Kate saddled up Cedar, making sure her horse was looking her best. "Cedar, the time has finally arrived. I will be setting off to become a musketeer, and you will be my loyal mare." She said, running her hands through her horse's mane.

Francesca walked up to Kate with a tapestry bag with some of Kate's things she had packed. "My baby girl is finally going out on her own. You may have turned eighteen a few months ago, but now you are taking flight and leaving me with an empty nest." She began to get teary-eyed as she attached the bag to the back of the saddle.

Kate gave a smile as she tightened the girth. "Oh, Mother, you make it sound so horrible. I will visit as much as I can, and John and Eloise will still be here to help." She turned to her mother and hugged her after her mother attached the bag.

Francesca hugged her daughter back tightly, not wanting to let her only daughter and youngest child go. "I know, I know. I am just being a mother. This is emotional for me. You are my only daughter, so it hurts more than it did with your brothers because you're my baby." She pulled away and smiled.

Kate placed her hands on her mother's upper arms and gave her a few soft pats. "I will be fine. I will be with Father and my brothers. I can take care of myself, mother. You have nothing to worry about." She was trying to be encouraging for her mother, who seemed to be already missing her.

Francesca cupped Kate's cheek in her hand, stroking her cheek with her thumb. "I know I have nothing to worry about, but as a mother, I still worry." She reminded her daughter it was simply what mothers do. 

"Oh, mother." Kate said, placing her hand on her mother's hand. "There is no need to worry. Just pray for me, please? That is all I ask. Oh, I will try and write to you every day." 

Francesca nodded and handed her daughter the envelope. "Inside is a letter which was written by your father suggesting that you become a musketeer. I have some crowns for you as well, which you will need. Do not lose this." She handed her daughter a small purse of crowns.

Kate smiled, hugging her mother before taking the letter and tucking it inside her pants pocket and the crowns she tied around her waist. "Thanks, Mother. I should arrive in Parvinelle within a day and a half if we ride fast." 

Francesca cupped her daughter's cheek and pressed a gentle kiss into her forehead. "You're welcome. Please be careful, don't get sidetracked, and if you get lost, ask for help." She explained, knowing she tended to be stubborn.
    
Kate gave a smile leaning into her mother's hand, feeling the warmth and love for one last time. "I will. I'll make you proud." She said, mounting her horse and taking the reins in her hands.

Eloise walked up to Kate and placed her hand on Cedar's flank. "Oh, Kate, I'll miss you a lot! Just please be safe and prove you are worthy to be a musketeer!" She exclaimed, squinting her eyes from the sun.

Kate looked down at her best friend and lightly patted the top of her head. "I will," She flashed a smile, withdrawing her hand. "No one is going to stop me from becoming a musketeer!"

Francesa placed her fingers together, resting them in front of her skirt. "Au revoir, Katherine! You always do. I know your father will be proud of you when he returns." She watched her daughter gather the reins on Cedar. 

Eloise echoed what Francesca had also said, waving to her friend. "Au revoir, Kate! You always make me proud. Like your mother said, be safe and come visit us when you become one." She exclaimed, wishing more than anything she had been beside.

Kate clicked Cedar into a canter as she waved at her mother and friend. "Au revoir! I'll write to you as soon as I get situated!" She called back, her eyes lingering on the two figures.

She turned around as Cedar cantered down the path towards Parvinelle, leaving her home, Gascony, behind. 

She could hardly sit still in the saddle. Her dream was finally coming true. 'This is exhilarating! I'm going to be the first ever female musketeer! I'm going to be a role model for girls like me! I'm going to put misogynistic men in their place and kick butt!' She thought to herself, giggling.

She pulled out her journal and opened the book, grabbing her charcoal pen and beginning to write. 

"June 23nd, 1752,

My dream is finally becoming real! It is so much to take in all at once. I thought I would never be able to become a musketeer. I wonder if any more ladies want to be a musketeer but are afraid to? It seemed unlikely, considering what Roderick said about his fellow musketeers thinking about females being their companions. They didn't have the nicest things to say, nor did others around Gascony either. However, I do hope to prove them wrong and show them I am just as fit to be one as they are, maybe even better. I know it won't be easy, and I know they will make it hard for me, but I'm up for the challenge! I will persevere no matter what and maybe get to gloat, which I should have the right to."

She ended the entry by putting it back onto her back, and then she put the charcoal with the others in a little fabric bag. 'Father's gift is being put to good use. I can use it to write Mother and Eloise while I'm in Parvinelle.' She thought to herself, looking up at the blue sky.

She took in a deep breath of the countryside and smiled. 'Oh, I don't know how much patience I have.' She thought, hardly containing her excitement and bounced in the saddle. 

'Am I prepared for this? I've had my fair share of ridicule for my dream. Men, women, children, young adults, elderly, they all mocked me and thought I was delirious and spared nothing with their insults or jokes. I know there is a small chance I could get my hopes crushed. Mother said that a lot, and I know there is a small chance I wouldn't be able to become a musketeer. It'd be foolish not to entertain the idea because of how this world is: it's a man's world, as they say '

'I've never met Monsieur Falkland, but once when I was a baby. I don't remember that, but Mother tells me it all the time. I don't know much about him other than what my brothers and my father have told me. They say he's very kind but tough. He cares about his musketeers like his own grandchildren, children, or brother, depending on the age. I can only hope he's accepting of my choice . . .'

Her thoughts trailed off as her hands gripped the reigns, twisting them a little. 'Oh Kate, stop worrying,' She scolded herself, slapping her cheek with one hand, shaking her head.

'Okay, let's focus on something else . . . Oh yes, why did Roderick come to visit? The musketeers never came out that far. They normally stayed around Paris. Perhaps it could have been an escaped prisoner that occasionally happened, or maybe it had to do with the unrest of Yvesseau? Maybe I can learn more when I get to Parvinelle?' She determined herself, flicking Cedar's reins.

As the day progresses, she lets Cedar rest every so often. Taking a break to drink some water from a clear flowing stream and eating a small amount of what her mother had packed. 

She was slowly growing weary, knowing it wouldn't be until the next day she arrived in Parvinelle. Her morale was getting pretty low, and boredom was beginning to set in, causing her to find things to do along the way.

Occasionally, she tossed an apple up and down in the air, seeing how many she could do, of course, only when walking beside Cedar to give her stomach button a rest from riding 

As the night drew in, she set up camp, made a little fire, and made sure Cedar was comfortable but also secured so she couldn't run off if she was spooked. 

She couldn't sleep the whole night, her mind raced with many scenarios. She was quite nervous, tossing and turning, feeling restless.

Sometimes, she'd get a little spooked, never having been alone before, and could make sure to keep her fire burning brightly to keep the wolves away. She had never gotten as bad of sleep as she was getting now, and it was draining on her mentally and physically. 

Soon, the morning came. After Kate had gotten her little camp packed up when she saw the city of Parvinelle off in the distance over a rolling hill she had just come up from. 

"Parvinelle!" She exclaimed gently, kicking Cedar into a full-fledged gallop, standing up in the saddle to see the city grow bigger and bigger. 

Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her hands gripped the reins, excitedly bubbled up inside her, almost spilling out. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and her destiny was so close.

She had been here a few times before, but not under her circumstances. She gripped the reins tighter as she pulled Cedar to a walk as she entered Parvinelle. 

A smile grew on her lips as she looked around, seeing so many people. There are so many diverse people, some of whom she had never met before. Everyone seemed happy, carefree, living their idyllic life her. before her.

She looked around the street and smiled when a view of a barn came into sight. It might have been the barn for those staying at the inns down the road. Even though she wasn't staying at an inn, she figured it would be best to board her horse there.

She slipped off her horse, grabbed the reins, and walked up to the door to the barn. She pulled it open and looked around. "Excusez-moi? Monsieur?" She asked as her eyes landed on a young man.

The young man shifted his blue eyes up from his book, sitting upon the bale of hay and running his hands through his black hair. "Oh, um, sorry," He apologized, scurrying to his feet as his book plopped on the ground. "I'm Warner Chalamet. What can I do for you, Mademoiselle?" He asked, bending down and picking up his book.

Kate placed her hands behind her back, rocking on her heels. "Greetings, Warner. I'm Katherine. However, you may call me Kate. I need to board Cedar here for a while." She said, handing him a few crowns. "How much will this last me?" 

Warner looked at the crowns in his hand and looked back up at her. "Um, I think a week and a half?" He replied with a smile. "Has anyone told you that you look like James Beaudoux?" He asked curiously, knowing her features were so strikingly similar to the well-known and respected musketeer everyone loves.

Kate blinked a few times before a smile graced her lips. "Indeed," She gave an exaggerated curtsey, simply wanting to be a little dramatic. "I have since he is my father, after all. My father's genes are strong." She said proudly.

Warner couldn't help but get a little starry-eyed. "Your father is a true legend. In that case, I may be able to stretch this for two weeks. I hope you don't mind me asking, what business could you have in Parvinelle? You're so young and a girl, are you here to get a job at the castle?" 

Kate placed her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes a little bit. "No, I'm not here for a job at the castle. I am here to become a musketeer." She said, grabbing her letter out of her bag she slings over her shoulder. "My father wrote this note for Monsieur Falkland suggesting I become one. Do you have a problem with that?" 

Warner shook his head as his eyes grew wide. "Oh no, not at all. It is about time someone is brave enough to pop a hole in the male-dominated world of musketeers - if that even is a word." He sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh well, I wish you all the best."

Kate sighed. At least he was one of those males. "Besides my brothers, father, and you are the only other males who haven't had a problem with it - anyway, thanks. I need to get going, breakfast is around the corner, and I am hungry." She said as she kissed Cedar goodbye and grabbed her tapestry bag, holding it in her hand without a letter. "Au revoir Warner." She called as she walked down the street.

Warner stood up and waved to her, watching her walk down the street. "Au revoir Kate, be safe! I will pray for your safety." He knew she was going to be needing as many prayers as she could get. 

Kate walked down the street, pulling out a map her father had made. "Oh, dear." She said as she looked at the smeared ink on the paper, unable to make out anything. "Now, how am I going to find his office? I suppose I will have to ask someone. I think it is best to leave out that I am going to be a musketeer." 

She began to make her way towards a group of young ladies standing in front of a bakery. "Excusez-moi, mademoiselles," She shyly greeted the three young women, bowing her head.

One of the young women, a brunette with brown eyes and freckles, turned her attention to Kate. "Oui? May I help you?" She asked, shifting her basket of fruit from her left arm to her right.

Kate took a deep breath and fidgeted the map in her hand. "I am looking for Monsieur Falkland's office, but my map has been smudged. Do you know where I may find him?" She asked, smiling politely.

The young woman looked Kate up and down before replying. "Ah, you must be looking for your husband," She said, earning nods from the two blondes beside her. "You will go straight until you see the palace gates, then you will turn the big tree and follow the path." She politely replied with a smile.

Kate's smile wavered for a moment, trying her best not to correct them. "Thank you ever so much." She politely thanked them before nodding her head and venturing the way they had instructed her.

'I almost forgot that young women my age are either married or to be married, which that girl was definitely married, the other two, probably to be married.' She thought to herself, looking down at the ground.

'I wonder how different my life would be if I had accepted the proposal that Monsieur David had asked? He wasn't my type, too tall and burly, and he wasn't exactly the nicest when it came to my dream. He wanted a girl who'd keep quiet and keep him happy and pressured, ugh, gross.' She shuddered at the thought. 'I would probably be a mother, and I don't think I could ever be a mother. I have zero motherly instinct.'

She sucked in a deep breath and looked up in front of her, a determined expression growing on her face. 'Nothing is going to set me back!' She thought, her eyes twinkling as she picked up her steps.

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A/N:
Here I am with this chapter. If you are reading this, it means I have posted it, and it was a chapter I had written up a long while ago. I have seen my error and have promised myself not to publish another book until it was completely finished. So here we are.

Chapter Talk:
I had a lot of editing to do. I took out a lot of telling and kept things simple. It felt too chunky and hard to understand, so I shortened things up! I did add a lot of internal monolog for Kate since this whole thing is in her POV.

Thanks for reading!