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Chapter 8: Meet Master Fu
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Things continued in a relative silence as Marinette followed the strange creatures out of the marsh and through some woods. At least they knew where they were going, because she was completely lost at this point. If they hadn't shown up when they did, who knows where she would have ended up. The ones called Plagg and Tikki seemed to be the leaders of the group, and the rest were mostly following close behind them. Now and then, a couple of them were diverge from the rest to play around the trees and tall grass for a few minutes, then joined them back on the trail.
Marinette was still a little confused as to what they were. At first, they seemed like some kind of insects. Tikki, Nooroo, and the yellow one named Pollen looked like bugs, but the others had features like different animals. It was stranger how they were floating around without wings, and how their heads were larger in proportion to their little bodies. She wondered if it would be rude to ask them what kind of creatures they were.
"Is something the matter?" the deep blue one, Duusu if she remembered correctly, asked concerned.
"Umm, no, it's nothing." Marinette tried to make it seem like she wasn't starring at them.
"You are curious about us, are you not?" Wayzz floated in front of her.
"Maybe a little bit." she admitted. "Not to be impolite, but what exactly are you?"
"What do you think we are?" the turtle inquired.
Marinette thought about it for a moment. "Well, with all this talk about magic, I would think you were all some type of fairy, but you don't look like anything I've imagined from the children's stories."
"And how do you know it is the children's stories that have the correct description of such things?" Wayzz questioned her answer.
"Yeah, everyone thinks fairies are supposed to be these little people with bug-like wings. And others say the faire folk are young, beautiful beings with pointed ears, but has anyone ever really seen them?" Trixx added.
It did leave the girl puzzled. "So, you are fairies?"
"Heh, of course not." Plagg answered for the turtle and fox. "But it was easier for people to believe that for a time. In another country we were known as djinn, powerful otherworldly beings that could grant wishes."
"But you're not that either?" Marinette was getting a little more confused.
"No, we are so much more than that. More than your little human brain could comprehend." Plagg got closer to her with a devilish grin on his face. Marinette was suddenly regretting how she trapped them all earlier, fearing she may have evoked some god-like wrath upon herself.
"Alright, that's enough Plagg. Don't scare the poor girl." Tikki slightly scolded the black cat.
"Ahhh, come on Tikki, at least let me have a little fun." he pouted.
Seeing the creature act so childish did make Marinette a little less afraid. "Well, whatever you are, I do think that you're very cute." she told the truth.
Plagg flushed at the endearment and tried to brush it off. "I'm not cute, I'm the fierce Kwami of Destruction."
"Kwami? You said that word before when you were talking about someone named Gimmi." Marinette remembered Tikki's words.
"Correct." Tikki smiled. "We were given the title of kwami many centuries ago. It was a play on the word another country had for a god."
"So, you are all deities?" Marinette's anxiety came back.
"If it is the easiest word you have for us, then yes." Wayzz said. "But it would still pale in comparison to our true natures." Then he floated on ahead with the others, leaving Marinette to her thoughts.
The thick tree line finally split open and revealed the sun. It blinded Marinette for a moment form being in the deep shade for so long. But when her eyes adjusted, she beheld a gentle, welcoming sight.
There was a small cottage in the middle of the clearing. It was a homey little building with a clay tiled roof and interlocking log walls. The windows were small, but the door was wide and open to the long porch area that was shaded by part of the roof, no doubt meant to enjoy nice weather when it happened. There was a beautiful garden next to the house as well, filled with all sorts of vegetables. That's when Marinette finally noticed in the garden, plucking weeds and watering the soil, was a little old man. He was gray-haired and slim with age, and was wearing a large straw hat, one that had a slight point to the middle to make it seem cone-like. Marinette wondered if this was the master. The kwamis gave her answer when they started flying around the old man.
"Hello, Master." each one greeted him.
"Ahhh, there you are my little ones. I was starting to worry that you've wondered off too far this time." The master held out one hand for Nooroo to rest on and used his other hand to gently pet the kwami.
"We brought a new friend, Master." Wayzz was the first to bring attention back to Marinette.
The elderly man turned to finally notice the new stranger on her property. All Marinette could do was wave at him nervously. "Ummm, h-hello?"
He gave her a look over, as if trying to determine if she was a threat or not. Sure, she was a little worse for wear, but Marinette didn't think she looked like someone to be cautious of. Then again looks could always be deceiving. Today's events had proven that. So, she waited patiently for the man to decide if she was welcome or not. Plus, there was still the matter of Lila's spell. What if her earlier assumption had been wrong, and this man would be affected just as deeply as the whole city? She held her breath, waiting for the master to respond to her presence. She felt more relaxed when he walked up to her and gave her a warm smile.
"It would seem you have been through quite an ordeal, young lady." he spoke so calmly to her, it reminded Marinette of warm tea and honey.
"You could say that." she agreed, feeling relieved that the man was greeting her.
"What is your name, my dear?" He asked politely.
"Marinette, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, sir. Your kwami friends led me here thinking you could perhaps help me." she said more nervous. What if she was asking too much of the old man? What if the kwami creatures were wrong about her involvement with this magic spell, and he couldn't help her?
"Hmmm, my name is Wang Fu." he smiled at her, then removed his hat, picked up a cane, and stepped away from the garden. "You must be tired after such a long journey. Why don't we step inside for some tea, and you can tell me all about it?" He walked toward the house before Marinette could accept or refuse his offer as if he was expecting her to follow him anyway.
Marinette was surprised by the sudden invitation of the elderly man, considering how she was treated so harshly just this morning. At first, she couldn't move because she was worried something else would go wrong and she would end up alone in the woods all over again. But after some encouragement from the flying beings, she followed Master Fu and walked through the front door.
The cottage was just as homey on the inside. It was all one large room with a bed to the left side, a small dining table with two chairs in the center, a kitchen area to the right, and a small cackling fire in the rear wall with a log lounge chair in front of it. Master Fu was putting the kettle on by the fire before taking some bread and cheese to the dining table.
"Come, sit." He called her over. Marinette obeyed and took a seat. "Please help yourself while I prepare some tea for us." He went over to the fire again, leaving Marinette to the bread and cheese.
She tried to be polite and not devour the whole thing right in front of her. She didn't even care that the bread was a little stale, it felt like the best food in the world once it hit her stomach. Having one need satisfied at last made her tears come back anew by the time Fu came back with her tea.
"Are you alright, my dear?" he placed a hand on her forearm to try and calm her.
"Ye- yes, I'm alright." she tried to get out between her sobs.
Master Fu finally took the seat next to hers and handed her the cup of tea. All the kwamis sat on the table together enjoying bits of the food. "Why don't you tell us how you came to be out in the woods all alone?"
Marinette tried to compose herself and explain what happened, but she didn't have the strength to explain. Plus, even if she did tell him the whole story, who's to say he would even believe her? What if her worst fears were realized, and Lila's spell made him believe that she didn't exist, that she wasn't engaged to the crown prince? That she was nobody?
Seeing her struggle, Tikki felt she owed it to the young woman for saving her life and spoke for her. "Master Fu, we sensed Gimmi's magic coming off of her, and she told us how a witch cast a spell on her that got her exiled from the kingdom of Papillon."
The elderly man looked surprised, but kept his composure and turned back to the girl. "Is that true?"
"Well, I think so, but I'm not positive it's this Gimmi person they were all talking about." Marinette tried to explain. "All I know is there was this woman named Lila Rossi that caused my life to be turned around and stolen. Now everyone I know and love doesn't remember me, or they think that Lila is the one that has my life. Even the man I love didn't recognize me." she wiped away her tears to keep herself from crumbling again.
"I am sorry that happened to you, Marinette. I know what it is like to have so much taken away from you in an instant. If it is within our power, I'm sure we can look for a way to help you." Master Fu expresses his sympathies.
"Yeah, Marinette, maybe you can finally help us get Gimmi back!" Tikki said hopefully.
"How would we do that?" Marinette asked, wondering what they could possibly do against a powerful person like Lila.
"Well..." Master Fu began but was interrupted by a terrible howling coming out of the woods.
"What was that?" Duusu asked trembling.
"A wolf?" Wayzz suggested.
"That didn't sound like any wolf I've ever heard." Master Fu replied before getting on his feet and taking a look out the opened door to see if he could find the source of the noise. Marinette followed him to see for herself as well.
At first, they don't see anything. Marinette looked to the east, and she didn't see anything odd within the trees. There was a breeze that rustled the branches and tall grass, but she didn't see any other movement. She heard no birds and waited for the howling to continue. Still there was nothing. Maybe the animal had moved on. She turned her attention to the west to be sure, and it was a little harder to see with the late afternoon sun in her eyes. She was able to see something there, however. Underneath the sun was another small light hiding within the grass. Marinette thought it could be a small fire and that she should warn the elderly man, but looking at the closer she could see it was no ordinary light. It had a bright purple hue to it, and it was moving out of the brush toward them. It appeared to have limbs and had more of a shape the closer it got.
"Master Fu, Look!" Marinette pointed to the strange animal that was snarling at the sight of them.
The man caught sight of the creature and was astonished. "What in the world...?"
The obscure shape became clearer when it was out in the open. It had the appearance of a large snarling wolf with dripping fangs and large paws digging into the earth. Why it was glowing and appeared smoke like, Marinette couldn't say, but she did recall where she saw such a look before. It's piercing blue eyes were looking in the direction of the cottage, growling at the two humans as if they were some sort of threat. The animal lifted its head for another earsplitting howl before making a charge for the two humans.
"Quick! Inside!" Master Fu yelled as they both made it through the door.
The kwamis had already flown in and watched Marinette bolt the door down. A large bang against the wood made her jump away several feet, but the door remained intact. The wolf didn't give up there, however. It continued to hit its front legs against while scratching and digging its claws trying to get in. So far, the door was holding strong.
"Don't worry, it cannot get in." Master Fu tried to reassure his little friends and the frightened young girl.
They all believed him until the wolf started digging at the bottom of the door. Marinette could see it's teeth and claws gnawing through the cracks. Then that strange smoke that seemed to seep off the animal was getting into the room. Her panic came back when that smoke started to turn into the shape of the wolf, meaning it was getting in somehow.
"What Kind Of Wolf Is That!?" Marinette took hold of a chair to get ready to defend herself if the animal had succeeded in getting inside.
"Master." Wayzz spoke up. "That creature looks a great deal like Gimmi's magic."
"I agree, Wayzz." Master Fu said more fascinated than scared.
"But something is strange. This creature seems to be made of pure magic, which shouldn't be possible."
"What does that mean!? What do we do!?" Marinette asked frantically.
"It means that if it is all magic, then there's no real tangible form. That's how it seems to be getting in." Master Fu answered as the strange smoke finished taking the form of the wolf's head.
When the wolf's head snapped its head at Marinette, she quickly dropped the chair and reached for the broom to smack it in the head. But rather than making contact, the broom fanned away the shape like fog being dispersed. Seeing that it was working, Marinette continued to swing the broom until the smoke was all gone. It seemed like they fought the strange animal off, but then they started hearing it scratch at the door and walls again.
This time Marinette could hear it coming from door and the windows next to it. Sure enough, the smokey animal was trying to get in every available opening. The window was shut, but the smoke was still sneaking in through the cracks. Marinette would fan the window away only for the wolf to try again with the door, and vice versa. Each time it's head would come close to forming, it would bite and snarl at the poor girl. Master Fu tried to help by waving a blanket at it to fan it away. The animal wouldn't snap at him as harshly and mostly focus on Marinette.
That's when it hit Tikki. "Marinette, I think it's after you!"
"Me!? What does it want with me!?" she cried out still swinging the broom.
"Since this is Gimmi's magic, and you got mixed up in it, the one casting the spells probably wants to get rid of you." Nooroo deduced.
"What are we going to do, then!?" Plagg yelled. "If this thing was meant to kill her, then it won't stop until succeeds."
"Or if it thinks it succeeds." Trixx said more to himself.
"Do you have a plan, Trixx?" Master Fu asked.
"I think so. Marinette, follow me and do exactly as I say!" the little fox flew over to the window on the opposite side of the house next to the bed.
"But what about the others? Master Fu?" Marinette finally stopped swinging at the broom to look at the kwami.
"We'll be fine. It's you the wolf wants." Tikki reassured her. "Go now!"
Marinette dropped the broom and hurried over to the orange kwami. "What do we do?"
"Open the window and climb up to the roof." Trixx ordered.
When there weren't any more obstacles in the wolf's way, it came through the cracks in full force. All the other kwamis tries to delay it by throwing what they could find around the cottage at it. When that had little to no effect, Master Fu picked up one of the chairs to keep the beast back, to which it took a large bite and broke the chair into splinters. It probably would have finished the old man off if it hadn't been for the girl he saw climbing up the window.
The wolf phased its way across the room and went out the same window to find Marinette reaching the roof of the house. It made it to the top easily and finally found its prey at the edge. Marinette was frozen in terror at the horrible monster before her, creeping and snarling up to her slowly. Any moment now it was going to pounce and sink its fangs into her. She should run or jump off the roof, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Closer and closer it got, and she had nowhere to go. The wolf snapped its fangs at her, which made her jerk back, and that had been her fatal mistake.
Her quick step back made her foot slip on the tiles, and caused her to fall backwards off the roof. There was a sudden scream, and then nothing. The wolf walked to the edge to find the girl lying flat on the ground. It hadn't been that great a fall and she would've been fine, but there had been a few large rocks by the house that she had landed on, one of them breaking her skull open. The magical creature could see the blood pooling around the girl, the life completely leaving her eyes. Its task was done. With a final howl, the wolf had dispersed into the wind, never to be seen again.
There was a silence, until the little fox kwami came out of his hiding spot to look around and make sure the magical animal was gone. "Okay, it's all clear, Marinette."
"Are you sure?" a voice came from seemingly nowhere.
"Positive." Trixx went down to the dead Marinette on the ground, and swished his tail to break the illusion. In a puff of orange smoke, the corpse disappeared, and the real Marinette was letting herself down after hanging on to the edge of the roof.
Marinette's heart was still racing after that ordeal. The wolf had been right in her face when it looked down from the roof, though it was only seeing the illusion. Trixx had told her not to move a muscle and keep absolutely quiet. She was so scared she was going to give herself away, and the wolf would bite her head off then and there. Luckily the trick had worked, and they were all safe now.
"Thank you for saving me, Trixx." she gave the little fox her gratitude. "How were you able to do that?"
"I told you, I am the Kwami of Illusions, Master of Deceptions." he said proudly as he groomed his fluffy tail. "Once I realized it was a magical creation meant to kill you, I knew it wouldn't go away until it thought you were dead."
"Marinette, Trixx, are you guys okay!?" Tikki came around in a panic, looking around for any sign of the wolf. When she heard the howl, she didn't know what to expect.
"We're fine." Trixx waved her off.
Tikki sighed in relief. "Good, why don't we all go back inside then?"
Marinette saw Master Fu at the front door again and felt bad that all this happened because of her. "I'm so sorry for causing you such trouble, sir."
"There's no need to apologize, my dear. Now, why don't we all go back inside, and you can tell us the whole story." he invited her back in.
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"Here we are, your royal highness, this tea will soothe your headache." The physician held out a steaming cup to the crown prince, who was reclined on the lounge in his chambers. Adrien had insisted that he didn't need to go to bed.
"Thank you, doctor." Adrien answered as he sipped the brew. It was bitter, but the aroma did make his head feel clearer.
"Will you require anything else, sire?" the doctor asked as he packed up his tools.
"No, thank you. I'll just relax for a bit, then I'll be good." the prince answered, taking another sip of the tea.
"Your royal highness." After a final bow, the man left the room, leaving Adrien to his thoughts.
His mind wandered to that girl he saw earlier, the one being arrested for thievery. He didn't think something like that would happen here in the palace. Not that he was blind to those less fortunate than others. There were plenty of people that had harsher lives in Papillon. Still, his father had taken several lengths to make sure things were treated fairly in his kingdom. He made arrangement for the leftover foods to be donated to the poor. Anything in the palace that was going to be replaced for something new, he would have them sold for cheap like furniture or clothes for the people to make into clothing or bedding. So, what could have made the girl so desperate to sneak into the palace and steal a dress? His heart ached for her for some reason. Maybe he should have tried harder to do something for her. He just hoped that his new fiancé would treat her with compassion.
His new fiancé. That thought made him squirm, and all the sudden he didn't want the rest of the bitter tea. He knew it was decided a long time ago, but he still couldn't get used to the thought of an arranged marriage to the Lady Delila de Rossi. It was so strange, last night he felt so happy to be near her. They had a pleasant evening dancing and talking, and spending time together with his friends. Then the next morning, it felt like something was wrong, like he was seeing a complete stranger. Technically, that was true, they had only truly met the night before, but now it's as if that sudden spark he felt with her was spent and any further connection with her felt unfortunate.
A knock came at the door to break his thoughts, and he allowed entrance to find his father coming into the room.
Adrien got up from the chair to give a quick bow and acknowledge the king. "Father."
"Son, are you feeling better?" Gabriel asked taking the seat across from him.
"Yes, father." he said right away as he sat back down. "I guess yesterday's festivities had caught up with me."
"It was quite memorable. And it was refreshing that everyone accepted your betrothal to the Lady Rossi." Gabriel hummed his approval, but he noticed that his son was not sharing his enthusiasm. "Is something wrong, son?"
"I don't know father." the prince sighed. "I know I was trained for this sort of thing, but it's as if all the sudden the thought of an arranged marriage is nauseating to me."
"I'm sure it can be overwhelming to every person that's experienced it. Even engaged to your mother, I felt like the ground was going to crumble beneath me." he smiled, and watched his son do the same. "But Mademoiselle Lila is a charming young woman, and will make a good queen one day. You just have to take some time to get to know her and build a good relationship. You won't have to marry right away, wait until you are both comfortable with each other."
"Yes, father." he obeyed, then had the one last thought he felt he should share. "I guess I always wished I would be marrying for love like you and mother did."
"You never know, that could end up being the reason you marry her."
Marrying Lila for love. Why did that sound so impossible to him? Was his heart really not in it to give her a chance? Should he tell his father this? Adrien cleared his throat before continuing.
"Father..."
"Your Majesty," one of the footmen interrupted. "Lady Delila de Rossi has returned and wishes to speak with you."
"Very well." Gabriel flicked his wrist, and the footman went to fetch the young lady.
Lila strolled into the room in a great confidence and curtsied to the two royals. "Your majesties."
"Lila," Adrien acknowledged her, then thought about the young girl she took away again. "How did it go?"
"Oh, very well. I took the unfortunate girl back to her family. The poor thing wanted to get some extra money to buy some medicine for her dying baby brother. I didn't have any coin on me, so I gave her one of my bracelets to sell for a doctor. Things should be better for them now." Lila dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief as if she had just finished crying.
"I see." Gabriel hummed in understanding.
"Why didn't she say anything before?" Adrien said concerned. Something about this didn't feel right. If the story was true, then why didn't the girl tell them as much? He would've listened, his father would've listened. And he didn't remember Lila wearing a bracelet earlier, was he just not paying enough attention?
"I think she was just desperate and confused, but it's nothing you need to worry about now, my prince." Lila reached over to put a hand on his shoulder.
Adrien got back up from his seat, mostly to get her hand away from him. "You're sure she's safe?" He had to be sure.
"You have my word." Lila held a hand over her heart and smiled at him. Why didn't this make him feel better?
Maybe he was just tired. He turned back to address the king. "If you'll excuse me, father, I think I'll turn in for the rest of the day."
"Of course, son. You get some rest, and we can continue with your work in the morning."
"Yes, father." He bowed, then turned the lady next to him. "Lila."
"Rest well, my prince." she held her hand out for him to take. He didn't want to, but it was the polite thing to do. He took her hand and gave it a light kiss before departing from the room, leaving the lady and the king alone.
Gabriel didn't stay longer, however, and got back up to go back to his office. "If you'll excuse me, Lady Rossi, I have some other works so complete."
"Of course, sire." she curtsied again.
"I must say I was impressed with your good judgement today. You showed good leadership and understanding with our people, something that will stand proud beside my son when he is king."
"Your majesty is most kind." she replied not looking up at him.
"Well, good afternoon, Lila." then he left the room.
"Good afternoon, your majesty." Now Lila was alone.
It was nice to know that she was in good graces with the king. Now it was just a matter of getting the prince into her clutches. She wondered how long it would take for Marinette to be dead. Once that happens, there was no telling how long the spell would continue, or if it would at all. If everyone does end up remembering her again, she would have to act fast and work another spell on the prince and king to make them believe she was the one he loves, and the little seamstress will be a fleeting memory. Anyone else's word was going to be meaningless against the royal family. She was going to relish in her victory. Maybe she'll even make the prince suffer a little by letting him know his precious Marinette was gone before working her spell on him. She laughed to herself at the thought of him crumbling at her feet.
A sudden flash of light caught her attention, and Lila looked down at her necklace. The gem was glowing to let her know the spell had stopped. She summoned Gimmi, and the little kwami looked very worn out for some reason.
"Well, Gimmi, has the little rabbit been caught by the wolf?" Lila asked.
"I don't know." was all the kwami said, really wanting to go sleep right now.
"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked annoyed. "The spell stopped, that means it's task was done."
"It might or might not be, I can't tell you." Gimmi grumbled.
Lila didn't like the attitude the kwami was giving her. "Gimmi, if you're trying to trick me..."
"I'm not tricking you, I'm just stretched out." now the kwami was annoyed. "You got me working this whole stupid memory thing, and then you made me make a wolf to hunt the girl down. I could only keep track of it at a certain distance. After that, the wolf was on its own. I don't know if it's still out there hunting Marinette, or if it killed her and just went away. My connection is gone."
"So, either Marinette is dead, or she's far away out of Papillon." Lila concluded.
"Yep."
"Well, Papillon would remember her if she were dead, correct? The prince would be running back in here as well."
"Maybe, I told you it was a hit or miss when I do stuff involving memory." Gimmi sighed, wishing they could go back to sleep.
Lila started pacing, thinking everything through. "On the one hand, it is a nuisance not knowing if I completely got rid of Marinette. On the other hand, she's probably far away from Papillon and will never come back. Either way, I'm still betrothed to the prince and there's nothing that little seamstress can do about it. One way or another, he will be all mine, whether he liked it or not."
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