Thorns of Roses

Chapter 38 - "My guardian angel"

"...the worst has yet to come." 

Chat Noir's words kept echoing in Marinette's mind as she was staring out the window - deep in thought. 

There were just too many things going on for the past weeks, too many coincidences. She couldn't tell why, but her subconscious kept telling her that these things must be connected, they must be happening by the same - but yet unknown - reason.   

As Ladybug, she had had to fight many many villains for the past five years but back then, both she and Chat Noir was certain that they all attacked under the order of Hawkmoth. The truth is that they had no idea who that man was in real life and why were his intentions in the first place. By the looks of it, power or fame, maybe wealth - the basic things that villains are usually after. It wasn't even that important to them back then. They just wanted to figure him and his ways of attacking out in order to defeat him one day. Just the first five attacks of him - or rather his akumas - had been enough for the heroes to know his ways: there was always an innocent soul who was suffering from some negative emotions and - using that out - Hawkmoth would infect them with his butterflies who just needed the power of Ladybug to get purified at the end. The heroes even concluded that Hawkmoth was probably a miraculous holder just like them - but instead of using that to protect others - he used it for his selfish reasons. 

As the heroes got better and better in fighting against him throughout the years, they were convinced that it was just a matter of time until they would defeat him for good. 

That was, until this year's fall. 

 People tend to associate autumn with adulthood, melancholy, or even mortality. Autumn is a period when mother nature and everything around you lost its brightest, most vivid colors and starts to grow old, to fade away. The intense green leaves of the trees lose their previous form and change into orange, red, and brown before leaving the foliage and landing on the cold ground. 

Marinette, however, had never thought about autumn that way. It wasn't a symbol of passing away for her but a period where Paris dressed up with the autumn's unique, warm colors. Unlike others, she didn't think about the cold, the grey days of this season at all. She loved the cooler weather - even the rainy days - when you would just sit in the library with a good novel and a cup of warm tea in your hands and just enjoy the view. 

It was an unspoken belief in her Kingdom that the season and the stars you were born under,  define your personality and your spirit - as you are the most energetic, the most "yourself" during that season. However, - even though Marinette was born during spring - throughout the years she started to love, to feel more herself during the autumn period. She didn't know why or how, but this season turned out to be her favourite period of the year.

But now, after recalling the events that had been happening ever since the summer ended, she started to understand why people say those negative things about it, why they call it an elapsing phase. 

First, finding her mother's diary which unintentionally ripped up the old sores of losing her, and ever since that day she had been struggling to put on a mask on her face and pretend that everything is alright.

And then there was her breakup with Chat Noir - which she still couldn't get over it completely and his presence wasn't helping at all to forget him and her feelings towards the hero - which event was followed by her fall that caused her to lose her consciousness for three days straight. She still couldn't understand why would a twisted ankle put her in a coma and then how could her injury got healed the moment she woke up. 

And don't even get her to start with her marriage with no other man but Félix himself,  her constant fights with him and even with her father. 

And new problems had just kept coming almost day by day -  seeming like it would never end - like the rottings or - more precisely - that mysterious illness.  Marinette still had no idea what could cause it in the first place and how could she manage to prevent it from spreading in more and more areas. She had already read through a dozen books about past illnesses in Paris, economical reports throughout the years, the state of the fields around the city, and so on.  Mari had literally searched for anything - with no success. She had even thought about talking with her father again but - after recalling how their last conversation turned out - she rather discarded the idea.