CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

THE REUNION

It was standard procedure for the royal soldiers to stand guard at every corner of every hall and chamber in the palace.

What wasn't standard procedure was guarding the glistening pond in the palace gardens, next to which was a small sieve.

The sieve stretched out like a thin tunnel underneath the enormous wall, with a small gate to prevent animals from sneaking in. Or villainous thieves.

Fortunately, Darkblade came prepared.

He squeezed his way into the tunnel until he reached the gate. It was old, rusty, and covered with slime.

Darkblade checked to make sure there were no guards to be seen from his viewpoint. Then, he pulled out two objects: a metal filer, and a long reed bent in two ways.

Putting one end of the reed in his mouth, Darkblade submerged and felt his way for the bottom part of the gate. Breathing steadily through the reed, the swordsman began sawing at the metal bars with his filer.

Even in the pitch-black, he could tell the rusted bars were coming away nice and easily. The water muffled all and any sound the sawing made.

Once he was finished, Darkblade broke through the surface and started sawing – more quietly – at the bars that were not submerged. It took him much longer to get them all, but he knew patience and stealth were key to his success.

Finally, when the last bar was filed through, the entire gate popped off easily.

Darkblade grinned and heaved the heavy thing carefully over to the side. Then he shimmed through the man-made opening and moved on through the water-filled tunnel.

Once moonlight appeared in his vision, Darkblade put the reed back in his mouth and slipped underwater again, using his hands to pull him out of the tunnel and into the open expanse of water ahead.

Several fish scattered in the swordsman's wake, and the shadow of a passing guard made Darkblade pause, holding his breath even with the reed.

The shadow moved away, and Darkblade cautiously poked through the surface of the pond to make sure he was in the clear. When he was, he swam to the farthest bank and pulled himself out of the water.

Though he was shivering and dripping wet, Darkblade let out a conniving chuckle and tiptoed his way to a shady spot within the thick folds of oak trees.

Then, he reached into his tunic and pulled out the amulet.

"We did it, my queen," he whispered. "We're in!"

The necklace glowed before a ribbon of orange smoke escaped and formed a large, thin column beside Darkblade.

Volpina emerged from the smoke, brushing her hair irritably. "It's about time," she bit harshly. "It was getting hot in there."

Darkblade made a swallowing noise and bowed apologetically.

The sorceress glanced around at their tree cover with distaste. "Let's get a better view, shall we?" she said before waving her reed flute and engulfing them both with orange light.

Darkblade stiffened as he felt himself striking through the air like a lightning bolt and landing graciously on his feet. When he cleared his vision, he realized he was standing on a balcony overlooking the gardens.

That's when the swordsman heard girlish laughter not far below him. Looking down, Darkblade saw two familiar faces walking arm-in-arm towards a pair of young men, one of whom was undoubtedly the golden-haired prince.

"There they are, my queen," the Master of Thievery seethed, pointing. "The cause of our suffering."

Volpina raised a curious eyebrow and bent over the railing to get a better look. Then she smiled darkly. "Ah, my dear Marinette," she murmured. "How I've longed to see your pretty little face again."

The sorceress's companion could almost feel the simmering rage emitting from those dark-green eyes.

Then something else made Volpina smile brightly. "Well, well! What do we have here?"

Darkblade returned his gaze to Ladybug's heroic group: the blunette, the annoying redhead, the prince, and his round-eyed lackey. But there were others there as well: four flying bulbs of red, black, green, and orange – the kwamis.

"Wait a minute..." Darkblade said, squinting at the orange one. "Isn't that...?"

"Yes," Volpina said slowly, her tone going down an octave.

Darkblade couldn't believe it. Trixx, the sorceress's faithful, kwami companion, was now in league with these... these... children?

The little vixen flew up onto Alya's shoulder. The girl scratched her affectionately under her chin, and that's when Darkblade realized it.

Rena Rouge. Alya was Rena Rouge... and she used Trixx's magic to become her. It all made sense now!

But before Darkblade could say anything, he was interrupted once more by his master.

"How very like Trixx," Volpina drawled. "She's wasted no time endearing herself to those in power." Her grim expression evolved to wicked pleasure. "Then again, this new development fits in perfectly with my plan."

She smiled and turned to Darkblade. "I think it's time for a little reunion with my little friend."

The swordsman frowned at her. "What? But... er, Your Majesty," he said, remembering his courtesies, "how can you be sure that traitorous kwami will heed anything you say?"

"It's simple, Darkblade," Volpina said. "How do you properly use an unwilling minion to your advantage?" Without waiting for a reply, she went on, "By threatening to take away the one thing they hold most dear."

Her green eyes flared with the light of burning embers, and even Darkblade had good cause to worry.

Alya sighed as she rested her head on Nino's shoulder.

The two of them were watching Trixx talking with Marinette and Adrien. The kwami was shyly mumbling some kind of apology to the royal couple, and they listened on with keen intent.

Alya was happy (and surprised) to see how open Marinette now was with Trixx. As the conversation went on, they were laughing and teasing each other playfully. Adrien even through in a few witty puns into the mix.

Alya's own talk with Marinette earlier had been a good one too. They had spoken earnestly through mouthfuls of warm bread. That time, Alya had told Marinette everything: from finding Trixx in the marketplace to their final encounter with D'Argencourt.

"I can't explain it, Mari," the former thief had said at the end of it. "I think we can trust Trixx, and she's actually a good partner to have. I've got a really good feeling about her."

Marinette had given Alya a nervous grin, but she finally sighed and said, "Well... then I guess I can give her a chance too."

Now, Alya thanked Astruc that her best friend and her new friend were starting off their own relationship nicely.

Nino smiled at her, his dark-brown eyes all gooey. "You're really pretty when you're happy, you know?" he said.

Alya turned to face him directly, their faces just a couple inches apart. "And when I'm not happy?" she asked teasingly.

He grinned and bopped her on the nose. "Still pretty, with a pinch of sauciness."

She let out a snort-like giggle. "You're such a romantic," she groaned, though she couldn't help but lean closer against him.

His only response to that was a wink... and then he leaned closer as well.

Alya closed her eyes, the promise of a kiss barely brushing against her lips, when...

"Awww..."

Both Alya and Nino turned blushingly to see Marinette, Adrien, and the four kwamis watching them. Tikki had her cheek rested against her conjoined hands. Plagg was snickering and making kissing noises. Wayzz had a hand over his tiny chest. Only Trixx had the decency to turn away.

Adrien shrugged. "Hey, don't mind us," he said.

Alya could feel the muscles in Nino's arms tensing as he growled, "Yeah, well, this is kind of a special moment."

Simultaneously, Alya gave Marinette a subtle, sharp look.

The blunette blushed and whispered to her fiancée, "Come on, Kitty – let's let them have their "special moment"."

The prince whined at that as she pulled him away. "Aw, no fair. We never get any alone time," he said childishly, though he quickly gave Nino a wink before following his lady.

Alya shook her head with a smile and then looked up at the kwamis.

Tikki immediately got the message in her eyes. "Right! Got it. Say no more. Enough said. Roger! Over and out!" She saluted like a trooper and then vanished in a burst of pink sparkles.

Plagg was still snickering as he exploded into bits of yellowish-green lightning.

Wayzz bowed to the couple before green smoke swallowed him up.

Trixx didn't disappear, but she did pretend to be more interested in a bush of white roses not far from them.

Silence engulfed the garden, and Nino sighed and turned Alya's chin back to face him. "Now... where were we?" he asked slyly.

Alya smiled as she closed her eyes again, her lips puckering.

FLASH!

Both of them cried out as a blinding light engulfed them.

Blinking furiously and holding her hand out, Alya squinted at the three tiny figures in front of them.

"Rolling!" came Tikki's voice as she held a camera beside a theatre light.

Plagg's dark form flew up and snapped a scene marker in front of Alya and Nino's astounded faces.

Finally, Wayzz held up a white sign that read, Today's special moments are Tomorrow's memories.

"Oh, for the love of..." Alya grumbled, smacking her face.

"Dudes!" Nino whined. "Come on!"

"Relax, kid, you're looking great," Plagg said from the sidelines. "More emotion, Aly! Tilt your chin a bit."

Just then, the light turned off.

Tikki, Plagg, and Wayzz let out a unified "Huh?" before looking over to the theatre light.

Trixx was shooting them a murderous glare while holding the end of the plug in one paw. "What do they have to do make it clear to you lump-heads?!" she shouted before flying over and shoving Tikki and her camera away. "Show's over! They wanna be alone! Break it up!"

Alya covered her mouth to hide her mirth as the other three kwamis scattered in the angry fox's wake.

Once Tikki and Wayzz had high-tailed it out of there, Trixx went for Plagg next. "Move it, Whiskers! Shoo!"

Plagg made a cat-like hiss at her, but Trixx responded back by barking like a dog. The black-cat kwami cried "EYAH!" and was gone in a blur.

Brushing her paws together, Trixx hovered over to Alya with a satisfied sigh. "That takes care of the peanut gallery," she said with a wink. "If you need me, I'll be lazing about in the lap of luxury."

And with that, the little vixen flew back towards the palace, humming a little tune to herself.

Alya made a mental note to thank Trixx later. But first...

"You're really sure about her?" Nino asked.

The redhead turned back to him, cupping his cheek with her hand. "I'm sure about this," she replied before kissing him.

Nino did not object as he wrapped his arms around her middle and lifted her off her feet, all while pulling her in deeper. Alya curled her fingers through his hair, imagining herself floating on a cloud. At one point, both of their glasses fell off, but neither of them cared.

Their heartbeats drummed together in perfect harmony.

Trixx let out a dramatic, comfortable sigh as she sank deeper into her cushion.

She had taken the liberty of swiping a few more macaroons from the kitchens before excusing herself to Alya's chambers. Now she sat there on the bed, surrounded by all the comforts she could ask for: plush pillows, tasty treats, and warm candlelight.

"Oh, yeah," the kwami said with a grin, "being one of the good guys has its advantages."

She stared up at the golden laurel leaves on the ceiling, this time imagining them all congratulating her on her success.

But why stop there? Why not do more?

The idea made Trixx sit up excitedly. "Yeah!" she said to herself. "Trixx, royal kwami and assistant to Chief Advisor Alya. I like the sound of that!" She stood up and pretended to be addressing Alya. "Lady Alya, may I offer a suggestion?"

She stepped to the side and used Alya's voice: "Of course, Trixx. I trust no one else's good judgment but your own."

Trixx giggled. Then she flopped back onto the bed and closed her eyes, putting her paws behind her head. "Hey, once Marinette becomes queen, Alya's going to need all the help she can get," she noted.

She reached over and picked up a quarter-piece of macaroon. Honey-flavoured yellow.

Trixx glared at it, imagining the glowing, yellow eyes of a person she would never see again. "Well, one thing's for sure," the kwami stated indubitably, "she's not going to blow it like that idiot, Volpina!" She tossed the piece of cookie into the air and snatched it up with her mouth. "No sir!" she said with her mouth full. "Alya's ten-times the woman that snake ever was." She swallowed and leaned back against her pillow. "I'll never have to stand in that witch's shadow again."

Just then, a rush of cold wind blew through the room.

Then, like a whisper in the night, all of the candles went off.

Stuck in total darkness, Trixx bolted upright. "Hey! What gives?" she called out into the black. "Al, did you open an extra window?"

A single beam of light fell upon Trixx.

Now the kwami was starting to get nervous. Where had that come from?

Then... she heard footsteps: soft, delicate clinks of heels against the marble floor.

Now Trixx was panicking. Alya didn't wear heels.

She turned towards the source of the sound just as a shadowy feature stepped into the light.

The hair, the dress, the leering eyes...

Trixx's pupils shrank, and she let out a terrified scream. "AH! VOLPINA!"

The sorceress – her old friend – stared down at her coolly like a dark, majestic queen: head held high, eyes as sharp as emeralds. Then, Volpina sneered.

No... No no no no no no!

Trixx crawled backwards along the bed, her heart pounding. She wanted to fly away, but her bones had turned to mesh. She wanted to scream again, call Alya for help, but all that came out was a squeaky, "Hi."

Volpina's eyes flared with fire... before real fire shot out of them.

Trixx curled into a ball as the flames whooshed over her, almost singeing her fur. When she opened her eyes, all the candles in the room where lit again, but the room now had a grim, reddish appearance to it – just like the palace had when Volpina took over.

Suddenly, Trixx felt her strength returning. She launched herself off the bed and zoomed straight for the door.

Something zapped her from behind, and she fell with a cry.

Trixx bounced along the ground before coming to rest at a pair of shiny, metal boots. Looking up, she saw a tall, thin man dressed in black armour adorned with glowing red accents. The visor in his helmet was also glowing, so Trixx couldn't see his eyes.

But she knew who it was. She could tell from the familiar rapier strapped to his belt and the way he carried himself like a posh gentleman.

Armand D'Argencourt.

Trixx jumped... only to land right back down. She tried again, but the best she could manage was a few feet. She couldn't fly.

Volpina had striped her of her ability to fly!

I'm doomed!

Trixx snapped around as Volpina began walking slowly towards her. Laughing uneasily, Trixx crawled her way over to a large urn in the corner of the chamber. "A funny thing happened," she said hastily. "You see, this other kwami took the Miraculous. You probably thought it was me, because it sounded a lot like me." She reached the urn and shimmied around it so that she was out of sight. "But a lot of people sound like me. Anyway, she took the Miraculous and –"

A pair of dark-green eyes appeared right on the urn, along with a small, bow of a mouth. "Oh, calm down, Trixx," the face of Volpina said with a hint of a giggle.

"AH!" Trixx shrieked as she scrambled away, only to trip over her own tail again.

Then, a small hand scooped the kwami up, and Trixx knew in her heart she was a goner.

Volpina brought the little vixen up face-to-face, but there was no hatred in her stony gaze. In fact, she looked happy (as far as villains could be). "I haven't come seeking revenge against you," she insisted sweetly.

Trixx blinked, half-relieved, half-confused. "You... You haven't?" she squeaked.

"Of course not," Volpina replied, stroking Trixx's head affectionately with her fingernail. "That whole well business is well behind us." She chuckled.

Trixx couldn't help but chuckle too. "Hehe... That's good to hear," she said with an awkward, flashy grin.

Off to the side, the kwami heard D'Argencourt mumbling to himself.

Then, the dark knight straightened and said, "I know! I could wish for the treasure chest of King Malahkan!"

Volpina frowned irritably before pointing a dainty, gloved finger at the swordsman.

A beam of fiery light hit D'Argencourt square in the breastplate, and in a flash, he was gone. In his place was a golden treasure chest sealed with heavy chains. It began jumping up and down, letting out a muffled plea.

Trixx gulped.

Volpina calmly strode back over to the bed and placed the kwami down. "Just a moment," she said before turning back to the flailing chest.

With another shot of magic from her finger, D'Argencourt was back, kneeling on the ground and gasping for breath.

Trixx saw something dangling from the man's neck, and she stiffened. The Miraculous!

Volpina feigned a startled gasp at the fallen knight. "Oh! I am dreadfully sorry," she said with a hand over her heart. "I thought that was your wish. Are you quite all right?"

D'Argencourt lifted his helmeted face up to her, the red visor burning. "No!" he stated. "I am not quite a-"

"Wonderful," Volpina cut him off with a grin before turning away. "Good to see all is well."

She's toying with him, Trixx realized as she scurried over to the safety of her pillow. She must not want him to waste his wishes. Then she knew why. She wants him to set her free!

Trixx glanced over to the open windows. She had to find Alya; to warn her! Maybe if she managed to slip over to the window...

Too late. Volpina already had her eyes on the kwami. "You remember Monsieur D'Argencourt, don't you, Trixx?" she said. "Or, as he prefers, Darkblade. He is my new friend."

Trixx shivered as the witch drew closer.

Volpina's dark form loomed over the kwami. "And I couldn't help noticing you have made some new friends too," she said, her eyes glowing yellow. "Like, say... Alya? And Marinette?"

Pretend to be insulted, pretend to be insulted...

"Friends?!" Trixx repeated before spitting the word back out in a raspberry. "Friend is such a strong word. They're, uh... They're more like acquaintances."

Volpina frowned, but when she spoke, her voice was exactly like Trixx's: "Alya's ten-times the woman that snake ever was."

Trixx cringed, and she chuckled again. "Wow, you're getting pretty good at that too," she commented.

"Do you really think you can fool me?" Volpina hissed lowly. "I'm the one who taught you how to lie."

Trixx quickly buried herself underneath her pillow, as though that would protect her. "Look, it isn't what you think! I was only doing it to get back into the palace, you know? I was only making my way up the ladder!"

"Keyword: was," Volpina pointed out. "I'm sure that was your original intention, Trixx, but now... I'm not so sure." At that moment, she transformed into a cloud of red mist with glowing yellow eyes. "I think you've developed feelings for the fiery street rat." She sneered as she vanished completely.

Trixx tried to retort, but a wedge in her throat made her pause. Feelings? For Alya? Well... it wasn't too far from the truth.

Unfortunately, it made the whole situation worse.

"I... I..." Trixx began.

Volpina's cold laugh sounded through the air. "Well, there's only one way to find out," she whispered.

Suddenly, the candles on the dresser erupted into a column of flame, and Volpina emerged from it like a phoenix.

"I'm arranging a little... surprise for Marinette," the sorceress said, brushing embers off her dress before pointing at Trixx, "and your job is to lead her to the party."

The kwami stared up at her former master fearfully. "You know? I don't think I'm the right kwami for this job. You should talk to... the cat! Yeah, the one with the stinky cheese! He's got a real sore spot for –"

"No, Trixx," Volpina spoke darkly, her eyes flaring again. "I need you."

Trixx's insides turned to water.

"And if you fail me," the sorceress added with a devilish snarl, "your precious Rena Rouge will join the baker's brat."

Trixx gasped. "But... But..."

Volpina grinned, knowing she hit a soft spot. "The loss of one girl is more than enough. No one else should have to suffer, should they?" she asked with a cooing voice. "I'll make a bargain with you, Trixx, as a sign of our friendship. You deliver Marinette, and I'll see to it that Alya shall come to no harm whatsoever."

In the corner of her eye, Trixx caught the amulet around Darkblade's neck glowing.

That's right – Volpina was a kwami too. Any kwami bound to its Miraculous was also bound by their word. There were loopholes, of course, but so long as the rules were specific...

But Trixx knew it was pointless to hope. No matter what the rules were, Volpina would always find a way around them. No matter what promises she kept, the Enchantress Lila always got her way.

So Trixx might as well take whatever she could.

Al will never forgive me, Trixx thought, especially if anything were to happen to Marinette.

There had to be another way around this. There just had to be!

But right now, Trixx couldn't see one.