A Moonacre Fanfiction Roman Holiday

The next day during breakfast, Sir Benjamin laid out the schedule for that day. They would tour the Coloseum first, catch a carriage over to the Pantheon, and finish with the Trevi Fountain. Maria was practically bouncing with excitement as they rode in the open carriage Sir Benjamin had hired. She was in Rome! Everything was so thrilling!

The one rather disappointing occurrence was that Miss Heliotrope and Digweed were not accompanying them on their historical site excursion. Miss Heliotrope had reluctantly chosen to stay at the hotel; her physical abilities were not what they once were, and the doctor had told her to rest. She said that she would only be dragging everyone down, and even though everyone else vehemently insisted that such was not the case, she decided to stay. So Digweed readily volunteered to stay and keep her company while the rest went on their expedition.

Now Maria, Robin, and Loveday all squashed into one side of the carriage while Coeur De Noir and Uncle Benjamin sat on the other. Poor Maria was in the middle, and wished she had not worn such a bustle. But the excitement she had trumped the uncomfortable situation. They were driven to the outside of the Coloseum where they had to dismount and travel on foot.

Coeur De Noir hopped out first, followed by Sir Benjamin, who helped Loveday out. Robin dropped out of the carriage, and gallantly gave Maria his arm. She beamed gratefully at him, just a bit surprised at his unexpected gentlemanliness.

Here they were, at the Coloseum. Maria stood in awe, looking up at the great landmark. It was massive, with proud arches supported by faithful, ancient stones. Some of the arches boasted ornate carvings. Maria could only imagine how long it took the Romans to build this, a construction that would last for centuries. "Isn't it amazing, Robin?" she gaped. "It is. But you'd better close your mouth; a bug is likely to fly into it." Robin grinned. Maria gave him a playful slap, but shut her mouth accordingly.

Their party entered the Coloseum through a heavy wooden door, where they were checked by security, then ushered into a dark tunnel. Maria found herself still holding Robin's arm, and quickly released it. She was glad the tunnel was dark; no one could see her blush. They stepped into the brilliant sunlight, and caught their breath.

Now they stood in the middle of the Colosseum. The stands swept around them. Maria remembered from her lessons with Miss Heliotrope that the Colosseum could fit over 50,000 spectators in its seating. She imagined the stands full of people, cheering on whatever event was going on. Then she grimaced. "What is it?" Robin asked, noticing her chilled expression. "Gladiators used to fight here. To the death." She told him. Sometimes she wished Miss Heliotrope was not quite so vivid in her history lessons.

Robin didn't shudder, but nodded with interest. "Hm. How curious." He looked around as though he was picturing the scene in his mind. "Don't you think that's rather…gory?" Maria asked, wondering at his indifference. "You're talking to a hunter. Humans killing humans, that's wrong. But gladiators fought animals too, right?" Maria cocked her head in wonder. "You're right. How did you know that?" Robin grinned. "I overheard the tour guide over there."

Maria couldn't help laughing. "I should've known," she said. Loveday came up beside them. "What can be so funny?" she asked smilingly. "Robin," Maria replied simply. Loveday's warm eyes glinted. "No explanation needed." She was glad Robin and Maria were getting along so well. Indeed, they were getting along very well…

Once they had seen all to be seen at the Colosseum, they hired a carriage and rode to the Pantheon. It was a large, granite temple. A Latin inscription was carved into the top. Robin squinted. "What does 'M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT' mean?" He asked. "It means 'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this building when consul for the third time." Maria replied. On noticing the bewildered look Robin gave her, she said defensively, "What? A girl can study."

"Very good, Maria," Loveday said approvingly. "But I'm not sure Robin quite understands what it means." Maria smiled a little. Even when translated to English, Robin had some difficulty comprehending certain things. "It means that when this man, Marcus Agrippa, who was Lucius' son, when he was the consul for the third time, he built this building." Robin ran a hand through his curls. "What's a consul?" Maria rolled her eyes. "My goodness! A consul is one of the highest elected political offices in the Roman government. He was a leader." Robin nodded. "Ah."

"Do you know what 'Pantheon' means?" Sir Benjamin asked. Maria raised a hand eagerly. "Yes, Maria," Uncle Benjamin called on her as though he was her teacher. "It means that this is a temple to all the gods." Robin frowned. "What do you mean, 'all the gods'? There's only one God." Maria beamed. "Yes, Robin, and I'm glad you know that, at least. But Romans believed in lots of different gods. And when they took over other countries—" "Look, I didn't sign up for a history lesson," Robin interrupted with a wry grin. Maria blushed sheepishly. "Sorry."

"At least Maria is well versed in European history," Coeur De Noir said pointedly. Robin raised an eyebrow. "O si? Beh, posso parlare italiano, e non si può." Coeur De Noir's thick caterpillar eyebrows met in the middle of his broad face. "Pardon me?" Robin sat back smugly. "Esattamente il mio punto." Maria rolled her eyes—but then they caught on something. "Oh, look! I see the Trevi Fountain!"

All eyes turned to where Maria was pointing. Robin's eyes widened. It was only called a fountain for lack of a better word. This was a magnificent array of the harmony between stone and sky, earth and water. Proud sculptures of what could only be the Roman gods stood regal and distant amid the sparkling sprays of the fountains. Water cascaded down the front, smooth as satin and clear as a transparent curtain. It was spectacular.

Maria was first to climb out of the carriage; she couldn't wait for Robin's arm. She ran to the edge of the fountain, and cautiously dipped a finger in. The water was cool and fresh. She remembered the legend of the little girl who led the thirsty Roman soldiers to this invigorating spring. Maria's eyes drank in the splendor of the glossy marble that shone in the sun and the glittering mist that shot into the air.

Robin's voice interrupted her. "A penny for your thoughts," he said. Maria looked up at him. "Hm?" He held out a coin. "Ready to wish?" She took it. "Yes; but we'll need more coins than this." Robin frowned. "What for? My guess is that thieves will go in during the night and take them anyway." Maria blushed. "We need three coins. If you only throw one coin in, the superstition says that you'll return to Rome again one day." Robin fiddled with his neck feathers. "What do three coins do?"

Maria focused her gaze on one of the statues. "Well, the first one still means a return to Rome. The second coin leads to a new romance, and a third coin leads to marriage. That's the old saying, anyway." Robin was silent. Maria hurried to add, "But I think it applies to anything; if you wish it strongly enough, well…well, anything's possible, you know." Robin smiled down at her. "That's true. Wait here." He bounded off to his father, and soon returned with four more coins. "Two for you, two for me," he said, handing her the due amount.

"All right then. Right hand over left shoulder," Maria reminded him. They both turned around and closed their eyes. The rushing of the fountain filled in the silence as they tossed their coins into the pool behind them. Robin wished as hard as he could. These wishes had to count for something. One for a visit to Rome, sure; why not? The second and third will remain a secret here, although I am sure you can probably guess their content.

Maria gripped her second coin. She opened one eye and peeked over at Robin, but quickly shut her eyes again and tossed her remaining coins. Robin had absolutely nothing to do with her wish. Absolutely, positively nothing. Nothing at all. Why would anyone think that Robin had anything to do with her wish? That would be silly. Quite silly indeed…

Now if only her wish would come true!

A/N: My dear, dear, reader,

This is going rather swimmingly, don't you think? So far I am content, and I hope you are, too. This chapter was just a tad longer than I originally purposed it to be, but no matter. I am quite excited to write the next chapter, because it involves *SPOILER ALERT* a cause for jealousy. I won't say too much, though, until I have it in prose. By the way, if you're wondering what on earth Robin is saying when he speaks in Italian, I recommend using Google Translate; it ought to amount to what I mean him to say. I am quite delighted by your kind reviews; you don't know how uplifting and encouraging they are! Thank you so much for reading my story so far. Happy reading!

Your quite thrilled,

Ponygirl7 ;D