Chapitre trente-un

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Author stuff: ("We Don't Need Another Hero (Thundedome)" by Tina Turner is playing in the background)

Here it is, y'all. The final chapter. I can't thank you enough for reading this as it was coming out. Or stumbling on it years down the line. If you're here and you've made it this far, thank you.

Chapitre trente-un

They Receive Their Happily Ever After

She saw much less of him after Felix's funeral. He was often busy with his own duties for the people of Rochers, and she didn't go out of her way to bother him, either.

Lila, after escaping Chloe and Sabrina, was never found. No one spotted hide nor hair of her. She hadn't been spotted since the day everything went down. Marinette wasn't sure why she hadn't noticed before. And the one who let her know? Chloe.

She had been insistent that the two of them talk after the king left. Marinette... spent most of her time coming up with excuses not to spend time with her. But she couldn't put it off forever.

"I never really liked her," Chloe said one afternoon when she invited Marinette for a walk. "Something always seemed... off about her. You know? And she bit me, did you know that? She actually bit me. I mean, how utterly ridiculous can you be?"

"Do you think anyone will ever find her?" she said, fighting the urge to dislodge Chloe's grasp on her arm.

"If she does, I'll be the first one to speak at her trial. I'm sorry, but the amount of orange she thought she could wear? It was criminal."

"Speaking of trials, Alya's is coming up."

"I'll speak on her behalf, of course."

Marinette blinked at her.

"Y-you will?"

"Of course! She helped save Rochers. She deserves a well known public servant such as moi to stand up for her."

"Thank you, Chloe. I mean it."

. . .

Marinette felt dread overcome her as she stepped inside the hallmote for the largest city in their region. If Alya had been Chat Noir, her trial would have gone directly to the royal courts. Thankfully, the day long ride between the handful of Rochers citizens speaking on Alya's behalf had been enough for them to organize their thoughts.

That didn't mean that Marinette's mind still wasn't whirling over it all. It was a little difficult to accept that Alya, of all people, would have helped Papillon for any reason, no matter how noble her cause.

She sat in a row of chairs that were evenly spaced out. She'd been strategically placed between Chloe and Brother Fu, both of them within an arm's reach.

"If you need to cry," Chloe said, leaning close to whisper in her ear, "I have a handkerchief. I'm ready to make dramatics. Just give me a sign, and we'll go for it."

The judge arrived and they all sat down. Before Alya's trial, there were a handful of others to get through. Most of them were in and out in a matter of twenty or so minutes. After and hour and a half, Alya was brought in.

Her wrists and legs were chained together. It took all of Marinette's resolve not to run over to check on her. And she would have, had Brother Fu not placed a complacent hand on her shoulder.

"Alya Cesaire," the judge said, looking over the report that Chloe's father had put together about the whole situation, "you are charged with assisting not one but two traitors to the crown, heresy, violating divine law for dressing as a man, and witchcraft."

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