So sorry for not replying to everyone last week. I had just ended a long busy stretch and just as I was looking forward to a nice rest and getting a chunk of time to get some things worked on…I got pretty sick. Not hospital level but still not good. I'm doing better now but I'm still not 100% and it has been really difficult to concentrate long enough to get anything done. I'm still backed up for another week or so but there might be a delay after that, it depends on what I can get done and how I'm feeling.

Still I'd like to continue if I am able to. Chapter 27 (give or take) will be the final for Season one at the end of October or early November. Also, please forgive any extra mistakes in this chapter, I'll do my best with the editing but there is a chance I missed a few things.

Content warning: Foul language, anger issues, kidnapping, assault, misinformation, historical inaccuracies.

Chapter 20

The Butterfly Witch

Varian wasn't sure it counted as 'running away' when the person you were running away from gave you a private room in a luxury hotel. When he got the text from Nathalie he was going to refuse. It wouldn't be the first time he'd slept on the street or in the forest when he was being hunted by the king's personal guards. He'd be fine.

Ruddiger apparently didn't agree. He practically dragged him there even at risk of being seen. He even ordered food for his boy because his brilliant little kit was horrible at taking care of himself. Once again Varian relented.

The room was way too big for one person; one could fit a whole family in here and they'd be comfortable. There was a private bath, a kitchen area with more food and even a spare set of PJs and clean clothes his size.

Varian was beginning to wonder if Gabriel had this room set aside for him or if the staff was just used to filling insane requests by clients who needed specific things right away.

He fell asleep soon after that only to be awakened by a text alert. He panicked slightly, forgetting for a moment where he was. Annoyed, he put his phone on mute when he noticed Gabriel had sent him a text. He was so annoyed he almost deleted it but changed his mind. He left it unread and went back to sleep.

It was still unread the next morning but he was starting to worry about what it said. Despite their fight the truth was he felt comfortable with the strange man. He didn't have to hide who he was or be judged since Gabriel was in the same boat as him. He said some pretty harsh things to him, maybe he was being kicked out. He said he'd let Varian help but in the end they still had nothing.

Varian was still mad at him as well but…He left the message unread and headed out.

He had an idea. Unknown factors always bothered him and they had a very limited knowledge when it came to the Miraculous. Just the book Gabriel had. There had to be more out there though.

He came across the Ladyblog which was run by Alya. In an older post she reported that she found several paintings throughout history with the Miraculous symbol hidden with them. Was it a thank you from a grateful victim or was it a way to hide information in plain sight.

He bought a notebook, headed to the public library and made a beeline right for the Art History section. This was more his idea of running away. Hiding in a sea of books hunting for knowledge? This was his jam! He even bought a small plush made to hang on to his bag and took the stuffing out so Ruddigar could hide inside and help him.

Of course he lost track of time and almost missed lunch so Ruddiger forced him to take a break and eat something. He didn't really mind though, he found some very interesting things. He was convinced Joan of Arc, a famous female war hero for France, was a former Ladybug holder. She met a tragic end however, as she was burned at the stake. It made him wonder, was she the one who used the wish and was she the one who paid the price? It was an interesting theory but one with no real proof. He jotted it down in his notes planning to come back to it later.

He did find something very interesting while researching the "Butterfly Witch". It was inspired by an old folktale about a witch who would lure wicket men into her enchanted woods and make them her slaves.

'Well, I guess that's one way to use the Butterfly Miraculous.' But upon further research he found a real life account of a woman who's town was ravaged by bandits. She somehow survived and supposedly sold her soul to the devil to get her revenge.

Two very different views about the same event. The more popular one painted her as a villain. The other still saw her as wicked but justified. He wondered what the real story was. He would ask Nooroo but the Kwamis couldn't tell who their owners were even if they were dead. He sighed as he updated his notes.

'Is this how people will remember me back in Corona?' he wondered as he chewed the end of his pen. Will they only speak of the Mad Alchemist of Old Corona? An evil wizard who terrorized a beautiful princess and her family? Or will someone record his story? Would anyone even care?

Ruddiger nudged him again. Was it dinner time already? He glanced at his phone and saw it was already after 5 in the evening. Wow he got really lost in his research. As he gathered up his belongings he was debating about going home or back to the hotel. The guy at the desk said the room was his as long as he needed it.

As he was returning the last book to the Folklore and Mythology section something unbelievable caught his eye. It was a book called Grimms' Fairy Tales with a picture of a tall tower and a woman with hair so long it reached the forest floor below.

He grabbed the book and quickly found the story he was looking for, Rapunzel. He stared in disbelief at the title. That…that bitch had somehow left a legacy behind in a world she didn't even live in.

"WHAT!" he shouted allerting a large chunk of the library's patrons and staff.

He quickly read the short story torn between laughing and cursing. It had the basics of her story but it was all wrong. Rapunzel wasn't even a princess in this. Her mother craved rampion so much she sent her husband to steal it from a known witches' garden. That greed cost them their daughter. The witch was called Gothel so that was one thing they got right. And she locked her up in a tower until a prince wandered by and he decided he wanted this girl he just met.

He was familiar with fairy tales going at breakneck speed especially when it comes to romance but that didn't mean he had to like it. And this was all sorts of backwards. Eugene wasn't a prince any more than he was a knight.

They were also dumb as bricks since Rapunzel told the prince to bring her silks so she could make a rope and in time she could escape. Why not have the prince just bring a rope? Or just use her hair to lower herself far enough for the prince to safely catch her. But nope, they had to be dumb. Rapunzel was even more of an idiot when she let it slip that she was seeing the prince.

The witch then cut her hair and sent her to live in the desert in squalor. The witch then used the cut off braid to lure the prince back to the tower. (Something else they could have done since day one but whatever) After discovering his love was gone he threw himself from the tower. Varian would have forced the witch to take him to her but he seemed to have too many brain cells for this story.

The fall blinded him when he landed on thorns (ouch) and wandered aimlessly until he stumbled across her years later with their twin children. Her tears cured his blindness (since when did she have magic?) and he took her home (why was no one looking for the prince?) where they lived happily ever after.

"BULLSHIT!" He was getting loud again, getting the attention of the librarian on duty but he didn't care.

This was all wrong! Sure there was a grain of truth in some parts but no mention of the sundrop, no mention of the rocks and Varian himself was cut out entirely. At first he was afraid of having nothing but a villainous legacy but somehow Rapunzel's tale had crossed the universe and he was all but forgotten.

It wasn't fair. Why was he the only one who saw her for the liar she truly was?

He saw the librarian approaching him. Not wanting to cause a bigger scene and risk being banned he left the book on the reshelving rack and left.

The librarian had seen the boy in the library all day and didn't think much until she heard him yelling. She tried to approach him to see what was wrong but he left before she could ask. Curiously she picked up the book he had been reading and wondered why would a book on fairy tales upset him so much.

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Marinette was never more grateful to her father than she was that day. After Robostus attacked them on the train ride the resulting conversation with Aunt Shu Yin was…awkward. When her parents revealed they had given her over to Robostus, Aunt Shu Yin had made some…interesting comments. To which her father responded she wouldn't have anything to give to Robostus since she doesn't like anything.

They were then asked to leave. Until they were over their trauma or something. She didn't care they were back home the next morning to a very relieved Alya. She had heard and seen a little when she used the Lucky Charm at the museum but apparently Tanuki was being vicious.

She spent the rest of the day trying to update her vision board which currently consisted of various plans to try and get Tanuki back home. After what happened today however, she wasn't sure getting him home would be enough anymore. He wanted the wish and it looked like he was willing to go to extreme lengths to get it.

She flopped down on her bed as she revisited an old thought.

"Hey Tiki?" The Ladybug Kwami popped up.

"What's wrong Marinette?"

"I…I know you said using the wish was dangerous and that there's a balance that needs to be maintained but…"

"Are you thinking about Shadow Moth and Tanuki?"

"Well it's just,...when we first met Tanuki he was willing to be the sacrifice to save the person he loves, even Shadow Moth seemed to agree. I wasn't comfortable with them being sacrificed thinking there had to be another way but if it was their choice am I in the wrong for denying them?"

The rest of the Kwamis remained silent as their new guardian asked a very serious question. Tiki looked at her with a serious expression.

"That's not an easy question, Marinette. A lot of good people would gladly trade themselves for someone they love but what about the person they saved. Would they be happy knowing someone they carried about sacrificed themselves just so they could get a second chance?

"The answer to that is also different for every person. If you traded your life for your parents would they be happy?"

Marinette thought about Robostus making everyone surrender the thing they treasured most. Her parents instantly picked her and while she was scared at the time it reminded her how much they loved her.

"No, they'd be devastated."

"I do think it is a selfless act but the truth is they might not have a choice to be the one exchanged. The magic decides. Even if it was them the balance must be maintained. What if the ones they bring back are in just as much pain as they were?"

Tiki had a good point. The miracle doesn't fix problems, it just moves things around but all the elements would remain.

"You're right Tiki."

"It's not wrong to question yourself, Marinette. People can get easily fixated on a single idea and become blind to consequences." Marinette nodded.

"I think that's what both Shadow Moth and Tanuki are doing right now. They're convinced the wish will solve all their problems they're not thinking straight." She got back up from the bed and went back to her, "Get Tanuki Home" vision board and started looking at it from a new angle.

"I must say I'm glad you're taking this seriously Marinette."

"It is my fault he's here in the first place. I know he's getting more aggressive lately but if I was lost in another world and missing my family and friends I'm not sure I'd fare much better. Besides, I promised I'd help him and I intend to keep that promise even if he doesn't believe me. Although it would be easier if he were here to answer a few questions." The other Kwamis all gathered around to help. Tiki smiled again.

"At least you're not stressing yourself out trying to plan the perfect date with Adrien. I think this is a huge improvement for you." Marinette looked back with an awkward smile.

"Oh I'm totally freaking out. This is actually helping me stay sane while I wait for Adrien to finish being ungrounded so I can finish planning out our first date.

"When did you start planning that?"

"The day after I got my crush." She pulled a string and a new map and itinerary the size of her whole wall dropped down. "I have a whole section for 'going slow' so I don't overwhelm him but I still need a few more details to finalize it so our night, or day, will be perfect."

Tiki let out a long sigh. She was doing so well too.

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Adrien was in the studio today working on a commercial for a…calone? Something like that, he wasn't paying too much attention. All he knew was that it was angel themed and he was constantly tripping over the cloud set pieces. At least their softness cushioned his fall.

He still had two more days until he was ungrounded and he was trying to pick a time to get together with Marinette so they could go on their first date.

His father was at least keeping his word and not scheduling him for modeling work as much but he still wished he could just quit. The problem was his father wanted to know what other interests he wanted to pursue before that. So far he was drawing a blank.

The career fair was coming up soon though. He was hoping he'd get some ideas there.

The crew was getting ready to take a break and when he checked his phone he realized he hadn't heard from Varian in a while. Nathalie said he was fine and had a place to sleep but he was still a little worried. He was so angry when he left.

He was sure Gorilla wouldn't let him leave the building but maybe Varian would like to eat dinner with him in the cafeteria. Most of the crew had already left but he didn't notice Gorilla wasn't at his usual post.

He called hopping to see how Varian was doing. He was a little surprised when he answered.

"WHAT?" Adrien jerked the phone away.

'Oh boy, still mad.' He was so distracted he didn't notice the door to the empty studio was slowly opening.

"Ah, hey Varian. Sorry you're not feeling better but if you wanted to talk I'm on a dinner break at G-Studios. If you wanted some company I'd-MUMPH!"

Suddenly a large hand appeared from behind him shoving a weird smelling rag over his mouth. He struggled and clawed at the hand but he felt his body becoming weaker.

"Adrien? What happened?" Varian's voice asked from the discarded phone moments before Adrien lost consciousness.

"Adrien! Are you OK, talk to me! Adri-" But the connection was suddenly lost.

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Just after leaving the library Varian got a call from Adrien inviting him to dinner. Varian had to admit it would be nice to talk to someone even if he had to edit a few things. But before he could apologize for yelling (he was still pissed about finding that Rapunzel story) Adrien gave a muffled cry and shortly after the line went dead.

A sense of dread was forming in the pit of his stomach as he tried to call him back but the line was completely dead. He tried Gorilla's emergency number but that was dead too.

It was one thing for Adrien to drop his phone, even if that new one was supposed to be pretty sturdy, but Gorilla never turned this one off and it was always kept fully charged.

He started to run, the studio was only a few blocks from the library. Just as he was about to call Gabriel he saw police cars pulling up and several officers rushing into the building. The rest were starting to seal the place off when a news alert popped up on his phone.

"This just in. The bodyguard of teen supermodel Adrien Agreste was found unconscious in a supply closet at G-Studios only a few minutes ago. One of the photographers also reported signs of a struggle and Adrien is suspected to have been kidnapped by an unknown suspect." A picture of Adrien flashed across the screen with the words missing scrawled over it. "We'll keep you updated as this story progresses. This is Nadia Chamack."

Varian nearly dropped his phone in shock. He quickly called Gabriel hoping he wasn't too mad to pick up.

"Varian?" To his surprise it was Nathalie who picked up. "I'm sorry Varian, we'll have to call you back. We have an emergency right now. Adrien's-"

"He's been kidnapped! I know I was talking to him when it happened."

"WHAT!" He heard Gabriel exclaim in the background as if he was talking to someone else but still overheard what he said. "Hang on, I may have a witness here." He sounded closer this time.

"Hello? Varian! You said he was on the phone with you when it happened!"

"Yes, he was talking and suddenly he was cut off. I could still hear him trying to yell but it sounded muffled like he had something over his mouth." Gabriel gave a distressing noise and had to compose himself before answering.

"Alright we're alone now. I want you to give the police as much information as possible. In the meantime Shadow Moth is going to send an Akuma to get my son back!" Varian looked back at the building with all the cops running around. He was afraid the kidnapper might become spooked and a random Akuma could make things worse.

"I don't think you should chance a random Akuma when you're clearly distressed. The kidnapping just happened so there's a good chance he's still in the building." Gabriel gritted his teeth.

"I'm not leaving my son in the hands of some maniac any longer than necessary. The police are useless, that's why I need to find-"

"Then send me." Varian said in a cool and calm voice.

"What?" Was Varian saying…

"I want you to Akumatize me."

To be continued,,,

Next time: Varian is Akumatized for the first time. But his goal is not the Miraculous for once, it's to save his foster brother Adrien from a different kind of monster.