Chapter Text
A Choice
Summer winds blew gently through the Dark Forest's tall trees, making a soft "shhh" noise as the branches swayed from high above. Cicadas sang loudly from their perches around the various bark-covered trunks. The light that filtered through the top of the trees was minimal at best, but there was no mistaking that it was about midday. Most of the goblins who were out and about were lazy with the heat and napping.
Fluttering gently among the trees was a creature that seemed out of place in the gloomy forest. With her brilliantly purple monarch butterfly wings, one could spot her immediately. The young adult fairy woman had a lean, sturdy build, a gleaming sword at her hip, and a hardened pink and green petal tunic. Her brunette hair dyed to a purplish-black matching her glittering eyeshadow and her lavender-colored lips. It was plain that this particular fairy was from the Western Kingdom of the Spring Fairies from the green tint to her ears. Princess Marianne, eldest daughter to Dagda and Crown Princess to the throne, seemed to be no stranger to the Dark Forest in the least.
Marianne flew over a thick briar bush, her honey-colored amber eyes searching for someone specific, passing over goblin after goblin. She spotted a small deep greenish-blue female amphibious-looking goblin and a male fish goblin with uneven and protruding teeth. Stuff and Thang, respectively. They waved excitedly at her as she landed near them with a gentle flutter of her wings and folded them close to her like a cape.
"Where is Bog?" she asked nervously. Marianne's voice was in melodic ranges of a mezzo-soprano even while speaking. Her pitch was slightly off from her concern of Bog's location.
The Bog King, or just Bog, was a very tall fairy-goblin hybrid and the Dark Forest's leader. He was what normal fairies would consider terrifying and hideous. High, sharp cheekbones, a long pointed nose, and a jutting, prominent jaw made his face look angular. His sunken eyes cast his otherwise round, sapphire blue eyes into a resting glare that made his general appearance evil-looking.
"We just saw him a minute ago..." Thang said, squinting his wide-set eyes around, raising a small hand to shield his eyes as if that would help him see farther. Stuff's eyes widened slightly, and she elbowed her counterpart in the ribs.
"Here, Marianne," replied the familiarly accented voice of the Bog King. The noisy vibrating of his dragonfly wings was unmistakable, even if he hadn't spoken out loud. With a solid thump, he landed heavily on the ground nearby.
"Oh, Marianne, we found him!" Thang said delightedly, gesturing up at Bog proudly. Stuff rolled her eyes.
She turned around and resisted the urge to run up and hug Bog. It was only recently that they had confessed their feelings to each other, and Marianne was still trying to figure out what was ok and what wasn't ok. Dawn told her to stop worrying so much but, deep inside, Marianne worried that once both Bog and her got past the walls, they had placed around their hearts. Would they still be in love?
"Oh, Marianne, of course you will. Stop worrying, silly," Dawn would say.
The fae was so tall and had exoskeleton armor which set him apart from the spring fairies immediately. He looked closer to a dragonfly with goblin-like features than he did a fairy and a goblin. He was hunched a bit, a normal habit when standing around smaller creatures, yet he still towered over them. If he would fully straighten out, he would be well over a head or two above Marianne.
"Uh, hi," Marianne waved.
"Hi," he laughed nervously. "We're almost done setting up. Uh… Would you like to see?"
"Yes, I would."
With a hum, his dragonfly wings began to vibrate, and he floated for a second, waving for Marianne to follow him. She kicked off the ground and flew around. She didn't have the wings to float in place as he did, but she could flutter.
"We'll just patrol the border, boss," Stuff volunteered.
"Have fun!" Thang called out before Stuff tripped him.
Bog ignored them, zipping off towards the first castle's old remains. The castle had once been a rotted-out old tree trunk before her ex-boyfriend had touched it. Now it was only a pile of wood at the bottom of a pit. Marianne followed behind.
She wondered why it was so awkward between them still. They had confessed their feelings, after all. He seemed so confident and sure of himself before they fell for each other. Even when Marianne came smashing through the skylight to duel him, Bog had been cruelly playful, taking great amusement in the fact that Marianne couldn't overpower him no matter how hard she had tried.
Before Roland and his stupid army had arrived, Marianne was certain they had gotten almost too careless with one another, and without knowing each other well, Bog and Marianne both fell hard and got hurt again for it. Breaking back through the wall was hard, and Marianne thought perhaps this was why things were a little awkward. Perhaps they were still keeping each other at a safe distance apart.
The way he looked at her when they expressed their feelings was the same way he had looked at her when he placed that flower in her hair. His heart shining through.
Bog landed in front of the remains of what had been a natural bridge to his castle, interrupting Marianne's thoughts abruptly. She brushed a hand through her dark brown hair. It was starting to get longer and in the way when she flew.
"There is not another fallen tree as far as I could search for one," Bog said grumpily. "So, we are going to try to build a new one."
"Have you tried to ask my dad for help?"
"I'm not going to-."
"Why not? You are allies now."
"We were always allies, Princess," Bog said carefully. "The relationship between our kingdoms was strained, but we were not at odds."
"So why won't you ask my dad for help?"
Bog stared at her; an eyebrow raised and his mouth open in a frozen retort. He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"You have a very naive look on the state of things," he said quietly. "Help does not come without a cost. I would owe the fairy king."
"You already owe him," Marianne murmured, crossing her arms. He glared at her. "It was just an idea."
"You should leave the thinking to me, Princess."
"What does that even mean?!" Marianne snapped. "What? Do you think that just because I'm a girl that I can't figure out a way for both kingdoms to work in harmony?"
He laughed at her a little unkindly. Marianne felt her cheeks burn hotly, her temper flashing in her golden-brown eyes like a fire. She landed directly in front of him with a quick flutter, leaving Bog very little personal space. His wings twitched out in surprise as he flinched.
"You're so stubborn. Maybe you wouldn't be in this mess if you had accepted my Dad's offer of becoming part of the fairy kingdom years ago," Marianne snapped, poking at Bog's chest armor angrily with a finger.
"If you think that was a good idea, then ya really 'ave yer wee li-uhl 'ead stuck in the clouds," he growled down at her, his accent becoming thicker the more agitated he got.
"How is it not a good idea?" Marianne demanded vehemently, stomping her foot.
He growled at her, baring his sharp teeth at her defiance. She glared back up at him, not backing down a single millimeter, but a smirk tugged at the corner of her face. She couldn’t help herself.
"Cut that out," she covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle. "You know it's hella sexy when you do that."
"Hmph, brat," Bog snorted, rolling his eyes. Marianne noticed the corner of his mouth twitch. Then he shook his head and looked at the pile of rubble in the deep, dark hole that had once been his castle.
"Without treating me like I'm stupid because I'm not…" Marianne began stepping out of his space and gesturing dramatically. "Please explain to me why combining the kingdoms wouldn't work."
It was quiet for a moment. He seemed to be thinking.
"I have an idea. You-." Bog pointed at Marianne. "-explain to me-." He pushed a thumb against his chitin-armored chest. "-why it wouldn't work."
"You don't know?" Marianne was bemused by his remark and frowned at the king.
"I do know," he said. "But I'm asking you to play devil's advocate here."
"Ok…?" Marianne took a deep breath, then walked up to the edge of the abyss. There was a long moment of silence.
"What would happen after our kingdoms combined?" he encouraged.
"Well, uh... naturally, you'd have to step down…" Marianne said, shrugging. "Dad would insist on ruling both…" She couldn't see anything wrong with that.
"Look at how I rule my subjects versus how your father does. Look at the social hierarchy."
"What do you mean?" Marianne looked up and behind her at Bog.
"The elves are segregated. They are not part of higher society."
"Well, of course not. They aren't as strong or as powerful as fairies…"
"In the Dark Forest, all goblins are equal. No matter what size, shape, or ability."
"Except for you."
"I-." He froze a moment, his mouth still open with a retort he had just abandoned.
"You are leading the Dark Forest naturally because of your ability, power, and they respect you for it. It's no different than our society," Marianne shrugged. "I still think you're acting stubborn."
"Then we have nothing more to say on the matter. I will not accept help from the Fairy Kingdom, nor will I ever consider combining the two kingdoms and… Stepping down." His wings vibrated in irritation at the prospect. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans."
Without missing a beat, his wings went from vibrating to buzzing, and he took off, leaving Marianne by herself.
This was not the outcome she had had in mind.
In truth, she had imagined herself ruling, as she was the crown princess of the fairy kingdom. The only way she could feasibly marry the Bog King as if he accepted her as the ruler and gave her the Dark Forest. Being married but still ruling separately would create far too many problems.
Bog really didn't mean to hurt her feelings, as he had no idea the direction of her idea. But suddenly, Marianne didn't want to share that idea in fear that he would say something hurtful in his stubborn kingly pride. Or worse.
However, what really shook her was that she had apparently irritated him so much that he hadn't even shown her what they had set up so far. Or even where. Did she already ruin things?
She took a last look at the rubble of the castle, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, then she took off with a forlorn sigh, leaving to return home.
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"Marianne!" Dawn greeted her as soon as she entered the castle, hugging her sister happily. "Dad wants to talk to you… What's wrong?"
"Nothing…" Marianne said quietly.
"You look like you've been crying. Did Bog hurt you?" She looked horrified, her blue eyes widening.
"No-no. It's not that…" she said quietly. "I don't want to talk about it yet."
"Well… Ok then. But promise me you will?"
"I promise."
Marianne hugged her sister before she left. When she entered her father's courtroom, his throne was empty as he paced back and forth. He acknowledged her entry happily enough, but there was a bit of terseness to his greeting.
"Marianne." The old, grey-haired fairy looked at her and placed a hand firmly on each of her shoulders. "As you know, I am getting old. It's getting closer to time for me to step down."
"I have raised both you and Dawn to be able queens, I thought, but…" He drifted the sentence off into a sigh and shook his head. He dropped his hands from their shoulders and frowned. "Unfortunately, there is a bit of a problem."
"What problem?" Marianne pushed. She never liked it when he started to beat around the bush.
"While I wouldn't normally have an issue with a political marriage between the Dark Forest and us, you are the crown princess. I could easily make Dawn the crown princess, but the issue with this is… That elf."
"I can still be the crown princess and marry Bog, if that was the direction we wanted to go," Marianne added, dropping her gaze to the marbled floor. After the fight earlier, it's possible that everything was ruined between them, and that likelihood was gone.
"It's not feasible," the fairy king dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I'm sorry, Marianne. I need you to do the right thing here. I know you have feelings for that hideous monster, but I can't have you continuing any relationship with him any further."
Marianne's amber eyes widened in shock, going completely numb at the words "hideous monster."
"J-just make Dawn the crown princess, then," Marianne said after she recovered. "What's the problem with Sunny?"
"An elf can't be anything but a royal consort. The throne needs a king, and I have no sons to take the throne."
"The throne doesn't need a king… Just because we are female doesn't mean-."
"There are more kingdoms out there than just ours and the Dark Forest, Marianne. If this kingdom goes without a king, the other kingdoms will see us as weak," he snapped at her impatiently. "If I have to make this a royal order, I will."
"A royal order for what?"
"I will force you to marry someone of my choosing if I have to. As the crown princess, your royal duty is to continue my royal bloodline as our ancestors have done. If you refuse, I will be forced to take action, and Dawn will marry someone of my choice. The throne will have a king, and that is final."
The Fairy King's words echoed loudly throughout the throne room, bouncing and puncturing holes into Marianne's heart as they did so. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place here. Either she gets heartbroken for her father's wishes or is responsible for Dawn's heartbreaking.
"W-well, give me more time. I can take the throne and then find someone."
"Absolutely not, Marianne. I will not give up the throne until I have a new king to replace me."
Her temper was starting to boil up; her face felt hot.
"And why can't I marry the King of the Dark Forest."
"Are you serious, Marianne?!" he yelled exasperatedly. "Are you listening to yourself? The Bog King. That monster?! Running the Fairy Kingdom?! I would rather give the kingdom over to that bloody elf."
"Fine then. I'll be back," Marianne snapped, whipping around to run out.
"Marianne!"
But she had already passed through the doors, slamming them shut loudly behind her. Dawn had been listening at the door of the room and followed after her sister, white-faced. Marianne didn't stop until they were outside.
"What are we going to do?" Dawn asked, clutching at her arms anxiously. She was already crying. "Why is this happening!?"
"Don't worry, sis… We'll find a way to fix this," Marianne said angrily, glaring in the direction of the Dark Forest. "Come with me. Let's go find Bog."
"Ok…" She clutched Marianne's hand tightly, and they both took off for the Dark Forest. "Are we running away?"
"It's a probability if it must come to that…" Marianne snarled. "Dad has completely lost it."
Dawn pulled her hand away from Marianne's. Marianne stopped and looked back at her questioningly.
"Let's go get Sunny, then. I don't want to leave him behind."