A Rose by Another Name | Robin De Noir

Chapter Three

Elizabeth wasn't one to dwell on things long past but today she found herself increasingly intrigued by the chest in the corner of her room that she had let gather dust.

She had always been so fascinated with what the wooden box contained, sorting through its contents every day as a young girl but her intrigue soon died and the curiosity of her past along with it.

She ran her slender fingers along the top, rubbing her fingertips now coated in grey dirt together as she kneeled before the chest.

Elizabeth allowed herself one last moment of hesitation before forcing the lid open, ignoring the squeal as the hinges moved for the first time in years.

The contents were fewer than she remembered, but pulling each piece out still took time. They were boring things - an old dress that might have fit her when she was five or so, a rattle made of silver bars that caged the exoskeletons of minuscule bugs. An insane thing to gift a baby - she set it down, far away from her.

Nothing else caught her attention save for a small box practically hidden in the corner of the chest. She pulled it out, resting it neatly in her palm and wiped it down, almost able to see the red colour after she cleaned it.

She opened the top gently and felt her breath catch in her throat when her eyes set on the golden necklace resting there. A small chain that she guessed would hang low enough to be concealed in her clothes ended in a heart. She trailed her thumb over the heart, surprised when a layer of dirt came off and revealed the letters E.M.

She jumped and snapped the small box closed when someone pounded on her door. Taking a moment to compose herself, she slipped the box into her pocket and went to answer the door.

"Come on," Robin was already turned away, eager to get going. "It's lunch and I want to tell my father of my plan."

Elizabeth wasn't surprised when she sat next to Robin and he burst into a monologue regarding his plan to put an end to the Merryweathers. Coeur didn't seem all that interested, picking at his plate of food and occasionally glancing at the woman to his right.

"Father, I've prepared a plan to snatch the girl from under the Merryweather roof." He urged.

Elizabeth's one hand remained in her pocket, guarding the small box containing the locket. She had to admit, if Robin went through with this plan she'd be more than happy to accompany him.

Her encounter with Wrolf had left an unsettled feeling in her chest and she couldn't brush the sensation that there was more to the incident than the dog feeling friendly or her appearance being so greatly different to that of anyone else in the De Noir clan. Although, she felt the latter option was a good start.

"Don't go near Moonacre. That house is damned!" Coeur shut him down.

Elizabeth rested her hand on Robin's arm after noticing how his expression soured at his father's words. "I want to hear about your plan."

The ends of his mouth pulled up at her statement. "I'd like to tell you if you'd meet me tonight." He moved his hand to cover hers but she retracted it when their skin met.

"Robin..."

Women in the De Noir clan may have been treated differently to those who lived near Merryweather Manor, as was to be expected with bandits, but that didn't change the taboo of men and women being alone together at night before marriage. And Elizabeth already felt like the odd one out, she didn't need to further alienate herself.

Before she could explain any of that to Robin (again), Coeur began to speak, loudly. "Word is, she's about to meet her downfall." His gaze shot upwards and Elizabeth followed it. A smirk decorated her face when she spotted the Merryweather girl.

An idea sparked in her brain as the guards grabbed either of the ginger's arms and brought her downstairs. She did not come quietly and Elizabeth wondered if speaking to her was going to be as hard as getting her to shut up.

"How kind of you to join us, Moon Princess." Coeur's words were followed by manic chuckles from all over the hall, Elizabeth's included.

She stood to get a better look at her - she was young and dressed in a hideous gown that made Elizabeth grateful for the attire De Noir women were forced to wear.

She ripped her arm free of the guard's hold and extended it to Coeur.

"Oh. Oh, now what is this?" He reached for the small object in her palm and held it up for everyone to see. "She has brought us the lost key, gentlemen. Because the terrible De Noirs have had the moon pearls hidden up here all the time, haven't we?" A cruel grin laced his face - everyone knew the Merryweathers had the pearls.

"Well, it's true, isn't it?" She huffed. "Your ancestor stole them!"

"My ancestor." Coeur chuckled. "Well, perhaps princess, I should introduce you." He strutted to where the mummified body of his ancestor lay. Robin took the girl from the guard's grip, forcing her forward. Coeur gestured to her. "Maria Merryweather, the last Moon Princess." He then gestured to the corpse. "Sir William, the very first Coeur De Noir."

Elizabeth watched as he grabbed the pearl casket and made a show of carelessly dropping the key. She didn't need to stick around to watch him reveal that the pearls weren't in there, but Coeur's words reached her ears as she left. "Your filthy Merryweather family took them. Before he picked up the box, they stole the pearls. But soon, the final moon will rise, and the thieving Merryweathers will be punished!"

Once she was a safe distance from the hall, Elizabeth pulled the red box from her pocket and slipped the necklace over her head, letting the locket fall down her chest. She fiddled with the heart, fingertips tracing the E and M.

If her suspicions were correct then there was only one person who could help her now. And she was currently being locked away in the cells by Robin.