In which Robin De Noir mistakes Olive Heliotrope for the Moon Princess, and the two star-crossed enemies must work together to break a curse.
❝ Oh, I can't
Stop you putting roots in my dreamland
My house of stone, your ivy...
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OLIVE FELT HER HEART thudding as she wandered deeper into the woods. She found herself surrounded by uneven ground, fallen logs she had to climb over, and thorny bushes that poked at her skin. But as she went further, her heartbeat settled. She felt she could breathe deeper, and see more clearly. All around her, there was life. She was alive.
The small cry of an animal, somewhere before her, snapped Olive back into focus. She followed the sound, her feet growing more accustomed to the forest floor with every determined step.
Soon, Olive came upon a clearing. The afternoon sunlight seemed to dance upon the flowers and lush grass that covered the forest floor like a soft, green blanket. In the middle of the clearing, she noticed a cage made of twigs, and inside it, a small, fluffy creature.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, grabbing her skirts as she ran towards it. As Olive kneeled down beside the cage, she glanced around wearily, scanning the trees for trouble. But her attention was soon recaptured by the shivering creature before her; a small, frightened, cream-coloured rabbit. "You poor thing, let me help you."
Olive's brows furrowed, her fingers fumbling with the lock on the cage. Finally, the door swung open. The trembling, lop-eared rabbit cowered to the back of the cage.
"Come here, little one," Olive cooed. She reached inside, carefully taking the rabbit into her arms. "It's all right, I won't hurt you." The rabbit sniffed Olive, its unfamiliar hero, and the girl began to pet it. Soon, the rabbit seemed to calm down, it's breath growing steadier. Olive gently brushed the soft fur between its ears with her fingers. "That's right, you're okay now."
The rabbit's ears perked up, and it began to sniff the air, breathing heavily once more. Olive heard a twig snap somewhere behind her, and whirled around to see what was there. Suddenly, she and the little creature were surrounded on all sides by four or so men wearing dark clothes and menacing smirks.
One of them continued towards her, as she clambered to her feet. He wore a black bowler hat, and a dark red scarf around his neck. Olive held the rabbit closer, afraid the strange men wanted to hurt her new friend.
"One trap, two catches," the man sneered.
Two?
"What do you want?" Olive asked. She backed away from the man as he grew nearer, only to find herself closer to the others.
"That's girls," he continued. "Catch an animal, they can't resist coming to help." Olive took note of his dark, curly hair, and calculated gaze – something about him seemed quite familiar. He was also younger than she had initially thought. Seemed to be seventeen, or eighteen, perhaps – just a bit older than she was.
The boy seemed to be studying her as well, Olive thought. He was circling her now, looking her up and down.
She dared to meet his dark, smoky eyes, glaring at him with all her might, in attempt to seem bolder than she felt.
