Tikki had passed cups of tea into everyone's hands as they all sat around the small, circular fire in the center of the home. Nino was busy changing the bandages on Chat's shoulder, and for the most part, everything was silent except for the "thank you" Marinette whispered out as Tikki handed Her Her own up of tea.

Plagg soaked the fire once more and leaned back into his seat with a sigh. "So," he said, folding his hands in his lap. "I never expected to see you again, obviously."

"Neither did I," Chat answered. The exchange sounded almost hostile, but both of them were smiling, confusing Marinette to no end. "But you clearly ended up somewhere nice."

"You not so much," Plagg said, gesturing to the bandages Nino had just finished wrapping around Chat's shoulder. "Landing yourself a gig as the adopted son of the fire tribe leader wasn't enough to keep you out of trouble?"

"It's hard to stay out of it when that's apparently what you were born for." Chat shrugged. "We're lucky it didn't get in the way of you finding us. I was headed to your place anyway."

"Fortune smiles upon you, then," Plagg said.

"Actually, it smiles upon her," Chat said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of Marinette.

She had been watching this back and forth exchange, wondering what exactly the history was here that they were so comfortable with one another. Plagg turned his attention to Her, raising a brow in a skeptical look. He leaned further forward in his seat and Marinette leaned back.

"What did you say your name was again?" Plagg asked Her.

"I'm- uh-" On reflex, Marinette glanced over towards Chat.

He answered for Her. "My lady and mistress," Chat said, "Her Royal Highness, Princess Marinette."

Tikki nearly dropped the tray she was holding as she gasped in surprise. Marinette looked down at Her hands, avoiding the looks from the others in the room.

"The rumors have reached here by now," Plagg said nodding. "So, those soldiers weren't really after you so much as Her."

"I'm guessing the story is I killed the King and kidnapped the Princess." Chat leaned back in his seat, acting as though all this weren't a big deal. "Easy enough to pin it all on me."

"General Couffaine of the water tribe is supposed to be coronated today," Plagg said. "I'm guessing he was behind it all?"

Out of the corner of Her eye, Marinette saw Chat's fist clench, though whatever words he was saying, his voice remained steady. She couldn't hear him anymore, couldn't hear any of the conversations. They were still speaking, but the voices were muffled. Marinette's eyes had focused in on Chat's hand, watching as he curled his fingers and flexed them. It kept Her grounded, pushed away everything else she was putting off thinking about. She could feel the tears welling up in Her eyes, but fought to not let them fall.

Her throat clenched up next, and She tried to ignore that. But breathing felt like an impossible task, and still, people were talking around Her.

As She let out a gasping breath, Marinette pushed Herself to Her feet. All eyes in the room snapped towards Her, and She could just barely make out Chat's worried expression through her blurred vision.

"I- I need some air," Marinette choked out. She was out the door in seconds, not even taking the time to slip Her shoes back on before she took off through the grassy field.

Her steps were stumbling, feet becoming muddied as She walked through the soft ground. It felt so cold, seeping through the fabric of Her clothes and beneath Her skin.

When Marinette hit the tree-line, she clutched onto a branch to keep Herself from falling, breathing heavily. She was half bent over, one hand resting on Her knees. It took all of Her strength to keep Herself upright.

"Princess," A kind voice said as someone laid a hand on Her shoulder. Marinette jumped and screamed, turning around so Her back hit the rough bark of the tree and She clutched her chest. Tikki was standing there, seeming just as startled as She was, her hand hovering in mid-air. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare You like that."

"No, no," Marinette managed to get out. "It's fine. I'm okay."

"You should sit down," Tikki said, putting one hand on Her back and the other underneath Her elbow. She guided Marinette over to a fallen log and helped Her get off of Her feet. "Have You slept yet? I know last night was difficult with the uncertainty of Chat's injuries, but You really should find some time to sleep."

"I will. Eventually," Marinette nodded. "I find it hard to... close my eyes."

Tikki sat down next to her, pulling Marinette close and allowing Her to rest Her head on her shoulder. "I could sense that there was some sort of burden You were carrying when Plagg first brought You here, but I never could have guessed-" Tikki let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry. To lose a parent is difficult enough but in such a way..."

Marinette nodded silently. She sniffled, wiping away a tear that fell from Her face. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do now," She said. "Chat, I think, wants to leave Me here. Alone. But I don't want that. Whatever else I may be uncertain of at the moment, I know he's the one person I want to remain by My side."

Tikki offered her a smile. She stood, offering her hand to Marinette. "Come with me."

As Marinette took Tikki's hand, she began to lead Her through the forest. All was silent except for the sounds of animals and the breeze floating through the trees. Marinette focused on that, letting it calm Her. Marinette wasn't quite sure where they were going until they reached a stream, next to a rocky hillside. There was an opening in the rock, and Marinette immediately recognized the markings of a shrine, one that laid within the cave.

"This place was the reason I forced Plagg to let us settle here," Tikki said. "He's never been a big believer in the gods, but I am. I wanted to care for this place, keep it safe."

Marinette and Tikki both bowed their heads as they passed through the threshold. Torches were lit above the altar, illuminating the paintings on the cave wall and the offerings that Tikki had probably set out.

"Maybe you can find some comfort and strength here, High Priestess," Tikki said.

As Marinette stepped closer to the altar, she examined the paintings more closely. They were faded, but still clear enough to tell what they were supposed to represent. The four colors different colors, all circling one another, gave it away as well. And once She knew what the colors represented, it was easy to see the figures of the dragons painted there as well.

"I've never seen a shrine for these gods before," Marinette said in awe. Her fingertips hovered just over the rock, not touching, not wanting to defile this sacred place anymore than age and the passage of time already had. "This place must be ancient." She turned back to Tikki who was listening intently. "The Legends of the Four Dragons are well known, but hardly anyone worships them anymore."

"Except for the Royal Family," Tikki said. "I'm guessing that's why this place was abandoned."

Marinette turned back to the paintings. If She squinted, She could just make out an inscription underneath. "Tikki?" Marinette asked, trying to make out the letters. "Have you ever tried to read this?"

Marinette began to turn slowly around to face the woman who brought Her here.

Tikki was standing directly behind Her.

Marinette let out a gasping scream, as though She couldn't even make a sound at all. It wasn't so much that Tikki had been standing behind Her that terrified Her, but the bright red color of her eyes looked like fire, and Marinette felt as though Her skin was burning. She couldn't move as Tikki raised her hand and pressed the tip of her index finger to Marinette's forehead. It felt hot, but still, Marinette could not scream. Tikki did not let up with her burning touch even as Marinette sank to Her knees, falling to the side as She laid on the ground in front of the alter.

"Let me show You a path," Tikki said, her voice muffled as Marinette's eyes drifted shut, and the last thing She heard as She fell into darkness.

----------------------

Chat nervously paced the floor of Plagg and Tikki's home, running his hands through his hair. He had tried to be the one to go after the Princess when She ran out unexpectedly, but Tikki had stopped him, telling him he needed to rest more and not exert himself. He should have told her that he didn't care. His duty to the Princess was more important.

Chat felt guilty. Just because She had been joking this morning, smiling at him, didn't mean that everything was totally behind them. The mention of that man's name was enough to send Her back into a dark place.

"Just sit down," Plagg said. "Give Her some time. Tikki will be able to take care of Her and she won't let Her go far."

Chat grumbled but he didn't say anything and still didn't take a seat.

"So," Nino said nervously. "She really is the Princess?"

"As far as I'm still concerned, yes," Chat said. "By now my brother has probably tried to convince everyone She's dead. Make it easier for the successor to take the throne."

"Why don't you just go barging in there and declaring She's alive?" Nino asked.

"They'll kill you before you even reach the front gates of the capital," Plagg said.

"Exactly." Chat let out a deep sigh. "Right now, the top priority is just keeping Her alive."

"Well, you're doing a bang-up job so far." Plagg smiled and Chat shot him a glare. The man let the grin fall from his face. "That wasn't sarcasm. I meant it. Though, you are doing all this at the expense of yourself."

"That doesn't matter." Chat waved him off.

"Your own life doesn't matter?" Plagg asked, cocking his head to the side.

Chat stared him down, stopping his pacing finally. "I know you and a lot of other people probably think I allowed myself to be adopted in a noble family just so I could live a cushy life," he said. "But that wasn't the reason. I cared more about the other position I was being offered."

Plagg nodded knowingly. "I don't blame you for giving up the life of a thief. I did, too." Plagg let out a soft chuckle. "And I suppose you did have a few things to make up for, so becoming the Princess's bodyguard was probably your best option."

"Wait," Nino said. "You were a thief?"

Plagg opened his mouth to speak, leaning forward in his chair. Chat held up his hand. "Don't tell the story- I've tried putting it behind me."

"He's this six-year-old kid," Plagg began, and Chat let out a groan as he sunk down into a chair. "The bosses liked to use him because he could fit into small spaces, but Chat Noir was also a dumbass with no sense of self-preservation. Someone made the mistake of jokingly challenging him to steal the Princess's crown right off Her head, and, like an idiot, he accepts."

"I wasn't that much of an idiot because I managed to pull it off," Chat argued. "But I was- if we're going to tell this I'm telling it correctly- I was almost out of the palace when the Princess and this little water tribe boy are tackling me in an alleyway and trying to take it back. The guards caught us when She was on top of me, pummeling me into the ground and Luka was..."

Chat's voice faded away. The memory was vivid in his mind like it always had been but now it was cutting, mixing with something else.

Luka standing before him with blood splattered on his clothes, standing over the Princess with a cold expression.

"They were going to arrest me," Chat said quieter now as he tried pushing the memory out of his mind. "But the King and Queen were good people and offered me a way out."

It was silent for a few moments before Plagg spoke, his tone less jovial than before. "We didn't even know he had been taken in by the fire tribe and allowed to live at the palace until weeks later," he said. "A lot of us thought he had been killed for his stupidity."

"It sounds like you were really lucky," Nino said.

"I was." Chat nodded. The person he cared for most in the world had let him into Her life even though he was the least trustworthy person, who should have never been allowed even within five feet of Her.

Chat stood to his feet, making his way toward the entrance of the home.

"Where are you going?" Plagg asked, standing as well.

"I'm going to check on the Princess and Tikki," He said, slipping on his shoes. He glanced down, noticing the Princess's shoes were still sitting there, and grabbed them, too. "Don't worry, I won't run or anything."

Before Plagg or Nino could protest, he was off. Walking across the field towards the trees, where he guessed they had headed. Chat wasn't entirely sure where he would find them, but he would.

He followed a path toward a stream, noticing fresh footprints in the ground.

"Jeez, She could have at least put shoes on first," Chat mumbled to himself.

When he saw the opening to the shrine, he sighed in relief. They had to be inside.

The fires of the torches were burning low, making it hard to see, but there was a red glow near the alter. Chat's chest squeezed tightly, nervousness picking up as his heart started racing. He couldn't make out who was there until he was standing just over them.

"Princess!" Chat shouted kneeling down beside Her as he drew Her into his arms. "Tikki, what-"

Chat froze as he saw the red of her eyes, glowing brightly. He felt as though he couldn't speak. He just held the Princess tighter in his arms.

Tikki held out her hand towards Chat, her fingers shaking as they hovered over Chat's face. He grimaced, trying to pull away from her.

Chat was frozen, fighting until he couldn't anymore, and felt himself slipping off into the same unconscious state as the Princess he was holding in his arms.