Seriously, Nightshade? You're making me do chapter 2 as well?
*whisper* She's a sadist!*whisper*
NS268: I CAN HEAR YOU
Well, it's true! *grumble, grumble*
ANYWAY, Happy Valentine's for ya'll happy couples! And singles of course! I'm giving you something special in this very auspicious day, which is Marichat! Yay!
Enjoy!
*crowd claps, leaves stage*
"There was once a young man who wished to gain his Heart's Desire"
- Neil Gaiman, Stardust
"Hello, princess."
Marinette stared at the…cat-ish person before her. He was clad in black leather, bright green eyes glowing underneath his hood.
Questions bubbled inside her. How did he find her? How did he get through the forest? Past the dragon? Why did he come for her? But more importantly…
Why wasn't she afraid?
"Who are you?" Marinette asked, her back still leaning on the window.
The cat boy stood up and with a dramatic flourish, bowed down to her. With a smirk, he said, "My name is Chat Noir, princess. Your knight in shining armor."
Chat Noir. Black Cat. That explains the costume.
"Did that person send you?" Marinette said suspiciously.
Chat looked at her in confusion. "No one but Destiny sent me to meet you, purrincess."
A flirt and a pun-making maniac. Just great.
Suddenly, it dawned to her. If that person didn't send him, then that means…Grabbing his wrist, she opened the window and pushed him out. "Get out! You shouldn't have come!"
"Wait wait wait!" Chat Noir grabbed the sides of the window. "I came here to save you!"
"I don't want your saving!" Marinette insisted.
"Middle of the woods? A stone tower? Paper planes? Those just scream 'Help Me' all over it." Chat Noir said, leaning his weight against her. But as she kept pushing him away, he said, "You're monsieur Tom Dupain-Cheng's daughter, Marinette, aren't you?"
Marinette paused when she heard her father's name. She scrambled away. "You know my father?!"
When she received no reply, she looked down. Chat Noir was laying there on the floor, winded from the unexpected fall. "I'm sorry!"
She pulled him up and he stood, swaying a bit unsteadily on his feet. His hood had fallen away, spilling golden locks around his face. For a fraction of a second, Prince Adrien's face appeared in her mind, but then it quickly dissipated.
"Well, if he's owner of the best bakery in the kingdom, it's not hard to recognize the mademoiselle." A smile grew on her face at Chat Noir's compliment. But then he said, "We have to get you out of here. Your parents are worried sick."
"I can't." Marinette said sadly, fisting her hands in her skirts. "No matter how many times I try, I can't leave this tower."
"Why not?"
Marinette stuck her hand out the window. Before it could reach beyond the edge, her hand stopped, like there was an invincible wall. It was quite comical, seeing her try to push herself out, but the situation was far from it.
She smiled helplessly at his stunned expression. "Anything can leave this tower. But not me."
Marinette watched as Chat paced back and forth in the center of the tower room, hand under his chin, his tongue sticking out. He faced her. "Who would do this to you? And why? Out of all the people in the kingdom, why were you taken away?"
Marinette wanted to tell him. The name was at the tip of her tongue. But no matter how much she struggled, she could never speak the name out in the open. Not when she was inside this tower.
And she could never tell him her secret. The secret of an ancient legend entrusted to her. A secret she had failed to keep.
"I can't tell you." Marinette said. "The enchantment on this tower won't let me speak that person's name."
"Enchantment? That person? What?"
They gaped at each other. Marinette blinked several times. "Wait, you never realized that magic is at work here?"
"Wait, magic is real?"
Marinette gestured to all of him. "This is magic. You being here is the work of the Wandering Woods. Finding me, your eyes, your tail (Chat swished his 'tail' for emphasis), everything is magic."
"I would like to differ, princess." Chat said smoothly. "It's not magic. It's Fate."
Great! Her savior was a cat who believed in destiny and fate!
"But," he interrupted her thoughts, "if magic is real, how come it never worked at the kingdom? I've only ever sensed it in myself and the woods."
"It's that person's doing." Marinette said.
Chat tilted his head. "You keep saying that person this and that person that. Who's this that person?"
"The one who locked me up here." Marinette said, thinking her words out carefully. "I can't tell you anything about that person that would reveal them, but all I know is that that person is dangerous and extremely powerful. That person's already captured me. If that person captures…the other one, destruction in the world will ensure."
"Okay, paws for a second." Chat said, ignoring Marinette's annoyed look at his pun. "We can't just call that person that person every time. We've got to think of an alias for that person."
Marinette agreed with him. Looking around the dim room, her eyes fell on a moth illuminated by the lantern hanging on a wall. Chat followed her gaze.
"Papillion." They both said at the same time.
Marinette's and Chat's eyes widened. He grinned at her. "Looks like we really are fated to meet."
"Keep your notions to yourself, kitty." Marinette scoffed. She slapped her hands on her mouth.
"Did you just-"
"Forget I said that!" Marinette blurted out. The nickname had slipped out before she could stop it.
Chat gave her a toothy grin. "How can I forget? I'm pawsitively delighted!"
Marinette groaned. Suddenly, her senses started tingling. She gasped.
"Papillion is coming!"
She grabbed Chat Noir and pushed him out of the room. "Hurry! You have to go! I don't know what will happen if Papillion catches you!"
Chat understood the urgency in her voice and stepped out. But before that, he took her hand in his and said, "When can I come and see you again?"
"Don't come back!" Marinette said. Papillion was about to arrive!
Chat tightened his grip on her hand. He looked at her, his gaze piercing. "Please, princess. I want to see you again."
"I…" Marinette bit her lip. She whispered, "If the Wandering Woods permit. Come find me again. I'll be waiting."
His face brightened up. He kissed her hand. "I will find you and I will get you out of here. I promise."
And with that, Chat Noir disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
"Good evening, Ladybug."
Marinette shivered as the silky deep voice spoke up from behind her. She turned around and glared at him.
"Good evening."
=.=
He kept on running, never looking back. That was a rule in the Wandering Woods.
Never look back.
Trees surrounded him, yet he still kept going forward. If you stopped, you would be lost in the woods forever. That would be nice, but that would mean he'd never get to see Marinette again.
And suddenly, he wasn't there anymore.
Chat Noir stopped. He was in the middle of the road leading towards the kingdom. Behind him was the road leading to the lands beyond the borders. The woods were a little away to his left where the sun rose from behind the mangrove of trees.
The woods had wandered again.
=.=
Adrien flopped on his bed, exhausted but still very much awake.
His black clothes were hidden deep inside his wardrobe. His mask, however, was tucked safely underneath his pillow. Plagg jumped up on his bed and settled down beside the prince. Adrien reached out his hand and scratched him between the ears.
"She was beautiful." He said to him, his eyes unfocused, his mouth curved into a dreamy smile. "Everything that happened, the Wandering Woods, Chat Noir, Papillion, it was all like a dream."
But he knew that it wasn't and that was the best thing that ever happened.
Plagg mewled at him. Adrien crinkled his nose. "Did you steal camembert from the kitchens again?"
The prince swore that Plagg looked downright smug. With a sigh, he buried his face in his pillow, trying to snatch as many minutes of sleep he could before returning back to his façade as a perfect prince. But then, he felt his black cat toy with his right hand finger.
"Plagg, I told you, you can't play with the ring." Adrien snatched his hand away. Holding up the silver ring above his head, he gazed forlornly at it. This was an heirloom on his mother's side. He had received a few days before she disappeared.
Keep it safe, Adrien. Someday, you will understand.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Your Highness? It is time to wake."
Adrien jumped in surprise, the ring landing painfully on his forehead before rolling underneath his pillow. He snatched it up, but then dropped it with a cry.
"Prince Adrien?"
"I'm awake!" Adrien said hurriedly. "I, uhh, fell off my bed."
Plagg snorted and Adrien glared at him. Seriously, his cat was more human than feline.
"Breakfast will be in 10 minutes, Your Highness."
Adrien answered, "Understood."
With a bated breath, he waited for the footsteps to recede before relaxing.
He looked back at the ring. Hesitating for a moment, he picked it up again. This time, it was cool under his touch. But he was pretty sure a few seconds ago, his ring had changed.
When the ring touched the mask, it had changed from silver to black with a paw print engraved on the empty seal.
"What in the world is going on?" Adrien muttered to himself in puzzlement. He looked at his cat. "You know something, don't you, Plagg?"
Plagg just stared back at him. Adrien shook his head. There were more important things to worry about.
With a sigh, Adrien prepared himself for the rest of the day filled with princely duties.
Chat Noir was tucked away.
But later, he would appear again.
=.=
"Your Highness? Your Highness, Prince Adrien? Prince Adrien!"
Adrien snapped out of his daze. He sat up quickly from behind his desk. "I'm awake!"
He looked up and smiled sheepishly at Nathalie. She looked disapprovingly down at him. What she said next had him wishing he never woke up.
"Princess Chloe is here."
Adrien's mouth dropped open in horror. "Wait, what?!"
Suddenly, the door to his study room burst open and a mass of yellow ribbons and a wide skirt with too many petticoats strode in.
"ADRIENKINS!"
Adrien winced slightly and then plastered on a polite smile as he stood up. Princess Chloe from the neighboring kingdom and his childhood friend had visited again.
"Good afternoon, Chloe." Adrien said. He knew it was rude not to kiss her hand in greeting, but chivalry had already flown out the window when she tried to smooch him from across his desk. He kept in mind that he should purchase a wider desk. "What brings you here today?"
"Your father didn't tell you?" Chloe raised an eyebrow at this.
Nathalie spoke up, "Your father has planned a ball for your coming-of-age."
Adrien frowned. He had always held a ball for his birthday. What was so special this year?
"He has planned for you to choose your bride on that day."
If he was drinking water, he would've spit it out all over Chloe. Unfortunately, he only had his spit which he promptly choked on. He held his hand up for a moment as he coughed. Chloe and Nathalie looked at him in concern, although the latter was more with amusement.
"W-What – pardon me, what was that?" Adrien asked in disbelief. "A bride?"
"If you are to be king someday, you will need to produce heirs." Nathalie said.
Adrien turned red. "Well, yes, but I'm still 15!"
"Age doesn't matter in love." Chloe scoffed. "And why would Adrienkins need to choose a bride? We're betrothed."
"The king is not aware of the prince being promised to anyone, Princess Chloe." Nathalie said, and for once, Adrien was happy his father decided that for him.
Chloe stomped her foot in anger. "That's ridiculous! My father will hear about this!"
Adrien could feel another rant coming. He hurriedly pushed her out of the room, saying, "H-Hey, why don't we take a walk?"
"Anything for you, Adrienkins." Chloe said, her sour mood replaced with a sultry gaze at his direction as she snaked her arm around his. "Really, this is all just one big misunderstanding. Choosing a bride from all the women in the ballroom would be a chore. Why should you choose one from many when you already have me?"
"Why indeed." Adrien said. As she ranted on and on about how other princesses could never compete with her beauty and riches, his mind wandered to one particular princess of his.
Marinette, his secret princess.
But then he squashed it away. Chat Noir was her knight. And Prince Adrien could never be in a relationship with a commoner. The whole kingdom would be sent into chaos.
One way or another, this was turning into a big romantic mess.
Okay, not that romantic, but still, we got Marichat! The next chapter will be more lovey dovey! I promise!
Thank you everyone so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Nightshade and I really appreciate it! That's what fuels this fanfic (with a little caffeine and a dash of madness)!
I hope you liked it! Stay tuned for chapter 3 (Which Nightshade will finally write *glares*)
Thanks for reading! See ya'll next time!
*crowd claps, leaves stage*
