Chapter 10

Maria POV

Cold. Damp.

The smell of mold penetrated my nose. My head was splitting with a headache and I tried my best not to cry out in my less than conscious state. As I cracked my eyes open, no light filtered in. Wherever I was seemed to be completely in the dark. Strange. The Merryweather Mansion always felt light. The only darkness to be found there was the one that shrouded Uncle Benjamin.

I sat up with a start. No darkness in the Merryweather Mansion. Then where on earth am I?

My eyes wouldn't adjust to the lack of light and I found myself blindly feeling around my legs, feeling the soft fabric of a thick comforter covering me. Wait a minute. My hands flew to my upper body. Oh my god, where's my shirt. Am I naked? Oh god. The splitting headache was mind altering and I became woozy before I could stand up.

I've been fine will now, maybe just a quick nap before I figure this out.

The mind doesn't always think clearly.

As I drifted off, I could faintly hear the sound of heavy breathy not too far away.

Robin POV

The boys left hooting and hollering about their successes. I was left to look at Maria with wide eyes and a heavy heart as I realized there was nothing to be done of her hair, which was left disconnected and pinned to the ground.

"Oh Maria, what will I do with you."

I reached under her knees and upper body and grimaced when I felt the slick feeling of blood on her back. I shifted around until she was comfortable in my arms and made my way to the Merryweather Mansion. Maybe someone there could stitch her up. Certainly nobody at home would be so considerate.

"Psst." I stopped dead, fearing the barbarians had come back. "Robin, come here." I knew that voice. I hadn't heard it in so long but I knew it. "Robin, whatever did you do to her?"

I turned to see a beautiful woman with long blond hair, the same hair which used to contrast everyone else's at the De Noir castle. "Loveday!"

"Follow me. We need to patch her up. I can't believe you'd be so careless with her."

"Careless? What do you mean careless? You don't even know what happened." I followed her through the thick forest, bickering like the close siblings we used to be.

We approached a cliff face with a large crack, into which Loveday disappeared and called for me to follow. Loveday walked swiftly in the pitch black and I was left stumbling blindly, until she lit a candle. And another one. Until tens of candles were glowing. Suddenly the room was illuminated. It was furnished with a bed, a couch, a vanity and a table. I looked at Loveday in confusion.

Loveday chuckled, "You didn't expect me to just wander the woods for all these years."

I was awestruck at the humble abode in which my dear sister had been residing all this time. "How did you find us in the woods?"

"Oh, I heard those Neanderthals yelling and went to see what was going on. Speaking of, put dear Maria on her stomach on the table."

I did as I was told and Loveday immediately started cutting away Maria's shirt. I didn't look away as she did so, considering Maria's love of stripping whenever convenient. "Robin, Ill beg your pardon on Marias behalf, look away you halfwit." Lovedays harsh scolding halted her work on Maria, her shirt only half remove.

"But I-"

Loveday silenced me with a look and I turned, if only so she would continue to patch up Maria. I found myself wondering the room, taking in the intricate details. The bed itself had a spread that looked soft to the touch, but thick and warm. I found myself sitting on it, ignoring the smell of blood that was beginning to fill my nostrils. I glanced over out of the corner of my eye, only to violently look away when I saw Loveday threading a needle.

"What are you doing?" My voice came out choked.

"Oh Robin, you silly silly boy, rest up, and then we'll talk."

I was shaken awake a while later by Loveday. I opened my eyes blearily. There was no reason for me to be so tired but I assumed it was from the shock of it all.

I found Maria with my eyes, still slung of the table unconscious, covered in a velvet shawl. "She took a nasty blow to the head and she's knocked out. I think we should put her in the bed and let her rest it off."

"Okay."

"Help me lift her to the bed."

"Okay."

"Robin, move your feet and help me."

"Oh yeah, duh, okay."

I walked over and unconsciously brushed Loveday aside as I lifted Maria again into my arms, less gracefully than I'd imagined. "Pull the covers back." I carried Maria over, careful to keep her modesty intact with the shawl, though I imagine had she been conscious she'd had flung the shawl off and amused herself with my gawking. Nevertheless I set her down on the bed and covered her up to her chin. My fingers reached out of their own accord and took a curl to swirl around.

"So where have you been Loveday."

"Right here."

"You never came to find me." The childhood hurt that he'd been suppressing for the longest of times began to resurface.

Her face fell and her lip quivered. "You never came to find me either."

"I was so young when you left! You told me not to! You were supposed to protect me." My voice was raising more than I had intended.

"I was a child myself Robin. You had to have heard I was around. People have seen me." Her voice was soft and soothing, just like I remembered it to be.

I felt the underlying plea to let dead horses lie, so I looked around the room again. "You look like you've been comfortable."

She grinned, "You look as though you've found your own comforts as well." Her head nodded to the sleeping girl, whose hair my fingers where still entangled. A thick blush crept up my neck and flooded my entire face.

"She's a friend. Unlike anyone else I've ever met."

"Speaking of friends, I believe I have someone she'd like to see when she wakes up."

My curiosity peaked and she disappeared down a hall I hadn't noticed before. She emerged with a large rabbit in her arms. She smiled at me as if the rabbit was supposed to mean something.

"I'm sorry, is there something special about that rabbit."

Loveday huffed out a sigh and set the rabbit on the bed opposite of me, and the rabbit, after a moment's hesitation, hopped close to Maria and snuggled in. A smile grew onto my face. "Her name is Serena. Maria saved her from your nasty friends."

"Wait what. She kept it?" My smile grew as I recalled a beat up Rick whining to me about the Merryweather girl.

Loveday clapped in glee, "Yes, and she's the sweetest thing. Oh, she loves to be held and attention and sleeping close to people."

For a moment I forgot that she was talking about the rabbit.

"Oh my dear Robin, I do so need sleep. Could you watch Maria for me? I will just sleep down the hall in my room, I usually leave this bed for the sick animals. But, darling Maria can use it too."

"Uh huh." I was mesmerized but her eyelashes, brushing against her cheeks. I almost didn't notice Loveday picked up the Rabbit. I wouldn't have noticed at all had the darned thing not cried out like it was in pain.

"Shhh, darling, you can see her when she wakes up."

I watched at Loveday held the rabbit close to her chest and walked away, a light, "Goodnight Robin," wafting towards me, so soft I wasn't entirely sure I'd heard her properly.

I watched Maria for a long time, analyzing every lash, every freckle, and every red hair. Eventually, the need for sleep overtook me, and I began the process of blowing all the candles out. Maria left out a soft whimper, which in the right mindset could've enticed some rather ungentlemanly thoughts. I glanced over at her, making sure she was still okay, before blowing the last candle out and letting the room settle into pitch black darkness. I settled into the large chair and closed my eyes for a brief nap.

(Line Break)

I woke with a start to soft light filtering through my eyelids. I hadn't meant to sleep so long, how could it already be daylight? I opened them, quickly adjusting to the brightness, realizing quickly that it was just candles again. I looked to Maria, who was still in the bed, only now she was curiously laying atop the covers. Her large gash exposed to my eyes, causing me to feeling violently queasy.

I stood up, stiff from yesterday's adventures, only to sit back down on the bed, my weight causing Maria's body to tip towards me a little. I quickly stopped it from doing so, as I was hyper aware of the fact that she was still bare apart from her pants. I pushed her gently so she was resting on her side steadily, before I took a closer look at the gash. It wasn't healing at all, but it'd only been a short while I should expect such results. Loveday's stitching was neat and concise, she must have a hand at medicine. It would make sense, she'd taken care of herself for so long. My finger traced the curve of the slice, ending up just above where her pants sat. My eyes trailed lower, allowing myself a moment to my own thoughts, my own unmentionable thoughts.

The harsh sounds of someone clearing their throat jerked me out of my reverie. I immediately turned to look to the hall Loveday had disappeared down earlier that night, or morning, I wasn't really sure what to make of the time. But there was nothing. Again, the throat cleared and I realized that it was coming from right next to me. My eyes met those harsh greys, peeking from around her shoulder, and I could see the laughter before it reached her face.

"Like what you see?"

Despite me best attempts, I couldn't figure out to which part she was refereeing, because god yes, I like your eyes. However, in a truly Maria fashion, she wiggled the ass that I had, moments before, been unashamedly staring at. I did my best to ignore that fact that she had begun the turn in the slightest, the curvature of her breast becoming visible. My right hand clenched and it wasn't till then that I realized my left was still resting on her side.

My face flushed a burning red and I stood up, ripping my hand away like it'd been burned, and crossing the room back to my chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Not so good."

Concern over washed my embarrassment and concern etched itself onto my face. She saw it, and smirked. "Is it the gash? What wrong?"

Maria raised a single eyebrow, "No, actually, that's hardly hurting at all. I would, however, appreciate a shirt so you can't perv any longer."

Again with the burning red face. "Oh, shit, duh. Uh, let me go wake Loveday."

I fled down the hall, not sure where I was going and blindly groping at the darkness trying to find a footing. I eventually tripped on something and conveniently landed square in the middle of a bed, gracelessly flopping over my sister in return. Loveday squealed, kicking me unceremoniously off the bed, and I hit the floor with a loud thud. "Loveday, it's me, I tripped."

"You idiot. What if I'd stabbed you?"

"Uh, what?"

A glow from a match illuminated a small portion of the room before she lit a candle. I saw, on a nightstand made of a log, a glinting silver dagger.

"Did you need something?"

I was plagued with thoughts about what Loveday could've been going through all this time. For her to be so scared that she sleeps with a weapon so near. My poor darling sister.

"Robin, did you need something?"

My mind flashed to Maria, lying in bed with that teasing look. A tease. Ill add that to the list of things I can use to describe Maria. Maria, lying in the bed with her hips creating a line my eyes would happily trace forever. Maria, with her chest so happily on display had I just been an inch taller.

"Aked"

"I'm sorry?"

I stood up, shaking again and feeling like a young boy whose overwhelming crush was a hindrance on my everyday life. "She's naked."

"Um."

"Oh, and she's awake."

Loveday jumped up, "Well why didn't you say so?" She grabbed the candle and a dress, and fled the room, eager to get back to Maria.

"Cause she's naked." I sighed.

I hung back a while in the once again dark room, allowing them time to dress Maria, until I heard, "What even is that?"

"A dress Maria."

I laughed a little, and sat myself on the bed, knowing that Loveday wasn't going to have an easy time getting her the extravagant gown.

There was more arguing, loud shuffling, and eventually a very loud unsatisfied groan from Maria.

"She's decent, Robin!" Loveday called back.

I stood up and straightened my clothes and walked out, only to be met with a very disgruntled Maria. She had been dressed in a long floor length gown, a blue velvet that had been worn down severely and patched in different places. The dress was nothing special and yet her being in it could've made the dress fit for the queen. Having never seen her in a dress, my mind was racing.

"Close your mouth, this is only going to last until I can get a shirt." My mouth snapped shut, not knowing that it had fallen open in the first place.

Lovedays eyes shifted between us, me making direct eye contact with the wall to my left, and Maria with her hip jutted out and an amused smirk on her lips while watching me. "I think you two have somewhere to be."

Maria and I looked at Loveday in confusion.

"Maria's family is probably wondering where she is."

Maria's eyes got huge as she glanced down at the dress. "Shit!"

"Maria! A lady doesn't speak such words."

"Uncle Ben will have my head! Not even to mention Ms. Heliotrope." Marias blubbering went on as she straightened out the already straightened dress and wrung her hands. A smile stretched over my lips as I watched her very human like mannerisms. I'd never seen so much anxiety on someone's face and for some reason it was endearing. For some reason I saw her as the teenager she was for the first time.

Hey again. I know this is very different and I'm trying to figure out where I had wanted this story to go. AS a fourteen year old I didn't exactly leave a key to the cliff hangers and mysteries and stuff so if those don't get resolved I'm sorry. I'm doing my best.

Anyway, thank you for reading. I think I'll post on Monday.

And now, dear readers, the author's note mentioned in the description, if anybody actually listened or even clicked on this story.

I hate it. I'm not going to lie, reading the first nine chapters to try and get a feel of how to finish this physically are causing me pain, and I have the snapchats to my best friend to prove it.

However, I've made the decision to finish this damn story. Come hell or highwater its happening.

But my problem is this: why come back after a four year long hiatus only to half ass the story. And I say that with the hope that chapter 10 didn't disappoint. I am not a special writer. I don't have an special skills or styles. I'm a hopeless romantic who thought at fourteen I could tackle this type of story. And perhaps then I could.

The mindset is very different for me now.

The first nine chapters are shit. Horse shit. I wouldn't fertilize my garden with it shit. But the story isn't the problem. It's the writing. I'm still deeply in love with the idea of Robin being 200 year's behind Maria. But the image I had always painted in my head was not properly portrayed.

I feel like I'm not explaining this well so I'm going to come right out and say it.

I want to rewrite the first nine chapters. And I'm going to. And this is only applicable if anybody cares or clicks on this to respond, which I'm honestly not expecting.

The question I have is should I rewrite or finish first. The meat of the story will be the same, minor plot points may change but that's it. I'm scared that I will push myself to finish a story that I don't feel connected to in anyway due to the lackluster writing. If I finish the story I have up now, yes, it will be resolved and I will be able to sleep at night, but it will never feel right. There are things that now, as a not fourteen year old (I can't stress that lame excuse enough) I'd like to explore in this universe with these two characters. But they are things that have to be explored earlier in the fic as in the next few chapters that I have written things are starting to get kind of dark.

Anyway, what I'm asking is what you (the hopefully existent reader) think about it. If I choose to rewrite first it will put the promised chapters on hold for the next few weeks until I can get the first nine chapters in order. But since nobody is waiting in line for an update from me anymore I feel that that may be the best option. If there is any opposition, let it be known, though I have a hard time thinking that after four years another few weeks is anything to stress about.

Anyway, if you're here, let me know what you think. I have a feeling that if there are any active Moonacre fans, they would be extremely off put by those first chapters.

I'm rambling.

Okay, I'll go now. I'll try to do a chapter a day and then update all at once but no promises. All I can say is that I have every intention of finishing this entire story before the New Year, I'm not going to let this turn into six years in the making.

Have a wonderful day!