It had been months since I moved to Moonacre with Ms. Heliotrope and became the Moon Princess, saving the valley and all its inhabitants, including my uncle Benjamin, Loveday, Marmaduke Scarlett, Digweed, the De Noirs, including Robin…and all the animals living in the beautiful forest surrounding us all. I had grown to love Moonacre, it was my true home, and I would do anything to live and stay there forever. It had really grown in me, in a way London never had, and in a way, up until recently, I had never thought possible. Loveday and uncle's wedding had been a truly spectacular event, one we were all expecting, but one we were not expecting was Ms. Heliotrope and Digweed's, but they were truly happy with each other, which was wonderful. Ms. (now Mrs.) Heliotrope had been caring for me for as long as I could remember, but she had never had anyone else in her life, and now that place had been filled, and I couldn't have been happier for her.

Yes life in the valley had been truly spectacular. Right now I was wandering in the forest with Wrolf who believed himself to have found the most comfortable patch of grass that needed a giant lion dog to sleep on, so I left him to nap there as I continued onward. I had been spending a lot of time in the forest, though never truly by myself. Wrolf, or Perriwinkle or Robin were always there with me. When I was with Perriwinkle I would stick to the main pathways that stayed near the outskirts of the forest and the few paths that went over to the cliff's edge and the De Noir residence. When I was with Wrolf I would just wandered wherever I pleased, always looking for somewhere I had been before to make myself more knowledgeable in the forest (though it hadn't seemed to have happened as yet). Finally when I was with Robin, he would always take me to theses amazing and spectacular places I could never find on my own, but always loved. He seemed very amused that I was always so fascinated with these places, but I couldn't help it, and besides, Robin always seemed amused with me, no matter what I did.

I had just come across the beach at the base of the cliff I jumped off of when a hand covered my eyes and I was gripped around the waist, being lifted into the air. I shrieked out in terror when all of a sudden the hand around my eyes went away and I saw who my thought to be 'kidnapper' was.

"Robin De Noir how dare you scare me like that! You know I'm easily frightened when I'm alone in the forest and you know I can't hear you coming up behind me so how could you possibly think that it would be okay for you to come up behind me and attack me when I was by myself not paying any attention what so ever in the middle of an empty beach when-"

"Princess, I'm sorry okay! Calm yourself down, it was just a joke, you don't need to get so mad! Hey! Princess! Calm down! Relax, I'm sorry okay?"

Sorry! Please, as if, he didn't even know the meaning of sorry, he was just always joking around being a total joke himself! Oh the De Noir boy bothered me to points I didn't even know I could be bothered!

"Princess, have you calmed down?" He asked with that smug grin of his I oculdnt stand.

"Yes you foolish goon I've calmed down, but I'm still mad at you! I mean-"

"Princess, it doesn't seem as though you've calmed down"

He looked at me with that knowing smirk of his, but his eyes, well they looked all too innocent and, I had to admit, sorry. Maybe he actually was sorry, even so I'm sure he would do it again in the blink of an eye if the opportunity arose. But I just couldn't find it in me to stay mad at him. Oh whatever, I was hopeless, but I suppose for now I could forgive him, but if he did it again I would not forgive him so easily! I sighed

"I've calmed down now you oaf."

"Well I'm glad, though I must admit I do not greatly appreciate being called an oaf, now come sit with me, I have something to tell you, but first you must apologize sincerely for your ever so rude behaviour towards me."

"My behaviour…. My Behaviour! You have got to be kidding me! You were the one who!"

"Princess…"

"Don't you 'Princess' me you – you- libertine!"

"Princess!"

"Ugh, what? What Robin"

Could he not just let me vent for a little?

"I was kidding…again"

Oh. Well than…

"Sorry Robin, I mean, well…sorry."

Was I too rude? He really shouldn't try and fool me like that, he knows how I'll react.

"Aha it's alright Princess! Now will you please take a seat so I can tell you what I came to find you for to tell you!"

"Aha alright Robin what would you like to tell me?"

What could it be? I hope it's not bad…

"Oh no, you have to sit down right here, beside me."

He patted the spot right beside him on the rock he was sitting on and gestured for me to come over. I walked over, very confused, what could be such a big deal? I sat down and he turned me to face him, so we were seating face to face knee to knee cross-legged on the rock. He took my hands and started playing with them. He didn't do this much but when he did, it was because he was nervous.

"Robin, what's the matter? Why are you so nervous? You're making me on edge! Can you please just tell me what the matter is? Nice and quick, like ripping off a band-aid."

He looked up at me and it was clear in his eyes that he really was nervous. I took my hands out of his, and put them on his knees.

"Robin, now. Tell me."

"Okay well there's this thing going on right now, and it's kind of a problem, so I need you to make promise that you will do whatever I say."

I guess I made a face because he commented on it.

"Don't give me any faces, this is very important Maria and I need to make sure it goes over well."

Wow this really was serious, he called me 'Maria' he almost never does that…

"Maria?"

"Right sorry, go ahead."

Why was he so tense? This was making me really nervous.

"Well the De Noir residence is going to be slightly more occupied for the next little while because my fathers brother and his family are coming to stay with us for a while, and you see though you may not see the problem in that, it really is a big problem, because, well, my family has a tendency to hold on to things. We have a lot of trouble with grudges, they don't seem to go away as they might with other families. And, and well, my family they don't approve of how the De Noir's and the Merryweather's have formed our alliance so when they come, they're going to be causing trouble, especially with you. I'm really sorry, but you're not going to be able to go into the forest, at all, and you can't really go anywhere else, especially not the De Noir castle! I'll be here to guard you, and your family, but, you'll still need to be really careful. I can't be with you the entire time as I will have to be with them as well but I'll do my best, you need to stay safe okay Maria? They will do whatever they can to get revenge, for what I don't know, they've never really been all there, but they are extremely destructive, and I would not put it past them to not only really harm but also kill a Merryweather and anyone else who gets in their way, but that's why I'll be rotating between guarding you and entertaining them! That way I'll be keeping you safe, but they won't beacome suspicious because I'll be with them as well. Understand?"

Understand? What on earth was this boy talking about? No I did not understand! Why were they doing this? What had we ever done to them? I-I-I just couldn't understand how they could dislike us so much, when they had never even met us! It just wasn't even fair I-I-

"Maria...Princess, calm down!"

He picked me up and put me onto his lap wrapping his arms tightly around me. It was only then that I realized how badly I was shaking. How could they?

"Maria it's going to be okay I promise. I will take care of you."

I could see the determination in his eyes he was set on this, but that just made me all the more worried. I mean, if they weren't afraid to kill someone trying to help the Merryweather's then wouldn't that include Robin? I mean, I know it was just Robin, but it's not like he deserved to die!

"But Robin! Doesn't that mean they'll try to hurt you too Robin!"

I said turning to him.

"I can take care of myself princess, now you need to calm down so I can take you back to the house without you falling apart on me, and I don't think I'm going to want to carry you the whole way."

"Very funny Robin. I can't believe you can joke at a time like this! Aren't you worried?"

"Of course, I am princess, but we'll get through this, and it'll all be fine you'll see. Now let's get back to the palace, your uncle and Loveday will be worried about you."

He took my hand and pulled me to my feet. Unwillingly I went along, I was really worried now, and was quite concerned about what was to come for me, Robin, and everyone else. I suppose I would have to take it all in stride, all I knew was that I was not looking forward to when I would get home and have to let go of Robin's hand which was the only thing keeping me from going and running into some nook in a tree and hiding.