(Disclaimer: I do not own Strange Magic.)
(Authors Note: Hello my dearest readers and fellow writers! I'm so, so sorry for not updating this story sooner but I've been rather preoccupied with my other stories and life in general. I still have plenty of ideas for this story, but my mind has been focused elsewhere. I just recently uploaded a new story based off of the movie 'A Monster In Paris', so if you like this story then you might also enjoy that one as well. If nothing else, you should definitely give that movie a chance as it's really lovely and sweet. I honestly can't believe it took me this long to discover it for myself. Anyways, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I hope you'll like this latest chapter. It's not quite as long as some of my previous ones, but it's sweet nonetheless :) Enjoy!)
"English/Common"
"Memories/Dreams"
Marianne spent the majority of the morning and part of the afternoon with Griselda as she made alterations to the dresses she had presented her with. By mid afternoon, the young Queen stepped out of the room wearing her wedding shoes and a lovely lilac colored dress. It was the same style as the first one she tried on that morning, except the alterations made it more fitting on her figure.
Griselda had added some ruffles to the bottom hemline, which brought the length just past her knees. She also altered the back to accommodate her wings, which left most of her back exposed. The dress itself was held up by a pair of straps which were tied behind her neck. All in all, it was beautiful.
Knowing Bog was likely overseeing the castle preparations for spring and ensuring that his subjects were safely emerging from hibernation, Marianne decided to do a bit of exploring in her new home. Having never actually wandered through the entirety of the castle on her own before, she figured she'd take the opportunity to stave off her curiosity.
Figuring that she'd start from the top and work her way down, she flew to the highest point of the castle (which was essentially a lookout tower) and marveled at the breathtaking view before her. Yes, the Dark Forest was frightening at times, but during the span of their relationship, Bog had shown her that there was great beauty within his realm. Looking out from atop the tower, the young Queen emitted a sigh as the sunlight streamed through the trees and the earthy smell of the forest filled her lungs.
While basking in the warm sunlight, she was filled with a sense of calm as she gazed across the wooded landscape. Yes, the Fairy Kingdom was lovely and peaceful, but there was also great danger despite its flowery appearance. With the kingdom being located in the center of a large meadow, there was little cover and protection from birds and the elements. But here in the Dark Forest that wasn't much of an issue. Of course they still had to worry about those things, but not nearly as much as the residents of the Fairy Kingdom.
Heading down from the lookout tower, Marianne explored the other rooms of the upper level and noted there were at least half a dozen unfurnished rooms down the hall from the royal bedchamber. Stepping into each one (for curiosity's sake), she mentally noted that they were considerably smaller than her and Bog's shared quarters; however, they were the perfect size for children. A small sigh escaped her lips as she thought about that possibility. She loved kids and eventually wanted some of her own, but right now she mainly wanted to focus on settling into her new home and adjusting to her new role as the Queen of the Dark Forest. 'Spirits..I'm a Queen now..' She hadn't really taken the time to process that fact since she and Bog had been too preoccupied with planning their wedding and preparing for winter before their hibernation. But now that she was awake, she was suddenly hit with that reality.
Overwhelmed, Marianne felt her legs tremble, to which she balanced herself against the door frame before taking a moment to collect her thoughts. She knew she could always ask Griselda for advice and Bog would gladly help her adjust to her new role, but what would her new subjects think of her? She didn't know any of the kingdom's history, nor did she know much about goblin culture or traditions in general.
Shaking her head of the negative thoughts that filtered through her mind, Marianne opted to put her self-guided tour of the castle on hold and immediately headed down to Bog's study/private library to read up on any history pertaining to the Dark Forest.
XXXXX
-Later-
After completing his duties for the day, Bog headed back inside the castle with the intention of finding his wife and spending time with her. Knowing she was likely still with his Mother as she had been making dress alterations for her since this morning, he flew up to her room and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Griselda's voice sounded from the other side, to which he turned the handle and stepped inside to find her casually sitting at her spinning wheel and spinning yarn from cattail fluff. "Oh, my sweet boy, how was your day? I haven't seen you since this morning."
"It was fine, but where's Marianne? She was with you last time I saw her."
"Oh, she wanted to explore the castle for a bit, so she's around here somewhere. I offered to show her around, but she assured me that she'd be fine and just wanted to familiarize herself with her new home."
"I see. Thank you for spending time with her and offering to make her something to wear until we can send for her belongings at the Fairy Kingdom."
"Of course. You know I adore her. By the way, she called me 'Mom' earlier," she said with a smile across her face. "I'm glad you married her. She's a sweet girl with a bright head on her shoulders and an even brighter heart."
"Aye, she's quite the woman. I still don't know how someone like me could have attracted such a beautifully feisty creature such as her," he admitted with a sigh.
"Easy. She looked into your soul and saw the good in you..despite your crankiness," she added with a smirk. "What she sees in you is what I see every day. And what I see is a handsome, brave, and just ruler who prioritizes the needs of his kingdom and subjects before his own. You're a wonderful son and King, and she fell in love with you because you have a good heart."
His lips curved into a small smile before a familiar figure appeared in the corner of his eye: Thang.
"News from the mushrooms' Sire: The hairy bean is slacking to gear from fizz mortar."
At that, Bog ran a hand down his face and emitted a sigh, "..I'll deal with it." Flying out of the vicinity, he headed outside to hear for himself what the mushrooms had to say.
XXXXX
Meanwhile, Marianne was still in Bog's study/private library reading up on the history of the Dark Forest and goblin culture. She had gathered at least a dozen books off the shelves and placed them atop the desk where she was sitting. Feeling her head starting to ache from all the reading she had done, she decided to take a break. That, and her stomach had been growling for the last half hour, signaling that she was hungry again. As she stood up from the desk, the door to the study opened to reveal her husband.
Bog stepped into the room with a smile across his face upon seeing his lovely wife, "So this is where ye've been. My Mother said you were familiarizing yourself with the castle."
"Mhmm," she curtly nodded and approached. "I wanted to learn more about the kingdom's history, so I decided to go through your library and read as much as I could; however, I still have much to learn."
"What prompted this sudden interest?"
She emitted a sigh and momentarily cast her eyes to the floor, "..The reality that I'm now your wife and Queen of this realm. I know little to nothing about the history of this kingdom from the goblins perspective and I wanted to change that. I just want to prove that I'll be a good Queen and that I'm worthy enough to reign beside you."
With a tender smile, Bog turned her head to face him and cupped her cheek, "You're more than worthy to reign beside me. But if you're still interested in learning our realm's history, I'll be happy to teach you."
"Thank you," she leaned into his touch and wrapped her arms around his neck before the two of them shared a long, passionate kiss. Of course, their kiss quickly escalated into something more intimate. Bog immediately began nipping at her neck and unlacing the straps of her dress while she ran her fingers along his back and kicked off her slippers.
Taking extra precautions, he momentarily left her embrace to lock the study door so they wouldn't be disturbed by one of the guards, or worse, his Mother. A small shudder rolled down his spine at the thought of her walking in on them. Spirits no. That would just be mortifying.
Once the room was sealed, Bog returned to find Marianne completely naked and casually lounging beside the fireplace, which she had lit earlier as it was a little too brisk for her liking. With a seductive smile, she gave him a 'come hither' motion with her index finger, to which he obediently complied. The two of them then entwined with one another and spent the remainder of the afternoon in euphoric marital bliss.
(Another Authors Note: Hello again dearest readers and fellow writers! I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to be putting this story on a temporary hiatus as I'll soon be leaving to work out at sea for the next five to six months. Don't worry, I've still got plenty of ideas for future chapters and will be sure to upload new content as soon as I return. Now, I'm not scheduled to leave just yet, but I need to update my other stories before I'm deprived of decent internet service for the next few months. Also, more importantly, I need to spend as much time as I can with my family before I leave. I'll be missing out on watching my niece grow up during those five to six months, so I need to get as many cuddles and snuggles from her as possible. That, and I need to do the same with my fur baby as he'll be deprived of his mommy for those months. But don't worry, his grandma and grandpa will look after him and he'll visit his cousins (my sister's dogs and cat) often. With that being said, I wish you all the best as you're an amazing group of fans and are greatly appreciated. Until I post again, may the road rise to meet you and may the wind be always at your back. Keep reading, keep writing, stay safe, stay sane, and stay awesome!)