Ten-year-old Princess Marinette opened her eyes to the sight of the sun rising in the bright blue morning sky. She blinked a few times before her eyes were able to adjust to the blinding rays of the light. Sighing, she stretched her arms and legs, feeling the soft plush of the blanket against her bare legs. She got out of bed and put on a pale pink robe that was adorned with small embroidered ladybugs.

She reached upwards to pull on the cord hanging from the ceiling and pulled on it three times to summon her favorite maid, Katerina. She knew that she would come soon, so Marinette waited patiently for a few seconds. A strange glinting coming from the window caught her eye and she rushed to see it close up.

"Oooh, that's sparkly…" She whispered to herself as she continued to gaze at it. An idea popped into her mind as she quietly walked over to the door. She opened it, and peeked outside, making sure no one was there. At this time, even the guards were asleep. They technically weren't allowed to be asleep at all, but she couldn't blame them. It was pretty early.

Marinette tiptoed across the mile-long hall, not daring to take a breath when she passed her parents' bedroom. In the midst of her sneaking around, a loud clank echoed from throughout the palace suddenly. She hid behind a marble pillar quickly as she waited for the noise to pass.

A gruff yawn across from her sent her into panic mode. Sweat began to form on her forehead. She held her breath as she peeked a single eye open to see what was in front of her.

A guard stretched his arms, opened his eyes, but just as quickly went back to his slumber. Marinette sighed in relief. She hurried towards the door that led to the garden, looking behind her cautiously when she crashed into someone.

'Oh no oh no oh no!', was the mantra that she kept on chanting as she felt her back collide on with the floor. She squeezed both of her eyes shut tightly as she waited for someone to scold her behavior.

"Your Highness! I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there." The voice was very familiar. She slowly opened one eye cautiously as she saw Adrien, one of her closest friends in the palace standing in front of her with a worried expression. He immediately offered his hand for her and he pulled her off the floor.

Adrien was the only son of the palace's tailor and his mother had died in childbirth. He was her best friend, along with Alya and Nino, who also lived in the palace. Alya was one of the cooks' daughters, while Nino was a guard's son. Marinette couldn't remember a time where they weren't there.

"Adrien! I've told you a million times not to call me 'your highness'! You're one of my closest friends. Marinette is okay!" She giggled suddenly as she saw his gaze turn uncomfortable, a red hue blooming on his cheeks.

"If you say so…" He ran a hand through his hair, a shade she thought matched the color of gold. She grabbed his hand, remembering what she was here for and pulled him to the garden door. "Where are we going?"

"Shhh, Adrien! I saw something here and it was pretty. We're going to look for it together. Come on!" She stopped at the massive golden doors and she pulled on them, hoping they would open. She looked at Adrien, who stood to the side, watching her with a confused look on his face.

"What are you waiting for?" She whisper yelled, hands on her hips. "Help me open this door!"

"Oh right." They pulled on the door together and after a few moments of hard effort, the doors opened. They lay panting before the open garden for a few seconds.

Marinette coughed. The fresh morning air from outside felt good as her little lungs filled up with oxygen quickly. She looked over to Adrien as he wiped some sweat off of his forehead. She smiled as she walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "Thanks for helping me." She stated as she saw a nervous smile form on his lips.

"No problem, Your High-Marinette." She gave him a thumbs up and grabbed his hand, ushering him outside.

It was beautiful. The sun was barely up in the sky, but a few rays still managed to come through. There were flowers and plants of every kind. Marinette ran to the hydrangeas, her favorite type of flower. She grabbed a few, plucking them off of their stems delicately, and throwing them up in the air. She laughed in delight as she tried to catch them as they fell. She moved on to the roses, smelling them all one by one.

"Adrien! Look! Strawberries!" She ran over to the sweet red fruit and plucked one off, stuffing it into Adrien's mouth. "How does it taste?" She grabbed one for herself and felt the sweet pink juice flood her mouth as she moaned in delight.

"Iss really good," Adrien exclaimed as he relished the coolness of the strawberry inside his mouth. He closed his eyes and savored the fruit.

He heard a scream, soon thereafter, and opened his eyes to see Marinette struggling against a few men. They wore dark clothing and their faces were completely covered except for their eyes. Marinette fought as the men tied a rag against her mouth.

"There. So you don't scream." The one holding Marinette said, snickering while he ordered the other men to carry her away. A short, stout man picked her up, but dropped her because of her efforts of fighting.

"You're a feisty one, aren't you?" He clucked his tongue, but bent down to drag her by her (now) dirty white nightgown. Her robe had fallen on the ground. Adrien stood, held by fear until he met Marinette's eyes. They were bright blue and watery. As she gazed at him from afar, he saw her pleading with him for help. It was a look of pure defeat.

Suddenly, everything snapped into place and he knew what to do. He turned around. The entrance to the palace wasn't that far. He started to run to the palace entrance when he felt a pair of hands grab his shirt. He felt himself being turned around until he met one of the men's ugly gaze. The man let go of Adrien, letting him hit the floor roughly with a jolt.

His head swam uncomfortably as he struggled to stand. The man pulled out a knife, laughed, and threw it on Adrien's hand, which left a large horizontal gash where the knife hit. The man ran to his group as they continued to drag Marinette away with them.

Adrien shook his hand, searing hot pain blinding his vision. He was alarmed at the sight of so much blood but forced himself to get back in the palace for Marinette's sake.

Some of the guards were waking up, and Adrien tried to speak loudly. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He felt lightheaded and dizzy, and so, so tired…

"Please…Marinette...gar...garden...needs help…." It was all he managed to say until he hit the floor and darkness filled his vision.

Hi everyone!

I really shouldn't be writing/starting another story, but I had to get this idea out of my head. It was annoying me for weeks, and I even dreamed about it once (don't judge), so I just had to do it. Hopefully, you guys like it.

Please tell me if you liked this (or not) or if you have any constructive criticism in the reviews. It helps me become a better writer so I can always put out my best work. Feedback is very much appreciated :).