"I've been thinking about changing my clothing style," Marianne commented and grunted when the primroses weighted more than she expected. "The whole "princess" business just doesn't work for me anymore."

A few steps away from her, Bog King snorted.

"I thought you fairies liked to be all "ethereal" with your colorful clothes."

"Most do," she shrugged and let the flowers she was holding fall unceremoniously to the floor. "And I did once upon a time, but it only reminds me of Roland. He was the one that most enjoyed watching me in frilly dresses and uncomfortable but pretty clothes. He always put looks before anything else."

"Then why were you with him?" Bog cocked his head, slashing another primrose and letting Marianne pick it up mid-air to let it fall slowly to the floor. As they were the only ones capable of flight they decided to work together to get it done faster.

"I did put looks before anything else, too," she sighed as she descended softly, not seeing the flinch the goblin did at her words. "But what happened with… him helped me snap out of it. Roland may have the perfect smile and the blondest hair, but he is rotten and ugly on the inside. That fake, cheating, two-timer, son of a-!"

"Woah there!" he interrupted her, "I get it, I get it."

Marianne sighed as she flew up again, her shoulders sagging a bit and her expression one of a person who is lost.

"I feel so stupid . All this time I've been played by that idiot! I wish I could blame it for being young and naïve, but…" she sighed again. "Well, I guess I should be grateful that I found out before it was too late. The worst part is that if we had married he would have been King, you know?"

"What?"

A loud "clank" was heard when the Bog King dropped his staff, startling the fairy and making her look at his direction. She would have laughed at how he looked in that moment, a mix between shock and horror, but she politely didn't make a sound.

"You are the crown princess? Princess Marianne?"

She blinked a few times.

"Haven't I told you?"

"No," he breathed.

"Well, I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm princess Marianne of the Fairy Kingdom." She did a mocking bow mid-air.

He nodded, barely acknowledging her statement. Because in the mind of the goblin king thoughts were going at full speed. The image of the crown princess he had in his head and the girl in front of him were completely different things. Yeah, it's true that she dressed like she was coming from one of those hideous parties fairies liked to throw; but the whole time they had been talking she was so nice and reasonable, so smart and intelligent and with a no-nonsense attitude that was like a breeze of fresh air for him. She was - She wasn't -

"You are not as princess-y as I thought you'd be," his mouth betrayed him and revealed his thoughts to her. The fairy princess looked elsewhere with a sad smile.

"Yeah… I've been told." Bog blinked slowly. Why was she sad?

"But that's what I like!" he tried to lift her spirits. Then he realized what his words would imply and backpedaled as fast as he could. "I mean, it's nice to meet a fairy princess that's not all about riches and boys and singing love songs."

She laughed. Nice save, man.

"Yeah, well. Been there, done that. I've always been different and people noticed when I was forcing it. When I met Roland I was so happy… he made me a giggly mess and act like everyone expected me to act. I felt valid . Like I belonged," she rubbed her hands over the skin of her arms when a cold wind passed through. The absence of sunlight didn't help to keep the body heat in the cold Dark Forest.

Of course, Bog didn't have any of those problems. Goblin skin was thick and resistant to almost any weather. They spend the cold winter there in the Forest while the fairies migrated to southern lands.

He sighed and looked at the opening between the woods, where the Fairy Fields could be seen from this side of the border. It was getting dark and Marianne had cooled off after the day's events, so maybe it was time for her to go. Bog turned back to her and started to descend, unsurprised when Marianne did the same.

The fairy was happy that he didn't ask her to elaborate what she had just said, like Dawn or her father would do. Somehow she felt at peace with the Goblin King. Here they didn't have expectations about her and weren't nagging and cunning like fairies were, always wanting to know and spread new rumours and stories. She always liked when her mother told her some of the gossip about the castle, but since Marianne was the receiving end of the backslash of the rumours she didn't like it anymore.

"You should go home," the deep voice of Bog snapped her out of her musings. She looked to her Fields and made the same conclusion as him.

"My father must be going crazy with worry right now," she commented.

"Why?"

"I've never been away for so long. Since my mother died he's been overprotective of my sister and me," Bog nodded in understanding.

They walked in silence to the border between their worlds, both feeling like waking from a dream. Their meeting had been a strange one but in the end they liked each other's company.

"Will you-?"

"Can I-?"

They started talking at the same time and stopped when the other opened their mouth.

"Go on," he gestured with his hand, urging her to speak.

"No, no, you first," Marianne forced down the blush that threatened to appear.

"Well, I just wanted to ask you if you could come back tomorrow," he looked at his hands were the retrieved staff rested, avoiding her piercing amber eyes. "To help with the primroses."

Marianne knew he didn't need her help, but appreciated the invitation.

"I was going to ask you the same thing, actually," she laughed at his shocked expression, "but I know you don't need me for the flowers," it was almost cute how deflated he looked. "Maybe… maybe you could teach me how to fight?" She offered.

"Fight?"

"Yeah, hand to hand combat and sword training. I've always wanted to learn but 'it isn't proper for a lady'," she mocked a man's voice and Bog supposed it was her father's. "That is if you want to. If not I can come back either way."

"You would?"

"Yeah. I had fun today and it helped me to keep my thoughts away from what Roland did to me. Thanks, by the way."

"No… No problem," Bog gulped and took a deep breath. This fairy was nice. Reasonable. And above all, she hadn't sang in the whole day, so she was okay in his book. "And I'll help you learn to fight."

"Really!?" Her wings momentarily fluttered with her excitement.

"Y-Yeah." He tried to smile back to her big smile, but it has been a long while since he last smiled so it came pretty awkward. Not that Marianne minded.

"Thank you so much!" she offered her hand for him to shake. "I promise I won't disappoint, teacher."

Bog shook her hand and chuckled at the title.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow!" she said and turned back to fly to her homeland.

"Until tomorrow," he answered in a whisper, looking down to the hand that had just touched her.

The day had ended so different from what he expected to. It has been a break in the routine, something new literally thrown at his face in the form of a little fairy princess. It was weird how thinking about their conversation today brought a smile to his face, and the fact that having something to look forward to from tomorrow made his chest warm.