CHAPTER SEVEN:
THE NOBLE AND THE OUTLAW
Adrien's chamber in Nottingham Castle sat at the top of the southwest tower, where he had a perfect view of both the town and Sherwood Forest.
As the young lordling peered out his open window to see the bustle and hustle of the tiny townsfolk, he remembered when he first set foot in those winding streets upon his return from London, just a few weeks ago.
Needless to say, Adrien had been shocked to see that this Nottingham had no soul.
The very air had been devoid of warmth, leaving a chill that rendered everyone melancholic and paranoid. Instead of greeting Adrien with happy smiles and salutations, the people's dreary faces had told the lordling of the despair and suffering they had endured at the hands of their princess. They weren't angry – only sad. And half-starved, to top it off.
But then, like a streak of sunlight breaking through a grey sky, the people's spirits had risen immediately when their red-clad hero, Ladybug, suddenly appeared.
Adrien smiled at the memory of her: the wind whipping at her spotted cloak, the glare of sunlight catching in her bluebell eyes, and the lopsided grin she bore to the city soldiers who were failing to catch her once again.
Ladybug had been strong and graceful, leaping over boxes, sliding under carts, and climbing up onto rooftops to evade the guards. All the while, she had flung handfuls of gold coins onto the cobblestones, much to the delight of the peasantry. Nino, ever by Adrien's side, had actually cheered the outlaw on.
And when Ladybug had flipped back onto the ground and looked up, her eyes met Adrien's... and they widened.
Shock, disbelief, joy, love – Adrien had seen each of those emotions swirling within the hooded blunette in the breath of a second.
The lordship himself had been just as stupefied as her. For in that instance, he didn't see Ladybug, the notorious "Red Archer" he heard so much about back in London. He didn't see the outlaw who had robbed from Princess Chloe herself in broad daylight and earned herself an execution.
No... All Adrien saw was Marinette, the baker's daughter he had taught to shoot her first arrow. He saw the peasant girl he had spent seven happy years of his childhood with. He saw the brave, selfless maiden he thought about every day over the four years he was gone.
I don't mind the spots. It reminds me of... a ladybug. I like ladybugs.
Adrien remembered how he had smiled at her that day in the streets, the moment he recognized her fair, freckled face.
One second, she had smiled back at him. Her eyes looked glossy, like they were starting to tear up.
The next, she whipped down the street and vanished, leaving both Adrien and the city guards dumbfounded.
"I've seen that look before."
Adrien blinked, and he was once again sitting up on the stone windowsill of his tower, gazing out into the open view.
The lordling sighed with a smirk and eased back onto the floor, turning towards Nino.
The attendant was rearranging all the pillows and cushions in the room – just one of his "keep-himself-busy" habits, as he called them. Nino would occasionally glance at his liege while he worked, which was what he was doing now with a knowing grin.
Nino gently fluffed up a pillow on the two-seater couch, keeping his cheery demeanour. "My mother once told me that love is a grand thing," he said, "and when you find that one person, the love will never leave you no matter what."
Adrien lifted an eyebrow at him as he walked over. "Then how is it you're still a bachelor?" he asked playfully.
Nino shrugged. "Haven't found the one person yet. Besides, we both know I'm not talking about me here." He gave Adrien a sharp but friendly stare.
Adrien sank into the couch harder than he intended, his chin resting in his hand as he leaned upon the armrest. "You got me," he grumbled half-heartedly.
After Alix and her friends left the castle yesterday, Adrien couldn't stop imagining what it would be like if the real Ladybug came swooping over the walls to set him free. Each time, the daydreams became more epic and romantic than the last, and it always left Adrien's face crimson... which Nino noticed, of course.
The loud chirp of a bluebird made Adrien look out the window again, and he could see greyish clouds moving across the sky. Looks like it might rain, he thought.
Confound it all! Even rain made the lordling think about his lady, and those heart-stomping words she had told him when last they were together:
You have a duty to uphold to your people; to your kingdom. You can't throw all that away for me. Especially not for me.
Adrien sighed through his nose. Misery started to coat his insides with a numbing frost.
Yes, Marinette had ended their relationship, and she had a logical, ample reason to do so. But even then, Adrien had refused to give up on her. On them.
That notion still held to this day.
"I promised her that we would see each other again," Adrien said to Nino without looking at the attendant. "Surely she must know that I still love her."
Nino finally stopped pounding on his pillow, set it down, and then flopped onto the couch beside his friend and future lord.
"Of course she does, Adrien," he assured, his sun-kissed face lit up with a smile that was far too noble for a servant. "Trust me. I may be a bachelor, but I know the kind of love the two of you share doesn't get torn apart so easily." He bumped Adrien's shoulder with a fist, his smile curling. "Just you wait. Someday – someday soon – your cousin King Felix will be able to boast that he has an outlaw for an in-law!"
Adrien looked away as he laughed. Leave it to Master Nino of Lahiffe to turn something serious into a wholehearted, lovable joke.
Thankfully, he made Adrien less lazy and more excited and restless. He rose from his seat and instantly started pacing.
"I can't take this anymore, Nino," he said, his voice breathless and eager but his green eyes focused and determined. "All these days of waiting and being locked up aren't going to get me anywhere. There must be something I can do; something that will allow me to see her again!"
Of course, Adrien knew he was kidding himself by saying that he wanted to simply "see" Marinette. What he really wanted was to lift her into his arms and hold her so tightly, he could feel her heartbeat. To take her hand in his as they gazed upon the starlit canopy of midnight. To kiss her more fiercely and passionately than he ever had before, as proof of his undying love.
Nino leaned back on the couch, throwing his arms casually over the back. "Just be patient, brother. You know what they say: absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Adrien returned to the window, this time looking straight up at the blue sky and the grey clouds threatening to choke out the sunlight.
He had spent the last four years of his life suffocating under the eyes of people like Princess Chloe. Adrien knew he would never allow himself to be smothered so easily again.
Just promise me that no matter what you do, you'll be brilliant at it. Most importantly, you'll never stop being you.
Adrien smiled. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, huh?
The lordling hoped so. After being away for so long, he sincerely hoped that his beloved baker's daughter hadn't decided one day to forget all about him.
Fortunately for Sir Adrien, his worries were unnecessary.
For deep in the heart of Sherwood Forest, Marinette was also daydreaming about her true love.
She was sitting on a rock while turning a ladle in the simmering pot of pork stew she was cooking up for dinner.
Behind her, Alya was hanging up laundry from a large basket to dry on a makeshift clothesline hanging between two trees. She had gone out earlier to wash the clothes and blankets by the waterfall, which concealed the entrance to the girls' hideout behind a small range of rocky hills. Now, Alya was humming a song to pass the time.
After a few minutes, Marinette started humming a tune of her own – a love ballad Nathaniel once played when Marinette and Adrien were both teenagers.
The blunette couldn't help but look up at the canopy above. Every time streaks of sunlight poked through to kiss the green leaves, the vibrant colour made Marinette think of Adrien's eyes. That memory, in turn, reminded her of the first time she saw those eyes all those years ago: so kind and empathetic, full of wonder and a desire for adventure.
Marinette sighed and rested her chin in her hand, stirring the stew aimlessly while she continued to hum away.
Four years ago, she never thought she would see Sir Adrien again. But shortly after Princess Chloe settled in Nottingham, he came back. Marinette had spotted him while she had been evading the royal guards in the streets. Even in his ragged traveller's clothes, he was still the same Adrien she remembered and loved, if not a little older... and remarkably more handsome.
Marinette smiled, remembering how light-headed she had felt at that moment. Everything else around her had whizzed by her in a blur, but Adrien was there in front her, clear as day. The way his face lit up and smiled at her... It was as if he had never left Nottingham. It was as if she had never told him that they should both move on with their separate lives.
It was as if... he still loved her.
"Hey, Mari?" Alya called softly from behind Marinette. "How's that grub coming, girl? I'm starving."
Either the blunette didn't hear her partner over her humming, or she was too deeply indulged in her daydreaming to pay attention. Either way, Marinette continued to think about what might happen if she ever saw Adrien again.
Maybe I could wait until he comes back out the open, she thought. Then I'll pretend to bump into him and slip a love letter into his pocket... or a request to meet up again at our special place.
"Marinette? Did ya hear me?" Alya asked.
Or maybe I could slip into his castle during one of Chloe's parties, disguised as a noblewoman...
"Mari? Hel-lo? Ladybug?"
And when he knows it's me, he'll ask me to dance with him, and I'll finally tell him –
"HEY!"
Marinette's eyes snapped wide open, and she glanced around fearfully. "What? What happened? What?"
Only then did she see Alya staring at her with narrowed amber eyes, lifting one eyebrow in a suspicious manner. Alya tapped her foot dramatically on the ground, as though waiting for a reply.
Marinette smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry. What did you say?" she asked.
Alya blew out an amused snort and she returned to her work. "Ah, forget it. You're mind's not on food," she said with a knowing wink. "I know that little tune you were humming. You're thinking about somebody with big dreamy eyes..." She hugged her hands close to her heart and batted her eyelashes for emphasis. "... and you're smelling that sweet cologne."
Alya took a deep breath, only to grimace and gag. "In the king's name, what are you making?!" she snapped, turning to the pot.
Marinette looked at the stew, only to freak out when she realized that the frothy liquid was now bubbling over the rim and smoking like a bonfire.
She leapt back, dropping her ladle in the process. "Ah! Hey! Whoa! It's boiling over!" she cried, suddenly unsure what to do.
"You're burning the chow!" Alya shouted, rushing over with a yellow blanket and using it to heave the pot off the fire-pit and onto Marinette's sitting rock. Then, Alya fanned away the smoke with the blanket, turning her head away as she did so.
Once the smoke cleared up, Marinette groaned when she saw the state of her stew. "Well, I hope you like your pork stew extremely well-done," she grumbled guiltily as she stirred the thick stuff with her ladle.
Alya sighed with a shrug. "Ah... It's fine. I've had overcooked meat more tough than this back at the forge." She grinned. "Seriously, my father could cook leather alongside it and you wouldn't know the difference."
Sadly, the redhead's joke didn't lift Marinette's spirits, and she dropped the ladle back into the pot with defeat. "I'm sorry, Alya."
Her partner tossed her the blanket – which was now ruined with grey patches – and took over the cooking, giving Marinette a sympathetic look. "Thinking about Adrien again?" Alya asked in a light-hearted tone that implied she already knew the answer.
Marinette wiped herself off with the blanket before staring down at it sadly. "I just can't help it," she admitted. "The day he came back, it was like a part of me returned with him." She took a deep, heartbreaking breath. "I love him, Alya. I've always loved him."
Alya stared into the stew as she spoke seriously, "So why don't you stop mopin' and moanin' around and just... just marry the guy already?"
The whites of Marinette's eyes seemed to grow bigger. "Marry him?!" she blurted.
"What? You don't want to?"
"No! I mean, yes! I mean... I can't...! Ugh!" Marinette growled, rubbing her hands through her midnight-blue hair frustratingly as she glared at her partner.
As Rena Rouge, the redhead delighted in teasing her enemies. But as Alya, she delighted in teasing Marinette, especially when it came to love. At the same time, though, Alya's teasing could be interpreted as words of wisdom, and that's what irritated Marinette so much. Alya could see the secrets of her heart long before the blunette ever could.
Marinette took a moment to think about her response before she finally turned back to Alya. "Of course I want to marry Adrien," she said, her voice thick with honesty. "It's just that... You can't exactly walk up to a man you haven't seen in years and say, "Hey, hot stuff, remember me? We were kids together! Want to get married?"" Marinette chuckled half-heartedly and shook her head. "It just isn't done that way."
Alya stirred the stew as she looked up at her friend. "Aw, come on, Mari... Just do what you do best."
Marinette snorted. "And what's that? Make a fool out of myself?"
"Oh, stop being so pessimistic. You love the guy? Then go climb the castle walls!" Alya lifted her ladle, only to find a rotten carrot in it. She flicked it away with disgust before smiling back at Marinette. "Sweep him off his feet! Run off together in style! Get the happy ending you deserve."
Marinette lifted up the filthy blanket, as though it was proof of how her plans for her future always ended up ruined. She sighed and lowered the cloth. "It's no use, Alya," she said. "Life doesn't have happy endings and storybook romances. I learned that the hard way four years ago. Adrien deserves someone better." She frowned bitterly. "I mean, what have I got to offer him?"
Alya lifted the ladle again, sniffed at it, and made a face. "Well, for one thing, you can cook... when you want to," she added with a smirk.
Marinette growled again and stomped over to the clothesline. She was not in the mood for joking around with this topic. "I'm serious, Alya. Adrien's the king's cousin. You know... noble blood? A highborn lord of quality?"
Alya blew a raspberry. "So he's got class on ya. So what?"
"I'm an outlaw – that's what!" Marinette snapped, glaring back at her partner.
Alya went still, her face going slack as she now realized just how much hurt Marinette was feeling at that moment.
The blunette sighed and looked away, throwing the blanket over the rope and straightening it out meticulously. "That's not the kind of life I want to enforce on someone as good and righteous as Adrien," she murmured softly. "Always being on the run, looking over your shoulder, wondering if your next day may be your last." Marinette dipped her head low, the blanket forgotten as she fought to hold back the pain bobbing up in her throat. "What kind of a future is that?"
Nothing was said between the two outlaws for a moment.
Then, Alya asked affectionately, "But wouldn't it be a future worth fighting for so long as he has you?"
Marinette barely glanced over her shoulder, and she managed to see the blacksmith's daughter straightening with resolve, holding up her ladle like a sceptre.
"You are worth it, Marinette," Alya continued. "You've been through so much grief and pain, yet you strove to live a life of selflessness and charity. Maybe it's time for you to be selfish for a change." She smiled. "Go to Adrien. Tell him how you feel; how you've always felt... and I promise you that fifty years from now, you'll both be telling this story to your grandchildren and laughing about how ridiculous you were."
Marinette couldn't help but giggle. But then she looked back at the blanket, staring at the smokey stains.
She thought of all those memories she and Adrien shared as children; all those touching moments when they could pretend that they were just two people in love and not a noble and a peasant. Just the thought of wrapping her arms around Adrien again sent Marinette's heart fluttering like a bird rattling its cage.
She had lost so much in her life. Adrien, her father, her home, her future... Surely, she could get at least one of those back.
"I... I don't know, Alya," Marinette said meekly. "I can't bear the thought of him getting hurt simply because of his feelings for me." She licked her lips hard. "Besides, a tale about a lord's son eloping with a criminal doesn't exactly promise a happy ending."
A male, wispy voice groaned from beside the blunette, "Oh, for Heaven's sake, child!"
Marinette yelped in surprise and stumbled back, only to trip and fall into the laundry basket.
Alya laughed. "Perfect timing, Friar," she praised. "Nate – good to see you."
Marinette half-frowned-half-smiled at their two unexpected visitors, who were both looming over her with friendly but firm expressions: Friar Fu and Nathaniel a'Dale – the only two people in Nottingham besides Ladybug and Rena Rouge who knew the location of their hideout.
"You are not a criminal," Friar Fu said kindly, his brown eyes filled with fatherly wisdom. "And you are certainly no outlaw, either."
"He's right," Nathaniel stated, lifting a clenched fist with resolution. "Why, someday, you will be called a great hero – one worthy of songs and stories for generations to come!"
Marinette grinned. "A hero, huh?" She giggled and called over to her partner. "Did you hear that, Alya? We've just been pardoned!"
The auburn-haired thief lifted her head to the sky. "Ha! Now that's a gas! And we haven't even been arrested yet!"
Nathaniel scowled playfully as he walked over to the stew pot. "Oh, go on and laugh, you two rogues," he said as he picked up the ladle. "But I'll the one laughing when I publish that book." The minstrel took a sip of stew, and then coughed violently. He smiled up at Alya with tears falling down his eyes. "Well-done, ain't it?"
Alya nudged her head towards Marinette. "Compliments of the chef," she jeered.
"Ha-ha," Marinette grumbled as Friar Fi helped her out of the basket. "You should see what she did with the laundry."
The old priest rolled his eyes with a grin. "If you too are quite finished, perhaps you would be interested to know that there's going to be a big to-do in Nottingham."
Marinette and Alya exchanged an excited glance. A "big to-do" usually implied that some kind of celebration was being held, and it was usually hosted by either the royal family or the nobility. Those kinds of events were perfect breeding grounds for stealing, and they granted Marinette and Alya the opportunity to don disguises.
"Hmm..." Marinette said with intrigue. "And I suppose Princess Chloe is going to be the gracious host?"
Nathaniel nodded, wiping his eyes. "Her Highness is... kof... hosting a championship archery tournament... kof... in Stonefield tomorrow," he said before he cleared his throat. "Every able man in town is invited to contend for the Golden Arrow prize."
Alya folded her arms with a sneer. "An archery tournament for men?" She giggled between her teeth. "Get real. Marinette could beat 'em all while standing on her head... and wearing a fake beard." She looked toward her friend. "Am I right?"
Marinette swept into a deep bow. "Thank you, Rena Rouge, but I think I'll pass on this one." She straightened and smoothed out her ponytails. "Chloe's probably using the celebration as an excuse to show herself off to the public. Or worse – find herself an unlucky suitor to wear her favour."
Friar Fu nodded sideways. "True. Both are true." His eyes sparkled with newfound mischief, and he grinned. "And now that you've mentioned it, there is one archer in particular who'll be pretty disappointed if you don't come, Marinette."
"Let me guess: ol' Bushel Britches himself," Alya answered, drawing herself all noble-like and deepening her voice. "The honourable Sheriff Roger of Nottingham."
All four friends cackled.
But then, Friar Fu said, "No, no, not him. Sir Adrien."
Marinette swore the ground flipped out from under her feet, sending her spiralling a hundred leagues into the air. "Adrien...?" she breathed, her mouth agape. "You mean... Adrien is going to be at Stonefield?"
Just the thought of her golden-haired lordling watching from the royal box made Marinette's heart leap. Would Adrien be looking for her amongst the competitors? Was that why he was attending – to catch a possible glimpse of the girl he had trained to be the greatest archer in Nottingham?
Nathaniel grinned. "Going to be there? Heck, he's going to be competing for the Golden Arrow. From what I heard, Princess Chloe selected His Lordship as her personal champion... most likely to get him to wear her favour." The minstrel winked at Marinette. "But I think he'll be more than happy to wear another lucky lady's favour, if you get my meaning."
A big, blushing smile rose up on Marinette's face.
Adrien would be one of the contenders, away from the prying eyes and ears of Princess Chloe and the other nobles.
If Marinette entered the lists, she would have a chance to talk to Adrien without raising too much suspicion, especially if she appeared as a boy. Most importantly, Princess Chloe and Sheriff Roger would be none the wiser. Ladybug could walk right into Stonefield and no one would know it.
Maybe, just maybe... Fate was smiling upon her this very moment.
Marinette couldn't hold back her excitement anymore, and she leapt into the air. "Oo-de-lally!" she cheered as she did a couple cartwheels. "Come on, Alya! What are we waiting for?!"
"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, LB; hold your horses!"
A series of hard footsteps in the dirt sounded, and then Alya was right beside Marinette, her face the very picture of pale, narrow-eyed concern.
"Did the smoke from the stew get to your head?" Alya blurted. "You can't just go cartwheeling into Stonefield! That place will be crawling with soldiers!"
Marinette brushed herself off and put her hands on her hips, still grinning wide. "You said I should go to Adrien and tell him how I feel. Well, this is my chance!" She rushed over to the tree where she stashed her cloak, her bow, and her quiver.
Alya tipped her head to the side. "Well, yeah, I said that, but I didn't mean –"
"Don't you see, Alya?" Marinette interjected as she swung her cloak over her shoulders. "Archery brought me and Adrien together the first time, and now it's happening again!"
Nathaniel bore a surprised grin. Friar Fu looked proud, though his wrinkles were also deepening with worry.
"Mari, please just hear me out." Alya emphasized that word with a voice that carried a deep, sisterly love for her fellow outlaw. "What if something happens? What if this whole thing is actually a trap?"
Now Marinette looked at her with a caring look etched with a fierce boldness. Wearing her cloak and grasping her bow always made her feel braver. "So what if it is? I'm not going to let this pass me by," she stated. "I am going to be selfish for a change. I'm going to that tournament, and I'm going to confess my love to Adrien." She shrugged. "Maybe he'll return my feelings, or maybe he's already moved on. Either way, my conscience will be cleared."
Nathaniel leaned over and whispered to Friar Fu, "Remind me to note those words in my book."
Alya rubbed her temples with a groan. "I hate all three of you right now, you know that?" she muttered. She then blew out a long breath before saying to Marinette, "All right, all right... If it means that much to you, I'm with you the whole way."
Marinette beamed.
"But..." The redhead lifted a sun-kissed finger. "What if, in the off-chance, Queen Bee actually grows a brain and suspects something?"
Marinette sneered. Then, in one fluid motion, she drew an arrow, nocked it, aimed offside, and fired.
The arrow bounced off a frying pan lying on the ground, then a canteen of water hanging from a tree branch, and then it went shooting up over Marinette's head... until the red-hooded archer snatched up the arrow lighting-fast in one hand and spun around to a stop.
Alya, Friar Fu, and Nathaniel stared at her with awe, and any anxiety they had was forgotten.
Ladybug gave her companions a smug smile. "Then I'll give Her Haughtiness a performance she'll never forget," she replied staunchly, twirling her red-fletched arrow in her fingers.