The Other Curse ~ Robin De Noir [2]

Chapter One

The dawning of a fine Autumn day had begun. The sky was a billion pure eyes of light and the grass green underfoot, it was of day had become one beautiful moment. Dawn had come.
In the quiet village of Silverydew, in Moonacre Valley, stood a beautiful manor, which had blossomed into a grand and majestic house. It was funny how only a few weeks ago, this same house, looked old and tattered; windows broken and bricks crumbling.
In the tallest tower, stood two circular rooms, one decorated with the beauty of the stars, the other, with the fauna of the earth. A large window in each, letting the early morning sun uncover the mysterious blanket of night. A young girl, of the age of 16, named Rose Merryweather, slept soundly in her crisp, silk sheets, dreaming of a curly haired De Noir boy.

At last Rose awoke, pleased to be part of another day. A small plate of ginger biscuits and milk was placed at her bedside, by her dear friend Marmaduke Scarlett. It had been about a month since Rose had first come to Moonacre this summer with her younger sister Maria, and guardian Miss Heliotrope. So much had happened already, for instance now she was this Forest Princess, and her sister a Moon Princess, and they had defeated a curse placed on the valley; ended the De Noir & Merryweather feud; and made some wonderful friends.
For once in her life, Rose felt like she truly belonged somewhere.
As Rose slid out of her bed, her golden curls fell abundantly on her back. She was a very pretty girl, so she had been told, with her sapphire eyes as deep as the ocean blue; her cheeks which bloomed with the tiniest hints of pink; and her lips red as strawberries. But Rose wasn't just a pretty face, she had a wild imagination, and was a smart girl, having been educated in French, Literature, Arithmetic, History and Geography, as well as all the more 'feminine' subjects like sewing, needlepoint, drawing and music. She was what every Victorian man desired for in a wife.

Yet that was not her wish.

Upon arriving at Moonacre, Rose had spent her days with her sister Maria down by the river, reading, playing, and climbing trees, making up stories and re-enacting then with the upmost enthusiasm. She occasionally would enjoy a long ride through the valley with her handsome stallion, Orion, who was the perfect shade of night, and may I add in, she would not be side saddle despite Miss Heliotropes wishes.
It had been about 7 weeks since the curse was broken, yet nothing much has changed. Rose often reminisced upon the peaceful stretch of time following the marriage of her uncle, Benjamin Merryweather and her dear friend Loveday De Noir. Their beautiful, summer wedding, still clearly painted in her mind.
A woven archway if branches and vines had been set up in the forest, with numerous wildflowers entwines like a braid. A scent of Lavender filled the air, as Loveday walked gracefully down the aisle of foliage. Her delicate train seeming to float above the tapestry of flowers below. The Merryweathers, De Noirs, and the people of Moonacre Valley celebrated long into the night, dancing and singing round a glorious campfire, sparks flying like fireflies in the starry night sky. Rose held Maria's hand as they participated, gaily in the festivities, the dashing white sergeant, was only one of the numerous dances that took place.

Rose remembers that one particular, as fate decreed that Robin De Noir would take her hand and join in with the lively celebration. As Rose & Robin hopped between the steps, their eyes not leaving each other's, Rose felt a tightness in her heart, a spark in her finger tips. Only one moment like this had occurred before. It was when Rose had wounded her ankle whilst escaping Coeur De Noir wrath. Robin was so kindly helping her along the way, and asking for forgiveness. In that moment, Rose saw who Robin truly was, not a stuck up, arrogant, toe rag, but a kind, funny, sweet and misunderstood boy, just wanting his father to be proud of him.

Yet both of these moments must have been forgotten by Robin, for he had not even mentioned them to her. She of course still found him unmistakably annoying and arrogant, yet, with all they're been through, a slight friendship was blooming. But unfortunately that was not the same with the majority of the household. After the wedding, no more festivities took place, and tensions rose between the two families, each possessing secrets and knowledge which they did not care to share. Although, they weren't at each other's throats any more, you wouldn't say they were exactly friendly.

Rose made her way downstairs after washing and putting on a simple white dress, which was decorated delicately with blue lace and rosebuds.

"Good morning Miss Rose", Digweed greeted merrily, as she entered the dining hall, "morning Digweed", Rose responded gladly, today was a fine day, and she had plans to go down to the river and draw the willow tree, which looked over the beloved waters. "Ah Rose there you are, did you sleep well?" Her uncle asked, his interest becoming less and less obvious as his nose went deeper into the daily paper. "Quite well thank you uncle, I received a lovely chorus from the birds this morning",

"Oh how wonderful", Loveday giggled. She was quite infatuated with nature and animals, and on many occasions brought a troop of woodland creatures into the house, causing Benjamin to have a fit. But he still loved her, and on many occasions, Rose would see them riding off into the sunset together, hand in hand. Rose longed for a romance like that, but no man would ever take her seriously. They'd see a pretty face and think that's it. Besides there was only one boy for her, and he, she could not have.

Recently,  Rose had been struggling to sleep, it started a few days after the curse was broken. Nights upon nights she would be left with a blistering headache, getting worse with each passing moon. Marmaduke had thankfully made a potion, which eased the pain ever so slightly, and for that Rose was grateful.
"Morning all", Maria chirped as she walked towards her seat at the table, and helped herself to some fruit and porridge.
"Argh! Another report of diseased crops!" Uncle Benjamin exclaimed, the frustration evident on his face. Several reports of failing crops and rotting trees were all the news recently, and her uncle had tiresomely searched for the cause, it was unnatural, unearthly.

Yet as the day went by, Rose soon forgot about her uncles complaints and found herself by the river bank with a good book and Maria's head on her lap.
"Oh that one looks like a pigeon from London" Maria pointed out as she made a mental note of her 10th animal cloud she'd seen that day. Rose's head perked up, "why specifically a London pigeon?" She questioned. "Well a London pigeon has little horns on its head, as I find they're way more frightening up there, then in Moonacre" Maria joked. Rose burst out laughing at her sisters remark, but the joy soon turned to confusion as Rose's head started to hurt. She could no longer make out Maria as her eye sight started swaying. "Maria, do you mind if we go back? I'm not feeling so well", Rose finally managed to say. A look of concern suddenly swept over Maria as she helped her sister gather her things and make their way back, "of course Rose, anything".

No sooner than they arrived, Miss Heliotrope rushed down the stairs when she saw how pale Rose looked and the concern painted on Maria's face. "My dears,  whatever is the matter?" Miss Heliotrope fussed, as their uncle and Loveday came to join them. But Rose couldn't make out what happened next as hundreds of black dots clouded her vision, and then nothing...