The window shattered into a million pieces as the arrow shot into the room. In the millisecond it took for Corinne to see that arrow about ten different courses of action flashed through her mind but there was no time for any of them. There wasn't even time to duck.
But in the next instant the arrow stopped. It just froze in midair, stopping about an inch from Corinne's face.
She sucked in a deep breath then her eyes shifted over to Renee who was standing next to her, her hand wrapped firmly around the shaft of the deadly arrow.
She smiled slightly then very slowly put her finger to the tip of the arrow and pushed it away from her face "Thanks."
Renee nodded as her hand dropped to her side "Anytime."
"How did... how did you catch that!?" Annette suddenly gasped "I mean... it's an arrow!"
Corinne chuckled "What I want to know is how you got over here so fast."
Renee shrugged "To answer both questions: practice."
Aramina suddenly laughed "Faster than a speeding arrow! Able to cover miles of territory in one leap!"
Renee just rolled her eyes "Aramina..."
"That really was amazing." Ro said "I can't imagine..."
Corinne's gaze suddenly flew to the broken window and her eyes widened "Move!" her hands grabbed Renee's shoulders and flung the dark girl into Louis, then she jumped at Antonio and Ro, forcing the young couple to the ground just as another hail of arrows came soaring into the room.
"Get down!" Viveca cried as she forced Annette to the floor. Aramina tackled Luciana then watched as an arrow struck the wall above their heads.
"Nobody move!" Corinne said as she scrambled to her feet "Except my girls."
The three musketeers got back to their feet and immediately jumped into action, knocking away flying arrows that were aimed at the others.
One arrow flew directly at Ro and Antonio, but Corinne flipped between them.
Ro gasped as the arrow sank into the leather of Corinne's boot.
"Don't worry." Corinne said with a quick smile as she pulled the object out "Our boots were made for this." then she swatted away another arrow that came flying through the air "Renee! Get rid of them, will ya?"
"I need some time!" Renee responded as she ducked one of weapons.
Just then another one of the arrows flew across the room and tore straight through Viveca's dress.
Corinne's mouth dropped open as she quickly ducked under another arrow.
"What...?" Viveca's face turned four different shades of red as she looked down at the long tear "Oh no that did not just happen!" She screamed, then she whipped out her ribbons and with lightning fast strikes began to knock the arrows out of the air.
Aramina sent Corinne a thumbs up and a wink "You're welcome." she mouthed.
Corinne chuckled slightly then skittered backwards to avoid an arrow that came her way.
Renee reached into her pocket and pulled out a broad stick that was about six inches long and began to snap it open til it was a full sized bow "Come to mama." she grinned as an arrow flew at her. In an instant she grabbed the arrow, fitted it to the bow and shot it right back out the window.
The firing stopped almost instantly.
Corinne stood up and looked out the window to where Sterne and his men were standing. Sterne's bow was pinned to a tree behind him, then the two men on either side of him were staring dumbstruck at the sleeves of their jackets.
The arrow Renee had shot had sliced straight through an arrow Sterne had just fired. That arrow had split in half, it's two pieces flying straight out and through the two mens' sleeves while Renee's arrow had then gone through Sterne's bow and pulled it straight from his hands.
"How did you not his him?" Corinne asked as Renee stepped up next to her, another arrow in place.
"It's called perfect timing." Renee responded, holding her bow ready.
Sterne stared at them for a long time before he waved to his men and they left.
"I wonder what's with these piddly attacks." Corinne mumbled.
"Piddly!?" Annette exclaimed "That could have killed you!"
"Thank you." Ro said as Antonio pulled her to her feet "Any of us could have been killed if it wasn't for you."
"Glad to help." Viveca smiled, then she looked down at her dress and let out a long aggravated "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a dress to fix... again! Thanks to those no good, ignorant..." then she marched off mumbling under her breath.
Aramina leaned over to Corinne and whispered "Let's not tell her that I'm the one who threw that arrow through her dress."
Corinne laughed "It's a deal."
Louis chuckled and shook his head "You girls are absolutely amazing."
"What happened!?" Peter asked as he, Danielle and Melissa came running into the room.
"The musketeers saved our lives." Luciana answered "All of us."
Peter looked around at the small group silently til his gaze finally settled on Corinne who had her arms crossed and was staring at him with a quirked eyebrow.
He let out a long sigh "I... suppose I owe you my thanks."
Both of Corinne's eyebrows lurched "Just your thanks, Your Majesty?"
"Corinne." Louis whispered.
She just shrugged "Well?"
Peter lifted his chin and frowned "You, Corinne D'artagnon are impudent."
A corner of Corinne's lips tilted up "I'll take that as a complement coming from you, Your Majesty."
"And why is that?"
"Because, it means you've been paying attention." She nodded at the other two girls "Come on." then they left the room.
Louis chuckled quietly and looked over at Antonio who was shaking his head in amusement.
"I declare that girl..." Peter growled, then he walked away.
Danielle laughed softly "I haven't seen him this aggravated since Antonio was insisting on marrying Ro and not Luciana."
Melissa nodded "She's got spirit. Reminds me of someone we used to know."
Louis raised an eyebrow "Who?"
"Oh, when Peter and I first married, we went to Paris to visit my brother, your father." Danielle answered "Melissa was my Lady in Waiting at the time. While there we met your father's personal bodyguard and friend. I don't recall his name. It was rather strange. But his new bride was there with him trying to fit into the city life."
Melissa laughed "Oh, Marie had to hold her breath so many times to keep from losing her temper, but that often didn't work." she shook her head "Her husband had to clamp a hand over her mouth and hold her arms down quite a few times to keep her from going off at the king."
Louis' eyes widened "Are you serious?"
"Mm-hm." Danielle nodded "We were there for three months and by the end of it, she had managed to settle down a bit. But she still yearned for the country." she sighed slightly "I wonder what ever became of her."
Louis grinned "Well, she moved back out to the country, had a daughter named Corinne who went to Paris to be a musketeer like her father, D'artagnon."
Marie and Danielle looked at each other then laughed "Don't tell Peter." they said in unison, then they went on their way.
Ro sent the boys a quick smile then ran off to find the musketeers.
Louis shook his head "No wonder Corinne's got such a temper. She got it from both sides of the family."
Antonio grinned "But what would she be without the temper, right?"
Louis frowned "Antonio, don't start."
"I didn't say anything." the prince patted his cousin's back "I didn't say a word."
Louis rolled his eyes "You didn't have to."
~*~*~*How to Save a Wedding*~*~*~
"Oh Ro, you are going to LOVE the decorations for the ballroom and throne room." Aramina said happily "Luciana's going to help me put them up, but it will be like a dream come true!"
"Thank you." Ro smiled from where she was sitting on Corinne's bed "I'm afraid this wedding never would have happened without you."
"We're here to save the day." Viveca responded "It's just what we do."
Ro nodded then looked around at the three "Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead." Renee nodded.
"Since Corinne isn't here, what's between her and Louis?" Ro leaned forward slightly "I mean it's obvious there's something."
"Oh there is." Aramina said in a singsong voice "But Corinne's too stubborn to admit it and Louis' too shy to try and pursue it. But he's not as shy as he was when we first became musketeers. Corinne's been working on him."
Ro smiled "So do you think there's going to be a wedding in Paris soon?"
Viveca giggled "Princess, we've been planning a wedding in Paris for the past three years. We're just waiting on the two to catch up."
They laughed as the bedroom door opened and Corinne walked in.
"How did the talk with Nadine go?" Aramian asked.
Corinne shrugged "She didn't do it."
"You sure?"
"Yup." Corinne plopped down on her bed beside Ro "She was so down on the wedding because she was supposed to get married last week but the groom called off the wedding and married her best friend."
"That'll do it." Viveca responded, then she tossed Corinne a long, light pink dress "Try this on."
Corinne shrugged, knowing better than to argue, stood up and walked behind the dressing screen.
"So now what?" Renee asked.
"We keep following the only clue we have." Corinne said "And hope we find something." then she walked back into view so Viveca could see the dress.
The four had agreed not to tell Ro about their lead to Appolonia. They didn't want to make her more upset than she already was.
It fell quiet in the room for a full three minutes before Ro sighed "I'm thirsty. I'm going to go get some water."
"I'll get it." Corinne said "I need to swing through the kitchen anyways. Be right back." then she was gone.
~*~*~*How to Save a Wedding*~*~*~
"You wanted to see me?" Louis said as he stepped into Peter's office, partially closing the door behind him.
"Yes." Peter nodded "Louis, I really must speak with you about... Corinne."
Corinne froze at the sound of her name as she was passing by outside the door.
Louis frowned "What about her?"
"Son, it's apparent that you... think very highly of her."
Louis continued to stare at his uncle "Of course I do. She's saved my life more times than I can count. She's saved France from disaster more times than that. With the help of her friends, of course."
"Louis, we're just focusing on Corinne right now." Peter leaned forward on his desk "Why did you make her your bodyguard?"
"Because she's one of the best fighters on the whole force." the young King answered "And I enjoy her company."
"That's what I want to talk to you about." Peter leaned back in his seat "Son, I think you and Corinne are too close."
Corinne stepped closer to the door and peaked in through the small opening.
"Meaning?" Louis countered.
"I mean... I think there's something other than King and bodyguard going on here... and I do not think it is wise."
Louis' eyebrows lurched "I'm not saying there is, but if there was, I don't see the problem."
"Louis, I don't think Corinne would be a wise choice for a queen." Peter stood from his seat and walked around his desk to face the young man "You have to think about your Kingdom in situations like this."
Louis crossed his arms "And what makes you think that Corinne wouldn't make a good queen?"
Corinne blinked a couple of times. Why was Louis even arguing about it?
"We'll start with her temper." Peter responded "She's headstrong, stubborn. Does not listen to reason. Thinks she can do everything her own way..."
"Now stop." Louis interrupted "That's what will make her a good queen. She's got fire and spirit. She wouldn't break when the first problem came up. She'd fight for her kingdom relentlessly. And she wouldn't be swayed by other people's opinion when she knew what was right." he couldn't believe he was having a conversation with his uncle about something he hadn't even convinced himself of yet. But as he spoke, he knew it was all true.
"Yes, but..."
"Uncle Peter. I was raised being told that the power's to the people. And it is... to a certain extent." Louis shook his head slightly "I never knew I was allowed to have an opinion on kingdom matters... until I met Corinne. She showed me that I can do what's best for the people while being true to myself. That I can have an opinion on some things without letting them down... And that I don't have to give up my dreams to be a good king. And I think that I'm a betterking because of it." He let out a deep breath "I'm not as good of a king as I would like to be and probably never will be, but that doesn't stop me from trying. And all it took was one girl from the outskirts of Gascony to teach me that. If she can manage to do all that while pursuing her dream when everyone kept telling her it was impossible then I think she'd probably be an amazing queen... and she's the only one I'd choose."
Corinne covered her mouth to hide the gasp that suddenly erupted from her throat, but wasn't quite quick enough.
The two men in the office spun around to face the door and she took several steps back as the door swung open.
Louis' eyes widened when he saw her. How long had she been there? What had she heard?
Corinne's hand was still over her mouth as she looked back and forth between the two kings. She searched her mind for an explanation but could think of nothing. She couldn't even speak at the moment. Her gaze finally stayed on Louis as she tried to sort out what exactly he had said to his uncle.
He saw the shock on her face as she stared at him. Her eyes wide and seemingly scanning his mind to see if she had heard him right. Knowing her, she had.
He watched as she sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly as her eyes finally connected with his and for the first time he saw something there that he was pretty sure had never been there before. She seemed... uncertain as to whether she dared to even hope.
He took a step towards her "Corinne..."
He never got to finish the sentence because she spun around and took off running down the hall.
"Corinne, wait a minute." he called after her, but she was already gone. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair "No..."
~*~*~*How to Save a Wedding*~*~*~
Corinne skid to a stop at a counter in the kitchen and tried to catch her breath.
"What... just happened?" she said into the empty room "There's no way I heard that right... did I?"
"I don't know, Princess." A deep voice growled and she froze as something hard and sharp touched the middle of her back."But I do know this... you're coming with me."
(Dada da. I had five different scenarios for that scene up there. It finally came out like that.
Sorry about not updating Ashton, or the Deadly song. My computer phyched out and finally came back up long enough for me to finish this :p
Well, thanks for all the favs, follows and reviews everyone!
Laterz!)