The Huntress And The Knight

Chapter Eight

Adrien collapsed onto his bed, glad to finally be home. In his wake, the room had been cleansed of his previous rampage in attempts to find his book, with the books back on the shelves and the pillows on the bed. As he looked up from his bed to the glowing chandelier hanging from the ceiling, he noticed that his armor was still on. He laughed, as this had been happening a lot lately. His head was jumbled with so many thoughts that the armor that weighed him down was only noticeable when he was alone. But even when alone, his brain was still working overtime, thinking of plans and duties, but most importantly, he thought of Ladybug.

He remembered just this morning, where she wore a smirk as she raced in front of him. If he tired, he could catch up to her and grab the red and black spotted cloak that blew in the wind, but he wouldn't. After all, the chase was only for show. The two of them had mapped it all out the previous night: the path she would take, the barrels she would knock down, the arrows she would shoot to cut down banners decorated with the kingdom's new symbol: the black butterfly. Well, she had mapped it out with Cat Noir. She was still blissfully unaware of Adrien's true identity, and he hoped it would stay that way. If she knew that Cat Noir was actually Prince Adrein, all the trust he had built up with her would vanish. After all, he was the son of the King; the very king that wanted her dead.

To King Gabriel, Ladybug was a threat to the kingdom. She stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but Adrein knew that Gabriel was only concerned with keeping his wealth and the wealth of the nobles. He didn't care that the people of his kingdom suffered, he never had, and Adrein doubted he ever would. Sure, Adrien understood that you couldn't help the poor and change their lives overnight, but in all his time on the throne, Adrien's father hadn't done anything. He didn't want to, and Ladybug was posing a threat to Gabriel's plan of keeping the poor in their place.

Ladybug had been on the run, and that infuriated the King. She had started as a village menace: someone he tried to catch but couldn't. She wasn't on the top of his priority list when she was in that village, but a week ago, she had moved. For the first time in forever, Ladybug had been spotted in a different village. Not only had she been poaching in the forest, but it was reported that she had broken into a noble's home and stole a good amount of gold coins from his vault. The noble would survive of course, the amount was small compared to the amount of wealth he still possessed, but until that point, Ladybug had never stolen directly from one of the upper class. Sure, she had stolen food from shops and occasionally she would steal some money from a bank or the taxes from a tax collector, but never had she stolen from a noble.

Gabriel was infuriated, and only a few hours since he had called Adrien to his throne room with the news of the new princess, he was called forth yet again. This time, he was given a task: capture Ladybug. Panic had overcome Adrien, and he had to battle to keep his face straight. In the end, he prevailed, and the king sent him away, unaware of Adrien's true loyalties. When Adrien had arrived back in his room that night, the sky was already dark. He knew that Ladybug had most likely moved on from the village she had been spotted in, but as he got dressed in his black hunting gear, he knew he had to try and find her.

He had never ridden Plagg so fast. He was desperate: if he didn't find her now he would find her as Adrein and that would not go over well. He had arrived in the village square, and desperately searched for Ladybug. He had never considered himself lucky, but when he spotted her red cloak in the shadows, he almost yelped with joy. He followed her to the forest, dismounting once they were in the cover of the trees.

"Make it quick," she whispered. "If I spend any more time in this village they will surely capture me."

"Why didn't you leave yet?" he asked, confused as to why she would put her life at risk.