The Huntress And The Knight

Chapter One

Her steps were light as she followed the herd of deer. From here, Marinette knew that she wasn't going to be able to get a clear shot, so she had to follow from a distance, even if it made her a bit uneasy. She liked her hunts to be quick and clean, but she had been following this herd for a while without the opportunity to take a clear shot. Any longer and she would have to go back for fear of the knights doing a patrol of the forest.

Marinette knew what she was doing was illegal, but that never stopped her. Even with her full-time job, she could barely make enough money to buy a stale loaf of bread. And she wasn't just worrying about herself, she worried about Alya, her little sisters, her older sister, and her parents. They had taken Marinette in when she had nowhere else to go, and she was determined not to let them regret it.

Marinette watched as the herd left the trees and entered a large field to graze. She stayed in the trees and found a good perch. She took the time to look around; it wasn't illegal to be in the forest, but the moment that her arrow touched a deer, she could be arrested. When she was sure that there were no knights or horses around, she crouched down to the soft forest floor and pulled out her bow and arrow.

"Keep it steady," Marinette whispered to herself as she pulled back the string of her bow and aimed at the herd of deer ahead. One deer would provide for the family for over a week if they rationed it correctly. Before she made her shot, Marinette looked around to see if she could spot a ladybug, and sure enough, she did. Ladybugs were lucky, and Marinette knew that whenever she saw one before making a shot, the arrow would stay true to its target.

She let go of the arrow and watched it fly through the air, hitting the deer with striking accuracy. The deer was dead in seconds, causing the rest of the herd to flee. Quickly, Marinette slung her bow onto her back and left the cover of the forest. She grabbed the deer, but before Marinette could reach the cover of the trees, she heard something that made her blood run cold. Hoofsteps. Someone was charging right at her from across the field.

Not missing a beat, Marinette ran. She entered the forest and jumped over tree roots and rocks, the deer still on her back. She needed to be faster, but Marinette would not allow herself to lose the valuable kill. She hoped her knowledge of the forest was enough to escape the knight that she knew was on her heels. As long as she made it to the river before the knight, she was safe. She weaved in between trees and bushes, taking the paths that she knew would be hard for a horse to traverse.

"Ladybug! You are poaching on King Gabriel Agreste's land! Stop in the name of the law," the knight called. Marinette knew all the knights of the land: they had all tried to catch her at one point, but Marinette had never heard that voice. Lord Gabriel Agreste must have put new knights to the task of catching her, but that didn't faze her. You ditch a professionally-trained knight once, you do it a thousand times.

"If you stop now, your punishment will be considerably less," Marinette tried to stifle her laugh as she ran. It was a blatant lie and she knew it. She had poached on the Lord's land too many times and if she turned in herself now, it would make no difference in her punishment. And if poaching wasn't enough, Marinette also stole from village jewelers, bankers, and butchers. Not only for herself and her family but for others in the village as well. Peasants had no rights and worked jobs for little pay. Many people in the city were in worse conditions than herself, so Marinette made it her job to help them out as much as she could. They called her Ladybug, the Princess of the People.

"Almost there," she whispered to herself as the river came into view in front of her. Marinette could hear the sound of the hoofsteps quickly approaching, but she knew that by the time they came to the river, she would already have hidden under the bridge. She broke through the trees and quickly ran into the water that reached her knees. Just as Marinette got under the bridge, the knight and his horse broke through the trees.