Chapter 4

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I woke up in a foreign bedroom. The sun light was hurting my eyes. It took me a few times to get use to the light. I pulled the blanket off me. I saw that I was in a white gown. I tried to stand up but my left side was hurting me. When I looked at it I saw there were bandages apparently I've been hurt the night before. In spite of the pain I got out of the bed. The events of the night before flashed through my mind; Jean's death, Charles and the three other boys running from our home, me giving the letters to those thugs and the fire. The only thing that I didn't know was how I arrived here? I went to the window. I discovered that I was at the musketeers' garrison. Some of them were training. I was in one of the higher room. I took a look around and I saw Charles, Dennis, Mud and Javier playing with D'Artagnan and Porthos. I went out of the room as fast as I could and I ran down the stairs. Well, more likely limped down the stairs than running.

"Boys!" I called once I was downstairs. The four of them ran to me and hugged me. "You are alive. You are safe." I cried relief.

"We did as you said. We came here and we asked for their help." Charles rambled.

"When we arrived the house was already on fire." Athos intervened. "Some of your neighbours were already working on putting out the fire."

"Did one of them take me out of the house then?" I asked.

"No, they said you were already out when they came." Aramis replied "You don't remember how you get out?"

"Not at all." I felt lightheaded. I swayed unsteadily and Athos made me sit at one of the table in the yard. One of the musketeers asked for a glass of water that they passed to me.

"Tell us what happened last night?" Athos asked

I told them everything from the moment Charles and I left the garrison to the moment we went to bed. I didn't forget to mention that I found their letter until the men arrived and killed Jean and set the house on fire. I was in tears at that point.

"They were looking for the letter?" Aramis questioned again.

"Yes," I sniffled "You are not the only one musketeers to want that letter. Do you know what this letter is about?" I asked

"It concerned the King's business that's all you need to know." D'Artagnan said

"I didn't ask you to tell me. I already know what's in this letter. I was offering to tell you." I snorted but no one answered so I continued "It's a plot to kill the King. It's a note that's ordering your man to kill the King." I declared

"Are you sure?" Aramis questioned.

"As sure as my name is Emmanuelle de Sauvignon." I answered

"I thought your name was Madeline." Porthos added. I forgot that I gave them a fake name.

"I lied. Madeline was my mother's name. Emmanuelle is my name." I said

"How can we be so sure that you are telling the truth?" Athos asked

" They killed six of my boys and I want them dead. And you, musketeers, want to protect the King. What more do you want?" I hissed.

"Five." Aramis simply said.

"What?"

"Once the fire died we went into the house and we only found five bodies not six." He explained

"One of them gets out. How?"

"We don't know." D'Artagnan said softly.

One of the boys got out alive. It was a relief that five of boys survived the fire. It wasn't enough, though. I have to give them a proper funeral. I owe it to them. I was their only family. I lost everything in the fire. I still have the boys. I have to start again. I spent a few days at the garrison. The musketeers were looking for the men who lit the fire. Constance borrowed me some dresses. I don't like dresses that much but I do like the dresses Constance lent to me; specially the one I'm wearing today. The shirt was a light purple and the corset and the rest of the dress was black. My hair was up and some strands were falling on my face. I decided to visit Petit lord and the boys. They were now living with an old woman in town. She used to take some of the orphans who lived in the streets. They were doing fine. They wanted us to live together again. I didn't want us to live together like before. Don't get me wrong. I love them, I really do. It's just that the life I led before is not what they need right now. By being a thief I brought death and danger to them. I made a choice these last few days I needed to change my way of living which means no more stealing.

I went to the house. It was just a wrecked house in the middle of the streets. I went inside, I walked through each rooms. Remembering every single happy moment we lived there. My bedroom was at the back at the house. The fire didn't get time to burn everything there. My boots were still standing at the end of the bed. I took them in my hands. I didn't know what I was expecting but it felt good to have them nonetheless. When I looked inside of them there was a piece of paper. I took it and I read it I completely forgot that I had this. I went back to the garrison. I needed to talk to the musketeers.

"You can read and write?" Captain Tréville asked me

"Really, I brought you this and your first question is if I can read and write." I scoffed "The answer to your question is yes. My mother taught me. Now what are you going to do with this piece of information?"

"You said they burned the letter, the exact same letter you brought to us. How is that possible?" D'Artagnan asked.

"My father was a paranoid man. He always copied the important information twice sometimes three times. It happens sometimes that I do the same." I explained. It was true. If I judged information important enough I will copy it twice like my father used to do. My father copied information about my mother's family several times. He then hid them into a safe that he kept in the court of miracles. I still have a home there and I'm the only one to know the code to open the safe. When I saw the letter I did what I usually do I did a copy. The letter I gave to the thugs that night was the actual copy, I kept the original. The original was now with the Captain of the musketeers.

"Your father taught you good then." Porthos added.

"What will you do about this information?" I questioned. In the letter there was and address. Once the work was done they had to go there to cash their payment in a shop in the rue des Fossoyeurs.

"Athos, Aramis you will go and pay a visit to Monsieur Turpin. Porthos, D'Artagnan keep looking for Monsieur de Beauvallon." Ordered Captain Tréville. Beauvallon was the man from who I stole the purse. They were still looking for him but they were unsuccessful. It seemed that he has vanished into thin air.

"What should I do?" I inquired

"We appreciate your help but you will be safe here in the garrison" Captain Tréville said.

"With all the respect I owe you Captain this is nonsense. I took care of myself since I was eighteen. I grew up in the court of miracles. I know how to use a sword and a musket." I almost yelled; "I want to be a part of this. Or should I remind you that they killed my family? I will go with Athos and Aramis whether you agree or not."

Here I was riding with Athos and Aramis. They gave me a sword, a musket and a dagger. We were riding to la rue des Fossoyeurs. We were about to have some answers to our questions.