The village, Blacksmith Village, was a lively place this morning. After one more hour on the dirt road, the carriage reached it. Aside from buildings that housed the villagers, shops in it included: a dress emporium, bakery, curio store, bookstore, gem store, blacksmith shop, a market, and a library. The carriage pulled up in front of a fountain in the center of the village and dropped off Gwen and Elisabeth. Elisabeth thanked the driver, but Gwen started to roam. She waved to each person and horse she passed and made her way towards the market. On her way there, she witnessed something amazing. There were a group of villagers crowded around a plaza, and they cheered and clapped at something in front of them.
Curious, Gwen pushed her way through the crowd, saying,
“Excuse me. Excuse me,” so she could get a better look. Her jaw dropped to the ground, and her eyes widened when she saw two horsemen mounted proudly on their noble steeds. Not only that, but these men were musketeers! They wore hoses over their legs as well as blue tunics that had the symbol of Irodia’s Musketeers on their chests. Just seeing them, Gwen’s face brightened, and she yelled, “Musketeers!” The musketeers faced one another with swords drawn and acted out a brawl on their horses. On of the soldiers, Sir Elwin, jumped back from his opponent and held his sword behind his back. Within the crowd, excited people clapped and cheered. Gwen was one of those people. Never in her life had she been this close to a musketeer before! This was fascinating!
Sir Elwin, after twirling his sword in his hand a few times, charged back towards his opponent and clashed with him. After only about two minutes, he smacked the sword out of his opponent’s hand. It flew across the plaza and landed in a haystack that a horse was feasting off of. Gwen let out a fan girl scream and clapped her hands like crazy. Sir Elwin, after flipping his long, curly, brown hair, twirled his finger around his mustache and faced the crowd.
To then, he asked, “Is there anyone else out there or challenges me, the great Sir Elwin?” Just as he asked that, Gwen’s excitement went up a whole other level. This was her chance. If she could beat this man in a brawl, then perhaps that would prove to her mother that she was worthy of becoming a musketeer?
With this in mind, she stood up straight, lifted her hand, and bravely announced, “I challenge thee!” At the sound of her voice, Sir Elwin turned his horse and faced her. The second his eyes landed on the teenage girl wearing the beautiful, pink dress, he laughed. As did the other men in the crowd.
Nervous, Gwen lowered her hand and examined the crowd. “Did you hear that, lads?” Sir Elwin asked all the laughing men, and he pointed at Gwen, “This teeny, little girl thinks she can become a musketeer!” Teeny little girl? That was a bit rude. Gwen felt all the excitement draining from her body. She tried to make herself seem smaller, but it was too late for that. Sir Elwin came within reach of her and said in a mean voice, “Dream on, little girl, but you belong in the kitchen.” With that, he ordered his horse to pick up some mud with his hooves. Guinevere gasped as dirt and mud splashed onto her beautiful dress and face. Once again, the men in the crowd burst out laughing. Sir Elwin waved his hand and said, “Get lost,” to the seventeen-year-old. Even though she was embarrassed like crazy, Gwen refused.
She clenched her fists and stood up straight, saying just one word, “No.”
Before things could get too dicey, Elisabeth came to her daughter’s rescue. “Guinevere?” she called from within the crowd of people. Just before Gwen could lift her hand and punch Sir Elwin right off his horse, her mother grabbed it and pulled it down to her side. “Whoa! Whoa!” she yelled, “What’s going on here?”
”Let me punch him.” Gwen angrily spoke. She tried to release herself from her mother’s grip, but she held her tightly, “I will beat him to a pulp!”
”You can try all you want, little missy.” Sir Elwin rudely told her, “But at the end of the day, when you lose, you will belong to me.”
”Why you little...!” Guinevere shouted, but before things could get any worse, her mother apologized to the man and pulled her away from him.
As the two left the crowd, Elisabeth told her daughter, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
”Why didn’t you let me whoop up on him?” Guinevere asked only a little bit later, “I swear, I would beat him in two seconds flat. He deserves that after ruining my beautiful dress.” Both she and her mother sat at the edge of the fountain where the carriage dropped them off earlier. Elisabeth used a rag to rub mud and dirt off her daughter’s face and dress.
While she worked, she admitted, “Well, Gwen. If you want to become a musketeer, you’re going to have to deal with that. A musketeer is men’s work. It’s not a girl’s job. There are almost no female musketeers. I know you’re upset, but sometimes acting rationally isn’t the best way to settle disputes. There you go.” Removing the rag from her daughter’s face, she washed it out in the fountain and wrapped it around her neck, “Come on. Let’s make our way back over to where you’re going to meet the suitors.”
”But, Mom!” Gwen argued, “You said that I could become a musketeer in the carriage!”
”What are you talking about? I did not!”
”But I thought you changed your mind.”
”It’s too late now, darling. Right now, the most important thing is that you get married.” With that, Elisabeth hopped off the fountain and pulled Gwen to her feet. Together, they started through the village in the direction of Gwen’s worst nightmare - suitors.
Guinevere and Elisabeth made their way through the village market. While Elisabeth’s only focus was to get this suitor situation over with, Gwen wanted to check everything out in the market. She was interested in whatever she saw, but what grabbed her attention the most was a table in which different types of mirrors sat on it. There were handheld mirrors, wooden mirrors, and mirrors of all shapes and sizes.
The table’s seller, an older, slightly plump man with a funny looking beard noticed she was interested in his souvenirs and smiled at her, “Good morning, little lady.” Gwen smiled at him and picked up one of the wooden mirrors. The man stood up from his seat and set his palms down on the table’s surface, “What can I do for you?”
”Did you make these mirrors yourself?” Gwen asked him as she ran her thumb across the wooden mirror’s smooth surface.
”Most of them, yes ma’am,” was the man’s answer, “Others I found during my journey to this quaint, little village. I am Fergus. Do you have a name?”
”Guinevere.” The next mirror that grabbed Gwen’s attention was a handheld one that was covered with a gold border. Picking it up, she held it up to the sun. The second it’s rays hit the mirror’s gold border, it shimmered. “Wow.” Guinevere breathlessly spoke.
”Oh, do you like that mirror?” the kind, old merchant asked her, “It’s just ten farthings.”
”What about this one?” Gwen asked him. She set the handheld mirror down and kneeled to another one the merchant had propped up against the table. This mirror greatly interested her. It was shaped like a shield but had a clear surface in the center of it. It was a shield mirror.
The merchant looked around the table to see what she was looking at. “Oh, that one,” he said with a smile, “That, my dear, is a reproduction of Illusion.”
”Illusion?” Gwen questioned in a curious tone.
Suddebly, Fergus gasped, and he slapped his hands to his lips, “Don’t tell me you have never heard of it before!”
”No.” Gwen shook her head, “This is totally new to me, sir.”
”My dear! Where have you been in the past seven-hundred years?” With that, Fergus pocked up the reproduction and held it in his hand as if it was a shield, “Illusion is a legendary mirror, said to have been used by ancient kings during the Middle Agea. Legend has it that whoever is worthy of finding the mirror can have whatever they desire in life.”
”Really?” Gwen’s eyes widened with shock.
Fergus nodded, “Yes, my dear. However, after the Middle Ages, the mirror went into hiding, and none have found it since.”
”Does it really have the power to grant somebody whatever they desire?” Guinevere curiously asked.
”That’s what the ancient texts say,” was Fergus’s answer, “If you want to learn more, go to the library.”
A huge smile stretched across Gwen’s face, and she quickly announced, “I’ll take it!” As quick as a flash, she reached into her dress’s pocket and pulled out a bag of farthings, “How many farthings is it, sir?”
”Whoa, my dear!” Fergus chuckled, and he held his hands out to her, “This is just a reproduction. It’s not the real thing.”
”I still want it though, sir. How many farthings?”
“Well, since you are such a kind, young lady, I will give you a discount. It’s only twenty-five farthings.”
”Perfect.” Guinevere opened up her bag and dumped twenty-five farthings onto the table. She even gave the kind, old merchant a tip to top it off at thirty.
Fergus glanced at the pile of coins on the table and said,
“Thank you, my dear. Here you go.” He handed the shield-like mirror to young Guinevere, and she excitedly took it. She gripped its back band and held it in front of her, studying it up and down. It fit her perfectly.
Fergus crosses his arms and asked, “how does it feel?”
“It fits me perfectly. Thank you, sir. You see, I want to become a musketeer, and I think a shield will really help me.”
”A musketeer, you say?” Unlike Sir Elwin, Fergus did not laugh at the teenager, “That’s a great goal, my dear. I hope my mirror will come in handy. You deserve to have a place in the royal court.”
”You really think so?” Wow, Fergusbwas nothing like Sir Elwin. He believed Guinevere had a great chance at becoming a musketeer. A few tears appeared in the girl’s eyes, and she rubbed them, “Thabk you, sir. Thank you so much.”
Still smiling, Fergus nodded, “Your welcome. Good luck with the musketeer business. They need a strong-willed, young lady such as yourself. Don’t let anybody tell you that your dream is impossible.”
"I can't thank you enough." As Gwen left Fergus's table, she waved at him, and he waved back. Then, with a brand new accessory on hand, she took off.
"Where did you get that mirror?" Elisabeth asked her when she finally found her again.
"A sweet, old man gave it to me," was Gwen's answer, "He said it is a reproduction of a legendary mirror known as Illusion."
"How much was it?"
"Just twenty-five farthings."
"Twenty-five farthings?! What the heck, dear?! That's a whole week worth of meals!"
"I didn't think it was that expensive."
"Nah-hah!" Elisabeth quickly shook her head, and she grabbed hold of the shield-like mirror in her daughter's hands, "You do not need this toy!"
She tried to pull the mirror out of Gwen's grasp, but she pulled back on it. "It's not a toy, Mother!" she argued, "I can use it when I become a musketeer!"
"Oh, for the love of...!" Elisabeth also pulled back on the mirror, "You are not going to become a musketeer!"
"Yes, I am! That old man at the table told me so! Please, Mom! You can't live the rest of your life on guilt over something that happened fifteen years ago! If I am going to find my brother, I need this!"
"Your brother is dead! I failed to protect him and your father! I told you in the carriage!" A tug-of-war started between the daughter and her mother.
Gwen's eyes soon started to roam, and they landed on a basket of swords not far from her. As quick as a flash, she let go of the mirror and hurried to them, pulling one of the swords out. Elisabeth yelled and dropped the mirror when her daughter threatened her with it. Twirling it in her hand, Gwen reached for her souvenir, but suddenly, from out of nowhere, a black-cloaked figure slid between her and her mother, and he stole the mirror right in front of Gwen's eyes! What the heck?!
Where did he come from?! "What the?!" Gwen asked. With the shield-like mirror in his hand, the bandit took off in the direction of the village tavern. "Come back here!" Gwen called after him. With that, she chased the bandit and left her frightened mother behind.
Sword in hand, Gwen and the bandit sprinted all over the village. She could not see his face, for it was hidden behind his hood. The bandit took her to some deep, dark alleyways in the village and leaped over barrels. He refused to let the mirror go. Sir Elwin, the rude musketeer who refused to fight Gwen in the plaza earlier, was in one of these alleyways. He was with a few of his musketeer amigos, and they were polishing his boots.
He sat with his back propped up against a building and hands behind his head. "Make sure you're polishing every inch of them!" he snapped at the musketeer in front of him, "Don't forget the toes! The toes are especially important! I want to look my best for the prince!" Lowering one of his hands, he again started to twirl his mustache around his finger. It was a habit of his.
Unfortunately, just before his amigo could move on to the boots' toes, Gwen suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, and she slid in between the two musketeers like how the bandit slid in between her and Elisabeth. Yelping, Sir Elwin's amigo pulled the rag away from his boots and fell backwards.
He landed on top of the third musketeer in the alleyway, and they became a pretzel. "What the?!" Sir Elwin yelped, and he quickly pressed his back up against the wall. As he watched Gwen running away, he asked himself, "Is that who I think it is?"
The bandit who stole Gwen's mirror jumped up onto a platform and started to climb a building. However, the young lady found him.
Pointing at the bandit, she screamed, "Thief!" and leaped into the air. Gwen wrapped her arms around his tummy and pulled him off the building's wall. Kasplat! The two landed on the dirt ground and started to wrestle with each other. Each person reached for the shied-like mirror, but they failed to grab it. Little did they know, though, that they were rolling right towards a hill, which led into the forest. With her hands on the bandit's arms, Gwen kicked the mirror into the air. While it was airborne, she used the bandit as a trampoline and leaped up towards it. The young lady managed to grab it in midair, and she landed on her feet back on the ground. Laughing, she held the mirror in front of her and sarcastically said, "That was hard." Unfortunately, she celebrated too early. The bandit tackled her, and together, they rolled down the hill that they were heading towards the whole tussle. Guinevere lost her sword in the process, and it rolled down after them. Once again, the bandit reached for the mirror, but Gwen smacked it.
They were rolling right in the direction of a waterfall at the foot of the village.
"This is my mirror!" young Guinevere shouted at the fighting bandit, "I paid for it!" The thief did not give up. He wanted the souvenir really badly. Just before things could get any wackier, the two soon reached the bottom of the hill, and they splashed into the pool at the foot of the waterfall. Now they were in the forest, and Blacksmith Village was behind them. Gwen's sword ended up on a rock while she landed next to it. On the other hand, the bandit went flying, and he splashed into the deeper section of the waterfall pool. No longer was Guinevere in Blacksmith Village. She was in the wilderness with a bandit that she so wanted to hurt! First, the wolf stole her hat, and now a random thief stole her new mirror?! What was next? What else was in store for seventeen-year-old Guinevere Emberblight?
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