Adélie (A Three Musketeers 2011 Fanfiction)

Adélie's Life

A/N: Warning, this chapter does contain words that may be offensive to some. Please note that in real life, I personally do not use such words.

Spring 1626

Limping slightly, D'Atagnan led his horse into the small village. "There better be a blacksmith here," he said, glancing over at his companion. "Or you're going to owe me a new pair of shoes."

Laughing, Aramis dismounted to walk next to the younger man. "I know for certain there is one here," he said.

"Yeah, you said that at the last village," D'Artagnan complained. One of his first missions as a full fledged musketeer, and Buttercup throws a shoe. He shook his head. "I've been walking for miles as it is."

"There," Aramis pointed to a building. "You can get your Buttercup re-shod there."

Grumbling, D'Artagnan pulled his horse towards the blacksmith's forge. The man told him it would take a few hours as he had a lot of work. There was nothing he could do about it, so D'Artagnan joined Aramis outside and told him they had to wait. "What are we going to do now?" the young man asked.

"It's not like we're in a hurry," Aramis said calmly. "Let's go over to the tavern for a drink."

"All right, but you're buying," D'Artagnan warned.

Aramis chuckled and nodded. They hadn't gone many steps when a strange sight met their eyes. A little girl, no more than five years old, came running out from beside the tavern. She was looking over her shoulder, so when her foot caught on something, she fell right into one of the many mud puddles that were in the street.

As D'Artagnan and Aramis chuckled at the sight, a group of boys, mostly twelve or so years old, came racing into view. The largest of them immediately pounced on the little girl, pinning her down in the mud. "Eat it, you little bastard," he said, smearing the mud in her face.

The two musketeers stopped smiling. "Leave her alone," D'Artagnan exclaimed, stepping into the street.

Looking up, the boy just smirked and got to his feet. "This is none of your affair, Monsieur," he said politely. He pushed the girl's head into the murky water with his foot and held her there as the child thrashed frantically. "We're just teaching this creature a less-."

He trailed off as he saw two rapiers being drawn. "Run!" one of the other boys yelped, backtracking swiftly. "They're musketeers!"

While having no real intention of harming the boys, D'Artagnan and Aramis still advanced threateningly. The leader of the group took his foot of the girl and scrambled back. Coughing and gasping for air, the girl rolled onto her back. D'Artagnan chased the boys a few yards before sheathing his sword and returning.

Kneeling in the mud, Aramis set the child on her feet. "Are you all right, mademoiselle?" Aramis asked, in concern.

"Merci, Monsieur," the girl said, her voice trembling. She wiped at the mud on her face. "Are they gone?"

"My friend D'Artagnan has chased them off, and I'm sure they won't be back any time soon," Aramis informed her. He drew a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her face, though it did little good. "My name is Aramis. What's yours?"

For a moment, the girl stared at him, her blue eyes wide. "Adélie," the girl answered, her tone hesitant. She pulled at her soaked, muddy dress, trying to get it to stop sticking to her small frame.

Glancing around, D'Artagnan spotted several villagers returning to work. His temper flared and his eyes narrowed. "Why did no one else try to stop this?" he demanded, striding towards a small group of men who still watched. "They could have killed her!"