CHAPTER NINETEEN:
LADYBUG'S FINAL FLIGHT
Laughter – cold as the hardest winter – cracked across the bailey, sending a jolt of apprehension down Marinette's spine.
She glanced over her shoulder, not bothering to hide the distress in her eyes; the fear that all hunters and thieves feared. She was trapped.
Sheriff Roger and his men halted a few feet away from the hooded outlaw, grinning under their visors like savage wolfs encircling a juicy piece of meat.
"Ha-ha! We've got you now, Ladybug!" Roger cawed, lifting his sword like an executioner's axe. His hat and cloak were missing, so Marinette could see the greedy smugness all over his plump face. "Looks like there'll be a hanging after all!" His broad body shook from head to toe as he cackled.
His companions joined him, brandishing their weapons with cruel softness, as though wanting to savor the moment.
"No!"
Adrien's cry made Marinette stare back at him through the great portcullis. Her throat constricted as her fiancé gripped the bars and gave them a desperate shake, as though he was trying to tear the whole thing off its hinges. She loved him for that, but they both knew it was pointless.
Alix came up to the gate beside the lordling, still holding Manon in her arms. The little archer's face was white with horror. She looked torn between protecting her little sister and saving the young woman who was the closest thing she had to an older sister.
But Marinette knew there was only one option. It swept over her veins like a cool breeze that made the leaves of Sherwood Forest dance along the branches.
Adrien was safe. Her people were safe. Ladybug had kept her promise.
But this wasn't over yet.
Furrowing her brow, Marinette reached through the bars and grasped Adrien's hand. Loving and gentle, but firm and resolute. "Go," she said, the single syllable sharp and deep. "Don't worry about me. Get them out of here."
He frowned and shook his head, like she knew he would. "I'm not leaving you," he stated, though his voice broke like an old string on a lute.
"Ladybug!" Manon cried in Alix's arms.
Marinette smiled for both of them, the sun glistening off her teary eyes. "I'll find another way out," she said more softly. "I promise."
Alix's lip trembled. "They'll kill you…"
To her own amazement, Marinette shrugged. "I'm Ladybug," she told them as though it was all the assurance they needed. "No one can catch me."
Her gaze fell back on Adrien, and she could tell he was fighting with himself. His fingers tightened around her own, refusing to let go but knowing that he must. Marinette stared long and hard into Adrien's green eyes, like she was focusing on a target. "I'm with you always," she whispered, her voice etched with the same passion from that wonderful night they had together in the forest.
Adrien's face slackened at those words – his words. The smile he gave her was faint but still as Cat Noir as ever. "Always," he said.
She returned the smile… and then pulled free of his grip and stepped away from the portcullis.
"Ladybug, no!" Alix cried. She reached one free hand through the bars, only to be pulled back by Adrien.
"Go!" Marinette shouted with a voice befitting a queen.
Then, sweeping her red polka-dotted cloak around her, Ladybug turned to face the Sheriff of Nottingham and his posse.
One woman with a bow. Two dozen men with swords and spears.
Roger tapped the flat blade of his sword against his palm again and again, still giving his quarry that malicious grin. Four years' worth of hatred and humiliation lay hidden under that mask of triumph. "You're all alone now," the Sheriff stated with false pity. "You've got nowhere to run this time."
Marinette slipped her hood off, shaking her loose ponytails out.
Then, to the surprise of every soldier standing before her, Marinette dropped her bow.
The cherrywood clattered onto the cobblestones with a soft chime before settling down. Marinette undid the strap across her chest and tossed her quiver away. The only thing left now was her dagger, which she unsheathed from the holster on her right thigh and slid along the ground to the side.
The young archer straightened and lifted her hands up. "Indeed, Sheriff," she sighed dramatically. "I salute you. You've won. Take me as your prisoner."
The guards exchanged bewildered glances.
Roger wasn't having it. He knew Ladybug too well. "What are you playing at, you meddling insect?" he grumbled, stepping towards her cautiously. His beady eyes kept glancing between Marinette and her discarded weapons. It wasn't until he was within arm's reach of the outlaw that he spoke again. "You know when to pick your fights, but… surrender? That ain't like you."
Marinette grinned sweetly, her bluebell eyes glinting with mischief. "What can I say? I'm unpredictable. You, on the other hand…"
With a single flourish, she unclasped her cloak from her shoulders and swept it over the Sheriff like a blanket. Roger let out a muffled yell and started thrashing his arms around, trying to get the red fabric off. With a hard thrust of her boot to Roger's chest, Marinette sent him tumbling backwards onto the ground.
At that moment, two of the Sheriff's men charged forward with lowered halberds.
Weaponless and cloak-less, Marinette spun back around and leapt onto the portcullis. She scrambled up with all her might just before the halberds rammed into the bars.
Shouts rang out, some calling for the marksmen on the battlements to shoot Ladybug.
Marinette reached the top of the portcullis, and then inched her fingers into the creases of the stone archway. Little by little, she climbed. She was surprised by how much faster and easier it was without her quiver, or her cloak.
She had known all along that she couldn't take on that many soldiers by herself, so her best option was to catch good ol' Roger off-guard and make a quick getaway. As for climbing to the top of the gate… well, that actually wasn't part of the plan.
You're taking too many chances, Mari. Oh, if only Alya could see her now.
Something clunked against the wall beside her: a spear. Good, no archers yet. But Marinette knew she shouldn't push her luck. Once she finally heaved herself onto the top of the wall, she stood and raced along the battlements. More soldiers shouted, and the thunder of boots on stone rumbled below.
Ahead of Marinette stood the entrance to one of the castle watchtowers. No doubt the soldiers would find their way up through the door at the bottom.
I need a place to hide, Marinette thought as she ran. Once I evade them, I can –
She gasped when someone emerged from the watchtower to stare right at her: a royal archer.
Marinette nearly stumbled as she halted. She turned around, but another archer appeared along the archway, nocking his arrow. Cursing under her breath, Marinette stood there waiting, eyeballing both men with hard glares.
The first guard drew his sword and raised it as he rushed at her.
At the same time, the second guard fired his arrow.
Marinette danced out of the way of the sword, but the arrow was faster. It skimmed her left thigh, slicing both fabric and skin. Marinette cried out as the pain sent her whole leg spasming, but that didn't stop her from ramming the first guard off the battlements. He fell several feet into the courtyard with a girlish scream.
When Marinette looked up, gritting her teeth, the marksman was reaching back for another arrow.
She had no choice now. She practically ripped off her dagger's holster and threw it like a frisbee at the guard. It bopped him square in the nose. Not enough to inflict damage… but just enough to make him stumble to the side and slip over the edge as well.
The rest of the Sheriff's men, unfortunately, weren't too far behind.
Breathing heavily, and doing her best to cover her red-soaked wound with her hand, Marinette bounded away like an injured rabbit.
"She's in the west watchtower, sir!" a soldier called. "I saw her go in!"
Roger beckoned his men onward. "Get in there, you hooligans! Arrest her on sight!"
His squadron obliged, scuttling into the bottom entrance of the tower like beetles.
The Sheriff sighed with content. He sneered down at the red, spotted cloak in his hand, running his thumb over the fabric. Old, obviously, but still sleek and durable. Now, it would be Roger's greatest trophy.
In a matter of minutes, Ladybug would be surrounded and apprehended. Roger would deliver her straight to Princess Chloe. Oh, he could already see the promotion she would give him in honor of his service to the crown. He deserved it, after all, considering all the years he spent chasing after the infamous Red Archer.
It wasn't long before two of his men emerged from the tower. Both of them looked rather abashed.
Roger didn't like it one bit. That golden medal he was starting to imagine was now slipping away like wisps of smoke. "Where is she?" he demanded.
The taller guard swallowed a lump down his throat. "We… We don't know, Sheriff. She's not there."
"Not there?! That's impossible! There are only two exits to that tower! She couldn't have escaped!"
"We're tellin' ya, Sheriff, she ain't nowhere!" another soldier insisted. "We looked in every hook and branny!"
"Nook and cranny," his partner corrected.
"Oh, right."
Roger facepalmed himself, growling with newfound rage. "Imbeciles!" he shouted, sending bits of spit flying from his mouth. "She probably crawled up into the beams, or hid in a barrel, or flung herself out a window! I don't care where you look, just FIND HER!"
The two men leapt back fearfully before saluting. Then they trudged back to the watchtower.
The Sheriff, meanwhile, was finding it difficult to concentrate. He crumpled the cloak in his clenched fist.
His reputation wasn't the only thing at stake anymore. Because if Ladybug escaped from under his nose – again – Princess Chloe would have him strung up from his own gallows.
Marinette kept to the shadows as she moved.
She had made it inside the castle through the servant's stairwell near the barracks. Now she was dragging herself through the empty halls, slipping in and out of rooms whenever she saw shadows streak along the torch-lit floor, or heard the stomping of footsteps down the hall.
She kept her breathing soft, but her wound was making it difficult not to wince. It stung fiercely and hurt every time she walked. An ugly red stain was splattered over the front of her thigh, and now more blood covered Marinette's hand as she tried to staunch it.
Thank His Majesty King Felix that the royal guards didn't have any hounds to sniff her out, or Nottingham would be short one outlaw by now.
A banging sound echoed down the hall behind Marinette. Someone was pounding on a door not too far from here.
Marinette moved faster, rounding a corner until she came upon the entrance to a spiral staircase. It was grand and made of pale marble, almost glowing in the morning light from the windows. Poking her head inside, Marinette looked up and saw it go about five stories high. That's when she realized where exactly she was: the guest tower on the south-west corner of the castle.
Wasting no time, Marinette bounded up the stairs as carefully and quietly as her leg would allow her. A sudden jab of pain made her bend forward, and she braced herself against the stone wall with her free hand. Marinette groaned between her teeth, her eyes tearing up and her limbs growing heavy with fatigue.
She didn't know how long she stood there in the dark. Seconds? Minutes? Argh! Why was it so hard for her to think?!
Marinette shook her head with a growl. I need to keep going, she told herself with iron willpower. Adrien and the others are counting on me. She wiped a palm-full of sweat off her brow before continuing up the stairs.
After a few more agonizing minutes, she saw an open doorway. Warm, welcoming orange light streamed from inside the chamber. Without thinking, Marinette clambered inside.
The room was lavish and spacious, complete with a soft embroidered carpet, decorative art pieces along the walls, and cushioned chairs. There was a single painted-glass window on the far wall, closed and barely letting in any daylight. There was a large fireplace beside the bed, but it was lifeless and cold.
So then… if that orange light wasn't from the fireplace… or the window…
SLAM!
Marinette gasped and spun around to face the door, her dirt-streaked face now awash with that same light she saw before.
It was coming from a blazing torch, and the person holding it – who now stood between the outlaw and her only way out – was none other than Princess Chloe herself.
Though her fuzzy pale-blue robe and matching slippers weren't a frightening sight to behold, the princess's murderous expression was. Her frizzled, straw-like hair fell around her head like a fiery halo, and her pale lips were drawn into a crinkly, tooth-baring sneer. Her eyes, made yellow by the torchlight, narrowed at her archenemy with unyielding hatred.
Marinette took a small step back, keeping her eyes locked on Chloe.
The princess slid away the door like a snake preparing to strike, her other hand slipping behind her as though to hide something. A knife?
"So glad you could join the party, Ladybug," Chloe said with venom in her soft voice. "I had a special surprise planned for you. But as always, you like to spoil all my fun."
That word alone made Marinette frown with contempt. "Fun?" she said incredulously. "Is this all just a game to you? Forcing an entire town of innocent people to suffer? Attacking a helpless friar in his own church? Planning the execution of your cousin?" Marinette shook her head as she continued to back up. "Look around you, Chloe! Don't you realize what you're doing?! How much pain you're causing?!" She paused for breath before speaking again, "What would King Felix say if he could see you now?"
Chloe scowled and pointed the torch in Marinette's direction, causing the outlaw to stumble back hastily. "How dare you speak to me that way, you wretched orphan!" she snapped. "I am the rightful Queen of England, not some humble goody-two-shoes like my dear older brother. Peasants like you should fear and respect royalty!"
Marinette stood her ground and lifted her chin, her face twitching only from her injury. "No, Chloe," she insisted, almost pleadingly. "Respect isn't earned through fear and punishment. It's earned through kindness. Generosity. Love."
"Love? Ha!" the princess scoffed with distaste. "Don't make me laugh. Love has no currency; no value. It can't be counted or weighed. You can't even hold it in your hand. Love is nothing."
Marinette couldn't help but smile, and then she started giggling under her breath.
"What's so funny?" Chloe demanded. "Why are you laughing when I'm about to kill you where you stand?"
"Because… I just realized something…" Marinette said between breaths.
She stepped to the side, and Chloe followed her. Within seconds, they were circling each other.
"Love is worth more than any fortune you could possibly own," Marinette said, her words feeding the fire in her heart and helping her strength return. "All my life, I've had people who loved me, and I loved them in return. As long as I had them, I wanted for nothing."
She could see their faces clear in her mind: Friar Fu and his humble heart, Alya and her fierce courage, Otis the stubborn blacksmith, Nathaniel and his music, Nadja and her motherly love, bold Alix and sweet little Manon…
She saw Adrien; knew how much he loved her and what he was willing to sacrifice just to be with her.
She saw her father – Tom the baker, who had always put his passion and kindness in everything he made. He had passed that kindness onto his daughter. Marinette's eyes filled with tears as she remembered his final wish: Whatever you decide to do, don't do it for yourself. Give to others. Give them happiness.
Marinette straightened and stared hard into Chloe's eyes. "All the gold in the kingdom can never replace the love I have for everyone. But you, Chloe…" She shook her head sadly. "You have allowed jealousy, greed and hatred to control your actions, and because of that… you will never be loved. You will never have everything you want."
Something like childish amusement flashed across Chloe's face. "Oh, that's where you're wrong, Ladybug," she said a dark tone that was anything but childish. "I always get what I want." Shadows danced across her face, revealing her deepening rage. "And what I want now… is your death!"
With a furious shriek, the princess lashed out with her torch.
Marinette had anticipated that, and she swept to the side on her good leg. The flapping fire seared past her face.
Chloe swept the torch at her again. And again. And again. Each time she missed, her mouth twisted with anger. "Hold still, you little brat!" she shouted, lunging again.
Marinette dodged, her thoughts racing. Chloe's attacks were getting more erratic. One false move, and the torch could set the whole chamber up in flames… and both ladies with it.
So, when Chloe struck again, Marinette didn't shy away this time. She grabbed the princess's arm and angled the fire away from her as she wrestled for control of the torch. To her surprise, Chloe wasn't as dainty and delicate as she looked. The blonde squirmed with the ferocity of a lioness.
Only then did Marinette realize she forgot about the knife.
Too late. Chloe lifted the tiny blade above her head and brought it down towards Marinette's exposed neck with a ragged yell.
Sheer instinct kicked in as Marinette let go of the torch, swerved out of the way, and kicked the knife right out of her opponent's hands, sending it flying.
The force of the kick made Chloe stumble back with shock, and she collapsed onto the carpet.
The torch, on the other hand, slipped from her grasp and rolled along the stone floor towards the bed curtains. The fabric caught fire easily, and the flames streaked all the way up to the wooden ceiling like glowing fingers.
Marinette gasped. Not good!
She glanced over at Chloe, who was rubbing her head as she struggled to sit up. Then, the outlaw looked towards the door. Then the fire.
Marinette groaned to the heavens before limping over to the fallen princess.
Chloe immediately came to her senses and hissed like a threatened cat – a far fetch from the sniveling, cowardly lady she was back at Stonefield.
Marinette jabbed her hand into the princess's face. "C'mon!" she said.
Chloe's eyes widened, and she glanced between those grimy fingers and her blue-haired adversary.
"Get up!" Marinette clarified with a raised tone. "This whole place is going up like kindling! We need to get out of here!"
As though just realizing it, Chloe inched over to look past the archer at the growing fire. Marinette could already feel the heat radiating against her back, growing stronger with each breath she took. The scent of burning wood and wool made her throat raspy and dry.
Finally, Chloe's icy-blue eyes met Marinette's deeper ones. Grunting with irritation, she reached towards Marinette's hand… and took it.
Marinette sighed and heaved the princess to her feet.
Chloe staggered back a bit, as though still shocked that her sworn enemy had offered to help her. But then, her eyes glinted like Alya's did whenever she tricked Marinette at cards.
Before the outlaw could react, Chloe sank to the floor, grabbed her end of the carpet, and gave it a hard yank.
Marinette felt her feet flying out from underneath her, and the fall knocked the wind out of her. She coughed and groaned, but the air was now so thick with smoke that it was hard to take a breath.
Despite the pounding throb in the back of her head, Marinette heard Princess Chloe's cruel laugh clear as day.
"Did you really think I would allow an outlaw to help me? Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
Marinette shook her head and looked up to see, to her dread, that the princess was now opening the chamber door.
"Now you will burn like the witch you are!" Sneering sweetly, Chloe curtsied with a broad sweep of her hand. "Fare thee well, Ladybug!" she declared over the roar of the fire. "With you out of the way, no one will dare challenge my rule again! Maybe they'll call me the Fiery Queen of England now!"
And with a dark cackle that seemingly made the beams above them rattle, the princess swept through the threshold and shut the door behind her.
Marinette scrambled to her feet, ignoring the sting from her leg wound, and pressed herself against the door. She tried the latch, but all it did was jingle in its place.
Chloe had locked it from the outside.
Alya was just running back up the hill with Nino when she saw Adrien come into view. Alix was kneeling beside him, and it looked like she was wrestling with a brown-haired rabbit.
No… not a rabbit. Manon! They got her out! Alya thought.
But that's when she noticed that no one among the group wore red with spots of black. Alya's dread rose back up in her chest as she and Nino approached Adrien and the girls.
Adrien noticed them first and smiled at his friends. "The villagers?" he asked.
"With the Friar, in the woods," Nino replied breathlessly. "They're safe now."
Meanwhile, Manon was yelling at the top of her lungs, "No no no! I'm not going!"
"Manny, we can't stay here," Alix argued in her big sister voice. "We've gotta get back to Mom. She's worried sick about you."
"But what about Ladybug?" Manon cried, her tanned cheeks wet with tears.
Alya finally couldn't take it anymore. "What about Ladybug?" she demanded. "I thought she was with you."
Adrien's green eyes went all forlorn and guilt-ridden as he stared at her. "The portcullis came down. I couldn't reach her in time." He sounded like he had swallowed a mouthful of sour cabbage.
Alya shivered, and it wasn't just from the morning chill.
Nino squeezed her hand, his brown eyes hopeful. "She'll make it out. She always does."
Alix nodded and gave Manon an assuring smile that wouldn't even convince a dog. "I betcha she's planning some epic escape right now."
Nino looked up towards the castle, his lips pursing. "If the portcullis is down, the only means of escape are over the wall or out a window. It'd have to be somewhere with a straight shot for the moat."
Adrien nodded in agreement. "Then let's go!"
"But Manon…" Alix began.
"I said I'm not going!" her little sister snapped, digging her foot into the ground.
Alya groaned up to the sky…
… and that's when she saw the thick, black smoke rising up from the other side of the castle.
The outlaw's face became the shade of dried wheat. Being the daughter of a blacksmith, she knew fire when she saw it. "Oh no…"
Adrien saw her expression and turned. A small gasp escaped him the moment he saw the smoke. "That's coming from the guest tower!"
Alix and Manon gasped.
"C'mon!" Nino cried.
The four of them raced over the grassy hill, with Alix carrying Manon the whole way.
Alya outran them all, her sunset-colored cloak flipping behind her. She could feel her heart pounding in her clenched fists.
Rena Rouge had almost lost her father to Chloe's madness. She would not lose her best friend too.
Sweat beaded down Marinette's face as she took in her surroundings. Her eyes watered from the heat and smoke, forcing her to squint.
Maybe there was something in here she could use to pick the lock. Sadly, the vanity was already burning, along with whatever lay inside its drawers. The bed canopy lit up like a glowing halo until it finally gave out and collapsed, dispersing embers everywhere. The ceiling cracked loudly, like the snapping of bones, and bits of wood fell to the floor. The carpet curled as the fire licked at it from all sides.
Marinette coughed again, her vision growing hazier. She could barely breathe. Think, Ladybug, think! There must be another way out!
That's when she saw the tiny window on the other side of the room. It was still closed, but the fire had not reached it yet.
Marinette took as deep of a breath as she could… and bounded for the window.
She unlatched the hook and practically threw it open on its hinges, and the morning air kissed her face. Gasping and coughing, Marinette heaved herself onto the sill and stood up, using her hands to reach up and grab the shingle roof up top.
Smoke drizzled through the cracks in the walls, and tongues of flame started to burst out through the roof. Marinette tried to heave herself up, but her arms were so weak. There was no way she could make it to the roof like this. Looking down, the archer's stomach flew to her throat when she saw the ground looming fifty feet below her.
But then she saw the gleaming surface of the moat. Marinette could jump, but from this height and in her condition, hitting the water would be like hitting her head against an iron pole. It would knock her out cold, and she would drown.
Lower, she thought. I have to climb lower.
Gritting her teeth, Marinette slowly eased herself down along the creases and cracks of the tower. Glowing bits of orange ash snowed around her, and the stones beneath her hands were scalding hot. She had to move fast.
Her foot moved to step onto a crease when something whizzed past her, making Marinette freeze.
"There she is!" a high-pitched voice bellowed from the battlements. "Shoot her!"
At the same time, Marinette heard other voices from down below: voices of friends. Her friends. Alya's deep alto. Nino's high baritone. Adrien's strong tenor.
Joy flooded Marinette's exhausted limbs, and she almost let go. They came back for me…
WHISH! WHISH! WHISH!
More arrows swept past her, some of them striking the wall of the tower. The shafts snapped in two from the impact.
Marinette tried to shimmy down, but two more arrows grazed her back and nicked her shoulder. She cried out, fighting the urge to cover her shoulder. Her hands burning hotter now, and she had to dig one foot painfully into a crease just to keep herself from slipping. Fatigue hovered over her like a shadowy presence, like the spirit of Death himself was calling gently to her.
Over the shouts of the archers and Chloe's barking commands, the outlaw heard her name cutting through the ash-infested air, almost like an angelic echo: "Marinette…!"
She pressed herself against the wall, panting heavily. Ash coated her tongue, and her leg was cramping. Tears of pain leaked out the corners of her eyes as she squeezed them shut.
It was no use. She was trapped here. Sooner or later, the archers would find a better vantage point and make the shot.
Unless…
Marinette's eyes snapped open, clearer than the smoke that still threatened to choke her. She stared down at the moat, the gleaming streaks of the water dancing in her vision like diamonds.
She knew it was an awful risk, but then Adrien's voice echoed behind her again, and it renewed her courage.
The people she loved had always placed their faith in their hero. Now, it was time to place her faith in them.
Marinette lifted her gaze to the sky. It was now a spectacular canvas of pink, blue and gold, like those bright cupcakes her father used to make for the Harvest Festival all those years ago.
Papa… I did it…
With a final prayer for luck, Marinette closed her eyes once more.
She let go…
… and Ladybug flew.
The breath in Adrien's lungs froze as he saw his lady fall right off the burning tower.
It took only a few seconds.
Then, as Adrien saw Marinette wrap her arms around her head in a weak attempt to shield herself, she hit the water with a hard, sickening splash that made Adrien wince.
Manon screamed, and Alix pulled her close.
"No!" Alya cried, her voice breaking.
Up above, the archers stopped firing their arrows. Princess Chloe and Sabrina both leaned over the battlements to get a better look at the water below, their faces lit up with surprise.
Great ripples expanded from the spot where Marinette had vanished. It was too murky to see anything below the surface, but several bubbles came up in a great gush.
She… She could make it…
It was such a big drop...
She has to make it…
Adrien's thoughts fired like arrows in all directions. For a moment, he could do nothing but stand there on the muddy edge of the moat, watching the bubbles dance as he waited for his beloved to come up for air.
Three seconds passed. Five seconds passed.
"C'mon, Mari," Alya whispered, clasping her hands together as though in prayer. "C'mon…"
"She's gonna make it," Manon said before craning her head to look at her sister. "Isn't she, Ally?"
Alix didn't respond, her teal eyes growing wearier with every second that passed.
Adrien quickly glanced up at the battlements. Chloe was grinning from ear to ear. The archers were watching the outlaws now, as though goading them to make a move. It made anger crawl across Adrien's skin.
The bubbles came more slowly now, one at a time. Slower, too slow…
Adrien had enough. He tore his black cloak off.
"Adrien, don't!" Nino pleaded, grasping his arm. "The archers –!"
"I don't care!" the lordling shouted, ripping free of his best friend's hold. He didn't stop or say anything else as he bounded forward and dove into the water.
It was so murky and cold that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to find Marinette, even with his sharp vision. But he swam on anyway. He was going to find her, one way or another.
Something punctured the water beside him before slowing to a stop. An arrow.
Another zoomed past his head.
Adrien knew there was no point in trying to mask his movements. He kicked with all his might and went deeper, blinking each time to clear his water-logged eyes. Arrows shot by him, and one nearly grazed the lordling's stomach as he swerved from side to side.
Finally, he saw her: eyes closed, arms spread out beside her like an angel taking flight, midnight hair flailing softly around her pristine face like ribbons.
Adrien felt adrenaline take hold, and he managed to reach Marinette. He pulled her with him off to the side just before three more arrows struck the spot where they both had been. Then he kicked up towards the surface with his lady in his arms.
Fresh air greeted him, and Adrien quickly took a few painful breaths before swimming further along the moat, far out of range of the archers. He could hear angry voices above him, but he paid them no heed. Marinette was limp in his embrace, but Adrien knew he couldn't check on her until they were both out of harm's way.
Grunting and blinking furiously, Adrien drew closer to the bank. Then he saw Nino kneeling on the edge and offering him a hand. Adrien reached up and grasped his friend's arm, and he felt himself being heaved out of the moat still holding Marinette. He had no idea Nino was so strong.
He collapsed onto the grass with his lady, soaking wet and panting with exhaustion.
But now was not the time to rest.
Adrien rolled over and rose up to his knees beside Marinette's still form. He lifted her head so that he was cradling her like a newborn babe. "Milady," he said, "wake up." He shook her firmly, turning her face to him. She seemed so much paler now, even with the faded remains of ash and soot coating her glistening skin. She had a nasty gash on her right thigh, along with a bloody nick on her shoulder. Adrien forced himself to speak calmly, despite his shivering. "Please wake up. I'm fine. We're all fine. We're safe now."
Behind him, he heard Manon sniffling, and Alix whispered, "It's okay… It's okay…"
Adrien stroked Marinette's cheek again and again, as though trying to wake her from a peaceful dream. "Milady," he pleaded, his eyes filling with tears. "Milady."
A hand on his shoulder. "Adrien," Nino said, his tone low and full of pain. "I'm sorry. It's too late."
Alya let out a shuddering gasp, and she fell to her knees with a soft thud, burying her face in her hands.
All the while, Adrien shook his head. "No… No… No…"
It was Stonefield all over again. The fear. The denial. The helplessness. The guilt.
"YES!"
Adrien didn't dare take his eyes off his lady's beautiful face. He knew who had spoken. He knew who that freakishly obnoxious cackle of delight belonged to.
"She's finished! Done for! Gone! Dead! Defeated!" Princess Chloe cheered like a maddened child over a pile of candy. She whooped and hollered and sang, "Ladybug, Ladybug, finally gone!" before bursting out into hysterical laughter.
Alya growled viciously behind Adrien. "That… evil… wicked… murderous…!"
"Don't," Nino urged her, not unkindly. "It's not worth it."
Adrien tried to drown out Chloe's words, focusing only on the girl in his arms. His vision blurred once again, and his chest shuddered as he tried to breathe.
Gone…
"No," Adrien said again, pulling Marinette's head to his chest and resting his cheek in her soaked hair. She was so cold. "Please," Adrien pleaded with whatever god was watching them now. "Don't take her from me again."
The tears finally slid down his cheeks, landing on Marinette's face like dewdrops on leaves.
Chloe finally stopping singing, no doubt to get another good look at her long-awaited victory… and the agony on her dear cousin's face as he wept over her enemy's lifeless body.
There was absolute silence now. Birds chattered in the distance to welcome the new morning. A soft wind blew about the hill, still carrying the cold of night.
Then…
A tiny groan, followed by a movement against Adrien's chest that made him inhale sharply.
He looked down with widened eyes at Marinette, who started to stir and twitch her brow as though she had a headache. "Ugh… What…" she coughed and cleared her throat before opening her eyes. Still blue and lustrous and filled with life. They met Adrien's green eyes, squinting at him up and down. "Why are you all wet?"
Adrien wasn't sure if he was crying or laughing, but in that instant, he knew his eyes weren't deceiving him. She was alive!
Alix gasped and started laughing too. "It's a miracle!"
Manon cheered, "Ladybug!"
Alya sounded like she was choking on a fish bone as she came around to stare her best friend right in the eye. "Why you…! You…! Little…!" Then, just like that, she regained her cool demeanor and put her hands on her hips with annoyance. "You had me worried, Mari."
Marinette glanced up at her with a weak smile. "See? I told ya… you worry too much…" she sighed.
She looked at Adrien again. She reached up to touch his cheek, as though she herself could hardly believe she was lying here beside him. "Kitty…"
He pulled her into a deep embrace, ignoring the fact that they were both wet and cold. "I'm here, Milady," he told her, sighing into her neck. "I'm with you."
I'm with you always.
Up above, someone gasped with horror. "Look, Your Highness – look!" a girlish voice cried through the silence. "She made it! Ladybug survived!"
Adrien and Marinette pulled away from each other to look up to see a doe-eyed Princess Chloe staring down at them. Even from this distance, they could see the shock and disbelief written clean over Chloe's pale face: pupils thin, eyelids twitching, jaw slack, head moving back and forth ever so slowly.
No one said anything. Behind the two lovers, Alya, Nino, Alix and Manon were also shooting dark glares and smirking grins up at the disheveled princess.
Then, with a single movement, Adrien lifted Marinette into his arms and stood proud and tall like a soldier on the battlefield. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, obviously tired and weak from battle.
Adrien looked up into his royal cousin's eyes one last time, his expression hard and bold. You can't have her, it said clearly to her without the need for words.
Chloe blinked at him, as though still unable to grasp the reality before her.
Then, Sir Adrien of Agreste – no, Cat Noir – turned his back on the princess of England and walked away from the bank, carrying Marinette with him.
He heard the firm footsteps of his companions following right behind him, marching wordlessly with their leader like a troupe of Nottingham's finest warriors.
Until Manon called behind him, "A pox on da Phoney Queen of Engand!"
Alix giggled.
Marinette sighed against Adrien with a smile, breathing softly, savoring the warmth and feel of him.
Adrien smiled as well and held her close the entire way back to Sherwood Forest.
And he vowed he would never let her go again.
Chloe shook her head. Again. And again. And again.
This was supposed to be her finest moment. Ladybug was supposed to be lying dead before her, not being carried off into the sunrise by her handsome prince.
And that tiny little brat's words echoed like that annoying song: Phoney Queen of England… A pox on the Phoney Queen of England…
Chlo the Worst… The measly, weaselly…
Phoney…
Phoney…
Chloe grasped her head with both hands and let out a long, agonizing wail that could almost be heard over the cackling of flames. Oh, right. The guest tower was still on fire. Chloe bent over the stone railing of the battlements, weeping like a small child who had just woken from a nightmare.
"Princess!" Sabrina gasped beside her, her tone implying that she was absolutely appalled. "They're getting away again! What are you waiting for?! Summon the guards!"
"No… No… No…" Chloe moaned, banging her fist upon the stone. "It's so… so miserably… unfair!" She burst out sobbing, not caring about anything but her own misery.
This wasn't supposed to happen. She had everything! Gold, a castle, power…
But her gold was stolen from her. Her castle was burning. The people of Nottingham would more likely run her out of town now that they were all free.
Chloe hiccupped and wiped a trail of snot on the sleeve of her robe. Only then did she realize she was covered in bits of soot. Now it was all over her face. The princess groaned with trembling frustration.
"I'm ruined!" she shouted, clenching her fists. "And it's all that… that…"
No, she dared not say her name. It was surely a taboo of some nature; a curse sent from hell to haunt Chloe and take away all she held dear.
"I can get it all back," she muttered to herself, rubbing her hands together with a crooked sneer. "Yes. I'll take it back! I'll hunt her down. I'll hunt them all down! I have any army. I'll make them obey me. Why wouldn't they obey me? I'm the queen. Queen. Yes. I am the –"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, Your Highness!" Sabrina snapped, throwing her arms up to the sky as though to prove her point. Her face was twisted into an aggravated frown of disgust. "I keep trying to tell you, but noooo. You never listen to me! When are you going to realize that your traps never work?!" She gestured to the flaming tower, which was now a black, skeletal husk of its former self. "And now look what you've done to your mother's castle!"
Mother?!
"AAAAHHH!" Chloe cried, her eyes nothing but pinpricks. Then, she whimpered, "Mommy…" before sticking her thumb in her mouth and turning away.
That's when she saw the small wooden plank lying on the ground.
On the bright side, she stopped sucking her thumb.
On the other side…
Well… um…
Sabrina hastened down and around the battlements with her arms over her head, shrieking.
The crazed Princess Chloe ran after her, swinging the plank furiously at her helpless maidservant whenever she got close enough.
Some of the guards (perhaps wisely) backed away, not wanting anything to do with their dysfunctional monarch. A rare few actually tried to help the poor redheaded girl.
Even when Sabrina ran inside one of the watchtowers and Chloe followed her, you could still here their unified cacophony of anger and panic echoing through the air:
"You sneaky servant! You cowardly caterer!"
"AH! Princess! Please!"
"You delinquent drudge! You miserable maid!"
"Stop! Somebody, stop her! AH!"
"You bumbling bumpkin! You... You... eel in maid's clothing!"
"HELP! She's gone stark-raving MAD!"
LXP: Welp, that's it. She's gone nuts. But we all knew that was gonna happen.
Only one chapter to go! Coming real soon!