The sound of soft groans and the smell of chloroform permeated Marinette's consciousness. She opened her eyes where they rested on her arms, a white handkerchief clutched in her hand. Lifting her head she ran her thumb over the stitched A in the corner. The lace was a little less pristine now, but it's fine cloth still felt soft between her fingers.

Putting the handkerchief back into her pocket, Marinette noticed Luka was still asleep slumped in the chair. Sitting up, she checked over Chat Noir's wounds. There wasn't any excessive bleeding on the bandages which was a positive sign. Gently touching the back of her hand to his cheek she was hoping against hope that the fever had broken, but his damp and clammy skin told another story. She let out a defeated sigh. He needed more time but she wasn't sure the surgeon was going to give it. If only she had some meadowsweet to give him and help him break the fever.

"How is he?"

Marinette was startled because she didn't realise Luka had woken up. "Not as well as I would have liked." She admitted. "I don't believe the wounds are infected, but his fever hasn't broken. I'm going to go outside for a moment."

Standing up, Marinette went to leave when Luka reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Wait." He said, loosening his hold. "His leg... will it be...?" His voice was cracking and it made Marinette's heart ache at how worried he seemed to be. She placed her hand on top of his, patting it.

"It will all be alright." She said in a soft, calming voice. "As long as no infection gets into the wound, I won't let them take the leg. I'm going to do all I can to make sure of that. I'm going to go check and see if any supplies have arrived, alright."

Luka slowly let her go and she grabbed her shawl, leaving Luka to watch over Chat Noir.

After avoiding being seen by the head surgeon since she really didn't want to talk to him, Marinette went outside to find Alya. The smell of gun smoke hung heavy in the air, clinging to the fog and dampness left from last night's storm. There was no gunfire now and she hoped that the rain may have pushed the enemy back from their current position.

Marinette wrapped her shawl around herself with what little protection it provided against the early morning coldness. In the distance Marinette saw Alya walking with Nino towards one of the campfires. They must have spent quite some time talking last night judging by how comfortable they seemed talking to each other and Marinette was glad for it. As much as she loved having Alya with her, it worried her that she had left her own family behind to join the nursing corp with her. Alya assured Marinette it had been her choice to come, but still the guilt remained and she just hoped one day she would be able to repay her for her support.

Through the early morning fog, two horses pulling a covered wagon approached. A smile came to Marinette's face at the welcome sight. "Mylène!" She called out with a wave. Mylène waved back as Ivan pulled up the reins on the horses, stopping the wagon. Mylène eagerly jumped down and the two women embraced.

"Marinette, I'm so happy to see you." Mylène gushed. "But you look so tired."

"I'm so glad you managed to get through. It's been a rough night, but don't worry about me. Tell me, what supplies did you bring? Do you happen to have any meadowsweet?"

Ivan picked up a crate from the back of the wagon and Mylène opened the lid. "Funny you should ask. I have a little. It's become hard to come by, but there should be enough to make one batch." She said, handing Marinette a small bag of dried herb. "You need to steep it first."

"Yes, I know. Here, I can do it now." Marinette said, filling a small pot of water and placing it over an outdoor stove that had been set up for coffee and soup. Tipping the herbs in, she stirred it slowly as the water heated up.

"I'll go find the Surgeon and give him these supplies." Ivan said as he headed inside, leaving the girls to talk.

"With the heavy fighting yesterday we had to wait it out in the nearby town. Ivan and I left early this morning because I know you would have had a lot of casualties yesterday."

"Thank you for that. We were running short on morphine and laudanum." Marinette said, stifling a yawn.

Mylène gave Marinette a worried look. "You look like you've hardly slept. Don't burn yourself out Marinette. You're needed, you know."

"I'm alright." Marinette tried to reassure her with a smile. Mylène didn't seem convinced.

"I saw Alya before talking with a soldier wearing the King's insignia. Is everything alright?"

Marinette looked away from her and towards where Alya was still sitting with Nino, both nursing a mug of coffee. She had known Mylène for many years, and she knew she could be trusted. "I'm sure you have heard of Chat Noir. He was injured in the battle yesterday. He came with two companions. They... they are very concerned for his well-being."

"You mean, you actually saw him." Mylène said in awe. "What does he look like?"

"His eyes were damaged from a cannon blast. He'll be fine, but he has superficial burns. It's hard to tell what he looks like." She fibbed.

"Well, regardless I suggest if he's able to be, you should move him away from here as quickly as possible."

Marinette whirled her head around. "What do you mean?"

Mylène gave her a worried look and tugged her by the arm around to the back of the building. "Last night Ivan and I had dinner in a tavern and overheard three men talking. They are looking for Chat Noir and they know he was injured yesterday. It's only a matter of time before they come and check the field hospital."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Who were they? Bourgeois men?"

"I don't know." Mylène replied. "They weren't wearing uniforms, but by the way they were talking, they clearly were not interested in bringing him in alive."

Marinette covered her mouth with her hand. This was bad. Chat Noir was in no position to be moved, but the field hospital would be the first place they would come and look. "How far away are they?"

"They were still there when we left, so about an hour or two maybe."

Marinette slid down the wall and squatted down on the damp grass. Think damn it, think. Where could they even go? "He needs more time. His fever hasn't broken yet and he's still very weak."

"I might have an idea." Mylène offered. "There is a man that helps us sometimes, Wang Fu, who lives in an area that's very out of the way and surrounded by a forest. He's a healer and was the one who gave me that meadowsweet actually. I promise he is completely trustworthy. I'm sure you could lay low there while Chat Noir recovers. Chat Noir has been such an inspiration to everyone in the resistance, especially in the absence of the Prince, and Ivan and I would be happy to help in any way we can."

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. "The absence of the Prince? What do you mean?"

"Haven't you heard? No one has seen or heard from him in weeks. There are rumours that he may have been captured by the enemy."

Marinette could only speculate, but if Chat Noir and his companions were deep undercover in enemy territory, that would make sense no one had heard from the Prince, but that wasn't good either. As much as Chat Noir was an inspiration in the war, so was Prince Adrien and the longer he is absent, the more people will start looking for him just as they were for Chat Noir. Of course, Marinette knew they were one in the same person, but it could be dangerous if that information got out. He needed to recover and show the people of DuPont he was alive and well and still their Prince.

"Alright, we need to get him to this Fu. Can you and Ivan get him there?"

"Absolutely. Anything to help Chat Noir and the war effort."

Marinette wrung her hands together. "Alright. You go tell what you told me to Alya and the soldier with her. His name is Nino. I'll go talk to Luka."

Mylène took off in the direction of Alya and Nino while Marinette poured out the meadowsweet into a cup and went back to Chat Noir. Luka helped her to sit Chat Noir up as best as they could and try to encourage him to sip the hot liquid while she explained the situation. She wasn't sure how much Chat understood, but understably Luka had reservations about moving him and he said as much.

Chat groaned and they both focused their attention back onto him.

"Chat Noir". She said, touching his face with the back of her hand. "Chat Noir can you hear me?"

His response was mumbled and unintelligible.

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. She agreed with Luka that he was absolutely in no condition to be moved, but clearly there are people looking for him that wished him ill will. Her mind was reeling though. He needed a nurse, someone who knew how to care for the wound and his fever, but she had been safe here for the last two years. She knew that Lord Barbot would have been looking for her. To leave the hospital unit would risk exposing her own secrets.

"We don't have a choice." Marinette said, mostly to herself. She then looked up at Luka. "We can't risk him being found here, but he needs care. I'll have to come with you."

"What? No." He exclaimed. "Thank you for your concern and everything you have done but we couldn't guarantee your safety."

"Can you guarantee his?" She retorted. "Do you know how to dress his wounds or be able to stay by his side until this fever breaks? I'm not giving you an option here, Captain. You have a duty to protect your commanding officer and I have a duty of care to save his life."

Luka gave her a look that seemed to be a cross between admiration and confusion. "You would do that, for a stranger?"

Marinette had to look away from him. She didn't want to tell him that she knew it was the Prince, or that she had developed what must have been a crush on him after that night at the masquerade. That was childish and foolish she knew. He was the Crown Prince of DuPont and betrothed to a Princess, and she was just the orphaned granddaughter of an Earl, herself promised to another man. A powerful man at that. More than that though, it was a genuine desire to help him, in any way that she could and if the  Prince's marriage could help bring peace to the country, then that was her mission to see him returned to the Capital.

"I have listened to many of the men here talk about Chat Noir. He isn't just an invisible hero to them, but a beacon of hope that we can win this war. If he died, I think the heart of DuPont would die with him. That's why I need to go with you, to save that beating heart."

Luka regarded her for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright." He conceded. "We better prepare to move him."

Luka stood up and was about to go look for Nino when the man himself came running in. "They're almost here." He said frantically. "I saw them approaching in the distance."

"Who's almost here?" Luka asked. "Bourgeois men?"

"Worse than that. It's XY."

Marinette watched a look pass between the two men.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"A mercenary." Luka said hurriedly. "I'll explain later. We need to get Chat out of here, now."

Grabbing a stretcher, Nino and Luka carefully transferred Chat Noir over and Marinette covered him with a sheet. As they walked she quietly prayed Chat would stay quiet and still so that to anyone glancing as they passed, he would look like just another body being carried out for burial. Just her luck though, the head surgeon happened to see them sneaking away.

"Where are you taking him?" He demanded of Marinette. She figured there wasn't much use lying to him.

"There are men coming to assassinate him." She said urgently. "We have to get him out of here. You wouldn't want the hero of DuPont murdered in your hospital would you?"

Luka and Nino looked at each other and then back at the surgeon who seemed to have been contemplating Marinette's words. "And I assume that means I'm losing my best nurse then too?"

"I'm sorry Sir, but I think it's best that I stay with him."

The surgeon agreed. "I'll put them off when they get here. You better go quickly."

When they reached Ivan and Mylène's wagon, Alya was already there loading up her and Marinette's travel bags with their few meager belongings.

"Alya, what are you doing?" Marinette asked as Luka and Nino loaded Chat Noir into the back.

"What does it look like? I'm coming with you of course."

Luka gave Nino an inquisitive look, the latter giving him a defeated shrug of the shoulders. He had clearly been on the receiving end of Alya's piece of mind. Marinette would have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire.

Marinette shook her head bemused. "How did you even know I was going?"

Alya gave her a knowing smirk. "I know you, Marinette. After Mylène told me what was happening I knew there was no way you were going to let the hero of DuPont out of your sight without a full bill of health. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes." Marinette admitted. "And his fever still hasn't broken so I'm worried."

"That's why I'm here." Alya assured her. "We'll take turns all night if we have to."

"Alya, you don't have to." Marinette said, picking up Alya's hands and holding them in hers. "You already risked so much by coming with me here. You should go home back to your family."

"You're my family too, you know." Alya replied with an earnest smile. "Anyway, if I don't come then who is going to look after you?" She then lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "What if you know who should turn up looking for you? Do you think I would leave you to face that life alone?"

"Marinette." Mylène called out from where she was checking the horses. "Look."

Marinette followed where her finger was pointing and saw three men in black with muskets talking with some of the patients smoking outside. The tall man that looked in charge she assumed was XY. The patients pointed them indoors and the three of them went into the old church.

"That's them." Luka observed, his hand on his own musket. "I hope that surgeon keeps his word and sends them in the wrong direction."

"We need to move." Ivan urged them. "Get in the back."

Luka and Nino helped the two girls into the wagon and they closed the curtain. Ivan pulled Mylène up beside him and called the two horses to move along and slowly the wagon swayed its way through the muddy grass and onto the damp dirt track. Marinette shifted her way over to be beside Chat. His breathing was erratic and his body burning up with the sweat on his face soaking into the bandage around his eyes. Finding a flask of water, she wet a cloth and pressed it to his forehead. Marinette unbuttoned some of Chat's shirt in an attempt to cool him down.

"Is he getting worse?" Luka asked with furrowed brows.

"Maybe we should bleed him." Nino added, clearly thinking he was being helpful.

"This is the Middle Ages." Alya glared at him. "Nobody bleeds people anymore.

"I was just making a suggestion." Nino rebutted. "I heard that it gets the germs or whatever out."

"No." Marinette replied with more calmly, not taking her eyes off Chat. "It's the fever, but also the meadowsweet. It can have some unpleasant side effects like excess sweating, but it should help to eventually reduce the fever."

Carefully she removed Chat's knee dressings and washed the wound. The stitches seemed to be holding and there was no smell so thankfully it seemed to not be infected. After that she took off the bandages from Chat's face she then carefully patted his burns to clean them with cool water. Once clean she then applied a thin layer of honey over the burnt area.

Marinette gathered Chat's hair up and away from his neck. His hair was thick and gorgeous, but it was creating a hot house behind his neck and she needed to get his temperature down. Reaching over to her bag, she rummeraged around and pulled out a pair of scissors. No one questioned her when she began to carefully cut his hair. She didn't make it too short, and she would need to tidy it up when Chat was able to sit up, but it was away from his neck and hopefully would feel a little cooler.

As she rebandaged his eyes,  Alya spoke up.

"So who were those men that came to the hospital? They didn't look like soldiers."

Marinette looked up and over to Luka who seemed deep in thought. "The ringleader is Xavier Yves-Roth. He's a scumbag to be blunt. Once he was a member of the same military college that we all attended, but he was dismissed for misconduct. He deserved it, but I'm afraid it made him bitter and angry, not to mention that if he saw Chat Noir here under those bandages, he would recognise him instantly and to say they didn't get along would be putting it mildly. Since then he's basically been a gun for hire."

"So he's working for Bourgeois then?" Alya prodded.

Luka shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that. He definitely has no loyalty to the King, but I doubt he would work for Bourgeois. Make no mistake though, he's being paid, and quite highly I would suspect. He's not doing this for loyalty to a cause."

Marinette watched as Luka frowned in thought. "There's something else isn't there?" She asked.

Luka seemed to have been debating something in his mind before he opened his satchel bag and took out a folder with a broken seal. "This is why we have to get to the King. There is a traitor in the Court. We intercepted these documents which show that someone is planning a coup d'état."

Marinette took the documents and read over them. The letters gave details about the King, his son and his alliance with Tsurugi pending the marriage of their children as well as a map of the palace and grounds. It was clear that someone was planning to have Chat Noir assassinated, and possibly Prince Adrien too, and to kidnap Princess Kagami and hold her to ransom, but the price of that ransom was unclear.

"We don't know how many of these documents got through before we got our hands on these ones. We believe these orders were for XY, but we don't know who sent them. Once he eliminates Chat Noir he is to focus his attention onto Prince Adrien and Princess Kagami. If Princess Kagami is kidnapped and does not marry Prince Adrien, it could mean war with Tsurugi."

Marinette handed the documents back to Luka. She wasn't sure if it was what they had been talking about or the rocking of the wagon, but she felt absolutely sick to her stomach. "So, there is a traitor close to the King then." She stated simply and Luka nodded his head gravely.

"We need to warn the King before the traitor can put whatever they are planning into action."

Marinette looked at Chat Noir and wondered how much of any of this he was hearing or understanding. "So, how long do you have?"

"We believe the King had intended for the marriage to take place before the Prince's 21st birthday. That's in about six weeks." Nino interjected. "The Princess could very well turn up at the Palace any time between now and then in preparation for that."

A quiet fell over the group and Marinette focused her attention back onto Chat Noir. With the Prince believed to be missing, the life of his altar ego in danger and the well-being of his bride to be at risk along with the alliance, the situation was more dire and complex than she could have imagined.

~~~~~
After several hours of traveling, the sun began to set and Ivan pulled the wagon off the track to build a campfire and bunk down for the night. Alya and Mylène went about cooking dinner while Nino, Luka  and Ivan set up some shelter. Marinette stayed with Chat in the wagon. He was still shivering and sweating, but his mind seemed to have been troubled too. Marinette couldn't always understand what he was saying, but one word frequently stood out - Ladybug.

"It's alright." She whispered to him, patting the washcloth gently on his forehead. "Sleep now. I'm here with you."

"Marinette, you should take a break." Alya said, coming into the back of the wagon. "I can take over for a while." Marinette looked reluctant to leave him, but Alya placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You can't care for him if you don't take care of yourself. I promise, I'll let you know if he wakes up or if something changes."

"I don't have any more meadowsweet." Marinette said, grabbing the little tin she had beside her. "But I have some of my mother's herbal tea I still had in my bag. Maybe I'll make him some of that."

"As long as you eat yourself." Alya insisted. "I'm going to ask Nino later to make sure you have."

Marinette gave her an amused smile. "You two seem to have gotten close. I noticed you talking over the campfire earlier. If you ask me, he seems kind of smitten with you."

Alya looked away, taking the washcloth Marinette had been holding. "I've had some pleasant conversations with him to pass the time, that's all." She said, busying herself with patting Chat's forehead down, perhaps not quite as gently as Marinette had. "You've been a bit busy here with Mr Mysterious so I might as well talk to someone." Marinette chuckled to herself as she left the wagon, leaving behind an embarrassed looking Alya.

Getting some soup in a cup from Mylène, Marinette decided to stretch her legs and walked a little away from the campsite, finding a lake behind some trees. The moon was full and high in the sky, setting the water shimmering as it flowed by. It was so peaceful it was hard to believe that a war was still raging.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Marinette startled before seeing Luka sitting on some rocks by the bank. His military coat was sitting on his shoulders and his dark hair was out of its ribbon and hanging loose. He must have washed it, and Marinette had to look away when she realised his shirt was unbuttoned.

"Yes." She squeaked.

"I'm sorry if I startled you."

Marinette cleared her throat. "It's fine, I didn't see you there, that's all."  A shiver ran through her in the cool breeze and she sipped on her soup to warm herself.

Luka stood up and slipped off his coat. "If I may?"

Marinette thanked him for his kindness as he placed the coat over her shoulders. It was heavy, but warm. "It's the least I can do for you after all you have done for us. How is he by the way?"

"Stable." She replied honestly. "I'm hoping the meadowsweet I gave him this morning will keep doing its job and the fever will break soon, but he will still be weak for sometime. Maybe you should try and get a message though to his loved ones so they know he is alright." 

Marinette could tell Luka was thinking what she couldn't say. That they needed to let the King know that the Prince was alive, but in hiding. "I'll see what I can do to get a message through."

The two of them stood quietly for a few moments as Marinette drank her soup, looking out over the lake.

"You've known Chat Noir for a long time haven't you?" Marinette asked after a while.

Luka nodded his head with a fond smile. "Yeah, Nino and I pretty much grew up with him and we attended military school together."

"Then maybe you could answer me a question."

Luka turned his head to her and Marinette was taken back a little by the intensity of his clear blue eyes. "If I can."

"He's been having what I think are nightmares. That's not so unusual considering what I'm sure you have seen in the war, but at other times he mumbled the word Ladybug. Do you know what he's talking about?"

Marinette wasn't sure how to read the look in Luka's eyes. It looked almost sad for him. "It's a name he gave to a girl that he met one night at a masquerade we attended. He didn't know her name, so whenever he talked about her he would call her Ladybug because of her red dress and the earrings she wore. Nino said he looked like he'd been struck by lightning and he often spoke of her fondly. I really believe that if his father hadn't betrothed him to someone else he would have gone looking for her. It's funny you should say that really. He hasn't mentioned his mysterious Ladybug in quite some time."

Marinette felt her heart drop. He had remembered her from that night and wanted to see her again, but she knew already that the King was set on him marrying Princess Kagami. Maybe it was just as well that he didn't know who she was. It would only pain him. For now, Marinette felt it was best to keep this knowledge to herself.

"What about you?" Luka suddenly asked, his clear eyes looking at her intently. He reached out and took a small portion of her hair between his fingers, running them down its length until the hair fell back onto her shoulder. "Is there someone special waiting for you at the end of the war."

Marinette could feel butterflies churning in her stomach at the gesture and she was sure she could feel her face heating up. "I don't plan on ever getting married." She said, looking away from him. It wasn't really a lie. If her only choice was to marry Lord Barbot, she would rather be alone for the rest of her life, even though she knew deep down that realistically there was no escaping it forever.

"That's a shame." Luka said softly. "I barely know you, but seem to be an extraordinary woman Marinette. You're brave and intuitive. The way you stood up to the surgeon, the way you have cared for Chat... I don't think I've ever met anyone like you."

He was so tender and sincere in his words that it made Marinette's heart race. Only the Prince had ever spoken to her in such a genuinely and heartfelt way. She wasn't even sure how to respond, but was saved when she heard her name being called.

"Marinette!" Nino called out, running towards them. "Alya needs you. Chat's having another nightmare or fever outbreak or something."

Luka and Marinette both ran back with Nino towards the wagon. Ivan and Mylène were standing outside and Alya was trying to calm Chat down who was yelling out.

"Chat Noir." Marinette said as calmly as she could, shrugging off Luka's coat and grabbing Chat's hands. "Chat Noir everything is alright. You're alright. You're safe here, no one can hurt you."

"Can't see." He mumbled. "Can't see... why can't I see?"

"Chat, it's Luka." Luka said, coming closer. "Your eyes are injured, but it's only temporary. Everything is fine. You're in a safe place here. We've got you."

Chat wasn't really responding, still mumbling incoherently.

"Chat Noir." Marinette said firmly. "Chat, you need to listen to my voice and calm down. Everything is alright. Your friends are here and you are safe. I'm going to look after you. You're not alone."

Chat started to become more calm, sweat still pouring from his brow.

"I'll take over now." Marinette said, indicating for everyone else to leave. "He needs space and quiet."

Alya seemed reluctant to leave, but allowed Nino to help her out of the wagon. Luka hesitated also.

"Can I get you anything?" He asked.

"I left some herbal tea by the fire. If you could bring it, I want to give it to him."

Once Luka had left, Marinette picked back up the washcloth and patted his brow. "Chat Noir, If you can hear me I want you to know that you are safe. I'm here to look after you. You don't have to worry."

Chat's mouth opened and closed a few times like he was trying to say something, eventually one word escaping his lips. "La...lady...bug."

"I'm here." She whispered, stroking her fingers through his hair. "I'm here."