Under the cover of night, Marinette and Tikki prepared to make their move. They waited until the sun was safely out of the sky and the stars were out. It was difficult to see in the dark, but the light of the moon would provide enough light to lead the way. It was a full moon tonight which was hopefully a good omen. Tonight was the moment of truth.
"Are you positive you still want to do this?" Tikki asked nervously. She had been feeling as confident as Marinette earlier, but the more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. What if something happened? What if Hawk Moth caught them? Then there would be no more Ladybug to protect Paris. Hawk Moth would win and all hope lost.
"It's too late to back out now." Marinette re-tied her pigtails to keep her hair out of her face. With a satisfied look in the mirror, she turned around and gave Tikki a brave smile. "Ladybug's job is to save Paris so that's exactly what we're gonna do!" She raised her fist high into the air with a mighty "yeah".
Tikki giggled and said, "I've never seen you act like this before. You're really determined! You don't seem scared at all."
"You're right. I'm not scared, I'm absolutely terrified. But I can mask scared with a smile. I'm not going to let the people I care about get hurt because I didn't do my part! Let's go get him! Tikki, spots on!"
There was a swirl of red light and Tikki was sucked into Marinette's earrings, transforming the girl into Ladybug. She ran over to the window and pushed it open. A cool breeze blew through, easing her tensions. "Everything's going to be fine..." Ladybug pursed her lips and took a calm breath before vaulting herself out the window.
"I'll show you, Chat Noir," Ladybug thought as she soared through the sky, her yo-yo latching on to whatever it could catch. "If I win this fight, you'd better come back home! This bug's going to try her best without you, but it would certainly be a lot easier if you were around!" Her heart stung at the memory of him. She really missed her kitty.
Quickly the silhouette of the castle came into view. In the dark, it appeared ominous and frightening. Not that it was a welcoming place in the daytime either. The neverending presence of armed guards deterred any trespassers. Once the sun fell, it seemed there were fewer guards on duty, but there were still enough to effectively stop an intruder. Good thing they weren't expecting anyone to enter from the sky.
"There's that tower from the blueprint..." Ladybug gazed at a tall tower connected to the side of the castle. Seeing it in person, Ladybug thought it looked a bit odd. It didn't fit in with the design of the rest of the palace. It was strangely dreary especially for being surrounded by the castle gardens down below.
It looked more like a prison than a home for royalty.
"And it looks like there's a passage for easy entry. How convenient..."
Not far from the tower was a huge tree whose branches nearly grew inside it. It was almost eating the side of the castle, but no one had bothered to trim the limbs yet. One particularly long branch was close to a small window built into the side. The window was tiny, but Ladybug thought she could squeeze through. She was flexible so a feat like that wouldn't be impossible.
Ladybug hid in the shadows of a house less than a block away from the palace assessing the rest of the situation. "Three guards... no, four at the front gate. One of them looks like he's fallen asleep, but it's still too risky to go through the front. From this height, I should be able to swing over to that tree in one go. As long as I keep quiet, they shouldn't notice me. It doesn't look like anyone else is guarding the front of the grounds, thank goodness. They must all be in the back."
Silently, she tossed her yo-yo out and watched it loop around a branch of the tree. She gave a tug to secure the line. Feeling particularly stealthy, she flipped off the roof and let the yo-yo take her. The sound of it winding up was barely audible above the wind. With a soft grunt, she landed in the tree without as much as a movement from the guards below.
She maneuvered through the tree, trying to keep all the leaves out of her hair. She shimmied down the long branch to the window and reached inside with her hands. "This is a pretty tight fit!" she grunted as she pushed herself through. Luckily, she managed to sneak in, but landed on the ground with a thud!
"Ow..." Ladybug cried, rubbing her head. "Didn't expect a rough landing." She stood up and brushed herself off, noticing that she was covered in a thick layer of dust. In fact, the entire room was. Everything looked like it hadn't been touched in years. Not only that, but furniture was strewn all over the place. The bookshelf was sideways on the floor, the books scattered everywhere. The mirror was cracked and the dresser was upside down. The entire place looked like a haunted house.
"Creepy..." Ladybug breathed, shocked by the room's disarray. She expected the King of Paris to do a better job of keeping his house clean. It was even bigger mess than back in the library. But the disaster of room wasn't even the strangest thing. Ladybug hadn't noticed it before from the lack of light, but the moon now shone through the window, illuminating the floor.
Drawn on top of the wooden boards was a chalk rune. It was smudged in some places, but the original design could still be make out. Lying beside the rune was an old book. Ladybug bent over and picked it, the floorboards creaking as she moved. She tried to be careful since the pages were frail. She was afraid they might crumble by being touched.
Carefully, she opened the leather cover and examined the first page. "This is a spell book..." Ladybug realized. "That would explain the weird drawing on the floor. But who was practicing magic in here? The castle doesn't have a royal magician. I'd attribute this to Hawk Moth, but would he need spells like this if he has a miraculous?"
"Marinette!" Tikki's voice lit up inside Marinette's head.
"Tikki? What's going on? Is something wrong?"
"Take a closer look at that book! One of the pages is folded over. I think you should read it."
Taking her kwami's advice, Ladybug flipped to the dog eared page and read the spell. The words didn't make any sense. They were in a foreign language along with almost all the other words on the page. However, Ladybug noticed the rune in the book matched the rune on the floor. It was the spell that must have been cast in the bedroom.
"Any idea what this means?" Ladybug asked Tikki. "I can't make heads or tails of it."
"It's an old spell from ancient times," explained Tikki. "That's why a rune is used instead of a magical object. It's a spell for strengthening someone's magic. It's supposed to make you infinitely more powerful, but it seems unreliable. As you can tell by the state of this room, something went wrong when this spell was cast. Something went very wrong..."
"Do you think Hawk Moth did this?"
"No. He wouldn't be that foolish. Any sane magician knows casting a spell like this is a death wish. It's too unstable. I feel bad for the poor person who cast it. Something awful must have happened to them."
"Who could it be then?" Ladybug whispered to herself. If Hawk Moth wasn't the one practicing magic, then who was? The room had been abandoned a long time ago as evident by the dust. The magician never came back to clean up. Maybe something bad did happen...
Suddenly, an awful smell wafted by, causing Ladybug to gag. "Gross!" she yelled, recoiling at the smell. It smelled like dirty feet and horse manure. Dropping the book to hold her nose, Ladybug searched the room for the atrocious scent when she spotted a molding piece of cheese sitting on the bed.
"Cheese?" she thought, poking it with her finger. This mystery was getting stranger by the minute. First a messy room, then dangerous spells, and now cheese?
"That's not any cheese!" Tikki cried from inside Marinette's head. "That's a piece of camembert!"
"Like the stuff Chat Noir likes to eat?"
"Exactly the same. If there's magic and cheese here, Plagg must have been too."
"Plagg?" Ladybug questioned, rummaging through her memory. The name sounded vaguely familiar. "Wait! Isn't that the name of the other kwami? The one who went missing?"
"That's him. I wonder why he would've been in the castle. Marinette, you don't think..."
"Hawk Moth captured him? I'm sorry, Tikki. I don't know. We can ask Hawk Moth once we beat him to pieces. Let's leave and search the rest of the castle. He's got to be around here somewhere!"
All of a sudden, the door to the bedroom swung open, slamming against the wall. A cloud of dust filled the air, briefly blurring Ladybug's vision. It burned her lungs. Once the dust cleared, she realized she and Tikki weren't alone anymore.
In the doorway was a man with a stern expression. His hair was slicked back neatly, his glasses were high on his nose. His presence was intimidating which was odd because Ladybug recognized the man immediately. He was the benevolent ruler of Paris, King Gabriel Agreste. But why did she feel so nervous about him?
King Gabriel locked eyes with her. They were cold almost like ice. There was something ruthless about them. They didn't even blink. A shiver ran through Ladybug's spine. She felt locked in place, too petrified to move. "What's wrong with me?" she wondered, shaking. "I know I've been caught trespassing, but I didn't think the king would be this terrifying. He could murder a person with that look."
"You must be Ladybug..." King Gabriel said, breaking the silence. He held his hands behind his back and nodded his head. "I've heard much about you and your partner's valiant deeds. I've been meaning to introduce myself, but other... obligations have gotten in the way. It's an honor to finally meet you. Though I must say I'm baffled as to why you're visiting in the middle of the night."
"Well... I-I... umm..." Ladybug wasn't sure what to say. King Gabriel raised an eyebrow, waiting for her response. Ladybug panicked as she racked her brain. Should she tell him the truth? After all, he was the king and she was trying to save him and the city. She was also sneaking into his castle. Maybe she did owe him some answers.
"It's a long story," Ladybug confessed as she bit her lip. "But I think the person responsible for creating all these monsters is hiding in the palace. I planned on taking him out tonight, but I needed to sneak inside. I didn't want to put you or your staff at risk so I snuck in on my own. I'm very sorry, sir." Ladybug bowed in apology.
"I understand... Is your feline friend with you this evening?" Ladybug noticed a hint of bitterness at the mention of Chat Noir.
"He's not. I've come alone."
"Perhaps I can offer my services then," King Gabriel smiled. "You claim this villain is hiding in my castle?"
"Yes, sir," Ladybug nodded. "I've believe he's hiding on this floor. Are there any rooms you don't currently use? Any places where someone could hide?"
"There may be a few. Please follow me."
King Gabriel turned around and Ladybug rushed to meet him. He led her through the palace halls which were decorated with old portraits and suits of armor. The lights were lit, but their glow was dim. Walking around gave Ladybug the creeps as did the glances King Gabriel kept giving her. His eyes seemed to be stuck on her earrings.
"If you don't mind me asking..." Ladybug asked cautiously. "That room back there... Who did it belong to? Why does it look like that?"
"Ah... That room belonged to my son, Adrien. After he passed away, the castle staff stopped tending to it. It was left as is in his memory." At the mention of Prince Adrien's name, King Gabriel's expression softened. He didn't seem intimidating anymore. He just looked like a sad father who desperately wanted his son back.
Immediately, Ladybug felt guilty for bringing it up. Adrien's death didn't only stir up bad memories in her, but also the poor king. Still, his response had made her even more curious.
"Who was doing magic in Prince Adrien's room?" Ladybug wondered. "I didn't think he was interested in magic. But then again, he talked to the librarian about it before. And why was his room such a mess? The King knows more than he's letting on, but why would he keep it a secret? Maybe it's too personal... I shouldn't pry."
"Those earrings of yours, are they the source of your magic?" King Gabriel turned to her with a questioning glare. He had gone back to being scary again.
"Y-Yes..." Ladybug stammered, instinctively grabbing her earlobes. "How did you know that?"
"It was just a theory, my dear. Word of your magic has spread far even through these thick, castle walls. I've made a few guesses about you."
"Somehow I don't think that's true," Ladybug frowned as they arrived at a set of wooden doors. They had reached the end of the hallway on the opposite side of the castle. She had the feeling that there was something big on the other side of these doors.
King Gabriel pulled a key out of his pocket and inserted it into the door's lock. "I usually keep this locked since nobody uses it anymore," he explained, twisting the key. "It used to belong to my wife, but everything's been cleared out now. It's mostly empty." A click came from the lock and King Gabriel pulled the doors open, revealing the room inside.
Ladybug stepped in, her footsteps echoing against the ground. The room had a single window where the moonlight came through. It reflected off the wings of thousands of white butterflies that Ladybug recognized instantly. "These are the akuma!" she thought with a gasp. "This is it! Tikki, we've found his hideout! But where's Hawk Moth? Shouldn't he be here?"
She heard the doors slam shut behind her. Swiftly, she turned around and saw King Gabriel standing in front of them with a smug smile. He dropped the key into his pocket.
"What are you doing?" Ladybug shouted. "Hawk Moth isn't in here and we need to..." Her eyes trailed down to the brooch pinned onto King Gabriel's shirt. It caught the light of the moon, shimmering brightly. It was shaped exactly like a butterfly.
"Oh no..."
Chat Noir waited on Marinette's roof for three hours before he worked up the courage to do anything. He sat there nervously, his tail swishing to and fro. "Just tell her you're sorry," he sighed, his stomach doing flips. "That's all you need to do." When he left Enzo, he had been highly motivated, but the nerves were starting to creep back in. Would he really be forgiven?
"I'm just going to do it! I'll walk right in there and say it straight to her face." Chat Noir held his head up high and prepared to run inside Marinette's home when a figure emerged from the window down below. It was Marinette except she had transformed into Ladybug. Chat Noir watched, confused, as Ladybug dashed away as quickly as she had appeared.
"What's she doing?" Chat Noir wondered. "It's the middle of the night and I don't think there's an akuma around. Why would she be transformed? And why do I have a bad feeling about this?" An uneasy feeling settled in his stomach. He had a bad premonition that something was going to happen. "I might as well follow her then!"
"But I won't be able to catch her on these four paws... Guess I'll have to go on foot instead."
Chat Noir launched himself onto the next roof, now in human form. Luckily, his cat vision didn't disappear in his human body. He could still see in the dark and was able to track Ladybug's movements despite the darkness. She was moving further in the distance, heading in a direction Chat Noir had never been before.
"Time to play a round of cat and bug!"
He sprinted after her, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, chasing after Ladybug's silhouette. She moved faster than usual, a sign she must be in a hurry. The further from home she traveled, the more suspicious Chat Noir became. It was normal for her to run around in the middle of the night especially on this side of town. She had no reason to be here unless...
An intimidating castle came into sight. Against the white light of the moon, the scene was straight out Chat Noir's nightmares. He had been here before or rather, he had escaped here before. It was the place where his life began a year ago and if that frightening man was still around, Ladybug was in terrible danger.
Chat Noir felt the urge to call out to her, but kept his mouth closed. This place was dangerous and Ladybug knew that. That was why he and Tikki had tried so hard to stop her from visiting. Something must have changed in the week he was gone. Marinette wouldn't go against Tikki's wishes so if Ladybug was infiltrating the castle, she had Tikki's approval. That meant they had a plan in mind and it wasn't his place to interfere. He was the one that abandoned them, not the other way around. For now, he would sit quietly in the shadows and watch, confident Ladybug knew what she was doing.
The love of his life jumped into the large tree growing alongside the castle, escaping the notice of any guards. She climbed through the branches until she reached a small window on the side of the castle's tower. Carefully, she wedged herself in and then disappeared into the tower.
Chat Noir came down from the rooftop he was hiding on and trotted over towards the castle gate, using the shadows as cover. The gate connected to a long, brick wall that covered the castle's perimeter. Just a few meters from the gate, there was a hole that seemed to lead underneath the wall. Most likely, a rabbit or other animal had dug it and it was far too small for a human to sneak through. But it was the perfect size for a cat.
After making sure the coast was clear, Chat Noir shrank down to his cat form and sprinted towards the wall. He dug his paws into the dirt and shoved it aside, making a bigger hole from himself. He squeezed underneath and emerged on the other side. His fur was covered in dirt, but he had made it through.
He walked over to the large tree and sunk his claws into the bark, prepared to climb. Working his way up to the top, the branches scraped his body and the leaves tickled his nose. He nearly fell to his demise twice since he wasn't an expert in tree climbing. The only time he had ever been in a tree was when he had been climbing down this very one to flee. It was ironic that the place he had tried so hard to escape was now the one he was desperately trying to get into.
"She's right in there..." Chat Noir thought as he tiptoed out onto the branch that reached the castle window. Ladybug was still inside the room, looking around. From what Chat Noir could see, the room was identical to his memories. Wrecked furniture littered the room and strange magic was drawn on the floors. The sight made his tail stand straight up. It seemed suspicious that no one had cleaned up.
"This might be a chance to get my memory back!" Chat Noir realized. "If I'm going to find answers anywhere, it would be here. But Ladybug is first priority! I have to make sure she stays safe. I can't let her get mixed up in the same trouble I did."
He watched Ladybug through the window. She was just walking through the room, investigating the broken furniture and reading some kind of book. She was mumbling to herself, but her words were too quiet for him to hear. After flipping through the book, Ladybug went over to the bed which was out of Chat Noir's sight from the window. He wanted to move closer, but didn't want to risk getting caught by her.
All of a sudden, the bedroom doors opened, hitting the wall with great force. An intimidating man with soulless eyes stood in the entrance. His face was familiar to Chat Noir.
"That's him! That's the man from before!" Chat Noir panicked, anxiously digging his claws into the branch. "He's dangerous! Ladybug, you need to get out of there!" Chat Noir opened his mouth to yell, but only a weak meow came out. While in his original form, there was no way he could make enough noise for Ladybug to hear him. But if he transformed into a human, the branch would break under his weight and he would plummet to the ground.
"You must be Ladybug..." The man's sharp voice sliced through the night. It was just as chilling as Chat Noir remembered and he hated that it was addressing his lady. Chat Noir shifted further up the branch, straining to hear. Ladybug talked in a low whisper, making it impossible to hear anything she said. The man had his back to the window, blocking his voice. Chat Noir worried that the man was threatening Ladybug, but there was no way to tell. No one was screaming or fighting though which was probably a good sign.
The man opened the bedroom door and he and Ladybug left together. "Are they working together?" Chat Noir wondered, scrunching his nose in disgust. "Someone like him can't possibly be a good guy! I need to find some way to alert Ladybug before that guy or Hawk Moth hurts her. Why is she so naive?"
Chat Noir leaped from the branch onto the windowsill and slipped into the bedroom. He landed on the dusty floor, eliciting a few surprise sneezes. "Hasn't anyone called a maid?" he frowned, trying to itch his nose with his paw. He looked around the room and noticed that everything was dusty and dirty. In fact, everything looked identical to when he was there a year prior. Not so much as a single speck of dust seemed to have moved.
"Weird..." Chat Noir thought as he walked across the room. He spotted an open book lying on the floor, recalling something similar in his memory. He placed his paw on the pages and began to sift through them. He eventually came to a page with an illustration that was identical to the strange markings on the floor.
To most, the markings would look like a child's art project. The chalk had become faded and smudged. The circle hardly looked like a circle anymore. But Chat Noir was positive it was the same image from before and now after learning more about magic, he was sure someone had cast a spell here.
"Coming back here has brought back all my old questions. Just who was doing magic in here?" Chat Noir thought when his nose picked up on a delicious scent. Following his nose, Chat Noir hopped onto the bed and found a small plate with a slice of camembert cheese. The cheese had a strong aroma, probably from sitting out. Chat Noir's stomach grumbled, hungry for something substantial to eat, but Chat Noir ignored it. "No time for cheese. I need to get back to Ladybug."
Chat Noir jumped to the ground and ran through the door which was left a crack open. He spied Ladybug and the other man at the end of the long hallway. The man pulled something out of his pocket, most likely a key, and inserted it the door he and Ladybug were facing. He opened it and gestured for Ladybug to enter. She was starting to walk in when Chat Noir took off in a sprint. He wasn't going to let those two be alone together. Thankfully, the hallway was dimly lit, making it nearly impossible to see. Chat Noir slipped past the man's ankles and into the room before the door shut with a sickening thud.
The first thing Chat Noir noticed was the thousands of white butterflies hovering near the ceiling. In any other scenario, the scene might have been beautiful, but it terrified Chat Noir. These weren't normal butterflies. They were intended to become akuma which meant that he and Ladybug had found Hawk Moth's lair. The only thing missing was the man himself.
"I-It's impossible..." Ladybug stammered, shaking her head. "It can't be you. You're the king!"
"Appearances can be deceiving," King Gabriel laughed as he adjusted the broach on his chest. "It's the perfect cover really. No one would suspect the king of plunging his own city into turmoil. Not that getting caught would ever be an issue. Who cares what happens to me at this point? Without my miraculous, I certainly would be dead by now."
Ladybug's eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean?"
"Is there any point in living once everything you care about is gone?"
