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They had gotten distracted. It was easily done, when they were together. They became lost in conversation, in argument, in rescuing rabbits caught in some cruel trap that had not been made by Robin this time, he swore.
Also, Maria had taken up herb collecting, despite it being the dead of winter, and was determined to succeed. And Robin just went along with it, because, really, he had no choice in the matter. Maria was the absolute definition of stubborn.
They hadn’t given time much thought. After all, it had been the first sunny day after weeks of dreary gray weather, and the two had been so anxious to get out into the forest and pointlessly wander together that time had seemed of little consequence.
The day had begun pleasantly chilly, the air biting in that crisp way that got into the blood and made one want to have an adventure of some kind, the cold awakening a deep and overwhelming wanderlust that slept just beneath the surface.
But the afternoon brought with it racing black clouds, the wind was growing rough and icy, rattling and twisting the bare trees, and the air was beginning to turn a freezing, aching cold, no longer pleasant or adventurous in the slightest.
It was only because he threw his head back in immense frustration at Maria’s extremely ridiculous and obviously vain efforts to find out-of-season plants that Robin finally noticed the rapidly darkening sky.
He cursed himself. Usually he paid much more attention to these things.
“Maria,” He said in a foreboding tone, dark eyes scanning their increasingly hostile surroundings, “we have to go.” The rapid drop in temperature promised a hasty and severe winter storm. The kind that they most definitely did not what to get caught out in.
“Robin, hush,” said Maria impatiently, still leaning over the gnarled roots of a slender tree. “I’m going to find those damned mushrooms if it’s the last thing I do, and your rushing me won’t make any difference.”
Normally, Robin would have teased her for swearing, but he had more pressing things on his mind at the moment. “Now, Maria. I’m not joking.” He moved forward, grasping her arm, tugging her away from the tree.
She ripped away from his hold, frowning ferociously, her dramatic display of rebellion against him taking her away from the search for mushrooms causing her to nearly drop her, decidedly very empty, herb bag. Loveday had made it for her, and she intended to fill it.
“Robin!” She shouted, sending an actual robin flying away in alarm from a nearby tree, “you couldn’t just wait for five—“
“Look at the sky, you idiot!” Robin shouted back, ripping off his hat in agitation and pointing violently at the heavens. “There’s a storm coming!”
Maria glanced upwards, her face set firmly in the way that clearly meant she was utterly determined not to agree to anything her current opponent — who was very usually Robin — said, whether she was presented with evidence or not.
“It’s just clouds, Robin.” Dark, scary clouds, they may have been, but just clouds all the same. Clearly, he was the one being dramatic.
Robin groaned. “Maria....” He ground out her name through gritted teeth.
She glared. “It’s just clouds. You’re only making a big deal about them because you want to go back to the Manor because you’re tired of helping me look for herbs.”
“Okay, aside from the fact that there are no herbs here because it’s winter,” said Robin, his temper nearly reaching the end of its fuse because good grief Maria, “have you happened to notice how cold it’s gotten?!”
She actually stopped to consider it. “All right, so I suppose it has gotten a little colder than it was earlier....”
“Yes, so we’re heading back,” said Robin in a firm tone laced with triumph as he took up Maria’s hand. “Now.”
Maria rolled her eyes, but allowed him to lead her out of the small clearing. She knew they were very deep in the forest, perhaps further in than they had ever gone together. She wasn’t familiar with this area, but trusted Robin’s knowledge of the land. He’d probably been here many times. Besides, she was glad they were so far in. It gave her a better chance to look for herbs on the way home.
It wasn’t long before snow began to fall. The wind grew worse, stinging their faces, turning their cheeks and the tips of their noses pink with cold. Maria was especially glad to have made sure she wore her gloves and scarf, but of course Robin forgot his. He always did. Because he always swore it wasn’t that cold outside. Because he was an idiot.
The flakes whipped down in thick curtains of swirling white confusion, blanketing the fallen leaves beneath Robin’s and Maria’s hurrying feet at an almost alarming rate. Robin gripped Maria’s hand more tightly as their visibility grew less and less, forcing them to slow their pace to avoid running into trees or especially thick underbrush.
Maria tripped after Robin as he pulled her along, her feet getting caught on the rapidly forming snowdrifts, on hidden tree roots, on underbrush. Her free hand was holding her hat upon her head, managing to keep it from blowing away in the gale. She could hardly see, and it seemed to have grown even colder now than when they first started heading back. Her heart was pounding loudly as she began to feel frantic, the wind howling cruelly through the trees.
Her lungs were burning from breathing so heavily in the freezing air, but she didn’t dare ask for a reprieve. She got one, however, when Robin came to an abrupt halt without uttering a single syllable.
“Robin?” She asked after a moment of just standing there, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. Her teeth chattered. “W-why are we stop-ping?”
He glanced around, squinting against the relentless onslaught of snowflakes that blew roughly into his eyes. “I...I c-can’t tell where we are.” His voice wavered with cold and uncertainty.
From the time he was very young, he could almost always tell exactly where he was in that forest. He knew it like the back of his hand — well, at least the back of his hand before Maria got hold of it with that needle of hers. But all familiarity was lost in the never ending sea of white. He couldn’t even see the tops of the trees anymore, and his line of sight ended a mere few feet past arms’ length. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he had failed them both.
Maria moved closer to him, bringing her hand down from her hat and clutching at his shoulder, feeling suddenly as if icy fingers were curling round her throat. “What are we g-going to do?”
Cramming his bowler back on his head, Robin drew himself up, setting his face with determination, both to find the way out of the forest, and also to not frighten Maria, and turned to look down at her. He forced an easy smile onto his face. His eyes betrayed his worry, despite his most valiant effort, however.
“I’ll find the way,” he said, giving Maria’s small hand a reassuring squeeze. His own hand felt raw with cold. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.”
Maria squinted at him, appearing almost incredulous. “If you say so. Let’s just g-get moving again before my f-feet freeze.”
They started out again, Robin grumbling about how now he was thinking about how cold his feet were, and they tried their best to navigate the worsening weather. But soon enough, their progress was nearly nonexistent, as they scarcely moved against the wind, snowblind and feeling helpless.
Robin tried, mostly in vain, to shield his face with his forearm, attempting to see even just a little. Maria was pressed closely behind him, letting his taller frame shield her from the wind, relying on him completely for guidance, and trying very hard not to let her fear overtake her. Keeping her head was just as important as keeping hold of Robin’s hand.
They were both shivering violently, faces numb, feet and hands aching with the cold. They came to a desperate halt again, the snow piling around their ankles, wrapping around them like an icy blanket, the wind roaring in their ears.
“R-Robin!” Maria cried, her voice nearly lost to the storm. She peered out at their bleak surroundings. “Why have we stopped?”
“I think—“ He cut off, his breathing heavy as he glanced around. He could swear.... “I think w-we might be near the tree!”
“The tree? W-what tree? We’re in a forest, R-Robin, there are lots-s of trees!”
“The Moon Princess’s tree!” He shouted back, half looking over his shoulder at her. “We c-can take shelter there!”
Maria held more tightly to his arm. “Well, let’s g-go then!”
Robin led them down a rapidly sloping incline, and when they reached the bottom, the hill sheltered them from the worst of the driving snow. Maria looked up, and saw that they had indeed found the tree that the Pearls had been hidden in. It had never looked more inviting.
They hurried inside, relief washing over them as they entered the inner chamber, closing the wooden door behind them and finally escaping the storm. It was cold in the little cave, and some snow fell through gaps in the roots, but to not be blinded and exposed was a blessing all the same.
“D-do you think we can l-light a fire in here?” Asked Maria, trembling, wrapping her arms around herself, burrowing her chin in her scarf.
“I think we’ll h-have to,” said Robin, shaking like a leaf from the intense cold. It had sunken into his bones, and he again cursed himself for his carelessness. And also for not wearing gloves.
Soon enough, they had a modest fire going in the center of the cool earth floor, and huddled very closely together, they eagerly warmed their hands over the cheerfully crackling flames. Maria felt instant relief, but Robin’s hands, which had been completely numb, were very painfully regaining their feeling. He couldn’t keep a grimace from his face as a particularly sharp twinge shot up his hand and through his fingers.
“Robin, are you all right?” Asked Maria, concern written across her face. He looked awfully pale — even more than usual — and his hands were very red.
“I’m f-fine,” he said. But by all indications, he most certainly was not fine. The stubborn twit.
Maria reached over and grasped his hand, gasping when she felt how cold it was. Touching his cheek, she found it to be just as cold. He could have sighed at the warmth of her touch, if he hadn’t been so busy insisting he was fine.
“You don’t seem fine, Robin, so stop trying to convince me. I’m not stupid, you know.” She stood abruptly, going to the bed and pulling the dusty, threadbare blanket from the nearly rotting mattress. She shook it out, trying her best to rid it of as much dust as she could. It wasn’t ideal, but she needed something to wrap the idiot in so he wouldn’t freeze to death.
“Maybe, if you actually dressed for winter like a normal person,” she scolded haughtily as she draped the blanket over his shoulders, “you wouldn’t be having this problem.”
“Don’t act like you’re not cold, too, Princess,” he shot back, grasping the blanket and pulling it tightly around him. He was grateful for it, of course, but he couldn’t exactly say that.
Maria rolled her eyes. “Of course I’m cold, but I’ve got gloves, and a proper winter hat, and a scarf, and, oh yes, a coat that is actually made for winter weather!” She plopped down beside him. “And don’t think I brought that blanket just for you. I expect you to share.”
He grumbled something unintelligible and let her weasel her way into the blanket. They were pressed close together, and as the seconds passed, they become more acutely aware of this fact. Their cheeks began to flush, and they couldn’t meet each other’s gaze.
It was ridiculous, Maria thought, to feel so self-aware when their lives could very well be hanging in the balance.
But they couldn’t help it.
Robin could very nearly admit to himself that he had, since getting closer to Maria, been wishing for excuses to get closer to her physically, but in all honesty that made the whole situation worse. She had her head on his shoulder, her hat brushing against his cheek, and he could feel the warmth from her body seeping into him. There was, of course, the urge to wrap his arm around her, pull her closer into him, but he didn’t.
Why?
Well...because.
And Maria, well, she could hardly ignore the fluttering in her stomach as Robin’s head leaned onto hers, and their knees touched at they sat cross-legged side by side. She almost wished she could crawl onto his lap, and wrap her arms around him. But she didn’t.
The fire and their huddle kept the edge off, but the room was still cold. The wind continued to howl, sounding like a pack of wolves as it whipped around the tree, and snow continued to fall through the roots.
They suspected they would be trapped there all night. Huddled together. Very close. With no one around....
“How are your hands, Robin?” Asked Maria, in a desperate attempt to keep her mind from thinking about their proximity and...stuff.
“Cold,” he replied.
“Well, I’d lend you my gloves but they’re much too small for you,” Maria told him. She paused. She could, of course, hold his hands. But she probably shouldn’t tell him first.
She snatched them up, and his eyes widened, and he swallowed hard. To her surprise, however, he didn’t say a word. Or try to escape.
She gently massaged his fingers, trying to restore some warmth in them. His eyes slipped closed, because even though his hands hurt, and that was terribly uncomfortable, her touch was so soft, so warm, that it seemed to take some of that away.
“Is that helping?” She asked, looking up at his face.
He nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
She spared herself a smug little smile, and continued to rub some life back into his hands. She was feeling quite toasty and comfortable herself, which was a relief. Robin’s cheeks remained flushed with cold, and his ears, where they poked out from his sandy curls, looked quite red themselves. She took off her hat, her hair in disarray, and set the knitted cap on Robin’s head, patting the top of it to try to make it cover his ears.
He gave her an odd look. “What are you doing?”
“Your ears look cold,” she told him.
Begrudgingly, he pulled the hat down over his ears, giving her an irritated look. “Why is it that you think I’m so much colder that you are?”
“Because you’re stupid and don’t wear winter clothing.” She took his still-cold hands back.
“Well, we wouldn’t have been out so long if you weren’t so determined to find out-of-season plants,” he retorted, staring grumpily into the fire.
“Well, I’m sorry if I want to use the gift your sister made for me,” Maria said, her voice growing louder. She pushed his hands back onto his lap.
He didn’t like that. His eyes flashed over to her. “Who’s the idiot now, Princess? You know there’s nothing growing right now.”
“Don’t call me an idiot, Robin.” She was turning red now, and it wasn’t because of the cold, or the fire, or their proximity.
“Oh, but you’re allowed to call me stupid whenever it strikes your fancy?”
“You don’t deserve my hat,” she sniffed, lifting her chin as she snatched the cap from his head, sending his curls in all directions and giving him the illusion of having just rolled out of bed.
His eyes widened. “Well, maybe I’ll just take this blanket all for myself, then.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“Try me!”
There was suddenly a loud crack from outside, followed by a deep creaking, and finally a thunderous crash. They swore they felt the ground tremble.
Maria nearly leapt into Robin’s arms, wrapping herself around him in fear. Taken aback by her sudden occupation of his lap, it took him a moment to wrap his own arms around her.
“Um.” He found his hands stroking her copper curls before he could stop himself. “The wind probably blew down a tree. It’s fine.”
She knew it was fine the second after she flew into his arms. Now it was too late. She didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure of what to do, either, but disentangled herself from him and resumed her place next to him. Although his warm lap had been a major improvement over the cold earth floor.
Seconds drifted by. It was horrible. Well, sort of.
They were both very red, not from the cold, or the fire, or anger this time. Maria fidgeted with her hat and tried not to think about how nice it felt to have his arms around her like that. Robin grasped his hands together and tried not to think about how close she had been.
The storm raged outside. The fire crackled.
“They’ll all be worried for us,” Maria said at last.
“I expect so,” said Robin, staring into the fire.
Maria didn’t miss the way the firelight reflected in his dark eyes. It was very nice.
“I wish there was a way to let them know we’re all right,” she said, unconsciously letting her head drift down to rest on Robin’s shoulder again.
The night grew late, and exhaustion crept upon both of them. Hunger accompanied it, but there was nothing could be done about that. Maria cursed those mushrooms for evading her.
Robin was nodding off, only to force himself awake again a moment later. He was determined to stay alert. He had to keep an eye on the fire, and the storm, too, he supposed, though it showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. And of course, he had to watch over Maria.
She was sleeping, and it had somehow ended up that her head was in his lap, he was absently stroking her hair, and she was bathed in the warm firelight. He studied her as she slept. She looked peaceful and misleadingly angelic.
As the minutes crept by, his thoughts travelled to the last time they had been there, in the first Moon Princess’s tree. There had been danger then, too, although it had been much worse, he thought. They were racing against time to save the valley, their families...each other...all while constantly being thwarted by the very people they were trying to save.
He was glad now that the stupid feud was over. There were still those who weren’t quite over it, of course, his father included, but that mattered little. Sir Benjamin and Loveday were married and in love, and he and Maria were....
His hand stilled, fingers resting on Maria’s neck. A jolt seemed to go through him.
What were he and Maria? They were friends, of course, but...there was something more.
Maria shifted, drawing him from his thoughts before he could spin down a rabbit hole of reevaluating their entire relationship or the future. Letting out a sigh, she clumsily sat up and rubbed her eyes, dropping her head onto Robin’s shoulder yet again — and this time, this time he couldn’t resist, and he wrapped his arm around her.
That woke Maria up pretty quickly, once she comprehended it. His hand on her waist seemed to burn through her clothes and into her skin. She snaked her own arm around his back, her hand splaying across his side.
Through his jacket, his could feel her warmth permeating into his rib cage, and his heart started fluttering for stupid reasons.
She chanced a look at him, those wild tawny curls framing his face, his sharp, knowing eyes, and his sloping jaw, and...his lips. Her gaze got caught on his lips.
Unbeknownst to her, his eyes were trailing down her face, from her tousled copper hair, and her wide, kind eyes, her smooth, slender cheeks, and...the shape of her lips. He got stuck there, admiring them.
Unconsciously, their faces drifted closer. Their eyes flickered upwards, each meeting the other’s gaze. And they froze. If there had been someone else present, they would have, at this moment, begun screaming for the pair to just hurry up and kiss already.
But there was no such spectator. They hovered there, each resisting the invisible pull of ever-increasing strength that seemed to exist between them.
Why were they resisting?
Well...because.
If anything happened, what would become of their friendship? Despite both of them knowing very well that there was something much deeper brewing beneath the surface of their relationship, they were also terrified of ruining what they already had.
But it was ridiculous, Maria thought, to feel so self-aware when their lives could very well be hanging in the balance. So she leaned in, and kissed him.
It took him a moment to respond, so surprised was he by the action. And when he did, the kiss...well, it was rather sloppy, actually, and a tad awkward as they tried to navigate each other. They broke apart.
“Maria....”
“Robin, I....”
Silence fell. The storm seemed to grow louder just to fill the wordless air between them. Robin scratched his head. Maria fidgeted with her skirts. They couldn’t look at each other. Their faces had been flushed many times this day, but now the blush that shone upon their cheeks put to shame all those that had come before.
It had not been quite how Maria had imagined her first kiss. But even still, despite its shortcomings, her lips still tingled, and she still yearned to kiss him again. Practice makes perfect, after all.
Reaching up, she cradled the back of his head, pulling him down to her once again, her fingers threading through his thick curls. His eyes widened at first, but he brought his own hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb sweeping across her cheekbone.
Their lips met once more, and this time, they were more well acquainted with each other. The kiss deepened rather quickly, their bodies inching closer as their lips moved in tandem. They felt they knew what to do now, at least more than before, and this time, their caress was far from sloppy or awkward.
It was, by all indications, quite perfect.