Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue
And it’s hey to the starboard, heave ho…!”

Nathalie rolled her eyes at the sound of the crew’s ramblings coming from the other end of the ship's main deck. It was more or less one of the most annoying parts of her day. Otherwise, serving as a guardian for the prince was a rather privileged job that-

SPLASH

...she took it back.

Being stuck overseas in general just made the whole day annoying for her.

“You okay there, Nathalie?” A voice piped up, belonging to a young man that approached the now-wet woman. “You got pretty soaked there…” He seemed to trail off nervously, and refrained from wincing at her reaction.

“I’m fine, sire,” Nathalie huffed, pulling off her water-stained glasses from her face, since water was dripping from her hair onto them anyway. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go inside to dry myself. Don't do anything irresponsible while I’m away, Adrien.”

His green eyes followed Nathalie’s form storming off, and into the living quarters of the deck. Adrien knew that Nathalie had least enjoyed their little trip overseas. She wasn't fond of the ruckus that came with traveling by ship, despite it being the only mode of transportation to get to England from France. Then again, it was part of her job to put up with him, and that included his travels.

He ran a hand through his damp blonde hair, despite how likely the wind would mess it up again, and eyed the rest of the crew.

“Nathalie rolled her eyes again, you know,” He spoke up, gaining the attention of some of his mates. “What did you guys do that bothered her this time?”

“Relax, man,” His first mate, Nino, was the first to assure him. “It was just another one of Kim’s dumb tales.”

“It's not some dumb tale,” Kim objected, crossing his arms as if his opinion was superior. “They’re real, I tell you!”

“What's real?” Adrien questioned.

“Mermaids, of course! Right here, in the waters.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow at his crew mate. “Mermaids,” He repeated, trying to hide his curiosity of the topic. “As in those ladies, on rocks, with fish tails instead of legs?”

“They’re just fairytales,” Nino assured.

“No way! I caught a glimpse of one just the other day,” Kim insisted. “I mean, just its tail, but Nathanaël saw it too!”

At the mention of his own name, Nathanaël blushed when he realized the attention was on him now. He reluctantly pulled out a leather-bound sketch pad, and started flipping through. “Well, I don't know if it was exactly a mermaid, but this is what it looked like.”

Drawn with vague detail on the page were a couple of sketches of large fish tails, surfacing from water. While the drawings were well done, still not everyone was convinced.

“Perhaps all you saw was the tail of a dolphin, or a small whale,” Max counteracted. “There have been no official sightings of mermaids. Ever. They're just about as real as the Tale of the Miraculous Stones.”

“What are the Miraculous Stones?” Adrien found himself asking.

“Oh, they're really nothing. Just a bedtime story, at the most,” Max refuted, and then paused. “But, the myths say that the Miraculouses can grant their holders magical abilities to transform into saviors of some kind. Guided by a guardian, these saviors protect the land and the sea.”

“But as we’ve established, they're not real,” Nino reestablished, earning more nods this time, as he looked to Adrien. “Nathalie probably just got irritated by Kim’s rambling. She’ll cool off soon… Or, dry off, I guess.”

Before Adrien could even reply, he heard another small splash, followed by a loud hiss.

“Looks like Nathalie’s not the only one who doesn't like the water,” Adrien chuckled, approaching the source of the sound, and picking it up. “Isn't that right, Plagg?”

If Plagg could speak, Adrien was sure he be very unamused right now. His black fur was dripping with water, his nose kept wrinkling, and his eyes were very focused on Adrien, as if he were glaring at him.

“Don't give me that look,” Adrien shook his head at the cat. “Come on, let’s dry you off, and I'll get you a nice piece of cheese.”

Automatically, Plagg’s mood seemed to brighten, and he attempted to nuzzle against Adrien.

“Yeah, yeah, now you love me,” He rolled his eyes.

“I'm telling you, that cat is weird,” Nino looked between Adrien and Plagg, while the rest of the crew had gone back to talking amongst themselves. “He’s more of a mouse than a cat, judging by his eating habits.”

“It's all he eats. It's worse whenever he’s in the mood for camembert,” Adrien wrinkled his nose at the thought of that stinky cheese.

“I'll let you get back to that then,” Nino nodded, patting his friend on the back, and then joining the rest of the crew.

“I’ll sing you a song from the bottomless blue,
And it's hey to the starboard, heave ho!”

Adrien glanced back at his crewmates at the sound of their singing, and he grinned with some amusement.

Mermaids? Well, there have been stranger things in this world…

“Look out, lad, a mermaid be waiting for you,
In mysterious fathoms below!”

~~~~~

I’ll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue…
...and it’s hey, to the starboard, heave ho…

A giggle erupted from the lips of a girl that was humming the sailors’ song. Her red tail swished back and forth against the water, as she swam at a steady pace.

Oh, if only some sailors knew how accurate their songs truly were… It was quite a catchy tune, though.

“Marinette,” A red fish called from several feet away, her small fins making it hard for her to keep up. “Please wait!”

Marinette sighed softly, slowing down so that the fish could catch up. “Sorry, Tikki,” She apologized, looking to her friend. “I'm just trying to hurry.”

“We wouldn't be hurrying if we had left an hour ago like I said,” Tikki pouted, managing to keep up once more.

“I didn't realize we swam that far out,” Marinette gave Tikki an apologetic look, while trying to refrain from panicking now. “Or that it’s this late in the morning. Oh, everyone’s probably awake by now!”

She glanced up at the surface of the water, the high sun reflecting through and casting rays of glistening light against the ocean floor.

“We’re not gonna make it back anytime soon at this rate,” Marinette realized, before coming to a stop, and opening her pink bag up. “Here, get inside. I can swim faster then.”

Tikki looked inside of the purse, before zipping inside. “Um, it's a little cramped in here…” She spoke up, eyeing the couple of objects that Marinette had collected and stuffed inside of the bag.

“It won't be for long,” Marinette assured her, closing the bag, and then swimming at a fast pace to reach the reef.

At last, flashes of colorful coral caught Marinette’s eye, and she knew she had reached their home reef. There weren't too many fish out, thankfully, which meant none of them would rat her out to Fu…

To many, Fu happened to be the Guardian of the Sea. For an elderly man, he was certainly a powerful one, and not just because he was the holder of the mythical Turtle Miraculous Stone too. The Miraculous bestowed its levity and wisdom upon him, making him worthy force against any that dared to be a threat to him or his fellow merfolk.

To Marinette though, he was also her parental guardian...

Marinette slowed down when she spotted the entrance to her cave, and began to creep inside. She pressed her lips together, being careful not to make a noise. Just as she made it to the doorway of her room, she stopped in her tracks.

Sitting on her bed happened to be none other than-

“U-Uncle Fu!” Marinette sputtered.

Fu slowly rose from the bed, his hands behind his back. Despite Marinette towering over him in terms of height, Fu still held his authoritative superiority over her.

“I didn't see you earlier this morning,” Fu noted.

“Oh, well, that's because I...couldn't fall asleep again,” Marinette rummaged her brain for an excuse. “So I went on a morning stroll.”

“It's almost noon. A bit late for a stroll in the morning, isn't it?”

“I...lost track of time?”

Fu sighed, shaking his head with disappointment. “That Bourgeois girl stopped by earlier. She said she saw you leaving the reef before sunset earlier this morning.”

A look of dismay crossed Marinette’s face.

Damn, Chloé...

It’s obvious to Fu that Marinette wouldn't have gone for a stroll for almost five hours.

“Tell me you weren't up by the shore again, where those humans are,” Fu kept his eye on her.

“I wasn't up by the shore,” Marinette shook her head innocently.

It was technically true. Instead, Marinette had swam further out to a wrecked ship, but then again, her purpose had still been to collect human trinkets to satisfy her curiosity.

“Were you collecting human objects again?”

Well, shit.

Marinette remained silent, blushing furiously of embarrassment, while Fu held his hand out in front of her.

“...I wasn't able to find much,” She assured, rummaging through her bag, and being careful not to give any hints that Tikki was still hiding inside. Marinette ended up drawing a quill, a pearl necklace, and a couple of coins from her bag, before holding them out for Fu to take. “I don't see how any of these objects could be harmful.”

“That's not the point, Marinette,” Fu insisted, setting the objects aside for a moment. “I'm sure I've mentioned to you before, ‘curiosity killed the cat’.”

“I still don't even know what a cat is,” Marinette objected, exasperation showing on her face. “I’m already 15, and I still barely know anything about the human world. If they’re so dangerous, why shouldn't I know more about them?”

Fu didn't respond just yet, and re-approached Marinette. “You know that I’m only trying to protect you,” He spoke in a sympathetic tone, placing a hand on the pouting girl’s shoulder. “After your parents-”

“I know,” She interrupted sharply, looking away and closing her eyes. “You don't have to remind me they’re gone..”

“They were good friends of mine, especially your mother,” He continued, knowing it was a sensitive subject for her. “I know she would've wanted what was best for you, and that's all I'm trying to provide, young Ladybug.”

The corners of Marinette’s mouth twitched upwards into a small smile. He always called her his Ladybug because she loved the pattern. In fact, he had even gotten her a pair of red earrings with black spots on them for her 13th birthday, a couple of years ago. They were such a simple accessory, and Marinette usually wasn't one for jewelry, but she rarely ever took the earrings off.

Even fate had made her best friend a red and black-spotted fish! (aka Tikki)

“Okay, Uncle,” Marinette accepted for now. “If it's okay with you, I think I'll stop by and visit the cavern for a while. Rose and the others are usually there. Maybe it'll do me good if I see them.”

“That’s the spirit,” Fu smiled warmly at her idea. “You have my permission.”

A smile crossed Marinette’s face, and she pecked Fu on the cheek. “Thank you, Uncle,” She told him, and then swam out of her room.

“Marinette,” Tikki’s head popped out of the bag, once they were outside the cave again. “There are still more human objects in here…”

“Oh, I couldn't resist, Tikki,” Marinette insisted, as Tikki emerged from the bag and floated in front of her. “I meant it to Fu, I really will stop by to see Rose and the others… Besides, the cavern is on the way to my grotto anyway.”

Tikki watched Marinette swim slightly ahead, sighing to herself, before continuing to swim at her side.

Meanwhile, Fu watched Marinette and Tikki swim away. His expression was stoic for a moment, before his head turned slightly. “Wayzz.”

As if on cue, a small green turtle floated over to his side. “Yes, Master Fu?”

“Keep an eye on Marinette for the day,” Fu asked of him. “Please, make sure she doesn't go wandering off again. She could've very easily ended up in Hawkmoth’s territory earlier today.”

“I'll see to it that it won't happen, Master,” Wayzz bowed his head, and then zipped off away from the cave to find the young Ladybug.

Chapter Text

Marinette traveled at a much more calm pace, compared to earlier when she was rushing. It was definitely a good thing in Tikki’s end too, as it allowed for her to catch up. It didn't take very long for two of them to spot the entrance to the cavern. Marinette began to swim through the entrance, and when she resurfaced, she found that all her friends were already there.

“Look who came after all,” Alix greeted.

“I almost thought I wouldn't,” Marinette spoke in a relieved tone, pulling her bag off her shoulder and setting it on the ledge by the wall.

Even though the cavern entrance was underwater, the water level was low enough that a person could surface, and see the cavern ceiling high above them. There was also a ledge near the walls to lean against, or set things down. This particular cavern wasn't a very well-known place among the reef, since it wasn't fully submerged underwater, but it was still a secure place to hide from humans. The girls had come across it a couple of years ago, and it quickly became their usual place to hang out.

“You guys will never believe what I found today!” Marinette continued with enthusiasm.

“Were you up by the shore again?” Rose asked her, curiously.

“Not by the shore,” Marinette shook her head, opening up her bag. “But I did find a wrecked ship. That's where I got all these things.”

“A human ship?” Myléne’s eyes were wide at the mention. “Was it scary?”

“Nothing that we couldn't handle,” Tikki assured Myléne with a gentle smile. “No sharks, or anything!”

Juleka peered over Marinette’s shoulder. “What did you find?” She asked, watching the girl sort through some of the objects.

“A lot of things. I had more, but Fu took them. I was lucky I managed to get away with these,” Marinette initially frowned, but then picked up a small round object with strings dangling by the edges, and a blue gem in the center.

“Ooh, it's shiny!” Rose noticed. “What is it?”

“I don't know,” Marinette shrugged.

“Let me see,” Alix plucked it from her hand.

Alix was careful while handling the trinket, and ended up opening a flap that revealed a reflective surface inside. “It looks like it's just a mirror,” She realized, holding it back out.

“Can I see it?” Juleka asked, and Alix handed it off to her.

Juleka seemed to fiddle with the strings of the object for a moment, before realizing the strings were meant to attach to her fingers and around her wrist. At last, the mirror rested on the surface of her right hand. Juleka smiled slightly at the sight of her reflection in it, pushing her purple bangs aside so it wasn't covering her ruby eyes.

“It's really pretty,” Rose complimented the accessory.

“Yeah,” Juleka agreed, closing the mirror for now, and then looked back at Marinette. “Hey, um, would you mind if I kept this?”

“Of course you can. It suits you,” Marinette allowed, giving her a smile, and then looked back at some of her other objects. “Some of these I actually already have, so if any of you want to help yourselves, you can.”

At that, the other girls started to look at the objects. In the end, Alix decided on keep a silver pocket watch, Rose picked a pink perfume bottle, and Myléne selected a small black broach. Granted, none of them knew what any of the objects were called. The only reason any of them knew Juleka’s object was a mirror was because they had mirrors in the ocean.

Marinette sorted through her remaining objects. There were only two left.

“Hey, I think I've seen this before!” Alix picked up one of them. It was a small silver stick with three points on the end. “My brother told me about these, he’s a bit of an expert on humans.”

“What is it?” Myléne asked.

“I think...he called it a dinglehopper,” Alix tried to remember. “He said humans use it to fix their hair.”

“Wow,” Marinette accepted it back from her. “I’ve got a couple of other thingies that look kind of like this. This one ought to complete my collection.”

Tikki was more off to the side, listening to the girls fawn over the foreign object. Of course, Tikki knew a fork when she saw one. She knew many things. It was just too amusing to watch Marinette try and figure it out on her own, and Tikki didn't want to disappoint her either.

“And what’s this?” Myléne asked, picking up the last object.

Marinette turned her head, seeing that Rose was holding a small statue of something pointy at the top. “This one I'm definitely keeping,” She said, as Rose passed it back to her. “I don't think it’s an object with a purpose, but I've read about it in some books, and seen it in pictures. It’s a landmark, called the ‘ee-ffel tower’.”

“Ee-ffel?” Juleka repeated, almost baffled by the word.

“That's how I’ve seen it spelled. E-I-F-F-E-L,” Marinette recited, despite the true mispronunciation. “It’s part of a territory on land, called Paris. It seems like such a stunning place!”

“Paris,” Rose giggled. “It even sounds fancy!”

“Humans call it the city of lights, and of love, and the ee-ffel tower is at the center of it all,” Marinette continued with enthusiasm, looking at the replica in her hands. “Oh, I wish I could see it…”

Marinette’s daydreaming was interrupted by the sound of something surfacing, and when she and the others looked, they found that Chloé and Sabrina had entered the cave.

“Well, well, looks like a bug washed up,” Chloé snickered, eyeing Marinette specifically, and then looking at everyone else.

“Why are you here, Chloé?” Juleka asked, seeming tired of the girl’s presence.

“What? I'm not allowed to join in on the fun?” Chloé asked, feigning innocence, as she swam to the edge of the pool and leaned against the wall, her elbow hitting Marinette’s bag. “Ugh, don't tell me you’ve gone and collected more garbage, Marinette.”

“It's not garbage,” Marinette objected, quickly grabbing her things and putting them back in her bag before Chloé could do anything to them.

Similarly, the other girls hid objects so it was out of sight too.

“Please,” Chloé scoffed. “This human junk isn't worth any of our time.”

“Is that why you ratted me out this morning?” Marinette questioned, growing more annoyed. “Because you don't approve?”

“To be fair, Sabrina was the one that saw you,” She excused, while Sabrina smiled at her accomplishment. “She was just being thoughtful by telling me, and I only thought it best that Fu find out too so that he wasn't worried about his little princess.”

“Fu took a lot of my trinkets because of you.”

“I'm sure you have plenty more, Princess.”

Marinette raised her eyebrow. “Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Well, because it’s true, isn't it?” Chloé spoke as a matter of fact. “Fu is the Guardian of the Sea. He’s the closest thing this ocean has to royalty, and if he looks after you, that makes you the closest thing to this ocean’s princess.”

“What’s your point?” Marinette asked, not understanding.

Soon, Chloé’s expression morphed into a much more bitter one. “What makes you deserving to be a princess?” She questioned, pointing at the girl and almost poking her in the chest. “You’re always out at the deep end, or up by the shore, looking for human junk to hoard. You might as well be a traitor to your own kind--no, that’s exactly what you are!” She accused. “I don't know why Fu keeps you around. If your parents didn't have him promise to take care of you, I bet he would want you gone!”

“Chloé!” Alix exclaimed, her eyes narrowed as she got in between the two girls. “That's enough!”

But the damage was already done.

Marinette looked hurt by Chloé’s words, especially about her parents, but the yellow-tailed mermaid just seemed satisfied. Without saying a word, Marinette sent a glare in Chloé’s direction, snatching her bag from the ledge, and turning to leave.

“Marinette, wait!” Tikki called, diving into the water too, and going after her.

It seemed neither of them noticed that Wayzz was right by the entrance of the cavern.

The small turtle’s head had popped up from behind a rock at the sound of something whizzing by. A flash of red confirmed in his mind that it was Marinette. He waited a beat, before coming out from behind the rock, and following them once more.