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esmeinlove · 1 month

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I have another idea I can’t stop thinking about

Carlisle and Esme are both human, married and in love (obs). After 4 years of trying for a baby they fall pregnant and are so desperately overjoyed. But 2 weeks later Carlisle ends up being attacked on the way home from work. He stops to assist a broken down car. However when he approaches approached the car he disturbs a vampire who was feeding on the driver. Carlisle tries to run but is bitten waking up three days later alone and thirsty….

All he can think about is Esme and his thirst. The two go hand in hand. He wants to get back to her but every time he moves closer to civilisation he wants to feed on human blood, so he retreats back into the forest, disgusted with himself. He was a doctor in his previous life, wanting to help people and how he was the opposite.

Esme is obviously beside herself. She is frantically looking for him. A search party, posters, missing people charities contacted, but nothing. No trace. How can this happen to her? They were so happy after such a hard time in their lives. She whispers to her baby every night that she will never give up looking for him.

Carlisle works with his thirst, desperate to get back to Esme - finds he can survive on animal blood. Finally, just as Esme is reaching the end of her pregnancy Carlisle is able to reach the woods that border his old house. He can smell her. Oh, how wonderful she smells. It’s overpowering and draws him in closer, he finally sees her through the kitchen window washing the dishes. He moves closer, it’s dark, she can’t see out to the dark grass. She dries her hands and walks across the kitchen past the glass doors. Carlisle sees her. He drops to her knees and sobs. The swell of her pregnant belly is too much for him, the way she touches her rounded stomach and talks to the baby. It’s all he’s ever wanted and it was taken away from him.

He can hear two heartbeats. He can sense the extra blood, his lips begin to pull back across his sharp teeth. The growl pulls him back and he runs away. He despises himself. He wanted to bite her, consume her, drink her blood.

He now visits every night, sitting in the trees far enough away so he’s of no danger. He watches over her and his baby that is safe inside her body.

One night, after hunting, he goes back and she’s not there. He panics. He can smell amniotic fluid. The baby, she must be in labour.

He follows the scent as best he could and heads for the hospital, but it’s too much. He can’t get closer. The bloodlust. The fear someone would see him. So he goes back to their old house, to the safety of the woods. After a day - he’s curious. Is the key still under the chicken flowerpot by the front door… it is… he lets himself in.

He consumes her scent. He wraps himself in her blankets, her clothes, their bed. His heart aches greater than it ever has before. Nothing has changed. His belongings are still in the house, his running shoes were still by the front door. Like she was expecting him to come back. His throat burns but he could put that aside for her.

For them.

She returns 5 days later. He retreats to the forest. She is alone. She’s quiet, her eyes are hollow sat upon dark circles. Her skin pale. The life and love deserted her. She’s forlorn. Her shoulders are slumped, she shuffles her feet, looking at the ground. Esme’s good friend brings her in and settles her into bed… they hardly say anything to each other. Esme can’t make eye contact. She sobs quietly into her pillow.

Carlisle hurts for her. What happened? The fire in his throat is present he can smell her bleeding from down below, and its like a hot iron piercing through his soul. It would have consumed him and made him tear into the house if he wasn’t so concerned for her.

Carlisle wonders where is the baby? What has happened, what has gone so wrong? Esme’s friend goes downstairs and makes a call to her husband. Carlisle can hear every word as he’s so close to the house now. Esme’s sobs are pulling him apart. He wants to comfort her and he’s so close but he needs to her what her friend says on the phone.

‘I’m back at Esme’s. I’ve just tucked her in bed’

‘Oh babe, poor girl. How is she?’ A male voice came from the small phone.

‘She’s bad’ a pause. ‘I can’t believe this happened. It’s just so tragic. First Carlisle, now their precious baby boy. She doesn’t deserve this’

Carlisle felt as though the world had shattered around him. He had a son. But what had happened? He couldn’t stay away any longer. Esme needed him.

He climbs in through their bedroom window. She barely lifts her head to acknowledge him. Her face is tear stained and eyes are blank. She catatonic. He has to hold his breath but pushes the fire down. Her emotional needs were far greater than the pain in his throat. He calls softly to her. She doesn’t register.

He sits on the edge of the bed. His cold hand reaches out to take her hand. He has to loosen her fingers that are gripping the sheets tightly.

‘Esme’ he tried again.

She slowly turns her face to his and whispers ‘You’ve come back’

‘Oh, darling. I’m so sorry, my love’ he watched the silent tears roll down her face as he spoke.

‘Take good care of him’ Esme was so far into grief, she assumes Carlisle has come from the afterlife to comfort her. She doesn’t realise he’s with her, that he’s really there. He sat with her until he heard the friend come back up the stairs.

He goes to hunt - to quench the fire that burns his soul. The grief of losing a son, Esme’s grief fuelling his body to run further to smash through trees to be careless. After he drained his third bear he fell into the fur and cried. Tearless sobs echoed across the valley as the rain poured down.

He went back 2 days later. She was gone. The police were there. He heard that she had left in the middle of the night. Carlisle closed his eyes and followed her scent. The rain dampened it but with her fresh bleeding after birth he could track her through the woods. He ran as if his life depended on it.

He finds her at the edge of a cliff, that overlooked the valley in the forest. A favourite picnic spot of theirs from happier times. Her hair whipping around her face blowing her scent into the wind. She stepped closer to the edge… turned around, looked at him in the eyes as he shouted

‘Esme!’ His arms reaching out for her, his fingertips stretching to their limits.

He heard her whisper as she fell backwards over the edge ‘I’m coming Carlisle’. He watched her fall and then he jumped.

He heard the impact of her soft body hitting the ground and she didn’t scream. He landed next to her. Scooping her up screaming ‘no, no, no’ thoughts screaming round his head - what could he do. Her breathing was uneven, her heart was fading, she was so close to death. He needed to save her.

His fingers held her broken body close to his, his face buried in her hair, close to the skin of her neck. He could feel the flutter of her pulse. His teeth were so close to her skin. He thought of the crescent moon scars that were on his neck… on his wrists as he leant into her.

Following some unknown instinct he bite into her skin, her blood filling his mouth. He groaned as he stopped himself from swallowing the delicious blood that spilled from her body. He bit again on the other side, her wrists and her chest near her heart. He held her close as she screamed for three days. Trying desperately to muffle the sounds of her pain. Burying themselves deeper into a nearby crack in the cliff.

He hated himself for putting her through it. He couldn’t bear to continue to cause her pain, but when her visible injuries began to heal and her heart stopped beating he knew it had worked. He continued to hold her as her red eyes flicked open and fell upon his.

‘Carlisle?’ She whispered. ‘Heaven’

‘My love. I’m here’

#esme cullen #carlisle cullen #carlesme #twilight #carlisle x esme #fanfiction #the cullens #I really need to complete my dissertation but yet here I am hashing out a plot to a fanfic #this will have to do for now

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bedofthistles · 11 months

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Resuscitate

The Coeur De Noir: How do you loose a woman???

Richard: You forget to cherish her

The little white horse went on and on, and Maria began to wonder if she was having delusions.

It wasn’t entirely impossible that this was some kind of dream, but nevertheless, Maria followed after it.

With Robin not far behind.

He did not see the horse, so Maria had no reason to believe it was anything besides her imagination. Maybe that's what happened when you were locked up for too long without air and sunlight. Not that Maria lacked either of those things, but still, she wasn’t getting as much as she used to.

What Maria did not realise, and what you, of course, have already realised, is that this was the mark of a True Moon Princess. The Moon’s familiar, come to guide her directly to the Pearls. We, that is to say you, dear reader, and I, the author, know that those Pearls are mystical and magical and oh so critical to Moonacre Valley’s success or ruination. And, no matter how many different ways the De Noir’s liked to tell the story, none knew the truth of what happened the day the Moon Princess disappeared.

Heartbroken, the poor girl took her lion, her unicorn, and her pearls before disappearing into the forest, never to be seen again. You knew that, of course, what you did not know was that each and every Moon Princess, every Lord Merryweather, and every Coeur De Noir was doomed to repeat the same incident over and over.

There was a long line of De Noirs who looked just like William De Noir, and plenty of daughters on both sides that bore the resemblance to the Moon Princess, not to mention the countless heartbreakers who carried Sir Wrolf’s bearings. Born far enough apart that no one remembered what they looked like when they came fresh out of the womb, and could not tell when one babe came out a copy of the last!

That was the thing with tragedies, they tend to bear repeating, hoping, but never succeeding, for a happy ending.

A Moon Princess that falls in love with a Merryweather.

A Couer De Noir who loses his daughter to greed.

A Sir Merryweather, with pride too great to bear.

But, a chance to repeat history, usually ends poorly for those in the titular roles.

That was why the Moon had graced Maria Merryweather with Princess-hood.

Maria, with her autumn hair, instead of golden, and forest eyes instead of ocean. A shorter stature, a younger start, a fresh scene.

Loveday was bound to fail, her face a mirror image to the original, but Maria was bound to win, her face pure of every past life.

So, when the Little White Horse led her through the forest, to the dark and twisting hollow, Maria laughed as she ducked inside.

“Are you coming, Robin, or are you scared?” She taunted, when Robin did not immediately follow.

Robin’s wide eyes flickered from the towering tree, back to her own, where she peered at him through the roots.

“You can hold my hand if you are.”

Robin glared at her, though it lacked any heat, as he trudged in. “I’m not scared, it's just… Haunted.”

Maria scoffed. “You believe in ghosts as well? What next, vampires?”

“No.” Robin pouted, but followed Maria as she travelled down the tunnel. “You know, there’s a lot of things that are unexplainable.”

“And yet to be explained by science.” Maria flashed him a smile - it was quite condescending, and a bit flirtatious, which just happened to be her flirting style, though she did not know that yet, as Robin was the first person she had ever flirted with! - before she came face to face with a door. “Robin, look at this!”

“It's a door.” He said, stumped by the existence of such a thing.

Maria pushed it open, and was surprised by how little effort it took, she sent him a breathless smile over her shoulder. This was an adventure she could get used to. Discovery, not fighting for one’s life!

The air left Maria as she stepped into the little room, grey with dust, the sunlight dappled the floor in shadows and cast rainbows on the wall when they hit the glass prisms that hung from the ceiling like a disassembled chandelier.

“Robin, I can't- ooh!” Maria tripped over a stray tree root, which had looped out of the ground just enough to catch her toe. Maria did not fall, as she caught herself on the wall with a single hand. She breathed in relief, as she did not fancy falling flat on her face.

Robin, however, watched as the stone statue glowed, and the stone beaded necklace that statue wore transformed into glowing pearls. His eyes widened, and while he had in fact, been poised to lurch forward and catch her, he was transfixed.

Maria straightened, and when her hand returned to her side, the necklace had come with.

“Maria, the Pearls!” Robin’s face split into a grin, but Maria did not share his mirth.

She examined the pearls, looked back at the statue, and then back to her hand. “They’re quite pretty, aren’t they?”

“Maria, those are the Moon Pearls, we can brea- I mean-”

But Maria rolled her eyes. “Are you still on that?”

“Still on- Yes! Maria, you just followed a magical horse to the exact place where the pearls have been this whole time!”

Maria blinked at him, she had almost forgotten he was crazy. That did put a bit of a damper on things, but Maria could look past it. “Here, help me put them on.”

She held out her hand, but Robin backed away, holding his hands up in warning. “No thanks, don’t really need my heart’s turth to be revealed at the moment! Who knows what will come out of my gob.”

“Probably nothing intelligent. Fine I’ll do it myself.” And Maria gathered her hair over her shoulders and brought the clasp around her neck.

They did seem to glisten as they settled over her collarbones, but other than that, they felt like normal pearls to her. No magic.

“They aren’t revealing my heart, so perhaps they aren’t so magical after all.” Maria smirked and crossed her arms.

“Maybe you’re too pure hearted, and there’s nothing to reveal.” He said, in an ‘a-ha!’ kind of tone, but Maria’s harsh smirk turned into a gentle smile.

“Well, come along then, I’m sure there was more to the forest than just this creepy and haunted treehouse you wanted to show me.” Maria held out her hand, and Robin did not hesitate to take it.

They left the treehouse together, without finding the bridal gown, or the secret entrance that would have lead them to the sea amphitheatre, but they had the pearls, and while only one knew of their importance, Maria had ready proved herself to the most worthy of all Moon Princesses.

Now, it will do well to remember the exact words of the Moon Princess’ curse. As, clearly, the exacts of the curse have gotten lost in time. But once, many moons ago, the Princess said this:

Hear me! You have spurned the gifts of Nature, and you shall suffer for it! Nature will wreak her revenge and put a curse upon this valley! One day, a pure heart will walk among you, and if she is not heard, when the 5000th Moon rises from the sea, this valley shall be plunged into eternal darkness!

Couldn’t have said it better myself!

But the Moon Princess was clear. She had one condition.

To hear, and listen.

☾

The Coeur De Noir tapped his fingers against the table.

Everyone ate without him, as they had no manners and never waited for their Lord to take the first bite, save two.

The seat to his left, reserved for his son, and his son alone, and the one to his right, which, without reason, now belonged to the Moon Princess, were empty.

Not even Dulac had any claim over the seat, and he sat a few chairs down (as he did his best to avoid her and her sound scoldings) as he viciously tore into a leg of… something, the Coeur was never sure why Dulac remained so ravenous with the good food they had, but nevermind that.

The Coeur De Noir was missing two very important people who were usually always here.

But then, even Robin's friends were missing, and they usually lapped up every little bit of exceptional treatment given due to Robin’s status.

“Pardon.” The Coeur said to no one in particular as he rose from the table and walked off down the hall. No one cared that he had gone off, of course, too busy indulging in their lunches.

Odile flew to the Coeur’s shoulder as soon as he stood, and he stalked off to the family wing.

He was lucky, when he stopped himself just before he rounded the final corner, as the boys - what were their names? He knew David, since he was distantly related, but then who wasn’t in the Clan? There were two others, the annoying one and the stupid one, the Ceoeur couldn’t be bothered to remember their actual names - arguing about what they were going to do.

And the Coeur, who had once been just as sneaky as them in his youth, flattened against the wall so he could eavesdrop.

“-anything bad, does it?”

“Of course it's bad!” David, the Coeur thought, called out. “She could have escaped!”

“But why?” That sounded like the stupid one, well not stupid entirely, he just wasn’t the brightest. “She likes it here, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, as much as a bird likes being in a cage.” That was the annoying one, the Coeur knew because his voice was grating on his old ears even now.

“But, why would Robin go?”

“Maybe she tricked him.” Good David, always the brains. “Found a way to get him to take her out to the woods so she could escape.”

“The woods?” The stupid one. “But, tonight is the full moon! If they’re out in the woods…”

Oh, perhaps not so stupid.

Why on earth would they go out into the woods-

But the Couer remembered his boy’s longing stares, the way he followed after her like a starving dog, how he stood by her rather than his friends whenever they all gathered, always too close, almost touching but not quite. Then, another memory came to him. He had been looking out over the forest, when a flash of movement caught his eye. The Coeur had turned his head and watched his son willingly do work. Willingly! It took every threat in the world to get Robin to get out of bed, and yet there he was, tending the garden.

No, the Coeur realised, not tending the garden, harvesting.

The guards reported to him about how the girl was not eating…

So, the whole time…

Lost in his thoughts, the boys had continued on, making plans to go out into the woods to search. The Couer chose to reveal himself then, stepping into the centre of the hall, with a frosty look to his eye that his father always gave him when he was not doing as he ought.

“So, the girl escaped, has she?” He said coolly, his voice just loud enough to call them to attention.

The boys paled as they whipped around.

“No!” They chorused. “Not at all! She’s just out on a walk!” The annoying one.

“With Robin.” The stupid one.

The other two glared at him, but then Daivd stepped forward, and the Coeur tightened his eyes.

“Sir, if we may, we would like to go out into the forest to bring them back home before-” David’s mouth pursed before he continued. “Before the curse comes to pass.”

“Denied.” The Coeur said, and the boys began to argue with him right away, but he merely held up his hand. “I shall send my men out to collect them. It was foolish, for them to venture into the forest, but we will get them home safely.”

The boys relaxed, before volunteering for the mission.

The Coeur couldn't help but smile, however faintly and hidden by his moustache, Robin had chosen his friends well. “If you think you know where they have gone, you may offer that information now, but I have a more important task.”

They shut up quickly, though David had to elbow the annoying one.

“Should they return, you must send Odile to me.” The Coeur gently nudged her talons until she hopped onto his hand, he held out the bird to them, but they backed away. Good, the Coeur smirked, he had trained her to be a fearsome creature.

David, of course, stepped forward and offered his arm, the leather of his jacket protection enough.

“Click your tongue twice, and she will know to take flight.” The Coeur instructed, before turning on his heel and marching back to the dining hall. The boys trailed behind him.

As he looked down over the dining hall, he did little more than clear his throat for their attention.

“Lunch is over! It seems our Moon Princess has disappeared into the forest-”

“Father!”

And everything stopped.

Across the Hall, stepping into the torchlight, was his once most beloved child. “My daughter.” He said, rather pathetically, as he was hit with the years of grief and anger he had suffered all over again.

“Where is Maria Merryweather?”

She was just like Odile, a vicious creature with talons sharp enough to kill, and she stood with hardened eyes. The Coeur once believed she was too soft to be his child, but he learned quickly enough what a proper De Noir she was.

The Coeur did not want to admit that he had lost the Princess. Not that he had, of course, the truth was she and his son were out galavanting through the forest.

“Yes…” He said, uncertain as all eyes looked to him. “About that.”

☾

The pearls had a lovely weight to them, the shorter strand sat perfectly at the hollow of her throat, and the longer strand hung just below her breastbone, but somehow didn’t bounce with each step. They were lovely, more lovely than any of the costume jewellery Ms. Heliotrope allowed her to wear, and Maria loved them.

“Do you think I would be allowed to keep them?”

“No, you should throw them into the sea.” Robin said, as he had been eyeing them warily all afternoon, waiting for the curse to come flying out of the beads, or some other horrible fate, like the string tightening around her throat until she couldn’t breathe. They were beautiful, and against her creamy skin sat beautifully, but Robin knew they were no good. They were the pearls, after all, that had wrought destruction! It was no wonder he didn’t trust them.

He had half a mind to cut them from her neck and throw them into the sea himself.

But Maria wouldn’t let him.

She simply rolled her eyes. “I mean, I did find them, but they must belong to someone.”

“Trust me, Maria, no one lives in that tree.”

Maria stopped in her tacks and twisted her mouth into a grimace as she looked at Robin. “You really don’t like these pearls, do you?”

“Of course not! They’ve caused us nothing but misery!”

Maria rolled her eyes. “It is not these silly pearls, but pride that curses the valley! Honestly, look at yourselves! De Noirs versus Merryweather, and what for? Because of a fairy tale? You and I get along just fine! That in and of itself should tell you the long history between our families is nothing but worthless pride!” Maria shook her head, but stopped. “You said to throw them into the sea?”

Robin nodded his head.

“Very well, take me to the sea, and I’ll dispose of them.”

“Really?”

“If it makes you feel better, yes, though it's quite a shame to lose such beautiful pearls.”

Robin smiled in relief. “One day, Princess, I’ll get you a strand of pearls far superior to those.”

“We’ll see about that.”

☾

“What do you mean you don’t know where she is!” Sir Benjamin shouted.

“I meant exactly what I said!” The Coeur De Noir replied. “What I do know is we must find her!”

“We?” Loveday and sir Benjamin cried out incredulously.

“Yes! Tonight is the night of the 5000th Moon!” And The Coeur De Noir, for the first time in his life, looked fearful. “The Curse will come, and they will be in danger!”

Sir Benjamin shook his head, filled with unadulterated rage, as he launched himself at the Coeur, Loveday and Henry were able to take hold of his arms and hold him back before he physically assaulted the Coeur De Noir. “Danger? Danger! It is your fault she is in danger! You who stole her-!”

“Actually, I had no hand in her kidnapping!” The Ceour admitted. “It was my son’s plan.”

Loveday blinked, as she put two and two together. “Robin?”

In her mind, Robin had not grown up, he had stayed bright-eyed and loose toothed and chubby-cheeked, but it had been ten years for all of them. And Robin was a man now.

A man capable of great evil just like her father.

He had done this? Her little bird? Who could not go to sleep unless she sang to him goodnight?

What kind of monster had he become while she was away?

“Yes! And now they are in danger! Please, we must go at once! No one can be in the valley this night, and yet they are!” The Couer called out, and Loveday (all in attendance for that matter) were surprised to witness the single tear that had snuck past his careful watch and fell down into his beard.

“We must away.” Loveday said she lifted a gentle hand to her Sir Benjamin’s cheek and tugged until he was looking at her, and not glaring at her father. “We must act! Before moonrise!”

☾

Robin led Maria down to the beach, it was hard to reach, as they had to climb down the cliffside, but they managed. It would have been easier without Maria’s dress, but what was the young lady to do? Strip down to her under things?

Once on the sandy shore, Maria actually took off her shoes and let the sand cover her feet. She gasped in delight at the warmth and the strange sensation of the millions of grains that trickled like water down her toes.

“Have you ever been to the ocean?” Robin asked, and Maria shook her head. “Well, maybe we can come back tomorrow and spend… the whole day here.”

Maria whipped around to face him and the almost shy smile he wore. “I would like that, Robin.”

“Good, now go get rid of those pearls!”

Maria chuckled as she shook her head. Unbelievable! Such fine jewels, only to be wasted!

Maria came to the edge of the water, and let the seafoam lap at her ankles, she giggled in delight as she let go of her skirt to unclasp the necklace. The hem of her dress quickly soaked, and the pearls fell into her waiting grasp.

She pressed them softly to her lips, before tossing them out as far as they would go.

Then, Maria watched as the pearls sank beneath the waves only to rise again. She furrowed her brow as the sea brought them back to her.

She turned back, to face him, but he seemed just as confused as she.

Maria tried once more, and again and again, until the sky had turned pink, and then blue with twilight. She plopped down in the waves, uncaring if she got wet, as she examined the strange pearls.

“Do you believe me now?” Robin asked, as he squatted next to her.

“No. They float, so what?”

“Maria, pearls don’t float! If they did, they’d be lining the shore!”

Maria pushed him and he fell back into the sand, but he quickly scrambled back up.

“Well, I can’t get rid of them, maybe I shouldn’t.”

In her ear, Robin gasped sharply, before shaking her shoulder. “Look!”

Maria tore her gaze away from the pearls to find just what Robin was telling her to look at.

“Oh! I’ve never seen the moon so large! It's beautiful.”

“Maria! The moon is going to destroy us! The curse is coming true!”

Maria huffed as she struggled to stand in her heavy dress. “Please, Robin! I know you’re smarter than this! You can’t honestly believe this- this-”

“Maria!”

But, Robin was too late, the wave came crashing into her, and pulled her down.

Robin was left on the beach, alone, with the Moon growing closer and closer.

☾

Wrolf was a dog.

He was a great dog!

Only, he wasn’t actually a dog.

He was a mystical companion, a terrifying and rare black lion!

But, as the magic faded from the valley, so did his magic. Wrolf didn’t mind being a dog. It was quite nice, and people weren’t as afraid of him.

He was able to stay inside this nice big house, safe from rain, he was well loved, and oh - oh! - scratched right behind the ear, and sometimes a solid belly rub-

Well, ahem, Wrolf had grown used to a life of comfort.

He was rather happy, but every once in a while, some of that old magic returned, and he sprung to new life.

It had happened, some ten years ago, and it happened once more, a month ago.

It was as if he had woken up from a long sleep and filled with brand new purpose.

Not brand new, no, as it was always the same.

To love the Moon Princess.

It was easy, because no matter who the Moon Princess was, she was always kind, and smelled just as she was supposed to, and he always felt the most loyal to her.

Renewed, Wrolf waited to meet the new Moon Princess, but she never came.

Eventually, Wrolf went back to sleep, realising she must still be far away. That happened sometimes, and it would take a few years for her to come back into his life. This was just one of those times.

But, this was different.

Wrolf had never felt more like himself than he had these past few weeks. That is to say, he never felt more like the ferocious lion he was meant to be, rather than the lapdog he had become.

The old him, back from the dead, ready to serve his princess.

Wrolf was sharper, and he could sense the distress from the man who took care of him. But, it wasn’t until the day of the 5000th Moon that Wrolf knew he needed to act.

Rising from his bed, he raced out of the Manor, his paws carrying him farther than he had gone in a long time.

Back to the place where it all began.

☾

“Maria!” Robin called again and again, he charged into the waves with little forethought, he had simply thrown his heavy jacket back onto the shore along with his hat, and dove in.

But it was dark, and the waves were relentless, and he was losing hope.

“Maria!” He shouted, only to get a mouthful of salty sea water. He spit it out and dove back in, opening his eyes despite the sting. It was too dark, however, and she was wearing a blue dress!

He never felt stupider, from now on she was only allowed to wear red and white, and if this ever happened again, he would at least be able to find her.

Robin broke through the waves to get a fresh breath of air before going back under. He had swum past the worst and most brutal of the waves, and they no longer crashed into him, but the farther he went out with no sign of Maria filled him rising horror.

Robin kicked his legs, which burned from exertion, and held the air in his lungs as he refused to breath in the saltwater. The moon, so large in the sky, did seem to brighten the water a bit, so it was not pitch back. Robin was almost grateful to the Moon Princess for casting her curse. But, without the curse, they would not be in this predicament, would they?

No, without the curse, it was quite possible that they would have lived in peace.

That Loveday and Benjamin would have been married without issue.

That the Merryweathers and De Noirs could have been great allies.

That he and Maria could have spent their childhood growing up together rather than despising each other.

As Robin continued to dive deeper and deeper, his vision began to blacken, though he did not realise it, as his world as so dark to begin with, then, with very little notice, Robin’s eyes did close, and his body, which he had pushed to the point of death, ceased moving, and Robin floated lifelessly in the sea.

Maria was back on the shore.

The pearls, gone, and a horse was by her side.

Maria had dismounted quickly, as she tried to find Robin, only to find him… not there.

“Robin?” She called, and suddenly, he bobbed to the surface.

Maria’s lungs seized, and she felt strangled. She called his name again and again, but he did not move. He moved, of course, with the waves that tossed him to and fro, but he did not lift his head, or row his arms, or kick his feet to get back to her.

Maria ran back into the sea, the water immediately weighing her skirt down, but she could not stop, she had to get him, lie him on the sand and make him breath.

The horse returned to her side, suddenly it was easier to move, and she cut through the water like a fish. Maria wrapped her arms around Robin’s sodden middle and hoisted him back to the shore. The water aided her, in its own strange way. It remained enough so Maria could drag his weightless body, but drew back, so she was not battling the current, the push and pull.

Once she had drug him out as fall as she could, she rolled him onto his back, and pressed her ear to his heart.

It still beat, but just so. It was faint, very faint.

“Wake up, Robin, please, wake up!” Her lip began to wobble, and she held his face in her hands, cold to the touch and covered in the grains of sand that had once filled her with so much joy. “Please. Listen to me, please, you promised you wouldn’t hurt me! But- but if you don’t wake up, that will hurt me more than anything!”

But Robin did not listen, and Maria could not stop the racking sobs that overtook her body.

They started softly enough, her eyes, already soggy from the waves, did not need much more help to spill the saltwater her own body produced for such moments such as these. Then, her breathing began to shake, each one sucked in through her mouth, and out again, ragged and uncontrollable. Her shoulders shook, and her breaths turned into low wails, and her whole body was crying. She recognized this cry.

This pathetic, all-consuming cry. It came upon her when the ones she loved died.

It happened when her mother passed (Maria had no memories of her mother, only the grief she remembered as her small body trembled) and again when her father was murdered.

It was hard not to let the sobs consume her, and it was the completely wrong time to realise just how much she loved Robin.

She pressed her forehead to his, she felt his shallow breaths on her lips until they stopped completely.

“Ro-?”

“Maria!”

Maria raised her head, and there, coming out from the mouth of a cave, was the Coeur De Noir, as well as two other people she did not know.

Maria threw her arms around Robin protectively, pulling his body into her lap.

“How dare you!” She cried. “This is all your fault!”

The three of them stopped, and while she did not recognise any of them outside of the Coeur De Noir, it was not hard to see her father’s face in her Uncles. And the Coeur’s in the woman’s.

She had no doubt they were her Uncle, and the old Moon Princess.

“Maria-” One of them began, but she would not have it.

“You perpetuate old myths as fact! You live in fantasy! Pearls and Moon Princesses! It has destroyed you! Maybe there is a curse, but it has already come to pass!” She drew in a shaking breath, tears still streamed down her cheeks, but she was angry, perhaps angrier than the first ever Moon Princess. “You are all surrounded by darkness! The petty need to see one family destroyed in favour of the other!”

The man who must have been her Uncle stepped forward. “Maria-”

“No! Don’t you dare come near me!” She tightened her hold around Robin’s shoulder, smushing his body to hers. “I have heard the stories! Of how you were supposed to marry the Coeur’s daughter! But you turned her away! And- and now look…”

“Maria, who is that?” Loveday asked, because who else could she have been?

No one now. Maria thought, not a stupid boy wearing feathers, or the son of a lord, or even a horrible kidnapper.

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves!” She cried out, and bowed her head to Robin’s, and rocked gently.

Sir Benjamin breathed deeply, he looked to Loveday, and held her hand in his.

“Coeur De Noir… I would like permission to marry your daughter.”

“What?” Loveday popped, the question completely unexpected.

“Maria is right, we have been blinded by foolish pride. And while we have yet to meet, I am afraid she has a greater understanding of my character than she has a right to.”

Maria sniffled, as she tucked her chin onto Robin’s shoulder.

The Coeur De Noir, pursing his lips, looked to the young girl who had come in and spun Castle Black on its head. “Only if my daughter may forgive me my hatred.”

Loveday ran to her father’s side and enveloped him in the first hug either had received in the past ten years. “Oh father, you have so much more love in you than you know!”

“Then… yes! Yes, I bless this union! In fact, I bless every Merryweather and De Noir interaction! From here on out, there shall be no more war! No more hatred, and… no more pride.”

The Coeur De Noir reached out and shook Sir Benjamin’s hand.

Maria squeezed her eyes, and once again missed the glowing light that came as a result of magic, as the Moon’s brilliant glow burst out across the valley.

All she knew was one moment, Robin lay motionless in her arms, and the next, he had wrapped a single arm around her waist.

“Were you worried, Princess?”

Maria tore herself away from him. “But-! How-?”

“Magic.” He said teasingly, despite it being the truth.

Robin hadn’t been all the way dead, as Maria assumed, only mostly- oh nevermind.

His heart rate had slowed, and his breathing came so incrementally, that Maria could not feel it. Of course, if it had not been for the breaking of the curse, and the Moon returning order and all magic to Moonacre Valley, he would have been a goner!

“Robin!” Loveday called, and she ran to his side.

She knelt down on the other side, and touched his cheek.

“Oh look, you’re still alive.” Robin remarked. “Hello.”

“Hello, Little Bird.” She said, and kissed his forehead.

The Coeur De Noir came and knelt by Robin’s head. “What in hell’s name happened?”

Robin shrugged. “Ask the Moon Princess, she was the one I was saving.”

The three adults turned to look at her, but before Maria was finished rolling her eyes there was a mighty roar.

“Hell’s teeth!” Sir Benjamin cried as a black lion ran out onto the beach.

He bounded forward, a bit late, and came to rest besides Maria nonetheless, purring mightily in his throat as he pressed his head into her side.

“Come on, Princess, you have to believe in it now!” Robin said, but Maria scoffed.

“Black lions are not magical! They have an abundance of melanism!”

“Did you get rid of the pearls?” Robin asked, he was still lying in Maria’s lap, and yes he was more than well enough to get up, but you see, he didn’t want to.

Maria whipped her head around the beach, looking to see if the pearls would wash up somewhere, but there was no sign of them. Perhaps she had done her job, and they had been returned to the sea.

“Yes, I think so.”

“Good, let's go ho-” Robin blinked. He lifted himself up onto his elbows.

He was going to say, let's go home, but remembered that Castle Black was not her home.

If anything, it had been her prison.

And, well, there was no reason for her to be there any longer, was there?

“Yes, Maria, let’s do go home.” Sir Benjamin said. “You have- you have no idea how long I’ve been trying to find you.”

Maria’s face softened considerably as she looked at Sir Benjamin.

“I- I wanted so badly to meet you, I’m- I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come to you sooner.” And Sir Benjamin began to leak.

Maria lifted herself out of the sand, using the lion’s back to help her stand, and found herself being tightly held by her Uncle. “It’s nice to meet you, too, Uncle.” At long last, Sir Benjamin was able to hold his niece.

The lion began encircling them, rubbing his head against them and purring loudly.

“Well there we are then, nothing more to be done.” He said as he pulled back and smiled down at her.

Sir Benjamin was lying of course, there was much to be done! But, there’s still one more chapter, isn’t there?

#introducing: wrolf!#anyway go to the comments to see my complete dissertation about the curse #i have thought #moonacreweek2023 #the secret of moonacre

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