The Moon Beyond the Mist

6. Heliosoleil

The fire crackled steadily in the corner of the room, flames jumping and dancing in the heavy darkness of the night. Despite the mismatched candles dispersed throughout the room, the majority of the light came from the full moon, hanging like a pendulum through the misted windows.

The stale bread left within the kitchen had not been the most filling meal, but it was the only one available. As the candlelight flickered across Maria's face she couldn't help but think the mice were having a better supper than they were within the dusty cottage. She sat by the window, feigning interest in the forest that sprawled behind the glass despite her attention being completely centred on Robin. A tingle ran across her skin as she remembered his words from earlier in the evening. She had hoped to fall asleep quickly, as Robin had suggested, but the night had thrown a heavy blanket of mist over the cottage which seemed to trap the tension building within the room.

Loveday liked to keep things small and sweet, which was evident in her design and decor. Aside from the kitchen and bathroom, the majority of Loveday's possessions were kept within the central room. With most of the space taken up with stacks of books or leafy potted plants the only resting spots available were a pale blue loveseat, which could hardly accommodate one person sitting down, and a worn, single oak bed, pressed into the corner close to the fireplace.

Insistent that he needed no rest and was perfectly happy sitting among the books all night, Robin had demanded Maria take the bed. However, the Moon Princess was not known for her docile attitude and stubbornly protested that she had no qualms with sleeping on the floor. After long minutes of glaring and folded arms the situation had not been resolved and both had firmly made their beds upon the floorboards with throw pillows and moth-eaten blankets.

As a cold draft swept beneath the window casing Maria shivered and wrapped herself tighter in the musty bedspread. Her gaze had been lingering on Robin de Noir for the better part of half an hour as he intently studied the fairytale, trying to decipher the mysterious poem. He was leaning back nonchalantly across the room, his knee resting on a pile of collapsing books and his bowler hat discarded at his side. Yet, it was not the sight of his mussed hair that caught Maria's attention. Rather, it was his strong hands that managed to hold the small book so delicately, the solid curve of his jaw which framed his face and the way he bit his lip as he attempted to deduce the three items they now sought. Maria once again trembled beneath her blankets, though not from the cold.

"Princess!"

Maria started at the sound of his rough voice suddenly invading the silence of the room, their eyes met but she found it too difficult to hold his gaze.

"Princess, I think I've solved it! Well, part of it at least," Robin grinned, sitting up as he turned the book towards her, "we knew the objects must be inside the forest as it grows between the Merryweather meadow and the Northern River. So for the first item, I've been looking through Loveday's botany books. All plants that are related to the sun are named only for their bright colours, apart from one: the Heliosoleil. From the looks of it, Loveday made notes about finding it and trying to grow it in her gardens. It originally flowers on the other side of the forest, within the Luminesce Glades among the faerie rings."

"I know that place; it's only an hours walk from here if you follow the brook! They say that when the sun reaches its peak the fae can visit the clearing for the briefest of moments, causing mischief and casting enchantments," Maria said excitedly, "but then, what of the water from darkness? Surely that cannot be close to the glades."

"No," confirmed Robin, "the water was a little harder to discover. I couldn't find any mention of magical springs within Loveday's books, but then had a thought of my own. When I was just a child and my father took me into the forest we often went deep into the valley, exploring the caves hidden within the land. There was one in particular, a creepy deep cavern the sun could never reach. Once my father bought a candle so we could make our way down and at the very bottom was this bubbling stream. The odd thing was it didn't seem to run anywhere, we were too deep below the earth for it to reach any streams above. At the time, my father told me an old legend of the caves, saying that ancient kings used to climb down into the depths of the cave to drink from the spring and gain eternal life. The only problem was that once they had made their way down and drank from the water they didn't have enough light to climb back to the surface. They were doomed to wander through the caverns for eternity. When I was younger I just assumed it was an old folk tale my father had picked out of nowhere, but perhaps it had some truth to it after all."

Maria grimaced, the idea of descending into a dark and dank cave was not exactly compelling, much less the promise of a life stuck below the surface.

"And what of the final clue?" she asked.

"That's the one problem, Princess," replied Robin, "I do not know what this life-giving tree could be, much less what beats under it."

"Perhaps..." started Maria, searching through her memories. "Perhaps it is the tree I saw before, the one right at the centre of the forest surround by the mists. If the evil is coming from the forest, it makes sense for it to hide within the very heart of it."

Robin nodded in agreement, his eyes flashing as his mind worked wildly to put together their information. He got to his feet, restlessly pacing before reaching down for his hat, smothering his dishevelled curls as he headed for the door.

"Surely you don't plan on heading out in the middle of the night, Robin? You'll catch your death," Maria protested, pointing at the rivulets of rain now dripping down the window panes.

"No, Princess, but according to Loveday's notes she tried planting the Heliosoleil just outside of this very house. Although, I appreciate your concern for my wellbeing," he replied playfully, throwing her an impish wink before slipping into the rain.

"Robin! Come back this instant!" cried Maria rushing to the doorway and hoping the moonlight wouldn't be enough to illuminate her flushed cheeks.

She did not have to wait long for his return, however, as the door swung open not two minutes after his departure. Drenched and dripping, Robin stomped into the cottage and towards the fireplace, cursing under his breath at the cold.

"Loveday did mention in her entries that the flowers didn't seem to fully develop within her gardens," Robin finally said after his teeth had stopped chattering, "but some seemed to have sprouted a few petals, so we know what they look like at the very least."

From his pocket he pulled a posy of slightly squashed flowers. Each was no larger than Maria's little finger and had almost translucent petals that seemed at any moment would drop from the flower completely. Maria looked down at them, amazed by their delicate shape and colour. She was distracted as Robin cleared his throat and looked up to see a bright pink blush travelling up his neck. Gazing down again she saw that Robin held the flowers together in a small bouquet, his hand stretched out for Maria to take them. Her heart sped up as she reached out, her fingers brushing Robin's as she took the gift presented to her. For a moment she forgot the significance of the ethereal flowers and felt a thrill from the sweetness of the moment.

Robin turned to the fireplace, rubbing the back of his neck and hiding his face. Maria let a small smile play across her lips as she shuffled her boots upon the floorboards, not quite knowing what to say. When she did finally look up, however, she was left speechless.

Robin had once again dropped his bowler hat to his feet and was now removing his leather jacket and pulling at the hem of his shirt. As his wet clothes fell to the floor with a heavy thud, Robin's broad chest was exposed and the muscles of his arms rippled under the firelight.

"Should we perhaps get some rest now, Princess?"