A Moonacre Fanfiction Peace on Earth

Maria Merryweather awoke to a gentle purring. Her hand had fallen over the edge of the bed and was now nuzzled by a soft nose. Without opening her eyes, a sleepy smile spread across Maria's face.

"Morning, Wrolf," she said dreamily. "Just a few more minutes, all right?" And she rolled over with a grunt, savoring the warmth and comfort of her bed. A growl escaped Wrolf's lips. He waited, but his mistress did not budge. Humans. He shook out his lion's mane in aggravation. And in one great leap, he bounded onto the bed, startling Maria by his weight.

"Oh! Wrolf!" she laughed. "I'm awake, I'm awake." She ran her hands through his rich black mane. "I can't very well go back to sleep now, can I? Now what is all the—" she broke off as she gazed out the window. "Oh." She breathed.

Yesterday had been a gray, crisp day, cold and harsh. The forest was sharp and colorless. The leaves had all fallen off the trees months ago, and December's unforgiving winds plagued the valley of Moonacre. But today…

"It's beautiful," Maria whispered. Moonacre had been transformed into a winter wonderland. A glittering blanket of snow draped the ground. Intricate snowflakes kissed the windowpane. Icicles glistened royally as they hung from the slender, graceful trees. Everything was cold and bright and open. "Oh, Wrolf, why didn't you wake me up earlier?" she exclaimed, throwing off her covers. Wrolf jumped down to the floor with a snort of good-humored indignation. "Perhaps we'll have a white Christmas after all!"

The thought spurred Maria on as she dressed, choosing thick clothes and sturdy boots. She hummed fragments of Silent Night and Joy to the World as she braided her copper locks hurriedly. Wrolf had already exited the room, not caring to observe a teenage girl's peculiar dressing rituals.

When at last Maria rushed down to breakfast, she found Miss Heliotrope already seated. "I'm sorry I'm late," Maria apologized, sliding quickly into her seat.

"But Maria my dear, you are not late. Sir Benjamin isn't even here yet," Miss Heliotrope said distractedly, reading some magazine or other. Maria frowned.

"Sir Benjamin isn't at Moonacre. He's on his honeymoon…remember?" She was worried about Miss Heliotrope. Her memory had been faulty lately, and she had seemed distracted during lessons. Maria was starting to suspect something. Was she ill? Was a family member ill? Would Miss Heliotrope have to leave? Her imaginative mind jumped to all manner of fanciful deductions, none of which seemed to be good. But until Miss Heliotrope said anything, it was not Maria's place as a lady to pry.

"Ah. Yes indeed, Maria my dear. Of course, silly me." Miss Heliotrope returned to her reading. Maria cleared her throat. How often had her tutor scolded her for bringing reading material to the table? And was it not time to eat? Indeed, Maria glanced at the grandfather clock, it was past time.

"Marmaduke, I believe we're ready," Maria called out to the chef. "Miss Heliotrope, let us pray." Praying, as it was the most sacred of actions, jolted Miss Heliotrope out of her reverie. So she and Maria prayed. Just as they said Amen, the doors opened and Marmaduke scuttled in, balancing four silver platters.

"A proper Yuletide breakfast," he said proudly. Maria's stomach growled at the savory smells.

"But Marmaduke, it isn't Christmas," she said. "We still have a week yet." The little chef chuckled merrily.

"But surely you cannot oppose the jubilant atmosphere that accompanies the Christmas season."

"No indeed," Maria replied earnestly. "I love it. I only meant—"

"Well then, you cannot object to having a proper Yuletide breakfast then, can you? Enjoy your meal." He bowed, eyes twinkling. Maria sighed and smiled.

"Thank you, Marmaduke." She was more than happy to dig into the juicy ham and the light, fluffy eggs. The steaming broccoli and asparagus were fresh, the toast still warm, and the milk creamy and sweet. Miss Heliotrope barely touched her plate, however. She squinted into her spectacles, reading some kind of magazine. Maria could not quite see what the magazine was, but it must have been fascinating. Still, she wished her tutor would make some effort at conversation. Hm. What would spark Miss Heliotrope's interest? Maria grinned. "Have you seen Digweed today?" Miss Heliotrope looked up sharply, cheeks flushed. Maria had hit her mark.

"Digweed? The servant? No, indeed I have not. Not at all. I do not know where Digweed could be. Digweed the servant." This halting and abrupt denial was followed by a most uncalled for eructation, after which Miss Heliotrope buried her nose back in her book. Maria sighed. It seemed she would have to amuse herself today. She prayed to herself, and was just about to leave when Miss Heliotrope looked up.

"Oh, Maria dear," she said. "Do stay a moment. I want to talk with you." Maria maintained a solemn countenance, choosing to ignore the fact that Miss Heliotrope had just spent an entire breakfast period in silence and she was choosing now to talk. "Thank you, dear. It's about Christmas." She hesitated. Maria nodded.

"Yes. What about it?" she waited. Miss Heliotrope seemed to be having an internal struggle. At last, she met Maria's eyes.

"I have invited a cousin to come and stay with us. She will be coming tomorrow and staying through the holidays." Maria blinked. What short notice! But it was not a great trouble; was that the matter that had been tormenting Miss Heliotrope? Could that be all? If it was, Maria felt sorry for her poor tutor. Likely, Miss Heliotrope had thought she was being inconsiderate in inviting her cousin without asking Maria's consent or opinion. And while it did annoy Maria a little, she would not let on.

"That will be pleasant; I have not yet met one of your relatives. She will be welcome here at Moonacre, I am sure." There. That should put Miss Heliotrope at ease. After a moment of silence, Maria decided she could safely resign from the conversation. She tromped out to the hallway, pulled on her fur coat and hat and leather gloves, and opened the door.

A/N: Beloved reader,

Greetings! Ponygirl7 at your service.

I thank you heartily for reading this first installment of my new story. The title is yet tentative, but I have a fairly solid plan of the plot. Please review! I know that the first chapter does not provide a great deal of information, but I dearly love your feedback and pray I will not disappoint you with the next few chapters. With all that said, I thank you once again for taking the time to read my story.

Your faithful,

Ponygirl7