When a Young Heart Loves (The Secret of Moonacre Fanfiction)

A Non-Threatening Moon

Maria Merryweather, the Moon Princess, had just saved Moonacre Valley from a curse. A curse that would have ended everyone's life with the moon crashing down into the valley, had it not been for Maria's selfless sacrifice of her own. For despite what Robin De Noir claimed, breaking the curse had not been an easy thing to do, yet Maria was the first Moon Princess to succeed. This, she believed was because of Robin's help in finding the magical Moon pearls and protecting her from his father, as well as encouragement from Loveday De Noir, who had been the previous Moon Princess but was unable to break the curse herself. It was Mother Nature's love for Maria that brought her back to her family, safe from any harm.

The moon, no longer a catastrophic size, brightly led the way back to the Merryweather Manor. It was a silent walk, filled with deep contemplation by everyone in the group. At Loveday's and Maria's request, her uncle, Sir Benjamin Merryweather, was left no choice but to invite Robin and his father, Mr. Coeur De Noir, to spend the night at the Manor since the De Noir Castle was out the way and far from the cliffs. This made the men very uncomfortable. Just this morning, they had fought hard to carry out a family feud. Yet Maria's sacrifice brought a new perspective to the families. The sudden change in plans left the two grown men, who had devoted their entire lives to hating one another, at a loss as to what to do next. Neither knowing how much to trust nor how to behave.

Maria blamed their awkward behavior on pride. She shook her head at the thought and wondered how much longer until they got home. This thought brought a smile to her face. When she first arrived, she hated Moonacre Valley, but now, she couldn't see herself anywhere else.

With every step, Maria began to feel fatigue creeping up her body. 'Well, it was only recently that I jumped off a cliff,' Maria couldn't suppress a giggle at the thought, one that did not escape Robin's keen ears.

Without thinking, he walked over to Maria's side, "What's so funny Princess?"

Maria tilted her head and responded with a jest, "I'm just thinking about how worried you must have been as I plunged off the cliff."

Robin furrowed his brow. An awkward silence fell upon them, he did not know how to reply. For reasons unknown to him, Maria's comment just tugged at the pit of his stomach. His thoughts were interrupted as Maria stumbled. Quickly he reached out his arm and caught her.

"It seems your plunge off the cliff wasn't enough, now you are ready to fall through the earth too." Maria quickly straightened herself out, a blush creeping up her cheeks. Her legs were losing strength. How desperately she wanted to get home.

Robin offered Maria his arm, but Maria eyed him suspiciously.

"Just take it lest you fall again," Robin said rather gruffly.

With a smile, Maria took his arm and found that with support on one side by Robin, and the other by Loveday, she could continue her way home. Loveday looked to Robin and shot him a sly smile. He rolled his eyes and looked straight ahead, occasionally sneaking looks at Maria-only to make sure she was alright. There was no other reason.

Once the manor came into view, Wrolf quickened his pace and began running towards home. Maria laughed and hurriedly followed, somehow finding energy deep within her. She pulled Robin along as Loveday loosened her hand and fell behind to walk besides Sir Benjamin.

As Maria and Robin made it to the large wooden doors, Maria stumbled on the first step but Robin's grip on her hand helped steady her.

"Oh-erm, thank you," Maria quietly responded, blushing. They leaned with their backs against the door, catching their breath. "It's a beautiful night Robin, just look at the moon!" Turning to him, she noticed his puzzled look. "What?" She asked.