Sorry for the mini hiatus!
Locks of Ebony and Gold
by thepeacockandthebutterfly
He lay on his floor, breathing slowly in an effort to push back the pain. Adrien stared at the ceiling, eyes catching on the thin cracks that ruined the otherwise cleanly painted ceiling. He sat up carefully, wincing as his bruised body protested the movement.
"You are a disgrace of a son," the king sneered, leaning over Adrien, "how did your mother and I manage to give birth to such a worthless child?"
Adrien pleaded, "Father, please do not hurt me." Yet the man still moved forward, hand lifting to strike the boy.
"You need to be taught a lesson, boy." And then the hand came down, brutal punches and kicks following.
Adrien could only take it, attempting to contain his pained cries as he was beaten.
He walked over to the mirror, leaning heavily on the walls for support as he inched towards the reflective surface.
Adrien's face was relatively unscathed, the king smart enough to avoid leaving marks on any visible surface. But when he lifted up his shirt, bruises marred his pale skin. Most of the marks were a dark purple, but others were a sickly green or even yellowed. All of them hurt, as if his entire body was just one gigantic bruise.
He looked closer, noticing his sunken pale green eyes that no longer shone like emeralds. Even his hair was lanky, paling to an almost white blond color. Adrien reached up to touch his cheek, fingers touching the sickly pale skin of his cheeks. Light no longer danced in his eyes, childish innocence and excitement no longer present in his face. He stood there for several minutes, just looking at his reflection. Wondering how he had become this ghost of himself.
"I need to get out of here," Adrien said hollowly, the words echoing in the emptiness of his room. He looked around for a disguise, trading his expensive clothing for an old baggy shirt that hung loosely on him. The olive green fabric was soon accompanied by a beaten up pair of baggy brown trousers that he had once used for stable work (until his father had caught him helping the servants and had beaten him). Adrien finally fit his blonde hair under a black wig that he remembered being part of a pirate costume from some costume banquet.
And then he was running through the halls of the castle, slipping out in the guise of a peasant boy that could freely roam the streets of Paris. He grinned once he was outside, loving the feeling of the warm sun. He tilted his head back, soaking in the rays. Adrien recalled a simpler time as he stood there, wishing that he was a carefree child again. But then the ache of his bruises returned to the forefront of his mind, a harsh reminder that he was not that child. He had lost that side of himself long ago.
And so he trodded into the city, scuffed up shoes leaving marks in the dirt and eyes looking forward.
She had opted to walk on the forest floor this time, basking in the comfortable warmth of the sun and listening to the soft sound of her feet as she walked on the springy grass. Her yoyo hung at her side, ready for her fingers to wrap around it and utilize it. But today she was content to walk.
The city soon loomed before her, all stone and brick. The bright colors such a contrast to the gently greens and browns of the trees.
Pulling out her yoyo, she finally launched herself through the air just as she entered the city. But she didn't expect to slam into someone.
"I am so sorry!" the person she crashed into cried.
Ladybug rubbed her head, climbing to her feet slowly as she eyed the boy in front of her. He was thin and pale, sickly even, but there was an adventurous sparkle in his eyes. "No, it's fine, I should've been watching where I jumped," she chuckled.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked.
Grinning slightly, Ladybug shook her head. "Nothing comes to mind at the moment, but I'll keep your offer in mind for the future," she said, winking at the boy. There was a moment of silence where his cheeks bloomed scarlet before she burst out laughing. "I was kidding!" she giggled, "by the way, I'm Ladybug!"
"I'm..." he hesitated for a moment, "I'm Felix."
Ladybug bent into a curtsey, the silk of her dress moving perfectly with her body. "Nice to meet you," she said laughingly, bright smile still adorned across her cheeks. She glanced towards the city again, realizing reluctantly that she had to keep going. "I'm sorry, but I need to go."
"It is fine," Felix said to her, bowing slightly, "I should get going as well."
Biting her lip and ignoring the fact that he was walking into the dreaded forest where normally no one would venture, Ladybug pulled out her yoyo once again and brought her arm back, flinging the limb forward so that the string curled around a far away tree branch. With a salute to the boy, she pulled on the string and let herself fly through the air again.
Adrien watched her soar away before taking a deep breath, relieved that she hadn't recognized him. He turned back to the forest, wondering if this was what he wanted. With several tentative steps, Adrien walked forward into the swallowing depths of the dark forest.
For a while, there was nothing. He was surrounded by solitude, only the soft sounds of animals present to indicate life. It was nice...in a sense. The peaceful darkness of the deep forest, broken up by dancing threads of light that decorated the blackened canopy. Lovely. His footsteps were barely audible as he glided across the oddly soft grassy carpeting of the forest floor. Comforting.
Why didn't I do this earlier?
He continued walking until the trees began to thin out and he thought he could see light up ahead. Knowing that there was no way he had made it all the way through the forest, Adrien bit his lip before continuing forward. He passed the last tree, stumbling into a beautiful clearing.
Blissfully soft grass lined the ground, weaving their way up into vines that snaked around a massive tree in the center of the clearing. The tree was slender at the base before thickening just beneath the leaves of the massive plant.
Furrowing his brow ever so slightly, Adrien moved to the tree. He placed a hand on the tree, feeling it almost shudder at his touch. Adrien gazed up at the round bulb that sat beneath the leaves for one long moment before slumping against the tree. Butterflies danced through the little grove, the beauty of the area unmarred by mankind's harshness. He closed his eyes, basking in the warm light that shone freely in the clearing. It wasn't until he opened his eyes that he noticed a trail of light footsteps leading out of the clearing.
The grass had been slightly flattened by what looked like small, almost delicate feet.
Adrien scrambled to his feet, eyes locking on the tiny prints. He followed them on instinct, feeling the burn of adrenaline-excitement fill his chest and swirl around to fill his entire body. He was running, eyes easily finding the prints in the smushed grass and watching as they led him into the town. He ran to the center square, wondering what...or who had traveled all the way from that isolated clearing to the city.
He was just in time to see it all happen.
Ladybug wrapped her yoyo around a pole in the very center of the square, standing evenly on top of the pole despite how thin the metal was. A wicked smirk curled her lips, somehow still welcoming. Adrien would probably call it pride.
"She is beautiful," Adrien thought. Almost immediately he clapped a hand over his mouth, as if to deny the fact of what had just run through his mind.
But he couldn't.
She really was beautiful. Long black hair tied back in twin plaits that reached her calves, adorned with similarly long crimson ribbons. Her piercing blue eyes were hidden behind a red and black spotted mask, the color similar to that of the rest of her costume. Long streams of fabric that enhanced her figure before trailing off, all ladybug patterned. And twin garnets residing in her ears. Perfection.
"I am Ladybug," she said in a soft voice that somehow carried throughout the entire town square, "And I am here to help." Her entire body was poised to command attention. Confidence swelling her chest and widening her smirk. Stunning.
Her gaze swept across the crowd that had assembled below her, eyes locking with Adrien's. He blushed, looking away and hoping that it wasn't him she had seen. But then she threw him a wink, waving her hand at him in an overly familiar gesture that showcased a ring sitting on her finger. He blinked, wondering if he had imagined the large emerald seated at the top of the plain band.
Just as he noticed the emerald, a booming voice cut through the light chatter of the crowd.
"Ladybug," the king said.
She cocked her head at him, sweeping the end of her dress(could he even call it a dress) into a curtsey that seemed almost mocking. Almost. "M'Lord," she replied, a slight lilt to her voice that had not been present earlier.
(Adrien may or may not have hidden a snicker behind his hand).
The king's face remained passive, but the slight throbbing of a vein in his forehead betrayed his peaceful expression. "I merely wished to express my gratitude for you saving the life of my son, that is all," he said curtly, signaling to his carriage driver to turn and leave.
(Adrien definitely giggled a little bit after that).
Ladybug smiled straight at Adrien, as if she knew he had laughed. As if she had done it to make him laugh. With one last flourish of her hand, she was leaping through the air again. Heading towards the forest.
Adrien ran after her, wanting to follow this mysterious girl just a little longer. Maybe even talk to her again. But he only made it to the gates in time to see her swing away into the depths of the leafy trees.
Something slipped off her finger then, falling into the grass just outside of the gates.
Running to pick it up, Adrien gazed at the smooth silver ring that lay in the plush green grass. Mesmerized by the large jewel that sat on top of it, the emerald glittering in the sunlight.
He reached out and touched it, hand wrapping around the accessory gently. An electric tingle sot up his arm and the ring began to glow softly.
Finally. Finally, I have found my chosen.
Sorry, not sorry!
I feel so bad about not updating last week, but I've been really sick :( I had to go to the ER because of a dangerously high fever so I've kind of been stuck in bed and my head hurt way too much to even attempt to get on my computer to post this and finish updating stuff. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially after the long wait.
Mostly only sorry because it'll be another few weeks before I will be able to post the next chapter for y'all! Check the last update/announcement/chapterthingy for my schedule for the remainder of the summer!
I love you all! Thank you for your patience!
Review Question: Express your feelings on Adrien's character. What do you think he will do now that he has the ring?
Reviews:
Ezpear- Awwww thanks love
Izzy- we'll see ;))))
TheDreamerOfImpossibleThings- Hey hey hey, it's a testament to my writing ability that you so desperately want for more! (nice pun, btw)
GuardianAngel1234567- There'll be a few more Tangled references in this fanfic, but Mother Gothel/Hawkdaddy may not show up until he finds out about her adventures.
WolfMistwood- Hawkmoth doesn't know that she is Ladybug...YET...keep that in mind. :)
Mayuralover- YES omg ily you're so smart, you already figured out half of my plotline (not sarcasm, I'm actually being serious for once)