AN: Are all of you aware that I have dug a whole I can't get out of? Why do I say so? Because I really like this AU and I shouldn't get attached but HERE I AM… ATTACHED!
Enjoy the second chapter
Marinette had to admit to herself that she sorely missed her old home to the largest degree. From waking up before the sun began to rise, listening to her mama and papa bustle downstairs preparing bake goods for the day and smelling the most delectable freshly baked bread in all of France. Normally she would help them but this time she took the opportunity to gaze on her hometown as the rays of morning splendour would wash over the city.
She climbed up the familiar ladder up to the roof which was surprisingly well kept despite her absence from home all this time.
'Mama must have been up here a lot while I was gone.' She thought sadly.
She was barefoot and felt the pads of her feet stick to the floor slightly as she paced to the bar of the balcony and set her palms around it like she had hundreds times before. The sun ached its way slowly across the horizon and the rays decorated themselves in multiple directions. The Siene caught some of the rays and glistened amongst the ripples. What Marinette was missing were the chirps of the birds nearby, although it did cross the young woman's mind that Paris probably hadn't been this way in a while so most likely there aren't many animals around.
It was hard for her to believe how bad it had become in her absence, for all she saw were the beginnings of what had happened and then she left intending to go to Italy. Strange that the Ladybug curse had only come upon her only after these plagues had sprouted up. Was this coincidence not much of a coincidence at all? Was she somehow connected to what had been happening here?
She would like to say no but she felt tingly the whole time when she had returned and not to mention an aura she keeps feeling but cannot identify.
Was this a sign?
Paris had started to look up in the few weeks that had passed since Marinette's return. Paris had become a bit livelier in fact, with a new hope in the people. Or so she thought…
Marinette had started helping in the bakery again and was feeling her anxiety loosen as she kept herself busy. She and her parents agreed that they should get her settled in before she could meet with her friends again excluding Alya. Marinette will admit since she's been home that she had felt extremely disconnected from everything that had been going down in the townspeople's lives.
For example after Marinette's departure a great tragedy hit the Agreste Manor. The Agreste's were one of the wealthiest families in Paris next to King Bourgeois' own family. The head of the Agreste household, Gabriel Agreste, was one of the wealthiest men in France alone and was bestowed by the King a Duke status. The rest of his family consisted of his wife Emile and his only son Adrien and for all that the city knew they were happy.
Marinette was wholly shocked to hear that M. Agreste's wife and son died after her parting. She may have never known the family but she couldn't help the tug of pain in her chest that she had for M. Agreste. She thought of what her Papa would be like if her and her mother weren't here.
Along with some other news Marinette was happy to hear her old friends managed to get happiness in such hard times. Mylenne and Ivan have gotten married and are expecting their first child, Alya and Nino are to be wed soon, Nathaniel has become a personal painter to the royal family, Kim has become one of the top ranked knights in Paris and the list continues. Honestly Marinette is proud her friends achieved the goals they did despite Paris' dire years that have passed
Marinette was sweeping in the back of the bakery in the mid afternoon when she heard a bit of commotion at the front. Perplexed she set down her broom and went silently went to look out the slightly open doorway.
"Tom you have to let some of these people near your daughter! She's blessed with good luck so surely she can cure these people!" A villager pleaded.
"I understand but what you are asking is out of the question Monsieur. These people have caught unidentified illnesses no one has ever heard of and you want my daughter to go potentially catch it herself?" Tom said in slight agitation.
"Tom please understand. I'm sure if they were even in the same room as her they would be healed." Another man cried out.
"And you Monsieur please understand that as her father I put her safety above any other. Now if you aren't here for business, kindly make your way home." Tom dismissed the agitated crowd.
Once the crowd left Sabine sighed loudly "Now I can see what Marinette was speaking of about her gift. If the news of her Luck spreads then what can we do dear?"
"As much as possible." He answered.
Marinette couldn't let that go by though "Mama, Papa…"
The two were startled and turned around to see Marinette fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Oh my how long were you there Sweetheart?" Sabine asked.
"The whole time… Mama, Papa I don't want to cause you grief by this. I am a trained knight and fighter, not to mention that this is a familiar scenario I've encountered so I don't want to be a burden on the two of you."
"Now Marinette You know that you will never be a burden so don't think in such a way" Sabine said sternly.
"You are our daughter so anything we do for you will never be a burden" Tom reaffirmed.
Marinette smiled warmly but still felt a sympathetic pang in her chest. Would it hurt just to see the sick? Being near them would be enough but she knows all to well the extent of what the luck of the Ladybug can do and it can be limited in some regards. Not to mention the uproar that might begin again and Marinette didn't want anyone she loved to be caught in the crossfire like the last time.
So hiding in the bakery was her best bet… but now rumours were spreading and her current hiding spot has an expiring date. She didn't want to think about it at the moment.
The next morning Marinette woke up to the sound of people bustling outside. She furrowed her brow and rubbed her eyes grumpily and she went to see the commotion outside her window.
Her eyes widened and her throat tightened at the sight of the people outside the bakery and the very elaborate carriage outside too. Was an aristocrat here?
Marinette quickly changed and ran downstairs to the bakery to see her mom looking outside worryingly.
"Mama what is going on?" Marinette asked and startled her mother from her concentration.
"Oh sweetheart you're awake. Don't worry dear your father is outside dismissing everyone." Sabine tried to avoid telling the whole story.
Marinette looked irritated looking outside to the crowd waiting. She saw her father barely in the crowd talking angrily to someone.
"I think it's time to end this" Marinette whispered in a stern tone.
Without warning her mother Marinette charged out the bakery loudly.
The people closest to the door were startled and the rest of the crowd noticed and went quiet. Looking at Marinette's serious stance the crowd moved back to reveal who Tom was talking to. Marinette marched down the path and saw the person who was the owner of the carriage she saw upstairs. King Bourgeois stood by his personal knights and looked as arrogant as Marinette perceived any king to be.
Behind the king was Princess Chloe who Marinette knew to be notoriously apathetic and quiet the brat but looking at the blonde girl Marinette was surprised to see the princess ill.
Tom panicked seeing his daughter tried to hush her back into the bakery but Marinette shook her head and gave him that stubborn look he knew all too well. The burly man stood back for Marinette to speak to the King.
"Mademoiselle Dupain I do pardon the fuss of the crowd but we have made the time to visit your… home and we request your help. From the rumours we have heard we have come to believe you possess the power of luck am I correct?" The king spoke out in a loud voice for all to hear.
Many whispers cluttered around the area and Marinette looked uncomfortable but she was determined to look hard.
"Your Majesty I believe you might have heard wrong. I was a knight of the French resistance who worked under Joan of Arc who was the one who had possessed such a gift."
'Had'
The harsh memories were slowly coming back to Marinette but she had to shove the emotions down at the moment.
King Bourgeois frowned at the girl "Now I understand your caution Mademoiselle but your return to Paris says a different tale of who possesses this gift. Because of your return the plague of the Floods and Lightning storms have ceased. Now with this new epidemic of Diseases has come up, I as the King have to now take some action and find a solution. Mademoiselle Dupain this has even reached my own household, so I ask of your help." The King pleaded then looking over his shoulder to his daughter who was ready to faint.
Marinette stared down the king and frowned in bitterness "I…do wish to help you with this your majesty but I'm afraid my so-called gift of good luck doesn't always solve any direct problems."
The King looked astonished at her words "What do you mean? It solved the last problem didn't it?"
Marinette crossed her arms over each other showing her discomfort "Like yourself your majesty people would search me out to cure the sick, lame and blind but my ability to do so is limited. I can only cure common sicknesses and that is the extent it can go to. The sickness that has affected the town isn't common; it may even be… terminal."
Chloe behind her father looked panicked and utterly terrified and her father took note of it and in his panic he went on his knees in front of Marinette "Please you can't let my darling daughter die! Please! I am begging you!"
The whole town gasped in shock of the Kings desperate plea for help and Marinette took several steps back not sure what to do.
'Think Marinette! Maybe you can do something!' she pleaded with herself.
The atmosphere felt very tense and as Marinette was contemplating an idea struck in her mind… if there were so many plagues maybe a curse has been cast on the town?
"Your Majesty this town has been struck with plagues for some time am I correct? Perhaps if we can pinpoint the problem we can stop the problems."
The crowd went silent and the King got up with the dignity he had left and looked over to his top knight and nodded his head for the man to take off his helmet.
"We are… familiar with who might be responsible…" The King said hesitantly.
'So someone is really behind this all?'
With heavy silence the king was mulling over something in his head and then looked to Marinette "Very well… this information isn't meant to be heard by many but this is a rare case."
Marinette gulped.
"We have speculation to believe that on the outer skirts of the South side of Paris there is a warlock or dark force residing in the wasteland." The Knight who had removed his helmet from earlier informed Marinette. Marinette recognised him to be Sir D'Argencourt.
'Now that sounds plausible.' Marinette thought.
Many though being slacked jawed, Marinette having been in the service before didn't think this was unusual and there were some dark forces out there that non-sane people delved on. So now that the mayor addressed this he perhaps could send his men to evaluate and solve this situation.
"Very well Mademoiselle Dupain we humbly thank you for taking on this task." Sir D'Argencourt presumed.
'What?' Marinette's eyes were displaying.
"Umm… Excuse me?" She inquired in a stupor.
"We thank you for going to rid us of that Warlock or Omen. That is what you were implying right? With your experience in the resistance you should have the understanding? Not to mention the advantage of your circumstances." The head Knight clarified.
"I… Uh wasn't… Wait-!" Marinette stared stuttering and was interrupted by the towns folk cheering of the news.
'How am I going to get out of this?!' She shrieked internally.
It smelt indescribable in the mansion. He hadn't come across this stench before…
It was like Ashes and Decay.
Why?
Why was the ground in pieces?
Why?
Why did his father look terrified?
Where was his mother?
It was disgusting, horrifying and vile; the corpse that laid there in front of him and his father staring in horror the opposite side of the torn room.
The book his father held was lodged in his hands and secured against his chest.
In his catatonic state he asked his father "Is mama better?"
The young boy's face had streaks of black growing on him, crawling everywhere and his eyes… good gods his eyes where glowing in an evil manner.
"Papa, do… Do I have good luck yet? We need to fix Mama." He asked dully in a trance.
He didn't feel pain; his head said he should… He saved Mama right?
The boy kept looking at the corpse and lifted his head up to a mirror nearby.
"P…P-Papa! Theres a monster!" The boy screeched coming out of is trance.
He got onto his legs and retreated backwards and hit the wall. He was out of his trance and he looked to the corpse again.
"MAMAN!"
A young man in a dark whereabouts jolted up from his slumber in agony and fright. Gasping for air that he never knew he needed he touched his drenched forehead to calm the pain in his head. His eyes glowed eerily in the dark looking for a small puddle that was should be forming nearby. He pulled himself shakily to a shallow puddle and tried to splash some water to his sweaty face.
He groaned in agony at the disturbing memory that plagued his dreams again. Nonstop that day played in his head and he knew he could never shake the fear off.
"Please leave me… I don't want this! I never wanted this!" The young boy cried in pain.
"Someone… Anybody, just… just kill me."
AN: Anyone care to motivate me?