Everything's Not Lost by Shadowgirl416

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I am not making any profit writing this. This is for pure entertainment.

This fic is a crossover between two Barbie movies: Barbie and The Three Musketeers and Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper.

*Note: Not all characters will appear in this first chapter - and about the grammar, you have been warned several times already ;) I really do my best. Also, my laptop's kind of broken right now and it has been doing really crazy things when I'm writing so please forgive me if there is something way too stupidly written around here - I'm going to get it fixed as soon as I can.

Prologue:

The battle was over.

Philippe, his accomplices and his dog were all arrested, now on their way to prison.

Louis couldn't feel any more betrayed; his own cousin, the man he had always seen like a father, had tried to kill him. And if it wasn't for a certain lady, Philippe would have succeeded. And of course he had to give credit to the other girls that helped, without them his cousin's malefic plan would have worked out perfectly.

As the carriage that held those vicious and treacherous beings faded in the distance, Louis turned when he heard several people walking closer to where he and Monsieur Treville were standing.

Four masked ladies stood in front of him; one wearing turquoise, next to her one wearing purple, the other one dressed in light blue and the last one – the one he instantly recognized as Lady Barbeque - wearing pink.

Louis had spent all night trying to figure out who she was; how many times he repented on doing a masquerade-ball for his birthday party! Since he saw that blonde girl at his ball, just when her bright blue eyes met his, he knew he had seen her before. But he really couldn't remember where or when. And now that the other girls who cooperated to defeat Philippe's men were there too, he couldn't hold it any longer, he had to know. "I want to see the faces of my rescuers." Said the Prince, causing all four girls to look at each other. They seemed to have mentally agreed to allow their identities to be revealed as they all lifted their arms to take their masks off.

Louis was baffled when he realized he actually knew these girls, the one wearing turquoise was Aramina, she was one of his cleaning ladies, the other wearing purple was Viveca, also a maid of his, the next girl who was wearing light blue was Renée – another woman he had seen cleaning his castle with the other girls! And when he saw the face of the last one – the one he had been craving to know who she really was - he was completely astonished.

Corinne, another of the young women who worked in the castle – but, she wasn't just an employee like the other girls. Corinne had saved his life. She had been there when that chandelier almost fell on top of him; moments ago he had met her, and that was the first time he had ever felt paralyzed and captivated by a pair of blue eyes.

Louis ignored what he had felt; she had pretty eyes, so what? No big deal, he thought. However, when his hot-air balloon experiment went wrong, his brown eyes found those beautiful blue ones again. It was almost calming, almost as if they hypnotized him. And then, he messed everything up. After he discovered they had so much in common, after the connection they had made became so strong in such short time, he made fun of her. That beautiful pair of blue eyes glared at him, and it was the first time he had ever felt ashamed and sorry for something he had said. He was the Prince; he could laugh and tease anyone he wanted. Yet, his heart squirmed when Corinne walked away from him – a mixture of anger and pain on her face. And now, those eyes were piercing his own again.

Corinne had saved him, once again. Even when he thought that woman was really called Lady Barbecue, even when it never crossed his mind that she could be anyone he already knew – he just found out she was the same girl who stole his attention since he first met her.

Louis almost gasped as Corinne smiled and then grinned at him. "Co-rinne?" he said, and she almost thought he was nervous to face her.

And when the blonde woman was about to respond, a redheaded woman walked in. She gasped when she saw the girls, "You!" she shouted, pointing at Corinne – whose grin rapidly morphed into a worried look.

She instantly turned to face Renée, knowing that this pleasant moment was about to be ruined by no other than the woman who had fired them.

Madame de Bossé looked at Louis, "Your highness," She politely started, turning to face the four girls again, her tone turning brute and rude. "Those girls have been banned from the castle." She said, all of them frowned.

Louis faced the blonde woman, "Is this true Corinne?" he asked, his voice sounded as if he was shocked to hear this.

Corinne placed her hands on her hips, trying to put on a brave and bold pose – but she failed, she couldn't lie to him. So, her arms dropped in defeat and looking at him with embarrassment, she nodded. "Yes, your highness." She replied.

Monsieur Treville looked at him; Louis eyed the girls as he said: "Then this is a serious offense." His gaze stopping at Corinne once again.

Madame de Bossé added, "Arrest them immediately!" as she pointed at the girls once more.

Louis scowled, "After what you've done, you girls don't belong at the castle," he said as he shook his head. Corinne, Viveca, Aramina and Renée's expressions saddened; after all they have done they still weren't allowed in the palace. They had lost their job just to save the prince; and still, they weren't being rewarded like they knew they disserved.

Monsieur Treville placed a hand on Louis's shoulder, "You girls don't belong at the castle anymore," repeated the white-haired man, "After you proved yourselves to us, you've all won my respect and admiration." Yeah, that was something – but it wasn't going to get their jobs back or get them a new one either. And after Treville looked at Louis again, they both smiled simultaneously, "Your place is with the musketeers." He finished as the nagging redhead gasped.

The girls felt lightheaded for a moment – Musketeers, he said?

They just couldn't process all of those emotions at once… or where their ears deceiving them? Was Treville fooling around with them?

They looked at each other; confusion was the only thing they all saw in the other's eyes. Neither of them could believe what he had just said. And after what they felt where thousands of minutes, they looked at the pair of grinning men in front of them.

Viveca was the one who managed to speak, "Musketeers, you said?" she asked.

And Louis and Monsieur Treville chuckled, "That is correct." He simply replied, smiling at them. Madame de Bossé walked away.

And with that, the group of women gasped with joy. And looking at each other again they shrieked, as they walked closer to embrace.

Their dream was about to come true, they were going to be the first female musketeers ever!

And after they separated, they went to hug both Monsieur Treville and Louis – thanking them for making this possible.

The white haired man smiled, "Just be here tomorrow for the Prince's coronation, and don't be late." And with that, he walked away as well.

Viveca, Aramina and Renée waved at him as they waited for Prince Louis to release Corinne from his embrace. The trio giggled, Aramina sighed as she looked at them and before she could say something that would ruin this moment Renée pulled her away to leave their friend alone with the Prince.

After there was nothing more than the silence left, Louis realized what he was doing. And he instantly released the blonde girl from his arms, making her chuckle. She hadn't noticed what she had been doing either, their cheeks turning red and hot as they faced each other.

She cleared her throat; he scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks, your highness. For everything."

Louis shook his head, "Corinne," he started, "It is me the one who should be thanking you." The girl had never felt so flattered in her life, her cheeks turned even redder. "You saved my life twice already! I would have died up there if you hadn't arrived in time."

She smiled, even when she was focusing on trying to make her hands stop trembling. And shaking her head, she answered. "Don't worry about it. Like you already know I aspire to be a musketeer, it will be my job to save your life after tomorrow."

Louis chuckled, "I guess it will, but you didn't have to save me all those times before – still, you did it."

Corinne laughed, "I know, I guess that means that for now on you won't be able to live without me." She joked, yet the brown-haired man's expression softened. And when she stopped laughing at her own joke, she met his gaze. The Prince was looking at her in an odd way, at least for her; she almost felt like if he was looking at her with a kind of fondness.

"You know… you're right, Corinne." He said, she was mesmerized by his brown eyes. "I wouldn't last a day without you…"

Still shocked and hypnotized, Corinne couldn't think of anything else to say. She stood there in front of him, staring at his eyes – she had never felt any more foolish before. He was just saying thanks to her, nothing more. So she looked away, clearing her throat again. "Then I guess we'll have fun, your highness." She tittered, "Because as a musketeer it will be my duty to -" She stopped talking when she realized what that meant…

Louis continued for her, "Protect me," he smiled, "And to do that you'll have to be watching me all the time."

Corinne chuckled, watch him all the time? "Well, your highness, that sounds more like what a stalker would do."

The Prince nodded, walking closer to her. "Then… so you won't feel like you're stalking me," He suddenly felt shy to say what was on his mind, he was awful at flirting and he knew it was way too soon to say strong things like 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.' even when his heart screamed it at him. Too hasty. "I guess we'll have to spend time together… you know, do things together."

Corinne bit her lower lip as she smiled, looking down so he wouldn't notice – she couldn't wait to start her new job. "That sounds nice…" she replied.

When Louis was about to say something else, Hèléne interrupted. "Your highness," she started, the young prince looked at her. "You are needed at the ballroom."

"Tell them I'll be there right away." The woman nodded, walking away and leaving them alone once again.

Louis sighed, he just wanted to spend more time with her. But, right now, he knew she must have been feeling exhausted. And to be honest, so did he. "I'm sorry, Corinne."

She chuckled, "Not to worry, your highness."

He walked closer even closer, and in a daring move he grabbed her hands – she almost gasped. "You just saved my life, several times, call me Louis." And she couldn't think of anything else to say to him, she was way too lost in his eyes to think of something. So, she plainly smiled as she nodded again. "Uh," he muttered, finding himself thinking about how to say goodbye to her. "I really must be going."

"I know…"

"Until tomorrow then." Louis then released one of her hands and lifted the other to press his lips to the back of it.

And when their eyes met, another voice interrupted, "Oh! That's so romantic!" and Corinne knew who it was, Aramina must have been hiding somewhere.

"Aramina!" Another two female voices hissed in unison, Viveca and Renee were spying on them as well.

"Are you sure you have everything, darling?"

Anneliese sighed, smiling at her mother. This was the fifth time she'd ask that in the last ten minutes. "Mom, I already told you I do."

Genevieve walked closer to her, placing her hands on her shoulders. This was the first time her daughter was going to travel without her, well… the second time actually; Anneliese didn't allow her to go with them to their honeymoon. Her eyes getting teary as she took a breath to speak, "I can't believe you are leaving…"

The younger blonde chuckled, "I'll be back."

The frown on her mother's face didn't go away, the doors of her room sprung open and a man walked in. "We are just going to Louis coronation, your majesty." Added Julian as he took a valise from a table. "We'll be back before you even notice we were gone." He smiled, picking up some more bags for the servants to put away.

A sudden smash made them recoil, a loud giggle following the sound. One of their servants walked into the room, carrying a laughing blond toddler in his arms. An almost annoyed expression on his face, it was now usual for these things to happen when he was around. "Your majesties, he just broke the hall's finest vase while playing with one of his toys – again."

Instead of getting mad, Queen Genevieve grinned as she walked towards the man to pick up the little boy. Pinching his tiny nose as he giggled again, the servant left. "How will I be able not to notice your absence?" She said as the kid squeezed the small rubber ball in his hands, "Without Adam this place will be too quiet."

Anneliese handed another suitcase to Julian, "Well, at least you'll get a vacation from him." She joked, walking to her dresser and putting her coat on.

Her mother shook her head, "Why don't you leave him with me? You two can spend some time together without any distractions."

Anneliese shook her head as she smiled again, walking closer to her mother to put Adam's little sweater on. "Julian can't spend a minute without him, and neither can I."

Genevieve chuckled, "I'm not getting any younger."

Her daughter laughed as they both dressed the blue-eyed boy. "Why don't you come with us, I'm sure your new advisor can take care of everything for a couple of days."

The Queen rapidly shook her head, "Oh, no. Not after what Preminger did; I do not trust anyone with this kind of duty anymore. Right, Adam?"

The boy looked at his grandma, icy blue eyes looking up. "Bahbah." He replied as he grinned.

She laughed, "I'll take that as a yes."

The younger blonde woman took her baby in her arms, it was almost time to go and it was going to be a long journey. They wanted to arrive in time for Louis coronation, but now they doubt they were going to make in time. And as they walked out of Anneliese's room heading for the doorway where the royal carriage was waiting for them, she tried to convince he mother to go too. "It would nice for you to come; you're Louis's aunt after all."

Genevieve slightly shrugged, "He is about to become King, he'll understand what it's like."

Anneliese gave up, and hugging her mother goodbye when she arrived at the doorway Adam dropped his toy.

A guard dressed with a body armor that was standing near saw the ball and respectably walked closer to the women to return it.

"Your highnesses…" he bowed, they turned to face him. "I believe this belongs to your son." The man wearing the metal suit handed the toy to the little boy. Adam took it but instead of smiling at this stranger for doing something good for him, he just looked away.

Anneliese smiled, "Thank you."

He bowed once again, "You're welcome, your highness. And if you'll excuse my inquisitiveness, I must ask why are you traveling this late at night?"

And just when she was about to reply, Julian walked closer to them – answering the guard's question. "We must be arriving at Paris by midday, we forgot about a very important event. But we are not that late."

The armored man nodded, and after the trio of blondes said goodbye to the Queen, Adam frowned at him. But of course, no one noticed except for him. And after their carriage left, the Queen stopped waving and she started to dry her eyes with a handkerchief.

"I just hope they have a good time." She commented.

"Oh, I'm sure they will." The guard assured.

And then, another guard came running towards the woman - a worried expression on his face. And after he was close enough to speak with her, he gasped for air.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

The guard looked at her, putting a hand on his chest as he tried to catch his breath again. "Your highness," he started, still panting, "Preminger has escaped!"

Genevieve gasped, her stomach churned and her hands started to tremble. And even when she wanted to ask him how this had happened, she knew it would be better if she caught him before he could hide somewhere far. "Send everyone to look for him, and send someone to be by side immediately!"

The guard nodded and then ran off to obey the Queen's orders. Genevieve turned to the armored one standing by her side, "Please find him," she pleaded, "He's very dangerous!"

And with that, she ran inside the castle as well.

The man wearing the metal suit nodded again, "Oh, don't worry your majesty." He said, lifting the small aperture on his helmet to reveal his face. Amber eyes frowning, and under his long nose his thin lips curled up to a smirk as he watched several guards run by, the man who they were looking for was actually hiding under their noses, disguised as one of their own. "I'm sure he's not faraway." He mocked.

Chapter 1: The End is Where We Begin

Louis waved at the girls as the crowd behind him cheered; the first female musketeers ever. This day had turned out to be better than he had expected, he was crowned King and now Corinne and her friends' dream had come true. Plus, his men actually managed to fetch Corinne's mother so she could be present in this important moment. He had never seen her so happy like she was today, she looked so beautiful – he just hoped she returned soon so they could go on their balloon ride together.

And as everyone started to disperse; Mary, Corinne's mom walked closer to him.

She bowed respectably, "Your majesty," started the woman, Louis nodded so she would continue, "I suppose that flying contraption of yours can be considered safe, right?"

Louis nodded again, chuckling. "I presume that it can, I designed and built it myself. Not to mention I already tried it -"

The blonde woman gently cut him off, "I'm just making sure it's safe. I heard when you asked my daughter to ride that thing with you." His face flushed and she smirked, raising an eyebrow at him. She would recognize that look anywhere.

But Louis wasn't prepared to admit anything.

"I assure that Corinne will be safe in my balloon, Mrs.…" he stopped, he had invited her to his coronation and he didn't even know her name.

"Mrs. Mary D'Artagnan." She smiled.

"Musketeers!" called Monsieur Treville, all eyes in the room turned to him. They were in his office, and the girls had noticed something was wrong since they arrived – if this was a meeting, where were the other musketeers? "Like I said when I fetched you all, we have just received word of a plot against the King."

"And do you know who is it this time, Monsieur Treville?" asked Corinne.

The white-haired man shook his head, starting to pace around the group. "I'm afraid we don't have that kind of information yet."

"Then how are you sure that there's a real plot?" Asked Renée.

Treville smiled at her, "I was just getting to that." he said, walking to the door of the room and waving at someone to come in. No more than two seconds passed, and a limping man walked in.

He was obviously hurt; bruises and wounds all over his face and hands, and only God knew how many more injuries he had on his body. Even when Treville walked closer to help him walk, he pushed him away – a frown upon his face. The girls gasped when they recognized him; he was Austin, one of the male musketeers.

Aramina couldn't resist, she stood up from her chair to help him herself. The man didn't dare to push her away, pushing a man was a thing, but pushing a lady was another. So she guided him to his chair, grunting and wincing in pain as he finally sat with the redhead's help. "Thanks." He said, the frown still on his face.

The girl nodded and returned to her place, Treville continued. "Charlie, David and Austin were assigned to arrest Philippe and his assistant and bring them to jail last night. But as you can see," he looked at the injured brown haired-man, "Things did not go the way they should have."

"And where are the other two?" asked Viveca.

"Dead." Austin brusquely answered; the older man shook his head.

"Don't say that. This is Philippe we are talking about; Charlie and David are probably captive, but I doubt your theory."

He glared at Treville, "Can't you see what they did to me?" he asked through clenched teeth. "They didn't played fair on us, if they had fought us like real civilized men do Charlie and David would be here with me and we wouldn't be so beat up like I am."

The girls listened with shock, their eyes wide and full of concern. Austin, Charlie and David had been musketeers for a long time, if they couldn't handle Philippe how where they supposed to beat him? And sure, they had beaten him already – but for what Austin was saying, he wasn't playing by the rules. Corinne asked, "What did they do?"

The man sighed, "I was driving their carriage, they managed to get out somehow and they suddenly attacked me. Charlie and David were not faraway and they ran back to help me. But Philippe and his assistant were armed; they even didn't allow us to take out our swords to fight back." He dropped his head in defeat, "They attacked us and then… I woke up in my bed like this."

"But nobody found them, so they must be somewhere." Treville added, Austin didn't felt like saying anything else. And turning to the girls, who were clearly shaken by the new, he continued. "Philippe's on the loose and it is possible that he will come back. As musketeers, it is now up to you to protect King Louis at all cost. We'll take care of the other things going on, like your fellow musketeers' disappearance. I have also sent my best guards to look for them. But, you'll have to be watching the castle at all time, day and night."

Viveca then questioned this last order, "Monsieur Treville, how we'll be able to watch the castle by night if we live somewhere else?"

He nodded; she was absolutely right and because he really had not thought about that he decided to think about it later. Right now, they had to go to the castle as soon as possible. He'll figure it out in the meantime. "Nice question, my dear. And I assure you that I will answer it you all very soon. But right now, I need you to go to the palace to keep and eye on Louis." He motioned them to go, "I'll be there as soon as I can to explain better."

"Oh, There you are!" exclaimed the green-eyed woman as she walked closer to the young man standing on the other side of the room. She opened her arms to hug the King, he felt a bit puzzled by that but he eventually hugged her back. It had been so long since a woman had hugged him, having her wrapping her arms around him in a maternal way made him remember his late mother. And suddenly he started to like the idea of having a big family again, maybe someday…

Mary squeezed him harder, making him choke a bit – but when he felt her sobbing he broke their embrace.

He placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes filled concern. "What's wrong?" asked Louis.

She smiled at him, wiping away her tears with her hand. "Oh, nothing's wrong, your majesty."

He removed his hands, "Then why are you crying?"

She sniffed, grinning at him. "I just wanted to thank you."

Louis chuckled, "Thank me for what?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "For everything you've done for my little girl!" she almost shouted, "She's finally a musketeer; thanks to you she's living her dream."

He shrugged as he smiled at her, "Oh, it was nothing, Mrs. D'Artagnan. Corinne deserves it."

"Oh, please, call me Mary, your highness." The young King nodded, "I wanted to see you so I could thank you and also to say goodbye."

Louis softly gasped, "You can't be leaving now, please stay." He said, Mary shook her head. "I know Corinne would love if you did."

"Your majesty, I have a farm to take care of." She explained, "Besides I'm sure Corinne is in good hands."

Louis chuckled again, "Well, I would say is the other way around. With Corinne around, we are the ones in good hands."

Mary laughed, walking closer to hug him again. He did not hesitate to squeeze her tighter. But then, she broke away from him. "It's time for me to go, your majesty."

"Please,"

"I have to go." She chuckled.

Louis nodded, he understood she had to leave but he also knew how much it meant for Corinne to have her mother around. "Mary, there will be another ball in a couple of days. I would be honored if you come to spend some more time with Corinne."

The blonde woman nodded again, "I'll see what I can do; but I guess I can count on you to keep her company." And with that, she walked away.

Corinne had a wonderful mother, now he knew where she got all of her charms. He also was starting to suspect that she somehow knew what was going through his mind… And then, as he started to walk away, a man called for him.

"Your majesty."

He sighed, he knew who it was and he honestly wasn't in the mood for more of his new kingly duties. It was the man he knew as the royal advisor, an elderly man who he barely saw around the castle. But now, he was the King, which meant that instead of calling Philippe to listen to whatever the advisor had to say like he usually did, he had to listen to him himself.

"Yes?" Louis replied as he stopped walking.

"First of all, I must congratulate you." The bald man smiled as he shook Louis's hand, "It was a beautiful event."

"Thank you."

He then placed his hand on Louis's back to guide him to the King's office, a place Louis had only visited several times. "Come." And as they walked through the halls, the advisor started talking. "You know, your majesty, you are almost an exact replica of your late father."

He had never heard such thing, maybe because the only family he had had around as he grew up was Philippe. Still, he felt flattered when he said that – his father had been a great ruler. "I am?"

"Indeed," he assured, "And I must say we are all expecting a lot of great things from you."

Oh, now he started to worry. This was his first day as King and they were already expecting him to do things? "Like…?"

"Well, first of all keeping the Spanish army in hand is a must. That little crook has had his eyes on France for a long time now, so we must be careful with him." The King nodded, he didn't know much about him – but he had heard enough to know he was not to trust. He remembered Philippe was a good friend of his. "Secondly, like your father did, everyone's expecting you to rule wisely and morally. Which I know you will." He smiled at Louis, and finally arriving at the office.

It was the one Philippe use to call his own, he even had his portrait there – and closing the door behind him, the advisor pointed at the red chair behind the desk. The King's rightful place. He sat on one that was in front of it, and when Louis took a seat he continued. "Last but not least, one of the reasons of my visit."

The old man moved one of his hands to look for something in his jacket's pocket, finally bringing up two envelopes - one that he handed to Louis.

His brown eyes scanned the object, and he rapidly felt something hard inside the piece of paper. Carefully opening the yellowish envelope, Louis found a key. And just as his eyes identified it, he knew this wasn't an ordinary key. This was one of his father's most priceless possessions, the key to the vault where he concealed his fortune – well, like he had told him when he was a little boy, France's fortune. That money Louis's father had in that vault could only be managed by the King; because Philippe was only a regent he never got to use any without supervision – another reason for him to want to be King.

And now, Louis was the King of France, which meant that he owned that fortune now.

Taking the piece of metal in his hands he smiled at the advisor, "I'll take good care of it."

The bald man nodded, "I know you will, son." And he then started to open the other envelope himself, instead of giving it to Louis. "Keep the envelope, who knows if you'll need it someday."

Louis felt like if keeping that old piece of paper was a bit senseless, but he decided to obey his orders – after bending it, he put it inside of his pocket along with the key.

"Here we are," continued the man, finally opening it and shaking the piece of paper in his hands – making two golden rings drop onto the desk. Louis frowned when he saw them, but not in sign of discomfort but in utter confusion. Why on earth would someone send him rings for? "A very important announcement." Smiled the elderly man, unfolding the paper to read it and putting on his reading glasses – Louis paying extra-attention to him.

But the man seemed to be reading it for himself as he muttered everything the letter said, Louis grew frustrated from waiting and this nerve-racking moment became unbearable. "What does it say?" He asked, trying not to sound too desperate and nervous.

"Well… It says to be hand over to you the day of your 18th birthday."

"That was yesterday –"

The man cut him off, "I know, I know." His brown eyes kept scanning the document, as the royal advisor it was his job to make things easier for the King – or at least that is what he considered what his job with Louis. "It says that now that you are legally an adult, they consider you are mature enough and that it is time for you to seal your betrothal with their daughter Anne."

His eyes bulged out; his hands squeezed the edges of the chair's armrests, a knot formed in his throat and his stomach churned. Louis couldn't believe what he had heard. This couldn't be happening; not now! He couldn't be marrying anyone now – not when he was starting to fall in love. This had to be a mistake. But if it was a misunderstanding why his advisor seemed so calmed? And if this wasn't a mix-up then why didn't anyone ever tell him about this? After managing to take a deep breath, he handled to speak. "What?"

The other man looked at him as if he was acting weird, "Anne's late parents, they left this for you." He answered making it sound like if the young King knew what he was talking about – Louis couldn't feel any more puzzled.

The shock that had frozen his body was now turning into frustration, "Alright, first of all, who is this Anne?"

The advisor raised an eyebrow at him, "Anne of Austria," Yeah, like if telling him her second name would shed some light in this situation. Louis didn't know anyone named like that, and he would certainly remember her if he was engaged to her. "You two were betrothed when you were 11 years old." Alright… he remembered his father mentioning an Anne to him – but he had never heard of her since. "Her parents decided not to leave her here because you two were too young. But now, she's 18 as well and she is ready to become your wife and help you rule France." He finished his statement with a smile, noticing that Louis had taken this badly.

The brown-haired man looked down, "No," he muttered, and then he glared at the man, "I can't marry her. I don't love her."

He slyly smiled again, "Your majesty, this is a commitment you made many years ago -"

Louis cut him off, "Yes, a commitment I don't even remember and that my father arranged when I was kid -"

Then the advisor cut him off as well, "It is your duty as King to marry Anne; this is your honor and your integrity we are speaking of Louis. Your father chose a good wife for you; how would he feel if he knew you don't want to marry her?"

Well, that's a downer – Louis loved his father, and he knew that if he had chosen Anne it was because she really had a great family and a bright future but he couldn't do it… not after he had all these feeling for Corinne. Certainly, he was conscious about the situation he was at –a beautiful musketeer, the woman that could have any man she wanted, and he was starting to fall in love with her… but he was taking his chances.

"But sir, I don't even know her -"

The advisor rolled his eyes, taking the open envelope and placing the paper and the pair of rings inside again. "She'll be here tomorrow." He added, handing him the object.

Louis felt his heartbeat slowing down, Goosebumps running down his spine. "What?" He breathed, taking the envelope.

"Besides, after you get married you have your whole life to get to know her." The elderly man took a glimpse of his watch, "Oh my look at the time, I'm sorry son, I must be leaving." And leaving as fast as he could, almost like if he knew Louis wouldn't come to his senses, he left the boy without any other clue.

"But -"

And as the advisor closed the door a sudden burst of laughs was heard in the hall. And because he knew who they were, he jumped off his seat to look for them after he rapidly hid the envelope in his jacket's pocket – seeing Corinne again would surely make this day better. Yeah, he just needed some reassurance. He was the King now; he could do whatever he wanted. His advisor wasn't the boss of him.

But as he headed for the door, it sprung open. Treville didn't notice him standing there so he looked back to shush the girls. "Could you please keep it down?" he hissed before he started to walk inside. When he saw Louis he recoiled, "Oh!" he shouted, "Your majesty, I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to find you here."

Louis chuckled, opening the door for them to come in, "No worries, Monsieur Treville." He said as the girls walked into the office, "I was actually on my way out to find -" His eyes met with Corinne's, making him forget about what was he talking about.

So, closing the door again, he sat behind his desk. Treville sat on the other chair, clearing his throat to start explaining everything.

"So," Louis started, "Why were you looking for me?"

"Well, your majesty…" Treville sighed, "Philippe has escaped." Louis gasped, fear already filling his chest. Philippe had tried to kill him, but the girls stopped him. He never did anything bad to him and Philippe wanted him dead, imagine what kind of things he would do now that he had sent him to jail! How could this day get any worse? First the thing with Anne and now this? "We also believe he kidnapped two of my male musketeers, only Austin escaped, but he's badly injured which makes it hard for him to fight."

Louis worried, only four musketeers to protect him – the best musketeers he had to admit, but how were they going to protect him and the castle? "That means the girls are the only musketeers available." Louis figured.

Treville nodded, "They are; and since they are the rightful persons to protect you from this imminent danger, they need to be here day and night." The King nodded, not understanding what Treville really meant. It was something he had supposed it would be the best to do, the castle was pretty big – it had lots of unused rooms, so he knew it wouldn't be much trouble for Louis; after all it was for his own protection. "Would you mind if the girls stay in the palace until we find Philippe?"

Louis heart skipped a beat, and he looked over the girls – who were also looking at each other, probably as shocked as him – this meant that he would get to see Corinne everyday… This meant that he would get to spend even more time with her!

"What do you think your majesty?" Treville's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Louis rapidly nodded, trying to find his voice again. "Well, Treville, I don't mind at all. I think it's up to them if they want to stay here."

The white-haired man nodded, "You're right," And looking to were the girls were standing, he asked them: "What do you say girls?"

Aramina giggled as she looked at Viveca who also laughed, staying in a castle – how could they refuse? Renee seemed a bit more serious about it, this was her job. And even when she was smiling a little, she was trying to keep her cool – this was one of the best days of her life. On the other hand, Corinne was flabbergasted. She was about to be living under the same roof with Louis – not that she minded, but she knew this could bring problems… And it was way too good to be true.

And because none of them had spoken, Renee nodded. "Anything to protect the King." She said.

Treville nodded again, standing up from his chair. "Very well then. I'll send someone to bring your things; you must not leave the castle under any circumstances. Am I clear?"

The girls nodded, and Louis stood up as well. "Why don't you go tell Hélène that you'll be staying here; she'll show you to your rooms."

And almost as if they had been sent away to a party, the girls ran out of the room – but Louis was agile enough to call Corinne before she left. "Corinne!"

She froze, looking back at him. "Yes, your majesty?"

Treville interrupted, it had been a long day and it was dark already – he had to be heading home as well. "I have to be leaving, your majesty."

"Take care Treville, if Philippe's out there he can harm anyone." Said Louis.

The white-haired man chucked as he nodded, "Thanks… and I can't say the same thing to you, Louis. You have four musketeers living in your home now – if you don't feel safe like that, I don't know how you will." Louis chuckled, and the older man looked at Corinne. "Take care of him."

"I will, sir. I will." She replied as he left, then she looked at Louis again.

"Corinne," he repeated, walking closer to her. "I just wanted to say that your mother left."

The girl's expression saddened, "Oh…" she said.

Louis instantly felt dreaded, "But she told me to let you know that she loves you very much."

She smiled at him, "Thanks." Of course, she felt happy her mother had said that – but she wished he had said it in another way… Just to make sure she wasn't getting all excited and enthusiastic with his obvious advances with her.

Louis suddenly felt so shy around her, and he still wanted to take that balloon ride. He needed to know for sure if she felt something for him, and he needed to do it before that Anne arrived. So, already sweating a bit, he started scratching his neck, "So… uh… What are you doing tomorrow?"

She chuckled, she knew what he was going to ask and she wondered why he was acting so shy – so she nodded at him. "Yes, I'd love to go on another balloon ride with you."

He gasped with joy, grinning. "Great!" he shouted, making her giggle. "I mean… I'll look for you tomorrow and we'll go."

Corinne nodded again, looking him straight in the eyes. "Sounds great, your majesty."

"Please, Corinne. Call me Louis."

"Right, because I saved your life." She recalled when he had first told her to call him like that.

They both laughed, their eyes meeting once more. But Corinne knew there was no need to hesitate this – and they were in the wrong place too – so trying not to ruin this beautiful moment. She knew it was better if she just left; besides, tomorrow was another day right? They would be alone in his hot-air balloon, they would have time to clear things up of they needed to.

"Louis…" she started, "I must be going."

He nodded, taking her hand like he did last time to say goodbye. He pressed his lips to the back of it and smiled at her. "Look for me if you need anything."

With that, she felt brave enough to stand on her tiptoes and kiss his cheek before leaving.

He stood there frozen, until Madame de Bossé interrupted him by announcing his cousin's arrival.

"Oh, this is so amazing!" shouted Aramina as she flung her arms in the air, "We're living in the castle… just like princess's do!" Renee raised an eyebrow at her, Viveca sat on the bedside. "The only thing missing is a handsome prince…"

The one dressed in purple chuckled, "There was a handsome prince, now he's a handsome King."

The dark-haired girl rapidly interrupted, "And like I've said before, we are here to protect that handsome King, not date him."

And when she was about to reply to what Renne just said, the door of the elegant room opened, "Yeah, except one of us…" Viveca smirked when Corinne walked in.

"Corinne!" Yelled Aramina, "What did the King say?"

The blonde one froze, and faked a smile - fearing that her friends would say something. "What do you mean?" She asked, trying to sound like if she didn't know what they were talking about.

"He called you when we were leaving." Renne remarked.

Corinne sighed in her mind, "Oh! That… he just wanted to tell me that my mother had to leave."

The trio stared at her, and she almost freak out when she noticed that they were all smirking at her. "Anything else?" asked Viveca.

She shook her head and shrugged, "That was all."

"Then why are you blushing?" Asked Aramina as she pointed at Corinne's face.

She was blushing? "You are all acting weird;" The blue-eyed decided to ignore what her friends were assuming; it was none of their business anyway. "I think all of these sudden changes are getting to your heads."

Renne walked closer to her, "Come on Corinne, we know he likes you!"

She slightly gasped, "He does not! He's just being polite, he said it's because I saved his life twice."

"Aha!" Shouted Viveca, "So he did say something else."

And it was Aramina the next girl to gasp; she was the one who figured it out. "He asked you out again!"

Corinne frowned; this was her and Louis's problem. Besides, they didn't know what they were talking about… it was not a date. Ask her out? A date with the King of France? Please…

Then why did it sound like if she was lying to herself when she thought those things? Gah! She really needed to get some rest and think about all of this… Moreover, what were they doing in the room that had been given to her? "Why don't you all go to your rooms, as far as I know this one will be mine until we find Philippe."

It had been years since they've seen each other, but Louis could never forget his dear cousin. So even when he was still faraway, that blonde woman walking through the door immediately looked familiar. "You made it!" Louis shouted as he walked closer to her.

Anneliese gasped, "Louis!" She couldn't believe her eyes, "Oh my God! Look at you!"
The new King greeted his cousin with a hug, "It's so good to see you…"

He couldn't remember much about her, they haven't shared in more than eight years, but it just felt good to know that he had family around him again. Still deeply wounded by Philippe's recent treachery, Louis needed to assure that he still had family that cared for him. So, with Anneliese here, he couldn't feel happier – plus, he'd need her advice with this whole Anne dilemma.

The blonde woman smiled, finally breaking their embrace. "It's good to see you too, Louis. And first of all, I'm terribly sorry for arriving this late -"

Louis shook his head, cutting her off. "Don't worry about it," he smiled, "You're here now."

"Well…" Anneliese started, grinning at him. She had so much to tell him, and this she knew it would take him by surprise. "I actually came here with my family."

And why was she saying that? He knew his aunt was coming too. "You mean Aunt Genevieve."

The blonde woman shook her head, "Actually she had to stay…"

He nodded, "Oh…"

And then she turned towards the door and motioned at someone to come in. A tall, blond man walked in – carrying a blue bundle in his arms. He smiled but Louis could feel he was a very bashful and caring man, a thing he remembered his cousin loved in people. Anneliese knew that Julian felt timid when it came meeting her family, so she rapidly placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. "It's really been a long time."

Louis was baffled, and noticing that the bundle in the man's arms - that he now knew was Anneliese's husband - was actually a baby he nodded and felt a smile appearing in his face. "Indeed, it has!"

Then, Anneliese took the sleeping infant from Julian's arms to allow him to meet her cousin. "Julian, this is my cousin Louis." The blue-eyed man nodded, shaking the other's hand. "Louis, this is my husband Julian."

The King nodded again, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, King Louis." Replied Julian.

"Please Julian, call me Louis, we're family now." Chuckling, he nodded at Louis. "And I assume that little guy there is…"

Anneliese smiled, "He's our son, Adam. Do you want to see him?" She asked already starting to remove the blanket covering him, but Louis shook his head.

"It's been a long day for all of us, I'll meet him tomorrow."

She nodded, a plump redhead walking closer to where they were standing. "Your majesties," said Madame de Bossé as she bowed. Hélène joined her seconds after.

"Oh," said Louis, "She's Madame de Bossé; and she's Hélène." The pair of blondes nodded, "They'll be showing you to your room."

Madame de Bossé knew that if she didn't act fast, Hélène was going to make her carry the guests' luggage – so she stood in front of them ready to guide them. But Hélène was smarter, so without walking closer she talked first. "Follow me, your majesties."

And following the elderly woman, Anneliese and Julian looked back. "Good Night, Louis."

He smiled, "See you tomorrow."

Hélène waved at Madame de Bossé, "You know what to do." The redhead scowled and grunted.

In one of the most prestigious hotels in France, inside of the most expensive room, sitting in front of the fireplace drinking some tea was a blond, green-eyed man.

For him, it had been a slow and peaceful day – vacationing in Paris had not been a bad idea at all. This city held innumerable beauties, the view, the people, the culture... And even when he was having a wonderful time, he couldn't help but to keep reminding himself that the largest country in Western Europe would never be his!

But, hey, he was enjoying himself. Why remember the things that made him feel irritated?

And then, even when the man decided to calm down and take another sip of tea – a weird noise made him recoil in his seat.

It had come from the balcony of his room, so he placed the teacup on the coffee table in front of him and he stood up. Attentive to find whatever had caused the noise. Slowly a dark figure rose and grabbed the railings, finally walking closer to the door that led to his room.

The man frowned, good thing he hadn't changed and he still had his sword with him, and so grabbing his weapon he waited for the intruder to enter.

A man wearing a black cape, who was loudly panting, opened the door and walked in. When the other man pointed his sword at him, he raised his arms in the air defensively as he started to chuckle. Taking his hood off, "It's me." He said.

The man holding the sword sighed as he rolled his eyes and returned the weapon to its previous place. "Philippe," he smirked, "I didn't expect to see you around here." He walked closer to shake his hand.

"I have to say to say the same; I wasn't planning to visit you tonight." Replied the brown-haired man.

"Come, sit down." Said the blonde one, pointing at the pair of seats in front of the fireplace. "You know there's a front door." he chuckled, "My men know you; they would have allowed you to come in."

Philippe nodded as he sat, "I know, and I appreciate that confidence you have in me, it is for that same reason that I'm here."

The blond man raised one of his eyebrows, Philippe had told him that he was going to be crowned King today – although, he heard Prince Louis was now the King. He had bragged about how infallible his plan was, he had repeated it over and over – almost every time he visited him. Yet, here he was… He looked tired, dirty, he was almost sure that new stench in his room was coming from him and he hadn't mentioned anything about that. "What are you saying? Did your plot failed?'"

Those simple questions seemed to have triggered a wave of awful emotions in Philippe, he had never seen him scowling so hard. "Do you see a crown upon my head?" Hissed the man as he glared at the blond – cheeks turning red with anger. "Have you heard the news of the tragic death of the young prince?" And even when Philippe's expression was obviously an infuriated one, the other man stood calmed – making Philippe cool down a bit. Dropping his head in defeat and sighing he continued, "No… it didn't work. Everything went downfall, and all because of those little wenches! Especially that Blondie, if it wasn't for her Louis would be dead right now!"

"First of all, calm down, Philippe." Started the blond, "You know how much I hate to be around fretful persons. And secondly, you haven't responded to my question."

The brown haired man rolled his eyes, trying to remember what the blond had asked.

The green-eyed sighed, figuring his friend must have been too angry to recall it. "Why did you sneaked in?"

Philippe's eyes bulged out, the answer to that infuriated him. "They are looking for me!" he shouted, clearly panicking. "Those girls discovered everything about my plan! And now every guard in France is searching for me." As he finished yelling this at the other man, he finally took a deep breath.

On the other hand, a smirk had appeared on the blond man's face. Philippe clearly needed his help, and perhaps he could take advantage of this situation…

"I see…" he added, placing a finger on his chin as he thought… "That's means you need my help, don't you?"

Philippe rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately, it would be nice at the moment."

He chuckled, "Very well then… How about if we renew our old deal?"

And before he could finish explaining, Philippe already knew what he wanted and he was not going to get it. They had discussed this a long time ago; when Louis's father had just died and he had become his regent, but he remembered that he never agreed to do anything. "It was never a deal."

"But perhaps now it can be, my friend." He quickly replied, gazing at his friend. "I'll help you get rid of Louis; I'm also offering you protection and the tools to accomplish your goal. You have to pay me somehow…"

Philippe analyzed the man's face; a great offer indeed, but getting rid of Louis wouldn't make him King, not after everyone in France was aware of what he did. Right now, he only wanted the same thing this fellow did – if he had the chance to be King he would have agreed, but because he had lost that chance his offer seemed useless to him. "Killing Louis won't make me King anymore. I don't win anything by doing that; I just need that key -"

"Revenge, my friend." He cut him off again, "You'll destroy him, the way he destroyed you." The smirk on the green-eyed man grew. "And you can still take the key, take his fortune, share it with me, and leave France without any hope!"

It sounded like an amazing plan indeed, and he was a very resentful man – besides, he really had nothing left to lose. But the bare thought of sharing his price with this man was enough to make him resist from accepting his offer again. "I don't see how stealing Louis's fortune would make France crumble."

The enthusiasm instantly disappear from the other man's face, Philippe could be so obstinate and closed-minded when he wanted to. And right now, he just didn't want to see what a great chance he was giving him.

"Philippe," he started, "It would leave him feeling insecure and scared, it would leave him without anything to rely on… Anyway, how are you planning to get that key without my help?"

Now, Philippe smirked, feeling his chest fill with pride. This next thing he was about to confess was surely going to impress his friend. "As a matter of fact, I have two musketeers to do that for me." He raised an eyebrow at Philippe, a confused expression on his face. "That's right, I kidnapped two of Monsieur Treville's musketeers and they are now under my command."

And when Philippe finished gloating, he burst out laughing. "You're insane," he snickered harder, "What makes you think that they'll obey you?"

The brown-haired man frowned at the other, how he hated to be underestimated! Especially by people like him. So he frowned, crossing his arms in top of his chest. "Do you have any more ideas?" And even though he really wanted to make a fool out the other man by making him realize his plan was the only one available, he gradually stopped laughing as he finally nodded.

"Of course I do." He said, cleaning some of his tears with his sleeves. "But -"

Philippe cut him off, "There's a catch."

"Exactly…" He smirked, taking a more serious attitude again. "What I win protecting and helping you? You were the one who came to me for help anyway."

Philippe knew he was right, but he wasn't going to let him win. "I came here just to get some advice."

"My time is money, Philippe." He abruptly stated, "And right now I've wasted a lot."

He sighed; he really, really needed this man's help. He was the only one who could help him at the moment, also the only one who was willing to do it. So, if he wanted his help he had to think of a way of getting away with what he wanted but leaving something to pay off his debt. Something he wouldn't need of course, something that would be useless to him when he was done with this. Philippe's goal was very simple; get that key and getaway with the fortune. In this plan there was no fit for his friend, and sharing was not an option. He just required anything to make this fool shut up when they were done.

But – if maybe he added the idea of getting even with his little cousin he could figure something out… If he harmed or got rid of Louis, there would be nobody else left to take the throne. He'd steal the fortune… This would leave the French people without a leader… and eventually without economic support. France would crumple upon itself if he did this!

Philippe smirked, "What if I pay you with something that is not exactly money…"

His friend raised an eyebrow, this new offer sounded much better – at least he was saying he'd pay him. "I'm listening…"

"Help me make Louis surrender that key," He nodded, "Help me make him suffer, help me take him down…"

The blond nodded again, "I like your thinking, but what do I -"

Philippe cut him off, already knowing what he would ask. "Afterwards, you can take over France." And that left the man without words, his whole stiffened – he couldn't believe his ears. His brown-eyed friend felt accomplished, "Well, why say take over France? Without a leader and without money, they'd beg you to rule them."

The green-eyed grinned, this was perfect. Perhaps, too good to be true. "And how are you planning to make all of this happen?"

"You'll see…"

Author's Note:

I know, a very long first chapter wasn't it?

But that's the way they are turning out to be, I'm thinking about making it my trademark. But, seriously, if you don't like long chapters don't hesitate to tell me! I really do my best when writing stories and I love to know that people actually enjoy them – so if something bothers you, here I am :)

Like Alexandre Dumas and Mattel used Louis XIII character in their respective works, I am also using him and Anne of Austria in this fic. The only historical fact in this story is their betrothal, other than that everything else is purely fictional. I don't intend to offend anything or anyone by using her character – like I said this is only for fun.

I do own Louis's adviser and the blonde green-eyed man who joined Philippe in his quest for revenge. I have a name but, to be honest, I don't really like it. Evil Spanish man? Any suggestions? And yes, if you haven't figured it out yet he is Spanish – two reasons: my roots and of course if he has to say something in his language it will be easier for me to come up with something xD And no, I am not implying that people from Spain are evil.

Oh! This is also my first time writing with/for Barbie and The Three Musketeers' characters, so if you have any suggestions feel free to tell me. Something I wanted to add is that I know Corinne was a bit shy in this chapter – she's falling in love so… be sure to keep that in mind. But she won't be that way all the time.

I know there's not much romance in this chapter, this was more like to start building the story – but Corinne and Louis's date is coming… so stay tuned for the next chapter and check out what happens with these two ;) AND I hate that there isn't a lot of my favorite Barbie couple here too, but there will be in the next chapters! I promise!

There is still a lot of drama to come, more problems will surge. I'm only telling you this so you won't think that because this chapter was so long I gave it all away just to get over with it. And trust me, I've planned a lot for this story – and it's not based on anything, it's just my mind so I am adding things every time I work on it. There will be something that is not entirely mine, but you'll see ;D

So, if you read it you have time to review! Please. It's great to get feedback when you work on something that is this long xD But really, reviews are fuel to my mind – and my hands – and they mean the world to me.

Many thanks to CleoCorinne for helping me with the title and Barbiegirl2435 for inspiring me! You guys rock!

Hope you are enjoying this story, and thanks for reading!