Miraculously Tangled

Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Tangled or MLB. Those belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 11

Marinette sat in a cold, stone cell, her arms chained to the wall. After the guards cuffed her hands, took away her earrings and Ticki, and threw her in the cell, she has been using the time to think about everything that happened, given that she has nothing better to do. The festival, the lights, Rena Rouge and Queen Bee's betrayal, Adrien's…

Adrien.

Where was he? Was he okay?

Ever since what happened at the pub, Marinette found herself developing quite a liking to him. He put his trust in her when they've only known each other for a couple days. He accepted both of her identities and showed her how to have fun again.

All her life, people only liked either Marinette or Ladybug, never both. With Rena Rouge and Queen Bee, she had to be Ladybug and among a crowd, she had to be Marinette. She had been so focused on keeping up her Ladybug persona most of the time that she neglected being Marinette.

Oh how she wished she told Adrien how she felt back on the canoe. It seemed her Ladybug luck had run out, leaving her in this situation.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the sound of keys unlocking her cell was heard. She looked up to see Captain Luka enter her cell, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.

"After four years, I finally caught you, Ladybug," he crossed his arms. "Or should I say Marinette?"

"Long time no see, Luka." The raven-haired girl mumbled in reply.

"It is Captain Luka to you now." He glared at Marinette as he stepped closer, towering over her. "If only you hadn't lied and tricked me into falling in love with a thief, you and I would have protected this kingdom together." He opened his hand, revealing the Ladybug earrings in his palm. "You told me these miraculous heroes help protect the innocent and weak. You're nothing but an imposter."

"I never tricked you, Captain," Marinette defended. "You just can't accept that Ladybug and I are the same."

"Well soon, there will be neither of you no more." Captain Luka snarled. Closing his hand around the earrings, He grabbed Marinette's wrist with his other hand and forced her to her feet. "You're going somewhere where you will never cause trouble for this kingdom again."

(Back at the hidden tower)

Adrien sat on his bed as Mother Natalie undid his braid and plucked out all the feathers and flowers, dropping them in a basket.

"There," she said as the last feather was plucked. "Like it never happened. Now go wash up for dinner. I'm making Camembert soup."

But Adrien didn't move. Didn't speak. He looked down at the floor, a forlorn, empty look in his green eyes.

"Oh Adrien, I tried to warn you," Mother Natalie said in an attempt to comfort him. "I really did. The world is dark, cruel, and wicked. If it finds even the smallest glimpse of sunlight, it destroys it." With that, Mother Natalie left the room to go make dinner, leaving Adrien alone with his thoughts.

As soon as she was gone, Adrien flopped on his back and sighed. He pulled the embroidered cloth Marinette bought him out of his pocket and gazed sadly at it.

Suddenly, he noticed something.

He held up the cloth to the ceiling. The butterfly symbol on the cloth matched the butterfly he had painted on his ceiling. As he looked around the room, he spotted more butterflies painted along the walls, and a few on his bedroom door.

It hadn't even been intentional when he painted these butterflies.

He then thought back to all the paper butterflies he constructed, and when he had placed that crown on his head. He thought back to the painting of the royal couple, specifically the blonde baby in the queen's arms.

A memory flashed in his mind:

A baby mobile with the butterfly symbol dangling above, a man and woman smiling down at him.

It all clicked in Adrien's head. He couldn't believe it.

The realization was so shocking that Adrien fell off the bed, hitting the floor with a loud thump.

"Adrien, what's going on up there?" Mother Natalie called out. She walked over to the stairs and climbed a few steps up. "Are you okay?"

Adrien got up and slowly made his way out of the bedroom to face Mother Natalie down the stairs, anxiety written on his face.

"I am the lost prince." He muttered under his breath.

Mother Natalie placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Oh, speak up, Adrien. You know I hate the mumbling."

"I Am The Lost Prince." Adrien said it louder, staring directly at her. "Aren't I?"

Mother Natalie fell silent for a minute. That hesitation confirmed it for Adrien.

"Did I mumble, Mother?" Adrien's face contorts into anger. "Or should I even call you that?"

Mother Natalie's eyes widened, then quickly let out a fake laugh. "Oh, Adrien, what a ridiculous notion. Did you hit your head when you fell?" she reached to tousle Adrien's head, but he grabbed her hand and shoved it away.

"It was you! It was you all along!" Adrien pointed an accusing finger at Mother Natalie. She lied to him, manipulated him, hid him from the world for eighteen years of his life. Did she really love him? Or does she just love his powers!?

Mother Natalie's face twisted into a deadly solemn expression. "Everything I did was to protect you."

"No!" Adrien shouted at her. "You did it to protect my powers!" The blonde boy shoved his way past Mother Natalie, stomping down the stairs. "All my life I've hidden from people who you told me wanted to use my powers for themselves,"

Adrien!"

"When that's exactly what you did!" He grabbed a lock of hair, his face a mixture of hurt, anger, and resent towards the woman he called Mother. "I should have been hiding from you!"

"And where will you go?" Mother Natalie crossed her arms. "That girl won't be there for you."

Adrien's eyes widened. Marinette!

"What did you do to her!?" Adrien demanded.

"I didn't do anything." Mother Natalie replied. "I'm sure the guards though will give her what she deserves."

Adrien gasped. She planned all this! She made a deal with those rogue thieves to kidnap Ladybug and sent her back to the kingdom! It was all to get him back!

"She's a criminal, Adrien. Justice will be served." Mother Natalie smiled. "And now, things are okay again. You're back home safely, those criminals won't hurt you ever again, and things will go back to normal."

"No! It's not okay! Things were never okay!" Adrien shouted. His whole life was a lie! He needed to get away from this woman who wasn't his real mother. "You're wrong about the world! You're wrong about me!" He glared at Mother Natalie with fierce eyes. "And I'm never letting you use my hair again!"

With that, he started stomping away towards the tower window.

Mother Natalie scowled. She can't lose him now. Not after all those years of being young and beautiful. If she'll have to keep him here by physical force, so be it.

"You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, now I'm the bad guy."

End of chapter 11

Author's Note: "Who's been pulling every evil string? It was Mother Natalie all along." Happy Martin Luther King's Day, beautiful readers. It's almost time for our "knight in shining suit" to come to the rescue. Until next time, leave reviews, live your dreams, and have a great day.