𝑰𝒗𝒚 | r. de noir

10. the watcher

AFTER A WHILE, Olive said goodnight. She left Maria in her tower, along with Serena, who'd fallen asleep curled up in the younger girl's arms. She closed the small door behind her, and almost began down the steps to the second floor, when a pair of eyes caught her gaze.

The eyes belonged to a portrait of a lady, that hung framed upon the wall. She was gorgeous, with soft brown hair, a kind smile, and painted dark eyes that seemed to sparkle. Olive wondered who she was; if she were real, or a figment of her painter's imagination. She wondered if Sir Benjamin knew the portrait was still hanging – many of the walls in the manor were bare.

After admiring the lady for another moment, Olive finally began the descent to her room. She was quite tired, after the day's events, but her troubled young mind was racing. She couldn't stop thinking about the forest, and Maria, and the boy with the dark eyes.

Olive made her way into her bedchamber, and began undoing her corset, begrudgingly. Her fingers fumbled with the laces as she remembered the bandit's strong grip upon her waist.

She felt freer as her confining dress fell to the floor, and she tried to push the thoughts of the boy out of her head.

Olive then slipped into a pale blue nightgown, and nearly attempted to go straight to bed, but she felt a few minutes outside in the open air would do her mind some good.

The night was colder than usual, and the moon loomed overhead, casting shadows on the garden below. Shivering, Olive folded her arms over her chest, and took a deep breath. She stared further ahead, at the treeline where the forest began. She couldn't help but wonder where the bandit was now, if he was home somewhere, fast asleep, or if he was still there in the trees, waiting. She shuddered at the thought, and decided it was time to sleep.

Just as she turned slightly to return to her room, a moving shadow in the garden below caught her eye. She gasped, and hurried to the edge of the balcony, gripping the banister as she peered anxiously down into the hedges. She was almost certain that she'd seen something, or rather someone, but wether he were a fearful delusion or a threatening reality, she couldn't say.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Robin had been watching Moonacre Manor since nightfall, waiting to catch a glimpse of the princess. If he couldn't catch her in the forest, perhaps he could seize her from her room, or lure her into the garden. Robin was hatching a plan to capture the girl before his father could, and his father didn't dare set foot on the Merryweather estate – nor was he to be expected.

Just before Robin had nearly fallen asleep at the edge of the woods, a room on the far end of the manor became illuminated, and he had hurried over to the far side of the garden, where he watched the girl step out onto the balcony. She was wearing a satin nightshift that clung to the smooth edges of her skin, which must've been cold, Robin thought, as she hugged her arms to her chest. Her dark hair hung loosely over her shoulders, blowing softly in the cool breeze. She certainly looked like a princess, if ever he'd seen one. Entranced, Robin absentmindedly leaned too far from his hiding spot, in a subconscious attempt to get a better view.

Instantly, the girl jerked her gaze to where he was, squinting into the darkness.

Quickly, Robin, concealed himself once more, so as not to be seen by the girl. Now, through the hedge behind which he stood, he was able to make out her silhouette. The girl's slender form was now leaning over the balcony, peering into the garden. Had she seen him?

Robin swallowed his breath, afraid that even the slightest movement might betray his cover. He watched as the girl scanned the garden, her delicate body trembling as she leaned into the wind.

After what felt like an eternity, the girl sighed, leaning back off the railing. Her eyes quickly flitted over the landscape once more, and she muttered something to herself, shaking her head. Robin watched as she turned, and finally went back inside, locking the balcony doors behind her. She drew the curtains closed, and for a few minutes, her shadow disappeared.

Robin had just begun to suspect that she'd decided to sleep with the lights on, when her shadow returned, followed by that of a giant four-legged creature. Robin shook his head, realizing that she'd brought the demon dog into her room, likely, to stand guard.

A yawn escaped the lips of the dark-haired boy. He glanced up at the moon, which was much further in the sky than it had been when he'd begun his surveillance of the Manor. Frowning, he took one last glimpse at the girl's room. As he did so, the light inside it went out, and with it, his hope.

The presence of the De Noir-loathing beast meant that Robin's plans to capture the girl, would simply have to wait.