Paris stood in shambles before Inspector Vergier. The city was deserted, shop windows destroyed, and even the precious Louvre was looted and abandoned. A few lone Parisians scurried from building to building, trying to find somewhere suitable for shelter. The inspector stood in awe of the massive destruction dealt to the city, his city. He rushed to the constabulary, hoping to find something intact, but even their security building was ransacked. Vergier climbed through one of the windows to explore what was left of the building and his life. He picked through some of the rubble inside and made his way to one of the hallways. Hearing a whimpering sound, the inspector opened one of the unharmed doors to see Eric, the most cowardly of the constables, curled in a ball on the floor.
When he saw Inspector Vergier standing there, he quickly got up. "Oh thank you, Inspector! I was afraid I was going to be stuck here forever!"
"Eric, how did you get trapped in here? What has happened?" Vergier asked.
Eric began, "It was awful! The Chevaliers that took over Paris a year ago have returned, and Graf is leading them!"
Vergier was taken aback. "Graf? We had him imprisoned!"
"I know sir, but he escaped the night you left! He has an army, more than the constables could handle. They destroyed the city and have overtaken it. The citizens have been forced to flee, and there's nothing we can do about it."
With determination in his eyes, Vergier responded, "There's something I can do about it."
"Inspector, we don't know his location at this time. He may have moved on by now."
"Then I will find him. I will make him pay for what he did to Paris." Inspector Vergier left Eric in the decimated Constabulary. He made his way out and through the streets, searching for traces of Graf. It didn't take him long to see a Chevalier roaming the streets, and he stealthily followed him back to his boss. I wonder if this is how Phantom R gets around, Vergier wondered. The Chevalier entered into Elizabeth's Manse. I should have known he would take revenge on Elizabeth for helping Phantom R foil his plans the first time. The duchess had statues spread throughout the corridors in her mansion, so it wasn't hard for the inspector to sneak past the guards. He could see Graf at the end of the main hall, but the duchess was nowhere to be found.
"I know you're there, Inspector. You can come out. I won't kill you—yet."
Graf's voice echoed through the corridor, and Vergier knew he had to reveal himself. Stepping out into the open, he accused, "Where is the duchess?"
Jean-François smiled and said, "Elizabeth managed to escape before I could reach her, but my cousin knows she cannot hide forever."
"What have you done to Paris? And why?"
"Patience, Inspector. You will learn soon enough. I know that you have problems of your own, yes? If I'm not mistaken, your favorite criminal and your daughter have both gone missing."
Inspector Vergier was startled that Graf knew this information, but he remained motionless. "What does it matter to you?"
Graf only grinned and reminded the inspector, "You cannot defeat me alone. No, you would need the aid of Phantom R for that, now wouldn't you?" Seeing that Inspector Vergier wasn't responding, he continued. "They have headed for the Taj Mahal. Phantom R, Marie, and Charlotte. If you don't head out now, you may miss them."
"Why are you telling me this?" Vergier suspiciously questioned.
"In time, inspector. They will be gone if you don't hurry."
Vergier lingered, studying Graf's face as much as he could since his glasses were in the way. Not seeing any evidence to whether he was telling the truth or lying, Vergier had to chance it. It was true that he couldn't defeat Graf's army alone, and he needed to find his daughter. He exited the Manse and headed to the airport, determined to find Phantom R and Charlotte.
A Chevalier reported, "He's gone, Graf."
"Good," Jean-François's mouth curled into an evil smile. "Bring her back out." The Chevaliers dragged Duchess Elizabeth out from her hidden room inside her fireplace. She looked into the eyes of her cousin. He looked back at her and asked, "Where have you hidden it, Elizabeth? They are going to have Marie if you don't talk soon, and I'm sure they will take no pity on the puny girl."
"We will see about that, Jean-François. Marie can handle herself. It will take more than a few Chevaliers to take her team down."
"That is what you think, Duchess. Time will tell who the true victor is, and I'm afraid to say that it won't be you.
Marie rested her head on Phantom R's shoulder and fell asleep. He didn't mind. She had been through a lot and needed the rest. He wasn't sure how long it would last, though, because they were flying with Charlie. And when they were flying with Charlie, she was bound to—
"This flight is taking forever!" Charlie bellowed loud enough to wake Marie up. She stirred and opened her eyes.
Phantom R smiled at her and asked, "Did you have a nice nap?" Smiling back, not needing to respond, Marie sat up.
"All right, Charlie," Phantom R began, "if you're so bored, we should play a game!"
"You know I despise those," Charlie reminded him. "Unless it's football."
"It's settled!" Phantom R exclaimed. "We'll play 'Two Truths and a Lie!'"
"What on earth kind of stupid game is that?" Charlie asked.
"All you do is say two things that are true about yourself and one thing that is a lie. We will try to guess the lie!" Phantom R explained. "I'll go first. I'm an art thief, my father left me five years ago, and I have a dog named Fondue."
"Sadly, I know that the first and the third are true, so that makes the one about your father a lie," Charlie spoke, boredom tinting her voice.
"You're right!" Phantom R exclaimed. "It was four years ago. Now, it's your turn!"
"My name is Charlie, I play football, and," she turned and added in a sarcastic voice, "I'm madly in love with Phantom R. Go on, guess."
Marie tried to hide her giggles, but Phantom R burst out laughing. "I don't know, Charlotte, but I think the first one might be the lie!"
"But...I...My name is Charlie...kind of..." Charlie stammered. "Only my dad calls me Charlotte! Why are you calling me that, anyway?"
"Oh look," Marie interjected, "we're here!"
Phantom R kept batting his eyelashes at Charlie in the most flirtatious way possible, and she got visibly angrier with every step she took. Marie stood between them, ready to play referee if necessary. She had to admit, seeing Charlie upset was amusing, but now they were getting closer to the Taj Mahal, and that meant closer to danger. They all had to be on their guard.
Phantom R stopped when the building came into view. He could already see the Chevaliers patrolling through the gardens. "All right," he whispered, "follow my lead." Fondue bounded ahead of them as the team hid behind bushes to sneak past the army. It took longer than they had planned, but after fifteen minutes, they had made their way to the tomb, where the symbol would be. Finding a secluded set of bushes, Phantom R told the two girls to wait outside with Fondue while he sneaked in. "Since there are so many guards out here, there have got to be plenty more inside. Once I find where the symbol is, I'll come back and bring you in." He batted his eyelashes one more time at Charlie, who scowled in return. Fondue leaped on to his lap, and he petted him. "Be a good boy, Fondue. Remember, you're my top cheese!" He set the dog down and turned to Marie, a sad smile plastering her face. "Don't worry Marie, I'll be back," Phantom R reassured her. Making sure he had a clear path to the entrance, Phantom R headed inside the tomb.
There were Chevaliers swarming the inside of the tomb as well. It took many quick ducks and dives, but Phantom R made it inside. He pressed his back against the wall in front of the tombs, then peeked his head over it to look for the symbol. It didn't take too long to find it; there was a rather large one on the back wall. There were words under it too. That's probably the next clue, Phantom R thought, but right as he was trying to read it, something blocked his view. It was a flash of red, and it stopped right in front of the symbol. He didn't even have to think about who it could be; he knew. "Father..." Phantom R whispered. He got as close to his dad as he could without being seen, but Chevaliers were guarding him on all sides, making any attempt by Phantom R to get near him impossible. He was close enough, however, to hear what his father was saying into the communicator he was holding.
"The Chevaliers just alerted me that Phantom R and two others were spotted on the grounds, my lord. There was one girl who fit the description perfectly." A pause. "Yes, blonde hair, blue eyes, fair complexion, and a blue dress. She was carrying the violin case, too." Another pause. "I see. No, I will not leave until I have her. She will be integral in the Duchess's cooperation."
Phantom R started breathing faster. The Duchess? They have the Duchess? And they are looking for Marie as bait! I have to get her out of here, but how? We haven't seen the clue to the next symbol yet, and it seems my father has already activated it. We need to see where to go next before Napoleon can beat us there. Phantom R's thoughts were interrupted when his father began to speak again.
"I just dispatched more Chevaliers to the grounds. There is no way for anyone to escape from here. They will have no choice but to be captured." A pause. "Yes, my lord. There are three of them, Phantom R and two other girls." Another pause. "I will remember Graf's advice—it is blatantly obvious how much he likes this girl, and how much she likes him. If I can tear them apart, I will ensure victory. I will be meeting you at our next location as soon as I have secured her."
Great, Phantom R thought. Now we won't be able to leave until we've faced my father. I really don't want to drag any of them into this, but do I really have a choice? If I leave them alone for much longer, the Chevaliers will find them and capture all of them. Maybe one of them will have a plan, he hoped. He sneaked past the guards and made it back outside. Sure enough, the grounds were now saturated with Chevaliers. There was no way they were escaping.
Phantom R looked around before sliding into the alcove he had left Marie, Charlie, and Fondue in. Marie immediately saw the concern on his face. "Raphael, what's wrong?" He told them that someone had taken the Duchess, Graf was free and working for Napoleon alongside his own father, and his father already had figured out where the next symbol was, and he wouldn't be leaving without Marie.
"Just a few goons? We can take them!" Charlie confidently exclaimed.
"It's not going to be that easy, Charlie," Phantom R confessed. He has Chevaliers completely surrounding the tomb, so we won't be able to escape. Even the inside is flooded with them.
Marie shakily added, "But we have to get out. They have my mother." Phantom R looked sadly at Marie.
"Marie, I'm afraid that soon, they will have you too. If only we had flown back to Paris, you would have been safe," Phantom R slowly said, regretting his past actions. "Now, you're in trouble, and it's all my fault."
"No, Phantom R, it's not your fault. I wanted to come," Marie tried to console him, but she was just as scared as he was.
"Phantom R," Charlie inquired, "has your father ever seen Marie?"
Phantom R thought for a bit before responding, "No, I don't believe he has."
"Then how will he know who Marie is?"
"He knows that she has blonde hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and always wears a blue dress."
Charlie turned to Phantom R, then to Marie. She held up her hand to Marie's own. Eying both and nodding, she said, "It's decided. I have a plan. You'd better turn around, Phantom R, or I might have to slug you."
In no time, Marie's hair was neatly tucked inside Charlie's hat. She was wearing the large trench coat that Charlie always wore, too. Charlie, on the other hand, was wearing Marie's outfit, from the bright blue dress down to the matching shoes on her feet.
"You know, Charlie, you do look good in a dress," Phantom R smirked.
"I'm going to ignore that comment," Charlie glared at him. "I have blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Marie. If that's your father's only description, then I should pass as her. That way, he will take me away, and you and Marie can figure out the next clue when the Chevaliers leave."
"Are you sure about this, Charlie?" Marie asked. "Getting captured for my sake?"
"It's the only way you will be able to get out of here and to the next symbol, or to the Duchess if you so choose. I'll be able to take care of myself. Come on, Phantom! It's showtime!"
Phantom R protested, "That's my line!" Marie took her violin out of its case and hid it in the alcove before handing the case to Charlie.
Charlie grinned and told Marie, "I think you both forgot. I'd do anything for Paris, even if it means pretending to be the Duchess's daughter."
Phantom R wrapped Marie, now dressed as Charlie, in a hug. "Marie, I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
She looked up at him, "Don't worry, Raphael. Whatever happens, I'll be fine. I know, because I have you looking out for me, and you would do whatever it takes to protect me."
That line echoed through Phantom R's head. It is blatantly obvious how much he likes this girl, and how much she likes him. It sent a chill down his spine. There's no way Charlie will be able to pull off lovestruck. I have to tell her what my father said, otherwise he will see through the deception. But if I do, what will Marie think? I'm sure she would be upset if I pretended to like Charlie. I really like Marie, and I don't want to lose her. But if our disguise isn't flawless, my father will take her. What would I do if I never saw her again?
Phantom R had made his decision. He would have to chance it. Pulling Charlie over, he whispered in her ear, "Charlie, there's something important I need to tell you..."
A/N: Here is where you decide, loyal readers! Will the deception work? Will Charlie be taken by Isaac and the Chevaliers, leaving Raphael and Marie to decipher the clue, or will the disguise fail, leaving Charlie dumbfounded and Phantom R crushed? It's all up to you! Vote on the blind poll on my profile to choose what the next installment will bring! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you guys want from the next chapters! Vote on the poll and leave a review! Daisy out!
