Luka sat on a chair on the quarter deck of the Liberty. They had anchored at Docklands late yesterday afternoon to the news that the King was dead and a manhunt was now on for his nephew Félix who was accused of the crime. The same Félix he was supposed to be meeting tonight.

At the news of the King's death, Max had taken his leave with Kim and his men to go seek out remaining members of the resistance who would be in hiding. Max was grateful to Luka for coming to save him and offered him any assistance he could in the future if so needed.

Alya and Nino had considered continuing onto the Capital, but thought better of it after news of the King's death reached them, deciding to stay on the Liberty for now at Anarka's suggestion. They had just returned from a quick trip into the town, but the atmosphere was making them uneasy so they were taking refuse in their cabin for the night.

Luka scrapped his pocket knife against the wood in his hand, shaping it into something that resembled a flower. He had been working on it for quite some time now while his thoughts wandered. He was so focused on his task, he hadn't even noticed the sound of his sister's footsteps as she approached him.

Juleka didn't say anything at first, but watched him as he worked. She noticed on his wrist a snake bracelet she had not seen him wearing since their father died some years ago. There was an ever so slight glow about it that she was sure wasn't there before. She wrapped her hand around her own panjas bracelet and wondered if a strange small creature had also come to her brother as well.

"I remember when dad used to do that." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whittling right?"

"Yeah." Luka replied, studying the petal he was shaping. "I haven't been practicing as much as I should."

Juleka smiled nostalgically. "I think I still have a little sail boat somewhere he made for me when I was like four or something."

"I think I do too." Luka replied with a fond smile. He held up the rose and checked it over.

"Is that for her?" Jules asked with a little smirk. Luka avoided her eyes, looking instead out towards the town. During the last few days of travel Luka had spent quite a bit of time with Socqueline. He couldn't really explain why except that it felt good to be around her and she was easy to talk to. When they arrived at Docklands his mother had been quite insistent that Socqueline was not yet well enough to be out on her own, and as much as she liked Max and Kim, she didn't trust them to know how to look after her if her health suffered a relapse.

Luka was secretly quite pleased that Socqueline so readily accepted his mother's invitation to stay on the Liberty a little while longer. Only because he was concerned for her safety and well being of course. Now with the King dead, there would be no shortage of spies on the lookout to kill any members of the resistance and he had this strong feeling of wanting to protect her.

"You like her don't you?" Juleka observed her brother's expression shift from the furrow that had been there to a softness in his eyes.

"I feel so fickle." Luka said, twirling the wooden rose between his fingers. "Not so long ago I thought..." He looked up at Juleka with a resigned smile. "Well, I told you about Marinette."

His sister nodded, crouching down beside him. "I get it. She was the first girl you felt something special about. But you know what, that doesn't make you fickle, Luka, it makes you human. So it turned out her heart belonged to someone else. Yours deserves one that you can call your own."

Luka rested his forearms on his knees. "I don't think I could risk my heart again..."

"Your heart wasn't for Marinette to take." Juleka reminded him. "She's in love with the Prince and their bond is stronger than anything I've seen in the charts. There was a strange comet in the sky the other night, and when I read the cards I am sure it was a sign. Something is happening, Luka. Change is coming and you need to keep the strength of your convictions. The Prince will need them and he will need you too."

Luka looked at her curiously. "One of them came to you too, didn't they?"

Juleka held up her hand with the tiger punjas. "I've had this ever since I can remember, the same with your snake bracelet. Do you think our parents knew what they were?"

Luka shook his head. "I don't think so. I remember mum saying they bought them on one of their voyages to the orient. It's alright Sass." He said, opening his coat a little. "This is my sister, you can trust her."

The snake Kwami popped out his head and came face to face with the yellow eyes of his Tiger counterpart. "Roarr? Thissss was unexpected."

"You know what it means though." Roarr said excitedly. "The Ladybug and the Black cat have been reunited."

Luka felt a prang in his chest. He knew exactly who the Black Cat and the Ladybug they were talking about had to be. He was so grateful this meant they were alive, but he still had to remind his heart that Marinette was never meant to be his. She belonged with Adrien and he was at peace with that now.

"You don't seem surprised Jules." Luka said as his sister patted her Kwami. "You always believed that the Prince was still alive, didn't you?"

"The cards don't lie." She replied knowingly. "But it was nice to know my prediction was correct. There are times though where I wish I wasn't always right. I see a lot of danger ahead too. And as for our new little friends here, I'm not entirely sure what to make of them."

"But I thought you were into everything that was unexplained." Luka teased. Juleka gave him a flat look.

"I'm psychic, not a magician."

The town clock in the distance chimed 6pm reminding Luka that he needed to leave soon. "What about Félix? Can I trust him?"

Juleka opened a velvet purse attached to her belt, tipping the contents of stones into her hand. She then shook them and dropped them onto the wooden deck, carefully looking over the carvings.

"He will not be coming alone." She replied. "There is danger, but the danger I sense will not be from him."

Luka frowned at her puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The runes are not clear." Juleka explained. "You will need to trust your instincts."

Trust his instincts. Luka stood up and took a deep breath, the salt sea air was calming as the boat gently lulled at anchor.

"Will you stay with her while I'm gone?" He asked. "I don't want her to be alone." Juleka nodded her head.

"Of course." She replied. "Go and see her before you leave." She then placed her hand gently on his arm. "Tell her how you feel, Luka. She is good for you, I believe that."

"Did you see that in the cards too?" Luka asked, clearly amused at his sister's insistence.

Juleka simply raised her eyebrow at him with a knowing smile before leaving him alone on the deck.

Luka had to smile to himself. Their mother had picked up on her daughter's psychic nature from a young age, and nurtured her ability, although for her own safety it had to be kept a secret. For that reason, Juleka rarely left the Liberty and yet she knew more of the world and the nature of humankind than most people living in it.

Heading below decks, Luka knocked on Socqueline's cabin door. When she called for him to enter, he found her sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair.

"You're out of bed." He commented, surprised to see her in a pale emerald dress rather than her nightdress. She turned in her seat to see him, her eyes brighter than they had been in days.

"I feel much improved." She said, laying the brush down. "The cough still hangs on at times, but I am sure in a few days I can rejoin Max and continue on with our work in the resistance."

Luka stepped further into the cabin, holding the carving between both his hands and obscuring what it was. "I... we will miss seeing you... when you leave."

Socqueline gave him a sweet smile. "I will miss all of you too. Your mother and sister have been so kind to me, and if it hadn't been for you... I don't know how much longer I would have survived in that prison. But I can't keep staying here though and intruding on your mother's hospitality."

"You're not intruding." Luka quickly said. "Trust me, my mother never keeps on board anyone she doesn't want around so she must have taken quite a liking to you... we all have." He looked down at his hands, before offering the wooden rose out to her. "I um... I made this and thought you might like it."

Socqueline stood up and took the gift in her hands. Luka felt his heart do a flip as her fingers brushed against his and at the shy smile on her face, partly concealed by her raven hair cascading over her shoulders. Socqueline lifted the rose to her nose and took a deep breath. "Cedar." She said, looking back up at him with melancholy in her eyes. "There is a wood near my childhood home and I always remember the smell of the Cedar trees after the rain."

"I hope the memory does not bring you pain."

"Not at all." She replied, smelling it again. "I remember one time running out early in the morning with my mother and there was a whole swarm of lady beetles. Not the red ones you normally see, but shades of yellow and orange. I thought it was magic. They are memories that I hold dear to my heart. Thank you."

She turned slightly to place the rose on her vanity, trying to conceal her cough but Luka was sure he also saw a blush dust her cheeks. Reaching out, Luka took her hand into his. "Socqueline." He said softly. "My head is all in a muddle right now. I can't find the right words to say or..."

Socqueline pressed her fingers to his lips to silence him. "Sometimes actions speak louder than words, Luka. You have stayed by my side all these days, talking to me, holding my hand and encouraging me to get better... and I loved listening to you play the lute for me. You didn't have to do that, but you did."

"I could spend hours listening to you speak about anything and everything." He reached up and tucked her hair back behind her ear before gently caressing her face. "Or nothing at all, but I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by you. I don't want to inadvertently cause you pain or sadness."

She then placed her hand over his heart. "I know your heart has been hurting, and I thank you for having been so honest with me. From what you have told me, Marinette indeed sounds like an extraordinary woman who knows her own heart. I hope that your sister is right and the Prince and Marinette have indeed survived because I would really love to meet her."

Luka placed his hand over hers on his chest, lacing their fingers together. She could feel the way his heart was racing, the pace almost an exact match for her own. Luka opened his mouth to speak, but words were failing him. He searched her blue eyes, looking at him so softly. Luka wasn't sure any woman had ever looked at him that way before.

"Would it be wrong for me to say that I feel like I'm falling for you?" He said, his face coming closer. "There's just something about you that makes me want to be closer to you, to hold you in my arms, and give you my heart."

"There's nothing wrong with that." She replied softly, her eyes drawn to his lips. "Because I've been falling for you too. Your heart is safe with me Luka, if you will trust me with it."

Luka lifted up her hand, bringing it to his lips and pressing a lingering kiss to the back of her hand. "I don't know what the future will bring, but knowing you will be here gives me strength to face it."

Socqueline smiled at him, her blush deepening from the show of affection. "Then let me give you strength, Luka, and know that I will be here waiting for you."

Socqueline raised up onto her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes before Luka moved in, capturing her lips in a deeper kiss, his arms holding her close to him.

Reluctantly Luka had let go of her and with a final farewell he left the cabin. Grabbing his coat, he pulled the hood over his head and walked down the gangway. His heart felt lighter, but his senses were still on high alert.

There were more soldiers than usual patrolling the streets. Luka didn't recognise any of them. Last reports said that Bourgeois troops were only about 30km outside of the city outskirts and a full scale invasion felt imminent. Yet the troops hesitated. Something was off. With the King dead Bourgeois had the perfect opportunity to march directly towards the Capital, and yet they had not moved.

"I senssse danger." Sass remarked as Luka walked quickly down the main street.

"So do I." Luka agreed. "I wish those powers you told me about were available right now. I think I could use second chance tonight if something goes wrong."

"Only a Guardian can activate such powerssss again. We must find where the Miracle box is hidden."

"We will Sass." Luka assured his Kwami. "But first we need to know who our allies are... and who are our enemies."

Stepping into the tavern, Luka thought it best to leave his hood over his head. There were Bardot men drinking loudly, still wearing the butterfly insignia of the late king and he wasn't in a hurry for one of them to recognise him. Ordering himself a pint of ale, Luka found himself an unobtrusive booth to wait. He didn't have to wait long, before a similarly robed figure found him and sat in the chair opposite. Luka also observed another hooded figure seated at a table nearby. Juleka was right, Félix wasn't alone.

"Captain Couffaine?" The hooded man asked.

"Depends who's asking." Luka replied warily.

"I am Félix, Duke of De Vanily. You received my message?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Luka said curtly. "But how do I know you are who you say you are?"

The hooded man thought momentarily before placing his hand under his coat. Luka shifted in his seat, a hand to the dagger under his belt and the hooded man paused.

"Relax Captain. If I wanted you dead you would have been already. Here is my proof,"

Felix slid across the table a brooch of a gold peacock. Luka picked it up and noticed a slight glow about it, much like the bracelet he wore under his sleeve and the panjas his sister wore. That was unexpected. "As a friend of my cousin, I'm sure you have heard of the Peacock of De Vanily which belonged to my mother."

Luka nodded his head. "I do. I haven't seen you in a few years, Félix, so you must excuse my caution at this dangerous time."

Félix reattached the brooch to his lapel. "I understand. Besides, I was angry and making threats towards my Uncle the last time we crossed paths. Considering current events, you have every right to be suspicious."

Luka sat back a little more relaxed in his seat, but still on guard. "The death of a King is not news that travels lightly, and you have to admit, it doesn't sound too good for you." Luka could see Félix's emerald eyes studying him as he spoke. "Considering a room full of people could testify to the fact you openly threatened your Uncle at the Masquerade... not to mention you broke my nose when I tried to remove you from the ballroom."

Félix looked at least half apologetic for that. "I didn't kill him." Félix said, trying to keep his voice down. "I might have hated the man for what he took from me, but I didn't kill him. I know who did though."

"Who?"

"Xavier Yves, on the instructions of Barbot."

Luka rubbed his chin in thought. "Trust Barbot to get someone else to do his dirty work for him."

"That's not all." Félix continued. "He is in cahoots with Bourgeois, although I believe he is planning to stab him in the back soon too."

"So it was just a power grab." Luka said, shaking his head. "Kill the King, kill the heir and make a deal with their enemies."

"Adrien isn't dead though." Félix insisted. "I know XY was lying to the court about it when he made the announcement, but Gabriel believed it and fell into despair the same way he did when his wife died which is what I'm sure Bardot was counting on."

Luka pulled his hood back a little, leaning forward against the table. "How do you know Adrien is alive?"

"Because I knew Adrien was Chat Noir. Our mother's used to tell us the story about a Cat Hero when we were kids. If XY killed him like he said, he would have taken his ring..." Félix then pulled back his own hood, looking Luka in the eye. "Wait... how did you know he wasn't dead?"

Luka pursed his lips. "I'm not willing to divulge what I know while you still keep secrets."

Félix looked offended. "Secrets? What are you talking about?"

Luka nodded his head towards the hooded visitor. "Ask your shadow to join us and reveal themselves, then I will tell you how I know."

Félix seemed hesitant to oblige the request, but he didn't have an option. He needed to find his cousin, and Luka was the best resource he had to do that. Waving his companion over, Félix scooted over in the booth to make room for them to sit.

"The Captain needs to meet you." Félix said, rather gently Luka thought. "Can you pull your hood back a little so he can see your face?"

Luka watched as a pair of soft hands rose up and pulled back the hood to reveal a woman with hazel eyes.

"Princess Kagami?" Luka whispered, understanding immediately the danger they were all in at this revelation. He then looked with wide eyes at Félix. "You took the Princess! We're going to have the whole Bardot army looking for us."

"I wasn't about to leave her there to be a trophy bride for XY doing Bardot's dirty work for him." Félix replied between gritted teeth. He then took Kagami's hand into his own and gazed into her eyes. "I'd rather die first before leaving her behind."

Oh! So that's what this was. Well colour Luka surprised that Adrien's stuck up, self centered cousin managed to fall in love.

"You do realise how this looks don't you? The Princess was your cousin's intended, plus there were those documents claiming a kidnap plot..."

"You mean fake documents." Félix interrupted. "Bardot had been setting me up. Him and his niece Lila. I don't know the full extent of what he is up to, but no one is safe until we get Adrien on that throne."

Luka didn't have any time to ponder on that fact though when he saw three royal guards walk into the tavern, and they didn't look as though they were there to socialise. Luka quickly pulled his hood back over his head, alerting Félix to the issue at hand.

"We need to get out of here." Luka whispered. "You two better come with me to the Liberty."

Luka slid out of his seat with Félix and Kagami following behind him. Unfortunately the guards also followed them to the outside of the tavern.

"Halt." One said, reaching out to grab Félix by the arm. Luka was about to suggest they stay calm, but it was too late. In one swift move, Félix wrapped the man into an arm bend before tripping him up and crashing him to the ground, disarming him as he went. Luka then was taken aback at the princess pulling her own swift moves as he himself took down the third man.

The trio began to run but soon an entourage of guards were hot on their tail. Luka took Félix and Kagami down a side street, but there was a dead end. He grabbed Félix by the arm.

"You have one of those creatures with you, don't you? That peacock brooch is a Miraculous?"

"Yes?" Félix replied, a little confused. "So does Kagami. What do you know about it?"

"I'll explain later." Luka said hurriedly as the voices of the guards closed in on their position. "But we need to get to the rooftops. Now."

With only moments to spare, the three called on their transformations and leaped up to the roof just before the confused guards flooded into the alley.

"They must have gone the other way." One guard said, and the men all raced down towards the next street. Luka breathed a sigh of relief before he heard Félix chuckling to himself.

"Your weapon is a Lyre? What are you going to do with that? Sing the enemy to sleep?"

Luka rolled his eyes. "That's rich coming from someone carrying a fan."

"You want to have a go snake boy?" Félix taunted, shaping up to him.

"You know I still owe you for that broken nose." Luka replied calmly, taking a step closer. Kagami drew her sword and held it between the two men.

"Stop it, both of you. As I'm sure your Kwami has explained, we don't have our full powers until the Miracle Box is found. We also don't know how many of these jewels are out in the open, or who has them."

"Do you think Barbot knows something about this?" Luka asked Félix.

"It's hard to know what he knows." He replied. "The man keeps more secrets than a graveyard."

Luka looked out over the rooftops across the horizon and towards where the Liberty was docked. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling the cool night air across his face. The winds were in their favour. Juleka said he needed to trust his instincts and his instinct was telling him to go south.

"We'll head south." He said, opening his eyes. "Adrien's last location was in a southern province. With any luck, we will meet him halfway."

~~~~~

Marinette sat in Adrien's arms along the edge of the freshwater creek by the cabin they had spent the last three days in. They had spent much of the time learning as much as they could from their kwamis. Theirs were not the only Miraculous in existence and they hoped that the ones that were in the hands of others were going to be allies and not enemies. Frustratingly though, the kwamis had no idea about where the Miracle Box was hidden, although they suspected Master Fu most likely knew something about it.

"Do you think we should have heard from Alix by now?" Marinette asked, looking up towards her husband. Adrien kissed her on top of her head.

"It's easy to lose track of time here with you." He said, loving the little blush that dusted her cheeks. "But you're right. I'm a little concerned we haven't heard from her by now."

Adrien closed his arms a little tighter around her, burying his face into her hair. "Is it selfish of me to wish we could just stay here a little longer?"

Marinette giggled as his nose tickled just below her ear. "No kitty, I feel the same way." She turned around in his arms so she could see his face. "These last few days have been like a dream, and when we leave I don't know when we will get moments like this again."

She gently touched his face and kissed him softly. It was so easy to get lost in him, to lose herself to lips and his touch. Adrien held her face in his hands and gazed lovingly in her bluebell eyes. "I love you so much." He breathed. "As much as I could stay here with you forever, I also want to take you back to the Capital and announce to everyone that you are the wife I chose and one day, you will be my Queen."

"You're ready to go back now then?"

"Yes." He said confidently. "You give me the confidence to face my father and stand my ground. But I need to apologise for leaving the way I did. I wasn't ready for the responsibility or an arranged marriage, but I took the coward's way out by running away and pretending to be a hero."

"But you are a hero Adrien." Marinette rebutted. "You may not have gone for the right reasons, but what you did saved lives. I know it did."

Adrien smiled at her confidence in him. "Well, I guess that's debatable." He chuckled self deprecatingly. "But I'm ready to go back now and learn what I need to learn to be the future King, and I know I can do that with you by my side."

In the distance, Adrien heard the sound of an approaching horse. Getting up, he took Marinette around the back of the cabin, both of them sneaking in the back door and going to the window to see who was approaching.

"It's Alix." Marinette exclaimed, opening the door and rushing over to their disheveled friend.

"What happened?" Adrien asked as Alix dismounted. She looked as though she had not slept since they had last seen her.

"He's been taken." She said, letting Adrien support her arm as they guided her into the cabin. "They took Master Fu."

"Who took him?" Marinette asked.

"Bardot's men." She replied. "We were ambushed two days ago. They are working with Bourgeois' troops to trap us. They're not even hiding it anymore since the truce was called."

"Truce?" Adrien questioned. Marinette didn't hear him, to focused on what had happened.

"How did they find you?"

"They had to have been trailing us." Alix said, shaking her head. "There is no other explanation. I barely got away and Master Fu gave me this so that it couldn't fall into the wrong hands."

She held out her hand and gave Marinette Master Fu's turtle bracelet.

"Is this another Miraculous?" She asked. Alix looked somewhat relieved. Of course when Fluff appeared to her in the early hours of one morning, she knew what must have transpired, but it was good to know that Adrien and Marinette had embraced this new information and were keen to take up the superhero mantle.

"Yes. I have one too." She explained, taking out her pocket watch. "I am Bunnyx and my Miraculous allows me to travel through time, well, it will eventually. Like the rest of us, we can't use our powers to their full extent. Not without the Miracle Box."

"Our kwamis explained it all to us." Adrien said, but there was a frown on his face. "I still don't understand how Bardot could have made an alliance with Bourgeois? My father would never agree to such a truce. It's not like him at all."

Alix's face became pensive. She didn't consider the fact that being isolated in the mountain's Adrien would have had no word about what had been going on in the Capital.

"Your father isn't the one in charge anymore." She could see the questioning look in his face and she took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to say this but your father... he's been assassinated and Bardot is moving quickly from Regent to Monarch. He is blaming your cousin for the crime. There is a manhunt looking for him after he escaped from the palace."

Adrien slunk into the chair that was next to him and was aware of Marinette's hand grabbing his. He felt numb. Yes he had been angry with his father when he snuck away to the war, and he disagreed with him about many things, including his father's treatment of Félix, but he never thought that he would not get the opportunity to apologise, or to reconcile in some way or event to just say goodbye.

Alix grabbed him by the shoulders. "I know it's a shock, but you have to focus." She said, not unkindly, but with a sense of urgency. "Whether you are ready for this or not, you're going to have to fight for your crown. We have to find the Miracle Box before he does."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked.

"I mean Bardot has the Guardian." Alix replied. "They knew Master Fu didn't have your weapons which means the only reason they would have taken him is because they are looking for the Miracle Box."

Marinette began to look pale. "They have a Miraculous, don't they?"

Alix shrugged her shoulders. "I can only speculate. My contact in the palace, Mr Ramier, is on the watch for any information, but the messages are somewhat sporadic and I can't send messages to him because Barbot keeps his little spy hanging around his carrier pigeons. I believe it's his niece."

Adrien gritted his teeth, pulling himself back into the conversation. "Lila." He seethed. "She's a snake in the grass if ever there was one. She couldn't try her charms on me because her station wouldn't have allowed it, so she moved onto Félix who was feeling ostracised by my father."

Alix rubbed her chin in thought. "You know, there is a piece of information Mr Ramier sent me that hasn't been made public yet. Your cousin is also accused of kidnapping Princess Kagami."

"What?" Marinette gasped. "You mean like those documents said there was a plot to kidnap the Princess? Does that make him the traitor?"

"No." Adrien said definitely. "I don't believe it."

Alix didn't look convinced. "Look, I know he is your cousin and all, but he did have an axe to grind with the King and the Princess was your intended bride. Maybe he thought kidnapping her would give him some kind of leverage."

Marinette was surprised when Adrien started laughing. "You don't know Kagami." He said, standing up. "No one could kidnap her anywhere. If she left with Félix then there had to be a reason for it and she would have left on her own power."

He walked over to the window and looked over the idyllic paradise where they had spent the last few days.

"What about Zoè?" Marinette asked Alix, an eye still on her husband.

"Word has it she's in a hotel in the Capital." Alix said, standing up herself. "Due to protocol around the death of the King her audience was postponed. I suspect it will happen soon though. Nath is beside himself of course. It wouldn't surprise me if he's left to go get her and bring her back."

"Does he have one of these Miraculous?"

Alix shook her head. "No, neither he nor Zoè had one. Master Fu believed that many of the Miraculous were still in the box. That's why it's so important that we don't let it fall into the wrong hands. Even if they can't force Master Fu to reactivate the powers of the Miraculous, it would still give them an army of wielders with super abilities."

Marinette wrapped her arm across her body and held her other arm. "Then how can we contact those with a Miraculous?"

"You can't." Alix said straight to the point. "But Master Fu always believed that when the time came, the heroes would appear. I just hope he's right. If someone as ruthless as this Bardot had a Miraculous, and activated its full power... well it won't be pretty, let's put it that way."

Marinette looked back over to Adrien who was leaning his forehead against his arm on the window frame. She could only begin to imagine how overwhelmed he must have been feeling right now. Alix looked between the two of them.

"I'm going to go and feed my horse." Alix then said, walking over to the door. "Tell me when you're ready and we'll make a move towards the Capital.

Adrien barely heard Alix leave the room. Suddenly he felt the fate of the whole of DuPont weighing on his shoulders. He never did trust Bardot, and after his treatment of Marinette he liked him even less, but this whole fight had become so much more dangerous that he could have imagined. Then he felt the soft hands of his wife gently rubbing the tension that had been building up at the back of his neck.

"What do you want to do?" She asked, dropping her hands to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his back. "Should we try to find the Miracle Box first?"

"Where would we even begin to look?" Adrien said, patting her hand that rested against his chest. "The kwamis don't know and I suspect Master Fu would be the only one that does. We need to get him out of Bardot's clutches." He turned around and held Marinette closer to him. "While the location of the Box is a secret, then we are at least on a level playing field." He then shook his head. "How much did Bardot know about all this? I can't help but feel we've all been pawns in some sick power grabbing game."

"And we don't know what Miraculous he might already have. What if we're outnumbered?"

Adrien gently stroked her face with the back of his fingers. "Then we need to find the others. Plagg? Can other Miraculous holders sense each other?"

The cat Kwami flew over to him from where he had been in the kitchenette, followed by his Ladybug counterpart. "Not in the same way you and Ladybug did." He answered. "But there is a sixth sense there. It's stronger in some holders than others."

"What if you're related?

Plagg looked at Tikki who nodded. "It's possible." She said to him thoughtfully. "There is often a stronger bond between siblings or cousins than other holders." Adrien looked at the ring on his finger, his mind clearly ticking over in thought.

"Do you think your cousin has a Miraculous?" Marinette asked him. Adrien nodded his head.

"There were two De Vanily family jewels. My mother gave me the cat ring, mostly because she loved cats, and Félix was given a peacock brooch."

Tikki gasped. "Duusu!"

Plagg looked less excited. "If the peacock is out though, then there is a high chance the Butterfly could be too. Both Miraculous often worked hand in hand."

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other then back at the kwami's. "Is that a problem?"

"If the Miracle Box gets activated, then it could be."

Adrien then gave his wife a look of determination. "That settles it then. We will head for the Capital and with any luck..." he added, kissing the back of Marinette's hand, "we will find Félix and maybe some allies on the way."

A/N - I just want to say thank you to all of you who are still sticking with this story. Your comments and encouragement are much appreciated. This story will be taking a temporary hiatus until January so I can work on this years Christmas story and a post season 5 short story. I hope to see you back here for chapter 14 then 💜