The Wild Kwamis

by soliea0death

Miraculous Fairytale AU based on the fairytale, The Wild Swans. Marinette lives the life of a dream, until a witch steals it all away from her. Exiled, she befriends magical creatures and must break their curse before breaking her own and saving her true love. Adrienette, then changes into Ladrien. Rated for mild language, violence, and implied sexual content. Full Summary inside.

14. Chapter 14 Wanted: Ladybug

AN: Hello Everyone! I am so so so so so sorry for the long wait. I got a little stuck with this chapter. But I'm back now, and I hope everyone still enjoys my story.

Chapter 14: WANTED: LADYBUG

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Lila had tolerated many different things in her longer than average life. She tolerated when that one general didn't fall for her charms because he cared more about the thrill of war than women. She had to admit the bloodlust was rather intoxicating, but he should've looked only to her when he lost. Then she tolerated it when those privileged upstarts in that one kingdom, whatever it was called, wouldn't let her marry into the royal family because of her lack of blood ties. Well, thanks to her there were no heirs at all after that and the family fell into ruin. All those lovely times so many people regretted crossing her had paid dearly for it, and the world only breeds more fools. Now, it seemed like the Crown Prince of Papillon had the audacity to think that he will be able to order her around, that he could punish her. Lila wasn't going to get angry about it, however. Let the fool think he's in control of his kingdom.

The Lady Rossi nearly dragged Viscount Roth down the hall after they were given leave from the prince. She couldn't wipe the sly smile off her face at the notion of the prince thinking he had taught them a lesson. This was all working just as she wanted.

"What are we going to do now?" Roth said, irritated that he would no longer be filling his pockets with the tax money.

"Why, we are going to do just as the crown prince ordered, of course." Lila answered as they stopped in the middle of the hallway. No one was around, so they could speak freely. "I'm thinking a nice little donation to the poor. We look for a few beggars in the street, and then we move on to the businesses that fell behind with the taxes. It shouldn't be too hard to earn their love once more. We can even have the sheriff participate, really show them that he was in the wrong but still doing his job."

"So now instead of making us rich, you're just going to throw it all way and make the filthy peasants have all the fortune!?" Roth said with his arms crossed.

"Essentially, yes." Lila smiled sweetly at the angry man. "This was never about becoming more wealthy, it was about earning the peoples' favor. They have to want me to marry the prince, so the royal family can never go against it. And what better way to make a worthy king than to have the people distrust the current one? Sure, everyone knows it was you and the sheriff, but it will be easy to start of few rumors saying this was all Gabriel's doing in the first place."

"Meaning you get what you want, and I will end up with nothing." he starred down at the smaller woman. He didn't care how much magic she had. No one was going to mess with his fortune. "I could just tell them what you're planning. Surely they will offer a handsome reward for exposing a witch."

"There's no need for that, viscount." Lila sighed, his threats were as pointless as a circle. "I can still make you a wealthy man while still giving you the appearance of a generous one."

"How?"

Lila didn't answer right away, but reach for his hand and took off one of the expensive gold rings on his finger. He tried to yell at her to give it back, but instead watched as she used her locket to make some sort of magic appear. The swirling, smokey magic covered the ring for a moment and then disappeared. Roth wasn't sure what exactly happened since the ring didn't look any different.

She handed the ring back to the viscount, then walked over to one of the hall tables to pick up a porcelain vase and bring it back to him. "Touch the ring onto this vase." She ordered.

"What for?" He asked as he put the ring back on his finger.

"Just do it." She said more firmly now.

Getting the feeling that he shouldn't make her wait any longer, Roth did as he was told. He held his hand with the ring up and tapped the top of it to the vase. He watched the vase for a moment expecting something to happen. So far it seemed like a simple vase with a floral pattern, until he noticed that one of the painted flowers had changed to gold. Then the gold on the flower spread out to another flower, and then another. Suddenly the empty spaces between the painted flowers were bleeding into gold until it covered the whole vase. Lila's hand had dropped a bit needing to adjust to the heavier weight. He tapped on the ring against the vase again out of curiosity, and heard the sound of metal on metal rather than porcelain. The vase had turned into solid gold.

"There, now you won't have to worry about ever losing your fortune, and make yourself richer than any king alive." Lila said as she put the vase back on the table.

"I can turn anything I want into gold with the ring?" Roth asked astonished.

"Well, anything non-living. We wouldn't want to have any accidents with someone spotting an inexplicable golden statue of a servant appearing out of nowhere." She joked.

The viscount could already see the possibilities forming in his head. "I could use up all my coin and then make my riches all over again from scratch. I'll have everything I could ever want. I could by all the grain in the palace storage and turn it into a flecks of gold. All the silverware in my home, solid gold. All the furniture, Solid Gold! Even my clothes..." He stopped for a second to touch the ring to his clothes. Immediately the fabric became heavy and lined with a sparkling yellow. "Gold... Gold!... GOLD!"

"Indeed." Lila said letting the man have his moment, but there was still work to be done. "Now, what do you say you get rid of some of your worthless coins and give them to all the peasants? Gather up what you can, and we can leave for the town within the hour."

"Ha Ha, You're right! What do I need with that useless stuff. Let the peasants have it all!" With that, Viscount Roth was off to do Lady Rossi's bidding.

"The fool." she said to herself.

She walked along the halls thinking she had some time to kill before she graced her subjects with her presence. Just picturing their hopeful faces as she hands out coins to their filthy little hands made her sigh in satisfaction at their combined foolishness. This whole kingdom was filled with thoughtless pawns. The king, the prince, the dukes, the barons, the viscount, and even the sheriff, all of them nice little workers that will pave her way for greatness. Lila also couldn't wait for the day where she will run it all to the ground. She made her way back to the prince's office, and spotted some of the doctor's she knew, the ones that were suppose to be curing the king. She allowed herself to feel a smidge of sympathy for them since there was nothing for them to cure. It's too bad they can't be executed for their failure. This did remind her that she had to pay a visit to the king once more, give him another dose of poison.

Lila continued to walk down the hall when she noticed Nino, Alya, and Nathalie all leaving together. They looked like they were going to the front. She smiled at the thought that the prince was alone now, which gave her a good chance with him once more. That spoiled little brat had been very stubborn about refusing her advances. Maybe since he was still mad at her, she could get him to take some of that anger out on her and he could realize the feelings he refuses to acknowledge. It was about time he accepted their betrothal, plus she liked it rough.

She walked back into the office without knocking, and found the prince piling up the papers for the day, meaning he was finished working. Excellent, now she could steal some time with him before he moved on to his private time like fencing or other useless activities.

Adrien turned around when he heard her come in, disappointed that it wasn't one of his friends. "Lila, I thought you went into town."

"Viscount Roth is preparing some money to hand out to the public. I'm just waiting for him to summon me, and we can leave." Lila answered as she strolled up to meet him halfway.

"I see." he said shortly, not looking her in the eye.

Lila could see his resilience and put on a face of sad defeat. "I can't stand the thought of you hating me, my prince." She leaned her body against his and stroked his cheek.

Adrien took a deep breath and tried to will some of his anger down. "I don't hate you, Lila." He tried to sound honest, but the words leaving his mouth felt like a lie.

"I promise, I won't ever do something to displease you again." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He didn't kiss her back, but that was alright. Let him have a taste now and then until he's the one that begs for more.

"I appreciate that." Adrien replied. He made no move to embrace her back, but he didn't pull away from her either. He figured he had been a little on the cruel side, and perhaps it was time he gave her more of a chance. It still didn't stop him from being uncomfortable around her.

Thinking she tempted him enough, Lila rested her head on his shoulder and asked. "Where did your friends and the advisor run off to? I saw them head for the front."

"I asked them to go out and look for some herbs and medicines to help my father." He answered sadly, still feeling the frustration that the doctor's couldn't give him an answer to the king's condition.

"Oh, what a wonderful idea!" Lila gently cheered. "I'm sure there's something in the shops that will be very useful."

"I hope so. We're hoping to at least get him to eat something, and maybe his body will fight the infection naturally." Adrien rubbed his neck to try and get some of the stress out.

"His Majesty is strong, I'm sure he will get through this." Lila tried to put her hands up to rub his shoulders, but he walked away from her again. This boy really was playing it hard, much to her annoyance. She decided not to press it any further, and instead appealed to his responsibility to the kingdom. "In the meantime, you and I will do what we can in his stead."

"I will do whatever I can as the future king." Adrien promised, purposely leaving Lady Rossi out of the equation.

Lila could almost laugh at him. She very much wanted to say that he won't be the future king for very long, but she wanted to save that for when her real victory day arrives. "I shall take my leave then to assist you, your royal highness. See you this evening." Then she strolled away to find the viscount.

She returned a few hours later with a successful run around town. With the help of her magic, she was able to put on a convincing performance. First, a little food for the beggars with her very regretful face that she didn't have enough for all of them. Next there was a little promise to the orphanage that she will look into finding wonderful families for all of the sweet children. And then for the final touch, some of the spare coins in her purse for the different shops. Lila accepted the praise and the foot kissing, watching the insignificant insects bend to her will. Then when she felt the she graced them enough with her presence, she returned to the palace. Viscount Roth ran off to have more fun with his new magic ring. He had bought several different trinkets from different shops to turn them into gold later. She could tell he was already thinking about buying other items to turn into gold.

The prince wasn't there to greet her, but knowing that softhearted weakling, he was visiting his sickly father. She decided to head that direction. If he was there, he would be very sad after seeing the king's sorry state. Therefore, she should be beside him to take his mind off of such sad events. Along the way, Lila sees that some servants were bring trays with silver covers, no doubt trying to bring some food to the king. It won't do any good. The king may be fine for a time until she gives him some more poison, and his bout of sickness will start all over again.

She let the servants enter the room first, and heard them address the prince. So he was in there.

"Your royal highness, we've brought the soup and tea." One of the maid spoke. Lila entered the room quietly and watched Adrien meet the servants while the advisor was looking over the king.

"Thank you." Adrien took one of the lids off and picked up a bowl of green soup. He carefully walked over to the bed where the king was barely conscious. "Father, you have to try and eat this."

Gabriel didn't acknowledge him right away, but he opened his eyes to try and see what was in front on him. It took a second to focus before he finally realized it was his son holding a spoon in front of him. He didn't have the strength to argue, so the king opened his mouth and allowed Adrien to feed him slowly. The king wasn't familiar with the soup, but it had a nice taste, so he kept urging for another spoonful. Adrien would stop in between bites to give his father some of the nettle tea as well, and then go back to the soup. So far, he seemed to be keeping it down well enough, but they wouldn't know for sure until another hour passes.

Lila observes all of this and smirks at the hopeful look on the prince's face. She wondered how crestfallen he was going to look when she makes the king sick again. Would he cry on her shoulder? Would he take his anger out on the physicians? That would be most amusing. She decided to let him feel like this was a victory for now and left the room before he could notice her. But before she went to her room, she made another little insect with her magic. It had the appearance of a millipede and she let it crawl from her finger to the vent that led to the kings room. The insect would slip in later and give him another dose of poison, making it easy for her to make an alibi by being far away from the king. Maybe eventually one of the servants will be accused of poisoning the king. She could have a little fun with that by letting the king get better while they were arrested to prove the suspicions correct. Lila giggled at the schemes running through her head. It should be illegal to have this much fun.

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With one final knit and tie off to the thread, Marinette set her knitting needles down and looked down at her work. At last the first cloak was complete. She stood up to look at the rough fabric in it's full glory. It had taken nearly a month in total, but she finally did it. She carefully listened to the kwamis instructions so she would get the size right, and it had taken several trips back into town to collect more stalks. Luckily, her own little crops were ready for harvest now, so she had plenty more to begin the next cloak. She shook it out a bit to lay it on the floor and show it to her friends.

"You did it, Marinette! It looks wonderful!" Tikki praised her from the earrings. Marinette rubbed her earlobe to let her out and join the others as they inspected the cloak.

"It looks itchy." Pollen said frowning at the material.

"Maybe for a while, but it'll be worth it." Trixx replied.

"Yep, at this rate, we should have all the cloaks finished in a matter of months." Wayzz calculated. "With two harvest areas available to us now, our curse will be lifted in record time."

The turtle's words made Marinette wonder about something. She had actually been thinking about this for a while now when she was near the final stages. She waved her hands at the kwamis to get their attention so she could try to make out what she wanted to ask them.

"What is it, pigtails?" Plagg asked first.

She started by waving a hand over the cloak on the floor. Then she pointed to a random kwami in front of her, Duusu, and then pointed back to the cloak. Finally, she brought her fists together side by side to mime breaking something in half, pointed to Duusu again, and then pointed to the floor in front of her to try and say the words 'here and now.'

"You wanna break Duusu in half?" Plagg asked tilting his head.

"WHAT!?" The peacock kwami cried in a panic.

Marinette quickly waved her hands and shook her head saying that's not what she meant at all. She tried again by gesturing to the cloak, rubbing her hands and moving them like she was picking pulling something apart.

"You... wanna pluck all his feathers!" Plagg pointed to the seamstress' hands like that was the only answer to her mime.

She quickly shook her head again while spotting Duusu trembling before her, his big eyes filling with tears. Marinette tried one more time with the cloak and moved her hands up and down to say the word lift. She didn't know how to mime curse, so she tried to make it look like she was setting something free into the air and waved her hands some more.

"Oh, I know, I know." Trixx raised his hand, and Marinette felt relief thinking the fox understood her message. "You want to cook Duusu into a pie! And his tasty smell will spread all around the house!"

"AAAHHHHHH!" Duusu screamed and flew away to hide behind the spice jars.

Marinette just slapped a hand to her forehead. She looked to other kwamis for help and was then dumbfounded by what she saw. Nooroo and Pollen were holding their mouths shut and snickering away while Wayzz just shook his head with a knowing smile on his face. She looked to Tikki doing the same thing and then went back to Plagg and Trixx. The black cat and fox couldn't hold it in anymore and busted out laughing at their little prank. They had been messing with her. She would've probably thought this was funny as well if she wasn't still hearing Duusu crying on the shelf. Did the peacock not realize it was a joke? If that was the case, Plagg and Trixx needed to apologize. She reached over and flicked both kwamis on their ears to make them stop laughing.

"Ow, come on pigtails, it was just a joke." Plagg said rubbing his abused hear.

Marinette didn't let them win and pointed to the spice jars firmly telling them they had to fix things with Duusu.

"That was a little mean, Plagg." Tikki said agreeing with her holder, though she was still holding back her own laughter.

"Oh, alright." Plagg sighed. "Duusu, no one is going to eat you!"

"Are you sure?" Duusu peaked out from behind the jar.

"Positive, we were just making fun of Marinette." Trixx answered.

"I- it was a joke? You really don't want to cook me into a pie?" the peacock kwami came out of hiding the rest of the way.

"Of course not, you know Marinette would never do something like that." Tikki said reassuring the kwami.

Marinette did her part by holding her hands up for Duusu to come to her. He took a seat in her palm timidly, and she brought him up to give him a kiss on the cheek and nuzzle the little bird. She then found the kwami giggling to himself.

"I guess it was pretty funny." He said. Marinette smiled that the peacock was back to normal and let him fly off to join the rest of his friends.

"Now then, what were you trying to tell us, Marinette?" Tikki asked going back to serious. Marinette tried one more time with her original mime of lifting the spell with the one cloak right now. "Your wondering if you can free us one by one?"

Marinette dropped her hands in relief that someone finally said the right question. However, Tikki didn't look like she would give her the answer she wanted.

"Unfortunately, no. We were all cursed with the same spell at the same time, so it would have to be when we are all wearing a cloak to fully break it." Tikki explained.

"Plus, there's the matter of Sugarcube." Plagg said, all humor leaving his voice. Marinette didn't understand what he meant by that, and urged him to continue. "Since Tikki is bound to the earrings, she can't use her own cloak until that contract is complete. The only way to free her is if you speak out loud, 'Tikki, I release you from this promised bond.' But, of course, you can't do that while keeping your vow of silence while making the cloaks."

It was easy to see the dilemma they put themselves into. It also explained why the kwamis were so nervous about Tikki making the bond in the first place. It raised the question of what would happen to the kwami if anything ever happened to the seasmstress? Would Tikki be forever bound to the earrings, or would someone else have to wear them and release the ladybug kwami? Marinette felt some extra pressure on herself if she didn't complete the cloaks. Then her dear little friend would be trapped worse than she already was.

"Don't worry about it, Marinette." Tikki spoke softly seeing some of the panic crossing the young woman's face. "I was fully aware of the risks when I made the bond, and I know your going to finish the cloaks and set me completely free afterwards."

Marinette smiled at the kwami and brought her close to nuzzle her. Then Tikki flew away to get closer to the first cloak again.

"There is something we can do right now with this cloak." She said as she looked at all her friends.

"Hey, yeah! If we all use some of the cloak for a bit, maybe we'll get some of our powers back." Trixx said excited.

Marinette liked the sound of that, too. She knew how much they all hated how they having to wait to have enough energy to use their abilities.

"What about you, sugarcube? You can't do anything like this." Plagg pointed to the magical chain connecting her to the earrings.

"I'll be fine, Plagg. What I'm using my power for right now is more important." Tikki rubbed her nose against his, making the little black cat fluster.

"O-okay. Come on guys, let's see what this cloak can do." Plagg urged all the others to join him.

Each kwami rested on the rough nettle material and rubbed their bodies against it for a quick minute. Marinette wasn't sure what to expect, but she couldn't see anything happening so far. They all looked like a group of kittens massaging their backs against a rug. Then it looked like all of them were changing from their usual forms. Some like Nooroo and Pollen stayed the same size, but the other's bodies expanded and changed into completely different shapes. She watched as Plagg stretched his body out to become longer, from his nose to his limbs and all the way down to the tip of his tail. Finally, the end result showing him looking like a regular black cat. Marinette looked to others and saw they all changed into real animals. They all looked at one another in astonishment.

"It Worked! It Worked!" Every new animal cheered.

Plagg hopped onto the kitchen table to address the little red kwami. "Look, Sugarcube, we can do one of our disguises again!"

"That's great, Plagg, but how long do you think it will last?" Tikki asked cautiously before celebrating with the others.

"Long enough to go with Marinette on her trips and have fun in the town." Trixx said as he brushed against Marinette's legs.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Trixx." Nooroo said in his new large moth form. He and Pollen looked like very large insects, much larger than the seamstress had ever seen. Pollen having the form of a giant bumblebee was actually making her nervous, even though she knew the kwami meant no harm.

"Why wouldn't it be a good idea?" Pollen asked.

"People deem a fox as a dangerous wild animal. They would not want it wandering around the city." Nooroo pointed out.

"That's true, Trixx." Tikki agreed. "You and Duusu might end up being hunted for your fur and feathers. The only ones that would really be safe are Plagg, Nooroo, Pollen, and I guess Wayzz, but he would have to let Marinette hold him the whole time or keep him on the horse."

"Awwww, that's not fair." Duusu whined a little bit, his large plume of feathers drooping down to match his mood. Marinette did feel bad for them, but the other kwamis made a good point. She could name off a few ladies that would love to get their hands on some peacock feathers to add decorations to their dresses or hair ornaments. They also came at a very high price for making quills.

"Hey, at least we're not stuck in those tiny forms anymore, and you guys can still go around the woods with Marinette." The black cat pointed out, then gained a wicked looking grin on his face. "I can't wait to cause some mischief in the town..."

Marinette could see the wheels turning in the creature's head, and waved a finger at him to not even think about it.

"Plagg, don't go making things harder for Marinette than they already are." Tikki scolded her friend.

"Well, I can't do any worse than that stupid sheriff has already done. It's no wonder the people are turning to a simple girl in a ladybug cloak and call her a hero." Plagg commented thinking about the past month.

Marinette couldn't stop her eyes from rolling at the black cat's statement. It was true that several of her trips into town had become more than burdensome. Every time she showed up to get some more supplies and nettles from the field, someone would stop her and tried to speak with her. When she went back to the apothecary to sell more leaves, Mylene shared how the king seemed to be feeling better and that she told some people about her selfless act. Of course, she didn't tell anyone that it was the king she was healing, but that story added to the one where she saved a girl from a runaway horse. The seamstress didn't mind the attention and figured it would die down eventually, but then Sheriff Adolphe had to be his usual cowardly self and forced her to take action.

There had been a fire in an old magistrate office. One of the elderly officials had gotten careless with a lit oil lamp and the fire had spread to all the papers pretty quickly. Most of the people had gotten out, but there was a young apprentice trapped on the second floor. Rather than doing something about it, Sheriff Adolphe had declared that there was no helping the poor boy, and that he would not risk the safety of others. Hearing the whole thing, Marinette had climbed up the side of another building without a second thought and used a rope to swing into an open window that was filled with smoke. Luckily, Tikki's magic that spread onto her clothes protected her from the flames and she got the boy out the same way she came. All the townsfolk cheered and called her a hero, and she politely accepted their gratitude. She noticed afterwards that everyone did their best to not socialize with the sheriff after that. Some merchants tried to give her their items for free, but she would only accept a discounted trade. While she was glad to help, she did worry about the attention she was getting from this. What if this got back to Lila and she wanted to meet this Ladybug hero?

"You okay, Marinette?" Nooroo asked, obviously sensing her distress.

The seamstress shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at the giant butterly fluttering around her.

"Are you thinking about your prince again?" Pollen asked as she reverted back to her original kwami form. Adrien hadn't been on her mind at the moment, but she nodded yes to the question anyway.

"Hey, how about we sneak up to the palace the next time we go into town?" Plagg suggested. "We can see how his royal highness is doing and report back to you."

Marinette hadn't thought about that before, and thought that sounded like a very good idea. It would certainly ease her mind to know that her dear Adrien was okay despite having Lila around him. Plus, they might also be able to see if the king was actually doing better with the help of the nettle leaves. She looked to the black cat and nodded yes repeatedly to give him permission.

"That is a good idea, but Plagg, you will have to be sure that Lila never sees you." Wayzz warned as he changed back. All the other kwamis joined the turtle in changing back save for the black cat.

"Don't worry, Wayzz, with this form I'll be invisible." Plagg puffed out his chest proudly, but for some reason Marinette didn't feel convinced.

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Things were not going as according to plan as Lila would've liked, and she could not understand it. Instead of getting worse, the king seemed to be recovering. She had been giving him the same amount of poison, and it was Gimmi's magic, so how was he getting better? Gabriel even made it out of bed this morning and immediately went back to his kingly duties, despite his son's wishes that he rest more. The king insisted that he was fine, but he welcomed any help his son could provide with the state papers. Father and son had left the lady shocked and confused. This shouldn't be possible, nothing can overcome Gimmi's magic, and the king's body certainly wasn't strong enough to develop an immunity. She could try giving him a different poison, but that might bring suspicion upon her. She needed to find out what was healing him right now and take that away.

Lila made her way over to the advisor's office. Hopefully, Nathalie will feel like sharing the secret behind the king's successful recovery.

"Good morning, Nathalie." she greeted.

Nathalie got up from her seat and made a quick bow to the younger woman. "Lady Rossi, may I help you with anything?"

"Oh, no, I'm alright. I was just on my way back from seeing the king. He seems to be doing much better now." Lila took a seat and let the advisor follow.

"Yes, it's a relief that his majesty is gaining his health back. I was starting to worry greatly for him and the prince." Nathalie allowed herself to relax. "We owe a great deal to that apothecary shop."

"Oh, did you find a special medicine that healed him." Lila asked playing intrigue when on the inside she was writhing. She fought against the impulse to force the information out of the woman, knowing she had to play it calmly.

"Yes, you know that woman the townsfolk have been talking about, the one they called Ladybug?"

Lila did know. That woman has been stealing the attention she had been trying to built for herself, and it was really starting to be a thorn in her side. "Yes, I heard she had done some very heroic acts for the citizens."

"Well, she sold some nettle leaves to the apothecary and offered it to me to give to the king. We've been making the leaves into teas and broths, and that's what's been helping him keep food down. Now it seems like he made it through the illness on his own as we hoped." the advisor explained.

"Incredible." Lila gasped. "Do you have any more of the leaves? I would love to keep some in stock for the future."

Nathalie got up from her seat again and walked over to the tea set she kept in case she ever had guests in her office. She picked one of the metal tins and returned to her desk to hand it to Lila. "This is one of the last stocks we have in the palace. I was planning on going into town to retrieve some more from the apothecary. We felt it would be best to keep making it for the king until the illness completely left him, or on the off chance someone else contracted it."

"That's a wonderful idea." Lila said as she looked into the tin. It looked like just a regular bundle of dried leaf bits, the same as any other tea flavor. "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't I go to the apothecary and pick up some more leaves. I'm sure you have a lot of work to do right now, so I'll be happy to help."

The advisor didn't see the harm in it, so she agreed. "I would greatly appreciate it, Lady Rossi. Thank you. The owner of the shop is named Mylene Bruel, and it's northeast of the city."

"Excellent. I'll head out to town right now." Lila got up and left the office without giving the advisor another thought.

She made a quick dash to her chambers and dumped the contents of the tea tin onto a table before summoning her little kwami servant.

"Gimmi, what is this stuff!?" she yelled at the creature.

Gimmi didn't answer her right away. After taking a minute to look at smell at the remains of the plant, the kwami was able to reach the proper conclusion. "This is graveyard nettle."

"What's that?" Lila asked impatiently.

"It's a natural remedy that counteracts magic. That must be why the king wasn't getting worse with the poison." Gimmi answered disinterested.

This made Lila panic a little bit. "The advisor said she got it from this Ladybug person. Does that mean Ladybug knows about my plans?"

"I doubt it." Gimmi sighed. "Graveyard nettle has the same properities as the regular nettle plant if you take away the magic repellent part. They probably just thought it would be a good idea to help the king get better."

"So does that mean the king will be completely cured with this stuff?" She pointed to the crushed leaves.

"No, the damage has already been done. If he keeps taking the tea, it will only help him from getting worse, meaning you can't keep poisoning him until there's none left."

"And I already told the advisor that I would get some more. I can't just get rid of it at the source, that would cause suspicion." Lila said pacing. "This is all that Ladybug woman's fault. She starting coming into the city and stealing the attention of the people that was meant for me as the prince's betrothed. The prince would've been turning to me for support with his father's failing health, but instead he has hope again."

"Ummm, sure." Gimmi tried to sound interested.

"Something is going to have to be done about this Ladybug." Lila gathered Gimmi back to her locket and got ready to go out into town like she planned to.

The Lady Rossi tried to get the viscount or the sheriff to accompany her, but neither were interested. Roth was too busy turning the numerous silverware he bought into gold, and Sheriff Adolphe pointed out that she should not be involved unless it was to arrest someone. Lila hated to admit it, but the man had a point. Thanks to Ladybug, once again, his relationship with the town had become more fragile than it already was. Eventually, she settled on taking her old servant Dupont with her. The man that was once an animal settle quite well in the stables. No one paid much attention to him, and he blended in as part of the staff. The only thing she tasked him to was taking are of her once-human horse, Francois.

She made quick work of getting the nettles from the apothecary. Luckily, the tiny woman was gullible enough to believe that she was sent here by the king's advisor. Lila took the entire stock and made the blind promise that she would come back with the right amount to pay her back. She decided that she would let the king have this leaves and let himself think he was cured. At one point she'll switch out the leaves with regular tea leaves and start poisoning him again to make it appear like they were no longer helping. Maybe she would even make it seem like they were making him worse and the apothecary and Ladybug would get arrested for treason. That would put the sheriff to use then.

Lila felt giddy at her own cleverness that she barely noticed when she entered the tailor shop that here was more than just her worthless apprentice in the building. Alya was there talking to Socqueline. None of them acknowledged her as she entered the room, which had been enough to anger her. But then she was absolutely livid when she realized the subject of their conversation.

"Really, she swung into the burning building?" Socqueline asked in wonderment at her friend's tale.

"Yes, it was amazing!" Alya cheered. "You should've seen the way she climbed onto the building, and then swung right into the window on a rope. We weren't sure if Ladybug was going to make it out of their alive, but then she got back out with the boy in her arms. It was the greatest thing I had ever seen!"

"What did she say afterwards?"

"Well, nothing really." Alya's enthusiasm lessened at that. "I tried to ask her some questions, but she left almost as fast as she showed up. Ladybug doesn't seem to be the type that wants to stop and chat."

"Oh, that's too bad." Socqueline got a little sad, but then cheered herself up at a thought. "I hope one day I can meet her. She sounds like a true hero."

"She more than a hero! Ladybug is wonderful! She's... Miraculous! She can do anything!" Alya praised the mystery woman that, in truth, she hadn't actually gotten to meet in person herself, but she didn't care.

"Oh my, Alya." Lila said concerned while trying to keep her eye from twitching. All this talk of Ladybug was getting on her last nerves, and she knew just what to do take it out on them. "You shouldn't be giving such false hope to a criminal."

"Huh, what are you talking about, Lila? What criminal?" Alya looked around like there was supposed to be someone else in the room. But before the lady walked in with her servant, it had just her and Socqueline.

"I'm talking about the little thief standing right in front of you." Lila pointed to the apprentice.

"What!?" Socqueline gasped. "But... But Lady Rossi I haven't stolen anything! I swear on my life."

"And I fear that's what it will come down to." Lila let herself look disappointed. "For the last few months I had been wondering what it was that was keeping me from having as many customers as we used to have. Then I find that we've been very low on supplies, orders that were not completed. I trusted your word that you were going to take care of it, but instead you were stealing from me in order to create your own business."

"That's ridiculous! I would never do something like that!" Socqueline denied.

"Lila, maybe this is some sort of misunderstanding." Alya tried to step in and reason with her.

"Oh, Alya, I know that you two are friends, but this is just a matter of justice, and there's nothing you can do." Lila shot her down right away and then turned to her servant. "Dupont, would you please fetch the sheriff. I have an arrest for him to make."

Dupont left without being told twice, leaving all three women alone. Alya tried a few more times to talk some sense into Lila, but she wouldn't listen.

"I know that Ladybug wouldn't stand for this." Alya stated proudly.

"Ladybug." Lila nearly spat at the name. "A strange woman that appears and disappears just to help random strangers. It sounds like you are too lost in your own fairy tales to see reality, my friend."

"It's not a fantasy. Ladybug is real, and it's because of her that the people are inspired to do the right thing. She does the right thing for the right things sake, and it's because of her that the king's doing better."

"How convenient." Lila said disinterested in the woman's little speech.

"It's true, and I'm going to prove it." Alya said as she made her way to the door.

"And where are you going?"

"To the king and prince. I'm going to tell them all about this." Alya said angrily to Lila. She was starting to question why she even tried being friends with this woman other than her being betrothed to the prince.

"Good luck getting them to believe you." Lila said, not worried in the slightest. Alya didn't say another word as she slammed the door behind her. "What a fool."

"She's right, Lila." she heard a voice behind her.

Lila was a little surprised that Socqueline dared to talk back to her again. "What did you say?"

"I worked in your shop because I believed in you. You worked your way up from almost nothing and you gained the respect of the royal family. But lately you've been nothing like how I remember. You've been lying to me the whole time and let your dream fall to pieces, leaving me to clean it up all by myself. Now you want to throw it all away and blame me for it's failure. Worse than that is that your framing me for something I didn't do! What happened to you?" Socqueline asked with tears in her eyes.

Lila couldn't say that she wasn't the same woman she was thinking of. Her spell had replaced her with the real shop owner, but that didn't give this little nobody the right to talk to her like that. "Foolish little girl. What makes you think anything you say matters to me? And what does it matter to you what I do to this stupid little store? None of it will matter once I become queen. And so what if I'm framing you? Nothing you say or do will make a difference."

"Your wrong, the only way for evil to succeed is when we do nothing." Socqueline held herself proudly. "Call me a thief if you want, but I know my friends will believe me, the prince included."

Lila could only smile at the poor girl's blind faith. "We'll see about that."

.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This was a bad idea. This was a very, very bad idea. The words kept repeating in Marinette's mind as she saw the black cat that she knew to be the kwami of destruction climb up the building she stood next to. Why did she ever agree to this? The seamstress had eventually caved in allowing Plagg to wander around the city in his new disguise. He promised that he would stay low and not attract attention. He sold it by saying he would go and check on Adrien for her. While she was weary of the idea, she did want to know if he was still safe for the time being and that the king was getting better thanks to her nettle leaves. As long as Lila didn't see him, there was a chance that this could all work out, but that thought did nothing to settle the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Then there was the other butterfly that was flying around her head with the giant bumblebee.

"Don't worry, Marinette." a small voice from the butterfly spoke to her. "Despite his brash behavior, Plagg is very good at being stealthy."

"Nooroo's right." She heard another voice from her earrings. It did make Marinette feel a little better if Plagg got approval from Tikki.

"What do you want to do first, my queen?" Pollen asked buzzing near a stall filled with flowers.

"You guys can follow us around the city for right now, but don't stay too close and by careful." Tikki instructed.

"We will." Nooroo agreed, and the group made their way through the town.

Marinette didn't have any leaves to sell to the apothecary right now, but she was pretty sure there was already enough that should last the king for a while. So, she settled for gathering some supplies for the house. There was some sugar and flour, and she finally saved enough to get some vanilla to make her pastries extra tasty. All the kwamis will be so excited with she showed them the fruit tarts she planned to make for dessert. Pollen and Nooroo played the part of being regular insects by landing on some flowers or open pieces of fruit left on a table. She kept a close eye on them so a stray cat wouldn't pounce them, or on the off chance someone would try to take a swipe at them. They were smart by not staying in one place for too long. She still thought this was a bad idea, but as long as she kept calm, they could all make it through the day.

The town seemed to be happy to see her once they realized that Ladybug was back amongst the people. Several kids came running up to Ladybug as she was shopping for some cotton linens she needed to make some extra clothes. This extra money she actually earned from stopping a thief from trying to steal from a meat market, and she caught him before the sheriff showed up. It was amazing how much Tikki's influence had made her stronger and more durable than she used to be. She was rewarded with some coin and the meat of her choosing. At first she wanted to deny it, that she was only here to help. The butcher insisted, and she couldn't argue with him, Ladybug accepted some steaks that she made into a pie for her and the kwamis later that evening. Apparently this story had reached the ears of the children, and they all stared in awe at the brave, heroic Ladybug. Ladybug could only appeal to their praise, and sent them on their way with a small piece of candy for each of them with her last few pennies.

"You're a very caring person, Marinette." Tikki whispered, proud of the woman that was her holder.

Marinette felt herself blush, she was just glad that she could do some good despite losing her true place among the kingdom. She watched the bee and butterfly wander around for a bit more, and her mind went back to Plagg. She hoped he was doing alright. He promised to meet them later at the field after dark when she got more nettles. Knowing that little gremlin, he's probably going to try and sneak into the royal cheese cellar. She giggled at the thought of that as she made her way to her parents' bakery. She thought it would be nice to treat herself to a couple of macarons.

When the bakery was in view, she noticed that there was some other commotion going on next door. It was her old tailor shop, and it looked like Lila was standing outside the door with the sheriff and another man she didn't recognize. She could see the sheriff holding someone down while Lila just stood there and watched. What was she up to now? Tom and Sabine exited their shop to ask that very question.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to close down my shop." Lila answered the concerned people passing by. "This woman has been stealing and has caused an unrepairable reputation with my customers. I can't in good conscience continue."

"That's not true! Let me go!" Socqueline struggled against the sheriff.

Marinette felt her body freeze at this information. She had mentally prepared herself for her shop closing down. She knew Lila couldn't care less about it, and that she would have to work hard to build it back up once she broke the spell. But to blame everything on her sweet assistant and friend, that was a whole new act of cruelty. Socqueline never did anything to anyone, she didn't deserve this.

"Lady Rossi, there must be some mistake. Socqueline would never do something like this." Sabine said the very words Marinette wanted to say herself.

"I know this is difficult to accept, but the state of my business should be evidence enough of her crimes." Lila pointed to the poor state of the building.

It was true that the display windows were empty, and the inside looked very low in supplies and products. Still, the windows were clean and she didn't see any dust. Socqueline must have done whatever she could to keep it tidy despite the empty shelves and mannequins.

"That's not my fault! You should've taken better care of your business! I'm just the assistant!" Socqueline shouted as she struggled to free herself from the sheriff's grasp.

"Oh my, it seems I was right to terminate you the first time." Lila held a hand to her chest as if she was struggling with the facts. "I had thought it best to let you go before, but you had begged me to stay. Then upon giving you another chance, you would dare put the blame on your employer. How thoughtless and selfish can one person be?"

How indeed? Marinette thought to herself. She couldn't take another moment of this and squirmed her way through the small crowd to get in front of the sheriff and push him away from her fried.

"Wha- What is the meaning of this!?" Sheriff Adolphe cried out as he straightened himself up from the sudden encounter.

The woman didn't answer him, but stood proudly as she urged Socqueline to stand behind her. The assistant didn't know what happened at first, but then she saw the red and black spotted cape on her saviors back.

"Ladybug?" she stared in awe at the newcomer. Ladybug turned to her for a second and smiled at her, then went back to frowning at the sheriff.

"You again! I've had just about enough of your meddling!" Sheriff Adolphe was nearly foaming at the mouth at the sight of the strange woman that was making him look bad.

"Hey, you leave Ladybug alone!" A voice in the crowd started yelling.

"Yeah, Ladybug is a Hero!" Another voice said.

"If Ladybug is here, than that girl is innocent!"

"Yeah, Ladybug always helps the good ones!"

"Ladybug! Ladybug! Ladybug!" Now the crowd was cheering.

Ladybug felt proud of the people for standing up for her, and the sheriff looked at a complete loss at what to do. But then she looked to Lila, and saw that the sorceress did not look troubled in the slightest. Ladybug suddenly felt a spike of fear. This was the first time she had shown herself in front of Lila with her magical disguise. Did she recognize her? Was she going to have them both arrested despite the people's encouragement? So far, it just looked like Lila was observing them with a calculated look on her face. What was she going to do? The man next to her wasn't doing anything, he seemed like he was just waiting for orders.

Lila looked back to the crowd that was still chanting this so called hero's name. So, this was the Miraculous Ladybug. So much more plain looking than Lila had expected. Still, she was able to gain the attention of the people and making things more difficult for her. Luckily, she decided to show her face here and that presented a good opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Lila stepped forward and addressed the crowd. "Please, everyone, settle yourselves and let us talk this out." She waved her hands, and the volume of the voice slowly crawled to murmurs. "Very good. Now then, Ladybug I would like you to hand over Ms. Socqueline please."

Ladybug didn't answer and kept the young girl against her back.

Lila didn't expect her to comply right away. "I appreciate your bravery, but this is a matter of justice. The girl has stolen from me."

"It's a lie!" Socqueline cried over Ladybug's shoulder. "I would never steal anything from anyone. My father is a good Lord of Papillon, and my uncle is a lawyer. They always taught me to do the right thing. Just ask them and they'll tell you."

"That seems like a very good idea." Lila smiled brightly at them, which only made a dark feeling chill down Ladybug's spine. "Why don't all go to your lord father right now? I'm sure he will be able to help us sort all of this out."

"Really?" Socqueline was surprised that Lila was listening to her now, but if this was her chance to clear herself than she was not going to waste it. She tried to step closer, but Ladybug kept her in place firmly.

Lila saw this, too, and guessed she needed to convince this so called hero a bit further. "I promise nothing will happen to either of you. We just want to do what's right for everyone in Papillon. Sheriff Adolphe, Dupont, will you please help these young ladies so we can take them to the respective lord?"

The sheriff and the man named Dupont tried to reach for the two women again, but Ladybug and Socqueline took a step back every time they got closer. Ladybug couldn't let them have her. She knew Lila. That whole thing about going to see Socqueline's father was obviously a lie. This is exactly what happened with Marinette when they took her out of the city to murder her. They said they would take them somewhere safe, but once they were out of the sights of any witnesses, they will get rid of her and Socqueline. Ladybug had to get her away from these people. If she got them to her father or uncle, they can protect her, she won't be arrested. Having her mind made up, she grabbed Socqueline's hand and they both made a run for it.

"After them!"

Ladybug heard the sheriff's voice behind them, but they didn't stop. She quickly looked behind her to see the sheriff and Dupont chasing them. This was good, at least they didn't get on their horses, giving the two girls a chance to lose them in the streets. Socqueline ent along with it when Ladybug led her this way and that through the streets. No one got in their way, but they also didn't stop the sheriff, which Ladybug could understand. She didn't want anyone else to get into trouble.

At one point, they made it down an ally that broke apart into more ally ways. Ladybug knew the area and where it would meet up again. She also knew that Socqueline knew the streets as much as she did. The two men were a good distance away from her now, to she let go of Socqueline's hand and made the mime for them to split up and meet again at the end.

The girl seemed understand. "You want to split up?"

Ladybug nodded yes.

"Alright, there's a small print shop where the path leads up again. We can meet back there." Socqueline instructed and Ladybug nodded yes again.

When they came to another fork, both women went in the opposite directions. Ladybug didn't stop running, and she didn't look back to see if one or both men followed her. Hopefully they were confused somewhere earlier than that and actually took a wrong turn. She didn't hear any footsteps behind her, but that didn't mean they weren't still there. She kept going around the block and slowed down at one point to carefully look behind corners to make sure the two men weren't in sight. She still didn't hear or see anything, so perhaps she lost them.

When it seemed safe, she quickly ran to the print shop her friend suggested. The area was quiet, and people were just walking along the sidewalk minding their own business. Some noticed her, but they didn't pay her any mind and continued on. Ladybug didn't see Socqueline anywhere near the print shop. Did that mean the men caught her? She thought for sure they would focus on following Ladybug because she stood out more, but what if they still found the young girl and went after her instead?

"Psst, Ladybug!" she heard a voice whisper her name.

She turned and found Socqueline hiding behind a corner of the building. Ladybug quickly went to the back with her feeling relieved that she evaded the men. She grabbed hold of Socqueline's shoulders to keep her still and look her over for any injuries.

"I'm alright, Ladybug, they never caught up to me." Socqueline said sensing the hero's concern. "We lost the Sheriff a long time ago, but that other guy is a pretty good runner."

Ladybug had to agree. They might still find them out here. She started looking around to think of an idea. She took a quick look out to the streets to get a better idea of where they were specifically. If she remembered correctly, Socqueline's lawyer uncle had an office the other side of this block. She turned her attention to the back of the print shop. There were several crates against a low wall that they could easily climb over. If they make it pass there, then Socqueline could make it the rest of the way to her uncle. Ladybug got her attention and mimed that they needed to climb.

"You want to climb over that wall there?" Socqueline asked and received a nod from her hero. It suddenly hit the young former assistant that her savior had never spoken a word. "Are you a mute?"

Again, Ladybug nodded yes. It was better to let everyone think that rather than try to tell them that she was choosing independently not to speak.

This knowledge only seemed to fascinate Socqueline further. "Wow! So, even though you can't speak, you're still able to do all of these amazing things and help people. You really are a hero!"

Ladybug felt a little blush at her praise and just shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, I can't wait to tell my friend Alya all about this! She's going to be so jealous!" Socqueline practically squealed with delight.

Ladybug had to calm her down at that point so they wouldn't be found, and led her back to the wall so they could start climbing.

"Halt!" A voice came up to them, and both women turned around.

It was that man named Dupont. He had found them. Neither girl saw the sheriff behind him, so perhaps Dupont found them on his own.

"You have to come with me." Dupont tried to reach for them, but the look on his face told Ladybug that he didn't want to do this.

"Sir, please. I never stole anything, and Ladybug was just trying to help me." Socqueline pleaded to the man.

"I know, but I have no choice." his shoulders sagged in defeat.

"You know that Lila is lying. She's just using everyone. I don't know what made her like this, but it's not right."

"I know it's not. I can tell that it's not right. But you don't know what she's like, what horrible things she is able to do..." Dupont was trembling now.

That made Ladybug stop and think. Did this mean that Dupont knew about Lila using magic? Was there a spell on him, too? She got her answer with a little voice whispering in her ear.

"Marinette, I can sense Gimmi's magic off this man." Tikki said as quietly as possible.

Now Ladybug felt nothing but sympathy for him. He was in the same boat as her. She stepped forward and took Dupont's hand. She couldn't say words to him, but she hoped that the sad look she gave him offered the comfort she wished to convey. He doesn't have to do this. He's not alone. He can still do the right thing.

Dupont looked at the young woman before him, and felt that same gentle nature he felt to the other humans that took care of him. The ones that made him feel safe, that made him proud when they rode on his back, that fed him tasty carrots and put a blanket over his body when it was cold. He missed the times when he was a stallion, and this girl made him remember those times. And Lila had taken all that away. He didn't want that scary woman to take anything away from these girls as well.

He let go of Ladybug's hand and urged them both to the wall. "Get out of here, both of you."

"Oh, thank you, sir." Socqueline didn't need to be told twice, and started climbing onto the crates to reach the top.

Ladybug watched as her friend made it up and over, no doubt she can make it the rest of the way to her uncle's. She looked back to the kind man to give him a silent thanks before she started climbing up herself. She must have made it about halfway before another voice was heard behind the both of them.

"Hold it right there, Ladybug! Stop her Man!" Sheriff Adolphe tried to order Dupont, but the man wouldn't let him pass. "What do you think your doing!?"

"Go Now!" Dupont shouted to Ladybug before shoving the sheriff away.

He didn't know how to fight in this form, so he tried to do what he would have done as an animal; using his front limbs to push the opponent away until they were knocked down and then step on them. Sheriff Adolphe had a bit more skill in that area, and kept his footing enough to draw his sword. Dupont was aware of these dangerous object and tried to dodge it as the sheriff swung the sword all around him.

Ladybug continued to climb even while she was hearing the fight continue behind her. When she swung a leg over the other side, she heard a terrible cry coming from one of the men, one that sounded more animal that human, and it sounded like agony. She looked to see what had happened, and then had to hold a hand to her mouth to keep from screaming. There she could see Sheriff Adolphe's sword thrusted through Dupont's chest. The men slumped forward and fell to the ground dead. The sheriff had killed an unarmed man just for helping her. The sheriff wiped the blood off his blade with the poor man clothes, and turned his attention back to her.

When his eyes set on her again, Ladybug jumped the rest of the way off the wall. Socqueline had been waiting for her, so she had to urge her friend to run once more. She gestured for her to go now while she went a different direction.

"Okay, Ladybug, I can make it the rest of the way to my uncle's. Thank you so much for saving me." Socqueline gave her a quick hug, then obeyed her hero when she kept insisting that she run.

Ladybug went off in a completely different direction. She didn't hear the sheriff following her over the edge, so she guessed he had enough problems to deal with after kill that poor man. Things were getting too dangerous. She had to get somewhere and hide until it got dark and the sheriff would retire for the evening. Then she would get some more nettles in the field and meet back with the missing kwamis. Hopefully they knew to stay low and meet with her when they were supposed to.

.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lila made it back to the palace feeling so proud of herself. Not only did she not have to worry about that worthless tailor shop that everyone kept encouraging her to take care of, she also managed to take care of that meddlesome Ladybug. Ladybug had practically done all the work for her when she ran. Some of the people were confused about this since Lila had offered to take Socqueline to her father. Then all Lila had to say was that maybe neither of the girls were as innocent as we all believe. That stirred things up beautifully among the crowd. Soon the word will spread that Ladybug was really a criminal, and all the attention will come back to her and her betrothal with the prince.

"Lila!" Ah, speak of the devil, she thought smirking. Prince Adrien came marching up to her with a very determined look on his face. Perhaps he's finally seeing what a capable ruler she will be.

"Good afternoon, my prince. Did you miss me?" she gave him an adoring smile. It wasn't until he was three feet away from her that she realized that he looked very angry about something.

"Lila, what have you done!?" Adrien demanded looking down on her.

"Whatever is the matter, your highness?" she played it off confused. She would find out what the problem was first, and then scold him for daring to raise his voice at her.

"I was told by Alya that you were planning to arrest your assistant, Socqueline! Is this true!?" he asked crossing his arms.

"Oh, is that what all the fuss was about?" she had been so focused on getting rid of Ladybug, that the other girl escaped her mind, along with the fact that Alya had run up to the palace earlier. She put on a face of regret and disappointment. "I'm afraid it is true. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but there was no other option. I will be closing down the shop as well."

"Lila, I don't understand." Adrien rubbed his temple to numb the headache he could already feel coming on.

"What's there to understand? It was just a stupid little shop that I have no use for anymore."

Her words confused the prince. He didn't expect her to care so little about something he was sure meant a great deal to her before. "But it was your business..."

"You forget, prince, it was my relative's business." Lila had to choose her words carefully, less she slips up and causes her memory spell to backfire. "It's not like I ever wanted it. I only came to it a few time to check on the income. And quite frankly, that worthless apprentice is the one that let it all go to ruin."

Now Adrien found himself getting angry again. "I thought Socqueline was your friend. How can you treat her like that!?"

Lila was getting bored with the conversation. Why were they even talking about that girl? "Hmph, she was a thief and didn't deserve to be in my presence."

"I'm beginning to wonder if anybody does." Adrien said under his breath. He normally did his best to keep everything in, but this woman has run him dry of his patience. He couldn't take it anymore. "I've had it. I can't do this anymore."

"What's that suppose to mean!?" Lila looked at him sternly. He better not be doing what she thinks he's going to do.

"It means that I can't accept you, Lila. Not your actions, nor your behavior, nor can I accept a future with you. You've dismissed half the staff in the palace, accused Lord knows how many people of being thieves, and don't think I'm not aware of the little stunts you've been pulling to win the courts favor. You are not the person I would want as a wife, much less a queen."

Lila could have ended things so quickly. One snap of her fingers and she would turn the prince into a salt statue. She could set the whole kingdom ablaze and get a full view from the highest peak, watching all the people in Papillon squirm like little insects. But no, this arrogant little brat of a prince deserved to suffer more. And what better way to make him suffer than to make him realize that there is nothing he can do?

"Well, my dear prince, it's too bad that it's not up to you." She smiled, not even bothering with the sweet act anymore. She would prefer it if he hated her now all the way up to their wedding night. "We are betrothed, and I don't need you to love me to be queen. Your father believes I will be a good queen and that's all that matters. Plus, with his health waning, the people will need hope, will they not?"

"He's recovering." Adrien pointed out, but that didn't seem to stop her.

"But for how long? At his age, there's bound to be something else that will go wrong, something that simple teas won't be able to fix. Someday soon, one way or another, you and I will be bound together as man and wife and rule Papillon side by side."

"We'll see about that." with that, Adrien storms off.

Though she is irritated at the prince talking back to her, she knows that things are still secure with the king. She had spent the last few weeks whispering in his ear about how much she cares for the prince and will do anything to be a proper wife to him. Adrien going to his father now will just look like a spoiled boy not wanting to grow up. And on the off chance the king does listen to his son, she will simply have to speed things along and cause some sort of accident. In the meantime, she will have to replace those grave nettle leaves with regular nettles. She could make him suffer a little bit by making him sick and then healing him to make it look like she's the one healing him. Hmmm, to kill the king or not to kill the king? That is the question. To twist the prince's heart slowly, to shatter it with one blow. The possibilities are endless.

"Lady Rossi! Lady Rossi!" the shrill of a panicked voice came through the door.

"What is it this time?" Lila muttered under her breath. As if she didn't have enough aggravating things to deal with already, now the sheriff has returned with some bad news no doubt.

"Lady Rossi!" Sheriff Adolphe stopped in front of her and took a moment to compose himself.

"Out with it, sheriff, I don't have time for any more of your nonsense." Lila said with arms. "That Ladybug girl better be in custody, or preferably dead."

"I'm afraid it is neither, miss." he replied nervously. "Ladybug and Socqueline escaped, and it was all because that traitorous servant of yours!"

"Dupont?" Lila arched an eyebrow. This was certainly surprising. She never expected that man to do anything that would go against her, being the frightened animal he was on the inside. "Where is he now?"

"I tried to arrest him instead, but he fought against me. I had no choice but to defend myself and kill him." the sheriff spoke quickly to get his side of the story across.

"You killed him?!" Now she was surprised by this weak little man.

"It wasn't my fault! You should be more careful about who you have in your employment..." he replied thinking she was going to start casting spells on him if she got angry enough.

But instead, she went on asking, "Tell me, sheriff, did anyone else see you do this?"

He didn't like the devious look that spread across her face, but he still answered her. "I believe only Ladybug saw me before she escaped. If she goes and tells someone else in the town, this could get back to the king. I'll be ruined!"

"Not necessarily. This is a good thing. I know just what we need to do to get that Ladybug out of our hair, and everything back on track." Lila said as she worked her magic locket to make everything she was going to need.

.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Marinette spent most of the night twisting the nettle into threads out of frustration. She didn't even realize how long she had made it without knitting. She must have done as least three yarn balls worth before the kwamis finally told her she should take a break. Even though she listened to them and went on to do something else, it didn't do much to stop her anxiety. After she got Socqueline to a safe place where she could make it back to her family, Marinette laid low until after dark so she could at least get some of the nettle stalks before carefully sneak out of the city once more. She didn't know what to expect now that she got on the bad side of Lila and Sheriff Adolphe as Ladybug now. Who knows what they were going to tell people. Would she be viewed as an enemy to the kingdom once more? Will she have to come up with another disguise? And what about the kwamis she left behind? That question worried her the most.

She waited as long as she could in the field to give Plagg, Pollen, and Nooroo a chance to meet up with her again. But it got to a point where she couldn't wait anymore, and she had to leave with what she could carry. Tikki tried to reassure her that they know the way to get home. Marinette didn't doubt that, but what if something happened to them along the way. What if a random bird ate the insect kwamis? What if Plagg got chased by a stray dog? What if any of them were hurt or trapped, and she couldn't to anything to help them?

"Marinette, I think you stoked the fire long enough." Wayzz broke her out of her thoughts again.

She looked back and realized she had broken down the remaining burning logs to a large pile of red hot coal. She added a few more dry pieces and got up to leave it alone. Now she was just pacing around the room trying to look for something else to do. Maybe she should go back to twisting nettle thread.

"Don't worry so much." Trixx said. "Plagg and the others know how to take care of themselves."

"He's right, and they know the way back to the cottage." Tikki added trying to cheer her up. "Pollen was the one that helped Master Fu to establish the path through the marsh, after all."

Marinette nodded trying to convince herself they were right. The kwamis were smart, they can find their way back home. All she had to do was wait. She can do that. In the meantime, she should make something for them to eat with they get back. No doubt their going to be hungry. She just had to wait.

She kept thinking the same thing over and over again in her mind even when all the other kwamis turned in for the night. The seamstress was too anxious at this point to keep working on the cloaks. Right now she was laying on her bed looking up at the ceiling. She was wide away listening for any small sound that would indicate the missing kwamis had returned. There was a rustle of wind here, some bugs chirping there. An owl hooting into the night, and a lone wolf howling at the moon. These things normally put her right to sleep, but not tonight.

She looked over to the kwamis sleeping by the fire, and wondered how they could be so calm about all of this. Maybe it was because most of it was her guilt at causing problems in Papillon again. This time it was an innocent man that got killed. Sure, he was working for Lila, but it wasn't his fault that she was evil, and the sheriff was such a pathetic little man. She owed that poor man, Dupont she thinks was his name, her life and she would never be able to pay it back. Marinette turned to her side and hugged her pillow to try and keep from crying. It was probably another hour before she finally decided to let her brain shut down and get some sleep.

Then with what felt like a second later, she realized it was already morning and she didn't feel rested in the slightest. She wondered if the kwamis would let her just go back to sleep for a while. Their voices could be heard in the room. They were trying to be quiet and get food for themselves, so maybe she could get away with some extra shut eye. She almost succeeded until she realized who some of the specific voices belonged to.

"Do you think we should wake her up." That was Wayzz.

"We should, she needs to know." said the slightly raspy voice that Marinette knew belonged to a little black cat.

"I agree." she heard several more voices saying at the same time.

The seamstress shot herself from bed and looked around the cabin to find six of the kwamis enjoying themselves at the table. Tikki was near them, but couldn't separate completely from the earrings. Still, all seven of them were together right now. Why didn't they wake her up!? She wrestled with her blankets to get out of the bed and somehow managed to not fall on her face before stumbling over to the table. She picked up Nooroo, being the first one she saw, and looked him over to see if he was alright.

"Good morning, Marinette. Did you sleep well?" Nooroo asked nonchalantly.

She could only give him a panicked look that clearly said, 'Are you kidding me!?'

"I'm sorry if we worried you, my queen." Pollen spoke next. "We had to stay behind to see what was happening in the town after your encounter with the sheriff."

"Plus, we had to wait for Plagg to show up. The stupid glutton took a cat nap in the cheese cellar." Nooroo grunted.

"I did not fall asleep in the cheese cellar." Plagg protested. "I fell asleep in the prince's lap after he found me. What was I supposed to do?"

What? Plagg was with Adrien? Marinette let go of the butterfly to get a hold of the black cat. She gave him an intense look, making Plagg know that she wanted to know everything.

"It was pretty great." Plagg snickered. "I saw him arguing with Lila for a while, I think he was going to talk with the king about getting rid of her. After that I went to the kitchen to look for some tasty cheese. There I was, just enjoying myself to this fabulous wheel of camembert that someone had forgotten about in the back to the pantry. It was ripened to a gooey, stinky perfection. I only gave it the greatest respect by just sniffing it at first. I couldn't stop there. Every bit was so runny and delicious..."

"Plagg!" Tikki broke the cat out of his daydream. "The prince, remember, tell us what happened with him."

"Oh, right." he said was his wiped the drool from his lips. "The prince came down to the kitchen all huffing and upset, and everyone else left to give him some space. I wasn't sure what happened and first, but when the coast was clear I showed myself in my animal form, and it seemed to cheer him up. He fed me the rest of the camembert and talked about his father was still making him marry Lila. I don't think they're marrying right away, but he definitely hates that witch. Did I mention that I like him?"

"It's nice to know that your Prince Charming is still loyal to you, my queen, even if he doesn't really know it." Pollen complemented. It was a great relief that Adrien was still alright. This made her think that maybe Plagg could keep going back to the palace as a sort of spy to let her know how much time they really have for her to finish the cloaks.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about." Trixx said in reference to her panicked state the night before. "Hey, maybe Plagg can lead the prince into town and you two can meet secretly."

"Oh, that would be a good idea." Duusu agreed. "You can do what you've been wanting to do and give a warning to the prince about Lila."

"He has to know how much of a liar she is by now, so I'm sure Adrien will listen." Tikki said, making it sound like a good idea more and more as they thought about it.

That is, until Nooroo spoke again. "That's not going to work, guys."

"Huh, why not?" Everyone but Marinette asked.

Before answering, Nooroo flew over to the door and picked up a piece of paper he left on the floor. The kwamis saw him come inside with it, but then he dropped it and went straight to sleep from having such a long day that they didn't think it was important.

"Oh, I forgot." Pollen said remembering what that piece of paper represented.

"What is it?" Tikki asked as the butterfly kwami handed the folded paper to Marinette.

"See for yourself." was all Nooroo said.

Marinette unfolded the paper and had to turn it around to read it correctly, then she wished she never saw it. Around the paper in large bold letters were the words:

WANTED:

LADYBUG

Dead or Alive

For Crimes of High Treason to the Crown,

by order of His Majesty, King Gabriel.

REWARD

A wanted poster for Ladybug!? How? It had only been a day, how were they able to make these so fast? Was this only the sheriff's doing, or was Lila involved as well? Marinette loss the feeling in her legs and quickly sat down in the nearest chair. She left the wanted flyer on the table and let the kwamis read it for themselves.

"I don't understand, why would there be a warrant out for Ladybug?" Trixx asked.

"I though everyone looked at her like a hero." said Duusu.

"They did, but she went against the sheriff again, and this time someone got hurt." Tikki explained. "She was trying to help one of her old friends, and this other man helped them escaped. I don't know who he was, but he had Gimmi's magic coming off of him, so he must have known what kind of danger they would be in if Lila got a hold of us."

"What happened to him?" Plagg asked, which made Marinette's eyes swell with tears at the memory.

"The sheriff killed him." Tikki answered sadly.

"The sheriff must have named Ladybug's actions as obstruction, which is more than enough reason to issue a warrant." said Wayzz.

"So, what does this mean for us now?" Duusu asked. Marinette wiped her eyes thinking the same thing. What did this mean for her now that her Ladybug disguise was dangerous?

"It means that she can't go back into town for any reason." Tikki spoke firmly.

"What!?" a few kwamis said at once, then they all had different questions.

"What about when we have to go back in for supplies? What about the grave nettles? Marinette will have to get some more if she wants to finish the cloaks. What about the king? What if he still needs the nettle leaves? What about the prince? Marinette will never get the chance to see him now? What will we do when we run out of things like soap? Straw and seeds for the animals? Sugar and Flour? My Cheese!?"

"Everybody QUIET!" Tikki screamed, and all the kwamis quickly shut their traps. On reflex, Marinette had closed her mouth as well, even though she hadn't been saying anything. When they were all quiet and looking at the red kwami, she continued.

"Now, of course this is going to set us back quite a bit. Marinette can't risk going back into town anymore, so that means we won't have the usual harvest for the grave nettles. But the one that we have here is large enough for us to make another batch once we gather the seeds. It make take a little longer but she can still make the cloaks."

Everyone nodded in agreement at the kwamis point, and listened again when she talked some more.

"We have everything we need right here to take care of ourselves and the animals, we're just going to have to work a bit harder because we no longer have the luxury to getting them in the town. Marinette can gather grass and seeds for the animals. There's plenty of things to eat out in the woods, and I'm sure she can hunt and fish for any protein she'll need. Right, Marinette?"

Marinette nodded yes. She had fished before, but hunting was going to be a learning experience. She was sure the kwamis would be able to give her some pointers. She could also look for some special things like mushrooms, berries and even honey. That would satisfy the kwamis with a sweet tooth. All the harvesting she would have to do with the grave nettles would leave plenty for them to eat. Then there were the sheep. There would have to be times that they would slaughter one of them now and then to keep track of the breeding, and that would give them meat. It would leave them with sheep's milk and she could still make cheese from that.

Tikki had eventually named off everything she was thinking of, proving that Marinette and the kwamis were going to be just fine out here by themselves.

"What about the king and the prince?" Pollen asked. "Aren't they still going to be in danger without the nettle leaves?"

"They were already in danger, Pollen." Tikki pointed out. "The leaves was just a way for us to silently fight back. The apothecary still has some, so that will give us some time. As for the prince, I'm not sure how it will be if we can't sneak in to check."

"I could still go." Plagg volunteered.

"Are you crazy? It's too dangerous for you to be close to Lila by yourself, Plagg." Wayzz said, put off that Plagg offered the idea.

"I won't be there the whole time." Plagg sighed. "I'm just going to stop by now and again. Think of me as a familiar to the prince. Plus, I can keep tabs on everything going on around here. Maybe if we wait long enough, the warrant will go away, and Marinette can go back into town."

"Plagg, you're not just volunteering to get some more camembert, are you?" Nooroo accused.

The black cat gasped at the question. "Honestly, why must you all think so low of me? I'm merely thinking of ways to help our friend."

"I don't doubt that Plagg, but you have to understand what is at stake here." Tikki said steadily. "You would have to stay in your animal form and only let the prince see you. If anyone discovers what you are and reports back to Lila, it could be all over for us."

"I understand, Sugarcube. Believe me, I don't want to be in that witch's clutches any more than you do." Plagg said just as firmly. "I'll only go over there once in a while to see how the prince is doing, and then report back to you. I'm sure pigtails will be glad for it as well."

Marinette would be most grateful for the black cat's assistance. She was worried about not seeing Adrien again, she had missed him wholeheartedly already. Now she wasn't even going to be able to see anyone as Ladybug this time. She wondered if her heart was going to have the strength to continue if he married Lila before she finished the cloaks. Even though Plagg told her how the prince looked so miserable right now, she knew that wasn't going to be enough to stop that woman. She wished there was another way she could help her dear prince. Right now, Plagg's offer to visit seemed to be the only way she could help. She thought that maybe they could take it a step further and asked the other kwamis to look around the town once in a while to see how her family was doing as well. She would like to know of any other problems Lila might cause, whether it was with the sheriff or someone else on her side.

Making up her mind, Marinette got dressed and had some breakfast before getting ready for the day. She gives instructions to the kwamis, mostly Plagg, that he would be allowed to go to the castle one day out of every other week. He should only show himself when the prince was alone, or if he was with one of his friends. Luckily, she explained who their friends were before she took her vow. Plagg understood and promised to follow her requests, and looked forward to the cheese the prince would share with him like last time. His efforts had to be rewarded somehow after all.

Marinette just smiled at the little gremlin, then got busy with the morning chores. She sooner she got those done, the sooner she could continue with the nettle cloaks. There can be no more delays, she has to break the kwamis curse and stop Lila before it was too late. All of Papillon was counting on her success.

.~*~*~*~*~*~

An: That's another chapter finished. Like I said, I got a little stuck because I was trying to close several things up here. Reasons for that is because the next chapter is going to involve a time skip. What will everyone's lives be like after all this? Please leave a review if you like, tell me what you think. Again, so sorry for the long wait. Til next time. ;);)