Adrien waited until he was out of sight of the house before stopping for a moment. His heart beat loudly for more reasons than running.
Realization settled heavy in his chest. Somehow, in the last few days, he had fallen madly and completely in love with Marinette. His brain swirled at the thought, panic settling in that the plan he had in place needed to work. If he ever hoped to have her for real, this had to work.
Plagg floated casually nearby, a smug look on his face.
"This better work." The cat just laughed. Shaking his head, Adrien called for the transformation, feeling his body merge with Plagg. Crouching to all fours, power surged through his muscles - turning his feet to paws, ears to the top of his head, fur covering his skin. He was moving before the sensation was over, pushing his way through the valley floor on a determined path. Time to get things in motion.
His father's house was quiet when he scrambled over the roof and into the yard. Wives were scattered all over so he slipped into their part of the house. He had never gone in their half of the house before. It was all soft and colourful, curtains and tapestries and comfortable looking pillowed beds. Shelves of beauty supplies lined one wall and a closet full of gowns filled another.
His paws carefully climbed onto one of the shelves. The nearly overwhelming stench of perfume made him gag before one paw very intentionally pushed a bottle off the edge. Crashing with a satisfying shatter on the floor, he decided to push the next bottle off as well. Glass smashed in pieces all over the place, releasing the smell all over the room.
A pair of young women came racing into the room with a gasp, hands covering their mouths. If he was his human self, he likely would have laughed out loud at their exaggerated expressions and screeches.
"Oh, you naughty kitty!" One scolded, carefully stepping her way over the destruction to scoop him off the ledge and cradle him in her arms. "Mistress Nathalie is going to be angry at you now, you little troublemaker." She scratched his ears with a soft expression on her face.
This one, he decided, was his target. He turned on the purr, rubbing against her hand with his eyes closed. The other wife skittered off, likely to tattle on the cat who had knocked the bottles off the shelf. Knowing his time was limited, Chat calmly jumped out of his rescuer's arms and transformed back in plain sight. Plagg didn't say a word as he zipped into Adrien's pocket.
She gasped at his sudden shapeshift, her soft brown eyes wide as her mouth puckered in a perfect "o" shape. He shot her his infamous cheeky grin, pressing a finger to his lips to tell her to be quiet.
"Come on, let's have some fun," he whispered, stretching out one hand for her to grab. Already he could hear Nathalie's footsteps barrelling towards the room. The young woman looked uncertain, but before Nathalie appeared giggled slightly and took his offer.
They ran through the halls, trying not to laugh as they slid out of sight from his father's prime wife. Nathalie would be seriously annoyed by his actions, he knew, but this was definitely worth it.
The girl beside him was out of breath, her short dark hair askew from running, laughing behind her hand. He grinned at her.
"I'm Adrien, Gabriel's son. What's your name?"
"Mireille," she offered.
"So, Mireille, I was wondering if you might like to help me play a trick on my father?" Her eyes widened slightly, her soft giggles vanishing.
"Lord Gabriel?" she gasped. Trying to play the whole thing off as a casual idea, Adrien leaned in closer with a grinning nod.
"Yeah. See, here's the thing. The wife quarters seem kind of crowded, don't they?" She nodded hesitantly, obviously aware of the God of Fire and his dangerous rage. "I think a new bride is supposed to arrive soon and I thought it would be hilarious to give him one he already has!"
Mireille blinked.
"Instead of adding a new wife to your side of the house, what if you dressed up in your wedding dress again and pretend to be a new wife? I doubt he would even notice you were already one of his wives! Wouldn't that be hysterical?"
She smiled a little, admitting that it was kind of amusing.
"But.. he doesn't really seem like the kind of guy who would take a joke well…" she mused, her fingers wringing together.
Adrien shrugged.
"He wouldn't do anything. And I will be there. If he does get angry, I promise we will get you out of there as fast as possible. I will take the heat, not you." He smiled at his joke, internally begging her to play along in the game.
"What if he recognizes me?" Her eyes popped wide. "What about Nathalie?"
Nathalie was a valid concern. One that Adrien had been mulling over at length. Right now, the primary plan consisted of somehow keeping her out of the way during this whole facade.
"Don't worry. I will figure out Nathalie." He leaned in conspiratorially, lowering his voice.
"So, are you in?" He waited as she looked guilty then nervous then curious and finally ready. When she nodded in agreement, he almost squealed in excitement. He sent her off to find the other wife she had been hanging out with earlier - tall with long blonde hair. Mireille returned with her, introducing her as her friend Aurore. Adrien explained the plan, getting them both excited before they vanished back into the women's half of the house to get Mireille ready for the night's adventure.
Plagg gave a thumbs up from his comfortable lounging in the pocket, cheese crumbs lining the bottom.
"Gross," muttered Adrien, making his way to where Nathalie had to be. She still supervised the clean up of the perfume bottles, looking completely unperturbed by the potent smell.
"What happened?" He asked calmly, amused when she spun to glare at his direction.
"No games, Adrien. I know it was you." He just shrugged, not able to deny the truth.
"Father here?" Her eyes narrowed slightly as she glared at him.
"In the garden." She turned back to the two women who were charged with clean up duty, waving them off with orders to bathe the stench off.
"I wish you could control yourself, Adrien. Perfume causes such a mess and is so expensive. Those two are going to smell for weeks." She sighed with a pause, watching him from the side of her eye. "Why are you here?"
He grinned.
"Well, I was thinking of taking a wife," he began, chuckling when he took in the gaping expression that crossed her face before she clamped her mouth shut with a snap.
"And you want his permission to marry Chloe." She nodded, looking very much like she thought it was her responsibility to bring the news to Gabriel herself. Already her feet were moving them through the courtyard that led to his father's quarters.
He just laughed, grabbing her shoulders.
"No, no. I was hoping for advice." Nathalie frowned at him a moment.
"Don't break perfume bottles," she quipped, causing him to burst out with actual surprise.
"Noted." He gestured towards his old room. "Can we talk in here? I have some questions." Looking over her shoulder to make sure the rest of the wives were being dutiful, she nodded.
His former bedroom room remained essentially unchanged from his childhood - oversized, empty, and impersonal. For a man who was the God of Fire, his father sure preferred to live in a place that resonated with coldness. A large bed in the middle of one wall, a table and chair in the other, every other evidence of his life there wiped away. How many hours had he spent staring at the beams vaulted above his bed? How long had he paced around the large space out of boredom until he'd finally been allowed to experience freedom? How had he survived this relative captivity?
A quick shake of his head forced him to draw his attention back to the moment, catching sight of Nathalie's calculating gaze. She was a shrewd woman, one that he knew he had to take extra care with during this whole thing. If she figured out everything that was going on, she would single-handedly destroy the glimmer of true happiness that Marinette offered him.
Flashing her a nervous smile that he hoped she would take as nerves about the topic of their conversation, he flopped on the bed.
"What do you want to know, Adrien?" Her voice was to the point as she sat on the chair.
"Well, I guess - Father has so many wives. How does Bride Day actually work?" He sat up, giving her a curious look. Nathalie just sighed in response.
"Your father's experience is different than almost anyone else, I think." She paused for a moment before continuing. "How much do you know about your mother?" Adrien blinked, a little blindsided by the unexpected question. When he mostly responded by shrugging with a gaping look, she continued.
His mother, he discovered, was a human woman from the village. His father had been instantly smitten by her and she had fallen for him almost at the same speed. A quick courtship had led to a speedy marriage. Gods didn't generally participate in the ceremonies of the mortals, but to honour his bride, Gabriel decided to follow her traditions: elaborate wedding wear and formal rituals with a small group of her family in attendance as witnesses.
Adrien felt riddled with questions - never having had anyone tell him the story of his parents or their love for each other. All his memories consisted of his father's coldness and distance after she had died. He could barely even remember his mother - nothing more than the feeling of happiness her laugh would give him and the feel of her arms hugging him tight.
Nathalie continued, explaining that after his mother died, his father had been filled with rage - ready to destroy the village that represented the life and the woman he loved. It was only the intercession of a village elder who had stopped the village from burning to the ground. She offered him a new wife, dutiful and obedient. She offered him Nathalie.
At first, he wouldn't agree, taking a long time to get to know Nathalie before agreeing with some stipulations - a new wife every year. Nathalie knew she could never replace Adrien's mother, instead working to protect the village even though she grew to love Gabriel in her own way.
Now, many years after Gabriel had agreed to the annual ritual, he had a houseful of wives he never cared for, never visited, and rarely even acknowledged. She admitted to not really understanding the point of the whole experience but cut herself off with a flush, her open look of concern and compassion quickly set back behind the smooth face of a dutiful wife.
When pressed, Nathalie walked through the typical process of a bride day: the young woman arriving at his door late in the evening, having completed whatever ceremony they did in the village, dressed in an extremely elaborate wedding gown. However, unlike the traditions of the village, marriage here in his father's house simply consisted of the new bride speaking a vow of fealty to the God of Father once he approved of her. The new bride was whisked off to the women's quarters by Nathalie, where she was expected to behave according to her new station. She could never leave, never love, never experience anything beyond the tall stone walls of his father's home. Wives were expected to be available on-demand if Gabriel ever had need or want of them, beautiful and poised.
"So it's all just a show," Adrien commented, more frustrated than ever that his father would take these women and just abandon them. Marinette would spend her life in this horrible place, surrounded by women and never allowed to have anyone care for her. He knew how that felt, having been the son of the monster. But it was different for him. These women had no chance to escape. Nothing.
"Not exactly," Nathalie muttered in return. "He sees it as retribution owed to him for the death of your mother."
Adrien couldn't help the frown that furrowed into his brow in frustration. He might not be able to do anything for the wives who were already in Gabriel's home, but he wasn't going to let his Marinette fall into the same life. His plan now needed to keep Nathalie out of the way so that they could try to convince his father than Mireille was a new bride.
It was with quick and unexpected movements that he jumped from his place on the bed and strode his way to the large door, flinging it open. Nathalie's usually unflappable composure broke until wide-eyed surprise when he bowed sharply.
"Thank you for your help, Nathalie."
He pulled the door closed behind him with a louder bang than he'd intended, holding it closed as he hissed at Plagg. The little cat whizzed forward in a dark blur, disappearing through the wood for a moment until there was a resounding click, locking the bedroom. He could hear Nathalie calling his name from the inside - frantic and with a sharp level of annoyance.
Plagg looked pleased enough with their progress.
"Ok, now for the bride," Adrien said.
Marinette tried to keep herself busy - sorting through the artwork that had been strewn all over the table. Adrien had been so genuinely appreciative of her designs. She stared at the wedding gown that she'd designed with a sense of sadness. Once upon a time, she'd envisioned herself wearing it - radiant and beautiful and in love, meeting her heartmate to celebrate their marriage. It had filled so many of her youthful daydreams. But now, she was married to a God. The fancy gown she'd been given to him in hadn't even been of her choosing - beautiful but not her own design. A soft sigh escaped her as she carefully stacked her drawings back into the box.
Tikki mewed softly, drawing Marinette's attention back to her curious kitten. Snuggling the little furball against her cheek, Marinette danced around the house with a smile. She might not have had the chance to wear the gown of her dreams, but at least she was happy.
The day was quiet. She tried not to think about what exactly he was doing, where he had gone - food, kitten snuggles, sketches of Adrien's face, and daydreams of desperate kisses filled her time instead.
The sun was well overhead into the afternoon when she sank onto the chair of the overlook, a mug of warm drink in her hands and kitten coiled at her feet, wishing that he was there to curl up with. It was strange to think of how quickly her life had changed. She missed the village and her parents still, but now she yearned to hear his laughter, to see his eyes dance with mischief, to feel his arms around her.
Against her feet, Tikki stirred, ears upright and eyes wide as she stared through the house.
"What is it?" Marinette asked, twisting around to see what her kitten was staring at with such intensity. Suddenly, the kitten bolted off the lounge chair, hiding underneath. Marinette frowned, uncertain what would cause her cat to behave in such a way.
A loud rap on the door was the answer.
Marinette wasn't sure if she should open it or not - the memory of Adrien's almost panicked pleading for her safety fluttering through her brain. The knock sounded again. Maybe it was Nino. Maybe Adrien had sent him to check up on her while he was gone. On the third knock, Marinette moved to the door and pulled it open.
On the other side stood a woman - the sun alight on her long golden tresses and bouncing off the bright gold of her gown. She was breathtakingly beautiful - shocking blue eyes, perfect balanced lips, and a face that practically glowed. Marinette stood in surprise as the being stared down at her with a look of utter contempt.
"Who are you?" The woman's voice wasn't kind as she shoved Marinette out of the doorway and stepped into the house. "Where's Adrikins?"
Adrikins?
Marinette couldn't find her voice, shocked speechless by the arrogance and dismissal. The woman looked around the house in a sweeping glance before turning her eyes back to Marinette, taking a long glance up and down her frame before sneering slightly. The sneer marred all the beauty of her face, twisting it up into something monstrous and ugly.
"What are you doing here in my Adrikin's house? I didn't know he was slumming with humans now." Eyes narrowed. "Wait. Why are you wearing MY robe? Did Adrien give you that?" The screech that she emitted was ear piercing.
Marinette stumbled back against the wall when the other woman reached out to grab the gown, a terrible ripping sound filling the room as a seam tore apart, leaving Marinette's shoulder exposed.
"For his father's wife, he said. Ooooh, I should have known he was lying! He's always lying! He is supposed to be with me, the beautiful one, not an ugly human like you!" Another rip sounded before the woman froze, her eyes wide.
"A human….. A wife….." The golden haired woman stepped back, her fingers untangling from the fabric of Marinette's robe as a smug look covered her features. "Are you a sacrifice? For Bride Day?"
Marinette just nodded, unsure exactly what was going on, resisting the temptation to clutch the torn gown around herself as the woman cackled.
"Oh, priceless. Adrikins, what are you up to now?"
The woman took another scathing glance from Marinette's head to toes and back again.
"If you are trying to seduce my Adrikins before the wedding, think again. He's mine, do you hear? You will never have him. Your pathetic little village will burn to the ground." Hair flipped over a creamy shoulder as the woman flounced back through the door.
Marinette stood blinking in the door as the woman vanished down the path, the angle of the sun nearly blinding off her gown. Who was she, this golden woman who claimed possession of Adrien? Was she one of his wives?
Unsure if she should be worried or not, she tried to squash the feeling of panic that attempted to wind through her. Her fingers clutched the ladybug charm on her wrist, drawing strength from it. Life as a wife of a God wasn't bound to be easy, especially if she had to share him with jealous wives.
She had no reason to think that Adrien's actions and behaviours over the last few days had been anything other than sincere. The look in his eyes couldn't have been faked. She knew it.
Closing the door with a quiet click, she looked down at the torn robe. It looked salvageable, the tears mostly following the seams. Untying it, she let it drop to the floor before scooping it up into her arms. Tikki appeared at her side, rubbing softly against her ankle in comfort.
"Thanks, Tikki," Marinette whispered, dropping the gown on the couch and gathering the rest of her sewing supplies. Tikki made herself at home in the pool of fabric, curling up in the pile. It made Marinette smile.
Her heart yearned for Adrien to come home. For him to answer the questions that she had. To explain more about life with wives and her role with it in. The thought of sharing him made her feel a twang of heartbreak. Chiding herself over her selfishness, she pushed her needle through the fabric, lining the edges back together with experienced stitches as the sun left the sky over the mountains a fiery red while it sank under the horizon.