Victory

In the corridor, Armand and Black Cat were so busy blocking and attacking with their swords, they never heard the tell-tale beeping of the latter's ring. Swiping at the younger warrior, the sword missing only by a fraction of a centimeter as he leaped through an archway, and up the stairs. He was halfway around the first curve of the stairs, going up the South tower when his transformation failed. Stumbling against the step, he fell onto his side, only for his former instructor to lash out with a thrust.

Adrien moved in just enough time to miss getting skewered by the long sword. Rolling back over, he pushed his own weapon down onto Armand's sword, his foot going up and connecting with that rather prodigious nose, causing him to stagger back a couple of steps. Picking himself up, the younger man ran up the stairs, the sword still in his hand. Shaking his head, the sword-master glared at his student "Get back here!" he shouted as he ran up the stairs.

When he reached the top of the tower, he saw only an empty room with a ladder heading up to a trapdoor in the roof. Rushing over, he grabbed the ladder and hoisted himself up. He reached the top just as D'Argencourt arrived at the bottom. Pushing his way through the door, he slammed it down, nearly catching his instructor's hand, but upon seeing where he was, he knew there was no escape. The circular area, he knew, would be one of their final arena. Sweating and breathing heavily, he turned to look at the taller man as he emerged from the trapdoor, his weapon at the ready. "We don't have to do this..."

"I disagree." Armand countered. "This will be your trial. If you can defeat me, then you live, but know that this is a duel to the death, Adrien. One of us is going to die, right here."

Looking at the older man, his face bloody from the kick to his nose, Adrien knew he spoke the truth. Swishing his sword to his right side, the blond glared at his instructor. "... so be it." The two men moved forward, measuring their steps before Armand thrust out.

He knew Adrien would counter, and his sword went around, only to impact his student's blade. They moved slowly, stepping around each other, testing defenses. Over the course of several minutes their sword strikes were all they could hear before Armand rushed forward, knocking the younger Agreste against a crenelation. Leaping forward, he slashed at the young man, only for him to deflect the strike, and turn around, going for his instructor's back.

The long sword was there, blocking the strike, before coming back up and slicing at Adrien's neck. He expected the boy to duck, at which point he would kick up with his knee, and end the fight in a final strike, but instead the boy moved into the strike, and thrust out with his weapon, piercing Armand's shoulder. Crying out in pain, he kicked the boy off of him, and dropped his sword. "You..." he snarled as the younger Agreste backed up several steps.

"It's over Master D'Argencourt." he commented as blood slipped down his blade. "You have no recourse but to..." He watched as the man had collapsed onto his hand and knees, only to scoop up his blade with his left hand, and swipe out, knocking Adrien's sword wide, and then come up, causing the weapon to sail over the edge of the crenelation to land in the soft earth below. The younger Agreste staggered, his hand numb from the impact as he grabbed it with his other one.

"You are over-confident, and stupid to think I could ever be defeated by the likes of you, Adrien Agreste." He watched as the boy staggered and fell onto his knees, watching his sword fly away. "Now you die."

Armand took a couple of steps over to Adrien, lifting his sword to deliver a final strike, seconds before a harsh growl reached his ear. "You first!" he turned in just enough time to see a pair of glowing emerald eyes glaring at him from only a few centimetres away. "Cataclysm!" Plagg shouted touching the sword.

"Wha-?" he started to ask, only for Adrien to rush forward, slamming into him with his shoulder against Armand's upper abdomen. He nearly flew back, his sword turning to ash as his feet left the safety of the tower. The moment his leg impacted the crenelation, his momentum causing him to fall back, and he watched as the young man grabbed the raised sections as he went over. "N-No! NOOOOOOOO!" he shouted as he plummeted from the South tower. Screaming all the way down, he slammed onto the ground at full speed, nearly breaking every bone in his body, and liquefying his insides. Very few of the soldiers they brought were still alive or conscious. The ones who did, seeing their leader die, either turned to retreat, or dropped their weapons. The militia's reinforcements arrived to take their enemies into custody, having been ready for them.

Looking over the edge of the tower, Adrien shook his head as Plagg floated over to his shoulder. "I couldn't let him kill you, kid." he apologized. "I just... I couldn't lose one of my kittens that way."

"It's alright, Plagg." Adrien remarked as a red and black yo-yo wrapped around a crenelation only a few feet away.

Upon reaching the top, Ladybird Beetle landed in a crouch. "Cat... I... I... A-Adrien?" she asked with a gasp. Staggering forward, she saw him leaning against the tower, his body aching and bruised. Rushing over to him, she wrapped him up in a hug.

"Ugh... watch the ribs, Beetle." he grunted before she pressed her lips to his. He was so stunned by the contact that he didn't even pull away for a few seconds. When he did, he shook his head. "Milady... I... I'm betrothed to..."

"Adrien... it's me..." she said with a small smile.

"M-Marinette?" he asked breathlessly. "My love..?"

Nodding, she smiled. "Tikki, spots off." When her transformation faded, she smiled at him.

Crashing his lips into hers, the pair stood there kissing as Plagg and Tikki floated over to the edge of the tower. A cheer had gone out as the enemy soldiers were taken away. There would need to be a count of the dead, but for now the victors seemed to need something to celebrate. After giving their Kwamis something to eat, and resting for a few minutes, the two heroes transformed back into their warrior alter-ego's, and made their way down to the ground.

oOo

None of them noticed a lone warrior crouching down to look at a mud covered red jewel. When they slid their thumb across the surface, a flash of light illuminated their face, before a red and black dragon appeared in front of their eyes. "Greetings, I am Longg, dragon Kwami of the Miraculous. Might I know who you are, young lady?"

"Kagami Tsurugi, Longg-sama." a sincere smile spread her lips. "What happened?"

Longg seemed to think on that. "When the original setting for my gem was destroyed, I was separated from my master, and let me tell you that wasn't a moment too soon." He seemed to make a disgusted scowl. "Kwami detest being used for evil purposes."

Nodding, she smiled at the little creature. "I understand that sentiment. Would there be a way for me to keep your gem safe?"

"Absolutely." looking at her neck, he smiled, "If you wish, you could connect me with the black stone of that rather lovely choker you're wearing, and I could easily transform it into a Miraculous."

Reaching up, she lightly touched her neck. Nodding, she smiled and brought the red stone close to her choker. Heat and light enveloped the two gems while Longg's eyes closed, then opened with an ethereal glow. In seconds, he was done, and the little dragon flew into her bosom. "You are now my chosen, Kagami-san. May our lives together be both honorable, and long."

Smiling, she nodded. "Agreed, Longg-sama." leaning down, she gave the top of his head a kiss, before standing up and turning around.

It was several minutes before she found anyone else, but when she did, she heard a voice call out "Lady Kagami!" Turning to look at the auburn haired female, she gave the young woman a bow as she approached. "Are you alright?"

"I am, thank you for coming with me Mary." When she stood up, she glanced over to the young man that accompanied the slender female. "Who might this be?"

"Lê Chiến Kim, at your service, Lady Kagami." he offered as an introduction, bowing and placing a hand on his chest. "I apologize for keeping your handmaiden away from you, but she wanted to make sure the Dragon Knight's warriors didn't have a way to escape." He then turned to regard the short female beside him, "Would you both please permit me to escort you both home?"

"That will not be..." she then noticed the pleading look in her handmaiden's eyes, "necessary for me, but I wouldn't mind you keeping my handmaiden safe. I tend to... get distracted easily." The sight of Mary smiling was all the thanks she needed as the trio started on their way back home. It didn't pass her notice how Lê Chiến Kim wrapped his arm around the young woman. 'I'll have to give her time to be with her young man.' A small smile spread her lips. 'Lucky girl.'

oOo

Inside of the castle, the militia and what few guards that remained searched every room, opening every door to locate the royal family. The search was both extensive, and exhaustive, but also highly successful. Within the servant's corridors, they located the princess's handmaiden, and the princess in the room beyond. It took longer to find the king and queen, for the first was found nearly seventy feet away from the palace, impaled upon a spire with his throat ripped out, as if some monster had flown in, scooped him up, and killed the aristocrat before throwing him away. Queen Audrey was found face down in the mud, as if someone had pushed the woman down, and held her until she stopped moving. Their guard was also dead, with his body in one place, and his head in another.

It would take them several days to get the royal family back together, and inter them in the family mausoleum. For the most part, Paris mourned, but plans were already in place for such an eventuality. The plans, initiated by the king himself, would take weeks to implement, but the government would recover from the loss of their patron and his family. Over the course of those few weeks, other plans were being implemented as well... plans that would spell doom for a pair of Miraculous holders.

oOo

Within the cathedral of Notre Dame, Bishop Damocles took off his rings, setting them in a wooden box while a young maid crouched behind him. As he started to remove his stole he spoke softly, yet forcefully. "You have failed to retrieve the Miraculous of the ladybug, and the cat." he stated with a scowl. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"My mission was to determine their allegiance, and then impede their progress, nobody ever said anything about removing their Miraculous." Vixen countered as her illusion dissipated. "Doing so, at any rate, would've been folly."

Pulling off his chasuble, he set it on the dressing stand beside him. "Explain."

"Attempting to remove the cat's while he was engaged in combat would've resulted in either severe damage or even death before he used his cataclysm. Afterward, he was no longer in a position to be taken since Ladybird Beetle was there. My attempt at stopping her from interfering only allowed for a much more dangerous situation. Were I informed of my mission to take her Miraculous, it would've caused us both to fall." She shook her head. "She would've grabbed my Miraculous, at which point both of us would be dead. I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid."

Rubbing at his chin, he nodded. "Agreed." Removing his robes, he draped them over the dressing stand. "Your mission is now to find out who the Cat and the Beetle are, and remove their Miraculous. Should you fail, I will extract my own brand of punishment from you, Lila Rossi. Your first one, will be to not use the Fox for two weeks. After which, I will re-evaluate whether you and Trixx are working well together."

Lila blanched. "... please. I..."

"Remove the Miraculous. Now." Biting her lower lip, she reached up and unclasped the necklace, before standing to hand over the item. When she did, he saw exactly what she wore. "Trying for a new fashion trend?"

The chemise that graced her body was short enough that he could see her thighs, while the light brown points against the front indicated her lack of undergarments. In the light of the candles around them, he could make out every curve, and detail of her body through the nearly transparent cloth. "I... wanted to be ready just in case I could seduce either Luka or Adrien..." she shivered as he took the necklace. Turning around, he opened a false panel in the back of his armoire. Hanging it next to an eagle talon, and a few others, he closed the back with an audible -click- before he turned back to the young woman.

"Unfortunately, Luka did not survive his encounter with the Tsurugi girl." He watched as she turned around, wrapping her arms around herself. "As for the Agreste boy, he apparently can detect you through your illusions, so I doubt he will ever be in that position with you willingly." She clenched her eyes shut as he stepped up behind her, his hands on her shoulders. "I, on the other hand..." She could feel the light chemise fall off of her shoulders, dropping past anywhere decent until it lay discarded on the floor.

This was her price of dealing with the bishop. A cost that she detested, but one that gave her power, and control... something severely lacking in her life. She would endure it, no matter how much damage it did to her both physically and mentally. She would push past, she would endure, and when she was ready... she would reveal the truth. In the back of her mind, she made plans, compartmentalized her pain, shame, and hate. She focused on what she would do once she had Trixx back. After all, she now had more information. 'Watch out, Adrien Agreste, because when I get my Miraculous back, your life as Black Cat is over.'

Another series of Medieval Miraculous has come and gone, and I have much to do when it comes to the third one.

Once more, a two week hiatus, but the next one "Miraculous: Demons and Angels" will be coming on November 1st with the first chapter. I will be determining the upload order at that time, and working on the rest of the series. Most likely I'll keep my Saturday evening/Sunday morning and Wednesday upload schedule, but that may change.

I have also been working with Lady Rhi X on a story, so if you're not watching that page, please do so. You will not be disappointed.