Viveca was secretly enjoying putting on a show. She wanted to tell them about her story, but wanted to build the excitement about it at the same time.

It was a memory that was crystal clear, yet rather odd. But, it was still dear to her heart because it was her very first memory. "The very first thing that I remember is a day in our shop."


Viveca had been happily working in her parent's dress shop when a mother dragged her daughter in. She was rather young to be working in the shop, but there was no other place that she wanted to spend the last day of being five. Plus, it was a part of her daily chores to help around the store, and she had learned dressmaking rather early. She loved taking a piece of plain fabric and transforming it into something fabulous.

She was sent to the back storage room to get the pink ball gown that she'd been working on. She had toiled and worked over that dress for many hours, so that it looked perfect. Rumor had it that the girl wearing the dress was going to visit the royal family in Italy and Viveca had made sure that it was her best work yet.

The gown had puffed sleeves, a floor length skirt, and was decked in sparkles and rhinestones. To top all of that, there were three layers to the skirt and she had found the cutest little kid slippers. She was sure that the dress was perfect in design, so when the girl popped up besides her with a question, it had surprised her.

The girl had wanted to know if the skirt could be a little shorter to maximize her ability to move, and if there was a small slit in the skirt for her to put a sword. That surprised her. Who in their right mind would want to put a sword in their dress?

"I would." The girl said quietly, surprising Viveca once again. She hadn't realized that she was speaking out loud, and found herself blushing.

"It's all right. I know that no other girl would want something like that for a dress. It's only because I have to be aware and alert at all times, just in case someone decides to threaten the king's life. I want to be there to help save them if something bad happens while we're in Italy. I want to show him that girls can be what they want to be. Even musketeers. But I'm sorry if it'll inconvenience you." She finished with a smile.

Viveca's mind was whirling. How was she to make a slit to put a sword in a skirt when she didn't know how the sword would fit into the skirt? Would she have to cut off a section of the skirt and add a hilt to it? Or find some cloth to tie the sword around so that it would stay. She was worried about the sword cutting through the dress and ruining it.

As if the girl were reading her mind, she pulled out another dress. "This dress already has a slit for my sword in it. You can keep it for a while to make the slit in my ball gown if you'd like. That way, it won't be so very hard for you to do."

Viveca smiled in relief upon inspecting the skirt. At least the skirt's design wouldn't change too much. She started making changes to the dress, to shorten and accommodate the sword. "If you'd like, I can do it now so you can take both dresses home today. That is, as long as it's okay with my mama and yours."

The girl rushed towards her mother who was in deep conversation with Viveca's. After a few minutes of talking, both mothers said that it would be fine with them, and that they would bring it back if there were any problems.

For the very first time, Viveca hoped that there would be alterations needed for the dress. Then, the girl would come back and she could learn more about her. And just maybe, they could become friends. She didn't have very many friends and she didn't understand why. She never meant to be a bit on the dramatic side and it certainly wasn't her fault that she was always fashionably dressed.

Why, it came with her parents owning a clothing store and teaching her how to make her own clothes.

A prick of the needle was all that was needed to get her out of dream world and back to the present world. Viveca jolted at the pain that she felt and she watched the blood pool on her index finger for a minute, before staring into space.

She didn't notice the girl come back, or how the girl wrapped a piece of cloth around her finger until she said, "There. Your finger's as good as new. Best to not let any germs into it though."

Viveca thanked her whole heartedly and assured that she would do her best to not get germs into the wound. She then started to continue her sewing, for if the girl were to take the dress home today, it would need to be done now and quickly.

The girl didn't make a sound, as she watched Viveca sew the skirt for a few more minutes. It was done. She had shortened the skirt and added the slit for the sword in record time, and the girl put it on just as quickly.

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Viveca. It was a hug that she gladly returned. "I love this dress! After we come home from Italy, I'm going to wear this dress everywhere."

If the girl wasn't going to come back for dress alterations since it already was perfect, Viveca hoped that she'd come back to buy another dress. Then, maybe they could be friends and she could teach her how to defend herself from the mean girls at school. She quietly asked her, in a low voice so that her mother couldn't hear, if they could go outside and show her how to fight.

The girl readily agreed and they ran into the alleyway at the back of the shop. There, she had a mock battle with an old dressmaker's dummy that had gotten too old and worn to be used anymore. She jabbed at the dummy, making it tip and fall to the ground. She raises up her sword to acknowledge her victory as Viveca claps and jumps up and down.

"She wins and the dummy is defeated." She turns to face Viveca, smiles and gives a small bow.

"That was fabulous." Viveca cries, stopping her jumping to grab the girl's hand. "Girls can so be musketeers." She looks down at her hands for a moment, "I think I'd like to become a musketeer when I grow up too. That is, if you'd let me join in the fun. You've simply got to teach me how to fight with a sword. I don't think there's any other proper way for a musketeer to fight. Or is there?"

She smiles for a moment. "I'd love to teach you, but we've got to wait until I move back to Paris after our stay in Italy. I'll come back to the store to meet you, and maybe I can grab another sword so I can teach you how to use a sword and them we can have fights with each other."

Viveca's mother pokes her head out the door, sees the two girls and calls, "You've got to come back in Viveca. The girl's mother wants her to come back in so that they can go home now."

The two girls giggle and rush back into the store. The girl rushes to her mother, who leads her out the door.

Viveca can't help but smile and wave until they're out of sight, which doesn't really take that long because they sure do walk quickly.

"So, you've made a new friend I see." Her mother says, suddenly appearing at the door besides her. "I'm glad that you have a friend now. It isn't right for a girl to not have any friends. Would you care to introduce your friend to our old mama the next time she comes by?"

Viveca nods, and then pauses as she realizes something terrible. She forgot to ask the girl what her name was. How was she to greet her when they met again? Whenever they did meet. "I will if I see her again. But mama, I forgot to ask her what her name was! I feel awful!"

"Oh. Then, we'll have to rely on her remembering then, my dearest daughter. I can't read the mother's handwriting and see what's written as their names. I can make out an M in the mother's name and a D in the last name, but nothing more. But, I'm sure that everything will right itself on its own." She said as she pats Viveca's head to try and reassure her.

Over the next few years, on the day before her birthday, Viveca would poke her head out the door multiple times, in hopes of seeing that girl. But, she never did come. Hurt and anger filled her heart, as she thought that the girl had forgotten her. Yet, she had still been hopeful on the fact that the girl would one day appear and show her how to fight with a sword. She taught herself how to fight with ribbons, practicing in the back storage room when no one else was looking.

She loved fighting with her ribbons and could hide those in a skirt very easily. But not having a sword to practice making pockets in the skirts led to her forgetting how to add that slit for a sword. And that, was something that she regretted for quite some time.

When she turned sixteen, she gave up hope completely of the girl ever coming back to see her and she went to the palace to work as a maid. Yet, she never gave up hope of becoming a musketeer and when she did become a musketeer, it was a dream come true.


"And that's the end. There isn't any more, and it's an awful disappointment. I'd love to think that I-" Viveca said until she was cut off by Renee.

"Saw her again? Even if you hadn't recognized her?"

"Yes." Viveca whispered quietly.

Aramina had been thinking, for a moment said, "Why does it seem like in all of our first memories, there's this girl who wants to become a musketeer, or at least, a girl who fights. And she's blond and has blue eyes. It can't be a coincidence. It makes me wonder, if she's the one that made us all decide that we'd become musketeers when we got older."

"I think it might have been. Why, I'd never thought of fighting until I meet Cory." Renee said with a smile, remembering the one and only time that she saw her.

"Which makes me wonder, why that girl. No, the girl that everyone met seems so, so…" Viveca trailed off.

"Familiar?" Corinne asked, arching her eyebrows.

"Yes, familiar. That's exactly what I wanted to say. It's like I've met her again, or at least someone who seems a lot like her." Viveca smiled. They knew each other so well that they would often finish each other's sentences and she loved that closeness. It was a closeness that she had never experienced as a child and regretted it immensely. She was glad that they were so close to each other.

Corinne stared out at the field for a moment before whispering, "Maybe it's because you all have seen her again." Yet, no one heard her since she had said it so quietly.


I know that the wait for this chapter was kinda really long, but there were several problems that prevented me from updating this until now...

If you're reading this part, Kshree, I understand that you think that there isn't enough suspense in this story. However, I wanted it to be so that everyone who's reading would know that the girl is Corrine, but that the girls don't know it.

Thanks for reading, and all feedback is welcomed.

Lasting Violet