(A/N): Only a few more chapters left! Stay tuned :-)

   The sound of chains echoed from Adrien's cell, as he tried and tried to break free from the shackles that restrained him. The guard on duty rubbed his temples for what he thought was the hundredth time. Adrien had been trying to escape all day, and it was tiresome hearing the chains jingle over and over again. And hearing Adrien's loud groans every time he failed wasn't very pleasant either. Finally, the guard decided enough was enough and decided to bang on Adrien's cell bars. 

"Hey!" he yelled. "Quit your noise-makin'!

Adrien scoffed. "Maybe if you get me out of this darn cell then I might consider."

"Not a chance, kid," replied the guard gruffly. "God knows how long we've been searching for you...nearly torn the entire kingdom upside down in the process." He shot Adrien a glare. "You ain't goin' nowhere."

He the turned his back and walked away from the cell and back to his post.

"We'll see about that," Adrien whispered to himself. 

Even if they had bounded him with a thousand chains, it wouldn't have stopped him from trying to break all of them apart. His determination to rescue Marinette had reached the sky and even beyond, and he was willing to do anything just to see her again. 

He had to see her again...even for just one moment. 

Adrien tried once again to pull free, but by this time the hard iron rings around his wrists had given him painful marks on his skin, making him almost cry out in agony with each pull. He then placed his hands in his lap for a quick rest, wondering if banging the shackles against the brick wall would help.

"Dinnertime," a female voice sang. Adrien looked up and was then shocked to find Alya standing outside his cell holding a meal tray, her auburn hair pull back in a low ponytail, her orange dress covered by an old apron, and her glasses crookedly balanced on her face. 

The guard raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Who're you, miss?"

"I'm one of the new maids of the town jail," answered Alya. "Since Little Sue is out sick, the warden hired me to manage the prisoners' meals until she gets well."

The guard huffed. "No wonder she was sneezin' up a storm the last time I saw her. Poor girl said something about allergies, but turns out it was the flu, like I predicted ages ago." He shuffled in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys before choosing one and opening the cell door. It opened with an ear-ringing squeak. 

"Welp," added the guard, gesturing Alya into the cell with his arm. "Might as well get this over with. "

Alya thanked the guard and entered the cell. 

 Once the guard closed the barred door and diverted his attention from the two teenagers, Alya rushed to Adrien and knelt to the floor to place the meal tray in front of him. 

"Adrien?" she gasped. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm Chat Noir, the kingdom's most wanted vigilante. Haven't you heard?" mumbled Adrien sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "What're you doing here?" he then asked. 

Alya ran her fingered through her hair. "Trying to find out what's going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Nino was on his route delivering newspapers when he saw someone rolling a wheelbarrow to the town jail," Alya explained."It was covered with a sack, but he saw a leather boot hanging from the side. When the man stopped at a shop and went inside, Nino secretly checked in the wheelbarrow and found you in it, completely unconscious. He was going to save you, but the guy came out of the shop too soon, and he had to hide. He ran back to tell me after he finished his deliveries. And after that we saw Marinette--"

Adrien grabbed Alya's arm too suddenly, his heart skipping several beats and his eyes serious. "Where....where is she?" He gasped. 

Alya pried his fingers from her arm before continuing, "We saw her being carried away by a strange woman, and she was really pale and soaking wet. I offered them to stay at my house, but the woman barked me away."

"Was she alright, Alya?" Adrien asked desperately. "Is she okay?"

"I think so...I don't know," answered Alya slowly, noticing Adrien's anxiety. "Adrien, what's going on?" she asked seriously. 

Adrien sighed. "Well, basically, the Gang hunted me down because I didn't complete one of my missions. Getting me here was just a punishment. But...they shot Marinette with an arrow." he finished bitterly. 

Alya gasped. "Why?"

"Just to rub the fact that they're the ones pulling the strings in my face. I've been trying to escape ever since I came to. We have to save her, Alya."

"But the woman--"

"She's the one who stole Marinette from her parents," Adrien pressed.

"What do you mean?" Alya asked with a raised eyebrow.

Both froze when they heard the guard sneeze a few feet away. When they were confident once more that they weren't being heard, Adrien whispered, "She's the princess, Alya."

Alya's dark brown eyes widened in shock. "What?!?"

 "I know. I need your help. We need to get out of here. We have no idea what they'll do to her if we don't make it in time."

Alya pulled a brass key from the pocket of her apron. "Say no more. Nino and I have a plan."

************

"Please, Marinetta, would you just eat something?" pleaded Befana holding a bowl of Celestial soup to Marinette's face. "You'll never recover from this dreadful sickness if you don't eat."

Marinette tossed around in her bed, her body aching terribly with each turn. "No," she croaked. "I'll never eat anything you make."

The two women had finally resettled in their tower, though as soon as they had Befana immediately put Marinette to bed and tried her best to nurse her back to health after making her remove her wet clothes and undoing her huge braid. Even though Befana was tending to Marinette's every need, Marinette wanted absolutely nothing from her. 

Betrayed. 

The word itself made her blood boil with rage. She couldn't believe that the person whom she had considered her mother was actually her kidnapper, who had apparently kept her apart from her real family for 18 years. And not only was Befana a kidnapper. 

She was a total liar as well. 

  Ever since they had returned to the tower, Marinette had refused to speak to Befana, and hadn't eaten or drank anything from her hands for the past 17 hours. As a result, her body began to grow weaker from lack of nutrients and medical needs. Her headaches increased, her muscles were sore, her eyes were blurred, and every cough and sneeze was agony to her poor lungs. 

But nothing could compare to her longing for Adrien than burned in her heart. 

She missed him so much-- his playful smirk, his sun-kissed golden hair, his emerald green eyes...and she wanted nothing else that to have him by her side once more. Ever since he first appeared in her life, he blessed her lonely world with adventure and happiness so vast it was difficult to describe in words. 

And now that he wasn't with her, her world was now a complete disaster. 

Befana sighed in frustration and placed the soup on the nightstand that stood beside Marinette's canopy bed before lowering herself down onto the mattress. 

"Honestly, Marientte," she groaned, "you need to stop this stubbornness. If you don't, then you'll die."

"I'd rather die than be taken care of by my  kidnapper," Marinette tried to say coldly, but it sounded more like a frog in distress.

"What are you talking about?" asked Befana with wide eyes, who apparently understood what Marinette had tried to say. 

Marinette pulled herself up in a sitting position and shot Befana a glare. "Stop," she demanded hoarsely. "Stop trying to make me think I'm losing my mind. That you're the only one who has all the answers. And most of all, stop lying to me."

Befana stuttered in unbelief. It was obvious she was rendered speechless from Marinette's words. 

"I know everything," continued Marinette, her voice rising as she spoke. "That I'm the lost princess, that you kidnapped me at birth, and that you're nothing but a lying, dishonest, untrustworthy woman who cares about nothing but herself!" she screeched. 

A sudden slap across Marinette's cheek caused her to fall back into the pillows. Befana lowered her hand, her eyes lit with pure anger. 

"I will not allow you to accuse me of being such a thing," Befana hissed. "Especially when I have done nothing but raise you and sheltered you from all harm."

Tears welled in Marinette's eyes, the sting from the slap adding more to her pain. She gingerly touched her slightly swollen cheek and whispered through clenched teeth, "What about stealing a baby from her parents? Are you also adding that to your list of accomplishments?"

Befana crossed her arms and raised her chin high. "Yes, yes I am. But," she said, "You have obviously heard only one side of the story. It is time you hear the rest."

*Author's Note*

Wow...just wow. 

I honestly thought I'd never be able to finish this chapter. But then again, I say that about EVERY chapter XD

Bonjour Fellow Miraculers! 

Again, I would like to apologize for the lame *cough* i mean LATE updates. School (every Wattpad writer's worst enemy) is literally taking over my life besides Miraculous. 

Hmph -_-

Anyway, I'm still shook that we reached 1k reads!!! Yassss gurl I'm so happy! Thank you guys a million and one times <3<3<3 You're all truly miraculous :-)

I'm estimating that we have only abouuuuutttttt........................................

*watches an episode of Miraculous before returning to finish writing this Author's Note*

Uhhh...probably about 6 more chapters until this story is completely finished! And then onto my new Miraculous fanfics, which i am SO PUMPED to write. 

One of them is going to be entirely focused on Adrien-- that's right. Adrien POV and everything. The other is just gonna be a collection of one-shots. No...its not gonna be of our beloved Love Square. T-T

Buuuut it will be of another ship from Miraculous that I really love...and I really believe is underrated. Well, maybe not THAT underrated. 

(And nooooo, it's not DjWifi XD)

Anyways, if you guys enjoyed this chap, you already know the drill ;-)

Comment, share, and remember your friend, the little star in the corner? Yeah, click him/her too. 

Ya know, since u guys are such good friends XD

See you guys in the next chap, and as always...

Stay Miraculous! <3 ;-)