Of the Forest and Sea

Chapter 48

I woke up to the afternoon sun shining into my room and cursed myself for not remembering to pull the curtains shut. Opening my eyes, I could see a mess of red curls next to me, and I pulled her in tightly. Maria stirred softly before looking up at me through tired eyes.

"Good afternoon, Maria."

"What time is it?"

I chuckled lightly, "Good question, I'm not entirely sure. Are you still tired? We can sleep longer if you'd like."

She shook her head, but I watched as her eyes begin to close again.

"If you don't want to wake up, I suppose we can take another night here before leaving," I said, knowing she wouldn't go back to sleep now. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, excited.

"Where are we going? Please, you must tell me now. I've been so curious about it since the day you told me you had something planned," she begged, practically sitting on top of me as she did so.

I shook my head, "Not yet. You'll know as soon as we arrive though, I promise. Now, if you'd like, I'm sure I can have one of the guards bring us something to eat while we get ready."

Before I could get out of bed, a knock echoed through the room. Maria began to move off of me, and I pulled her in for a quick kiss before going to answer the door.

"Good, you're awake. Your sister dropped off the trunk for Maria. When should I have a carriage ready?"

"Good afternoon, father. We should be ready within the hour if you could send something up for us to eat," I said, opening the door wider for him to set the trunk down.

"Good afternoon, Maria."

"Good afternoon," She responded quietly, her cheeks turning redder by the second.

"I'll send something up for you to eat while you get ready but are you sure it will be within the hour?" I nodded, and he left quickly. As soon as I closed the door, Maria let out a quiet squeal and fell back into bed.

"Are you alright?"

"This is the first time we've ever been able to wake up together. I didn't realize that meant someone would walk in on us!" She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

I started to laugh as I walked back over to her, taking her hands and keeping them tight in my own. "I'm sorry, I should have warned you that may happen."

I tugged on her hands until she sat up, looking up at me, flustered. She slipped her hand away from mine and pushed the hair away from my eyes.

"Maria, I don't know if it's because your finally my wife, or because you just are, but I don't think you've ever looked so beautiful." She tried not to smile, but I could see it getting harder for her to hide.

"You're just trying to distract me from asking about where we're going."

"I promise, I'm not," I mumbled, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "But don't worry, I think you'll like it."

"How long will it take us to get there?"

"Only a few hours. We should be there by sundown as long as we are able to leave within the hour." I watched the gears turning in her mind as she thought about where we could be going. "Come, let's get ready."

She got out of bed, walking over to her bag and pulling out a simple dress. I smiled as she held it up to herself, "I'm glad your sister has finally figured out my style."

"You look perfect in whatever you wear, princess."

"You say that, but you should have seen the dress Mrs. Digweed wanted me to wear. It was positively awful," she groaned. "I love her like she's my grandmother but I can't deny she has the worst sense of style. Don't you remember what she used to insist I wear? All those cages and petticoats?"

"I do, but I also remember how pretty you looked in them," I shrugged. It was true, Maria never really looked bad in anything she wore, but she'd never admit it.

I pulled some fresh clothes out for myself and changed quickly, catching a glimpse of Maria in the mirror. I could feel my face burning, and looked away before she could catch me. Even if she was my wife, I don't think she'd like me staring.

"Robin?" I hummed in response, pulling my boots on. "Could you help lace this? I can't pull it tight enough."

I walked over to her as she pulled her hair out of the way. I could still feel the heat on my face. Her eyes caught mine for a second, and I swore I saw her smirk. I bit my lip as I quickly pulled the lacing tight, tying it into a delicate bow, just how she liked it.

The door opened, and I stepped back quickly, letting out my breath. A maid brought in a tray of food, setting it down and leaving without a word. I silently thanked her for not even looking but considered telling my father about her barging in without warning.

"Don't tell him," Maria warned. She must have seen the confused look on my face as she continued, "She probably did it out of habit. Don't get someone in trouble for something so minor."

"And what if we were in a much more compromising position? I'd rather them not walk in while we're changing or..."

"Or what?" She asked innocently.

"Well, like, if we were in bed together..." I mumbled. I watched her face pale, then turn bright red as she smirked.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?"

"You're still not going to know. Not until we arrive. But," I started, sighing lightly, "I suppose I can give you this."

I pulled a key from a drawer and handed it to her, worried she might recognize it. I was surprised that she hadn't heard Benjamin and I discussing the destination, and I could only hope it was going to make her happy.

Before we could leave, my father handed me a rolled parchment, sealed with wax. I hugged him tightly, happy that the deal had gone through. Maria and I had a new hideout, one much farther away from our families.