The sun beamed down and reflected menacingly against the armour of the knight in front of Adrien. The glistening shine almost blinded him as he walked through the marketplace and took part in today's patrol.

There had been a message forwarded to Sir Couffaine that threats from a surrounding Kingdom had made their way into the immediate vicinity, therefore men were summoned to take around the clock lookouts for any unusual activity.

Though Adrien could only see the threat as being hopeful thieves, as soon as a patrol group was set he'd volunteered to go, even after his long and eventful evening the day before. He'd be patrolling the grounds until sunrise, managing to grab a quick nap before midday, and before the knights were needed once more. It hadn't taken more than a moment for him to consider, and even though he was to be on ground watch again that evening, the opportunity to possibly sneak away, and go and see his mother and friend's didn't slip past him.

So here he was, strolling along the dusty paths of Paris with the rest of his patrol unit waiting for the chance to break away and sneak off. All he needed was the right distraction.

Adrien already had a story planned out in his head. He'd just tell Luka that he saw a threat and chased after it; resulting in a long battle but an overall victory. Luka liked him now, so instead of being questioned further, he would be congratulated for his achievements. Then he would bid them all a grateful thanks and be off to see the Princess again that evening.

Without his helmet to shield his face, Adrien fought hard to control the smile encroaching on his lips. The Princess — just saying her name had him quivering with anticipation. His neck still tingled from the brief contact he'd had with her, the feel of her lips grazing over his skin and heating it up to an undeniably hot temperature.

She really was something — he just hadn't figured out what.

It seemed, in front of others, she was prim and proper, but as soon as she was alone with him she unleashed this hidden energy; a spontaneous combustion of sass and strength, and he couldn't wait to meet up with her again.

As he continued his patrol the previous night, he'd begun a dangerous line of thought. Considering how he could see the Princess and get what he needed from the castle's vault, the plan came to him a lot easier than he would have liked to admit.

Adrien also had to find ways to avoid Kagami. The Lady was onto him and he was quite sure she could read him well enough to know the full extent of his actions and feelings — more than what he did, most likely. Another reason why he was currently scouring the market place for people who were not there, to stop the hounding of his close friend.

Continuing in the direction of his old pathways, Adrien signalled to the guard leader he was going his own way, breaking from the group and moving forward down a pathway and further into the market stalls.

He moved his eyes left and right, checking none of the others had followed him, only to relax when he realised they hadn't. From his days spent scavenging, Adrien knew the knights preferred the outside area of the marketplace, keeping to the edges to grab as thieves and scoundrels escaped — one of the reasons Adrien had yet to be caught.

Nodding his greetings as he passed, Adrien made a mental note of what he should try and come back for. A leg of lamb for his mother, a knitted cap for Nino, a watermelon for Zoe and a... Adrien froze in front of a jewellery stand, a smaller, out of place, Chinese man standing beside it and smiling at Adrien.

"See something that you like?"

Adrien had never seen the stall before, he was positive he would have noticed something with such exquisite gems and designs, especially the rose blossom pendant.

Tucking his hand under an armpit, Adrien pulled the gauntlet from where it restrained his fingers and reached over to touch the beautiful, pearl pink of the blossom; his fingers caressed it just as they had twitched to run through her hair, feeling the silken strands as they glided back to their place.

"Ahhh, I see," he spoke again. "You are thinking about a certain Lady."

Adrien laughed and looked at the merchant. "A Princess more like. How much?"

"For someone who looks as in love as you do... nothing. Please, on me."

Adrien looked at the smaller man, a smirk on his lips as his fingers ran over his beard. There was something so trustworthy about the man, something that settled Adrien in a way he hadn't felt since he was a young lad and his mother was well. Did he know him?

"Please, let me do something for you. It's the least I could do?" Adrien picked up the necklace and tucked it into the glove of one gauntlet, keeping it safe without a clue what to do with it. Would it be wrong to hand such an item to the Princess?

"Just tell her, my dear boy. Before it's too late."

Before Adrien could respond, a commotion sounded from a wooden trinket stall behind him. A male voice and one... no, two females. Turning swiftly, Adrien looked to where the disruption was originating from, spotting the merchant striking one of the women and sending her to the floor.

Without a moment's hesitation, Adrien headed in the direction of the woman on the ground, crouching beside her and checking her over, the fiery red of her hair almost blending into the red handprint on her face.

"I don't believe for a moment, Sir, that this is how you treat a Lady!"

The remaining female spoke strong and proud, and it sounded all too wrong to be out in an area like this. She had a hood over her hair obstructing her face as she stood tall and proud in front of the merchant – tall for someone who barely made it to his shoulders, that is.

"How dare you, a woman, talk to me like this! You should know your place!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Or do you need someone to show you?"

The man started laughing, angering Adrien with his instant dismissal and now abuse. Drawing his sword from his holder, Adrien stepped forward ready to attack; however, his help was not needed. Within seconds of the woman being grabbed, she'd made a couple of intricate moves and pinned the merchant's arm behind his back.

"Apologise," she said, burying a knee into the back of his and sending him down to the floor, a whimper of pain leaving his lips as his arm became more distorted around his back.

"Apologise!" she said again, pulling his arm tighter and making him scream.

Adrien looked around and noticed a couple of other knight's stopping and beginning to look. He needed to get this woman out and fast, or she was going to end up in the stocks... or, maybe, something worse.

Stepping forward, Adrien moved the woman's arm from the merchant's and pulled the guy to standing by the collar of his shirt, giving the woman a gentle push to the side as his focus remained purely on the older man.

"You dare lay your hands on a woman again, and you will wish you were never born." The man may have seemed big compared to the woman, however, he was nothing compared to Adrien. The merchant frowned in response, obviously not daring to speak back to someone bigger than himself.

He let go of the merchant, noticing the attacker was now on the ground talking to the woman, her hood no longer on her head.

Trying hard to restrain the gasp leaving his mouth, he looked down and straight at the Princess. A glance around to check the area, Adrien noticed a familiar face in the crowd.

Oh thank god!

"You. Peasant." Adrien cringed as he called out to Nino, his friend turning abruptly from where he was stealing a couple of oranges from a market stall.

"M-m-me?" Nino looked around curiously, before looking to where Adrien was standing. His eyes widened with recognition as he progressed forward and hid the stolen oranges away in his robe.

"Yes, you! You look like a man of honour."

Nino snorted before trying to maintain some kind of act. "That I am, Knight who I don't know and have never seen before in my life."

Adrien screwed his eyes up and frowned at his friend.

Nino!

He hoped his long time friend could understand the stare was one of 'shut up and follow my lead'.

"Take this lady somewhere to be treated for her wounds. I will escort this one on a pilgrimage to calm her anger."

"I'm not angry," she said, pulling her hood over her head and finally looking at Adrien. Her face morphed from one of shock to relief, causing Adrien's heart and stomach to swirl with butterflies — had she noticed him? "But I believe a short escapade could do me well."

"I expect an apology," the merchant said, both Adrien and Princess Marinette turning their gaze towards him.

Instead of a response, Adrien took a hold of Princess Marinette's arm and led her away from the crowds and out into the streets. As he directed her away from the market stalls, he kept a close eye out for any other knights in the vicinity.

A few twists and turns, and they had moved towards Adrien's favourite place on the outskirts of the kingdom. A small stream separating theirs from the next.

"Phew," she sighed. "Thank you, I didn't know how I was —"

"What were you thinking?"

She stumbled back a little at his words, his voice was harsh and for good reason. Why would she, knowing there's a threat to her safety, venture out into the marketplace unguarded? And more importantly how had she escaped the castle without being noticed?

"Does anyone know you're out here?" Adrien asked, his tone remaining harsh as he questioned her.

Staring at him, she shook her head carefully side to side. "No, I just — I was —" Instead of trying to verbalise what she wanted to, she huffed and turned her back on him, a pretty immature move for a Princess, yet all the more alluring.

"Just... what? Are you trying to get yourself assassinated?"

What started out as a small giggle from her exploded into full blown laughter. "Oh, Kitty," she said, turning back to face him. "You are a jester."

As soon as the words had left her mouth she began to make her way down the edge of the stream, heading towards the edge of the forest, and hopping over a selection of rocks. She'd lifted her skirt up a little, showing the ankle of her boots and the lace of the underskirt — she'd really gone the whole way to dress in disguise.

"That merchant was double the size of you. If he had —"

"If he had... what? Did you not see the skill I possess? I took him down easily. I'm not a wilting flower, Sir Chat Noir, I'm quite capable at looking after oneself."

Adrien rolled his eyes and followed her down along the stream and into the shallow depths of the forest, stumbling over a couple of rocks and loose vines on the way. Where was she going?

"It was luck, Bug. If he'd attempted to fight back you could have been hurt."

Abruptly, she stopped and turned to face him. Her eyes were challenging, yet determined. "Would you be gracious enough to pass me your arm, Chaton?"

Adrien chuckled. "What are you going to do, Princess? Batter me into submission?"

Her smile lit up the entirety of her face, her eyes widening and sparkling in response as all the blood he owned rushed, speedily, to his heart. "I think, Chaton, you know exactly what I'm going to do, and I think this strong, brave knight is —" she tapped his chest, the smile still strong on her face as she looked up to him, "scared."

Grabbing her wrist, Adrien pulled Princess Marinette closer into his body, lowering his lips down to her ear. "Fear holds no place in the royal guard."

"Yet, you're too afraid to guard me personally. What kind of knight is that?" Her voice had changed, a husky undertone slurring her words slightly — or was that all in his head? Their close proximity was causing him issues he didn't want to even comprehend, and needed to make sure he didn't act upon.

"I'm not afraid," he said, his nose moving to within centimetres of hers.

"Good, because what did you call this last night? Dangerous?"

As her hot breath hit his face and before he could form a single coherent sentence, she had taken his arm, twisted it around his back and forced him down onto one knee.

"Taking a man off guard is the lowest form of attack," he muttered through the searing pain in his shoulder. He couldn't deny how effortlessly she'd taken him down — and effectively — and it just made his heart grow for her even more. She was one hell of a woman.

"It's only taking you off guard because you thought I wouldn't do it."

Considering his options, he decided the best way to deal with this was to give back as good as he could — it seemed like she could take it. With a quick move to the side, he flipped Princess Marinette over his shoulder and onto her back, his body straddling hers as he lowered his lips, once more, to her ear.

"You celebrated too early, Princess. You always need to be prepared for the counter attack."

He moved himself back, watching as her chest heaved up and down as she lay below him; the heavy breathing accenting areas of her body he shouldn't be looking at, yet he couldn't withdraw his eyes from.

Her hands, which until now had lay either side of her head, moved and positioned themselves over his chest plate. The heat pulsating through the metal armour and surrounding his heart – or so it seemed. His hands twitched to stretch up and touch her, to stroke the fallen strands of her hair as they freed themselves from the hood of her cloak.

She began to move her hands upwards, meeting the bare flesh on his neck and sending tingles down his spine. Without coaxing, he began to lean forwards, once more, her hands running to the back of his neck and brushing up into his hair — fanning her fingers and brushing his scalp.

Adrien continued to move, his eyes closing with anticipation of what was about to come next. Though he thought his world would spin getting so close to her, he didn't realise it would be quite so literal. Suddenly, her hands clamped together around his neck and with a thrust to the side, she rolled them over once again. As Princess Marinette clambered on top of him, his eyes were still closed, giving her an opportunity to take advantage ... and tie one of his hands to a nearby tree root.

"Princess..." His eyes opened as he felt a tug on his wrist, only to find out she'd used a wooden yo-yo to tie his wrist to the exposed root.

"Always be prepared for countermoves, Kitty." She stood up from where she'd stranded him, watching him with a smug smile on her face as he frantically pulled on the string of the yo-yo.

Aggressively, she brushed herself down and placed the hood back over her head. "It's been lovely seeing you again Kitty, but I have places to be."

"You're just going to leave me here?"

"I'm sure it won't take you too long to escape." She turned and began to walk away, stopping abruptly and turning back. "Oh, and don't forget, I'll be waiting for you tonight."

As she continued to walk away, Adrien just lay staring at her unable to put one coherent thought in front of the other. She was amazing, incredible... and ridiculously beautiful! Looking from her disappearing form, Adrien looked up into the sky, the sun slowly descending on the day and informing him it was well past noon, his plan slowly disintegrating along with the light of day.

Lifting his opposite hand, he tugged on the yo-yo string freeing himself from the root and sitting up with the object settled between his hands. He laughed – winding the yo-yo back in and caressing the smooth wood with his fingertips. It was a stunning object, fit for a Princess! The varnished wood was one of the most extraordinary he'd seen in years, one that looked like... he closed his eyes and pushed the thoughts out of his head. It was too much to consider, too much to try and understand at the moment — too much to wish for.

He gripped it tightly, making his way back towards the marketplace, eyes peeled and looking for the Princess. He hated the idea of her being out and about without a guard, even with her strong self defence skills.

How had she escaped the castle walls? How had Luka let her? He was hoping tonight she would give him some answers... if he still went to meet her.

Finally, Adrien made his way back the markets, weaving in and out of stalls when he felt the chain of the pendant drop down one of his gloved fingers, wrapping its delicate loops around his ring and causing his head to turn and look for the old man and his stall. However, his attempt was futile as both the stall and the old man were long gone.