Danger is my Life:
Chapter 11: Back in France
Corinne woke up on the forest floor. She yawned, and sat up. The horse was gone, but that didn't bother Corinne much. She lay back down on the ground.
"This is going to be a long day." Corinne tried to get up, but she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her left leg. She hissed in pain, and fell back down, she looked down, and saw what was causing the pain. A deep cut on her ankle. Slowly she made her way to the creek, and cleaned the cut. She sat by the creek for about an hour, figuring she wouldn't be able to walk with a sprained ankle. After a while a horse came up to the creek, an apparently thirsty horse by the looks of it. Corinne watched the horse, it seemed to not notice her, and continued drinking. It was a mare with a pearly white coat, and white mane and tail. From time to time it's coat seemed to sparkle as the sunlight shined through the trees. When the mare finally looked up at Corinne, she took a step back, but didn't seem very frightened, more like confused. Corinne smiled.
"Don't be afraid." She whispered gently at the beautiful mare, "I won't hurt you." The mare just stood there, her blue eyes shined, but not with emotion, more like... wisdom and independence, "Are you lost too?" Corinne asked, she knew it was only a horse, but the blue eyes made her feel like the horse listened... and understood. The horse in a kind of answer, shook her head... sort of.
"You live here?" Corinne asked, the horse nodded... sort of, "Do you mind telling... um... showing me where I am." The horse nodded... sort of, and began to walk.
"Um... did you not notice I can't walk." Corinne asked. The mare looked back, and then walked back, and jumped the creek. She lied down next Corinne, motioning for her to get on her back, "You want me to ride you?" Corinne asked, the horse nodded, "Okay." Corinne got on the horse, and held on to its mane as it started to gallop. It ran through the forest, not really caring if Corinne fell off her back so while the horse galloped, Corinne had to dodge branches. In a matter of minutes they were in the outskirts of a town by a road a sign with the name of the town stood.
"Sicily, Italy." Corinne gasped. How on earth did they get her here in so little time? How is she going to get back to France? Corinne felt the mare rear up, as if to answer her, "You're going to take me there?" The mare nodded... sort of, Corinne said, doubtfully, "Alright." Then the horse started to gallop again. Corinne felt like they were going a thousand miles per hour, because soon the city was just a small speck on the horizon. Soon, somehow, they were in Florence, Italy, where the mare stopped running and started walking.
"How?" Corinne whispered, she believed that horses can travel quickly, but they've only been traveling for less than hour, and they were already in Florence. Corinne got off the horse, not noticing that she was able to walk again. Corinne laughed silently, there was more to this horse than meets the eye, "Good girl." Corinne said, petting the horse, then she noticed the golden necklace around the horse's neck, with its name on it, "Cassiopeia. Do you have an owner?" The horse shook her head, which was now a way of communication.
"Then who gave you the necklace?" Corinne asked. The horse looked down in either shame or sadness, "Sorry." Corinne surprised herself, she was talking to a horse? The horse shook her head again. And the horse seemed to know what she was saying too? That's totally normal.
"Maybe we should keep going, if I know Louis, which I do, he's probably worried sick." She whispered, and got back on Cassiopeia. The mare started to gallop again, and Corinne noticed how the mare tried to stay as close to the forest as possible. To get away from people. Corinne figured she must have a bad history with humans, but why help her. A half hour later they were at the border, and Corinne recognized the restaurant by the border as her father's friend's restaurant. It was a pretty good restaurant, she still remembered the food. She also remembered how hungry she was.
"Stop here." Corinne whispered to the horse. Cassiopeia obediently went to the fancy restaurant. Corinne walked through the doorway, and noticed her old friend from the farm, Emma, taking an order for some customers. Emma noticed Corinne as well.
"Cori, hi." She waved to her. Corinne waved back, and went over to the counter.
"Hi, Em." Corinne said.
"Wait, I'll just take this order." She said, and finished writing the order down, and yelled the order to the cooks, and then took of her waitress apron, "So what are you doing in Italy?"
"Not much, just some technical difficulties, I've just been kidnapped by a couple of psychopaths and my old psychopathic, evil old enemy, who has somehow become sort of an idiot." Corinne said, trying to sound casual.
"Oh, just another day in the office." Emma said.
"Yeah, pretty much. What did you expect, danger is my life." Corinne said.
"I learned that when you wandered into the restricted forest to get your wooden sword when you were five." Emma said.
"Hey that was totally worth it, it was my favorite sword." Corinne said.
"And I see you became a musketeer as well, I saw it in the newspapers." Emma said.
"Do you think they'll notice me?" Corinne asked.
"No, you look terrible. They won't notice you." Emma said.
"Oh, thanks." Corinne said, sarcastically.
"Welcome." Emma replied, "Anyway, who kidnapped you?"
"Phillipe and a couple other lunatics." Corinne said.
"I see." Emma said, "You must be hungry."
"I am, starving in fact." Corinne said. Emma nodded.
"Pasta, on the house." Emma said.
"Thanks." Corinne said.
"That's what friends are for." Emma smiled. Suddenly, Corinne's father's friend came out of the kitchen. He had blue eyes, and long white beard. When Corinne was younger she used to call him Santa Claus.
"Corinne." He said in his Italian accent.
"Uncle Nicholas." Corinne smiled.
"What are you doing here, I thought you would be guarding the castle with the marriage going on."
"Marriage?" Corinne asked.
"King Louis and Princess Calista, it's all over the news paper." Uncle Nicholas said, handing her the daily newspaper.
"Louis agreed to it?" Corinne asked, in disbelief.
"You're on first name terms with him already?" Emma said, a sly grin on her face. Something told her that Corinne was more than another musketeer to the king.
"We saved his life, of course we are." Corinne said. Emma nodded quickly, but she still was smiling.
"I'm pretty sure he's being forced into it." Emma said, "I met this so-called Princess Calista once, and well... she's... um... evil. She's an evil alien from another planet seeking to conquer the earth."
"Yeah, I met her too. She's rather annoying. I don't know about evil." Corinne said.
"Easy for you to say. She stole a couple thousand dollars worth of gold from the government like three years ago." Emma said.
"She did? How?" Corinne asked.
"The king thought she was nice, and I guess he didn't suspect her to steal anything from him. It was so long ago nobody seems to remember her" Emma said. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed Corinne's face. It all made sense the kidnapping, the wedding, Calista trying to cut through her self-esteem. She was trying to get Louis' inheritance! Looks like Corinne's got another lunatic to put in jail. This is gonna be fun. Corinne quickly ate her pasta, she had to eat to be able to get to France without fainting. She thanked Emma and Uncle Nicholas. She than got on Cassiopeia, and rode off towards France. She made a mental note to never trust princesses when you don't know where they came from(Calista claims to be from some made up kingdom.)
"Good job, Cassiopeia." Corinne said as they rode into Lyon, France. The horse sort of neighed a 'your welcome' in response.
...
"I don't want to." Louis said.
"You have to." Octavian replied.
"Why?" Louis asked, he was honestly confused, why did he have to marry the selfish, vain so-called princess, they didn't even know where she came from.
"Why not?" Octavian asked.
"I've been waiting for you to ask that, let's start at the top of the list, shall we." Louis said, and cleared his throat, "She's vain, she's selfish, she hates the outdoors, she's boring, she's loathed by all the servants except you, she's only interested in money and what does that tell us."
"When did you become so stubborn?" Octavian asked.
"Let me finish." Louis said, "Where was I, right, she's mean, she's such a coward, cares too much about her appearance. Oh, the list goes on."
"You are marrying Princess Calista, and that's final." Octavian said.
"Who are you, my father?" Louis asked. Octavian sighed, what a long day this will be.
Louis glared at his image in the mirror. Not to mention he was in love with Corinne. So she went missing, that doesn't mean she won't come back. Knowing Corinne, she'll probably show up when you least expect her to. For now, he needs go with it, and make sure Calista doesn't suddenly declare war like she said she would. All he could do was hope Corinne's got one of those crazy plans to stop the wedding.
...
"Cassiopeia, I got a plan." Corinne said, she didn't know who else to talk to, "It's crazy, it's risky, it's complicated, and it's so gonna work."
...
So... it's been a while since I last updated. I've been busy, don't blame me, blame my teacher. Anyway, crazy plan, yey! Something interesting is going to happen. Stick around for the next chapter. I'm thinking of putting up at most three more chapters. Well, bye. Review, please.