Alright! In this chapter, Marinette awakes to find herself in Lumière Kingdom in the company of an enigmatic pair of royal siblings. Due to her injury, she's stuck at their castle for a while. But it isn't all bad, especially since Luka has caught her eye.

Now, I want MORE ENCOURAGEMENT, people! More comments, more favorites, etc. Let's shoot the review goal up to say... 15+?

The sunlight poured onto Marinette's face. In response to the invasive sensation, she sat up and noticed where she was. She was lying on a palatial canopy bed, and in a luxurious bedroom similar to that of her room back home. The interior was definitely a little on the darker side, but the silvers in the room gave it enough balance. Marinette noticed that she was at least in somewhat familiar surroundings. But her body felt sore everywhere, especially on her foot. She also saw that she was wearing a clean, black nightgown.

"Where am I... And how did I get here?" Marinette asked aloud.

"Oh, you're awake. You okay?" A voice said, startling her.

"Who's there?!" Marinette shouted, taking up a pillow to defend herself.

Out of the shadow of one of the dressers came a young man. He looked to be around her age or at least a year older than her. He had olive skin, black hair with teal tips, matching eyes, and black gages in his ears. He also was wearing casual clothing in the same color scheme... Well, casual by the standards of nobility and royalty at least.

"Just relax," He said. "You're safe. So, how are you feeling?"

Marinette's eyes widened in surprise. Whoever this boy was, he was pretty handsome. And considering that he asked if she was okay or not, that meant that he most likely had found her in the woods and brought her back to wherever she was.

"Um, sore but fine." Marinette replied.

"That's good," He said. "You looked like you had been through a rough time."

Marinette saw that there was a full-length mirror near the bed, and as she looked into the reflective glass, she noticed the bandages all over her face and arms.

"I guess that fall hurt me more than I thought..." Marinette said, rubbing her face. "But... Who are you?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" He said, rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "My name's Luka."

"My name's Ma... Um, Mamamarinette. Princess Marinette of Fortune." Marinette introduced as formally as she could, but she stammered for some reason. And Luka was chuckling with a smile on his face.

Her face turned red and she turned her head away, a little embarrassed that she fumbled over her words, especially in front of a stranger. She was a princess, and she had to be perfectly poised at all times in front of people outside her inner circle.

As Luka calmed down, he remembered what he was doing.

"Oh, sorry for laughing." Luka said, giving Marinette a somewhat remorseful look on his face.

"It's okay..." Marinette said, feeling more relaxed.

"Thanks. Anyway, you're a long way from home. You're in Lumière Kingdom right now." Luka explained.

"Lumière?! I couldn't have walked all the way here on foot in one night..." Marinette said, not sure how she wound up across the border.

The woods went on for miles, and the terrain was only flat and smooth on the path with the occasional rock. By horse-drawn carriage, one could make it across the border in about an hour or so, but on foot, it could take at least a day. Since she went off the trail, that could have set her back a long way, but that begged the question of exactly how far into the forest she had gone.

Luka muttered something that Marinette could not hear, before his eyes went askance for a second. He looked up again and asked, "Well, what's the last thing you remember?"

"I... I remember hearing some soothing music and then falling asleep under a tree..." Marinette began. "After that, my memory's a complete blank. Did you...?"

"Yes, I brought you back here when I found you under the tree," Luka explained. "I gave you first aid and had my sister change you into one of her sleeping gowns."

"Thank you," Marinette asked. "But... What were you doing out in the woods so late?"

Luka cleared his throat, but he was making it look like he was chuckling, and said, "Well, I could ask you the same thing."

All of Marinette's thought processes stopped dead in their tracks when Luka said that, and she immediately remembered why she even went into the border woods in the first place.

"Oh crap! Alya! I completely forgot!" Marinette shouted, slapping her hands on her face. "My best friend and lady-in-waiting went into the woods last night to see if she could find out if the legends about a night creature were true! But she didn't come back, so I went out to look for her, got lost, and..."

Luka gave Marinette a sweet smile, admiring how she was willing to go out and put herself in harm's way for her friend.

"It was really brave of you to go out alone to find Alya," Luka said. "I don't know a lot of girls who would do that."

"Oh, thank you," Marinette said, blushing again. "And thank you again for helping me, but now I have to go back out and find Alya. Since it's daylight, it should be easy to..."

Luka gave Marinette a solemn expression and said, "I'm afraid you're not going anywhere for a little while."

"What do you - OWWW!" Marinette began, but once she put her foot on the floor, she screamed as a lightning-bolt of excruciating pain shot throughout her. She immediately got off her foot and sat back on the bed.

Luka, who had covered his ears, looked at Marinette and said, "Your right foot. It's hurt pretty badly."

Marinette looked down and saw that her right foot had been bandaged up. She saw a pile of pillows on the other side of the bed, where her foot had initially been resting earlier.

"I... I guess I hadn't noticed," Marinette said, before looking back to Luka. "You're really easy to talk to, Luka."

"I return the compliment, Your Highness," Luka joked, getting a laugh out of Marinette. "I had my sister send for the doctor to get a look at that foot of yours. Hopefully it's minor."

"Thank you so much." Marinette said, grateful that this young man was kind enough to tend to her needs when she was in trouble.

"I have some work to do," Luka said. "I'll be back with the doctor later, okay?"

"Okay." Marinette said as Luka left out the door to her bedroom, but not without closing it.

For some reason, Marinette felt warm inside, and kept gazing at the door, hoping that Luka would come back inside and continued talking to her. But now she had to find a way to keep herself entertained until the doctor came. So, she laid back down on the bed, resting her head against the pillows, and started to think about a few things.

Her main thought: where was Alya?

"Where's Marinette?!" A voice shouted through the castle.

In the throne room, Tom and Sabine were fraught with worry over their daughter. Sabine was hugging Tom and sobbing into his chest for comfort. Alya was pacing around the room, nervous.

"Where could she have gone? She always comes back after her village trips." Sabine said, before going back to crying.

"Marinette wouldn't run off like this. She's a dutiful girl, so she couldn't have just left." Tom said, trying to figure out what had happened.

Simply put, Alya came back after dark. She had reached nothing but a dead ends with the list, so she came back to the castle and went to rant about it to Marinette. Unfortunately, Alya had found that Marinette was missing from her chambers. And when she saw that some of her belongings from her village trips had gone missing, the window was shut and the rope ladder had fallen, she began to fear the worst. She told Sabine and Tom of her findings, worrying the two parents. The guards searched Fortune all night, but there was no sign of the youngest princess.

"And I doubt that she'd just vanish over the idea of suitors," Alya said. "You'd never pressure her into marrying someone she didn't like, so we can rule that out."

"Are you sure you didn't find anything in her room? No letter telling you where she was going or anything like that?" Tom asked Alya.

"Zilch. But I noticed her chamber windows were closed and the ladder fell down. We're usually pretty good about keeping that thing fastened to the wall." Alya reported.

"But what could have motivated her to just leave?" Sabine asked. "Alya, are you sure she didn't say anything to you?"

"No. When I last saw her yesterday, she left for her usual village trip, not bringing anything except a little money. And I had left the castle on errands some time after that. I didn't come back until after dark, and that's when I noticed that Marinette had left her purse and packed a bag, so she must have come back in the room and then left again before I got back." Alya said.

"So you haven't seen her since yesterday morning?" Tom summarized.

"Right," Alya said. "Marinette's a responsible girl. She wouldn't just abandon her family or her kingdom."

They heard a pair of footsteps coming through the halls, and the group turned to find Chloé and Sabrina waltzing around like nothing was wrong.

"Chloé! Sabrina!" Tom said, addressing his other two daughters. They looked up to their father and feigned innocence.

"What's the matter?" Chloé asked a little too innocently. "Has there been a robbery?! No! Who did this?!"

"This has nothing to do with shiny rocks, girls! Your sister has been missing since yesterday!" Sabine chastised, not happy that Chloé was worried about gemstones rather than family.

"Maybe she just decided to sleep over with the other filthy commoners, since she likes them so much. Honestly, that girl can't carry herself the way she should." Chloé sneered, smirking.

Seeing this, Alya grew a little suspicious.

"Don't talk about Marinette that way!" Tom angrily shouted. "She's going to be the queen of this kingdom! It will do you good to treat her with respect."

"She won't be queen on my watch." Chloé muttered, crossing her arms.

"What was that?" Alya asked, sure that Chloé said something.

"Oh, Chloé didn't say anything," Sabrina said. "But honestly, I don't see why Marinette should be queen. She's clumsy and unpolished. Sure, she can dance without tripping over her feet, but otherwise she's a complete mess. No suitor wants a girl like her. Not only that, but she's the youngest of us. Shouldn't Chloé get the throne? After all, the rule is that the firstborn is named heir, isn't it?"

"Traditions and rules aren't the same thing," Alya said. "And if Tom and Sabine think Marinette's worthy of the throne, then it's their choice. You two need to be respectful of that."

"Quiet, peasant!" Chloé shouted. "I'm still of higher rank. Push it and your entire family will be out in the slums!"

"You push it and you'll be stripped of your birthright! Both of you," Tom sternly said, crossing his arms. "Why aren't you worried about Marinette?!"

"Who said we weren't?" Sabrina asked, trying to play along with the act. "Knowing her, she'll be back in no time. Even if her rope ladder fell down, she'll find another way in. She'll just have to go in front gates, like any normal princess would."

Chloé stomped on Sabrina's foot, causing her to stiffen up and hold back a scream in pain.

"Oh? And how do you know Marinette's rope ladder fell from her window?" Alya asked, crossing her arms and eying the other princesses with suspicion.

"Gossip from the guards. How else would she know?" Chloé asked. "Come on, Sabrina. The maids are overdue for my hair appointment."

As the elder princesses walked away, Alya kept an eye on them and said, "I'm smelling a rat..."

Tom and Sabine were a suspicious, too. They were inclined to agree with Alya, especially since she was more observant and a faster learner than the two of them combined.

"I just hope Marinette's okay, wherever she's gone..." Sabine said, still worried about her youngest daughter.

Back at Luka's castle, Marinette was still lying in her bed, letting her imagination run wild. It was a challenge trying to keep herself from getting bored. Right about now she would be sketching a new design or thinking about solutions to issues in her kingdom, but since she was elsewhere, she was stuck.

There was a knock on her door and Marinette said, "Come in."

The door opened slowly and so far no one came in. Marinette, curious, quirked a brow. But then a girl around her age that had her face obscured with long black hair with purple tips came in. Her creepy entrance combined with the sudden moves she made startled Marinette, and she Marinette shouted in surprise.

"Oh, sorry!" She said, lifting her head up. She had red-brown eyes and was wearing lavender lipstick. She was also wearing a formal black dress. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Marinette sighed in relief before saying, "It's okay. I shouldn't have screamed."

The girl gave a slight nod before approaching the bed. In her hands was a tray with a bowl of soup, an apple, and some bread.

"You must be pretty hungry." She quietly said as she placed the tray in front of Marinette.

Marinette's stomach growled as she smelled the food and said, "I am. Thank you."

Marinette took the spoon and started to eat the soup. It had fresh vegetables and a few pieces of chicken inside.

"Mm... Oh, this is good," Marinette said. Her stomach growled in satisfaction. "This really hits the spot. I don't think I ate since lunch yesterday."

"That's good that the food is to your liking," The girl said quietly. "My brother wanted me to make sure you had something in your stomach before the doctor arrived."

"Brother?" Marinette asked as she swallowed a bite of the bread.

"I'm Princess Juleka. Luka's my older brother." The girl said, giving Marinette a curtsy.

"Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Juleka," Marinette said, giving a nod to the princess in lieu of a curtsy. "I should have been more formal had I known as I was in the presence of fellow royalty."

"We don't really like all that properness. Kind of suffocating," Juleka quietly informed. "Please, don't let me stop you from eating."

"Okay!" Marinette said as she bit a large part of her apple. She was too concerned about feeding herself to worry about manners.

After a nice meal, Marinette sighed, sated from the food.

"That was delicious," Marinette said. "Thank you so much for the food."

"It's my pleasure." Juleka said, and then there was a knock on the door.

The door opened again and Luka came in with the doctor.

"Ah, so my patient is Her Highness, Princess Marinette of Fortune?" The doctor said, pleasantly surprised to see another princess in his presence. Juleka took this as her cue to leave.

"Yes. I can tell that her foot's in pretty bad shape," Luka said. "Do you think you could take a look at her, please?"

"Why certainly." The doctor replied as he went over to Marinette's bed and began his examination.

Luka stayed in the room, watching intently as Marinette patiently let the doctor do his job. Whenever she felt pain, she would bite her tongue and not scream. The doctor could tell that her right foot was pretty banged up.

After his examination, which lasted under fifteen minutes, the doctor looked up to Marinette with a grim expression.

"So?" Marinette asked, urgency in her tone.

"Broken," The doctor said point-blank. "You're going to need to stay off that foot for a few weeks. Maybe a month."

"A month?!" Marinette squeaked, scared. "But by then... Alya could be in huge trouble! Maybe dead!"

"Don't worry," Luka said. "I'll get some of the guards to go out into the woods and look for her."

"Thank you," Marinette said, relieved that her host was willing to go to these lengths for her. "But what if I need something?"

"I already thought of that," The doctor responded as he started to bandage up Marinette's foot. "I brought crutches just in case, so you can use them to get around if you need it. Otherwise, I'd let the staff wait on you hand and foot."

"I don't really like doing that," Marinette said. "But if it's going to get me back home faster, then okay."

"Good to see you're cooperative," The doctor said with an approving nod and smile. "Not like some other patients I've encountered."

The doctor soon left, and Marinette and Luka were left alone. The two of them kept their eyes on each other, and they were both a little shy.

"So..." Marinette began, trying to find a way to start the conversation.

"I should go," Luka said, making for the door. "I can come check on you later."

"What if I..." Marinette began, but Luka then pointed to the side table next to the bed.

"Just ring the bell on the table and either Juleka or I will come for you, either for anything you need, or just to talk if you want." Luka explained.

"Thank you," Marinette said. "Thank you for everything."

"It's my pleasure." Luka said with a nod before leaving out the door.

Marinette sighed, watching the door with a hopeful, affectionate look in her eyes.

As Luka walked down the hall a bit, he had a smile on his face, just thinking about the adorable princess that had graced his house. Not only that, but she was going to be staying for a while. But once that thought crossed his mind, face turned from pleasant to a bit concerned. Yes, he was worried about Marinette and he was hoping that she would recover quickly, but there was something else that he was worried about.

"Luka," Juleka said. "How is she?"

"Broken foot," Luka said. "She's going to be here for a while."

Just the idea of Marinette being in their castle was great news to him. He had a smile on his face at the idea of getting to spend more time with her.

Noticing her brother's demeanor, Juleka neutrally said, "Luka."

"Yes, Juleka?" Luka asked.

"...Be careful." Juleka quietly warned him.

Luka's face fell at that warning and he quietly replied, "...I know."

"...You just barely woke up as yourself this morning." Juleka commented.

Luka nodded, a sad expression on his face. The two siblings fell into silence.

Luka looked to the one of the windows in the hall and saw that the sun was still up in the sky. Not even noon. He muttered out, "The sunrise has always been a symbol of hope..."

Juleka nodded and made a noise in response, knowing what her brother was talking about.

"I've got some duties to attend to." Luka brusquely said as he went on his way back to his study.

Juleka watched her brother, and then looked back out the window. She sighed sadly before walking off.

After a few hours, Marinette got a case of cabin fever. So, she rang the bell to call for Juleka.

"You rang?" Juleka quietly asked.

"Yes," Marinette asked, as she took up the crutches next to her bed. "Could I get a tour of the castle, please?"

Juleka flinched a little bit. She was only here for a few hours and Marinette wanted to look around? Well, she was going to be stuck there for a month, so it made some sense.

"Sure thing," Juleka said with a smile. "Follow me."

Juleka helped Marinette stand and walk with her crutches, before asking, "What would you like to see first?"

"Well... Do you happen to have a sewing room?" Marinette asked.

Juleka smiled and delightedly said, "We sure do. Come on, let me show you."

Juleka helped Marinette leave the room and walk down the hall without any trouble. Marinette soon got the hang of the crutches and began to walk with them on her own.

As the two princesses walked the halls, Marinette noticed that the castle was pretty unkempt. The carpets did not seem very clean, the tapestries were dusty, there was dust floating around in the halls, and there were some random objects on the floors in some of the rooms. For royalty, the living situation looked very sloppy, not as impeccably clean as one would expect from any royal or noble house.

"It's... Kind of a mess in here, isn't it?" Marinette asked.

"Yes," Juleka admitted. "Our mother believed in personal freedom and we like the lived-in home feel in this castle. That's why we don't really have the staff around here clean up unless it's a real problem."

"I see." Marinette said, a little surprised that this family sort of ignored the expectations of royalty and just did their own thing. It was a breath of fresh air to Marinette.

As they made it to a large staircase that led up to the next floor. According to Juleka, the sewing room was on the second floor of the castle, while they were on the first floor. Due to her foot, Marinette needed help getting up and down, and Juleka had no trouble giving it to her.

"Watch your step," Juleka said as she and gently led Marinette up the stairs to the next floor of the castle. "It's a steep climb, I know..."

"Thanks. I can do it, though," Marinette said as she continued to climb the stairs, but not without any struggle or difficulty. "I can't wait to see this sewing room."

"Yeah, it's usually for the castle seamstresses," Juleka said. "But I don't see why they wouldn't let you in and let you make your own clothes."

"That would be great!" Marinette said, her eyes alight. "I can't be cooped up in my room day in and day out."

Juleka had to giggle a bit at Marinette's positive outlook on her situation. Though she was going to be in the castle for a while, she was trying to make the most of it by finding ways to keep herself occupied to take her mind off her foot.

"Here we are: the seamstress's quarters," Juleka said as she showed Marinette to an unassuming door. "We don't have much, but hopefully it's to your liking."

Juleka opened the door to reveal a large room dedicated solely to making clothes. There were bolts of a variety of fabrics on the shelves on the walls, rolls of thread, several mannequins around the room, and other tools.

"Wow... This is amazing! With all of this, I can make more clothes for the villagers than I could back in Fortune!" Marinette said as she looked around in awe of the grandeur of the room.

"I'm glad," Juleka said. "Shall I let you get to work?"

"I will!" Marinette said as she started hobbling over to one of the tables with her crutches. She saw that there was an empty sketchpad and some charcoal right there, and so she got started right away.

"I'll let the seamstresses know that you'll be in here whenever possible," Juleka said. "Have fun."

"Okay!" Marinette said as Juleka left the room. As soon as she did, Marinette began to sketch out a few new designs to make.

Marinette started sketching out shirts and pants of all varieties. Not to mention the occasional dress for the little girls in the village, too. Once she had her designs out, Marinette started to look around at all the fabrics she had at her disposal.

Her eyes soon laid on some teal fabric that was on the shelf. She would have to get help getting it down since she was too short and she was in no condition to get a step ladder to get it.

As soon as she saw the fabric, Marinette's thoughts immediately went to Luka, as the color reminded him of his eyes and hair. Not only was he a prince who was handsome enough to be a God, but he certainly had the heart of a prince, too. He went out of his way to help her when she was hurt, got a doctor for her, and was letting her stay with him and Juleka while she recovered. It made her feel warm and happy inside, and she wanted to do something to show him her gratitude.

With that in mind and a renewed vigor, Marinette started to sketch out another design with him as inspiration. After all, that fabric was just the perfect thing to match his eyes...

In his study, Luka was working on some documentation for the kingdom, including tax reforms, promotion of the arts, and trade agreements with other kingdoms.

There was a knock at the door and he said, "Come in."

The captain of the guard entered and said, "Your Highness."

"Any luck on finding Alya?" Luka asked as he stood from his desk.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not," The captain said. "The only thing we found was a broken lamp in the river, most likely Princess Marinette's. The guards and I haven't seen any trace of the girl matching the description."

Luka grew a bit sad and confused at this new information. He crossed his arms and said, "That's a little strange. Please let me know if anything comes up."

"Understood, Your Highness." The captain said before leaving the room.

Luka was left in silence as he continued his paperwork.

A few hours later, Marinette, Luka, and Juleka were sitting at the vast dining room table for dinner. They all had a pretty long day, and they were hungry. Luka sat at the head of the table while Marinette sat on his right and Juleka was sitting at his left on the sides. Their meal consisted of oven-roasted potatoes, a nice rack of lamb, and more soup.

As the butlers served the food, the three royals were talking to each other, with all formalities out of the conversation.

"So, how did you keep yourself busy today?" Luka asked Marinette, his eyes never leaving her.

"Juleka showed me to the seamstress' quarters and I've been designing and sewing clothes in the room all day," Marinette said, delighted to talk to Luka about her day, all the while eating some delicious food. "I can't wait to show them to you when they're finished!"

"You like sewing, then?" Luka asked, a smile on his face.

"I sure do!" Marinette said. "Whenever I have some downtime, I'll sew clothes and give them to the people in my kingdom. I like sneaking out of the castle to go see what's happening in the villages. It really helps me feel like I'm doing something to improve the citizens' lives."

"You're something else, Marinette," Luka said with a chuckle, looking at Marinette with interest and maintaining eye contact. "Always looking out for your people. That's amazing."

"Oh, it's nothing," Marinette said, a blush rising up from the praise. "I just think it's my duty as the Princess of Fortune to help my people."

Luka kept his eyes on Marinette, finding her blush cute and admiring the devotion she had to her realm. He had never met a princess who showed such dedication to her responsibilities. It was endearing.

Juleka had to smile at Marinette, approving of her.

"So, what royal duties do you have?" Marinette asked Luka and Juleka.

"Well, our main priority is letting the arts flourish," Luka said. "Especially music. We're really into allowing self-expression and creativity here. So sometimes Juleka and I go to schools and churches to help them promote the arts, and we always make sure there's funding for art and music in the schools."

"Wow, that's so impressive," Marinette said. "It is important to let people foster their creativity. But what about other issues? Economy, infrastructure, trade?"

"Don't worry, we always keep that in mind." Juleka said.

"That's good," Marinette said as she ate a bite of her lamb. She then saw something out the window. "Oh, isn't the sunset beautiful?"

Luka looked out the window and saw that the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. As if a switch went on, he ate a few more bites of his meal before putting his fork down.

He stood up and said, "Excuse me, Marinette, but I have to... Get ready to retire for the night."

"This early?" Marinette asked, quirking a brow.

"Yes. I like spending the final hours of the day doing a little extra... Music practice. It helps me fall asleep." Luka said, before giving Marinette a smile and leaving the dining room.

Juleka did not seem to find this odd, but Marinette was confused. In fact, she was worried that Luka got upset about something she said.

"Juleka, did I say something wrong?" Marinette asked, a little worried.

"Not at all. In fact, I think Luka really enjoyed talking to you tonight." Juleka told Marinette.

"Then why would Luka go to bed early?" Marinette asked Juleka.

"Luka likes being well-rested. It helps him concentrate on his work." Juleka quietly said.

"Speaking of rest," Marinette said. "Maybe I should get back to my room and rest my foot again."

"Allow me to escort you back to your room, Your Highness." A staff member said as he helped Marinette to stand, and then he started walking her back to the guest room that they had.

Juleka breathed a sigh of relief before looking out the window again. She always had a love for the dark and the scary, but whenever the sun went down, she would get a bit worried...

Dark came, and Marinette was asleep in her bed... Or was at least trying to sleep. She was shivering, biting her lip, cold sweat, and tossing and turning, being mindful of her foot. The poor girl was having a nightmare, and a pretty scary one at that.

~Nightmare~

Marinette was sitting in a beautiful, sunny flower garden that had flowers of all kinds, listening to beautiful cittern music that was coming from somewhere. But out of nowhere, a thunder clap and a bolt of lightning shot out of the sky, and then it turned into nighttime. There was mist around the garden, everything was dark, and the flowers seemed to wilt and turn black in the absence of the sun.

There were growling noises coming from all around her, and Marinette stood up in fear. She turned around and saw a giant shadow looming over her. It seemed very monstrous, the shadow itself looking like a cloud. It was staring down at her with red eyes, almost glaring at her.

Marinette took a step back, a little fearful. But then the eyes of the shadow beast softened and started to change colors...

~Nightmare Cuts Off~

To compound the fear, there were howling sounds echoing all over the castle, almost sounding like there was a wolf or some other creature inside the walls of the building. Hearing the noise, combined with the nightmare... It was a wonder that Marinette managed to fall asleep at all that night.

Once morning broke, Luka opened the door to his bedchambers and came out looking about as exhausted as he could get. And for some reason, his clothes were ripped and torn in places. Not only that, but his hair was ruffled up, too.

"Your Highness," One of the butlers said, coming over to the prince. "...Another rough night, I assume?"

"Yeah," Luka muttered. "It's hard to keep that thing contained."

The butler gave Luka a nod, understanding what he was talking about. He went back inside his room to change clothes.

Marinette ended up sleeping in, much to her frustration. She always hated waking up late, especially if she had other projects or priorities. And that nightmare was no help.

The maids had brought her breakfast and she ate it in bed, thoroughly enjoying the delicious food. Once she had finished eating, Marinette decided that she needed a little change of scenery. So, she took her crutches and began walking around the castle.

As Marinette looked around at the castle's interior and admired the décor, she was thinking about how to incorporate it into her present for Luka.

Marinette felt her face grow warm and her heart start beating like a drum as she thought about him.

Speaking of musical instruments, she started to hear the sound of a cittern coming from outside. The music itself was calming and quiet, and it seemed to resonate with her.

Marinette let the music relax her and she started to follow the sound. As she continued to listen and follow, Marinette noticed that the sound was coming from outside.

"I wonder..." Marinette began as she saw the open door and how it led out to the gardens of the castle. Wanting to see what was making the beautiful tunes, Marinette used her crutches and kept hobbling about.

Marinette made it outside into the gardens, but her heart thumped. She recognized this garden as the exact same one from her nightmare. Shaking off the fear, though, Marinette continued to follow the music.

Sitting on a stone bench in the garden was Luka. He was playing a cittern and had a calm smile on his face. Marinette noticed that Luka looked very handsome in the sunlight, especially outdoors.

Marinette blushed a bit at the sight of the handsome prince, and just continued to listen to his music. She closed her eyes and relaxed, letting the music calm her. She nearly forgot about the pain in her foot and continued to listen.

Luka opened his eyes and saw Marinette out of his peripheral vision. He smiled at her, stopped playing, and patted the seat next to the bench while telling her, "Come and sit."

Marinette hobbled over to the bench and sat, putting her crutches down. Luka continued to play a calm, sweet tune on his cittern.

Marinette closed her eyes and continued to listen to the song. There was just something about it that made her feel so much more at ease. Not only that, but even though her surroundings were identical to that of her nightmare, she felt safe... Like the music was telling her that she was going to be okay. That everything would be alright.

"Wow... You really have a way with that cittern." Marinette said as Luka stopped.

"Thanks," Luka said. "Music sometimes gets the point across better than words."

Luka put down his cittern as Marinette smiled at him. She said, "I'm a fan of the music of one Jagged Stone."

"Me too," Luka said. "Juleka and I always make an effort to see him whenever he's around."

"Same here," Marinette said as she scooted a bit closer to Luka. "I think that this recovery period is going to be a lot of fun."

Luka chuckled as he gently took Marinette's hand into his own.

At the door to the gardens, Juleka watched the interaction between her brother and their guest. While she was happy that her brother seemed to be enjoying himself and that Marinette seemed very comfortable with him, the purple-clad princess was worried for an entirely different reason.

"Not good..." Juleka muttered.

Okay, chapter 2 is done! Marinette has now met the Couffaine siblings and Luka definitely has her attention. But it seems like dusk isn't necessarily their favorite time of day. Why is that? Well, you'll find out next chapter.

Now remember: 15+ comments before chapter 3 gets up, okay?