Back with another cross posting, will try to keep them updated together once all chapters are added here, but please enjoy!

AN: I know Nath might seem a bit OOC in this AU but it's just for this chapter I promise.

In another world, there existed two kingdoms. Though their boundaries placed them side by side, they couldn't be more different. The one kingdom, set in a field of colorful blooms and fragrant fauna, teeming with beautiful creatures belonged to the Fairies. Elegant, delicate, tiny creatures who had wings made of gossamer and shaped like butterflies, perfectly tailored to the openness of their surroundings. There were others of course, but the Fairies ruled, and those under their thumb considered themselves blessed. Benevolent, if not a taf mischievous, by nature the land prospered and flourished and there was little strife to be found outside of petty problems. It was -to those who lived there- as close to paradise as anything could ever be.

On the other side of the border lay the Dark Forest. Much like its namesake implied it was a large gathering of trees that reached higher than any eye of its inhabitants could see. Sparse sunlight would filter through the dark green canopies, allowing for growth of nothing but the hardiest of plants. And those that were made for survival were not made for beauty- not in the eyes of any average beholder. So too, were the inhabitants of this strange and foreboding land. Goblins and Imps and beings of so much intermixing of the species they were something entirely new. The beast who ruled it went by the title of Hawkmoth.

Along the border of these two kingdoms a special type of flower grew. Primroses, which could bloom between light and shadow. A powerful property used in one of the most powerful spells. Chiefly, love potions created by the Rosa Peace fairy. Or, they were, before the Dark Forest banned their creation and captured the fairy, imprisoning her to make certain love potions would never be created again. But what would a love story be, without some mixed up lovers?

The ruler of the Fairy Kingdom had only two daughters to his name. The eldest was Nathalie, a headstrong yet practical girl with lustrous black hair and gleaming blue eyes. The other was Marinette, ten years Nathalie's junior who had been dropped off at their doorstep fifteen years prior. Marinette shared the same physical features as her adopted sister, with the exception of a smattering of freckles that bridged across her nose under her eyes. Everyone agreed that if it had not been made as an announcement no one would ever have been able to tell they weren't blood relations. The real difference between the two, however, came from their wings. Marinette's wings were a brilliant crimson color, edged in black. Nathalie's were a lustrous amethyst hue, with the same edging but differently shaped, with the black edging jagged and spiky where Marinette's had a softer curve to it.

But today was a special day. Today was the wedding day of Nathalie to a Fairy knight by the name of Sebastian, and the bride to be was so excited. When the betrothal had first been announced she'd been wary, Sebastian had been one of the best looking knights in her father's guard and as such had come with a reputation. But he had done the gentlemanly thing and courted her… at least Nathalie was positive he had. Their conversations had mostly detailed his own exploits and adventures as he'd risen through the ranks to be afforded the honor of marrying her. Such a romantic, and such a way with words. And yet, Nathalie for all her anticipation and giddiness, still had some doubts.

She had no qualms about her own character. The problem lay with her perception by the masses. Nathalie's personality for the most part was logic and stratagem and diplomacy. She was a bit tenacious when she wanted something, and a bit headstrong with how she went after it, but she could always work a situation to her favor. These traits were all fine and good for a future regent of course, and had she been a man she likely would have been lauded and fawned over by her people for her dedication to her land. As a female though… she heard the whispers from years past, saying how she was cold and hard to approach. All the things a woman shouldn't be. All the things Marinette, despite being raised in the same household by the same people, was not.

Being courted by Sebastian had changed Nathalie, and she was so in love with him it was a change for the better. She was becoming more open with her emotions, her happiness. Even now she was flitting about in a lovestruck daze, humming and singing to herself as she prepared a gift for her intended. Petals from a daisy here, one from a dandelion there, all to bring out his features in the best way possible. This was their big day after all. Of course, Nathalie was so preoccupied with making her gift that she didn't seem to notice the damage she was leaving in her wake. Bumping into other creatures, disrupting the flow of traffic, at one point nearly dropping a flightless infant from down near the Elf village off a bridge because she just wasn't paying attention. Adrien, an Elf who had been practically raised in the palace alongside Marinette chased after her, yelling his hellos and congratulations. The whole kingdom was celebrating this day.

Of course, everyone was so busy celebrating the impending nuptials neither they nor Nathalie noticed when the crown princess crossed the borderline of her own kingdom. A few moments later though, she noticed. Nathalie looked around, clutching the boutonniere tightly to her chest and somewhat crushing it in her grip. From above a pink and yellow petal floated down onto her face. Free hand gripping it Nathalie let out a soft squeak of terror. It couldn't be…

"Primroses?"

Growls and grumbles were her answer. Nathalie looked up where the petal had fallen to see creatures of Hawkmoth's domain with saws in hand, hacking at the stem where the bloom came from. Others inched closer to her, ready for the attack. Suppressing a scream -because even as level-headed and intelligent as she was those creatures were scary- Nathalie tossed the petal back at them, fumbling her apologies and excuses into one incoherent mess before flitting out as fast as her wings could carry her.

MLB

Watching her departure two creatures different from the ones Nathalie had encountered jumped onto a fallen log. One was black with vibrant green eyes, black fur, and feline features. The other was similar in a way, but its ears were longer, its coloring taking in oranges and whites as well as black, and its eyes a mischievous purple. The black one spoke, looking at the petal which had fallen to the forest floor.

"Was she trying to get a primrose petal?" he asked.

"Doubtful," the orange one answered, "And even if she had, only the Rosa Peace fairy could use them properly. And where is she?"

"Down in the dungeons, I know," the black one grumbled.

"Still," the orange one remarked, "We better tell him." and like that she scampered away.

The black one followed, calling out, "He's not gonna be happy!"

"Let me handle it," the orange one parried, "I'll tell him."

"Okay," the black one agreed.

They scampered deeper and deeper into the forest, eventually stopping at a hollowed and rotted out old stump which served as the castle for the kingdom. Leaping over spiders and other insects that littered the grounds. The throne room, despite its rather unnecessary skylight, was shrouded in shadow. Deep within these shadows sat their monarch.

"Sire," the orange one panted, "News from the borders," nudging the black one it added, "You can tell him."

The black one looked and felt as though it had been thrown under the bus but said, "Okay…" addressing the monarch he continued, "A fairy flew into our forest,"

"What?" came the irritated growl from the Forest's king. The black one hesitated but continued anyways,

"And almost took a primrose."

Rising Hawkmoth grabbed hold of his staff, "A primrose!" the way he was holding it made it seem like he was going to physically take his anger out on his underlings, but instead he merely thumped it on the ground- though with enough force to frighten them. With resigned sulleness he sighed, "I hate this time of year, spring…" the season for lovers was left unsaid, "Send more Goblins to cut down every last primrose," Hawkmoth ordered as he stalked towards them, casting an even darker shadow in the gloom. His mayfly wings twitched irritably, as did segments of his exoskeleton as it cracked, "No primroses, no potion. No potion, no love," he spat the final word out as though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Though no one had asked him why, he felt the need to explain why love was such a bad thing, "Love is dangerous. It weakens, it rots! It destroys order and without order what is left?" the panelings on his shoulders flexed out and shivered as if instinctively, "Chaos!" the last word was a horrified whisper. Though the effect proved more fear inspiring in the cat and fox like minions who shrank back from him.

Hawkmoth loomed closer to them, bringing his face out of the shadows just long enough to reveal flashing eyes, "Destroy the primroses! Or I will destroy you!"

With hasty promises to do as they had been bidden they bowed and scurried away. However, the cat was faster than the fox and managed not to be caught as they veered through the castle's corridors.

"Trixx!" another voice called out, stopping the fox in her path. She looked to see Duusu, the dowager queen and Hawkmoth's nursemaid turned stepmother with a huge smile on her face which could only mean the woman was plotting something. Sure enough, "I need your help."

"Nope," Trixx immediately responded, trying to move forward only for Duusu to raise a leg and block the path more thoroughly as it draped out of the panels of her blue feather dress. Duusu acted as if she hadn't heard the other female deny assistance and carried on.

"You know how your boss, my son is making everyone miserable with his ban on love?" she asked.

"No," Trixx replied, because it was easier just to follow orders as they were given than reverse the opinion of the stubborn monarch.

"Don't you want to see love return to the Dark Forest?" Duusu asked, hugging herself with delight as she imagined it.

"No," Trixx deadpanned. What she wanted at the moment was to get out of this situation and carry out her orders before she was yelled at and punished. Hawkmoth's punishments were never fun to endure for anyone involved. But they did it because better for one to suffer than all.

"Well," Duusu still didn't seem to be getting the point, "I found him the perfect-" her attention was distracted as someone poked their head out in curiosity and she snapped, "I told you to stay out of the light!"

Ah, here it went again. Another misguided attempt to reverse the ban on love by setting her son up. Yeah, Trixx wanted absolutely no part in that, thank you ma'am. Taking the opportunity which had presented itself Trixx scampered around Duusu and hurried out the door. The dowager herself shook her head and sighed.

MLB

In the meantime Nathalie had beaten a hasty retreat back to the familiar layout of the Fairy Fields. As she caught her breath she saw the comforting sight of her fiance.

"Sebastian!" she cried. Thank goodness, her knight in literally shining armor was there.

Sebastian was riding atop an armored rabbit that hopped about with bounding strides. One of their favorite things to do was go for rides on Hopper (the rabbit's name) and enjoy the feeling of freefall flight. At the call of his name the knight saw the tell-tale purple wings of his intended. He stopped his steed and called back up to her.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for our wedding?"

Nathalie looked down at herself. She was already in the white dress, gloves, and shoes. She wasn't exactly certain how much more ready she could actually get. Still, she answered, "I was, I am." she amended. Remembering the present she had poured her heart into crafting she called as she started to descend, "Oh wait! I have something for you!"

"Aren't you the sweetest little-" whatever word he'd been about to finish that sentence with was lost as Nathalie crash landed into the brush of a rose bush. "Nathalie, sweetie, you're," he put a metal finger in his mouth, unsure if he should continue but decided to anyways, "You're in a bush."

"I know," Nathalie called out, trying to keep the brambles from picking at her or tearing a hole in her clothes.

"Mind telling me why?"

"I nearly forgot, you can't look at me!"

Sebastian smirked, "And why is that?"

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony. I don't want to jinx our wedding day."

"What a pity," Sebastian mourned the loss, "Since I think this has been one of my best looking days yet," he was picking up a piece of bracken that had fallen from Nathalie's hair as she'd dived into a rosebush and examined it. Its color and visible texture matched nothing from the Fields. Which meant… Sebastian instantly threw the stick away and turned on her, "Were you in the Dark Forest?" he accused her.

"No," Nathalie lied, "Well… maybe… okay yes." she admitted. Immediately Sebastian marched into the bush, causing Nathalie to duck behind a branch.

"You could have been killed!" Sebastian chided her, "Or worse, injured and permanently crippled!"

"I can take care of myself!" Nathalie protested as she flew higher and higher.

"That kingdom is no place for a princess!" Sebastian called as he followed her.

"Oh really?" Nathalie snuck up behind him and stole his sword from the scabbard that hung at his side and flew up, struggling to keep her equilibrium and utterly unprepared for the weight of the weapon, "How about a princess who can defend herself?" experimentally she swung the sword, the momentum carrying her off to a tipping point.

Sebastian watched this with mild amusement, akin to a parent watching their kid acting ridiculous and stupid but knowing they needed to be supportive anyways, "Yep, you're my big strong girl who's got herself a sword, yep," he caught the sword by the hilt with no effort as she dropped it on him. "You done?"

A little flustered from embarrassment Nathalie flew up to a higher branch hoping it would obscure her from his gaze, "Okay fine, so I'm not the best swordsman. But that's okay, because when I rule this kingdom I won't need a sword to fight my battles. We'll do things diplomatically. I will march right up to Hawkmoth and talk to him so that we can make peace and allow everyone to come and go as they please! Think of all the adventures waiting for us in there!"

Ever since she had been small Nathalie had been entranced by her father's stories of diplomatic trips to the Dark Forest for negotiations, first with Hawkmoth's father and finally with the new king himself. It sounded amazing, as equally entrancing as it was terrifying. And if they could come to an accord, Nathalie knew she wouldn't mind going back there.

In the midst of her preoccupation with all the changes she would make when the crown sat on her head Sebastian had snuck up and reached out to her, a suave line on his lips.

"I'll be your adventure," he promised, "My future queen," he took her hand and bestowed a swift kiss on it.

Nathalie swooned, it was the textbook definition of romantic, "My future king,"

"Ah, king," Sebastian smiled as he pulled out his sword and practiced with it, "An army fully ready at my disposal to deploy…"

Nathalie perked up. As the most trusted knight in the guard Sebastian had a great deal of power and sway as it was. Why that was the thing he was focusing on confused her, "Don't you already do that though?" she asked him.

Sebastian laughed, "My naive little Nathalie, unfortunately if I perceive a threat to the kingdom I can't instantly mobilize. It needs to go through all the proper channels, you know politics. The king has to approve a military mobilization or else it's no good. As king though, I make the final decision, and that takes a lot of the work out. I know you love peace, and would rather not see anyone hurt, but sometimes to protect what you care about there's just no other option. You understand don't you darling?"

Nathalie was quiet a moment. Marinette had come to them, they had later found out, after her family had been attacked by raiders. A servant had dropped the infant at the royal doorstep before fleeing for safety with the bandits hot on their trail. Marinette had been hurt, but Nathalie had always been of the mind that violence would only incite more violence. And yet, Sebastian had a point.

"Yeah," she finally agreed, albeit very hesitantly, "I understand."

"I knew you would. Now," Sebastian let go and headed out of the bush, "Go and finish getting yourself all dolled up. Today has got to be absolutely perfect."

He mounted his steed and issued the order. They were off and moving while Nathalie watched them go as she flew out the top. A dreamy sigh escaped her. This had by no means been the man she'd expected to end up with, but she was glad this was the way things were going to be.

"Nathalie!" came a concerned voice. The crown princess turned to see her younger sibling and her three sprite attendants Tikki, Pollen, and Nooroo. They looked as though they had been searching for her all day.

"Don't you remember the wedding's today?" Marinette huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as her vivid red and black wings beat at the air, "You need to get ready!"

"I know, I know," Nathalie responded to each of her sister's chidings.

"What's with your hair?" Marinette asked as she pulled twigs out of it and tried to smooth the slightly too long locks back into some semblance of order, "We don't have much time!" then she saw the object in Nathalie's hand and made a disgusted noise, "What is that?"

"It's a boutonniere." Nathalie explained, then her face fell at the remembrance, "I forgot to give it to Sebastian!" she lamented.

"You can't give him that!" Marinette argued.

"Why not?" Nathalie posed, arching a brow. She thought her work was nice for the attempt. And it was the thought that counted.

"He's too good looking," Marinette stated the obvious, "And you know you're not the best with… feminine affairs."

"I'm not good with a needle and thread, I get it," Nathalie huffed, but then she thought about Sebastian and swooned again, "You're right," she said as her wings fanned out to catch her fall.

"I'll just fix that then," Marinette plucked the gift out of her sibling's hand, to a distracted thank you from the elder. Marinette smiled and shook her head handing it off to the sprites for damage control.

"Marinette," Nathalie suddenly sounded unsure of herself, causing the younger girl to look at her. Despite the age gap between the two they were extremely close, and Marinette knew for a fact Nathalie was not the best in social situations that did not have an end goal involved with bettering the kingdom. Hence why she'd ended up betrothed instead of picking her own partner.

"What is it?"

"Do you think," Nathalie bit her lip before continuing, "Do you think that Sebastian loves me… as much as I love him?" her eyes were wide and worried and pleading. And Marinette could tell this was more than the first time that question had crossed Nathalie's mind.

"Nath," Marinette smiled, "How could he not love you? I mean you're so…" it was hard to find words that would accurately describe Nathalie without being easy to twist into an insult, "So… lovable!"

"You really think so?"

Marinette's smile grew wider, "If you could see the way I see you now, you wouldn't be asking that question."

They flew back to the palace and Marinette made adjustments to Nathalie's gown the whole way. Nathalie could understand what Marinette was fussing. The younger princess had always had an affinity for fashion and had been making her own creations for some time now. In fact, Nathalie had asked Marinette to personally made the dress for this day, and Marinette took her work very seriously. She'd slaved over the design and stitching for months and the final result -while now a bit stained from Nathalie's excursions- was simply stunning.

The sprites finished their work with the boutonniere and brought it back. It now looked a lot better than it had, and a lot better than Nathalie could have ever made it look. Nathalie gasped, "It's perfect!"

"You're welcome," Marinette brushed it off and turned to walk away.

"I want to give this to him right now!" Nathalie proclaimed, flying off and singing her heart out even as Marinette called after her, reminding her sibling of the back luck she could incur. Nathalie didn't listen.

"Uh oh," Marinette put her hands to her face, every bit of her expression worried. The sprites mirrored the action.

All over the fields Nathalie tracked him down, excitement growing and heart pounding. She could hardly wait! She wanted to see his face, the expression he would have as she presented it to him. She could imagine his charming smile, the romantic line of thanks that would come out of his mouth. Perhaps they could even sneak in a kiss or two before the ceremony?

Sebastian was going further and further into the fields, but away from any place of normal civilization. The place where the grass blades grew tall and thick, the perfume from the flowers a bit too cloying from there many so many of them in such a small area. Nathalie tracked him there, landing on a rock that Hopper had not even two minutes previous leaped off of. She was opening her mouth, ready to call out to him. But someone else beat her to the punch. It was said just as ecstatically as Nathalie herself would have said it, but it belonged to a younger woman. She leapt into Sebastian's arms and he swung her around like a giddy youth, drunk on love. The girl cupped his face in their hands and they shared a tender kiss. Nathalie's heart shattered. She wanted to cry out, but instead clapped a hand over her mouth. Instantly her brain went into overdrive, trying to rationalize and justify. Maybe it was just a female relative, that could very well be the case. But why would they need to come all the way out here to meet? And surely everyone in the kingdom would know her for his cousin. The only reason that could possibly be logical without being world-crumbling was quickly losing ground to stand on, and then the girl made it all the worse.

"You're sure you need to go through with this?" she asked, pouting at him. Nathalie kept silent watch from over the edge of the rock.

"If I want to be King then it's a necessary evil darlin'," he soothed, "Now how many times have I told you that?"

"You promise me that it's all for show?"

"Well," he drawled, "There will need to be heirs. I can't avoid that, but know it's you I'll be thinking of the whole time. I promise."

"And you'll set me up in the palace as soon as possible?"

"Of course my love," his words were like honey to her, but vinegar to Nathalie, "I promise."

The woman sighed, "Oh Sebastian."

And there was no escaping the one fact. Her betrothed had lied, cheated, and swindled her. All that change wasn't true change, it was careful manipulation. So long as she played the part of blushing bride, overjoyed the kingdom would never pay attention to where he would slip out. She'd been played for a fool. The boutonniere was crushed under the weight of her fist and her heartbreak. Nathalie managed a stilted, stumbling running start and leapt into the air. She didn't look back to see if the couple had noticed her, in fact she hoped they did. She hoped they feared what she might say. But for now, she had a wedding to cancel.

MLB

Despite knowing she had made the right choice, despite being thankful at finding out the truth before she had said I do, Nathalie locked herself into her room the moment she returned home. She lay on her bed, a fully bloomed rose and remembered that roses had their thorns. Sebastian had hidden things from her, and while the piercing hurt more than anything, they were thorns that could still be removed. But for now, she mourned the future she had lost, all her hopes and dreams. All that progress for nothing.

And the pain, the blinding, searing, unbearable pain. Part of it was rejection, part of it was ego, part of it was chiding her on how foolish she had been. The entire kingdom had proclaimed her frigid and unapproachable, she should have stayed that way. At least those with hearts of ice never got hurt by anyone. Because no one could get close enough to hurt them. There was a knock at her door.

"Nathalie?" Marinette asked as she opened the door and came in, "Nathalie?"

"Marinette," Nathalie sniffed, rising and sliding off her bed, seeking comfort from her sibling.

"What's wrong?" Marinette asked, "What happened?"

Nathalie opened her mouth to speak. The words burned at the back of her throat. She wanted to tell Marinette everything, all the dates and conversations and memories meant nothing. It had all been part of a plot for the crown. He had someone else, someone younger, someone prettier, someone he seemed to love. Or did he? Nathalie now wondered if all those words for that girl had been like all his words for her, nothing but words. And speaking of words, they wouldn't come. Nathalie couldn't find the strength to break the dam that kept her from confiding. The pain choked her, rendered her unable to speak. She couldn't breathe, and yet from all outward signs she was just another emotional bride.

"I-" Nathalie managed to choke out, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Not even with me?" Marinette had every right to sound as concerned and a little upset as she did. Nathalie and her confided with each other about everything. The sisters had secrets which had yet to see the light of day, and never would.

"I can't," Nathalie shook her head helplessly, tears glistening anew in her eyes, "I'm sorry, it's…"

"It's what?"

Nathalie shook her head again, "Tell father," she took a deep breath, "The wedding's off."

She took the door and shut it softly but firmly in her sibling's face, ignoring Marinette's shocked repetition of Nathalie's words. She slumped as she walked, defeat exuding from every last bit of her. She felt defeated, he had won. Even though he had lost he had won. Nathalie was broken from this. She should have known, she should have suspected. Hindsight could do nothing now though. Not wanting to return to her bed Nathalie sat at her vanity. She recalled all the days Marinette had practiced hairstyles on her, trying to find the perfect look to go with the dress she had created. Nathalie remembered the first finished product, trying it on and spinning with glee. She remembered dancing with herself in the mirror, pretending it would be the first dance she shared with her new husband. She felt like a marionette which had had its strings cut. Sure, she was free, but she felt like she couldn't move. No better than a doll.

A doll, that was what Sebastian had called her. Always telling her to go get dolled up. Never accepting what she first presented. That should have been the biggest clue of all. Never being taken seriously, his big girl with the sword. Well, no longer. Nathalie thoughtfully regarded a pair of scissors Marinette had forgotten on the vanity's tabletop. That delicate little doll was gone, forever broken by the careless hands of a heartless man. And from her ashes would rise a fighter.

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