Disclaimer: I own nothing of Strange Magic. All belongs to George Lucas and the affiliated parties.

I only claim the storyline and OCs.

Chapter 1

"WHOA!"

"Haha! Gotta be faster than that Marianne!" Sunny yelled over his shoulder, nudging his dragonfly mount to fly faster.

Marianne's grin turned into a smirk and she put more strength into her stride, beating the air through her wings with hurried strokes. She followed briskly as Sunny darted through the tall grass stalks and narrowly avoided the dandelion stems. She could hear his exhilarated laughter in front of her and could not help joy bubbling up in her chest, her own laughter slipping out unrestrained. They continued their race for several minutes, Sunny eventually lengthening the distance before making it to the dragonfly pens. Marianne could already hear Dawn's cheers before cresting the tall grass, smiling as she watched her sister smother Sunny in a spirited hug while he was still atop the feisty dragonfly.

What had started as a visit to the dragonfly stables to see Sunny and his family had turned into raucous banter concerning the dragonfly races starting up in the next two weeks. Sunny played her right into a challenge of speed and they were off. "To be fair," Marianne quipped, landing heavily as she allowed her wings to drape down her back, "That was my third round and you've used a different dragonfly each time."

"Hey, you said you could keep it up all day!" Sunny countered, hopping off his mount. "I never said a single dragonfly could."

Giggling and snickers from the rest of the family around them were infectious and Marianne shook her head as she walked to the barn bench and sat, gladly letting her wings rest on either side of herself. "I think we need to go over some stricter guidelines next time," she huffed with a smile.

"Oooo! I can't wait!" Dawn chirped. "Oh! Do you think we could get Boggy to do it!"

"HA!" Marianne doubled over, holding her sides as laughter rolled. "Are you kidding me? He'd leave any dragonfly in the dust!"

"Oooh, no!" Sunny whipped around from loosing his mount's saddle. "No way! He'll be left in any of our dragonfly's wakes!"

Marianne leaned back and leveled a smirk. "Oh really. I'd like to see you try," she challenged.

"You tell him when he gets here that it is ON!" Sunny piped, grinning at Dawn as she clapped excitedly.

Marianne smiled fondly as Dawn proceeded to pick Sunny up in a crushing hug. Though, she could not deny a hint of envy.

It had been nearly a month since she had seen Bog for more than a few brief moments at a time. He had been so busy on his side of the border taking care of the preparations for the upcoming Summer that he could only spare time during his visits to oversee the new trading posts and border constructions. During most of the spring season they had seen plenty of each other while sifting through the ruins of the old castle and rebuilding the new one, which both kingdoms came together to help with.

She smiled fondly, pride and appreciation once again pricking at her insides at seeing fairies, elves, brownies and goblins working together. It was… strange, but in an endearing way, how easily all worked together on those projects and continued to do so for the current ones. It was as if the generations of separation between the kingdoms had only been a dream.

"What are you doing over there looking all starry eyed?" Dawn asked playfully, sitting on the edge of the bench just beyond Marianne's spread out wing.

Marianne looked at her with a start and let out a laugh. "Oh nothing. Just… thinking about everything," she answered, a small smile still gracing her face.

"Don't worry, you'll get to smooch your Boggy Woggy in no time!"

"Dawn!" Marianne flipped her wing up, grazing the back of the giggling girl's hair. "Not that!"

"Maybe not, but it's true!" Dawn retorted with a wink.

Her grin betrayed any annoyance she had tried to project, and her flush betrayed any attempt to disagree. "You drive me crazy," she growled instead, reaching over to ruffle Dawn's hair.

"Always have, always will!" Dawn chirped.

"When is the ol' grouch getting here anyway?" Sunny asked, walking up to the two princesses with the saddle slung over his shoulder.

Marianne looked upward, gauging the sun. "A couple hours I think, maybe less," she said. Her voice was calm, but she could feel the flutter of excitement in her stomach at the prediction.

"Ooo! We need to get you ready!" Dawn bounced up and clapped her hands.

The happy excitement fizzled out in a flash. "Ready?" Marianne whipped her head to her sister in a panic. "What do you mean, 'ready'?"

"You two haven't seen each other in a month, Mari," Dawn commented. "We gotta dress you up for him!"

Marianne was on her feet instantly. "O-ho-no! No we don't!" she insisted, wings flitting up in a defensive posture as she took a step back.

"Oh yes we do!" Dawn's smile was too bright as she hopped up, now hovering towards Marianne with childlike glee in her eyes. "Don't you want to do something special for your Boggy Woggy!"

"Bog," Marianne corrected automatically as she hopped into the air as well, her previously tired wings now energized with panicked anticipation, "and it- it's special enough! That we, uh, get to actually spend time together!" She said, cringing herself at the weak comeback.

"Awe, well of course that's special!" Dawn agreed, flinging her arms out and rolling gently. "But there's no reason not to make it MORE special!" That look in her sister's eyes was all-to-familiar.

"Uuuuh, you know, I think I have, um, something I forgot to do- ACK!" Even Marianne was taken aback by Dawn's swiftness as her younger sister body slammed her in the air.

"Oh no! You aren't getting away this time," Dawn shouted playfully. "I'm gonna make SURE you look special when he sees you!"

"It's not like we haven't seen each other," Marianne counters, trying to wiggle from her sister's hold. "We just haven't been able to, you know-"

"A few minutes while overlooking construction details don't count. Now, don't make me drag you back to the palace!"

"You know she will," Sunny hollered, absolutely no help at all as he started for the tack room.

"Don't encourage her!"

xXx

The warm air rushing past his ears and thorough the crevices and ridges of his carapace was exhilarating. Especially, after too many days having to remain grounded within the castle walls attending to the new plans and preparations his kingdom was faced with. Bog took a deep breath, barrel rolling without thinking as he closed his eyes and relished the air flowing around him.

The scent of the meadows drifted into his senses and the other reason for his excitement took front stage in his mind. He grinned and his eyes snapped open. He caught sight of the sprawling meadows just beyond the tree line, which he was nearing with great speed.

"Huh…" Bog raised a brow before slowing his wings, the mild ache springing to life at their bases making him realize just how fast he had been going. He slowed even more to a glide and turned to look behind him. His eyes went wide.

He could barely see the entourage on their dragonfly mounts.

"Whoops," he breathed, deciding to pause entirely, hovering in place. He gripped his staff to him as he waited, looking back to the meadows as a small half-smile graced his features. What could he say? After a month of brief here-and-there encounters he was, admittedly, too eager to spend actual time with Marianne. Even if they only got the one day before politics started.

His smile faded to a slight grimace. Perhaps it was the seclusionary nature of his kind, or perhaps it was the apprehension of dealing with more political leaders, but he was not entirely looking forward to tomorrow's meeting.

"What's wrong, BK?"

Bog snapped back to reality and looked to Stuff, herself and the rest of the entourage now catching up to him. "Nothing. Just waiting on you lot, could you fly any slower," he deflected with a scowl.

Stuff smirked that knowing smirk she always smirked when she knew he was deflecting. "Well, not all of us have a fairy princess to sweep off her feet."

He felt the flush immediately. "Wha- don't you start-"

"We're sure she's ready to see you to, Sire!" Thang piped up with that toothy grin of his.

He growled, his free hand clutching at the air aimlessly before he hovered up and fell backwards, continuing the flight path to the meadows. "Shut up and keep up!" he hollered.

The snickering from behind him was infectious, though, and he could not help a smirk coloring his own lips.

xXx

"Whoa," Marianne whispered, looking at herself in the mirror.

"I told you!" Dawn cooed.

"Yeah, you sure did," she said, turning and looking at a different angle.

The dress that Dawn had so cleverly hidden from her knowledge was absolutely gorgeous. But, not too overdone ether. It was comprised of silkworm linen designed to look like oak leaves layered on top of one another and colored a beautiful oak leaf red. The skirt came up in an "A" shape just above her knees in the front and draped down to a sharp "V" halfway passed her calves in the back. It did not poof outward, draping loosely around her but with enough tailoring that it did not completely engulf her form. It came up to a fitted corset with material designed to resemble fresh spring tree bark, hints of green embroidered into the warm brown surface. The collar shaped up her chest and cresting the back of her neck was of the same material as the rest of the dress, with the brim cut just right to look like the ridge of a freshly harvested oak leaf. The finishing touch had been the gold royal emblem emblazoned on the front of the corset with gold accents embroidered into the hems of the collar and layers. "I gotta admit," she said with a smile. "I actually like it."

"I knew you would!" Dawn said cheerfully, hugging Marianne tightly. "I've been planning with the tailors for a while now and I was a little nervous at first, but-" She abruptly stopped talking as Marianne put her hand over her mouth.

"I love it!" Marianne reassured, hugging her back.

Dawn squealed in delight. "Yay! You can also move around easy in it too, I made sure of it."

Marianne backed away and hopped into a hover, moving her legs around and feeling the material lift up and away allowing for a very wide range of movement. "I see that." She lighted to the ground as Dawn hurried to the vanity. "You really put a lot of thought into this, huh?"

"Well yeah!" Dawn spouted. "You used to love dressing up and I know you don't care for it anymore, but," she paused, turning to Marianne with something in her hands, "I want you to… you know, feel pretty again," she said, her excitement dulling slightly.

Marianne felt her heart tug at the sight and closed the distance, taking Dawn's wrists in her hands and holding them close. "I do! I do," she said, trying to be reassuring. "I mean, I never didn't think I was… I mean, I…" she floundered as she caught Dawn's big blue eyes looking up at her.

Dawn smiled, a hint of sadness creeping into her expression. "I know a lot of things have changed. And, there were a lot of changes before now. But," she looked down, worrying the material in her hands, "I guess, what I'm trying to say is… You've been through a lot since, you know, what happened with Roland. You've always been different, and, while I think it ended up for the better because, you are so much more yourself now, I just… don't," she looked back up timidly, "I don't want you to think you can't be beautiful and fierce," she finished with a small smile.

Marianne stared at her sister, her eyes starting to sting. A small smile broke through and she threw her arms around Dawn, holding her tight. Dawn's arms wrapped around her just as firmly. "Thank you, Dawn," she whispered.

"I love you, Marianne," Dawn said softly, snuggling closer.

"I love you, too," Marianne responded. "Even if you do drive me crazy," she said with a laugh.

"Because I drive you crazy!" Dawn chided with a giggle, pulling away. She looked at Marianne for a moment before nodding and stepping back to hold out what was in her hands. "Don't forget the stockings!"

"Oh yeah!" Marianne chuckled as she grabbed the soft material. "I'm not sure how we forgot about that."

Dawn turned around to the vanity again, digging through the garment box. "Because they're bottom halfs," she chirped nonchalantly.

Marianne immediately had to swallow her nerves. She let the material unroll and looked at the beautiful deep red stockings dangling from her hands. She could tell they would come to rest just a handbreadth above her knee. "Oh," she let out, just low enough not to be heard. It had been a few years at least since she had worn half stockings, and, even then, she preferred the upper halfs. Her breecher-style stockings had been a staple for so long it was like wearing a second skin.

She turned to the mirror, looking at the dress again. With where it fell, no one would really be able to tell they were not full stockings unless they were making a point to watch her walk. I guess this is fine, she thought, looking at her own tight expression in the mirror. Do it for Dawn, she thought suddenly. Dawn put a lot of work into it and I'm not about to throw this moment away because of something no one else will notice anyway.

"And here's your shoes," Dawn suddenly piped, turning to show off the dark, reddish brown slipovers with their gold ribbon leg ties.

Marianne smiled and nodded in approval. "Yeah, they look great!"

"Oh, if you're worried the stockings will fall, I had them put a loop in the top so you can thread the tie through," Dawn commented, apparently having noticed the apprehensive air over Marianne's head. She waved her hand. "Go on, get them on!"

Marianne nodded again and sat on the stool in front of the mirror, starting with her right leg.

She failed to notice the mischievous smirk glimmer across Dawn's face.

xXx

The brightness of the sun was thankfully soaked in by the rock of the Green Meadow kingdom's royal castle. However, the metal accents and towering spires poking out here and there provided just enough opportunities for a sudden glare to blind even the most experienced flyer.

Bog growled under his breath as he clenched his eyes shut, rubbing the butt of his hand into his right eye which had gotten it worse. How he had managed to land without spraining anything he was still unsure about.

"I'm terribly sorry, Bog," King Dagda continued, a worried hand on the other king's shoulder spurs. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do."

"It's fine," Bog snapped. He then groaned. "I mean, no, it'll be fine. I just need a moment," he answered in a less aggravated tone.

Dagda chuckled, patting the shoulder under his hand lightly. "Don't worry, I understand. You aren't the only one who's been blinded by the spires before," he reassured.

"Mmm," was all Bog could respond with, rubbing his fingers into his eyes. As much as he wanted to lecture the older king about how much more sensitive his eyes were, he figured it would make no difference. And he hardly wanted to create any more grief than what he dreaded they were in store for tomorrow.

"Though, I suppose your eyes are more sensitive, aren't they?"

He stiffened lightly in surprise, prying his left eye open to look at the fairy king. Dagda had his hand to his chin, looking down to the floor in thought. Emerald green eyes met his gaze and Dagda pointed a finger to him.

"You can see in the dark, can't you? All goblins can?"

Bog stood up straighter, finally blinking both eyes open, though with a strained squint. "Yes. It's a trait we all carry." He looked behind him to see the rest of the entourage, including two clan elders, squinting as well as the fairy guards were helping them with their dragonfly mounts. They were still in the front courtyard under the harsh glare of the afternoon sun.

"Right," Dagda nodded distractedly. He returned to his musings, tapping his chin. "I wonder if there is a polish of some sort we can apply to the spires to dull them up a bit, so as not to be quite so reflective."

Bog's aching eyes went wide as he stared at the other king. For Dagda to consider changing an element of his own royal castle just for the comfort of visiting goblin-folk was rather… unexpected. He shifted his staff to his right hand, suddenly noticing the elder's hand still on his left shoulder spur. "That's not necessary, King Dagda, it's not like we come here every day," he commented, waving his hand in a placating gesture.

"Oh nonsense," Dagda responded. "Once a month, once a day, doesn't matter." He finally removed his hand to wave it dismissively. "I've been thinking about doing something about that dreadful glint anyway." He smiled and faced Bog directly, holding his arms out. "Aside from that, it's good to see you in person! How was the rest of the trip over? How have duties been on your side?" he asked amiably, gesturing for Bog to walk with him into the castle.

Bog complied, rubbing his eyes once more as the two walked side-by-side. "It's good to see you two, King-"

"Dagda," the older king cut in with a chuckle.

"Dagda," Bog repeated with a nod. "The trip was fine. The forest has been quiet as of late and the meadow breezes are calm today. As for duties? Well."

Dagda heaved a sigh and nodded. "Yep. I know the feeling."

Bog felt a smile tug at his lips. "Same here then?"

Dagda laughed lightly, although the heaviness was easy to see. "It's been a challenge to say the least. Willingness on our part, I assure you, and for our denizens the eagerness definitely helps. But there are some who are having issues with how to adjust to a system that has no currency."

"Mmm," Bog nodded, looking forward as he listened to the end of his staff thudding against the rock floor. "Well, I assure you it's not just your side feeling the strain. Metal and gems are used for function, or ceremonial purpose," he glanced to the head of his staff, regarding the large amber stone amidst the bronze nest and wired into the spokes, "not as a substitute for items."

"I'm at least happy the trading posts are coming along smoothly," Dagda commented. "There's been some suggestion that one or more could be used as inns, as well. Rest stops, if you would. I wanted to discuss that with you first, though, before approving any changes," he said, looking up expectantly.

Bog raised a brow but nodded, considering the idea. "That could work, but maintenance and upkeep will need to be discussed." He raised a hand to his chin gripping it thoughtfully as he stopped to lean on his staff. "Then foodstock and supplies. And the staff," he muttered, gears turning in his brain as he considered which gobin-folk specifically would be best suited, both in temperament and size, and which clans might have more than a fair share to say about such a development and responsibility. "Mmmmmm… this will need to be discussed with the chieftains," he said under his breath.

"Your chieftains need to have a say in everything it seems," Dagda chided with a smile.

"Everything," Bog iterated with a nod, eyes still to the ground in thought.

Dagda chuckled and looked up the hall. He promptly dropped into stunned silence. "Marianne!" he managed.

Bog looked to the older king before following his gaze. His eyes went wide as he too was stunned to silence.

Marianne and Dawn were flying towards them, both glowing and happy as could be. Marianne was positively radiant in a dress he had never seen before, a beautiful forest leaf red with perfectly placed gold accents. As she got nearer, he could see so many other little details, but none caught his eye more so than the absolute joy on her face.

The sisters landed in front of the two, still stunned, kings and smiled brightly. "Good day, your majesties," they said in unison, curtsying in place. The air of playful amusement was thick, however.

Dagda was the first to respond, laughing heartily. "Good day to you too, my beautiful daughters! And how does the day fare so far?" he played along.

"Wonderfully!" Dawn answered, clasping her hands. "And even better now that our guests have arrived!" She looked to Bog with a smirk.

Which he would have noticed had he not been too busy staring at Marianne. He also had not noticed that he had gripped his staff hard with both hands and was looking at Marianne as if regarding a dream.

Marianne met his gaze and smiled with a hint of shyness that was unusual coming from her. "Well, how fare you today, Bog King?" she asked, her voice lowered in octave as she looked at him through her lashes.

He gulped. "Uh… um… I-I mean, fine! Well! Very well! Good! Very good today- very good!" He glanced away, frozen in place, staff held in a death grip.

Barely restrained snickering caught his ears and he whipped around, Stuff and Thang immediately looking in different directions.

"As I was saying," he managed, turning back and trying to ignore the heat in his face, "It's, em, been a very-"

"He's been buzzing all day!" Stuff cut in.

"He's very excited to see you, Princess Marianne!" Thang spouted.

"AEY!" He barely had time to jolt back around and throw a glare before laughing and giggling filled the hall.

"Betrayed by your own stewards, eh?" Dagda said mirthfully, elbowing in his direction. "I remember those days."

Dawn jumped up and hovered. "Oh you don't have to hide it, silly! Marianne's been the same all day!"

"Dawn!" Marianne spouted, glancing to Bog with color in her cheeks.

He could not help a small half smile at that, seeing it returned on her lips.

"You should have seen him the whole way here," Stuff threw in.

"He nearly flew his wings off!" Thang chirped.

"STUFF! THANG!"

xXx

He squinted lightly, but the light was not nearly as bright in the flower courtyard as it was in the front one. At least the abundance of flowers and sprouts provided ample shade and dulled the light. Bog looked to his right, seeing Marianne smelling one of the tiny orange-yellow buds in the greenery next to them. He felt his lips curling into that small smile again, something he had had to catch himself with several times already.

After the moments of laughter at his flustered expense, the group had continued into the castle, the discussion having turned back to the trade route plans. Dagda agreed to have a proposal written up for him to take back to the elders and clan chieftains as far as the rest stop idea was concerned, and Bog had expressed the need to further flush out conversion standards between the Green Meadow's currency based system verses the Dark Forest's trade based system. During the talk between them, however, he had been unable to keep from stealing glances at Marianne, each glimpse catching some new detail or feature about her appearance. And more than once they had caught each other's eyes as she apparently had been stealing glances of her own. While he had tried to be discreet, he had no doubt Dagda had noticed once the older king suddenly announced he had some other things to attend to and excused himself, saying he would see them later in the day; he had done a poor job of hiding the cheeky smile. Dawn had then mentioned she needed to go find Sunny for something-or-other, hardly managing a proper reason, before flying off herself. And Stuff and Thang had tottered off at about the same time, citing they had better help with the others of the landing party, which was already nearly done by the looks of it.

This left himself and Marianne to stand rather awkwardly together alone. He had finally mentioned he was glad to see her doing well and had tried to give a compliment worthy of how he truly felt but his blundered "you look.. um.. lovely" was hardly sufficient. She had merely smiled, grinned more like it, and thanked him, mentioning how dashing he was looking. He merely glanced down at himself before his own skittish grin got the better of him.

He looked the same as always.

But he appreciated it. Especially with the warm gaze she had trained on him. Too warm.

Before he had enough time to dwell on it though, she suddenly decided fresh air was in order and dragged him to the flower courtyard. He had held her hand a little too tightly, but she had paid it no mind.

He took a deep breath of the warm, fragrant air, looking around once more at the several flower varieties both large and small. "It's nice," he commented. "Reminds me of the forest, only, a little greener, heh," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Marianne agreed, meeting his gaze. "I used to love it here as a kid anyway, but I really love it now. I like to be reminded of you," she said looking back to the tall flower stalks. Then, pink started to color her cheeks and she looked back to him in surprise, as if she had only just realized her own words.

He let out a small laugh, looking away then back. "Eh.. thank you?" he said, entirely unsure what he should say to that. Why am I so bloody nervous! He mentally kicked himself for the fluttering feeling in his insides. It was not as if he had reason to be.

She giggled lightly, a far softer, quiet noise in comparison to her sister's. She stepped to him, closing their distance. "I, um… I've missed you," she admitted, looking up to him.

His shoulder spurs twitched as he looked down into those amber eyes. He raised his free hand, running his fingertips and palm lightly up her arm. "I've missed you too." His hand felt warm where it touched her. Too warm.

"I hope there aren't too many more of these long stretches," she said, taking another step and entering his space. Her body was within inches, her dress brushing against his legs. "Or I may just have to fly in and make daily visits more common."

He let out a quiet laugh. "I'd like that," he said lowly. His breath caught, however, when her hands touched his chest. A tingling warmth spread under his carapace at her touch, making the fluttering in his insides take on a different feel.

"Oh yeah?" she asked innocently. "I'd like it more," she quipped, her voice lowering an octave as her lips quirked mischievously.

He let out another laugh, eyes never leaving hers as he felt the too warm feeling spreading. Something in the back of his mind mentioned it was much too warm, but the rest of his mind was preoccupied with her visage in front of him.

Then, her fingers hooked into his chest plates and pulled down.

His body took the hint faster than his mind did and he was suddenly enthralled with the impossibly warm, soft lips against his own. The taste of some sort of berry graced his senses as his free arm wrapped around her, pulling her flush to him as he leaned forward. Her slight intake of breath goaded is instincts and his wings shivered as he pooled more into his motions. Then her arms were around his neck, his claws were grazing against the material of her corset, and a soft heat brushed against his lips. He offered no resistance as her tongue pushed in to meet his, gingerly grazing her flesh with his sharper teeth as a low growl rumbled to life in his chest.

So warm, so very warm.

Too warm.

Much too warm!

His eyes snapped open and he gasped involuntarily, pulling up from her.

"What? What is it?" Marianne asked, slight panic coloring her voice. "Did I pull something? Step on you?" she mentioned, moving to look downward.

"N-no!" His own panic got the better of him as he held her tight. "No, I- uh, just, realized where we are," he said in a rush.

She looked back to him with big quizzical eyes. Which then seemed to widen impossibly more as her cheeks colored. "Oh! Well, heh," she looked away, nervous laughter getting the better of her. "I mean, it's secluded enough," she ventured, looking up to him with an apologetic smile. "I don't think we'll get smacked for kisses anyway," she whispered.

He chuckled anxiously. "Yes well, I, uh, I have noticed how your father reacts to displays," he mentioned.

Marianne laughed, genuine amusement coloring her expression. "Yeah, he's always been that way, especially about his girls."

Bog laughed with her, relief flooding him as the warmth started to die down. He loosened his grip, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. "Well, no need to get into his bad graces so soon, eh?"

Marianne smirked at that. "You know, I respect my father, but I think I should be allowed to kiss you whenever I please," she countered.

His smile turned into a grin. "I don't disagree," he replied lowly.

Marianne rose to her toes and tugged him down for a quick peck on the cheek. "Better not."

He raised a brow at that. "Or what? You gonna tie me down and teach me a lesson, Tough Girl?" he chided.

"And what if I do? You gonna stop me?" she scoffed.

He closed his lips in a barely contained smirk. "Mmm," was all he managed at that question, flicking his head slightly to crack his neck.

"Uh, huh," she responded, her grin overpowering her. She then stood on her toes again and gave him a far more chaste kiss on the lips. She did linger, however, letting her lips slowly draw away and brush lightly down his chin.

He breathed in, not realizing he had stopped breathing, and shook his head. "Ye're too much, you know that," he uttered, his lips quirking.

"I think you can handle it," she quipped, stepping back to reach for his hand, lacing their fingers together.

He chuckled lightly at that, following her lead as they started along the trail. He was grateful for her slow pace. The tightness in his hips was a discomfort he had not endured in a long time.

So long it seemed that he had fallen out of practice at keeping it from being noticeable.

"Bog, are you alright?"

He looked up with a start, concern marring Marianne's expression as she stopped their procession.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" he responded, knowing it sounded too airy.

Sure enough, her brows went down, and she looked at him sternly. "You look like you're trying to keep from scowling." She then stood back and glanced to his figure. "And you're walking stiffly."

Why did she have to be so perceptive!?

"You aren't…" He met her gaze and saw the concern in her eyes. "You aren't hurt are you?" she asked in a lowered voice.

"N-no, no!" He released their grip to hold his hand up. "Nothing's wrong, I'm not hurt, I'm just… sore." He looked away. "It… it's been a long couple of weeks. What with the summer gatherings, and talking of trade partnerships and negotiations, and clan arguments, and the mushrooms' concerns, and the re-digging of the root trails, and the aphid infestations, and the wolf spider encroachments, and the bog sprites going on about the marshes expanding and…" he trailed off with a sigh, rubbing his fingers into his eyes. "Aye… just sore." He had thoroughly forgotten about most of what he had flown away from for a few blessed minutes.

Perhaps he should not have stopped their moment.

Slender arms wrapping around his middle brought him back to reality and he looked down to see amber eyes gazing at him. "Enough thinking about responsibilities for a while. You deserve a break."

He smiled ruefully, lowering his hand and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "No rest for the wicked," he retorted.

"Pfft, not if I have anything to say about it-"

"There they are!"

Both their heads whipped to the entrance to see Dawn and Sunny waving at them. They looked back to each other before promptly separating, both faces coloring lightly.

"Oh, you two!" Dawn fluttered over, Sunny following quickly behind. "You don't have to tone it down for us."

Bog rubbed the back of his neck as he and Marianne chuckled in unison. Should have seen us earlier, he thought.

"So, when are we gonna do this thing?"

Bog looked down to the elf in surprise, taking in the expectant smirk and crossed arms. "Eh?"

"Yeah, when are you gonna get your wings busted? Or are you putting it off?" Sunny asked with a sly grin.

Bog blinked. "What?"

"Um…"

He looked to Marianne, hands clasped behind her back as she bounced on her feet. "I may haaaave volunteered you for a dragonfly race." She looked to him with a timid smile.

"You what?"

"Yeah!" Sunny piped. "Said you would leave my dragonflies in the dust." He recrossed his arms and leaned forward. "I beg to differ."

Whatever shock was in his system at this turn of events was thrown out the window at the sudden challenge. "Oh do you?" He leaned on his staff and rested a fist to his hip as he crossed one leg over the other.

"Yep." Sunny stood straight with a self-satisfied air. "Our dragonflies are the fastest this side of the river, and no one can say otherwise."

"I beat you two out of three," Marianne deadpanned, thought the playful gleam in her eye was hard to miss.

"Beginners luck," Sunny retorted with a wink.

Bog started chuckling, earning all three gazes. His own eyes narrowed in on the elf as he lowered into a crouch. "Ye're lil' fillies have noth'n on me," he warned with a vicious grin.

"Ooo-hoo-hoo, you are gonna eat those words, BK!"

Thank you for the read. Have a good day or night and a wonderful time~*