Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Marianne was scared. The only thing keeping her in the air was pure adrenaline. The rainfall was just a drizzle, but it was getting stronger every passing minute. She was on her way to the dark forest when the rain had started. If she couldn’t make it to the forest, before she had to land, she would have to walk back home and she had no intention of going back there for a while. And as much as she might have hesitated about going to the forest, fear was a powerful motivator.

She could see the trees of the forest, the pink flowers lining the border only peeking from behind the curtain of rain. Even with her flying bringing her closer and closer to the flowers, they seemed to only disappear behind the rain. She wasn’t used to flying in the rain, but luckily her training helped her somewhat with dodging the falling water drops.

She didn’t really know what she would do once she made it to the border, but she was stubborn enough to not turn around and fly back home. She was going to make it to the forest even if it killed her. And at this point she was starting to think that it could be a very real possibility. Her fingers twitched. Her anxiety making her want to grasp the hilt of her sword just assure to her that it was still there. She really wanted to believe that her fear and panic was just due to the rain, but she couldn’t lie to herself. She was afraid of what might happen if her father was right. What if the goblins only saw her as their next meal and wouldn’t hesitate to attack her. Even if she would only be defending herself, her going into a foreign land and started attacking their citizens. Her actions could start a war between their two kingdoms. The politicians in the fields don't need anymore help with that idea. The only reason they haven't started a full blown war with the goblins is because they don't have any reason to attack. The goblins haven't attacked any light field citizen in centuries and not even an idiot would start a war with an other kingdom who hasn't even provoked them. No matter how much some the elders wanted to wipe out every goblin from existence for attacking and terrorizing fairies. The truth of the matter was that they had no proof of those things actually happening. They're arguments were based on old tales and the goblins appearance.

Every light field citizen had heard stories of what happened to little children if they ventured too close to the primroses lining the border. Even if nothing has happened in millennia, parents have told these cautionary tales to their children for so long it seemed that no one could tell her if the stories were based on actual events or old prejudices. She really hoped the stories were just make belief based on the goblins wild appearance rather than that they actually did eat trespassing fairies. She was the princess after all. Surely there must be some political protection for her. The thought brought her little comfort at the moment.

She was focusing all her energy into dodging the raindrops, but when she finally passed over the blooming primroses, she couldn’t help the feeling of accomplishment it brought her. Too bad for her that the momentary euphoria distracted her enough to make her fly into a root. Fortunately only her shoulder took the brute of the hit. She thought herself a good flyer, but she really should have paid more attention on foreign terrain. She couldn’t really lament her mistakes though, while flying towards another root. She tried to steady her self and get back in control of her trajectory, but only managed to safe he torso from the impact. Her legs still took a brutal hit and the force sent her plummeting towards the ground. She could tell the impact was inevitable, but she could still try to protect her wings and head from any serious injuries. She closed her eyes before she hit the ground, preparing for the impact, but it still took her by surprise how hard she hit the ground. The rain had softened the soil a fair amount, but she could still feel the scrapes the rough texture had caused. She stayed down assessing her injuries. When she tried to get up though, her whole body felt it like was set on fire. She hadn’t thought her injuries were that bad, but she must have taken more hits while crashing to the ground than she thought.

Her left shoulder felt like it was badly bruised and it hurt to move it, at least it wasn’t her dominant hand, she could still use her sword in a bind. The ring finger on her right felt like it was broken, but she couldn't tell if it was only sprained. She has been training for months and she had built up her pain tolerance, but her whole body felt like screaming out in agony. She grit her teeth and pushed herself to a sitting position. Her arms took most of the impact while hitting the ground, but she could still feel bruises forming on her chest and stomach while she tried to calm her breathing. The rain was getting heavier and was on a steady rise. She tried to flutter her wings, but they were weighted down by the water that had already gotten to them. She really didn’t know what she should or could do in this situation. She couldn’t fly until her wings dried, but the rain showed no sign of stopping. She couldn’t walk with her legs this badly bruised and her ankles felt like she had twisted one of them. She could probably crawl under a plant or a root to get away from the rain, but that’s how far that plan went. She really didn’t have a plan on how to get home or what she’ll do if the rain lasts longer than anticipated.

She couldn’t help the tears gathering in her eyes. She felt so frustrated. The purpose of this trip was to proof to her father that she could handle herself. Of course it didn’t hurt that she would be proofing to the council and Roland that they were wrong about the citizens of the Dark forest and would be starting the collaboration between their two kingdoms. Her mother had told her stories of the Goblin queen and how she had ventured to the forest when she was younger and almost got herself killed. The queen had saved her and brought her back to the border. Her mother had tried to get the council to listen to her and convince them that the goblins could be trusted, but of course those old bastards wouldn’t listen to her. It didn’t help that her father had agreed with the council and declared it too dangerous. Shortly after that Marianne was born and her mother focused on raising her, nut that didn’t stop the queen from telling her little princess about the time she was lost in the forest and a kind and helpful goblin queen had saved her. Ever since Marianne was a little girl she dreamed of starting the trade negotiations with the leaders of the Dark forest and their kingdoms would start a new chapter in history. She had hoped that her actions would have helped to proof that she was going to be a great queen and that she should be respected.

Now it seemed like this was only proving that they all were right to doubt her. She could feel the hot tears streaming down her cheeks, creating a contrast against the cold that the rain had embedded on her skin. She let out a yell, hoping that would help her calm down. She paused. She was never allowed to do that. She never showed any signs of weakness after the wedding fiasco, but even before she would’ve locked herself in her room, before crying. She almost never screamed. She was perfectly still. Half expecting for her father or a member of the court to appear to see whats the matter and then to chide her for acting in a such unladylike manner. But no one came. She was alone. If it was any other day or a moment, she would have been giddy, but now it only helped the cold dig itself deeper into her bones. She hasn’t felt this cold in years. The feeling of complete and utter loneliness. She forgot this feeling, even after the wedding she just felt betrayed and scorn, but this felt like the fire burning inside her got doused in water and all that was left of her spirit was the smoke of the diminished flame. Her body was trying to shut down and she was tempted to just let it. There was nothing she could do anymore. Her body was injured and she couldn’t even move to a spot to get shelter from the rain. Her body sunk deeper into the ground, the water not helping her at all. The storm showed no sign of stopping and if she couldn’t move, she would be buried in this spot. If the thought of dying out here completely alone wasn’t bad enough. She heard rustling coming from nearby.

Her body protested when she tried to turn towards the source of the sound, but she was going to defend herself. Even if she hoped that the goblins would, she couldn’t take any risks. She has seen goblins before, but they all looked vaguely frog like and shorter than the elves. To her knowledge goblins didn’t have wings and even if they were tall they were equally wide. She certainly never heard of a goblin that looked like the one that was standing in front of her. He was tall. Taller than anyone she has ever seen. He seemed as surprised at her appearance as she was of his. His gaze was turned towards her scabbard, she realized that her hand was holding the hilt of her sword. She didn’t mean to unsheathe it and point it at the goblin when he took a step towards her, but she was doing everything by pure instinct. Her body was shaking with effort to hold the sword upright,but was slightly startled by the deep and accented voice that belonged to the goblin.

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Bog was not in a good mood. To start his day of difficulties was the surprise rainfall. It had been an unpleasant tick in his plans. The primroses had already bloomed, but it would have been idiotic and dangerous to send his subjects to cut them down. As much as he hated the thought of leaving the petals to be picked up by any idiot with bad intentions, but there was nothing to be done about it. He was comforted slightly by the thought of the heavy rainfall stopping anyone who would dare try.The roads were already starting become muddy and unwalkable. Most of the children were probably giddy with the prospect of getting to play in the mud and rain, but the winged insects and goblins like himself and the parents of the children weren’t as exited. The rain brought with it the promise of sick citizens and hard to trek terrain. Luckily they were prepared enough, that his subjects would be safe as long as they were careful and wouldn’t go outside during the heavier rainfall. Still he couldn’t help but to worry. They were more prepared than the Light fields, but the storm took even them by surprise.

He knew his subjects were tough and could take care of their families and themselves, but it wasn’t unheard of goblin children trying to be helpful and get lost or stuck in the rain. They wanted to help their parents by gathering edible plants or moss that could dry and serve as warm blankets or beds. Goblin children are fairly independent, but they still are just children. They should be back early due to the weather and warnings from couriers. He hadn’t gotten any distress messages that a child hadn’t come back home or that a goblin was uncounted for.

He was helping his mother with checking the castle for the storm ,when the second annoyance in his day arrived. He had gotten a message through the mushrooms. Luckily being at the end of the line himself. They had heard a scream from the forest. A pained high pitch scream. They had said it didn’t sound like a fully grown adult, but it certainly didn’t sound like a young child either. Butt still, he was their king and if he didn’t go and try to get to one of his subjects in need of rescuing, even if they weren’t sure of their origin, he would spend the rest of his time regretting it. He was the fastest flyer and the only flier who would fly in this bad of a storm. His He was flying as fast as his wings could carry him, but the main thought in his head was that he wouldn’t get there in time and would have to carry a lifeless body to a grieving mother. The rain wasn’t light by any means, but not the heaviest he has ever flown in. He knew that it was too early in the storm for it to actually cause any harm even for a child, but he couldn’t help the rising of his heartbeat and the ache in his wings. When he finally made it to the spot the mushrooms told him they had heard the scream coming from.

The moment his eyes connected with bright purple wings, he knew why the mushrooms couldn’t identify the scream. A fairy. A pretty injured one by the looks of it. He could she her shivering and trying to stop the tears already streaming down her cheeks. He knew he had a reputation of being cold hearted and uncaring, but he knew she wouldn’t survive in this rain with those injuries and he wasn’t cruel enough to leave someone to die in the cold rain when he could’ve helped. Without thinking he had already landed and in the process startled the fairy enough, for her to turn her whole body towards him. Not an easy task if she feels half as bad as she looks. He noticed her hands going towards her belt for the sword hanging from it. He wasn’t expecting the fairy to be carrying a weapon or being able to wield it at this condition. He was a little bit impressed. What he had heard of fairies certainly didn’t paint them as great fighters, but even in this state the fairy had a proper grip on her sword.

He took a step towards her without thinking and almost took two steps back when her sword was pointed straight at him.

He lifted his hands, trying to show that he meant no harm to her. He knew even by goblin standards he was not the best looking and welcoming, he couldn’t imagine what he looked like to her. ”Woah, easy there tough girl. I just want to help.” That at least got her to lower her sword. It could probably also be the fact that her whole body seemed to be shaking, due to the cold or the effort it took to do anything with those injuries, he couldn’t tell. ”I’m gonna come closer, is that alright?” he was no stranger to trying to help injured and scared goblins, but he was wary of the fairy. He was sure none of his citizens did this to her or she would have been a lot more wary of him. If they did, he would take care of them personally. He suspected that the fairies were just waiting for the right motivator to start a war and he was not planning on letting that happen. He had no doubt that his people could hold their own in a battle, but war came with casualties and he was not going to let that happen. His best option was to get the fairy as quickly to his castle as possible. The rain was getting worse and he was sure the fairy noticed that as well. The fairy seemed to be done with her assessment of him and dropped her sword for the time being and nodded at him. He took a couple cautious steps towards her and when she seemed unphased as he walked straight to her. He crouched down next to her and tried to access how bad her injuries were ” Do you know how badly your injured?” he would have to trust her judgement on the matter until he got her to a healers. To his surprise the fairy snorted ” I think it’s pretty obvious i'm not doing so great.” She was glaring at him like he was wasting her time with idle chatter. He hadn’t met a fairy before, but from what his mother and father told him, he would have thought they would either be sickly sweet or annoyingly arrogant. She was neither. She was annoyed and sarcastic. To be honest, he much preferred this version. That didn’t mean he had to put up with this sort of behavior. He was the king for crying out loud and only trying to get her to shelter without injuring her more.

”I’m just trying to help you and if you’d rather be left here to freeze to death, then be my guest.” of course he didn’t mean the threat, he would wrestle her to the castle if he had to. She at least had the decency to look chastised, even if it was only for a moment. ”I’m sorry if i'm not in the best of moods at the moment. And unless you can carry me back to the castle, I don’t see how you could help.” The only response she got from him was a raised eyebrow. ” You’re not particularly large, you know?” He moved towards her to pick her up, but at the last moment realized he should probably ask. ”Do you mind if I?” he wasn’t sure if there was more to that sentence, but he really couldn’t figure out how he would end it. He received a swift nod from the fairy and very carefully put his arms under her wings and knees and lifted her into a bride carry. He tried not to move her too much while lifting her, but it wasn’t an easy task. She was possibly the lightest thing he had ever held. Even goblin children were heavier than her. When he finally got her situated in his arms he noticed her surprised look, like she thought he really couldn’t lift her. ” I’m afraid i can’t take you back to your home, but at this point were lucky if we make it to my castle without having to stop under shelter.

She looked like she had already forgotten about the rain surrounding them. He couldn’t imagine how she could have possibly forgotten when the rain was getting almost unbearable to stand. His feet were slightly sinking to the ground and he was lucky he could grab his staff with his feet and hand it to her, because if e had tried coming back for it later it would already be lost to the elements. It would take weeks or even months to find it again, that was if it could be found.

He took off as fast as he could. He obviously did it a bit more roughly than intended, because she gave a pained whimper. He adjusted her in his arms and hoped that would ease the pain of being carried while he was trying to dodge the fast falling raindrops causing his flight patterns to become erratic and twitchy. He focused on keeping her steady and let some of the smaller raindrops to hit him. He could handle the pain and he would be just fine after getting dry and warmed up. The impact caused pain, but his bark like outer shell insured that he wouldn’t bruise. He tried to fly as quickly as possible back to his castle. She might have already been badly hurt , but the quicker he got her to the healers the better. He couldn’t imagine how bad the injuries actually were if she already looked this bruised and bloodied.

He was quite surprised how calm the fairy was. She must have been in immense pain, but she barely made any sound while he flew like a madman. Even when she expressed discomfort or pain, it was only quiet whimpers or gasps. He was equally impressed and shocked. It must take a lot of will power to not show any indications of being in pain, but he couldn’t help but to wonder why she was acting like this. To his knowledge fairies didn’t fight as often as goblins did. If you were brawling and you showed any sign of weakness that wouldn’t do you any favors. Then why would a fairy need to act as though as a goblin trying to defend their home from predators. Bog was already starting to regret starting that line of thought. It was unlikely that he would get answers and it was already driving him insane. With the rain he couldn’t leave the castle as much as usual and his mother was going to take the opportunity to shove every eligible woman she could find to him.

He was lucky he had a reason to be this muddy when returning and she was lucky to be injured or she would have to deal with his mother complaining about the dirt they both dragged into her home. For a goblin his mother liked things oddly clean.

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She really wasn’t expecting him to lift her so effortlessly. Even before she had started training to be stronger and gained a bit of muscle, she had been told she would be well to lose a little weight. Of course that group consisted mostly of creepy council members and Roland, but they're words had stuck to her. She had always thought she was considered heavy boned. Something to do with her bone density. When she was younger she really didn't care about that, but the moment she started visiting her dads meetings and the dreadful mistake that was Roland her confidence in her own looks started to drop. She was in the middle of trying to build up her self confidence again to the level it once was, but her brains hadn't caught up to that. But for him to just lift her like he weighed nothing, it was surprising.

She was still a little dazed when he handed her his staff with his feet and she didn’t even question it, just grabbed it and held it for dear life. The rain would have been way too heavy for her to fly in, but he seemed to be flying just fine. She could see the pain on his face when a raindrop hit him, but his speed didn’t waver. She was impressed. Most fairies wouldn’t even think of going outside in a light rain and here he was carrying her while flying in a downpour. His wings looked almost more fragile than her own, but at the same time like they could hold up twice as long as the captain of their army.

He said he was taking her to his castle. Does that mean his the king? Marianne had heard many stories of the goblin king from her father. His stories never painted the other king in a positive light, but here he was. Flying through rain carrying her to safety, even though she isn’t one his subjects and he doesn’t know she’s royalty. He can’t be that bad if his willing to danger himself in the process of saving her. She couldn’t tell the last time any of the high ranking people in her fathers court or army personally helped their people. They always told her that they had the lower ranking personnel to do the physical act of helping their people, they helped them by making important decisions and making sure things were kept in order. She always wanted a more personal connection with her people and to help them as much as possible. How could they possibly know how the people living in the poorer part of their kingdom if they never go to them.

The pouring rain and the cold it brought with it couldn’t dim her mood at the moment. She had come to the forest to talk to the king and here he was, taking her to his castle. Of course the crash landing and injuries weren’t planned, but she could deal with the pain if it meant she could prove that the goblins weren’t just some uncivilized savages. She was going to be able to talk to him. Dawn always said she had a habit of looking for the silver lining before Roland, but she couldn't remember when she did that after the wedding.

She wished they wouldn’t have to stop before getting to the castle. She didn’t know if she could handle the cold any longer. Her tunic wasn’t really designed for this weather, but she was sure once she got inside the cold seeping into her bones will lessen. She turned her gaze to the staff on her hands, she realized she could no longer feel her fingers. She focused all her energy into keeping the from falling. She didn’t know why she cared so much if the staff fell, but he had given her the staff to hold and if she was dead set on doing something properly today.

She didn’t even know his name. Her head felt light and heavy at the same time like there was a fog inside her head and she was trying to walk through it. She could hear her tutors and teachers voices telling her how it was rude to not ask ad memorize someones name and title. Her thoughts were so jumbled that she didn’t even think that she had more important things to worry about than etiquette. She tried to speak over the sound of rain, but she was lucky if he even realized she made a sound. To her surprise his eyes quickly shifted to look at her, but as quick as he turned his gaze to her he started to look ahead again. She tightened her grip on the staff gaining courage and trying to speak again. ”Whats your name?” in her head she was clear as day, finally getting a clear thought through the fog invading and filling her head, but the only thing that came out was bunch of jumbled words that mixed together.”Shh. Lass, relax were almost there.” His voice was oddly soothing. His accent only adding to the lull of his deep voice.

Her head started to feel heavier than before and she started to shut her eyes. Closing almost on their on accord. Before she could fall asleep, her whole body jolted awake in pain. She let out a small scream out of sudden reminder of her injuries. She looked up at the goblin carrying her betrayal shining in her eyes or they could be tears, it was hard to tell at the moment. The sky blue eyes looked down at her with sympathy. “Sorry about that, but you can’t fall asleep, lass”. She couldn’t comprehend why. She was so tired, surely she could take a little nap while he flew. But she focused on keeping the staff from falling. Her thoughts kept wondering and she really didn’t want to drop his staff. She was the reason he was out in the rain or at least she thought so. What other reason did he have to be out here.

Before her thoughts could start wandering again her rescuer landed in front of an old tree trunk. She could only stare at the animal skull serving as the bridge to the entrance. She has never seen any animal that could even begin to resemble the skull in front of her. The thought of willingly walking into its open maw, even if it couldn’t suddenly decide to eat her. But she didn’t have any choice on the matter. When the man currently carrying her started walking towards the entrance to the castle. For the first time since they took off, Marianne took her hand off the staff to try to grab at bogs chest. The rough texture helping to ground her. She heard a gasp above her and looked up to find the source. To her surprise the sight that greeted her was bogs blushing face. Or at least she thought it was a blush. She hasn’t really been around goblins enough to decipher their emotions. Maybe the cold was effecting him as well. He was the one who had to fly against the wind and rain.

Before she could try to ask him was he hurt from the rain a loud voice cut her off “Finally you’re back.!” A very short goblin woman came from inside the maw of the monster she was fearing. “What are you still doing standing in the rain, you’re gonna get sick.” The woman hadn’t seemed to notice her yet continuing to berate her son for dragging the whole forest floor with him. She clapped her hands together closing her eyes when she did finally lift her head to look at them “Oh you have to go clean up, cause I have the most perfect gir-” before she could finish her sentence her carrier cut her off “Mam, I don’t have time for this! We have to get her to the healers!” Her ears were ringing from the sudden rise in volume, but it did help get the goblin to open her eyes and really take in the scene. “Oh my goodness, you poor dear. Come on you slowpoke take her to the infirmary as fast as possible!” Her apologetic tone shifted instantly when she was addressing the other goblin. She could hear a murmur of “Oh why didn’t I think of that”. He was already off to the infirmary before the woman could probably slap him and tell him to respect her. She couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her when she heard the muffled yell after they left “And you better get this mess cleaned up!”

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Bog’s wings started beating faster almost automatically when his mother yelled after him. He didn’t slow down after hes mind caught up to the fact that his mother wouldn’t chase him down. He had wasted enough time freezing in front of the skull bridge. Just the fairy he was currently carrying grabbed his chest to calm down. He couldn’t imagine how anyone could possibly be calmed down by his rough skin. He could feel his cheeks warm up again at the memory. If the healer asked it was because of the cold. The fairy had luckily moved her hand back to its former position, but he couldn’t help the lingering feeling of her cold hand on his chest.

Luckily he was in front of the infirmary before he could think about it more. Even if he was in a hurry he still kicks the doorway gently to announce his presence before entering. There was a separate area for examinations hidden by the curtain of autumn leaves. He heard a quiet hum of acknowledgement and stepped inside. ”Bog, how pleasant of you to visit on this dreary day.” Malv was currently looking over documents while writing something on her notepad. Malv has been the healer for a little longer than bog has been king and he appreciated her input almost more than some of his advisers. She was an insect. Her wings looking like dried leaves and her four arms almost always busy with either writing her diagnosis’ or mixing medicine. Unlike many of the insects in the forest she wore a simple jacket. It being cut to let her wings out and to accommodate for her long arms.

”we need your help” His voice sounded loud in the quiet room only other noise being Malvs writing. But that stopped the moment the words left his mouth. The healers head lifting and turning her gaze to the fairy currently in his arms. ”I see” Malv simply stood up and started walking behind the curtain. ” Bring her over here and but her down on the table.” She had seen worse and he wasn’t surprised by her nonchalance. He didn’t waste any time and did as he was told. But when he tried to leave to give her some privacy the fairy grabbed him around the neck, trapping him an awkward half standing and half leaning to keep to her level. His staff was digging into his back, the fairy never letting go of her death grip on it. He Couldn’t help but to growl at Malvs quiet snicker, but came to regret it as soon as the fairy seemed to freeze up even more. ”Sorry lass, but i have to leave for this part.” He tried to keep his voice as low and quiet as possible and it seemed to do the trick. The fairy lowering her arms and holding the staff to her chest.”If it helps you get through this, you can keep my staff for the time being.” He really didn’t understand how his staff could help her remain calm, but he wasn’t going to take that source of comfort away from her.”ll be just right be just behind that curtain while Malv is going to clean and treat your injuries” He waited for her to respond and got a nod from her while she kept her gaze firmly on the floor. He nodded to Malv and ducked behind the curtain.

He sat down on one of the chairs lining the wall that was large enough for him. The only thing he could do now is sit and wait. He couldn’t leave without first knowing if she was going to be alright. The fairy had really but his tasks on hold for the day. He should be be prepping the castle and checking with his messengers that all his people living outside the castle were going to be fine during the storm. He had luckily already assigned the times and routes for the couriers on when they would head out after the storm calmed down. As a king he never had a moment of quiet. He was always worrying about meetings or problems of his subjects, but now all his thoughts were focused on the patient behind that curtain. H could hear an occasional hiss of pain or quiet talking. He tried to tune it out as much as he could, but he couldn’t help but to notice that only Malv was speaking. The fairy could have a head injury. It would explain quite a lot of her behavior and the ability to speak. Now he was glad he wouldn’t let her fall asleep during the flight. He couldn’t but to feel pity for her. From all the places to crash, she just had to crash in his forest. She must have been confused and terrified at the same time.

But she wasn’t close to the border. If anything it seemed as if she was flying even deeper into the forest. He hadn’t seen any sign of a primrose petal while picking her up, but that didn’t mean she didn’t drop it during her crash. That didn’t explain why she was flying deeper into the forest even if she had gotten a petal. Not even many goblins knew of the sugar plum fairy being imprisoned in his dungeons and he was certain none of the ones who knew told her location to a fairy. He turned his gaze back towards the curtain. Why was she there and what was she going to do once she made it to the forest. He let out a sigh of frustration. He wasn’t going to get answers any time soon. Even if she wasn’t going to fall asleep the minute Malv said it wouldn’t cause anymore damage to her head injury, she wasn’t likely to remember a lot from her crash or they're trip to the castle. He wasn’t idiotic enough to try to interrogate her while she was under Malvs care. The woman could be very scary when she wanted to and slowing down her patients healing was a huge mistake if she was anywhere near the castle and taking in the fact that she only left to refill her inventory, nit many even dared to make any excess noise outside her door.

But just because he wasn’t going to get answers to his questions didn’t mean he was going to leave before finding out how bad her condition was. Judging by the shape of her leg she must have sprained her ankle at least. The scrapes and bruises seemed pretty bad considering how fast they had developed. Her dominant hand seemed fine expect her ring finger seemed sprained. He had learned a lot from Malv over the years and more than once he has had to use that knowledge during rescue missions or when he was reckless enough and got himself injured. It was going to be a long way to recovery for her, but she seemed strong. He had the passing thought that if she ever found out about his pity for her he would be getting a proper beating. He laughed at the thought. He never would have guessed that he would ever be saying that about a fairy. His mother had always described fairies as gentle and graceful beings. How she would go the border to hear them singing, even after she became queen she continued that habit and ended up helping a lost fairy back to the border. His mother must be reminiscing about that time by the look of her face when she first laid eyes on the fairy. The thought of his mother tormenting their new patient with questions and requests of songs made him shake his head in sympathy. She wouldn’t stress her while she was still so injured, but the moment her symptoms began healing she would be on her like predator on prey.

He was brought back to the present by the curtains pulling slightly back and Malv sticking her head out. ”Bog could you come here for a moment I need your help.” He got up and made his way to the curtain slightly pausing before stepping behind it. The fairy was cleaned of most of the blood and the worst of the scrapes were bandaged. Her leg and finger seemed to be resetted and Malv had placed support on them. He was right about the injuries apparently. He might have to bring that up to Malv later, She was always glad to hear he picked up on her lessons. The fairy had changed into a light gown Malv gave to all her patients, but the robe she was given was at least two sizes too large for her. The fairy was still clutching his staff to her chest.” I’ll need you to carry her to the sickroom and but her in one of the beds” Malv was already writing something with her two upper arms while the lower arms closed some lids and placed everything she used back to their original position.while he was walking towards the fairy and prepared to lift her up once again Malv added to her previous statement ” Oh and be careful of her ribs she has two broken ones.” Bog froze at that. She must have been in extreme pain while he haphazardly flew in the rain. He very carefully lifted her and made sure she was’t in any pain while he started walking towards the sick room.

The room itself was next to the infirmary and the door leading to it was next to Malvs desk. She herself had made sure of the room being comfortable and roomy for her patients. She had made sure the beds and everything else in the room was easily cleaned or removed. He had always liked the room more after Malv took over from the previous healer. He put her down on the nearest moss bed and pulled the soft covers to her. He contemplated fetching a blanket for her, but he should probably ask Malv if she has a fever before doing that. He smiled at her before heading towards the door. Before he could reach the door though, a freezing hand grabbed at his wrist. He turned around looking gently down at her. He tried not to let the heat in his cheeks to distract him. ”Everything alright tough girl?” she seemed to hesitate a moment before offering the staff to him. He chuckled lightly and reassured her ” You can keep it for now if it helps. I’ll be back soon anyway.” With that he headed out the door and closed the door. He turned to Malv who was sitting down seemingly organizing her desk. ”What can you tell me?” He knew Malv didn’t share too much about her patients to other than family, but this wasn’t a normal scenario. ”Her injuries aren’t too severe , but she has a lot of them. Shes going to be fine with some rest and healing salves.” He let out a sigh, relieved her injuries weren’t anything too serious. Malv continued after turning her body towards him ” We do have a problem with not knowing who she is or why she’s in the forest in the first place.
” He knew this of course, but the days activities were finally catching up to him. He was going to fall asleep standing up soon if he didn’t make it to his quarters. ”I know, but there’s not much i can do at the moment.” He rubbed at his eyes and said ” I’ll be visiting tomorrow to see how she’s doing. Good night.” after Malv returned the sentiment he left and headed towards his quarters, hoping he wouldn't run into his mother on the way there.

Chapter Text

Dawn was starting to get worried. Marianne had told sunny and her about her plan. The plan that included her stubborn older sister to fly to the dark forest and speak to the king. If that wasn’t enough to make her rip the hair off her head, it had started raining when Marianne had left. At first she had felt relieved. The rain would surely stop her sister from continuing with this plan. But then Marianne hadn’t come back and the rain had started to only rain harder. She almost started to fly after her sister herself if Sunny hadn’t been there to hold her back. She hoped Marianne found shelter and would just walk back home. The thought of her sister being alone in the dark forest stuck due to the rain gave her goosebumps. That wasn’t even the worst thing she could think of, what if the goblins took her. She never really put much weight between the stories they told about goblins, but she couldn’t help but to think of the worst case scenario. No fairy would fly in this weather and no one could even if they tried.

She was sitting on her windowsill, looking out at the wall of rain that surrounded them. She must have sighed or shown some other type of indication of her thoughts because the next thing she knew Sunny was holding her hands, easily getting her to take them from around her knees currently pressed to chest. ” Come on Dawn, I’m sure Marianne is fine. I mean she has her sword and we both know she can use it.” Dawn knew Sunny was as worried as her. He’s Marianne's oldest and dearest friend. He had paced her room ever since the rain started and Marianne hadn’t shown up. Dawn smiled down at Sunny. She did know that. Her sister was the strongest person she knew, but that didn’t mean she could battle the elements. She was already certain that Marianne wasn’t coming back any time soon and she would eventually have to tell her her father where his eldest daughter had went and why. Her smile didn’t last long and fell as soon as that thought entered her head. Sunny's smile fell right after her own.

” I still don’t want to tell them. I promised her I wouldn’t.” Her eyes filled with tears while saying these words. The first thing she should do is go tell their father and have him go out and bring her back. She already knew she couldn’t do that. Ever since their mother died it was them against the world. Their mother always wanted what she thought would make them happy. When Marianne first brought Sunny to meet Dawn and their parents their mother had only taken one look of the smile adorning Marianne's face and had taken Dawn with her to meet him. Their father had a little more problems with their friendship, but he couldn’t do much to argue against it. Their mother wasn’t as strict with tradition and even took pleasure in defying it. She had always thought them that as long as they were happy she would be proud of them. Their father didn’t really understand their point of view, but he did his best and always had good intentions. She missed her mother so much. She had always been a more emphatic towards their feelings. Before she could continue on that train of thought, she felt a calloused hand being placed on her cheek. She opened her eyes and felt more tears drip down. Before they could fall far She felt Sunny wipe them away ” I know you don't want to brake your promise to Marianne, but we have to tell hem sooner or later, because she's not gonna be coming back anytime soon due to this rain.” She closed her eyes and nodded.

Even with Sunny's reassurance, Dawn couldn’t help but to take a shuddering breath at the thought of going to their father who would tell the council and Roland. Marianne still hasn’t told her what exactly happened with him,but it must have been really bad if it caused her sister to change so much in so little time. Though the longer she thought of it, Marianne used to be different before Roland; happier. She was just as charmed as her sister when they first met Roland and she must admit he did know how to work a crowd. Marianne was never very good at being graceful and controlled around large groups of fairies. She didn’t know exactly what Roland did to her sister, but she wouldn’t forgive him. He did something bad enough to drive her amazing sister to change such large part of her behavior and way of thinking. She felt sick even thinking of what kind of plans Roland would come up with when he hears of Marianne's departure. The council wasn’t going to be any better. A bunch of old fairies who thought they were better than everyone else.They never did like how Marianne acted. They’d use this as an example on why Marianne needed a husband before her coronation.

With Sunny's support she rose from her place on the window sill and almost fell down, when her legs shook from the lack of use. Sunny looked at her with worry in his eyes, but she reassured him with a small smile. ”I think i'm ready to go talk to them.” Sunny nodded and held her hand while walking with her to the hallway

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When Dawn and Sunny finally made it to her fathers office, they grimly noted the multiple voices coming from inside. The guards positioned outside her father office nodded at her and seemed to focus on her Sunny's intertwined hands. She ignored them. She was used to this from new guards. She took a deep breath and knocked on the double doors in front of her. All the noise from the inside ceased and Dawn braced herself before letting go of Sunny's hand and opening the door. As she had thought the council and a couple of high ranking military personnel were inside the office alongside her father. His face turned from annoyance to sight delight after seeing it was dawn and not another courier with bad news. ”Dawn what do you need?” She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room burning into her. She would have hoped her father would have been alone for this, but the weather must have caused a lot of problems for him. ”Could we talk privately for a moment?” her voice was still scratchy from crying, but didn’t let them see how much it bothered her. Before her father could respond one of the council members spoke up ” We have important issues to deal with due to the sudden storm. I’m sure you can wait till the end of the meeting.” Some of the others in the room nodded at the mans statement. Dawn felt a hand grab hers behind her back. She stood up straighter and spoke with more authority than before ”No, this matter must be discussed now.” the same member opened his mouth to speak again, but her father beat him to the bunch. ”Of course Dawn. Lets step into my quarters so we can speak.” Her father stood up and walked towards the door that connected his office to his quarters. When he held the door open for her and lifted an eyebrow when he saw sunny holding her hand, but didn’t stop him from entering with her. The door shut leaving the rest of the people in the office in silence. The only thing breaking the silence was a loud yell of ”She did what?” from the other room.

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She knew he was going to tell everyone in the office, but it didn’t make it any easier having to listen all of them complain about Marianne and how irresponsible she was for even thinking about going to the forest. She grit her teeth and clenched her fist, keeping her gaze to the floor and trying not to make it worse. Beside her Sunny had his arms crossed and glaring at the floor. Neither of them liked hearing these entitled jerks talk about Marianne like this, but there wasn’t much they could do. They had already gotten a lecture for not coming to tell them the Marianne had told them about her plan.

Dawn tried to ignore all the awful things they were saying, but her brain seemed to latch onto a sentence one of the older council members had said. ” We all knew what would happen if the princess’ were allowed to hang around that elf in the first place, are we really so surprised to see his bad influence affecting them.” Besides her Sunny seemed to shrink into himself and if the proclamation wasn’t enough to make her see red, his reaction was the last nail in the coffin. Her head shot up. Her filled with rage and anger, making direct eye contact with the fool who dared to say something like that with her still in the room. ” How dare you.” her voice was as cold as ice and filled to the brim with venom and everyone in the room seemed to pause at her uncharacteristic behavior, but she was far too angry to pay them any mind. The man she was holding eye contact with seemed to realize he had made a mistake, when she took a step towards him and pointed her finger at him. ” What gives you the right to talk about him like your better than him, because i know for a fact that you are not.” She kept walking towards him until she had backed him up against the wall, her pointed finger making contact with his chest. ” He is my best friend and he cares more about Marianne than any of you in this room.” Before she could continue with her rant, her fathers voice rang through the room ” Dawn! This no way for a princess to act. If you can’t be quiet while we try to think of ways to save your sister then you and Sunny can leave.” Her fathers voice had turned cold by the end of his sentence and she could feel tears forming in her eyes. Marianne had always called her a crybaby, but this was a very stressful situation and their father hadn’t even trying to defend his eldest daughter this whole time. Letting these men fill his head with warped images of what Marianne was like. Before she could tell him exactly what was wrong with this scene, she felt an arm wrap it self around her shoulder and the next thing she knew her body was pressed into an armored chest in a parody of comfort. ”Now i’m sure Dawn is just shocked due to Marianne's plan and is just hysteric. She was too shocked to react, the only thing she noticed was Sunny's dark expression and she wanted nothing more than to punch Roland straight in his pearly white teeth. ” The first opportunity we have, we’ll march right into the forest and make them realize the princess from their clutches and answer for their crimes. I would be willing to lead this rescue party and save my beloved princess from the horrible goblins.” Dawn felt like throwing up. She hadn’t wanted to tell them in the first place, but Roland would make everything even worse. She tried to object but was cut off by her father ” oh Roland, I knew I could trust you to save her. We’’l have a troop ready to head out after rain calms down.” She has to speak up, before anyone else started praising Roland for his heroic actions. ” No!” She lifted her leg and stomped down on Roland's feet as hard as she could, leaving him jumping up and down holding his injured leg. She lost any regret she might have had when she heard Sunny trying to disguise his laugh as cough. ” You can’t send Roland after her!” Her father seemed surprised by her sudden outburst, but didn’t seem to take her seriously at all. ” Dawn, I already said if you can’t stay silent and disturb us you can go to your room.” she felt tears of frustration fill her eyes, but she was not going to let them fall. She herself into the air and burst out of the room and started flying as fast as she could towards her room. She could hear Sunny yelling after her and following her but she didn’t slow down.

Once she made it inside her room and slammed the door, she took a moment to calm herself before heading towards her closet. It was filled to the brim with lavish and elegant clothes, but if she remembered correctly she still had some travel clothes when they visited other areas of their kingdom. If they were heading out after the rain calmed, she would have to head out now. She couldn’t fly so she would have to come up with an other way to make it to the forest. She looked out her window at the rain and felt a sting of anxiety in her core, but she turned her back to the task at hand and continued searching her clothes for proper ones. She was not going to leave her sister and she definitely wasn’t going to let Roland get to her first.

She was interrupted by a knock on her door and she instantly called out ” Go away!” She wasn't even thinking about opening the door before she heard Sunny's muffled voice coming from behind it. ” It’s just me Dawn! I want to see if you’re alright.” She couldn’t fight the smile on her face. He really was the sweetest. He was the one who's friend was stranded in the storm, but he still only tried to help her. She flew to the door and unlocked it as fast as possible. Sunny was startled by the sudden opening of the door, but he didn’t have a chance to open his mouth before Dawn was pulling him inside. She locked the door before turning back to face Sunny, but he wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at the clothes covering most of the surfaces in her room. ” What are you doing?” he’s tone suggested he knew perfectly well what she was doing, but wanted to make sure. ” I’m going to save Marianne myself.” She straightened up and looked Sunny straight in the eyes, daring him to object to her plan. He seemed to just stare at her, face completely blank. ” You can’t fly in this rain.” She only nodded at that. Of course she knew that, but she had to try. Sunny nodded his head back at her and seemed to mull something over in his head. ” Then I’m coming with you” He had the same look she had just a moment ago, she could try to stop him, but would certainly fail. Dawn smiled down at him and swooped down to hug him. ”thank you” she could feel his arms tightening around her, and heard a quiet ” anytime”. She rose up and started to pack things up.” I need you to go down to the kitchen get us food for the trip.” Sunny nodded and headed out. She smiled at the door that Sunny had just left from and the thought of not being alone defending and rescuing Marianne warmed her heart. She felt like she could face the world with Sunny by her side.

Chapter Text

Marianne woke up and immediately felt like she was surrounded by very warm clouds. She didn’t wan’t open her eyes and face reality. This might have been even more comfortable than her own rose bed. She could have never imagined that she would think that about anything. She tried to snuggle deeper into the cloud, but a searing pain in her chest stopped any movement right on their track. She took a deep breath in automatically, but that only worsened the pain. Her eyes had shot open from the shock and to her surprise she was greeted by a dark wood ceiling. That didn’t make any sense. The castle was a carved out bolder. There wasn’t many wooden things in the castle and definitely not any rooms with wooden ceilings.

The the last nights events came back to her. The storm, the crash, her rescuer. Oh no. She had acted like a damsel in distress and he had princess carried her almost the whole time. She tried to reason that she was lucky he came along or she would certainly be dead by this point, but that didn’t stop the fierce blush taking over her face. She tried to move her arms to block her face from an imaginary audience, but that only brought her attention to the pain any sort of movement caused. She couldn’t help the grunts she left fall from her mouth due the stinging that had returned to her head. She must have attracted the attention of someone with her noises, because the the door she could remember being carried through opened.

She vaguely remembered the healer that had treated her, but was still surprised when a very tall insect like creature stepped out behind the door. ”I see you’re awake.” the surprisingly melodic voice said while walking towards her. ”How bad is the pain?” She held her head with her two upper arms and started to examine her eyes. ”It’s bearable” she had lied trough her teeth, but she didn’t want to show any form of weakness now that her brain had gained the ability to think clearly again. ”Hmm, you must be more stubborn than Bog then and let me tell you I've dealt with him more times than enough to know when someone is trying to grin and bear it.” She had let go of her head and straightened up to her full height. ” I won’t have someone with this many injuries in my care suffer pain that could be easily prevented. You’ll only be resting in bed today so only me and the king will be seeing you if that helps.” While she was talking she started to mix some kind of powder into water whit her lower arms while the upper ones were crossed. She felt like she didn’t have a choice, but her head started pounding again so she only nodded and held her arms up for the drink. The healer looked at her for a moment but seemed to decide that she could hold the cup. She still steadied her hands while handing it to her. The drink tasted very bitter, and she had to take a break after the first sip. The healer supported the cup still in her hands while she prepared to drink the whole thing. It was a daunting task, but she would do anything to make the bounding in her head stop. She took a deep breath trying to not hurt her chest and took a couple of bog gulps of the drink until she was finished. As soon as the drink was gone she wiped her lips on the sleeve of her robe.

The healer took the cup and held it in one of her hands while speaking ”Good, that should help lessen the pain a lot. If it doesn’t seem to work however I’m just outside that door. Don’t get up though, you’re head injury is still healing and the only thing that can help is rest.” she shot her a look like she would regret even thinking about it and she nodded to agree not to get up. That seemed like the right choice, because the healer nodded back and continued with her speech ”Now the king was planning on visiting you today, but if you’d rather be left alone to rest and work through yesterdays events I’ll inform him.” ”No that’s alright. He can visit.” Her mouth moved on its own accord. She did not like the idea of anyone seeing her while she was loopy from medicine, but she still wanted to talk to the king. If he really was the one who saved her yesterday, she wanted to thank him and apologize for any trouble she had caused yesterday. ”Very well, but if you don’t feel like you’re ready to answer his questions just tell him. He’ll understand if you’re too tired.” She nodded her head and with that turned around and gracefully exiting through the door.

Marianne sighed and rested her head against a pillow. She felt her bed with her hands and was pleasantly surprised that it was the thing she thought was warm clouds. While she was trying to think what the material was called, a staff resting against her bed drew her eye to it. She lifted it to her lap and just stared at it for a moment. She tried to think back to the goblin she met yesterday. She remembered that he had given her this staff. He must be the king. She couldn’t think of anyone else who could possibly have a staff this grand if they weren’t the ruler.

The stone tied to the staff was nothing like shes ever seen. Some of the older artifacts the castle housed have the same stone, but those were polished and far too small to show the true beauty of the stone. Amber. She remembered it now. It was called amber. Her mother had loved the stone. Telling her and Dawn how she used to sneak into the artifact room just to gaze into it, trying to imagine what kind of goblin had wielded the sword the amber adorned. The sword itself was a symbol of peace. Gifted to their ancestors when they established the border. It was a strong blade with the hilt and scabbard holding two amber pieces that connected when the sword was in the scabbard. Her mother had always dreamed of wielding the sword herself, but was never allowed. Maybe if she was successful in her mission to start a friendship between their kingdoms, she could wield it as a show of respect. Maybe they’ll make her something new to commemorate the new union.

It would be a long journey to that, but the thought of her mother seeing her little girl with the sword the council wanted to forget, brought warmth to her heart. She had at least one supporter, even if they weren’t present anymore. She smiled while running her pointer finger across the stone. It was smooth. The sword in their castle was inside a glass display case and was never opened. Somewhere deep inside her mind there was a small voice telling her to stop and put the staff back where it was, but she was far too tired to listen. The goblin she assumed is the king left this staff here on purpose. He seemed nice enough, if not a little odd. She has never met anyone like him.

He had called her tough girl. She has had many nicknames in the span of her life; darling, sweetheart, princess and buttercup. The last one still left a sour taste on her tongue. But all those names meant something fragile and dainty, but no one ever called her anything implying she was strong. Even if someone would have called her though girl, they would have probably be implying how she should go back to being that docile little girl.

She was running her fingers along the staff trying to memorize every small groove and shape while she still had it. The action soothed her. She barely remembered anything the healer had told her, but she did remember she wasn’t supposed to do anything that would cause extra work for her brain. That was easy considering how floaty she felt. The doctor had said something about pain relief and how she would feel a little funny while it was still in her system. Her fingers paused when they hit the amber piece that was tied to the staff. She couldn’t help but to get lost in the amber. It felt like the longer she stared at it the more swirls and shapes started to form inside it. Her family's crystal had been the amethyst for hundreds of years, remembering how she had been complimented when she was little how nicely her wings match the jewel. This deep orange was nice though. It might go better with her eyes, almost trying ti shift to hazel to make it come true. She liked it. At home the king or queen doesn’t carry any kind of staff only the royal sword adorning their hip. But this could be a very good blunt weapon. Could cause quite a lot of damage without killing the offender. She let out a quiet laugh at her last thought. Even now she was thinking about weapons and how effective this would be in a battle. She had picked up that habit after she started training.

She still didn’t know his name, but then again he didn’t know hers. Unless she blurted it out yesterday. She could almost remember trying to speak, but before she could try to remember how she ended up here, her head started pounding and putting a stop to any thinking for a moment. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the pillow. Trying to focus on the texture around her, she brought the staff to her chest and tightened her around it without thinking. She couldn’t remember why she was so attached to the staff, but the thought of letting go of it and it falling to the floor brought her discomfort and she was too tired to question the peace it brought her. Maybe when she became queen she would start carrying around a staff along side her sword. She smiled at the thought, maybe she could make a sword for the king as a thanks for saving her. She would have to find a nice amber stone for the hilt though or maybe several small ones on the blade. Her head felt so empty now. It must be the medicine, but she certainly wasn’t complaining. She was warm, comfortable and her body was light and pain free.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she heard the door opening again. She only had enough energy in her to open her eyes and turn her head towards her guest. She had to look up more than she had anticipated. He was taller than she remembered and he wasn’t even standing up to his full height. He was slightly hunched over, but he still looked like he commanded the room. He seemed to be unsure what to do with his hands, fiddling with them while avoiding eye contact. ”You’re the king” she could feel the smile already stretching her cheeks, but she couldn’t help it. She had been saved by the person she came her to meet. He seemed surprised by her statement and had blink a few times before responding ”Ah, yes, yes I am. And do you remember who you are?” His voice seemed strange, like he was trying to make it more gentle and quiet, but didn’t know how. She wondered why he would try, he had a very nice and soothing voice already. She giggled at the question, she didn’t know exactly what was so funny when he asked that, but she just couldn’t help laughing. His surprised expression only caused her to laugh more. ”Of course I know who I am. How about you?” That at least got him to straighten up, but he still had his hands in front of his chest. He points at him self and raised his eyebrows or what she thought were his eyebrows. She rose to a sitting position with a little difficulty, but before he could reach her and help her out, she was already locking eyes with him again. She nodded enthusiastically and stared at him waiting for his answer. He cleared his throat and seemed to prepare himself before answering ” I am the Bog king.” he seemed to gain a little confidence with that line, but lost it when continuing ” And i still don’t know you’re name” he gave her a a very awkward looking smile showing her his crooked teeth. Her voice didn’t listen to her and blurted out before she could think ”Princess Marianne” They both froze after she said that, having a short staring match before he broke the silence ” Princess?” his voice seemed strained and like he needed to drink a cup of water. She simply nodded and watched as he sat down on the foot of her bed and but his head in his hands. She couldn’t help but to feel bad for him. She knew her status would cause some problems and he didn’t know what he was signing up for when he rescued her from the rain. She stared at the staff still on her lap ” I’m sorry, for causing problems for you.” she felt like a little kid who knocked over an old vase. He took his head away from his hands and looked at her with bewilderment clear on his face ” Why are you sorry?” she wasn’t prepared for that questions and really had to think of her answer. She just knew she felt bad, she didn’t know the specifics. It could be because she was still a little affected by the medicine, but she was too tired to think about it. ” I don’t know.” no one had ever asked her why she was sorry, usually after the apology they would drop the matter entirely. He only smiled at her gently and looked at her holding the staff on her lap.

”It’s okay though girl, at least you remember who you are. We can’t send out any messages to your family, but we’ll do our best to inform them as fast as we can.” he sounded grim while speaking, but he still tried to smile at her when he stood up from her bed. ”Wait!” she held out her hand out trying to crab him again, but was able to stop herself before making contact. He turned to her and only silently stared at her and waited what she had to say. ” I wished we could speak.” she had pictured this happening a little differently in her mind, but she really hoped she wouldn’t be in a hospital bed high on medication for this. ””Alright, I suppose I have time to talk” he smiled at her while sitting back down. Marianne looked to the side, trying to gather all her bravery to speak with him. Surely he would laugh at her plan. She knew her plans weren’t always the best, but he seemed like he planned everything before doing them. Well here goes nothing ” I came here because of you.” she closed her, not wanting to see his reaction to her words. She could feel the effects of the medicine weakening and her behavior finally caught up to her. She only tightened her eyes more trying to ignore the rising blush on her cheeks. He remained silent while she wondered her changes of being swallowed by the ground. ”then what do you want from me.” He spoke slowly, like trying to solve an especially annoying riddle. She hadn’t heard his voice turn this cold for her whole time in the forest, but she knew it didn’t promise anything good.

Chapter Text

Bog felt the cold spread through his body at her words. He knew this was going too well for him. Of course she just had to be the princess, with his luck the fairies were already sending an army to his forest to retrieve their missing heiress. She said that the reason she came here in the first place was to find him. She seemed innocent enough, but he had learned that anyone can do truly horrible things if they really wanted.

He stared at her while she seemed to gather her thoughts. Her eyes were turned downwards and she was messing with the blanket laid over her lap and when she finally spoke he could detect a slight unease in her tone. ”I still don’t remember everything very clearly, but I do know that if i made it over the primroses that I would’ve at least proved to myself that i could do this. I wanted to proof to my father and his council that goblins don’t want to start a war with us or want to eat us.” she seemed to hesitate with her last words, but he couldn’t blame her.

The goblins haven’t eaten fairies in years and even when they did, only the most cruel goblins could even think about it. Some of his citizens did sometimes think about it, but he knew that they wouldn’t dare to try under his reign as king. He almost let out a snort when he realized that his suspicions that the fairies wanted to start a war were right. The fairies thought they were so much better and them and wanted them gone.

Before he could let his rage show on his face she continued ” I’m going to be the queen one day and I’ve wanted to meet you and speak to you about trade relations for as long as i could remember.” Bog could feel his mouth open slightly, but he couldn’t concentrate enough to close it. Of all the possible things he was expecting she was going to tell him, possible trade relations was not one of them. She flew in the pouring rain and got injured just so she could meet him. He didn’t know if she was one of the stupidest or one of the strongest person he had ever met. To keep going, just to reach the border. If he was being honest with himself, he was impressed by her, she mentioned proving herself to her father. He really couldn’t think of a reason she would have to proof anything to anyone if she acted like this about everything she wanted to do.

If the room wasn’t dead silent he would’ve missed her next words ” I know you must think it’s a childish wish, but I hope you’d give me a change to explain my plans.” He finally closed his mouth. Embarrassed that he just now realized that it was hanging open this whole time. HE coughed into his fist and tried to will the blush on his cheeks to go away be fore he spoke. ” I would be honored if you shared your ideas on starting trade between our kingdoms.” It seemed it was his turn to stare at the floor when her head lifted and her hazel eyes stared at him with surprise. He could feel the blush on his cheeks only grow when he lifted his gaze for a moment and saw the huge smile on her face.

He didn’t remember the last time anyone had smiled at him like that. Or actually he did because the only one that smiled like that to him was his mother before he banned love in the kingdom. Before she could get too exited though he had to mention a couple of things to her. ” We’re going to have to wait for the discussions while you heal, but at this rate that will be soon enough. Now I’m sure you won’t try to take advantage of us, but we both do need to have something useful to offer.” he didn’t think of anything the fairies could offer to them, but he was sure she knew better than him what her kingdom could give them that they would benefit from. He tried to hide the smirk that was growing on his face when she heard his last statement and instantly looked ready to challenge him to a duel for insinuating that her kingdom’s goods weren’t good enough. He was sure that if she wasn’t bed bound that he would already have a sword to his throat and his smirk almost grew into a smile at the thought. The fairies couldn’t be so bad if she was the future queen of the kingdom.

He was about to tell her that he was sure they could think of something her kingdom could offer, just to rile her up some more, but before he could Malv walked into the room. ”Bog, I’m afraid you’ll have to come back some other time. The rain has caused some damage to armory and they require your oversight to fix the problem.” Malv was the most level headed person he knew, but the rain had always put her on edge. The amount of sick and injured goblins only grew with the rain and the damage caused by the storm only added to her stress. She was always worried that her office and storage would perish due to the storm and the people under her care would have to suffer the consequences.

Without further question he rose from his seat on the head of the bed and grabbed his staff from the bed. He could possibly need it during the repairs and if he was being honest, he had missed the staff while Marianne had it. She needed it more than him in this state, but he had always taken comfort in having his fathers old staff at his side. It always felt like he was always next to him, helping him with the troubles being the king brought with him. He turned and looked at Marianne for her reaction to the loss of the staff, but she didn’t seem too bothered with it. He nodded at her and Malv before heading out. ” I’ll be coming back to talk with you about your condition and when we should start the plans for a trade route.” He knew that they would have to talk about the whole thing in more detail before they could even start planning a route for the trade, but he couldn’t help, but to feel exited by the prospect of doing business with her. If she handled the planning the same way she did this whole ordeal, he knew they would get along just fine.

He knew Malv was giving him a questioning look, but he left before she could start to hit him with inquiries. He still had his doubts about her and this whole ordeal, but he couldn’t help but to feel hopeful. He knew he had been broken before and that every time he had only hardened the walls he had build around himself, but this peculiar fairy had come crashing into his life and started to tear apart every part of it. He just hoped she wouldn’t end up plunging a sword through his heart when she was finished with construction. Marianne seemed genuine enough in her wishes to discuss politics and peace, but he knew this could all be just a plan to destroy his kingdom from the inside out. The armory was far from the infirmary so it gave him a decent amount of time to mull things over in his head. If this was just a very intricate plan to bring him down and it would cause the suffering and death of his subjects, it would all be his fault.

He hasn’t been this unsure about anything during his reign as king and he gripped his staff harder in his hands, hoping that maybe he could get some of his fathers wisdom from it. Both of their kingdoms could benefit from trade especially after a storm like this, but even if she wanted this didn’t mean that the other fairies would be fine with suddenly being friends with the kingdom they have feared and hated for centuries. She wasn't naive, but she was obviously a new ruler. She still had the enthusiasm that wasn’t crushed by endless failures and let downs of trying to please everyone and still always pissing of someone. He could feel a sense of comradery with her. Some goblins might be opposed to the idea, but they might see reason if they realize that they don’t have to interact with the light field citizens and it would be a long road to allowing border crossings.

He felt like crawling back to his bed and letting the sound of rain hitting the roof of the castle calm him and allow him some peace and quiet. It was only noon and he was already done with the day. He sighed and slowed down when he noticed that he made it to the armory. There were already workers trying to minimize the damage already done, but he knew the proper repairs would have to wait till the rain calmed down. He hated when this happened. No real progress could be done to fix the mess, only trying to make sure it didn’t grow or cause more problems. He truly hated this whole day, his head had started pounding a while ago, but he couldn’t do much more than rub the bridge of his nose and try to bare it. If Marianne was just waiting for her fathers army to arrive and rescue her,they would be at a disadvantage if the armory was useless. When he finally stepped into the armory and saw that a branch had flown through the wall and caused a hole that let the wind and the rain lay their havoc on the room, he could feel his head ache start to grow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Bog finally made it to his chambers, there wasn’t really an option other than collapsing on his bed made of various types of moss. His aching body was soothed momentarily by the familiar texture of his bed. Automatically he let out a sigh. This hellish day was finally over and the only thing he would have to worry about was falling asleep. Still not the easiest task, but less stressful than all the other problems he had to deal with today. He knew he should try to empty his mind from the days troubles, but was unable to. If their new patient wasn’t enough the branch through the wall of the armory was the last nail in the coffin.

Fortunately the actual damage was minimal, but the hole made by the branch was big enough to cause problems for the duration of the storm. There really wasn’t much else they could do, but remove the branch and cover the hole and hope the tarp would hold up under the pressure. Bog had already done everything he could do for the time being, but still, even with his bounding headache his mind was trying to fix all the un-fixable problems before falling asleep.

He accepted his fate and sat up. He hadn’t even been lying down for long but he still had to pick moss pieces from his carapace. His bed has always been a mess due to the rough texture of his skin, but he always thought that it made it more comfortable. His hands started picking and tearing the moss into smaller pieces. He always had his nervous habits and his chambers were the only place where he could indulge with his more weaker side and not get challenged by some goblin from one of the farther towns. He knew it was slightly irrational to think that he would be challenged the moment he would show any sign of not being capable of ruling his kingdom. He hasn’t had a challenger in years and most all of them happened when he took on the title and staff after hid fathers death.

He had earned his place in the kingdom and proved himself as a worthy ruler. Even if someone tried to claim his title and win in a battle against him, they would have to live up to him. Almost all of the goblins he has met during his reign, have been pleased with him and his methods. He had a couple of mishaps when he banned love from the kingdom and imprisoned the sugar plum fairy, but they had calmed down when he explained his reasoning and that he would only punish the ones that planned on using a love potion or some other means of forcing someone to love them. All expect his mother, but that was a price he was willing to pay.

He had learned from his mistakes and swore he would never let his emotions to blind his judgment ever again. He has tried his best, but he knew that his temper was short and anger explosive, but he prayed that it would only cause problems for himself and not his citizens. He promised to himself and to his kingdom that he would throw down his life for it and his subjects.

He sighed and hung his head. His body felt exhausted, but his mind ignored this and continued with working overtime. He still had some moss in his hands when he rested his elbows n his knees and focused on the look and feel of the moss while he fiddled with it. The action helped him in calming down and giving his brains a break for a while. His body remained tense, but his brain was finally shutting down. He laid back down and hoped that he was finally calm enough to fall asleep, but he knew from experience that it was possible that he could remain awake playing the days events over and over again in his head. This has been a very emotionally charged day after all. He finally talked to the fairy and found out her name. He was glad that he had something else to call her than just ’the fairy’, but the rest of the information of her had just caused more stress for him.

She was a injured fairy princess and a ferocious one at that. She was going to cause trouble and he’ll bet his right arm on that. He hoped that the rain would stop soon so they could send a courier to the fairy king to inform him that his daughter was fine and not kidnapped. That already sounded like the king would be storming the castle himself to put a sword to his throat. His arms itched at his sides and he resisted the urge to pick at the moss underneath him. If he was going to sleep tonight he has to calm down and relax. Not an easy feat, but somewhat manageable. So he closed his eyes and started focusing on his breathing and releasing the tension in his body. Malv had thought him breathing exercises for moments like these and they usually worked pretty well. He had barely started before there was knock on his door. He debated if he should just keep his eyes closed and wish the knocker away, but his duty outweighed his tiredness. He groaned as he sat up, his body already screaming to get back to rest. As he walked towards the door he could hear the familiar sound of Stuff and Thang bickering. He swung the door open with a little more force than necessary, but he was too tired to care. They must have not heard him judging by the shocked looks on their faces and he didn’t admit it, but he felt an odd sense of pride from it. He knew technically he was still in his prime, but knowing he could still sneak up on things without them hearing. ”What is it?” even he thought he sounded harsh, but not much he could do about it now. The two in front of him traded looks as if debating which one should tell him the bad news. There was no reason denying it. Only bad news would have been notable enough to bring to him at this hour. Or at least he thought it was late, he hadn’t been outside since retrieving Marianne and the windows were covered due to the storm. He would have to check the time when he could, but now it seemed his work wasn’t done for the day after all.

Chapter Text

Griselda was over the moon. Nearly skipping in her mood, but managed to control herself while briskly walking towards the throne room. Her son finally showed some interest in a woman. It didn’t much matter to her that she was a fairy, love is love and she was not going to argue with nature. Of course she was frightened when her son showed up with an injured fairy after they heard about the screaming in the forest, but luckily their new patient was safe and warm now.

She was told to not visit the fairy yet as if she would pester the poor dear in her current state. Of course that didn’t mean she wouldn’t love to get to know the fairy when she was feeling better. The injured fairy reminded Griselda of the fairy she herself had saved when she was just a young lass. Maybe Bog did get something from her, the boy was like a mirror image of his father. She let out a melancholy sigh while remembering her late husband. She truly missed him on days like this. The rain was a painful reminder of the day she lost him. He was a great king who would do anything to protect his subjects, including throwing down his life to safe them. He was a great man, but even he couldn’t survive boulders twice his size.

She found herself having to blink to make sure she wasn’t seeing her late husband sitting on the throne when she made it to her destination. It really was ridiculous how much Bog resembled his father. He even sat on the throne with the same slouch, Griselda always suspected that he did it on purpose, but he wouldn’t give her a straight answer when she asked. He seemed to be asleep when she got closer. His chin resting on his chest, his arms that had obviously started tightly crossed across his chest- now lay loosely on his stomach and the hall was nearly empty, the only other goblins in it were Stuff and Thang. That was the final nail in the coffin, the throne room was only ever this empty if they wanted to give Bog some privacy to sleep. He really did overwork himself if the rest of the castle left him to his sleep in the throne.

She shook her head. She really did need to speak with him about their guest, but she knew the storm surely caused more problems to keep him away from his bed for a while. She let out a defeated sigh . She could wait with her plans, but her son obviously needed his rest, she would have preferred if he slept in a proper bed instead of his throne. He was going to have such a crick in his neck when he woke up, but if she woke him he wouldn’t sleep for a while.

She told Stuff to tell Bog to come talk to her when he wakes up and swiftly left the room. She knew he wouldn’t come to her, but she was prepared to hunt him down if she had to. This was his one change to find love and she was going to make sure he didn’t screw anything up.

*CRACK*

Bog knew that the only reason his neck was so stiff was because he slept in his throne, again. That sentiment didn’t help with the pain at all though, so he only tried cracking his neck again. Which did nothing,but make it worse, again. He really doesn’t mean to fall asleep in his throne. He really doesn’t know why no one ever seems to wake him up either. He has important matters to deal with and they leave him there to snooze, the nerve. But he can’t blame them. He knows he’s not in the best mood even with a good amount of sleep. He certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to wake him up if he was in their place.

If that wasn’t enough to sour his mood, he was on his way to meet his mother. He loved her dearly, but the woman could be very irritating when she set her mind on something and he was sure she was up to no good. She’s had this mad glint in her eyes ever since Marianne arrived and he was worried she was going to involve the fairy in her scheme. He kept telling himself that the only reason he was so worried for Marianne was because she was the princess of their neighboring kingdom, but that only made sense if he didn’t care as much before he found out about her status. It must be the state she was in. It was only natural to want to help some one who was currently lying in one of their beds trying to recover. He shook his head wishing that the fairy would just let him have a moment of piece, without her image invading his brain. He was going to go crazy. The storm was usually a problem of its own and he wouldn’t have to focus on anything else as much, but for some reason this storm didn’t keep issues hidden behind a veil of rain and instead pushed them into his castle so he wouldn’t get a moments rest.

He missed the days when the rain only meant helping his mother around the castle while his father ran the kingdom. Now he was in his fathers place and he thought he had gotten used to the responsibility that came with the job, but apparently not.

He stood in front of his mothers chambers. The doors still had claw marks from when he was a child and didn’t have the strength to open the doors. Not like he didn’t try, he still remembers when his mother used to leave the door ajar to spare it from further abuse and they still were slightly ajar. He took a deep breath to brace himself before pulling the doors open.

His mother was sitting in front of her vanity, brushing her hair. His mother always was odd for a goblin, but so was he. His father had been the perfect king who had no shortage of women and men throwing themselves at his him, but it had been quite a mystery how an odd goblin woman from the border had snatched the king up for herself. When he was a child he hadn’t realized how much thought needed to be put into relationships when you’re the monarch of a kingdom.

His mother didn’t notice him at first, but must have seen his reflection in her mirror due to the fact she already had a blinding smile on her face when she turned around in her seat. ”Bog, dear you finally made it. ” She hopped off her chair and went to the two plush chairs in the corner. ”Sit down. We need to have a little chat.”

Coming from his mothers mouth, those words never promised anything good,but there was no point in delaying the ineffable so he reluctantly sat down. His mother didn’t waste any time and started talking. ”How’s the fairy doing? I heard from Malv that if you hadn’t been as fast as you were, she’d be in a much worse condition.” She shoots him a gentle smile, but that only puts him on more of an edge. She’s been worried about Marianne, but that can’t be the only reason she summoned him.

”The last time I checked up on her she was doing better. She was even able to hold up a conversation. Which reminds me, she told me something that might complicate things.” Her face wrinkled in confusion, but fortunately she didn’t say anything, only nodded to him to go on. ”She told me she’s the crown princess of the fairy kingdom.” She lifted one brow, clearly not believing him at first, but when the punchline never came her face took on a more serious look. ”That certainly makes things difficult, but there is nothing we can do at the moment. Unless you want to send a courier out in that storm?”

He might have been the current ruler, but she still has been doing this longer than him and it shone through at moments like these. She could always place herself in the ye of the storm and could be calm even if there was total chaos going on around her. He had to admit that she was right. He knew all along that there was nothing to be done at the moment, but it was comforting to hear it from someone else.

”I know, but that doesn’t change that the fairy kingdom might think we did this to her.” His voice had taken on a note of uncertainty. No matter how old one got, it would always be too easy to fall back to the mindset of a child who was afraid of thunder. Not sure how it worked, but it was scary and confusing, and it was nice to have someone who was more experienced and wise about the world. It was true his mother could be annoying at times, but no matter what happened they were still family and she would love him no matter what.

”We’ll deal with this the first opportunity we get, but now we can only hope the rain calms down.” He sighed and nodded his head tiredly. Then he remembered that she had something to tell him. ” Why did you summon me ?” A look of realization took over her face , she had apparently forgotten that herself. ” Oh I just wanted to check up on you. With our new guest things can’t have been getting any easier for you.” He didn’t wan’t to assume that she was up to something, but that sounded very suspicious. She usually waited for a time when he was free, but to summon him just to check up on him was unusual even for her. He didn’t have time to question her motives further and he relented. As he got up and bid her goodbye, heading to the door he remembered to remind her ” Just don’t go bothering her while shes resting.”

She couldn’t breath. She was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud, but every time she tried to struggle her limbs only seemed to turn numb. There was rain hitting her face, she was sure of it, but she wasn’t wet. Her hair was dry and she couldn’t tell if there was or wasn’t water on her face. But there was rain. She could hear it.

Her arms were in the mud. Still trying to move, but could only manage a slight wave of them. The mud was touching her chin and she started panicking again. It felt like her whole body was immobilized, she couldn’t even move her head anymore. She could only close her eyes and wish it would be over quickly.

*GASP*

Marianne shot up on her bed. The pain she would have felt otherwise was masked by the panic that had overtaken her. ’It wasn’t real’ rang as a mantra inside her head. She tried taking deep breaths and relaxing her hands that were gripping the bed by her sides. She laid back down, feeling the throbbing ache of her injuries when the adrenaline ran out. It wasn’t real still echoed in her mind, but it was real wasn’t it. She was lucky to have been found in time. She liked to think herself as invulnerable, but at that moment she was helpless. All that training she had done, trying to build herself up from that weak naive girl, didn’t matter at that moment.

She hate this. Staying put was never one her stronger skills and she wanted nothing more than to practice a couple of rounds with her sword. Maybe here she could actually find someone to spar with. Back home the willing sparing partner were scared of by her father and that wasn’t a big group to start with. But everything was so different here, maybe they wouldn’t mind fighting her. A girl could only hope she supposed. She hasn’t seen much outside this room, but even it was completely odd. They had beds, but the material was something entirely new to her. Everything in her room at home was silky and smooth, but here everything had unique textures. The bed was so soft and yet at the same time rougher than the rose that was her bed at home.

Just focusing on the feeling of running her hand on the bed helped her calm down. She looked around the room trying tell what time it was. The windows weren’t much help. There was some type of cover on them. The only thing lighting the room was some sort of bug that was on the ceiling. She looked at the thing in wonder for what must have been a couple of minutes, trying to tell how it glowed so brightly. She knew it was some sort of millipede. Could all millipedes shine like this, but she hadn’t just seen one in the dark. Could they control it or is it automatic in the dark? So many questions raced around her head over just this one being.

While she was pondering the reasons behind the creatures glow Malv entered the room. The healers voice startled her out of her trans ” I’m guessing you don’t have those in the fields?”
She turned her head and it took her a moment she was asked a question. ” No, we don’t.” after a small break Marianne gathered her courage and asked the healer ” What is it exactly?” The healer smiled at her or she thought she did. She hadn’t spent much time reading insects expressions, but the way she tilted her head and her eyes seemed to light up ” Its a motyxia millipede. They provide us with a light source when its dark and especially during storms like this, they’re very valuable workers.” Marianne found herself voicing her next question without thinking ” Workers?”

”Yes. We provide them shelter and food and in return they give us light when we require it.” Marianne hadn’t thought that the bugs got something in return. Of course her healer was an insect, but she talked and walked. Marianne turned her gaze back to the motyxia on the ceiling. ”They’re wonderful.” she was lucky enough that if the healer heard her she didn’t acknowledge it. When silence fell over them Marianne could hear the rain outside. That was something she was used to. Fairies didn’t go outside during rain and she has grown used to the sound. There was a soothing rhythm to it all, if she closed her eyes and listened really closely she could make out a melody in the air.

Without realizing she had started to hum along with the melody she heard. It had always been a nervous habit of her ever since she was a child. When she was young everyone told her parents how adorable it was, but as she got older those compliments turned to disapproval. She was a grown woman she should know how to act properly in public. Her head was filled with bitter memories and she couldn’t hear the rain as clearly anymore. As effortlessly as she had started her humming it faded as easily, but she couldn’t help the prick of pain it brought along with it.

”I don’t mind the singing, but i advise you that most goblins don’t appreciate it.” Her healers voice was as warm as before, but she felt like she was just scolded. Another difference to add to the ever growing list then. ”I’ll keep that in mind.” She managed a weak smile, not having to fake it. The healer had a gentle aura to her and reminded Marianne of the healer back home. Even if she wasn’t technically singing, it was still good advice.

Marianne could still feel the questions threatening to bubble out, but she simply didn’t have the energy to voice them. It was odd. She hadn’t even been awake long, but she felt exhausted. Maybe it was just the fall. She didn’t remember what her diagnose had been and what treatment she needed. She hoped it was just bed rest for a while. She hated sitting still in a bed, while she could be doing something useful. She didn’t know what time it was or how long shes been asleep, but there wasn’t much she could do now. Her body still protested every slight movement and there was a echo of a pounding pain in her head. Maybe she could start thinking about the trade route she had talked about with Bog. ” Excuse me, do you have anything to write with?” the healer only nodded and moved out of the room. Marianne had to admit she was starting to like her.

Chapter Text

I know this might be dissapointing and you don't have to read this, but this is an explanation why it's taking so long for the next chapter. I am not discontinuing this work! I just want to be clear on that. I just bought a new computer and while transferring my works from my old computer the next two chapters that were under editing and writing didn't make it through. Unfortunately since i cleared that computer for my sister I can't get them back. So I'm going to have to write them again and hopefully it won't take such a long time, since christmas is over and I should have more time to sit down and write.

Chapter Text

In the short time in which they were walking towards the dark forest, Dawn had concluded she hated rain. It was cold, hard to walk in and no matter how hard she had tried she ended up soaked. She was never outside while it rained and if it was always like this she was not a fan. She was used to soaring quickly from place to place, not walking in muddy terrain, having to pull her feet slightly when they got stuck to the mud. Sunny was faring much better than her, but she could see that he had some difficulty with walking on the muddy terrain as well. Still clearly the more comfortable of the two. He was holding a leaf over his head and humming along with a melody in his head. Dawn hadn’t figured out a natural way of holding her leaf and it felt awkward to her, but it did its job just fine. Well, as fine as it could in this weather.

The wind was relentless and even if they slowed down, water droplets would still hit them from time to time. Dawn shivered. She was sure she was going to get sick after this, but every time her feet ached or the cold wind bit her ears, she would think about Marianne. At least she was prepared for the rain, but Marianne was flying in her regular clothes when she left. Her grip tightened on the stem of her leaf and her feet picked up speed. She knew why she was going to this length to get to Marianne. Unlike her father , she couldn’t just order people to search for her and stay inside worrying. She felt responsible for all of this, she was the one who let her leave. Maybe if she’d have held her ground, maybe they would both be enjoying some nice hot tea while telling Marianne how lucky it was she didn’t go and get stuck in the rain.

Dawn knew the wetness on her cheeks couldn’t be because of the rain, unless the water had turned from freezing cold to stinging hot. And like that, the speed she was picking up withered. Like she had hit a wall, she just stood there. In front of her the humming stopped. The situation was finally setting in. Her sister could be dead and it was all her fault. She had thought this might be a great opportunity for Marianne to get herself back together. Maybe if she was too busy with the trade deal she might leave her be for a while. All this just to get some peace. She felt so terrible. Was this her punishment for letting Marianne go ahead with her plan and getting her stranded in this storm? She hoped this was punishment enough, she would hug Marianne for as long as she wanted and then they both would laugh about this in a couple of years. She sighed. She knew that was just wishful thinking and that they might return without Marianne. The thought of her sister not being there beside her broke her heart. She tried not to think about it so she could actually make it to the forest, but it came back every time she didn’t have something to distract her. She wanted to scream, but that would just draw attention to them.

She only realized that her hands had been shaking when a steadier pair took hold of them. Sunny was looking up at her. ” Are you okay? Do you need a break?” he looked so worried, but he didn’t ask her if she wanted to turn back. Even if she did, she knew Sunny would go ahead alone. She has never met anyone as brave as Sunny and she was sure she never would. ”Oh Sunny. What if we’re too late?” She could feel the tears falling down her cheeks, but Sunny was pulling her down to reach her cheeks to wipe away her tears. The roughness of his hands was a texture she had gotten used to over the years and it distracted her enough to start to calm down. ”We’re not too late. Marianne is a fighter, if anyone’s gonna survive in this storm, it’s gonna be her.” She nodded. He was right. Marianne has always been strong, not to mention stubborn, she’d refuse to die before she returned with good news.

Thats why she wasn’t worried before the rain. Even if the goblins would attack her, they’d have a nasty surprise coming for them. She’d witnessed herself just how much Marianne has improved over the short period of time she has been training and even if most fairies couldn’t see it, her sister was more skilled than some of the knights currently in training. She didn’t quite get it, but Marianne was happier, well not as happy as before the wedding fiasco, but definitely an improvement. She wasn’t there for her before, but she wasn’t going to leave her sister alone again.

She sighed. ” You’re right. She’s tough.” she straightened herself out and took a calming breath. ” Let’s get moving. I don’t want to be in this rain longer than I have to.” Sunny chuckled. ” Stole the words right out of my mouth.” She had a little more pep in her step, but there was still the looming shadow over them of what they might have to face during this trip.

Usually if they had to move in the rain they’d use a carriage, so she wasn’t very good at the walking in mud thing. Sure when she was younger Sunny and Marianne would drag her to play with them in the mud after a storm, but she had grown out of that phase long ago. After she got to pick her own outfits she started to become a lot more careful with not messing them up. All that hard work for those intricate details and stitches, just to ruin it in a moments whim, seemed wasteful for her. She didn’t really have any shoes designed to handle this amount of mud and water, but even is she could feel the wetness soaking through them and her toes being frozen she wasn’t going to back down.

They would have to move fast to beat her fathers forces. They would still have to travel by foot and they had to prepare. No matter what happened Dawn wasn’t letting Roland be there first if Marianne was in trouble. If she had her way Roland wouldn’t be anywhere near Marianne ever. Not even after they returned to the castle. She finally understood Mariannes obsession with keeping her safe. She wouldn’t leave Marianne alone after they found her. After this whole fiasco she would make sure Marianne explained what happened with Roland so she could decide how drastic his punishment should be. Her feet sank a bit into the ground every other step and she could almost feel the mud through her shoes. She really wished she had better shoes for this.

She didn’t have many clothes designed for this type of weather in the first place and she had to dig pretty deep in her closet to find something suitable. She did grab Mariannes cape to protect her wings on her way out, but the rest of her ensemble wasn’t as well worn. It was a fall outfit and honestly looked more like something Marianne would wear than something that came out of her closet. Dark green leggings and brown boots that went over her knees and wrapped around her thighs. At least the overcoat was a lighter brown with embroidery leafs and branches she had stitched on the last time it rained and she was stuck inside. The coat ended at her midriff and let her lightly browning leaf shirt show from underneath. The gloves were doing a fine job of keeping her hands from freezing. They reached her upper arm and went a little bit higher than the sleeves of her coat. For one of her outfits it was much more layered and subdued with it’s fabrics. She didn’t know a better way to describe it as heavy. The fabrics weren’t as smooth or light as the silks and petals she would wear. The cloak pressed on her wings and if it weren’t protecting them and keeping them dry she would have ripped it off the moment she put it on.

She didn’t like the feeling of so many things touching her skin at once and her wings had always been sensitive. Her father and mother always wanted her to take regular brakes from flying, because they were afraid they were too weak to carry her properly for a long time. She always thought they were being silly. Her wings were just as strong as Mariannes, she could just feel them better than most fairies. They responded to the slightest wind gust and brush against plants, but she thought it just gave her an edge. She might not be the fastest flyer, but she’s never crashed or flown into anything. She liked to go with the wind and follow the lead. Unlike some of the other fairies around she always knew if someone was coming towards her or if something was behind her. It was really too bad Marianne didn’t join her for afternoon flights. The wind brought with it the scent of the freshly bloomed flowers and took her to such nice places.

Now it felt like something was off. Like the wind was muffled, even though it was hitting her in the face constantly. She was overwhelmed and disconnected at the same time. She wanted nothing more than to go somewhere quiet and dry where she could let her wings breath. But that wasn’t an option at the moment and that only made her want it more. Maybe she was just being childish. No one else had any problems with their fall outfits or cloaks. No one ever complained about the texture or feel of the fabric. She was just being overly sensitive and complaining over nothing. Even as her wings twitched inside the cloak she just picked up her pace to ignore them completely. She was going to make it to Marianne and she was going to make sure she was alright.

Chapter Text

Bog was finally done with the more urgent matters for the day and he could finally sleep.He was sitting on his throne waiting for the last messenger to arrive and then he was free to retire to his chambers for the night. He had sent some of the more agile goblins to nearby villages in the hope that they would get a list of what they needed for the storm. He was confident that all of them would get back without any injuries, but the last of the four hadn’t arrived yet and he was starting to worry. They had gone out in worse storms and gotten only minimal injuries. When he was starting to think about going out there himself the messenger hopped through the doorway. Fortunately with only minor scrapes though clearly exhausted. He stopped in front of Bog and took a moment to catch his breath before speaking ” The village sent a list of supplies they’re in dire need of and two patients for the healer.” Well that explains why it took him so long.

He would have had to escort the patients to the castle as well and in this rain it surely wasn’t easy. ”Well done, you can go rest.” He still didn’t know what time it was, but it seemed like the messenger didn’t particularly care as he bowed once and tiredly headed towards the staffs sleeping chambers. Bog wished he could do the same, but he was going to check if Malv would be needing more supplies for the new patients.

He was sure he was dead tired when he rose from his throne, but as he started to walk towards the medbay, he swore he could feel the energy coursing through his body. Which was new. The only reason he would be exited to go to the medbay was talking to Malv and that usually meant something bad had happened, so why was he so energetic? He suddenly came to a dead stop in the middle of the hall. Having come to a sudden realization.

Marianne. She was the only thing that had changed. Had he been exited because of her? No. No, that’s impossible. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He learned his lesson last time he got attached and he wasn’t going to repeat his previous mistakes. He continued heading towards the medbay with the intent on not talking to Marianne, just to proof that she wasn’t the reason for the pep in his step.

Besides she deserved someone better than him. He was a broken man, a bitter shell of what he used to be. She was young and full of ideas, she was magnificent. She had fought through her injuries and gotten to the castle alive. There was no way she would ever fall in love with him. Which was good. Like he said. He had learned his lesson and that’s that. They would talk politics, the possibility of a trade route, certainly not romance. He had accepted that he wouldn’t find someone who could possibly love someone like him and he didn’t need false hope.

Even if he slowed down his pace, he made it to the medbay faster than he anticipated. Curse his long legs. He took a deep breath and stepped in hoping Malv was at her desk instead of the patient room, but to his dismay she was nowhere to be seen. He knew she probably wasn’t anywhere else so he should just enter the patient room to find out. Yet he froze before he could open the curtain leading there. Now, logically he knew he was acting like a fool. He had just tried to proof to himself that he didn’t need to talk to Marianne. So why was he hesitating now?

He swallowed his pride and opened the curtain and stepped in. Only to come to the conclusion that Malv wasn’t there. He really tried not to snarl out of irritation, but failed miserably. She must be meeting the guards half way to escort the new patients here herself. He couldn’t be angry that she was a diligent healer, but at the moment he couldn’t stop his ire from rising.

”Is everything okay?” her soft voice rang out in the quiet room and his head snapped up automatically and when he finally saw her he was sure he almost swallowed his tongue. She was surrounded by sheets of parchment covered with writing her face and hands covered in ink stains. The glow from millipedes on the ceiling was illuminating her in a way that made her seem ethereal.

oh no

”Yes” he managed to speak through the dryness of his mouth, even if it sounded grittier than usual. He coughed into his fist to clear his throat, but also to buy himself even the smallest amount of time. ” I was just hoping to find Malv.” She nodded at that ”She said she’s be back in a moment. So you can wait here.” He managed a nod and sat down on the nearest bed. She smiled at him before returning to her writing. He really should stop staring at her now. Should he start a conversation? Would that be rude, he would probably be bothering her when she was trying to focus. Before he had the change to contemplate it more she was already speaking to him ”If you want to know what I’m doing, you just need to ask.” he snapped back into the present to see her still writing and not even looking at him. He really wished she couldn’t tell how flustered he had become. ” Ah, sorry-” he averted his gaze and rubbed his neck”-I was honestly expecting you to be resting.”

Not the exact truth, but he honestly wasn’t expecting her to be writing a tome by the looks of it. She looked bashful for a moment, which was something Bog thought he would never see. ”I hate staying still. Might as well do something useful while im stuck in bed.” She looked down again as if shy by the admission. He might have not known her for long, but to him it looked like it didn’t belong on her face. And he couldn’t for the life of him think why she would be embarrassed. He could relate to her predicament, there were few things he despised more than having to stay in bed all day. ” I’m actually jealous, paperwork doesn’t distract me enough to stop from escaping bed.” He couldn’t help, but to rub his neck, it was a nervous habit that he tried to avoid, but he allowed it this time since he had no idea what he was supposed to do with his hands.

The way she was looking at him was something else entirely. Her eyes seemed to shine and the sides of her mouth were twitching upwards as if fighting back a smile” There’s really nothing to be jealous about. The only reason i’m not already out of bed is Malv” Bog nodded instinctively. He knew how scary Malv could be if a patient refused to rest.

”I suppose having her as ones personal healer desensitizes one to her threats.” She huffed ” She certainly puts the castle healer to shame.” It might have been childish of Bog to feel pride over the simple thought that his healer was more intimidating than the fairy kingdoms healer, but he couldn’t help it. The princess herself admitted it and he was sure she wasn’t the type to keep quiet to spare his feelings. He unconsciously smiled ” I think we’re all doomed if there’s a healer out there scarier than Malv.”

”Am I interrupting?” like a bucket of ice water Malvs voice jolted him back to reality. He unconsciously straightened up, half expecting to be scolded like a child who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.He had seen that look enough as a child to know Malv was clearly not impressed with his last comment.

Malvs sudden presence reminded him of a tiny detail he forgot about his visit. Damn it. He had completely forgotten he was trying to prove he could keep from talking to Marinanne. ”Actually I needed to talk with you, but it’s already this late.” was he sweating? The room felt oddly warmer than usual. It seemed to get even warmer when Malv simply raised one of her brows at him as a response.

He stiffly got up ”I will come back tomorrow. I’m sure you have your hands full with the new patients after all.” Of course his luck wasn’t so good he could just walk out the room without any mishap. His staff chose that moment to get caught in one of the side tables legs and almost drag the thing with him. Pulling his staff close to him he was determined to leave as quickly as possible, but he instinctively turned around when he heard the giggle from behind him. To his mortification Marianne was holding her hands over her mouth clearly failing in hiding her amusement. His face was hotter than he thought possible. But for some reason he couldn’t feel too bad about the situation while her mirthful eyes were locked on him.

He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb ”I’ll just be heading out now.” Why was he pointing at the door, it’s not like they’re expecting him to jump out the window. ”Work to do and all that.” He didn’t know why he decided walking backwards was a better idea than just running out the room to end this embarrassment since he missed the door and walked into the frame instead. He didn’t know if to feel mortified by Mariannes poorly hidden laughter or vindicated that he managed to make her laugh. As quickly as possible he left the medbay without embarrassing himself further.

He groaned into his hands when he was far enough from the medbay. Fantastic job on not making a fool of yourself. He even managed to make the whole visit about Marianne by running when the actual reason why he was there in the first place came back in the room. Why was it so difficult to stay away from her? It was like she was a flame and he was the moth ready to burn himself to a crisp just to feel her warmth.Once again he was left alone with his thoughts while he walked to his chambers.

She was already working on the trade route? He had assumed that was a matter to be discussed after the storm had ended. Yet there she was, still visibly bruised, most likely sore as hell and bedridden, but still she was working over paperwork he knew wasn’t exactly thrilling. He would already be scratching his eyes out out of boredom in her position. Yet she seemed to take it all in stride. He wondered if there was anything that could keep her down. Even in the middle of a huge storm, stuck in a foreign castle, her laughter was the most bright thing he had ever heard. He was sure he would be willing to do anything to hear it again. How she could still smile and laugh after all she’s been through amazed him.

When he finally made it to his chamber doors he had come to two very simple conclusions.Them finally sinking in after the sound of his door closing rang out in the silence of his room. He sank to the floor against the door too tired to stand after his realization.

Number 1. She was the most amazing women he had ever met and number 2. He was doomed to suffer for that.