33 | The Queen Of Hearts

7.3K 322 84
                                    

You only sat behind the safety of the bins for ten minutes, before you decided to lift your head up, and try to think about what to do next. Yet, something was off; the colour of the building opposite you was darkened, somewhat dismal, definitely not the same shade it had been before. Giving it your full attention, the concrete below you was a slightly different shade than before, and the streets were suddenly dead silent.

Even the Varsouviana had stopped.

Considering the amount of people you’d seen beforehand, it was very unsettling.

Had it become overcast? Had there been an akuma attack?

Grimacing, you looked upwards, and then your stomach dropped. The sky was no longer blue, but instead an ominous shade of purple, and that was not the only thing particularly unusual. Above you, there were hundreds of people, children, adults, all suspended in midair, unmoving, as if they had been turned into floating statues.

You clapped a hand over your mouth, eyes widening in horror, before stumbling to your feet, and hurriedly exiting the alleyway, and going back out onto the main street. It was exactly the same, Parisians hanging limply in the air like discarded puppets, their jaws slack and their limbs twisted at unnatural angles. The buildings around you had become either grey or purple, and the entire city was deathly silent, as if there had just been a genocide.

You let out a stuttered gasp, clutching at the strap of your school bag. What the actual fuck? Who had done this? And why had you been exempt from the equation?

Your blood ran cold at that question. There was every chance that your parents had been akumatized, and that thought was nauseating.

With an uncertain gulp, you took another step forwards, only to discover that gravity had suddenly become nonexistent. You blinked in surprise, before stomping harshly on the floor, and launching yourself upwards, to get a better view; the effect was instant, as you shot above the houses, and were able to survey Paris completely.

Squinting into the distance, you could just about make out a larger structure, seated near the Eiffel Tower, made of what looked to be blocks from a distance. You removed your bag from your shoulder, and took out your umbrella, which you’d taken with you today, and opened it, before using the item to help maneuver yourself through air. You were terrified of what you’d find there, but the best you could do was at least try to see what was going on, especially if your parents might be involved.

As you came closer, you became more and more scared, as the red blocks, as they came into focus, were in fact hearts, piled up in a huge mountain, with a huge seat in the centre, fit for royalty. Very slowly, you touched down, using your trusty umbrella, and allowed yourself to hover a safe distance away from the giant structure.

You let out a shriek, when a sudden frazzle came from the chair, quickly flailing backwards as gravity suddenly reappeared, and instead of empty space, there was now a woman.

A very familiar woman.

“Mum?” you whispered, staring in horror at her; she was dressed up in a poor man’s version of an outfit the queen of England might wear, except it was decorated with hearts and what you hoped were just stray splashes of paint, with a crimson crown on top of her head. Her eyes were amused, in a way that was not reassuring, and the smile on her lips was one you’d never seen on your mother before.

What caught your attention next, was the visitor she’d appeared with. Ladybug was clearly unconscious, in red chains, tied up tightly in the air, as your mother carelessly held her from hitting the ground.

“Hello, (Y/n),” your mum’s grin grew disconcertingly wide. “I’ve been expecting you. I’ve been waiting for you to come and pay your respects.”

“Respects? T-To who?” you stuttered, your hands quivering as they tightened around your umbrella.

“To me of course!” your mother declared with a flourish, a rich yet somewhat psychotic laugh leaving her, “The Queen of Hearts!”

You just stared at her, unable to move out of sheer fear, and she seemed to relish in that fact, her eyes gliding over your stationary figure with malice and sadistic joy. She tugged on the chain Ladybug was held in, causing the poor girl to rattle around helplessly, and a giggle left your mum’s mouth at the sight of the hero’s suffering.

“Do you remember we were playing a game this morning, (Y/n)?” your mother asked casually, standing up from her throne, and floating down ethereally to your level. “How about we play another?” she produced a stack of cards, seemingly out of thin air, with the front one being the ace of hearts.

"What kind of game?" you asked quietly, your breath unsteady, palms slick with sweat.

"If you guess which card is the most important, I'll take you to The Mad Hatter, and he'll explain to you exactly what we're going to do," she elaborated, shuffling the pack, with an enthralled expression. "If you lose…" she pondered for a moment, before smiling in realisation, and yanking at the chain in her hand; "I'll kill this girl."

You inhaled sharply, your eyes widening in horror — surely she didn't mean that! This was your mother, the woman who'd raised you, the woman you turned to for comfort, who'd taught you how to defend yourself…

The Queen of Hearts, then cackled at your clear terror, and then raised a single finger to her lips, and licked some of the red liquid staining her hands, a self-conceited grin on her face as she did.

A shiver ran up your spine, and you physically shuddered. This wasn't your mum; this was the version of her that emerged when she was possessed by something; and you needed to get it out of her, for her sake, Ladybug's, and everyone else's.

So, you breathed in and out once, before looking back up to her, and saying, "Fine. Let's play."

Something darker, verging on the edge of murderous showed on your mother's face when you agreed. "Oh, goody," she whispered.

You gripped your umbrella, before watching as The Queen spread the cards out, into midair, all 52 of them facing you. You had to be smart here, the answer probably wasn't as simple as it seemed. The obvious pick was The Queen of Hearts itself, but you knew your mother was clever; this was a matter of being careful with your choice.

Thoughts ran through your head, as you glanced over each individual one. Your mum had always liked unorthodox responses, so an odd one was your best bet.

After very anxious consideration, you at last decided on your riposte.

"No card is more or less important than the others," you at last spoke, "the deck as a whole cannot function with even one missing. The royalty are helpless without the soldiers, who are the majority in numbers, the aces are the root force and the jokers are wild, double edged swords."

Your mother gazed down at you, before giggling slightly, "Hmm… quite right. I suppose you've won."

You dropped to your knees in relief, your legs weak from the anxious adrenaline pumping through your blood. Squeezing your eyes shut, you inwardly thanked god that your half-assed, strangely philosophical answer had been correct.

The rattling of chains caused you to glance up, and you stumbled to your feet, as your mum strode past you, dragging Ladybug's still unconscious figure along the ground after her.

"Come along then," she drawled, "let's see The Mad Hatter."

Only now could you see that Ladybug was bleeding, from the trail of blood her body left on the ground as she was moved.

Uptown, Downtown (Chat Noir x Reader) - Book 1Where stories live. Discover now