No one was allowed to visit the palace.

Not even a king or a duke from another country had access or permission to enter it.

The Czar couldn't find the time to be with his family, even for supper. And this worried the young prince.

This has been the fourteenth dinner wherein only the czarina and the young prince are seated at the wide table. Of course, the chair at the head of table is empty. The czar has not sat on that chair for a long time.

As Adrien was about to pick up the piece of meat with his fork, he slams it on the table causing his mother to turn her attention to him.

"I'm hating this." Adrien exclaims.

"My son, go back to eating your supper-"

"How can I enjoy my supper when father is not even with us?" He interrupts his mother with a loud voice that echoes throughout the dining hall. "Father is out there doing a lot of business while he leaves us here to-"

"Your father is planning your survival!" The czarina scolds her son. She could not take it anymore. Just the mere thought of either her son or husband dying is enough to break her. She looks down at her plate as she starts to cry.

Adrien, feeling all guilty now, abruptly pushes his chair back as he stands. "Mother, I'm sorry..." He murmurs before leaving the dining hall and his crying mother.

The young prince dashes down the wide corridors to go to his room. He couldn't fight his own tears anymore. They dropped from his face as he was on his way to his room. He looked back to see if any of the staff was following him. He breathed a sigh of relief as no one was at his back but he collides with a figure in front of him causing the both of them to fall on the floor.

The young prince rubs his arm and hisses in pain. Then he looks up to see the figure that bumped him.

Marinette, wearing her uniform for the kitchen, is on the floor rubbing her head in pain.

The prince scrambles on his feet to help the girl. "Marinette!" He exclaims. He grabs the girl's arms and pulls her up. "I-I didn't see you there..." He utters, now feeling shy remembering their last encounter.

Marinette brushes her uniform down. Then she curtsies at the prince. "Your Majesty." She says, oddly greeting the prince in a formal manner.

"Why are you performing a curtsy, Mari? You never did that in front of me."

"If you'll excuse me, Your Majesty. I have to go back to work-" she says ignoring the prince's statement. So Adrien decides to grab her arm and hold her back.

"You're not leaving." He utters. "Why does everyone keep leaving me alone? Even my father keeps on leaving me! Don't be like them, please." He pleads, bowing his head at the girl.

"Adrien..." The girl starts softly. "This is the fortnight." She painfully reminds him. The prince looks back at Marinette in shock. He has forgotten to take note of the number of days he had left to...live.

"Oh..." He sighs wistfully. "I-I wasn't aware at all."

No wonder why mother seems to be on edge. He thought.

The girl across from him takes a step forward and rests a hand on his arm. "I'm not allowed to be talking with you, but you're my friend Prince Adrien. I will be protecting you and I promise you that what I swore to the royal family will be done."

"You don't have to do that, Marinette. I can worry about everything on my own-"

"It's not only your home that's going to be torn into ruins later." Marinette interrupts the prince, leaving him surprised with the sudden action. "This is my home, too. I grew up here and to see this place shattered will kill a part of me." Marinette looks away from the young prince, closing her eyes in the process. "The best thing that you could do right now is to be with your mother." She lets go of her hold on the prince. "She needs you the most at a moment like this."

The young girl curtsies at the prince and fully turns away from him to walk away without any distractions.

The prince is left gobsmacked and albeit scared and anxious with everything.

They have been keeping a lot from me. He bitterly thought. He can't help feeling mad with just that mere thought that they kept such secrets from him. If he knew in the first place, he could have helped them and he could have found a way to help them survive too.

-------------

"Mother, you could have told me." The boy whispers as a scolding towards his mother as she fixes the blanket on him.

The Czarina cups her son's cheek and leans in to kiss him on his forehead. She stares longingly at her son, fighting to keep her tears from falling. Instead, the tips of her lips curve upward so slowly creating a rather forced smile. "Where's your ring?" She asks quietly. Adrien holds up his right hand that had the ring on his thumb since it was the only finger that perfectly fitted the ring.

"Right here, mother." He answers looking at his mother curiously. His mother then brings out a chain, a small gold chain that could just fit when put around someone's wrist.

"I need you to place this chain in your ring." She instructs her son and helps him. She clasps the lock and presents the ring dangling on the gold chain to her son. "It's now an anklet." She smiles at him before unlocking the chain with the ring and wraps it around Adrien's left ankle. She clasps the two ends together before pulling away. The anklet seemed loose around his ankle but not enough to actually slip from his heel.

"Why do I have to wear it as an anklet?"

"Because then you would have less chances of losing the ring." The czarina replies in such a soft tone, one could really prove that it is as soft as silk. "Your father will be here at any second from now. You just wait here for him, okay?"

"You did tuck me in bed already, so I might as well wait."

The czarina chuckles lightly due to her son's wit and decides to not say anything about his comment. Instead, she goes with the words, "I love you, Adrien." And she says it in the sweetest way she could ever muster, with the gut feeling that this may be the last time she could ever utter such words to her only son.

"I love you too." He says, stifling a yawn.

The czarina opens his door wide enough for the czar to enter the room. Upon landing his eyes on his father, Adrien sits up with an excited look displayed on his features. "Father!" He exclaims. The czar musters a forced smile, striding in the room towards his son.

"Shouldn't you go to sleep, my boy?"

"Mother says you're planning for my survival...is that true?"

The czar sneaks glance at his czarina. Czarine Emilie sighs in disappointment at herself and looks down, "I'm sorry, Gabriel. I couldn't keep it in any longer." She whispers.

"It's okay." He mumbles and presses a kiss on his wife forehead. "Go to sleep now. I'll talk with Adrien first."

"I'm getting somewhat tired with all your kissing, my dear parents." Their only son buts in and the czar and czarina can't stop their selves from chuckling lightly to their son's comment.

The czarina leaves the room and closes the door behind her as the czar sits on the edge of Prince Adrien's bed.

"It's been a long time since I've last seen you, father." Adrien whispers, feeling down.

"You miss me, don't you?" Gabriel ruffles his son's hair playfully. "I've been really busy with work but now I'm here!" He exclaims.

Adrien whines as his father messes up his hair but tue unsettling thought of his survival started to bother him some more.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" The prince whispers. The czar shakes his head.

"No, I'm not going to allow that."

"But Hawkmoth wants me-"

"And I won't let him get to you." His father interrupts sternly leaving Adrien squirming in slight fear of his father. The czar notices it and lets out a long sigh.

"Oh, Adrien..." He wraps his arms around his son and brings him close. "You are not going to get hurt. I promise."

"And what about you?" The prince asks quietly.

"Don't worry about me." Gabriel replies. "I'll be fine." He presses a kiss on his son's forehead and runs a hand through Adrien's hair. "Go to sleep now. Your mother will sleep with you later tonight, okay?"

The prince simply nods in reply, his eyes drooping as the feeling of sleepiness has started to overcome him.

"I love you, my son." His dad whispers.

"I love you too, father."

The czar lets him lie down on his pillow once again and leaves the room in a hurry to muffle the sobs that have dared to escape his mouth. His czarina has been waiting outside Adrien's room the whole time. And upon seeing her czar, she immediately loops her arms around his neck and allow him to cry onto her shoulder.

"Protect yourselves, Emilie." He cries.

"We will. And you have to be doing the same too."

The czar pulls away to kiss his czarina lovingly on the lips for one last time. "I don't think I can promise that." He woefully admits.

------------

"Men," The czar announces, standing in front of the palace soldiers who have undergone serious intensive training for the past 14 days, "tonight we will go against someone who is a master of deceit and also a master of sorcery. Whatever happens, fight with all your might...and die with honor."

200 does not seem enough to defeat a powerful sorcerer. The czar thought as he goes through each man fighting for the safety of the palace.

Hawkmoth, on the other hand, has been gleaming and grinning evilly upon finding out that the czar has been preparing for his arrival. His minion has watched the interaction between the czar and his palace soldiers, and dutifully reported everything to his master, Hawkmoth. If he can't be in power, then he'll make sure that no one else can also be in power. This means murdering the entire royal family.

"Now my czar," he seethes, "let's see if I send all your people against...you."

The czar marches around the palace, checking if his men are in their proper stations and positions if ever Hawkmoth strikes from either of the four directions. There are even two soldiers stationed in front of the room where the prince and czarina are sleeping.

Suddenly, a soldier comes running towards the czar carrying a look of great worry. "My czar! Your people have started a mob outside the palace gates!"

"What?" The czar utters and runs with the soldier to the main entrance of the palace. From afar, he could see the burning flames of the torches held by his people and their shouting has caused a stinging pain to his ears.

"What must we do, my czar?" One soldier asks.

"Why are they going against us? They are my people..." Czar Gabriel trails off, realizing the truth of what's happening.

This has been Hawkmoth's plan all along. He let my whole kingdom be against me when he knows that I can't hurt them.

A soldier running from the czar's back stops when he reaches his front and pants loudly as he addresses his czar, "M-My czar...your people are climbing the palace gates and they are everywhere!"

"My czar, what must we do?"

The czar grits his teeth in confusion and anger. He is on the brink of losing his kingdom, and maybe his family. "Fight them back!" He bitterly spits out. His heart restless and regret creeping up on him as he commands. "Kill if you must!" This is not what a czar does towards his people. But the czar knew better. His people are not in their right minds. In fact, they are being controlled by the evil sorcerer that is just waiting for the young prince in the shadows.

Adrien wakes up with a start as he hears a banging on one of the doors in the palace and people accompanying it with their shouting. Judging from how wide the palace is, a lot of people must be banging on the door to make the sound loud enough for the whole palace to hear.

His mother is still sleeping soundly beside him, her hold on him has somewhat gotten loose as he wriggled out of her arms. He stands to get a coat and he puts it on before walking in tiptoes to the door. He gently places his ear against the door and all the more he could hear the commotion of what's happening outside.

"My czar! They have entered the west wing!"
"They are now climbing in the southern area!"
"We are here to tear your kingdom down!"
"We will end your reign!"
"Protect my son and wife NOW!"

Adrien gasps and backs up upon hitting something behind him. He turns and opens his mouth to shout out loud, "Mo-"

His mother tightly clasps his mouth and shushes him with her pointer finger on her lips. Her eyes expressed deep concern and worry, and it made Adrien feel the same too.

His mother is also wearing a coat of her own and a bonnet to cover her hair. "Put this on." She whispers in a rush and places a bonnet on her son's head to cover his blond hair. "We have to hide our identities, okay?"

"M-Mother, I'm scared." Adrien cries and Czarina Emilie engulfs him in a hug.

"Be strong just like your mother, please." She begs, forcing a smile just to show her son that she was not 'afraid'. "Be strong especially for your father."

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard throughout the building and it sent the palace shaking. Czarina Emilie brings Adrien to her back and the young prince buries his face on her back as he hugs her tightly.

"We have to find a way out of here..." She mumbles to herself, praying that Adrien could not hear her. Her husband and she did not expect this kind of ambush. They thought it was just the palace against one sorcerer...but it's the palace against their people. "I...I just don't know where."

A part of the wall nearest to them then moves and they both back away from it in fear. They both look at it in shock as they never knew that there was a secret passage in prince's room. "Mother," Adrien whispers, "what's happening?"

A young girl comes out of the opening and does a curtsy in a hurry. Adrien almost exclaims the girl's name out loud but he remembered that they had to stay quiet and that his mother does not know of their friendship.

"Who...who are you?" The czarina asks skeptically, bringing Adrien closer to her.

"I am a kitchen-girl, your Majesty. I'm here to let you escape the palace." Marinette answers wearing her usual ragged-like dress for working at the kitchen and her hair is tucked in a cloth and a special flower brooch holding it together.

"Oh, thank you very much."

"We shouldn't be wasting any more time, your Majesty. You must leave." Marinette steps out of the way to give space to the two members of the royal family to exit through the secret passageway.

"Follow me, Adrien." Czarina Emilie instructs her son as they enter the passageway. Adrien then notices that Marinette was not following them.

"Mother, she's not with us." Adrien points out to the czarina in the middle of the tunnel.

The czarina stops to look behind him. "Oh dear...don't tell me that she stayed in your room."

"I...I have to go back." Adrien utters before running back to his room.

"Adrien!" His mother shouts desperately. Oh heavens, please protect my son. She thought before running after him.

Adrien arrives at his room in no time and sees Marinette placing any kind of furniture against the door. "Mari!" The prince tries to yell through a whisper.

The girl turns her attention to the voice that called her and she starts to feel furious upon seeing the prince. "You imbecile!" She utters angrily in a hushed voice. "You're supposed to be leaving already!"

"I'm not going without you."

"Don't be stupid!" She utters. When the prince tries to go near her, she pushes him away. "You're the prince and I'm your servant. You shouldn't be thinking about protecting me. It's my duty to protect you!"

The door suddenly shakes as it is banged and the furniture trying to hold it down was becoming loose. "Adrien, go now!"

"Then...then at least leave me with something I can remember you by." Adrien says, starting to feel hopeless if he'll ever see his best friend again.

Marientte immediately grabs the cloth on her head and shoves it to him. "Here, my head-cloth and brooch...I don't have anything else with me."

Adrien places the brooch at the middle of the cloth and crumples it into a size that could fit the pocket of his coat. "This is perfect." He sighs.

A banging is heard on the door again and it starts to agitate Marinette. "Adrien, go now!"

The prince leans in and leaves a swift kiss on one of her cheeks, and it leaves Marinette frozen for a moment.

"I'll miss you, Mari." He whispers before disappearing into the passageway once again, leaving Marinette alone in his room. Marinette forces herself to break away from her haze and pushes the wall panel back to its place.

"Stupid Adrien." She grumbles. "Why would he kiss his best friend like that..." She runs around the room grabbing more things to hold the door, but it suddenly bursts open and Marinette falls down due to the weight of the furniture toppling over her. She shouts in surprise then pain as she finds herself stuck under loads of wood.

"Damn it. It's just a servant." A voice says and she hears footsteps running away from where she was. Slowly and with all her might, she pushed some of the furniture away from her.

Adrien, you better be far away from the palace by now.

------------

"Adrien!" Czarina Emilie huffs through the cold falling snow. "Run faster!" His mother grabs the prince's hand and pulls him harder with her.

They reach the train station wherein a mob of people fleeing or escaping is what they only see around them.

Hawkmoth is also scaring away our people. The czarina thought bitterly and tried to fight back her tears threatening to spill. This is not the right time to cry.

She watches people jumping onto the moving trains, some would land in boxcars and hide inside. Wherever the train was heading, she didn't care. As long as it took them far away from the palace.

People were shouting, pushing others away in order to get on the train whilst some children were crying, trying to find their mothers or fathers. It was havoc all-around. No one couldn't just stand still, everyone wanted to get out.

"My son? We would have to jump, okay?!"

"W-What?!" Adrien yells as he tightens the hold on his mother's hand. They were running toward a moving train and there was this one coach that seems to have extra space just enough for the two of them.

"Jump, Adrien!" She shouts bringing him closer to her, "Jump!!" They both jump and the czarina lands on the platform of the coach but loses her grip on her son.

Unfortunately for Adrien, just as he jumped, a person pushed him out of the way to have space to land on the coach. Adrien started to panic more as he watches his mother going away from him in a moving train. Czarina Emilie runs to the end of the coach and spots Adrien running after it.

"Adrien!" She shouts and reaches out for him. She sobs as she tries to stretch her arm out some more. "Adrien, run!" She cries.

"Mother!" Adrien shouts out loud. He cries as he runs to his mother with his arm also stretched out. "Mother!!" He shouts louder.

Just as he was nearing the hand of his mother, he must have not noticed broken parts of the railroad tracks. His foot gets stuck in between such parts and he loses his footing causing him to fall in a thud, with his head landing first.

He loses all consciousness at that moment with only the voice of his mother ringing in his ears as she shouts his name over and over again,

"Adrien!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It has been exactly a year since I've last posted a chapter on this book. Omg. I'm the meanest person on Earth. I am very very sorry huhuhuhu

But looking at the bright side, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm trying to keep this book short (like maybe 20 chaps or so).

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