Revelation in the Tunnel A Moonacre Fanfiction
Maria reached out to the ancient statue draped with long-forgotten cobwebs. Her trembling fingers touched the string of dusty beads around the statue's neck. The beads glimmered. Carefully, Maria removed the now glowing strand of pearls from about the statue's neck, and held them in her hands, feeling the smooth, cool ocean gems. Warmth coursed through her being, and courage renewed her spirit, as if the pearls themselves were giving her the determination to resolve the feud between the Merryweathers and De Noirs.
"Robin, look!" Maria whirled around excitedly. Robin stood, his dark eyes soaking in the richness and luminousness of the pearls. "You…you found them," he said breathlessly. It wasn't the Merryweathers or the De Noirs who had stolen the precious pearls, but the first Moon Princess herself. Robin's mind reeled. If they could bring back the pearls and show both Benjamin Merryweather and Coeur De Noir, the feud would surely be resolved and all of Moonacre Valley would be saved.
"We…we have to get back," Robin said, still a little awed. He began towards the door they'd come through, but heard loud men's voices. Robin quickly shut and latched the door. "My father! He sent men after us. We're trapped." Robin's eyes met Maria's helplessly. Maria took a deep breath. "Pearls, we need your help," she whispered, cupping the strange in her hands. "Show us the way out." She concentrated with all her might, thinking of her beloved home, Moonacre. She thought of protective Uncle Benjamin and loving, hopeful Loveday and loyal Miss Heliotrope and faithful Wrolf. She thought of Robin, tall and shadowy, clever and arrogant. The pearls glowed brighter. But nothing else happened.
"Robin, help me!" Maria pleaded. Robin rushed to her, but had no idea how to help. "Take off your gloves. Hold these pearls with me. Concentrate. We need a way out." Maria instructed, all the while straining to target all her energy into the pearls. Robin shed his black leather gloves and wrapped his rough, calloused hands around Maria's small white ones. He focused on the woods he knew so well, on how breaking the curse could change his father, on his sister Loveday. He focused on Maria, petite and determined, honest and pure.
A glowing path on the ground began to form. Robin and Maria watched as it went straight towards a wall. And then disappeared under the wall. "A secret passageway?" Maria wondered aloud. Her voice was faint from all the energy that had left her. Robin tapped the wall. It was not solid. He pushed with whatever strength he had left, and the wall gave way. He fell on the ground on the other side, landing hard. Maria stumbled through dizzily, tripping on a raised root and landing on top of Robin's dark form. Was the world spinning? Maria wasn't sure. Then everything went black.
Robin, weak though he was, knew they couldn't stay here. Their followers would break through any minute. Oh, for a door…a huge solid stone rolled into place where the wall had stood before, No one would be entering…or leaving. Robin tried to sit up, and then realized Maria was on top of him. He gently moved her over and then stood, leaning against the hard, cold stone. His head was pulsing. His legs were tired. Maria groaned, still gripping the pearls in her hands. Robin knelt down by her. "You all right, Princess?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't betray his anxious thoughts. "Robin…" Maria's voice trailed off. She slumped against the floor again. "No, no, no." Robin muttered. He slid a hand under her little neck, elevating her head. "Hey, stay with me." He felt like crumpling down beside her himself, but that was irrelevant.
"Princess, wake up. We've got to get to your uncle and my father before it's too late. Maria." Robin urged. But Maria was still. Robin sighed. "Well, we've got to keep moving." He said, more to himself than anyone else. He took the pearls from Maria's hands and draped them around her neck. Then he scooped up her little frame in his strong arms and carefully made his way down the tunnel. The light from the pearls shone softly off the earthen walls, illuminating the entire tunnel. The sea treasures' luster glowed quietly on Maria's face, casting peaceful shadows. Robin trudged onward, the tunnel seeming to get longer and longer.
At last, he came to the end. A dead end. "What?" Robin looked frantically around the edges of the end. Nothing. A groan from Maria startled Robin, and he set her down cautiously up against the wall. "Hey, can you hear me?" he asked. "Princess? Come on, you've got to wake up." Robin sat down by her. "Maria! Please…" he begged. Maria's eyes fluttered open. "Wha—where—" she stopped when she saw Robin's face. Her muscles relaxed. "Robin, where are we? What are you doing here?" His brow furrowed. "Wait, what? Do you remember? You found the pearls, and we were being chased, and we fell into this tunnel. You must've blacked out, and I carried you all this way."
Maria fingered the pearls around her neck. "I remember now. But…is this the end of the tunnel?" she touched the wall. Immediately, letters shimmered to life on the wall. "Whoa," Robin stared. "Wait, what does it say?" Maria studied the letters. "It's calligraphy, a type of fancy writing. Um, let me see. It says:
This barrier will soon be past,
Thou shalt resolve the feud at last,
But only worthy ones shall prove
Themselves, by truest, purest love,
A Weather, a feather, and only together
Shall make or break the curse at stake.
No thoughts concealed, all hearts be bared
Should the valley of Moonacre be spared.
Beyond this point are terrors unknown,
Not to be faced by one alone,
But two together shall succeed
And all of Moonacre be freed.
Whoa, that's creepy." Maria took a deep breath, and exhaled shakily. "What does it mean?" Robin stood. "And what's a weather and a feather?" he asked. Maria frowned. "No idea. Oh, this is hopeless!" she cried. "We'll never get there in time." Robin shook his head. "No, we can't give up now." He trained his eyes on the fifth line. "Why is 'Weather' capitalized?" he wondered. Maria shrugged. "I don't know…wait, like 'weather' as in 'Merryweather'?" she gasped excitedly, and stood shakily.
"That's brilliant, Princess! Hold on, you're still weak," Robin cautioned. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. "But what's a feather?" Maria didn't know, but she was very conscious of his warm body next to hers. He was so close that his trademark neck feathers gently tickled her face. "Wait, that's it!" she exclaimed. "Robin, you're the feather. It makes sense; your name's a bird, you wear feathers…see?" Robin nodded. "Okay, so I'm the feather. You're the Weather. Now what?"
Robin and Maria silently reread the lines. Maria slid out of Robin's grasp and stood on the other side of the tunnel. "No thoughts concealed, all hearts be bared," her voice echoed. "I…I don't think I have any secrets. Do you?" she asked meekly. Robin's dark eyes flitted nervously, not meeting Maria's gaze. "I…" he was at a loss for words. Did he dare tell Maria his one and only secret? She would probably hate him if he did. But if he didn't, what would happen?
"Robin?" Marin whispered. "Does the fact that I'm afraid of falcons count as a secret?" Robin smiled. Maria couldn't have any secrets, she was too good, too pure. He loved the way she tried to lighten the mood, the way she always kept her hopes up. He loved the way she did everything, with hope and cheer and optimism. He loved the way she twirled her hair between her fingers, the way she smiled that tauntingly gorgeous smile, even the way she rolled her eyes at him amusedly.
Robin decided he must tell her. "Look, Maria, I've got to tell you something." He began. Maria perked up her ears, figuratively. When Robin didn't call her Princess, she knew something was wrong. "Yes, Robin?" she asked, seriously. "What I've got to tell you will probably end our friendship forever—" "We're friends? When did that happen?" Maria asked teasingly. "Sorry. Continue." Robin's dark eyes lingered on hers longer than usual. "Anyway, you'll probably hate me, but if this is the only way to save your home, our home, I suppose I must tell you."
Maria crossed over to his side of the tunnel and began fiddling with his neck feathers nervously. "All right, Robin, tell me." She braced herself for anything. Robin looked down at Maria, the light from the pearls playing on her chiseled face. He must do it, he told himself. "Princess, I love you." There, it was out. Maria's fingers froze on his feathers. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink, and she averted her eyes from his intent gaze. "And now you hate me," Robin narrated. Maria shook her head, looking at her feet. "N—no," she said slowly. "Um, let's finish translating the calligraphy." She turned away from him and trained her eyes on the writing. "Okay, we've got no more thoughts concealed. So now somehow this should open up and we'll plunge into unknown terrors. Oh joy."
Robin, his heart still racing from his confession, now saw something faint glowing underneath the last line. "Look there, do you see it?" he pointed. It was glowing brighter, like a handprint. Maria frowned. "I don't see anything. What is it?" Robin squinted. "It's like a handprint…wait, something's weird about it…it is two handprints, one on top of the other. One's bigger than the other." Maria's eyes were anxious. "I still don't see anything. But maybe it's showing us what to do. Right here?" she rested her hand on a spot underneath the last line. Robin nodded. "That's it—actually, your hand fits perfectly. I wonder…" he rested his rough hand on her smooth one, making Maria blush again. But the stone wall groaned, and opened up.
"Should we go in?" Maria asked uncertainly. "I suppose we should." Robin said bravely. "But it's so dark in there." Maria whispered. "And look, the pearls…" the pearls that had lit their way so far dimmed until they were no longer glowing at all. Everything was dark. "Robin?" Maria's voice quavered. "I'm right here," he replied. Maria reached out blindly, and felt Robin's black leather jacket. He took her hands and held them. "We're going to be all right. But we'd better hurry. Come on, Princess, stay close to me." He took a deep breath, asked himself why in the world he was doing this, and led Maria through the doorway.
They delved into utter darkness, but not just the usual nightly black, it was a deep, inky shadow, heavy and oppressing. Robin had never been afraid of the dark before. He'd roamed the woods plenty of times at night. But he knew the woods. This was new, strange, and unnatural. They walked. Robin felt around with one hand, but there were no walls. The floor was strangely smooth, and yet their feet made no sound.
Maria gripped Robin's arm with both her hands. She had a tight grip. "Do you hear it?" she gasped. Robin heard nothing, which was even eerier. "No," he admitted. "No? That chuckle?" Chuckle? "I don't hear anything. It's trying to scare us, make us give up and turn back." Maria trembled. "Well, it's working." Robin kept walking. "No, it's not," he said fiercely. "You are Maria Merryweather, last Moon Princess of Moonacre. You are brave. They cannot frighten you." Maria took a shaky breath. "And I am with Robin De Noir, son of Coeur De Noir. He is good and honest and brave." She said boldly, daring anyone to defy her. They kept walking, but in silence. After a moment, Maria breathed a sigh of relief. "The chuckle…it stopped."
All of a sudden, a voice hissed out, quick as a snake's tongue: A lie! A lie! A thought concealed, a heart not fully bared! A lie! A lie! Robin tensed. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "Haven't you done enough?" Maria stiffened. "It's me." She whispered. Then Robin wasn't sure if she was talking to him, or the strange spirits that surrounded them. "I didn't realize it was a secret until now! I didn't know it myself! It was too soon to know, you understand. And after…" she tried again. "I couldn't…" her voice broke.
Robin didn't know what she was talking about, but he could tell she was struggling. Those cursed voices! Why must they inflict so much pain on his little Princess? Pride! The voice hissed. Pride! Pride! Pride! It chanted. Maria set her jaw. She let go of Robin's arm, and Robin was afraid she would walk off. She didn't. "I am not too proud to admit that I love Robin De Noir." Her voice rang out, clear and strong.
The voices died away, but Robin remained paralyzed. Could it be true? "Uh, P—Princess?" he stammered. Was it real? Was he dreaming? Were his ears playing tricks on him? Maria slipped her hand through his again, and Robin sensed she was smiling. "So I love you, Mr. De Noir. Don't push your luck." She said grinningly. Robin was content. His thoughts flew back to the calligraphy: But only worthy ones shall prove Themselves by truest, purest love… That was what it meant! Robin and Maria were together, and together, they could face anything.
Maria felt truly safe now. Nothing could harm her; she was with Robin De Noir, and that was all she needed. As she thought this, a light appeared in the distance. The pearls around her neck began to shimmer and glow. Robin's strides lengthened, and soon Maria found herself running toward the light, the pearls with each footstep glowing brighter and brighter, until the little orbs were as bright as the moon itself. At last, they reached a stone door, light dancing around it. This was the final door.
Maria turned to Robin, and her fingers fussed with his neck feathers again. "Robin, I don't know what'll happen out there, but I…I want you to know…" "Princess." Robin silenced her with the one word. His strong arms encircled her waist, and his lips met hers, quiet and soft. For one perfect moment, everything was complete. Robin needed nothing more than Maria, and she needed nothing more than him. When Maria drew away, her cheeks were rosy, but her eyes were bright. "I love you, Robin De Noir." She looked into his deep, liquid eyes. "I love you, too, Princess." He replied, a smile tugging at his lips. "Shall we?" he gestured toward the door. Maria put her hand on it, and Robin rested his on hers. The door slid open silently and they walked into the moonlight.