LXP: Marinette's nightgown was inspired by the photo "Nightgown c. 1907" found on The Museum at Fit website. (I do NOT own anything related to it).
Enjoy! :)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO:
THE MOB
By the time Marinette discovered that her magic mirror was missing, it was too late.
She had just gotten ready for bed, slipping on a cream-coloured cotton nightgown she dug out of her closet. It was a simple piece with its short-ruffled sleeves loosely held together by satin bows, a low-cut back, a lace design rimmed around the bottom, and a silk ribbon tied in the back. Simple, and easy to move around in – just the way Marinette liked it.
But when she went over to her dresser to find her comb, that's when Marinette saw the empty spot where her mirror should have been. At first, she assumed she might've just misplaced it. But after five, ten, fifteen minutes of searching – of lifting bed sheets and double-checking every drawer in the room – Marinette realized the mirror was completely gone.
Her gift from Adrien, her one and only connection to him – gone.
She tried not to panic. Maybe one of the staff saw it and decided to give it a quick clean-up. Maybe her mother was borrowing it. But the more she tried to reason with herself, the more anxious it made Marinette. Someone else must have taken it… but who?
She got her answer soon after, with an urgent knock on the mahogany door.
Marinette came down just as Nathalie was telling the late-night visitor, "I'm sorry, monsieur, but I insist you come back tomorrow morning."
"No, you don't understand. I need to see Marinette – it's an emergency!"
"Nino?" Marinette angled her head under the housekeeper's arm and spotted the musician, still in his party clothes.
Nino met her gaze with a look that clearly said "Trouble". With a capital "T".
"Marinette, you have to come quick," he panted, sounding like he ran all the way here. "There's a mob gathering in the town square. Alya told me –"
"What's going on?"
Marinette glanced back to see her father stomping over, still wearing the dress shirt and trousers he wore for the party. Sabine was at his side, glancing at her daughter with concern.
Marinette ignored them and moved past Nathalie to stare directly at Nino. "A mob?" she asked. "Why is there a mob? Is there some kind of threat?"
Nino's eyes hardened as he shook his head. "No, Marinette – it's Theo. He's raving about a "beast in a castle", and there's talk of an attack!"
Suddenly, all the air in Marinette's lungs turned as cold as the last winter frost. An attack? On the castle? Oh, Mon Dieu… he knows about Adrien!
"Oh no…" Marinette muttered.
"Sweetheart?" Tom asked. "What's the matter? You look pale."
Marinette snapped to her parents; her eyes apologetic but her stance firm. "I'm sorry, Papa, Maman…" she said, glancing between both their faces, "… but I have to go."
And before either of them could stop her, Marinette picked up the side of her nightgown and burst into a sprint. Nino ran with her, pulling his friend along by her other hand. They could hear Tom's shouts and Sabine's cries all the way from the gate, but they didn't stop or look back once.
As they entered the village and raced down the dark, empty streets, Marinette's mind was stampeded with questions. How is this happening? How did Theo find out? Alya and Nino wouldn't have told him, so… did he eavesdrop? Why would he gather a mob? Adrien hasn't done anything wrong! All the more reason Marinette had to stop this madness before things got out of control. It's all a misunderstanding. I'll tell them all the truth, and it'll be alright. They won't attack the castle once they know Adrien's not a threat.
Marinette's throat was bone dry by the time she and Nino reached the square… which was already awash with flickering light and agitated voices.
The crowd was over fifty strong, maybe more, and most of them were men and women. A few children were there, huddling by their mothers and nannies. Several adults held a blazing torch high above them, giving the entire square an angry orange hue. The large fountain in the center remained silent and still, and a few younger boys and girls stood up on the edge to get a better look.
For on the porch steps of The Sleeping Fox, standing proud and tall like a French soldier addressing his troops, was Theo Barbot. He had one had reaching out to the people, and the other folded behind his back. His brown eyes were thick with an insatiable desire to fight.
"… and we must stand together against this menace, before it ruins us all!" the Champion of Villeneuve announced, his voice hard and loud.
The crowd began murmuring.
Not far from where Theo stood, Alya and her father Otto observed the entire scene. The young redhead was shooting the hunter daggers and trying to calm the nervous crowd, but no one would listen to her.
Marinette and Nino exchanged a quick glance and began snaking through the crowd towards the inn.
"Monsieur Theo!" Mayor Bourgeois called out. His daughter Chloe stood beside him, her face the picture of posh boredom. "We all know you have done Villeneuve so much good service over the years, but… this is utter nonsense!" Onlookers voiced their agreements. "A cat-like beast in a castle… why, it sounds like the stuff of fairy tales!"
"Yeah! Where's the proof?" shouted one man.
"I ain't see no beast 'round here!" called another.
"I've seen one!" one boasted with a grin. "Just ask me wife!" Several guffaws followed.
For a moment, Marinette believed Chloe's father would actually save the day.
Until Theo lifted his chin resolutely. "You all want proof? Very well! You shall have it!"
He withdrew the hand behind his back, and firelight reflected off something he held. Beside him, Alya gasped.
Marinette paused between shoves the moment she saw her magic mirror. No… Please no!
Theo lifted the mirror as though admiring his face. Then, he said loud and clear, "Show me the creature called Cat Noir!"
A faint blue glow emitted from the mirror.
And when Theo turned it around for everyone to see, all hell broke loose.
Men gasped. Women screamed. Children covered their eyes. As one, they backed away from the mirror as Theo moved it around.
"There!" the hunter stated. "There's your proof!"
Marinette was the only one who didn't back away from the image of Adrien. He stood perched on the edge of his window like a gargoyle, staring forlornly out into the distance. Marinette knew by now that it was not a face to be feared, but rather the face of a lonely, wounded boy.
But that's not what everyone else saw.
The Mayor looked like he was about to faint.
Chloe covered her mouth and cringed from the mirror. "My god – he's hideous!" she shrieked.
Soon, there was more terrified shouting to go around:
"Bless my eyes!"
"He's a demon!"
"Is that a mask… or his face?!"
"Just look at him!"
"A cursed animal!"
"Is it dangerous?!"
"NO!" Marinette finally broke through the crowd and turned to face the entire mass, spreading out her arms.
Like the snap of a finger, the shouting ceased, and all eyes of Villeneuve turned to the baker's daughter. She could feel Theo's gaze at her back.
"He's not dangerous!" Marinette argued. "He'd never hurt anybody!"
Some of the people exchanged perplexed looks and whispers.
"I have been to the castle before…"
"Marinette…" Alya warned.
"… and I know Cat Noir!" She lowered her eyes and made her voice gentle and pleading. "He might look frightening… believe me, I was frightened as well. But he's not as terrible as he seems! He's good and kind and brave! He saved my life!" Marinette turned to look into the mirror, which Theo now held out an angle while listening to her. But she only had eyes for the cat creature in the magical glass. She smiled warmly. "He's my… my dearest friend."
There was more whispering, and then…
"Hahahaha!" Chloe burst out cackling, her head raising to the sky. All eyes now turned to her, including Marinette's. ""Dearest friend", she says. If I didn't know better, I'd say she has feelings for this monster!"
Now, several villagers were grumbling with concern.
Marinette glared at the mayor's daughter, wishing she could grow fangs of her own. Chloe's taunting words – coupled with all the years the blunette had suffered under the blonde's thumb – fueled her glittering cold anger.
She spoke her next words before she could stop herself: "He's not a monster, Chloe. And if you call him that again, I'll rip your hair out."
Chloe gasped with horror, as did many others.
"Oh, crumbs…" Nino moaned from the shocked crowd.
"How dare you!" Mayor Bourgeois bellowed, coming to his daughter's side. He pointed an accusatory finger at Marinette. "This girl is clearly insane! She is in league with the beast!"
"No, Monsieur Mayor," Theo contended, laying a protective hand on Marinette's shoulder. "You mustn't blame her. She has fallen under Cat Noir's spell. That's the only reason she would say such things."
Marinette whirled on him incredulously. "What?! You can't possibly think –!"
"But the beast will not stop there!" Theo addressed the whole village now. "Who's to say he won't make off with all of your daughters!" There was a collective gasp. "What if he comes for your children next?"
Many women immediately pulled their little ones into their arms, as though to shield them from harm.
"No!" Marinette protested. "He would never –!"
"Theo, stop!" Alya shouted.
"Quiet, Alya," her father hissed, holding her back.
"This village will never be safe so long as this beast lives freely!" Theo declared, raising the glowing mirror high above his head. "We must take action before he brings any further harm! We must kill the beast!"
The entire mob raised their fists and torches with a unified cry of affirmation.
Marinette couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was a nightmare – it had to be!
She shook her head again and again, grasping Theo's hand. "Please…" she pleaded. "Theo, you can't do this! He's not a monster! I can prove it!"
The young hunter slid his hand down to her arm, gripping her not unkindly. "I'm sorry, Marinette," he said, and he meant it. "But I have to do what is necessary. For you, and for everyone."
Suddenly, Marinette was back in the Book of Wanderings, watching the apparition of her grandfather try to throw a young Tom Dupain over a balcony railing: I will do what is necessary.
And that unyielding look in Theo's dark eyes – that swirling mass of grief, jealousy and anger mixed together – it made Marinette realize he was truly being serious.
He would do it. He would kill Adrien… because he strongly believed it was the right thing to do.
Marinette shook her head again, this time with more force. "I won't let you!" she shouted.
Theo's expression hardened. "I know," he said. He turned to Chloe's father. "Monsieur Mayor, would you be so kind as to escort Miss Marinette and her friend here to a safe location?"
"No!" Marinette tried to pull herself free, but Theo was a lot stronger than he looked.
"He's right, Daddy," Chloe drawled, throwing a sneer in Marinette's face. "We can't have them running off to warn the creature. And what could be "safer" than Town Hall?"
Town Hall? Marinette gritted her teeth.
"A dungeon cell?" Alya snapped. "Real mature, Chloe!"
The Mayor nodded at his daughter. "A well-thought out idea, my darling," he said. "It's for the best." He then beckoned to a few officers in the crowd. "Captain! Take these two girls to one of the cells in Town Hall. They will be safer there."
A few more villagers chanted in agreement as the officers came forward and seized both Marinette and Alya.
"No! Let us go!" Marinette shouted, thrashing as two of the guards dragged her through the crowd. "You can't do this! You don't understand!"
"Get off me!" she heard Alya struggle behind her. "Get… off… you… third-rate musketeers!"
In the midst of all the noise, Marinette swore she heard her father yelling her name, and Nino yelling Alya's before being swallowed up by the crowd.
She didn't stop fighting and squirming, even when they finally arrived at the massive stone fortress that was Town Hall. She had to get free. She had to get free and warn Adrien!
Why did everything go so wrong?!
Bonfires were lit. Torches were handed out.
Men and woman alike worked together to assemble their arsenal of weapons, which mainly consisted of hammers, axes, mallets and staves.
A small group went into the woods to cut down a large tree and shave it down to form a battering ram. Then, they adorned the front with the metal head of a tusked boar, which they had yanked off the decorative sign of the tavern. Once heaved up by six men, the whole ram looked like a charging boar.
Meanwhile, Theo made sure he had his trusty sword on his belt, a dagger in his boot, and his longbow and a quiver full of black-fletched arrows on his back. Once he was ready, he procured a black horse from one of the stables.
But just as he mounted his steed, a thunderous shout of "Theo Barbot!" made him pause.
Tom Dupain and his little wife stormed over to him, the former's face a cloud of fury. "What is the meaning of this – throwing my daughter in jail?! She's done nothing wrong! This is madness!"
Theo gave him a cool look. "I am well aware of her innocence, Monsieur," he said, "but I cannot take any chances. She must be secured for her own safety, but only until this monstrosity is dealt with. Once it's over, I will personally see to Marinette's release. You have my word."
Marinette's mother burrowed her silvery eyes into him like carving knives. "You don't know what you're doing, Theo," she insisted. "If you go through with this, my daughter will never forgive you."
A sense of unease rushed through Theo, but only for a brief moment. "I know exactly what I'm doing," he said firmly, kicking his horse into motion. "And nothing will stop me!" he called back as he trotted back towards the town square to join the rest of the mob.
The dungeon cells were located in the basement of Town Hall, with a stone staircase leading to a narrow, torch-lit hallway with black bars on each side.
The cells themselves were rarely used, unless someone got a little too drunk one night. But seeing them – and being inside them – could still make you feel like a criminal.
Not Marinette, though.
After the guard with the keys left, she gripped the bars and shook them as hard as she could, rattling them in their place. "Let us out!" she bellowed, her cry blasting through the hollow basement. She hoped if she screamed loud enough, her voice would travel through the tiny barred windows located near the top of each cell.
Alya tried kicking them open, but stopped on the fourth try after hurting her foot. "It's no use, Marinette," she sighed, bending over her knees. "Our only way out just walked away five minutes ago."
"I can't give up," Marinette said, her voice cracking as she pressed her forehead against the bars. "I have to warn Adrien. They're going to kill him…!" She let out a shuddering sob and sank to the floor, her hands sliding down the bars with her. "This is all my fault! I should've kept the mirror in a safer place! I shouldn't have gotten so angry at Chloe! I… I shouldn't have…"
It was all her fault. Now, Adrien and the fairies were in danger… because of her carelessness. Marinette would never get the chance to tell Adrien the truth about her feelings.
Suddenly, the door to the dungeon screeched open, and footsteps sounded in the darkness.
Marinette rose up quickly, hope flaring in her chest. "Hello?" she called. Was it Nino? Or her father?
It was neither.
The cloaked figure stepped into the torchlight, revealing a familiar face with a dark, sultry grin. "My, my, Marinette," the young woman spoke, her voice thick and black as dried ink, "what a peculiar bind you've gotten yourself into."
Marinette blinked at her. "Lila?"
"The one and only," the physician said with a regal bow of her head. "You really should take proper care of your belongings, child. You never know if someone might decide they want it more than you."
"What are you…?" Marinette paused, the events earlier that night returning to her. "Back at the party… I bumped into you on the stairs." Her face contorted with anger. "It was you! You stole my mirror and gave it to Theo!"
"Hmph… You are as clever as they say," Lila noted dryly.
"Why?" Alya demanded, coming over to glare at the brunette's glowing face. "Why would you do that? What did Marinette ever do to you?"
Lila giggled through her mouth and brushed her hair from her face. "She tried to take what was mine. I simply returned the favour."
"I took nothing from you!" Marinette insisted.
"Oh, but you did." Lila's voice became something sinister. Her green eyes seemed to turn orange, and it wasn't because of the firelight. "Didn't I warn you, Marinette, that some things are best left ignored? You might not like what you see."
Those words… in that voice…
Fear tightened around Marinette like a corset as she took in that familiar orange glow; that sweet, poisonous tone. "You're the enchantress." It wasn't a question. "The one who cursed Adrien."
"What?" Alya balked.
"Very good, Marinette," Lila praised, tracing the bars with her dainty fingers. "Yes, I'm the one who created Cat Noir – a feat I'm particularly proud of. I'm also the one who warned you about the western courtyard. I figured if I could get you to run away, the binding spell would finish you off, and Adrien's last hope of becoming human again would be gone." Her mouth flattened into a thin, hard line. "But your precious prince decided to be the noble one and go rescue you. You – a worthless, nosy peasant."
Marinette's anger rose up again.
"I then decided to enchant the mirror so you could talk with your friend here," the enchantress beckoned to Alya, "hoping that you would yearn to go home and try to leave again. But no… Instead, you wormed your way into Adrien's pitiful little heart. I could no longer interfere directly, knowing he would get suspicious and might reveal to you how to break my spell. So…" Lila's smile returned. "… I opted for a more indirect approach. Since Adrien was already madly in love with you, I knew he would do anything to make you happy… even if it meant letting you leave."
Marinette gasped, the truth hitting her like a solid stone. "My father…"
"Kind of ironic, really," Lila mused, "that something so small as a drop of poison in your father's teacup could cause so much pain and sorrow."
Nothing but pure, unadulterated instinct remained. Marinette jammed her hands through the bars, reaching for Lila with a hateful cry.
The enchantress merely stepped back, and then laughed cruelly.
"Witch!" Alya snarled.
"Why are you doing this?!" Marinette demanded, her fury burning away her tears.
"Why?!" Lila asked, her voice low and deep.
Just then, in blast of hot wind, twin coils of orange light burst from Lila's hands and fanned out from under her cloak, revealing the enchantress in a simple yet elegant orange robe with trailing sleeves. At the base of her throat, a glowing jewel the size of a chicken egg lay secured inside a bronze amulet on a chain. It radiated with the same magic, sizzling the air around it.
Marinette and Alya leapt back, their faces pale.
Lila smiled wickedly through the blazing lightshow. "Because Adrien is mine," she said, "and with you finally out of the way, he will no longer be able to fight the beast inside him. Do you honestly think that charming, lovesick fool-of-a-hunter could ever stand a chance against a cat creature with the strength of twenty men?"
Marinette put the pieces of the puzzle together in her head, and she did not like the picture it made. "You don't want Theo to kill Adrien," she said breathlessly. "You want Adrien to kill Theo!"
"Once provoked, he'll have no choice to defend himself," Lila explained gleefully, drawing all her power back into herself. Most of the tendrils swirled back into her amulet. "And with the rose almost gone, any last trace of Adrien's humanity will vanish with it. He will embrace the monster within… and I'll be the one controlling his leash." Lila turned to leave, her posture proud and triumphant.
But Marinette wasn't done. "Adrien's not the monster," she stated darkly. "You are!"
Lila froze… and shrugged. "I suppose it takes one to know one, doesn't it? Now, if you'll both excuse me, I have an angry mob to join and a prince to enslave." She slipped back into the shadows with a delicate wave of her hand. "Farewell, Marinette. I'll give Adrien your regards."
And as her laughter faded up the stone steps, Marinette felt her hope fade with it.
As the mob stood ready at the town limit, Theo held up the magic mirror. "Show me the castle," he commanded.
The glass warped and revealed the massive structure of stone and marble.
The mirror itself glowed brighter. Then, a thin trail of blue light curled out of it like a ribbon of glowing mist. It slithered along the ground, heading deep into the forest ahead.
Theo grinned. The path was clear now.
He raised the mirror above him and gripped his horse's reins in the other. "Sally forth!" he called, causing his horse to rear back in response. "To the castle!"
The villagers behind him cheered and shouted, bearing their torches and weapons.
Then, as one, they marched out of Villeneuve like a well-trained army and followed their heroic leader along the magical trail. Women and children who had chosen to remain behind bid their friends and families goodbye, waving white kerchiefs for good luck.
The earth shook beneath their feet as they headed further into the forest, their torchlights shrinking to mere pinpricks.
Marinette could hear the procession marching away, and listened until all the voices and thundering footsteps grew silent.
She turned to her friend, truly helpless for the first time in her life. "Oh, Alya… What are we going to do?!"
Alya's arms were around her instantly. "Calm down," she murmured softly. "There's still time. We'll figure something out."
Marinette wanted desperately to believe those words. At this moment, it was the best thing she could do.
