A Moonacre Fanfiction Peace on Earth

While the adults were being musically engaged, Robin and Maria were having a great deal more excitement outside. They strolled across the manor grounds, talking and smiling, laughing and poking fun at each other. The air was clear and frigid. The sky was dark and overcast, but Robin and Maria's merry conversations brightened their walk.

"What did you think of Lillian?" Maria asked presently. Robin was quiet for a moment.

"She was nice. I didn't know old ladies could be that nice." Maria shoved him gently.

"She's not old. She's younger than Miss Heliotrope. Maybe younger than your father."

"Hey, I was giving her a compliment. You can't be so critical of other people's compliments."

"Well, you are being critical of my being critical of your compliment. You're a hypocrite."

"I am most certainly not a hippopotamus," Robin said defensively. Maria laughed, letting loose a frosty cloud of breath.

"No, you're right. You're just plain hopeless."

"Am not." He shoulder bumped her.

"Are too." She replied, ramming into him with all her might, for she was of small personage.

"Am not." And he slammed into her, knocking her to the snowy white ground. Maria lie there for a moment, just long enough for Robin to say apprehensively, "Maria? Are you all right?" She gave a muffled reply. "Here, take my hand." He offered, bending down. She moved slowly—and then threw a snowball square in Robin's face!

"Why you—!" he sputtered, shocked by the cold wetness.

"Ha," Maria grinned smugly, triumph glinting in her eyes. "And it would be ungentlemanly of you to throw a snowball at a g—"

Robin promptly tossed a clump of snow directly into Maria's face.

"Hang chivalry. I'm getting even."

Quickly, Maria scooped up a handful of snow. But Robin took off like a fox for the woods. Maria narrowed her eyes. Robin didn't know who he was messing with. She was the Moon Princess. She had overcome an ancient curse. She had unlocked the secrets of centuries. A game such as this would be…well, child's play.

And so after him Maria dashed. The snow made it very simple indeed for her to trace him; his deep footprints stuck out like a sore thumb. She was delighted by this, for in all truth she was not as skilled a tracker as Robin.

On she went, half jogging. It was difficult to run; her bulky winter apparel and the thick layer of snow on the ground hampered her movements. Maria followed the footprints that weaved in and out of groves, under a fallen tree, and over a small frozen creek. At last she stood, breathless, wondering how Robin had gotten so far ahead of her. She had no idea where he was. For all she knew, he could be back at Moonacre Manor now, smirking at his own cleverness.

A clump of snow landed on her face. Maria whirled around, expecting to see Robin. But no one was there. Another clump came, then another. Faster and faster. It was snowing, Maria realized with slight embarrassment. For a moment she gazed up at the heavy gray sky, letting the massive snowflakes (if they could indeed be called 'flakes') fall upon her.

But after a minute of this delightful activity, Maria realized that the snow was coming down forcefully now, not just the gentle sprinkle of other days. A fierce wind whipped at her hair. It was turning into a blizzard.

And Maria was lost.

No, she wasn't. All she had to do was follow her footprints back home. How foolish she was. Maria turned and looked down.

The footprints were gone.

They were covered over by this new downpour. Now Maria really and truly was lost. Her heart hammered in her chest, gaining speed as she realized her predicament. The forest was a vast expanse, and everything looked different in the snow. Even familiar places that Maria might have recognized were entirely new sights.

"Robin!" Maria called. She shouted as loudly as she could, but it made an insignificant noise in comparison to the howling of the wind. "Robin! Robin, are you there? Robin!" She began to walk aimlessly. Oh, it was cold! She shivered, pulling her coat close around her.

One foot in front of the other Maria walked, straight in a direction that could have been towards the manor, or perhaps toward the De Noir village, or perhaps just deeper into the great forest. Maria had no idea where she was, but it was pointless to stand still and freeze.

The harsh wind stung her cheeks with no remorse, and the bitter coldness painted her nose cherry red. Her lips, chapped by the dry air, trembled, half out of fright and half out of sheer chill. Her toes began to feel numb, and her fingers followed suit. Once more, she cried out for Robin. But of course there was no use. Robin was surely long gone.

This was turning serious. What if the snow kept coming? What if Maria never found her way back? What if she froze to death? They would find her in a few days, stiff and…

"Princess!" a voice called out. Maria's knees nearly crumpled as a wave of relief engulfed her. Robin's dark form rushed over to her. "Princess! Here you are! I looked and looked, and I was afraid—we've got to find shelter, quickly." He stared at her pale face, worry creasing his. "You don't look good."

"Now I wonder why," she sputtered through her chapped lips. "Where are we?"

"Nowhere close to my home or yours," he said, having to shout over the relentless gust of wind. "I don't know where we could—Loveday!" Maria blinked. Was Loveday back from her honeymoon already? What would she be doing out in a storm?

"Where?"

"No, I mean Loveday's grotto. The place she lived for a while. That's close. We can stay there." Maria only nodded in comprehension. "It's not far," he said, eying her in concern. "Can you walk?"

"I can make it," she said bravely. It would not do for Robin to think she needed help.

"All right, take my arm," he commanded. This she did.

"Lead the way." She said. And so they began to walk, plowing through the snow and going headlong into the wind. It was a difficult pilgrimage indeed, but it would have been a thousand times worse to make solitarily. Two hearts were better than one. Though they walked in silence, for the wind would not allow for speech, the silence was an encouraging one, and each heart strengthened the other by merely being.

A/N: My dear readers,

I am delighted to see that we have gathered more of an audience! It is always encouraging to have several readers rooting the author on. But then, I think only one reader is necessary to make the author feel appreciated. Sorry. Forgive my random babbling. I thank you most sincerely for reading this chapter of Peace of Earth; hopefully it has been a little more exciting. At any rate, I thank you not only for your time and kind reviews, but also for your patience regarding my slow updates. I don't fancy I need to explain to you the trials of making time for creative writing, however enjoyable it may be. Thank you once again for your support.

Ever yours,

Ponygirl7