawk's feathers. I'm about to turn and leave when he tosses me something else. I look down and see that it's a pair of boots. I grin at him.
"You can't go around with those cutesy shoes." He says.
I mock salute,
"Of course Captain." I respond, stretching out the last word and winking.
I walk out of the room and into mine. I strip down to my underclothes. I examine the bruises from the child's sitter. Lord, who knew how much an umbrella could hurt. I slip on the clothes, wrap the scarf around my neck, tie the necklace on and lace up my boots. I open the door and walk back into Robin's room. There is a collective gasp. Robin looks me up and down then walks up to me and pulls out my raven feathers from my hair. He lets the braid stay though. Then he turns and grabs a new hat. Placing it on my head, he takes a pin and secures it to my hair.
"Let's hope it doesn't fall this time." He jokes.
"You can. I'll just be standing here knowing how smoking I look." I retort.
I grab a small hand mirror from his side table and smudge my charcoal. Then I pull a few short hair strands down to give me the look of a boy. I turn to my brother and his friends.
"Damn that Maria. I'm ready." I say.
Chapter 4
"We trapped rabbit near the edge of the forest. Travis said he saw Maria on a horse near the edge of the woods. The plan is once she opens the cage we reveal ourselves. Raven, you remember to deepen your voice a touch." He explains
I nod and we take our places behind the trees. As planned, she arrives and crouches. She murmurs to the rabbit and babies it. After a moment, Robin steps out from behind the tree.
"One trap, two catches!" he announces with glee.
Her red head whips up and she looks alarmed.
"What do you want?" she asks in that prim, little city accent.
Laughing echoes around as the rest of us come out.
"That's girl. Catch an animal, they can't resist coming to help." Robin smirks.
One of the boys and I grab her arms. She struggles fiercely but she's only a city girl. She wrenches away from us then looks at us.
"I know who you are." She says. "You're bandits and plunderers."
I advance behind her. I reach to grab her and she turns around swiftly and starts pummeling me with her little fists. The gang stands and watches. As she's hitting me, Robin comes up behind her and grabs her shoulders. I retreat and watch. She flips his hand and she sees the line she made with her needle.
"You!" she exclaims
"You're coming with us now. My father is just dying to make your acquaintance." He tells her mockingly.
We laugh, and then Hawk screeches. I only have a half second to tense until a black mass runs out of the forest and bowls me over. It barks and barks. His hot breath on my face fills me with fear. Sharp canines hang near my face.
"It's the Demon Dog!" Travis shouts.
Robin stands there, waiting for me to get up. I shove the dog off me and run. Robin soon follows.
"What the hell was that?" I ask when we come to a stop.
"That, girl, is the Demon Dog. The protector of the Merryweather's since they can't fend for themselves. He is also our downfall. Robin, what will your father say?" a blonde boy asks.
"I can deal with him later." He declares.
Hoof beats sound nearby and we all scramble down to the horse path.
"It's your father!" one boy yells.
Father sits with his leather mask on a black horse. He pulls it off and glares venomously at Robin and I.
"What did I do to deserve such a prized dolt for a son?" he hisses.
He gives us one final look then canters away. Robin lets out a huff of breath. I turn on him.
"Wonderful, bird boy!" I shout, using his least favorite nickname. "You had to talk to her, didn't you?! You had to stand for dramatics! You had to! Now where are we? Father loathes us both, He does! That brat knows about us! She's seen us!"
"Oh! And you think you could have caught her? She's a slippery witch and you're a girl and you're young. You can't do anything! So naïve, so stupid! Try it princess!
I rip off the fabric on my nose. I stuff it in my pocket and run away. As I run I hear someone ask,
"Why'd you call her princess?"
I know these woods as well as Robin so I don't believe there is any danger for me. Without the cloth, there is the possibility that someone would see me as a girl. I march to a Birch tree and sit under it. After many minutes, I see the sun starting to go down. I walk back to the castle. Passing through the gate, I hear shouting on the street and I turn towards it.
"You imbecile! You unworthy son! You will never achieve anything!" my father yells
"At least I can mount my horse with no trouble! You need help!" Robin shouts back.
I stride up in between them and turn to Father. Suddenly, I whip my hand across his face. Without missing a beat, I turn and do the same to Robin.
"You two should be figuring out how to capture Maria, instead of squabbling like children." I say.
Grabbing Robin's arm, I march him to our hall. His troupe staggers listlessly behind him. I nod to all of them then going to my room and shut the door. Was it only this morning that I had been fixing my hair with raven feathers? As the sun sinks, I decide to skip dinner and just lay there. Eventually, I fall asleep, dreamlessly.
Chapter 5
Days have passed, there has been no sign of the Merryweather brat. Father has been sending men into the woods out of the blind faith that she will turn up again. There has been no sign of her though. She's starting to have some sense. I spend most of my days in the forest, training. I already know how to use weapons, I just need to learn how to use them well. Strange dresses keep appearing in my room. One of them had the letter 'L' on it. But I dashed the hopeful thinking. My nightmares have been getting worse and worse. Robin once showed up and asked me why I have been screaming for the past five minutes.
I walk down the hall towards the dining hall. I catch a glimpse of blue above. I crane my head, but there is nothing. I dismiss my imagination and continue. I pull a chair up next to Robin. Hawk screeches and he leans towards Father.
"Father, I've prepared a plan to snatch the girl from under the Merryweather roof."
"Don't go near Moonacre, that house is damned." He growls. Then slyly, he adds. "Now, word is, she's about to meet her downfall."
He stands up and looks towards the stairwell. I follow his gaze, and at the end of it… Maria. She turns and tries to run. After a moment, she comes back with two guards. My mouth splits into the widest smile since … never mind. They drag her down the stairs and everyone smirks. When she reaches the bottom, the men force her to her knees.
"How kind of you to join us, Moon Princess." He sneers.
My heart twinges at this. There can be more than one Moon Princess I repeat in my mind. There is a collective chuckle at is words. The girl wrenches her right arm free. She opens her clenched fist and reveals… the lost key.
"Oh! And what is this?" Father asks, mockingly. "She has brought us the lost key, gentlemen."
He laughing grows louder. He turns back to her, with a harder expression.
"Because the terrible De Noir's have had the moon pearls hidden up here all the time, haven't we?" The mocking in his voice is not as pronounced now.
"Well its true isn't it? Your ancestors stole them." She announces, with stunning bravery I her voice. Or maybe it's just bravado.
"Oh!" the crowd says.
"My ancestors? Well perhaps, Princess, I should introduce you." He scoffs.
Everyone has crowded around the spectacle. Robin takes my hand and unclenches it. In my fist is the nose fabric. He nods and turns away. I wrap the thing around my face and turn back to the debacle.
The men haul her up and follow Father. They walk up to the casket of Coeur De Noir. The first De Noir. Robin and I follow. Robin grabs her arm and I hover behind.
"Maria Merryweather, the last Moon Princess." He announces. He is so wrong. "Sir William, the very first Coeur De Noir."
Robin shoves her onto her hands and knees and Father announces the last part. Father lifts the pearl casket from the grave, and she stands back up. She gasps when she sees it.
"The Pearl Casket" she whispers.
"And you so very kindly brought us the key." He cajoles.
He drops the key and gives a fake start of surprise. He opens the casket, to an empty interior.
"You've hidden them." She cries.
Father shuts he box with anger.
"They were never there, girl." He snarls. "You're filthy Merryweather family took them. Before he picked up the box, they stole the pearls. But soon, the final moon will rise, and the thieving Merryweather's will be punished. And now that we have you here, there's nothing anyone can do to stop it."
A smirk grows on Robin's face as he looks between the Merryweather and Father.
"At last, the entire valley will be ours. And the De Noir's will finally feast upon revenge." He finishes.
Hawk screeches as Robin pushes her away towards the prison cells. I walk on the other side of her as Robin continually pushes her. One big push sends her stumbling. She turns around.
"Leave me alone you oaf!" she exclaims
"You know, for someone in your current predicament, I have to admire your spirit." He simpers, sarcastically.
She huffs then kicks him in the shin. He howls then grabs it. We all laugh.
"She's getting feisty Robin!" someone shouts.
"Witch!" he yells
"I wouldn't pay up for her, Robin." Someone jeers.
"Hey!" he yells a guard. "Lock her in!"
"Welcome to your new home love." I smirk and she looks at me. Somehow beneath my hat and coat and cloth, she saw my feminism. Her eyes widen momentarily.
"You'll make friends with the cockroaches." Travis snorts.
"Sweet dreams," I say with a smile. "Let's go." I see Robin mock wave to her. I laugh and we stalk away.
"Guard, watch her. She's slippery." Robin commands.
In the dining hall, there is a victorious feast. Father seems in a perfect mood. One I've not seen him in since…never mind. After a great meal, people start to trickle out. Before I leave, I hug every one of Robin's gang and kiss Robin on the cheek. The boys all blush and Robin smiles.
"G'night Captain." I say with a mock salute and he smirks back. Like usual. I reach my room dress into my night clothes. I pull the blankets over me and drift into sleep.
"I will win." Dream Maria hisses. "You won't be able to do it. Only big kids can accomplish anything. You are small."
For the first time, I felt a surge of energy in my dream.
"Oh yeah, then how come I am bigger than you?" I answer.
She looks stunned then smiles.
"Soon," she murmurs. "Soon,"
Then she dissolves into mist. I wake up with a jolt as an icy stake in driven through my side. My breath is ragged as I look around my room. It is dawn already. I get up and change into the clothes I was given days ago. I brush my hair and leave my room. I need to go into town now. My dagger has been misplaced and it was turning rusty anyways. I reach the merchant and pay with a few coins from my pouch. I turn and a blue blur in…was that underclothes? It races past me, followed by the gang and Robin. I follow them and stop when she reaches a ledge. She climbs on it and pauses, looking down.
"Princess. What are you going to do know?" Robin drawls
She edges back and then loses her balance. She screams and falls.
Chapter 6