Lord Weston
Three years before the curse.
The Palace was just as grand as he had been told it would be. Great sweeping pillars stood proudly on the front facing side, displaying the large windows. The cold grey stone, carved intricately, showed all the wealth and power that the rank of the owner possessed.
Lord Adam Weston stood with his mouth agape. He owned a castle, but it was nothing like the extravagance he saw before him.
The nineteen-year old lord had finally arrived at her court, after the day long journey through her extensive lands. It was the first time he'd been invited to attend the court. After just finishing his education at Ashburne school, Adam was anxious to get into society. It was the first time in his life he was free to make his own choices. His Father has decreed he attend Ashburne, but his Father has died over two years before. Adam was already so far through his education, it seemed pointless to drop out. So, Adam stayed till the bitter end.
He'd never really got along particularly well with the other young men at school. Christopher had been pleasant enough, but his friend James, he was insufferable. Even though he was only heir to a Knighthood, he acted like he was a royal prince. It's annoyed Adam to no end that everyone always seemed to prefer James over himself. He was more highly born than James could ever aspire to be.
But none of that mattered any more. They'd all left school, and were out in the real world. And he had received an invitation to her court. As far as he knew, no one else he had gone to school with had received that honour.
He barked an order at the servants who were waiting on the steps of the palace, to take his bags to his room, and for someone to escort him to the Duchess.
He was obeyed without question. A young footman led him through the front door and upstairs to the audience chambers.
Adam was very curious to meet the new Duchess, very curious indeed. Only a few months before, there had been a large scandal involving the death of the former Duke, who was poisoned by his own daughter. She had been his heir, and the rumour was that she had killed him to try and grab his power. She had run away in the middle of the night, and had never been seen since. Her younger sister was heartbroken by the betrayal; and refused to leave her rooms for several weeks. In the time of crisis, the Duke's widow had taken over ruling. Her youngest step daughter was far too young to rule anyway. This new Duchess was said to be the very image of strength and determination.
Something Adam admired greatly.
The lord followed the servant through grand hallways, works of art and decoration lining every available inch. But Adam kept his head up high, he was going to be at the court for the foreseeable future, he would have time to admire it later; after he had made a good first impression on the court and the Duchess.
They came to a halt before a particularly large set of carved wooden door, and the servant nodded to the guards who were stood on either side of the door handles. They gave the lord a low bow, before reaching for the handles and opening the doors with a loud boom that echoed around the audience chamber.
Inside, were many fine courtiers, all dressed in exquisite clothes and dripping in jewels. They turned to stare at him. Adam didn't so much as blink. He kept the mask of cold indifference on his face not for a second betraying the nervousness that was building up inside of him. He took a small breath, and then marched forward, through the space in the crowd, right up to the Dias, where a carved ebony throne sat, inlaid with golden decoration.
And on the throne…
A devastatingly beautiful young woman.
Adam's eyes went wide with shock. He knew the new duchess was meant to be young and strong, but he had not been prepared for the stone cold beauty that lay before him.
Her skin was pale, and completely unblemished. Not a freckle or scar or a spot in sight. Her grey eyes seemed to hold the attention of everyone in the room, cold in nature. Her long light brown hair had been swept back to reveal the contours of her face, the long arching cheekbones, and the blood red lips. Her hair, almost golden in the light, fell down her back in long straight lines. She was dressed in black, still in mourning for her late husband; a man who had been a quarter of a century her senior.
Adam found himself staring at the Duchess for far longer than he had intended to. When he finally managed to rein in the thoughts that were flying through his head, he gave the Duchess a low bow, out of respect for her position. She didn't react, but stared at him throughout.
He rose, and she opened her blood red lips.
'Lord Weston. I am glad you could join my court. I trust you will find everything here to your satisfaction.'
Her tone was one of complete and utter command. She knew she had the power here, and acted like it. It had a sense of ice about it, cold and penetrating.
Something awoke inside Lord Weston. He pulled the corner of his mouth up into a small smirk, mimicking the one he had seen James make all the time at young ladies. He had never been much of a charmer, but he was willing to take a chance.
'Thank you, your grace. I'm sure I will be…' He paused for a moment, 'quite satisfied here.'
Her eyes narrowed slightly at him, as if she was undecided as to if she was flattered or offended. But her stone cold manner returned a fraction of a second later. She lifted her hand, dismissing him. Lord Weston gave her another low bow, and turned around to be led to his rooms. The arrogant smile that graced his face didn't disappear for the next hour, as he was shown his chambers, and how to navigate the main rooms of the palace.
He sat all alone in his new ante chamber, lounging like a contented cat on the chaise that was placed in the centre of the room. For the first time in his life, he was the one in charge. He had no school assignments, no obligations to his father, no need to try and prove he was better than his school mates. He knew he was better than them. He had been invited to her court, no one else had.
Adam was an ambitious young man. He always had been. It was something his father had ingrained in his mind from when he was a small boy.
The only way to succeed in this world is to take what you are owed, and not to apologise for it. And you my son, are owed a great many things by the world. You could reach the stars.
Adam had plans to live up that lesson. He might be a lord, with great wealth and power. But there were still places higher that he could attain.
And by far, the easiest way to attain that, was through marriage.
But now, there was only one possible target for that marriage of alliance.
The Duchess.
Powerful, calculating and beautiful; it was all the qualities Adam had desired in a potential bride. If he pulled this off, he could be elevated to the rank of Duke. He would be the same station as that doe eyed romantic; Christopher. Adam knew he would make a far better Duke than Christopher. Christopher only cared about the people he ruled, he never saw the benefit to himself of being in a position of so much power. The wealth he could obtain; the influence over history, the complete and utter control he would have. Adam saw all these possibilities spread out before him.
If only he could win her hand.
It didn't matter that she was a few years older than him, or that she had been married before. He would push those inconveniences to one side. Adam simply wanted the power she possessed.
And he would stop at nothing to get it.
Two months passed, and Adam was no closer to his goal.
It frustrated him to no end.
Two months of wasted energy. All those fine clothes he had ordered to try and impress her, all those jewels he had sent to her as gifts, all that money and time simply wasted.
She had never summoned him to her side.
She never seemed to look twice in his direction.
Her demeanor remained as cold as ice as she sat upon her throne, ruling the county.
Adam got more and more annoyed by the hour.
He had attended all the court function she would be at. He had paid servants for information about her movements and actions.
But no one was ever allowed to ascend to the Dias the throne sat on, not without her expressed permission.
And the entire court knew that.
Adam could get no closer to the Duchess than a footman.
There was only so much he could do from afar. He had written her notes asking for a private audience, usually with a made up excuse about his estate. He never planned on actually talking to her about it. He simply needed the chance to get her alone in a room with him. He knew he had charm, and could usually get women to do whatever he wanted them to. Granted that most of the women he had bedded so far were servants and maids, but the principle must be the same, whether they were a peasant or a Duchess. He might not be quite as swoon-worthy as James ( he always had his way with the ladies) but Adam knew a trick or two to persuade them to make it worth his time.
But that infernal Duchess! She wouldn't budge an inch.
Adam was starting to get desperate. He was only planning on being at court for about six months. With the amount of estate work he had to do for Milton and his castle, he needed at least half the year back there. While he didn't really care for the people of Milton, if they prospered, then he prospered in tax money; a very valuable lesson his father had taught him.
His father had many ideas and traditions that he had upheld that helped with making money from Milton. His father had always insisted that the people should see their lord. That way, they felt cared for, even if they weren't. And it was good to tell the people exactly who ruled them. Adam's father had told him that the people needed to know what he looked like. They couldn't bow and scrape to him if they didn't know who they were in the presence of.
Another tradition, which Adam actually liked, was the buying of good and things from the people of Milton. Particularly, the clothes from Milton. Many peasants couldn't afford to get clothes from dress shops, and frequently had to make their own from whatever scraps of cloth they could find. But if the lord frequently bought clothes from the dress shops of Milton, not only did he get wonderful new garments, but also put money in the pockets of the dress shop owner, and the seamstresses, who in turn bought food and other things from Milton, which meant everyone could pay their taxes in time. Adam also sent his servants to buy food from the local market and meat from the local butcher.
If the people didn't make money, then there was no money to give him. It had to keep moving, not just stay locked in his vaults. It wouldn't do him any good just lying there. For the amount of money he spent, he always made a profit in the return of it.
Adam was not a bad master, or a bad lord. He did look after his lands and his people. Granted it was for selfish reasons, but his lands were well governed and his people fairly contented. He simply didn't care for them much.
But he couldn't stay at the Duchess court for much longer than another four months if his lands were going to stay well cared for.
Adam was out, walking around the pristine gardens one afternoon. His mind was whirring and churning; trying desperately to think of ideas as to how exactly he was going to get the Duchess to notice him.
He was going to marry her if it was the last thing he did.
Adam wandered, straying from the path slightly to walk around through the edge of the forest. He'd always quite liked the forest. His own castle was surrounded by woods. You had to walk through the woods in order to get there. Although the forest around the Duchess's palace were different than the ones near Milton, it still gave him a sense of home.
Pacing and wandering, Adam walked deeper into the woods, his mind too occupied to think about where exactly he was going. How on earth was he going to win her hand if he couldn't even get her attention for a matter of seconds? He needed her to see him, and the potential he possessed. If he could be elevated to Duke, he could make a fat profit off all of the lands of the Dukedom. He wasn't blind, he could tell that nearly every other unmarried man at the court also had his eyes set firmly on her. Some were clearly fools as they had set their sights on her young stepdaughter. After all, technically, she was the true heir, after her sister ran away. But she was still far too young to be a ruler, or married. And if the current Duchess was anything like she had been rumoured to be, Adam didn't think she'd let her own stepdaughter outrank her.
Those men were clearly idiots if they didn't see that she had no chance of inheriting her father's title. Hardly anyone had actually seen her anyway. She was still too young to attend most of the court functions, and those she was actually invited to, she generally turned down the invitation, preferring to stay in her rooms.
She was not important. The only person who mattered at this court was the Duchess.
And Adam had to win her.
A cold breeze flew through the trees, forcing Adam to snap out of his thoughts and wrap his cloak tightly around himself.
Looking around, Adam slowly realised he had strayed too far from the path. And he had no clue how to get back to the palace.
Panicking, he looked around, trying to find which direction he had come from. But nothing looked familiar.
He was lost.
Very lost.
'Do you need help?' Came a voice from behind him.
Adam spun around to see an old man sat on the ground, leaning against a tree. His long grey beard was plaited and knotted in a strange fashion, and his clothes were old and dirty. A long grey cloak was wrapped around him, trying to shield him from the cold.
'Which way to the castle?' Adam said, his voice full of steely demand.
The old man only laughed.
'Which way?' Adam demanded.
The man only chuckled to himself, and pushed himself of the floor to stand in front of Adam.
'Why should I tell you?' The man said. His voice was strange. Other-worldly and yet familiar.
'You will tell me at once. I am a lord, I outrank you. And you will tell me which way.' Adam ordered him.
'Do you outrank me?' The old man said, with a small wicked smile.
Adam froze.
The old man simply moved his long hair out of his face, and tucked it securely behind his ears.
His long and pointed ears.
Faerie.
The old man was a faerie.
Adam stepped backwards in fear.
'You were saying…' The faerie joked.
'You're a… a… You're fae.' Adam spluttered.
'Well done, stating the obvious. I thought you were supposed to be intelligent.' The faerie told him.
Adam had to shake his head in disbelief at what he had just heard.
'You know me?' He asked, shocked.
'Not exactly.' The old faerie said.
'That's not an answer.' Adam spat.
'I know it isn't.' The faerie told him.
Adam was stunned at the nerve of the faerie. Never before had he been spoken to like that.
'Tell me how to get to the palace.' Adam said, through gritted teeth.
The faerie only laughed to himself.
'You don't want to know that.' He said quietly.
Adam was taken aback.
'Yes I do.' Adam insisted.
'No, you want to know how to win the Duchess. That's why you're wandering around in the first place. That's what you want to know.'
Adam's mouth fell open.
How on earth had the faerie known?
Adam knew they possessed magic, but not quite like that.
The faerie simply stood there, smiling to himself.
'What if I told you, I could help?' The old faerie told him.
Adam's head shot up.
Was this faerie really offering to help?
Could this be the answer he had been searching for?
A smirk formed on Adam's face without him realising it.
'How?' He asked.
'Well, telling you would spoil the fun.' The faerie teased.
'Tell me how.' Adam demanded.
The faerie stayed stubbornly silent.
'How?' Adam asked again. He didn't appreciate being teased in this manner.
'Now, why would I tell you that unless there was something in it for me…' The faerie said.
Adam took a deep breath.
Of course.
Faeries were notorious for making deals. They never did anything without an ulterior motive. They did everything to help their bigger plan.
'What do you want?' Adam asked. 'I have gold and land. Say it and it's yours.'
The faerie chuckled.
'I don't need money or land.'
'Then what do you want?' Adam spat.
'You.' The faerie said very matter of factly.
Adam's heart stopped.
What did that mean?
Was he asking for….
'Calm down, I don't mean like that.' The faerie told him. 'I'll offer you a deal. There is a way to find out what you want to know, and I'll help you get there. In return, I want one week from you. Just one.'
'One week of what?'
'One week of service from you. I'd think you'd benefit from learning how to peel potatoes.'
Adam recoiled. He wasn't about to spend a week being treated like a servant. He was far above that. He would not sink to levels of peasantry.
'No.' Adam said.
'Well then, you'll just have to think of some other way to find out what you need to know.' Said the faerie as he turned away from Adam, and began to walk away.
'Wait!' Adam shouted. Although he didn't like the terms the faerie had told him, he was desperate. He needed to know how to win over the Duchess if he was ever going to succeed. And so far, everything he had tried was not working. He needed help, as much as he hated to admit it.
The faerie turned back around slowly, a smirk on his face.
'One week. You tell me how to get a hold of what I need to know, and I will serve you for one week. Then we part ways and never see each other again.' Adam told him.
The faerie's smirk only grew larger.
'Then we have a deal, Lord Adam Weston.'
Adam's eyes widened at the sound of his name. He certainly hadn't told the faerie what he was called, but at this point knew better than to ask. Faeries knew things far beyond what they should know, and how they got their hands on that information was something known only to them. Humans knew better than to ask.
The faerie held out his hand for Adam to shake. Slowly and begrudgingly, Adam reached forward for it, but stopped just before their hands met.
'You help me; immediately.' Adam amended.
The faerie only raised his eyebrow slightly, as if he was amused that the lord dare make a demand on him. But he nodded slightly, and grasped Adam's hand and shook it.
Adam gripped the faerie's hand tightly.
'So, how do I win over the Duchess?' He asked.
The faerie responded with a wicked smile.
And Adam couldn't help but think that he may have just made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.
To his credit, the faerie delivered on his promise.
Or at least, that was what Adam thought as he was lead down a dark and filthy corridor in the palace. It had originally been a servant's passage, but was now in disuse. Covered in cobwebs and other things that Adam didn't even want to know, they made their way down it with only a single torch to guide them.
The faerie had kept adamantly silent since they had shaken on their deal. He had simply revealed a secret entrance to the palace, and lead him down it.
Now, they were deep in the middle of the palace. Adam could tell by the noise and sounds of the court that could be heard through the thin walls.
'Are we almost there?' Adam asked impatiently.
The faerie didn't respond, but continued to walk down the black and dirty passage.
Adam had no choice but to continue to follow him.
They walked for about another ten minutes, Adam got more and more lost the further into the palace.
Suddenly, without warning; the faerie stopped.
He gestured to the door before him.
Adam tried to squeeze past the faerie, but he caught Adam's arm as he went past, halting him.
'I go no further. The Duchess won't be there. She's occupied.' The faerie told him.
'Then what's in there?' Adam asked, the secrecy beginning to annoy him.
'The Duchess's secret chamber. It holds her most precious possession. That's what you need to find.'
Adam stopped in shock. This would definitely help him to win her hand.
'But, I warn you; use it with caution. There will be heavy price to pay. Limit yourself to the smallest amount of questions possible. Don't waste them.'
Adam's mind spun with the strangeness of what the faerie had just said.
The faerie let go on his arm, and stepped back to let Adam pass.
'You have ten minutes, don't waste them.' He said.
Adam's hand rested on the handle of the door. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, but Adam ignored it as he pushed the door open.
Light flooded the corridor; illuminating all the dirt of the passage. Adam stepped out into the spacious room. The door closed behind him with a loud click.
Looking around the room, Adam searched for this precious object.
But the room was bear.
Only one door stood on the left hand side of the room. The door he had entered through was concealed in the wall. It was so hidden that if Adam hadn't just come through it, he would never have guessed that it was there.
The room was empty.
There was nothing.
Not even a table.
Adam frantically looked around for this object he was supposed to consult.
Nothing.
Adam's blood boiled. The faerie had led him on a wild goose chase. He had been played, completely.
He turned around to walk out, back into the dark passage. But something went right through him, and caused him to stop.
Adam.
Adam Weston.
It was like a whisper, or a tremor. It filled the room, going right through Adam's bones.
He turned back around slowly.
His gaze was drawn higher and higher, until it landed on the one single object in the room, attached to the wall high above him.
A large and intricate mirror.
It was beautiful. Like nothing Adam had ever seen before.
So many delicately carved edges decorated the frame, and the glass within it was utterly perfect. Not a single scratch or imperfection.
It was simply perfect.
Adam.
The whisper sounded again, sending vibrations right through Adam. He stood, frozen, gazing at that mirror.
What do you wish to know? I can tell you the answer to any question you pose to me.
Adam's heart raced. This was her most precious possession? He supposed that if she had something that could tell her anything in the world, then of course it would be extremely precious to her.
And he had the opportunity to use it, for his own gain.
Adam took a deep breath, and began to think.
The faerie had warned him to keep his questions to a minimum. He said there was a steep price for asking questions.
So, Adam wouldn't waste his time.
Drawing himself up to his full height, he swallowed and cleared his throat. His conquest of the Duchess was almost assured now, so he knew the question he had to ask the mirror.
'When will the Duchess and I be married?' Adam asked, in the most confident voice he could conjure.
Several seconds passed, and Adam swore that his heartbeat was so loud that it would be able to be heard in the next county.
Never. The whisper said.
Adam stopped breathing.
You will never marry the Duchess. You will wed your true love.
Adam almost scoffed at the mirror.
True love?
True Love!
True love didn't exist. It had never existed.
The notion of it was plainly ridiculous.
There was no such thing as true love, his father had taught him that much.
But then, that meant….
That meant Adam was never going to marry.
If there was no true love, then he would have no bride, if what this mirror said was correct.
He was about to turn away, when the perfect surface of the mirror began to move, slowly.
His eyes were immediately drawn to it. He watched as it contorted until there were two letters etched onto the smooth surface.
I.G
They were there for a moment, and then disappeared, as if it had never been.
Adam blinked in disbelief. It had just disappeared. Maybe it had never been there. Maybe this magic mirror was playing tricks on him.
Before Adam had chance to think of another question to ask the mirror, a large gust of wind filled the room.
Suddenly, a sharp pain flew through Adam's chest. Something pulled and ripped at something in his chest, forcing him to his knees, as he screamed and clawed at his chest.
It didn't go away, as he felt something pull and pull. The pain was blinding. He couldn't think or do anything other than scream.
Finally, something ripped away, and the pain disappeared.
Adam blinked away the tears that had formed, and closed his mouth; his throat still raw from screaming.
Patting his chest, he found no injury, nothing to mark what had just happened. He almost laughed in disbelief.
What else do you wish to know?
Adam's had snapped back upward, to where the mirror was still there, hanging.
That thing had caused him so much pain.
Was that the price? Whenever a question was asked, that amount of pain was inflicted on the asker?
If that was the case, Adam decided in that moment that he never wanted to have any more interactions with that blasted item.
After all, he'd already gotten all of the answers he needed.
He was never going to marry. Not just the Duchess, anyone. True love did not exist, so he was destined never to marry.
Climbing of his knees, he stood before that horrid, damned object.
'Nothing.' He spat out. Adam quickly turned on his heel, and made his way to the door as quickly as he could.
Pushing the secret door with far too much force, he almost ran back into the passage, and as far away from that evil mirror as he could.
The faerie was waiting for him on the other side.
'Did you find out what you needed to?' He asked.
Adam ignored him, and walked right past.
'Um… Ah hem.' The faerie coughed. 'I believe you belong to me for a week now.'
Adam stopped, and gritted his teeth. Why had he made that stupid, idiotic bargain?
'Come on, you have chores to attend to.' The faerie told him, moving towards him.
Adam turned on the faerie slowly.
'What did it do?' He asked, his voice rough and angry.
The faerie stopped.
'You mean; you don't know?' He asked.
Adam didn't move.
The faerie smirked.
'Every question asked, requires a price. The price of using the mirror is a piece of your soul.'
Adam wasn't even surprised. Something inside knew that the moment the pain had started.
'Your soul is blackened now you have used it. Forever.' The faerie told him.
Adam didn't react. None of this was a shock. He had felt it; his soul being ripped away from him. That was why it had hurt so much.
'So, what did it say?' The faerie asked.
'That I will wed for true love. Something that doesn't exist. I will never love or be married.' Adam told him.
The faerie simply raised his eyebrow and continued to walk past Adam.
'Come on, you have work to do.'
Adam took a deep breath. A promise was a promise, and no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't go back on his word. Maybe if the person he had shaken with hadn't been a faerie, he might have been able to get out of it, but he knew better than to double cross a faerie.
Begrudgingly, he followed the faerie down the dark and filthy passage, towards a week of hell.
To Adam, servitude to the faerie was every bit as bad as he thought it would be.
He was forced to spend all morning preparing breakfast, and to begin to peel vegetable for dinner that night. He would spend hours of isolation, sat at a table, peeling potatoes and carrots until his fingers bled.
He hated it.
Completely loathed every second.
But nothing compared to the amount of hate he held in his heart for the faerie who had enslaved him.
Adam spent the hours doing chores thinking up new and horrid way to make as much trouble for the faerie once he was free of this stupid agreement.
His mind was consumed with thoughts of hate and loathing. For everyone, for everything.
Nothing could touch his heart, his soul.
He was completely consumed with the need to blot out every bit of light in his life, every scrap of good.
The faerie watched him with amusement, knowing exactly how the mirror and his new circumstances had affected him.
The faerie knew well the effects of that magic mirror. He had seen it happen many times before.
But he knew all hope was not lost on Adam. He had a destiny to fulfill, even though he knew it not.
Although the fae had meant well, it had completely the opposite effect on Adam.
The faerie knew exactly what was in store for Adam in the future, and had tried to help. He had thought that maybe if he could appreciate the work his servants did for him, he would be more grateful to them in the days and years to come.
But, Adam fell more and more into the blackness of his soul. Each passing hour, he became more hateful and horrid.
The faerie knew it was no fault of his own. The mirror worked its magic well. But that left Adam with a much harder destiny to face.
Despite the faerie enchanter's best effort to get him to appreciate what he had, Adam became more and more cold hearted. He viewed his servitude not as his saving grace, but as further reason to punish those who were not as fortunate as himself.
The faerie began to despair. He knew something had to be done. There were certain events in the future that must happen, and it was his task to get them to come to fruition.
And Adam had a large part to play, whether he liked it or not.
On the last day of his servitude, the enchanter tasked Adam with picking Roses from his garden. It was one last effort to try and get him to see the that the world could be full of beauty and wonder.
The faerie's roses were enchanted, and he took great pride in growing them. When they bloomed, each and every one of them was a perfect flower. So perfect and beautiful.
He had hoped that Adam would be able to see the wonder in them and that it might melt his cold heart.
But, as he watched Adam pluck them, he knew he had failed him.
Adam violently tore at the stems of the roses, cutting himself on the thorns frequently. He cursed them and tugged on them until they broke free. He carelessly tossed them onto the pile, cursing the faerie who had made him do this.
He couldn't see. He didn't understand.
The faerie began to despair. There were only a few things left he could try. He could not fail in his task; he would not fail.
The best thing he could do was wait. Time may soften his heart, and teach him the lessons he needed to know.
But if that didn't work, then the faerie would have to think of something far more drastic. Something that Adam couldn't ignore. Something that may seem highly unfair at the time, but would be necessary.
Three years, that's how long he would wait. Three years, and if nothing had happened, then he would intervene again.
So, as the faerie sat and watched Adam curse his name to high hell, he began to plan for what he would need to do, in order to save Adam from himself.
In order for Adam to fulfill his destiny.
And it all involved a certain true love of his.
AN- Hi Everyone!
Hopefully, this one shot explains a little more about what exactly went on at the end of AHA. I know it didn't make much sense at the time, but I hope I've done a good enough job to explain it a little better.
Part 3 of Marion's story is now online, and will be published about twice a week.
Once again, please review! I love getting them, and I haven't really had any recently. It would mean to world to me if I knew someone was still reading my work.
Please continue to enjoy. There will be more Marion and more one shots, so just hang on in there.
Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading this!
Generic fangirl.
