Disclaimer: I do not own Anime SanJushi
Chapter 1: How it all began
The ray of the sun slips through the crevices of the trees, giving a gentle warmth to the life that fills the lush forest in Noisy-le-Sec. The chirping of the birds that playing all around gives a cheerful sound on that peaceful forest, along with the rustle of leaves, the hooves of a running deer and laughter of a young woman on horseback who was following the deer before them.
Everything seems to be perfect until a sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the woods and a bullet struck on the tree trunk where the dear just passed by a few seconds ago. It was that same moment when the horse of the young woman barely hit by that bullet, surprised by the sudden occurrence, jolted up and making its rider fall hardly on the ground.
"Oh no," the man hidden behind the bushes threw his musket and run toward the scene of the accident and found a young woman lying unconscious on the ground. Kneeling over the young woman, the man took her on his arms, perceiving a beauty that can never be ignored. No, it is absolutely impossible to ignore.
The man immediately fell in love with that angelic feature. Her round childish face, her fine nose proportionate with her small pink lips, her curly golden lucks that enhance her fair complexion. The man imagined how she would look like if she opened her eyes. Surely it would be a magnificent sight to look at. By the look of her blue and pink dress she is wearing, the man knows immediately that she is a daughter of an aristocrat.
Without further ado, the man brought her to the secluded mansion where he lives. He settled her on a special chair, took a glass of wine and brought it to her lips to make her sip a little.
Soon enough, the young woman started to flutter her eyes, opening them slowly as she adjusted her vision. The first thing she saw is a man with the most gentle appearance she'd ever seen. He has light brown hair, a pair of grayish blue eyes, and a fine moustache adorning his handsome face. He is wearing a fine, dark blue doublet, a fitted trousers and a pair of boots good for hunting. All in all, the man looks like a noble man with a gentle air around him, added by the kind smile that he made at her.
"I'm glad, you're not hurt," he told her with his pleasant baritone voice.
The young woman looked around her, observing the unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" she asked.
"Noisy-le-Sec, in my master's manor."
The young woman looked further where she is and finally noticed the beautiful chair she is currently sitting at.
"Ah, what a splendid chair!" she exclaimed.
"May I ask your name?" the man then asked.
The young woman looked back the man as she reached for her skirt, making a gesture of how a find lady would do when introducing herself. "My name is Renée."
"I am François," the man introduced himself in his turn as he bowed with his arm over his chest.
Renée stood up and looked at François, smiling at him in her turn.
François also smiled. They stated at each other with their eyes shining is adoration with each other.
Their meeting that day was like a miracle, both falling in love from just the first sight. For Renée, the man in front of her is like a dream come true, the answer to her prayer. All the feelings that this meeting brought her was new to her. The tenderness she feels, her breath speaks of love, her heartbeat shouting his name. It was as if, the angels have brought her here just to meet François.
The same thing applies for François. And he is not wrong when he thought about seeing a wonderful sight when the young woman finally opened her eyes. It was actually beyond his imagination. Her eyes are the most beautiful pair of eyes that he has seen. It was like he was looking at a pair of the most precious pair of sapphire, shining on their splendour.
At that very moment, the love between them began. Renée who lost her parents when she was a child, and François who is serving a mysterious master. Their love was pure and was increasing in intensity day by day, minutes by minutes.
François and Renée decided to marry as soon as Renée turned 17. Their time together was the happiest time in their life. How much joy would it bring them when they started living with each other as husband and wife? Renée cannot help thinking what kind of life that the future would bring her, how will they live their day to day life as husband and wife, especially when they finally have children. Will she need to think about house work?
Someone like her who is a niece of a baron does not know any kind of house work. She was only thankful for his uncle for providing her education along with teaching her personally how to handle weapons which does not really suits a lady.
"It could come in handy someday," her uncle told her, which made her aunt very angry at him.
François was very amused when she told her about that story, and he said to her, "your uncle raised you very well."
Renée sighed at the memory, but smiled immediately. Surely, whatever kind of life the future will be, she will follow François everywhere he goes.
There was also one time that François told him about the mission he was carrying for the country. He told her that his mission should remain secret, and if ever found out, it might cause a huge mess for the country. He also told her that because of his mission, he might need to move out to another place far away from Noisy-le-Sec.
"It is a dangerous mission," he told her. "The day of our marriage, I will tell you everything."
Renée nodded, thinking that her uncle might be right. If François' mission is a state secret, that means, it is very dangerous, but she's also glad to become a part of François' life. At least he will never be alone when the time comes when he needs to fight for the said mission.
As if faith was playing a bad game with them, when the night of danger came too suddenly. It was raining furiously back then, partnered with consecutive lightning and thunders. Renée was looking at the window of her room, feeling strangely anxious. As if the wind was calling her to come out, to go and see her love. With a restless thought, Renée came out without a word to her uncle and aunt, taking her horse with her and set out to the woods and to the mansion where François is staying.
Wait for me, François, she thought to herself.
She arrived in front of the mansion, breathless, as if she ran the distance by herself and not with the horse. She came inside, wondering why the gate is wide open. Frowning, she run to the door and went to the living room whey François usually spend in time while reading. As soon as she entered the room, she saw immediately the bodies that lying on the floor.
"François!" she shouted as he run toward the man, taking his head over her lap
"Renée," François said in difficulty as he opened his eyes.
"François," Renée repeated in sorrow, seeing how the state François is in. He is barely breathing, and slowly dying as his blood continued to flow on the wound on his side.
"I'm sorry," François said, trying hard to speak with her for the last time.
"For what?" Renée asked.
"I can no longer fulfil my promise."
"No," Renée said, crying. "You will live, François, and then you will tell me everything."
François knows that his time is coming into its end and he has a lot of thing to want to tell to Renée. He also knows that now it is impossible to tell everything to her, so he decided to tell only the most important things.
"Listen to me very well Renée," he started, but the young woman doesn't want to listen.
"No! I told you, you will live!" her tears, continued to flow on her eyes.
"Please Renée, you're the only one I can entrust with this," François insisted. He doesn't have much enough time and it's getting harder to speak every minute that his voice became husky.
Unable to do anything, Renée finally nodded her head.
"Go to the captain of the musketeers; tell him that Philippe was abducted. Also warn him about the bandit camel."
"Who is this camel?" Renée asked furiously. "Is he the one who did this to you?"
"He is, and is part of Philippe's abduction."
"Don't worry François, I will do as you said," Renée spoke with determination.
"Thank you. I know you can do it."
"Now please stop, I will call someone for help," she said as she started to move, but François stop her.
"Stay, Renée," François pleaded, "please until my last breath." Now he is barely whispering.
"But François!"
"Please."
Renée did not answer, but stayed nonetheless.
"Can you smile for me?" François suddenly asked her, making her frowned at his request. "I want to see you smile for the last time."
Renée blinked in mild surprise. "Alright," she said and smiled, albeit with sadness in her eyes.
"Thank you," François also smiled. "And also remember, I will always be with you," he said for the last time as he closed his eyes slowly and submitted himself into the eternal abyss and in to the next life.