I'm Still Listening [Robin+Maria]

Chapter 12

[A/N]
I'm just making this whole thing up as I go along so sorry it's so bad xc
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[Robin]

I stood next to my father by the front gate, dressed in my best clothes, as he had instructed. The carriage rolled closer. "Smile, boy, you're fiancé is here" he whispered to me angrily, faking a smile. I flinched at the word. I couldn't go through with this. Even if I tried, everyone would know I was lying. As the carriage reached the gate, my father nudged me discretely. The carriage door opened and I grinned reluctantly. A young lady stepped down from the carriage and kept her gaze at the ground. I waited patiently to see if she would look up at me, but she didn't. "Lady Naomi, what a pleasure to have you here" my father greeted her as she made her way towards us. "Pleasure to be here" she replied quietly, still not looking up. "Lady Naomi" I bowed in front of her. "Master DeNoir" she whispered, curtseying. "Call me Robin."

Suddenly a tall, well-built man climbed out of the carriage. "Cœur DeNoir!" he bellowed, grinning widely at my father. "Romel!" my father replied, matching the enthusiasm. They shared a firm hand shake and made their way inside, leaving me alone with Naomi. She twiddled her fingers nervously, obviously very uncomfortable with the silence. I looked around, trying to think of something to say, but all I could think about was Maria. I wondered if she got my letter, and if she did, what did she think? Would she forgive me? It was unlikely considering I was to be married in less than a week's time.

"Would you like to take a stroll through the forest?" I asked. "I would love to" Naomi replied unenthusiastically. I held out my hand, and she reluctantly held onto it, allowing me to lead her. There was a very uncomfortable silence while we were walking, and she still hadn't looked up at me. "Do you know the forest well?" she asked, probably worried we'd get lost. I smirked. "Spent most of my life in here, I ought to know it well" I answered. I noticed her smile slightly, which meant I was making progress.

"Are you... excited to get married?" I asked quietly. She took in a deep breath and finally looked up at me. Suddenly she smiled, "Of course, aren't you?" I faked a smile and nodded. "You'll be a very beautiful bride" I looked down at the ground. "And you'll make a very handsome groom" she replied. I laughed and shook my head. "Would you like to see our- my secret hideout?" I suggested, suddenly remembering not to mention Maria. She nodded and grinned. As we made our way to the moon princess' tree, we conversed about her home and her family. In all honesty she was very interesting and naturally very beautiful, but she could never compete with Maria. It took all my might to keep her a secret. I was desperately hoping Maria wouldn't be in the tree as well, it would break her heart even more to see me with Naomi.

We finally reached the tree and to my relief, we were alone. "This is amazing" Naomi whispered in awe. "You should see the view from the cliff" I sighed, memories flooding back. I bit my lip to hide my sadness. "What cliff?" she asked in confusion. I pointed at the hole where the fireplace used to be. The secret tunnel wasn't so secret anymore, as there was now just an empty doorway. "Can we go?" her eyes widened with excitement. I nodded and flashed a smile. She clapped her hands and raced away down the tunnel. "Maria, I swear if you're on that cliff again..." I whispered to myself, following after.

"This is beautiful!" she exclaimed staring out at the sea. "A lot has happened here" I whispered, a little bit too loud. "What do you mean?" she asked. I paused. Could I tell her Maria sacrificed herself for the valley? Could I tell her I tried to kill myself? Could I tell her Maria saved me and told me she loved me? Of course not. I sighed. "There's a story of a moon princess" I began. She looked more intrigued. "She was given moon pearls, and on her wedding day while the ceremony was held here, her father and her husband tried to steal them, so she cursed them and their valley." "Is it true?" she narrowed her eyes. I took a deep breath. "No, just an old fairytale" I laughed. She sighed in disappointment. "I heard a girl jumped off a cliff to save the valley from a curse" she stared at me. My eyes widened. "The towns people will believe anything" I faked a laugh. She didn't seem convinced. "Speaking of which" she folded her arms, "I saw a girl climbing out of that tree this morning." Maria. "Really? I suppose someone else found-"

"Stop lying to me, Robin DeNoir!" she raised her voice slightly. She definitely wasn't a timid young girl anymore. "I-I d-don't know what you're talking about" I laughed. She raised an eyebrow. "Our hideout" she said suddenly. I looked at her in confusion. "That's what you almost said before. Our hideout. You're friends, I know it." I sighed, there was no chance of winning. "Yes, we're... friends" I turned away from her. "Robin?" she whispered suspiciously. I turned back, making no effort to hide my sadness anymore, as I just couldn't get Maria out of my head. The thought of us not being together made me sick. "Naomi, I-"

"Oh golly..." she interrupted, "you love her."

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[A/N]

Ooooh how is Naomi going to react? What will she do? Exciting stuff aren't you excited? I'm excited and I already semi-know what's gonna happen ok I'll shut up now c: