PART 2:

It is believed and often spoken that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Whether that is true for everyone, no one can really say for certain.

But one thing was absolutely certain:

When Marinette and Adrien parted ways, they stayed together in their hearts – though they did not know it right away.

She was found by her duty to her people.

He was bound by his loyalty to his family.

As the long days spent apart turned into agonizing weeks, the two heroes finally understood how much they missed being in each other's lives.

Luckily, they both had friends to help open their eyes – and their hearts – to the possibility of true love.

But like all fairy tales, there are villains who will do anything to ensure that true love does not prevail...


Chapter 1:

Bitten by the Love Bug

Autumn came quicker than usual, drying out the fields and turning the leaves of the Enchanted Forest into a vibrant collage of oranges, yellows, and browns. The sky often became pale and cloudy, which resulted in freezing rain falls. The air was crisp and frigid – an early warning system for the animals and human peasants that winter was well on its way.

That also meant most of the animals would be migrating or hibernating sooner this year, making it all the more difficult to hunt. Nino the huntsman was learning that the hard way.

His tanned skin served as a useful camouflage amongst the tall, dead grass as he spotted a lone buck grazing up ahead – or trying to graze, anyway. The creature would soon lose interest in the short supply of food here and move onward, which meant that Nino had to be quick.

But speed could be an enemy if you weren't careful, and Nino was surrounded by dry, cracked twigs that could give him away at the slightest misstep.

Gripping his bow softly, Nino lifted it up and aimed at the buck through the grass. He took a deep breath, held it, and prepared to fire.

SNAP!

Nino stiffened, shaking the grass around him.

The buck snapped its head up, its ears raised, before leaping into action and taking off towards the safety of the trees.

"Dawn it," Nino swore with a whine. "Empty-handed once again."

The question was: where had that noise come from?

Nino stepped out of the brush just as a beautiful, red-furred vixen emerged onto the open field and padded towards him. Her long bushy tail, which was dipped in white on the end, swayed behind her, indicating that she meant the huntsman no harm. Her ears perked up and her amber eyes gave Nino a friendly welcome.

The brown-eyed huntsman, however, was not as courteous. "You cost me my kill, Alya," he complained as he folded his arms at his girlfriend.

The vixen seemed to whimper and then lowered her snout to the ground. In a shimmering flash of gold, her red fur was replaced with a peasant dress completed with a soft orange cloak. The vixen's face shifted into that of a human girl with caramel skin, round spectacles and wavy auburn hair. But the eyes remained the same – only now they looked up at Nino with sarcasm.

"Well, pardon me, Master Nino sir," Alya said as she dipped into an exaggerated curtsy. "I came rushing over the moment I caught your scent, so forgive me if I got a little excited to see you again after several days all alone." Her lips scrunched into a pout that Nino found annoying as well as adorable.

The huntsman slumped with defeat. "You're right. I'm sorry," he confessed. "I'm happy to see you too."

Alya smirked and pulled him into a hug. Nino breathed in the spicy scent of pinecones, peaches and cinnamon in her hair, and he sighed with a smile. Shape-shifters not only had a keen sense of smell, but they also had a mystical, alluring aura about them that drew humans in like moths to a flame. In Alya's case, her scent represented her personality: fiery and vicious towards her foes, and sweet and protective towards her friends.

That was one of the main reasons Nino fell in love with her from the start. Well, that and the fact that he knew what felt like to be an outcast like Alya – cut off from the rest of society because of who you are or, in his case, what you had been.

The pair locked eyes, savoring each other's body heat amidst the chilly weather.

"How was your trip?" Nino asked her hopefully.

Her face fell into a sympathetic frown. "I've got some news," she admitted solemnly. "It's about... you-know-who."

Nino knew what that meant, and he sighed. "Judging by your tone, I take it it's nothing good."

Alya nodded. "Where is he?" she asked.

Nino knew what that meant too. "Back at the hideout," he whispered out of habit. Words travelled fast in the Enchanted Forest, and not everyone who heard was as well-receiving as they were.

The huntsman took Alya's hand and they trekked back into the forest. All the while, he felt a sagging feeling in his chest.

How exactly do you break bad news to your best friend without breaking his heart?


A small abandoned cottage in the middle of the Enchanted Forest wasn't exactly a nice place to call home. But it served as the perfect headquarters for the Seven Bandits – a group of youths founded by Adrien himself, each member devoted to overthrowing Hawkmoth and ridding the kingdom of his Akuma Guards.

Though it only had two rooms, one tiny fireplace, and one rickety table that served as the kitchen and workspace, the cottage at least shielded its inhabitants from the horrors of the forest at night. In addition, the whole place was infused into a massive tree, with vines stretching all over the brick walls and windows. It made the cottage seem more wretched and haunted, like in the children's tales about witches and fairies that dwelled in the forest, luring curious travellers to their doom.

Despite its forsaken appearance, the cottage was quite cozy on the inside, if not clustered. One large bed sat in the corner, reserved for the only three girls: Alya, Rose, and Juleka. The boys – Nino, Kim, Max, and Nathaniel – had to sleep on hammocks made from spare bed-sheets.

Which meant Adrien usually slept on the floor whenever he visited.

Normally, he didn't mind. In fact, he liked to joke around with his friends that the "Prince of Agreste" was always getting the short straw. But lately, his jokes were less frequent and his demeanour less lively and more dreary.

The thief now sat perched on the window sill, looking out towards the endless maze of trees. A tiny beam of sunshine warmed his face. He imagined it as the sunlight from the golden towers of Castle Bourgeois... from the day he last saw Marinette.

It had been a whole month since they parted. Adrien had assumed things would return to normal with time and distance. He assumed incorrectly.

No matter what he did every day, even while he was off fighting Akumas, Adrien could not get his ladybug princess out of his thoughts. Her face haunted him whenever he closed his eyes, and his dreams were filled with memories of her dancing around with her knife, singing softly by the fire, or running alongside him through the forest.

But they weren't always good dreams. Once in a while, Adrien would be back in that dark stone tunnel, running as fast as he could while a female voice screamed his name. Only it was no longer his mother's voice that Adrien heard – it was Marinette's; more terrified than he had ever heard her. He'd wake up on the cottage floor, drenched with sweat. One time, he accidently aroused the others with his own screaming.

Rose had given him a potion to help him sleep better since then – she was a skilled healer, after all – but she could not help Adrien drink away his fears.

Now the thief spent the boring waking hours gazing off into nothingness, wondering if his Ladybug was safe and happy. Of course she is, Adrien assured himself, she's a warrior – she can fend for herself.

Still, he could not ignore Marinette's voice, or her laugh, or her smile, or even the fiery look she had in those gorgeous sapphire eyes whenever she got angry or hurt. And every time one of those things crossed his mind, Adrien would pull out her lucky charm and wonder if Marinette ever dreamed about him. Then again, Cat Noir wasn't someone one would easily forget, even if they wanted to.

"...you even listening?" a gruff voice spoke from behind him. "Adrien?"

"Huh?" The thief snapped out of his reverie and glanced over his shoulder at his friends.

Kim, the one who had spoken, sat at the table due to his tall height while everyone else stood. He was so strong and well-built; he could lift almost anything and was already a fine shot with a bow. However, his dark brown eyes were as hard as boulders, and his dark hair with golden tips gave him the look of an irritated porcupine.

"I said," Kim repeated, "what do you think of Max's idea?"

Adrien threw the short, dark-skinned boy next to Kim a sheepish grin. "Uh... sorry, Max. I wasn't paying attention."

Max, the shortest and smartest of the Seven Bandits, rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Why am I not surprised?" he said in a squeaky voice. "Based on the unmistakable sudden redness in your face and the way your pupils had greatly expanded for a good two seconds before contracting, I'd say you had something more interesting on your mind."

The thief blinked at Max before frowning. "I just got distracted," he said defensively. "What's it to you?"

"He does have a point, Adrien," Juleka chimed in, brushing her long black hair from one side of her face. As the master spy of the team, Juleka's coppery eyes always paid attention to detail, no matter how small or insignificant. "You have been acting rather unusual lately, if not a little moody," she said.

Nathaniel, who was lounged in one of the hammocks, didn't look up from his book as he said bluntly, "Isn't it obvious? Adrien's thinking of someone, not something."

Adrien's eyes widened and his mouth hung open. "Wha-?! I... That's... How'd you...!" He stuttered uncontrollably but then stopped when he heard Rose gasping with delight.

The short, blue-eyed blonde had her hands over her cheeks as she squealed, "Adrien's in love?!" She bore a huge grin and inched over to Adrien, who almost lost his balance on the window sill trying to lean away from her. "It's her, isn't it – that "Ladybug" girl you told us about? What was her real name again? Mary... Marianna?"

"Easy, Rose," Kim said as he gently pulled the healer back. "Let the kid breathe." The strongman then gave Adrien a sly eyebrow. "Seriously though, is she right?"

A familiar male voice came from the door before Adrien could respond: "Is Rose right about what?"

Adrien sighed with relief and eased off the window sill. "Nino!" He didn't have to walk far to embrace his best friend. "About time you showed up – these guys are ganging up on me for no reason."

"Are not!" Kim and Max complained in unison. Not surprising, seeing as they both made a pretty good team. With Kim's strength and excellent aim combined with Max's intellect and trap-setting skills, they were a force not to be taken lightly.

Meanwhile, Rose and Juleka ran over to welcome back Alya. The healer and spy often worked together on reconnaissance or infiltration. And whenever Rose needed "special ingredients" for her potions – whether it was disguises, medicines, or explosives – Juleka would find creative ways to extract them.

Nathaniel didn't have as much fighting skills as the rest of the bandits, but that didn't make him any less a rebel. If anything, he liked to say that his voice was his most powerful weapon; his ability to speak truths and inspire others with stories of the past. One such story – the tragedy of Adrien's parents, King Gabriel and Queen Vivienne – did not go unnoticed by Hawkmoth.

After the other bandits saved him from execution, Nathaniel had asked to join their cause. Adrien remembered the red-headed bard's words: I want to be able to say that I was there. I want to be able to tell your story, whether it has a happy ending or not.

Then there was Nino and Alya, who had already become a couple long before they started taking on Akumas together. Alya's shape-shifting came in handy, even though she could only take the form of a vixen, and her boyfriend would always be there to support her with his arrows and hatchets.

Adrien had known Nino since they were children, so the prince knew that the huntsman's hatred towards Hawkmoth burned pretty deep.

It all started that fateful day when the prince thought his beloved mother had died. He had wept over Queen Vivienne's peaceful form while his stepfather held him, promising Adrien he would set things right. Later on, the prince had gone down into the woods to pick wildflowers for his mother's funeral, with Nino as his escort. Then, out of nowhere, the huntsman attacked Adrien, hatchet in hand; and a glowing, purple, butterfly-shape floating over his eyes. Adrien had been grievously outmatched, so he surrendered and begged Nino to make the end quick and painless for both their sakes. But when the moment came, Nino refused to stab his best friend, causing the dark spell on him to shatter instantly.

That's when Nino told Adrien everything he learned before he had been bewitched: how the prince's stepfather was the same sorcerer who had murdered King Gabriel; how the queen was not dead, but in a deep slumber; and how Hawkmoth needed Adrien gone in order to stake his claim to the throne of Agreste.

Adrien sighed heavily as the memory flowed through him. He wondered what would have happened that day if Hawkmoth had sent someone else other than Nino to cut out the prince's heart. Adrien never would have become Cat Noir. He never would have met Marinette.

And speaking of whom...

Adrien turned to Alya eagerly as the group hug finally ended. "So what did you find out?" he asked the shape-shifter.

The room quieted as Alya took a deep breath and met the thief's hopeful green eyes with her own sombre amber. "It's official," she stated. "Princess Marinette is to marry Prince Theo in two days' time."

Rose let out a tiny, horrified gasp. Juleka hung her head down. Kim and Max exchanged a nervous glance. Nathaniel finally looked up from his book, his blue eyes filled with sympathy.

Only Adrien remained impassive. He had expected nothing less... so why did it still hurt? "That's..." he nodded slowly as he struggled to speak, "That's... good."

"Is it?" Alya asked, unconvinced.

"Yeah, I'm happy for her."

Nino raised an eyebrow. "Are you?" he enquired.

Adrien's own eyebrows furrowed. "Why are you asking me stupid questions?" he snapped.

"Because you keep giving us stupid answers!" Alya snapped back, causing Adrien to reel. "Look, we know you've got it bad for her. You keep crying out her name at night, for god's sake! So why don't you just cut the "I don't care" crap and tell us the truth!"

Adrien caught Nino nodding at him. The thief sighed heavily and looked down at his feet. "You're right..." he murmured. "I have been lying, more to myself than to you guys." He looked back up at Rose. "I am in love with Marinette. The reason why I've never admitted it until now is because..." He paused and sighed again. "...because I want her to be here, with me. And at the same time... I'm afraid of losing her. My current lifestyle isn't exactly something I want to drag a princess into."

The bitterness in Alya's eyes faded instantly.

Juleka snorted. "You think we wanted to live like this too?" she asked.

Adrien blinked at her.

Nathaniel nodded and stood up. "But we chose to anyway," he explained, "because we knew it was better than becoming Hawkmoth's puppets."

Max bumped a fist on Adrien's shoulder, smiling. "And we all work like hornets in a hive," he declared. "In perfect synchronization."

"I don't know what that means," Kim said with a shrug, "but I agree. As long as we stick together, then Mothball can't stop us!"

Rose giggled and said, "As long as you truly care about Marinette, and she feels the same for you, then you have nothing to fear." She placed both her hands on her heart. "Love can overcome all obstacles."

Adrien smiled thoughtfully at his friends... but then rubbed the back of his neck. "But... I don't even know if Marinette does feel the same way," he contradicted.

Alya sneered. "Well, then, maybe you should go and ask her," she offered casually.

Both Adrien and Nino stared at her in disbelief. "How?" they both asked.

"Tonight," Alya said, her eyes gleaming with mischief, "Princess Chloe of Bourgeois is hosting a masquerade ball in honour of the engagement. Apparently, she wants to show off her little brother and his fiancée once last time before the big day."

Adrien's face lit up for the first time in weeks, a plan already forming in his mind. It made him feel like his old Cat Noir-self again. "And let me guess: every single noble in the kingdom has been invited?" he asked.

"You are correct, sir," Alya affirmed.

"Hold on," Nino broke in, eyeing Adrien curiously. "I know that look. What are you thinking?"

The thief bore a feline grin, his teeth flashing. "I'm thinking I need to get myself an invitation to the ball," he said as excitement ignited his core. "And I know just the noblewoman who can help me with that."


As midday finally brought the sun through the exposed windows into Lady Nathalie's study, the thin, dark-haired noblewoman caught a shadow moving shiftily along the floor. It looked to her like something – or someone – was crawling along the windows outside.

If she hadn't known better, Nathalie would have screamed that there was a burglar. Or a giant cat. Instead, she sighed softly and put her teacup down before turning to her bodyguard. "That will be all for now, Gor. You may go."

The hulking brute of a man bowed stiffly and stomped out of the study, sealing the wooden doors behind him.

Nathalie stood from her chair and strolled over to the fireplace, using the poker to nudge the dying logs back to life. Once that was done, she brushed her hands off and spoke over her shoulder, "Would it really kill you to use the front door for once... Your Highness?"

A playful chuckle sounded behind her.

Nathalie turned and unsurprisingly found the boy she once knew as Prince Adrien sprawled in her chair, legs crossed, face stretched into a snicker. The lady had to give him credit – he actually closed the window this time.

"I guess I'm more cat-like than I realized," Adrien bragged.

Nathalie gave him the barest smile as she strode over to the table in front of them. "I wonder if your choice of theme had something to do with that annoying black cat from the castle," she mused as she began to pour a fresh cup of tea. "Do you recall? It was the one that followed you everywhere when you were a small boy; always sneaking around other people's private rooms." She emphasized that word heavily with a raised eyebrow.

Adrien rose from the chair, his emerald eyes gazing off at seemingly nothing. Nathalie couldn't say they didn't remind her so much of his mother.

"His name was Plagg," the former prince elaborated, "and I really loved that cat."

"Of course," Nathalie said as she offered him the warm tea. "I meant no offence." Adrien took the cup with a gracious nod and took small sips as Nathalie went on, "But I presume you didn't come here to talk about old pets and bad habits, did you, Adrien?"

The boy lowered his cup, licking his lips as he replied, "No, Nat. I'm here for a favour." His eyes had that familiar gleam of a child about to play hooky from his studies. Nathalie knew it all too well. "There's going to be a fancy little to-do at Castle Bourgeois this evening," he said, all while frowning a bit at his tea, "and I need your help getting inside without any trouble."

Nathalie pursed her lips curiously. "Princess Chloe's masquerade ball?" she asked. "What makes you think I have any intention of going to that lousy excuse of a good performance?"

"Come on, Nat..." Adrien said as he leaned over the table to scoop sugar into his cup. "When you were my governess, you always had a knack for being at every festivity ever held. Not just for the music and free wine..." he added with a smirk, "...but for the gossip. I'm willing to bet you know the names and statuses of everyone on Chloe's guest list." Adrien stirred his tea, clanging the sides of the cup as he did so, before turning back to Nathalie. "And maybe – just maybe – you also know all of the ins and outs of Castle Bourgeois." He took another sip, smiled satisfyingly, and then leaned against the table. "Am I right?"

Nathalie felt a deep weight fall on her shoulders. One year away from court, and the prince could now read people's souls like a gambler could read cards on a table. Now he reminds me of the father, she thought with a shudder.

The lady put on her regal face and explained, "After I was... rudely dismissed from Castle Agreste, getting close to the Bourgeois royal family was my only chance of keeping an eye on Hawkmoth's supporters. Andre's daughter likes to throw get-togethers for the rich and powerful... and most of them have had their pockets filled with your stepfather's coin." Nathalie's mouth tightened as she said that.

"But that wasn't the only reason," she admitted, giving Adrien the look of a worried nurse. "I wanted to see if any of them had any information about you – whether or not you were alive, any sightings or raids you've been involved with..." She sighed. "Your mother wasn't just my lady and sovereign – she was my oldest and dearest friend." Nathalie turned away guiltily. "Is she...?" She cleared her throat. "She has not woken yet, I presume."

His silence was answer enough.

Then Adrien said firmly, "I'll find a way to save her. I know I will."

"Adrien..." Nathalie pleaded as she faced him once more. "There are some battles you cannot hope to win."

The prince's eyes hardened into shields of green. "And there are some battles you have to win," he stated.

Nathalie's thin blue eyes widened, but then it was gone in an instant. She could never doubt the amount of sanguinity and fortitude her pupil had within him.

"I'm not going to let her down, Nat," Adrien vowed, setting down his teacup before straightening. "But first, there's someone at that ball I need to talk to."

"Whom, exactly?" Nathalie asked, suddenly unsure she wanted to know.

"Princess Marinette of Dupain-Cheng."

The way Adrien uttered that name: the words slurring together, his tone soft and warm, his eyes bearing traces of the same look his mother got when she met her first husband...

It was all enough to make Nathalie giggle brightly. "Oh, my dear Adrien," she stammered, trying to hide her smile. "I always knew that brash charm of yours would get you in trouble one day, but this...?"

Adrien cocked his head to the side, his eyes rolling. "Yes, well, as you can obviously tell, I'm not exactly ball-ready," he said as he gestured to his roguish assortment of leathers. "So will you help me get inside the castle – just this one time?"

Once she had gathered her wits about her, Nathalie sighed and strode back to the fireplace, watching the faint embers vanish into the air. "To aid an outlaw wanted for murder and treason is considered a death sentence," the lady said gravely. "Just having you here now puts me at a terrible risk."

She heard feet shuffling along the carpet. "I know," Adrien murmured. "But I wouldn't have come unless I had a really good reason to. You're the only noble I know I can trust."

Nathalie recalled the day she first heard Hawkmoth's decree, calling for Adrien's immediate capture and execution. She had never believed a word of it. She had spoken up for Adrien, and that's what had gotten her banished.

Perhaps it was high-time to even the score.

"You are Vivienne's son," Nathalie said, "and Gabriel's; no matter how much you wish it wasn't so." She turned to face him staunchly. "If you need to get to the ball, then you, Prince Adrien, are going to need to be more than "ball-ready". In fact, we're going to review all seven of the royal valses just to make sure you haven't forgotten anything in your... absence."

Adrien stared perplexedly at her as his former governess.

"Fortunately for you," Nathalie said as she raised a finger, "I still have some of your old suits and uniforms tucked away for safe keeping. I took the liberty of stashing away your belongings when I left Castle Agreste. I am quite certain one of them will –"

"Hold on..." Adrien interjected, his face slack with surprise. "You actually kept my old clothes?" He paused and made a face. "Nat, you know that's weird, right?"

The Lady of Sancoeur gave him a suave smile. "I prefer to think of it as... clairvoyant."