CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
THE TOWER DUEL
He heard the soft scrap of leather boots in the hallway.
He heard the door creaking open with a quiet, mournful wail.
He heard the tightening of a bowstring.
But Adrien didn't turn around, or call out to see if anyone was there. He showed no sign of alarm, despite the threat of the arrow nocked and aimed directly at his back. He just stood there beside the enchanted rose, staring out at the heavy rush of rain plastering the window. His metal staff was in his hand, but he mostly leaned on it.
Adrien had decided that he wouldn't fight any of the villagers if they ever came upon him. They were not his enemy. They didn't deserve his wrath. The only crime they were guilty of was being fearful of something they didn't understand.
And if they managed to kill him, it wouldn't matter. His time was almost up. He had nothing left to fight for.
The hunter finally spoke from the open doorway, "Cat Noir." His voice was young but bold, and thick with passion. "My name is Theo Barbot, Champion of Villeneuve, and I have come to free the one I love."
Adrien turned his head, his brow furrowing with confusion. Say what?
"You stole my beloved away, and placed her under a spell," the hunter called Theo Barbot said. "I demand that you release her at once, or pay the price."
Adrien finally pivoted around.
Theo didn't so much as flinch from the full sight of him. He just stood there as calm as flat water, holding the string of his bow back effortlessly… and keeping the arrow pointed right at his prey. Adrien could practically smell the woods on him – a sweet, pine-infused air with a quiet drive and a strong sense of patience for spice. This was a man born to hunt.
Adrien glanced at the arrow for a second. He wondered where Theo would shoot first. The shoulder? The leg? Or would he just go straight for an eye? Adrien looked back at the hunter. "I have done no such thing," he said hollowly. "You must leave. It's not safe for you to be here."
Theo snorted as he stared down the arrow shaft at his target. "Don't try to trick me, beast," he snarled. "I've hunted many animals in the past, and they're all the same: wild, vicious and untamable. Why are you so different?"
Adrien shrugged with a downcast gaze. "I don't know anymore," he replied softly.
He heard the wood of the bow groan, and he looked up to see Theo's drawn-back hand shaking. Was the hunter hesitating? Wound he dare shoot a wounded animal?
"All I know is that you are not my enemy," Adrien continued, holding his staff behind him at a horizontal angle. "So, please – take your people and go. Leave me in peace." Maybe he should show a little more force; scare Theo away. But he couldn't find it in his heart to do so.
Cautiously, the hunter lowered his bow. His confident expression ebbed away to reveal what he truly was: no more than a nervous boy trying to play the hero. "This doesn't make sense," he muttered – either to himself or to Adrien, the latter couldn't say. "How could she possibly want you?"
Adrien's ears twitched at that. "She"? Does he mean…?
Suddenly, a blazing-hot breeze blew into the chamber, sending the drapes and bedcurtains blowing.
Adrien and Theo both snapped around, looking for the source.
Something flashed in the corner of Adrien's eye, and then Theo cried out in pain. When Adrien turned back to him, his staff gripped tightly and his free claw at the ready, he was appalled to see the hunter clutching the front of this thigh.
When Theo lifted his hand away, there were three identical scratch marks – no, claw marks. Not too deep, but just enough to break the skin, and they were already turning red. Theo snapped up at Adrien… and his face twisted with rage.
Adrien realized too late that his claws were out, marking him as the culprit. He reached out in panic. "No, wait –!"
Again, he was too late.
Lightning-quick, Theo pulled back his arrow again and fired it in one swift movement.
Adrien screamed as the arrowhead embedded itself in his right shoulder, just barely sinking into the socket. His vision blurred red and white, and his roar filled the entire room.
So, evidently, he didn't see or hear Theo charging at him.
Adrien felt the hunter collide with his chest, seeing him flying back and crashing through a shower of rain and broken glass. He landed on cold, hard stone; the wind knocked out of him as he rolled to a stop against the balcony railing. The arrow broke off somewhere along the floor. Thunder boomed in the distance, drowning out Adrien's groans.
And through all the pain and noise, the young beastman heard the sound of chiming laughter:
Well, well… So much for diplomacy.
Adrien gritted his teeth. The enchantress. Of course.
He heard a small thud, and he looked up to see Theo climbing through the shattered window and stalking towards him.
Adrien forced himself to stand up, using his staff to support himself. He clutched his shoulder as he hunched over in agony. "I don't want to fight you!" he pleaded weakly.
Theo huffed, his sleek brown hair already turning wet and shaggy from the storm. "You can't help but fight!" he stated. "It's in your nature! Marinette doesn't understand, but she will soon enough!"
That name was like a dagger in Adrien's heart, and his will began to falter.
Theo took this opportunity to kick his opponent in the chest, sending him tumbling right over the ledge.
Adrien's senses awakened from the sensation of falling, and his instincts kicked in. As he slid down along the shingled roof, he dug his claws in and slowed to a halt. His hands protested, and he swore he might have peeled the fur right off his skin, but he ignored the pain… just as he ignored the pain in his bleeding shoulder.
Adrien panted as he readjusted himself, and he looked around for an escape route.
TWANG!
An arrow bounced off a shingle just inches from his face, making Adrien stiffen. The broken arrow and the tile it hit both fell towards the dark abyss below.
"Come back here, Cat Noir!" Theo bellowed from the balcony. "Face me!"
Adrien groaned. Then, he leapt down, sincerely hoping he would land on his feet this time.
Theo leapt over the balcony and skidded along the roof before grinding to a stop on the edge. Readying his bow again, he looked around feverishly for his prey.
A bolt of lightning lit up the castle, and he spotted movement near one of the larger rooftops. There!
Theo fired another arrow, and it vanished into the darkness.
Cursing, he spotted an outer bridge far to his left. He carefully made his way over, jumped down, and followed it before climbing up to the large roof.
Upon arriving, Theo almost leapt back when he saw massive, hulking shadows surrounding him.
But another flash in the sky revealed the truth. They were stone gargoyles. They weren't alive.
But one of them might be.
"Come out and fight, you coward!" Theo shouted. He put his bow back in his quiver and drew his sword. The blade burned brightly every time lightning crackled above.
Keeping his senses attuned to the storm, Theo stepped soundlessly through the two rows of hunched gargoyles. They seemed to be bowing to him, their gaping mouths open in silent shrieks. Theo glazed over each one he passed by, hoping to spot a pair of pointy ears sticking out, or a cloak billowing in the wind.
So, far? Nothing.
But Theo Barbot was a hunter, and a true hunter never gave up on his quarry.
Adrien tried to soften his breathing as he crouched close beside one of the gargoyles decorating the roof of the dining hall.
All the while, he could feel the hunter's presence drawing closer. It made the fur on his back stand on end through his shirt. Adrien prayed his shiny metal staff wouldn't give him away, so he kept it concealed as best he could underneath his black cloak.
What's the matter, Adrien? the honeyed voice cooed. Too "good and kind" to fight back?
"Shut up," Adrien growled under his breath.
"I don't know what Marinette sees in you!" Theo called out. "Maybe you've had her under your cursed charm for so long, she's lost all sense!"
Something dark and angry stirred inside Adrien, boiling through his blood. He held his breath and fought it down. No… Not again… I can't…
Stop it, the voice snapped. Stop pretending to be something you're not. This hunter will kill you. He will kill you, and take away the last good thing you have left.
Adrien tried to focus on the pattering rain around him, or the hunter's encroaching footsteps. Anything to drown out that despicable voice.
How do you think this hunter found out about you? The girl betrayed you! She sold you out for a handsome hero! She NEVER loved you!
Adrien squeezed his eyes shut and grasped his forehead with one hand. Water dripped down his fingers and into his eye. "Shut up!" he hissed.
Did you honestly think she'd want you… when she could have someone like him?
Adrien shook his head, spraying droplets. "No…" It wasn't true. It couldn't be true.
Theo's footsteps were much louder now. "I know you're there, Cat Noir!" he called again. "I will find you, and once I've finished you off, Marinette will be mine at last!"
That creature inside Adrien's chest was now clawing to be let loose… and a part of him wanted to open its cage.
Do it, the voice whispered enticingly. Let it out. Unleash your fury. Show him how strong you really are.
"And after we're married," Theo continued, his voice literally just around the corner, "your head shall hang up on our wall!"
Adrien opened his eyes. His oblong pupils narrowed into needle-thin slits. A low growl vibrated through his throat.
Then, he pounced.
Theo barely managed to dodge in time. He swung at Adrien as the latter advanced on him more and more, striking hard with his staff. Theo kept backing up, parrying and serving out of the way. All the while, the hunter's face turned white with newfound dread as he fought his opponent off at arm's length.
Eventually, their one-way duel took them onto a narrow bridge leading to a small stone pavilion at the top of the northwest tower. By then, Theo's strength was starting to wane.
But not Adrien's. His anger fueled his muscles, and the creature inside him took control.
Yes! The voice said with sadistic pleasure. Look at how afraid he is of you! Isn't this so much easier – to be feared and unmatched?
Adrien let out a ferocious yell as he struck once more at Theo's sword.
The two weapons collided with a sharp SHING!
Then, the sword went spinning down into the darkness like a shiny white disk.
Theo gasped as he fell onto his back.
Adrien loomed over his opponent like a monstrous shadow, his green eyes blazing in the stormy darkness.
Theo tried crawling away towards the other side of the bridge, but Adrien got him by the scruff of his shirt. Then, the beastman lifted the hunter off the ground with one hand as easily as one would lift a small bag.
"No! NO!" Theo cried, his voice breaking. "Please, don't hurt me!"
Adrien barely heard him over the pounding in his ears. He breathed heavily through his teeth, keeping his eyes locked on Theo's horror-stricken face.
Well done, the evil voice praised him darkly. Now… finish him.
Adrien froze, his eyes losing their glow.
Finish him! The voice snapped. He used the girl against you! He tried to kill you! Show him who you really are, and you'll never have to hide again!
Lightning cracked, sending out a wave of booming thunder that almost knocked both hunter and beast off the bridge.
And somewhere in the distance, Adrien's sensitive hearing picked up a different voice.
Her voice.
But it couldn't be. He was imagining it.
"Please!" Theo begged, his words becoming something like a sob. "Let me go! I… I'm sorry!"
FINISH HIM, MONSTER! the enchantress's voice shouted in his ears.
Adrien inhaled sharply, and his expression softened.
Monster… Monster… Monster…
Something glinted in his peripheral vision. Adrien shifted his gaze to the metal staff secured in his other hand. His face stared back at him, elongated and warped.
Monster… Monster… Monster…
Adrien's heart nearly broke. Was this who he truly was on the inside? Had he only been kidding himself from the beginning?
Was this what he was meant to become?
Marinette was still gasping for breath as she stood at the exposed window and stared aghast at the scene before her.
On the narrow stone walkway connecting this part of the castle to the next tower, Adrien stood in all his haunting glory – clearly shaken and injured, but alive. Marinette couldn't see his face, but his posture was stiff and straight with fierce resolution.
And dangling from his outstretched claw was Theo, who was begging and whimpering to be released while his feet tried to scamper on open air.
Marinette shook her head. "No…"
She heard him gasp. She saw his shoulders sink.
Theo was almost sobbing now. "Please! Let me go! I… I'm sorry!"
Adrien did nothing but stare at him. Then, at his staff. Then, back at the hunter.
Then… he placed Theo back down on his feet with the utmost care.
Marinette's heart flooded with relief, and a small smile appeared on her face. He didn't do it. I knew he wouldn't do it!
Adrien lowered his staff and affixed his eyes back on the hunter he still held, but his grip was not as firm as before. "No," he said to himself, that single word carrying all manner of grief, understanding, and resolve. "I may be a beast, but I won't become a monster."
He let go of Theo, who sank down onto the bridge with a relieved shudder.
Theo's wide brown eyes stared up at Adrien. Not just with fear, but with confusion. Maybe even a bit of awe. Marinette couldn't tell with all the rain in the way.
Adrien breathed in deeply, and once again, he was the same sad, kind and mischievous cat creature Marinette remembered.
"For the longest time," he told Theo directly, "I hated myself. I caused a lot of bad things to happen, and I've made plenty of mistakes. All that grief, all that anger… There were so many times when I just wanted to let it all out; when I didn't care about hurting anybody."
As she listened, Marinette recalled the night Adrien lost control in the western courtyard. But he had instantly regretted it, she reminded herself. That's not something a normal beast would do.
"But then one day," Adrien continued, his voice clearing into something like admiration, "a certain young lady taught me a valuable lesson: that if I ever lost myself, if I ever gave in to that darkness and pain… I would no longer be happy with who I am."
Marinette inhaled at those words, and the memory of a fragrant rose garden came back to her. He remembered.
Adrien let out something like a sigh and a chuckle. "And would you believe it? Here, at the end of it all, I finally understand. I now see myself for who I really am – the fair and the ugly. And that's okay." He nodded firmly at Theo. "I think I can live with that."
The young hunter continued to stare up at Adrien as though he was seeing a harmless kitten in place of a furious beast. Marinette couldn't help but pity Theo. After all, she had been in his shoes not too long ago.
As though the storm could sense the dying ferocity in Adrien's heart, the rain began to lessen from a torrential downpour into a soft spring shower. There were still occasional rumbles of thunder, but they were now rolling away into the distance.
Marinette decided now was the time. She moved away from the window and emerged in the threshold that opened up to the bridge. "Adrien!" she called, her voice bold and tender.
His tail pointed upward, and his whole body jerked like a guitar string being strummed.
And when Adrien snapped around, and Marinette saw him for the first time in what felt like an eternity, her smile broadened.
She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.
The night he saw her that gorgeous red ballgown only counted as the second.
His lady stood right there in the middle of the dark frame, as real as could be. Her creamy-white nightgown fanned out against her like a sail, her red cloak hugged her shoulders, and her midnight-blue hair caressed her head as it blew out in the wind. But the biggest eyecatcher of all was her smile – that bright, joyous smile that immediately filled that empty hole in Adrien's heart with a pounding warmth. And those blue eyes bore into him without fear or suspicion or any sense of reclusiveness. She was staring at him with happiness, with unbound devotion… with love.
Adrien's knees almost buckled. "Marinette," he said.
She nodded, as though confirming that she was real.
Adrien's eyes started burning. He was going to break down into tears, but he didn't care. His own smile stretched from ear to ear at the sight of his lady.
She came back!
She came back!
She came back!
In that moment, he forgot all about the hunter. He forgot all about the enchantress. He forgot that the last rose petal would fall any minute now, and that his one chance of becoming human again was right there in front of him. None of that mattered.
Marinette had come back to him. His lady had returned… and she didn't even have to.
And Adrien knew then, without a sliver of doubt. She loves me.
Marinette stepped out onto the bridge, her hand reaching out to him through the rain. He was only several feet away, but he might as well have been a thousand leagues away.
Adrien's smile never ceased as he went over to her, his own hand reaching for her, seeking to close the gap.
He was so close, so close…
BOOM!
Hot, blinding light filled his vision, followed by an explosion that sent Adrien staggering backwards with a startled cry. At the same time, he heard Marinette scream and Theo shriek with surprise.
Singeing heat beat against Adrien, almost sizzling the ends of his fur. Fire?
He shielded his face with his arms as he peered at the glowing inferno… and gasped.
Standing between him and his lady, her dark hair fanning out like a spiked mane and her dress rippling along with the enchanted flames encircling her, was the enchantress – as illuminating and terrifying as she had been when she first came to the castle two winters ago.
And when the fire died out and the enchantress glanced between Adrien and Marinette, there was nothing but pure, fiery hatred in her eyes.
