The Three Musketeers (IN EDITS)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

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"I appreciate this...Joachim..." Arianne said, walking quickly beside Joachim as he escorted her into the palace. A hood on her head and a cloak on her shoulders and Emma next to her, the three of them headed into the palace, the two ladies holding dresses with Emma holding a basket of ribbons and flowers.

"You better hope my head is not on the end of a noose for this..." Joachim said as he held a door open for them and they slipped through into the grand foyer - where the chandelier had fallen.

Arianne looked up and saw a new chandelier hanging as if nothing had happened as Red Guards patrolled everywhere.

"Why so many?" She asked, leaning towards Joachim but he shushed her as guards walked past them.

"We make this quick..." He gestured for the girls to follow him up the stairs and they kept their heads low as Joachim took them through the palace.

A temporary glance up made Arianne have her eyes fall upon a painting of Louis XIII - Christophe's father. Arianne had been here when the painting was done and remembered his frustration in having to stand still for yet another portrait.

As she turned to face the corridor, Joachim and Emma were gone and she cursed under her breath as whispered and called for them, trying to not draw attention to herself.

"Excuse me?" A lady's voice came from behind her and Arianne froze.

She was in trouble now.

Arianne turned and looked up from her hood to see Violette. "Emilie?" She said, surprised to see her as Arianne let out a sigh of relief.

"Violette...oh thank goodness. I need to find Emma...or, someone..." She looked around as Violette nodded.

"Come with me..." She gestured for her to follow as Arianne scrambled after her.

They descended the main stairs, exiting through a side door to another corridor where they walked and arrived in a room that was made up of beds. "What are you doing here?" Violette asked, as Arianne removed her hood.

"I was supposed to be delivering dresses but I got lost because Emma left me..." Arianne said.

"You're now a dressmaker?" Violette questioned as Arianne shook her head.

"Alright...no...I just wanted to have another look at the chandelier..." She confessed as Violette sighed.

"Sneaking into the palace is not the way to go..." She added. "This place has been under tightened security since then."

Arianne frowned. "It was clearly someone within the palace, not someone from outside."

Violette nodded. "True, but who is going to believe us? We can say the ropes were cut, not broken from the weight but wouldn't it just make us suspicious?" Arianne groaned. "And besides. They've put another chandelier up with another rope...much stronger than the last one. Rochefort declared it was the rope."

Arianne looked at her. "You're not convinced though?" Violette shook her head slowly. "I'm with you."

"They're adamant it was the rope. So they're brushing it under the carpet and moving on..." Violette explained.

"Well...you'd think they would show some more courtesy for their King..." Arianne grumbled as she looked at her. "Thank you."

Violette raised her eyebrows, inquisitively. "For what?"