Morty is truly lucky, he can travel into the past and the future and experience things firsthand – he learns a lot more than he would by only reading about it in a history book!
Uncle Godfrey already summoned the Sky Express and packs a couple of multi-coloured bottles on the backseat while mumbling magic spells under his breath. “Those are protective charms, just to be safe in case of an emergency,” he explains to Betty who observes him from up high on a cupboard. “Today we will have a closer look at the musketeers – they lived in dangerous times. But not to worry, we are well protected. The charms can make us invisible or create a protective wall around us.”
Betty flutters down from her perch and lands in front of one of the coloured bottles. She giggles as she sees her own reflection in the bulging glass – she looks very fat! In this moment Morty and Malcolm come through the door and Morty cheers loudly when he sees the Sky Express. “Hooray! We’re going on a trip!” With a huge leap he bounces onto the passenger seat. „Where are we going to?“ Smiling, Uncle Godfrey takes place on the driver’s seat. “We’re flying back to the year 1625, to France. At that time there were no knights around, but instead there were musketeers who were very similar to knights!”
The engine starts and with a loud “poof” the Sky Express vanishes in a colourful cloud of glittering magic dust. While they are traveling through a whirling maelstrom of time and space, Uncle Godfrey tells Morty, Malcolm and Betty of the musketeers.
When the magic swirl dissolves around the Sky Express, our friends are very impressed – they have landed in the inner courtyard of the royal palace! Quickly, Uncle Godfrey opens one of the magic bottles and a blue mist covers the Sky Express before one of the guardmen notices them. “Nobody can see us now.”
Morty, Malcolm and Betty still admire the palace, open-mouthed, as Uncle Godfrey brings up a big chest from the rear end of the Sky-Express. “In here there are clothes for you. Please change so you don’t stand out so much.” Malcolm grins broadly and chuckles – no matter what he wears, a big, green dragon always stands out. Nevertheless he puts on the elegant cape and the fantastic hat with the fluffy feather. “Does that suit me?” he asks his friends and they nod. Morty has finished changing and even Betty is now wearing a tiny hat and a cape. “Well, now you’re looking like real musketeers,” Uncle Godfrey decides. He has swapped his magician‘s coat for the robe of a cardinal. “Follow me!”
When they leave the shelter of the invisbility cloud they sense a strange tingling and Morty giggles. Fortunately no one noticed that four people turned up out of thin air and the friends can examine the king’s court at leisure. They learn many fascinating things and as they return to the Sky Express hours later, they are all quite exhausted but pleased with this adventurous day.
The musketeers – soldiers and bodyguards
Our modern conception of the musketeers is based mostly on the novel “The Three Musketeers”, written by the French author Alexandre Dumas. Many movies have been made about the adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d’Artagnan, and they are firmly established in modern popular culture. Fact is, though, that the name “musketeer” means no more than a soldier whose weapon is a musket. These early guns were used in Europe from the end of the 16th century on. Initially they were very heavy-weight and impractical to use. A musket could weigh 15 kilograms, about the weight of a full suitcase or a heavy rucksack. Add to that the ammunition and the black powder wich was carried in a special container, the powder horn.
And as if that wasn’t already enough, the soldiers also needed a wooden stand which was needed to support the musket for taking aim and firing. The original muketeers had a whole lot of stuff to carry!
On the contrary there are the musketeers we know from Alexandre Dumas‘ story: they were armed much lighter and mostly we think of them fighting with a rapier and not with a musket. The so-called “Musketeer of the Guard” were a special unit of the French army and received their orders directly from the king. The members were mostly noblemen and one of their tasks was to escort the king on his journeys. But if the king wished them to, they would also go into battle like ordinary soldiers.
Morty and his friends have brought you back some funny colour-in pictures and riddles from the year 1625. You can download our free special “Morty’s World” here and print it.