In the mountains, a man crushed a black butterfly in his palm as the vision of a far-off town faded from before his eyes.

The sorcerer's patience was worn quite thin.

He grit his teeth, doing his best not to yell in anger. Years of searching for the other fairies, years of trying to track down those damned trinkets...he had been so close to the ring, to the green-eyed fairy, once. But he'd been just too late. Just a few days and he had lost it all over again.

That damned lord may have pitched it into the sea for all he knew.

...curse those Agrestes, honestly. The whole line had been nothing but trouble. They could never even use fairy magic properly. It was only right that someone should steal it from them.

Even their children were too willful and arrogant, he thought, reminded of the no-longer-boy from long ago. Ah, but that was alright, he'd taught that one a lesson.

Whoever was hiding the trinkets and fairies was doing a fine job of it, to keep him on this goose-chase for seven years.

He felt the fairy in his brooch flutter, and pressed his fingers against the smooth stone. The fairy stilled.

Another black butterfly flew towards him.

The sorcerer held his hand out. "What did you see?" he asked.

The view from the mountains shimmered and changed.

He saw the monster he'd created, on the floor in a dejected heap.

He couldn't help feeling a swell of pride in the sight.

And then his heart stopped when he saw a red light – a fairy – hover beside him. She spoke to him, reassuringly-

-he was angered all over again. The boy had a fairy and he was using her – with all her magic! - as a damned mother figure? A therapist?! He could do so much more with her, if he could only seal her away-

The fairy at his throat fluttered frantically. He ignored it and kept focusing on the vision, a feminine voice floating into his ears-

"Your heart is too strong to fall to his whims so easily."

What?

The vision rippled, threatening to dissolve in his anger. He tried to keep calm, watching and listened as the fairy inadvertently revealed his failure to him.

The boy was not suffering. He was not truly being punished.

This could not do.

The vision moved, past the boy's window. Stone and wood moved past as the butterfly flitted to another window, and then he saw the new maiden. She stood in the sitting room, confused as she stared down the empty hall. With a shake of her head, she moved to the couch to curl up and sleep.

He recalled how animal-like the young man had seemed in the last vision. He was more human now. Had he always been that way, as the fairy said, or...

His hand clenched into a fist. Or had it been the work of the girl?

It didn't matter. His spell was only half-working. The boy wasn't being truly punished for his pride, his unwillingness to cooperate, for the misuse of a fairy's magic...

He had to find another way.

No, more than that. He ought to just get rid of him.

If the spell wasn't even taking effect, what was the point in keeping him alive?

"You can't!" the fairy's voice rang in his head. It was the first time in years that he'd spoken. "You can't, the laws of-!"

The sorcerer sent a spark of magic into the brooch, silencing his slave. "I know about your laws," he snarled. "But they don't matter..." He held out his hand, and created another black butterfly. Holding it to his face, he whispered to it, "Find out where the girl lives. Find everything you can. Report back to me."

With a sweep of the man's arm, the butterfly was off.

It may take time, he thought, but it would be worth it in the end.

He'd waited seven years. He could wait a few days or weeks more...

Marinette sat outside, lazily doodling in her sketchpad.

She had a nice view, she thought to herself as she glanced up. Where she was, she could see the rose gardens, and a glimpse of the forest beyond. She could clearly see Rose and Juleka as they walked together (and Marinette couldn't help the pang in her heart as she considered why they could only go this far for a walk) and wave at them as they passed.

They really looked nice in her dresses, she thought to herself as they passed by again. Rose in her namesake, of course, and Juleka in a rich plum color. Rose's sleeves were much shorter than Juleka's wrist-length, and Juleka had a sweetheart neckline while Rose had a square, but both of the skirts were long enough to gently brush over the grass. Rose's clothing had a few cloth rosebuds sewn around the bodice and waist, and Juleka had a black bodice with an small floral pattern. They almost looked like nature fairies, Marinette thought to herself, squinting and tilting her head. Rose more so than Juleka, of course, but-

She shrugged that thought off and turned a page in her sketchbook. She picked up her charcoal and began to make swift, broad swipes. Her mind drifted as she began to sketch without really thinking about it.

It had been a rather peaceful few days. She hadn't had any more nightmares, nor had she any more odd dreams about disembodied voices in the mansion.

She'd been initially worried about the possibility of Adrien avoiding her, after she'd burst into his room in the middle of the night over a bad dream. But that had proven to be unfounded the next morning, when he greeted her just as normal. He didn't behave any differently around her the rest of the day, in fact.

That night, Marinette watched intently from her window. When she failed to see anything leaving the mansion and heading to the forest, she finally allowed herself to relax and admit things were still okay between them.

Which, she realized with an odd feeling in her chest, was much more of a relief that it probably should have been.

"What'cha drawing~?" came a playful voice over her shoulder.

"AH!" Marinette yelped, nearly dropping her sketchbook as she turned her head.

There was Alya, bent at the waist with her hands resting on her knees through her sweeping burgundy skirt, the breeze ruffling her white peasant top just slightly. Her mischievous smile widened as she kept staring at the sketchbook. "More designs?"

"No," Marinette chuckled sheepishly, loosening her grip on the book. "No, I- hey! Alya!"

Alya had plucked the book from her grasp, a playful smirk on her face. "Come on, can't I see before you make them?~" she sing-songed.

"They're not designs!" Marinette laughed, face turning pink. "I was just doodling, I wasn't even paying attention! Now give me that back!"

"Doodling? Doodling wh- oh..." Alya's smile faded as she glanced at the page at last. This response gave Marinette pause, standing there with her hand slightly out towards her book. Alya slowly frowned, touching the page before looking up at Marinette. "How did you...?" she began, before looking at the book again and shaking her head.

Now Marinette was really worried. "What? What'd I draw?" She snatched the book away from Alya – who easily relinquished it – and looked at the page.

She felt herself turning red again.

Sketched out on the page was the boy in the garden. The one from her dream.

The lines were rough and coarse, a bit disconnected, but they still formed him. His hair was still vaguely-messy, windblown as he looked at something off the page. She hadn't seen his eyes in her dream, but here she'd drawn them anyway – warm, kind, and curious, seeming to sparkle even in charcoal. His expression was neutral, but there was a slight curve to his lips, as if he were just about to smile at something.

There were no shadows to the sketch, and it gave the impression that he was illuminated, bright and shining.

For some reason, looking at it made Marinette's heart stutter. Especially when she looked at the eyes again and realized – to her dismay – she must have been modeling them after Adrien's eyes.

"It's nothing, I was just – I wasn't thinking, I was just moving my hand," she blurted out, closing the sketchbook with a snap. "And this just – appeared. That happens sometimes. You know, artist problems – d-did you need something?" She was rambling and she was aware of it. She forced herself to stop, clamping her mouth shut and willing for the blush to leave her face.

Alya stared at the sketchbook a moment longer, that odd look still on her face. "Yeah, I was..." She seemed to want to say something again, but then shook her head and sighed. "Yeah, Adrien was looking for you. He's over at the front entrance."

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette forced out, still embarrassed. Before the situation could get any more awkward, she hurried off, face still burning.

It wasn't until she was halfway to the sitting room that she wondered why Alya had looked at the drawing so oddly.

She could hear whispering as she moved towards the front door. She couldn't make out what was being said, but they sounded excited.

The voices halted just as she turned the corner, and she saw Adrien standing in the open doorway, the fairies hovering at his eye-level. He turned towards Marinette with a smile. "Did Alya tell you I was here?"

"Yeah, she did," Marinette said with a smile of her own. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked from Adrien to Tikki (who was covering her mouth, smiling excitedly) and Plagg (who met her gaze easily, albeit looking like a cat who'd swallowed a canary...which was actually a rather fitting analogy, come to think it). "What're you talking about over here?"

"Nothing, nothing at all!" Tikki laughed. "You two should get going!"

"Going?" Marinette frowned. "Where?"

Adrien looked a little flustered. "Oh...Alya didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"You're going to the forest again," Plagg said before Adrien could say anything. He folded his bitty arms over his chest. "But not to fish this time. We've still got plenty of that."

"Then why-"

"We need berries!" Tikki blurted out. "Lots of blueberries! And you two are the only ones who can get some!"

"Oh, really?" Marinette asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well, if that's the case...why do we need blueberries?"

"No time for questions, go on, you two! Go, go, go!" she cried, practically shooing Marinette out the door.

Marinette cast Adrien a bemused look that only make him laugh. Without another word, he reached for her hand, and they were off.

Marinette loved the forest during the daytime.

She tilted her head back a bit, breathing in the scent of greenery and flowers all around her. The dappled sunlight made pretty patterns on the ground, trees, her skirts, Adrien... Actually, now that she looked at him again, the sunlight also caught his eyes in a nice way that she hadn't noticed the last time.

It was nice, she decided, he really ought to be walking freely like this, rather than hiding in the bushes and darkness like when they'd first met.

She cleared her throat, smiling. "All right," she began. "What's going on?"

"Hm?"

"Really? Getting me out of the mansion? Into the forest, with no real reason for it? The whispering and smiling?" She narrowed her eyes, but the playful expression remained. "What are you planning?"

"Me? Planning something?" Adrien's tone was just as playful as her own. He placed a paw on his chest, eyes wide in mock scandal. "Why would you say that?"

"Hmmmm, Tikki's desperation to get us to leave, we're just wandering aimlessly instead of looking for berry bushes...and oh, there isn't a basket either," Marinette said, gesturing to their empty hands with a smile.

They stared at each other in silence before Marinette's laughter broke it. Adrien lasted only a second longer than she did, covering his mouth with a paw and turning his face slightly toward the ground. "O-Okay," he finally managed to say. "Okay, we did want you to leave the mansion."

"Because...?" Marinette prompted, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning towards Adrien.

He just grinned, eyes sparkling a bit. "It's a surprise." He laughed again when Marinette pouted at him. "Sorry, Mari, but I'm sworn to secrecy!"

"You sure you're just sworn to keep it a secret? You're sure you didn't have some hand in this?" Marinette teased.

Adrien's grin widened. "Maybe."

More laughter.

They walked in comfortable silence after that. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement; if they obviously weren't here to pick berries, they might as well just take a walk.

Without a real destination in mind, Marinette could enjoy the scenery a little bit more, too. And with the knowledge of Lila still in the back of her mind, she found herself noting just how thick a lot of the trees and foliage really were. Adrien could hide in there, easily, if he ever went out at night again.

...of course, he'd promised not to again, but just in case-

-either way. He'd be safe.

The thought made a weight vanish from Marinette's heart, and she couldn't help but sigh in relief. She was more worried about this than she'd thought.

The noise caught Adrien's attention. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"Nothing. A lot of things." Marinette shrugged, smiling wryly.

"Do you want to tell me about any of them?" The light teasing tone was back.

"It's nothing you haven't heard from me before. And the others probably aren't even that interesting."

"Try me."

"Well..." Marinette paused, mind whirring. She could comment on what was really on her mind – how it was a little funny that she'd initially come here to try and find out why she was dreaming on the mansion, why she kept hearing someone – two someones, now that she considered it – asking for help. How she'd come here fully preparing for a mystery and to find someone.

And how now...now she was staying here because she wanted to. Because she enjoyed everyone's company too much. Because she felt appreciated, felt like she was part of a group here.

Because she liked Adrien's company.

Because she didn't want to leave. And she didn't want to leave him.

Because, honestly...she was considering writing her parents with the truth and quitting her position as Chloé's dressmaker.

She could mention how she sometimes still thought of Adrien's promise – that he could help get her name out there where Chloé and her father were unable to.

She could mention the dream, and the boy, and how spooked Alya had been when she'd seen the picture. How she wondered why. Did Alya know him? Had he lived in the mansion before, and somehow managed to get out?

But she didn't mention any of that.

Especially not the part about Adrien and how she liked being with him. It was probably crossing a line she was really not sure should be crossed yet.

She shook her head, frowning. "Never mind. I'll tell you later." She looked up to see Adrien giving her a Look. "I mean it!" she laughed. "Everything's just...there's a lot on my mind and I can't pull any of it apart yet. But I promise, when I do pick them apart, I'll talk about it."

"Really?" Adrien raised a brow, but he was still smiling a bit.

"Really. I mean, of course I'll tell you about it," Marinette said without thinking. "You're one of my best friends."

Adrien's eyes widened and he halted right then and there. For a second, Marinette was afraid she'd crossed a line anyway. Was she not supposed to say that? Did he not like her as much as she liked him?

But those thoughts ceased when Adrien looked away for a second, then back at her with a tiny smile that she would almost call 'shy.' "Thanks, Mari," he said quietly. "You're one of my best friends too."

Another weight was lifted, and Marinette let herself smile again. "Sooo, then can you tell your best friend what's the big secret? The one that requires getting me out of the mansion?" she elaborated when he gave her an odd look.

"Ohhhh, I see, you're just trying to butter me up! It won't work, sorry – you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"Then it's only fair that I get to not tell you what I'm thinking. You keep one secret, I keep one."

"It's a surprise, not a secret!"

The pair were enjoying each others company too much to notice where they were walking.

Or what they were walking past.

Finally, the sun began to set, and Adrien said they could start heading back, that everything ought to be okay at home now. On their way back, Marinette found herself leaning towards him more, until she dared to take his arm. Adrien froze for a second, but allowed himself to relax and lead her back, trying to ignore the fact that his heart was hammering in his chest.

He would worry about this tomorrow, he decided.

In the evening, a young woman slowly made her way through the forest, bow and arrow at the ready. She was silent, holding her breath as she looked around.

The thing that made the tracks had not been taken out yet. She couldn't stop going out until it had.

A rustle in the bushes! Lila whirled around, pulling the arrow taut...

...only to see a black butterfly fluttering around some bushes. It landed on a leaf, causing the entire branch to rustle slightly.

She cursed, lowering the arrow. "How the hell can a butterfly make that much noise?" she grumbled. She turned back around, scanning the area. Great, now she had to determine what was a butterfly and what was her prey.

At least she was close, she knew. There were prints, some fresh and some old, but they were around here. The creature had been here, it might still be here.

She stopped again, seeing something on the ground. Lowering the arrow, she moved closer. It was too still to be an animal, but the way it caught the light, the way it sagged slightly, it couldn't be a rock either... She knelt down and picked the thing up.

A basket. From one of the berry-pickers? But this basket was empty...

Lila turned it over in her hands absently, but the moonlight caught a glimmer of something red. She squinted and turned the basket again, waving away the butterfly that hovered over her shoulder. At closer inspection...it was a word. Someone had cleverly used thread to embroider something on the basket itself.

"Marinette..." she mumbled to herself, reading it aloud.

Marinette...that was the girl who worked for Chloé, yes? The one who'd gone to see her family a few weeks ago. But what was her basket doing here?

Lila lowered the basket again- and her blood ran cold. On the ground near where the basket had been lying were more tracks.

There were tracks, Marinette's basket, but no other sign of Marinette...and nobody had seen her in weeks.

Which meant...

"No..." she whispered.