MB: Just so there's no confusion or anything, I stole the title from Part 3: Chapter 3 because I thought it suited this chapter better. So the title for 3:3 is now called "Divided We Fall".
Finally, the final part is here! These chapters will also be pretty fast-paced, so read as slowly as you can.
That being said... Enjoy!
PART 5:
It has come to the attention of this author that the line between good and evil has always been heavily blurred.
Those who are evil justify their actions by claiming to do good.
Similarly, those who are good – if provoked – go beyond their own morals and tread the path of evil.
The scales tip in either direction.
Every decision we make brings us closer to being labeled as good or evil.
So how do we differentiate the two?
How do we tell which side of a conflict is good, and which side is evil?
And even if it was easy to tell, what makes us so certain good shall always triumph over evil?
What if, this time, evil shall reign victorious?
Chapter 1:
Mark My Words
Morning had come... and so had the war.
The purple flash of light from last night had left everyone in the army camp riled up. It was no question as to who had sent that angry bolt into the sky.
Most of the people were demanding to take action. Some of them wondered fearfully if negotiating would be a safer course.
But Adrien knew that with Lord Hawkmoth, there would be no negotiating.
He had said as much in the royal tent, where the leaders of the three kingdoms debated what was to be done. Reluctantly, Adrien told them how Hawkmoth had tried to corrupt him, and how more innocent lives would suffer the same fate if his stepfather wasn't stopped once and for all.
Ladybug stood at her fiancé's side, telling everyone her experiences in Castle Agreste and her encounter with Chloe in the Forbidden Mountains. Tikki and Plagg supported her story, and little by little the princess's words won the group over.
Princess Bridgette was clearly in no mood to make peace talks with the man who had abducted and tried to murder her sister. The heir of Dupain-Cheng voiced it was high time to take the fight to Hawkmoth himself and stop his new Akuma army before it spreads even further.
King Thomas and Queen Sabine were of the same mind.
"No one messes with our family and escapes justice," Ladybug's father declared.
The queen nodded. "If both our daughters are going to war, so are we," she had said. "We will fight as a family, and as a nation – by the blood of our ancestors."
As Captain of the Agreste Guard and a member of the common folk, Alya voted to fight. "I'll sink my fangs into Hawkmoth himself if it comes down to that," she had said.
Nino, as always, sided with the fiery shape-shifter – as did the rest of the Seven Bandits. Or perhaps they should be called the Seven Lieutenants? Nah, it wasn't the same.
King Theo expressed his own personal misgivings with the Sorcerer King. "My sister tried to negotiate with him," he explained sourly, "and it's brought nothing but dishonour to my family... and my people. I will no longer stand idly by and watch my kingdom crumble. If we must fight, I shall be the first Bourgeois to step onto the battlefield. And if I'm the only one who will, then so be it."
Adrien nodded at him, feeling a hint of pride for this boy king. With Chloe missing and Theo trying to redeem his family name, Adrien had no doubt in his mind the people of Bourgeois would see the selfless efforts of their new ruler and stand with him in the end.
But all was not stamped and sealed just yet.
"We need the people's faith and support if we are to win this war," Adrien stated. He looked over at his Ladybug with a determined grin. "They deserve to hear our story as well, and we deserve to hear theirs."
It was now midday.
Adrien stood up on a supply wagon, dressed once more in his black thieving leathers and tunic, and staring out into the sea of soldiers and commoners before him. All eyes were on the prince, waiting silently with anticipation.
So Adrien told them his story, starting with the day Hawkmoth ruthlessly murdered his father, King Gabriel. He described every detail from his vision in the magic mirror, including the ultimate sacrifice his father made to ensure his family's protection.
Then Adrien went on to explain how his stepfather won over Queen Vivienne and put her under a sleeping curse, forcing Adrien into a life of exile. "I would have surely been hunted and killed by Akuma Guards," the prince explained, "had it not been for the courage and generosity of seven friends who helped me learn to survive." He looked at Ladybug with a warm smile. "And I never would have escaped the darkness of my own heart had it not been for the stubbornness of the woman I fell in love with."
Ladybug grinned, and her older sister nudged her teasingly in the side.
Adrien turned back to the people. "But I am not the only one Hawkmoth has made to suffer," he said. "So I ask all of you now: speak and let your stories be heard. Share your pain with the rest of us and let us help you fight through it."
Ivan and Mylene went first, informing everyone how they had both suffered as creatures of stone at the hands of the Sorcerer King. "But thanks to Prince Adrien and Princess Marinette," Ivan announced, "I was reunited with the love of my life, and given a second chance to live in peace and happiness. But I still owe both of them a debt... and I shall fulfill it by fighting alongside them and bringing the traitorous king down for good!"
An old farmer with a crippled leg went next. Akuma Guards had taken his wife and daughter and murdered his little boy when he had tried to stop them. Then they had injured the farmer's leg and left him to die. "I may not be able to fight," the man declared with strong grit, "but I will gladly lend my claw and rake to those who will!"
Two young women in the crowd – sisters – were once the daughters of a widowed miller who had resisted Hawkmoth's rule. But when the king's forces came banging on their door, their father had hidden both girls inside the cellar. "We watched through a crack in the floor as three guards stabbed our father to death – over and over again," one of the women said to Adrien with tears in her eyes. "He died protecting us, my prince... just as King Gabriel died for you and the queen. Let us fight with you, and both their sacrifices shall not be in vain!"
Adrien listened as more and more people told him their tragic stories: homes burned, loved ones captured or killed or turned into Akumas, entire villages driven into the wild where either cold or hunger took them...
It was almost too much for Adrien to bear. He imagined himself in his people's shoes, watching everything they had being taken from them in an instant. Adrien felt his eyes fill with tears, and he wasn't the only one. Almost everyone who wasn't talking was definitely crying, even for those they barely knew.
Finally, when no one had the courage to speak of their pain any longer, Adrien looked back at Ladybug. Her eyes were red and gleaming, but she nodded at him.
"Hawkmoth has terrorized us for far too long," Adrien stated with a raised tone, causing everyone to look back up at him. "But we will not give in to hatred and revenge just to see him overthrown. One of my friends has a very wise saying: the only way to beat our enemies is to prove to them that we can't be broken."
Several soldiers agreed with a proud, "Yes!" The common folk nodded with them, their grief ebbing away.
"The kingdoms don't belong to Hawkmoth," Adrien said, "they belong to us!"
"YES!" Now everyone was shouting, including Ladybug and the army leaders.
Adrien grinned with determination. "Hawkmoth may have Akumas and magic on his side," he declared, "but we have each other... and that's all we need!" He raised a clenched fist. "So let's stand together and fight for our families, our homes, and our freedom!"
The crowd erupted into cheers and bellows of triumph – peasants and soldiers and nobles, all joining their voices together as a single nation; a single realm.
Adrien felt a rush of adrenaline flow through him, and he smiled at the onlookers with the face of a proud king.
Then he climbed off the wagon and into the arms of his best friend Nino. "Nice speech, bro," the huntsman mused with a firm pat on the back.
"But you stole my line," Alya whined with a smile.
Adrien shrugged. "I only steal from the best," he said.
"Believe me," Ladybug said with a wink, "I know."
The group laughed...
...until Rose pointed above the white canopy and shouted with wide eyes, "What's that?!"
Silence fell over the crowd as they all turned to see what the healer was pointing to.
Adrien squinted at the grey sky, and that's when he saw a blob of fluttering black specks flying towards them at full speed, growing bigger with every second.
Plagg hovered over to the prince and snorted. "Aw, come on – there're just birds," he assured.
Sadly, Tikki wasn't so sure. "Those don't look like birds," she said worriedly. "They look like... like..."
"Butterflies," Ladybug finished for her, sounding concerned.
Adrien peered closer at the black cloud... and that's when he saw streaks of glowing purple. Horror flooded through him. "Everyone – take cover!" he shouted.
The crowd scattered in all directions just as the swarm of butterflies came down upon them in broad waves.
Adrien shielded Ladybug from the onslaught as the winged creatures blew around them like sharp leaves in the wind. All the while, he heard screaming from the refugees.
When the swarm finally cleared, everyone cautiously looked up from where they had crouched or fallen. The mass of black-and-purple butterflies came together in a swirling twister.
Then, they began to shift in perfect synchronization, molding this way and that until they formed the body of a man. The butterflies glowed bright purple and then, as one, they dissipated – revealing the Sorcerer King, cane and all.
There were gasps and cries from the frightened onlookers... but not from Adrien and his companions.
Hawkmoth brushed something off his purple travelling cloak before turning to Adrien with a casual sneer.
A squad of soldiers drew their swords and charged at the king. But all Hawkmoth had to do was wave his hand, and the courageous men and women were sent flying onto their backs like heavy metal buckets.
"You've got quite the army here, Adrien," Hawkmoth announced dryly as he stepped forward to the prince and his entourage. "Your father would be most proud."
Adrien kept his expression stiff and cold. "We are not afraid of you," he said.
"Why?" his stepfather asked with a glare at Ladybug. "Because you and the bug broke my sleeping curse?"
The princess immediately drew an arrow and shot it directly at the king.
It stopped mere inches from his silver face before snapping cleanly in two.
Hawkmoth snorted with a sneer. "Have you learned nothing, my dear?"
He held his hand out towards her, and suddenly a heavy rope from the supply wagon lashed out and ensnared Ladybug like a snake. She cried out and tried to wrench free, but within seconds she was entirely secured to the wagon without any chance of going anywhere.
"No!" King Thomas cried, reaching out to his daughter.
Hawkmoth shook his head at the princess. "And she's the one you intend to marry?" he asked Adrien skeptically.
Adrien and Bridgette tried to rush to her aid, but Hawkmoth called, "Ah-ah-ah! Not until my stepson and I have had our little talk."
The princely thief scowled at him, but stood down nonetheless. "The last time we had one of those, you went back on your word," he said in a low tone. "There's nothing you can say that I can trust."
"True," Hawkmoth admitted, "but what does it matter?" His tone hardened with smugness. "Your little resistance can't defeat me, or my new Akuma army. All your doing is just delaying the inevitable."
Ladybug glanced over at Adrien as she struggled against her bonds. "Adrien, don't listen to a single wor–!"
One end of her bonds wrapped itself around her mouth, gagging her instantly and muffling any further words she wanted to say. Ladybug growled and fought harder.
Adrien glanced between her and his stepfather. Then he grunted and stepped forward.
"Adrien, don't!" Nino hissed from behind him, but the prince ignored him.
A great hush laced with dread fell over the crowd.
"What do you want, Hawkmoth?" Adrien said.
The king smiled and replied, "I want you to give up your claim to the throne of Agreste. I want you to declare me the rightful ruler of this land."
Shuddering gasps rippled through the air.
"Never," Adrien spat.
"Then you leave me no choice but to destroy you," Hawkmoth said.
The prince's mouth curled upward. "You've tried to curse me. It didn't work. You've tried to kill me – more than once, I should add – and every time, I've evaded you."
"But this time, you won't," Hawkmoth growled.
He had a gleam in his icy-blue eyes that told Adrien he knew something the prince didn't, and that made the latter suddenly nervous.
"Remember what I told you before, Adrien," the king continued as he began pacing around his stepson. "Love is weakness. And now, thanks to your Ladybug's lovely little lip-lock..." He gestured to the bound princess. "...my curse is not the only enchantment she broke. Your father's protection spell – the only thing that kept you safe from me all these years – is also gone."
Adrien revealed nothing, but his core tightened together in a hard knot. "You're bluffing," he snarled.
Hawkmoth merely shrugged and fiddled with the purple jewel on his cane. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"
There was a small click and the jewel popped off the stick, dragging something long and shiny with it.
Adrien gasped and leapt back, but the hidden blade still managed to slice him right in the face. He cried out and covered his stinging cheek.
More gasps.
"Adrien!" Nino cried.
Ladybug let out a muffled cry of her own, her eyes wide.
Adrien winced as he straightened up. His gloved hand came back with a thin smear of blood.
But it wasn't the blood that startled him, or made his insides go numb. It was the fact that Hawkmoth had actually hurt him, when previously he couldn't hurt a hair off his head without King Gabriel's final spell blocking him.
But now... Shit!
Hawkmoth burst out into evil laughter. "Oh, the irony of it all!" he chortled. "You – the romantic hero – defeated by an act of true love!" He glanced back at Ladybug more kindly this time. "I could almost kiss you myself, dearie. But I think I'll pass on that."
The cold bit into the wound on Adrien's cheek, making his face twitch. But he continued to stare his stepfather dead in the eye.
He was about to open his mouth to speak, but then Hawkmoth raised his hand again... at him.
Something invisible grabbed onto the prince's throat and squeezed. Adrien gasped, eyes wide, but he could not take a breath. The next thing he knew, his feet left the ground and he was hanging in the air, grasping his own neck in desperation.
Ladybug screamed through her gag. Many onlookers were screaming too.
Adrien kicked out in mid-air, but to no avail. He heard sounds of shuffling behind him, followed by a rush of wind and the sounds of several bodies slamming onto the ground. His sight darkened, and his head felt like it was going to explode.
He glanced down at Hawkmoth as he struggled, but all he saw was the king smiling up at him with triumphant glee.
"You have no idea how long I have waited for this," Hawkmoth snarled through his teeth. "Now I can finish you off with just a twist of my hand!"
Adrien heard Ladybug crying out to him again, and he fought to hang on as best he could. But everything was already turning red and hazy...
Suddenly, the grip on his throat fell away, and he was breathing again. Then he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.
Adrien gasped and coughed as he tried to crawl back up, all the while looking befuddled.
"On second thought," he heard Hawkmoth say casually, "that would be too easy. And not as much fun."
Something forced Adrien's spine to bend over backwards, and he cried out hoarsely as he remained there on his knees, staring up at the pale sky as his body refused to obey his commands.
He wondered why no one was coming to his aid; why the people were just standing there watching Hawkmoth torture him. Then it occurred to Adrien: they're afraid of him now. He just threw back a bunch of their best knights without breaking a sweat, so why in the world would they believe they would stand a better chance?
Despite the pain coercing through his back and the constriction in his neck, Adrien couldn't bring himself to blame them.
Just then, Hawkmoth's face came into view, leaning over his stepson like a doctor overlooking a patient.
"You need to be alive," the king whispered ominously. "You need to be awake. But just long enough so you can watch me take away everything you've fought so hard to protect."
In the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Ladybug thrashing against her bonds, her blue eyes shooting daggers into the king.
"Stop denying who you really are, Cat Noir," Hawkmoth continued, grasping Adrien's chin with cruel strength. "You may have been a prince, but you will never be a king."
Adrien breathed heavily through his nose.
Then, he was flying forward. Adrien groaned as he fell flat on his stomach in the snow. Some of the onlookers winced.
"Now... Get up on your knees and swear on your father's grave that this realm – and everything in it – belongs to me!" Hawkmoth declared as he stepped back around the boy. "If you do, I will spare your loved ones... to a degree." He added that last part when Alya let out a gargling, canine-like growl at him.
Adrien coughed again. His muscles felt like they had been stretched apart like dough, but he forced himself to sit up. As he did so, his fingers quickly fished for something secured at his belt.
"I swear..." Adrien croaked before clearing his throat, "I swear on my father's grave..." He glanced up at the Sorcerer King with a feline smirk. "...that I will never leave my kingdom... or my people... in your hands!"
Adrien pounced at the king, his three hidden knives flashing between his clenched fingers.
Hawkmoth vanished in a puff of purple smoke just as the prince slashed at him.
But Adrien was expecting that.
Like a spinning dancer, the prince snapped around gracefully just as Hawkmoth reappeared behind him, his cane-sword preparing to cut the boy down.
Adrien got to him first... and slashed his stepfather across the face.
Hawkmoth's sword fell from his fingers as he reeled back with a "GUH!"
The crowd gasped again... not with horror, but with awe.
In that instant, Ladybug's rope bonds went slack and fell away. She spat out her gag and shook the ropes off as she watched the quick confrontation with wonder.
Everyone silently pointed out to the three, bloody, cat-like marks running from the bottom of Hawkmoth's cheek to the tip of his eyebrow – a far nastier-looking scratch than the one he had given Adrien. Through the torn parts of the king's mask, Adrien could see bits of burned skin underneath.
He had just revealed to the entire realm who the Sorcerer King truly was: a man who was just as mortal and breakable as the rest of them.
The king batted his face and gaped with rage at the blood on his fingers. Then he shot a deadly glare at his stepson.
Adrien stood tall before his stepfather, though his back argued against it. "I know who I really am," he stated out enough for everyone to hear. "I am a prince, but I am also just a man, like you are. The only difference between you and me... is that I am not alone."
Ladybug smiled at him. Then she too straightened herself up to challenge the Sorcerer King.
Then Nino was doing it too. Then Alya, Juleka, Kim, Max, Rose, Bridgette, Theo, Ladybug's parents...
Within seconds, nearly everyone in the crowd stepped forward defiantly, their faces scrunched with bitterness and courage.
Hawkmoth's eyes snapped to them, like a dog sensing a threat. Apparently, he now realized he was outnumbered.
So Adrien pushed on. "You are wrong about love, and you are wrong about me!" he asserted with a determined gaze. "My love for my friends is my strength, and it is also theirs! My father's spell may be broken, but the love he bore for me and my mother will always remain!" Adrien stepped closer to Hawkmoth so they were now toe-to-toe. "And I will not stand to let you sit on his throne any longer!" he snarled loudly. "This is my kingdom, Reginald... and I will fight for it!"
Hawkmoth's pupils shrank with fury at the mention of his true name.
At the same time, Nino mouthed "Reginald..." with a snigger.
"So will we!" Ladybug declared proudly, causing Adrien to smile back at her.
The Seven Bandits and many others agreed with her in raised voices.
Looks like the ayes have it, Adrien thought as he gave Hawkmoth a cat-like grin.
The king only growled at him and said, "Very well, Prince Adrien." He lowered his hand from his scarred cheek. "I will see you on the battlefield. And when I do, I will crush you! I don't care how many of your friends I need to cut down until I reach you, but I will be victorious!"
Hawkmoth spread out his arms and, in the blink of an eye, he exploded... into several dozen dark butterflies.
Adrien watched expressionlessly as the fluttering swarm retreated back into the sky. As they shrank into the distance, the prince murmured softly, "I guess we'll find out, won't we?"
As soon as the last butterfly vanished out of sight, Nino let out a proud "YEAH!"
Then the whole crowd burst into relieved cheers once again.
But only one face stood out to Adrien amongst all the others.
He and Ladybug ran into each other's arms. Then he cupped her face in his hands. "Are you all right, my lady?"
She nodded with a smile. "I'm fine, Kitty..." Then she frowned at the bleeding mark on his cheek. "We should get Rose to look at that."
"Later," Adrien said as he pulled her in for a quick kiss... before they were both instantly surrounded by their friends and the might of three unified kingdoms.
That night, Marinette realized this was going to be a very short war.
The army leaders gathered once again in the royal tent, hovering over a map detailing the layout of Castle Agreste and all its entrances, hallways, rooms and passages.
It had already been made clear that the only way in and out through the wall was the main gate, which was made of tough iron and heavily fortified with spikes. But that wasn't going to be the hard part. The parapets were built to conceal archers but give them just enough room to shoot cleanly at attackers. Not to mention Hawkmoth had a bunch of trebuchets and a giant cauldron of flaming tar at his disposal.
Even if the army found a way to breach the gate, the courtyard would be crawling with Akuma Guards, and there would be more raining down arrows and stones from the towers above. And now that the soldiers could use magic, they wouldn't need arrows or swords... just a clear line of sight.
On a happier note, Rose and Mylene knew of some herbs they could slip into their potion bombs that could temporarily knock out the Akumas or otherwise distort their senses, which would make it harder for them to cast their spells. Tikki and Plagg also offered to lend the two women some of their fairy dust to help weaken the Akumas' magic – again, temporarily.
Max had ideas for dealing with the trebuchets (his father used to sabotage siege weapons during the invasion of the D'Argencourt pirates), and Kim was more than willing to provide tips for extra protection against fire and regular arrows.
Juleka was quick on her feet and knew how to fight hand-to-hand. Nathaniel could barely lift a shield, but he absolutely refused to be left behind. If the least-experienced peasants were allowed to fight, then the redheaded bard should be too.
Marinette didn't worry too much about Nino and Alya. She had seen first-hand how both of them managed in a fight. But would they be able to hold off a rampaging army of sorcerers?
It was Adrien the princess was worried about.
He kept staring off into space, listening to the group's conversation but still off in his own little world. His green eyes were narrowed in thought, as though he was trying to come up with idea himself.
Marinette wished she could offer up something useful, but the truth was she had nothing to bring to the table but her bow and her Chengise fighting skills. She wasn't an expert in battle tactics or strategy, but she was a quick-thinker. She knew she would always come up with a back-up plan or two to get herself out of any sticky situation.
But this was the stickiest situation she had ever been in, and now, as Hawkmoth's dire warning echoed in her mind, Marinette wondered if she would be able to crawl out of this one in one piece at all.
Finally, Adrien spoke out, "It's not enough."
All eyes turned to him.
"What do you mean?" King Theo enquired.
Adrien leaned both hands on the table. "Our main target should be Hawkmoth – not the castle," he explained. "Yes, we should focus all our strength on besieging it, and we might even get it done... but as long as Hawkmoth is in command, none of us will make it out of there alive." His green eyes softened. "Besides, my mother is still in there somewhere, and I don't want to run the risk of losing her again."
Marinette nodded. The evil wizard might try to threaten the queen's life to coerce Adrien into surrendering, especially now that King Gabriel's protection spell no longer applied to her.
King Thomas sighed. "What do you suggest, son?" he asked Adrien.
The former thief looked up determinedly. "I'm suggesting we use the attack as a diversion," he proposed. "Meanwhile, I take a small strike team inside the castle, rescue my mother, and take down Hawkmoth in his own keep."
Alya's mouth fell open. "That...!" She paused and shrugged with a hopeful expression. "That could work. It's crazy, but it could work!"
"It's not crazy – it's impossible," Max argued. "Look at the map – there's not a single secret entry point Hawkmoth hasn't already found and sealed off... or laced with traps and guards and who knows what else!"
Marinette looked back at Adrien... and was surprised to see him grinning slyly.
"Actually," he said with a raised finger, "there is one spot he can't seal off – one that only two people in this tent know how to traverse." He turned with a smug smile to his best friend.
Nino blinked at him for a moment, and then his brown eyes lit up with understanding. "You mean... there?" He pointed at a spot on the map, which sat on the far side of one of the Twin Mountains... and away from the castle.
Adrien nodded.
Max peered at the spot and frowned. "There's nothing there but hills and a small lake," he grumbled.
"On the outside, there is," Adrien said, "but I'm referring to what's underneath all that."
Marinette's mouth parted, and she spoke up for the first time in the whole duration of the meeting. "You're saying there's a way inside the castle... underground?"
Both Adrien and Nino nodded this time.
Bridgette folded her arms at the two men. "Enlighten me," she said.
Nino smiled. "When Adrien and I were kids, we used to sneak out and go swimming out in that little lake every summer. One day, as we were diving, we noticed a small crack at the bottom, like a crevice. It's so tiny you can hardly see the damn thing. But I had better sight, and at first Adrien didn't believe me when I –"
"Nino," Adrien droned. "The point."
"Right – sorry. So, curious as we are, Adrien and I decided to investigate the crack. It turned out to be the entrance to a small tunnel leading to an air pocket inside the mountain itself." Nino's cheeks went all pudgy with excitement. "And guess where that led us."
"I'm guessing another tunnel?" Kim suggested.
"Not just any tunnel," Adrien said, "but the entrance to the old catacombs underneath the castle."
"Eww!" everyone except Nino moaned.
Marinette looked more surprised than disgusted... and more optimistic. She shook her head with a small laugh. "Oh, Adrien... you and your crazy plans never cease to amuse me."
He grinned at her. "I'm glad you think so, my lady."
"Hold on... let me get this straight," Bridgette said waving her hands with an incredulous stare at Adrien. "You're suggesting that you and this strike team of yours sneak into the castle and surprise Hawkmoth... by entering an underground tunnel filled with dead people?!"
Marinette turned to her sister resolutely. "If it gets us inside the castle, then yes, Bridge – I'll gladly take the tunnel filled with dead people."
The elder princess tilted her head at her. "Us?" she repeated.
"I'm going with Adrien into the castle," Marinette elaborated.
"Marinette..." Queen Sabine began.
"Mother, don't start," the blunette snapped, using her grown-up voice. "I know where Hawkmoth is keeping Queen Vivienne. And, as a former prisoner, I know my way around the castle almost as well as Adrien and Nino. I'm the third most likely person to go. Besides," Marinette smiled at Adrien. "I'm not letting my reckless fiancé out of my sight again."
Bridgette ran a hand through her long hair. "Would you believe it?" she muttered. "I break you out of that hell-hole, and you decide to go running straight back in."
"She won't be running in without me," Alya said. "I've got the best nose, and I'll be able to tell if there is any trouble in our path."
Marinette blinked and shot Adrien an inquisitive glance. Her thief nodded. Alya's shape-shifting capabilities would also be a definite asset to the mission.
"And I'm not letting her out of my sight," Nino added as he pulled Alya into a sideways hug. "Trust us, Your Majesties – we've got this."
Marinette's parents exchanged a long, expressionless look.
"Tikki and I are coming too!" Plagg announced, flying directly onto the table with a puffed out chest. "Our magic could come quite in handy in close spaces."
"No," Marinette said firmly, causing both fairies to gape at her. "Your magic is best served out on the battlefield. Our friends are going to need all the help they can get."
"But... But what about Hawkmoth?" Tikki asked fearfully. "As long as he holds the Dark Amethyst, you're going to need magic to stop him."
Adrien shook his head with a smile. "We don't need overpower him," he affirmed. "We just need to outthink him. He doesn't know the castle like I do, and he's never had to face both me and Ladybug together. Don't worry, you two - we'll find a way."
Tikki and Plagg looked over at Marinette, who nodded at them, before dipping their heads with respect.
"Oh, all right," Plagg groaned. "Just... Try not to die on me, will you? Who's going to understand my craving for camembert?"
Marinette rolled her eyes as Tikki giggled, "Oh, Plagg... Don't ever change."
Then Kim raised a hand. "Not to sound pessimistic or anything," he said with a slight cringe, "but... won't Mothball suspect something if he finds out Adrien and Marinette aren't leading the charge?"
"He's got a point," Juleka said. "It's not like there are any other guys with golden hair and girls with bright-red, spotted cloaks around here."
At long last, an idea came to Marinette. "So we create some," she declared proudly.
"Beg pardon?" Theo asked.
"Of course – disguises!" Max cried with a beaming grin. "And with Rose's hair-changing potions, we could pull that off even better!"
"Exactly," Marinette said. "And I don't want to dirty up my favourite cloak in some dusty catacomb."
"Oh, trust me, there's more than just dust down there," Nino mumbled, earning him an elbow in the ribs from Adrien.
Nathaniel stood forward, the lantern-light illuminating his face. "I'm the same height as Adrien," he insisted. "Just die my hair blonde and don me in black, and Hawkmoth will be none the wiser."
Juleka snapped him around to face her, her copper eyes wide with worry. "You can't go to the frontlines!" she argued. "It's too dangerous!"
"For a bard, definitely," Nathaniel said softly. "For Adrien, absolutely. For everyone else, it's a possibility – just ask Max. But who else is there, Jules? Kim's too tall, Max is too short and too dark – no offence – and Theo needs to be leading the Bourgeois. It has to be me."
The former spy glanced down at her feet, and her long dark hair obscured most her face from view. Then she looked back up at the bard with a smile. "Then..." she began. "...at least... you'll have me to keep an eye on you."
Nathaniel's lip curved upward.
"So that just leaves a double for Marinette," Adrien said, glancing nervously around the table. "I hate to ask, but... Any volunteers?"
Bridgette looked away for a few seconds before lifting her chin. "You don't need to worry about changing my hair," she said. "Marinette and I are practically twins. I can pass for her easily and still lead the frontlines like I intended."
Marinette suddenly wished she hadn't said anything at all. "But... if Hawkmoth thinks you're me..." she stuttered.
Bridgette smiled at her. "Hey, don't get all hypocritical on me, little sister. We both know what we both have to do... so let's just give it a shot and hope for the best."
The younger princess could only nod. She then felt Adrien's hand intertwine with hers, and she squeezed it tenderly.
"All right, then," Marinette's mother announced, her silver eyes filled with sad softness. "If there are no further objections..."
No one said a word.
Finally, Marinette's father said with a sigh, "Then it's settled. Adrien and Marinette will lead the strike force into the castle, get Queen Vivienne out, and hopefully capture Hawkmoth. The rest of us will keep the wizard's attention on his front door." He placed a determined fist on the table. "The entire realm is counting on us, so let's at least give our enemies a fight they will never forget."
Marinette flashed her father a thankful smile.
"Get some rest, all of you," King Thomas continued. "Tomorrow at dawn, we march to Castle Agreste."
Marinette tried to sleep.
The fire pit in the middle of her tent was burning strong, and the fur blankets kept away the chill. Marinette closed her eyes and tried to think of something soothing, like the time she and Adrien danced together at the masquerade ball.
But no matter how tired she was, sleep refused to come.
Tomorrow, the army would march into battle. Tomorrow, the fate of the three kingdoms would be decided. Tomorrow... Marinette's life would forever change, for better or worse.
Tiny bits of tears escaped her closed eyelids, but she didn't bother to brush them away. Marinette sighed heavily and rolled over in her cot. She hummed her mother's lullaby, hoping that would calm her frigid nerves.
She heard footsteps in the snow outside.
The tent flap opened, and a slight cold breeze blew in at Marinette's back.
She saw his shadow in the wall of the tent... and she knew. She smiled and pretended to be asleep, breathing slowly and steadily.
But he didn't buy it.
His warm hand brushed her back and ran up towards her head, and she let out a dreamy sigh.
"Can't sleep?" Adrien asked.
Marinette shook her head and glanced over her shoulder at him. "You?"
He shrugged. "I think I've had my fill of sleep for the past two months, don't you?"
She smirked, then reached up and pulled his hand towards her face. She gave his fingers a soft kiss. "Stay with me?"
"As my lady wishes."
Marinette shoved over and allowed him to slide under the blankets next to her. Her head now rested on his chest, and Adrien had both his arms wrapped safely around her. Marinette sighed again as she snuggled closer against his warm chest.
He kissed her forehead and whispered, "Whatever happens, I will always be here for you."
Marinette tried not to cry. "I know," she murmured as his heartbeat became her new favourite lullaby. "Just... never let me go."
"Cat's honour."
She smiled again.
Eventually, she slipped into a warm and peaceful dream.
A dream of spring and green forests and sunshine and laughter... and a dance in the arms of her hooded thief.