Adventures with Friends
Time Travellers: The Eight Musketeers?
Four friends are sent back to correct history- they just might have to rewrite it.
Chapter 6
Pierre stood at the doorway as the three, clad in their new robes, walked away. Krista clutched Chase's bundle and half hid it under her cloak.
"Why do I feel like I'm doing something illegal?" she asked.
"Because you are."
"Why am I doing this?"
"Because you are the only one who Rochefort- or 4 other people for that matter- don't have on their hit list," Erica replied.
"Or at least she isn't at the top," Jacob corrected. Erica nodded.
"What? I don't want to die!"
"Krista, you're falling behind in the illegal ways. Join the Darkside! We have cookies!" Erica said in a mock evil voice.
The three laughed at the joke, trying to push the heavy burden of possible death from their minds. But after Krista seen a man eye her, she pushed Chase's bundle in Erica's hands.
"There you go! You can have it!"
"What? You carry it!" Krista hopped away before Erica could throw it back at her. She sighed and grumbled. "Fine. What's one more crime? I'm like public enemy number one anyway..."
The three slowly found their way to the old cemetary, with some help from random bystanders to give direction changes. It was already three by the time Jacob, Krista, and Erica were able to find Jacob's people that he had pissed off earlier that day.
The threee rounded the corner of some ancient ruin to find a grove of trees sprouting from amongst the stones. The blonde haired man (the first challenger) leaned against a nearby tree. When Jacob spied the man, he froze in his tracks.
"I don't want to do this any more," Jacob squeaked.
"Too late for that, Jacob. You got yourself into this, you can find a way out." Erica muttered quietly, "Although I do have some advice for you. Keep your sword sheated and baffle them with your bullshit."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Use your imagination."
Erica urged on her younger cousin with a prod from her elbow. Krista leaned over to Jacob as they began walking again.
"Don't worry Jacob. We will help you out. And when in doubt, remember the song of the Lion King. *Be prepared!*"
Erica and Jacob gaped at Krista.
"Wow. I feel a lot better." And then he muttered to himself, "Why am I cursed with these two?"
"Jacob..." Erica said sweetly, but her eyes hinted at the darkness. "Would you rather be on your own?"
Jacob and Erica stared at each other. Then Jacob broke away from the intensity of Erica's glare.
"So... let's go, team!" Jacob burst, leading the two girls courageously towards the man.
The three came to a stop ten feet away from the man. He did not even look up at them.
"I see your manners haven't imporoved yet. You're late."
"Yeah, well... you in a hurry to lose?"
The man's eyes flashed as he looked at Jacob. "You mean die?" The two guys glared at each other. The sound of pounding hooves echoed amongst the ruins. The man smiled. "Ah... Here come the grave diggers now."
Jacob broke the star-down as three horses came barrelling around the corner. Three men sat upon the horses' backs. They pulled their horses to a half a few feet from the man's side. They dismounted.
"Ah. There you are, Athos," a tall man with a beard framing his mouth said.
"We were beginning to wonder where you went," a young, clean shaven man added. The third man, with black, curly hair, nodded in agreement.
Krista and Erica froze as they realized that they were the other men that Jacob was to deul. Jacob, however, was clueless. Suddenly, the black haired man stopped.
"Athos, you can't fight this boy."
"Why not?"
"I'm fighting him."
Realization crept into Jacob's eyes. The other men looked to Jacob.
"I'm fighting him, too," the youngest one exclaimed.
"As am I," the third added.
"Oh-ho spit," Krista whispered to Erica. Erica nodded and swallowed.
Jacob was lost for words. Athos smiled and took off his tan cloak to reveal a royal blue tunic with a silver cross in the middle. The other three followed suit, to also reveal the blue suits. Erica stopped. Krista and Jacob stared at the four men.
"You're Musketeers?" Erica asked.
Jacob and Krista's attention snapped to Erica. The blonde man looked at Erica and smiled. "Your friend chooses his opponents wisely."
"Or do you mean unwisely?" Erica returned. Athos didn't reply, but his black haired friend raised his eye brows as if to say, "Oh yeah."
"So, shall we begin?" Athos suggested, drawing his sword. Jacob's hand did not move to his sword. Instead, he jumped into a stance that resembled a ninja stance. Then he began to dance, waving his hand in front of him as if he were spanking somebody. He wore a cheesy smile to egg on the Musketeer. Erica and Krista were dumbfounded by Jacob's sudden idiocy. The two girls looked to see ohw the Musketeers were handling this.
The four men stood stock still, watching Jacob. If the expressions could talk, they would be saying, "What the hell?" Clearly, they did not know what to think of Jacob's bizarre movements. Erica and Krista looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"What are you doing?" Athos asked. Jacob just smiled and switched into the pelvic thrust to answer the Musketeer. Athos's eyebrows furrowed as he was sent back into confusion. Erica and Krista, who were regaining their composures, were sent into another wave of laughter.
"Enough of this!" Athos roared.
Erica and Krista stopped laughing immediately. Even Jacob stopped for a second. "What?" Jacob said. "I can't warm up?"
"I've never seen those warm ups before," the young Musketeer commented.
"It's the retard warm up," Jacob answered. He then kicked out with his leg and began to walk around like he really was mentally handicapped.
The Musketeers were paralyzed with confusion. And by this time, the two girls were almost passing out from laughter. Jacob finally stopped a few feet from the Musketeer. His hand moved as if to draw his sword. Erica thought that he meant to strike down the thunderstruck Musketeer.
By either Divine Intervention or by dumb luck, a calvary of horses rounded the corner of the ruins. These men were dressed in red tunics, similar to that of a Musketeer. Erica and Krista stood up at the sight of the Cardinal's Guards. The guards had finally come to arrest them. Jacob, like the two girls, seemed to have forgotten how to move.
"They're after us!" Krista and the young Musketeer exclaimed together. They turned to each other. "They're after you?" they said together again.
Athos lowered his sword in annoyance. "Only a fool would try to arrest us twice in one day."
The leader of the regiment spoke up. "Musketeers, you are under arrest for treason."
The tall Musketeer and the black haired Musketeer looked at each other and muttered, "A fool."
"The boy and the two ladies are of no interest to me. They are free to go."
Jacob moved away to rejoin Erica and Krista. "They're not after us?"
"I guess not," Erica said.
"Well, let's get out of here before they find a reason to arrest us," Jacob returned.
"Do you intend to resist arrest?" the lieutenant asked.
The three watched the black haired Musketeer grab his two closest companions by the shoulders. "Now don't be so stupid. Of course, we intend to resist. Now give us a moment, okay?"
Jacob, Erica, and Krista were floored. The Musketeers, the knights of France, were under arrest for treason. And not only that, but the lieutenant actually gave the Musketeers time to huddle up to discuss the escape plan.
"Does something seem wrong to you?" Jacob asked.
"Should we help out? They're outnumbered like 3 and a 1/2 to one," Krista said.
"Well, not only are the Musketeers under arrest, but they are resisting arrest. Maybe we're not the only ones on the bad side of Patchy," Erica mused.
"Maybe if we help them out, they'll help us out," Krista said.
The three exchanged looks and shrugged. Jacob, Krista, and Erica stepped into the Musketeer's little huddle.
"Okay, there's fifteen of them and 4 of us-" the black haired man was saying.
"Actually, there are seven of us," Krista put in.
The Musketeers shot the three nasty looks. "Stay out of this affair," Athos seethed.
"Hey, look, we may be young, but we're not stupid!" Krista fired back.
"And you don't have to wear blue bathrobes to resist arrest," Erica added.
"A warrior!" the young one exclaimed.
"And a poet!" the tall one added.
"What are your names?" Athos asked.
"I'm Krista. This is Erica and Jacob."
"I'm Athos."
"Porthos," the black haired man said.
"D'Artagnan," the young introduced.
"Aramis," the tall one finished.
"Okay. Is everyone acquainted?" Porthos asked. Everyone nodded. The Musketeers and the three teens drew their swords and turned on the Cardinal's Guards.
"Now we are prepared to resist you!" Porthos exclaimed.
The lieutenant drew his sword and dismounted. The rest of the guards followed suit. Athos was the first to attack the lieutenant. The rest of the soldiers raced forward to engage the Musketeers and their new companions.
Krista was the first seperated from the three teens. The man was middle-aged with dark hair and a mustache. He smirked at Krista's uneducated fighting style. Krista decided to use her strength. She swung her sword at him like a baseball bat, then kicked him in the knee. The man called out and dropped to one knee. Krista regain her balance and delivered another kick to the man's side and head. The man was out cold. She smiled triumphantly.
Erica was seperated from Jacob soon after Krista disappeared. An older gentlemen with long white hair fired a series of blows at Erica. The youth ran away from most of the attacks. She ducked behind a tree. The man pursued. Erica rounded the tree to come up behind the man. She took the hand guard on the sword and rammed it into the back of the man's head. The man face-planted into the trunk and slid to the ground. Erica stood back and moved her fists in a circle in a victory dance.
"Go me. Go me."
Jacob, who had some trouble unsheathing his sword, brandished his entire sword (sheath and all) as a deadly club. At least two guards had been felled by his wrath. He swung the sword so fast that he looked like a retard trying to kill a fly with a baseball bat.
The Musketeers, however, disposed of the remaining with the grace and ease lacking in the three youths. Erica ran over to Krista to help her defeat a man who tried to blindside her. The two quickly took the guard to the ground with a few cheap shots. Then, the girls sheathed their swords and calmly walked back to the group, refixing their hair.
The Musketeers gave eath other (and the two girls) an "Oh damn!" look. Porthos gave a mischievious smile as he leaned closer to the two girls. "Remind me to never upset you two."
Krista laughed. "Yeah. Just ask Jacob."
Porthos joined Krista in laughter as he looked to Jacob. Jacob just looked the other way, suddenly interested in the bland rubble.
"You kids are strange, headstrong, and entirely too bold," Porthos said sternly. "I like that. It reminds me of me." The teens grinned.
Aramis walked up to Porthos, reaching for his saddle bag. He gave him a dark look. "Don't encourage them. By helping us, the kids have become outlaws themselves."
"Oh don't worry about that- we were already doing such a good job without your help," Erica said.
Aramis didn't reply, but passed a cold gaze over her. He then walked over to one of the motionless bodies of the guards. He bent down over the body. Erica's gaze followed him.
"What's with him?" Jacob asked.
"Aramis takes death very seriously. He's giving the man his last rights. He was a student of the Cardinal many years ago," Athos explained.
"What happened to him?" Erica asked, watching the Musketeer.
Athos turned to Porthos, who shrugged. "I think he became a Musketeer."
"Oh."
"So where are you kids from?" D'Artagnan asked.
The three looked at each other. "Way out West," Krista answered, smiling.
"America?"
"Yes, but even further," Jacob replied.
"I'm not familiar with that area, and I've even been to America before," Porthos put in.
"Don't worry," Erica said.
"No one is," Krista finished.
Aramis rejoined the group. "I think it's about time for us to leave." He turned to the three teens. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He then turned and mounted his horse. The other Musketeers followed suit.
"Hey! What about us?" Jacob burst.
"I suggest you return home," Athos said.
"Yes, find yourself a girl, have babies, and live a long life," Porthos added. Erica and Krista shot each other a confused look.
"But what is the Cardinal's people come looking for us?" Krista asked.
"Get a carriage to take you to a port. Someone will get you home," Athos said as he turned his horse and galloped away. The others followed, leaving the teens staring after them. Erica waved them off, trying to get their attention. But after they disappeared around the corner, she let her arms drop. "They're just leaving us here."
"And after all we did for them..." Krista mused. "Which actually wasn't that much."
Jacob sighed. "That's morbidly obese."
"All right. Krista, go grab Chase's stuff and let's get out of here."
"Sounds good to me," Krista said, walking over to a nearby tree to pick up Chase's bundle. She returned to the group smiling. "By the way, Jacob, I really like your sword fighting."
Erica grinned. "Yeah. You have no idea how stupid you looked."
Jacob shrugged. "I used my imagination."
"Did you see their faces?" Krista asked. "They were like, "What the hell?""
"Yeah! That was friggin' hilarious."
"And then, did you see Jacob fighting the Cardinal's people?"
"Yeah. I seen that. By any chance, did you have trouble getting your sword out, Jacob?"
Jacob flushed. "Well, you said to keep your sword sheathed..."
Erica laughed. "The one time Jacob actually listens to me..."
"Though I feel kinda bad leaving all these guys here," Krista sighed, looking at the men in red scattered about.
"Well, what do you want to do?" Erica asked.
"Because a lot of things are hard for dead guys to do," Jacob explained.
"Thank you for that deep thought, Jacob. But not all of them are dead."
Erica opened her mouth to suggest something, but the thundering of hooves drifted over the scene. They looked at each other.
"The Musketeers must be coming back to tell us something," Krista said.
"Maybe it'll be useful this time..." Erica added.
A herd of horses emerged around the corner. This group was about three times larger than the last. And every one of the men were wearing Guard uniforms, save for one man: Rochefort. Erica's stomach dropped through the ground.
"F!" Erica whispered desperately.
"Don't hold back, Erica. This would call for the entire word," Jacob said.
"Right," Krista muttered. "F'N'A!"
The guards swarmed around the three teens, banishing all hope of possible escape in a little under five seconds. Erica took a deep breath as Rochefort emerged from the sea of red. He looked down upon the three and smirked.
"Well, well. I set out to find outlaws and catch three spies," he said darkly. "Arrest them."
Three guards apiece were on top of the three teens. One held Erica's hands, while another took her sword, and the third bound her hands together. Erica shouldered one guard off of her. The three guards backed away. Thinking that she could escape, she turned around. And ran straight into Rochefort.
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