Heyyyy guys. How's things? Good? That's good.

It's like a walk of shame to finally publish a new chapter after like a month haha. I had legit no inspiration, it was so weird. My bad, y'all. Thank you so much for the positive feedback, and enjoy this (kinda lengthy) chapter!

oOo

A man of recognizable youth and exuberance wandered down a vaguely beaten path through the forest, whistling in tune with the birds flying overhead. He was a fairly average fellow of his time with loose but clean clothes, scuffed up boots marking his trail, and a cap thrown over his mess of unruly brown curls. He walked with a spring to his step and humor in his dark eyes, one hand resting at the strap of his quiver, the other swinging his bow by his side. Overall, he looked to be in high spirits and enjoying his leisurely midday stroll immensely.

Unfortunately for him, a blinding flash of light was about to wreck his entire mood.

The archer jumped back as two screaming forms fell from the sky and landed in a pile of leaves and tree limbs directly in front of him. On instinct, he whipped an arrow out and aligned it with the bow string, aiming his weapon in case they proved to be dangerous.

Where had they come from? A quick glance above and all he could see were trees. Had they fallen from one of those? No, their landing had been much too violent for such a short fall.

Upon closer inspection, he saw a young blond-headed boy and a dark-haired maiden. The former was clad in similar attire to his own, but in black and deep green rather than brown, a quiver of arrows clinging to his back. The latter was wrapped up in a red dress that looked to be worn by only the wealthiest of people.

At first, the man jumped to the conclusion that the boy was attacking the maiden, seeing as how they were obviously from very different classes, but when their struggle to come untangled ceased and they sat up, the two looked at one another in unnerved confusion, not aggravation.

He decided from the panic on their faces that they couldn't be dangerous. They were only children and apparently just as startled as he was. The archer lowered and sheathed his weapon.

The boy uttered a curse under his breath, rubbing at the back of his head before stumbling to his feet and offering his free hand out to the maiden. She seemed to have a bit of trouble standing, the boy having to pull her up practically all on his own.

"What a dress," the maiden grumbled, impatiently smoothing out her skirts. "Could there be any more fabric?"

"If it's any consolation, M'lady," answered the blond, taking her hand lightly in his again and bowing before placing a kiss on her knuckles, "you look absolutely stunning in it."

The girl rolled her eyes, retracting her hand.

"It's not really, but thanks anyway. And what are you supposed to be dressed up as? Robin Hood?"

The blond looked down at his attire.

"I dunno. The Godmother did say something about an archer, so I guess it's possible." He looked back up and smiled coyly at the girl. "Does that make you Marian?"

Their interaction confused the archer. At one moment, they seemed like old friends, but at the next, she was his superior, and still at the next they were very much like a flirtatious couple. And why were they wearing masks? Were they bandits? Perhaps they had just come from a masquerade ball. Masks or no masks, he still didn't know why they fell from the sky.

Feeling somewhat awkward watching them for so long and persistently curious as to who they were, he decided to speak up.

"Pardon me," he began. The duo jumped, spinning around with wide eyes. He dipped into a courteous bow. "I do not mean to intrude, but… are the two of you… alright?"

They looked at one another, a private conversation exchanged in one glance.

"Uh… yeah…" said the girl at long last. "We're fine. Just a few bruises, nothing to worry about." She paused, fumbling around with her words as the book she held shifted from one hand to the other. "Um. This is gonna sound like a weird question, but… where the heck are we?"

The man stared at the pair, startled not only by their ignorance, but by their shockingly immature speech. Perhaps they had bumped their heads harder than he had first thought.

"We are in the Alabaster Forest," he slowly replied. "On the outskirts of Maudite."

"Maudite?" repeated the boy. "Is that a city?"

"Do you not know?" asked the man. Both shook their heads. "It is a kingdom, one of the greatest and most prosperous in the world. King Frederic and Queen Fleur are the rulers there."

From the looks on their faces, one would think they had never even heard of royalty. However, they seemed to comprehend what he was saying, eventually nodding their heads in slow understanding.

"Do you think…" the boy began before clearing his throat. "I mean, would you be so kind as to point us in the direction of the kingdom? We are from another province, on our way to visit a few friends of ours and, come to think of it, I believe they live close to Maudite."

Their speech seemed to be returning to them. The archer supposed this was a good sign.

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

"One mile north," he directed. "As long as you follow the path, you should arrive within the hour."

"One mile," muttered the maiden, apparently offput by the distance.

"Would you like me to escort you?" he inquired. "I just came from there myself, but it would look rather improper for the two of you to arrive without a chaperone. Unless you are already betrothed or married, of course."

The boy let out a snort of laughter, earning a death glare from his companion.

"Oh, no, that's… uh… quite alright," the young lady answered. "It's very kind of you to offer, but I am sure we can find it on our own."

"Are you positive it wouldn't be improper?" the archer pressed. "That is, you are betrothed at least?"

"We are," said the boy before the maiden could even open her mouth. He stepped closer to her and slipped a hand on her shoulder, as if to prove their connection. The archer nodded in approval.

"Very well then. I wish you both the best of luck." He flashed them a broad grin. "And the happiest of weddings."

The two returned his grin with smiles of their own, thanking him again for his kindness and bidding him farewell. After two bows and a curtsey, they parted ways. Although the archer thought the duo a strange one, he found them curiously endearing and hoped they found their way. The last he heard as he walked away from the scene was a smacking sound and a feminine shout followed by jubilant male laughter in the distance. He decided not to harp on it, knowing he would only confuse himself further.

oOo

Chat had always liked Ladybug's pout. The way her lips puffed out as she held her head just so, sneaking a glance or two over at him to ensure that he was aware of her irritation, was unbearably adorable. And he supposed he could endure a little abrasion if it meant he got to admire it.

"Betrothed," she muttered, trekking through the leaves as roughly as possible. "I can't believe you."

"What?" Chat asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Would you have preferred I told him the truth? How would that have gone?" He lowered his voice in a mocking tone. "'Ah, yes good sir, we are travelers from another dimension and this entire world you live in isn't real. Neither are you, by the way. Have a nice life.'"

Ladybug slowed to a stop, turning towards him with an annoyed look, but she didn't press the topic further. Instead, she turned her attention to the lucky charm in her hands. Chat watched her turn it over, eyes scanning the front and back for any clues or hints. All there was to see was blank brown leather. No text. No pictures. No indentations.

"Why would we be given a book?" Chat inquired. Ladybug just shook her head.

"No idea."

She flipped it open, began leafing through the old, yellowed pages. Nothing. All blank.

"Maybe it's part of a contraption or something," she offered.

"Or a weapon," Chat added.

Ladybug gave him a funny look. She glanced between him and the very obvious bow in his hand and arrows at his back.

"For you," he clarified, catching her insinuation. "Not for me. For you."

An amused glint took shape in her eyes, but yet again she didn't push. She continued turning the book over and over again, peering in between each and every page, ensuring she wasn't missing anything. No dice.

"I wish it would turn into a magic carpet," Chat put in. "Then we wouldn't have to walk one whole mile to Margarine."

"Maudite," Ladybug corrected, sparing him a quick glance from her search. "The kingdom. Margarine is a fake butter company."

Chat shrugged. "Same difference."

"Besides, one mile shouldn't be horrible," she reasoned. "After all, we are superheroes with magic jewel-"

Ladybug stopped short in speech and in step. Chat did the same. It was at that moment that both came to the realization that they hadn't checked on their miraculous. They shared a look of blooming horror. His hand snapped up to his eye-line and both of hers darted to her ears. Two sighs of relief were exhaled as the ring and earrings were seen and felt, fully intact.

"Oh my gosh," breathed Chat, clutching at his chest. "I think I just had a heart attack."

"We're so stupid," she moaned, pinching at the bridge of her nose.

"What are you talking about?" he answered, sardonically. "That was some top-notch superhero-ing. Forgetting about our magical jewelry in the middle of a battle. Amazing."

She smacked him upside the head, causing a quick laugh to bubble out of him.

"We aren't even in a battle technically, so shut up," she retorted, continuing their walk. He skipped to keep up with her.

"Technically we are," he began, as if seeing how far he could get. The strong look he received caused a steady retreat. "But you know, whatever. Tomato, tom-ah-to. That's show biz, baby."

She heaved a suffering sigh, those he could see her discreetly sucking at the side of her mouth to contain a smile. Something a lot like pride stirred in his chest at humoring her.

He looked away, stifling a smile of his own, and busied himself by surveying the scenery. The forest looked like any other forest in autumn, cluttered with trees and littered with leaves, but there was something different about it. The air felt lighter, smelled sweeter than it did in Paris. He tilted his head back, taking in a deep breath and allowing the aroma to fill his senses as he looked up at the candy blue sky that peered through branches overhead. There was hardly a cloud in sight.

"How can you be so calm?"

His eyes were drawn back to his lady, who was gazing at him rather contemptuously for someone who currently looked like a painting stolen from the Louvre. Gosh, she looked good with her hair down.

"Because I know," he replied without so much as a heartbeat of consideration, "that we'll be perfectly fine. We always find a way out of our messes, right? So why should this be any different?"

"But we were just thrown into an alternate dimension," she argued, hand gesturing to their surroundings. "A literal fairytale we know nothing about! What if there's a dragon or a wizard or a sea monster or something? What then?"

His easy expression was tainted by a small frown.

"Then… then we'll beat the dragon or wizard or sea monster," he answered with a shrug. "We'll beat them all and even more if we have to. We're unstoppable, remember? As long as we have each other."

Ladybug's eyes dimmed at this as opposed to brightening, as Chat had hoped they might. She looked about to speak again, but then, a small light flashed. The conversation ended abruptly, both looking down to where the light had come from. The book.

Again, the two came to a halt, gaping, gasping.

"Chat, look!"

He was looking. How could he not be looking?

Bright, golden lettering was carving itself into the book's leather binding, as if an invisible pen were writing the words out on the cover in pretty calligraphy.

Both stared, startled, excited, hopeful, hearts suddenly thumping wildly. There was an E. Then a V, then another E. That invisible pen continued its etching until the title was fully constructed, and the magic show stopped.

Ladybug tipped the book forward, catching a sunbeam through the trees.

"Every Rose Has Its Thorn," she read aloud under her breath.

Chat Noir couldn't believe his eyes, even as he lit up like a child on Christmas morning.

"That is so cool!" he gushed. "We have a magic book!"

While they were used to the fantastic and supernatural, this kind of magic was fresh and new and thrilling. It was fairytale magic which, in Chat's mind, was a special sort of spectacular.

"Wait, see if there's any more," he jumped to say, hand waving in a fast circle to egg her on.

Ladybug did as encouraged, flipping open the book to the first page.

There was a fancy One at the top half of the page, then…

Once upon a time, in a world that lives in between the stars, there resided two souls predestined to intwine.

That wasn't all. That was only the first line of many others like it, written in faded black ink and trailing down the page. Ladybug and Chat Noir shared a meaningful look, neither daring to so much as breathe. It was a story, that much was obvious… but was it just a story?

Unable to contain his impatience any longer, Chat took the book away from Ladybug and clutched it tightly, launching into an impromptu storytelling.

"The first soul," he read, "belonged to a girl, a princess, the future queen of her kingdom. She loved methodical thoughts and little pink flowers and fantasizing about sneaking from her room under the cover of night to roam the city and do as she pleased. She loved sweet tasting things, and painting in her garden, and her parents, despite their occasional tiffs. She smiled a great deal, but her smiles were for others and rarely for herself.

"She had a mind unlike any other, crammed to the brim with musings and suppositions. 'Suppose,' she would say to herself. 'Suppose this and suppose that.' She was always thinking, thinking too much for someone her age until she was afraid her head might just burst. However, I imagine it was good that she kept her head so full, for if her mind wasn't busy, her heart would consume her from the inside-out."

Chat paused his readings. He stared at the page, at the words printed there, a feeling of familiarity stirring within him. He took a breath.

"She… she did not think herself grand," he went on, a bit slower than before. "In fact, she considered herself rather small and incapable and was quick to be swallowed by doubt. But then… even the greatest of minds are disillusioned in one way or another… wouldn't you say?"

Chat Noir swallowed. He knew this girl. This princess. This lady.

He looked up, catching Ladybug's gaze. She appeared to have read his thoughts perfectly, eyes disconcerted and guarded.

"M'lady…" he said, slowly, almost smiling. "Is this… is this about you?"

Her brows furrowed before she snatched back the book with startling suddenness.

"That's impossible," she sputtered, staring down at the novel. "How could this book know who I am?"

Chat shrugged, trying to suppress his giddiness for her sake. "Well, it is your lucky charm, Bug," he pointed out. "And, like I said, it's magic."

Ladybug grimaced. Chat knew she didn't like the unexplainable things magic produced- at least, not all the time. Sometimes, it frustrated her to be outsmarted, to be befuddled and confused. It made her feel stupid, something that she most certainly was not, but something she occasionally believed all the same.

Her eyes scanned the page, flitting down from line to line before stopping.

"The princess lived in a tall tower of the castle," she read at a fast pace, picking up where Chat had left off. "The view was charming. She tried not to be drawn to the window, afraid she might never be able to tear herself away again, but she lingered by it regardless, fingers tracing the dark curtains, mind slipping away from reality as she dreamt and deliberated and hummed in slow consideration. Her life, while bursting with wealth and riches and admiration, was empty, and she could do nothing but gaze down at the silver city and yearn for a real reason to breathe."

Chat let out a low whistle. "Fancy. Sounds like a poem."

Ladybug smacked the book with the back of her hand, exclaiming, "It can't be about me! I'm not a princess, I'm a superhero. Clearly a different person."

Chat took back the book, looking for the last line, and read, "Her name was Rose," before staring at Ladybug with an I told you so look on his face.

She stared right back, challenging him. "What?"

"Rose," he repeated. "That literally means red. Red? Like ladybugs are red? Plus, the Godmother did say she would send us into a story. Maybe this-" he waved the little novel "-is it."

Ladybug scowled. Clearly, she wasn't thrilled about the possibility.

In response, she grabbed for the object of her disdain and looked down, searching. She cleared her throat.

"The second soul," she read, "belonged to a mystery of a boy. He had a smile that resembled a grinning cat, eyes that held secrets far beyond comprehension, and a heart that had felt almost every emotion possible by the age of four. He dearly loved to laugh, loved it more than the things he laughed over in the first place, for his life (like the princess') was dim. His routines, his family, the place he called home, they were all dark and dismal, as if forever painted in varying shades of grey. He was deprived of light, so he became light. He glowed with the hope and joy of childhood and Christmas trees and romance… looking very much like a star when he walked into a room…"

Ladybug slowed in speech, glancing up from the pages to meet Chat's eyes, which were wide and already upon her.

"Wow," he whispered. "That… is that supposed to be about me?"

Ladybug gave a little shrug. "I mean, besides the home life stuff, it does sound like you."

Chat tried not to let that go to his head (considering the many compliments the book had given the "mystery boy") and failed, thoroughly. Ladybug must have caught the gleam in his gaze, for she quickly began reading again.

"From whence he came was irrelevant," she pressed on. "When he went out, his past became nothing but a vague outline, a shadow of a shadow, tucked safely back in the farthest corner of his mind and forgotten. When he donned a mask and hood, he was another person entirely, and that was the way he liked it." She flipped the page. "His name was…"

Ladybug's voice pattered out, ending on an unfinished note. Chat's brows pulled together at the middle.

"What?" he asked. "What was his name?"

Ladybug turned another page, then another, then another, confusion flowering on her face.

"I… I don't know," she replied, helplessly. "That's it. It's all blank again."

Chat let out a throaty groan, head tipping back beneath the weight of his hand at his forehead.

"Great. Well, it's something, at least," he reasoned.

Ladybug nodded in agreement.

"True. We know a basic backstory for me, and we know that the other soul's got to be you. I mean, 'grinning cat'? 'Mask and hood'? That's totally talking about you. But I just wish we knew the plotline."

Chat's hand slipped from his forehead, fingers pressing against his chin in thought.

"Maybe that's all that's happened so far," he suggested. "If we're the main characters, I mean."

"But we've met," she pointed out, gesturing between them. "The characters in the book haven't yet."

Chat hummed, eyes roaming from hers to scan the area. "Yeah, good point."

His gaze landed on a nearby tree. An idea began to form in his mind.

"I hope it catches up soon," Ladybug said, flipping idly through the book as if the ending might spontaneously spring to life at any moment. "It's our only hope of figuring out how this world works and who we are and how to get ho… Chat what are you doing?"

Chat Noir, who was now halfway up a tree trunk, reached for the next branch and pushed up against the bark with his foot for leverage.

"Well," he replied, pulling himself onto the aforementioned branch, "I thought that I might be able to see the kingdom from higher up."

Ladybug rolled this decision around in her mind for a moment or two before saying, "Well… I guess that's a good idea. But if you fall and break your neck and leave me to deal with this psycho fangirl alone, I'll never forgive you."

Chat chuckled, though it was a bit strained, given that he was stretching himself paper thin to grab the next branch.

"Why, M'lady, are you saying-" he finally snatched the branch and flipped up onto it, landing with a satisfied huff "-that you'd actually miss me if I died?"

From his perch, he watched her eyes roll, watched a breeze sweep by and tickle at the ends of her hair and her dress' hem.

"I never said anything of the sort," she retorted, Chat hearing the smile in her voice. "Now, can you see anything?"

He forced his eyes away from her, turning them ahead. He frowned.

"Not here," he replied. "Maybe higher up."

"Remember, if you kill yourself-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he answered, already searching for his next step up. "Relax, Bugaboo. I won't leaf you hanging."

He delighted in the irritated groan that sounded at his back.

Once he finally reached a suitable height, past the branches and leaves and up with the clouds, he took a good look out at the horizon. What he saw took his breath away. Trees for a while, then a city. It wasn't like Paris at all (no lights, no cars, no skyscrapers) but there were clusters of houses and shops and little roads winding in between it all, the city limits making a sort of heart shape. No, an exact heart shape. Then, past that, there lay a castle of white and gold, towers stretching to the skies. It looked a little like (but not completely like) the castle at Disneyworld structure-wise, and was outlined by the afternoon sun. He wondered if those were real gold accents.

"Can you see it?!" called Ladybug from below.

"Yes!" he called back, unable to see her. "We're almost there!"

"Well hurry up and get down here then!"

Too excited about the literal castle they were about to come face-to-face with, Chat didn't huff at her bossiness. He merely maneuvered through the tangled limbs and branches and colorful leaves as quickly as he could before dropping down from the tree and landing on his feet with a magnificent flourish of the hand.

Ladybug shook her head at his dramatics.

"Come on, we don't have all day," she declared, grabbing him by the arm. He stumbled, but soon followed along at her side, and the two continued their trek to the kingdom of Maudite.

oOo

Woah okay I did not mean to make it that long. 4,000 words yeesh. Again, so sorry for the dry period. I'm already working on the next chapter, so it should be up soon enough. Thank you so much for reading, and don't forget to tell me what you thought!