Noblesse Oblige

Chapitre vingt-huit

Author stuff: You're going to scream at the end of this chapter again.

Puppy update! My dog had her surgery yesterday (I totally lost track of the days and didn't realize how quickly it'd approached). I'm on my way to pick her up from the pet hospital, but I got her some cookies, soup bones, and a new squeaky toy. You can bet I'm going to be making sure she's comfortable, and that she's not stressed out while she recovers.

Chapitre vingt-huit

Cramped, Dark Spaces

She was sure that it was an eternity, but it was really only seconds.

She fell through the trapdoor and onto the ground below, just missing the footstool with her legs and the edge with her head.

Her breath came back to her, and she greedily drank it in. Her eyes looked up to the mercifully blue sky, wondering what had gone wrong. The rope swung over her head, brushing against the fletching of an arrow.

It had been severed.

The next moment, she was being pulled to her feet and away from the gallows. Whoever had her picked her up carried her through the crowd with more ease than she thought possible. They didn't press forward onto them, but the guards tried to go after them.

The person carrying her didn't stop for quite a while. Children ran behind them, waving to her and grinning – the orphans! Sweet things. What were they doing?

And the next thing she knew, they were inside a building.

She was taken to another room and...

"Hey," she said, swiping at the person trying to strip her of her clothes. Her foggy mind recognized the person in front of her, but the name... "Tikki?"

"Hello, dear," the woman said, smiling. "We don't have much time. Swap clothes with me. Come on."

She quickly took off the trousers and tunic and boots, handing them to Tikki – who, in turn, offered an inconspicuous brown dress and sturdy leather shoes that would be a little small on her feet. She managed to squeeze her toes in, though they protested.

"What are you, a faerie?" Marinette said, adjusting the ties of the shoes. Tikki giggled and kissed her on the forehead, leading her back out to the main room. Adrien and Plagg had swapped clothes as well, both looking relieved to see the pair of them.

"Stay here," Plagg said. "You two should be good for a while. If need be, head out one of the back windows. You know which one. We'll lead them away, don't worry."

Tikki and Plagg quickly ducked out the door, leaving them in silence. Adrien waited until they heard the guards clattering past the building before taking her in his arms. He held her tightly to him, breathing her in and relishing in her presence. He didn't relax until then.

"You're okay," he said into her hair.

"Yeah," she said.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Why are you sorry? I was the one who did it."

"You shouldn't have taken the blow from me. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have almost died."

"I chose to do it."

"Marinette, if I'd stayed out of your life, none of this would have happened to you." He pulled away from her, to look at her and met her eyes.

"I would have found you somehow. Alya would have caved eventually." She gave him a little, sad smile. They both knew it was the truth.

He held her close again, rubbing small circles on her back with his thumb.