Some fluff to finish this cutie!

Dagda was way calmer now, after a lengthy explanation about how Bog and Marianne kept in touch after the Ball, just an informal thing, and once she was notified about the elf she recognized the description and flew to the Goblin Castle and the three of them formed a plan to bust Roland once for all.

He knew they were lying somewhere, of course. Marianne did that thing with her thumbs when she was lying and he noticed her trying to hide it as she explained her part of the story. By her side, Bog stood with a really tense pose, staff in his hands. He had been stoic for the most part of their interview with the fairy, but Dagda noticed his head tilting softly into his daughter's direction.

The King closed his eyes and sighed, not really wanting to fight over this. Marianne had always been different from her peers, and so much like her mother, Violet. She saw him among a crowd. She could have married any wealthy man that brought honor to her dinasty; but she married a commoner nobody.

The only difference is that my little princess had to look in the wrong place! He thought. His daughter… how could she be interested in a goblin? He wanted to be upset with the idea, he really really wanted.

But he was tired. This situation had dragged for so long… Roland, her rebellious phase, her obsession with the peace between kingdoms… It was always a fight with her about what she wanted. Marianne would always fight for what she believed in even if it was against everyone else's comfort.

And guess what, she was usually right.

He had told her a mere hour ago that he was done trying to force her to do what he would do and now he wasn't going to do that again to her -

"So… any questions?" Marianne's voice brought him back to the moment. Dagda shuffled in his seat and sighed, looking at the two people in front of his desk willing to lie to a King (and a father) to hide their love.

"Yeah, only one. How long have you been together?"

Marianne felt like the air was punched out of her chest.

"What?"

"I mean, it's pretty obvious. How long has this," he made a gesture with his hand, pointing at his daughter and then at the other king, "been going on? Since we went to the Dark Forest? Since the Spring Ball?" He rested both hands on top of the desk, secretly enjoying their scared expressions when they looked at each other.

"Dad, please -"

"I'm not going to do anything, Marianne," he stopped her before she started to fight. "I said that I'm done forcing you to make my decisions, and I'm willing to do that no matter how much it pains me to do so," he made a face and looked at Bog, who was gripping the staff so hard that Dagda thought he would break it. "I must admit, it never crossed my mind that you would be interested in someone like him. But again you never did anything like everybody else."

"Dad, if that's and insult I swear -"

"I guess this is why you never liked any boy I presented to you," the King continued rambling like his daughter wasn't angrily fisting her hands. "You may have never been destined to be with a fairy. So I guess I should be thankful that you pushed so hard for this treaty."

"Actually…" Bog spoke for the first time. "We meet before any of that."

"Oh, really?" Dagda smiled. Finally! Someone was telling the truth.

"Yeah. We… We met on the wedding day. She kind of fell into my kingdom, crying and hurt. More than physically." He whispered the last part.

"Bog!"

So that's why she recovered so fast…

"I see," the fairy nodded and stood up, walking slowly to the mismatched pair that, somehow, made a lot of sense now that he knew the truth. "Then I'm grateful that you found her and treated her," in his words he implied that he meant more than the body. He then took one of Bog's big and scary hands and put it between his. "I'm very grateful."

"That went well."

Marianne snorted at his comment.

"I thought I was going to die."

"I didn't expect to have this conversation today either," he offered her a taste of what he was drinking. It was some kind of sweet beverage made from a flower only found in the Forest.

"Thanks," she took a sip and tried to determine if she liked it or not. She decided that she did, but she couldn't drink this for too long as it was too sweet for her tastes. "At least he seemed happy with this?"

"I'm sure that this isn't over. It can't be that easy."

"Well, at least we agree on that." Marianne gave him back the container with the drink and looked at the enchanting scenery of the dawn from the top of the goblin Castle. They went back after their conversation with her dad once punishment for Roland was decided (she must admit that being forced to do community labor was fitting for that selfish prick), as Marianne was too awake to even think of sleeping now.

It was weird being there knowing that her dad knew she was there. And at this time of the night, when she was supposed to be in her room dreaming about next day's adventures. But it was a feeling she was willing to get used to.

Marianne looked at Bog and took his hand on hers, watching him take a sip from the container. She was going to comment on how beautiful was the Forest at night and that they should do a tour around it, when a drop of the drink slipped from his lips and fell down his chin.

It was something mundane, she swears, the movement she did to clean it for him. She just wanted to help. But without realising it she got really close to his face and it was too late to lean back when he put the container down besides him without breaking eye contact.

The mood between them did a one-eighty, suddenly becoming something they hadn't felt before. Their eyes, their lips, they had never been so tantalising.

"Can I…?" he whispered, not wanting to break the moment.

Instead of an answer, Marianne leaned in the space that was left between their lips and kissed him for the first time since they formalized what they were. It was a simple, chaste kiss, but it was exactly what she didn't knew she desired.

Marianne felt his big hands find their place on her narrow shoulders, almost laughing at the way they managed to make her feel totally covered under them. Yet he was gentle and careful of his claws, something that melted her heart more than it was already at the feeling of his rough lips on hers.

It was loving. It was overwhelming. It was, without doubt, something she could get used to. And, what the heck, she was going to get used to kissing this dork even if her life depended on it!

She was softly caressing his cheeks when she pulled back to breathe a little, opening the eyes she didn't remember closing, a tiny smile on her lips.

"Marianne, I -"

"I know."

"But I haven't finished saying anything!" the fairy laughed.

"But I can read your mind."

"Oh, yeah?" he smirked back at her, really, really enjoying the feeling on her nimble fingers on his exoskeleton, successfully caging his face to only look at her. Not that he was going to do anything else tonight. "Then what am I thinking right now?"

"Hmmmm," she faked thinking the answer. "You want… another kiss?"

He chuckled. "Maybe."

This time he leaned in and kissed her a little bit harder than the last kiss. She wasn't complaining, though, and she let herself enjoy his enthusiasm.

She felt him everywhere , his hands con her cool skin, his warm lips on her own. This could last forever and she wouldn't complain.

Suddenly, she felt his tongue softly grace her lower lip in a movement she was familiar with. Her heart did a flop and her stomach started to be filled with butterflies as she thought that oh my god . But she wasn't nervous, of that she was positive.

She was afraid of wanting too much, of being too much.

" Tough girl ," he whispered when they parted a bit to breath, and that did the trick. Something inside of her unraveled and all of her subdued passion, which once upon a time was tainted by bad memories, make an stellar appearance.

It was her who this time attacked the other with maybe too much enthusiasm, pushing the goblin to the floor in what she wanted to be a swift movement but turned out a bit awkward. Marianne blushed, opening her eyes and trying to see if he was hurt.

"Sorry -" she started to say, but was interrupted.

"Don't be," Bog grumbled from under her in an even deeper voice, his bright eyes shining with love, passion and adoration. She shivered, but not because she was cold.

She jumped to his awaiting lips, fully prepared to what was coming next. She wanted it, she wanted him. She wanted to replace bad memories with new ones, including learning to kiss again.

She pushed her tongue inside his mouth, not like he put much resistance, for a moment forgetting about the beverage he was drinking before. He tasted sweet and a little bit citric, but she liked it. She liked kissing him.

"I love you," she said between breaths.

"I love you," Bog responded in a husky voice, sending even more shivers down her spine.

Yep, she could get used to this.