Their suitcases by his feet, Robin waited for Maria near the boarding bridge. From afar he could see the solemness in her face. She bid farewell to Captain Riz, promising to visit once she finished school, then made her way over to him.

"Alright there?"

Maria mustered a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "I will be."

Robin waved goodbye to the crew and they headed towards the stables. Still hidden by the wide brim of her bonnet, she observed the people going about their day.
"Why are there so few people?"

"Doubt anyone's told you, but—er aside from limiting the ships that could dock here, we also changed Moonacre's name on a couple of maps."

"What, why?"

"Riz already proved our fears. Word's gone around and we don't want to attract any gits looking for some magic."

On the outskirts of the port town, Robin helped Maria onto his horse. Though her heart was heavy, weighed down by thoughts of her father, curses, and monsters, she settled back into him and felt some comfort in his arms. His hands on the reigns hovered above hers. Once again, their rings glistened under the sun. This time, a somber feeling nestled in her heart. This was the end of their ruse. Maria wondered what they were... sure they confessed to one another, but what if he was only spurred by the heat of the moment and didn't mean much by it? After all, he hadn't said anything since—well she hadn't either, but she wasn't sure how to broach the topic.

Robin studied her from his peripheral. She was pensive, her thumb fiddling with her ring, the occasional bright glint flashed across his eyes. Robin too wondered what would happen to them now that they were back. He squeezed the reigns tighter.
"Maria, I.... I know we'll soon be in Moonacre—" Before Robin could finish, a carriage sped past them, coming to a sharp stop at the side of the road ahead of them. To their surprise, David and Henry stood up from the front perch seat.

"Oi!" Henry waved them over. "How did you sneak by us? We were waiting by the ships! Get over here quick!"

They galloped over, now spotting Cat and Lizzy peering out the window with flustered smiles.

"We agreed to meet at the crossroads," Robin stated, a little more than annoyed.

"Sorry mate, hate to cut your honeymoon short but we need to get moving." David tossed a sack to Robin. "Get changed, we're already late! Maria you'll need to ride in the carriage."

"What are you going on about?"

"Sir Benjamin wanted to get Maria yesterday himself," Henry explained. "Took a lot of convincing to let us go as planned. Told us today he wanted us to hurry and bring her in time for dinner. We've already stalled long enough."

"I told my uncle I wouldn't be back until evening!" Maria scowled. She was still upset with her family, especially her uncle, and had no desire to see them any earlier than necessary. She had no idea what her uncle was thinking. Robin helped her dismount. His face was hard. All Maria could do was shoot him an apologetic look before stepping into the carriage, wondering what he was about to say.

A few ways away, Robin changed into his leathers and the group resumed towards Moonacre. Inside the carriage, Maria held off her friend's barrage of questions, promising to tell them of the trip when they were reunited with Jane.

The carriage began to slow and Maria looked out the window, hoping to catch Robin alone. However, as soon as the De Noir carriage pulled up to the manor, Digweed and Mrs. Heliotrope came out to greet them. Mrs. Heliotrope bombarded the girls with polite greetings and welcomes, ushering them inside. She invited the boys to stay for dinner, but the gang excused themselves, saying they needed to return and check on Richard. Maria furrowed her brow as she looked for Robin.
He helped Digweed and his friends unload the carriage. Maria rushed over and stealthily intervened, pulling him back behind his horse. "Tonight, let us meet at the old dwelling, bring your friends," Maria whispered. "We'll talk to them together."

"Alright. We'll be there."

"Maria, come along now!" Mrs. Heliotrope called from the manor. Maria winced, "I'm sorry about all this. What were you going to say before?"

"Maria! Where are you?" Mrs. Heliotrope's shrill cry came once more.

"I'll be there in a moment!" Maria retorted.

Robin looked around. His friends were distracted, helping Digweed take the last of the luggage inside. The carriage obstructed their view of the door. Robin leaned down and pecked her lips, causing a flip of her stomach.

"—Maria!"

"Mrs. Heliotrope, I'm coming!" Maria shouted back to her governess. Looking over her shoulder to Robin she said, "Tonight. Don't forget."

"When have I ever?" Robin said with a sly smile.

Seated at the table Maria found herself struggling to eat. There was a stiff tension around the room. Worst of all, Maria had no idea why they were rushed over. It was a dinner like any other, except for the presence of her friends. Her uncle was as reserved as any other day, why he had the need to bring her home earlier, she had no idea.

Loveday shot Sir Benjamin a look. 'Say something' she mouthed.

Sir Benjamin clenched his fists. "Maria," he began, "How's school?"

"Oh...it's good. I've been helping Mrs. Watson with more administrative duties."

"Good, good..." Another bout of silence passed between them, occasionally broken by taps of silverware against the china. Her friends looked between them, unsure if they should add to the conversation—or lack of.

"Uncle, I heard Moonacre's name was changed on the maps. Why didn't you tell me?"

The clatter of dropped silverware pierced the silence, followed by a hushed 'ow' that sounded a lot like Cat. Sir Benjamin gritted his teeth. "We didn't want to trouble you or cause unnecessary panic."

Maria's chair scraped against the floor as she sharply stood up. "I've eaten enough, please excuse me. Enjoy the rest of dinner." She walked out of the room.

"Benjamin," Loveday groaned and covered her face with her hands.

"What was I supposed to say?"

"An apology," she implored him. "All you had to say was an apology."

It was well past sunset when Maria heard a knock at her door. "Come in," she said from her desk. Her friends peered into her room. "How was dinner?"

"Let's just say Loveday isn't too happy with your uncle," Jane remarked.

"Doubt she has much to be upset about. After all, she was complicit."

"We're all still really sorry," Lizzy said. "Please believe us when we say we know it was incredibly stupid of us to keep so much from you."

"We won't ever do that again," Cat added.

Maria mustered a smile, "Thank you, it means a lot to hear you say that. I just wished I could hear the same from them..."

Jane came from the side and gave Maria a comforting hug. "How was the trip? Did you find the old woman?"

"Fortunately we did, as well as other unexpected help, but I'll tell you all about it later. I asked Robin and his friends to meet us tonight. We should leave in a bit."

Cat sat on Maria's bed. She looked about the room, then Maria, noting she had changed into one of her Moonacre dresses from Loveday. Cat's eyes briefly scanned over the ring still on her hand. She bit her cheek to stop a burgeoning smile.

"So..." Cat began, "How was it, being Robin's pretend wife?"

Maria blushed. "It-It was alright, nothing to say about it. As you girls said, it wasn't any different from our old adventures."

Cat rested her chin on her knuckles. Her eyes narrowed, inspecting Maria closely. "Did anything happen?"

"No. Whatever do you mean?"

Cat's smile became dubious. Her eyes still glued on her, briefly flitted to her neck. She waggled her eyebrows and said, "I saw those looks of longing he threw your way."

"You're imagining things."

"Am I imagining the faded bruises along your neck?"

Lizzy and Jane gasped, each drawing closer to inspect her neck. Maria, now a bright red, rushed past them to her mirror. Cat was right, but how did she even notice them? They were but the faintest of spots.
"We were attacked!" Maria hurriedly said. "Last night, we took a shortcut and were surrounded. One tried choking me, these bruises must be from that."

Her friends fell silent with horror. Cat rushed to Maria and enveloped her in a hug, "Oh Maria how could I! I'm so sorry for my sordid assumptions!"

Maria grimaced, feeling a wave of guilt wash over her. She wasn't sure why she lied to them. They were her friends after all. "No please, it's alright. Let us be on our way, we shouldn't keep them waiting." Lizzy quickly grabbed her green notebook from her room. When she came back Maria pulled the lever to the secret tunnel. The door opened with a groan revealing the dark passageway.

Cat's hands became clammy. "Is it safe now?"

"It should be, but here, take this just in case." Maria strapped her wooden practice sword around Cat's waist. "I'll be at the front, don't worry." She offered a reassuring smile. She cupped her hands and a ball of light grew in the air. It floated in front of them, lighting their way down the tunnel.

Their hands interlinked with one another; forming a chain with Maria at their lead. They walked with a determined silence, following the path laced with dusty stones from the summer before.

"It's eerie being down here again," Jane remarked in a hushed voice. Perhaps it was her nerves, but the scar at her hip seemed to throb with a dull ache.

"I hope there's nothing else hiding here," Cat's voice trembled.

"Any known entrances have either been sealed or are guarded by Coeur's most trusted men," Maria said over her shoulder. "Dulac and his men regularly inspect some of the tunnels as well."

Cat tried to calm herself, but her heart rate was quickening. Images of the dead bodies she stumbled across, ripped apart by Althea, invaded her mind. Her hands began to shake.

"Breathe deeply," Lizzy encouraged from behind. "Focus on the light."

"I'm trying, but its-its h-hard," Cat said with a shiver.

"We can turn around," Maria suggested, "We'll go above ground—"

"—No! I-I can do this," Cat insisted, despite her growing dizziness. She began to slow down. Her breathing became labored. Lizzy grabbed her face, "Cat, look at me. Take a deep breath in... now let it out." Cat focused on her sister and tried to follow along, but her eyes continued to dart around them, fear now written all over them.

Jane and Maria suggested they distract her with more pleasant thoughts. Lizzy thought hard, trying to think of something. "Oh! What were you and David talking about when we found you? You keep evading my questions."

Cat froze, her mind coming to a sudden stop. In the dim light, they could see her face scrunch up in confusion. "What?"

"Last week," Lizzy insisted, relieved it seemed to be working. "After you galloped away from the carriage, we found you sitting awfully close to him under that tree." Brows rose and eyes opened wide as Maria and Jane watched from the side while Lizzy continued, "I've never seen him talk as much as he did that day. In fact, seems like he talks more to you than anyone else, including his own friends."

"Hang on, I'm confused. What happened?" Maria asked.

"How do I not know about this?" Jane added.

"When we split up last week. Cat suddenly jumped onto David's horse and rode off with him. Jane, you were asleep in the carriage." Turning to Cat, now with her full attention, Lizzy asked a question she'd been dying to know, "Do you fancy him?"

Cat began to feel her cheeks warm up. Her heart skipped a beat before speeding up once more, now beating fast for a completely different reason. "It-its nothing like that. We're friends, he's simply one of the few people who doesn't seem to mind my ramblings."

"Is that so?"

"Y-yes!"

"Alright then if you insist. Let us not keep our 'friends' waiting then," Lizzy said and grabbed her sister's hand with a grin, pulling her along. "It seems denial runs deep in this group," Lizzy teased as the girls resumed their walk.

By now Cat seemed to have regained control of her senses. "You're one to talk Lizzy. How long did you keep your feelings for Henry hidden from us?"

"At least we write to one another now," Lizzy countered. "Though neither of us has confessed... sometimes I doubt his feelings for me match my own."

"No!" Her friends shouted in unison. It was obvious to them that Henry had feelings for her. He never paid anyone the same attention he paid Lizzy, and David had already confirmed it to Cat.

"Speaking of which, Jane, what's going on with you and Richard?" Lizzy asked. "At this pace, you two are well on your way to being the bickering old married couple."

"Why did you have to bring me into this?" Jane huffed. "Besides, what am I to do? He hasn't asked me to court him, until then, I have to keep my reputation intact and his advances away."

Cat choked on her laughter. "If it's any indication from the carriage ride, you haven't been doing a good job at that. Has he kissed you yet?"

"No!" Jane all but shouted, her ears so red they were noticeable even in the dim light. "And he will get no kisses until we are officially a couple."

Cat then asked Lizzy the same question, who admitted to kissing Henry's cheek, but that was it. "What a shame, I'd dearly love to know what a kiss feels like," Cat lamented. "At this rate, I'll be a spinster before any of us gets kissed!"

Maria remained uncharacteristically quiet, doing her best to avoid this conversation, already feeling the growing weight of her lies on her shoulders. Exiting the tunnels, they continued in the direction of the hollow, soon following the light of a raging bonfire. There they found the De Noir gang chatting away. Maria spotted Robin and felt the fluttering of butterflies in her chest. He turned, meeting her eyes, and smiled at her.

"Look sharp lads, the ladies are here!" Richard shouted. His face was a rosy color, one that matched David's, no doubt caused by the bottle in his hand.

"Richard you can't be drinking yet," Jane admonished him.

"What do you mean, I'm heaps better! See?" Richard responded as he shrugged off his jacket and pulled his shirt down by the collar, exposing the stitches that were now healing. "Marmaduke's a bloody genius with his remedies!"

Jane stalked over and tried to take the bottle from him. He instead grabbed her by the hand, spun her around, and pulled her down so that she was sitting next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be like that Jane, I almost died."

"At this rate, you'll surely kill yourself. You need to take better care."

"But you're doing that already. You take care of me; I'll take care of you."

"Seems like I've been doing most of the work lately."

"Marry me and I'll handle it from there."

"You're drunk."

"Not yet," Richard said taking another swig of the bottle.

"Give me the bottle."
Richard pouted but handed it to her. He turned to straddle the trunk, then bent over, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "I've missed you so much," he whined.

"You saw me yesterday."

"Do you know how much I've suffered since you left the castle? You can't understand how terrible it is. To wake up every day and see these ugly mugs instead of yours."

"Oi!" David shouted indignantly while the rest laughed. Even Jane couldn't stop her smile.

"Hang on, is this a thing now?" Cat asked, brandishing her hand in the couple's direction. "When did this happen?"
David shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno, don't care." He grabbed the bottle from Jane and took another drink. With Richard's head still on her shoulder, Jane titled her own to rest on his. Richard hugged her around the waist and pulled her close.
"Ugh, so much for keeping your distance," Cat muttered with a roll of her eyes. Thinking David had the right idea, she swiped the bottle from his hand and took a large gulp, wincing at the sharp taste of ale and missing the stunned expression on his face. Lizzy snickered and sat in between her sister and Henry, while Maria sat beside Robin.

"So are you going to tell us yet or do we have to wait for the next round of secrets," Henry asked as he rested back on his arms.
As if on cue, Lizzy took out her green notebook. With a knitted brow, she looked around her feet and patted her pockets. Her mouth twisted, realizing she left her pen at her desk. Suddenly, one appeared before her eyes. Henry was looking at her from the side, the corner of his mouth slightly lifted. She took the pen from his fingers with a quiet thank you.

"Alright then, shall we begin?" Maria asked Robin. They recounted their adventure, completely skipping over their shared room or the new development in their relationship. Lizzy took detailed notes while the rest gave them their full attention. They were amazed to hear about Minerva and the rest of the people they met. David, who still felt wary about magic and witchcraft, seemed to draw back as he considered the implications that Maria and Althea weren't the only magical beings. Lizzy was excited to learn about Regina and eagerly planned to write her a letter.

"Do you remember the insignia on the caravan?" Henry asked. "I can ask my father and Luke to keep an eye on it. May come in handy in the future." They agreed it was a good idea and described the emblem to Henry. "What about your memories?" He then asked.

"She did feel something in my head, she thinks I have to be the one to break it, but she's not sure how," Robin replied, seemingly unaffected, but the boys recognized the faint flash of frustration in his eyes.

"That's rubbish. At least you have us to remind you," Richard said with a shrug of his shoulders. He clumsily raised his hands and rested them behind his head. "And now that you aren't acting like an arse, it doesn't matter anymore. Just look at you, sitting next to Maria with your rings still on. Did you do much snogging?"

"Sod off!" Robin snapped while Maria turned scarlet. Jane bopped Richard behind the head and David elbowed his ribs. Richard didn't care though. He laughed knowing full well their friends had yet to learn the truth of their relationship.

"Ignore him, please," Jane said. "The full moon will be in two days. We need to prepare should they try something here."

"We'll figure something out," Robin coolly replied.

They chatted a while longer until the girls began to yawn, their weariness from the day's travel now catching up with them. Figuring it was getting late, the boys put out the fire and began to escort the girls back to the tunnels. Maria noticed Robin trailing behind the group. She slowed down to walk alongside him.

"Do you have a plan?" Maria asked.

"Somewhat. I think the best we can do now is keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

"What can I do?"

"Stay safe."

"Robin, if you try to hide anything from me again, I'll be so angry! I want to help."

"No, I won't be making that mistake again princess," Robin said with a wry smile. "There's no use in running after danger at the moment. We'll all stay put and keep an eye out. You'll be the first to know of our plans." Robin stopped and turned to look at her with piercing eyes. "Promise me you won't keep anything from me either. Whatever you learn, I want you to tell me as well. That includes any funny visions or dreams of the sort, alright?"

Maria beamed. "Yes, I