CHAPTER TWELVE:

(CAN'T) FORGET ABOUT FRIENDS

No one can say no one tried to comfort Marinette after she barricaded herself in her chambers. The servants tried. Her mother and father tried.

But every time someone knocked on her door, Marinette never answered back. She didn't care if one of those knocks had come from Adrien or even Tikki – she didn't want to talk to anybody right now.

She had cried the first few minutes after she left the dining hall, plopping herself horizontally onto her bed. Now, she just sat there on the edge, wiping her eyes and staring down at the floor for no reason.

All the while, she bounced back and forth between being angry and being sad.

Why didn't she tell me about this? Doesn't she trust me anymore? Does my marrying Adrien make her feel jealous or left out?

I can't believe she would keep something like this from me! I thought we were friends! And what was she thinking, charging into danger on her own?! She doesn't understand!

Marinette let out a heavy sigh, unsure what do to.

Why would she defend Trixx like that? she thought. It's almost as if...

Marinette didn't want to even think about that gnawing possibility: that Alya had replaced her.

She had walked out on Marinette once before, but she had a good reason to do so. Better yet, Alya came back and saved her the moment disaster struck. She never truly abandoned Marinette.

Now Trixx was here, and Alya was learning how to do magic... and sneaking out of the palace...

It was like having Volpina around all over again.

Marinette growled, cursing herself for thinking such a thing. Alya is nothing like Volpina. She's not evil, and she would never use her power to get what she wanted.

But then... if she had her reasons, why didn't she tell me? Why keep me in the dark?

So now she was back to Square One. Marinette rested her face in her hands in frustration.

Just then, she heard a raspy voice calling from one of her small glass windows:

"Hello? Future princess?"

Marinette snapped up, wide-eyed, and looked over to see an orange-and-white ball of fur waving at her from the windowsill.

"Don't waste your tears on Red," Trixx said. "She doesn't deserve them."

Marinette scowled. "You!" she hissed, launching to her feet and storming over. "Get out of here!"

Trixx looked affronted as the blunette yanked the window curtain down, covering the kwami completely.

Just as Marinette turned away, she heard Trixx's muffled voice, "Hey, don't blame me! She's the idiot! I never should have saved her life!"

Marinette paused.

Then, she ever-so-slowly looked behind her.

Then, with a silent groan, she walked over and pulled back the curtain.

Trixx had a paw to one of her long ears, as though she was waiting for an answer, but she gathered herself back up as soon as she saw Marinette.

The human girl was still frowning, but something like intrigue appeared in her eyes. "You saved her life?" she asked skeptically.

Trixx smiled. "Yep," she said as she zipped over to Marinette's bed and took a spot on a plush pillow. "She owed me one. That's why she stood up for me."

Marinette tried not to look at the kwami as she stomped back to the bed. "But she didn't have to lie to me," she stated, sitting down with her arms crossed. "And if you've come here on her behalf, then you're wasting your time."

"Are you telling me to scram?" Trixx asked casually.

"What do you think?"

Trixx flopped onto her stomach, her bushy tail swishing in mid-air. "Look, sister, I get it," she said. "You can't trust me. I don't blame you."

Marinette raised a shifty eyebrow at her. "You don't?"

"Considering what I did the last time I was here? No, I don't." Trixx rested her furry chin on her crossed paws. "But I personally wanted you to know that Alya was telling the truth about Volpina's amulet. I dumped her into a pitch-black, forgotten well in the middle of a desert. Who's going to go looking for her there?"

That seemed to ease Marinette's nerves a little. Could it really be true? Will we never have to deal with that witch ever again?

Marinette sighed. "Alya could have told me that, at least," she muttered, looking away.

"You are so right," Trixx said, rolling onto her back. "That girl's got no respect for anybody. Remember when you considered not freeing Tikki from the earrings?"

Marinette shot her a surprised look.

"Yes, I overheard the whole thing," the kwami groaned, "and, being a selfish person myself, I would've agreed with you. I wouldn't have wasted my last wish on anyone."

Marinette stared at Trixx – half-there, half-in-thought. "But... I would've wasted my wish if I hadn't freed Tikki," she insisted, "and she would've been a slave in the Miraculous forever. Alya was right to reprimand me for that."

Trixx frowned. "Oh, good point." She tapped her chin, and then something like a bright smile appeared on her little snout. She flew back into the air and bobbed slowly towards the balcony. "But that doesn't excuse all the other things Al's done: talking back at you, sneaking off without telling you, stealing bread right from under your nose..."

Marinette stood up. "How do you know about that?" she breathed.

Trixx sighed. "Volpina used divination once... and used me as a battery to do it," she explained as she flew outside.

Registering those words, Marinette felt a sling pang in her stomach as she followed the kwami onto the balcony.

"Anyway," Trixx continued once she reached the railing, "there you were – going about your ordinary, mundane existence – and then this little piggy decided to go to market." She pointed downward with her tail.

Marinette glanced down to the right, where the royal gardens sat below.

Perched on the fountain, curled up into a sad-looking ball, was Alya.

Marinette almost smirked at Trixx. You sly fox, she thought.

The kwami didn't seem to notice as she sat on the railing and glared down at the redhead. "You'd still be living in your parents' cozy, run-down, old bakery – minding your own business, working to your heart's content – if she hadn't stolen from you." Trixx let out a dramatic sigh. "Life just wasn't the same after that, was it?"

Marinette's mouth parted, but no words came out.

No, life wasn't the same after she met Alya... and neither was Marinette; sweet, timid Marinette who dreamed of change but was too scared to reach out and take it. Then Alya came along and literally lent her a helping hand. Alya needed a home and a full belly, and Marinette wanted to break out of her cocoon and fight back against the oppression of the palace guards (back when they did as they pleased). So they became friends; they became a team.

Marinette had always believed that her life made a better turn the moment she met Cat Noir on the streets. But now, listening to Trixx's words, the blunette realized that it wasn't just the love of her life that changed everything: it was her best friend.

Alya, who gave up her thieving ways for the sake of her new friend;

Alya, who fought Volpina at the mouth of the Miraculous Temple to save Marinette's life;

Alya, who faced her fear of heights by climbing the palace walls right when the entire structure became a castle in the sky.

Marinette stared down at her friend, remembering their argument from earlier. She's looked out for me from the very beginning, she thought, and now that I have everything I need... she feels like she needs to do more.

Maybe being "Ladybug's best friend" wasn't as rewarding as both girls had originally assumed.

Marinette sat down on the railing, looking more dismal than ever. "You're right, Trixx," she said, not caring that she actually said that. "Alya's been doing all of this to help me, not herself." She swallowed hard, realizing how awful she had acted back in the dining hall.

Trixx feigned surprise as she climbed onto Marinette's shoulder. "You mean to tell me that Red has been letting this heroic dream of hers get to her head... and all because she was trying to help her bestest friend?" She let out a playful groan. "I'm telling you, girl, this whole friendship thing just drives people insane. It's even worse than when you're shedding." She scratched her head, only for a few spare strands of fur to fall out. Trixx gasped. "Look at this! I'm shedding!"

Before she knew it, Marinette was smiling... and giggling.

Giggling at the kwami whose master had tried to kill her four times over.

Maybe Alya was right about Trixx. Maybe she truly had a soft-spot inside her all along. Maybe Volpina's imprisonment had freed something inside Trixx's heart that had been long-repressed by the evil sorceress.

The blunette poked the kwami gently in the middle. "I know what you're doing," she said. "And... I think that's very –"

"Yeah! I'm helping you get over your so-called "bestest friend"," Trixx insisted, though there was a hint of a grin on her face. "You have a whole new life ahead of you now: a prince to marry, a crown to inherit, royal duties to perform... You don't need Red anymore."

Royal duties... Marinette almost shuddered. Once upon a time, she had absolutely dreaded the idea of becoming queen. The thought scared so her much, in fact, she almost didn't keep her promise to free Tikki from the earrings. Those same bits of jewelry hung on her earlobes right now, black and empty – a reminder of the mistake she almost made.

Marinette knew that she and Adrien would always make decisions that were in the best needs of others... but it couldn't help to have a little extra support.

Alya was going to be Chief Advisor someday, and Marinette had been telling the truth when she said there was no one else best-suited for the job.

The truth still applied now.

Marinette looked down at Alya's form again. "That's where you're wrong, Trixx," she stated with a smile. "I do need my best friend. And right now, she needs me."

She turned away from the railing and rushed back into her chambers.

"Hey! Where are you going, girl?" Trixx called after her.

Marinette stopped and looked behind her. "Down to the kitchens, to see my parents," she replied, her grin indicating she had a plan swimming around in her mind. "There's something I need to get."

Unsurprisingly, the curious little vixen zoomed after her. For once, Marinette didn't mind her company.

A moment later, Alya heard footsteps crunching on the grass.

She really wasn't in the mood for another comforting lecture, but that small part of her that was desperate for company made her look up.

She was expecting Nino or Master Fu... or even Trixx. But it was neither of them.

Alya shot up from her spot on the fountain. Her eyes were dry and stiff from crying earlier, so it hurt a bit when they widened suddenly.

"Mari!" she exhaled, unsure whether she should be nervous or happy to see her best friend (assuming Marinette still wanted to be her best friend).

The blunette was smiling at her considerately, and she was carrying a small, clothed bundle in her hands.

The moment Alya saw that smile, she felt her throat tightening again and her eyes watered a bit.

Then, the words came out faster than she could stop them: "I'm sorry! You were right! I shouldn't have kept Trixx a secret!"

"Alya..." Marinette began.

"I thought you wouldn't understand, but I was just being selfish!"

"Alya, you don't have to –"

"I didn't mean all those things I said! I was just –"

Marinette sighed and put a finger to Alya's lips, causing the redhead to finally stop talking. "Alya," she repeated firmly, "I didn't come here to hear any apology."

Alya said nothing, but her eyebrows drew upward at an angle. "You... didn't?" she muttered, her heart sinking.

To her surprise, Marinette casually shook her head, still smiling. "Nope." She started unfolding the bundle she held. Then she cast a bright-eyed look up at Alya. "I came here to be with my best friend."

Blinking, Alya glanced down at the bundle just as the cloth came off the top.

She looked confused for a second or two before she finally understood... and Alya let out a breathless laugh.

It was a loaf of bread, hot and fresh from the oven.

Just like the one Alya had stolen from Marinette on the day they became friends.

Suddenly, fresh tears leaked out of the corners of Alya's eyes, and she didn't care that she almost crushed the bread between them as she reached over and pulled Marinette into a suffocating embrace.

Hidden discreetly at the top of the grand fountain, Trixx watched the whole exchange with a proud smile.

She knew she should be disgusted, watching two friends hugging each other like long-lost sisters. But this time, the kwami felt something else curdling in her stomach; something that made her feel all ticklish and fluttery inside.

Trixx wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it felt good.

Just... good.

MB: Yes, I know this chapter was short, but only because it was one of those "Let's get this over with" chapters.

The good stuff is coming up!