That night, Marinette was out on her balcony looking at the stars a sad look on her face.
Sighing, she headed inside to be back with Tikki, Alya, and Trixie were.
In the gardens below her Adrien was pacing around trying to come up with a plan on how to win Marinette's heart.
"What am I going to do?" he asked out loud, although no one was really listening. "Marinette won't even let me talk to her. I should have known I couldn't pull over this stupid 'Prince' wish," he said taking off his turban fixing the feather annoyed it kept falling down.
Behind him Plagg was tucking into all the camembert cheese the palace had to offer.
"So what, big deal, you can always try with other girls," the black cat said with his paws holding onto a piece of cheese.
"You don't know anything about love Plagg," Adrien said sighing.
Next to them, Nino and Carpet were playing a game of chess, and Carpet was winning.
"So move..." Nino said bored that it always took Carpet so long to make her move.
A shine coming to her pattern making it look like she was smirking, Carpet took her queen, and replaced Nino's queen with hers, making his king be backed into the corner, and therefore Checkmate.
"That's a good move..." Nino said after getting over the surprise of the move. "I can't believe it, I'm losing to a rug." he said to himself.
"Nino, I need help," Adrien said turning to him a small pleading look in his eye.
"Look, dude, here's the deal," Nino said, imitating a gangster while, resetting the chess board "If you want to win Marinette over you've gotta be a straight shooter. Do you got it?"
"Huh?" Adrien asked confused.
"Tell her... The..." Nino said now dressed as a teacher with a blackboard tapping to the words he just said "TRUTH!"he cried out flipping the board to have a lit up 'Truth' be seen.
"No way!" Adrien said attacking the board making it disappear "If Marinette found out I was just some, cruddy 'Street Rat', she'll treat me the way everyone else does," he said sighing putting his turban back on.
"Look, Adrien, I've been alive for years, and I've learnt that it's always best to just be yourself," Nino said changing back to being a human
"And that's the last thing I want to be," Adrien said taking some deep breaths to calm himself down.
"Ok, ok I'm going to go see her," he said straightening his turban "I just... I gotta be smooth, cool, confident," he listed to himself turning to his friends "How do I look?"
"Like a prince," Nino said sighing watching him use Carpet to fly up to the balcony.
In her room Marinette was with Alya on her sofa thinking about that boy from the market place, and a story her mother always told her when she was younger, about how you felt something inside your heart when you meet the right person, and that it only happens once in your life.
"I thought we zinged Alya," Marinette said sighing as Tikki was brushing her hair.
"You and that boy?" Alya asked to make sure she understood, getting a nod from her friend.
"I guess it was just me," Marinette said sighing "Not like we can ask him is it?"
"Marinette, I know you don't want to hear this," Alya said sighing Trixie munching on some fruit "But there will be other boys. Why don't you give this new prince a chance..."
"Princess Marinette?" someone called to them from the balcony, making them all look to it.
"Who's there?" she asked getting up and coming to the door.
"It's me, Prince..." Adrien said clearing his throat and deepening his voice. "Prince Chat Noir."
"I do not want to see you," Marinette said turning back into her room.
"No, please. Please Princess," Adrien said dropping the act and trying to follow her "Just give me a chance."
"Just leave me alone," Marinette replied.
"You heard her leave her alone," Alya said coming up to Chat Noir making his back up against the edge of the balcony, as Trixie snatched his turban.
"Hey! That's mine!" Adrien said trying to get it back.
0o0
Just below the rim of the balcony, Nino and Plagg had joined Carpet.
"So how's our little prince doing?" Nino asked, getting Carpet to mime cutting off her head.
This made Plagg fly up to be next to him to give some advice while Nino face-palmed.
0o0
Back at the doors, Marinette looked out again and a look of realization came to her as she saw the hair that shone like the sun and the gorgeous green eyes.
"Wait, wait, don't I... Know you?" she asked coming over pulling Alya and Trixie away giving him back his turban.
"Uh, no. No." Adrien said putting his turban back on.
"You remind me of someone I met in the market place," Marinette said a curious look on her face.
"The marketplace?" Adrien asked laughing a little "I have servants who go to the marketplace for me," he said not seeing Plagg land on his shoulder. "Why I even have servant's who go to the marketplace for my servant's, so it couldn't of been me you met."
"No... I guess not..." Marinette said sighing.
Feeling that this was something these two should work out for themselves, Alya said she and Trixie would get some more food.
0o0
In the garden, Nino was about to become a mini volcano and 'Erupt with frustration' when Alya came out and over to him.
"Excuse me," she asked making him look up "You mind if I eavesdrop on these two with you?" she asked the moon making her hair glow and stars being reflected in her eyes.
"Er... No, no go right ahead," Nino said clearing his throat trying to control his emotions so he doesn't make his heart 'Jump out of his chest'.
"I'm Alya, by the way and this is Trixie," she said quietly.
"Nino," he replied.
0o0
Back on the balcony, Adrien was listening to Plagg's advice.
"Enough about you, kiddo. Talk about her..." he whispered into Adrien's ear "Um... She's smart, fun, the eyes, hair. Anything just pick a feature."
"Uh Princess Marinette? You're very..." Adrien began thinking.
"Wonderful, magnificent, glorious," the Kwami-ized black cat listed "Punctual."
"Punctual," Adrien repeated.
"Punctual?" Marinette asked confused as Tikki tried to keep her giggles to herself.
"Sorry," Plagg said.
"Uh, beautiful," Adrien said pretending to correct himself.
"Nice recovery," Plagg said smiling.
"Hmm. I'm rich too you know," Marinette said smiling and coming over slowly gently swinging her hips.
"Yeah," Adrien said smiling.
"The daughter of a Sultan," she continued getting ever closer.
"I know," he replied eyes still on her.
"A fine prize for any prince to marry," she said coming right into his face.
"Warning, warning," Plagg said into Adrien ear jumping off the boy's shoulder and over to Tikki.
"Uh, right. Right. A prince like me," Adrien said getting nervous and backing up against the edge of the balcony.
"Right. A prince like you," Marinette said flicking his nose before reaching up for the feather on his turban "And every other stuffed shirt, swaggering peacock I've met," Marinette said pulling it down and throwing his cape at him as well before heading back inside.
"But Princess..." Adrien said fixing his outfit.
"Just go jump off a balcony!" Marinette said ignoring him.
"Stop her! Stop her!" Plagg said zooming back over to Adrien zooming around his head "Want me to bite her?" he asked.
"Get lost!" Adrien said quietly waving him away.
"Fine. But remember what Nino said," Plagg said crossing his arms "Be yourself."
With that Plagg went back to the cheese that was in the garden.
"Yeah right..." Adrien said, a little too loudly.
"What?!" Marinette asked spinning to him fire in her eyes.
"Uh... Uh, you're right," Adrien said trying to stay on her best side. "You aren't just some prize to be won," he said climbing on top of the edge as Marinette and Tikki were surprised at how he was understanding her. "You should be free to make your own choices. I'll go now..." he said stepping off the edge and dropping down.
"NO!" Marinette cried out scared.
"What? What?" Adrien asked looking back over the edge looking unharmed.
"How... How are you doing that?" Marinette asked coming back over to him, as he showed her, as Carpet flew up to meet her waving.
"It's a magic carpet," Adrien said smiling.
"It's lovely," Marinette said smiling waving back.
"You... Don't want to go for a ride do you?"he asked unsure "We can get out of the palace. See the world."
"Is it safe?" Marinette asked stroking Carpet gently.
"Sure. Do you trust me?" Adrien asked standing up and reaching out a hand.
"What?" Marinette asked confused.
"Do you trust me?" Adrien repeated a smile on his lips, still reaching his hand out.
"Yes..." Marinette said taking his hand, telling Tikki to stay here to tell her father where she was should he come looking for her.
With that, Adrien pulled her on board and they took off.
AN: (Hides from everyone who wants to kill me for cutting it off)
I only did that because I believed it was getting too long.
I promise I will carry this on, and update 'soonish'