*1813 - Paris, France*

"Aurelie Alexandrie, keep up!" Nine-year-old Aurelie was shopping with her mother and her sister in the city. It was especially crowded today, and Aurelie struggled to keep up. She picked up her skirts, and ran through the crowd.
Aurelie enjoyed going for walks, even if she had to endure her mother's yells to walk faster. There were so many different smells, sounds, and sights. It was much more fun than being in her house, sitting down on that ornate blue couch that her family insisted on keeping because it apparently made the house look nice, and making sure she didn't trip over her own two feet and break something. She loved looking at the shops, looking at what was inside, taking a deep breath as they passed by the bakery, with the warm smell of freshly-baked bread, cookies, pastries, and an assortment of other things. She loved to stop by the bookstore, and look at the books, geting stories about far-off lands, of fairy tales, of happily ever afters. Her mouth watered at the thought of the bakery, and her heart thumped with excitement at the thought of the bookstore "I'm coming Maman! Wait for me!"

She ran as quick as her legs allowed her to, hoping her mother was in a good enough mood to stop at both the bookstore and the bakery. But just as she was about to reach her mother, a group of hurried strangers walked between them, not caring that there was a little girl who had no idea how to get home if she got lost. She tried to walk through the crowd, but she couldn't get through. When they finally passed, Aurelie's mom was gone. She had not noticed that the youngest twin was lost. Yes, Aurelie and Celeste were twins (fraternal, obviously), but the details are for another day.

Aurelie grew frantic. She ran, hoping they'd be around the corner, but she had no such luck. "No!" she cried. What was she to do now? With the pace her mother was going at, Aurelie would never be able to catch up, Aurelie had no idea how to get home, and she had no idea as to what shop her mother would be in. Oh, Dieu, I'll have to sleep in the streets! I'll have to be a beggar, and I won't have food, and I'll depend on the pity of people, and I won't even have a bed to sleep in, and I'll probably die of the cold, or of illness, and I'll never make it home, ever! Tears started welling up in her eyes, and she sat down on the floor, not caring that her beautiful green dress was going to get dirty with all the dirt on the floor. And she sobbed into her hands, distressed at the idea of life as a beggar, and resentful and that crowd for leaving her in this situation. She kept sobbing, until she felt someone crouch in front of her. She looked up, hoping to see someone who'd help her, but was disappointed to see a peasant boy, with brown hair that was just as curly and crazy as her own, olive skin, a tall lanky body, and a very curious, worried look on his face. His eyes were a chocolate brown, his eyebrows furrowed, and his nose was crooked, as if it had been broken, and hadn't quite healed the way it ought to. He looked around her age. Her heart dropped, again, and she put her face in her hands, all hope lost.

"Hey...what's wrong?" the boy asked. Aurelie looked at him with a confused look upon her face. "Why would you care? You're just a stupid, dirty peasant boy. Maman says you lot are dumb, and I have to stay away from you." The boy looked like he was used to this, like this was something that happened often, and he sighed. Aurelie felt bad, but her mother had told her to stay away. And she wasn't going to defy her orders. Not again. "I can help ya," he said. Aurelie glared at him. "No you can't. You're a liar. You're just a stupid boy, you don't know anything, and you should just leave me alone!"

He put his hands in his pockets and sighed. "Well," he stood and shrugged. " I guess you're right. I don't know anything. I just happen to know this city like the back of my hand, an' I know every street, which paths lead to dead ends, which paths lead to which shops, an' I know how to get pretty much anywhere." This caught Aurelie's attention. He could help me get back home. "But like ya said, I'm just a stupid boy, and are so, so much smarter and wiser than me! Ya could easily lead yourself back home! Well, then, goodbye, can't really say it was a pleasure meetin' ya."

He turned, and went off to walk towards the crowd. Aurelie knew she her mother would be furious if she was there, but this boy was her only chance. "Wait!" she shouted.

She was shocked at her volume, but at least it got the boy to turn around. Once she was able to see his face, she saw the biggest smirk ever, right on his face. He walked back to her little corner, and said, "Ah! See? Ya do need good ole me! Now, not in a creepy way, mademoiselle, but where do ya live?" Aurelie told him the street on which she lived, and he grinned. "Of course. The rich neighborhood. I oughta have guessed." Aurelie was relieved. She wouldn't have to spend her life in the slums. "Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! My name's Aurelie. Aurelie Alexandrie Lar-"

"Hey, hey! First name's enough. Honestly, you girls talk more than you need to." He held out his hand. "That's a nice name. I'm Richard. Now, if you want to get home soon, I suggest we stop talking, and start walking right now."

The no-talking rule was soon broken by Richard, who couldn't contain his wonder for Aurelie's red hair. He kept complimenting her on it, saying that he thought it was amazing, and how no one in his family had red hair. He even began calling her "Rouge," which means red in French, in honor of her hair.

"But really! It's amazing!" Richard exclaimed. Aurelie giggled. It was the first time anyone had said anything positive about her hair, and she couldn't help but blush, and it was very obvious due to her pale complexion. Richard noticed, and immediately started teasing her. This only caused her to turn redder, and it if weren't for a clock's chime, her face would probably have turned redder than her hair.

Richard stopped his teasing, and counted the chimes. His eyes grew wide when he finished. He looked at her, looking terrified. "Aurelie, how well can you remember and follow directions to your house?" She thought back to all the times someone had tried to make her remember directions, but it always took her a while. "Well," she said, looking sheepishly at the ground. "It usually takes me a while to remember them. Why? Do you need to go somewhere?"

Richard frowned. "Yeah. It's just... well my mom's kinda strict with being on time, and I have to get home to eat soon. And I don't think I'll have enough time if I lead you home." Aurelie pursed her lips, thinking. She knew it was no use having him tell her how to get there and trying to memorize the way. She was getting desperate, when suddenly, an idea struck her. "Maybe we could go to your house together," she blurted out. Richard's eyes bugged out. And with good reason, too. It wasn't everyday that a bourgeoisie agreed to go to a peasant's house. "Yeah! I don't think my mom would mind. And then I'll lead ya home!" Aurelie nodded, excited to see what it would be like. He grabbed her hand, and he lead her to where he lived.

*A few hours later*

"And that is the story of how I broke my nose the first time, and why my nose will never be the same again." They laughed together. As planned, they headed over to Bahorel's house and ate over there. His family was lovely. His mother and father were very nice. His sisters, Dominique and Victoire were really nice, too, and wouldn't stop asking her questions about her lifestyle. Aurelie answered the questions to the best of her ability, considering there was still a lot for her to learn. The food was amazing, and to be honest, Aurelie felt more comfortable there than in her own house.

Not like they planned, Aurelie and Richard had stayed at his house for a while. They were lying on the grass, finding shapes in the clouds, and talking as if they had know each other forever. Before they knew it, the sun was beginning to set, and Aurelie had to go back home. They walked back to her house in low-spirits, knowing it wasn't likely for them to see each other frequently.

When they arrived near the homes of the wealthy, Richard abruptly stopped walking. Aurelie looked back at him, wondering why he had stopped. He sighed and explained that he couldn't go in that area with her; it was too suspicious, and she'd probably get in trouble. With tears in her eyes, she went up to hug him. "You know," she whispered in his ear. "You're the best friend I've ever had. I won't forget you. I'll miss you." Richard put his arms around her, and whispered back, "I'll miss ya, too, Rouge." He pulled back, and put his hands on her shoulders. "Ya know, I'm gonna tell you somethin' not a lot of people know, okay?" Aurelie nodded, eager to know. "Okay, come closer." She put her ear to his mouth, and he whispered, "I trust you a lot, okay, so I'm going to tell you... my full name." She rolled her eyes at his dramatics, but listened anyways. "My name is Richard Eugene Bahorel. There, now you know, and you can't tell anyone, got it?" Aurelie nodded, and he hugged her for what they thought may be the last time. "Well, bye, Rouge," said while walking away. "Goodbye, Richard," Aurelie said, and turned around ready to face her mother's inquiries about where she was.

They would never have guessed how many times they'd meet again in the future.

Thank you for reading! This chapter kind of sucked, so I'll try to edit it ASAP. This is my first fanfic, so please bear with me. Any feedback or critisism would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to finish and publish the next chapter by Sunday.