The Secret of Moonacre...Another Time
Summary: Maria Merryweather...a thirteen year old orphan comes to live with her Uncle Sir Benjamin...all over again. "This can't be possible...I already did this! It's done!" A voice whispered in her ear, almost unheard. "You lost your chance...do it again...don't let him...fly away..."
Movie: The Secret of Moonacre
Pairing: Maria/Robin
Rated: T – M (Most likely T for Teen, but we will see where things go in later chapters.)
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(The Night Before)
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Maria smiled. She was peacefully aware of the change in the air surrounding the de Noir family and the Merryweather Family. It was a wondrous and welcomed change. Catching Robin's eye, she made her way over to the boy who was two years older than herself. She couldn't deny having conjured up a crush for the boy. He was devilishly handsome, and his mischievous yet gentle nature had been an attractive feature of his. Though, there was one other feature that had captivated her...his eyes were always shining, though dulled by his fathers' tyranny and the feud between the de Noir and Merriweather's, that light was still there, shining back at her.
"Were you worried for me?"
Robin looked off to the sighed and smirked, "anybody could have done that."
Loveday who stood only a foot from them turned with a shocked look, smiling at her younger brother as she popped him playfully over the head.
Taking the next distraction that came, of romances between Loveday and her Uncle, she pulled Robin off to the side and smiled, "It's all over now...right?"
Robin frowned, looking off into the distance at the full moon which had settled along the surface of the sea in the distance. "I guess it is. What will you do now?"
"I guess I'll go back to my old life. Study sessions with Miss. Heliotrope...and early breakfast's with Uncle Benjamin...running from thieving Bandits and saving Moonacre Rabbits from the traps of the de Noir clan...same thing as normal."
"Sorry to disappoint you Princess,"
Maria smiled, she loved when he called her that. Princess...it wasn't the same with the others, it was so much more coming from him.
"I'm leaving the de Noir castle...I've waited years for my freedom, and you gave it to me. Thank you...Maria."
A small frown found its way to her lips as she watched him turn away from her. She didn't like it; sure it was her name, but hearing him use it for the first time since they met, and in such a situation...it was more of a goodbye in the way he said her name. It left her feeling...alone. "I...I see. I'm glad to hear you will be able to live freely now, without the curse of the valley hanging over you."
Robin smiled, "it's all thanks to you..."
The silence afterword's was deafening, she sighed, "anything to help, if I could do it all over again, I know I wouldn't change a thing. If everyone is happy, than everything is perfect."
But not everybody was happy, and for Mother Nature, if the Moon Princess was not happy, than something had to be done. Taking her last spoken words into consideration, Mother Nature called on the pearls of the ocean that had been returned to her, and used the powers of the sea and the moon for one more act of love.
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Maria sat beside herself in dismay, trying so hard to not let anyone else see it, she smiled and laid her head on the slow rising side of Wrolf, her beautifully faithful Black Lion. Across from the room was the long lost Unicorn of the Merryweather clan, its pure white glowing in the shadows of the dining room, as if warding off the very darkness itself. At the moment, Loveday and her Uncle sat beside one another discussing their plans of engagement. It was all really exciting...or so it should have been. However, Maria could not bring herself to smile for their romanticisms, as she had just realized, the Princess does not always get the Prince...she had let him go...why had she let him go? Why...why, why, WHY!? Maria stood up suddenly and made her way briskly out the door of the Moonacre estate.
Sir Benjamin's voice echoed through the manor after her, but she refused to turn back, she refused to slow her pace, she refused to stop! Running out the gated entrance she made her way towards the de Noir castle. "Robin...Robin!" Tears began forming at the edges of her eyes, and it took every ounce of willpower to keep them at bay. Reaching the entrance to the de Noir castle, she stopped only to catch her breath before moving towards the guard set at the entrance post. "Robin, is he still here?"
"The Prince de Noir has taken leave from the castle, not to long after the return of the Pearls to the Sea."
"...he's already gone." It wasn't a question, it was the cold hard truth, and it had slapped her painfully hard in the face."
"Princess, if you head towards the northern portion of the forest, he shouldn't be too far gone yet. The Prince de Noir hasn't been gone too long yet."
That was all she heard as she took off in a sprint towards the Northern end of the forest. The skies rumbled painfully with the same trepidation that she felt in her heart, the rain pelting her skin in painful needle points was enough to make her cry out from the pain that she felt in the moment of her race against the rain, it didn't help when the windshield began to pick up in speed. Her dress snagging on a branch was the worst case scenario in this particular situation, when she found herself falling into a sudden downward gradient of dirt, mud, rain, leaves and branches. She felt the branches digging in to her flesh, scars were being left across her body, and with a final cry for Robin, her vision filled with black and red as her head met the edge of a stone.
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Maria Merryweather was shaken awake the next morning from the warm confines of her beds' comforter. Her eyes cracking open to adjust to the light breaking through the blinds in her room.
"Miss. Maria, I'm sorry, but today is the day of your father's funeral. It's time for us to get you ready for the day's activities."
Maria's eyes widened, "...the days...activities? Funeral? That was...but Miss. Heliotrope, we already attended such an event, did we not? The funeral was weeks past..."
"...whatever are you talking about, Maria? A dream perhaps, but all the same, it is time for you to don your black gown. Come on dear."
Maria watched her Governess shuffle around her room gathering her underdress, corset and gown. Grabbing her stockings and black lace boots, along with some black ribbons, Maria couldn't help but feel an over powering amount of helplessness take her over. "Was it all...just a dream?"
"What's that dear?"
Maria shook her head, "nothing...Miss. Heliotrope...it's nothing."
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Me: The First installment of The Secret of Moonacre...Another Time. I hope you enjoy the story, let me know what you think. And if you've never seen the movie, I insist that you look it up! I love this movie! It's amazing, with a great story, and great characters!