Chapter 2. Enjoy!

"What? Why-why are you up here?" She thought she'd been safe up here.

"You," he took a step towards her, his footsteps as light as a whisper, gained from years of tracking animals in the forest. "have something of mine." She stood up straighter, in defiance. Her soft, silky, red hair cascaded around her face and tumbled town her back and over her chest.

"What do you think I have?" Robin analyzed her carefully, in the full light of her room. Maria Merryweather, the last of the Moon Princess's, was the most intriguing and beautiful girl he had ever met. No, wait. Don't think like that. you can't afford to think like that Robin. "You, Princess, have my hat."

She raised her eyebrows at him in amusement, and took a daring step towards the handsome, seemingly dangerous boy. "You came to me," she took another step. Robin realized that he had stopped walking. "In the dead of night," step. " a dreaded DeNoir... who tried to kidnap me this morning," She was now less than a foot away from him. Maria could feel a blush rising, but she did her best to hold it off. Robin held off this incredible urge to close the gap and run his hands through her fiery hair. (Though he could feel his left hand twitching.) "Just for some silly hat?"

Robin growled, a noise so low she could barely hear it, but it seemed to vibrate in her. The flush came unbidden, and she cursed her emotions. "It's not just a 'silly' hat, Maria." That was the first time, the boy said her name. Her actual name, not 'princess'. She shivered as it rolled off his tongue. "It's MY hat, and it means ever so much to me." He took one full step closer, and Maria now had to tilt her head back slightly to look at his handsome face.

He shouldn't be this close to her, Robin realized a second too late. She was a city girl. Those girls had strict boundaries. Her minty breath puffed up, and the DeNoir could smell her perfume again. Maria noticed that he inhaled slightly. Did something smell? She sniffed and was overwhelmed by Robin's musk of leather, fresh cut grass and the forest. She briefly closed her eyes in enjoyment. Robin stared down at this young woman, his sworn enemy, yet she was so unafraid of him. She was standing here exposed, in a nightgown without any weapons, in the dark, with her eyes closed. Robin shook his head, curls bouncing without his hat to hold them down. What was with this Merryweather? He leaned down, still forcing himself to not touch her hair and whispered in her ear. "Could I have it back?" Maria's eyes flew open as she felt Robin Denoirs breath on her cheek, and her eyes widened. This was the closest she'd ever been to a member of the opposite sex. There was a distance of maybe three centimeters between the two teenagers. She gulped and stepped back quickly.

"Yes." She nodded curtly, before spinning on her heel and disappearing into her room.

Robin stared after her dumbstruck. Why the rush? A slow grin showing all his teeth appeared. She had been blushing beet red when she ran away to her room. Did she... was she attracted to him? He found himself going beyond all reason and hoping so. Robin chuckled and then decided to step into her room also, never once thinking that he would be trespassing, or invading the Moon Princess's privacy. She was kneeling on the ground across the room near an open trunk rummaging around, but what caught his eye was the room itself.

"Whoah." he breathed. Maria spun around, surprised that Robin had followed her into her room. She was about to yell at him to leave when she saw the look of wonder and awe on his face as he memorized every detail of her private chambers. She couldn't bear to take that happiness off of his face. It was simply beautiful. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. What would Ms. Heliotrope say is she walked in right now and saw a young man in her charges room? Or worse, what would uncle say? But they weren't, for Maria locked her door before turning in. And they couldn't read her mind.

The ceiling. The ceiling wasn't the ceiling. It was the night sky. It was the stars, and the planets and it was breathtaking. Robin found himself sitting down on a velvet chair, still looking up. This was magical. Nothing like this existed back in the DeNoir territory. His hat had totally been forgotten, now in possession of Maria. Eventually his eyes travelled around the rest of the room, amazed at the level of detail that went into this place. The furniture, the landscapes painted onto the walls... even the carpet was soft underfoot. The Merryweathers had real carpet. The DeNoirs lived in a dank, dark castle. Nothing that Robin had compared to this. His father and his ancestors had wanted to destroy this? To destroy her?

Robin then realized Maria's rustling around in the chest had stopped awhile ago, and that he had spent too much time inspecting her private rooms. He cleared his throat awkwardly and cast his eyes back to the chest. She wasn't there! The DeNoir looked about wildly and then realized that Maria was sitting on the edge of her magnificent bed, his precious bowler hat in hand. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She whispered, barely audible. She was fussing with his hat, pulling on a frayed string. But she was staring straight at him with those piercing blue eyes.

"This is a room fit for the Moon Princess." Maria frowned.

"Why do you keep calling me that? A princess? I'm not of royal blood." Robin stood up, flabbergasted.

"You really don't know?"She shifted uncomfortably.

"Know what? Father left me a book...and it mentioned something of a Moon Princess. But I haven't finished it... I haven't had time to read such childish stories." Robin sat down again. Childish stories? That was their families entire history! Why they were feuding! The reason why these two teenagers were supposed to hate each other. Repulsed by one another. And beautiful, stubborn, supposedly upright Maria had no idea of any of it. Oh the irony.

He groaned and put his head in his hands, then sighed and ran his fingers through his mass of curls. Maria watched in silence as he did this,wondering what was so important. Surely this attractive young man wasn't worrying over her!"Robin?" She questioned getting up and walking over to him. "What's wrong?" She gently placed his bowler hat on top of his head. He looked up gratefully, then scrunched his eyebrows together.

"I can't believe that you don't know our families' history, Maria." There, he went and said her name again. Maria felt a tingle go up her spine, and she shook a little to get rid of it. Robin noticed and he smirked, like he knew a secret and was just dying to share. Maria bit her lip.

"Would you tell me?" She sat down on the edge of her bed, closest to her leather-clad boy. Robin paused and thought for a moment. "I don't think I can. To do so would betray my clan," just being here was breaking protocol. He was supposed to kidnap her for crying out loud! "And besides..." He got up and walked over to her, sitting down close to Maria on the bed. "You can probably learn more from a book than from me." She stiffened at his sudden closeness, but then relaxed. She then collapsed backwards onto the bed, and sighed sadly. Robin frowned. She shouldn't be so comfortable around him. He was dangerous to her. A DeNoir. But he found himself also wanting to be in proximity of her. Close proximity. He was very aware that their hands were almost touching. Which probably wasn't a good thing as his father wanted him to kidnap her tomorrow... again.

"Why the sigh, Princess?"

She rolled onto her side to face Robin, and in the process got closer to him. "Nothing makes sense! My Father, an honorable man dies and leaves me a fairytale book, You ambush me today and then treat me civilly later at night, uncle is very mysterious, many rooms here are locked up, I'm not allowed near the forest, and my room is practically impossible! Just look at the ceiling!" She said in a huff. Instead,Robin looked down at his hands, dirt caked underneath his fingernails... his right hand was right next to her slender, clean, pink hand. What a difference.

"I'm not supposed to be civil to you. I'm not even supposed to be here right now."

"Oh." Was all she said. She seemed so disappointed in this that Robin couldn't stop himself from talking.

"As a matter of fact," He looked into her eyes, " Father wants me well rested so that tomorrow or the day after that I can kidnap you successfully." Maria sat up and gasped,scooting away from Robin. "No!" He said quickly, finally grabbing her slender hand. "I don't want to hurt you, or scare you or anything like that! Not since I really saw you today. Since I actually met you." She paused.

"Why?" She whispered to him. " Why tell me this?" Robin didn't know. He just knew that he had Maria's hand in his and that he never wanted to let go. He stood up and pulled her with him as well, bringing her back out onto her balcony. She didn't protest. That was either really good, or really bad. Twenty minutes spent together, and already she had started to trust him. Maria couldn't explain the feelings that she was having right now. She was just drawn to him like no one before. " I want you to know that whatever happens to you, or to Moonacre valley... it's not my fault." Robin turned her to face him in the center of her balcony.

"What to you mean?" She asked, looking up at her almost thief.

"Read your book, Princess. It should explain everything." He was leaning close to her now, and his feather collar was tickling her nose. Robin was taken back as she leaned into his chest, their bodies separated only by leather and linen. He slowly wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, against his better judgement. If his father found out where he was,what he was doing, he would surely be beaten, or worse killed. He resisted burying his face into her hair, as he had resisted the urge to play with it earlier. He was exactly a head taller that her, and it would be so easy to tuck her head under his chin. "I have to go now princess, before I'm missed."

Maria's voice came out muffled, as she had not released her hold on him yet. Robin was okay with this. More than okay in fact. "Don't go yet... you're my first..." What to call him? "...friend here." His eyes widened in shock. Friend? He and the Merryweather moon princess friends? Was that even possible? He looked down at her in his arms. Yes. Yes it was.

"I have to. But thank you for my hat." He could feel her grin against him before she broke away.

"Will I see you again, Robin of the Denoir clan?" she said with a hint of a pout in her voice. Robin chuckled and stared at her pink lips. They were mesmerizing.

"I should think so. I still haven't kidnapped you yet." Her lips pursed. That wasn't funny.

"Why haven't you taken me away?" She threw her hands out in question. "You've just had the perfect opportunity to!" She had to ask. He chuckled nervously. Was that an invitation? He realized what he wanted to do with the young woman in his arms. Sweep her away. Not kidnap her, no. Romanticize her, maybe court her. The thought was a daring one for a guy his age. But he couldn't. He was a DeNoir, and she a Merryweather. Even as he was thinking this, he leaned down and captured her soft lips with his own.. Something he realized he had wanted to do since the carriage ride. She started to kiss him back, arms winding around his neck to bring him closer before pulling abruptly away. Oh!" She gasped, fingers brushing her lips.

"Because I really, really, really wanted to do that." He whispered. A pretty blush spread across her features and to keep himself from kissing her again he turned and walked towards the column he would have to climb down to get to the ground.

"You're not the only one." She whispered and bit her lip.

"What?" He had already started his descent, but he looked surprised, turning his head to face her.

She ran over to the balcony edge above him and leaned over slightly so that their faces were almost touching."Goodnight Robin." She placed a kiss on his cheek and retreated quickly, blushing even more. He grinned a her retreating figure.

"Good night, my Princess."

Author's note: Okay, what did you think? I know... waaaay too rushed. But I promise you I couldn't help it! Critiques, reviews and suggestions are appreciated, as well as your opinion on whether I should continue this story or not. Thanks for reading! ~thegirlwhowaited411