Transported back through the mists of time the ancient guide unveiled his memories to the group of weilders of the future.
The hall was filled with people dressed in colourful robes. It looked like something right out of a mid evil fair. It was easy to pick out the past weilders of the round table. It was clear they did not disguise their identities; they wore the symbols of their kwami boldly embroidered on their chest.
Food was piled up on the tables on fine dishes. Everything was opulent and beautiful presented. The food itself was so tempting Carapace attempted to snag a bite, but visions don't work like that. He was just left with a receding cloud of mist.
There was a group of musicians in the opposite corner playing many instruments that they had never heard before. A vielle, a psaltery, a shawm, some flutes, and some deer-hide drums created a festive background soundtrack for the celebration taking place before them. Suddenly a boy stood with a trumpet, and announced the arrival of the King and Queen.
The heavy double doors were open and in walked King Arthur with a smile that lit up the room. He gazed down adoringly at his bride, the young Guienivere, who smiled back up at him. Both were crowned in gold, and robed in red. The bright red dragon on Arthur's chest stood out proudly, and his dark black and gold robe flowed back over his shoulders. Guienivere's dress was crimson with black and white embroidery in the shape of delicate ladybugs. She wore a white veil over her strawberry blond waves of hair that fell to her back.
Arthur happily gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek, when a couple of ladies surrounded Gienivere to get a glimpse at her earrings. He continued on to greet guests, and receive congratulations for their wedding.
"Can you believe this," a woman in an opulent gold dress stared daggers at the couple. "Making her Ladybug over me! Not even setting aside a single miraculous for his own loyal sister! Arthur was always CB jealous of my power, even when we were children. Now he thinks he can control all the miraculous' through this little doll!"
"Aunt Morgan le Fay you know it was the guardians who assigned the miraculous. After all in their last days here they left me the black cat's ring," Medraut took a sip from the goblet she handed him.
"Exactly, my dearest, which is why you were always destined for greatness," Morgan soothed. "As I have always told you, it is you who should be the leader of the Miraculous Knights. The dragon miraculous is a third tier elemental...but the black cat is the most powerful of all!"
"I thought the Ladybug jewels held the most power," Medraut's ego swelled, but he watched his ambitious aunt carefully.
"Yes, well that may be, but used together they are unstoppable!" Morgan whispered. Then she studied him watching the Lady Quienivere glide elegantly across the floor. "And you know," she manipulated, "I've never heard a story from the legends where the Ladybug and the Black Cat did not end up together."
Medraut looked up at the violet-eyed woman at his side in surprise, and she shrugged as if bored by the whole thing, and weaved through the crowd having set her plan into motion.
Medraut circled around, and joined the party around Guienivere. The others carried on toward the table, but Medraut kept Guienivere back. "So you have officially become not only Queen, but also the Ladybug's weilder," he stated the obvious. "Congratulations to you on carrying on a proud legacy!"
"Thank you," Guienivere responded cooly.
"You know, it is really you and I who balance the fate of the others," he shared warmly, putting a friendly arm around her. "Together the powers of creation and destruction have always had their futures intertwined together."
"I will do my best to prove myself worthy to weild my miraculous, but you and I Sir walk very different paths," she stated firmly.
"Don't we both wish to make the world a better place?" Medraut asked, confused at her indifference. "Maybe once you've gotten to know me better..."
"I'm sure I know you quite well enough," she stepped away from him.
"So is this love then?" Medraut asked with a sarcastic tone.
"King Arthur is brave, fearless, loyal, noble, and a good man," Guienivere rolled back her shoulders. "He has been always true to his word in defending my people, and yes I love him for it!"
"That's a bit different than being in love with him," Medraut leaned in.
"How dare you! In the presence of my husband and your sworn King on our wedding day!" Guienivere's eyes flashed with anger.
"You are defensive hearing me talk of love on such a day?!" Medraut retorted.
Just then Lancealot stepped between Medraut and Guienivere, eyeing his fellow knight, but addressing the Queen, "Is there a problem here Mi'Lady?"
"The Lady and I were just discussing the attributes of love," Medraut brushed off Lancealot's defensive stance.
"And Sir Medraut was just leaving," Guienivere added pointedly.
"As you wish My Queen," Medraut bowed, but then added, "...but one day you will realize the power the Ladybug and the Black Cat could have together. One day your destiny will find you, and I will be here."
"You forget your place Sir," Lancealot growled stepping in front of Quienivere.
"You forget your place, I am the son of the High King! L'Ancelot means "servant" does it not?! Supposedly some drops of blue blood pulse through you, but you were raised by a lake witch in the wilderness! You may be Arthur's untainted hero now, but even Achilles had a weakness!" Medraut snapped.
"What has come over you Medraut?! How many battles have we fought side by side. Our stations never mattered then when we stood back to back against our enemies at the Castle of the White Thorn," Lancealot searched his fellow Knight's darkened face.
"You couldn't possibly understand," Medraut responded, and stormed out of the hall.
"Don't mind him Mi'Lady," Lancelot excused. "He is not usually so..."
"Forward?" Guienivere suggested.
Lancealot laughed heartily, "oh no, I'm afraid his boldness is deeply engrained in his every fiber."
Guienivere stifled a giggle, and looked up into Lancealot's disarming blue eyes. They stared at each other as if the rest of the room faded away for a moment.
The enchantment was only broken by Arthur who called over to Lancelot, imploring him to tell some other guests about his battle with the two dragons at Dinas Emrys.
"I wish you every happiness Mi'Lady," Lancealot dipped to softly kiss the back of Quienivere's hand. Then Lancealot crossed the floor to join the King. Meanwhile Guienivere's gaze followed him, tracing the place on her hand his lips had touched.
The fog lifted like the curtain at the next act of a play. The weilders of the future held their breath as the next scene materialized before them.
They were plunged right in the middle of a battle. The Saxon armies outnumbered them, but the miraculous knights of the round table held them off.
Lancealot lept from his horse and teleported to the King's aide. He fought back those who were closing in, and the King gave a battle cry for his knights to move forward on their enemy. A great warrior broke from the lines and slung a hideous axe from his shoulder down toward Lancealot. Guienivere, now in the armour of Ladybug, dove at Lancealot tackling him out of the way, and ending up bracing herself over top of him.
Lancealot looked shocked looking up at her from his back, and she looked down upon him with her chest rising and falling between breaths. "You...you saved me Mi'Lady!" Lancelot breathed. Then his eyes widened, seeing their enemy raise a sword over her shoulder, and Lancelot quickly rolled over her, moving out of the strike just in the nick of time.
"You saved me My Knight!" Lady Gwen smiled under Lancealot.
Lancealot stumbled up quickly, helping her up to her feet. "Lady Qwen, your charm!" Lancealot spoke up with a crack in his voice.
"You're quite charming yourself," she brushed his arm.
"Uh..Um...I meant...that is to say...your power...your lucky charm for the battle..." Lancealot blushed under his helmet.
"Oh!" she snapped to attention. "Yes, yes of course...Lucky Charm!" she called out receiving a red and black slingshot. She glanced around, and looked back at Lancelot. "May I?" she asked him.
"I...well...I..." Lancealot froze, glancing down hesitantly at Lady Qwen's rose pink lips.
"Your lucky horse shoe Lancealot," Lady Qwen insisted holding out her hand.
"Oh yes, yes of course," Lancealot broke out of his daydream, and reached to his back to retrieve his miraculous weapon.
Lady Qwen loaded the horseshoe into the sling shot, and like a trebuchet it flung the horse shoe skyward, ricocheting off a fence, and a wagon before knocking loose a bolt holding back a pile of massive beams which rolled out onto the enemy. The tide of the battle had turned in their favour and Arthur's knights were able to pacify the invading horde. Lady Qwen threw up her Lucky Charm and the battle field and nearby village was restored.
"We are victorious!" King Arthur cheered as the knights gathered round. "And now proud knights we keep the enemy on the run!"
Lady Qwen grabbed onto the saddle horn of her bay mare, but King Arthur rode along side her putting up his hand. "Not you my darling Queen. Your Lords will finish off this mess. You've had enough excitement for today. It is not for a Lady to witness the violence that must be administered to this rabble."
"But my husband," Qwenivere ventured to say. "I am no damsel in distress. Didn't we just fight together just now?! What if you need the ladybug's healing?"
"My dear of course you have a power all your own, but these are hard matters," Arthur kissed her cheek, and waved his hand trying to explain the ways of the world to his 'delicate flower." "For you see these villains who dare challenge our rule must be pushed back with violence so they will not return as a threat. It is not healing, but destruction to wipe out this threat we need. Sir Medraut will ride at my side. You understand of course," he smiled lovingly at her sweet face.
"Of course my King," Lady Quienivere responded with a tight lipped smile, and a slight dip into a curtesy.
"Good then," King Arthur nodded. "Lancelot, you and Myrddin will escort the Qween back. Myrddin will create a sentimonster to accompany us to stay in connection with. Then With Lancealot's horse miraculous powers he'll be able to teleport you all to our side if needed."
Myrddin bowed, and immediately went to work forming a sentimonster in the form of a falcon, that flew up and perched on the King's arm.
"My King, are you sure that we shouldn't just all stay at your side?" Lancelot said quietly coming up beside him..
"Am I not the King?" Arthur huffed, "must ever one question my council?! You are taking the Lady Quienivere, and that is final!"
Lancealot nodded, biting his lip. He then dutifully helped the Queen onto her horse, and mounting his own steed drew a portal with Kaalki's power.
The three arrived back at Camelot in silence. Quienivere occasionally glanced up at Lancealot, but he would not meet her eyes. After a silent dinner in the hall, Myrddin appeared to drift off after drinking far too much wine.
"What is your problem?" Guienivere challenged Lancealot across the table, once she thought the peacock weilder had dozed off.
"Whatever do you mean?" Lancealot looked up at her startled.
"Well good! You finally have glanced my way!" Gienivere said sullenly. "Ever since we got back you won't speak to me, won't even make eye contact with me! Am I that repulsive to you?!" She demanded.
"No! No of course not!" Lancealot backed out of his chair and got to his feet distractedly.
"There you go again avoiding me!" Guienivere pursued him, standing up and coming around the table.
"I'm not..." Lancealot protested, trying to look over her shoulder for a way out.
"You're doing it right now!" she stepped into his path.
"Fine, yes, I'm avoiding you," a flustered Lancealot tried to move past her, but she blocked his way, standing toe to toe with him.
"If this is about how a 'Lady' shouldn't be involved in battle, and you're just mad that you have to stay back and mind me..." her voice turned obstinent.
"No...no...it's not that at all!" he seemed surprised. "You were amazing out there! Without you there would have been no victory. Mi'Lady I was proud to fight at your side...and being here with you now..."
"That's it isn't it?!" her shoulders dropped. "You don't want to be with me."
Tension pulsed through Lancealot, and finally he snapped. "I want to be with you more than anything on earth!" he burst out, causing the snoring Myrddin to shift back in his chair with a snort.
Both Guienivere and Lancealot froze staring at each other, and glancing over at the peacock weilder, who muttered something in his sleep, and turned to his side.
Guienivere looked back at Lancealot's face, and he rushed to try to explain. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say anything," he said in a hushed voice. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you ever since I rescued you in the wood and witnessed your bravery, the way you hold yourself, not letting anything get in your way..." Lancealot sighed helplessly. "I am the Tristan to your Isolde...I'm hopelessly in love with you, and yet we can never be together."
"What did you say?" Guienivere asked breathlessly, taking a step closer to him.
Lancealot's Adam's apple bobbed, as he gulped. He had faced hundreds of warriors, but not a single one had rendered him as weak as the woman before him. "I love you," he whispered earnestly.
No sooner had the words crossed his tongue had she pressed her lips against his. He stepped back in surprise, but as her mouth opened up to his, he sighed with pent up longing for another taste of her. He pressed himself against her as they passionately embraced with the urgency of their longing for each other.
"We can't, I have already committed treason even to touch you," Lancealot panted against her neck, but not pulling away from her either.
"You said you were my Tristan," Guienivere pressed her smooth hands on the curve of his face, and he kissed her on the inside of her wrist. "Did Tristan and Isolde not find a way to be together?"
"Yes, but they were separated by death in the end," Lancealot traced Guienivere's delicate lips with his finger, raising his eyes from her mouth, to meet her gaze.
"Aren't we all in this short life?" Guienivere gave him an encouraging soft smile, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Even if they could only be together in that brief moment in time, do you think they thought it was still worth it?" she asked, gazing up at him.
In answer Lancealot wrapped her up in his arms and they kissed each other without holding back. Grabbing each other by the hand the two ran through the hall doors, and down the corridor.
"Well that was steamy," grinned Carapace with a wink at Rena Rouge.
Ladybug glanced over to Chat Noir, and blushed.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it they are all goo-goo for each other, and can't keep their hands off each other...but they seemed to forget the little technicality that she was still married to the king! As if he's not going to find out!" Queen Bee crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"
"You are quite right young lady," the elder nodded. "In the weeks to come there were those who counciled Lancelot to break off the affair, but he was absolutely enamoured by her. With King Arthur off fighting various challenges or off on quests for glory the two had far too many opportunities to steal away moments together...but their secret did not stay hidden."
The worst person possible found out and easily decoded the sidelong glances, the intimate conversations, and flimsy excuses covering the affair of Lancelot and Guienivere; The Lady Morgan le Fey.
One evening as Arthur was preparing to be away for a hunting trip, Lady Morgan drew her nephews Medraut and his older brother Agravain to one side and told them her plan. They would have a chance to expose both Lancealot and the Queen in a compromising position. Unarmed and unaware they assumed they would easily eliminate Lancealot in their quest for power. The trap was set.
So predictable, Lancealot could not resist the chance to meet Guienivere. Medraut, Agravain and their men knocked through the door and found them together. Even though Lancelot was unsuspecting, outnumbered, and unarmed he fought them off, and struck down many of them in his path. He escaped with Quienivere using the horse miraculous to flee with his army to France.
Arthur was heartbroken and enraged by the betrayal of his wife and his best friend. He cursed them, and swore he would not rest until the paid for their treason. Arthur took his knights and his army and tracked them all the way to France. The miraculous knights were divided some siding with Lancealot and the others loyal to the King. In the chaos and the absence of the King at Camelot though, Medraut sat himself on the throne and declared himself King.
Arthur had to turn back, abandoning his pursuit of Lancealot and Quienivere to defend his people and his claim to his throne before it was too late. Morgan warned her nephew of Arthur's return, rushing his plans before he could fortify the city against Arthur's return. In frustration Medraut cataclysmed the round table splitting it in half.
It was on fields of Camlann that Authur finally caught up with Medraut.
Their forces battled against each other, and each knight worked his way through the ranks until they clashed swords against each other face to face.
"Nephew! Why have you now betrayed me too! I have always given you all that you asked. Was that not enough?!" King Arthur demanded.
"You were the one that stole my birthright, by taking my fathers place...and now you dangle titles and trinkets in my face, toying with me, just so I will do your bidding...Well no more! Now will take what I was always destined to possess! Your crown, your throne, and your queen!" Medraut proclaimed passionately striking his staff across King Arthur's chest throwing his backward.
"My crown, and my throne I will fight you for, but as you know yourself, the Queen has already chosen another who is neither you or I," King Arthur shot back, his voice laced with bitterness.
"I was chosen by the guardians to be the black Cat weilder, and she is the chosen Ladybug. Fate is on my side uncle...you were always destined to loose everything to me!" Medraut yelled victoriously.
"You were never meant to be the weilder of the black cat!" Arthur finally blurted out.
"What?!" Medraut shouted back.
"It was my fault. I'm the one that messed things up. It was not supposed to be you...it was never meant to be you!" Arthur replied distraught and angry.
"What are you even saying? Of course I was destined to weild the ring of destruction! How would you...how would you even know?" Medraut sputtered.
"The guardians were leaving after deciding on the new youth to be trained. They left the miraculous boxes for each of you, and charged me with the responsibility to watch over your training. They told me it was young Lancealot who was to weild the powerful black cat miraculous." Arthur shook his head sorrowfully, "But I was a coward. Afraid of loosing my crown and control of the two most powerful miraculous' to a man outside my own line I betrayed the trust of the guardians and you weilders as well...that night I switched your miraculous and gave your miraculous, the horse, to Lancealot. And Lancealot's miraculous, the black cat, I gave to my most beloved nephew..you, Medraut."
"Lies!!!" Medraut let loose a frenzy of attacks against King Arthur's shield, gouging it with his blade until he stumbled back in exhaustion.
"The lie has been letting you believe that the burden of the cat's ring was on your shoulders this whole time," Arthur breathed heavily bracing himself against a stump on the edge of a murky bog. "I am sorry my boy. If I hadn't tampered with the decision of the guardians we could have been back around the round table unified as brothers, rather than soaking this hillside with noble blood!"
"You're sorry!" Medraut seethed "you're sorry! All anyone can think about is Lancealot! You think him better than me?! That he should be the true chosen one! The shining knight! The perfect one!" Medraut started to rant thrusting his spear into the air angrily. "Don't forget is was I loyal by your side, and it was he sneaking around with your wife! You are a fool uncle! A dreamer and a fool!"
Arthur looked at his nephew with pity in his eyes. "I am a fool," Arthur said sorrowfully, "a fool to not realize you were too much like me."
Medraut shouted in fury and attacked Arthur, who fought him back. They exchanged devastating blows down upon each other on the edge of the battle field. Already many of the virtuous weilders had struck each other down at Camlann. Bedivere, Cai, Lucan, and I struggled to reach the king's side, but Cai was run through with a sword by Gwyddawg. Lucan turned upon him, and took vengeance on the powerful knight, but lost his own life in doing so. Only Bedivere and I reached the king...but only in time to witness his tragic loss.
Arthur caught Medraut's spear in between his armour, and it became wedged in the thick swamp at his feet. In Medraut's blind rage against the truth now so blatantly obvious, he yelled out cataclysm charging the king. He ran so fast that upon reaching the uneven soft, spongy peat he stumbled and fell forward piercing himself on his own spear. The tragedy was only deepened when Medraut's power laced palm struck King Arthur, and the two died together.
We called out, but our voices were hollow in the emptiness of the cold and motionless battlefield. We were the last still standing. Our friends and foes were indiscernible scattered together. It didn't matter anymore what side each had been fighting for. Everyone was gone. Dead, dying, injured, or fleeing.
Bedivere took King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, and tenderly wiped it's gory blade with the inside of his green cloak. He would travel great distances to return it to the Lady of the Lake, Lady Justice.
As for me, with a heavy heart I carried the fallen miraculous jewels from the battlefield back to the Lady Guienivere.
When I handed her the dragon miraculous, she collapsed to the ground sobbing, and was inconsolable.
"So that is how the golden age of Camelot dissolved into myth," Rena Rouge mused quietly. "There are countless historians now who don't even acknowledge Arthur existed at all!"
"What about Guienivere and Lancelot?" Chat Noir asked.
Even though Lancelot was the most skilled warrior of his time, after the death of Arthur he had seen enough of death and violence. Instead he took missions of peace, and travelled to the far temple of the miraculous' to seek guidance from the guardians.
Guienivere too left courtly life behind, living instead in a peaceful convent as the new guardian of the miraculous. She had a son born from the love she had shared with Lancelot, who would become one of the greatest and most honourable weilders of all time; Galahad.
"Did they not finally get to be together?" Ladybug asked.
"No, dear one," Myrddin replied softly. Too much pain weighed on them. They blamed themselves for Arthur's death, and the loss of their fellow knights. Seeing each other just brought back too many memories, and their hearts were tainted with heavy regret."
"At least you did all you could," Ladybug touched the old mans shoulder
Unexpectedly it was then that Mrlyyin broke down. He slumped over the table, weeping bitterly.
"It is not so!" he gasped between sobs. "You don't yet realize how even now I deceived you all, hiding my hand in all this throughout the story. You only saw in part what happened in the last days of my King!"
"We'll just tell us then!" Queen Bee stomped her foot, annoyed at the way he just carried on.
He nodded, gathering himself, and finally took in a deep breath before revising the telling of his story. "I was older than Arthur, and had trained him when the guardians first discovered him in Avolon. I witnessed the prophesy fulfilled when I saw him pulled Excalibur from the stone. His youthful ideals of all men as equals inspired me, and together we founded the very beginning of our Camelot."
"As more knights were chosen to weild the powerful miraculous, and as Arthur's fame grew he seemed to need me less and less. He no longer took my council."
"Disheartened, but wanting to still protect Arthur I set out to prevent Medraut from interfering with the rescue of Guienivere. It was then that Morgan sought me out. She told me that she had noticed Arthur diverting from his original path and becoming swept up in his own power, corrupted by fame. She said that together she and I could help reveil his illplaced trust in his deceitful friends and help him find his way once more..."
"...And so I committed to assist Morgan, not realizing she was manipulating me, using my insecurities against me, I betrayed my best friend and my king I betrayed the miraculous!
"But when did you?" Chat Noir asked. "We saw..."
"You saw only what I let you see...you didn't notice the potion I slipped into the goblet Morgan passed to Medraut to loosen his tongue at Arthur's wedding. You didn't see me sit up alertly after Lancealot and Guienivere's first kiss, and like a rat go directly to inform Morgan what had transpired! You didn't know it was I who made sure to mention to Lancealot that the King would be out hunting all night setting him up for an ambush that night! Oh yes, I was the tinder Morgan used to burn our dreams to the ground. I was at Arthur's side through the battle with Lancealot, and then with Medraut...but it wasn't until King Arthur fell that I truly realized what I had done."
The teen weilders around the broken table were shocked, and an uncomfortable hush fell amongst the group as the remorseful elder wept openly.
I thought that Morgan was loyal to Arthur, but her only loyalty (apart from herself), was to the creature Alastor Accolon. His name meant tormentor, and he certainly deserved that title. He was more of a demon walking in human form!"
They believed that returning from the battle that I would hand over all the miraculous jewels of the fallen over to them. But the hold the alluring Morgan had over me dissolved the moment Arthur took his last breath. Instead I delivered the miraculous' into Queen Quanivere's keeping, naming her the new guardian.
For many years we fought the powerful sorceress, Morgan and her cohort, Alastor.
She came to call herself empress of the wilderness, queen of the damsels, lady of the isles, and governor of the waves of the great sea. There were no boundaries she would not cross, except those dictated by her own ambitions, envy, and lust.
At first we thought we had lost everything...until the next generation arose. Lancealot and Guienivere's son, Galahad grew into a honourable young man, and was knighted as a miraculous weilder. I went with him on this trials, just as I had with Arthur. We travelled to Egypt and discovered more about Alastor's true nature. It was only then when we returned that we were able to defeat them.
"So this Alastor...do you think that he is the man Lady Justice warned us about?" Ladybug asked Ember.
"I think it is likely that this Alastor is the same one...but I doubt he is the mortal human man he has mascaraded himself as throughout history," Ember warned.
"Not human?!" Queen Bee asked. "What was he then?!"
"The kwami of chaos."
"The accuser."
"The wild mosquito kwami of Egypt! The shapeshifter! He can take human form...any human form!"
If it can take any form, how do we know who we can trust?" asked Catapace.
"We might not," Ladybug responded gravely. Then she glanced up around the circle of weilders around her. "It could be one of us!" her voice broke at the realization.
Chat Noir broke into her thoughts, "Myrddin how can we tell if it is him?"
"As a human it may be very difficult to weed him out," Myrddin looked around the circle. "But as a wild kwami he cannot weild a miraculous himself...the magic will only bond a kwami to a true human mortal."
"That settles it! We all need to use the power of our miraculous to prove we really are not this imposter!" Rena Rouge declared.
Around the circle each weilder took turns calling out their command. First Ladybug, then Chat Noir, than Rena Rouge, and then Carapace. Then they all looked over expectantly at Queen Bee.
"This is stupid!" Queen Bee complained, crossing her arms. "You all know who I am already anyway!"
"Just say venom anyway Chloe," Rena Rouge glared at her.
"What about this strange old wizard-man?" Chloe pointed accusingly. "Just cuz he says this is what we have to do, you all just go along with it. Wasn't he sentenced to thousands of years imprisonment by the supposed 'good-guys?' Plus he already lied to us today about what he was doing behind the scenes. Why should we trust him?!"
"You bring up a valid point Bee Weilder," Myrddin nodded, "but you still are delaying a fairly simple test yourself for some reason."
"Because I'm done proving myself to people!" Queen Bee glared at the old man.
"Come on, Chlo," Chat Noir urged with the tension between them all building, "Just say the words."
"Why won't you just say it?!" Ladybug demanded, standing up in front of Chloe suspiciously.
"Maybe she can't, because she's not really Chloe!" Carapace raised his shield and moved forward on Chloe cautiously.
"You idiot! Of course it is me!" she shot back bristling.
"This is you last chance then," Rena Rouge warned, circling around behind the bee heroine.
"You're all ridiculous!" Queen Bee fumed leaping to her feet. At her sudden outburst the other weilders leapt on her, and she finally shouted, "venom!" and vaulted over them to hold her weapon at Myrddin's neck.
"It is you!" Chat Noir breathed a sigh of relief, "but why didn't you just say your command before?!"
"You saps! Who put the idea in your heads for us to test his theory by using up our power? This crazy old man's! And now you have all used your power and you will transform back soon...All before we know if he is the shapeshifter villain! Am I really the only one with half a brain on this team?!" Queen Bee demanded.
The other weilders looked sheepish, and glanced at the blinking lights on their jewels counting down their allotted time of transformation.
"You could've just said so!" Rena Rouge grumbled.
Queen Bee just rolled her eyes, "now that you know I'm me, I'm going to give this loony toon my miraculous."
"You're going to what?!" Ladybug screeched.
"We need to know if he can transform, and everyone already knows who I am under the mask, so no one else needs to give away their identity," she replied bluntly, with an edge of annoyance.
"But dude! You just said you didn't trust him!" Carapace pointed out.
"I don't, but I figure this is the only way to know for sure," Queen Bee eyed Myrddin.
Myrddin just stood silently, stretching his neck as high as he could to avoid Queen Bee's stinger still at his throat.
"Common, just get over here and be ready!" Queen Bee shouted. "Some of you only have a couple minutes left now before you transform back!"
Ladybug nodded at the others and they grasped their weapons surrounding the old man. Queen Bee took a shaky breath in, and sighed, "Buzz off," dropping her transformation, and slipping her miraculous begrudgingly into the hair of the old man. "Say it!" She growled at him."
The old man smiled under his beard, and said "pollen, Buzz on." Suddenly his beard and white hair became streaked yellow and black, his helmet was black and pointed like the face of a bee, and his armour shone gold with black streaks running across it.
"Okay fine, you're not this Alastor shapeshifter creature either," Chloe sighed in relief and stuck out her hand for the return of her miraculous.
But rather than passing back the miraculous, Myrddin called, "venom!" And grabbed Chloe tightly around her arms, and put the bee's stinger to her neck.
"What are you doing?!" Ladybug demanded, as the other weilders immediately took their attack stance against him to defend the now defenceless Chloe. Ember blazed brilliantly, and rose up above them ready to strike.
"I wish you well in you quest, I really do kids," Myrddin said, "but I'm not about to go up against the kwami of chaos again, and I certainly am not about to let Lady Justice trap me back in that blasted tree!"
"We trusted you...just like others in your past trusted you," Chat Noir said edging closer. "You said you regretted betraying Arthur back then...this is your chance to make things right!"
"You know it doesn't work like that," Myrddin replied sadly. Then he tightened his hold on Chloe, and turned to Ladybug. "Now all I wish is for a quick exit. Come now Lady, get out Kaalki and spin me a portal."
"Don't do it," Chloe growled against his arm. "If he uses the venom up on me he'll just detransform."
"You forget, I've been trough the trials myself," Myrddin reasoned. "I've got enough experience and desperation on my side to hold out until I subdued each of you...and I'd rather not. I've become quite fond of you all!"
"You've got a funny way of showing it," Rena Rouge narrowed her eyes at him.
"Where did you want to go?" Ladybug asked through gritted teeth putting the glasses on her nose.
I've got some overdue business in Shanghai," Myrddin smiled.
"Fine," Ladybug glared at him. "Give us Chloe and her miraculous and I will release you there."
"How do I know you will be true to our agreement and not drop me into the middle of the sea?" Myrddin eyed her carefully.
There was a beep from both Rena Rouge and Carapace's miraculous. They were down to their last seconds before they would loose their transformations.
"I swear on my miraculous," Ladybug quickly declared.
Myrddin studied her carefully, and glanced over at Chat Noir. "No..." he decided. "Swear it on something much more precious. Swear it on your love!"
"What?!" sputtered Ladybug.
"On your love," insisted Myridden, nodding at Chat Noir.
"Fine! I swear on my love that I will release you safely to Shanghi if you let her and the jewel go," Ladybug shot back, and drew a portal behind him.
"Whatever you may think of me, It was nice to meet the next generation of miraculous knights!" Myrddin smiled chipperly. He popped the bee miraculous from his hair, and slipped it back into Chloe's hair. Then he winked and stepped back into the portal calling out, "Tell Nime, Merlin is back!"
Oooo
That is right...Myridden is the Welsh form of Merlin...the original wizard of wizards...and no...the weilders have not seen the last of him...duh duh duh
Thank you for reading and especially to those leaving the encouraging reviews!