Of Irises and Roses

by MarionetteAngie

Mickey and Minnie are preparing to be married when they encounter an odd little thief trying to rob citizens at the Seine. Little do they know this new friend will prove more than useful in stopping a new plot against the prince and princess, right before the two can be bound into matrimony. Self-insert story about found family that takes place post-movie, with a new bad guy!

AN: Historical accuracy is not being historically accurate but that's because this is based on a cartoon that also takes liberties. This is a self-insert story inspired by a beautiful drawing I received from a very kind friend 3

The sun was brightly shining over the beautiful Palace of Versailles, the gardens blooming to life as its rays danced off the golden walls of the castle, roses and butterflies swaying to the invisible music that the wind played. And there, on one of the garden walls, sat a small turtle plucking at his mandolin as his cape flowed in the wind. "Hmm…they say happily ever after is a beautiful thing, but what if it doesn't go exactly as you'd expect…?" he mused, turning toward the door, where it swung open to reveal three musketeers in their usual red, yellow and blue outfits, shoes shining as they'd been newly polished and tabards blowing gently in the wind. Donald squinted and rubbed his eyes. "It's winter, what are you doing here Mr Sun? Go back to sleep…" he moaned, Mickey and Goofy chuckling at his remark. "Aw shucks Donald, a bit of sunshine never hurt anyone- Yeowch! My eyes! I looked right at it!" A dazed Goofy yelped, prompting Donald to gently slap him on the back. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother…" he muttered, before both of them turned to Mickey, who had been a little quiet. The small mouse had taken his hat off his head, tracing his gloved hand over the signatures adorning it, how long ago it had been since he had been given this gift, he was only small and barely came up to his idol's hip, not that he wasn't small now… He sighed, and looked up at them. "Fellas…can I ask you something?" he spoke, Donald and Goofy inviting him to take a seat on the shining stairs next to them, they'd saved him a seat right in the middle. "Anything, Mick!" Donald smiled, gently touching his shoulder, the three of them were much like brothers now, having spent so many years looking out for each other and being all they had, at least before Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle came along. "Sure, what do you need lil guy?" Goofy continued, Mickey snickering at the moniker slightly and then looking down at his hat again, like he was searching for the words. "Well…as you both know, Minnie and I are getting married in just a few days. We've been planning the event for forever, and poor Daisy's been running up and down trying to get everything perfect!" he chuckled, looking a little sheepish and Donald raising an eyebrow. "I've heard. She says you want a ten-foot-tall cake with custom figures and rosettes, a crystal chandelier to adorn the ballroom, and a crowd the size of the Feast of Fools!" he chuckled, Mickey looking even more sheepish and burying his head in his hat as his cheeks turned red. "Donald! Minnie's just being Minnie! She wants it all to be perfect…" he admitted, Goofy smiling and rubbing his head. "Aw Mick, it'll be great! I'll bet you have a wedding for the ages!" he cheered, Mickey rubbing his arm awkwardly. "The thing is…I'm just a little nervous. Like don't get me wrong, I love Minnie to pieces but…being a prince? Do you know how many rules there are? Customs? Trading traditions…?" he sighed, Donald and Goofy both noting his downcast eyes, he looked worried in a way they'd only seen once or twice. "Aw, you'll be okay! Hey, what's a bunch of fancy traditions anyway?" Donald tried, but Mickey looked unconvinced. "I wanted to…learn them for her, you know? Prove to her that I can do it…" he spoke, looking glum as his shoulders dropped, Goofy tilting his chin up to face him. "Lil buddy, if there's one thing I know about you it's that you don't give up, even when the tough gets going! You can do anything you put your noggin to, alright?" he encouraged, Mickey unable to stop a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "You think so?" the little mouse softly spoke, Goofy immediately giving a thumbs up. "I know so! You're Mickey! You can do anything!" he grinned, standing up and offering Mickey a hand to help him, Mickey nodding as his resolve returned, and he put the hat back on his head. "Alright gang, let's get going! We got training today, and Captain Clarabelle will hate it if we're late!"

Minnie awoke from her slumber, hearing the sounds of the musketeers training throughout the grounds. She yawned and stretched, Daisy's heels clacking against the floor as she entered the room with breakfast. "Would her majesty like breakfast in bed?" she offered, Minnie smiling and nodding. "You know I love it Daisy! So, what's the news?" she asked, Daisy sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling out several letters. "Hm, well there's a bill, eh, don't need it. Oh, a report came in that Captain Pete and the Beagle Boys got transferred to one of the floors of Mont Saint-Michel. They may not be sea-level but they're in a cell that leaves them with permanently wet feet…" Daisy snickered, Minnie laughing at the imagery of them all soaking and miserable, it was due punishment. "Oh! And a letter came in, for you!" she smiled, handing Minnie an envelope with a mouse shape on the wax seal, it made Minnie blush, there was only one person it could be from. "Oh Mickey…" she swooned, opening it and giving it a read. "To my beautiful princess, I have a surprise for you. Please meet me near the Seine at nine o'clock tonight, I promise it will be worth it. Love, ." Minnie blushed brightly, imagining how romantic the evening would be, and knowing Mickey was busy today, a night together was well overdue, especially only a few days before their wedding. Shoot, the wedding! "Daisy! We need to organize everything! Please, I need you to help me with guests, dress…" she fretted, Daisy shaking her head fondly and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Princess, we finished this already, remember? You've got the most beautiful dress in all of France, a guest list as long as the ballroom, and the caterers have come in already and we gave a taste test, remember…?" She smiled, Minnie fanning her face and Daisy giggling behind her hand. It was so funny seeing her lady and best friend all het up, despite the fact she dearly cared for her. "Yes, you're right…sorry Daisy, I'm just…I'm excited and nervous and a little hectic! I suppose it comes with being a princess…" she sighed, Daisy gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "For now, all you can do is get ready to face the day. I'll curl your hair, you put on something pretty, especially if Mickey's invited you for a date!" she cheered, Minnie nodding and going behind her little painted frame to get dressed, Daisy sighing and warmly shaking her head. For her, the wedding couldn't come fast enough, because maybe afterwards she'd finally get to take a nap!

Once Minnie was ready for the day, she was just having her fluffy hair brushed when Captain Clarabelle knocked at her door, the girls signalling for her to enter. "Good morning, your majesty! I come with news, I think we'd best send our boys out to deal with this one." she spoke, Minnie sitting up a bit straighter and turning around to face her from her vanity, fiddling with the bristles of her brush as they spoke. "News, Captain?" she asked, Clarabelle nodding and her shoulders drooping slightly. "Unfortunately, princess, there's news of some vandal out on the Seine. They've been stealing wares all day, and the musketeers patrolling there haven't been able to catch them yet. Could we send our men in?" she asked, Minnie pondering. A vandal on the Seine…? It could threaten her time with Mickey, as well as the safety of her people, so she gave a firm nod. "Please, do what you must to catch this criminal. Make sure they're brought to justice!" she smiled, Clarabelle giving a curtsy and departing, leaving Daisy to help Minnie finish up her hair. Heading downstairs, Clarabelle stood before the men, seeing Mickey, Donald and Goofy approaching and giving salutes, Goofy practically getting heart eyes at the sight of her standing there. She was wearing a uniform similar to that of Captain Pete's, except with a skirt and much more puffed sleeves, and her cowbell jingled as she moved, it was perfect to use to attract attention. "Everyone! I've been informed of a potential threat along the banks of the Seine. Some vandal keeps stealing wares from innocent shopkeepers, and we must apprehend them! Find them and bring them to the palace!" she ordered, the group saluting and mounting horses, ready to catch whatever thief was causing all that trouble.

Along the riverbanks, there had been a bit of a scuffle, a group of ruffians were arguing over bread and some of them were pretty battered, but they were all determined to grab whatever morsels they could get their grubby hands on. "Give it to me, I saw it first!" one of them growled, the other hissed and tried to swipe at the former with their claws. "It's mine, I grabbed it first!" a third piped up, all three of them tugging at a bag…before a flap opened at the bottom, revealing they hadn't grabbed anything and it had been a decoy. "Aw man! I haven't eaten some good bread in weeks… rats get gross if you eat them too much." one of them sighed, the other shaking their head. "Tell me about it, I've got mouths to feed." The third one's stomach simply grumbled, and they looked at them, all their appearances were obscured by various scraps of fabric to avoid recognition. "Sorry…" they sighed, the other two just huffing and wandering off. The smallest one sighed, and threw the paper bag on the ground, before a shout made them jump. "There they are, the little vandal! Get 'em!" someone called, and they sped off, running along the banks and the other two having long disappeared from sight. They weren't friends, they barely even got along and just lived in mutual understanding of the pain of hunger and desperation, but those two at least had homes and people they stayed with. The small person ducked and dodged as villagers threw things their way, managing to grab a tomato which they debated eating, but it looked about five months out of date, so instead they threw it back and laughed as it landed in the face of one of those pesky interfering musketeers.

"They got me! I'm blinded!" Goofy wailed, falling off the horse and stars whizzing around his head, Donald unable to avoid a facepalm. "Mickey? Did you see which way they went?" he asked, Mickey spotting them running towards Notre Dame and nodding. "Toward the cathedral, come on!" he called, Donald pulling Goofy up from the ground with all his might as they chased the vandal, who heard the hooves and tried to throw them off their trail by heading down tiny alleys and nooks that only they knew, but one person was small enough to follow. Mickey had dismounted and set to chasing after the small thief, they weren't that fast but they were agile, and good at dodging, likely having learned from experience. "Get back here!" he hollered, and managed to trap them in an alley, the figure looking up and down trying to find a way out, but by the time they'd deduced there was no escape, Mickey had closed the gap and put a hand on their hood, yanking it off and…revealing a young girl, with brown hair and blue eyes, and a pair of worn old glasses that looked several years too small for her. "Oh…" Mickey murmured, the girl looking surprised for a moment, she looked bruised and tired, there were small clumps of hair sticking to her face from where she'd been sweating whilst running, and yet she looked quite pale, cheekbones clearly defined. Mickey stepped back slightly, and she just stayed still, though didn't look as if she was taking him seriously, with his cute smile and rosy cheeks, he looked like a kid playing pretend. "So go on then, handcuff me." she snarked, Mickey blinking in surprise but remembering his duty. "If you insist, madame!" he giggled, clicking them on her wrists. "I-I didn't- hey!" she groaned, and he chuckled, leading her out of the alley and into the sunlight, though he pulled her hood up over her face to avoid her being too stunned. So he was serious after all. "Got them! The day is saved! All for one and one for all!" Mickey cheered, but there was an air of fakeness to it, he pulled her up onto the horse and sandwiched her between himself and Donald, and the other ruffians caught sight of them speeding away. "Oh hell, she's a goner…" one of them murmured, the other nodding silently. "Not a goner…" another voice suddenly spoke, causing the two of them to jump out of their skin. "Merely another little obstacle…"

Arriving at the palace, Clarabelle noticed the figure draped in cloth, and deducing this was their vandal, picked them up by the back of their shirt. "Alright, you're coming with me!" she spoke, Mickey raising a hand. "Captain, is it alright if I come too? I got a little…acquainted with her?" he offered, Clarabelle nodding and indicating for him to follow behind her. They headed through the training area, coming to a halt in the room where they hung up their uniforms, where Clarabelle sat down at a desk, and plonked the girl opposite her. Mickey tactfully removed her hood, revealing her ragged appearance, and she looked down. "So, you're the one who's been stealing from all those people." Clarabelle began, the girl kicking her legs and shrugging. "Not just me." she retorted, Clarabelle putting both hands on the desk and making her jump slightly. "Doesn't make it right, now does it? But I know all about rights and wrongs. If you promise not to do it again, I'll pardon you and let you be on your lovely merry way." she offered, Mickey standing guard by the girl's chair and hearing her stomach grumble faintly, making him remember when he'd been in a similar situation. His memories prior to meeting the musketeers were largely a blur by now, so much had happened in between, but he remembered the feeling of craving some bread and cheese. "You hungry, pal?" Mickey asked, the girl nodding with a look of shame. "Clarabelle, can't we give her some food or somethin'? She looks awfully hungry, right?" he piped up, the musketeer captain nodding with a slight sigh. "I suppose it won't hurt, but just keep her out of the way of you-know-who. If she hears we've got a prisoner eating us out of house and home, on top of everything else, she'll lose it!" the captain groaned, Mickey chuckling behind his hand and smiling at the girl, she looked a little confused, but also curious and a bit more perky, hearing she'd be given some food. "Well, what do you fancy, little détenue? Bread? Cheese? Apples?" he suggested, before pausing and noticing just how her mouth seemed to water at the mere mention, it was a sight that both made him feel pity and pride, he knew he was doing something good and felt it in his heart.

The two of them ended up sitting on some hay bales, he'd found some green apples for her to munch on and she was practically devouring them, little bits of juice all around her mouth, as if she didn't want to miss a single bite. He smiled slightly, they didn't speak and he didn't know anything about her still, but something told him she was grateful, he could feel it in the way she occasionally glanced to make sure he was still there. "You alright, kid?" he asked, and she nodded, she was on her third apple by now and there was no sign of stopping, she might end up making a little pile of apple cores all around the hay. "These are yummy." she spoke, he almost laughed as she was talking with her mouth full, clearly she didn't know much about manners, though he didn't blame her for that. "Hehe! Green apples are good for you too. What do you usually eat?" he tried, the girl pausing and putting the apple down for the first time, letting it rest in her lap. "Well…sometimes I manage to get some carrots or the odd bit of bread, but for the most part I end up eating whatever's left out back at restaurants when the day's over…" she sighed, Mickey unable to resist putting a hand over his mouth in shock. "There's a group of us, we're always fighting because they keep trying to steal my scraps, those two annoy me so much…" she seethed, Mickey reaching out to pat her shoulder, though she tensed up at first. "You're not like those other guards…" she murmured, Mickey shrugging. "I learned that sometimes, the best way to approach a problem is to try and understand it, rather than just swing wildly and hope something works. For instance, I know now why you steal, it's because you're hungry, not out of greed." he smiled, the girl looking surprised at his assessment and how he was willing to listen to her. "Say…do you have a place to go tonight? I've heard it's gonna be frosty." he asked, but she nodded. "Yeah, I have a hideout. I should probably get back there, actually…" she mused, fiddling with the apple on her lap and spinning it around by the stalk. "Alright. Well, if we catch you stealing again, I don't think Clarabelle will be too happy." he sighed, the girl looking down, wondering how she was meant to eat, and Mickey felt a little sorry for her. "I'll go now. Thank you." she spoke, her voice was flat and she took the rest of the apples in her arms, they could last her a little while as long as she kept them somewhat cool and dry, and free food was always a treasure. And yet, as he watched her small form exiting the castle training grounds, something stirred within Mickey, and he got the urge to follow.

Minnie was in her room, getting all dolled up for her date, and Daisy was puffing up the sleeves of her dress, hilariously enough, with a pump used for balloons. "Huff…huff… I think…it's done…" Daisy groaned, Minnie looking at herself in the mirror and flushing with pride. "Oh, I love it Daisy, you've done me up wonderfully!" she squealed, rushing to give her best friend and lady-in-waiting a hug, Daisy returning it, though silently terrified Minnie might pop one of her inflated sleeves. There was a knock at the door, though, and Captain Clarabelle stepped through. "Your majesty, we've apprehended the thief, but the musketeers have sighted other vandals along the edge of the Seine. I'm afraid…it isn't safe for you to go out tonight." Clarabelle lamented, Minnie feeling herself deflate, which was accompanied by the sound of one of her sleeves doing the same. "Oh Princess…" Daisy softened, sitting down next to her as Minnie's eyes welled up slightly, she'd been looking forward to some time off with her beloved, especially just a few days before their impending marriage… she sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with one of her gloved sleeves, Clarabelle moving to her side. "I've long informed the musketeers. I'm sorry your majesty, but…" she started, but Minnie just swallowed and nodded. "I know…it's for my safety, and his too. Though the thought of him defending me from bad guys does bring back good memories…" she sighed, reaching into her vanity drawer and pulling out a locket, it was shaped like a heart and held a picture of Mickey inside, a tiny portrait of him in his musketeer outfit, the day he officially became one. The smile on his face was so big and joyful, there were stars practically twinkling in his eyes, but what Minnie loved most of all is how he was looking at her, how she could see the gratefulness in his eyes, and how she'd made his childhood dream come true that day. She sighed, and put the locket close to her heart. "I'm alright, girls… Could I just be alone for a little while?" she asked, and both of them curtsied, exiting the room and leaving the princess to gaze at her prince from afar.

Mickey followed from a distance, watching how the girl pulled up her hood to avoid recognition, and how she snuck about. He noticed her tugging at an old wooden door, and when it finally came open, a few icicles fell toward her, which she jumped back from, though was careful not to lose a single apple amid the snow. Heading inside, Mickey managed to slip through right before the door closed, and saw her little shadow heading down some stairs, the floor was covered in moss and made of cold stone, it was practically frozen to the touch by the cold temperature. As he continued down, he realized the place looked somewhat familiar, the floor was checkered blue and yellow, there was the bench, the lockers…he almost gasped aloud. Her hideout was in the basement of the castle! Peeking around a corner, he watched as she hung up her cloak, she was dressed in some overalls, and he realized they must've been his, the ones he'd left behind. And then, he saw something that made him smile. She'd pushed a chair up to the grate, and was peering out at the musketeers as they did their nightly rounds, and it looked like she was wearing Donald's old handyman cap, pretending it was a musketeer hat of her own. Mickey almost giggled at how alike she was to them, it made sense considering she'd chosen this place to be her own little home, and he couldn't help but smile as she walked around, practicing the musketeer march and taking an old wrench into her hands, pretending she was sword fighting some bad guys. It warmed his heart, after she'd looked so tired earlier, seeing her come alive like this was enough to brighten up his night, considering he hadn't seen Minnie all day due to his duties. Mickey was so entranced watching her play that he didn't notice a stray hammer underfoot, and tripped over, startling her. "Eek!" she yelped, ducking behind a bench and crouching, Mickey stepping back and raising both hands. "Hey, i-it's just me! I won't hurt ya!" he tried, but she didn't move, she stayed still and simply peeked through the wooden slats on the bench. Mickey smiled, and tilted his head, so now he was also looking sideways on. "Hiya pal." he chuckled, the girl blinking a few times and raising her head, so now her eyes were poking over the edge of the bench. "I-it's you…" she whispered, and he nodded. "Yep! Mickey's the name! Sorry we had a bit of a rough introduction, little détenue." he smiled, the girl frowning slightly at the nickname she'd been given, it looked like she might try to fight him, but knowing he was a musketeer, she wouldn't dare take her chances. "I have a name, mouse." she hissed, hopping up on the bench and sitting with one leg on either side, now facing him. "Well you never told it to me!" he retorted, moving to sit by her slowly so as to not startle her. "It's Angie." she finally relented, Mickey tilting his head. "That's a nice name. You should be careful not to lose it!" he giggled, Angie just blinking, clearly she didn't get the joke. Maybe she didn't hear them that often. "What are you doing in here? Did you follow me?!" she demanded, Mickey looking sheepish. "Well…I was worried, kid!" he tried, but she frowned again. "I'm not a kid. I'm 20." she groaned, clearly people often mistook her age. Mickey was taken aback slightly, she didn't quite look twenty, but he could see she was serious, so he nodded. "Alright 20-year old détenue Angie, why are you down here at the bottom of the castle? I should be asking you, as a musketeer of the princess!" he chirped, Angie looking down. "It's warm, that's why." she grumbled, and he couldn't deny she was right, hot water from the various boilers would travel through the system, and sometimes little curls of steam would escape from the drains and flood the room with warmth, he remembered snuggling up with Donald, Goofy and Pluto, it was rare but welcome when it happened. Angie heard the hiss of steam echoing and pointed, one of the drains had just been used, presumably for a bath for the princess or one of her aids, like the musketeer captain or her lady in waiting, and the steam flooded the room, both their cheeks flushing with how warm and welcome it was amid the winter night. "I see what you mean, haha!" Mickey giggled, Angie nodding and just enjoying the feeling for as long as she could before it slipped away. They sat there for a few moments more, even as the icy wind came through the grates and a few trickles of snow began to collect on the chair nearby, but it didn't matter. "So…how old were you when you found this place? Me and my pals used to live here, y'know?" Mickey smiled, Angie looking surprised, her brow furrowing at the knowledge that he had once been just like her. "Wasn't long ago…I found the door you saw one night, and I didn't know where it led, I just needed somewhere to go since my last place…they got shot of me when they couldn't feed me anymore." she explained, Mickey reaching a hand to gently rub her arm, the gesture made her feel a little better, so she smiled a tiny bit. "I don't have any family, there was… an incident. And I managed to get out, but since then I haven't been able to find work or anything." She sighed, Mickey continuing to rub her arm and seeing how it soothed her, it wasn't easy for him to say anything, but sometimes silence was the right choice anyway. "I'm sorry pal." he finally spoke, Angie just nodding and looking away, she looked so small again, not nearly as brave or lively as she had just a little while ago. "It's silly too…but I hoped I'd be able to get a glimpse of the princess and prince who live here. The townsfolk all talk about them, say they've got these beautiful outfits and are so kind to everyone, I really hoped to meet them someday." she smiled wistfully, Mickey pausing as an idea formed in his mind, unable to hide the smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "Say, what if I made you a deal? You stop stealing and be good, and I'll get you a chance to meet the prince AND the princess?" he offered, Angie raising an eyebrow as if she didn't believe him. "Stop pulling my leg." she grumbled, but Mickey shook his head, taking her hands into his. "I'm serious! I am a royal musketeer, I can get you in easy! They all know my name round there." he smirked, this seemed like such a fun idea, and he couldn't wait to see her reaction. "Tell you what, pal, you spiffy yourself up before tomorrow and wake up early, and you'll get front row seats to the prince and princess! As long as you keep your side of the deal, of course!" he winked, the girl's eyes going wide and immediately nodding. "O-of course, thank you Mickey!" she giggled, Mickey grinning and skipping up the stairs. "Bye now! My pals will get you around seven, alright?" he smiled and she nodded, he could see how he'd made her entire year with just a couple words, and as soon as he was out of sight, he couldn't avoid chortling. How funny this was!

Early, a cockerel walked up toward the grate and crowed as loudly as it could, despite the snow on the ground it seemed like a determined little thing- until it fell on its butt on the ice. Angie rubbed her eyes and yawned, she'd fallen asleep not long after Mickey had left- oh shoot, Mickey! She headed over to the vats of water used for laundry and splashed some on her face and hands, avoiding letting the soap get in her eyes or mouth, and tried to search for something to wear…her overalls left much to be desired, they were barely patched up, and her shoes had holes in them, so she searched through the laundry piles, finding some discarded tabards or shirts, but none of them were her size. "I have nothing to wear!" she groaned, pulling at her cheeks and making her eyes bulge slightly, but complaining would get nothing done, so she decided to make do, putting one of the oversized red shirts over her overalls like a dress, it wasn't perfect but it worked. Reaching for a pair of boots, she was startled by one of them having a ripped up sole, it had been attempted to be superglued but peeled off rather pathetically, so she searched for another pair, moving the broken ones aside with her foot. Finally ready, she checked her hair in the water reflection…oh no. She had bed hair, oh… she hastily drew some water into her hands and raked them through her hair, trying to fix it, and right as she was done, there were those footsteps. "Don't know why I'm the one escorting you, but Mickey insisted so here we are." Captain Clarabelle spoke, she was standing at the entrance that led directly into the palace, one Angie had never dared to explore despite her endless curiosity. "Captain Clarabelle…" she murmured, the Captain nodding and beckoning for her to follow. These stairs were far more well-kept than the ones she usually used, and they emerged in a large hall, where the walls shone in gold and paintings lined every wall, suits of armor standing tall and high above. "Well, over here we have the beautiful artworks of Claude Lorrain and Charles Errad, as well as several antique vases and statues. Please note the painted ceilings and gilded floors, they really are my favourite feature of this grand abode." she rambled, Angie hardly listening and just being entranced by all that she saw, but also slightly impatient to meet the prince and princess. At long last, after Clarabelle had finally shut up about the importance of a particularly boring military leader, she approached the doors, and had Angie follow behind her- despite her age she barely came past Clarabelle's waist. "Alright…are you ready, my dear, to meet the prince and the princess of France? This is a highly respectable occasion, so don't you start behaving like riffraff, got it?" she spoke, Angie nodding and dusting down her "dress", trying to look proper and stand up straight, though she really wanted to slouch since it was her usual posture, anything different felt strange. "And…in we go." Clarabelle breathed, opening the double doors and Angie following behind her.

The throne room was white, a red carpet rolling out past the gilded golden doors, and led up to some marbled stairs, where two thrones sat, covered by a large red curtain. Statues and chandeliers decorated the hall, as well as several banners that were just past parallel rows of pillars. And then…atop those thrones, was the princess and…Mickey? Angie raised an eyebrow upon seeing him, there was no doubt it was him, and he gave a slight wave. The princess was dressed in a tiara and lilac gown, gold lining the edges and her sleeves puffed, her skirt was checked with gold and flourished out like curtains, revealing a darker inner skirt that would move with her when she twirled. She looked so happy to be with her prince, savouring their time together even if it had been slightly impromptu, Mickey had only found time to ask her if she'd permit guests just an hour or so before, but she'd never give up a chance to meet with her beloved, especially after how she'd felt the prior day. Mickey, meanwhile, was dressed in a lilac tunic, also lined with gold, and had a purple cape on one of his shoulders, which matched a feathered hat atop his head. With teal trousers and sleeves, and shining purple shoes, he looked so much more regal like this, Angie's jaw almost dropping at how different he seemed. "Hey there, little détenue!" he giggled, seeing how shocked she looked. "Y-YOU'RE the prince?!" she gasped, taken aback by his appearance, and he nodded to confirm. "That I am! Well, not officially, not quite, not until tomorrow!" he laughed, Minnie leaning her head on his shoulder and smiling. "A prince in my heart, my sweet. But who might you be, young one? Mickey told me about you." the princess chuckled, Angie going red and wringing her hands, her face almost perfectly matched the oversized shirt she was wearing. "I-I'm Angie…" she curtsied, bowing her head and trying to avoid them noticing how crimson she was. "I'm 20, and…umm…" she trailed off, going further red. What was there to say, that she'd stolen hundreds of francs worth of food?! Hardly the thing to tell the literal monarch in a country where even small crimes faced some awful punishments. The silence was awkward for a while, until Daisy walked by with some cheese, handing it to both of them with a cheeky smile. "Snacks to cure boredom…" she whispered, Minnie giving her a slight smirk and shaking her head subtly. Daisy turned to their guest, and gave her a slight smile, but it was imbued with mischief. "So this is the thief of the Seine, huh? You gonna execute her for stealing, Minnie?" she grinned, Minnie gasping, but they dissolved into giggles as Angie ducked behind a curtain, hiding and Mickey gently trying to coax her out, but she wouldn't budge. "Now, now, Angie…it was a joke! She doesn't mean it seriously!" he tried, but they were interrupted by a clanging of the doors, Donald and Goofy had appeared, Pluto running ahead of them just slightly. "Captain! There's some bad guys invading the streets!" Donald huffed, Pluto suddenly darting forward and barking at the rustling curtain, Goofy running forward too and reaching behind, yanking Angie out and under his arm. "Looks like we got one in here too, cap'n!" he declared, the girl squirming to be free and accidentally pulling on his belt as she struggled, resulting in everyone getting a view of his white undies with red hearts. Clarabelle facepalmed. "Goofy, my love, I love you but please, unhand her. She's a guest of the prince and princess." she gently explained, Goofy literally dropping her on her head at the request of his beloved captain, who helped him fix his outfit and chuckled softly at how silly her love could be. Angie shook her head, little stars briefly spinning around it, and then was startled as Mickey offered her his hand, giving a gentle smile. "You alright, pal?" he asked, and she nodded, rubbing her head slightly, she'd just bumped it but she was fine. "Sorry about that, we're all a little hectic. I'm getting married to Minnie tomorrow, and we're so excited, but it's caused everyone to be a bit on edge, y'know?" he explained, Angie looking at both mice, she could easily see how much they cared for one another, and she smiled slightly. "It's okay. Sorry for intruding." she curtsied again, Minnie shaking her head gently. "Mickey explained it to me, don't worry. I was actually going to ask…would you like to be trained by him?" she offered, Angie raising an eyebrow in confusion. "As you know, my dear Mickey is one of our top musketeers, and since you two are similar in size, I thought he'd be perfect to train you up. That is, if he's not too busy?" she smiled, turning to look at him. "It'll stop my wedding nerves, so it sounds good!" he giggled, Angie looking surprised, and then so happy that she might cry. "Yes! Please! I'd love to!" she laughed, and without thinking wrapped her arms around Mickey, embracing him before turning crimson and jolting back, remembering just who she was talking to. He didn't seem to mind, though, and just patted her on the back. "I'll get Clarabelle, Donald and Goofy to give you a few lessons first, since I've got some things to sort out here with Minnie, and then we'll meet at midday to start lessons together. There's a rule you can't see each other before the ceremony, so we'll honor that rule, and it'll take my mind off missing my Minnie!" he smiled, Angie looking delighted and giving a firm nod, she was so excited to begin that she practically ran over to Clarabelle. Mickey gave a soft giggle, it was so cute seeing how she lit up, and he gently whispered something to Minnie, who passed it onto Daisy. And with a curtsy, Angie departed with her new mentors, hoping to make both prince and princess proud.

Reaching the training grounds, she was taken aback by how tall the many musketeers were, they all wore the official uniform and stood proudly to attention as Clarabelle rang her bell. "Report, please." the cow spoke to one of them, Angie standing at her side. "We've tracked the rest of the criminals of the Seine, it seems the one from yesterday wasn't alone. But we've also got some new thugs on our hands, they've been doing little things like igniting spare planks, but we're worried it could escalate." one of the musketeers explained, Clarabelle putting a hand to her chin in thought. "Well…split into two groups then. Donald? Can you lead the troop to find those Seine ruffians? And Goofy, you're in charge of street patrol for these new thugs. Report back here whenever you find out anything, or better, catch one of 'em!" Clarabelle commanded, forgetting in the moment what Donald and Goofy were meant to be doing, but by the time she remembered they'd already shot off. She bent down to Angie's level with a sigh. "Sorry kiddo, like Mickey said, we're all a bit on edge. But we can still train, if you want?" she offered, Angie nodding and Clarabelle bringing her through the training grounds, reaching the room where they stored equipment. She pulled out a sword, handing it to Angie, before realizing it was literally the size of her and sheepishly putting it back, finding one of Mickey's. "You'll get your uniform later, since it'll have to be tailored, but for now you can borrow Mickey's tabard and sword, he won't mind." she spoke, pulling it over Angie's head and her head popping through quite easily, and the girl took the sword, though she held it the wrong way, by the point instead of the handle. Clarabelle frowned. This might be more difficult than she anticipated. She decided to start easy, though, and led Angie over to one of the training dummies. "Alright, for now we'll follow Mickey's training. We'll do some combat, horse riding, and then some gymnastics. So, pretend this is a bad guy. What do you do?" she asked, putting the sword correctly in Angie's hand and the girl holding it tight with both of them, before slashing the dummy…very, very weakly. Clarabelle was floored, the strike didn't even rip a seam! "Okay…try that again, but use a bit more strength." she tried, though inside she worried what she'd say to Mickey if he found his chosen protégé couldn't do basic fighting. Angie repeated the motion, a little more strength, but it was still rather weak. "Alright, how about I show you, hmm?" Clarabelle offered, wondering if this approach might help her, so Angie stepped back and Clarabelle brandished her own sword, slashing at the dummy once, twice, three times, until it exploded into stuffing. Angie drew back, covering her face as the cotton flew through the air, but now understood a little better what was expected of her. Moving to another dummy, she slashed at it, but…nothing happened. It was once again a weak slash. "Oh…" Angie sighed, Clarabelle shrugging and unsure what exactly to do to help, Angie's motion had been perfect... "Let's try something else, hmm?" she offered, Angie following her through the grounds, where they came across a horse in a small pen, marked as Mickey's by a small carving of three circles. Clarabelle offered it some sugar cubes, and then beckoned for Angie to enter the pen with her. "This horse is named Antoine. He's a friendly fella, and he loves Mickey to pieces. Try climbing on!" Clarabelle encouraged, Angie using the wood of the pen to give her some height, and promptly jumping on, Antoine stopping eating the sugar cubes and practically turning his head 360 degrees, indignant to the fact there was now a person on his back, and she wasn't Mickey. "Um…hi, hehe." Angie sheepishly waved, Antoine glaring and sitting down, so she slid off his back and into a vat of water, the horse almost looking as if it was mischievousy laughing. "Hey!" she growled, now sopping wet, but tried again, Antoine once more turning and noticing it was her, he didn't look pleased, in fact, it looked like something was now irritating him, quite deeply in fact. He once more slid her off, but this time, instead of sliding her into water, he simply sat on her. "Ow! Get off me, you big oaf!" she cried, Clarabelle feeling both sorry for her and slightly amused, it reminded her of Goofy and how he'd often end up in these types of escapades. "Alright Antoine, enough games…" she coaxed, frowning slightly. Usually he was so friendly…one joke would be excusable, but two… what had gotten into him? Angie dusted herself off, she looked saddened, and sat on the fence, nearly being the same height as Clarabelle now, she looked as if she might well up. "Aw dear, don't look like that. If you'd have seen Mickey when he started out, his first act of bravery was to wrangle with a suit of armor! We all start somewhere." she spoke, touching Angie's cheek and lifting it to look at her. "Come on, let's try one last thing. How about we do some gymnastics? You should be good at that sort of stuff." she smiled, taking Angie to the final station of the training grounds, where there were several mats laid out, one once again marked for Mickey, so they used it. "Alright, can you try a roll?" she asked, Angie obediently doing one, it was simple enough, something she'd done a couple times to evade vendors whilst thieving. "What about a handstand?" A little trickier, but she managed, she used to be able to do them and would perform them in her old town… she felt a bit nostalgic and lost her balance, but was luckily fine. "Okay good! Last one, can you manage a cartwheel?" she asked, Angie trying, but as soon as she hit the mat with her hands, it exploded into feathers, resulting in a really rough landing. "Ow…" she winced, Clarabelle bending down and checking she was okay, but she'd landed on her side, and looked tired to tears. "Hey…take a break before Mickey comes by. I'll go see what the other musketeers have to say, alright?" she spoke, Angie looking down and nodding. She looked down at the pile of feathers, picking one up, it reminded her of the hat she hadn't earned yet, and she held it tight. What she wouldn't give to be just like Mickey, Donald and Goofy, but it seemed so impossible right now.

A while passed, and Mickey appeared, now wearing his own musketeer uniform, he'd simply changed into a spare he kept in his room. "Hello my little musketeer! How's your morning been?" he asked, but noticed how she was sitting on a hay bale and looking rather glum, tactfully changing his approach. "I quit." she spoke plainly, Mickey looking taken aback. "You what?" he gasped, and she turned to look at him, her face was tear-stained. "I quit. I can't do it. It all kept going wrong…" she sighed, Mickey feeling empathetic and hopping up beside her, putting a hand on her back. "Hey…it's okay. We can't be good at everything the first time." he smiled, Angie just looking down and kicking her legs, she didn't feel good at anything right now. "Why don't you show me what you were trying, hmm?" he offered, Angie sighing and agreeing, leading him over to the training dummy. "I was trying to slash it, like the captain did." she explained, doing the motion. Mickey took a look at how she did it, she was replicating the right technique, but then he noticed something… "Hey, can I see your sword?" he smiled, Angie handing it to him. He examined it for a moment, that's right…he gasped. Silver polish was coming off on his hands, and underneath, it was wooden! "Aw shucks! Looks like you got a dud!" he frowned, handing her his own. "Try with mine, alright?" he offered, Angie taking it into her hands and slashing…and it worked! "I did it! I did it Mickey, I did it!" she cheered, Mickey clapping and cheering for her, but deep down he felt worried. What was a wooden sword doing in the apparatus? Surely Clarabelle hadn't sabotaged her on purpose…? He tried to push the thought out of his mind, he knew she'd changed and was a good person deep down, but there was an air of unease to him. "Next I tried horse riding." she continued, pointing at Antoine, Mickey raising an eyebrow and noticing the horse looked quite irritated. "Hmm…what's got you all annoyed Antoine?" he murmured, before noticing how the horse looked at Angie, it looked agitated and like it might lunge. "Woah, steady…" Mickey coaxed, motioning for Angie not to follow him into the pen just in case it might result in a scuffle. "Okay…you never get angry… Hey, haven't you been drinking your water, Antoine? Maybe you're just hot…" he came to a realisation, and looked at Antoine's water trough, it was sparkling with something. "That's odd…" he murmured, taking some of the shimmering droplets on his palm and noticing Angie was wet, she'd been coated in whatever had been put into the horse's water, and it was irritating him! This made Mickey ponder, clearly this was more than one sabotage, whoever was orchestrating this had to have done it…whilst everyone was busy! Whilst they were in the throne room, the regular musketeers had been patrolling, Donald and Goofy had come in with reports, so it would be easy for bad guys to sneak around… he put a finger to his chin. "Your majesty…?" Angie whispered, Mickey perking at the term and giggling, he still wasn't used to that. "Aww, calling me Mickey's fine! But I think I figured somethin' out. Your sword was a fake, Antoine's water's been tampered with…" he turned over to the mats, seeing the feathers, "and mats aren't usually stuffed with feathers for the reason that it makes them delicate. Someone's been sabotaging you." he mused, Angie looking surprised. "Me? But why? What did I do?" she moped, Mickey shaking his head. "By the looks of it…wait. Where did you get your sword and tabard?" he asked, Angie looking down at them. "Clarabelle lent them to me…she said they were yours." she explained, a lightbulb appearing in Mickey's mind. "They've been trying to sabotage me, huh! Well once, at least." he mused. "Usually I take Antoine for his ride and then do gymnastics for a while, so clearly someone's been tampering!" he frowned, there was a sudden scuffling from behind a pillar. "Show yourself!" he demanded, but the person was gone, and they were alone again. With a sigh, Mickey put a fist up to his head, kneading it slightly. Angie, though, looked a bit more hopeful. "So…I'm not a dud…?" she asked, Mickey turning in surprise to look at her, and taking her hands in his. "No, no! Course not! You've just had a rough day." he smiled, and took her over to Donald's apparatus instead. "We're almost the same size, so here, borrow his sword. Let's start lessons over, okay my little détenue?" he offered, a light appearing in Angie's eyes, maybe all hope wasn't lost, maybe she could be a musketeer after all. And after a long day of training, until the sun went down, in fact, Mickey challenged her to a duel. "Alright, show me everything you've learned!" he laughed, the two clashing swords and clanging together, and eventually, Angie even managed to knock him off his feet. "Woah!" he laughed, but she caught his hand before he fell, dropping her sword and helping him steady himself. "Thanks…! Well, feeling better?" he asked, and she nodded, it felt like things were looking up, and she could see a smile on his face, he looked proud. She wanted to do something in return… especially since it was the night before the wedding, and he said he'd need a distraction, he was gazing up at Minnie's window, where she was silhouetted behind a pink curtain. "Mickey…?" she smiled, Mickey turning to meet her eyes, she looked happy, and he returned her smile. "Yes, Angie? What can I do you for?" he giggled, Angie rubbing her arm a little shyly. "Do you want to take a trip somewhere?" she offered, Mickey looking puzzled for a moment. "A trip? What do you mean?" he asked, Angie shrugging and putting a finger to her lips mischievously. "A trip to my city, as a thank you." she giggled, Mickey's smile slowly stretching and he gave a nod. "Alright…! But what should I wear? Where will we go…?" he wondered, Angie giving a grin. "You can get all dressed up as a prince, and I'll be your loyal musketeer!" she laughed, Mickey looking delighted at the idea and nodding. "Okay…okay! I'll be back!" he cheered, running off suddenly and leaving her in the outside grounds. Someone approached her, an odd brown creature with a large snout and sharp teeth, wearing a tunic. "Letter for the princess!" he proclaimed, handing it to Angie nonchalantly, who looked confused. "And you're giving this to me why…?" she asked, the creature chuckling, there was a hint of malice. "Well you're borderline a delivery girl, ain'tcha? Not much loyal musketeer from what I can see." he spoke, Angie balling up her fists. "Hey! Get outta here, I'm a musketeer just like Mickey!" she pouted, the creature just scoffing. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Just deliver the damn letter." it snarled, scurrying up a pillar and leaving her with the letter. Angie looked down at it, but shrugged and went to find Daisy, handing it to her and then regrouping with Mickey, who was dressed in his prince outfit and hiding something behind his back, a small bundle. He held her in suspense for a moment, but then handed it to her, and she tore at the wrapping…it was an outfit! She couldn't help but let out a quiet 'ooooh', and held it up to herself, it was a pink dress with teal trousers to go underneath, pink boots and a pink tabard lined with yellow, almost a similar colour to Mickey's prince outfit. And to top it all off, he plonked a hat on her head, yellow with a purple feather. "Now you're a real musketeer! Minnie got these tailored for you, I thought they'd look nice!" he grinned, Angie suddenly throwing her arms around him, little tears forming in her eyes. "I love it! I love it, I love it! Thank you!" she gasped, and Mickey gently returned the hug, unable to resist twirling her around, she was just a little smaller than him. "You're welcome! Go get them on, and then you can show me wherever we're going." he grinned, Angie running off to go get dressed. And when she emerged, Mickey gave a smile, it perfectly fit, since they'd deduced her measurements were only slightly smaller than him, and there was room to grow into it too. The two headed out of the castle grounds, they were armed so didn't require protection, and they used a carriage to travel, Angie learning how to drive it from Mickey as he gently taught her, the two of them heading into Paris.

Upon their arrival, it was a calm night, there were stars sparkling over the Seine, the water looking as if it had been encrusted with a thousand gems, and they continued to move, Notre Dame's musical bells permeating the silence. "Can we stop here?" Angie asked, some nearby musketeers on night patrol sighting them and Mickey waving them over. "Hey, could you fellas watch the carriage for me?" he asked, and they saluted, Angie taking his hand and leading him toward a ladder. "Where are we going?" he asked, a slight smile on his face as she led him up, it was a little rickety but she went first, testing every step, she'd done this a thousand times. They ended up on the roof of a building, Angie steadying Mickey so he wouldn't fall. "We're going rooftopping! Let me show you my city." she giggled, Mickey looking curious and eager to begin. The two of them walked atop the slated roofs, the buildings were uniform and it was easy to hop from one to the next, and Angie knew the best paths to take from her many escapades. They wandered from roof to roof, Mickey looking down on the sights of people wandering about, the snow was twinkling in the lamplight and they had to occasionally slow to avoid ice, which gave him moments to pause and take in the view. The moon was shining brightly down on the water, and the bridges were illuminated, Mickey spotted couples taking night walks, and sighed. "You know, Angie…" he started, and she turned around to look at him, she was halfway up a drainpipe and just wrapped her legs around it to keep her balance. "Yeah, Mick? Oh, is it okay if I call you Mick?" she giggled, Mickey nodding, and then giving another sigh. "I'm a little worried…what if it goes wrong tomorrow?" he whispered, Angie looking down at him curiously. "It won't. I know it won't." she smiled, Mickey looking up nervously. "How do you know?" he replied, she'd only known them at most a day… "Because I see how much you love each other." she grinned, Mickey going slightly red and giggling softly. "You really think so? We'll be okay even though it's such a…big change?" he whispered, but he could see she had full faith in him. "Truth is…I'm trying to train to be a prince, but just like you today, I feel like everything's going wrong…every time I try to learn something, it feels like there's a thousand more things to learn…I wanna do it for Minnie but I'm so terrified…" he whispered, Angie continuing to perch as he talked, but she didn't notice the drain slowly tilting away from the wall it was attached to. "What if I fail to be a good husband for her…?" he finally spoke, and then the drain clattered, Angie slipping to one side and falling down the roof. "Ahh! Mickey, help!" she squealed, grabbing onto a slat of the house to try not to fall off completely, Mickey jolting out of his trance and diving down toward her, anchoring himself with his feet and managing to grab her hand before she slipped completely. "Gotcha!" he called, pulling her back up and the two steadying themselves. "Phew…" Angie sighed, but she was smiling nonetheless, grateful for Mickey being there for her. They clambered up another route, and came to the highest point in Paris that they could access, where it almost became just them and the stars. "Woah…" Mickey gasped, Angie taking his hand. "I used to live up here once. Back when I first came here, I used to come up here at night to look at them. I used to be the apprentice of an astronomer when I was younger, so I charted all these stars and I can name most of them by heart…" she smiled, Mickey looking curious. She'd mentioned something before about an incident… she sat there dangling her legs and knocking them against the building rhythmically. "...In my town, I lived in Vallée de la Loire. We were happy…I lived with my parents, and my little sister. But the prince there, he wasn't like you. He was evil, and he used to tax us for every penny… I took up my apprenticeship because I wanted to support my family. I was fortunate to be doing something I loved. Most kids weren't so lucky, they either apprenticed under the military or a trade like carpentry. But my teacher, he taught me how to read and write, and all about royal life and their trade routes. I…can teach you." she smiled, Mickey looking extremely surprised, but also feeling incredibly fortunate. He would never have suspected this young thief to be so involved in the happenings of the royal family, but clearly it was essential considering the state of her monarch, from what he was hearing. "You'll…mentor me?" he asked, and she gave a smile. "Of course! Let's start from the beginning." she grinned, and began teaching him all she knew, everything about the monarch lines, the etiquette, the dress code…and a few hours later, Mickey felt far more confident. "Okay…I feel better now… thanks Angie." he smiled, the two holding each others' backs as they headed back to the carriage. Feeling as if they could learn from each other, they piled in, and Angie drove them back, not noticing two figures watching her from afar. "Well, look who's a hotshot now. Can you believe her?" the first one snarked, the second one hissing and raising his fist in the direction of the carriage. "I can believe it…" a third voice spoke, the two jumping and turning, there they were once again, also draped in a cloak. "Little thing was always a pest. But luckily I think we should be clear for now, if my little friends did their jobs right."

Back at the palace, Angie escorted Mickey to his wing of the castle, curtsying and wishing him a good night. He playfully bowed to her, and waved goodbye as he closed the door, Angie realizing she still didn't have a room, so it would be another night down in the cellar. Looking up, she spotted Donald and Goofy talking with Clarabelle upstairs, she looked to be getting their daily reports, and several musketeers wandered the gardens. Daisy approached them, and Angie realized she was still holding her letter, it looked like she had forgotten to deliver it.. "Hey squirt." one of them smiled, she gave him a little wave, clearly they respected her a bit more now with this new uniform. Something caught her ear, though, and she turned to look, there was a scuffling yet again. She heard Antoine's whinny and headed toward him, since she'd changed clothes he probably would have no reason to attack her, if it was something on her wet clothes. There was someone in the shadows, holding some sort of powder, and in the low light she could only just make out the words 'hyperactivity solution'. It made her gasp, realizing this was the culprit that was trying to sabotage Mickey. "Hey! By order of the royal musketeers I order you to stop!" she demanded, pulling out her sword and trying to puff up her chest, but the foe didn't look fazed in the slightest. "Oh, you order ME around now? May I remind you to know your place, brat?" he snarled, Angie's brows furrowing as she recognized the voice, and they stepped into the light. "What are you doing here?! Why are you back?" she demanded, it was the same creature from before, baring its sharp teeth at her, but instead of a tussle it just pushed past her, clambering up one of the pillars and Angie immediately trying to chase it, spotting it running about and clambering on buildings, its shadow dancing about against the lamplight and snow. Trying to discreetly follow, she managed to make her way through town, and found herself down a shady alley. "You're back…about time." a voice echoed. "Evaded a scrawny little brat. She kinda looks like that student that went missing, boss." the creature spoke, several murmurs being passed around. Angie peeped around the corner, in the light they appeared like the guards of Loire, she recognized them at last as weasels, her old mentor used to be hassled by them. But what were they doing in Paris…? "That is inconvenient, but not unexpected from what I saw…I'd assumed she'd have got herself a halo by now, but it seems not. You two know her, eh?" The boss turned to two other figures, the same vandals who were draped in cloth, her rivals. "Yeah, we know her, kinda. She lived at Fel's place for a while, but she had to leave because she couldn't pay her keep." one of them spoke up, the tallest figure scratching their chin. "Interesting…thank you. Now, we all know the plan, yes?" he bent down, everyone crowding around him, and Angie tried getting a bit closer, wanting to know just who was underneath that shroud. She felt her tabard get stuck and gave it a pull, managing to quietly get it free, and snuck behind a barrel. "With that note delivered, we should be on our way to getting what we want. Think about it. First Loire, then Paris under my belt? I'll be the richest toff in all of France, and I'll have a sweet little wife at my side too." the person spoke, Angie narrowing her eyes. She had a suspicion as to who it might be, but she needed to confirm. "What's in it for us?" one of the smaller ruffians spoke up. "Well, you get the spoils you deserve. After all…isn't your brother the one set to become king? The one who ignored you and cast you aside?" the person spoke, Angie putting a hand over her mouth. Mickey had brothers?! Why hadn't he said so?! Maybe…he didn't know? He'd told her he was young when he met Donald and Goofy, perhaps he just couldn't remember much from before that time… the two ruffians finally removed their hoods, there was a bunny and a cat, with white, cartoonish faces and angry, tired expressions, they look just as lost and hungry as she had been just a day earlier. "Yeah…and our sister too. I swear, he just disappeared one day and since then he's become a prince! How is that fair?!" the bunny growled, tapping his foot impatiently, before one of the weasels put his hand over the toon's mouth, making him turn red in fury. "Not so loud, idiot! We don't know who's 'a lurkin'." he spoke, Angie ducking further behind the barrel and keeping watch. The tall figure folded his arms. "Well then there you have it. Your brother abandoned you, became successful and left you in the dust, and is now on his way to marry a princess, something that in all my years should never happen, royals always marry royals! Kingdoms are only as strong as their weakest link you know, and we all know who's a scrawny little link…" the person murmured, Angie balling her fists. How dare they talk about Mickey that way, after he'd shown her so much kindness?! "Well…we've done what we can, for now. Let's hope it pays off…" one of the weasels sighed, the tall figure roughly slapping him on the back. "Have some faith in me, won'tcha? I mean, I've done this whole thing by myself, ha-cha-cha!" And at that moment, Angie's heart felt like it sank like a stone. She knew exactly who was under that shroud, the same prince who had ruined her family and people and led to their demise…Prince Mortimer. She almost gasped aloud, but managed to stay quiet, and then her heart pounded in her chest. He'd said something about a note…oh no, she needed to warn the princess! But as she tried to slip away, some of the weasels discovered that her tabard had snagged, and spotted her trying to run. "Get her!" Mortimer yelled, and the little musketeer was apprehended, and once more in the clutches of the prince who had brought her and her people so much misery.

Back at the palace, Goofy and Donald had informed Clarabelle that the thieves had ceased most of their activity for the night, the few that had been acting up had been quelled by the musketeers, and it was bound to be peaceful before the wedding. They planned to go see the groom, who was currently in his room with Pluto. Donald said he'd seemed a lot more confident after taking an evening off, which made them all smile. Daisy then realized she hadn't given Minnie the letter she'd received, and headed into her room, the boys departing to go see their companion and give him their encouragement and company ahead of the ceremony. Clarabelle was outside, but was then suddenly stunned by the sound of loud, anguished weeping. Daisy exited the room with a quick curtsy, and then slid down the door, Clarabelle approaching her. "I ought to check notes before I give them to her majesty…" she sighed, Clarabelle moving to her side. "What did it say?" she whispered, Daisy looking forlorn. "The wedding's been called off." Clarabelle was stunned. "What?! But…but they said he seemed so…" she gasped, but both of them were stunned to silence when Minnie slammed open the door, her fists shaking as she threw the note to the ground. "Tell Mickey…tell him…!" she sobbed, she couldn't find the words. Daisy rushed to her side, consoling her, but it wasn't enough, the princess was in such a state. "Tell him that…that he can leave forever, then, he's exiled from my castle and my life!" she finally forced out between tears, Clarabelle's heart sinking. Minnie and Daisy walked back into her room, leaving Clarabelle to have to deliver the news. Truth be told, she felt rather angry at Mickey for doing such a thing, but also a sense of unease, it wasn't like the mouse to be so cruel… and for Minnie to be so upset…she picked up the note. "To the princess, unfortunately I will have to call off our wedding. I have found my heart taken by another, and we will be married at dawn. I know this news will come as a shock to you, but don't worry, there's another whose heart you've stolen, and he is more than happy to take my place. He will arrive at the palace tomorrow morning, and the wedding will go ahead as planned. ." Clarabelle frowned, it seemed legitimate, considering what Minnie had said…could it be that his evening off had been for another purpose? But right as she was about to go and see him, she saw a shadow round the corner, and peeked…Mickey had heard everything. There were little tears building in his eyes, and even when he noticed Clarabelle, he looked ashamed, holding his feathered purple hat like a little boy in trouble, as if it was the only thing he had left. "I-I'll go…" he mumbled, welling up and running out the room, and Clarabelle heard his soft sobs as he ran off, which almost broke her heart.

Angie found herself in a prisoners' carriage, her head hurt, had the weasels knocked her out…? Everything felt like it was spinning, but from the location, she deduced she was several hours away from Paris… "Ugh…my head…" she groaned, sitting up, she was shackled and there was very little light, but she made out the snickers of the weasels as they drove the carriage. She glared at them through small slats in the vehicle, but they didn't care, they bantered amongst themselves and left her to feel lonely and miserable. She remembered the first time this had happened, when they'd ransacked and burned her home and taken so many lives, her mentor had fled out of fear for their lives and given her a route to take, one that would lead her to Paris, but though she tried to stay at the home he recommended, she had just been another mouth to feed, and there were people more needy than herself. The Prince had been furious at the villagers not paying him what he demanded, so as punishment he sent retribution to them, in the form of armored guards and pyres that could be seen for miles. With a sigh, she curled up with her head on her knees, and stayed like that for perhaps an hour more, until they finally arrived. She recognized the spires immediately of the Château d'Ussé, it made her heart sink, she'd heard whispers back then of what the Prince did to prisoners, and deep down, despite trying to live up to being a brave musketeer, she was very frightened. "Well we've arrived, girl. Unfortunately, the Prince isn't home right now, so we'll just leave you down here…" One of them roughly pushed her into a cell. It was below ground in an abandoned moat, but it was freezing, especially with all the snow on the ground. "Well, enjoy your stay…you won't be here long, hopefully." one of the weasels remarked, Angie balling her fists and standing up, the room was small and there wasn't a bed, just a cold stone floor and a small slat with a bar that allowed her to see outside. "Won't be long because Mickey and the others will save me! I just know it." she spoke bravely, but one of the weasels rammed into her and knocked her off balance, her hat falling off her head. "No…you won't be here long because you're going to freeze to death down here. And if you don't, we'll do away with you ourselves!" One of them sneered, Angie's confidence faltering and the girl just shuffled toward the corner of the room, she felt small and they could see that, it gave them a rush of power and they all snickered and giggled at her fear. "See you…or not!" And then they closed the door, locking it and leaving her in the darkness, the wind whistling under the door and every surface frozen to the touch. Burying her head, Angie felt so lost, none of her new friends would know where to look, and her family and mentor were all long gone… "Why do I always get my hopes up…?" she whispered to nobody, and then she couldn't hold it in anymore, but luckily the wild wind hid the sound of her sobbing from all ears except her own.

Back at the castle, Minnie was dejectedly brushing her hair in the mirror, fine strokes over and over again. Daisy sat awkwardly in a chair, neither of them knew what to say. "It's just not like him, your majesty…" Daisy tried, but Minnie looked down. "How do you know, Daisy? I thought I knew Mickey but…clearly not!" she shrieked, tears once more falling down her face, which she wiped away with a hankie. Daisy sighed and moved to her side, sitting down on her plush vanity chair beside her, Minnie's reflection looked rather pale and dejected. "Minnie…" Daisy murmured, putting an arm around her best friend, and just allowing her to be held for a while. "Listen…I know I'm borderline loving a chicken, but if there's one thing I know, it's that your heart tells you what's right. When you saw Mickey for the first time, don't you remember how you felt?" she asked, Minnie thinking back. At the time, she'd felt as if she was floating on the softest clouds, butterflies flying around them as they met for the first time, like in a dream, and the way she'd envisioned it had actually given her the inspiration she needed for that custom musketeer outfit they'd had tailored for Angie. Minnie sighed, feeling her heart warm at the memory, but it soon grew cold again at what she felt she'd lost, and she reached for that heart locket, opening it up. "Follow my heart, hmm…?" she whispered, standing up and Daisy letting her hand fall away from her gently, knowing her princess needed some time to think, but trusting her to do what was right. And outside, playing a mandolin, a small turtle serenaded her with a song to guide her way, a song of eternal love. As the music echoed through the empty training grounds, Minnie glanced down at the locket, the Mickey she knew would never stand her up, or give her a replacement, the idea was downright wrong! In the moonlight, it almost looked as if the portrait's eyes were sparkling with a million stars, and Minnie looked up, asking the stars silently for a sign as to what to do, she still loved Mickey deep down, and exiling him felt so wrong… and then, a little star shone over a particular tree, where a small mouse was sitting sorrowfully on a marble bench. Minnie felt tears brimming. "Mickey…?" she softly whispered, the mouse turning and hastily wiping his eyes, he jumped up and tried to move back. "Y-your majesty! I-I…I can go if you…" he stammered, but she moved toward him, taking his hands in her own. "Mickey…we need to talk." she spoke, leading him to sit down beside her. Mickey's heart thumped in his chest, but Minnie looked calmer, she looked like she knew what she wanted to say. "From the day we met, Mickey, you've filled my life with sunshine. You make every single day beautiful in your own unique way, and you always find little ways to make me smile. But I also know how scared you've been…" she admitted, Mickey looking down shamefully. "I didn't want to admit it…but I was scared. Being a prince is a big responsibility, I'm up for the challenge but…whenever I think about it my heart clenches and I feel shaky. Most of all…I'm scared I'll disappoint you." he whispered, Minnie feeling as if she now understood his line of thinking. "I see…" she sighed, taking one of his hands in her own and feeling how it shook, he was scared even now. "I had a friend talk some sense into me… Angie told me she saw how much we loved each other, and that everything would be fine simply because of that. But…if you're having second thoughts, I understand." he spoke, Minnie blinking for a moment. "Second thoughts…? What do you mean?" she whispered, Mickey looking equally as stunned. "I-I heard you call off the wedding…" he replied, Minnie blinking in surprise. "But you sent me that note calling it off first, mister!" she retorted, Mickey's eyes opening wide. "What note…?" he gaped, and both of them stared at each other, there was genuine puzzlement on both of their faces. "Mickey…can you do me a favour?" Minnie whispered, pulling out a little notepad and pen. "Anything…" he replied, Minnie handing him the supplies. "Write our names for me. I want to check something." she commanded, Mickey obediently writing their names together and cheekily putting them in a little heart with an arrow. It was just as Minnie had suspected…a forgery! "Mickey, we've been tricked…I-I…" she gasped, realizing he'd heard her outburst earlier and welling up. "I'm so sorry, my dear…" she whispered, opening her arms for him to fall into them. He couldn't help but cry, but they were tears of relief. "I'm sorry too, I'm sorry I doubted our love…! Deep down, all I've wanted since we met is to be with you, even despite how scary it all felt, but…most of anything in the world, I love you!" he proclaimed, Minnie feeling her cheeks flush and the two holding each other. "I think I owe Angie my thanks again…let's go find her, and find whoever's trying to break us two apart!" he declared, the two standing and Mickey twirling Minnie around for a moment, before they ran into the castle cellar, looking for Angie. "Angie! Where are ya, pal?" he called, cringing and realizing he hadn't exactly considered giving her a new sleeping arrangement yet, but…oh, whatever! Now wasn't the time to be worrying about that…but he couldn't help but notice how empty the cellar seemed, it looked frozen over, and there were no signs of life. "Angie…?" Minnie called, the two heading back inside, hand in hand. "Mickey! There you are lil fella, we were lookin' all over!" Goofy hollered, before both himself and Donald realized who he was holding hands with. "Hey, I thought you said you aren't meant to see her the night before!" Donald frowned, Mickey giving a little smile and realizing that's all they were concerned with, it made him feel a bit more normal about the whole thing. "Fellas, have any of you seen Angie?" he asked, both of them thinking back. "Not since this mornin', you were last with her Mick…" Goofy pondered, Clarabelle moving through the halls and hearing their voices, with Daisy trailing behind her. "Your majesty…a-and Mickey!" Daisy gasped, Minnie turning with a soft smile on her face. "Daisy…thank you for your help. My heart knows exactly what it wants…right here." she whispered, touching the locket and gazing at Mickey, who brightened up and flushed slightly. "So…wait, what's going on exactly?" Daisy asked, Minnie bringing them all into a circle. "There's a situation on our hands. Someone's been trying to destroy my wedding!" she grimaced, everyone looking attentive to her words. "They sent me a forged note from Mickey, but it wasn't really him, the handwriting's different!" she continued, before something dawned on her. "Hey…I received a note the other night too, about going to the Seine…" she mused, Donald perking up. "But the Seine's got lots of bad guys around it!" he chimed, Mickey putting a hand to his chin. "And speaking of bad guys…my stuff was tampered with, fellas. Someone painted a wooden sword silver and stashed it in my belongings, Antoine's water was laced with something making him act all erratic, and the mat I use to train was stuffed with feathers!" he explained, a lightbulb appearing in Clarabelle's mind. "No wonder Angie wasn't able to train up, she was using your sabotaged stuff!" she gasped, Mickey nodding. "And…Angie also gave me the letter tonight. I doubt she's behind this, but maybe she saw the culprit?" Daisy offered, Mickey looking down. "Only one issue…we can't find her." he gulped, everyone getting an idea of what this might mean. "S-so there's a bad guy trying to ruin your wedding…?" Goofy asked, Mickey nodding to confirm. "We gotta find a way to stop 'em, but for that we need everyone, including Angie. Let's go looking for her!" he declared, everyone suiting up and wrapping in multiple layers due to the fallen snow. A couple kindly musketeers explained they'd seen her heading out toward town in a hurry, so they had a lead, at least, and took the carriage together, with some extra musketeers for backup just in case.

Reaching the center of Paris, it was alive with talk about the impending matrimony, and Daisy and Clarabelle shielded Minnie from recognition, Donald and Goofy doing the same for Mickey. They decided to search in groups, and the boys wandered around an alley where someone had mentioned sighting her, and discovered a bit of ripped tabard. "Fellas, she was here, see!" Mickey gasped, the colour was so unique to her that it would be easy for any of them to recognize. Out of the shadows, two people suddenly stepped, dressed in rags. "Oh, so you've come where you're not wanted." one of them snarked, Mickey perking up and drawing his sword. "Who's there?! Where's Angie?!" he demanded, but the figure looked rather nonchalant, whilst the other growled lowly. "Nobody you care about, round ears. And your little hotshot friend? She's long gone." he spoke, Mickey narrowing his eyes. "Of course I care to know who you are, you clearly know where my friend is…" he grumbled, the nonchalant figure sighing. "If you must know…" he spoke, he looked as if he was sulking, but removed his hood, revealing bunny ears. Something stirred in Mickey's mind, he remembered something from long ago, before he'd met Donald and Goofy, he'd been running from the beagle boys with a rabbit, but had lost his way… "O-Oswald…?" he gasped, Oswald looking a bit taken aback that Mickey even remembered him. "Yeah, that's me. And over there? Julius. Felicity's at home, she's taking care of the kids you never bothered to ask about, your nephews!" he yelled rather loudly, as if taking out anger toward Mickey that the mouse wasn't sure he deserved, at least not fully. "O-Oswald…! I-I…" he stammered, but the bunny folded his arms. "Don't wanna hear sorry or whatever. Just crawl back to wherever you came from, royal pain." he snarked, Mickey wringing his hands. "That's the thing…someone's trying to sabotage my wedding…I need to find my friend because I think she'll know who!" he stammered, Oswald blinking in surprise, but not looking like he wanted to dish out any information. Mickey sighed, and stepped toward his brother. "Oswald…you don't have to believe me, but back then, when I was little? I think I hit my head when we were running, I got lost and by the time I woke up, these two found me. It was a blur…but it all came back when I saw ya, and I remembered how…how much I loved you." he smiled, Oswald's ears drooping at the words, they touched his heart deeply, even if he didn't want to admit it. Mickey saw the effect they were having, though, and Julius was listening too, even if he was silent. Reaching forward, Mickey held out his hands for the rabbit, who put his own in his, the two holding hands for the first time in many, many decades. "Oswald…you must've thought I abandoned you… but…I genuinely barely remembered a thing. But now I do…I'm sorry…" Mickey wept, Oswald feeling tears building in his eyes and leaning down to nuzzle his brother's forehead. "I-If that's true…then I can't hate you. I never forgot how it felt to love you too, Mick." he whispered, Mickey smiling slightly and wiping his tears away, Julius moving up to him and putting his head under Mickey's arm, nuzzling him and purring. "Felicity's just down here too, as well as Fanny, Julius's girlfriend, and my wife Ortensia, and all our kids…you gotta meet them!" Oswald cheered, he seemed far more enthusiastic and understanding now that he knew the truth, but something was pressing in Mickey's mind. "First, I gotta find Angie…" he spoke, guilt washing over Oswald's face. "Oh…oh no…" he whispered, Mickey looking shocked at the change in Oswald's tone, but the rabbit took a breath, trying to clear his head. "Mickey…I've done somethin' awful… since I thought you abandoned me, I teamed up with this guy, he's a prince from Loire who wanted Minnie for himself… it sounded so selfish but I thought if I worked for him, I'd have a chance to knock you down a peg. But…in doing so, your friend got caught up in this mess, and now she's all the way in Loire!" he groaned, throwing his head against Mickey's chest, who merely patted it, but he became determined. "We gotta find her, then. Do you know the way?" he asked, Oswald nodding. "Julius, can you drive?" he turned, the cat saluting and Mickey leading them to a carriage, the musketeers looking a bit suspicious but not questioning it. As the girls came back, Mickey filled them in on what he'd found out, and introduced them to his brothers, Oswald kissing Minnie's hand and wishing her luck in the ceremony tomorrow, joking this probably wasn't what she had in mind the night before the wedding.

As the night moved onward, Oswald explained the situation with Mortimer, Mickey deducing this was the same prince Angie had spoken about, the one who had ruined her town. Minnie easily deduced it was out of a desire for wealth that he was motivated, but was confused as to how he'd entered her palace, Oswald explaining this was the weasels under his command, they were the guards of the Vallée de la Loire. And finally, they reached the Château d'Ussé, the grounds were expansive and large, so they split into three groups- three musketeers, two vandals, and a princess and her regents, all searching various areas of the grounds. They snuck by the weasels, who were playing cards around a campfire, it really was freezing, so one could only hope Angie might be bundled up and warm, though they doubted it, especially with the likelihood her tabard was a little ripped. Mickey clutched the fabric in his hand tight. If this was anything like his experience at Mont Saint-Michel, time was the thing they needed most, but which they were quickly running out of. There was a sound, though, the sound of a mandolin heading away and a shadow going round a corner, something that grabbed all their attention, and following it, the three musketeers were led to the unused moat, where there was an odd little gap in the wall amid the snow. Calling the others over, Oswald used his paws to make a hole, and discovered it was a door, likely for a prison cell, an entrance obscured by the door. Despite pulling at it, though, the door was frozen shut, and he instead created a bigger entrance, allowing them all to take turns trying to open it. Julius, though, had an idea and scratched at it with his claws over and over, finally ripping a hole big enough that Mickey could squeeze through… but he wasn't prepared for what he saw. There, in the corner of the cell, her hat fallen over her face, was Angie. He didn't know in the moment if she was even alive, but she looked awful, her hands were like ice themselves, and he threw her over his shoulders, the group managing to flee the castle before anyone saw them, and taking the carriage back to Paris, where Mickey held her in his arms the entire time, the sun rising over a new day… a new wedding day.

Angie groaned slightly as she woke up, there was something warm on her head, and someone was holding her hand…she was under a soft sheet, and there were kind eyes looking down at her. "M-Mickey…?" she whispered, the little mouse almost looking teary at seeing her awake again, he nodded silently with a soft smile. "It's me…you're home." he whispered, Angie's mind flooded with the memories of what happened. "H-how did you…but Mortimer and…!" he shushed her, though, and shook his head. "We figured it out, thanks to how you'd accidentally given us so many clues…and we have a plan. What about we play the rat at his own game?" he offered, Angie getting an idea of what this might mean and giving a grin. Someone entered the room, he was dressed in a blue tunic, and accompanied by a taller mouse with fluffy fur and wearing a yellow gown, and a small green cat at her side. "Oh, and Angie…? These are my brothers, Oswald and Julius, and this is…" "Felicity!" she grinned, Felicity giving her a smile and gently moving to caress her cheek. "Hello sweetheart…I'm sorry I had to turn you away, Morty and Ferdie and the bunny children…" she fretted, but Angie shook her head, there was understanding in her eyes. "Don't worry…I found my way, and it seems like I helped you find yours, too." she lightly giggled, Mickey rubbing her palm. "I couldn't have done it without you…I don't know how I can repay you." he whispered, Angie just shaking her head. "Let's just deal with the elephant in the room first, or rather the rat in the castle." she smirked, Mickey nodding and turning to Minnie, who was standing in the doorway now. "Hey…remember what happened at the Opera?" he grinned, and Minnie immediately knew what he was referring to, matching his grin and running off to grab what they needed.

Mortimer paced around the castle grounds, avoiding suspicion from the musketeers by swaggering around and acting like he knew the place, despite the fact he'd never been there before or even seen the princess who dwelt there, it was just really convenient that himself and her prince had the same last name, so forgery was simple. By now, that meddling little astronomer musketeer whatever you call her should be a popsicle, so he was well on his way…and until one of the musketeers cleared his throat he hadn't realized he'd been talking aloud…oops. Trying to avoid embarrassing himself further, he slicked back his fur and prepared to meet the princess. Daisy appeared first, and then a little princess. She had those familiar ears, a crown atop her head and a pink dress, but oddly enough, she was wearing…glasses? Odd, but… Mortimer bowed down and reached out to kiss her gloved hand, it made her recoil slightly, but it mattered not. "I presume you are the princess of this castle?" he asked, the princess doing a delicate curtsy and nodding to confirm. "Yes, it is I." she spoke, she had quite a high voice, perhaps it was just nerves. "Well…y-your prince told me that you need a replacement husband…we can definitely work somethin' out, I mean, wasn't he just a commoner?" The princess's fist tightened slightly, but her lady-in-waiting put a hand on her shoulder, keeping her calm. "Yes…you are right. What is your name?" she spoke, through gritted teeth. "Ha-cha-cha, so glad you finally asked…Prince Mortimer. I'm from the Château d'Ussé." he grinned, the princess hardly looking amused. "How…nice." she spoke dryly, Mortimer looking puzzled as to why she wasn't basking in his greatness. "Well…Mortimer, so you clearly know of my…former partner. But let's talk about you. What can you offer my kingdom?" she spoke, Mortimer grinning. "Oh, so many things! I have guards, my weasels are the best in town, and I've got…many loyal subjects." he spoke, the princess turning to stare at him. "That's funny…I've never heard anyone talk about you. Are you sure you're not a commoner…?" she retorted, Mortimer looking infuriated. "Listen here you little runt! I'm a prince like it or not, and I will have my right to marry a princess. I can do far better than that little pest you were gonna call a husband, and if it wasn't for my notes you'd still be marrying him!" he roared, before catching himself. The princess raised an eyebrow. "Notes, Prince Mortimer?" she inquired, Mortimer gulping. He'd done it now. And with a smile, Daisy pulled open the seams of the outfit and took off the ear hat, revealing it was Angie the entire time, in a newly repaired musketeer outfit. "Hello there, hoity toity!" she giggled, quickly rushing around him and grabbing both his wrists in handcuffs. "Oi! Oh, you stupid little pest, always meddling in my plans!" he roared, but Angie was undeterred. "I ruined that old family of yours, kid, I can ruin this one…no, I'll ruin all of Paris, and nobody will stop me!" he cried, before three swords were pointed up at him, and Mickey stepped forward with Donald and Goofy, and Pluto at his heel, Oswald, Julius and Felicity also standing by. The royal musketeers also appeared, and then Minnie and Clarabelle at the top of the stairs, the latter giving a smile. "Guards…apprehend him. Put him and his lil weasels in the same cell as Pete." she chuckled, Mortimer trying to wriggle out of the grasp of the handcuffs, but Angie was holding fast, and soon he was carted off. As the dust settled, everyone burst into cheers, Mickey and Minnie sandwiching their new little musketeer between them as they hugged, and she hugged them both, so glad to have a place she could call her home again.

As the evening rolled around, everyone got spiffed up, and Mickey and Minnie made a vow not to see each other at dinner instead, so he ate it upstairs with Angie, who had made herself presentable for the ceremony, Donald and Goofy also joining them in their various conversations. Felicity had brought in Ortensia and Fanny to help her downstairs, and the three of them were trying to keep the various children away from the treats that the caterers had laid out, whilst Oswald and Julius were giving statements to the musketeers about Mortimer and receiving a formal pardon from Clarabelle. Daisy was upstairs with Minnie, putting her in her beautiful wedding dress, which was lined with roses, and put the sparkling veil over her face, giving her a hug and growing teary at how beautiful her best friend looked. And as guests piled in, and the ceremony commenced, Angie took her place in the pew, giving a warm smile to Mickey as he stood there, waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle. There was a chorus of 'oohs' and 'aahs' as she appeared, being walked down by none other than her best friend, whilst Donald and Goofy stood by as best men respectively. All Mickey's nephews and nieces cheered for their uncle, and Clarabelle rang the bells at the culmination, when both mice finally shared a kiss and sealed themselves forever in holy matrimony, a sight that left no eye dry in the entire cathedral of Versailles.

As the day came to a close, Angie wandered about, occasionally patrolling to check for threats, but for the most part she was just enjoying her happiness before she went to bed. Mickey had informed her that the room she'd recovered in would now be her permanent bedroom, and Daisy had offered to take her out the next day to find some clothes to better suit her new position. She wondered what that position might be, she was already training up as a musketeer, but it made her curious. She turned upon hearing footsteps, and spotted Mickey, his face covered in lipstick from Minnie, clearly. He was dressed in a formal white suit, a little rose tucked into the pocket, and sighed contentedly, before noticing her and giving a wave, Angie walking over to him. "Pal…today's just been such a dream. Yeah it started off rough n' all…but I got a family back that I didn't know I had, I married the girl of my dreams, and I think I'm ready to be a prince, really ready!" he cheered, picking up Angie and twirling her around in his arms, which made her giggle. "Are most people asleep?" she asked, Mickey nodding. "A lot of 'em. Donald and Goofy headed out with Daisy and Clarabelle for a bit, they're taking Pluto for a walk and wanted to spend some time together. My siblings are all getting situated, we're giving them rooms near yours, so hopefully the 420 bunny children won't wake ya!" he smiled, before taking her hand in his own. "I have just two little questions for ya, pal." he began, Angie tilting her head in curiosity. "One…will you take up a role for me? I've been meaning to ask this but with Mortimer earlier I got a little sidetracked. We didn't just get you a different uniform because of you being a girl or somethin', but rather…would you be our personal guard? We wanted to give you something that matched us, but it'd let you go on trips with us and keep us safe, since you have a knack for getting us out of messes!" he giggled, Angie's face lighting up. "Of course! I'd love to, thank you!" she grinned, once more giving him a hug as he spun her round and round till they were both dizzy. She then perked up. "What was your second question, Mick?" and he went a little pink, he had a sweet smile on his face. "I was wondering… would you like to dance with me? I've had my dances with everyone else, but since I couldn't find you, how about we have a little dance of our own?" He offered, and she gladly accepted, as a mandolin began to play. The two had a little waltz through the halls, prince and bodyguard, though they were much like siblings now, they both had so much in common and cared for each other, and could learn many things from teaching each other, as brand new journeys began for them both, and both were so excited to begin.

And thus, as the music of the mandolin slowed, and the two of them headed to bed, Mickey shared a kiss with his new wife, now prince and princess of France together, and a new royal musketeer smiled as she hung up her uniform, looking out at the stars and feeling as if her mentor and family from before were proud of her, and feeling so grateful now that she had a brand new one.

The End.