His heart fluttered as her footsteps echoed through the forest. Marias dress picked up leaves as she went deeper and deeper between the trees as the chilly morning grazed her skin while the still clearing fog made the forest appear secluded and calmer, it was as if the wind was playing around with the both of them, twirling Marias' hair as well as messing up Robins. The moon princess breathed in deeply, the fresh air filling her lungs and her steps became more hesitant. Maria had her moments, Robin knew.
The way she closed her eyes to feel the wind on her face, the way she raised both her hands on her sides and slowly turned around to take in all that was the green around her, the branches of the trees as if waving at her as the first birds started to chirp. Her nose would wrinkle slightly, just a bit, in comparison to the relaxed expression she wore every time she slowly exhaled and stopped turning to regain her sense of balance. Her arms fell limp and she started to walk again, no fixed direction, just the usual walk around. This time tho Robin wanted to try something new and crushed a dry stick under his foot. The sound made Maria jump slightly, the princess was used to the quiet and serenity the forest provided and that stick as she guessed was not something that would startle her that much so she went on her way.
"Well…you really are stubborn." Robin murmured under his nose but with a smile as he followed her and along the way cracked almost everything that could crack under his feet: branches, shells, leaves he even threw some thorns on the side of the little track he knew she would walk on soon enough.
Maria however only picked up the thorns, murmured something about her being sloppy and placed them carefully on the side as not to step on them on her way back. Robin huffed but trailed along.
The soft hums that Maria made as she walked by seemed to wake up the creatures that lived nearby because as if on cue the animals woke up from their slumber and began to live another day all over again. She subconsciously matched the light songs of the birds and more particularly the Veery, those small little creatures that hid between the leaves and made their unique sound each time someone hears them. Maria liked listening to their sweet voice, the way they shyly jumped from one bough to another and she found herself confusing them many times for the Robin. The name always sidetracked her.
She giggled as her fingers brushed a raspberry bush and oh goodie, she had found her favorite breakfast. Picking up some fruit, she placed them neatly on a leaf and left it on a rock near the narrow path, some creature could enjoy the fruits as well. Robin smiled at her gesture, she didn't even need to see who it was, she just wanted to share everything she had with everyone who was willing to walk her way. He chuckled at the thought of him being the one that was going to eat the raspberries and she would pout but still pick more and put them at the same place. Robin knew it was kind of childish but with Maria he was not the hair of the De Noir clan, the ruthless leader of the highest of rank pack and the sarcastic master. No, he was just Robin, a young man with a love for the forest and his freedom; he could act as childish as he wanted around her she would not judge him. Or at least that was what he wanted to think, he had not talked to her for these past months and his foggy mind was confused of what to think. At one side he had not asked her of her opinion of him, but the other side shouted that he had no right to talk to her because he was not fast enough to stop her from falling from that cliff and if it had not been for the white sea horse she would be dead now. The mere thought petrified him. He had long gone lost hope for the valley and when she came he was more than skeptical but as the story unraveled itself he slowly improved his opinion of her. In all honesty he still found her heroic act of getting Serena out of the trap foolish. How naïve can one be to wander around the forest when there were ruffians, thugs and even worse? On top of that there was an obvious trap at the centre of the path. He had laughed ironically when she backed away scared, "This is the Moon princess? The fearless girl? What a laugh this would be back at the castle…" he had thought. Yet in the end he was the one empty handed and Maria had a new pet and Wrolf got to scare someone away. Win for everyone but Robin. His thoughts led his eyes back to the woman, now a considerable distance away, and he hurried towards her, in the bushes of course.
"Serena would love these leaves for breakfast. Oh and these herbs! Loveday has been looking for them for a week now, I should pick some up and bring them for her and she might have trouble making something without these." Maria noticed that the path had led her to a small field that was covered in herbs and fallen leaves, a scenery that had a certain impact on an early summer morning, one could not resist the urge to lie in the grass and breathe in deeply and that just what Maria did once again and giggled like a little girl.
"My God, this feels wonderful!" She sighed content and that earned a chuckle from Robin in return as he sat and watched her. She was stroking the petals of a daisy gently and twirled it slightly between her fingers. "Mrs. Heliotrope would be in a state of shock right now. She would maybe faint but oh, well. It is not like I have many books to translate in french these days." She continued to talk to herself, amusing the bird boy even more. That was when he slipped.
He stumbled behind, falling on his behind and the noise made Maria alert. She sat up abruptly and looked carefully around herself. If it was an animal it would have just shown itself by now if it knew that its cover was blown however something told her that the source of the noise wanted to stay hidden. So she had little but no choice.
"Who are you? Can you please show yourself?" Her soft and collected voice was now directed to him and he knew that this time she would not just persist on finding who he was but also search for him. He shook his head and smiled, admitting this small defeat only this time.
"Are you sure you want to know who I am?" His deep voice called out in return. He knew that Maria did not like to have her questions answered with just the same, a question.
He watched as her delicate brows furrowed and she looked as if that was a pretty slow question on his behalf.
"Of course I want to know. You have been following me since I started my walk. You were the one who deliberately broke a branch. However I wanted to see if you would come out if I offered you some berries. How rude of you not to introduce yourself you know." She finished with half a smirk, half smile. He huffed behind his tree, still not ready to come out.
"You know, you are one interesting creature. Why do you think that there is no danger lurking in this so called beautiful mist little girl?"
"My word, I am not little! How dare you assume something without having my consent?! If you must know I am not a little girl. My name is Maria and I know that there is no danger."
He chuckled soundly this time and that earned him a surprised expression on her behalf. She was now sitting cross-legged in the middle of the field and the sun shone down on her just as proudly as the moon on her ceiling did. She truly was beautiful, it was hard for him not to go and be near her, to hold her, to talk to her. Instead he braced himself for the conversation and question she had. He knew her well enough to know that she had.
"How do you know Maria?"
"Because the clans are now at peace. Have you not heard of it? The De Noirs and the Merryweathers are now in a union and the forest is now more of a safe house than a scary place do you think not?"
He leaned on the base of the tree with a content smile. So, he thought, they shared the same connection with the forest.
"Do you think that stops me from jumping you right now?"
"If you wanted to, you could have done it by now. I suspect that you did not intend on being caught but I wanted to play along. Usually Wiggins, Wrolf and Zachariah are my companions but my morning walks are sacred. At times I feel a bit lonely so this is a surprise. I cannot tell if it is a pleasant one though."
"Well, I must say little lady, your vocabulary is vast and your manners are impeccable. " He tried to wiggle his way out; she had read him like an open book just now. Was she always this perspicacious or had he not been paying attention even when they were working together? Robin made an excuse fast, he was really confused sometimes. Girls were not his strong point but even when they were involved he managed to keep himself in check. But this girl. This girl drove him crazy.
Maria seemed unfazed by the compliment. She knew that he was trying to be suave but it was not working, at least not on her. Mrs. Heliotrope however would be proud of this stranger, or at least his vocabulary. He had irked her interest and now she wanted to know who he was. The voice was too deep to be a female and he was definitely not a grown up. But who?
"I have told you my name stranger. And yet you seem to keep your distance away. I am going to ask you this: Who are you?"
This question made his stomach twist and turn into a knot. Robin did not know what to do right now. To show himself and risk seeing her disappointment and a pathetic excuse and her turning her back on him or to stay hidden and burn inside with each and every passing second her green eyes searched for a glimpse of him and her sweet voice, a nail in his brain?
It was such a hard choice that he did not realize that it was taking him too long to answer. She had waited for him to answer about five minutes. She was not sure if he was even still there or he had left and abandoned her. She truly was getting lonely. Her…little hope of meeting Robin was fading with every route she took and ended up alone again. Was she so boring to him? Had he found a new toy and left her by herself? These thoughts had haunted her in her sleep, during the day, outside, alone or with family and friends. Marias' head was now hung low and her eyes were full of sorrow and bitterness from these thoughts. The only problem was that Robin was thinking just the same, observing her from his spot and both were too consumed in their own doubts to see that they were standing in the same positions for what felt like hours but were only fifteen minutes.
Maria was the first one to break the silence tho.
"So stranger. I will ask you one more time, the last time: Would you reveal yourself or stand behind one of the trees that serves you as a disguise?"
Robins' hands were sweating and his heart was again hammering against his chest. He swore that she could hear it but was too polite to say anything. "Now or never Robin. And don't act so stuck up, that vocabulary does not suit a thug like you but a true lady like her. Act cool dude. And calm yourself before you hit yourself." He tightened his fists and loosened them again, trying desperately to get his feet to listen to him. Finally after a tough fight, they gave away and he got up. Maria heard the rustle and took that as a yes. She tensed up and straightened her posture, she surely hoped that it would not be someone who would judge her; she had enough judges back at her home, them she could handle, but not one more.
"Just do not get disappointed princess." While saying the last word he forced a smirk on his face as he got out and walked, casually he hoped, towards her.
Marias' eyes widened considerably while a strange sparkle had appeared in them.
"Robin." His name rolled off her tongue so naturally.
Loveday sighed as she and her fiancé Sir Benjamin were sitting in the dining room eating breakfast. It was quiet when Maria was not there to joke and laugh with them, the male side did not talk much but Mrs. Heliotrope made it even while chewing her husband Digweeds' ear off with sentimental things as the ash blond woman stared out of the window and into the forest.
A light caress at her arm snapped her from her light trance as she smiled upon seeing that the man who touched her was Sir Benjamin with his soft smile and gentle eyes. She did not believe that the man beside her was capable of caring so much but since she had moved in with him, it felt like heaven for them both.
"What is troubling you Love?"
She kissed his hand lightly and looked out the window again.
"I wonder… Maria and Robin are quite stubborn. Both think too much. No theory can explain love, no book can write it down and no tale can describe it." Sir Benjamin bit his lip, his fiancée was always right. Though he would never admit it, she was right, Maria and Robin were indeed thick headed and would not admit defeat.
He wondered how this would turn out, just as Loveday, he was curious and wanted to know.
"I am sure that they will eventually figure it out." He smiled again at her and gestured towards the food that was getting cold. "Let us continue to eat, Marmaduke would not be pleased to know that his efforts have gone to waste. We can even save some pudding for Maria later on." They both chuckled as they watched how Digweed was eying the pudding with hungry eyes, pretending that it was not as funny as it appeared.
"Robin." She whispered this time as he stood awkwardly in front of her. The daisy she can eventually picked was in her hands as she twirled it around nervously, avoiding his piercing hazel eyes. Oh god, had she missed him, she realized just now. It had been so long since he had talked to her, his voice had almost vanished from her head, she was trying for a week to keep it locked inside but was letting it slip and now this happens.
Was she dreaming?
Robin on the other hand was even more nervous. She would not look at him. Why? Was he not the one she had hoped for? The thought made him disappointed and put him down at the same time. She was so beautiful, how could he stand to be near her without trying to get close to her he did not know.
The bird boy quickly sat down in front of her, playing with the grass lazily. Silence was not what she had expected, far from that. He was finally near her and she just sat there.
"Say something Maria. Say something. He is going to leave if you just stand there like a statue. And you do not even look him in the eyes. Come on, do not be a coward!" She began to scold herself more and more, furrowing her browns in the same pattern again and he wondered if she ever worried about wrinkles in such a young and tender age.
"So Maria, something I should know? Like your free spirit, just waltzing into the forest thinking that even a wild boar would eat berries from your hand?" He smirked up at her as her face reddened and she smacked him slightly on the shoulder, daisy still in her hand.
"I see that you have improved your stalker skills lately but you are no match for me Robin De Noir. And I would even give a wild boar the berries then let them spoil." She smiled with triumph as his smirk quickly turned into a childish pout as he half heartedly glared at her. They were talking for less than five minutes and already she could bring him down with her.
"Princess, you haven't even seen my stalker skills. If I wanted to show you something, I would have done it by now." While talking he moved his hand but Maria was too focused on his eyes, his face, his smile to see anything else. By the time he was finished she noticed that she was no longer holding her daisy but it was tucked behind her ear safely. She felt embarrassed as he laughed, his laugh was so smooth, so nice, it was like music to her ears and she felt herself melting to the sound of his voice.
If she melted just by his voice, she realized, what would happen if he continued to hang around her? What would he do? Would he leave again?
"…and so? Maria? Helloo, earth to Maria." His voice ripped her from her small world and she looked up into his eyes again.
No, she had lost. Completely lost in him. She had lost the battle before it had even begun.
Now the little girl had to find a way to stay floating as he seemed to be at ease.
"I am sorry Robin, could you repeat that?"
The one thing that would make Robin sleep happily tonight was the thought that she would be there also, with the daisy in her hair and the embarrassed look on her face when she was caught spacing out. They stood like that for a few moments before changing the topic, neither noticing the sun up high, the morning had passed.