Chat Noir hadn't slept much that night. It wasn't just that they had met up to embark on another Miraculous Trial before dawn...he was 99% sure that Ladybug was the one and only Marinette Dupan-Chang.
If he told her how he had guessed though it would absolutely give away his identity...and what if by his (all to common) bad luck he was wrong?! He had to figure out on his own...if he paid attention, knowing what he did now, he was sure he could reassure his mind with what his heart was insisting was true!
They arrived at central Germany's Samson's mine early in the morning. Records of it apparently went back to 1520, and at one point had been one of the deepest mines in the world. The cash of silver and other minerals had long since been depleted. The site had been turned into a museum of sorts documenting the mining history of the region. It was too early for tour groups though, and the pit was abandoned and silent.
"Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund!" a tiny voice chirped, beneath their feet.
"The morning has gold in its mouth?" Chat Noir looked perplexed.
"A saying around here for let's get an early start and make the most of the day!" the small voice laughed. "Look down here!"
They both looked down, but all they saw was long strands of green grass flecked with dew.
"Never mind," the voice said impatiently, and then he transformed, significantly enlarging himself to his kwami form. It was an ant. "Welcome weilders. Here in Germany the trials relate to a hard-working attitude or diligence. There are no tricks around the trials here, just elbow grease to get a job done well and efficiently."
"We'll do our best," Ladybug said with determination, and Chat Noir smiled at her.
Wasn't that such a Marinette thing to say, Chat Noir thought to himself. She always worked so hard at everything she put her mind to.
"I'm sure you will," the ant kwami said pleased. "Here are two pick axes, helmets, and a couple buckets. You'll go down to the depths of the mine shaft to where you find the miraculous symbol. After a few hours down there, we'll see what you come up with."
"We're going down there?" Chat Noir said apprehensively, peering down the mineshaft into utter darkness.
"I know! Pretty incredible right!" The ant kwami responded enthusiastically. "Hard to believe we actually get to descend 840 m down into the earth!"'
"Yeah," Chat Noir breathed distractedly.
"You okay Kitty?" Ladybug drew her fingers along the inside of his arm. "You look like you're not feeling so well."
"What?! Who? Me?" Chat Noir sputtered. "I'm good...great...couldn't be better! Who wouldn't be thrilled to be lowered into a dark pit with narrow, tight, closed in spaces...squeezing you till there's no escape!" he laughed shrilly, and then coughed, trying to lower his voice to a lower pitch in front of Ladybug.
Ladybug grinned knowingly at him. "I'm not looking forward to it much either, but you don't have to worry. We'll take it one step at a time."
"I'm no scaredy cat," Chat Noir straightened himself. "I...I'm just not a fan of confined spaces."
Ladybug squeezed his arm encouragingly. "You're the bravest person I know, and I'll be there to remind you of that even if we go to the center of the earth," Ladybug walked with him to the edge.
"I'd follow you anywhere M'Lady," Chat Noir perked up again, then paused mischievously and added, "the view is always great too!"
Ladybug shot him a mock glare, and then teased him with the accentuated sway in her step walking forward, before playfully looping her yoyo around a hoist, and blowing him a kiss in the air before lowering herself down slowly. "Here Kitty Kitty," she cooed back up to him.
Chat Noir's eyes practically flew out of his skull, and he was torn between standing rooted in shock and leaping in after her head first. There was no way she could possibly be shy, stuttering, sweet Marinette. This Ladybug was...well...she was...she was...leaving without him! Quickly he rallied himself and took the yoyo string between his hands tightly, and lowered himself down after her.
Ember and the Ant Kwami floated down slowly, keeping pace with the weilders. The Phoenix fire lit the way enough that they could at least see a few meters in either direction. But even the extent of Ember's light was eventually swallowed up into the empty darkness.
Finally reaching solid ground within the tunnels of the mine, they stepped from the yoyo, that stayed suspended to the outside world above as their exit.
The ant kwami directed them through the tunnels, where the walls were low, forcing them to bow their heads, and make their way through half crouched over. Ladybug started whistling the seven dwarves song "Off to Work we Go." The ant seemed amused by this, and commented that it was fitting seeing as the Grimm brothers had used German miners as their inspiration for the dwarves in their fairy tales. Ladybug had always thought those stories had just been fantasy, but then again she was following magical kwami into the heart of a mine, and she herself was cloaked in ancient magical power.
"Just don't eat any poisonous apples and we'll be good," she warned back to Chat Noir, and then slyly added, "...although it would give me another excuse to kiss you."
"What's a guy got to do to find a poison apple around here?!" Chat Noir instantly spoke up from behind.
Ladybug was too closed in tightly in the narrow tunnel to turn around, and just giggled.
Ladybug kept making light conversation, trying to keep Chat Noir's spirits up, but they still had a ways to go when she realized Chat Noir had stopped responding.
"Chat?" she asked, finding a space wide enough to turn around. It was hard to see him in the darkness though. All she could make out were his glowing green eyes. "You doing okay?" she asked softly.
She saw the wild glowing eyes squeeze shut, and open slowly. He was like a cornered feral cat, frozen in his tracks.
"You're doing great!" she encouraged. "We're almost there!"
She saw the eyes move left and right, realizing he was vehemently shaking his head 'no.'
She crouched down lower, and moved slowly towards him with her hand extended. In the dark she found him and put her hand into his.
"I'm sorry," he whispered dejectedly, "I can't. It's worse with night vision! The walls keep getting closer!"
She pressed herself against him, and said softly, "then close your eyes."
"What?" he asked, confused.
"Close you eyes, and just listen to my voice," Ladybug insisted.
Chat Noir closed his eyes, giving himself away to the darkness, and into the hands of his Lady.
"It's just you and me," she reassured him. "I've got you."
The soft warmth of her voice released him from the mine, and calmed him to his core. He trusted her completely, and stepped into the unknown. But it was because everything in her voice radiated Marinette.
Finally they came to the line with the miraculous engraving. The walls were braced on either side with heavy beams. A rusty mine box car on thick wheels was discarded nearby. It was only then that Chat Noir opened his eyes.
Ladybug squeezed his hand enthusiastically to tell him she was proud of him that he had kept going.
Chat Noir took that same hand and raised it to his lips. The warmth of his breath as he lingered a moment, made Ladybug blush enough that even in the dim light it was still obvious.
"Well, let's get to work, and find our way back to the sunlight as quick as possibly!" Chat Noir said stringing on a determined smile.
"Good luck weilders! Ich drück' dir die Daumen! I hope you find something of value!" Then the ant kwami winked, and directed them to the opposite wall to begin further excavation of the ancient mine.
The sound of pick axes hadn't been heard within the mine for generations, but they once more sent resounding "pings" echoing around the halls.
The ant kwami couldn't resist but help them with the heavy labor. Back and forth he moved the rocks that were hewn from the walls. The ant kwami proudly informed them that ants were capable of lifting 20 times their body weight.
The dank stillness of the air was thick, and both of them thanked their miraculous for endowing them with the added strength, endurance, and breath to keep going. The ant kwami had not made light of the task. The work was hard, dirty, and monotonous. Gradually pails filled the cart with chunks of rock chiseled from the earth.
Each time they would pause to wipe the sweat and thick dust from their eyes the ant kwami would encourage and spur them on. "Too many undertakings never get accomplished and lie dormant because of a lack in follow-through! Wer rastet, der rostet!" he would call out to them, which would make Chat Noir roll his eyes, but dig in harder.
"What'd he say?" Ladybug finally whispered between pants, throwing more rock into the metal container.
"He's basically telling us to get off our behinds before they get rusty," Chat Noir smirked.
Ladybug paused, and then a refreshing peel of giggles erupted from her, making Chat Noir smile wider himself.
"Well I don't want to get rusty!" Ladybug shouldered her pick axe with a grin.
"I'd love you even if you did!" Chat Noir made a motion to his heart, and dipped into a bow.
"You'll have to do better than that! Nothing is worse than an insincere cat!" Ladybug tossed a handful of dirt his way.
"My Lady I would never! I meant every word!" he swore, raising his right paw, and grinning widely. Then a cascade of rock and dust shifted, coating Chat Noir in a gritty layer.
"You can stop thinking of my behind, and start focusing on what's in front of you!" Ladybug laughed. "Come on, we've almost got this cart filled!" Then they both shoveled armfuls of the fallen rock, and worked together to haul the creaking cart to the lift.
Emerging from the Samson mine, was like freeing yourself after being buried alive. The light blinded them at first, making them squint and shield their faces. Then they breathed in deeply, the rejuvenating fresh open air. Everything in life was sweeter, and each tree and bade of grass more vivid.
Ladybug looked over at Chat Noir and giggled again. She hadn't seen him so dust covered since their time in Australia. She brushed off his shoulder and a cloud of dust was released, making him react in the cutest sneeze possible. It only made her laugh even harder. He just smiled, as she dusted him off. He was relieved to be free in the open again, but also the girl who he was becoming more and more convinced was Marinette was making the most of wiping her hands across his chest.
"Hmm..." Ember mused, assessing the weilders covered in dirt. "After we take a look at your rocks, I've got a place in mind we might have to stop along the way. We've got to get you two cleaned up!"
The ant kwami, hadn't wasted a second and was already sorting through their haul.
"Did we find any silver?" Ladybug called over to the ant kwami who was tossing most rock chunks aside.
Then he finally held a jet black metallic rock above his head. Although he held it triumphantly above his head like a trophy, it was no bigger than a coin. Either way, the weilders drew closer to find out what he was so excited about.
"Samsonite!" he exclaimed, and passed it to Chat Noir's palm.
"Aren't you disappointed though?" Chat Noir asked "I thought this was a silver mine...isn't that what we were looking for?"
"Sometimes," the ant kwami leaned close to Chat Noir, "you find something even more special than what you had set out to find."
Chat Noir turned the rock around in his hands thoughtfully. Within the opaque black mineral, was a glimmer of bright red running through it.
"This..." the wild kwami pointed to the mineral, "is much more rare."
More adventures in Germany and around the World to come in future (very soon to be released) chapters. I'm just in the editing phase with the next two, and I'm so excited to share locations I never knew about till reading up on them for this story! A very special thanks to glitterkitten3 for suggesting Germany as a location ages ago! Thank you for your patience, and your encouragement as I kept working toward this moment for our heroes! To all the readers who are leaving me positive feedback...you are keeping me inspired! I've got lots more I'd love to share with you all, so I'm off to write some more;)