Now for the finale of "Queen of Destruction!" Marinette and Adrien are having their wedding ceremony in the Elysian fields! But the newlywed bliss is quickly ruined when a frantic Nino interrupts the moment. The God of Wine tells Adrien that Marinette needs to go back to her parents or the human race will starve to death! But Adrien has no intention of letting Marinette leave, and she doesn't want to leave, either!

In the Elysian fields of the underworld, honored souls were gathered and one was dressed as a man of the church, ready to officiate a ceremony. At the impromptu altar that was set up, Adrien was wearing his nicest black robes and he had his hair coifed perfectly. He was also wearing an asphodel on his robe, too. He fiddled with his cloak.

He looked up the aisle to see Marinette in a beautiful white wedding dress walking towards him. She was holding a bouquet of asphodels and had a beautiful silk veil inlaid with rubies on the headband. In front of her, some departed souls were spreading asphodel petals down the aisle. Marinette kept her eyes on Adrien, and they were filled with joy. Adrien's eyes were glued to his bride, thinking she was more beautiful than when he first saw her. His heart swelled with love and joy, overjoyed that he'd be married this woman for eternity in just a few short minutes.

Marinette put her hand in Adrien's as she made it to the altar for the ceremony.

Adrien couldn't keep his eyes off Marinette. She was just so beautiful that he was going to swoon right then and there, but what good would it do for the groom to pass out on his wedding day?

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to unite young goddess Marinette and our king, Adrien, in holy matrimony," The officiant recited. "Destruction and creation are two polar opposites. And yet, they are two sides of the same coin. Without one, the other cannot be. And without one, the other can be overwhelming. Creation cannot exist without destruction, and destruction cannot exist without creation. So, these two different gods are not only uniting their love for each other in this ceremony, but their forces will be combined, balancing each other out. Now, for the vows. Your Majesty?"

Adrien turned to the bride. He was near tears of joy, he was so happy that the day was finally here.

"Marinette," Adrien began. "Being the king of the underworld has its perks. Vast wealth, access to jewels of many kinds, a bigger number of subjects than all of the gods' worshippers combined, and immense power. But... With all of that, there are just too many issues that come with it. Mortals fear dying and coming down to the underworld. And my reputation as the god of destruction doesn't help. As a result, I get lonely down here. Not many gods come to visit me for fun, and I'm usually too busy to visit the Earth or French Olympus for long periods of time. You can understand why I can be so attention-starved. When I saw you playing in the grasses that day... Honestly, I think Rose used every arrow she had on hand when or even if she shot me."

Everyone laughed at this.

"You were so beautiful that I fell in love right away. I tried my best to resist the temptation to approach you and court you right then and there. But when I found out that your parents wouldn't be likely to let me near you, I had to resort to drastic measures, and brought you down here against your wishes. In hindsight, I could've gone about it a different way. All I wanted was your love and affection, plain and simple. My feelings never changed, no matter how many times you shut me out or treated me coldly, I never gave up on the hope you'd fall in love with me... Once I saw how sad you were in nothing but darkness and death, I gave you this place in the Elysian fields to help you feel better and more at home..." Adrien said before taking Marinette's hands into his own. "And suffice to say, that was what ended up making you fall for me at last. And now we're here, at our wedding ceremony to each other. I promise that you'll be the only queen of the underworld. The only one worthy of my love and devotion, and passionate affection. I'll never forsake you. Once our vows are sealed, we'll be married for eternity, until the end of time."

Marinette blushed at that heartfelt confession. It was her turn to speak.

"I... I can't deny that I couldn't stand you when we first met," Marinette started. "You brought me down here against my wishes, and acted like you did nothing wrong. I was so angry that you wouldn't let me leave, no matter how much I pleaded. Aside from that, you were so chivalrous and respectful towards me. Treated me like royalty, respected my boundaries, and so much more. And giving me my own place in the Elysian fields... It was so sweet."

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed.

"I always thought that my parents would choose my future husband. When they told me that they'd been thinking about pairing me up with Luka, I wasn't going to object... But now I'm happy that you brought me here and won me over. It took time, but you made me feel like a queen. When I started falling for you, it began to feel like no one else mattered to you in the entire world or underworld," Marinette admitted. "It felt so great to be cherished and loved as a lover and a partner, not just a daughter or friend. Not even Luka could make me feel so... So precious. And now I'm here, ready to say our wedding vows and spend eternity with each other. I'll show you more companionship than you could ever dream of, and I can safely say that I have no doubt that you'll be the most loving and the sweetest husband ever."

Adrien looked at her with love sparkling in his eyes and a smile stretching across his face. He was about to cry tears of joy.

"Now, then... Your Majesty, do you take Marinette to be your lawfully wedding wife, to have and to hold for eternity?" The officiant asked the groom.

"I do." Adrien said firmly.

"And Marinette, do you take His Majesty to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold for eternity?" The officiant repeated to Marinette.

"I do." Marinette said, her eyes never leaving Adrien's.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you god and goddess! You may..." The officiant shouted, but before he could finish, Adrien swooped Marinette into his arms, dipped her down and placed a passionate kiss right on her lips.

"Ugh, never mind." The officiant said with a laugh as everyone in the crowd was cheering for Marinette and Adrien.

Adrien carried Marinette like a princess and he ran down the aisle, his eyes glued to his blushing bride - now his wife. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and fluttered her eyelashes at him. He blushed as he dove in for another kiss, and Marinette's cheeks flamed up, too.

The celebration was grand and beautiful. The feast was filled with delicious food and some of the best wine Adrien could've gotten (being friends with Nino had its perks). The music was also perfect, being equated to Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

The newlyweds danced to the music, kissed, ate and drank, made merry, and were celebrating like nothing else mattered in the world, blissfully unaware of what the bride's absence from the earth was causing.

Their moments of love for each other were charged with sweet, fiery passion.

Adrien gently brought Marinette to his bedroom once again. Instead of carrying her in his arms, they walked side by side as equals.

Adrien and Marinette sat on the bed, once again looking each other in the eyes as if nothing else surrounded them.

Adrien reached for her dress to gently strip her down so they could consummate their marriage...

*ZAP! CRASH! BANG!*

"ADRIEN! WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!" Nino hollered from outside.

Adrien growled and balled a fist. He stood up from the bed and said, "I'll be right back."

"Okay." Marinette replied as Adrien placed a kiss on her cheek.

Adrien quickly walked out of the room, shut the door and glared at the frantic god of wine.

"Nino, your timing is horrible!" Adrien hissed as he pulled Nino away from the bedroom door. "Marinette and I just had our wedding today and we were just about to start our wedding night!"

"Sorry, dude, but we've got a crisis up top." Nino said between panicked breaths.

"Crisis?" Adrien asked, his tone softening. "What do you mean?"

"Well... I kinda let it slip to Alya and the others that we conspired to kidnap Marinette..." Nino sheepishly admitted.

"YOU WHAT?!" Adrien shouted.

"And now the mortals are sort of on the brink of starving to extinction because her parents kinda aren't willing to let anything grow unless you give Marinette back to them." Nino added with a wince.

"Are you for real?!" Adrien asked.

Nino gave a tense nod, a bit freaked out.

"So... So, I hate to do this, but we gotta bring Marinette back home, like last year, dude!" Nino said as he went to go to the room to break the news to Marinette.

"No." Adrien said, stopping his friend.

"No? What do you mean "no?!" Her parents are worried sick!" Nino protested.

"We've just gotten married and you expect me to just let her go?" Adrien asked, crossing his arms. "Not happening, Nino. She's my wife!"

"Dude, I know your word is law down here, but the mortals are..." Nino began.

"But nothing, Nino! Marinette's my queen and she's staying here!" Adrien insisted.

"He's right. I'm staying." Marinette said, getting the gods' attention.

"Marinette!" Adrien said, walking over to his wife and wrapping his arms around her. "Mon amour..."

"Nino, it's been a while," Marinette said, greeting Nino. "How've you been?"

"I've been better," Nino admitted. "The truth is, your parents are so angry that you're down here that they're not letting a thing grow on earth unless you go back to them."

"What?!" Marinette gasped, covering her mouth. "I... I mean, I get it, I just vanished without a trace. They must be so upset."

Adrien looked at his wife, distress and sadness on his face. He hugged her close to him.

"No kidding," Nino said. "So, come on, they need you to come back!"

"But..." Marinette began, looking to her husband. "But I..."

"But what?" Nino asked.

"I... Don't want to leave," Marinette admitted. "I love it here. And I love my husband."

"I don't want you to leave either," Adrien muttered. "You've brought me nothing but happiness."

"But if you don't go back to your parents, the mortals will starve to death and there won't be any offerings for the gods!" Nino began. "And that'll mean more work for Adrien."

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other with sadness in their eyes before hugging each other closer.

"We need the mortals to survive," Marinette conceded. "I... I need to go back."

Adrien sighed sadly and locked arms with Marinette. He said, "Then... Nino, can you give us some time?"

Nino gave a nod before zapping away.

"Marinette... Can we take a walk before we go?" Adrien asked sadly. "I want to at least spend some time with you as newlyweds..."

Marinette gave a nod as the two of them left the castle to walk through the fields. The two of them were together in silence, not sure who should speak up first.

They came to a certain point in a darker part of the underworld. Adrien was looking around, as if trying to find something. He wasn't talking to Marinette about anything.

"Adrien?" Marinette asked, curious about her husband's behavior.

"Ah, bingo." Adrien said as he walked over to a dead shrub. Marinette noticed that Adrien was looking at the one sign of life on the bush: reddish-pink globes of some sort hanging from the bush.

He plucked one of them and held it in his hands before bringing it back to Marinette. Marinette's eyes were alight with desire at the sight of the beautiful fruit, which seemed to be glowing and shining in the little light that was in the underworld.

"What... What is this?" Marinette asked. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"It's a pomegranate: the fruit of marriage," Adrien spoke as he presented it to Marinette. "Marinette... I won't stop you if you want to leave. I want you to stay with me forever, but I can't be selfish."

"Adrien..." Marinette began.

"If you want to be by my side forevermore, all you have to do is eat a few of the arils from the pomegranate," Adrien explained as he split the fruit in half to reveal the pinkish-red seeds inside the waxy flesh of the pomegranate. "Ma reine bien-aimée... Will you share this with me?"

Marinette's mouth was slightly open, and her eyes flitted between her Adrien's face and the fruit in his hands. She knew what Adrien was asking of her, and she wasn't sure what was more tempting: the pomegranate or her husband.

"I... I will." Marinette said as she took one of the halves of the fruit, while Adrien took the other half. She took six of the arils and popped them into her mouth.

"Thank you, mon amour," Adrien thanked, his eyes alight with joy and he was about to cry again. "Now the two of us will be together!"

"I'll go back to my parents and tell them of my choice," Marinette said as she gave her husband a kiss on his cheek. "...Goodbye."

He watched Marinette leave him, and he wept, a few tears falling down his face. Why couldn't fate just let him be happy with his wife?!

Once Marinette got back up on earth, her eyes bugged out at all the snow and ice that covered the earth. Luckily, her very presence awakened the entire planet. At her feet, everything in a ten foot radius melted and the flowers sprouted up. As she kept walking, breathing, and singing, the winter started to disappear.

"Mom! Dad! I'm back!" Marinette hollered out as she started to look around her parents.

Right from underneath her, a giant vine platform burst from the ground, and the huge flora specimen started growing and speeding all the way to the summit of French Olympus.

The giant flower slowed down and let Marinette step down onto the summit.

"Marinette!" Sabine squealed as she and her husband ran over to hug Marinette.

"Girl, you're okay!" Alya shouted, joining in the hug.

"Marinette, we were so worried!" Tom spoke.

The relief that Tom and Sabine were feeling grew into joy, and that joy spread all over the planet. The snow melted, flowers bloomed, and trees, vines, and bushes bore fruit once more.

"I missed you guys." Marinette said as she cried tears of joy.

Alya noticed something on Marinette's mouth, and she said, "Girl, your mouth's a little... Red."

"Red?" Tom asked as they broke the hug and looked at Marinette. Sure enough, pomegranate juice was still on her mouth.

"You definitely don't look like you've lost any weight..." Sabine pointed out.

"Speaking of look, you look like royalty." Tom stated as he saw the dress and jewelry she was wearing.

Marinette blushed, and stifled a burp. She covered her mouth and said, "Excuse me."

"You ate something down there?!" Alya asked, shocked.

"Pomegranate arils," Marinette admitted. "They're delicious!"

"No!" Sabine cried. "Don't you know what that means, Marinette?!"

"Yep," Marinette said with a smile, before blushing. "It means I'm bound to the underworld. Not that I mind. He explained everything to me and I ate those seeds on my own free will. So... I have to go back to my husband."

"Girl, this is the same man who kidnapped you and you plan on going back to him?! Are you crazy?!" Alya spoke.

"No. I married Adrien because I love him, and I'm going back to him," Marinette explained. "Simple as that."

"But you belong here with us!" Tom insisted.

"Mom, dad, I get that you missed me. I vanished without a trace, you panicked, and that's why the earth froze over," Marinette stated. "But... I love Adrien. I want to stay with him. Is that so wrong?"

"No," Tom stated. "No, it's not..."

"But Marinette, you maintain balance of nature up here with us," Sabine began. "You're needed up here!"

"It's true that Marinette's role is vital here on earth, but we can't just disregard the laws of the underworld, either," Fu said as he approached. He'd overheard the whole thing. "She's also needed down in the underworld."

"Why would Marinette be needed down amongst the dead?!" Alya asked, not happy about the situation.

"Every king needs a queen, Alya," Master Fu stated. "The Elysian fields need Marinette's powers to maintain the paradise for the honored dead. Not to mention how happy she makes Adrien. A happy ruler is an efficient ruler."

"I hadn't thought of it like that," Sabine admitted. "But I won't let Marinette go back to Adrien!"

"Neither will I," Tom agreed. "She's not..."

"I am," Marinette said. "Mom, dad, I'm old enough to make my own choices. And if Fu insists I go back, then I will. I can't disobey him and you know it."

"Exactly. Marinette, please return to the underworld at once, and inform Adrien that I want an audience with him to discuss the situation. In the meantime, Tom, Sabine, I implore you NOT to let the earth freeze over again! Marinette may be your daughter, but if I say she needs to return to the underworld, then she must." Fu stated, being stern with Marinette's parents.

"...Yes, Master Fu." Tom conceded as he and Sabine bowed, still angry that they were forced to part ways with their daughter again.

Marinette gave a nod, hugged Alya tight, and the young goddess of spring started to leave the mountain.

The parents and virgin goddess wept, but Tom and Sabine refused to freeze the earth.

Adrien was moping in his room again, lying on his bed and sighing sadly. Alone again and he wasn't happy about it. After having the taste of the companionship and joy that came with marriage, he was addicted and was having withdrawal symptoms already. He wanted Marinette back badly.

"Adrien?" A voice asked.

Adrien sat up on the bed and his eyes widened with disbelief and happiness when he saw his wife come in again.

"Marinette! My love!" Adrien said as he leaped off the bed and ran over to his queen.

He started smothering her lips with his own, only stopping for breathing. He showered her neck with kisses, gently ran his hands up and down her back, and gently rocked her in his arms. He kissed her over and over again until he lost track of reality and his senses. She was only gone for a few hours, but he missed her so much.

"Mon coeur... Ma douce... Ma précieuse reine..." Adrien huskily murmured between kisses and moans.

"Mon roi... Mon cher mari..." Marinette murmured back, holding back moans of pleasure.

Adrien lifted Marinette up into his arms once more, still kissing her, and he continued to bring her back over to the bed.

He put her down, climbed on top of her, and once again reached for her dress.

"Marinette, are you okay with picking up where we left off?" Adrien asked.

"Well, yes, but not right now," Marinette said as she gently pushed his hand away and started to sit up. "Master Fu wants to speak you. My parents are not happy about us being married, especially since you kidnapped me in the first place. They insisted I stay with them, and when they found out that I ate the pomegranate seeds..."

"I see," Adrien began as put his arm behind Marinette's back and looked her in the eyes. "But you're my queen. You're needed here."

"But I'm also needed on earth," Marinette added. "I love you, Adrien. And I want to stay with you, but my family needs me. I'm not sure what Master Fu is going to say about this."

"He knows I'm the law down here in the underworld," Adrien began. "If I tell him that you're staying, then that should be the end of it."

"But he's insisting on talking to you," Marinette stated. "I don't think my parents are willing to keep the earth warm and fertile for very long."

"...Alright," Adrien said. "But... could you come with me? This involves you, so you have more than enough say in the matter."

"Yes." Marinette agreed as she and Adrien started kissing again, their hands and fingers tangled in each others' hair.

Later on the mountain, Tom, Sabine, Alya, Nino, Adrien, and Marinette were in audience with Fu.

"Master, I have no intention of letting Adrien take our daughter away again!" Tom stated. "Her place is here with us."

"Where she belongs is up to her to decide!" Adrien spoke. "And she's needed in the underworld, too!"

"You hypocrite!" Alya spat. "You talk a lot about free will! And yet you had the audacity to kidnap her!"

"But I didn't force her to marry me!" Adrien defended. "And at least I'm considering what she wants!"

"Yes," Marinette added. "You guys aren't asking about what I want."

Everyone grew quiet, and Adrien placed a hand on his wife's shoulder in comfort.

"Exactly," Master Fu began. "Marinette has the right to decide things for herself. That said, she's needed in two places, both of equal importance."

"But she doesn't belong down there amongst the dead!" Sabine insisted.

"Yes she does!" Adrien stated. "The Elysian fields need her power to make the paradise an even better place for the honored dead!"

"But she needs to help us with feeding the mortals!" Tom disagreed.

"ENOUGH!" Fu bellowed. "None of this changes the fact that Marinette ate pomegranate seeds, so she's bound to the underworld. But again, she needs to be up here as well."

"Ugh, why can't I just split my time up between the underworld and the earth?!" Marinette asked rhetorically, frustrated.

"That's it!" Adrien said, snapping his fingers in epiphany. "Marinette, you're a genius!"

"Huh?" Alya asked.

"A sound idea," Fu agreed. "How many seeds did you eat, Marinette?"

"Six, I think..." Marinette began.

"Then for each seed she ate, we'll have her spend one month in the underworld," Master Fu proposed. "Six seeds, six months with her husband."

"And for the remaining six months of the year, I'll be up here with my parents and friends," Marinette added. "Sounds like a fair deal to me."

"I don't know about this..." Sabine began.

"But I think this will work just fine," Marinette said as she wrapped her arms around Adrien's arm. "This way I don't have to abandon either world."

"And you don't have to leave behind either your parents or me." Adrien replied, gently stroking her cheek.

"But what are we going to do while you're gone?" Tom asked.

"You'll just have to cope somehow," Marinette said. "Birds have to leave the nest some time."

"She has a point," Alya agreed. "But... We'll miss you when you're down below."

"And the earth will be cold while you're gone," Tom stated. "To symbolize how much you'll be missed, Marinette."

"As much as we wanted to give you away at your wedding with a man of our choice, you're clearly happy with Adrien, so..." Sabine said as she gave Adrien an approving nod. "Have a happy eternity together. Both of you."

Marinette and Adrien stood up from their seats, held each other's hands, and lovingly looked each other in the eyes.

They hugged each other close and shared a kiss.

After that, Adrien brought Marinette back down to the underworld, where she would stay for the next six months. In her absence, the earth froze over, necessitating the need for the mortals to grow their own food during the six months Marinette would be above ground.

Whenever Marinette was down in the underworld, Adrien would pamper her with everything he could offer her, and he never hesitated to give her as much pleasure and love as she wanted. The two of them reigned over the underworld, and were easily two of histories best leadership couples.

And whenever Marinette had to leave for her parents, the earth was lush with life, meanwhile Adrien would grieve over her absence. He'd rejoice hopelessly whenever she returned. Adrien was a loving, loyal, and faithful husband, never leaving her side or forsaking her.

Over time, the two benevolent rulers of the underworld would go on to have several children together, filling the underworld with laughter and happiness in their family, something one wouldn't expect in the land of the dead.

Thus we have the seasons of winter and spring, via one of the most famous love stories in Greek mythology and literature.

And END OF STORY! That's the finale! Sorry for taking so long, I had a few happy life events going on. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this story, and if you have any suggestions for more, let me know.