On a side note: Bog's internal debate is actually based on an experience I recently had. Not that any of you would care, but I thought it'd be fun to have trivia about this fic.

It was bad. Very bad.

He couldn't love her!

How could he even look at her in the eye anymore? Be with her? Train her?

She had said plenty of times that she wasn't interested in love; and even if the crazy idea of telling her became reality, what was going to happen? That it would make her realize that she could love him instead? The goblin? The ugly creature?

As if!

He was fine with the status quo between them. They were good as friends. Just friends. He didn't need to add this crap to the equation. Not that he expected anything else than uncomfortable glances and silent horror if he ever thought of telling her.

It was… facts.

"That was amazing !" Marianne breathed, the big smile still on her lips. "You know… It was kind of refreshing. A new start. I have never stood up for myself like that before."

"You were incredible," Bog whispered trying not to look at her.

They were on a balcony near the room where the Spring Ball still continued without them, not that anyone was missing the Bog King. Said monarch was trying to find a good reason why he had followed the fairy there, especially after his sudden revelation. He felt like any moment he would do or say something that would give away his feelings and then that's it, she would never want to see him again.

Maybe he just wanted to see her one last time? Enjoy her friendly company one more time before she finds out he loves her. Then they could still be the King and Queen they actually were, keep their treaty up and try to be civil around each other. He could behave, promise.

"... I still can't believe that Roland has the nerve to do this. Does he still think it was okay to cheat on me on the wedding day like that?" she huffed, but he could barely hear it over his still speeding heart. "And my father was pushing me to forgive him!"

"If I….," Bog realized too late that he had spoken his mind.

"Yes?"

Say something, Bog! he sighed internally. If she was going to find out soon about it then he shouldn't be afraid to say what he actually thought. And they were friends . It wasn't weird to say these things to a friend. Right?

"If I cheated on you I wouldn't do any of that," like there would be an opportunity for any 'cheating' , he thought.

"Yeah? What would you do then?" she arched an eyebrow. Bog turned his head to the almost full moon up in the sky and thought about the situation they talked about. If Marianne was his, if she decided that he was worth it, he would be the happiest man alive. There wouldn't be an instant of hesitation and he wouldn't cheat on her, but this was all hypothetical, right?

"I would let you kill me," he finally said after the long pause, turning his head to the goddess by his side, who was glowing under the moonlight almost as much as she did when she showed Roland who she really was.

And Marianne didn't know what made her brain click in that moment, if it was the pale light coming from the sky that gave new shadows to the goblin's face or the intensity in his blue eyes as he said those words; but she felt her heart skip a beat in an almost painful way. It was suddenly like the world stopped to give her the few extra seconds to admire the face of the man that said that he would rather die than disrespect her like Roland did.

She knew what she was feeling, but it was something that she hadn't expected to feel anymore. Or at least not so soon.

Because when she fell into the Dark Forest a little more than a week ago, she never considered falling in love with their King.