Two days later, Louis watched as the clouds began to disappear, taking the rain and wind with it.
Anneliese sighed "Well. I can go out to the garden finally." she looked up at Louis' blank expression and shook her head "Louis, please go find her."
Louis groaned and raked a hand through his hair "I don't know why it's bothering me so much! I don't even know the girl and yet..." he shook his head "I feel like... I've known her forever. A few years at least." he turned to face the princess "And that if I say 'Girl's can't be musketeers' she'll get mad."
Anneliese stared at him "But girl's..."
"I know." he looked back out the window "It's... crazy."
"Louis." She placed a hand on his arm "Please go see if she's okay. I want to know." she shrugged slightly "She saved my life."
Louis stared at her for a second then shook his head "Okay. I'll go." as he left the room he shook his head "She saved my life." he thought "Why do I feel like she's saved my life?"
"Have you seen Corinne?" Louis asked the baker.
The man sent him a blank stare "Who?"
"Corinne." Louis repeated "About so tall, blond. Blue eyes? Old faded dress?"
"Oh! The street rat?"
"Ye-ah."
"No clue." The man shook his head "Don't rightly care either."
Louis gritted his teeth in frustration and walked away.
He'd been looking all morning for the girl and everyone he asked either didn't know or didn't care.
He was just about ready to give up when he was walking past an alley. A slight movement caught his attention. His head snapped in the direction and immediately he felt his heart drop.
She pulled herself tighter into a ball, trying to stop the uncontrollable shivers that kept racking her body, But it was hopeless.
She was freezing, but burning hot. She didn't even have enough strength to open her eyes anymore. She just wished it would all end.
Just then, she heard what sounded like footsteps running towards her. She tried to force her eyes open but she couldn't.
A moment later, a gentle hand ran across her cheek, then something heavy and warm dropped over her shoulders.
She felt a hand slide under her head, then she was being picked up off the ground.
"You're okay." A familiar voice whispered "I promise."
Corinne moaned slightly as she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling "What..." she rubbed her eyes "Must still be dreaming."
"No. You're pretty awake."
She looked over and spotted Anneliese sitting in a chair nearby.
The Princess stood up and walked over to her "How do you feel?"
Corinne rubbed her forehead "Like I'm stuck in a nightmare. Still."
"You've been asleep for... three days." Anneliese said with a slight chuckle "I'm relieved to see you awake."
Corinne raised an eyebrow "Three days?" she groaned "Why?"
"You were sick. Really sick." Anneliese walked over to a wardrobe that was in the room and opened the doors "We were afraid you might... you know."
"I was starting to get that feeling." Corinne pushed herself to a sitting position.
"Well, let's get you cleaned up." Anneliese pulled a dark pink dress out of the wardrobe "I'm guessing we're about the same size, so you can have this dress."
"Thanks." Corinne smiled at her.
About an hour later, Corinne had gotten a bath, put on the clean dress and was now sitting in a chair while Anneliese brushed her hair.
"I hope you don't mind me asking," the princess said as she pulled some hair on the sides of Corinne's head back "What's it like to... uh..."
"Run the streets?" Corinne finished.
"Yeah."
"It's hard. Really hard." she shook her head slightly as the princess secured the hair behind her head with a ribbon "Especially when... no one seems to care."
Anneliese was quiet for a moment, then she put on a bright smile "Alright. I'm almost done with your hair."
"Thank you." Corinne smiled at the princess "You've been... surprisingly kind."
Anneliese nodded as she finished tying the ribbon at the end of the girl's hair "Come on. Louis will be glad to know you're okay."
"Is he the one who brought me here? "
"Mm-hm." Anneliese walked over to the door and pulled it open "Come on."
Corinne followed her out into the hall about the time Louis came walking out of a room a few doors down. The second he spotted them he stopped, his gaze instantly became glued to Corinne.
"Wow." he said with a smile "You look amazing." then he cleared his throat and started walking their way "I mean beaut... I mean good. Nice!" he shook his head, his voice became softer "I mean well..."
Corinne chuckled softly "I got it, Louis."
"I'm glad to see you're okay." he continued "I was a bit worried."
She raised an eyebrow and grinned "A bit?"
"Okay, pretty worried."
"Well, it's nice to know that..." her heart suddenly started hammering "Someone... cares." The last word came out at just above a whisper. She'd just realized that the whole time they had been talking, he had drawn closer and now there was hardly any distance between them. And that distance was slowly shrinking.
Louis smiled ever so slightly as he stared into her face "Everyone needs someone." he whispered.
Anneliese watched dumbfounded at the scene. It was like there was a magnet between the two, pulling them together. And neither one seemed able, or willing, to fight it.
"Louis!" Philippe's voice suddenly echoed down the hall.
Corinne jumped back and quickly ran into a nearby room and leaned against the door.
"Uh... yes... Philippe?" Louis stuttered.
"You're needed in the throne room." Philippe answered without so much as glancing at the boy "Don't keep them waiting."
"Yes... Philippe." Louis nodded then watched as his cousin disappeared around the corner.
Corinne peeked out the door "Well..." then she stepped out into the hall "Thanks again."
Louis smiled and nodded "It was my pleasure." then he hurried away.
"Are you afraid of Philippe?" Anneliese asked once Louis was gone.
Corinne snorted "Not in the slightest." she shook her head "I just don't feel like... meeting him... just yet." she sighed "Well, I should probably..."
"No." Anneliese interrupted "You're not leaving yet."
Corinne glanced at her "Why?"
"Because I'm not convinced you're ready to face the elements." Anneliese smiled "You're stuck here."
Corinne opened her mouth to reply when Philippe suddenly reappeared.
"You Highness you mother is..." he stopped abruptly when he spotted Corinne "What are you... You're supposed to be..."
Corinne smirked and raised an eyebrow "Supposed to be what, Philippe?"
"I'm going to... go find my mother." Anneliese said as she slipped past Philippe then disappeared around the corner.
"What are you doing here?" Philippe growled.
Corinne shrugged "Same as you."
"What!?"
"I'm going after something." she frowned "And that's to stop you."
"How did you survive that weather!?" he shouted.
She smiled slightly "That's what happens when you mess with a girl who has friends." then she glared "You fail."
"I will not fail this time!" Philippe shouted even louder "I will succeed and you will..."
"Uh-tut-tut Philippe." She interrupted "You don't want to spoil your plot to the whole kingdom right now, do you?" she crossed her arms "It's so much more interesting when someone else does it."
Philippe glowered at her, his hard eyes smoldering "If you try to get in my way again, Corinne D'artagnon, you will pay dearly." he leaned forward a little "And it'll be with your life."
She met his gaze "You don't scare me. And even if I do have to pay with my life, I will stop you again. It's what musketeers do." with that, she turned and left him.
"She's still alive!" Philippe shouted as he slammed the door.
"If you make me buy one more set of hinges, I'm going to take your wallet." Smokey said as she paused the TV "You know, that girl's got a point. It really is more interesting when someone else exposes you."
Philippe growled "You said she'd be dead!"
"You said she had no one." Smokey retorted "You didn't tell me that your precious love-struck cousin would rescue her!" she snorted "You didn't even tell me he was love-struck!"
"Louis rescued her!? That useless boy!" Philippe shouted as he slammed his hand into the wall.
"I do have neighbors." Smokey said dully.
"What difference does it make if he's 'love-struck' or not?" He asked a few moments later.
"Weeeeeeel."
"Well what?"
"Weeeeeeel." Smokey flicked one of her curls over her shoulder "Depending on the strength of the bond between two people, there's always a chance they'll have slight... rememberances."
"What!?"
"Like best friends. They'll always have this sense that there's something unusual about the other. They'll feel they can trust them even though they don't know them."
Philippe frowned "And of they're in love."
"They'll feel like the person is... familiar." Smokey rocked back and forth in her swivel chair and templed her fingers "Like they know them and things about them even though they've 'never met'. Get it?" she shrugged "Love is weird like that."
"So in other words..." Philippe said calmly, then he slammed his fist down on the table and shouted "YOU FAILED!"
Smokey's eyebrows rose "Excuse me?"
"The girls were supposed to be out of the way!" Philippe fumed "Louis was supposed to be clueless! Corinne D'artagnon was supposed to be dead! You failed miserably!"
Smokey rose from her seat. She appeared completely calm, except that her blue eyes had turned a deep. Burning black "Let me make one thing clear, Philippe."
Philippe stared at her uncertainly.
"I never fail." Smokey growled as she walked towards him "You fail all the time. But me? I never, ever, ever, ever EVER fail."
Philippe slowly backed towards the door.
"And if you ever insinuate to that again... YOU'LL BE SORRY! NOW GET OUT!"
Philippe quickly turned and shot from the room.
Smokey waited a few moments then fell back into her chair and laughed "I love doing that to people!" she snapped her fingers and glass of tea appeared in her hand "But seriously, if he does too much more of that, I'll kill 'im." then she grinned and spun one of her long curls around her finger "Buuuuuut. I can't resist doing a little teeny bit of... revenge."
(Oookay. I'm sorry if you think this story is... lame. It's not turning out at all how I'd hoped :( Oh weeeeeel. Thanks for all the reviews, favs and follows!
On another subject, I have a question. Did you ever want to write that one perfect, lingering (non disgusting. No offense to anyone, no tonguey *blech*) kiss but didn't know how? Weeeel... yeah. That's me. Everytime I try I stare at it and go 'that is stupid'.
Well, that's the random subject for today!
Laterz!)
