A 13-year-old was sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of us, her long brown hair pouring over her shoulders as she told us about her fight against Hawkmoth.

"We're basically a rag-tag group of rebels," she finished off casually, glancing at the crushed akumatized object in her hand. As soon as we heard the tone of a completed story, the questions spilled out of our mouths like a waterfall.

"Do you have any weapons?"

"What age are you?"

What do you call yourselves?"

"Do you have a plan?" Ladybug spoke over Queenie and I's rapid interrogation. Manon sighed. Caleb was beside her.

I didn't really know much about Alya's look-alike brother. He was tall with broad shoulders and a big heart. From the few days that I knew him, I had gathered he wouldn't hurt a fly. But there he was, a bow and quiver stocked full of arrows slung over his shoulder. I had been stuck in the ice, but Ladybug told me Manon and Caleb had saved her from Stormy Weather. At first, Queenie and I thought it was a joke. Then I saw the look of seriousness in Manon's young eyes. Was this really the girl who I had donated money to mere weeks before? Was this the girl whose father I had managed to wrangle a job for? Was this the girl who sold candles at the market and chased her sister for sweets?

"We don't have a plan," Caleb sighed. Manon shrugged.

"Revolution is hard. We've been trying to hit them where it hurts, but we haven't formed a real plan yet. Just the beginnings. It's not like those stories Maman would tell me where the good guys always win."

Caleb placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. He had to bend down a little because of her height combined with the fact that she was sitting on the ground. Manon smiled a little and fiddled with her sleeve.

"You and your group of rebels," Ladybug said but was interrupted with a thought. "What do you guys call yourselves? Do you have a team name?"

Caleb grinned. "We occasionally go by Team Miraculous. The thirteen-year-old came up with that."

"Hey!"

"So does Team Miraculous have many people?" Ladybug continued. "Is it enough for an organized resistance?"

"Not really. There's a handful of us, most of us around my age. Manon's the youngest."

"And the best," chimed in the girl. She received an annoyed yet amused glance from her teammate.

"I only joined after Alya died," Caleb said.

"So a month or two?"

"Around. Haven't really been keeping track."

Caleb stared down at his feet, his eyes glistening with tears. Alya's loss was hitting him just as hard as us. Sometimes in my dreams, she would haunt me, asking why I couldn't help her. Why?

Manon stiffened, tensing alongside the atmosphere. She brought us back to the subject.

"We're here because you're a symbol of hope. People are beginning to fight back, Ladybug! And it's because of you!"

Caleb looked up again, the stray tears wiped away.

"We want your help M-Ladybug. We want all of you guys to help us." Manon stood up.

"We have the smallest sliver of a plan, but we need to know who Hawkmoth is before we can do anything. Without that information, nothing will work."

Queenie, Ladybug and I looked at each other.

"Let's do it," Queenie said.

MLBMLBMLB

The castle was eerily silent. I noticed this immediately as I snuck back in. The castle was never quiet, even at midnight, there would be a soul scrubbing at the floor or the yell of a guard. There would always be someone watching over my chambers, making sure I didn't run off in the dead of night. Natalie's swift footsteps would always be presents, lightly gliding along the corridors. There was only one possible time when the castle would go silent. An arrival of family.

Uncle Fèlix.

The wooden flooring creaked as I placed my weight upon it. I slowly crept down to the throne room, the place where I knew the people of the castle would have been gathered in silent wait. Light poured in from the windows. Dust was suspended in the rays, quietly existing. The castle was bright with the chilly afternoon sun, but it had never been so cold.

My uncle was a strange man. He appeared every few years with his son, who also went by the name Fèlix, with a warm booming voice welcoming me. He was my grandfather's younger son, therefore not in line for the throne unless I died. He had never plotted against my father, but it was something I wouldn't be surprised for my cousin to do. He was like an eighteen-year-old dog who followed his father around everywhere. He didn't like me. However, my uncle seemed fond of me. Yet he treated the less noble class like dirt, similar to my own father.

My uncle lived somewhere on the outskirts of Paris. He never entered the city, as far as we knew. He only appeared every couple of years if it benefited him. There was always an ulterior motive.

As I approached the throne room I heard the shuffling of people on their feet and the silent calling of jobs that needed to be done. Yet it was the tradition for the entire staff of the castle to flock into the room during arrivals of importance. I entered and slowly made my way towards the top of the room, with many 'excuse me's and 'pardon, may I get through's. I stood beside my cousin. He had platinum blonde hair and towered above me.

"Hello, Fèlix," I said a brightly as I could. He glanced down at me before saying coldly,

"Hello, Adrien."

And that was the end of our conversation.

My uncle turned around cheerfully at the sound of my voice.

"Adrien, my boy! Come here and let me get a look at you!" He beckoned me over, and I had no choice but to oblige. He pulled me into a hug.

"You were only this high when I saw you last!" My uncle gestured to a spot halfway up his chest.

"I was 12, uncle."

"Ah, yes. And you're 14 now?"

"I'm 16."

My uncle seemed a little embarrassed. He twisted his ring. I glanced down at it.

The ring was intricate. It had a silver band, and the centre held a small, purple gem. The thing was, I felt power coursing from it. It pulsed with strength and magic.

No, it couldn't be.

But his voice. I had heard it elsewhere. It haunted my dreams.

My uncle was Hawkmoth.

*Canon: Gabriel is Hawkmoth.

Me: Okay true but no.*