The carriage reached Blacksmith Village in another hour. In addition to buildings housing villagers, shops included a dress emporium, bakery, curio store, library, gem store, blacksmith shop, and market. In the center of the village was a fountain. The carriage dropped Gwen and Elisabeth off there.

Elisabeth thanked the driver, but Gwen started to roam. She waved at each person and horse and headed toward the market. She halted when she stumbled into a plaza. There was a group of people, and all of them cheered and clapped.

Gwen wanted a better look at what was happening, so she pushed through the crowd. "Excuse me, excuse me." Her jaw dropped.

Two musketeers were mounted on their noble steeds, showing off their moves. They wore hoses on their legs and blue tunics.

Gwen's face brightened. "Musketeers!"

Swords drawn, the musketeers faced one another and brawled. One was a muscular young man with short black hair and a mustache.

He held his sword behind his back and winked at young ladies.

Gwen was so excited right now! She had never seen a musketeer up close! It was a dream come true for her.

The musketeer knocked his opponent's sword out of his hand. To show off, he flipped his dark locks.

"Ahhh!" shouted the ladies.

The musketeer turned his horse and asked the crowd, "Is there anyone out there who challenges me—the great Sir Elwin?"

Gwen's excitement went up a whole new level. Here was her chance to prove herself! Perhaps Elisabeth would change her mind if she beat Elwin in a duel.

Gwen stood straight and lifted her hand. "I challenge thee!"

Elwin's brown eyes landed on her, and he burst out laughing. As did the other men in the crowd.

"You hear that, lads?" Elwin asked. "This little girl thinks she's worthy of becoming a musketeer."

"Little girl?" Gwen's excitement drained. She tried to make herself look small, but it was too late.

Elwin approached her. "Dream on, little girl, but you belong in the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" No man told Gwen to return to the kitchen!

Elwin's horse kicked up dirt, splattering it all over Gwen's dress.

She gasped.

"Get lost," Elwin told her.

Gwen remained brave. "No."

Before things could get too dicey, Elisabeth came to her rescue. "Guinevere?"

Gwen clenched her fist, but Elisabeth grabbed it before she struck Elwin.

"Let me punch him," Gwen begged. "I will beat him to a pulp!"

"I'm sorry about her, gentlemen," Elisabeth said. "She's a bit feisty." With that, she pulled Gwen away from the men and out of the crowd.

"Why didn't you let me whoop up on him?" asked Gwen. "Serves him right for destroying my beautiful dress."

"How many times do I need to tell you?" Elisabeth answered. "Musketeering is men's work. Thanks to your childish behavior, we now have to get you a new dress from the emporium!"

"And how many times do I have to tell you?" Gwen fought. "I don't want to get married!"

"I don't want to hear another peep from you, young lady! You're going to, and that's final!"

Gwen wanted to throw a tantrum but stopped herself.

She and Elisabeth passed through the market to reach the dress emporium, which had people from all over.

Merchants sold many trinkets: jewelry, veils, scarves, fruits, and mirrors.

A mirror table grabbed Gwen's attention most. It included handhelds, wooden mirrors, and other mirrors of different shapes and sizes. It was a fabulous display of entrepreneurship.

The merchant was a friendly man who came from up North to sell his goods. "Good afternoon, little one," he said to Gwen. "How can I help you?"

Gwen picked up a wooden mirror. "Did you make these mirrors yourself?" She ran her thumb across the smooth bark.

"Most of them, yes," answered the man. "Others I found on my journey here. I am Fergus. What's your name?"

"Guinevere."

"Guinevere? Like the tales of King Arthur?"

"You could say that." Gwen knew little about the Arthurian legends except that Arthur's wife was named Guinevere.

She set the wooden mirror down and picked up another one. It had a gold border. Gwen held it to the sun, and it shimmered in the rays. "Wow," she breathed.

"Oh, do you like that one?" Fergus asked. "It's only ten farthings."

"What about this one?" Another mirror fascinated Gwen. It won the award for being the most unique and largest. Fergus had it propped against his table. The mirror was shaped like a shield and had a transparent surface.

"Oh, that one," Fergus said. "That, my dear, is a reproduction of Illusion."

"Illusion?" Gwen returned the handheld mirror and kneeled to the large one.

Shock exploded over Fergus's face. He slapped his hands to his cheeks. "Don't tell me you've never heard of it before."

"No, sir." Gwen shook her head. "This is new to me."

"My dear, where have you been the past seven hundred years?" Fergus snuck out from behind his table, causing it to shake a bit. He came within reach of Gwen and picked up the mirror. He held it like a shield. "Illusion is a legendary mirror, said to have been used by ancient kings during the Middle Ages. There are some theories that Arthur himself wielded it. The legend is that whoever finds the mirror can have whatever they desire."

Gwen's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes, my dear," Fergus said, nodding. "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?" Gwen wanted to know.

"That's what the ancient texts say."

Gwen wasted no time to say, "I'll take it!" She reached into her dress's pocket and pulled out a bag of farthings.

"Whoa, dear!" Fergus announced, chuckling. "This is just a reproduction. It's not the real thing."

"I still want it, sir. How many farthings is it?"

"Since you're such a kind young lady, I'll discount you. Twenty farthings."

"Perfect." Gwen opened her bag and dropped twenty farthings onto Fergus's table. She even gave him a little tip to top it off at twenty-five.

"Thank you, dear. Here you go," Fergus said. He offered Gwen the shield-like mirror, and she happily accepted. She gripped its back band and examined it up and down.

"How does it feel?" Fergus wanted to know.

"It's perfect. Thank you, sir. I want to become a musketeer, so a shield is only necessary."

"A musketeer, eh?" Unlike Sir Elwin, Fergus did not tease her. "Yoo-hoo! That's a great dream! I hope my mirror comes in handy. You deserve a place in the Royal Court, young lady. Don't let anybody tell you that your dream is impossible."

"I can't thank you enough." Gwen felt like she was going to cry. Finally, finally, somebody encouraged her to live her dream.

Gwen left the market with a smile on her face and met up with Elisabeth outside the dress emporium.

"Where did you get that mirror?" she asked.

"A sweet, old man gave it to me. He says it's a reproduction of a legendary mirror known as Illusion," was Gwen's answer.

Elisabeth's face whitened. She clenched her fists. "How much was it?"

"Only twenty farthings."

"Twenty farthings? What the heck, dear? We were supposed to use that money to buy you a new dress."

"I didn't think it was that expensive."

"Nah-hah!" Elisabeth shook her head and grabbed the shield-like mirror. "You're going to return it right now. You don't need this toy."

"It's not a toy, Mom." Gwen pulled the mirror toward her. "I can use it when I become a musketeer."

"Oh, for the love of—!" Elisabeth tugged it back in her direction. "You're not going to become a musketeer!"

"I am, too! The merchant told me! Please, Mom, you can't live the rest of your life in fear! If I'm going to find my brother, I need this!"

"Your brother is dead! I failed to protect him and your father from the War!"

An intense game of tug-and-war occurred between the two.

Gwen's eyes landed on a basket of swords not far from them. She let go of the mirror and hurried to it, picking out the fanciest one in the bunch.

Elisabeth yelped and shook her head when Gwen threatened her with it. She sliced the air over her head.

Elisabeth quickly dropped the mirror.

Gwen reached for it and chuckled.

Swoosh!

A black-cloaked figure slid between Gwen and Elisabeth out of nowhere and swiped the mirror before their eyes.

"What the—?" Gwen yelled.

The bandit sprinted toward the village tavern.

"Come back here!" Gwen called. She tightened her grip on her sword hilt and hurried after him, leaving a very frightened Elisabeth behind.