"On Guard!" A girl with beautiful golden hair and big icy blue eyes cried out as the sword in her opponents hand went flying through the air and she backed up to the edge of the stage. She whooped as she swung down with a rope and using the momentum went somersaulting through the air. It would have been a great pleasure to say she landed perfectly on her feet and did a majestic bow to her audience which was going utterly crazy with applause. Unfortunately she was not a trapeze artist and neither was she performing on a big stage. This particular countryside blonde we are talking about was fighting a wooden sword wielding scarecrow in her barn in front of the barn animals with no ambitions whatsoever of being a trapeze artist. Nah. Her dream was to be a musketeer. Oh, you heard me alright. She wanted to be the first girl musketeer to protect the royalty in medieval France, a time where no girl was supposed to fight, where being a strong girl was a taboo. And she was going to need lots of luck, a bit of finesse and perhaps the magic of friendship aid her on the way.
Corinne grunted as she picked herself up. She had been trying that trick since ages. Oh well at least she didn't fall straight out flat on her face this time.
"Are you okay?" Marie asked her daughter chuckling, already anticipating Corrine's response.
"I'll be okay when I get this damned thing right." Corinne huffed. Marie just hummed and started locking up the stables. She glanced up at the clock and tsked, "A good night's rest in a proper bed before you leave tomorrow is a complete must Corinne. I remember when your dad used to reach and literally hug the bed before greeting me." "I will hit the hay before" Corrine sweared as she realised it was past 10 already. She scrambled to get away to bed.
"Good night mum. Sweet dreams" She threw over her shoulder before she hurried away. Marie chuckled and sighed, gazing after her before getting ready for bed herself.
"Must you go now? Can we not wait for another year?"
"Mum" Corinne sighed. " It's my dream. Don't worry I'll be fine."She puffed her chest "And I am seventeen today you know." stressing out the seventeen part.
"Its just hard you know, seeing you go after your dad" Marie sighed "Now remember I love you, send me a letter every week, don't come home without a musketeer hat…"
"Don't trust anyone 'cept Al, Treville, the Prince and Madame Harbin and don't let lose your temper." Completed Corinne as she grinned. "I know mom. You told me three times already"
Marie sighed "It's your temper and hard headedness that I am worried about. Two of your dad's strongest traits you got. And the ones that got him into the most trouble. Just promise me not to get into trouble on your way to Treville's office"
Corinne pouted. "How am I supposed to have fun then mum?" She whined
"Corinne.." Her mother warned.
"Okay okay, I will try my best" Corinne laughed. She kissed her mother on the cheek as she mounted Alexander her father's musketeer horse and rode away over the horizon waving her hat to Marie behind her. Oh and lets not forget Mademoiselle Miette who clambered on right after her master and meowed a goodbye to her barn friends. Now to Paris!
The trip from Gascony to Paris was a long one. It took almost 6 nights on horseback to reach there. But that was when you followed the populated routes, through the villages avoiding the heavy forests. But luckily for Corinne she knew these forests better than the back of her hand. To her spending a night in the wild was a second nature. The wild never had scared her. Even as a toddler she would always go wandering off into the darkness of the woods. And why would she? After all she too was just as wild, untamable and unruly in her manners as the unknown that haunted the very existence of small villages set deeply secluded. It took her a mere 3 days and 3 nights to reach the telltale outskirts of her destination. She would often unmount and skip along with Alexander trying out daring antics on bridges over the rivers and among the trees that closed in on every side. Miette wasn't one to be left out. She too copied Corinne but the cute little furball often ended up being saved.
The first sighting of Paris was when Corinne was picking apples off a tree to eat. As she gazed over the tree and roof tops she realised just how big Paris was. The hustle and bustle on the very busy town, with ladies sauntering about fluttering fans and fancy carriages ploughing down the streets in its richer half. What the blonde did not see were the horrors lurking behind the fancy curtains of glamour and richness. But she knew for certain that they were there. For the same horrors had claimed her father and she knew better than to sashay in unguarded and careless. Every present came with a ribbon and Paris was no exception.