(Disclaimer: I do not own Strange Magic or its characters)
(Authors Note: Greetings my dear readers, I hope you're enjoying the story thus far because I'm enjoying writing it for all of you (and myself of course). I can't promise a new chapter every week because I have other stories that require attention, but know that I have every intention of continuing this story. In the meantime, stay safe, sit back and enjoy the chapter.)
Marianne had recently changed into her nightgown and was currently lying on her rose bed when a familiar white, furry creature clambered into her room through the open window. Seeing that it was the Imp, she curiously asked, "What are you doing in here?"
He emitted an array of little squeaks and bounced around before hopping onto her bed and presenting her with a sealed scroll, to which he then scampered back to her window and leapt out.
Curious, she broke the wax seal and opened the small scroll, revealing a message from Bog. With a smile, she read it and emitted a sigh as her heart fluttered within her chest knowing she was only hours away from seeing her dearest Bog King once more.
Oh! She needed to inform her Father that he was arriving tomorrow!
With that thought in mind, Marianne sprang out of bed and exited her room, to which she flew down the hall and knocked on her Father's door, hoping he wasn't asleep just yet.
With a creak, the door opened, revealing the fairy king. He was dressed in his nightly attire and wearing a robe, obviously he was ready to turn in for the night when a knock came at his door and forced him to answer. "Marianne? Why aren't you in bed yet?"
She gestured to the scroll in her hand, "I received a reply message from Bog: he says that he'll be here tomorrow afternoon to discuss the trade agreement with you. I figured you'd want to be informed so you knew to expect him."
He lightly chuckled, "I see. Thank you for telling me this. I'll make sure to notify the guards to expect him so they won't see him as a threat when he arrives. Now, with that matter taken care of, I'll see you in the morning my dear."
"Goodnight, Dad," Marianne happily smiled and hugged her father before flying back to her room, clutching Bog's letter to her chest as she landed across from her vanity and set it next to the flower he gave her. She then slipped back into her rose bed and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
XXXXX
"Marianne? Mariaaaaanne…," Dawn's perky voice chimed into the room, waking the elder princess from her slumber.
*yawn* "Dawn...what are you doing up?"
"What do you mean? It's morning. Time to get up, sleepyhead. You don't wanna be late for our meeting with your Boggy Woggy Kingy Wingy, do you?" She teased and gently poked her sister on the nose.
Remembering that Bog was supposed to visit today, Marianne snapped fully awake and sprang out of bed. "Spirits above, did I sleep in?! Is he here?! I'm not even dressed!"
Dawn giggled and placed her hands on her sisters shoulders, "Relax, Bog's not expected to arrive for a while still. I just came to get you up for breakfast. Afterwards, I'm going to help you get ready for the day. I know you're not the biggest fan of dresses, but Bog has never seen you in one and I think it's time you surprised him."
At that, Marianne had to agree with her younger sister: she hadn't worn a dress in front of Bog yet and he wouldn't be expecting her to do so, which made it all the better to surprise him. She had a few dresses to select from and knew any of them would do the trick, but she trusted her sister's judgment and would allow her to select an outfit that was both elegant and stunning. "You're right. Thanks, sis."
"You're welcome. Now, let's head down for some breakfast. I'm hungry."
She smirked and flew down to the dining room where their Father was sitting at the head of the table sipping on some elderberry tea. "Ah, good morning my dears."
"Morning, Dad," they said in unison before taking their seats at the table and digging into their breakfast, which consisted of freshly baked strawberry scones, hot porridge and mixed berry salad.
As they ate, Marianne glanced over at her father and asked, "Did you inform the guards to expect Bog so they won't see him as a threat?"
He chuckled and gave her a reassuring nod, "Of course, my dear. They've been notified as have the villagers and castle residents. I made it clear that the Bog King is arriving on political business and will be treated with the utmost respect. He is not to be attacked or seen as a threat. So you can rest assured that no harm will come to him. However, if someone breaks that agreement, I will be forced to take action and see that justice is rightly served."
"Oh trust me Dad, I'll gladly enforce my own justice if anyone tries to attack Bog."
XXXXX
After breakfast Marianne and Dawn headed off to change out of their nightgowns and get dressed for the day. Not wanting to upstage her sister, Dawn decided to wear her favorite light blue outfit before assisting the pixies with finding a dress for Marianne to wear for Bog's visit. Upon opening the wardrobe and sifting through her sister's clothes, Dawn suddenly spotted something in the back that immediately caught her attention. Pulling it out, she revealed it to be a royal blue colored gown. "Oh my, Marianne, where did you acquire this dress? It's gorgeous!"
Her eyes widened, "I honestly didn't even know I had it in my wardrobe. I have no idea where it came from."
"Well, let's try it on you and see how it fits!" She beamed as the pixies helped her sister remove her nightgown before slipping the dress over her and tying it up.
It was a full-length gown but it had a longer train in the back and was fastened by adjustable drawstrings on the lower back, which helped to keep it secure on Marianne's body. Her upper back, shoulders and most of her neck was completely exposed except for the ribbons that tied the top portion of the dress behind her neck. The front was a beautiful v-neck design that was fairly modest, but only exposed a tiny portion of her cleavage.
Dawn looked upon her older sister with a bright smile across her face before emitting an excited squeal, "Oooooh, you look so beautiful!"
Marianne glanced at herself in the mirror and felt her eyes tearing up: she wanted to look stunning for Bog, but this gown was just too much. "Dawn...I-I can't wear this…"
"Why not?" She asked, shocked.
"It's too beautiful...I know that sounds silly, but this is just supposed to be a simple diplomatic discussion between Bog, our Father and ourselves. It's not like I'm attending the midsummer gala or the harvest ball."
"Hmm, I suppose when you put it that way, it does seem a bit much. Okay, how about this: you save that dress for the gala and invite Bog and his subjects to attend. Of course we'll have to discuss the idea with Dad, but what do you think?"
She nodded, "That sounds great. We can discuss the idea with Dad later tonight and I'll ask Bog when we find out what Dad has to say. If nothing else, I can save this gown for something extra special."
"Like a wedding," Dawn winked while the pixies cheerfully giggled.
Marianne's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as she thought about that future possibility. Mentally shaking her head, she gave them all a smile and shrugged, "Perhaps, but for the time being maybe I should wear something a bit more practical."
"Alright, but I'm still picking out your outfit," she fluttered over to the wardrobe once more and began to sift through it while Bergenia, Aubrieta, and Verbena (the pixies) assisted Marianne in removing her gown.
After a moment, Dawn pulled out a magenta colored dress, dark leggings and matching boots. "Oh, this is pretty. Wanna give this outfit a try?"
She nodded and gave her a smile, "Sure. It's been a while since I've worn this outfit." Marianne slipped on the leggings before donning the dress. Like the blue gown, this dress revealed most of her back and only exposed a small portion of her cleavage. But unlike the blue gown, it had a hole for her head to slip into, rather than ribbons/straps to tie around her neck. The dress came down to her knees and was both elegant and cute in appearance. While she didn't think of herself as 'cute', she remembered Bog mentioning that 'cute' suited her. Of course, he loved her tough girl persona, but when she wasn't acting tough, she did have a slight tendency to come off as 'cute'. Once the dress was on, she slipped into the boots and looked herself over in her vanity mirror. "While it's not the blue gown, it's still nice. What do you think, Dawn?"
"I think you look beautiful. However, there's one thing missing."
"What's that?"
Dawn fluttered over and picked up Marianne's blue flower from Bog before gently placing it in her sister's hair, "There you go. Now your outfit is complete."
"Thanks, sis," she kissed her forehead before applying a tiny dab of perfume behind her ears. The two of them then headed down to the study where their Father was sitting at his desk going over some paperwork.
"Ah, my little girls, I see you're both dressed and ready for today."
"Yep," Dawn smirked. "By the way, Marianne and I were wondering if you would possibly consider inviting the goblins to our annual Midsummer Gala? I know our kingdoms have only started to become more acquainted with one another, but I thought this might be a good way for our subjects to interact with the goblins, seeing as how we'll likely be doing trade with them."
He stroked his beard for a moment before replying, "I will have to think it over a bit further. For the time being, we should focus on this trade agreement. We'll talk about the gala and other festivities at a later time. Alright?"
She nodded, "Yea, that's fine. I suppose we should have a meeting with the elves and hear their opinions on the matter. I'll be sure to ask Sunny what he thinks."
"As yes, speaking of Sunny, is he planning to attend the meeting?"
Dawn worried her bottom lip for a moment, "I uh...I haven't asked him yet...but to be fair, we did just plan this out last night and I wasn't sure if Bog was coming over today until I found out this morning. If you want, I can go out and find him. I know he'd be happy to attend."
He gave his youngest daughter a warm smile, "Well, seeing as how you two are involved with one another, I'd like to hear his opinion on the matter. After all, he's a member of our kingdom and a representative of the elf village, so his word holds significance within my court."
"Good point. I'll go out and find him. Marianne, would you mind coming with me? We can look for materials to make boutonnieres. I'll even show you how to properly make one," she smirked which earned her a playful eye roll from her older sister.
"Alright, but we can't stay out too long. I want to return before Bog's arrival."
XXXXX
Marianne and Dawn were currently on route towards the elf village where they soon spotted Sunny patching up the stable roof: apparently the storm had done some minor damage to a few of the houses and structures within the village.
Upon seeing the princesses, he cheerfully waved, "Hey Dawn, Marianne, what brings you two over here?"
"We came to ask if you'd like to attend a meeting with us today?" Dawn asked with a smile, "Bog is coming over to discuss a possible trade arrangement between the Fairy Kingdom and the Dark Forest. Seeing as how you're a representative of the village, Dad wants you to voice any concerns or opinions you may have in regards to what we can all do to help one another."
"Alrighty, just let me freshen up real quick and I'll meet you two outside the castle shortly."
"See you soon, Sunny Hunny," Dawn giggled and lovingly kissed him, making him happily sigh. Once they fluttered off, she smiled over at her older sister, "Okay, while we wait for Sunny, let's find some materials to make your Boggy Woggy a boutonniere."
Marianne playfully rolled her eyes as they scavenged the surrounding field for suitable items to use in their crafting. When they finally finished gathering what they needed, Dawn instructed her sister on how to properly make a boutonniere and after a few minutes, Marianne presented the finished product: It consisted of a bit of ivy leaf for the base, snippets from a forget-me-not petal and a tiny, white, lobularia maritima flower in the center. "Do you think he'll like it?"
Dawn gave her sister a reassuring smile, "Oh Marianne, I know he'll love it. It's beautiful."
"Well I have you to thank. After all, you showed me how to properly make it. If you hadn't, I'd probably end up making something similar to what I made for Roland last year."
"Yeeeaaa," she cringed at the memory of that ugly thing she tried to pass off as a boutonniere. It looked like something out of a nightmare or from the bottom of a latrine. Of course, she didn't have the heart to tell her that back then. "Let's just say that your crafting skills have dramatically improved since last year and just leave it at that."
A small smirk formed on her face, "Agreed. Besides, with this I actually put thought into it rather than jumble a bunch of things I found lying around and called it good. I can't believe I was actually proud of that ugly thing, but I've never been very talented when it came to making such crafts."
"Oh Marianne, you do have talent. You just needed a little push in the right direction. Next time, you won't even need my assistance because you'll already know what to do," she cheerfully smiled as they flew off towards the castle and waited for Sunny.
Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long for him to arrive because shortly after landing, Marianne and Dawn spotted Sunny riding towards them on a dragonfly. Upon landing and dismounting, he approached them and asked, "Well, what do you think? I figured I'd dress up for the meeting, seeing as how it's a political matter which requires a bit of formality." He wasn't wearing his bandanna or his working gloves like he usually did. Instead of his casual attire, he was now wearing a forest green linen shirt, a pair of brown trousers with suspenders and a nice pair of brown boots.
"Oh Sunny, you look so formal. But you should know that I love you no matter what you wear or what you look like," Dawn smiled and knelt down to kiss him, making him emit a 'hmm' of adoration.
"Okay you love bugs, we should probably head over to the conference room and wait for…"
"Your Majesties," a guard suddenly landed across from the princesses, "the Bog King has entered the Fairy Kingdom and is approaching the castle."
Marianne felt her heart skip a beat: Bog was almost here! Coming back to her senses, she politely nodded, "Thank you, Lewis, we shall inform our Father at once. You may return to your duties."
"Yes Mam," he respectfully bowed to them and flew off, leaving the princesses and elf behind.
"Sunny and I will inform Dad of his arrival. You stay here and greet your Boggy Woggy," Dawn winked and giggled.
A blush appeared across Marianne's face, to which she gave a nod, "Alright. We'll meet you in the conference room."
"Don't keep us waiting too long," she replied in a sing-song voice before heading off to find their Father with Sunny lovingly holding her hand.
XXXXX
A familiar buzzing sound caught Marianne's attention as the Bog King entered the castle and silenced his wings upon landing. She casually stepped out from behind a nearby pillar and curtsied, "Greetings, my noble Bog King. I have been eagerly awaiting your arrival."
The goblin emitted a chuckle and politely bowed with his amber jeweled staff in hand, "Ye needn't wait any longer, my fair princess, for I have come to council with you and yer Father upon your request." He then approached and gently took a hold of her hand before placing a chaste kiss upon her wrist while being mindful of the guards nearby. If it wasn't for them, he'd have Marianne pinned against the wall and be passionately kissing her by now. He leaned over and whispered in a low, sultry voice, "Ye look ravishing, my tough girl."
Marianne emitted a 'hmm' sound before remembering the boutonniere, "Oh, I made this for you." She then placed it upon his chitin-plated chest and smiled, "I hope you like it."
"I do," he replied honestly. "Thank you."
A soft blush appeared across her face as he caressed her cheek and placed a soft kiss upon her lips, making her heart flutter within her chest.
XXXXX
Marianne and Bog made their way over to the conference room where her Father, Dawn and Sunny were all seated and waiting. With a knowing look, the Fairy King glanced at the goblin and stated, "It's good to see you again, Bog. How have you been faring lately?"
He politely bowed his head and replied, "I am well, thank you. And yourself?"
"I am fine. I trust the castle construction is coming along nicely?"
"It is, though we are far from finished. However, thanks to your subjects and your daughters' assistance, we've made significant progress in our tunnel system thus far."
"That's encouraging to hear. If it will be of further assistance to you and your fellow goblins, I can enlist the help of some of my carpenters, miners and smiths to aid you further."
At that he gave a slight nod and took a seat at the table with Marianne by his side, "More help is always appreciated. Thank you, your Majesty."
"Of course. Now, let us discuss the matter at hand. As I understand, you and my daughter had spoken about the idea of opening a trade route between our kingdoms. I'd like to hear what you had in mind."
Bog sat back in his chair as he addressed the Fairy King, "Aye, that we did. Marianne and I wish to open the border and allow trade to flow between the Fairy Kingdom and the Dark Forest because it would benefit all of our subjects and ease tensions between the fae folk and goblins alike. An open trade route would allow our subjects to obtain goods in which we cannot find or produce in our separate realms. For instance, the Dark Forest has an ample supply of medicinal herbs that can only grow in the shade whereas your kingdom has a variety of grains, vegetables and fruits that require direct sunlight to flourish. As you know, with the destruction of my previous castle, my subjects and I have been forced to restock our food supplies and will require more provisions before winter forces us underground. We have managed to recover some of our stock from the old castle ruins, but much of it was lost in the initial collapse."
Marianne lovingly took his hand within her own and gave it a squeeze, which he returned her kind gesture by gently rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. The Fairy King emitted a sigh of regret and shame that he essentially played a role in bringing so much unnecessary destruction to the goblins, "Bog...as lord of this realm, I intend to do everything in my power to aid you and your fellow goblins by helping you to replenish your winter supplies. I fully endorse the idea of a trade route and opening the border to your subjects." He then glanced over at the elf, "Sunny, would you care to share your opinions? I understand you've been volunteering your services to the goblins in helping them recover items from the castle ruins and aiding them in the tunnel constructions."
He gave a nod, "That's right, Sir. As the one who was partially responsible for the whole love potion incident, I felt the need to right my wrong by helping the goblins rebuild. As for opinions on trade between the realms, I agree that it'll help everyone in the long run. However, there are a few suggestions I'd like to make in terms of items to trade. As you all know, the village I reside in relies on wood for most of our builds and repairs. I would like to suggest trading lumber for clay and tundra cotton. Also, I can ask my fellow villagers to compose a list of items they wish to trade in exchange for whatever goods the goblins require."
"And I can ask my subjects to provide me a list of items they also wish to trade," Bog noted.
"Very well then. Marianne, Dawn, is there anything you two wish to add?" This Fairy King asked his daughters with a smile.
The elder princess gave a nod and raised her hand, "I'd like to make a suggestion. I have some ideas on the trade route, but on a side note, I believe we should also establish a proper communications line on this side of the border. As you all know, the mushrooms are a direct line of communication through the Dark Forest and lead straight to Bog's castle; however, there is no one on this side to receive messages from his realm unless someone happens to be nearby the mushroom line. I propose that we erect a message outpost next to the border so that any information sent to the Fairy Kingdom will be received within a proper time frame. Perhaps a small settlement can be built beside the border to not only act as an outpost, but also as a waystop for traders and travelers entering or exiting the realms."
"Wow Marianne, that's actually a really great idea," Dawn stated as a matter-of-factly. "Oh, we should also build a sentry post atop one of the border trees to act as a lookout station for birds and large predators. It'd be a safety net for the villagers living in the outpost settlement."
"Well said my dears," the Fairy King commented to his daughters. "I shall speak with the elder council further on this discussion later this week. For now let us return to the matter at hand."
XXXXX
The meeting finally came to an end almost two hours later, but King Dagda (the Fairy King) wanted to have a private word with Bog in the study room. Marianne, Dawn and Sunny were asked to head outside for the time being and were even assigned a pair of guards to make sure they wouldn't eavesdrop on their conversation. At the moment, Bog stood in the study with his staff in hand while Dagda sat at his desk with his hands folded in front of him.
"Bog, the reason I asked to personally speak with you is this: do you intend to marry Marianne?"
He gave him a nod in affirmation, "I do, your highness. I was hoping to ask your permission before I propose to her. Now, I have no intention of rushing my relationship with your daughter as I wish to do right by her and not take any shortcuts, as my Mother would phrase it." A small smile crossed his face, "I had hoped to propose to her once the castle is completed as a way of officially making it a proper home for my future Queen. Of course, I also wanted to strengthen our alliance before even considering asking you for Marianne's hand in marriage, but you beat me to the question."
Dagda emitted a slight chuckle, "It appears I did. Well Bog, when the time does come for you to ask her, know that you have my approval."
"You mean…"
"Yes, Bog, you have my permission to marry Marianne. I can see it in your eyes that you truly love her and would do anything to keep her safe and make her smile." He paused for a moment before continuing, "It's been a long time since I've seen her so happy. At one point I thought Roland would make a good husband for her and shower her with unconditional love and happiness, but I was a fool to believe that he actually cared about her." A smile then graced his face, "Then I saw the two of you together and while it was difficult for me to accept your relationship at first, I've come to understand what it is Marianne sees in you. You're diligent in your duties as a ruler. You've proven your selflessness by risking your own life to save my daughters when the castle fell. You've publicly and personally apologized for kidnapping Dawn and threatening my subjects. And you're currently working on building up alliances between our realms. But most importantly, when it comes to my daughter, you make her happy. So when you decide the time is right to ask for her hand, just know that you have my blessing."