The next day I woke up feeling sick to my stomach, it was only when I walked into the dining room that I realized it was because of him. I shook my head trying to tap down the butterflies. I needed to crush this crush, I barely even knew him but the more I watched him interact with others as I shadowed him through breakfast and throughout his morning routine, I saw how he gave away so much of himself to make others feel comfortable and I could just feel myself falling deeper and deeper into the hole.
I followed him through his meetings and through his meals, always from a distance with my hood drawn, trying to exude a coarse exterior. I just didn't want to talk to him, in fear of sounding like a fool or saying something out of turn. Alya thought she was doing me a favor, but it's been torturous.
I lasted all the way till dinner, expecting to find myself exhausted at the end of a long day, but I wasn't, my stomach still jumped to my throat every time he looked near me but I actually enjoyed watching him. He was leaving dinner and I moved to follow him,still a good distance away. I was going to see him to his rooms and then I was going to go to Alya and tell her that it was a nice experiment but that I couldn't do it anymore.
I was going over what I would say to her in my head when I realized that I wasn't behind Adrien anymore. We had turned the corner to pass the throne room and he was gone.
Maybe my stomach had been hurting all day but nothing compared to this. I looked into the throne room but he wasn't there so I continued looking in every room up he hall when an idea struck me.
The tunnel that Cat Noir had taken me to. It was a long shot, but I figured that if anyone knew the secrets of the castle, it was someone who had lived here all their lives, and I also had no other options. He was no where to be found.
I moved the sconce, following what I had seen Cat Noir do previously and when the door opened I followed down the stairs.
"can you see anything Tikki?"I whispered low enough that if there was anyone around they wouldn't hear me.
"No, I can't seeing in the dark is unfortunately, not one of my abilities." I breathed deeply. and started to move forward.
"Didn't you promise not to go down there again?" Tikki asked
"Marinette might have, but Ladybug didn't, Tikki, transform me!"
I let the magic wash over me and then started forward, very slowly as I could barely see where to put my feet but the closer I got I could hear the faint sound of a voice which made my heart pound and my feet move faster, thinking the worst, imaging the prince laying dead in these dark passage ways.
I the further I got, the more I heard the voices and I could clearly make out Adrien. That encouraged me to move as fast as I could while still trying to remain silent as well as not sprain my ankle in the dark. AS I drew near,I saw a soft glow coming from the hallway further down and I slowed down, wanting to hear what was going on before I revealed myself, maybe even see if there was a way I could just follow him without letting him know I was watching him. I tried to draw closer to see if I could hear any of what was being said.
I grew cold as I considered the possibility that he could be down here for nefarious reasons. Regular good people aren't roaming around a dark maze of tunnels in the middle of the night.
He could be hawkmoth. Tikki whispered to me in my head and I shook my head, "No,that's not..." I trailed off thinking about it.
I had never seen him during an akuma attack and during the last one we know he disapeared from sight... it would make sense...
"Ok, fine, I admit it. I'm lost." I heard Adrien say, but I couldn't quite make out whoever replied. I moved in closer, hugging the wall when I heard a female voice.
"Who is trespassing in my tunnels?" The voice asked, but Adrien had no time to reply as I heard a loud clash.
Without thinking I charged forward and into the scene of Adrien standing with his back towards me and facing her, holding a long sword, was a woman, who was clearly an akuma victim.
She charged at Adrien and with Adrien holding nothing to defend himself with except a torch he ducked back as fast as he could but the woman was moving to fast, I leapt into the scene, my yo-yo at the ready and I stopped her sword as it fell towards Adrien. She turned to me instantly, her eyes, glowing with magic and she attacked me, swirling with flair as she did.
I could feel waves of power radiating from the akuma victim and I began to grow scared, I've never felt anything this powerful before.
I was backed into a corner running out of options when something caught my eye, a lightly glowing brooch on the woman's shirt. I broke our rhythm as I lunged forward, my fingers brushing her brooch as her sword cut into my leg.
The woman screamed and lept back and I charged towards her again but she avoided me swiftly, taking one last look at me before she ran away.
I looked to where she made her exit fora second, I'd never thought I'd see an akuma victim run away from a fight.
When Adrien finally crossed my mind again I spun towards him in a start to see him kneeling down on the floor, he had dropped the torch onto the floor and was sitting there his face devoid of all color, he looked like he was sick with shock.
I ran to his side inspecting his arms and legs and torso,trying to find any source of injury.
"Your highness! Listen to me! Where are you hurt?" I shouted to him, trying to get him to snap out of the state that he was in, but he wouldn't.
worry and fear entered my mind and I stood up and dragged him to his feet.
"We've got to get out of here, right now before she returns" I said, pulling him towards where we came from, but he dug his heels into the ground.
"No, we can't. We can't leave, I can't leave," Adrien said in a small voice.
but I wheeled around on him.
"Adrien,prince, or not. You will follow me out of these tunnels right now, I'm not giving you an option."
I grabbed his arm and dragged him behind me. I started to feel the wound on my leg but it was far behind on my list of things to worry about, the very first one was what could have possibly put that look on Adrien's face. I followed the path we took back to the secret door and when we had finally left those dark tunnels I finally let out a calming breath.
I turned to Adrien, "Are you hurt?" I asked him fervently. I thought that now in the light of the castle I would be able to see some sort of injury but he looked fine.
He shook his head and that one movement filled me with rage I was sick with worry, I thought he was dying and here he was completely fine.
"What were you thinking going down there!?" I nearly shouted at him
He folded his arms, "What were you doing down there? Why were you following me?"
"If I wasn't following you, you would have died, don't you care at all for your safety, for those people who care about you."
His eyes hardened, "I'm sure people would get along just fine without me, there is never a shortage of volunteers to take the throne, in fact, there's already a princess here to try her hand at taking my place."
I was filled with a surge of frustration, was he really so blind?
"How could you possible not see that there is only one person who could fill this castle, this city, this country with light and bring it out of the fog that they've all been living in and that's you. How can you not see that you are the future of this country, not because of your birthright or your social standing but because you genuinely care for every single person here!"
I was breathing hard, I was still angry but I felt like I was going to pass out and I wasn't going to do it here, in front of him.
"Have a good night your highness." I curtly said and then left
I walked out of the room with the last bit of composure I had. I struggled to keep walking, every step my leg just got heavier and heavier. Something definitely wasn't right, it was more than just a cut. If I could just make it back to my room, if I could just lay down, I could heal, I could fight this.
I opened my eyes slumped against the wall, not remembering how I had gotten myself here, I desperately thought about detransforming, I needed help, but my mind started to blacken again and I couldn't open my mouth to get the words out.
My last thoughts were that of panic that someone would find me here.
