Chapter Text
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The Immortal Realm was ruled by the Immortal Father, Papillion. He was an overall fair ruler, he made sure that the gods tended to their duties and helped the mortals in need, but he had one strange rule.
A god could only marry another whose veins flowed with golden ichor if they had similar powers.
Although the rule was questionable, no gods seemed to be opposed to it. They followed Papillon's command; those who wanted to marry would marry the gods within their circles and produce minor gods. Everyone was happy.
Everyone but Ladybug, the goddess of luck and Chat Noir, the god of misfortune.
At first, they seemed to be content. Chat Noir had been arranged to marry Volpina, the goddess of strife and Ladybug had been arranged to marry Viperion, the god of music. Their relationships were approved by the Immortal Father and they were happy with their choices.
Until, one day, Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly broke off their engagements.
It was strange, of course, but not completely unheard of. Some gods decided to focus more on their duties than a marriage, and some even married mortals.
The gods didn't think much of this development, that is, until they realized the real reason why ladybug and Chat Noir broke off their relationships.
Because they were in love with each other.
Of course, their love wasn't immediate. At first, they were acquaintances who only saw each other at the occasional party or solstice. Then, they slowly became friends, learning to balance their powers to help mortals.
That friendship blossomed into a love that was so powerful, any love they had felt before was pale in comparison.
But by the time the other gods found out about their relationship, they were gone, fleeing to earth and shedding their power so they wouldn't leave a trace.
Papillon was furious, demanding that they be brought back to him, even going as far as to offering rewards of power for their return, but they were never found.
Years had passed, and Papillion had considered given up searching, coming to the conclusion that the couple had died of natural causes on Earth.
However, one god refused to back down. She wanted power, she wanted Chat Noir, and she wanted nothing less.
Volpina, the goddess of strife, went down to Earth in disguise to continue the search.
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"Nino, hurry up! We'll be late!" Alya called, packing up her basket for the journey.
"I'm coming!" Her boyfriend called back, struggling to put on his shirt and tie one of his shoes at the same time. Alya rolled her eyes at the ridiculous man who had somehow won her heart.
"Come on, my sisters are waiting for us." She muttered, walking over to him. "If we travel on foot, we'll be there just in time for dinner." She pulled the top easily over his head to reveal his warm smile.
"I know. I'm sorry for slowing us down, it's just..." Nino sighed, his smile fading slightly. "Your family doesn't like me very much. It will take more than a basket of gifts and goodies for them to accept us." Alya shrugged and picked up the basket.
"Yeah, well, they can get over it. I love you, and I'm not leaving you just because they don't."
"I know that, and I love you too! So much that it's kind of insane, but we could use a little luck so they could at least understand that we're staying together." He chuckled, hugging his girlfriend from behind. Alya smiled and melted into his embrace.
"How about this?" She put down the basket and pulled out a box of matches. "I'll burn a quick offering to Ladybug for our journey. It'll be good to have a safety blanket to fall back on so we both feel confident."
"That sounds great!" Nino said, immediately perking up. "I'll get out the incense."
After a quick prayer to the goddess of luck, Nino and Alya left their home to begin their journey.
However, despite the prayer, luck did not seem to be on their side. After a few wrong turns and an encounter with a particularly angry woodland animal, Nino and Alya found themselves to be completely and utterly lost.
By the time they had decided to turn around, having not wanted to tempt fate any further, the moon had risen and the stars had started to dance across the sky.
They were just about to lose hope when a warm light in the distance beckoned them.
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Marinette drummed her fingers on the table, watching the time tick past. Hopefully, he would be back soon...
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She stood up and walked over to the door, starting to breathe a sigh of relief. However, when she looked outside, instead of the expected blonde-haired man she fell in love with all those years ago, she saw a pair of lost travelers.
She quickly opened the door to their shocked faces.
"Hello, there." She greeted with a smile. "Are you lost?" The couple nodded, then the male spoke first.
"If you don't mind, Ma'am, could we maybe spend the night here? We can't find our way back home and-"
"-Well, of course!" Marinette interrupted before he could finish, "Please come in, I'll make up the guest bedroom for you." She opened the door wider, allowing them to step inside.
The couple took off their shoes and looked around in awe.
"Y-you have a lovely home, Ma'am." The woman said, nervously. "Do you live alone?" Marinette smiled warmly.
"No, I live with my husband. He's currently out right now." She paused. "And please, Alya, call me Marinette."
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Alya tensed. How did this woman--Marinette--know who she was? When she and Nino stumbled upon this small cottage in the woods, she was not expecting to be greeted by a cheery, young-looking woman with old-looking blue eyes that stared into her soul.
"I-if I may..." Alya stuttered out, causing the woman to turn back around and gaze at her with those oh-so-blue eyes. "How do you know my name?" Marinette's eyes softened.
"Oh, I know everybody around here, Alya." She said, leaning against a little table with a small incense pot placed on it. "I saw you and Nino out in the square last week."
Oh. Of course, Alya thought, slightly relieved. That makes sense. Although, it doesn't quite explain how she knows our-
"May I ask what was causing you such distress?" Marinette asked kindly, looking at Nino.
Nino swallowed. He shouldn't. He shouldn't tell his problems to a strange woman he met in the forest. He should just give a vague answer and call it a night, but every time Marinette spoke to them, he just wanted to run into her arms and cry. She was just so motherly and sweet that every word out of her mouth felt like a warm hug.
"We were visiting Alya's parents." He said, unable to stop himself. "They don't really approve of our relationship and we were hoping to reconcile."
Alya averted her gaze. When he said it out loud, it sounded a lot worse than she realized. Marinette gave them a sympathetic look.
"I understand. It's hard when people you care about disagree with you on something so important. All you can do hope for the best." Marinette smiled at them. Alya chewed on her lip.
"You sound like you speak from experience." She murmured. Marinette chuckled softly.
"That's because I do. As a matter of fact-" A knock on the door interrupted them, causing her to smile. "-that's how I met my husband."
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