Secret of Moonacre: Hold Me Close

Chapter Ten

"James," this from the short boy.

"Eugene," From the average height boy, and a chorus of "Peter, Jonathan, Pierce, and Elijah." from the others.

"Ah, the boys Robin spoke of." I whispered.

"You've heard of us, have you?"

James grinned, shaking his head. "Well, I guess no need to stay then. Let's move out boys."

And they walked away with quick nods, off to find their next prey.

I shook my head with a smile, and decided to go back to Merryweather Manor.

With the threat of the impending night, I rode swiftly, and arrived in good time.

Still feeling a bit weak from my expedition, I headed up to my bedroom to sleep.

I slowly and tiredly climbed the tower steps, almost falling asleep as I went.

Wearily pushing the door open, I plopped down onto my bed without a second thought.

I lay in the silence for a bit, deciding to rest myself a bit before undressing myself and putting on my nightgown.

I looked to the ceiling, admiring the array of painted stars. They were created to look so vividly and realistically alive, that the painter must have had some sort of magic within them.

Maybe the artist was a she. Perhaps a moon princess.

I contemplated for a short while, until I suddenly froze in fear.

I could feel someone's warm breath on my neck.

I stood up swiftly, my dress swishing at my feet. I glanced suspiciously at the covers.

I suddenly noticed a dark shape that my tired eyes hadn't seen before.

"H-hello? Who are you, and what are you doing in my bed? I'm not afraid of you. Show yourself!" My fists clenched, my fingernails pressing hard enough to draw blood.

The figure slowly rose, my heart beat increasing to a pounding.

Then I recognized the dark eyes, smudged with coal.

"Princess," He said softly. "Do not be frightened."

"I'm not!" I retorted angrily, chest heaving and eyes flashing.

"Besides, after ignoring me for so long, why come now? And honestly, must you copy me in such a cruel way?"

"Now, Princess, I did not mean to alarm you- I... I came to beg for your forgiveness." By now, he was on his feet, pacing nervously.

"Maria, when you look at me, what do you see?"

"Robin, I-"

He held up his hand. "Do you see a murderer? Because that is what I am. Because of my stupid foolishness, I almost caused your death. Can you not hear me, Maria? I almost KILLED you! Something the bloody moon pearls could not very well stop this time!"

"Robin, calm down, I-"

"No! There you go, with your forgiving heart! You must not forgive me! You can't get close to me! The only thing that could ever come from all of this would be hurt. Hurt, tears, and heartache. I'm not a good person. I really have killed, I hunt and poach animals. And Maria, how can forgive me for the way I treated you? And the numerous times that I tried to kill you, hurt you, everything I've ever done! Send me away, tell me you never want to see me again! Do something Maria! Anything!" Tears dripped down his face, he was kneeling on the floor, palms and head down, shaking.

I slowly walked over to him. Kneeling down beside him, I picked up his hand, cradling it in mine.

"Robin..." I whispered. "Look at your hand. Look at what I have done to you! And yet, you forgive me? I am no better than you are. I hurt you, and never apologized."

He raised his head, meeting my gaze. "That's only a scratch. I nearly killed you! I made ill."

"Tut- tut! Must it always be about you? Though you may have been part of the cause of my illness, it was my own mistakes that caused it to happen. And may I be so bold as to suggest that all of your hurtful attempts were not of your free will? Mine, though in self defense, were done willingly. I believe that that makes us even."

I stroked his hand, gazing at the scar. "I am sorry for that. But Robin, can't you see? When you came to my bedside, I had been calling for you for days! And you came, and I recovered because of your presence. You saved me in the end Robin. More than once."

We exchanged a look, speaking volumes of a time years ago when he held a knife to his own Father's throat to save me.

I embraced him, both of us shaking with the relief of voicing our thoughts.

He kissed my cheek, and I kissed his. Wild and rough he may be, and though he had committed many wrongs against me, I could not stop the pain in my heart when he wasn't near.

"Thank you, Maria, for everything you've ever done for me. And thank you for forgiving me. I best be going now, it's very late."

"Stay." I pleaded. "You can't possibly go home in the dark. Besides, no one besides Maramaduke can fit through my door, and he won't tell a soul."

"But Maria, you have to change..."

"Oh please," I said cheekily. "It's not as if you haven't seen me in my undergarments before."

After I had changed, and Robin had removed his jacket, hat and shoes, I lay down on the bed, him on the other side.

Though we were at first far apart, he slowly drifted towards me, until my back was pressed against his chest.

A secret smile grew on my face.

"Goodnight princess." Robin whispered into my ear.

"Goodnight Bird Boy." I whispered back, snuggling deeper into his chest.

And as I fell asleep cradled by Robin, one thought crossed my mind.

All is well.

Lovely to see you again! Hope you enjoy this reconciliation, which took me a bit of time to perfect (At least in my standards). If you have any ideas for the story, to something you would like to happen, please comment below! Thank you for reading! PLEASE REVIEW and vote!