Disclaimer for the story: Sadly, I do not own Strange Magic, although I do have the DVD that I play once a week.
Somewhat from a conversation my mom and I had during our weekly fix. This was supposed to be short but it exploded. Constructive advice is appreciated but please refrain from criticism. Enjoy!
A Plot In The Making
"Begone, you foul creature!"
Marianne growls in annoyance as Roland's voice rings in the air and she takes a sharp left toward the border. Better investigate before the idiot causes a war. It had better be important or she was going to test her new skills with the sword on him. Surely Dad couldn't give her a lecture if she reminded him of everyone's insistence that she patch things up with Roland. What better way to do that than to spend some quality time together? It might even convince everybody that they should be glad that she called off the wedding. I mean, come on, who wants a person to be a king that's been a knight for years but loses to a playful sparring with someone that's somewhat new to the sword? Marianne really hopes that Roland gives her a perfect excuse as the border edge comes into view.
"You listen here, you pompous tiger lily, I am Griselda, queen mother of the Dark Forest and you will not order me around," the short troll-goblin growls!
Hello, perfect excuse! Marianne quickly flies down and slams her feet against Roland's side, causing the fairy knight to fall off his squirrel mount and his drawn-sword to soar into the grass. The two hobgoblins relax their postures slightly as they take in the newcomer but keep their position in front of the troll-goblin.
"Shut up," Marianne orders the complaining fairy, bowing to the other royal! "I apologize for the lack of respect, your majesty. I assure you, we have better manners in the Light Field."
"There is always a few troublemakers in a kingdom. That's why I waited for a guard to come by to give us an escort to the palace for my business with the king," Griselda explains.
"What business do you have with the king," Marianne questions?
"For the king's ears only and you'll get no more out of me then blondie did," the queen mother growls.
"Forgive me, your majesty. I was just curious," Marianne amends, bowing again. "I'll escort you and your guards to the palace."
"But, bu...," Roland starts, his eyes widening at how fast Marianne draws her sword against his throat!
"You will be dealt with later, Captain," Marianne promises, stressing his title.
Withdrawing her sword, Marianne takes flight after the three dragonfly mounts and guides her charges through her kingdom. A thousand questions buzz through her mind but she doesn't want to offend the queen mother. It was clear that none of the goblins know that she is the crown princess and it felt refreshing to be treated with respect because of her actions, not because of her title. Taking a longer route because of their uneasiness about being out in the open, Marianne gives into her curiosity just a little.
"Is it true that there is a ban on love in the Dark Forest and no expressions of love are allowed," Marianne asks?
"My son is over-dramatic," Griselda grumbles. "He gets it from his father."
"I can understand the appeal," Marianne remarks. "Sometimes it gets too much around here with all the lovey-dovey-gooeyness. It almost gets me to the point of asking the Bog King for asylum."
Griselda laughs loud as the guards snicker. It was a strange thing for a fairy to say but this was obviously no ordinary fairy. As they land at the palace entrance and dismount, Romulus growls for Remus to stay with the dragonflies as he follows the queen. Just because one fairy turned out to be sensible doesn't mean that they all were and it would be better for one of them to be able to return to the king should anything happen. He tries to memorize the pathway to their destination but the twists and turns make him wish that Griselda took more guards then just him and his sister.
"Queen mother of the Dark Forest to see the king," Marianne announces as they approach her father's study before turning to the goblins. "Good luck!"
Griselda thanks her and follows the king's guards into the study, barely holding back her laughter at the startled king. Dagda hastily rises to bow before offering Griselda a seat.
"What brings you here, Queen Griselda," Dagda asks as the troll-goblin sits?
"It's a private matter," Griselda comments, looking pointedly between both guards and the open door.
Dagda shuffles the unhappy guards out the door and promptly shuts it on their protests. Really, what did they think was going to happen? Protocol or not, he and Griselda didn't need babysitting, they were too old to cause trouble.
"Now, the reason I'm here is that I heard a rumor that we both have the same problem," Griselda starts after Dagda takes his own seat. "My Bog has refused every girl I have brought before him and he refuses to marry."
"You're right, we do have a similar problem," Dagda agrees with a sigh. "A year ago my Marianne was supposed to get married but called it off at the last minute and she won't tell anyone why. I can understand if she's not ready and wants to wait but not only will she not try to reconcile with Roland but she has also refused to even talk of love or any suitors. I haven't stopped worrying about her since that morning. My Dawn is a different problem, she's flirtatious. The Spring Ball that is coming up is her debut and I'm going to be swamped with suitors vying for courting rights."
"I have a suggestion to make that might half-solve our problem. My son might not refuse a political union," Griselda hints.
"That idea has some merit," Dagda muses. "But Marianne would cause a war if we pulled an arranged marriage and Bog would start a war if he was matched to Dawn."
"Your eldest sounds like my kind of girl," Griselda laughs!
"Marianne was definitely born a queen," Dagda chuckles. "She's unique, strong-willed, stubborn but just and fair-minded. It's why her unreasonableness to this whole Roland misunderstanding has me so confused."
"Like you said, she was born a queen, so maybe she realized that this Roland fellow wasn't fit to be a king but did the queenly thing by not embarrassing him," Griselda suggests. "If she is looking for a worthy king then it might not be so hard to get her and Bog together, even if it's for the good of the kingdom. While I would prefer that he marry for love, at this point in my life I just want to make sure that Bog's not alone should anything happen to me. Who's to say that they won't fall in love later?"
Dagda leans back into his chair and strokes his beard. On one hand, he didn't like the idea of an arranged marriage but on the other hand, he agreed with Griselda's worrying about wanting to make sure their child wasn't alone. Marianne's conduct lately was getting more withdrawn and he couldn't help but worry about her future. If she continued down this path...well, he couldn't help but worry. She needed someone who she could talk to and confide in because she sure wasn't doing so with him anymore. By the spirits, he missed those days, especially those conversations about what she was going to do after she became queen.
"I've got it and it might work," Dagda exclaims! "Here's what we're going to do!"