Caught In A Storm

Chapter XX

Meanwhile, a horde of men on horses and a carriage made their way rapidly towards the capital.

Adrien was silent. He kept his head bowed down, eyes closed, hunched over himself, tears streaming down his face. Blame and guilt were burning him alive. Nino had stayed silent for now.

Why hadn't he listened to his friend? Nino had tried to warn him, but he had shoved him off.

His heart had longed for Marinette and didn't want to be stopped and now it was broken. His mind was still back there with her, he didn't even register the moment they halted in front of a mansion. It was one of his father's private domains. The carriage halted in front of the large entrance. A guard stepped off his horse and opened the carriage.

"We will be staying the night here, Prince Agreste. Please be ready tomorrow morning for 6 o'clock, we will be leaving shortly after."

Adrien simply nodded and jumped out of the carriage not even waiting for Nino to follow him, he entered the mansion and made his way upstairs in one of the chambers. One he reached the end of the hall, he opened the door and slammed it shut behind him, the sound resonating in the entire hallway. The moment the door closed behind him, Adrien slumped forward and landed on the bed. He buried his head under one of the pillows and threw the thick blankets above him. Soon his body started to convulse as he tried to hold back his tries. But even though his will not to cry was strong, his despair and heartache were stronger. His cries and whimpers were muffled by the covers and the pillow. He felt like he was suffocating, his lungs not inflating enough anymore, due to the cries he could stop. He once caught the flue and felt like everything hurt, but now he realized how wrong he had been. Now everything hurt. Someone could have repeatedly buried a knife in his heart and he was sure it would have hurt less.

The broken shards of his heart felt like they were rotting inside his chest. He felt awful. He felt like a monster: who could he crush and make such a beautiful lively girl cry?

Only his father would do something like that. Maybe he was like his father... maybe it as better that he wasn't with her, next to her anymore. She deseved better than someone like his father.

Two weeks passed in those Marinette's parents had come home from a trip to visit their family on the other side of the kingdom and hadn't recognized their daughter at their arrival. They asked for answer on her abnormal state, but Marinette kept everything to herself and told her she was just exhausted from working alone with a dead voice. Her parents didn't believe, but also didn't push her since she already seemed exhausted.

She didn't smile, she didn't laugh, she didn't have enough power to help at the bakery anymore. She would barely eat. She mostly would stay hunched inside in her bedroom, buried under the covers she had never changed since he left.

She would hide her tears and sorrow, like an expert in front if her parents. BUt she didn't know that they could her crying her heart out each night.

Tom and Sabine Dupain had tried to talk to her, slowly bring up the subject. They hearts ached to see their daughter suffer in silence like that, but they couldn' do anything without her telling them. They had never seen their daughter so heart-broken. It was not the Marinette they knew that greeted them when they came back. They couldjust hope that time would heal her and that maybe one day she would open up to them.

Alya's heart broke each time she would visit her friend, watching her slowly sink into a black inferno, not wanting to get out of it. Anger rose within her as she knew who caused this. He had been right in front of her nose, and she had pushed her friend towards him, only thinking about the happy end her friend deserved. She had completely forgotten that more bad than good would rise from this. She had been blinded by her friend's happiness and hadn't anticipated the possible consequences. She hated herself for it. It was her job as a best-friend to keep her friend form getting her heart broken by some boy.

She had failed as her job as best-friend.

Tom and Sabine had tried to get information out of her. She could see how worried they were about her, but she couldn't tell them. It was not her place to tell. And even if she did tell them: it wouldn't change anything.

Marinette refused to talk about it. Each time she tried to make her friend talk, Marinette would stay silent or dash out of the room and go take care of Tikki.

Nino wanted to tear his hair out.

Why hadn't he insisted more that he tell her?

Why hadn't he done it?

Why did he leave his best-friend believe in fate? Both him and Adrien knew that fate wouldn't have helped their tragic cause! He had failed at his job of best-friend. He had done a good job at bringing him back alive from their trip, right for his birthday and marriage, but Adrien had lost his heart and soul on the way. He didn't know whom to blame.

Should he blame God and this unfair earth and society?

Should he blame the King himself from being the one to force Adrien to marry?

Should he blame Adrien for being so careless with his emotions? Should he blame himself? Nino spent most of his time blaming the unfair chaos reigning on their planet. Sometimes he would blame the King, but rarely himself or Adrien.

How could he blame his friend?

Could someone blame him for falling in love with an incredible young woman? He knew that Adrien had always believed in having a soulmate and he had found her during a stormy night. On one hand Nino didn't want to believe in fate, but on the other hand how could he not? His friend had found his soulmate in an improbable situation.

And he had met one of the most interesting girls in the very same village.

***

Eat chocolate !