Noblesse Oblige

Chapitre vingt-cinq

Author stuff: I'm so excited for y'all to read this chapter. My all-day-headache can't stop it. This whole scene was what stuck with me from the very first moment this fic came to me. I wrote everything else just to get to this scene.

Y'all, I can't even.

Chapitre vingt-cinq

The Tournament, Part III: Everyone is an Idiot

She was hauled unceremoniously to her feet by two pairs of strong hands. A sharp, cold object was pressed into her neck by the woman in orange – by Alya. Marinette saw the woman's eyes widen slightly, dropping the knife.

"Marinette?" she said.

"What were you doing?" the lanky, smelly man said.

For the first time, Marinette really looked at his face, at his eyes. She would know him anywhere.

"Adrien?" she said, looking him up and down. "What –"

"Marinette, you were supposed to stay back at camp. We locked you –"

"So you really did lock her away," Alya said, half in amusement. "Seems like your princess outwitted the dragon."

"I'm hardly a – We don't have time for this." Adrien sighed and turned back to look at Marinette, who was still in his grasp. "Marinette, go back. We have everything all planned out. It's all in motion, your father will be out by tomorrow morning."

"Tikki and Brother Fu told me to warn you," Marinette said. "She told me... She told me... She told me that the duke and Papillon have a spy, someone who can compete at your level who was hired to take you down."

"When did she find out about this?"

"She didn't say."

Adrien purses his lips, thinking. After a moment, he said:

"Go back to camp. I'll follow after you shortly. I need to find Tikki –"

"I was looking for her," she said. She shied back at their pointed stares. "I found you instead."

"He's right," Alya said. "You need to go back to the camp. Both of you."

"What? But I'm –"

"It'll be better in the long run, trust me on this."

"Alya –"

Why was Alya so persistent about this? What was going on? Why was she –?

Oh.

"Adrien, if you ever cared about her as much as you claimed, take her back to your camp."

"Why should I?" he said.

"You know who the spy is," Marinette said, realization dawning on her. "The one Tikki... Why?"

"It was before... Adrien, I'm so, so sorry. Félix forced me. He has the girls. You're both in danger at the moment. Please, go back to the camp. I have to do someth–"

An arrow whizzed right by their heads, breaking through the fabric of one of the tents and thudding into something – she hoped it wasn't living. Inquisitive voices raised their concerns from within.

Turning, they all saw the burly archer from their division, the one that she didn't get a good feeling from. His bow was strung and notched. The arrow was pointed right at them.

"When I say go," Alya said out of the corner of her mouth, "go. Don't wait around to see what happens."

The archer wouldn't be able to hold the arrow much longer. The strain was already getting to him.