Adventures with Friends





Time Travellers: The Eight Musketeers?

Four friends are sent back to correct history- they just might have to rewrite it.



Chapter 4


Erica awoke to Pierre gently shaking her. She looked up at the priest. The last thing she remembered was waking up to find another place to sleep through mass.
"Wha...?"
"Erica, the Cardinal has agreed to see you this afternoon."
"What time is it?"
"It is not yet mid morning."
Erica sat up slowly and combed through her hair with her fingers. She winced as they caught on a tangle.
"So what do we have to do?"
"Just go to the castle and say you are there to see the Cardinal."
"Mmmm...k," she muttered, still half asleep.
Pierre left Erica to wake the others. She leaned over Krista and gave her a little slapping on each cheek. Krista groaned and rolled over. Erica stifled a yawn and jabbed her fingers in Krista's sides. Krista's body contracted. She was wide awake now. Erica turned to Jacob. "Jacob get up." He didn't move. "Jacob get up." She waited. "Jacob! Get your ass up!"
Jacob jumped and sat up. His hair stuck out on one side of his head from where he had laid on it. Erica and Krista started to laugh at him. He frowned and rubbed his eyes.
"What time is it?"
"Pierre says not yet mid morning. Whatever that means. But we get to go see the Cardinal this afternoon."
"Really?" Krista burst.
"Really, really. Should we go tell Chase?"
"We should go back to sleep," Jacob interjected.
"Shut up, Jacob. Let's go!" Krista exclaimed.
The two girls drug an unhappy Jacob outside. The two girls set off into the bustling streets of Paris. Jacob stormed darkly behind them. They massed by Musketeer Square. Jacob, either unknowably or had too slow of a reaction time to do anything, ran straight into a man. Jacob tried to get out a "Sorry," but the man did not hear it. He grabbed Jacob from behind and forced Jacob to look at him. "Where are your manners, boy?" the man demanded, beard quivering in fury.
Jacob stared at the man. Erica turned to see his face in deep concentration, but not quite comprehending what the man was saying. Then he opened his mouth.
"What manners?"
The blond haired man pushed him away. "I'll teach you some manners, boy. A duel. Meet me at the old cemetary at three."
"I'll be there," Jacob said absentmindedly.
The gruff man pushed Jacob again and stalked towards Erica and Krista. He stormed passed the girls and disappeared. The girls ran up to him.
"Quit screwing around, man!" Erica hissed.
"What did that guy want?"
"A duel," Jacob mumbled.
Erica rounded on her little cousin. "A duel? Jacob!" She threw her hands in the air. "What did you do?"
"I accidently ran into him."
"Great. What time and where?"
"Three at the old cemetary."
"Jacob..." Erica sighed irritably.
"It's not my fault."
"Now we have to find you a friggin' sword."
"Let's go before we attract any more attention," Krista interrupted.
Krista pulled the feuding cousins along as they made their way through the staring crowd. As they approached a tavern, the crowd began to thicken. The three had to start pushing their way throug the bustle. Erica caught sight of a tent set up in front of a building. Apparently, Krista had seen it too. She started moving to it. Krista and Erica emerged from the crowd in front of the tent, which actually was a gazebo. Krista and Erica's gazes swept over the group of people under it and continued on their way.
Jacob's foot got entangled with another person's robe. The poor kid tripped. He flew out of the crowd and tried to catch himself on the table. His flailing hands knocked a couple of drinks across the table. Women screamed. Erica watched as one of the drinks landed in one man's lap. Jacob fell to the ground. Erica sighed and grabbed Krista.
Jacob picked himself up. People began to snicker. A man with long, curly, black hair tied under a bandana stood up. His pants were soaked. He glared at Jacob and held up a dripping hankerchief.
"This hankerchief was a gift to me from the queen of America."
Jacob stared at him. "There's no queen in America."
"I beg to differ."
Jacob shook his head and gave the man a "I don't know what you're talking about" look. "Differ all you want. I'm from America."
"You dare doubt the mighty Porthos?"
"Who?"
"Don't tell me you've never heard of me."
"The world's biggest square?"
If it was possible, the man's face darkened. "Meet me at the old cemetary at four o'clock. And bring a long wooden box."
"Bring your own," Jacob returned as Erica drug him away from the simmering man.
The man let out a laugh and returned to his drink. The three disappeared in the crowd and stopped at the base of a large fountain. The three sat on the edge of the fountain. Erica shook her head and threw her hands in the air.
"Dangit, Jacob!" she said, standing up.
"What?"
"You are so stupid! Two duels?"
"Well they're hardly my fault."
"How are they not your fault?"
"Well the first-"
"No, Jacob! They are your fault."
"Why are you so pissy today?"
"You're pissing me off!"
"Why?"
"Because you pissed off that one dude and that other dude. And now I'm even more pissed."
"Why?"
"Because I'm pissed that I'm pissed."
"But c'mon, Erica. It's just a duel. It doesn't matter if we win or lose."
Erica sighed irritably. "See that's it! That's the attitude that's pissing everybody off! You don't understand! You have no sword, no weapon, and certainly no experience in fighting. And you're about to go into two duels today that are a duel to the death."
Silence fell immediately at the mention of death.
Erica took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That's why I'm pissed."
"But it wasn't my fault."
"Jacob!"
Erica began to pace about the fountain with huge hand gestures. She began to rant about duels and how Jacob was so stupid. Krista sat quietly and watched the two cousins duke it out. In about the middle of Erica's speech, a man that looked to be in his late twenties came up behind Erica.
He caught one of Erica's flailing hands before she smacked him in the face. "Is this man bothering you, m'lady?"
Erica whirled around and Krista suspected that she was going to do a number on him, but she stopped. Krista didn't blame her, the man was pretty good looking. He had shaggy blonde hair and was clean shaven. Silence fell.
"Ummm..." Erica said blankly.
The man's blue eyes traveled from Erica to Krista and finally to Jacob. He pushed Erica aside and reached for his sword. "Rudeness is one thing, but being rude to a lady is quite another."
"What? She's my cousin!" Jacob defended.
"And I suppose this lady here," the man said, gesturing to Krista, "is your wife?"
"What?!" Krista exclaimed. "No!"
"Oh, so then he is a scoundrel?" the man supposed. "I have no tolerance for men like you."
"What?" Jacob said.
"A duel. Six o'clock at the old cemetary."
Jacob rolled his eyes. "Fine."
The man turned to Erica and Krista. "You may come with me, if you would like."
"No thank you. We were just heading to meet our friend."
"Very well." The man bowed and walked away.
"Man that guy was hott!" Krista burst.
Erica smiled. Jacob glowered and shook his head. He looked towards the sky.
"God, why do you hate me?"
Krista watched the mysterious man disappear into the crowd. "Jacob, you've got to live until six. I want to see that guy again."
"Let's focus on getting to Chase without dueling the whole friggin' city," Erica said.
The three began walking down the street that would lead them to Chase. Wagons began to travel in and out of the city on that road. The three jumped to one side of the road to avoid being hit.
"Jeez, too bad Driver's Ed hasn't been invented yet," Erica mused.
"No kidding," Krista agreed.
The three walked under a bridge connected two buidings across the street. A cart full of hay rattled through the street. Krista and Erica slid against the wall to avoid being hit by the cart.
"Oof!"
The cart passed.
"What the hell?" came Jacob's muffled voice.
"Dude, where's Jacob?" Krista asked.
They looked around. A pair of flailing arms from the ground caught there attention. A man had fallen on top of Jacob and had pinned him to the ground. Krista and Erica stared at him.
"Where'd he come from?" Erica asked.
The man scrambled to his feet and helped Jacob to his. He brushed some dirt from Jacob. The man was tall, thin, and had long dark brown hair. He had a small beard that framed his mouth. Erica could see that he wore an apologetic smile.
"I'm terribly sorry about that. But I must say, you broke my fall perfectly."
"Get off me!" Jacob said, pushing his hand away.
The man's smile faded. "If it's one thing I can't abide by, it's rudeness."
"You fell on me!"
"And I apologized for it," the man said in a dark, calm voice.
"Well, apology not accepted," Jacob returned.
Krista sighed. "You want me to go get him?" she whispered to Erica.
"No," Erica returned. "I've got him."
Erica walked up to the two. They were about an inch or two from each other's faces. But the man was about two or three good inches taller than Jacob.
"I hope your sword is as quick as your mouth," the man simmered.
Erica grabbed Jacob. "It's quicker," she said in a monotone.
The man's eyes flashed. "A duel then. Five. At the old cemetary."
"I'll be there," Jacob returned viciously.
"As will I."
The man put on his cowboy-ish hat and walked away. This time Jacob turned on Erica.
"What was that all about?"
"You're pry not even going to survive the first duel. You've got four duels today because you can't keep your mouth shut and your feet on the ground! What's one more?"
"At least I had a chance with the first one!"
"That's what I thought at first. But then came three more people that you've pissed off. I swear Jacob..."
"What? Do you want to kill me?"
"You've done that yourself. You pissed off the first guy. Then there was that second dude. Then that psychotic lady's man that you pissed off. And now there was that guy who wasn't even pissed at you at first! Then you opened your mouth and pissed him off!"
"So, they pissed me off," Jacob said.
"I'll show you pissed off. Just you wait."
"Oh by all means, show me."
Erica grabbed Jacob by the shoulders and brought her knee up. Jacob flinched and let out a little scream as he backed away. Erica glowered at him.
"Next time I'm not going to stop."
"Fine," Jacob said in a small voice.
Erica took a deep breath. "All right! Let's walk the last hundred feet without pissing anyone off."
The three walked the rest of the way to the prison without any further arguements, lectures, or pissing anyone off. Erica had refrained from ripping Jacob's head off and began to keep an eye open for a sword for Jacob to use. They regrouped with Chase several minutes later.
"Chase!" Krista called.
"Dude!" Chase said, pressing his face against the bars. "I am so happy to see you guys!"
"How you doing?"
"I'm so bored. And hungry. That prison food doesn't do squat."
"Well at least you had food, dude. We've had nothing at all," Jacob informed.
"So what did you guys find out?" Chase asked excitedly.
"Well, we get to see the Cardinal this afternoon. And then Jacob gets to go duel about fifty million people," Erica said.
"Duel? As in swords?"
"As in real sharp swords that will kill you. As in a sword that Jacob does not have!"
"Sweet!"
"Yeah, that's sweet all right. We'll have to put that on his headstone right next to yours! Yours will say sweet, and his will say dude!"
"You're really pissy today."
"Shut up!" Erica roared.
"Jacob's really pissed her off today," Krista whispered as Erica stormed to the other side of the street and sat down. The other three stared at her.
"Well that accomplished a lot," Chase stated.
"As long as she's not yelling at me," Jacob finalized.
"Anyway," Krista said. "Yeah. Like Erica said, we're going to talk to the Cardinal and then after that, hopefully we can get you out. Then we have to go to the old cemetary so that Jacob can kick the crap out of four different guys in a duel."
Chase snorted. "Jacob, I'm sorry, but there's no way that's going to happen."
"Well, it's not my fault," Jacob defended.
"Y'know what, just go. I don't care. Just get me out of here."
"Chase is right. By the time we find the castle and get in, it will be time to see the Cardinal."
"Fine. Let's go," Jacob said. "Erica, let's go!"
The three left Chase yet again and walked back down the street. After flagging down several people the three got directions to both the castle and the old cemetary. Not only that, but they even got some free food from an "abandoned" food stand. Although the three agreed that stealing was wrong, they easily found a loop hole and said that it was borrowing without permission. Krista still wasn't sure how that was different from stealing.
The three approached the castle awkwardly. Erica looked around and could see many people wearing fancy clothing and staring at the three from across the courtyard. They entered the castle without being stopped. But after see the large hallway and thousands of doorways, the three stopped.
"Are you lost?" a soft voice asked.
The three just about fainted from shock. A woman who looked to be in her early fifties with greying dark hair tied into a bun. Her dress was gold and flowing. She smiled shyly at the three.
"Actually, yes," Erica said.
"Perhaps I can help you?"
"Yes. I'm Erica. This is Krista and Jacob. And we're here to see the Cardinal."
“Oh, Cardinal Richlieu. Of course. Here,” she motioned to a younger lady with blond hair. “This is Serenity. She is my lady in waiting. She will take you to the Cardinal.”
“Thank you so much!”
The blond lady approached them and looked to be just in her twenties. She had hazel eyes and a bright smile. She smiled. Krista and Erica returned her smile. Jacob, however, put a hand behind his head and cleared his throat. Erica smiled to Krista.
“Please, follow me.”
Serenity led the three youth through the castle, telling them about the different rooms. And who all worked in the castle. “And who was it that met us at the door?” Krista asked.
She let out a little laugh. “That was Queen Mother.”
Jacob and Erica froze in their tracks. “The Queen?” Erica repeated. “Wow. Don’t I feel stupid?”
Krista laughed. “Yeah. Really. She’s looks younger though,” Krista said, trying to recover some respect.
Serenity laughed. "Did she surprise you?”
“Well…” Krista said. “Yeah.”
“That’s the thing with us. It’s not hard to surprise us,” Erica explained.
“I can see that. But your accent? Where are you from?”
“America,” Jacob said proudly.
“America? What part?”
“Way out West.”
“The western part? I don’t think I’m familiar with that.”
Erica laughed and looked at Krista. “Don’t worry. No one is.”
“Well, obviously someone is or we would not be having this conversation,” she returned.
Erica looked at Jacob. “She’s quick.”
“I’m curious about the king. What’s he like?” Krista asked.
“Oh I don’t know. He’s the king.”
“Which one is it? I always get the numbers mixed up with all the other people,” Erica said.
“Louis the XIII.”
“Ah the XIII. Right. I’ll never remember that.”
Serenity laughed as she brought the three teenagers to a halt. She opened a door. The three looked down the hallway. It was dark, dank, and musty.
“We have to go down there?” Jacob asked.
Serenity nodded. “His chambers are just down that hallway.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Krista asked.
She shook her head. “Oh no. I’m not brave enough.”
“If I can remember what Mr. Peterson said, I don’t blame you,” Erica agreed.
“Well, thank you for all your help,” Krista said.
“You know your way out. I think you won’t need my help any more.”
“We need lots of help, believe us,” Krista said.
“But don’t worry.”
“All right. We’d better go.”
Serenity bid them good day and walked away. Jacob, Erica, and Krista watched her go, then turned to the dark hallway. A few torches were lit a ways back. But they didn’t do any good. Erica shifted. Krista swallowed. Jacob scratched his head.
“So who wants to go down the creepy tunnel first?”
The three eyed the stone walls.
“Why do I get the feeling that this guy is a bad guy?” Krista asked.
“I don’t know. But he sure could use a new house decorator,” Erica commented.
The other two laughed at their own comments. The laughter didn’t even echo down the hallway. They stopped almost immediately.
“Dude, seriously. Do we have to talk to this Cardinal dude? Can’t we just break Chase out with a candy cane?” Jacob asked.
“Jacob, do you know where to get a candy cane?”
“Well, we could go find the Muffin Man.”
“What the hell is the Muffin Man going to help us with?” Erica burst.
“He bakes bread! Not candy canes, you idiot,” Krista added.
“Jacob, I’m sorry but the Muffin Man is fictitious,” Erica said.
“No he’s not. What are you talking about? He’s my hero.”
Erica looked at Krista. An awkward silence passed.
“Wow. Awkward. Moving on,” Krista said.
“Yeah.”
It took another thirty seconds of silence just so the three could summon up the courage to go and speak with this Cardinal Richlieu. Jacob took the first step. Krista and Erica followed. About halfway down the hallway, Krista spoke.
“Erica, you realize that this guy is the same Cardinal as in our history book?”
“Yeah.”
“You also realize that this guy wasn’t the most popular dude in the history book?”
“Yeah.”
“And you know that h really wasn’t- er- isn’t the nicest guy either.”
“Yes, Krista. I know. I was in history class with you.”
“How do you guys know this stuff?”
“We pay attention, Jacob,” Erica and Krista said together.
Erica lowered her voice as the door approached. "You guys got to remember, historians said this guy was really shrewd. If I remember correctly, he was kinda the one really in charge. So keep your head straight. And if you can't say anything nice or reasonable, keep your mouth shut. Also remember, these people don't think like we do. Manners are a big thing. As Jacob should of found out earlier. And also, remember that not only is Nebraska not even thought of yet, but we still haven't gained independence from Britain." Erica stopped to think. "Ummm... did I miss anything?"
"Nope," Krista said. "I think you got it pretty much covered." She turned to Jacob. "This guy is the top dog, Jacob. Try not to piss him off."
Jacob sighed. "I'll try my best."
"Jacob, in the words of Yoda: Do or do not there is no try. And if you F this up, I'm going to kill you," Erica warned.
"Besides, this may be the only chance we have to get Chase out," Krista reminded.
The three came to a stop just outside the door. They eyed it nervously. Erica took a deep breath and knocked. Erica half expected the rapping to echo. It never did. A tense second passed.
"Come," a voice called from behind the door.
Erica nodded encouragingly to Krista and Jacob, then pushed the door open. Light flooded into the hallway. The three stepped into the room. A man dressed in what the three would later describe as a red dress with a cape sat at a polished wooden desk. He looked to be in his forties, but his young eyes made Erica rethink her guess. He had a small mustache and a small beard. The door closed behind the three as if on its own accord. The three nearly jumped out of their skins. The man grinned, revealing his pearly teeth and reminding Erica of a wolf. Suddenly, she began to wonder why she had wanted to do this. But she wasn't the only one second guessing themselves. Krista looked as if she had been petrified and Jacob seemed to want to become one with the door. Several moments passed in silence.
"You must be the three that the priest told me about," he purred.
No one spoke. Erica opened and closed her mouth several times. "Yes," she said finally.
"Well, come closer. We have business to discuss."
With one timid step forward, Erica was beginning to believe she had just passed into the Devil's playing field.


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