Siroc was worried. A strong breeze blew dust and sand into his eyes, but he managed to keep his attention on the newly built flying machine. It was a smaller version of the one he and the others had tested when they first met Jacqueline, but it was modified to ride the wind current. This was his day to prove to Louie that man could indeed fly; he just needed a model to impress his highness so that he could receive the necessary funds for his new project. Small twigs and leaves began flying into his face, causing him more concern. His calculations were correct. He predicted that it would be a windy day, but he never anticipated the fact the winds would be so strong.

He looked out into the field, judging how far the machine would fly before it would descend. He nervously looked around at the small crowd that had gathered to watch him. D'Artagnan and Jacqueline were waving to him, giving him encouraging smiles and nods. When Jacqueline was done waving, she placed her hand on her growing belly and smiled to d'Artagnan. The soon-to-be-father placed his hand over hers and whispered something in her ear making her laugh.

Siroc took his mind off of his flying invention for a moment. So much had happened in a short amount of time that he couldn't help but wonder how his life would be if things happened differently. His eyes met Jacqueline's, and he knew that as a lover she was lost to him, but never as a friend. He returned her smile, letting go of more feelings.

"Amigo!" yelled Ramon, catching his attention. "It is a sin, to worry about the wind, so just bear it, with a grin!" Ramon raised his fist in the air triumphantly, and Siroc could only think that it was meant to be an encouraging gesture.

Siroc looked further down the line. Louie was comfortably seated in between two ushers, but his wig could barely sit still. "I apologize for the horrible weather, your highness!" Siroc shouted to Louie when he heard the young king yelp, keeping his hands on his head.

Louie cupped one hand around his mouth. "Please, Siroc, if you could get this demonstration over with, I would greatly appreciate it!" he shouted back.

Siroc nodded and looked down at the small flying machine. It was connected to what he liked to call a "sling shooter" that was intended to shoot the machine high into the air where it was to ride the wind current. He began to panic when the wind picked up once more, blowing over some of the small encampments in the field and startling the horses.

He said a small prayer to God, and pulled back on the lever. In a second, the machine was launched in to the air. He heard the crowd cry out in surprise when it stayed high above their heads. It caught the perfect current and was soaring gracefully. He felt a swell of pride and joy in him and shouted out a cry of victory. Louie stood to watch the machine take flight, and then he jumped up and down clapping his hands in delight. D'Artagnan and Ramon ran to him and patted him on the back, congratulating him.

"I told you it would happen!" Ramon laughed.

"See?" d'Artagnan followed. "And here you were worried."

Siroc smiled and looked up, but then a great gust of wind came in from a different direction. The flying machine was veering off course, and it began flying over the trees to the east. "Oh no no no no," Siroc muttered in worry, watching his machine about to disappear over the maze of trees. He couldn't lose it now. That model was the only one he had, and it had taken him months to perfect it.

He ran to one of the horses and mounted it, quickly grabbing the reins. D'Artagnan and Ramon were right behind him, and it was very reminiscent of the times they had to ride off to defeat Mazarin or save the citizens of France. He took off with alarming speed, his eyes never leaving his target. He heard Jacqueline call after them, but he pushed her voice from his mind. From the corners of his eyes, he could see two more mares riding beside him. Though he was panicked, d'Artagnan and Ramon were laughing and cheering like small boys. He looked at them as though they were crazy, but the longer he saw their smiling faces, the more he himself felt like smiling.

Again, he was placed in an extraordinary situation, and there was nothing left to do but laugh. The moment the corners of mouth turned up, he felt the burden lift from his chest. He began laughing with the other two, finally understanding how silly he had been acting over the last few weeks. He had taken this project very seriously, so he had forgotten what it was like to be surrounded by friends. Here were three grown men chasing after pieces of wood and metal that were flying overhead in the middle of the woods.

"I see it!" d'Artagnan shouted. He pointed to the right, and Siroc could see his beloved invention flying toward a bridge that crossed over a wide wild river. There was a woman casually riding across the bridge, oblivious to the machine flying straight to her.

"Watch out!" Siroc yelled. "Duck!"

He watched in horror as the flying machine barely missed the brown mare slamming into the side of the bridge. The mare neighed in fear and threw its rider into the river. Siroc rode up to the bank of the river, jumped from his saddle, and plunged into the river. When the bubbles cleared from his vision, he could see the young woman struggling to swim to the surface. It looked as though her dress was weighing her down. He swam to her, and wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and used all of his strength to lift her. The current was strong, but he managed to get her to break surface. Both of them gasped for air, but he kept a firm grasp on her. He saw d'Artagnan and Ramon holding onto to each other, forming a human chain. Ramon held his hand out.

"Siroc!" he yelled.

Siroc stretched as far as he could to reach for Ramon. If he missed his chance, both he and the woman could be taken further downstream, or possibly dragged under. He felt his muscles tighten, burning painfully. Now that his hand was outstretched, he realized how cold the water felt. He immediately thought of the young woman that clung to him for life. 'She must be freezing. I have to get her out of here!' he thought. With a final burst of energy, he reached out and felt Ramon grab onto his arm.

D'Artagnan and Ramon pulled both of them easily on the bank. Siroc kept his grasp on the woman, still thinking that if he were to let go, she'd slip away and be drowned. It took him a few moments to realize he was lying on his back, and the woman was lying on top of his chest. Gently, he let go of her waist, and she pushed herself up, coughing up water.

He wiped the water from his face, combing his hair back in an attempt to keep his vision clear. He lightly patted her back, fearing she may have swallowed too much water. "Mademoiselle, are you hurt?" he asked. She kept her head down, trying to catch her breath. When she lifted her face to meet his, he felt his own breath slip away. She had honey colored eyes, and a heart shaped face. Though she was completely drenched, he could tell she had a brilliant shade of sun-kissed hair.

"I… am fine, mousier," she said with a nervous smile, shivering slightly. She looked to d'Artagnan and Ramon. "I am much obliged. Thank you, gentlemen."

"Of course," d'Artagnan said with a small bow. He nudged Ramon, and they both glanced at each other then slowly backed away.

"I will see if I can regain your steed, my lady, "Ramon said, before turning to walk to the bridge.

Siroc swiftly stood to his feet wiping the wet dirt from his hand onto his pants before offering her help. "I beg your forgiveness, mademoiselle. It's my fault that you almost drowned." He kept his head bowed low, but to his surprise she laughed.

"Well, I suppose I could forgive you. It is every woman's dream to be rescued by a musketeer," she said, smiling sweetly. Her smiled faded when she looked down at her yellow spring dress. She was covered in mud and grass, and small pebbles stuck to her arms. "I must look awful…" she said, trying to wring out the water from her dress.

He didn't think to stop himself. "Actually, I think you look… quite nice," Siroc said. "Beautiful even." He closed his mouth, unable to believe that the words had come out so easily. She looked at him in surprise, and he suddenly felt foolish. "I'm sorry… I am not normally so forward…"

"No, no," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's quite… flattering. What is your name, musketeer?"

"Siroc," he answered with another bow.

She stepped back and gracefully curtsied. "Adela," she said. "I'm staying with my cousin, looking for work in the city." She turned when she heard d'Artagnan and Ramon returning with her horse and his flying machine. "How odd," she said, studying the broken pieces of wood. "How is it that it was flying as though it were a bird?"

Siroc flushed with embarrassment. "It is actually a complicated procedure. I'm sure it would be boring to you…," he said, stuttering a bit. He saw Adela consider the machine once more before deciding to mount her horse. He helped her with the reins once she was stable.

"I will be helping my cousin at a restaurant called Café Nouveau," Adela said. "Do you know of it?"

Siroc was lost in her eyes, and didn't answer her right away. Her hand brushed his when he handed her the reins, and he felt his heart flutter. He felt d'Artagnan smack in him on the shoulder. "Yes, he knows of it," d'Artagnan answered, stepping in. "We frequent the place quite often."

Adela smiled again. "Perhaps, you won't mind visiting me to tell me about your invention?" she asked.

All he could think about was how radiant her smile was. He felt another smack on his other shoulder when he didn't answer. "Of course," Ramon said. "He'd be happy to."

Adela laughed and placed her hand on the back his neck. Gently she pulled him forward, and bent to kiss his forehead. Her kiss was warm against his cool skin, and it was very tender and kind. "My thanks, musketeer. I'll be looking forward to your visits." She nodded her thanks to d'Artagnan and Ramon, then rode off.

He watched her ride, completely captivated by her. D'Artagnan and Ramon began teasing him, lightly shoving him back and forth. "Perhaps, you should invent a second mouth," Ramon said and began walking back to their horses.

"Ramon, go easy on him," d'Artagnan said. "The man clearly doesn't know when a woman is interested in him. You have to ease him into the process." D'Artagnan wrapped his around Siroc's shoulders, bringing their heads close together. "You do know she was interested, right?"

Siroc was still a bit dazed, but he heard every word from their mouths. He still watched her riding away till she was a small spot on the horizon. Science couldn't explain what he felt for Jacqueline and it certainly wouldn't explain how his nerves were jumping around in his body. He heard Ramon riding up with their horses, but he still kept his gaze ahead.

"Siroc," Ramon said, teasingly. "Are you ready to go?"

He felt liberated. For the first time in months, he felt like he could smile without burden. He didn't even care about his partially destroyed machine. He lost something, but what he received had by far a greater value. "Yeah," he said. "And you know what? I think later in the evening, I'm going to go for some coffee."