Our Tale As Old As Time

Chapter 5

        Chat Noir didn't know what to do as he listened to 'Be Our Guest' downstairs. How desperately he wanted to go downstairs and watch the show, and even more so, see Marinette. To have a familiar person to go through this mysterious and sometimes frightening time was the only thing he craved right now.

"What are we gonna do kid?" Plagg said as his panda bear form stepped out from behind a table, dusting himself off as he shoved a slice of cheese in his mouth.

"I don't know Plagg." Chat sighed leaning over the balcony railing in the west wing. He felt the breeze blow through his hair and he easily gave into the feeling of it. Closing his eyes and raising his chin to the cold air as he took in a deep breath. It was kind of nice, oddly enough, to be in a moment where he could just relax and listen to the classic song downstairs with the wind blowing through his golden locks like it had so many times before during his heroic escapades. It was almost like the comfort of home, just in the wrong time period. Chat flicked his tail at the pleasing thought as the music hit its final notes. At least so far things were running smoothly, even if it was emotionally painful. Chat sighed again remembering Marinette's tear streaked face. He wanted to comfort her and make her feel that everything would be alright, but everything in the story was forcing them to keep apart. He wondered if she was feeling the same way he was about interacting. Did she want to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her right now? It didn't seem that way when they had met in the dungeon, but he couldn't help but let it cross his mind. Though Plagg hadn't been the greatest companion so far, Adrien was at least glad that the kwami was still around to keep him company. Chat turned around to take another gander at the lime green rose across from him. When he saw one of the petals on the table, he remembered the time constraint within Beauty and the Beast. He didn't have much time. What would happen if he couldn't pull this off and he ran out of time? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Cogsworth and Lumiere trying to persuade Marinette from making her way up the stairs to the west wing. He knew what was coming.

"Come on Plagg." Chat said as he stepped past his pal and slinked into a shadowed area of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"Marinette's coming. We need to hide." Plagg drug his feet to follow Adrien and Chat had to pull the creature by his large fluffy head out of sight mere seconds before Marinette could be seen in the doorway. She had found the west wing. Chat hunkered down in his hiding spot clinging Plagg tightly to his chest and covering the teddy's mouth to prevent him from giving them away. Adrien just hoped that Mari's eyes didn't fall on his portrait. Thankfully, she went to the rose first. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. Chat could only assume that she too had been expecting a pink enchanted rose, not a green one. The blue specs in her eyes lit up beautifully in the magical glow, and Chat wasn't sure where he had seen those eyes before. They were gorgeous and if he didn't know any better, he would think that she was Ladybug. Chat watched intently as Mari's delicate hands traced along the glass while she studied the flower. Wait!? What was he doing!? Marinette was his friend, and Ladybug was his lady, how was he confusing the two? Why was he so mesmerized by Marinette? Was it just because he was in a fairytale? Chat Noir was confused. Again, his focus went back to Marinette. It appeared as though she was about to lift the glass to expose the flower, when she seemed to have thought against it, pulling her hands away hesitantly. What was she doing? Unsure of what was going on, Chat released Plagg and crawled along the floor to huddle under a nearby table. What was she up to? Mari turned around to look in another direction.....a direction Adrien didn't want her to look! He needed to stop her before his identity was revealed! Chat sprung from the shadows, startling his friend.

"No! Don't look at that!" Chat freaked covering the portrait from her view. "Mari, I told you not to enter the west wing."

"But Chat, I already know what's here. What is there to hide?" She was surprisingly calm, though a bit taken aback by his sudden appearance.

"My identity! The portrait of the prince has been changed to my secret identity. You're not allowed to see it." A silence fell over them. "Please go." Marinette peered up in surprise at him. He wasn't quite sure why, but she did. "Mari, I mean it. My identity is a secret, and I can't share it with anyone. Especially not you." He could tell the words stung her heart. The sentences set fire to his tongue and his claws dug into the painting of himself as he braced for the impact that the syllables had created. This wasn't going to be good. No further words were spoken as Marinette dashed out of the room. "Crap!" Chat exclaimed aloud as he set the artwork down and ran to grab a cloak. That wasn't what he had meant to say, or at least how he meant to say it. Chat ran back over to the balcony and leaned over the railing to gaze down into the courtyard. Marinette had put on her red cloak and mounted up on Philippe. With a simple flick of the reins she was riding out into the woods. "Oh Camembert." He knew what scene was coming up next. It was time to be a hero. Chat made a dash for the stairwell as he tied a green cloak around his neck just above his bell.

"Where are you going now!?" Plagg squealed utterly confused. Clearly, Plagg had no idea what was going on, which wasn't surprising.

"To save Marinette." With that Chat took his leave, giving Plagg no time to pry for more details. Chat Noir burst through the castle doors, the icy air immediately stinging his face. Without hesitation Chat sprinted through the snow as his cloak blew wildly behind him. It was snowing heavily now, and if he didn't pick up his pace, Philippe's tracks would be lost. He ran for a few more feet, before he found himself lost. Chat began to scan his surroundings frantically for any sign of Marinette or the horse. How far behind was he? He couldn't lose her. Not Marinette. Chat wasn't sure if it was fortunate or unfortunate that he remembered how the next scene played out. His ears pricked up at the sound of wolves. Wolves! Marinette was being chased by wolves! He had to save her! That was his role in this scene as the "beast". He needed to find her and quickly. Chat turned all his abilities to his hearing, he needed to pin-point the location. It wasn't the wolves that his ears needed to find. The wolves would be in a pack and could be spread all around the forest. He needed something more specific. Finally, he got it. Philippe whinnied in the distance. Chat pushed off his heels and dashed toward the sound. By the time he got there, Marinette and Philippe were already surrounded. The horse flung his head and stomped about trying to avoid the wild canines. Chat was surprised Mari had held on for so long. His thoughts were too soon. Philippe reared up with a shriek, throwing Marinette off balance and down into the snow. The dogs closed in snarling with teeth bared. Mari jumped to her feet grabbing a nearby stick as she backed toward the frightened horse. Finally, Chat Noir was in range to join the fray. Through muscle memory, he landed heroically in front of his friend and the wolves. It was show time. Blow after blow Chat Noir fought against the wolves. The battle was a lot harder without his baton, where the thing had gone in the transfer to the fairytale, he wasn't sure, regardless fencing techniques wouldn't get him through this tussle. So far, he was holding up. The wolves were relentless, and Chat wasn't sure how long he would hold up against them. As he flung one away, he hadn't realized the other on his left. The canine leapt up and bit his arm. Chat Noir felt the teeth sink into his arm and yelped before turning his attention to the dog. How was this possible? In his suit he was supposed to be physically invincible. Was it because his suit wasn't powered by Plagg? Chat's adrenaline mounted, building enough power within him to pry the wolf off his arm and throw it down into the snow with a crap ton of strength. The dog whimpered as its body landed with a thud. The rest of the pack put their tails between their legs and looked on. Chat only assumed that the grounded wolf was the alpha, it was the only explanation that made sense for the others to back down. The alpha took a breath as it stumbled to its paws giving Chat a glare before shivering and running off with the rest of the pack on its tail. He'd won, but not unscathed.