LXP: This chapter serves as a montage of scenes happening over a long period of time.
Enjoy! :)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN:
MELTED HEARTS
The castle witnessed a lot of changes since the day Cat Noir gave Marinette her own textile room.
For one thing, Marinette stopped taking her meals in her bedchamber and joined her feline friend in the dining hall every day. They both sat on either end of the table, discussing their plans for the day or just sharing casual talk. Sometimes the fairies would join them and nibble on some of the food, so they always left stuffed with conversation and laughter.
For another thing, Cat Noir stopped hiding up in the west wing whenever he was alone. Sometimes he would be spotted in the library, reading beside the fireplace, or playing the piano in the music room.
As promised, he played several beautiful pieces for Marinette, his clawed fingers trailing over the keys like a professional. By the end of it, Marinette was asking Cat Noir to teach her how to play the piano, and he was happy to oblige her.
As for the fairies, they suddenly decided that every inch of the castle needed to be tidied up. Under Wayzz's direction, they swept, scrubbed and shined wherever they could. Trixx and Duusu's tails were especially effective for dusting and getting rid of cobwebs. Pollen replaced all the scraggly old drapes with fresh new ones. Nooroo restocked all the chandeliers and candelabra so they wouldn't lack for light and warmth. Tikki and Plagg teamed up for kitchen duty, and rewarded themselves and their friends with freshly-baked pastries for all their hard work.
In the meantime, Marinette spent several hours each day in the textile room, pulling out different fabrics for her new designs. Occasionally, Cat Noir would pop in to see if she needed assistance. He even pointed out slyly that he could serve as a model… only to end up being a dummy for one of Marinette's dresses. It took a couple days for the big-mouthed beastman to get over that whole ordeal without being laughed at by Trixx and Plagg.
Marinette's sartorial creations turned out to be just as colourful and unexpected as she was. She never did the same design twice, and each dress always impressed her friends whenever she showed it off to them. She made a dress for practically every occasion: reading, dining, outdoor walks, horseback riding… even working. Yes, she also spent some time baking in the kitchens… and Cat Noir was always delighted to taste-test her sweet-swelling desserts.
As the weeks flew by and winter slowly melted into spring, Cat Noir found himself in an alarming predicament.
Firstly, he was pretty sure he was falling in love with Marinette.
She was so full of life and spirit, and it was contagious. Every time she smiled, Cat Noir's chest swelled with ecstasy. Whenever Marinette did the things she liked – whether it was making dresses, baking, or talking about her favourite books – she glowed with that inner fire Cat Noir had seen in her the first day they met.
Yep. He was definitely falling in love with her.
But that wasn't the alarming part. The alarming part was that he wasn't sure if she felt the same way about him.
"I mean, she doesn't avoid me anymore," Cat Noir explained to Nooroo one day when his nerves were getting the better of him. "We talk, we joke around, we go out for walks… but how do I know if she cares about me or not? What if she just thinks of me only as a friend? What if I'm not good enough for her?"
But Nooroo simply took his friend's hand. "Don't worry, Master. Wayzz said these things will happen naturally. Just be yourself, and you'll be fine."
Cat Noir wasn't so sure if he could handle being himself for much longer. A few more petals from the enchanted rose had fallen, and the spell was spreading faster. His body had only a few scraps of human skin left, and the mask on his face arched a little further on all four sides.
Cat Noir sighed and ran a claw through his golden hair. "She'll never love me for who I am," he said miserably. "She deserves someone better – someone who isn't a… a failure."
He reeled back when Nooroo zoomed right into his face and tapped him on the nose.
"You call saving that girl's life a failure, hmm?" the butterfly fairy asked, frowning with annoyance. "You call that gift you gave her a failure, hmm?"
Cat Noir cringed and opened his mouth to speak, but only a scratchy rasp came out.
"I think the first thing you should do, Master, is stop beating yourself up over what you can't control. Second, you should make the most of what you can control." Nooroo's face and his voice softened. "So, keep talking to Marinette. Tell her jokes, go out for walks… and treasure every moment with her while you still can. Who knows?" He smiled. "There may be something there that wasn't there before."
Cat Noir felt moved by Nooroo's words, and he owed it to the little guy – and to himself – to heed them as best he could.
Once the weather started to warm up, Marinette and Cat Noir decided to take a stroll through the hedge maze.
Today, Marinette wore one of her newer dresses. It was rosy-pink with ruffled sleeves of toile and sparkly flower patterns along the skirt in an asymmetrical fashion. To keep out the cold, Marinette wore a cherry-red cloak with furry-white trim, white gloves and knee-high leather boots. Cat Noir needed no gloves nor boots, but the new black cloak Marinette made for him fell over his green outfit like a cape of shimmering night. Cat Noir had been touched by the gift, and promised to wear it always.
They trekked together through the slushy snow, and then arrived at the little walled garden.
Cat Noir saw Marinette pause as she glazed over the colourful palette of roses, which remained in full bloom.
Her bluebell eyes fell on the ivory roses, their centers puckering out like pink lips, and her arms fell slack at her sides. "This is the garden my father found, isn't it?" she asked.
Cat Noir bit his lip before breathing in deeply. He knew this topic would come up someday. Better now than later. "Yes, it is."
Marinette kneeled beside one of the bushes. Her face was expressionless, and her back was stiff. The edges of the roses were dusted with snowflakes, which sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. She leaned forward and breathed in their scent, and shivered. Cat Noir wondered if she was thinking about her father; about how she had chosen to sacrifice her future to save him… and all because of a single rose and a stupid binding spell. It made him shiver to think about it himself.
"How do they stay like this?" Marinette asked curiously. "Forever blooming, untouched by time."
Cat Noir shrugged. "I'm not sure," he admitted as he gently stroked a bunch of yellow roses. "It's been like this since I was born. I think it has its own kind of magic to it."
Marinette turned to look at him. "Who planted these?"
He knew this topic would come up to, and he still wasn't ready for it. "My mother," he said almost too softly. "She planted many flowers around the castle, but this garden was always her favourite. And mine."
Marinette's eyes bore that sad, vacant look, as though she now understood why this place both bothered him and heartened him at the same time. She stood up in her spot. "That statue… in the western courtyard," she said. "That was her."
Cat Noir knew it wasn't a question, but he nodded nonetheless.
Marinette mirrored his nod. "Tell me what happened," she said. A request, not an order.
Cat Noir couldn't refuse her, but he lowered his eyes to the orange roses on his left. They reminded him of a certain pair of leering, fiery eyes that haunted his nights for the past year. "When the enchantress came, the first thing she did was turn everyone in the castle but me into stone." His voice became dark and bitter. "She called it mercy. Because they would live forever, unharmed and untouched by the seasons… while I would change into… this." He held up a hand and stared at it scornfully. Cat Noir's throat burned as he spoke. "And I just stood there and watched while it all unfolded before my eyes. My mother was the last to turn, but she didn't fear for her own life – she feared for mine. She reached out to me… but…"
The tear dripped down his cheek and onto the snow before he could stop it, and suddenly it hurt to breathe again.
If Marinette seemed unimpressed or distraught by his emotional episode, she gave no sign of it.
"I lost her," Cat Noir continued, his voice breaking as he hung his head down. "I lost everyone… and all because I stood up to that witch." He clenched his hand into a fist. "I should've just kept my mouth shut. I should've done something to stop her. But I didn't. I did nothing. And now, my mother is paying the price for my mistakes. My actions." He shuddered as he fought to control a sob forming in his chest.
Just then, he heard the crunch of approaching footsteps in the snow.
Cat Noir stood as still as the stone columns while Marinette reached up and brushed away the tears from his face. Then, she clasped both her hands over Cat Noir's fist and gazed firmly into his glowing green eyes with ones of crushing blue.
"Standing up to someone," she told him, "isn't an easy thing to do, and it doesn't always end well. But that doesn't make it a mistake."
She said that as though it was the most well-known philosophy in the world. Cat Noir's surprise and confusion must have shown on his face, because then Marinette kept on explaining.
"Back in my village, everything is decided for you based on who you are and what kind of life you were born into. But I wanted so much more. I wanted to be so much more." She blinked several times, and her eyelashes gleamed from perspiration. "People called me names. They pushed me down and scolded me whenever I spoke out or did something they didn't like. And it hurt every time." Marinette's mouth straightened with determination. "But that kind of pain didn't break me. It made me stronger. Yes, there were times when I wanted it all to end; when I thought I should just bow down to everyone's whims just so they would leave me alone. But then I would remind myself that if I ever did, I would no longer be happy with who I was."
Cat Noir's eyes widened, and his fist loosened itself within Marinette's hold. "Your village sounds absolutely horrible," he said incredulously.
Marinette giggled. "I know," she said with a sly gleam in her eye, "but how can you truly hate the only life you've ever known?"
Cat Noir tipped his head sideways, making his ears bob. That was very true.
"My point is," Marinette continued, "you shouldn't blame yourself for being the only one brave enough to stand up for what you thought was right." She lifted one hand and laid it against Cat Noir's chest. He prayed she wouldn't feel his heart pounding through his jacket. "And you didn't lose your mother. She's still here with you, in your heart… and in this garden." She glanced around at the ring of rose bushes before smiling up at her friend. "You still have a chance to break the spell, so don't let your guilt get the better of you. Take a stand and fight it, and you'll never lose."
Cat Noir was speechless, and his veins suddenly flooded with a strange yet welcoming kind of warmth. He felt so much lighter, as though a hundred sandbags had been lifted off his shoulders. The pain in his chest didn't hurt so much anymore… so why was he still crying? He smiled through his tears and choked on a gulp of air.
Then, Cat Noir sank down onto his knees on the snow-covered walkway. Then, Marinette was kneeling in front of him, and she had her arms around him. His head rested against her shoulder as he let out a round of shaking, silent sobs. And she just kneeled there and whispered soft shushing noises like an older sister comforting her little brother.
Neither of them said anything for a few good long minutes. Nothing needed to be said. At least, not in spoken words.
Finally, Marinette cleared her throat and said, "We should… probably head back inside."
Cat Noir sniffed loudly and wiped his nose on his sleeve before nodding. "Yeah… okay. Sure."
They helped each other to their feet, and Marinette brushed the snow off her dress as Cat Noir exited the garden. His furry feet thumped heavily with each step.
And just as he was cursing himself for getting all sobby and emotional in front of Marinette…
THUD!
Something cold exploded against his back, and Cat Noir whirled around with hysterical surprise.
Marinette laughed the moment she saw his face. "Gotcha, Kitty!" she jeered, brushing off the remaining bits of gathered snow on her woolen gloves.
Cat Noir blinked once. Twice. Kitty?
Then, both ends of his mouth curled up into a mischievous grin, bearing his fangs in the sunlight.
And before Marinette could gather her skirts and hightail it out of there, Cat Noir scooped up a handful of snow and hurled it right at her.
POOF! The snowball smacked her in the chest, and Marinette let out something between a gasp and a laugh as she tumbled onto her bottom.
Cat Noir sneered and braced his hands on his hips. "You'll have to do much better than that, Milady," he teased.
The next snowball she threw hit him full in the face.
Within seconds, their shrieks of laughter filled the entire courtyard as they pelted each other one after the other. Sadly, Marinette ended up with the largest tally of points, and she hardly ever missed.
They came back inside the castle an hour later, their beaming faces flushed with cold… and they toasted to Marinette's victory with cups of hot cocoa, courtesy of Tikki.
Later that night, before Marinette got ready for bed, she found a folded note on her dresser in neat handwriting. It wasn't signed, but she knew who had sent it long before she opened it up and read it to herself:
Thank you. For earlier.
And next time, I get the first throw.
Marinette couldn't help but smile.
If she wasn't too exhausted from a hard day of work and leisure, Marinette would use the magic mirror to talk to Alya and share what her days have been like… and check in to see if her parents were doing well.
For some reason, she couldn't make direct contact with Tom and Sabine, so Alya served as her go-to friend for news on the happenings of Villeneuve.
It turned out that Tom and Sabine's business was better than ever. They were also hiring new staff at their manor, from specialized cooks to laundry maids. A small number, Alya informed Marinette, but enough to keep the whole place busy.
The only thing that didn't change was Marinette's father, who seemed to grow more closed off every day. And each night, when all was quiet, Tom would sit up on the terrace of the manor and stare out towards the wintry woods beyond, as though hoping his little girl would come charging out on horseback any minute. It made Marinette's heart break, but she knew her mother would always be there to comfort him in his time of need.
Meanwhile, the biggest highlight in the village was that Chloe Bourgeois was now setting her sights on Theo Barbot. According to the local gossip, the mayor's daughter was expecting a proposal any day now, but Alya had heard differently. Theo still had his heart set on marrying Marinette, and he was going to extreme lengths to find her.
Alya explained how she heard the story from Nino.
The young musician had been performing one night at The Sleeping Fox when Theo's two tailgaters, Kim and Max, barged into the lobby – the former limping on one foot and the latter dripping wet with snow. Apparently, from what Nino overheard, they had tried many times to travel beyond the forest in search of Marinette, but some strange form of ghastly weather or some freak accident always prevented them from going any farther than the border. During their latest venture, Max had almost fallen right off a cliff, and Kim's leg got squished under a tree that had "coincidently" fallen. Now, both hunters were adamantly refusing to partake in Theo's searches until winter was over. There was no word yet on how the Champion of Villeneuve was dealing with all this.
It was now clear to Marinette that without the proper guide, no one could find their way to Cat Noir's castle. Marinette considered it a blessing as well as a curse. On the down side, it meant her family and friends would never be able to come and visit her. On the bright side, she wouldn't have to worry about overzealous suitors like Theo Barbot swooping in to "rescue her".
"But enough about all that," Alya said one night while Marinette lounged on the cushion by her window, "what about you and Cat Noir? Has he tried to kiss you yet?"
"Alya Césaire!" Marinette blurted, feeling her cheeks ignite.
"And even if it's just on the hand or the cheek, it still counts. Wait… have you kissed him?"
Marinette glared at the redhead's tiny image. "We're just friends," she asserted. "Any kissing involved – if any – is strictly and completely platonic."
"Uh-huh…" Alya sneered at her. "If you say so..."
"I do say so.
"But if you think about it – hypothetically, of course – would being with Cat Noir really be such a bad thing?"
If Alya had asked that question weeks ago, Marinette would have answered it very differently.
Looking back on it now, she wondered why she never saw this side of Cat Noir in the beginning: his kindness, his insecurity, his flamboyant flirting, his steadfast courage. Obviously, he was no Prince Charming, but once you peered beyond the beastliness, you saw a boy who lived, smiled, hurt, cried and laughed like any human being his age. Marinette didn't see that before – hadn't wanted to see anything beyond those long claws and elongated eyes – but her near-death experience with the wolves had opened her eyes. It had been like looking at a painting. At first glance, Cat Noir would appear dark and monstrous, poised to kill. But if you looked closer, you would see his arms raised not to attack, but to protect. You would see his eyes sharpened with humane resolve rather than feral hunger.
The more time she spent with Cat Noir, the more Marinette saw that deeper picture; that small glimpse of goodness that he had kept locked him inside him for so long. Not only that, but Marinette was enjoying Cat Noir's company. It felt good to have a friend who understood what it was like to feel out of place; to be alone in the world, to be treated as… unnatural.
"No," Marinette finally answered Alya with a thoughtful smile. "Not such a bad thing at all."
