Often times when I'm alone, my mind conjures up the image of the pale white moon. It's large, so large that it looks as if it could swallow dear little Moonacre in all of it's entirety. And then I feel the crushing weight of water, swirling around m...
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Freezing cold filled the empty halls, and the flagstones were cool and slick to the touch. Ice.
Shivering I pushed closer to Robin, and he wrapped his arms around me.
The deeper down the hallway we went, the more cold and icy it seemed to get.
My stomach turned as the stench of what seemed like an odd dusty combination of soil and rotting meat.
What Robin and I were facing seemed to be worse than we had originally thought.
"Princess," Robin suddenly halted. "A shadow. Over there!" He pointed to a large, dark outline against the grey of the wall.
"Who-who is there?" My voice shook.
Only a dark chuckle filled the air to hint towards any sign of life. Yet the shadow- it did not waver.
Ah. Magic. Someone was trying to trick us.
"Keep moving," I whispered to Robin. "It is only a farce."
"Where exactly are we going princess?"
My face heated as I realized it would be pointless to continue to pursue the Coeur when something much worse was on a rampage.
"To-to the music room." The image of the lonely room had somehow stuck in my mind.
Though he looked unsure, Robin nodded and continued down the hall.
As we passed the dark shadow, it disappeared.
Good. I was correct.
We quickly reached the music room, and I quickly scanned the room for any signs of disturbance.
A small box sat atop of a dusty white piano, painted with designs of a crescent moon in a striking green paint.
"That." I pointed. "That is what we are looking for."
Cautiously, I walked over and pulled off the lid. The lid was light and papery in my hands, shimmering with an odd colored dust.
A flash of light filled the room and the small outline of a rabbit formed, and each limb slowly lengthened until it became the figure of a human male.
The light dimmed as the creature emerged, dressed in heavy robes of jade green. The odd pale hair upon its head was tinted the same jade, and the front teeth and ears of the man-like thing were rather long.
He stepped towards Robin, and I shielded him with my own body. "This is not your fight to fight." I hissed, feeling his muscles tense.
"If it is your fight to fight, then on the contrary it is mine as well. I would follow you to the ends of the earth, so I would certainly not leave you to fight alone."
I sighed and a small ripple of joy went through me at his words, but the fear bound me once more.
"Who are you?" I said shakily to the intruder.
"Jade Rabbit. Better knows as, The Jade Rabbit." He offered me his hand.
I ignored it. "And whom, pray tell, is this Jade Rabbit?"
"Ah," he smiled coldly. "The helper of the moon goddess. Or perhaps I would be better described as slave."
"Why have you come." I said. Not a question, but a statement.
"Well my dear," He stepped closer. "The moon goddesses treatment of me was cruel. Especially as she had blessed some Earthen woman a decade or so ago simply for having a kind character. Which I do have, by the way."
I snorted, and he paused as if gathering himself.
"Overtime, I stole the moon goddesses power as she slept (she is rather defenseless when dreaming), and I overthrew her. Still, one teensy problem. Some of her power remained on earth. You may perhaps know of it as the moon pearls, yes? So I have come to take them back."
"Take them back? They were never yours to begin with!" I cried.
"My sweet child, I have everything but the power within those pearls. I believe I can call them mine. Of course, it wasn't easy to obtain them. A bit of mind control over your Robin here," he glanced at him, and I held Robin tighter.
"And a few others as well. Especially the Coeur. You do realize, if I hadn't intervened, you and Robin would be happily married and possibly expecting a child? How could I allow you to have that happiness when I have none? Besides, I could never harm a woman with child. Even that goes against my rather slim code of moral." He smirked.
How... how could he have stolen so much from me? A-a child? Me? My hand subconsciously rested upon my stomach.
Robin glanced at me, sorrow in his eyes. "This must stop." He spoke with a strong conviction, his anger apparent.
And at that moment, I could see him taking care of me and the valley. And I could see the life stolen from me.
"Maria, or should I say... princess, will help me find the pearls immediately. They will be destroyed for good this time. And, do not even think about using them to hurt me. I am stronger. You are a weak child living a lie." The Jade Rabbit almost giggled with apparent glee.
He turned, his teeth gleaming and his robes flying through the air.
"Come darling Maria, I do not like to be kept waiting!"
I stood firm. Robin was mine to protect, and I should have been married to him already. We shared a bond, but not would we should have had. And this "Jade Rabbit" believed he could just come and force me to help him? Never. He could not take my freedom away.
"No." I said, eyes blazing to match the fiery tone of my hair. I had the sudden realization that I must look like a wildfire instead of the pale calm moon I usually resembled.
"What?" He snarled, whipping around.
Hello! Though this chapter was short, it required much reasearch of the Chinese mythological "Jade Rabbit." I interpreted him in my own way, as you can see making him a jealous helped overthrowing the "Moon goddess." I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it seems this story will be extending a bit longer than I had originally planned! Thank you for your constant support! Please vote, REVIEW, and spread the news! Much love! ;)
