A/N: please don't be a silent reader🤐 let your words speak through the comments 🗣I would love to know your personal thoughts and feedback.

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Ladybug jumped into her room from her window before looking down at her outfit. Her red cloak had no scratches at the end of the day, despite the number of times she had to swipe her sharp arrows over the material.

Ladybug willed her bow to turn back into her signature yo-yo, attaching it to the side of her belt on her leg beside a row of daggers. On the belt surrounding her waist, Ladybug's outfit held a cylindrical box to show where the arrows were held whenever she used her alternative weapon. The red cloak had no stain or dirt mark from the night's work, but if it did, the black spots decorating the costume would easily trick you into thinking it was clean.

Marinette transformed into her real self, beaming at her Kwami who now lay exhaustedly with limbs sprawled out on her bed.

"Did you see me saving that old man from being run over by that carriage?" Marinette excitedly asked Tikki, shoving a tray of pastries in front of her, "Oh, and when I used my bow-and-arrow to pin that thief to a wagon?"

"I most certainly did," Tikki replied, munching on the chocolate-chip cookies eagerly, "You were miraculous, Marinette! Simply the best, if you ask me."

Marinette blushed at the compliment, sitting up proudly on the bed, "I'm getting better. I can feel it. My body is developing so that I can be stronger as my real self. I'm learning new techniques everyday, adapting quickly to changes..."

"You're going to be up to the test when things go wrong," Tikki agreed, wiping the crumbs off her red dress, "and that's exactly what this country needs."

Marinette dived onto her bed with a smile of comfort and usefulness. She closed her eyes for a minute, grateful for the time she was given in order to help so many people as Ladybug. She made sure that she was out of sight from any present soldiers so that nobody expected her to be associated with dark magic like Chat Noir.

Wait... Chat Noir? Black cat... Marinette opened her eyes and sat up abruptly. She finally understood what she was missing.

"He's another one like me, isn't he?" the princess gasped as Tikki raised a confused eyebrow at the outburst.

Marinette shook her head before explaining herself, "Chat Noir? The black cat you were rambling on about— he's a Miraculous Holder as well, right?"

Tikki stared at Marinette in shock. Of course, the princess would have figured it out herself. In fact, the discovery was so obvious because the only reason for two masked heroes to be saving the  people of their Kingdom was if they were Miraculous Holders. Besides, Marinette was an intelligent girl— she was bound to figure it out eventually.

"You're correct," the Kwami responded with a tight smile, "You have a pair of earrings, whilst he has a ring. The black cat holds the power of destruction."

"And I hold the power of creation," Marinette remarked, "so if my Miraculous helps my true self get stronger then that means—"

"His true self gets weaker," Tikki completed, "Yes."

The princess held her head in her hands in confusion. Tikki had explained that the 'Master' chose two heroes who would fit perfectly for the role of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but why would he ever give the ring in order for someone to get weaker in real life?

Did the true self of Chat Noir's alter ego benefit from receiving his Miraculous? Or did he suffer with the pain only because he deserved it...? Maybe it was both. After a moment of calculating silence, a series of knocks sounded from the doorway.

"Marinette?" a deep, male voice called, "Are you in there?"

Marinette took off her earrings hurriedly, stuffing it in the ancient box. There was only one man who dared to walk up to the princess' room without consent of the king.

"Louis," Marinette said, opening the door wide to let her older cousin in, "What brings you here so late at night?"

"I'm here to report magnificent news," Louis replied with a grin.

He handed her one opened letter and a scroll tied up by a green ribbon. Marinette gave him a curious cringe before reading through the paragraphs of the scroll. It was a summons from the Kubdel Kingdom, the Dupain's allies ever since the beginning of the war.

In the parchment, it stated that the Bourgeois Kingdom was aiming to join forces with Prince Ali, the heir to all of the Middle Eastern Kingdoms of Kowar. Thanks to some spies from the Kubdel Kingdom, they had discovered that, if the battle will end with the Bourgeois Kingdom as the successor, the war will recede to their country. They were willing to do whatever necessary to prevent that from happening.

"The Kubdel Kingdom is sending in reinforcements!" the princess rejoiced, reading through the sentences once last time to make sure that it wasn't a dream.

Marinette then handed Louis the scroll to tie it up again with a ribbon before reading through the next letter from Princess Rose of the Lavillant Kingdom. Marinette and Rose were very close friends because they had a lot in common: they both loved children, they both lost their mothers at birth and they both have maidens who are honestly their best friends (Rose's nursemaid's name was Juleka). Marinette enjoyed Rose's company because she was always tried to be kind to everyone— just like her.

"Oh, Rose," Marinette said, scanning the letter, "she would honestly do all this for the greater good."

It was a letter of reassurance. Princess Rose wrote that she was sending a marriage proposal to Prince Ali in order to become permanent allies with the country of Achu. By doing so, the Kowar Kingdom would turn on the Bourgeois' so that they'd be outnumbered. If the proposal was successful, the Bourgeois Kingdom would have to go up against the Dupain, Agreste, Kubdel, Lavillant and the Kowar Kingdom in the war, forcing them to surrender.

Louis looked over Marinette's shoulder, "She does love Prince Ali, does she not? According to what you've told me?"

Marinette told her cousin a lot of her secrets. In fact, the only secret she did keep from him was the recent upbringing of her Miraculous. Other than that, the two of them were inseparable.

"She does love him," Marinette replied, "but they barely know each other."

"It will still be a huge support for our country," Louis gulped.

The princess turned to him with a curious glance. Louis looked a bit pale and nervous. She folded the letter and handed it back to the soldier in concern before immediately asking, "Are you feeling alright, Louis?"

"Verily, Cousin," the soldier lied.

Marinette folded her arms with a pointed glare. She could always tell when Louis lied— sometimes she'd have to take the role of a mother whenever he gave her that look. Louis lost both his parents in the war just before the princess was born. That was when King Thomas took him under his wing. The only woman he had in his life was Sabine Cheng...now it was Marinette.

"Okay, you've caught me," Louis sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, "I don't want to ruin your good mood, however..."

"What is the problem, Cousin?" Marinette asked sincerely, placing a hand over his shoulder.

Louis answered hesitantly, "The prince of the Agreste Kingdom..."

"He's bad news, I've heard," Marinette said, feeling a strange shiver up her spine, "refusing the proposal of marriage from the Bourgeois Kingdom."

"Not only that. He's setting out a set of...orders we have to follow."

Marinette widened her eyes in sudden confusion, "What?"

"On the condition that his army works with ours," Louis explained, frowning at the concerned princess, "he said we should leave the war strategies to him and all the riches we receive from the battle would go to the Agreste Kingdom."

Marinette gaped at Louis in shock. The one time their kingdom decided to fight besides their enemy, the prince already shot down her good mood at being true allies. The Agreste Kingdom taking all of the riches? After the battle, so many people would be injured! They would all need medical help, which did not come without a price, mind you. The fighters had to get their income from somewhere out of the war and the Agreste Kingdom could not take it for their own!

"Absolutely not," Marinette sneered, stomping her foot and pointing to the ground, "I have my own people to take care of. This is my land and my responsibility— he can't just rid our country of what we deserve! How selfish!"

Louis stared at the ground in understanding, but Marinette could tell that he was considering the condition. She scoffed, "You disagree with me?"

"He had won two wars in his lifetime," Louis debated, looking to his cousin with guilty eyes, "yet he's only seventeen. The Agreste tactics are strong, especially when going up against the Bourgeois Kingdom with another army at their side—"

"You've lead an army too," Marinette interrupted, almost desperately.

"My strategy almost cost hundreds of lives, Marinette. I'm not willing to risk thousands."

The princess bit her lip in thought. What would her people think about her if she agreed to the request? Would they be understanding towards the amount of lives on the line or would they be furious as to being financially unable to support injured soldiers?

"There are already so many unemployed people in this country..." Marinette spoke under her breath, not wanting to regret any wrong decisions made.

Louis held her hand in his own, "If their strategy is successful, it will save so many lives, Cousin. Many fighters might not even need financial support once the battle ends..."

She pondered the truthfulness in his statement. No matter how many times she worried about what her people would think of her or the amount of money that was going to be lost, the lives of her country would always matter more to her.

The princess sighed, defeated, "You're right, Louis. I have to get my priorities straight. Let the prince know that his request has been accepted."

Louis smiled gratefully, "Yes! Oh, thank you, Mari, you won't regret—"

"On one condition."

Louis blinked for a moment before nodding eagerly at her simple agreement, "Name it."

"I get to lead on the front lines."

* * *

Adrien stared intently at the peacock flowers, hatred searing through the petals like a magnifying glass directing a beam of light on a specific target. It almost seemed as if the Tigridia Pavonia's were laughing to their hearts' content. You thought you could hide that letter, Adrien imagined them giggling, What a fool!

"Your Majesty," Max Kante spoke from the desk in the middle of the glass room, "I believe it is best if the second wave of soldiers entered after a specific signal is released."

They were discussing war strategies in the greenhouses. It was the one area where they knew nobody would ever look to spy on them— the Agreste's had planned in the garden before every successful war they had fought. Meeting in the greenhouse was an unspoken agreement between the prince and the smartest man in the country (who the public decided was Gamer himself).

"Whom shall the second wave be?" Adrien asked, turning back to the ambitious inventor.

"Since we do not know how skilled the Dupain soldiers are," Max Kante replied, "I suggest that they only come in once we've hit with full force so that it would be easier for our allies to finish off."

Adrien huffed at the terms 'Dupain' and 'allies' in the same sentence, a reminder of defeat in allowing their enemy to benefit from a simple request. Yet it was not simple at all— in fact, war was the most complex form of peacekeeping, according to the prince. The two kingdoms were enemies because of the war and now allies for same reason.

"As long as they follow our rules," the prince said, "everything will become easier for us from there."

Gamer raised his spectacle in wonder, stating, "I've heard that the princess from the Dupain Kingdom replied to your—"

Adrien interrupted by raising his hand as if to say 'enough'. The report of the Dupain Kingdom's reply had been surprising. The princess agreed to the Agreste Kingdom planning the war strategies. Nevertheless, she would allow them to keep the riches after the battle.

At first, the prince snorted smugly, thinking that obviously a girl would agree to make someone else do the job, agreeing so easily to a request. She shows no sign of resistance, he thought, so weak and gullible... Until, the cards were dealt in a different direction.

"She has agreed to my request," Adrien spoke, "on the condition that she would lead her army into battle."

"On the front lines?" Max scoffed in a puzzled manner, "Has Princess Marinette ever fought in a war before, Your Highness?"

Adrien froze at the mention of her name: Marinette. A name that gave the perception of sweetness, humility and innocence, yet there was a determined sense of bravery in it as well. The sensation of curiosity lightened through his body like wildfire. Who was this girl to fight in a war she knew nothing about? Why would she risk her life even if it was so easy to be taken away? A precious life lost in a violent war is the worst loss imaginable, especially that of a caring leader.

"Your Highness?" Gamer asked again, snapping him from his thoughts.

"The princess hadn't fought before," Adrien answered flatly, "She's a complete idiot, thinking she's good enough to defeat an entire army. I do not understand her decision— why would she risk herself like that? Who does this girl think she is?"

The inventor stared at the prince, speechless. Sounds a lot like someone I know, he thought but dared not speak aloud. He nodded in false understanding before adding the finishing touches to the plans by scribbling on the top sheet of paper over the desk.

"You two will surely make a good team then," Max mumbled under his breath with a smile.

Prince Adrien pretended not to listen, letting out a long sigh, "I'll be in the training room again if you need me."

As Adrien left, Gamer continued scribbling notes with an inked feather, questions forming in his head like 'why does the prince continuously need to train for the battle these days?' and 'why is he so indulged with issues concerning the Dupain Kingdom?'.

The inventor did not really care about questions in general, though, because he knew that he had already found the answer.

* * *

The sun shone brightly above the horizon, opening up to a new day— a day of unity, quality and misery. The clap of horses' hooves hitting the ground gave a rhythmic feel to the predicament before the battle. It was unfortunate that the large expanse of green grass below would soon be painted red by metal swords.

After weeks of planning and training, the troops of the Agreste Kingdom made their way onto the battlefield atop a wide slope on the boarder that separated the Bourgeois Kingdom from the rest of Paris. When their army reached their destination, the Agreste troops hesitated at the large number of heavily armed soldiers in their wake. Two flags were held over the opponent's march— one belonging to the Bourgeois and the other indicating an alliance with the Kowar Kingdom.

For the slightest of moments, Adrien was worried that their numbers would not be enough, everything they had worked for would be of no use and maybe they should have just surrendered now.

However, Adrien had had those types of thoughts one too many times already, yet he won two wars previously anyway. Adrien was certain that this was going to be another victory— he could feel it in the solidity of his armour that acted as a protective shield around his skin.

After filing in their practiced positions, the Agreste army raised their swords and flags in confidence. The men behind the prince put their trust in him now because it was probably the only choice they had at that moment.

With reassurance that there was still another wave of soldiers behind him, Prince Adrien shouted a single word that brought his army galloping to what they hoped was a victorious paradise along the horizon. Charge!

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A/N: my aim is to add really meaningful statements throughout the action scenes to make readers understand the true impact of war and violence as a whole so if my writing is too cheesy, please let me know👍

5~~ Fight