Title: "Best Laid Plans"
Author: Veritas Found
Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen
Characters/Pairings: Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Sass; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng
Summary: Upon meeting her betrothed, Princess Marinette realizes she cannot marry Prince Adrien Agreste. Even if she wasn't in love with someone else, she wouldn't want to marry him. If only her solution to not marrying him wasn't so drastic… (Or: the Sprint Fic that Laughed at the Guidelines in order to make Sass king.)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes/Warnings: I wasn't gonna do another one, but then Fen sent a Rabid Plunny after me. xD For the prompt: "Marinette gets cursed with a sleeping spell that can only be broken by a true love's kiss. Spoiler: it's not the prince." (I suppose this could be seen as a little salty to Adrien, but really I didn't say anything here that Canon doesn't support.)
Just a reminder: LBSC Sprint Fic Challenge Guidelines: Three 15-minute sprints to write or draw. 24 hours to edit/post. For this particular one, three sprints found me at about 1800 words with Luka and Marinette confessing to each other. I went on for 18 sprints and about 9.9k pre-editing. I failed the challenge so hard. :joy:
[EDIT]: It's been brought to my attention that referring to Anarka as a...crap I really don't even want to use the word again bc I don't want to upset anyone else? Anarka has been changed to a Pirate Queen. I should have stuck with Pirate to begin with, but I kept thinking "oh it's like a pirate just on land" because I know the romanticized term and was not aware of the full cultural weight behind it. I am so sorry for any offense that was caused – that was not at all my intent.
"Best Laid Plans"
"I can't marry Prince Adrien."
The words hung heavy in the air between them. Luka's brow furrowed as he considered the princess. She sat on a bench against the wall, her back pressed to the stone but her shoulders hunching forward. Her eyes were dark, her teeth worrying her lip as she nervously wrung her hands in her lap. She was picking at the nail on her thumb – a nervous tick she had no doubt picked up from him years ago. It was exactly where she'd been for nearly twenty minutes, ever since she had first knocked on his chamber door with desperate, panicked eyes and a quiet plea to come in.
…but, as soon as the words were out there, as soon as they had been spoken, she seemed to relax. She sat a bit straighter as she took a deep breath, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She looked up at him, her beautiful blue eyes locking on his own, and set her mouth in a grim, determined line.
"Luka," she said, his heart twisting at the way she said his name, "I can't marry him."
"Why?" he asked, cursing himself the moment the word had passed his lips. Why was he questioning her? Shouldn't her declaration make him happy? He coughed, clearing his throat, and tried again. "I…I thought you loved the Prince."
"I'd never met the Prince," she said, shaking her head. He raised an eyebrow, and she groaned as she slumped back against the wall. Absently, her hand left her lap to stroke along the teal scales of his Familiar snake, who had been napping on the bench beside her. Sass hissed, turning his yellow eyes up at the princess. "Not before last night. Of course I don't love him."
"You were fine with your betrothal," he reminded her, as if agreeing to a betrothal was the same as loving someone. He tried not to smile at the way she snorted at that. "You agreed with it. You've never expressed displeasure at the match before now."
"Because I hadn't met him before now," she groaned again. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking away with a pout that made her look younger than her sixteen years. "Luka, he's…he's not awful, but he's…"
"Awful?" Luka supplied with a chuckle, and Marinette threw out her arms as she cried Yes! She slumped back against the wall and rubbed at her face.
"He's handsome – I'll give him that. He's Prince Adrien Agreste, of course he's handsome," Marinette grumbled. Her hands slipped down below her eyes, and she glared at the ceiling. "But he's…he's so…he's perfectly fine." Luka tried not to smirk at that: fine wasn't exactly how one typically wanted to describe their betrothed. "Cordial. A perfect gentleman – a perfect prince!"
"But…?" Luka pressed, smiling softly at her. She looked back at her lap, one hand dropping to her skirts to pick at a loose thread. The other returned to Sass, once again stroking his scales. She seemed hesitant to voice her thoughts, or at least unsure of how to best word them. Sass butted his head into her palm, and her lips quirked with a smile.
"…he doesn't want to marry me, either," she finally whispered, her fingers twisting in her skirts. Luka's eyebrows furrowed again. That didn't sound right: Prince Adrien had been completely charmed by Princess Marinette, as everyone should be. He had seemed perfectly infatuated with his betrothed at her birthday ball the night before, stealing her away for every dance and monopolizing her time every moment in between. Marinette seemed convinced, though. "Luka, he doesn't want to marry me. He wants to marry a princess."
"But…you are a princess," Luka pointed out. Marinette rolled her eyes. She reached for a ball of twine sitting on the workbench beside her seat and tossed it at him. He caught it easily, grinning at her.
"You know what I mean!" she huffed. He smiled wryly and shook his head.
"I'm afraid I don't, highness," he said. He tossed the ball back at her, and she put it back on the workbench with another roll of her eyes. "Please, illuminate me."
Marinette's head dipped again, her eyes losing their fiery spark as her gaze returned to her lap. She was worrying her lip again, and it took everything Luka had to keep himself from reaching out and pulling that lip from between her teeth. He had to remind himself that she was his princess, and he was just an apprentice, and they weren't like that. They could never be like that – she was too far above his station.
That had never stopped him from dreaming, though.
"I am a princess," Marinette finally said, carefully – as if she was afraid of saying the wrong thing. She was picking at her skirts again. "I love my kingdom, and I will always do what is best for my people. I can't wait to rule them someday, and I have always agreed to our betrothal because marrying Prince Adrien made sense. A union between our kingdoms makes sense. It is a good match, and he has always seemed like a good prince, and I will gladly do my duty for my kingdom. But…"
She was worrying her lip again. Luka reached out, his hand covering her own and squeezing. When she raised her head to him, she looked terrified.
"I don't love him, Luka," she whispered. "I can't love him. And I am a princess, and I am a good princess, so of course I'll do my duty to my people, but…is it so wrong that I want my future king to love me? To love me, not Princess Marinette? I am a good princess, but I am not just a princess."
"You've just met, Marinette," Luka said gently, squeezing her hands again. "You have known each other a handful of hours at best. Give him a chance – give him time. You…you could grow to love each other."
"No, we can't," she said, shaking her head. "He's not interested in getting to know me, Luka. He's already convinced himself he loves me, but he only loves the image of me he's constructed in his head. The Good Princess. He has no idea who I really am. He doesn't know the me that likes to spend sunny afternoons sketching in the gardens. He doesn't know the me that likes to sew my own dresses. He doesn't know the me that bakes cookies for the servants."
"Those are all things he will come to know, though," Luka said. He desperately ignored the twisting in his chest, the little voice that pointed out how he already knew and loved those things – how Marinette was perfect, just as she was, and of course once Prince Adrien got to know her he would see it, too. He would love her for her, too. She had nothing to be upset or worried over.
"He has no interest in coming to know them," she said, twisting her hands to grasp his. "He's fallen in love with a Princess, and I don't think I can be that princess."
"You must give him a chance, highness," Luka sighed. Marinette squeezed his hand painfully tight.
"Would you?" she bit, and his eyebrows rose in surprise before a startled little laugh escaped him.
"Give him a chance?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Would you marry Prince Adrien, Luka?" she asked, and he laughed again. "I'm being serious!"
"I'm afraid I couldn't, my dear princess," he said with a soft chuckle. He reached up with the hand she wasn't holding, brushing her bangs back behind her ear. "My heart has already belonged to another for quite some time. I would have no interest in marrying silly princes."
She blinked in surprise at that.
"You…you're courting someone?" she gasped, her mouth dropping open. She seemed to simultaneously brighten and deflate at the news. She squeezed his hand again. "Luka, why…why didn't you tell me? Who is she? How could you not say anything?"
"We're not courting, Marinette," he said, shaking his head. "She…she is set to marry another, and above my station at that. I'm afraid our love is impossible. Doomed from the start."
"…does she love you back?" Marinette whispered. His lips turned in a sad little smile, and he shrugged helplessly. "Luka."
"I…we have not discussed it," he said. "I have not told her how I feel. What is the point, when we can never be?"
"Because you love her!" Marinette insisted, glaring at him. "She deserves to know – you deserve to tell her!"
"To what end, highness?" he asked. He tried to pull his hand away, but she only held him tighter. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat. "Even if she felt the same, I am not allowed to love her, and she is not allowed to love me. What point is there if my confession will only break both our hearts?"
"Because you love her! And you're the Royal Sorcerer!" she huffed.
"Apprentice to the Royal Sorcerer," he corrected, and she rolled her eyes.
"Future Royal Sorcerer – you hold a position at Court! And you're best friends with the Crown Princess – I could pull some strings, Luka! You deserve to be happy!" she cried. Her expression fell, her entire posture wilting as she continued to stare at him. "If…if it were me…I'd want to know. I'd want to know you loved me so I could tell you how much I love you back. It's only fair, Luka."
He tried to ignore the way his heart thrilled at those words. She was speaking in hypotheticals, of course. She didn't actually love him.
They were friends. Nothing more.
"…you didn't come here to discuss my hopeless love life," he said, his voice thick. She leaned her face into his hand, and something in him started at that. When had he placed his hand against her cheek? His thumb brushed beneath her eye, and her grip tightened on the hand still held in her lap. "You came to discuss yours."
"…ok," she said, opening her eyes, and he was surprised to see the tears swimming in them. His breath caught in his throat. "I don't want to marry Prince Adrien, Luka. I want to marry you."
"P-Princess…" he gasped, but she had looked back down at her lap as the first tears slipped from her eyes. He brushed them away absently, his entire body shocked numb as he tried to process what she had just told him. "Marinette…"
"I'm sorry," she said, shaking he head. "I'm so sorry, Luka. I know you love another, and it's not fair to tell you I love you when I have to marry Prince Adrien, but…it's hypocritical, isn't it, if I tell you to confess when I haven't even been brave enough to confess to you? I love you, Luka. I always have. And I don't want to marry someone who isn't even interested in getting to know the real me when the real me is already so in love with you it –!"
…he was stupid.
He was stupid, and reckless, and stupid, and he never should have done what he just did.
But Princess Marinette loved him, and she wanted to marry him, and she was everything he'd ever wanted, and damn propriety and The Rules. Her lips were soft beneath his own, and the surprised little mewl she made as he pressed her into the wall was one of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard, and her hands tangling in his hair and pulling him closer was one of the most divine things he'd ever felt – until the tugging on his hair made him groan, and her tongue hesitantly poked at his own, and he was pretty sure this was not what a First Kiss was supposed to be like, but he was also pretty sure he didn't care. (Couffaines had never done things the Proper Way, anyway.)
"L-Luka!" she gasped after another moment of desperate kissing, and her small hand on his shoulder was enough to snap him out of his kiss-drunk haze. He blinked at her smiling face before jerking back, but the giddy laugh bubbling from her beautifully bruised lips didn't sound upset… "I think I should have told you I loved you sooner!"
"Gods above, Marinette – Princess! Princess! I am so sorry! I sho-" he started, but her hand on his knee caused the words to die in his throat. He swallowed thickly, nearly groaning again at the adorable way she tilted her head to the side. He wanted to kiss her again. There was something in him that desperately needed to kiss her again, but he couldn't. Didn't she understand that? She was betrothed to another!
…that she didn't want to marry. That she didn't love. Because she loved him.
"Whatever for?" she asked, too innocently for the mischievous gleam in her eye. His mother would be damned proud of that gleam. That was a Couffaine gleam. "That…that was a really good kiss, Luka. In fact, we may have to do it again to confirm, but I think that might have been the best kiss ever. Can we test that theory?"
"…you're killing me," he groaned, slumping forward, but her giggle had him smiling. The smile on her face was worlds better than the tears of before, at least. "I shouldn't have just…jumped you like that. I didn't even ask if you wanted me to…I shouldn't have anyway. Marinette, you are betrothed to Prince Adrien."
"Prince Adrien can sod off," Marinette sniffed, and he clapped his hands over his mouth as a bark of laughter escaped him. His face hurt from how wide he was smiling. Marinette winked at him. "I don't love Prince Adrien, Luka. I love you. Surely that has to mean something? You…you love me, too, right? You wouldn't have kissed me if…I'm the girl who's betrothed to another, right? Who's…who's above your station?"
"You're so far above me in so many ways, dear princess," he sighed. He sucked in a breath when she tugged him towards her, wrapping her arms around his middle and burying her face in his robes. His arms automatically came up to hug her, the way his hands ran soothing lines along her back almost instinctual by now. "Yes. Yes, I love you. But your father will never allow me to…you are betrothed to a prince, Marinette. I cannot compete with that."
"You love me, and I love you," she said, her voice muffled against the fabric of his robes. "What is there to compete with? My father can't argue against True Love."
He could. Luka knew he could. Thomas Dupain was a wise ruler and a kind king, and he loved his daughter fiercely – blindly. Princess Marinette had been betrothed to Prince Adrien since they were children. They were to meet on the night of her sixteenth birthday, and their wedding would be on the night of her eighteenth. It had been arranged by the Fae, or prophesied, or ordained, or something that had always made King Thomas swear the match was destiny.
Luka was just the poor son of a roving sailor. A pirate. A prominent, respected pirate, but still a pirate. Yes, he was an insanely talented sorcerer-in-training that had somehow managed to secure a position at court training under the Royal Sorcerer, but that did not change who he was or where he had come from. What could he possibly offer a princess of Marinette's caliber?
He was nothing.
King Thomas would see that.
King Thomas would never agree to give him her hand in marriage.
King Thomas would never let Luka Couffaine become the future king.
"He believes Prince Adrien is your True Love, Marinette," he said quietly, swallowing against the knot in his stomach. Marinette held him tighter.
"Prince Adrien isn't you," she grumbled – whined. His hand came up to cradle the back of her head, and she shifted to press her face against his neck. Her breath nearly burned him. "We must make him see otherwise – surely we can…"
She jerked away from him with a sudden gasp, and he blinked at the blinding smile on her face. She grabbed at his hands, holding them tight against her chest.
"We can! Of course!" she cried, but he was still shaking his head stupidly. What was she…? "Luka! We can use a Sleeping Curse!"
…oh.
Oh, no.
Oh no, no, no, no, no…
"Marinette, are you insane?" he asked, his voice no more than a strangled gasp. How could she possibly…she had no idea how dangerous…and he wasn't trained in curses of that caliber – of any caliber! Curses were Dark Magic – Chaos Magic – and he was…
"Luka, it's perfect!" she insisted, squeezing his hands tight. "The cure to every Sleeping Curse is True Love's Kiss! If Adrien kisses me –" and he had to ignore the way the thought made his stomach churn, now that he had kissed her and knew she was more than happy to kiss him again and… "– and fails to break the Curse, but you kiss me and I wake up, than Papa will have to believe it's True Love! He'll have no choice but to let us marry – it's perfect!"
"Curses are never the answer to anything, Marinette," he argued – pleaded – because they weren't. They were dangerous, volatile things – it's why they were called curses! They certainly weren't meant to be placed on the friend you'd been in love with most of your life! "What if I mess up the spell? What if it doesn't work? What if I kiss you and you don't wake up? I could kill you, Marinette!"
"Are you saying you don't actually love me?" she asked, too innocently for the way the words wounded him, and he sucked in a breath.
"Of course not!" he cried, gripping her hand so tightly his knuckles blanched. She lifted her eyebrows at him, and he shook his head. "But Dark Magic is unpredictable at best, and…I love you. I love you so much, Marinette. I could not bear to lose you because I am incompetent with Curses."
"But you're not incompetent – I trust you, Luka. With my life," she said. She pressed their hands to her chest, over her heart, and smiled at him. "This will work."
"I…I can't Curse you, Marinette," he said, voice shaking. "If you don't wake…if your father doesn't let me try…I could not bear the thought that you were Cursed because of something I did. That I was the one to put you to sleep."
"Prince Adrien hasn't even left the Kingdom yet," Marinette said. "If we can assemble the Curse today…he will still be here and, because he's Prince Adrien," she added with a roll of her eyes, and he tried not to snort at that, "he will do the noble thing and try to wake me immediately. He will fail, and you will try. I will be asleep a matter of hours – less than a night! A day or so at worst! Luka, I will be fine."
"…can't we at least try speaking with the King before we jump straight into Curses?" he asked. His voice still sounded strangled, as if he were pleading with her…and he was. He knew – they both knew – the King would never agree to their union, but a Sleeping Curse was so extreme…
"We both know he will never listen," she said, firm and steady in her surety. He sighed and hung his head, knowing she was right and hating it all the same. Her hand came to rest on his cheek, warm and solid and real against his skin, and she tilted his face back towards her own. "I hate it, too, but it's the only way. Please, Luka. I am not afraid of you. You would never hurt me."
"I am not afraid of hurting you, Marinette," he said, pressing his cheek into her palm and closing his eyes. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "I am afraid of killing you."
Her lips were on his again, gentle but insistent with the slow, determined way she kissed him. It wasn't fair, he couldn't help but think. He was quickly becoming addicted to her kisses – he wanted a lifetime of them and more. How could she ask this of him when the cost could be so very high?
Magic always came with a price, and Dark Magic always required the highest price of all…
"You love me," she whispered against his lips when she pulled away, as if she still couldn't quite believe the truth of that fact. As if it still amazed her as much as the fact that she loved him amazed him. "You would never kill me. This will be nothing more than a nap, my love, and when I wake we can start planning our future. For our Kingdom. Be my King, Luka. Rule beside me."
"I don't care about being king, Marinette," he sighed, kissing her again. "I care about you."
"I cannot rule with someone I don't trust," she said. "I cannot rule with someone I don't love – who doesn't love me. You will love my kingdom because you love me. You are good, and kind, and everything the kingdom needs in a ruler – everything I need in a partner. Please, Luka. This is the only way."
He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and breathing. When he opened his eyes again, he found Sass watching him from his place beside Marinette. The snake's tongue flicked out at him.
It is risssssky, his familiar's voice echoed in his head, but shhhe has a point.
I could kill her, he shot back, but all he could hear in reply was Sass's hissing laugh.
Unlikely, the little shit chided. You are far more talented than mosssst your age. Bessssidessss, you love her.
He would almost swear that Sass was smirking at him as he shifted, butting his head against Marinette's hip.
What'sssss the worssssst that could happen? Sass challenged, and Luka was certain he was grinning at him that time. He looked back at Marinette and sighed, drawing her in for one more kiss. It was slower this time, as if he was trying to commit the feel of her mouth against his own to memory. As if he was uncertain he would ever feel this bliss again.
Kisses – especially new kisses – shouldn't feel like that, he couldn't help but think. They shouldn't be tainted with desperation and fear.
"…ok," he said once he finally pulled away. Her smile was beautiful in its brilliance. "Ok. I'll do it."
– V –
Assembling the Curse was easier than Luka had expected. For Dark Magic, it was surprisingly…light.
The herbs he needed could all be found in his stores: hemlock and sage, with a pinch of nightshade for potency and a sprig of lavender to make it smooth. Marinette was glad to give up the lock of her hair required, to target the spell. In fact, there wasn't really anything…Cursey about the Sleeping Curse, as far as Luka could tell: it just seemed like a really strong sleeping draught (…if you, you know, ignored the poisons). Something he'd seen his Master mix countless times to help the King rest at night.
There was just, of course, the Intent. And the dust of a unicorn horn. And the three nights it took to simmer in his tower under the light of the full moon (which had, thankfully, been just about to rise – Luka was fairly certain he would have backed out if they'd had to wait another month to brew the Curse).
By the time it was ready, Prince Adrien was already on his way home.
"Our guards will meet him on the road," Marinette insisted when her lady's maid told her of the Prince's departure. Luka had hesitated, the apple they had dipped into the brewed Curse still in his hand. It was a pretty little thing, the skin nearly black and gleaming in the light. It had been red before the Curse. Marinette stepped closer to him and plucked the apple from his hand. He tried to ignore the way his throat tightened with dread. "All will be fine, Luka. He has had barely a full day on the road."
"You said it would be like a nap," Luka said, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. He wished he had time to research an antidote, some cure beyond True Love's Kiss. He had no doubt his kiss would wake her, but there was still an uneasiness in his gut that had him wishing they had a backup plan.
Which was ironic, when he really thought about it. Marinette was usually the over-thinker, the one who made contingency plan after contingency plan just in case. He was usually much more laid back about things. But this involved her life, and if anything were to go wrong…
"A long nap," she said, dragging him from his darkening thoughts. She pulled him towards her and kissed him. "I shall dream of you. Miss me?"
"I already do," he sighed, kissing her again – and again, because it would be a good day until he could do so again. She was smiling at him as she bit into the apple, the crisp sound of her teeth sinking into the fruit echoing through the room. She winked at him as she tossed it aside, slowly chewing before swallowing the Cursed fruit. And then it was done. He went to kiss her again, desperate, but she stepped away from him with a raised hand.
"Don't ruin…" she started, but then her eyes widened as a sleepy yawn escaped her. She blinked drowsily, and then she was swaying on her feet. "…it…"
He caught her before she could hit the ground, her face going slack (he tried to not think like death, but was that not the point of a Sleeping Curse?) as her breathing deepened. He looked desperately at Sass, but the snake ignored him in favor of exposing his belly to the midday sun streaming through the window.
Don't look at me, he huffed. You know the Princcccce musssst try firssssst.
Because that had been their plan.
And it had been a perfect – simple – plan.
Marinette would take the Sleeping Curse. He would fetch the guards – her father – whoever he could find to 'help'. When they questioned how this had happened, Luka would say he had been practicing the Curse. To further his education, in case one would ever to be used against the Princess in the hopes of figuring out how to wake her ("You're making this too complicated, Marinette," he had sighed, but she had insisted her father would believe nothing less). He had been testing its magical properties by diluting it with various items, to see what the Curse could actually bond to, including the apple Marinette had eaten – and it was an honest enough mistake, right? She had seen the apple and thought it was a snack. He hadn't told her he was researching Curses. It could have happened to anyone. But surely it would be an easy enough fix! After all, it was a Sleeping Curse, and everyone knew the cure for a Sleeping Curse was a kiss from your True Love! And wasn't it just so convenient that they happened to have hers on hand? Surely Prince Adrien could wake her – that was how all the stories went, after all, wasn't it?
Prince Adrien would be sent for. He would come, as was his duty as her betrothed and a prince, and he would kiss her. When he failed to wake her, Luka would volunteer – because he was her closest friend, and he had loved her for years, and what harm was there in letting him try? When his kiss worked and she awoke, King Thomas – ever the hopeless romantic – would be forced to see they were meant for each other – he would be forced to dissolve the contract with the Agrestes and allow his daughter to marry the young sorcerer. And, as all the great Love Stories went, Marinette and Luka would live Happily Ever After. The End.
So, of course, it didn't quite happen that way.
They were discovered by the Royal Sorcerer before Luka could send for help, who went ballistic at finding the beloved Princess under a Sleeping Curse. He had refused to listen to Luka's explanations, furious that such a thing had even been found – attempted – in his tower, by his apprentice. If the Royal Sorcerer's rage had been bad, King Thomas's was worse. There had been screaming, and fighting, and before Luka fully understood what was happening Marinette was being carried away – and he was being thrown into a cold, damp cell deep in the palace's dungeon.
"I want to forget he ever existed," King Thomas had said, his eyes cold slits as he watched them drag Luka away screaming. "He can die down there for all I care."
The fastest horses with the most skilled riders had immediately been dispatched. Prince Adrien was halfway to the Golden Kingdom by the time they reached him. He had immediately turned around, racing ahead of his party in a mad dash to rescue his Princess from her terrible fate. Luka had watched all of this, miserably, through a puddle in the muck of his cell (that he was desperately trying to convince himself was just dirty water). He had watched the guards posted at Marinette's bedchamber door stand back as Prince Adrien strode forth, his face set in hard, determined lines that did not match his reputation as the Sunshine Prince. There had been a dramatic flash of Adrien's golden cape as he flipped it over his shoulder and bent over the sleeping princess. Luka's fingers had dug into his knees, his stomach churning as he watched Prince Adrien press his lips to Princess Marinette's.
In Luka's mind, he had thought he'd seen her grimace in her sleep – but he knew that was just a trick of the puddle he was forced to scry in, that Marinette could not grimace or flinch or slap the entitled Prince away as long as she remained Cursed. That her expression would remain unchanged, set in that emotionless line, as long as she slept.
Just as he knew she would remain Cursed, as long as he remained imprisoned.
…and with no one bothering to listen to him, to hear his explanations, he was terrified to think of just how long that could be.
Princess Marinette did not wake from Prince Adrien's kiss. She also did not wake from his second kiss, or his third one after that. By the time he had jerked her from the bed, desperately pressing kiss after kiss to her chilled lips, one thing had become painfully obvious to everyone watching anxiously in the room (everyone except the Prince, that is): Prince Adrien Agreste was not the True Love of Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It was the Queen who had finally pulled the Prince away from her daughter, kindly but firmly insisting he stop – that it clearly wasn't going to work. The King had stood frozen by their side, watching with wide, uncomprehending eyes as his beloved daughter had fallen back onto her bed, still trapped in a deathlike sleep. Nothing had changed: her eyes were still closed, her lips still drawn in an emotionless line, her skin still too pale for a girl who was normally so full of life.
The betrothal had been called off before Prince Adrien could even leave the room. He had refused to leave the palace, insisting that it was a fluke and the kiss had to work – they were destined to be together! He just needed one more chance! She just needed more time for the kiss to take effect! It didn't matter that all the stories had the Cursed person waking up immediately – the Apprentice was still learning, and he had messed it up somehow, so of course she didn't wake up right away!
But King Thomas refused to listen. King Thomas, in the end, refused to listen to anyone. He had slipped into a sort of despondency, spending most of his time by his daughter's bedside. Queen Sabine sent for King Gabriel, and it was only the sight of his stoic, imposing father glaring at him from the doorway of his guest quarters that finally convinced Prince Adrien to give up the fight.
"I have already begun talks with the Empress Tsurugi," King Gabriel told him as they walked towards their carriage. His cold eyes had locked on Queen Sabine, who returned his glare in equal measure. The Queen had never been a big fan of the ruling Agrestes, though she had hoped their son would prove different. Kinder. "Marinette is not the only princess in the world, Adrien."
Adrien grunted noncommittally, still sulking. He knew that to be true, but he still considered Marinette to be his Princess, and he didn't want a princess who wasn't His Princess. He didn't like being told he couldn't have what he wanted.
Luka had stopped scrying on the Prince after that. Prince Adrien wasn't the royal Luka was concerned with, anyway.
Marinette had continued to sleep through it all, as Luka had known she would. As she would continue to, as long as he was locked away. His heart twisted at the sight of her closed eyes in his puddle, his hand reaching out to touch the surface – until the image dissipated with a splash. He looked up at the guard glaring at him from the door.
"King said t'let ye rot," he spat, wiping at his nose, "but th' Queen says ye're a friend. Wants ye fed, at least. Can't imagine she'll keep that up if th' Princess don't wake, ye bastard."
The plate lying in the remnants of his puddle held a stale hunk of bread, though it was now soggy from where the puddle had splashed onto it. Luka found he wasn't very hungry, despite his last meal being a meager breakfast days ago.
Luka turned away from it, crawling over to the damp straw tossed in the corner and lying down. He pulled his robes tighter around his body, trying to keep in what little warmth he could in a place determined to steal every drop from his life. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
– V –
It was easy to lose track of time in the dungeons, so far removed from the world and the sun with nothing to truly mark its passage. It may have been a few days – or a few weeks – before enough moisture seeped into the floor to create another puddle. By the time he had enough water to scry on the Princess again, Luka was growing desperate.
But the image he summoned remained unchanged – at least mostly. Marinette still slept, her father waiting anxiously by her side. The curtains were drawn, allowing bright sunlight to shine upon her beautiful face.
And there was a man, dressed in gleaming armor and striding with purpose towards the Princess's bed. His vivid blue eyes – at least the one Luka could see through the shock of red hair falling in his face – were set with a steely determination. Luka watched, mystified, as the stranger bent to the Princess's bed and placed his lips upon her own.
…Marinette did not wake.
Luka watched, horrified, as this happened time and time again. As stranger after stranger was brought into the palace, paraded before the slumbering Princess before receiving their chance to kiss her perfect lips and attempt to wake her. Every time, the kiss failed. Every time, the stranger proved he was not her True Love. And every time, the king grew more anxious and agitated as his precious daughter continued to sleep.
It went on for months.
"King Gabriel was right," he heard the Queen say one night as another potential True Love walked away empty-handed. Her hand came to rest on the King's shoulder, squeezing. "Marinette is not the only princess in the world. Adrien is not the only prince."
King Thomas merely grunted in reply. Queen Sabine sighed, her grip tightening on his shoulder.
"But I fear we are running out of princes, my love," she continued. "There are only so many kingdoms. So many princes. So many knights. We may have to consider…"
"He is out there," King Thomas said, his voice harsh and gruff. "He is out there, somewhere. He is coming. He will save our Marinette."
…he was rotting in their dungeon, Luka couldn't help but think bitterly, watching his True Love die because no one would listen. No one would even consider that they had already found the Princess's True Love but had locked him away to die.
In his darker moments, Luka thought that might be best. At least then they could be reunited. Some days, he wished he had bitten the apple, too.
How long could one Sleep, he wondered, before they just…withered away? Would the Curse preserve her indefinitely, or would there come a day, with no cure or True Love's Kiss in sight, where she just…died?
– V –
A year had passed before Luka received any glimmer of hope.
After a time, the guards had picked up on his 'spying' on the Princess, and under the enraged King's orders he had been moved to a deeper part of the dungeons. A darker – dryer – part. He was given just enough water to keep him alive, and the guards watched when he took his meals to prevent him from sneaking a glance.
His disposition had only soured with that.
Still, a year after Marinette had convinced him to put her under the Sleeping Curse, hope arrived.
Luka was resting fitfully on a lumpy sack of straw when he heard it: a familiar slithering. A familiar hissing. The painfully familiar, welcomed, missed voice of his Familiar in his head.
Luka? Sass's voice echoed, sounding distant. Luka glanced at the door to his cell, but he could not see if there were guards beyond the heavy wood. There usually weren't. The guards stayed near the entrance to this forgotten place, but never at his actual door – unless he was eating.
And he had already had his meal for the day.
Still, he did not want to risk drawing their attention. He did not call out in reply.
Luka? Sass called again, sounding closer. Luka sat up, pressing a palm to the stone wall and rapping with the knuckles of his other hand. There was a pause in the slithering. …Luka?
He tapped again. Sass's voice drew closer, and closer, until finally his hooded head slipped between two stones near the ceiling. His eyes gleamed in the low light.
"You clever little shit," Luka chuckled, his voice rough from disuse. "What the hell took you?"
Sass flicked his tongue out at him.
You are not the only one they blame, the snake reminded him. I am your Familiar, sssso her Cursssse is as much my fault as it is yours.
He slithered partway down the wall before dropping himself onto Luka's shoulders. Luka chuckled as he reached up to stroke at his scales, and Sass bopped his head against Luka's cheek.
That fool of a Ssssorccccerer tried to feed me to his Familiar, Sass grumbled. Thankfully, Fang has better tasssste.
Luka winced at that. He tried not to think too hard on his Mas…former Master, he supposed. Jagged had not come to see him since the day he'd helped the King lock him away. He seemed just as uninterested in hearing the truth as the King was. He had hoped that, at the least, Jagged would remain on his side and perhaps act as a medium with the King. He had hoped wrong.
"How is Marinette? Have you seen her?" he asked instead, keeping his voice low. Sass's tail flicked in agitation.
Good to ssssee you, too, old friend, he bit, flicking him again. I have misssssed you, as well. Yessss, life on the run has been delightful. Have you enjoyed the dungeons?
"…apologies," Luka sighed, rubbing the scales of Sass's hood. He looked away, unable to hold the snake's gaze. "You know I did not mean…I have been unable to see her, old friend. They have taken away my water. I…it has been months, Sass."
Shhhe is unchanged, the snake sighed. Shhhe sssslumbers on. Of the three of ussss, shhhh got the better deal.
Luka raised his eyebrows at that, but Sass merely flicked his tongue out at him.
…would you rather shhhe was awake? he asked, his voice sounding sly.
"…yes, but not like that," Luka sighed. He stroked his hood again, his eyes staring despondently at the ceiling. "Sass. I am relieved to see you. Of course I am. But…"
You wishhhh for me to go to her, Sass grumbled, and Luka nodded. The King will kill me.
"Then stay out of sight," Luka said, rolling his eyes. He bent his head, pressing his forehead to Sass's hood. "Please, old friend. I must know she is all right."
…idiotssss, the both of you, Sass grumbled. Luka chuckled weakly.
"The King will never let me out, Sass," he said. "He will never let me kiss her. He will never let me save her. If I cannot wake her, I can at least make sure she is safe. You can make sure she is safe."
Sass heaved a heavy, weary sigh that echoed through Luka's mind, but without further argument he turned and began the long trek back up the wall. That didn't stop him from flicking Luka's cheek with his tail one last time.
Idiotssss, he hissed again. I guesssss I have to do everything myssssself…
With no water to scry in and nothing else to do, Luka sat back against the wall to await the snake's return.
He just hoped he was quick about it.
– V –
The only problem with this plan, of course, is that Sass was not a very large snake.
He was, in fact, quite small. For a snake.
And it was a very long journey for such a little snake, even if said snake had been slithering through the palace his entire life and knew exactly where he was going.
It took him over a week, in the end, and by the time he had slithered past the guards outside the Princess's doors he was exhausted. He paid no mind to the empty chair by the Princess's bed as he slithered up the post nearest her head. If he had proper lips, he would have smiled when her sleeping face came into view.
She was just as he had last seen her over a year ago. Just as he had known she would be.
Just like his Sorcerer, he would prefer her awake, but that would come in time. At least for now she was unchanged.
But it had been a long journey, and Sass was not a long snake, and her pillow was much softer than the stones he had been crawling along – and the sun streaming in through the window was the warmest thing he had felt in months. With a tired little hiss, he curled up in the crook of her shoulder, his scales soaking up the sun, and fell asleep.
– V –
When Sass finally awoke, it was to chaos.
And not the magical kind.
And definitely not the fun kind.
The screaming was what first started to pull him from his nap. He blinked sleepy eyes open to find Marinette's lady's maid standing by the bed, her hands clapped to her cheeks as she screamed at the bed. He had barely lifted his head when she'd turned in a flurry of orange skirts, hollering for the guards, the King, anyone – "There's a snake with the Princess!"
The guards clamored in after her. The King was a step behind them, and the Queen and the maid followed him. They stayed back by the door as the King bellowed, instantly recognizing Sass as the Familiar of the Sorcerer who had Cursed his daughter. Sass hissed as one of the guards grabbed at him, burrowing closer to the Princess as he flashed his fangs, and the guards jerked back. Sass turned towards Marinette, booping her cheek with his head before his tongue flickered out and licked against her skin.
The change was immediate, not that anyone else noticed.
Sass sank back against her pillow, sagging in relief as he felt the magic wash over her – as he saw her eyelashes flutter against her cheeks. Barely a moment had passed, however – and certainly not enough time to enjoy that moment of relief at her Curse being lifted – before the King was storming towards the bed and had locked a meaty hand around his throat, yanking him away from the bed.
"Must I do everything myself?!" King Thomas snarled. His grip tightened on Sass's neck, who choked out a hissed gasp, and he turned towards the guards. "One of you, find Jagged! Surely a Sorcerer will know how to disperse with one of these…things!"
He shook Sass, who flopped around like a limp noodle. He hissed again, but King Thomas ignored him.
"I will have you dead, vermin," the King hissed. "You and your no-account master! I have been too lenient already!"
"Tom, please –" the Queen tried, but the King ignored her.
"Agreed, sire! You are far too kind and forgiving – kill the beast like he tried to kill the Princess!" the lady's maid cried, her amber eyes narrowed in a furious glare. If Sass wasn't currently being tossed about, he might have rolled his eyes. She had found him sleeping on the Princess's pillow: how was that akin to trying to kill her?
Sass had never liked the girl. There was too much of the fox inside of her.
"Where is that blasted Sorcerer?!" King Thomas cried, shaking Sass again – hard enough that his eyes lolled in his head.
They continued shouting, growing louder and angrier and more uncontained, when a quiet voice brought it all to a crashing halt.
Finally… Sass sighed, shaking his head to regain his bearings when the King finally stilled.
"…Papa?" Marinette asked, her voice scratchy and hoarse from disuse. She furrowed her brow and brought a hand to her throat, trying to clear it and only coughing instead. When the coughing had subsided, she tried again. "Why…why are you hurting Sass?"
"M…Marine-AGH!" the King screamed, and Marinette blinked confused eyes at him as he threw Sass at her bed. His hand clamped over the puncture wounds where Sass had bitten him, but the snake paid him no mind as he slithered onto Marinette's lap. The Princess giggled and brushed her fingers along his hood, smiling.
"Naughty snake," she said softly. She glanced at her father, still confused, and added, "Though I dare say he deserved it, shaking you like that. Poor thing." She turned to her side, but the radiant smile that had been curling her lips vanished when she found the space empty. Her hand stilled on Sass's head as she looked around, searching the room in confusion. "Where…where's Luka?"
"…the apprentice?" King Thomas asked, shaking his head. "The Sorcerer who Cursed you?" He shook his head, took a step towards the bed, and hesitated when Sass hissed at him. "What does it matter? You are awake!" His face scrunched in confusion. "But…how are you awake? Who kissed you? There was no one here!"
"Luka didn't Curse me," Marinette said, frowning. Sass gave her a Look, and she winced. "Well. He did, but I asked him to. Where is he? He was supposed to wake me up."
"…what?" King Thomas gasped, but Marinette was focusing on Sass again.
"Where's your silly Sorcerer, hmm? Did he run off to get everyone?" she asked. Sass flicked his tongue out at her, making her giggle again.
"That boy has been in prison the entire time you've been asleep, Marinette," King Thomas spat. Marinette's hand stilled against Sass, her brow furrowing as she stared at her father in confusion. She couldn't have heard him right, but the King's furious expression left little room for doubt. "Why would I let him anywhere near you after what he's done? It's bad enough Alya found his blasted snake in your bed! What, come to finish the job, you –"
"P-Papa!" Marinette cried, her voice cutting out in another cough. Her mother pushed her way past the King, slapping at his arm before she sat down beside their daughter. She handed her a cup of water, which Marinette took gratefully. "Thank you, Maman."
"Sweetheart, what did you mean? You asked Luka to Curse you?" Sabine asked, resting a hand on Marinette's knee and squeezing. Marinette frowned and nodded. Sass butted his head into the heel of her palm, and she returned her hand to scratching along his scales. Sabine was trying very hard to keep her expression neutral, to not worry her daughter. (She supposed a part of her had expected as much, but she hadn't wanted to believe her daughter could be so…reckless. It shouldn't have surprised her, though, given who Marinette had fallen in love with…) She took a steadying breath and asked, "Why?"
"Because Papa would never listen otherwise," Marinette said. She sipped at her water before continuing. "Papa's got himself convinced Prince Adrien is my True Love, and he would never dissolve the betrothal unless we did something drastic to convince him. Papa wouldn't care that I was in love with someone else – he never has, all this time. What else were we supposed to do?"
"You wound me, dear one!" King Thomas cried. Marinette frowned at him, but he didn't come any closer as long as Sass was still in her lap. "Of course I would have listened! Why didn't you just talk to me?"
"Because you would have just told me to give Adrien a chance," Marinette said. "You would have told me that it was destiny and we were meant to be, just like everyone always does. You wouldn't have listened when I said I didn't feel anything for Adrien. Even Luka told me I needed to give the Prince a chance, but that's stupid when Luka loves me and I love him and…where is he? He was supposed to help me explain everything!"
"…your father had him thrown in the dungeon," the Queen said, and Marinette's eyes snapped open as she turned sharply to her father. So she had heard him right…
"What?" she gasped. "But…but how am I awake? If Luka's in the dungeon, he couldn't have kissed me, so who woke me up?" Marinette's face paled as she looked at her mother. "How…how long was I sleeping?"
"It's been nearly two years, Marinette," Sabine said gently. A strangled sort of squawking noise tried to escape Marinette's throat. Sass hissed when her hand gripped him tightly.
"But…but…gods above…" she gasped. She looked at Sass, who butted his head against her stomach in an attempt to calm her. To remind her that he was there – and if he was there, then Luka was there. "I told him it would only be a few hours…a few days at most…he was so afraid…"
"I found the snake in your bed," her lady's maid said, stepping forward. "He…he was trying to bite you, Princess. Or…maybe he licked you? Before the King pulled him away."
Marinette blinked at Sass. Of course he hadn't tried to bite her – Sass would never hurt her, or anyone! But…he had…licked her? Did…did that count?
"Y…you?" she asked, and he flicked his tongue at her. Her eyebrows soared. "You…you can do that?"
If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn the little shit actually shrugged. Which she knew was impossible, because…snake. No shoulders. He still seemed entirely too satisfied with himself when he curled back up in her lap.
"I need to see Luka," Marinette said, shaking her head. She scooped Sass up, and he slithered onto her shoulders with a disgruntled hiss. His tail curled around her neck, and her hand scratched his head again. She looked at the King, her eyes set in a steely glare. "Where is he? Where in the dungeons? I can't believe you imprisoned him! He is my friend – my beloved! How dare you, Papa!"
"He cursed you, Marinette!" King Thomas shouted.
"I asked him to!" she snapped back. She groaned and put a hand to her forehead. The room felt like it was spinning. "Please. Where is he? I must see him."
"I will get him," Sabine said, squeezing her arm. "Stay. Rest. You have been asleep a long time, sweetheart – you aren't strong enough to make the journey to him."
"Hurry, please," Marinette begged, turning anxious eyes on her mother. "I can't bear the thought of him down there…he must hate me now for doing this to him…"
Sass wished he could tell her just how wrong she was. If anything, Luka hated himself for going along with the plan. But Marinette could not understand him as Luka could, so all he could do was butt his head against her cheek. Her hand dropped to his head, petting absently.
"As fast as I can," Sabine promised, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. She turned hard eyes on her husband. "Join me, dear?"
King Thomas gulped, but Sass still wasn't moving from Marinette, and he saw very little room for argument in his wife's tone. He nodded and followed after her. When they were gone, the lady's maid leaned over to the guard beside her.
"So…is no one going to remind the King about his decree that whoever wakes the Princess will be her future king?" she whispered, and the guard's face paled a little. The Princess wasn't paying them any mind, but the snake that had settled back onto her lap was watching them with gleaming eyes. If they didn't know any better, they'd swear he was smirking at them.
– V –
The King and Queen walked in silence for a long while. They were halfway to the dungeons before Sabine spoke.
"You did this," she said, her voice steady and cold.
"…I know," her husband admitted, sounding so much smaller than he actually was. Her grip tightened on her skirts.
"She would have been awake months – years – ago if you had just listened," Sabine continued. Thomas shrank even further into himself.
"…I know," he said again. They were approaching the doors to the dungeon.
"You never gave Luka a chance," Sabine continued. "You just…tossed him in there and never looked back. All those princes, all those knights…he was right here the whole time, and you left him to rot."
"How was I to know, Sabine?!" Thomas snapped, pausing outside the doors. "Prince Adrien loved her – I thought she loved him, too! How was I to know she'd do something so…so…stupid?"
"Because she has always loved Luka," Sabine sighed. She smiled at her husband, but there was something weary about the expression. "Ever since Jagged first brought him here. The closer they became, the deeper that love grew – but you always refused to see it, because in your eyes he was not a prince. Have you forgotten his mother is the Pirate Queen?"
King Thomas scoffed.
"A glorified title at best," he snorted. "As if pirates can have queens."
…it took a lot for Sabine not to slap him.
"Luka is a talented sorcerer, and a prince in his own right," Sabine said. "But any son of Anarka Couffaine…truly, it does not surprise me that Marinette would do something so reckless. So dangerous. That she could get a Couffaine to agree to it."
"It was supposed to be Adrien," Thomas sighed. Sabine laid a hand on his arm and squeezed.
"But it is Luka instead," she said. "He is a good man, Tom. Be kind to him. Kinder than you've been, at least. I love you, Tom, but you get so…narrow-minded when it comes to our daughter. Bull-headed. Stubborn."
"I wanted her safe and happy," he grumbled. She smiled at that.
"She was," she said, turning the knob on the doors. "And she would have remained so, had you not…interfered. Luka will make a good king someday."
"…Luka wasn't the one who woke her, though," Thomas said with a groan. "It was his snake."
"…loophole," Sabine chuckled. "I'm sure the only reason the snake was able to wake her was because he's Luka's Familiar. Magical connection or some such. We can ask Luka when we see him. Now, where in this gods-forsaken pace have you been keeping that poor boy?"
The King wanted very much to say he didn't remember – after all, wasn't that the point of throwing him in here? To forget he ever existed? – but he knew that would only further anger his wife. He heaved a sigh and led the way, waving for her to follow him.
– V –
Retrieving Luka from the dungeon took longer than Sabine would have liked, but she justified it by reminding herself that it had been a few months shy of two years that Luka had been trapped down there. That Marinette had been asleep. Sabine couldn't bring herself to bring Luka to Marinette without giving the poor boy a shower first. (He refused the meal she tried to force on him, insisting he could eat after he knew Marinette was all right – though he had agreed getting the dungeon grime off of him was probably best.)
Sabine wasn't entirely sure the shower had helped, though. Once he was clean, it was easier to see how hard the time imprisoned had been on him. He was practically skeletal, his thin body drowning in his old robes. She had insisted he change into a spare servant's uniform – something that would fit him better – though he didn't look any less starved in clothes that actually fit him, either.
She had tried, damn it all, to keep him alive. To keep him healthy. But when her husband had discovered Luka was spying on Marinette and had moved him…it had become more difficult. She had managed to convince Thomas to keep him alive ("We may need him yet, Tom, if we can't find her True Love."), but clearly they had differing opinions on what alive and healthy meant.
"…Marinette is going to kill you, Tom," the Queen sighed as she fussed with Luka's clothes. The boy had yet to actually meet the King's gaze, though King Thomas had been having trouble looking at him, as well. "I am so sorry, Luka. We have much to make up for. But for now…come. You both have waited long enough. Tom, be a dear and have the cook send some food up for the kids? They could both use a good meal, I'm sure."
"…yes, dear," the King sighed. As the Queen led Luka to Marinette's rooms, the King found a servant to relay the message to the kitchens.
They were outside Marinette's door when they ran into the Royal Sorcerer. Luka froze, unsure how his old Master would react to seeing him (and unsure how he felt about the man who had handed him over to the King without a second thought).
"Your majesty!" Jagged cried, running up in a flurry of violet, gold, and black robes. He doubled over when he reached them, bracing his hands on his knees and gasping for breath. "I came…soon as I heard! Is it true? Is the Curse…" he faltered when he looked up, his blue eyes widening when he saw Luka standing beside the Queen. "…what the shit are you doing out of jail, kid?"
"…good to see you, too, Jagged," Luka grumbled. Jagged's gaze hardened, but Sabine held up a hand to stop him before he could say anything else.
"Peace, Jagged," she said. "Yes, the Princess is awake. It…everything was a bit of a misunderstanding. Luka is her True Love."
"What?!" Jagged squawked, shooting up so fast Luka was surprised he didn't throw his back out. Queen Sabine only smiled.
"It turns out Marinette asked Luka to curse her," she said. Jagged's eyebrows rose, but Luka kept his eyes on his shoes. The Queen's hand on his shoulder felt too heavy. "To prove a point to her pigheaded father. Unfortunately, no one here bothered asking Luka about this before assuming the worst. Isn't that a shame, Jagged?" Jagged gulped as her eyes narrowed at him. "You would think his Master would know him better. Would at least think to get the full story before agreeing to have him locked away."
Jagged's gaze dropped, and Queen Sabine sniffed before nudging Luka towards the door.
"Stay close, Sorcerer Stone," she said in her most commanding voice. "We will be having words over this." Her smile was kind when she turned back to Luka. "Come, Luka. I think you've both waited long enough."
And then the door was opening, and then Marinette was turning away from her lady's maid, and then her eyes found his, and then…
"Luka!" she cried, and the most beautiful smile he had ever seen split her face. She shoved her blankets aside and tried to rise, but he was already running to her. He tripped by her bed, and she laughed as he face-planted onto the mattress beside her. He lifted his head with a breathless chuckle, but she was already hauling him up and into her arms. "You're never going to believe what happened."
"I don't care," he said, pressing his face against her shoulder and breathing her in. "You're awake. That's all that matters."
"Because Sass licked me," she huffed. He pulled away with a start, blinking at her scrunched up face. "Please tell me that's some kind of Sorcerer/Familiar connection thing and not because he's actually my True Love. I can't marry a snake, Luka."
"I…have no idea?" he asked. He looked to her pillow, where Sass was lazing in the sun again, and lifted his eyebrows. "Sass?"
I love her because you love her, he supplied with a flick of his tail. But I will not oppose being king, if they wishhhh. There are ccccertainly ssssome improvementsss that could be made around here. He raised his head to smirk at his Sorcerer. Sssstarting with the wall to the King's bedchamber. It shhhould go. The ssssun hitsss that sssside of the palaccce perfectly in the afternoon…
"…you are such a little shit," Luka groaned. Marinette placed her hand on his cheek, directing his attention back to her. He shrugged helplessly. "Yes. We're going to go with Sorcerer/Familiar connection. I am so sorry I took so long, love."
"…you couldn't help it," she said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry I ever asked you to do this. We lost so much time…and look at you, Luka! You're skin and bones…when I see my father…!"
"Hush, love, it's not important," he said, shaking his head. She frowned at him, and he smiled in return. "Nothing a few good meals won't fix. What matters is that you're awake. You're alive."
"What matters is that we can be together now," she said, her thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. She looked over his shoulder to her mother, who was smiling at them from the door. "Right, Maman? I don't have to marry Adrien?"
"Right, sweetheart," the Queen said, nodding. A nervous little laugh escaped her, and her cheeks pinked as she smiled at them. "Goodness. I hope we can track your mother down in time for the wedding, Luka. We only have a few months before her birthday."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Luka said, leaning his face into Marinette's palm. His eyes had closed, but he opened them quickly, not wanting to take his gaze off the grinning princess. "Ma's never been one to argue against True Love."
There was snort from the door that sounded suspiciously like Jagged, but Luka wasn't worrying about the Royal Sorcerer anymore. Not when Marinette was smiling at him like that.
"Can you kiss me already?" Marinette whispered, her thumb brushing against his lips again. "I was cheated out of the last one, you know. Many months of them, actually, thanks to my stupid father."
"He was just trying to protect you," Luka said, though the argument was weak in his ears. He didn't really feel like defending the King just then.
"He threw my True Love in the dungeon and left me Cursed forever as a result," she huffed. "I'm allowed to be annoyed."
"…this isn't kissing," Luka teased, his hand coming up to rest on the back of her neck. She rolled her eyes, but instead of arguing with him she reached up and pulled his face towards hers. She pulled away entirely too soon for Luka's liking, pecking his lips again as she smirked at him.
"Now that's a True Love's Kiss," she whispered. He chuckled against her lips and rested his forehead on her own.
"…nah," he said, giving her his own grin. "I think we can do better."
From her pillow, Sass rolled his eyes and tucked his head into his coils, covering his eyes with his tail so he wouldn't have to see the kissing couple.
Dissssgussssting, the both of you… he grumbled. Marinette giggled when he groped behind her, grabbed the snake, and tossed him somewhere behind them – and then he laughed when he heard Jagged's indignant squawk.
He didn't care.
He had more important things to do, anyway.