CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
INTO THE CASTLE
The large wagon rolled up to the main gate of Nottingham Castle. It was being pulled by a single bulky stallion, and a hooded driver sat in the front seat with the reins.
The two gate guards stepped forward as the driver urged the horse to stop. Both men carried nasty-looking pikes, and their eyes gazed up suspiciously at their new visitor from underneath their pointed helmets.
But Friar Fu willed his nerves to steady themselves, and he patted at his fake, brown beard to make sure it was still on properly.
Sneaking into the castle was one thing. Sneaking into the castle while you were a wanted fugitive of the Crown was another thing entirely.
"What's all this, then?" snapped one of the soldiers in a grumpy manner.
"Good evening, good sirs," Friar Fu spoke. "I have a special order of honeyed cider for tomorrow's execution, as requested by Her Highness Princess Chloe, God bless her."
The guards exchanged narrowed glances. "We weren't informed of any orders or late deliveries," the second one said.
"Oh? That's odd." Friar Fu's heart thumped, and he tried not to appear restless. "The order had the princess's seal on it. I have it right here. May I show it to you?"
"What are you carrying with you?" the first guard asked.
"Just barrels of cider." Fu beckoned behind him. "It's the finest in all of Nottingham. If you gentlemen would be so kind as to help, I could spare you a cup or two – free of charge, of course."
The first guard nodded, the offer tempting him. "I'll see the proof of order first. Wilfred, you search the wagon."
Friar Fu handed over the scroll he kept safe in his tunic pocket. Then, there was nothing to do but sit and wait, clutching the reins until his fingers grew stiff.
All the while, the wagon rocked as the second guard opened and inspected the barrels, each one filled with sweet, potent cider. The first soldier skimmed over the parchment, obviously fooled by the wax seal bearing Chloe's wasp-and-crown sigil.
Apparently, Alya being a blacksmith's daughter came in handy... at least, when it came to forging a metal imprint to use as a stamp. The replica sigil wasn't as perfect as the original, but Alya had assured (or rather, hoped) the men guarding the gates during the wee hours of the night wouldn't be too nit-picky.
The soldier doing the inspecting finally climbed out of the wagon with a satisfied nod. "Yep – just cider, Leo. And lots of it."
The first guard took one final glance at the document and handed it back to Friar Fu. "All right. Bring her in. And Wilfred? Let's hoist the drawbridge once we're inside. We can't be too careful."
The two soldiers led the disguised monk and his wagon through the massive threshold. The iron portcullis hung high above them like jagged teeth threatening to chomp down.
Once they were inside the castle's bailey, the guards hobbled over to the drawbridge's two windlasses, one on each side of the stone arch. The men turned the wheels with great effort, and the chains connected to them jingled through upper holes in the stone wall and lifted the drawbridge up.
Once the entrance was sealed, Friar Fu quickly looked up towards the battlements above.
No sign of them. Yet.
Maybe they're already over, Friar Fu thought.
But the priest knew he couldn't think about that right now. He just kept calm and allowed his escort to unload the barrels while he waited for the next signal.
The moment Friar Fu's wagon disappeared through the gate, Marinette whispered over her shoulder, "Now."
She, Alya, and Nino erupted from the bushes further down the hill and ran, their cloaks flailing behind them.
When they reached the edge of the great moat – which was as thick as a river – the three friends came up to a large, strange-looking bush.
Of course, it wasn't a bush at all.
Marinette and Alya lifted off the thick tree branches serving as camouflage, revealing a miniature boat underneath, complete with a small oar.
The group had hidden the boat earlier that evening, when the castle guards on the wall where doing their rotation. Now, with the soldiers at the gate occupied, no one would be watching the front of the castle.
Marinette, Alya, and Nino wordlessly pushed the boat off the sleek terrain and into the water. The girls leapt in and Nino followed after one more shove for good measure.
They moved slowly but quietly, like a ripple on the moat's surface. Nino used the oar to paddle them across, keeping his head low and his eyes up for any stray guards on the battlements. Marinette and Alya flattened themselves into the boat, also on alert.
Not far from them, the drawbridge lifted upwards and slammed shut with a shuddering bang, making the three outlaws wince.
The tip of the boat bumped against the castle wall, just slightly. Then, Alya slipped the rope with the attached grappling hook off her shoulder, unfurled it, and carefully rose up. The boat swayed a bit, so Marinette and Nino braced their hands on both sides to try and keep it balanced.
"Hurry," Marinette breathed.
Her redheaded friend spun the grappling hook beside her in a broad circle. One, two, three, four...
On the fifth swing, Alya sent the hook flying up high. It went over the wall and lodged itself in the narrow gap between two stone teeth along the edge. The rope dangled from the hook like a dark ribbon amongst the stark, moonlit stones.
Alya yanked on the string, paused, and then gave Marinette a thumbs-up.
The young archer went up the rope first, using her feet to walk up the wall as she climbed. Alya was right behind her, and Nino was last.
All three of them heaved themselves onto the battlements one by one, their footsteps and movements feather-light. Crouching low, Marinette and Nino checked for incoming guards while Alya hoisted the rope back up and secured it across her body once more.
Marinette and Nino took this opportunity to peek down below at the other side of the gate. To their relief, Friar Fu was safe and sound in his wagon. One gate guard was quietly loading the barrels off while the other was sampling some of that delicious cider for himself.
Marinette grinned. So far so good, she thought.
Alya finished up with the rope. Then, with a hand motion from Nino, the three friends moved discreetly along the wall towards the stables.
As she scanned the area, Marinette saw something that made her stomach lurch: the gallows.
Tall and monstrous, it stood out in the front courtyard like a skeleton. A single, looped rope swayed from the high post above the platform – a dark beckoning of Death awaiting his victim.
Marinette's cheeks flamed, and she vowed to smash that entire structure to splinters once Adrien was freed.
She and her friends stopped and gazed down at the straw roof of the stables below. Again, they took turns going down, pausing if they ruffled the straw too much or if a small squad of soldiers marched by.
Once the coast the clear, Marinette, Alya, and Nino scrambled off the stable roof and slipped into the shadows of the bailey. On the other side, they tiptoed through an archway in a wall which led to another open courtyard. There lay the barracks, the training grounds, and the entrance to the castle dungeons. There was no cover to be seen; no stall or obstacle to hide behind safely.
Luckily, there was a small garden on the far right side of the courtyard, concealed mostly by a smaller wall with a narrow, rectangular entrance. Marinette remembered it from the days she used to sneak in to see Adrien. In the garden was a small outcropping of grass and a large, leafy tree that provided excellent shade and cover.
The outlaws checked for guards again before shimmying along the shadows and slipping into the garden. No one called out or shouted an alarm.
Safe and sound, Marinette peaked around the edge of the passage and gazed out towards the dungeon tower.
The whole thing was broad with a pointed, shingled roof. It stretched almost as high as Princess Chloe's tower on the other side of the courtyard, but this one was much thicker and had barred windows spiralling up along its sides. At the bottom of the tower was a square metal gate, sealed shut.
And guarding the gate, or rather... sleeping soundly in front of it in his chair with his feet propped on a stool, was Sheriff Roger. His hat was down over his eyes, and his hands were clasped over his big sack-of-a-belly.
But it wasn't the sleeping Sheriff who bothered Marinette. It was the two creepy-looking guards pacing in front of him. The shifty-eyed, vulture-like one carried a crossbow, and the gangly one carried a pike over his shoulder with a goofy grin on his face. Marinette could place a safe bet those two guards were Roger's two cronies she had spoken to earlier: Trigger and Nutsy. No need to guess who was who.
If the Sheriff was guarding the dungeons, that meant he had the keys to open it. But Marinette couldn't get close to Roger without alerting his two lackeys.
The blunette glanced between Trigger and Nutsy... and an idea rose in her head like freshly-baked bread rising in the oven.
Marinette told Alya and Nino of the plan, and they both nodded with mischievous grins.
In the distance, the town's bell tower chimed once. Twice. Three times. Then, it was silent.
Nutsy beamed at the sound. Then, he lifted his head and hollered, "Onnnne o'clooooock, and aaaaaall's weeeeell!"
A few guards in the distance glared at the purple-hooded simpleton before moving on with their patrols.
Roger started in his sleep, his snoring off kilter. With an irritated yawn, he looked over at Nutsy with droopy eyelids and grumbled, "Nutsy... you better set your brains ahead a couple o' hours."
"Yessir," Nutsy said. Then, he paused and tried counting on his fingers. "Uh... Does that, uh, mean addin'... or subtractin'?"
"Oh, let's forget it," Roger muttered, waving an idle hand.
Nutsy saluted. "Yessir, Sheriff sir!" He smiled and proceeded with his walk across the courtyard. His next stop would be the hidden garden on the right.
But Roger, now awake and even more miserable, kept on talking. "Nutsy, how can I sleep with you yellin' "All's well!" all the time?" he said.
The gangly guard shrugged, almost losing his pike in the process.
Roger sighed and closed his eyes as he started drifting back to sleep.
But Trigger, ever the suspicious one, moved closer to his boss with his crossbow, Old Betsy, raised in both hands.
"Sheriff, everything ain't "All's well"," Trigger said, glancing back and forth with beady, narrowed eyes. "It's too darn quiet. I got a feelin' in my bones there's gonna be a jailbreak any minute."
Roger opened his eyes, only to go crossed-eyed upon seeing the bolt of Trigger's crossbow pointed directly at the tip of his nose.
The Sheriff reeled and batted the weapon away. "Criminitly, Trigger!" he snapped in a raised voice. "Point that peashooter the other way!"
Trigger gave him an assuring smile. "Oh, don't you worry none, Sheriff," he said, patting his crossbow. "The safety's on Ol' Betsy."
TWANG!
No sooner did Trigger stop speaking did the mechanism go off, and the bolt shot out, striking the wall just inches from the Sheriff with a hard CLING!
Roger cried out and leapt out of his seat, knocking his stool over. Then, he whirled on Trigger, who stood there in front of him utterly horrorstruck.
"Confound it, you birdbrain!" the Sheriff yelled heatedly. "What are you tryin' to do – kill me?!"
He lifted his meaty fist and brought it down on the poor marksman's head, putting a small dent in his helmet.
Trigger groaned a bit before looking up at his boss sheepishly. "Just doin' my duty, Sheriff!" he insisted with the meekness of a frightened mouse.
Roger reined in his overenthusiastic heartbeat, and let out all his panic in one long breath. But the snarl on his face remained. "You and that itchy trigger-finger of yours," he mused with annoyance.
(Unbeknownst to either of them...)
While the Sheriff was busy scolding Trigger, Nusty was taking position at the entrance to the hidden garden. He turned his back to it, planted the butt of his pike on the ground, and waited.
Then, someone tapped him on the head from behind.
Blinking, Nutsy was about to turn to see who wanted to talk to him...
... until one gloved hand covered his mouth, and another hoisted him off his feet and dragged him into the garden.
Nutsy let out a muffled cry before he vanished into the shadows.
Unfortunately, it didn't go unnoticed by his compatriots.
Trigger snapped into attack position, his crossbow lifted high (even though it was no longer armed). "Hey! Did you hear that?"
Roger straightened up with a darkening look. "Sure did, Trigger," he said. "By the garden." He started walking toward the source, beckoning his guard to follow. "Come on. You cover me."
Trigger obeyed wordlessly and nocked another bolt from his quiver into his crossbow.
The sound of the reload made the Sheriff pause with a worried brow. "Wait a minute. Is the safety on Old Betsy?"
Trigger patted his weapon again. "You bet it is, Sheriff."
"That's what I'm afraid of. You go first."
Trigger didn't argue against it. He stepped around his boss and tiptoed closer to the garden entrance.
At the same time, Roger drew his sword and called out in a threatening manner, "All right, you in there! Come out with your hands up!"
"Yeah! Reach for the sky!" Trigger bellowed, ready to loose another bolt.
No one responded.
Roger and Trigger eyed each other before creeping closer.
Marinette just finished slipping the purple cloak on – making sure the heavy, chainmail shirt was showing underneath – when she heard Roger's voice sound from the other side of the garden wall.
"You've got nowhere to run!" the Sheriff stated – closer this time. "So come on out!"
Alya and Nino, who were now tying up a gagged, shirtless Nutsy to the big tree, looked up with tense eyes, their faces betraying their panic.
Marinette just winked at them and drew the purple hood over her head. Her red cloak was safely tucked in under her mail. "Time to work my magic," she mouthed with a sultry smile.
"We'll wait for your signal," Nino whispered.
Alya, to her credit, didn't return her best friend's smile. "Be careful, Mari," she whispered, her words carrying a tiny plea.
Marinette nodded, scooped up Nutsy's pike, and strode out of the garden.
Her posture was near-identical: head hanging forward like a crane, shoulders hitched back, and grin lopsided like a drunken fool.
And when she turned to face the antagonizing Sheriff and Trigger, Marinette reeled and gaped at them from under her new hood. "Jehoshaphat, Trigger!" she said in a scratchy slang just like Nutsy's. "Point that peashooter down! I ain't done nothin'!"
Roger's face went blank for a second, and then it fell into a cranky frown. "Oh, for heaven's sake..." he groaned as he sheathed his sword. "It's only Nutsy."
Trigger cocked his head at his "partner" curiously, as though this new Nutsy had suddenly changed clothes.
Marinette didn't dare look into his eyes for too long, lest the marksman realize that her bluebell eyes, sharp cheekbones, and light freckles didn't belong to Nutsy.
Thankfully, Sheriff Roger came to her rescue. "What are you waiting for – New Year's Day?" he snapped to Trigger. "Get back to your patrol, you paranoid palooka! On the double – git!"
The Sheriff kicked out at the poor guard, but Trigger scrambled out of reach just in time.
"I'm a gittin'! I'm a gittin'!" the marksman blubbered as he hurried away.
Marinette watched him go with a satisfied grin. Now it was just her and Roger.
The Sheriff yawned and stomped back lazily to his spot at the dungeon gate. Marinette followed him like the loyal trooper she was pretending to be.
"That Trigger... He's gettin' everybody edgy today," Roger mumbled to no one in particular. "He's crazy. Nothin's gonna happen. No one can get into this castle, not even that goody-two-shoes Ladybug." He let out a snort. "Heck, I wish she was here now. That'd make Trigger's trigger-finger real happy, I'll bet."
Another idea purred in Marinette's mind, and she spoke again in Nutsy's voice, "Well, if she ever did show up, Sheriff, it's a mighty good thing the gold's locked up safe and sound in the... in the..." She paused for effect. "In the which place, again?"
Roger sighed, as though he's had to explain this several times already. "The princess's tower, you dopey-eyed dope. She had the whole stash moved to her personal chambers earlier today for safekeepin'. Keep your head on straight, Nutsy – it's startin' to fall off."
"Ohhhh... Right. The tower..." Marinette could barely hide the thrill in her bones at this stroke of luck. "I remember now, Sheriff. I remember."
Roger sat down in his chair and put his arms behind his head as he tried to get comfortable. "But what does it matter?" he said sleepily. "It's that charming rogue of hers Ladybug'll be after, not the gold. But she'll be too late. That Cat Noir is gonna dangle from the gallows come daybreak."
The sly grin on Marinette's face grew tight, but she refused to let the fat officer's words ruin her facade.
She set her pike against the dungeon door and walked over to fix the fallen stool. "Gee, Sheriff, you look like you've been workin' too hard," Marinette said. "Why don't you sit yerself down and relax, kinda cozy-like, huh? Close yer eyes, put up yer feet..." Her eyes drifted to the ring of keys dangling from the Sheriff's belt. "Maybe loosen that belt and get all snug as a bug, huh?"
Roger yawned and lifted his feet onto the stool with a smile. "Oh, yeah..." he mumbled sleepily. "Yeah, good idea, Nutsy." He fumbled with his belt and snapped it apart, letting out a deep sigh as his belly expanded. "Ah, yeah... Much better... Thank you, Nutsy..."
Marinette walked over to him and patted the stout man on the shoulders. "Just close your sleepy little eyeballs... Think of taxes. Mountains upon mountains of taxes."
Then, double-checking to make sure Trigger was too far away to hear her, Marinette started humming a deep, throaty lullaby. All the while, she massaged Roger's stiff shoulders with her fingers, hoping he wouldn't notice how thin and dainty they were.
Luckily, the Sheriff was already out like a light, and he smiled like a happy baby as Marinette hummed.
The blunette took her chance and lowered one hand to grab the keys. Very carefully, she pulled them along the belt strap until they came free. She winced when they clinked a bit, but the Sheriff remained unresponsive.
Marinette held her breath as she stepped away softly, waiting until she was right at the metal gate before turning around and slipping the first key into the lock.
It fit perfectly.
Marinette turned the key...
... screeeeech...
Roger snorted loudly.
Marinette gasped and flattened her back against the gate, her blood freezing over.
The Sheriff rubbed his nose before settling back down and sighing. "Nutsy... You have such a... sweet voice..." he muttered dreamily. "Sing it one more time..."
Marinette took a deep breath before she smiled and hummed the lullaby again.
This time, she waited a couple good minutes until the Sheriff was good and asleep.
Only then did Marinette turn the rusty key in the lock, and it clicked open.
Still humming, the young archer quietly inched the door open halfway. Then, she glanced towards the hidden garden and beckoned Alya and Nino over.
Both of them came bounding towards her, light on their feet. Marinette passed Alya the keys as the redhead slipped inside. Nino followed her in, and then he pulled the gate closed with both hands.
It shut with a small but not-too-jarring bang.
"Wait a minute!" yelled Trigger's voice.
TWANG!
Marinette reeled as a crossbow bolt sailed across the courtyard and almost hit Sheriff Roger. Then, it bounced along the floor and walls.
The Sheriff himself, who jolted awake at Trigger's outburst, yelped and leapt out of his seat again, dancing away from the wild arrow.
"Jailbreak!" Trigger bellowed, racing towards the dungeon tower. "I heard it, I heard it, Sheriff! The door, the door!"
Keeping her cool, Marinette snatched up her pike. Then, she stuck the end of it around the corner of the dungeon entrance just as the marksman came barreling past her.
Trigger let out a cry as he tripped and rolled along the ground...
... stopping right at the feet of a very awake, very cross Sheriff of Nottingham.
Roger glanced over at Marinette, who immediately sprang to a salute with a casual smile. Then, the Sheriff glowered down red-faced at a cowering Trigger. "Now for the last time, no more false alarms!" he scolded harshly.
This time, Roger's kick didn't miss.
Trigger practically flew onto his feet with a painful "OWWW!"
As much as Marinette wanted to stand back and enjoy the marksman's humiliation, she and her friends still had a job to do.
The blunette snapped to Alya and Nino and whispered through the bars, "You two free Adrien and the others. I'll drop in on the royal treasury."
Her two friends nodded and fled into the torch-lit bowels of the tower.
Marinette looked one last time at the fumigating Roger. Then, still wielding her Nutsy-like demeanour, she hobbled away like a soldier just out on his usual patrol.
Time for the real fun to begin, the outlaw thought, hiding her amusement underneath her broad, dark hood.
Adrien jerked his head up the moment he heard footsteps and whispers outside the door to his cell.
His wrists were painfully sore, and his arms were cramped from being suspended in chains for so long. But Adrien didn't have the strength to rise up from the floor and take the strain off.
Right now, he was more concerned about who was making that noise.
The door was made entirely of wood, but there was a tiny gap at the bottom through which orange light poked through, leaving a thin streak of flame along the dark, dank walls.
Shadowy shapes appeared along the rim. Adrien knew who they were: Chloe's guards, coming to escort him to the gallows.
The lordling wondered if he should try to fight them again, like he did when they chained him up in this horrid dungeon. But he knew that it was pointless. He hadn't slept a wink since he heard about Chloe's plot to lure Marinette into a trap, and his last meal had been nothing but a fist-sized piece of bread and a cup of rainwater. Adrien knew he had to stay awake, he had to stay strong... but his hope of getting free and saving Marinette was starting to slip away.
And now, the dreaded day had come all to soon.
Adrien groaned and tried to sit up properly. Weak or not, he would face his death willingly.
There was a metallic click in the lock, and then the door creaked open.
Adrien looked away, his eyes watering from the bigger flare of torchlight flooding the cell. Then, a shadow fell over him, and the lordling saw a pair of haggard boots.
He didn't look up as he spoke boldly, "What are waiting for – a confession? A plea for mercy? Tell my dear cousin she won't be getting any pleas from me."
A small chuckle, followed by an all-too familiar voice: "That's a shame. I would've liked to have seen that."
Adrien felt all the blood rush through him in a joyous frenzy, and his eyes snapped open as he looked up with a gaping mouth.
It took the lordling only a second to realize who the green-cloaked young man in front of him was... and suddenly his hunger and loss of strength was forgotten.
"Nino!" Adrien let out a half-laugh. "Am I ever glad to see you!"
"Shhhh!" Nino hissed as he kneeled before his friend. "Quiet, man," the attendant whispered, holding up a single key. "We're busting out of here."
Adrien grinned and beckoned to his chained hands. "Well, come on. Don't leave me hanging," he said.
Nino snorted and reached up to unlock the first wrist-cuff. "Good to know a day in a dark cell hasn't dulled your sense of humour," he grumbled playfully. "Your fiancée will be pleased."
Marinette... All the humour died from Adrien's face instantly. "Where is she?" If his lady was trying to rescue him too...
CLICK. The cuff came off, and Adrien groaned as his arm flopped to the ground, his muscles tensing.
"She took a little detour on the way here," Nino replied with an assuring grin. "You'll see her soon enough." He moved around Adrien and started on the next cuff. "Besides, you and I get the fun job."
"What job?" Adrien raised an eyebrow. Then, it hit him. "The other prisoners... We're getting them out!"
"Oh, yeah," Nino said. "And the best part? We're getting paid for it."
CLINK. The second cuff snapped open.
Adrien sighed and rubbed at his wrists, which were both red and raw from the rubbing metal. But at least now he could get up and move.
He let Nino hoist him up before repeating, "Paid for it? I don't understand..."
Nino quickly checked down the hallway before turning back. "Look, brother... How about I divulge all the details after we help the others? We're kinda on a time limit here."
Adrien realized his best friend was right. Marinette was beyond his help right now, but the poor people of Nottingham weren't. He knew the answers to his questions would have to wait.
"All right," Adrien said, "but I'm going to need a weapon."
Nino lifted his chin proudly. "Lucky for you, they stashed all the prisoners' belongings downstairs. Shall we?"
A moment later, the lordling and his attendant marched back up through the dungeon tower – the former with his silver staff and rolled-up black cloak, and the latter with a green shield he found hanging on a wall.
They found several open cells further along the hallway, and several hushed voices emanating from them. When Adrien poked his head in one of them, he was met with the ecstatic faces of men, women, and children – his people.
Most had already been freed, and they passed around a couple of keys as they helped unlock everyone's chains.
An old woman recognized Adrien and beamed. "Sir Adrien! Thank heavens!"
"Are we really getting out of here?" a child asked his mother.
"Where's Ladybug?" a farmer asked as he helped his family to their feet. "Has she come to rescue us?"
Before Adrien could answer any of their questions, a new voice whispered further down the hall, "Adrien, over here!"
It was Alya!
"I'll stay with them," Nino said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "You go on."
Adrien nodded and rushed down to the neighbouring cell, which was much larger than the others. About twenty people were huddling together along the walls and pillars as Alya went around freeing them. Her father, Otis, had tears in his eyes when she went over to him.
Alya looked over her shoulder at Adrien and tossed him one of her remaining keys. "Lend me a hand, will ya?" she asked.
Adrien caught the key and then saw a grinning Nathaniel a'Dale sitting beside a wide-eyed Alix by the window. Adrien strode over to them first, and the pink-haired girl almost knocked the wind out of him as she embraced him.
"I knew it!" Alix said. "I knew you guys would come!"
Adrien smiled as he kneeled down and started working on the cuff on her ankle. When he was finished, he unfurled his rolled-up cloak. "I got something for you," the lordling said. "Consider it a late birthday present."
Alix's dirt-streaked face lit up when she beheld her bow, her quiver, and her teal cloak. Determination flared in her deep-blue eyes. "Where're the bad guys?"
Adrien chuckled. "Easy there, tiger. Why don't you go help your mother and sister? The bad guys can wait."
It wasn't long before all the prisoners were freed on their feet again. Rose was reunited with her parents, and Nathaniel kept watch at the window. Nino came inside and asked for some help retrieving more weapons from the storage rooms downstairs, and many of the men and older boys happily volunteered.
Nottingham was ready to fight back.
After putting his cloak on, Adrien went over to Alya. "How will we get everyone out with all the guards around?" He paused. "Is that what Marinette's doing? Clearing the path to the gate?"
The redheaded outlaw made a face. "Not exactly. Besides, Friar Fu's already got a ride for us at the gate."
Adrien looked at her quizzically. "Then... where is Marinette?"
"Psst – hey, guys!" Nathaniel whispered to them excitedly.
All voices went silent, and all eyes turned to the young minstrel.
Nathaniel pointed through the open bars of the window. "Look."
Adrien and Alya exchanged a knowing glance before moving closer to gaze out into the night.
"There," Nathaniel clarified, pointing to the grand tower – Princess Chloe's tower – on the other side of the courtyard.
Adrien saw it first: a flicker of dark red amidst the backdrop of pale stone. Then he saw the figure's feminine shape, her cloak falling behind her like a proud banner as she climbed the tower.
"Marinette..." Adrien whispered, his strength and resolve returning faster at the sight of the woman he thought he'd never see again.
A few of the townsfolk gathered to get a glimpse of their heroine, and they whispered excitedly amongst themselves.
"All right, all right, everyone back it up," Alya snapped not unkindly. "Move out of range of the window. Ladybug's going to send us a special delivery."
Adrien blinked. What sort of delivery is Marinette going get from all the way...? Ohhh! I get it.
Chloe may be a princess, but she hoarded all of her wealth like a dragon. And like a dragon, she always kept her gold in one place.
A feline smirk spread across Adrien's face as he watched his lady from afar. "Talk about a golden opportunity," he murmured.
His only hope now was that Marinette's greatest heist yet wouldn't be her last.