Whoops, Bog lost the bebe… Yikes.
"Shilo! Where are you, child!?" Bog's frantic voice echoed through the Dark Forest Castle. He was met with an equally echoing and disembodied laugh that seemed to come from everywhere at once. The other goblins in the castle echoed his calls in search of the princess.
It was just supposed to be a harmless game, now his daughter was missing. Marianne was going to kill him.
000
"I should be back shortly," she said kissing their daughter on her forehead and Bog's lips. "Shilo, you be good for Daddy."
"The little princess's bright eyes sparkled as she nodded, her goblin claw in her mouth.
"That's my good girl," Marianne cooed to the toddler.
Shilo waved with her little fairy hand as her mother's bright violet wings spread and she flew off. Her shimmering blue eyes looked up at her father, her claw still in her mouth.
"Mummy will be home, soon, precious," Bog promised. Shilo's eyes filled with tears.
"Mommy?" she whimpered, wanting her mother the second he said something about her.
"No, no, sweetling, it's alright. Daddy's here," Bog said quickly, pulling her claw from her mouth, "Daddy's here." Shilo sniffled and reached for his hand. Bog let her grab his claws with her little hands.
"Daddy," she said, smiling and bending his fingers in various ways as if seeing how his fingers worked and if any different than hers.
"That's right, my sweetling," he smiled, nuzzling her cheek earning a giggle from her. Shilo reached out for her daddy's face.
Bog smiled at her letting her tug at his nose. He gave his wings a little flitter, knowing Shilo expected it. He walked through the castle coddling her.
"Pway, Daddy?" Shilo asked.
"Alright, my sweetling," he said with a nod, "What would you like to play?" Bog begged that it wouldn't consist of tea parties and dress up.
Shilo covered her face with her mismatched hands and giggled.
"Alright, love, hide-n-seek it is," he stooped to put her down. Shilo laughed and clapped giddily, her little wings quivering in delight.
Bog chuckled and covered his eyes at his daughter's anticipation. "Alright. One, two, three…"
000
That had been over three hours ago! And Bog had all but torn the castle down looking for her. After the first thirty minutes his search had become frantic. After the second thirty minutes, he had ordered the entire palace to start searching. Then the second hour passed and he had started tearing things from the walls and such.
Now he was on hour three and could only hear her disembodies giggle surrounding them at every call of her name and crash of furniture.
Marianne would be returning soon and Bog still had no Shilo to show for it!
Every goblin had checked everywhere. If it weren't for her little bursts of giggles at their obvious discombobulation, Bog would have feared she had ventured into the Forest.
And then, as if things weren't bad enough, at that moment, Marianne's voice cut through the commotion.
"What the hell is going on here?!" she demanded, landing gracefully but staring at the all but destroyed palace in shock. "Bog?" she approached him arms on hips in full disciplinarian mode.
Bog hunched his shoulders at his wife's inquiring voice. His wings twitched nervously at the impending rage his wife could release.
"Marianne, let me explain-" he started quickly, toeing a wrecked vase out of the way. "You see- we were- I just- it got a wee bit out of hand but-"
Marianne was suddenly caught off guard as Brutus and three other goblins came scurrying by, though in Brutus's case it was more like lumbering, "What is going on here?"
She noticed a sweat had beaded on Bog's brow and he was still twitching at every sound. "It was- that is, they are-"
"Bog…" Marianne's slowly rising voice made the imposing king shrink before her.
"Where is Shilo?"
And there it was, the question de la dread. Bog felt his wife's cold stare and could smell maternal instinct rolling off of her.
Bog's claws clacked together and he figured there were probably worse ways to go than at the hads of his dearly beloved. "We… can't… seem to find her…" he muttered, coiling even more in on himself and awaiting her explosion.
"What?" she asked calmly. Oh he was well past dead now.
"Shilo and I were playing hide-n-seek, and the wee bairn hid o'er three hours ago. We've torn the castle apart. We cannea fined hide nor hair of the lass," he gushed in a great wave. They heard a squealing giggle from somewhere in the castle, "Save her laughing we dinnea know where she is!"
Marianne blinked at him, her mouth a grim line and her eyes holding back waves of motherly rage.
"And, let me guess, you've torn the palace apart and she's nowhere to be found?"
"Yes."
"You have told her you've given up?"
"Yes."
Marianne nodded all too calmly for the situation at hand, "The next step is an old mother's trick," she said, stopping one of the passing goblins and whispering something in its ear.
The goblin nodded and scampered off to do the Fairy Queen's bidding.
"What are you doing?" he asked, now very curious.
"A secret passed down to mother's, from generation to generation," was all Marianne said.
"The goblin returned with a small parcel and Marianne started to make her way through the trashed castle.
She started talking very loud and in a juvenile voice that Bog had used when he had started this disaster of a game, "I wonder where my Shilo is. I hope she hasn't flown away."
"Marianne, that won't-"
"Shh," she snapped at him. Bog's jaw snapped shot.
"Oh dear, I guess my little Shilo has flown away… Who will take care of this pretty new doll now?"
Bog heard Shilo's disembodied gasp from her hiding place.
"I suppose I will just have to find a new little girl to be my sweet girl since my Shilo doesn't love me anymore…"
"Mommy!" came Shilo's distinct cry as she barreled into her mother from seemingly nowhere.
"No, Mommy! No!" the toddler cried burying her head in her mother's chest, clinging to her desperately.
"There's my girl," she chuckled. "Well, I suppose since my little princess is back I can give this to her," Marianne said, handing the parcel over to Shilo.
The giggling princess ripped the paper off the doll and hugged it close.
Marianne smirked triumphantly at Bog who was relieved to see his daughter safe and sound. "I hope you don't have this much trouble with two kids or we might have a serious problem," Marianne chuckled walking off.
Bog blinked twice letting what she said sink in, "Marianne? Wait, Marianne!"