Chapter 1. Paris

Seventeen year old Corinne D'Artagnan looked up at the palace in awe. Today was the day. She'd been training her whole life for this.

The day she would finally become a musketeer.

Her father had been a great musketeer. He would come home with stories of adventure and daring rescues and sword fights. Corinne would sit in his lap and listen, or they would fence with the ends of broomsticks, laughing wildly when they would accidentally break. He taught her everything she knew and she hoped to make him proud by following in his footsteps.

She took a deep breath and confidently strode into the captain of the musketeers office.

...

Unbelievable! Corinne stomped through the castle gardens. Her meeting with Monsieur Treville had not gone as she'd expected. Her training was good, he had said, but not good enough. Besides, there simply were no female musketeers.

Besides his skills with a blade, another thing Corinne had inherited from her father was his temper. She trampled flowers as she fumed, crushing lilacs and daffodils under her feet. She was about to turn on the rose bush when a plump, red-haired woman caught her by the arm and dragged her inside.

"You," she spat, "you are late."

"Uh, pardon?"

"Are you not my new maid?"

"Maid?" Corinne asked incredulously "I came here to be a musketeer."

The woman laughed. "There are no female musketeers. Now, do you want a job or not?"

Corinne's blood boiled. How dare this woman speak to her that way! She opened her mouth to decline, then quickly shut it. She could go back to the farm; her mother would welcome her with open arms. Or she could stay in Paris and fight. She wasn't going to give up that easily. She would be a musketeer.

"Well?" The woman's foot tapped against the tile.

"Yes, Madame. I accept."

"Excellent. Come with me."

Neither woman noticed the figure watching silently from inside the far wall. His brown eyes burned with intrigue as he recalled the blonde girl's words.

"I came here to be a musketeer."

With a flourish of his cape, he descended into darkness.

...

Written for Spirit Ella's birthday, so Happy Birthday, Spirit Ella! (Even if I am like 6 months late.) This chapter is kind of short and not a lot happens, but just you wait. I have an awesome storyline planned out. Hope you enjoy! Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.