41. Chapter 40

From the moment he woke that morning, Adrien dreaded the day. Not only did he fear the final day of travel to Castle France, but he still had no idea just what they were going to do with their prisoner. When the night watch had caught the man sneaking around last night, Adrien had instructed the guards to tie him to a tree post and wait for the morning. Now, morning had come, and he still didn't know what to do. The most tempting option was to leave that decision up to Plagg, but Adrien worried that might result in him assisting Plagg in hiding a dead body. However, as the morning dragged on, Adrien found himself caring less and less about being part of that as the man kept up his incessant squawking.

"Shut your yapper," Plagg threatened.

"Or what? You'll poke me to death?"

"Don't tempt me."

"Plagg," Adrien warned. "Not yet."

Adrien wondered if he should be worried how amused he got from the way Plagg turned a dark grin on the now frightened prisoner.

"Tell him," Adrien instructed, a plan forming in his mind, "he has a grand total of five minutes to tell us who he is, how he escaped, and what his mission is, or else I'll turn a blind eye to whatever technique you employ to kill him."

Plagg's smile grew wider, mostly for show. "Can I tell him how I plan to do so?"

"Depending on what your plan is, it might be more productive."

Plagg's green eyes flashed dangerously as he turned his attention back to the tied-up prisoner. "Would you like to know?"

Pretending not to squirm, the man looked on at Plagg expectantly.

"Well, for each answer to the three questions, I'll tell you one phase of how I plan to kill you. Does that seem fair?"

"But there's a catch," Adrien interrupted. The man turned back to him, fear still clear in his owlish eyes. "If you answer all three of the questions, Plagg's plot to kill you will be held against him in a court of law should he chose to go through with it."

A hand suddenly clapped Adrien's shoulder. Jumping in shock, Adrien whipped around to see Nino standing there with lazy grin on his face and a pocket watch in his hand. "And may I remind you," Nino said, addressing the prisoner. "That you have four minutes and twenty seconds left to complete this limited time offer."

The man blinked rapidly as he processed the information he was given.

Twenty seconds ticked by in silence before Plagg growled. "How about you start with an easy one. Your name."

The man stared back at Plagg before looking to Adrien.

Clearly, the man needed a little persuasion. "Plagg," Adrien said, "you brought your favorite knife, correct?"

"The one I used to filet three men on the battlefield?" he responded, laying it on thick for show. "Of course, I did. Did you think I would leave home without it?"

Adrien grinned at seeing the fear that once again overtook their captive. The man didn't need to know that Plagg had only stabbed said three men out of self-defense before stripping them of all their supplies. Honestly, Adrien didn't even think Plagg would have the guts to do such a thing, nor did he believe for a second that Plagg would brutally kill the man. He was more of a quick and efficient killer, but that wasn't the kind of threat that made a captive talk.

"Xavier Ramier."

"See," Nino teased. "That wasn't so hard."

"And now Plagg will keep up his end of the deal, correct?" Adrien said.

Plagg crossed his arms. "Since Adrien was kind enough to remind me of that knife, how about I show you what you did?"

The man swallowed hard, and if Adrien didn't know any better, he would have said the man was sweating.

"So, second question," Adrien continued, keeping things moving. "How did you escape the shed?"

Xavier wrinkled his nose at the question.

Nino glanced down at his watch. "Three minutes."

"Lord Barbot assisted me," he answered. "As per our deal."

"Deal?" Plagg prodded.

But the man scowled. "My question is answered. And now you have to hold up your end of the bargain."

Plagg frowned, but growled something quickly under his breath. All Adrien could manage from it were the words "fire" and "rope."

"I think it's hilarious just how much power this man thinks he has," Nino whispered.

Adrien couldn't help but smile at that. "Entitled and very stupid," he whispered in return.

Nino sniggered as he looked down at his watch. "Two minutes. Last question: what is your mission right now?"

The man wasted thirty precious seconds staring down each one of the men, clearly debating about whether they truly meant their words. As if to prove it, Plagg pulled out his knife and began rubbing his fingers against the blade in act of testing its sharpness.

"I have only one thing to tell the king: if Barbot doesn't return within four days of you arriving at the castle, the king should execute you all."

Plagg's eyes widened, Nino's attention was directed fully on Xavier, and Adrien felt his stomach twist. "So," Adrien prodded once he regained his ability to speak. "You're saying that the king likely won't execute us without your say so?"

But the man clammed up. "The deal is a deal."

Plagg growled, reaching for the man's shirt, but Adrien stopped him with a sharp call. "He's right."

"What?" Plagg snapped.

Nino snapped his watch shut. "The man's right," he said, making a subtle motion with his head. "As much as I hate to say it."

Slowly, realization dawned over Plagg. And it was only that realization that caused him to put his knife away. "You're lucky," he growled at the man before storming off.

The man smirked, looking as though he won.

But Adrien grinned, knowing the man was far from such a feat. "Nino," he whispered to his friend. "Ask Kim to round out the rest of my questions from him. Most importantly, what Theo is doing back in Paris. And if Kim isn't enough to make the man talk, I have nothing wrong with him being tossed around between the men."

Nino nodded conspiratorially. "I think Kim will finish the job rather nicely, but if he doesn't, I doubt our little assassin will know what hit him."

…

Castle France appeared in the distance, and uncertainty once again grew in Adrien's gut. Even with the new information Kim had gleaned from the man, the confirmation that King Hawkmoth wouldn't execute Adrien unless he served no purpose was hardly a comfort. In Adrien's mind, King Hawkmoth was unpredictable. Who knew if the man would truly let him live? Even if he did, there wasn't a guarantee he would extend that curtesy to the men as well, and that thought sickened Adrien more than he cared to admit. Several of the men here had families, and it was his responsibility to ensure that those women and children got to see these men return to them alive and well.

Then again, he also had a duty to return alive and well. He clutched at his cloak, Marinette surfacing in his mind. From the vague answers Xavier had provided for Kim, it seemed as though Theo was going to attempt to capture Alix and the earrings, not go after Marinette. He would be lying if he said it didn't worry him, though. He tried to rationalize that Theo would know going after Marinette would be a foolhardy attempt, one that he would never succeed in. As long as the girls stayed in the castle, the guards would protect them, but not even that settled his worry for Marinette. Would she be safe? Would Theo manage to get her despite all that?

Adrien shook his head, begging it to clear. Surely, he was being paranoid, but no matter how many times he said it, it didn't bring any greater comfort. At this point, he could only hope that she would be safe and that he would be able to return to her alive and well. After all, he promised her they would start a family, and he always strove to fulfill his promises. Especially a promise as sweet as this one.

Then, unbidden, another thought arose, one that had haunted him several times throughout the journey. He did his best to shove the thought away, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deny the possibility that…that there was already a child. Considering the nature of their relationship, it was entirely possible, but it only served to wrap more fear around his heart. The thought of his child growing up without a father or Marinette raising a babe without him by her side was not a picture he wanted to imagine.

Eventually, the castle was but a short distance away. Adrien instructed the men to raise the white flags into full view. Even though they clearly came in peace, there was no guarantee that the king would invite Adrien in to draw up a treaty. Adrien hoped that King Hawkmoth would be smart enough to take up him on the apparent offer, but if the man was as smart as Kim and Alix claimed, he likely would try to outsmart Adrien in his own plan. Considering that Adrien was going to account for that, he really didn't know what was going to happen.

And that didn't sit well with him.

Hoping for strength or just a little distraction, he turned to Nino. Unfortunately, the look that passed between them said they both had equal confidence in this plan. Adrien sighed, rubbing his exhausted eyes. It was far too late to turn back or make any other adjustments to the plan seeing as Plagg and Kim had already turned off. This would either work, or they all would go down trying to scrap it back together.

When they got close enough to the castle, French soldiers rapidly descended upon them in mass. Adrien ordered his entourage to halt before maneuvering his horse to the front of the group. When the soldiers encircled them, Adrien held his hands up in a form of surrender. "I am Prince Adrien of Paris. I have come to meet King Hawkmoth in order to negotiate peace."

A murmur rose from the soldiers before one who obviously held rank silenced them. "Follow," he demanded.

The castle was far more ominous up close. Adrien had been here once as a child, but he didn't remember it being so dark and fearsome. Furthermore, the district feeling that the interior held his doom was not a feeling he recalled having before.

When the group stopped, the head guard ordered them to dismount. He shouted some orders for his soldiers to take Adrien's men away before he instructed Adrien to follow him.

"If I may," Adrien spoke up, placing a hand on Nino's shoulder. "I would like to request "

"Request denied," the man interrupted. "Either follow me to the king or not at all."

Adrien frowned at the man, but a hand on his shoulder called his attention. Nino shook his head in way of saying it wasn't worth fighting over. While Adrien disagreed with his friend, he wasn't going to fight Nino.

With a sigh, Adrien relented, patting Nino's shoulder in apology. "All right."

Adrien followed the guard into the doors of the castle all the while listening to the orders the soldiers outside barked at his men. Before the doors could close, Adrien turned around to steal one last look at his entourage. Nino tilted his hat at Adrien, a motion that Adrien knew well enough to understand was an encouragement.

When the doors shut with a bang, Adrien blinked rapidly at the sudden darkness. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust, and once they did, he noticed the guard that had paused impatiently for him.

Adrien quickly started to follow the man down the hallways of the castle. Absently, Adrien looked out every window they passed wondering where Plagg and Kim were at that moment.

The guard suddenly turned and raised his hand in a 'halt' motion. "Wait here," he instructed. "I will inform the king of your presence. When he is ready, he will come get you himself. In the meantime, I advise you not to move from this spot."

The warning glare he pierced Adrien with spoke volumes. Still, Adrien stood tall in determination not to let a mere soldier, no matter the rank, intimidate him. "Understood."

The man nodded curtly before spinning on his heel and marching down the hallway, soles of his boots clicking against the hard floors. The flames of the torches followed him as he breezed by, flickering in the dark hallway. When the man disappeared at the end of the hallway into a door that shut with a reverberating thud, Adrien allowed himself to relax slightly.

As he examined his surroundings, he decided that this definitely hadn't been part of the castle when he had been here last. Princess Alix had been—and still was—a bit of a rouge. She had indulged Adrien in showing off even the restricted parts of the castle.

Adrien was certain that this hadn't been part of that secret tour.

"Well, well," a feminine voice spoke up from behind him, causing him to jump. "I didn't know we would be graced with the presence of the Prince of Paris."

Adrien turned around out of curiosity, only to be met with a smirking woman standing with a hand on her cocked hip while the other hand was splayed across her chest as if in shock. "If I had known," she said, slowly sauntering up to him. "I would have put on a nicer dress."

She dragged her hand downwards, the movement drawing Adrien's attention. Upon noticing how low the neckline of her bright orange dress plunged, he forced himself to look up to her face. Yes, he absently thought, you should have.

"Seeing as we never had the chance to be formally acquainted," she continued, stopping right before him, "allow me to introduce myself. I am Princess Lila Rossi, King Hawkmoth's heir."

He didn't miss the way her neckline seemed to reveal even more when she dipped into a curtsy. He bowed, less out of respect and more so that he wouldn't have to look at her ample bosom. "Prince Adrien Agreste of Paris."

Pleased, she hummed. "Pleasure to meet you."

He noticed she stood up again, so he did the same. "The pleasure is mine," he responded, mostly out of habit.

"What brings you? Surely not my uncle."

Adrien froze a moment, his brow raising in silent question before he dismissed her comment. "I came on my own accord in hopes to set up a peace treaty with him."

Her brow quirked in confusion, her head tilting to the side. "You've come to surrender?"

He decided that agreeing would be the best course of action considering that's what he was mockingly doing.

Lila made a show of sighing with relief, her hand once again coming back up to her chest and drawing attention. Honestly, he thought to himself, does this woman have any class? It was barely a second later that Adrien recalled that this was Theo's lover. It didn't make it acceptable, but it explained quite a bit.

"How wonderful," she said, smile coming to her lips. "This war has only caused trouble and damage. For it to end will be a blessing."

To that, Adrien could truthfully agree.

"Seeing as my uncle might be a while," she said, looking past him down the hallway. "Would you like to join me for tea? Surely you've had an exhausting journey."

"I have," Adrien admitted. "But I was asked to wait here, and I will not test your uncle in leaving."

"He'll understand if you're with me," she assured. "He would think me rude if I ignored you and went on my way."

"But he'll understand if I decline in order to keep my instructions," he firmly responded.

She pouted. "Then that puts us at an impasse. For he would berate me on my manners for not caring for our guest. Especially one of your status."

"Then I will be certain to tell him that I was the one who declined your offer." Frankly, anything to get this woman to leave would be preferable. She had a rather suffocating presence and acted in a far too familiar fashion. He must have taken several steps back just to keep a respectable distance between them. Not to mention he would like her to get a more appropriate dress or shawl to cover herself.

"Come now," she coaxed. "Surely, you're exhausted, or thirsty at least. Allow me to get you something to drink."

As much as he would have liked some water, he was going nowhere with this woman. "Thank you, but I'll pass."

In the glint of the firelight, her green eyes flashed with irritation, but she quickly covered it with a smile. "Then allow me to keep you company until my uncle arrives. With him, who knows when that will be."

Adrien fought his urge to frown. Instead, he turned around to face the door the soldier had headed into, partly because he wanted to see exactly when he would be beckoned in but mostly to turn his eyes away from this woman.

Unfortunately, Lila ended up at his side, grabbing at his arm. No matter how much he wanted to, he didn't retract his arm. Curse his deeply ingrained manners. "If I may be so bold, you are quite the handsome young man."

"Thank you," he absently responded.

"Surely, you must attract attention of many a woman."

"Mostly of the unwarranted and unwanted variety."

Lila giggled. Even though he had only just met her, he could tell her laughter was fake. One didn't spend as much time as he had with several young ladies vying for his attention all at once and not learn the difference between fake and real laughter. "The downfalls of people with our status," she bemoaned. "People who want to marry for rank, not pleasure."

Then she shifted closer, forcing Adrien to take a half-step sideways.

"But that's what is so perfect about the two of us," she purred out, running a hand up his arm. "We aren't searching for advancement in rank."

He reached out to grab her hand, pushing it away from him. He could tell his gruffness shocked her, but he wasn't going to put up with this little vixen's flirting any longer. "I'm married, and I would thank you very much for remembering such a fact."

Her eyes shot wide at that revelation, and her grip on his arm loosened. "And here I thought we would make the perfect couple," she weakly responded, attempting to salvage the conversation. "I never heard anything about the prince marrying anyone."

"It was held in secret to a woman I love very much," he sharply said, piecing together mostly-truths.

"Oh," was all she said before a silence slipped between them. He noticed, however, that even though the silence stretched long, she never released his arm. He was half tempted to rip it away but held better manners than that.

"Maybe, once all this war nonsense is over, I could meet her," Lila said. "Surely, she must be a sight to behold."

"Maybe," was all Adrien responded with.

"What was her former title?"

At this, Adrien froze, a momentary panic flooding him before he managed to pull together an answer. "Viscountess."

"Of…?"

Adrien didn't want to answer, but he couldn't be rude. But if he answered, there was a grand possibility that Theo had told her enough for her to throw the pieces together rather quickly.

He tried to think of an answer, but she spoke before him. "Would it, by any chance, be the Viscountess of Noir?"

His eyes widened, and when he turned to look at her, dread swept over him at the sight of her crafty smile.

Her fingers crawled up his arm once again, but he was too stunned to pull away. "A good princess," she purred out, a sly grin on her face, "educates herself on the lineage of those of her status, including those from other kingdoms. A smart princess knows when to make connections between overlaps that are too…coincidental."

Her eyes sparked with something dangerous, and that dread in Adrien's gut began to churn uncomfortably.

She chuckled, amused with herself. "Why bother with her? What purpose does she serve? She's a peasant you married—"

"To protect her from your lover."

This time, it was Adrien who had the dangerous glint in his eye while Lila was the one to stand shock still. "Don't think I don't know about that. What purpose does he serve?"

Her eyes hardened. "Many a purpose," she defended. "Such as doing whatever Uncle wants. And if Uncle isn't around, then it's me he serves."

Adrien sneered in disgust. "He's your yes-man, then. Pathetically wrapped up in whatever mess you need him to dive into so you can keep your hands clean."

"An asset," she corrected.

"One who will turn on you faster than you can blink."

Lila snorted amusedly. "He's not that smart."

"But he's powerful and willing to go to great lengths."

"Precisely why he's useful."

Adrien scoffed. "What useful things can he possibly do other than playing the dog and going to fetch whatever you want him to?"

"Like your precious wife?"

He faltered for a second, but that chink in his armor was clearly visible to Lila. She took hold of it and ran before he could collect himself. "Don't think he doesn't have the power to drag her back here. And don't think he wouldn't. He likes finishing what he started, and when he wants to break a filly, he knows he has to wait for the stallion to leave first."

A disgusting metaphor. One that sent his gut rolling, but it also sent his heart pounding for a whole other reason.

"You seemed to be so willing to take her before," she continued, her sly smile growing. "But are you willing to take a soiled dove?"

"You're lying," he snapped. There was no way she could know that. And there was no way Theo could get to Marinette. She was safe. She had to be safe.

She shrugged. "I might be. But how can you be certain?"

His heart clenched, and his head chanted that it was just lies. That they had to be. But it was too late. The seed of doubt was planted firmly in his heart, and there wasn't any way to reason with his mind when it was engulfed in panic.

He snapped from his stupor when Lila ran a hand up his chest to pat his heart. He tried to step away, but his back hit the wall. Considering the twinkle in her eye, she found it very amusing. "And do you think you truly love her enough to look past that?" She then made a show of gasping. At least she removed her hand from him. "And what would you do if she conceived a bastard child. No…" the sparkle in her eye grew sharp, like a knife blade. "What would your father do?"

Flashing one last sly smile, she patted his cheek teasingly before sashaying away, her dress swinging on her hips with every step.

Someone cleared their throat, calling Adrien's attention. He stood tall on instinct, but he felt his face flare with embarrassment when he realized who was standing in front of him. Dressed in head to toe in purple with a gold cane in his hand, King Hawkmoth stood regally before him.

And the scowl proved that he had witnessed the scene that had transpired.

"If you are finished flirting with my niece," he growled. "Then you can follow me."

The king spun on his heel marching down the hallway at a clip that proved he didn't remotely need that cane.

Despite the shame and embarrassment flooding him, an overwhelming fear and doubt consumed him entirely. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he told himself to pull it together and face the king like the prince he was. But that was easier said than done when all he could see was a vison from the past. One consisting of Theo holding Marinette to the ground. Of her teary eyes begging him for help while her skirts were hitched up, making Theo's intent clear.

While it terrified him to have witnessed such a scene the first time, he would much rather be there to see it again than to not be there when it happened.