Who: Oberon and Mabb
Where: his bower
When: a few days after this thread
What: She finally awakes; he misspeaks


Oberon had been fussing over Mabb for days as she slumbered. He knew that she'd been running for days, exhausting her body and using her magic to keep her afloat. He worked on potions and unguents to heal her. He hardly left her side but to gather ingredients and tend to the few affairs of state. There were much less now since it was Titania's season. She handled most of the politics in spring. He watched over his lost love, trying to gather any of the memories that had been stolen from him. Nothing, not a single thing. He believed her, for his heart beat faster when ever he was near her. He couldn't deny his feelings even if he didn't have the knowledge to back them up. His hands went instinctively to the wound hiding near the back of his neck, just under his hairline. The pieces had yet to fall into place, even with all he knew from Mabb and could piece together from Carabosse's limited conversation. He shook his dark thoughts away and gazed at her. So peacefully asleep.

Not for much longer, though. As if sensing Oberon's thoughts, his eyes on her, her dark eyes opened slowly, heavy-lidded, but lucid. In a manner of speaking. A smile was quick to follow, curving her lips slowly as a hand rose to touch his face. "You're still here. I'd thought I'd dreamed you."

"Not a dream," he whispered, though he was starting to feel like one. "I wasn't sure when you'd awake," he added, leaning down to brush his lips across her forehead. "It's been days."

"Has it?" She was honestly surprised to hear that. "I must have been more tired than I realized." She pushed herself up slowly, body seeming to gravitate towards the faerie king's and she leaned against him comfortably, a hand petting his chest almost absently. "Were you here the whole time, my love?"

He nodded quietly. "I cannot imagine spending another moment without you," he whispered. His words were very true and the gravity of that was almost terrifying. "How was your sleep?" he asked softly, his arms wrapping around her body and brushing the soft skin of her shoulders.

His words made her happy in a way she hadn't felt in thousands of years, full again instead of the hollow shell she'd been for so long. Her smile was pressed against his throat as a soft kiss before she replied. "I slept well. Dark and dreamless." She'd had enough of nightmares haunting her sleep; it only seemed fitting that she should have none now that she was with Oberon again.

Oberon smiled softly at her. He ran his fingers lightly through her hair. "I am glad you could rest easily," he whispered into her hair, leaning down to brush his lips gently over her neck in one smooth motion.

Mabb sighed, a content sound that the whispers seemed to echo, if only for the moment. "Of course I could with you watching over me." She tilted her head, baring more of her throat to him with the familiarity of a long-time lover. "I needed my rest. I've quite a lot of work to do in this new world."

His mind shifted quickly. "And what work must you do?" he asked. His tone was partially amused, partially business. He needed to know what Mabb intended to do in his kingdom during Titania's high season, but he wanted to keep it light just the same. Do what you may Mabb, but do not think to cross me so early after our reunion.

She looked up at him, smiling but her expression making it clear that her answer should be obvious. "Kill the rest of the council, of course. Oh, and Carabosse, as well." she touched his cheek, let her hand run down his throat to come to rest over his heart. "It's only what they deserve for what they've done to us. And they won't stop yammering at me until I make them all pay." Her face clouded at this last statement, referring to the whispers that had started up again in the back of her consciousness.

"Let me handle Carabosse," he said darkly. "She was my friend. I'll deal with her." He didn't make his intentions clear because he wasn't completely certain yet what he could do, what he would do when he learned the truth from Cara. He reached up and grasped her wrists. "You don't think you're being hasty in killing them all?" he asked idly, as if to steer the conversation away from Cara. "They might know something useful."

Mabb didn't so much as flinch when Oberon's hands closed around her wrists. It hurt still, but it was almost a phantom pain at this point and she pressed closer rather than shied away. Her smile was vague but vicious, her tone almost cheerful. "Of course I'm not being hasty. I take my time when killing those vermin." Well, if she wasn't in a rage at the time. She shifted, settled herself in the faerie king's lap. "I'll let you have Carabosse if you'd really prefer," she said as if trying to appease him. "Her betrayal of you really was the worst of them all, I know."

Something didn't sit right with her words. Betrayal. The word tasted a lot less bitter than he thought it would. His mind shifted and he felt something change. He wasn't mad at Carabosse, not for anything even after hearing the truth from Mabb. There was something more than missing memory at play. It was as if he had all of the emotions in place and none of the memories to back them up. So if Cara had really betrayed him, why wasn't he raging mad enough to kill her? The thought passed quicker than lightning, a swift shadow over his eyes before it was gone and covered with other thoughts. "I do prefer," he said softly, looking past her through the dark tangle of trees. So many of his best laid plans had been wasted. He shuddered to think what might happen if Carabosse died and he didn't have the chance to dig into her memories of the so called betrayal.

"Then you shall have her," Mabb said easily, as if they were discussing nothing more important than the weather. In her mind there was no doubt that Carabosse had been involved, and even less doubt that Oberon would take care of the wicked fairy appropriately. But at the moment...Mabb slipped a hand from Oberon's grasp and turned his gaze back towards her. "You are troubled." It wasn't a question.

"Yes," he replied, though it wasn't really an answer. "There are many things afoot, the least of which is the council's just due." He was silent, keeping his schemes and thoughts to himself.

"Least of which," she repeated, drawing herself back, her brows furrowing. "Least of which? How can you say that?" Her tone was accusing, hurt. "After what they did to us? Locking me away in some dark, forgotten hole for hundreds of years? Stealing your love, your memories away and marrying you off to some common seelie? And you say their just due is the least of your concerns?" By the time she'd finished speaking, Mabb had withdrawn herself completely, putting a fair distance between them.

My wife is no common seelie, he thought and wondered why he was thinking of her in the present tense again. He sensed the hurt and instantly regretted his casual words for heavy thoughts. "I am sorry," he whispered. "I speak carelessly and have not learned in all this time to choose my words with an even hand. It is not my least concern, only one so recent that it seems to upset everything."

Appeased somewhat by the apology, Mabb's posture relaxed a bit and she let herself settle on the bed of ivy once more. "I'm sorry to have upset you so with this business. But be assured, it will be over soon." Her smile was warm, loving...and almost hopeful. "And then we can go back to how we were before." Everything would be perfect then.

Except he couldn't remember how it was before. He didn't remember how blissful, how perfect, how terrible. Oberon wasn't certain if before was anything he wanted to go back to. He smiled however and pet the woman he had once loved beyond all else. "Yes love. We will."

Tags: mabb, oberon