Maria sat bolt upright in bed as perspiration outlined her face.
"Robyn!" she hissed into the darkness. After a moment, a groggy voice replied,
"Maria? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
"Not exactly…just this intense feeling. It happened to me back when the valley was cursed but this was far worse. I'm sorry I woke you up," Maria said sheepishly.
"It's alright…I've learned that I'm never going to have a good night's sleep as long as I'm with you." Maria felt heat rise to her cheeks in the dark. "But don't worry, I don't mind. Father always had me up at dawn or earlier anyway. Think you'll be able to go back to sleep?"
"I think so…" Maria bit the inside of her lip as she sensed Miss Heliotrope scolding her current thoughts.
"What is it Maria?"
"I know I asked you to stay, but when you're clear over there it's like you're not here at all…"
"Are you saying that you want me to…are you sure Maria? You are still, as Miss Heliotrope would say, 'a proper young lady.'"
"Honestly I don't care much about being a 'proper young lady' anymore. I've certainly done a lot of things lately that wouldn't be considered very ladylike. Though admittedly, I'd rather spare Miss Heliotrope the truth that we were alone at night in a room together. I don't think she could handle it. And let's just not tell my uncle either-he very probably would strangle you."
"That's true…well, as long as you're sure."
"I'm sure." Maria heard movement across the room and moments later felt weight on one side of the bed. She moved over and sensed Robyn climb the rest of the way onto the bed beside her. Heat radiated off his body and she couldn't help but move closer to him for warmth. As if by instinct, Robyn wrapped an arm around Maria's shoulders and she rested her head against his chest. She drifted off to sleep once more to the rhythmic thumping of Robyn's heart.
Maria's eyes opened to greet the sunlight streaming into the room. The steady movement of Robin's chest assured Maria that Robyn was still asleep. She didn't want to wake him so she closed her eyes and thought about all the events that had taken place the past few days. She realized that this was really the first chance she'd had to ruminate on them, as any spare moment had only led to another crazy situation. Somehow Moonacre had become even more unpredictable in the absence of the curse. Maria thought about how she'd had the ability to see in the dark and how she had briefly glimpsed into the future. Then there was the appearance of Safiyya and the ominous realization that more magical creatures were to follow. And of course there was Dulac and his gang to worry about. Maria sighed and a part of her secretly wished that all her questions would be answered once she opened her eyes. She did so and was not surprised to find only a blank ceiling looking back at her. Robyn stirred beneath her head and Maria knew her time of reflection had ended. She tilted her head upwards and saw the now familiar brown eyes staring back at her.
"Good morning," Maria said with a smile.
"Good morning," Robyn replied, smiling in turn.
"I'm glad we were both able to get more sleep."
"I am too, admittedly."
"So I'm assuming the plan is to go find your father?"
"Yes, I need to know exactly what happened while I was gone and see if he has decided what to do about Dulac."
"Sounds like we've got plenty to do, so we better not waste anymore time," Maria said swinging her legs off the bed and standing. Robyn's face looked guilty as he stood and said,
"I think you should stay here." Maria's irritation arose quickly,
"Excuse me?"
"Just for a little while, Maria. We got lucky yesterday in that we only ran into Richard and I stand by the decision of staying with you overnight, but since your presence here is essentially unknown, I think it's a wise idea to keep it that way. At least until I've spoken to my father."
"So I get to sit here like a damsel in distress while the men do the talking," Maria pouted.
"Maria, please don't be like that. You know that's not what I think."
"Do I? You treated me like an equal on our search for the moonpearls, but ever since all you've done is shielded me."
"Only because I've had to."
"I don't recall hiring a bodyguard," Maria spat. She briefly glimpsed a pained expression across Robyn's face and regretted her words, but noticed when his expression quickly turned indignant.
"That's really what you see me as? A bandit turned bodyguard? If that's what you want to believe then fine. I've got to go find my father and stop wasting time. Stay here and I'll bring you back something to eat after I talk to my father."
"You really think you can make me stay here?" A flash of anger crossed Robin's eyes.
"No, but don't say I didn't warn you if you find yourself captured by the enemy," Robyn said as he pulled on his leather jacket from the bedpost and strode to the door.
"Then it's a good thing I've had practice escaping from dungeons," Maria retorted, hotly. Robyn glanced back, but firmly shut the door before Maria could read his response. Maria let out a huff and began pacing the room. What right did this de Noir, who'd only been a part of her life for a short while, have to control her actions? After all, she was the Moon Princess and was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Maria made her decision and with a toss of her fiery hair crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped out into the corridor. She reasoned that the first logical place to go was either the dining hall or the kitchen, as she knew it had been some time since she had last eaten. A rumble of her stomach confirmed this sentiment. She turned in the direction that her and Robyn had taken the night before and began to survey the doors before her as she walked and remained alert for any potential sign of danger. She had not gone far when she heard footsteps from where the corridor turned. She braced herself, prepared to run if necessary. The footsteps continued and a figure rounded the corner. Maria exhaled deeply when she recognized Richard.
"Ah, Maria. It's nice to see again," he said pleasantly.
"It's nice to see you again too," Maria replied fondly.
"Where's Robyn?" Richard asked.
"He went to speak with his father."
"I'm surprised he left you alone at all after yesterday. I trust he doesn't know that you're out roaming the corridors by yourself?"
"No, he can't tell me what I can and cannot do." Richard chuckled and said,
"No one could tell you what to do Maria and anyone who thinks they can is hopelessly naïve. Though I must admit it really isn't safe for you to be here alone. If you were heading somewhere in particular, I can at least ensure you reach your destination safely."
"Well I can't recall the last time I had something to eat, so anywhere with food would be perfect."
"I know precisely the place-I'm sure you'll remember it when we get there." Richard held his arm out to her and a blushing Maria draped her arm through his. Richard led the way through the castle until they reached the place that Maria recognized as the dining room where she had spied on the de Noirs. Or where she had at least attempted to. The room was less occupied than it had been on that day, but it was still busy nonetheless. As Richard led her down the stairs she felt many eyes swivel in their direction. Maria tried to ignore the attention and focused instead on the long table teeming with food. As she scanned the length of it, she saw Coeur de Noir sitting at the head of the table with an amused expression on his face. Robyn sat to the right of him with his jaw clenched. Catching Robyn's eye she pointedly moved closer to Richard and saw the muscles in his jaw clench tighter. Richard guided Maria to the unoccupied spot on Coeur de Noir's left-a place, she recalled, that had previously belonged to Dulac. Richard sat down and Maria sat beside him and looked across at Robyn and couldn't help be feel somewhat smug at his obvious discomfort. Coeur de Noir broke the tense silence by saying,
"Good morning Miss Maria, Richard." The pair returned the greeting.
"Thank you for ensuring Maria reached us safely, Richard, when did she arrive?" Coeur de Noir asked.
"Last night," Maria interjected.
"Last night?" Coeur de Noir repeated with an upward arc of his eyebrow and a glance at Robyn.
"I had her stay in Loveday's room," Robyn stated, "The linens were surprisingly fresh. Almost like she had never left." Robyn and his father shared a look and Maria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The four started to eat in silence for a time. Luckily the awkwardness was ended by the arrival of a boy with short, stringy dark hair and a hat adorned with brown trim that met to form a brown stripe across the top of the hat. After a moment, Maria remembered him as the boy who had attacked Miss Heliotrope in the carriage and who Wrolf had attacked in the forest. "Maria, this is Henry." Henry bobbed his head in greeting then turned to Coeur de Noir.
"I have the information you asked for, sir," he said. Coeur de Noir's expression turned solemn before he turned to Robyn and said,
"Why don't you give Maria a tour of the castle? We'll talk more later." Robyn looked like he was about to protest but a stern look from his father silenced him.
"I can take her on the tour, if you'd rather stay Robyn," said Richard, coolly.
"No, I'll show her around," Robyn retorted with an obvious edge in his voice.
"Okay, just double checking," Richard replied just as calmly as before. Robyn stood and Maria reluctantly did the same. Robyn gave a brisk nod goodbye and Maria gave a small smile before following Robyn. The two retreated up the stairs with a noticeable gap between them. They walked for a long while in silence, punctured only by Robyn occasionally pointing out various features of the castle, which Maria took in passively. Finally Robyn spoke,
"Maria, I'm sorry I left you alone. You deserve to know what's going on even more than I do probably." Maria stayed silent.
"Maria, please…we've been incredibly lucky that you haven't been hurt when there were so many times where you could've been."
"But that's just it, Robyn," Maria said finally, with a hint of exasperation in her voice, "I haven't been hurt, so I'd rather not be treated like a glass figurine!"
"Ugh, you still don't understand!" Robyn exclaimed, "I've almost lost you so many times in the past few days. When the branch snapped yesterday and the river washed you away, I thought that for certain that was the last time I'd see you. And it would've been MY FAULT. I would never have forgiven myself." Maria paused and for the first time felt guilty for her actions as she could see genuine pain in Robyn's eyes. Maria took a deep breath and said,
"It wouldn't have been your fault. Yes, you were the one who took me across the shortcut, but I was the one who forced you to let me come with you in the first place. I want to be able to make my own decisions and I know you want to be able to protect me. We're just going to have to work together to make sure we both get what we want and not let our pride get in the way." The pair looked at one another as a new level of understanding passed between them. Robyn reached out and gently took Maria's hand,
"I have something I want to show you," Robyn led her to a long spiral staircase, not unlike her own at Moonacre Manor. She followed Robyn up the narrow stairs until they reached a locked door. Robyn reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a key which he insert into the lock and opened the door. He opened it to reveal a small cylindrical room with a couple of chairs, a bookshelf, and several old toys strewn about over a faded rug. There was a tiny window that overlooked the forest. "My mother would read to Loveday and I in here when we were young. After she died, I didn't really come back here for a while, but I knew that Loveday always did. The day that she left, she slipped the key under my door. I didn't tell Father about it, but I came here, hoping maybe she had left some sort of explanation for me to find. I only found the copy of Romeo and Juliet that our mother used to read to us opened to the page where they decide to marry. I didn't fully understand it at first until I found out why she'd left."
"You missed her a lot didn't you?" Maria said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Perhaps more than I'd care to admit," Robin said with his eyes cast down.
"Well at least you get to see each other again now," Maria said and Robin lifted his eyes to see her smile.
"Thanks to you." Maria flitted her eyes away sheepishly towards the window when another vision suddenly came to her. The surprise showed in her face and Robyn looked at her inquisitively.
"I saw something again…" Maria started slowly.
"What was it?" Robyn asked eagerly.
"That you…that I…that we..," Maria locked eyes with Robyn and Robyn immediately understood what she had seen. He reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, before lowering his hand to her chin and pulling her in for a tender kiss.
