Chapter Two: Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York

Adrien was starting to believe he would never leave these council meetings. At least twice a day, the council of nobles would convene to discuss topics of interest and inquiries to the crown prince Gabriel. Gabriel Agreste sat at the head of the table. He sat very upright and regal. As a nobleman was presenting something to him, he looked over to Adrien. The golden-haired boy gulped and sat up. Adrien remembered a time when his father wasn't as cruel. When his mother was still alive, the prince spent copious time with his parents. Sunny picnics and games of hide-and-seek grazed his mind. He treasured those memories not just because they were the last remnants of his mother, but because it was a time when he felt most alive. Besides Chat Noir, Adrien—a well behaved prince—had always felt he lived in solitude and despondency. The crowned prince, Gabriel, built walls around him and in doing so, damned his only son into isolation. But Adrien believed there was goodness still in Gabriel.

The meeting continued until midday, and the council droned on and on. As his eyes stayed glued to his paperwork, Adrien's mind drifted off. The only thing that could possibly pass the time would be to daydream about a certain red caped warrior. The prince sighed. He remembered back to a time when he first saw her remove her hood after a particularly long night's work. She had been sweating profusely, so she removed her hood to relieve some steam. Adrien noticed how her long, dark hair cascaded below her shoulders. Her bangs clung to her wet forehead. Through the forest rooftop, a beam of moonlight shone like a spotlight onto Ladybug, casting a slim shadow. She rarely allowed for Chat Noir to see her so vulnerably. She still wore her mask; Ladybug always chose to be extremely cautious when it came to their identities. Given the chance, he would lay down his life for her. For she possessed the purest heart he had ever been touched by. Adrien often wondered what it would be like to sweep her off her feet. To charm her with his humor and give her whatever she desired.

Although he knew how ridiculous it was to care for someone so much without knowing their other half, he couldn't help his undying love for the hooded girl. She was so strong-willed. Just like any other Parisian, she despised the sovereignty of his father. The crown prince's brother, King Henry, left years ago to manage the unholy wars in the Balkans. King Henry was a just and fair ruler. But when he departed, he left his brother and only heir to rule France. The class system had such a wide gap, yet the Kingdom is anything but deficient of funds. War is expensive, but the finances have been mostly funded by the Brits. Adrien's father had been insistent on raising taxes in the name of King Henry and the unholy wars. Adrien's Uncle Henry would never do something so dishonorable. When the blonde prince discovered what was happening, he begged his father to stop, but the crown prince would not tolerate his disobedient son. Instead, Gabriel locked his son in the cells for a week as punishment. Adrien knew that it was unlikely that he would ever become King of France, but he knew that from those cold nights in the jail made Adrien realize that he would have to help the people another way. He just had to be more subtle.

When Adrien finally begged for forgiveness from his father, he understood what he had to do. It was his duty. In the late nights of winter when most of Paris was starved, he would steal away to give supplies and money to the houses nearest the castle. This continued for months until one rainy night; he stumbled upon a red hooded girl leaping from roof to roof. She was dazzling. Although the rain made it hard to see, the prince was breathless at the sight of her. In that instant, he knew their fate were forever connected. Adrien could see that she was just like him.

"My Lord," a voice said, but it fell on deaf ears. "Prince Adrien," the servant said a bit sharper which startled the prince from his trance.

"Oh, Butler Jean."

Jean had been the most loyal servant in all of Castle Paris. He had been around long before Adrien was born. Even though he seemed impartial to anything, Adrien knew how much he cared for the royal family. He especially had been fond of his mother. They were almost like brother and sister. Adrien thought that maybe he still stuck around in tribute to the late Emilie Agreste.

"Monsieur, the council has dispersed," Jean said with little interest.

Looking around, Adrien realized he was alone in the meeting room. Everyone had left already.

"Your father rides to Sceaux tonight to finalize a deal with a merchant guild. He says that you must complete Friday's paperwork by Wednesday."

Adrien nodded a thank-you to Jean, and the butler promptly left him in the room alone. There was no natural light in the meeting room, so the noblemen sat in dim lighting with candle chandeliers and a fireplace. The prince moved to touch the wall. The gray stone walls were hard and dry. Adrien rested his forehead on the cool stone. He wished he could live up to the expectations that his father set for him; time again and again Adrien tried his best, but it never was enough for the bitter heir.

Slow paced heels clacked down the hall, and the chamber doors creaked open.

"Adrikens, my love?"

The golden boy straighten himself from leaning against the wall, and his muscles subconsciously tensed. Adrien sniffed. A potent fragrance filled the room like how the clouds flood the sky on a stormy day. Granted that Adrien tried his best not to gag, his green eyes welled up. "Yes, Lady Chloe?" he choked.

"Why are you crying? Are you okay? Mon amour, you know you can tell me anything," Adrien's fiancé pleaded.

"It's nothing," he said hastily.

Chloe pouted her glossy lips and crossed her arms. "Come on, Adrikens," she whined as she batted her eyelashes.

Adrien tried to hide his annoyance. Although Chloe had always been a persistent friend, she always knew which buttons she could press that drove Adrien mad. What she thought might be endearing actually was disdainful. Chat Noir might be untamed and loose, but prince Adrien was well mannered and austere. So, Adrien avoided sounding condescending.

"I've just been thinking about the number of recent... um- illicit outbreaks," he made up on the spot. "It seems that Ladybug and Chat Noir have truly influenced the people."

Chloe's reverent look transformed in a distasteful one. "And I will have their heads when I find them." She cleared her throat and reached out and placed her hands on his chest while leaning into him. "But don't worry," she said sweetly with a smile. "I've been overseeing the matter, and I feel that we are just about to reach a breakthrough."

Adrien quirked his brow. "A breakthrough?" He knew that she had been taking over most of her father's sheriff duties, but he never expected her to become so invested in the work. Adrien knew how Chloe was such a hard worker. She was just as determined as Ladybug and Chat Noir but for different reasons.

Chloe broke into a maniacal laugh. "That's a secret for later. But maybe if you're a good fiancé, I'll tell you about the tournament tomorrow." A tournament? After Chloe's flirtatious line ended with a wink and smirk, the chamber door squeaked open once more. In walked a mousy girl with ginger hair and pale skin.

"Excuse me, Lady Chloe," she said pushing her spectacles up the bridge of her freckled nose. Her voice was a bit nasally and high pitched.

Chloe whipped around so fast that her blonde ponytail whipped Adrien in the face. "What is it, Sabrina? I thought I said not to interrupt me!" Chloe's sharp words visibly hit Sabrina as she shrunk back.

"But you told me to alert you immediately when the next delinquents were caught for the demonstration. The guards caught two thieves this morning!"

Demonstration?

The Lady Chloe rolled her eyes and waved her hand to dismiss her maid. "Ready a carriage, Sabrina."

Adrien was very confused. "Chloe, what's going on?" he asked with much concern.

"It's time we teach these commoners what will happen when they disobey the law. You said it yourself that those two freakshow 'heroes' have already planted too much influence in their small-minded heads. We need to take action now, darling." The prince found it hard to keep the shock from his face. "I must go now." With that, Chloe left Adrien with a prolonged kiss.

Adrien was dumbfounded. But Chloe was right about one thing. He needed to take action now.

Chloe had a head start which encouraged him to move even more swiftly. As good as he was at parkour, he still wouldn't be fast enough to outrun horses. Of course, Adrien had been trained with many skills including foreign languages, horseback riding, and swordplay; however, if he were to be seen riding a royal horse in broad daylight, it would cause suspicion. Whatever the matter, he had to prevent whatever kind of twisted plan Chloe had.

Adrien would have thought the morning air to be quite chilly, but Chat Noir thought of no such trivial things. His mind raced as he dashed through the city of Paris. Chat would not rest until order was restored.

Upon arriving at the public demonstration, he heard only a little of Chloe's speech. "I have decided to show them clemency as a reminder of the offense. Instead of paying with their life, they will each have a hand chopped off." A bulky man in dark clothing followed with an axe in hand. He walked towards the couple who were the alleged thieves. In the center of the town square, they were chained to a tree stump and sat on their heels. To Chat's surprise, they didn't seem to be too frightened. Chat Noir sensed that they weren't much older than he was. And still, they were too young to have so much taken away from them.

"Remember my gracious and kind acts, for I wish only good fortune to France." Chloe's lips formed into a familiar pout. "Let it be known that I will not show mercy hence forth. "Then Chloe left in her carriage. Chat thought it strange of her to not stay. He guessed that she didn't want to stay for the dirty work. She rode back to the castle no doubt with a smile on her face. Adrien hoped that Chloe had a bit of humanity in her because she didn't have the heart to listen to their pains.

Just as she left, the man with the axe centered his weapon as he prepared to do his bidding. Now's the time! Chat prepared himself to leap from his hiding place. Just as the axe's swing was coming down, Chat blocked it with a clean swoop, but not without a sting. Tickling his hands, his metal staff vibrated from the defense. In his valiant efforts, the crowd around him became chaotic. The few guards that were around were busied by the town folk. It appeared the people were more devoted to hope than the fear of his fiancé.

The man with the axe was big and heavy, but he was a lot more muscular than Chat. However, Chat had be trained from the start of a very young age. It was no surprise when the man lunged for him, Adrien quickly dodged. Although Chat was leaner, he had speed and youth on his side. As he dodged the attack, he used his baton to hit the man from the backside. The masked man fumbled and almost hit the ground. Chat let out a small chuckle as he went in for the attack this time.

When he finished the task at hand, he caught the attention of a girl with small hands helping out the couple chained to the stump. She looked like a princess. In the moment he didn't think. As if it were an instinct, he winked and grinned.

He rushed to the girl's side to help unchain her friends when the guards had finally settled the mob. They would close in on them if they stayed more than a couple seconds longer. The couple was freed from their chains and he helped them onto their feet.

"Run!" Chat said.

Although his father would have him executed if he ever found out, Adrien had always been proud of his work as Chat Noir. It was exhilarating. The last-minute save of a couple whose hands were yet to be cut off was just the kind of adrenaline rush he needed. Once they were safely in the woods alone from the guards, Chat Noir made sure that everyone was alright.

The girl, Marinette, spoke up first, "Thank you, Chat."

"That was awesome, dude. We owe you our lives."

"Where is Ladybug? "Are you two in love? Is it true that you both have magic or is it just combat skills?" the other girl spoke up. She seemed to have a taste for questions.

Chat Noir chuckled at his admirers. He never minded the attention since he barely got any from home.

"You're most welcome. I do everything for the good of the French. I'm not sure of our red caped warrior's whereabouts." It went unnoticed to Chat how Marinette broke eye contact and seemed to pay more attention to kicking the dirt beneath her feet. "However right meow you better go home to your families. They must be very worried." He flashed his signature grin at them which usually melted all the ladies' panties off. Usually. To his surprise, Marinette seemed uninterested in Chat Noir's flirtatious demeanor. It intrigued him. There was something about her that told him... she wasn't like other girls.

That evening, Chat Noir met Ladybug as they usually did by the oldest Willow tree in the woods. In the most secluded area of the forest. they had found a small pond with an abandoned row boat. The clearing was beautiful and almost magical. When Chat arrived, Ladybug was already sitting in the boat with her feet reclined petting a black kitten on her lap. Her mask sat loosely over her face. Her cape was draped over her like a blanket. Her esteemed bow and quiver were nowhere to be seen. Chat Noir stilled. Ladybug looked so at peace. The sunset painted her skin just perfectly although the willow provided much shade. If it wasn't for her mask, she would look like a normal girl relaxing, and Chat was entranced by this image.

The dark hooded prince moved closer to her to get a better look, but in doing so startled the girl and the kitten. "Evening, M'lady," Chat said with an exaggerated bow. He looked up to see a disinterested Ladybug which led him to wink at her. And to his satisfaction, she looked away a just a tiny bit flustered.

"Oh, it's just you, Chaton," she said mockingly irritable, but Chat grinned it. "How is Paris today? I heard you saved the day once again." She moved to look him in the eye. "You should really be more careful when you're on your own. Jumping into battle with no plan is dangerous. You have to be strategical."

"It's good to see you still care about me, Lovebug," Chat smugly said. "Word travels fast, I see." he remarked as he jumped into the opposite side of the boat. "Speaking of, I have good news." Ladybug sat up now interested, and tied her mask on. The stray kitten jumped out of the boat and up into the willow tree. "The crown prince Gabriel leaves for Sceaux tonight. Most likely with little guards as to not draw too much attention. Who knows how much riches he brings with him? We can't miss this opportunity."

"You're right," Ladybug said thoughtfully. "We've never had a chance to steal from royalty yet. Where on earth did you get this information?"

"A cat has his ways," he grinned. "Let's go loot the prince."

Author's Note:

Hey y'all. Idk if you guys actually liked the first chapter or not :/ I know that the exposition is super boring and not thrilling/suspenseful but bear with me. I want to know what you guys think. I feel like the story is kinda lame, but it's also my baby. I feel like I'm really bad at the action and dialogue scenes so I just sorta skip over them, but I'll try to work and improve on them in the future. I'm really putting myself out there. If you want to PM me to consult with me about the story feel free to! I could always use an outside point of view.

Let me know what I can do better. I'm here for you :)