Chapter 16/Epilogue/Day Three Hundred Sixty-Three
The hustle and bustle filling the normally vacant field is music that most people hear as noise. She is not most people. It's an orchestra playing a symphony to her ears. Taking a deep breath of the wonderful smell accompanying the circus, Marianne walks confidently through the circus grounds.
Her amethyst black-trimmed sleeveless long duster coat swishes against the grass teasingly with every step, the billowy fabric belted around her waist not completely covering the black-laced roses adorning her rose-red laced v neck tank top or the black leggings. Her black leather platform boots complete her look while also adding six inches to her five-six height with the see-through faux rosebud wedges.
She chuckles as she flicks her amethyst and black butterfly-like wings open as she walks into view of the crowded fencing and elicits cheering from the waiting visitors. Giving a wave with her black synthetic-leather fingerless glove-covered clawed hand, she returns the smiles given by many of them as she continues her trek around the grounds for a last inspection of the preparations.
A lot has changed since they were last in this city nearly a full year ago and despite the painful start, it had been a wonderful adventure. Each city they traveled to had welcomed them with vibrant enthusiasm, adoring the changes to the Dark Forest Circus and particularly loving the closing act between her and Bog. If she had thought that the first time she performed had been freeing, it was nothing compared to the feelings each subsequent show brought her the rest of the touring year.
The difference between the Light Field Circus and the Dark Forest Circus was as obvious as night and day from that first few hours she had spent with the rival circus. There were no secrets in the Dark Forest Circus, no hushed conversations that stop the second you're in sight…well, actually there were but those resulted in blushes and giggles, so it's not the same. The biggest difference was the acceptance they freely gave out, and not just acceptance for a fae-touched but also for a non-fae-touched.
"It's all clear in this area," Greg informs as she approaches the booth he finished inspecting.
"Good. Were there any problems?" Marianne asks.
"No...well, there was a bulb I had to replace since it blew out but that's all," he admits.
"That wasn't on the new platform again, was it? Those wires might need replaced," she murmurs.
"It's fine," Greg reassures. "It was Lakeesha's booth that needed the bulb. I already triple-checked the new platform and everything is working properly. The only problem over there is Imp trying to 'fix' Sunny's music choices."
"Seriously?!" Marianne laughs. "I thought they settled that argument already!"
"Nope. They're still at it," he chuckles.
Shaking her head in amusement, Marianne waves to the non-fae-touched man before taking flight toward the faint one-sided argument she can hear taking place. She can't help rolling her eyes at the scene when she lands. Alex, Yuki, Klarissa, Kishan, Riley, Quint, and Dawn all sit on the new platform displaying various signs of frustration as Sunny struggles to convince Imp to return the confiscated CDs.
"Imp!" Marianne sighs.
"It's a travesty!" Imp signs aggressively.
"That's beside the point," she mutters. "You know Bog and I already gave them the approval."
"But...," Imp starts signing.
"No buts!" Marianne interrupts, holding out her clawed hand. "Give them here."
"I want full permission to gloat when the visitors complain," Imp signs after handing over the CDs.
"What age are you again?" Alex scoffs, smirking as the older man sticks out his tongue before walking away.
"You don't think anyone will really have a problem with the music, do you?" Sunny questions softly
"I'm sure everyone will love it," Marianne reassures.
"Don't worry so much, Sunny. If Uncle really thought it was bad, then nobody would be able to stop him from protesting," Klarissa adds. "He's just picky about music."
"Or he just really likes picking on Sunny," Yuki giggles.
Marianne snickers as the younger teenagers laugh loudly at the truth of that statement. Imp did seem to enjoy picking on Sunny from that first day the Light Field Circus circus fleas joined the Dark Forest Circus. Of course, it was from affection and not from bullying as the older man had taken a shine to him almost immediately. The pair got along splendidly...until their shared love of music clashed with each other's preferences.
Letting the group continue finishing their last-minute preparations, Marianne returns to her inspection of the circus grounds. It's not something she truly needs to do since each worker she passes confirms their readiness but...
A rough sigh breaks her steady pace and she pauses to lift her face to the sky with her eyes closed as her wings flutter to relieve the hidden tension. She couldn't help it. No matter how well things had turned out in the end, there's always that nagging unease lingering at the back of her heart, especially now.
Even as she traveled with the Dark Forest Circus for the rest of last year, enjoying herself far more than she had for a long time as she performed with Bog in the big top, she hadn't been able to get her mind off of the situation surrounding the permanently-closed Light Field Circus. She had known that her father was doing well thanks to Uncle Albion's daily updates of his condition and Dawn's daily complaints of living with their strict uncle. Pare, too, had kept her informed of those who returned to the Light Field Circus' home grounds. But that hadn't erased the damage that cursed contract inflicted.
Of course, the trouble had started before the mess of last year but signing the Coup D'etat had made it worse. Uncle Albion had tried to console her, stating that the unrest began long before she was born, hence why he had chosen to leave the circus despite the racism he had at first faced in the corporate world, and that the exclusionist attitude that started infecting the Light Field Circus had nothing to do with her personally. However, she can't shake off the wrongness she always felt around those she grew up with.
Maybe she never will.
"We've talked about this before, dear heart," Plum murmurs, alerting her that she had stopped near the fortune teller tent.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Aunt Aura," Marianne comments lightly, opening her eyes to look at her.
"Of course you do," Plum counters. "Didn't the last year teach you nothing? There's nothing for you to be worried about. Everything will be fine."
"I can't help it," Marianne mutters.
"I know," Plum sighs before smiling sly. "You might as well go check on our dear ringmaster. He might do a good enough job of distracting you now that he's done stubbornly resisting you."
Marianne rolls her eyes at the remark but obeys the suggestion, barely able to keep the fond smile off her face and from going at a faster pace than a walk. Her aunt's soft laughter says how well she managed at hiding her eagerness.
One thing she's very glad about being different from last year is her relationship with the dragonfly-like-winged ringmaster. Somehow the man had turned out to be more stubborn than even her, keeping his word about not allowing their relationship get any further than mere friendship no matter how much she insisted that she wasn't repeating the same mistake she made with settling for Roland, which wasn't even a concern of Bog's but she still felt the need to mention it. Even the fact that she shared his bed with him for several weeks until they figured out how to lessen her nightmares had done nothing to weaken his resolve.
"Damn it, ye stupid thing!" Bog growls out as she approaches his trailer.
Marianne's laughter announces her as she opens the trailer door to a familiar sight of a ringmaster's elegant figure being marred by a scowl and a misbehaving wing. Dutifully, she moves forward and grabs Bog's black gold-trimmed tailcoat from his grip and helps him ease his wings into place before fixing his disheveled appearance. The only difference from the previous year's opening day where the same event took place is that after buttoning his amber waistcoat, Marianne pulls the tall figure down to lay a kiss on those tempting lips before brushing his spiked ash-brown hair into place and continuing her inspection of his tall black dress boots and black pants.
"Manx got called to assist on wrangling the circus fleas again?" she questions as she grabs his black leather cord necklace and adjusts it around his neck, caressing the honey amber butterfly pendant momentarily.
"Not this time," Bog chuckles. "He didn't say what happened, though."
"Oh, no!" Marianne groans.
"Now, none of that," he chides gently, kissing her forehead. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about or he would have said something. Probably doesn't want ye to fret over something that they can handle."
"I just want today to go perfectly," she mutters.
"And it will. We did alright all last year and we'll do even better this year," Bog states confidently. "Now I want ye to enjoy yerself today. That's an order."
"You can't order me, remember? I'm not your employee," Marianne points out with a smirk.
"As one co-owner to the other co-owner, I formally request that ye enjoy yerself today," he corrects solemnly before smirking.
"Well, since you asked so nicely," she purrs, pulling him down for another kiss.
"Ten minutes till opening!" Stuff yells through the door before their lips meet.
"The show must go on," Marianne quips, chuckling at his frustrated growl before her amusement is smothered by his mouth.
Despite their mutual desire to continue, the pair pull back from one another after one more quick kiss. A lot had happened since that day those of the Light Field Circus signed a Coup D'etat that was doomed to fail from the start. Some of it was good, some of it still haunted her, and some had seemed to be destined to happen.
Such a strange thing it was to return back to the circus home grounds and discover that both circuses actually lived right next to each other...well, more like back-to-back to each other since the road to each property was on the opposite side. To get from one property to the other by the roads took roughly twenty minutes by vehicle, hence why it was never realized how close they actually were. That, and the fact that a thick forest laid between them with a large moss and ivy-covered stone wall spanning the entire property line. The bigger shock came when she and Bog searched the property records and discovered that their property used to be the home grounds of a circus joint-owned by two fae-touched friends, Fredrick Kingly and Lucas DuFae.
It turned out that Marianne had been right about a DuFae causing the rivalry but not as one might expect. Lucas DuFae had two sons and he had given his share of the circus to both his sons equally. Fredrick Kingly had a son and a daughter, which had created an imbalance of ownership since no matter how much he wanted his daughter to share equal footing with her brother, a woman just didn't own such a property in that day and age. Griselda couldn't keep quiet about that hogwash when they discovered the story.
They hadn't managed to find out what exactly happened to cause the circus and circus property to be split into the two separate circuses but it was obvious that the elder brothers were the ones who did so since both younger siblings had left the circus together and were never heard from again. Funny how a DuFae daughter and a Kingly son were the ones to fix what their ancestors messed up.
Stepping out of the trailer as Bog grabs his ornate golden quarterstaff and yellow-feathered black pork pie hat, Marianne takes another deep relaxing breath as she flutters her wings once more.
"Are ye alright?" Bog asks softly as he places his hat on.
"Relatively," she admits. "I can't help it. I'm trying to but..."
"I know," he murmurs as she trails off. "Everything will be alright, ye'll see."
"Aunt Aura said the same thing," Marianne comments wryly.
"The day is off to a bad start if Plum and I are agreeing on something," Bog chuckles.
Marianne joins his laughter with a shake of her head before moving toward the gated entrance. However, the humor leaves her as she catches sight of several ex-Light Field Circus workers tending to their booths and she can't stop her hand from absently-mindedly rubbing her amethyst dragonfly pendant. She had been surprised when Bog had mentioned about offering the ex-workers a job for this touring year at the hospital during their wait for the doctor's report on her father's condition. It wasn't that she was ungrateful but he had been taking a big risk, such a risk no other circus owner would have dare done. A risk that had been exceptionally clear when Pare called a few weeks before they returned to the circus home grounds to inform them that he had several of those that returned there arrested for attempted theft and vandalism. But even that had not stopped Bog's mercy on them, only commenting that he's glad that they decided not to mention the job opportunity until after they returned home so that those who were the real troublemakers weeded themselves out.
"Remember what Mom told ye," Bog mentions quietly. "It's alright not to trust them. They hurt ye bad, not just last year but for several years."
"It still feels wrong not to trust them," she mutters. "They're my family."
"They are yer family but that doesn't excuse them for what they did wrong. That's their problem to fix, not yers," he counters, pausing in his walk to hug her. "It's only been a year, Marianne, and most of that year, ye spent away from them, healing from the wounds they gave ye. Give it time, love."
She closes her eyes with another sigh and leans her forehead against his chest, his strong heartbeat resonating through her ears and blocking out all the background noise. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't still divided about the whole situation. It's one thing that hasn't changed over the past year.
Bog is right, of course. She had mostly avoided those connected to the Light Field Circus last year while the Dark Forest Circus was touring. Sure, she talked to Dawn daily, as well as Pare and then Dad when he became well enough, and obviously the circus fleas that stayed with the Dark Forest Circus, but she had basically ignored the others, having not unblocked their phone numbers.
Even after her father was given the all-clear from the doctors to leave the hospital and then being acquitted for the probation violation once he was able to appear in court, she had still refused to talk to the others for fear of ruining her peaceful time with the Dark Forest Circus. She was glad when her father decided to stay with Uncle Albion for the rest of the touring year instead of returning home and not just because he had finally decided to amputate his wings to relieve his pain but also because that meant that she could continue avoiding confronting those back home.
Too bad it wasn't that easy avoiding Griselda. Finding out the perceptive woman is actually a licensed psychologist made a lot of sense. She wasn't just a well-meaning meddling woman, she was a professional well-meaning meddling woman and she made it her priority to help Marianne face and deal with everything she went through.
It was hard in the beginning to truly acknowledge what had happened in the past, to face that the adults in her life had failed in their responsibilities and that it wasn't her fault. It was even harder to face the fact that though her family had done the best that they could have, it wasn't good enough, a fault that was neither hers nor theirs. But Griselda had been persistent that the past needed to be seen for what it was and dealt with so that it couldn't interfere with the present. It was something that she usually did for each new arrival to the Dark Forest Circus and she felt that it was especially important with the newest arrivals because of the circumstances.
"Come on then, tough girl," Bog comments after a moment. "Let's go welcome the waiting visitors to the first opening day of the Strange Magic Circus and then you can go rescue our parents from the savage circus fleas."
Marianne laughs as she pulls back from his embrace. Maybe things are still not fully resolved but that's okay. After all, real life is a neverending story that doesn't just end with a 'Happily Ever After' once a particular chapter ends. Last year was the end of a long chapter about two rival circuses who traveled side-by-side but worlds apart. Now it's time to start a new chapter. A chapter about one circus, neither dark fae-touched nor light fae-touched, but both and so much more.
Tea Blend.