A young girl named Evangeline sat under a tree watching her best friend, D'artagnan, practice duel with his father. Evangeline had just finished her own mock duel with the ex-musketeer. The young girl possessed long wavy brown hair and sparkling emerald eyes. She and D'artagnan had grown up together since both of their fathers had been musketeers. Sadly, Evangeline lost her parents five years ago. D'artagnan and his parents took her in and gave her a home. Both Evangeline and D'artagnan dreamt of being musketeers for France one day. They wanted to make their fathers proud because they had served their king and country before retirement and the two friends wanted to follow in their footsteps. And being from Gascony made it all the more amazing.
D'artagnan and his father were locked in graceful combat however, even though D'artagnan was about to overpower his father, he didn't see his father's sneaky trick. D'artagnan managed to disarm his father but his father had a dagger at his gut. D'artagnan was breathing hard as his white shirt moved. His curly brown was matted with sweat and his bright blue eyes glowed with false pride.
"Look down," his father said and D'artagnan noticed the metal about to pierce his flesh. "It's a trick an old friend taught me." The two men backed away from each other as D'artagnan's grey-haired father continued his lesson. "Your adversary will not always be as noble as you. Remember that," he threw the dagger into the grass. "and I have nothing left to teach you."
"I doubt that, Father," D'artagnan attempted to hand his father his sword.
His father waved him off, "Keep it. It's passed down from generation to generation, from father to son. It's yours now." Evangeline got to her feet and dusted off her sage green dress to see the sword up close.
D'artagnan handed her his previously owned sword, "Here, it's yours now."
"Thank you, D'artagnan." He nodded and looked down at the historic weapon.
"The weapon of a Musketeer."
His father shook his head, "The real weapon of a Musketeer, is here." His father touched the place right over his son's heart. "One for all."
"And all for one," D'artagnan and Evangeline finished.
"You know, you remind me of somebody," D'artagnan's father reminisced.
Evangeline smiled, "Let me guess. You."
"No, no. The man I wish I was when I was your guys' age," he replied as D'artagnan and Evangeline sheathed their swords. "Well, you two should really be on your way. Take this purse." He handed D'artagnan a money purse. "There's thirty crowns in it. It's enough to get you to Paris. And you'll need mounts." D'artagnan's mother appeared with two horses approaching them. "Your mother's insisting you take Buttercup. And Angel, your mother left you Dorian for when you ready." Evangeline gave her surrogate father a huge hug. "I know it's not much and..."
"It's plenty," D'artagnan cut in as he hugged his mother.
"Take care of yourself, my son. Try not to get into any fights," his mother told him.
D'artagnan grinned, "If I'm to be a Musketeer, I think I might have to do a little bit of fighting."
Evangeline hugged the woman, "Don't worry. I'll try to keep him out of trouble."
His mother chuckled, "Stay at the back if you can." She put her arm around her husband.
"Yes, Mother," D'artagnan replied.
"There's one more piece of advice," D'artagnan's father began as D'artagnan embraced him.
"I know, I know. Don't get into any trouble." Evangeline mounted Dorian as D'artagnan's father grasped his son's shoulders.
"Wrong. Get into trouble. Make mistakes. Fight, love," he glanced at Evangeline. "live. And remember, always, you're a Gascon and our son. Now go. Go." He looked to Evangeline as D'artagnan mounted Buttercup. "And you, my beautiful girl, remember you always have a family here and we believe in you both. Take care of each other."
D'artagnan turned to Evangeline, smiling, "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
The two friends arrived in a town just outside of Paris three days later. There D'artagnan dismounted and then decided to be a gentleman and help Evangeline. Near them, sitting around a table, were five men dressed in uniforms.
The one at the head of the table had an eye-patch made a snide comment to the other men about the two of them, ""In God's name, what kind of beast is that? And the beast he's riding doesn't look much either." D'artagnan turned to glare at the man but Evangeline put a hand on his arm.
"Leave it; they aren't worth your time."
D'artagnan put on a fake smile and called for the ostler. "Ostler, please see that these horses are watered and fed." The man with the eye-patch called to them, condescension in every word.
"Oh! They're horses are they? My friends here thought they were cows." The other men chuckled and, before Evangeline could stop him, D'artagnan approached the table of men.
"Excuse me. See, I know you men are just kidding around. Buttercup," he pointed to the black and white mare as Evangeline patted Buttercup's snout. "Well, she gets a little sensitive. I'm afraid I must ask you to apologize."
"Well, I'm afraid I'm not in the habit of apologizing to Gascon yokels."
"Not to me. To my horse." Evangeline mentally slapped herself. How could D'artagnan be so reckless? The men would be so insulted; they would probably try to kill him. "You've hurt her feelings."
"And if I don't?"
"I shall have to kill you," D'artagnan threw his brown riding gloves on the table. The men laughed as D'artagnan strode to the middle of the rode, taking off his cape and tossing it to the side. He drew his sword and turned to the man with the eye patch who shot him!"
"D'artagnan!" Evangeline screamed as she tried to run to her friend but was grabbed by one of the other men. She struggled as D'artagnan groaned from the bullet that barely grazed his arm. Two of the men ran forward and stepped on D'artagnan's arms, pinning him to the ground.
"You shot me!" D'artagnan shouted to the man with the eye patch and gun.
"Most observant of you, young man. But the real question is," he said as he approached D'artagnan. "why are you not dead?" He stepped on D'artagnan's wound causing him to groan more from the pain. "Flesh wound. Sight must be off." He examined the gun, "Who takes care of my pistols?"
D'artagnan struggled as the man beside the man holding Evangeline answered, "Captain Rochefort, I…"
He was cut off by the man with the eye patch, Rochefort, elbowing him in the face. The man in uniform grunted and fell to the ground. A carriage then appeared approaching them. The man holding Evangeline grabbed her sword and handed it to Rochefort. "Wouldn't want to dirty my blade with peasant blood," Rochefort said admiring the metal. "So, boy, consider this a lesson. Your last." Evangeline fought even more as Rochefort's borrowed sword neared D'artagnan's eye.
A female voice reached them, "No." They all looked up to see a pretty woman with fire red hair in the carriage. "He's too pretty for that."
"As you wish, Milady," Rochefort withdrew the sword as the lady tossed D'artagnan her handkerchief.
"Rochefort, come. We're expected in Paris."
"Thank you," D'artagnan gasped from the ground as the lady and men departed. As soon as the man released her, Evangeline picked up her sword and rushed to D'artagnan. She knelt down and pressed the cloth to his wound as he groaned and spit at the ground. She then helped him to his feet and they set off for Paris once again.