Chapter 15/Week Twenty-Seven/Seven Months Left
Marianne pulls the edge of the blanket over Bog's naked form, before laying her head on his shoulder and draping a wing over him as well. She pays no mind to the cold seeping through the armor she's covered in as her heated body starts to cool. She knew the slight chill would not harm her, but it would likely cause him to get sick should he become too chilled while they are recovering their strength.
"Don't fall asleep," Bog warns softly, reaching up a hand to gently scratch her scalp between the largest pair of horns.
"That's not helping," Marianne chuckles tiredly. "To clarify, this wasn't my intended purpose when I mentioned coming here. I truly did want to see if the flowers were still blooming after that slight snowfall we received yesterday."
"Ah, but I could never resist you once I managed to get you alone, my queen," Bog purrs. "Especially since this will be the last time we'll be allowed to touch one another until spring."
"Bog, I...," Marianne starts.
"Don't, Marianne. I told you that I understand, and I do," Bog interrupts.
"If my fate was different, I would gladly reveal you as my husband to the entire kingdom without hesitation. I swear this! But I cannot doom you to the same lonely life as my father, Bog, I can't," Marianne continues.
"I know, love, I know. Everything will be alright," Bog assures, freeing his arms from the blanket to wrap them around her.
"No, it won't be," Marianne corrects gently, cradling the side of his face with one hand. "Whether I'm free from Plum's curse or not, I will still die from the royal curse. I chose to do this to you knowing that I will leave you alone in but a short time. And as if my selfish cruelty was not enough, I've sworn you to stay silent about our lo...our affections for each other when you should be honored as the king you are. It's unfair to you."
"I chose this willingly, remember? You made sure I understood everything seven weeks ago before we swore ourselves to each other in this very place with only the forest to witness our vow," Bog reminds.
She's useless to resist him when he rolls over on top of her to place scorching kisses along her face and neck. His clever hands find their way between the blanket beneath her and easily finds the sensitive spots along the seams of her spine plates that he's discovered over the past seven weeks.
"Bog, we...," Marianne starts before a moan breaks free. "...time...not enough...we should be...getting...back...you cheeky goblin!"
"I'm sure we have enough time to get back to the castle before sunset," Bog chuckles, kissing her nose. "I'm equally sure that your doubts and fears need reminding that I do not regret one thing concerning us. No matter how many years we have together, few or great, or how many days we have to restrain ourselves from even the most innocent touch, I will never regret this. Don't let the coming days make you regret me."
"I will never regret you!" Marianne swears vehemently.
"As I will never regret you," Bog swears gently. "No matter how many times you need reassurance, I will gladly tell you again and again. I love you, Marianne. Queen or not, cursed or not, you mean everything to me."
"And I to you," Marianne murmurs, raising her head to gently tap her forehead against his.
They both chuckle when Bog's mussed black hair manages to get caught around one of her smaller horns, a fairly common happenstance nowadays, and he has to abandon his caresses along her back to free himself. After a few more lingering kisses, Bog starts to move toward his pile of clothes before freezing, a dark look crossing his face. He quickly hushes her question and points toward the goblin castle in the distance.
"Is that Sugar Plum?! What is she doing in the Dark Forest?" Marianne growls quietly, noticing the glamoured fairy immediately.
"She might be checking to see if the portal is open. We best stay hidden here until she leaves," Bog mentions.
"I'd rather give her a thorough beating," Marianne comments.
"I know the feeling, but we're no match against her, especially here in the forest where she could use her magic at its fullest without worrying about being seen for what she is," Bog cautions, silencing her immediate protest with a kiss. "Plum is an elder full-blooded fairy who has already blocked me, a high-ranking goblin's half-human son, from my magic and cursed your entire kingdom. I hate admitting it as much as you do, but it doesn't change the fact that we are vulnerable against her."
"So, what are we supposed to do? Stay here, hoping she doesn't find us and hoping she leaves before the sun sets?" Marianne questions dully.
"No, that's not...ah, see! The forest already alerted Thang and Stuff to the intruder. Once they remove Plum, then we can leave," Bog informs, pointing back to the ancient tree where the two non-glamoured goblins are seen in the glade.
Marianne nods her understanding, torn between watching the distant full-blooded fae talking and watching Bog redress. It's an easy choice, though, especially when Bog must stand to pull on his breeches.
Oh, how she'll miss this for the next few months! It will be a worse agony to resist stealing him away to some desolate part of the castle with the hope they aren't caught than when she resisted following her budding affections for him after his fourth week as her prisoner...well, after the first day if she was being honest. He truly had captivated her heart from the start.
She wasn't speaking mere flattering words when she told him that she would gladly reveal him as her husband to the entire kingdom if she could. She would even have him crowned as king and not king consort if such were her ability. He deserved such and much more.
But.
Marianne sighs as she turns her gaze onto the vibrant purple flower carpet laying before the blanket she sits upon. If her fate was different, she would give Bog everything within her power to give. As it is, though, she can only protect him from the lonely future that her father is cursed to by keeping their lo...affections for each other hidden from the eyes of her kingdom. All their touches and kisses must remain in secret if he's to have any chance at happiness after she dies.
Bog's announcement that it's safe to leave draws her from her musing and she turns her attention back to him, noting the trio missing from the distant glade. His offered hand brings a sad smile to her face even as she accepts the assistance to stand. He brings the captive hand to his lips for a reverent kiss before releasing her to gather their blanket.
She'll miss this as well. His unhesitant touch, tender and loving, and usually of innocent intent, but so meaningful to her. At least she won't be completely bereft of his touch since most of those within the castle had seen him touch her a time or two, so it will draw no unwanted conclusions should he continue within what their stations permit. Still, it won't be the carefree touches she receives inside the sanctuary of the forest.
The temptation to keep him in her arms after she flies them over the flower field is great, but she reluctantly allows him out of her embrace and gives the flowers one last look before walking toward the cavern entrance. Those, too, will no longer be for her after this day. Even the spell Thang had told them about that kept the goblin king's garden flourishing the whole year can't protect it against the coming winter and soon the colorful foliage and petals will succumb to the cold.
So lost in her rising grief, Marianne startles when Bog walks right in front of her. His soft smile sends her heart into its usual flutter, and she can't help gasping when he brings up his hand to show a purple flower.
"But...," Marianne starts.
"I already asked Thang if it was safe to pluck the flowers and he said the spell is only to keep them growing longer than their normal time and that the flowers held no other enchantment on them," Bog explains, placing the flower behind her elongated ear. "This flower has heard all our words and it has seen all our love from the moment we entered the garden ten weeks ago. It's to remind you of my pledge to never regret our time together whenever your fears plague you. Should this be our last kiss, our last time to be together, our last moment to be husband and wife as we vowed to one another, then I will forever cherish it in my heart."
Marianne opens her mouth to respond but closes it as her eyes join Bog's eyes in widening in horror at the sound of an amused snort followed by soft chuckling. Oh no. They both turn their attention to the cavern's entrance and watch in apprehension as the leafy curtain moves.
"I haven't heard such smooth-talking since the last time I had to suffer through my master's drivel to Griselda. You really are your father's son," Stuff teases, poking her head through the vines but staying within the cavern.
"Stuff! I...uh...I...I can explain! I mean...uh, it's...um...not what it looks like?" Bog tries.
"You couldn't lie to save your life, Bog, so don't bother trying," Stuff comments. "It's too close to sunset to waste time standing here, anyway. It's best you two clean up before you return to the castle or even humans with half a brain will know what you've been doing."
"We usually do clean up before heading back," Bog grumbles, sighing before joining Marianne in following the female goblin through the cavern.
"Usually? You mean to tell me this isn't the first time you've been...together?" Stuff questions in surprise, looking over her shoulder at them. "This isn't a casual coupling, is it? Stop with the blushing and be honest! It's important to tell me. Bog is under His Majesty's authority with my master being one of his subjects and this could be seen as an act of rebellion."
"An act of rebellion?" Marianne repeats worriedly.
"As he has a goblin sire, Bog must have His Majesty's consent to stay in the human domain and as such, consent for anything that would require Bog to stay within the human domain. Mostly it concerns marriage since that's about the only thing goblin law permits for a goblin to refuse a king's orders if obeying it will put their spouse or children in danger," Stuff explains. "It's why His Majesty sent for Plum. She was supposed to find out whether the woman Bog was interested in was truly in love with him and report back to him so he could rule whether to allow Bog to court her."
"You never told me that was why His Majesty sent Plum through," Bog growls.
"You didn't need to know," Stuff counters. "But I do need to know what you two truly mean to each other."
"Marianne and I...well, we've been...together for seven weeks now," Bog admits, wincing when Stuff stumbles over her feet. "I love her, and she loves me, and we vowed ourselves to each other as husband and wife while we were in the king's garden."
"And the forest let you?!" Stuff questions in disbelief before stooping to growl at a nearby glowing mushroom. "Why didn't you tell me?! First, you have the nerve to show them the path through the briar gate, and now you agreed to their union without His Majesty's permission! What do you have to say for yourself?"
Marianne turns her stunned gaze to Bog and raises her eyebrow with a nod toward their goblin guide. He gives a soft chuckle before quickly explaining that while goblin magic permits them to manipulate nature, something he had explained to her fourteen weeks prior after she discovered about his magic, the Dark Forest itself was a sentient being with magic of its own, a side effect of having powerful fae live and die in it for generations. While the forest didn't usually use its magic to do more than just lightly influence those within it, it does talk to those who can hear it. Most times being a snitch.
She can't hold back her laughter when a group of mushrooms falls on Bog's head right after he calls the forest a snitch. It clearly didn't appreciate being called such.