Chapter Text
Marinette shivered slightly as she stood outside the servant’s entrance next to the rented cart. The driver they’d hired to get them out of Paris was patiently waited, the reins to the horse in his lap, and Sabine was sat in the back, amongst all of their belongings. She was getting better, but she was still fairly weak, so she stayed sat down in the cart, ready to go, while Tom brought out the last of their belongings.
‘It’s going to be okay, Marinette,’ Sabine said, a small but unsure smile on her face.
Marinette bowed her head. ‘He’s getting married tomorrow, mum…’
‘I know, sweetheart. But you’ve tried everything you could think of. And I’m sure he’s tried, too. I think it’s best we get as far away from Paris as possible, so you’ll never hear about the royal family again.’
They had decided last night that they would be going to where Marinette and Adrien had been planning to go, to Mont St. Michael. It was far away and would take a while to get there, but it was isolated and pleasant, and things were considerably cheaper than in Paris, which would be helpful considering the amount of money it would take to get there in the first place.
‘I know. I just…’ She wanted to say she had expected Adrien to be able to escape, to come and be with her, but she knew that would be stupid of her to say. Or even think. For her to even think that she and Adrien could actually have been together in the first place was stupid, too. Whatever had they been thinking? He was a prince. She was a maid. ‘It hurts me to think of the life he’ll have with Lila,’ she said instead. It wasn’t a lie. She was thinking about that, too.
Tom came out of the servant’s entrance then, Marinette’s set of belongings in hand. He placed them into the cart, then turned and looked up at the palace. They hadn’t lived there for very long, but their time there had been important to their daughter. And even though it had ended in the worst way possible, he supposed Marinette had some defining moments here. He didn’t like the thought of that boy having touched his daughter without his permission, whether he was the crown prince of France or not, nor did he like the fact Marinette’s heart had been broken by him. But in time, she would heal.
He turned to his daughter with a smile. ‘Ready?’
Marinette wrung her hands together. Adrien had asked her to wait, but apart from the other servants and guards, there was no sign of life in the palace. But she still wanted to wait for him. ‘Can we wait?’ she asked, eyes filling with tears.
Her dad sighed. ‘Marinette-’
‘Please, papa.’
He placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘Adrien isn’t coming, sweetheart. Everyone in the palace knows how well guarded he is now. Even if he wanted to leave, which I’m sure he does, he probably wouldn’t even be able to get out of his room, let alone out of the palace. Come on.’
Marinette nodded. She knew her dad was right. She didn’t think for a second Adrien had lied to her. But he probably hadn’t estimated how hard it would have been to fulfil what he had told her.
She let her dad guide her to sit in the cart with her mum, and then he sat up front with the driver. She felt the cart jolt to life as the horse began to move, and Marinette stared at the palace as they went past the side of it, and then past the front. She wouldn’t miss the building itself. It was impressive and grand and decadent, but she wouldn’t miss it because it was extravagant. She’d miss it because of the memories she’d made there. Meeting the prince, her first kiss, getting proposed to… Tears brimmed in her eyes again. She had dreamed of a life spent with Adrien when she shouldn’t have. She shouldn’t have wasted her time on him, no matter how either one of them felt. But her heart still wanted him even though she knew it was impossible. She didn’t care about being the Queen of France or any of the benefits that would have come with marrying a prince. She just wanted to be with him. But it would have to stay as a dream.
‘I am the Crown Prince of France and you will move out of the way!’
Marinette looked up, hope blossoming within her at the sound of Adrien’s voice. They were passing by the palace’s imposing front gates, but through them, she could see at the main entrance to the palace, was Adrien and Kim, attempting to get past the two guards.
‘Adrien!’ Marinette cried, and across the courtyard between the gates and main entrance, he looked at her and smiled, seemingly in relief that she hadn’t gone yet.
‘Dad, stop the cart!’ Marinette shouted, but she didn’t wait for it to halt before she leapt out. She tumbled to the cobbled ground and groaned in pain.
‘Marinette!’ someone shouted, and she wasn’t sure if it was her parent’s voices or Adrien’s, but a few moments later, she was being turned over, and Adrien was smiling down at her.
‘Princess,’ he said, eyes shining with joy. ‘I thought I told you to wait for me.’
‘Adrien…’ Marinette began to cry out of happiness. Adrien always kept his word. She should never have doubted him.
‘Step back!’ Kim shouted, and Marinette looked up. The guard had taken out his sword and was pointing it at the other palace guards, stopping anyone getting close to her and Adrien. ‘He is still the prince of France! Adrien, you need to hurry and go!’ Kim shouted over his shoulder.
Without another word, Adrien scooped Marinette up and placed her back in the cart, put his three bags in, then climbed in himself, too.
‘Is it okay for me to come with you?’ he asked Sabine and Tom, the latter of whom had turned around from next to the driver, who looked thoroughly confused.
Sabine nodded with a smile. ‘Of course.’
Tom just nodded, a tight smile on his face. He needed to talk to Adrien properly about everything that had happened, but that would have to wait. He knew the prince made his daughter happy. He wasn’t not going to let him come along with them if it would lead to Marinette’s detriment, but there was no time to talk about this now. The few townsfolk that were milling around at sunrise, more than likely heading to set up their stalls for the day at the market, were starting to stare, and it didn’t look like Kim could hold the guards off for much longer.
‘Are you sure this is what you want?’ Marinette asked, only just able to believe it herself that Adrien was actually coming with them.
He gave her a kind smile and kissed her lightly on the lips. ‘More than anything, princess. I want to be with you for the rest of my life.’
‘This isn’t going to be easy,’ she said. ‘It’s going to be so different to how you grew up.’
Adrien smiled. ‘I know. But I want to be with you.’ He gathered her in his arms and she smiled against his chest. It felt like she had been longing for years for him to hold her like this again.
‘Oh, I almost forgot.’ Adrien pulled away slightly and fumbled into his pocket, bringing out the ring Chloé gave him. ‘It’s Chloé’s, but I’ll get you a better one soon that suits you properly and-’
Marinette cut him off with a kiss. ‘You don’t need to. I love it.’
With a smile, Adrien slipped it onto the maid’s finger and Marinette buried herself against the prince’s chest as the cart started to pull away again, but it was short-lived. Guards swarmed out of the palace, Gabriel, Nathalie, Chloé, and, of course, Lila with them, all four of them in their sleeping clothes. Chloé was the only one who didn’t look disgruntled, having been woken up not long ago. Nathalie looked fairly sleepy, but Gabriel and Lila both looked livid.
At the sight of their King, in his pyjamas, no less, the townsfolk really started to stare then, murmurs shared between them all.
Dread filled both Marinette and Adrien and they held each other tighter.
‘Keep going,’ they heard Tom say to the cart driver, but it was slow moving. The guards had surrounded the cart and the horse was pushing through them, but if it went any faster, it would have hurt someone.
Gabriel just glared as he approached the cart, Lila in tow.
‘Come with me, Adrien,’ the king said.
The prince shook his head. He had spent so long doing whatever his father had told him to. But he wasn’t going to listen now. Not after the way he had treated him and Marinette. ‘No.’
‘Adrien-’
‘I said no.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re getting married tomorrow.’
‘No, I am not, unless I am marrying Marinette.’
Lila glared at the pathetic maid bundled in Adrien’s arms, then she looked at the prince. ‘You are marrying me.’
‘Not a chance in hell.’
Gabriel scoffed. ‘You are being ridiculous.’
‘No, I’m not. You could see I didn’t want to marry Lila. And that was confirmed to you the day you found out about me and Marinette. But you don’t care about me. So, you get your wish. I’m going far away, to be with Marinette, and there’s not a thing you can do to stop me.’
The horse pushed through the last of the guards, and the driver whipped the reins, the horse going faster now, and Gabriel’s eyes widened in panic. He had a feeling his son would try something after he had fired Marinette and her parents, but not this. He had expected an escape attempt. But he hadn’t expected Adrien to actually be able to make his way out of the palace. The King had not accounted for his son’s relationships with the guards. He was just like his mother. Treating the servants as if they were his friends. But he couldn’t lose Adrien. His mother was already gone, albeit under very different circumstances. But now he had driven his son away by forcing this marriage on him. He had thought Adrien would just learn to accept marrying Lila and would hopefully grow to love her. His mother had raised him to be kind and considerate, and the King assumed both Adrien’s personality and looks were all gained from his mother. But Gabriel was wrong. Adrien had learnt stubbornness from him.
He, at the age Adrien was now, was supposed to get engaged to a princess from Italy. But he was already in love with Emilie. He had put his foot down and told his father who he loved and that he wanted, and that the girl who worked in the stables was already carrying the heir to the throne. Gabriel’s father had conceded without another word and called off the engagement negotiations.
Gabriel should have known better. He should have called off the engagement the moment he found out who his son was in love with. But he had been stupid and pushed Lila on him. They didn’t even need an alliance with Germany. He should have just let them be together. He couldn’t lose Adrien, too.
He broke into a run, and Lila watched the King.
‘Come back here!’ she shouted, but Chloé sidled up to her with a smirk.
‘He loves his son. He’s not going to pick you over him and that maid.’
With a quick glare to Chloé, Lila ran after Gabriel and the cart, too. She couldn’t let the King do this. She was supposed to be the Queen of France one day, not Marinette.
‘Don’t do this!’ Gabriel shouted, running after the cart. ‘I can’t lose you!’
Adrien just turned away from his father, holding Marinette closer. ‘I’m not coming back.’
‘Not even if I let you marry Marinette?’
The prince did turn to look at his father then. ‘Do you mean that?’ Part of Adrien wanted to be as far away from the palace and being royal as humanly possible, but if his father was going to let him be with Marinette, and they wouldn’t have to struggle for money for the rest of their lives, this might be the better option.
Gabriel nodded, still running. The streets were getting busier, and more and more people watched as their King chased a cart in his sleeping robes. ‘I swear on Emilie’s memory.’
‘Stop the cart,’ Sabine said then, and the driver steered the horse to stop at the side of the road.
The King panted, hands on his knees, and when he regained his breath, he said, ‘Adrien, please, don’t do this. You’re all I have left. I cannot lose you. If this is what you want, truly, then you can be with Marinette. I will call off the wedding tomorrow, send Lila home, and rearrange the ceremony for you and my soon to be daughter-in-law.’
Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look, then they both looked over at Tom and Sabine.
‘What about Marinette’s parents?’ Adrien asked.
‘They can live in the palace. With free medication for Mrs Cheng.’ Gabriel bowed his head then. ‘I’m sorry for all of the hurt I’ve caused. I just… I cannot lose you, Adrien. You’re the only person I have left. It would break my heart if you left.’
Adrien huffed. ‘What? You mean how my heart broke the day you found out about my relationship and ripped me and Marinette apart in your quarters?’
The King kept his head bowed. ‘I am sorry, Adrien. Please, come back to the palace.’
‘What should I do?’ Adrien whispered to Marinette.
She sighed. ‘He loves you, Adrien, and he’s said he’s sorry.’
The prince rolled his eyes. ‘He doesn’t always mean it.’
‘I do this time,’ Gabriel said, managing to hear them, but Adrien ignored him for now.
‘He loves you,’ Marinette continued, ‘and it seems like he wants to make it up to you. I think he should be given the chance, but I don’t want to be responsible for deciding whether you should leave your father behind. As long as we can be together, does it matter where we are? And if you were to remain as a prince, you could do so much, Adrien. Make people’s lives in the Cour des Miracles better, as well as in all of the other poor areas of France. You can’t do that if we leave.’
The prince looked over at Tom and Sabine. ‘What do you think?’
Sabine smiled. ‘Our daughter’s always right.’
Tom laughed. ‘That she is. Whatever you decide. But no matter your decision, I want a word after about that ring on my daughter’s finger.’
Adrien blushed in embarrassment. ‘Y-yes, sir.’
He took a moment to weigh up the options in his head. Marinette was right. Of course, she was. He had the power to affect so much change, which he’d yet to take advantage of, and they would never struggle in the palace. He wouldn’t have to worry about his princess and her family starving or dying from infection. Returning home would be the best option.
The prince gave his father a levelled stare. ‘We will come back to the palace, under the condition that Tom and Sabine will be treated well, and that Marinette and I will be wed before the year is out. If you do anything to sabotage us, I will be gone and I will not come back.’
‘You have my word,’ Gabriel said, but there was a screech from behind him, and they all looked over his shoulder.
Lila had finally caught up to the cart, and she was furious, having heard the last part of the conversation. ‘No! You can’t do this! I am marrying Adrien tomorrow!’
The townspeople really started to talk then. The majority of people didn’t know what the prince looked like, as the King had kept him private to protect him, but they all knew his name, and they knew who Princess Lila was. They weren’t sure exactly what was going on, but it seemed like the royal wedding tomorrow was cancelled.
Gabriel turned to Lila and shook his head, seeing Nathalie, Chloé, and Kim approaching just behind her. ‘No. You are not. You will be sent back to Germany this evening. I am calling off the engagement and wedding.’
The expression on Lila’s face was almost indescribable. A mixture of anger, upset, and pure hatred, the latter of which was directed at Marinette.
‘You!’ the German princess shouted, full of rage. ‘How dare you! I am going to be Queen of France! Not you!’
Marinette just rose her eyebrows at the furious girl. ‘You know, Lila-’
‘You will address me as your highness!’
‘Anyway, Lila, I’m with Adrien because I’m in love with him, not because I want to be Queen, or even royalty. I don’t care about that. I care about Adrien, and he cares about me.’
With a smile, Adrien bent his head slightly and kissed Marinette on the lips, and Lila screeched again.
‘Stop it!’ she shouted. ‘Stop them!’
Gabriel sighed. ‘Kim, will you please take Lila back to the palace so she can pack her belongings? And Nathalie, can you please arrange a carriage to Germany for this evening.’
‘Yes, your Majesty.’
Kim took Lila’s arm as they began their walk back to the palace, the German princess shrieking all the way, and Adrien smiled. Why had he resigned himself to marrying her? He was so glad he hadn’t given up on him and Marinette.
‘Can we ride back with you?’ Chloé asked with a grimace. ‘I’m not walking back with her.’
Tom smiled at her. ‘Of course.’
Gabriel climbed into the cart, then helped Chloé and Nathalie up, and once they were seated, the driver turned around and headed back to the palace.
‘Adrien, are you certain that this is what you want?’ Gabriel asked then.
The prince nodded, Marinette still snuggled in his arms. ‘More than anything. Don’t try to convince me otherwise.’
Gabriel nodded. He still didn’t really agree with his son’s choice of bride, but it would break him if his son left. His wife’s death had torn him in two, but if his son left, that would be the final straw for Gabriel. Despite how cold he often acted towards him, he loved Adrien dearly, and if marrying Marinette would make him stay, then Gabriel would allow it.
‘So, what dress do you have in mind, Dupain-Cheng?’ Chloé asked.
‘Dress?’ Marinette said, confused.
Chloé rolled her eyes. ‘Your wedding dress.’
Marinette’s eyes widened. She was getting married. To Adrien. She had heard the conversation between him and Gabriel, but what they had said hadn’t really sunk in, and she knew she had been engaged to Adrien for a while now, but… they were actually getting married. She felt for so long that it would be impossible, but now she excitedly turned around in Adrien’s arms.
‘We’re getting married!’
He laughed. ‘Yes, we are, princess.’
Marinette squealed, feeling incredibly happy. What she had said to Lila had been true. She didn’t care about being royal or the Queen. She would have been content to live in a small house anywhere in the world. As long as she had Adrien and he loved her, nothing else mattered.