Give me a fantasy show and I'll add even more fantasy. Special welcome to those who come from my medieval au "Guardian of the forest".
Please let me know what you think!

Beta'd by the ever so lovely CupcakeDictator


Chapter 1: Creation

There once was a girl named Marinette.
Though she descended from a simple family, she was a special girl. She was born with magic.
Being born with magic wasn't unusual, many people could control the elements or had other superhuman abilities. Her powers, however, were unique.

The literal incarnation of Creation is only born once every few centuries after all.

xxxxxxx

Her parents had been ecstatic when they discovered the mark of magic on their baby girl, despite neither of them having magic. On her right shoulder was a swirly red pattern, vaguely reminiscent of some kind of beetle. Their happiness was crushed the very next day, by a council member who came by to register the newborn and identify their magic. She recognized the infant as the Ladybug.

"Run," the woman had said, "and don't look back. Don't let the priests find her. Take her to the countryside, have a quiet life and pray that nobody finds her. I will register her as unmarked. Pack your bags and leave at sundown, I will help you out of the city. This is for the good of your daughter, I'm sure you remember what happened to the last Ladybug."

And so they did. They left the city for a quiet life, a few kilometres away from a tiny village. Tom and Sabine raised their daughter in the isolation of the countryside. There, they started a wheat farm and a little bakery.

These were the best years of Marinette's young life. She was a very easy but introverted child. She hardly ever cried and was happiest alone. She played with the animals that lived around their house and had imaginary friends to keep her company. She was happy.

But her powers didn't go unnoticed.

Even in the driest years, the harvest was good. Their house was miraculously spared by a vicious storm. The little family never got sick. Their garden consisted of plants that shouldn't be able to grow in this climate.
After a while, their bakery became famous for their 'lucky bread', because whoever bought their merchandise had good fortune for the rest of the day.

At the age of ten she was a happy young girl. She helped her parents on the fields, in the garden and sometimes in the bakery though she had trouble speaking to the customers. On one of those days, the incident happened.

xxxxxxx

"Next please," the girl chanted with a monotone voice. Her parents were in the back, taking a fresh batch of bread out of the oven. An old woman with a walking cane came forth, a regular customer of their lucky bakery. She was visibly sick, the disease had started in her –now paralyzed- leg and continued to eat at the left side of her body. Marinette wondered how long it had taken her to hobble to their bakery in the middle of nowhere.

"One small lucky bread please, young lady, and a prayer for my health," she cackled.

Marinette silently handed her a bread and held out her hand to request payment. The woman, however, didn't take the bread from her. Instead she dove for Marinette's hand.

"I know it's not the bread that is special. It's you! I beg you, please pray for my health!" the woman with the cane begged. She grabbed the girl's right sleeve and pulled until the cloth shredded and left Marinette's shoulder bare, revealing the mark.

"Aww, you're hurting me, let go! Papa, help me!" Marinette cried out. She looked at the other customers in the shop, but nobody dared to step in. They were afraid of the woman with the cane, terrified of her disease and held back by her fury.

"Not until you pray for me!" The woman with the cane nearly pulled her over the counter, nails digging into her skin. Her desperation and determination made her strong. "Grant me my wish you witch! It's selfish to keep your gift to yourself, didn't anybody teach you to share?"

Marinette finally gave in: "Fine! I wish you a long an healthy life. Now let go of me!"

The woman with the cane smiled and let go. She took a step back as the girl held her bleeding arm. And another step. She threw her cane away and walked to the exit, suddenly able to use her leg again. In the doorway she turned back and shouted: "I knew you were her, the witch of Creation!"

The woman with the cane was healed and would live until the age of 115.
And the witch of Creation was found..

A few days later, the priests came for her. They placed her into a carriage and shipped her off to the temple in the capital. Her parents did everything they could to stop them, but it wasn't enough. Tom and Sabine had to watch while their most prized possession got taken away by people they had trusted in the past.

Nothing was the same after the incident happened.

xxxxxxx

"Miss Ladybug, it is time to get up. Your breakfast is ready and your classes will start shortly." The young priest dodged the pillow that was clearly aimed at her head.

"I told you not to call me that," a voice sounded while the girl attached to it rose from the pile of blankets. "Geez Alya, I know you're new as my roommate, but the least you can do is use my real name. You're not my servant." The girl had been assigned to her about a week ago. They had told Marinette they would get her a roommate, someone to assist her in the her daily duties. She knew that was a lie. What they got her was surveillance to discourage her from running away.

"As you wish, Miss Marinette."

Marinette sighed. "Whatever. What's scheduled for today? Anything new happening?"

"I'm afraid not, Miss Marinette. Class in the morning, private magic lessons at noon and consultations in the afternoon. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

The girl groaned as she rolled out of bed. Today was going to be another day of hell.

xxxxxxx

"I can't do it!" the girl yelled at her teacher as she threw the dead rat across the room.

"Yes you can, you will keep practicing until that rat walks again. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. You are the witch of Creation, the witch of Life. One of your powers is to overcome death itself. I don't want to hear you complaining, don't forget who you are talking to," the head priest said calmly but forcefully. "We will return to him tomorrow, this lesson is over. Now go prepare for the consultations." He walked out the door, allowing Alya to enter.

Marinette was happy to see him go. The Gods knew she hated that man, but he was the head priest for a reason. He was one of the most competent witches of the country and had a lot of influence.

"Follow me, Miss Marinette, I have prepared your gown for today."

This was the part Marinette hated the most. The general classes were not that bad, even though she had to sit on the balcony, away from the other students. The private lessons were not fun at all but they were useful. This part however…

She reluctantly put on the dress of the day, a huge green strapless ballgown with fresh irises sewn into the tulle skirt. The bodice looked like it was made by braiding long leaves together. The shoes -if you could call them shoes- resembled vines wrapped around her feet. The mask for the day was made from purple flower petals. And of course, no consultation outfit was complete without gloves.

She didn't hate the gorgeous gowns. Every day another one, designed to make her look like a goddess. It was what she had to do in them that she hated.

Dressed up like a sacrifice, she was led into the temple by the head priest, Alya, and four guards. As she sat in her chair -she refused to call it a throne-, the temple doors opened and people started lining up. By now, everybody in the land had heard of Creation and her abilities. They came from far to see her and have their wish fulfilled.

The first people came forward, a young man and his very pregnant spouse. They bowed for the girl high upon her "throne" and turned to the head priest.

"We came to ask for good luck for our child. We've had children before but they all died very young. We pray for this child to survive the sicknesses of youth and live longer than us. In return we offer half of our pumpkin harvest for the next two seasons."

The head priest stayed silent for a bit, thinking. "Wish granted," he said while waving them towards Marinette.

The couple ascended the few stairs to Ladybug. She took her right glove off and put her hand on the woman's exposed belly. "Live. Grow up. Outlive," she whispered. The air around them resonated with magic power as she blessed the child. She smiled at her vision caused by the skin-on-skin contact and turned to the parents to be. "You'll have a handsome and successful son. He will continue the family business and have a big family of his own."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" the couple sobbed as they were let out by a guard, ecstatic to finally have hope for a lasting family.

This went on for hours, people came in with requests big or small, and an offering to make up for the trouble. The head priest decided their fate, sometimes asking for more payment, sometimes refusing to help altogether.

And Marinette, the miraculous Ladybug, was simply a tool in his hands.


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