AN: I blame the BBC for making the new style Musketeers. They were never this desirable. Ever.
My first attempt at writing a Musketeers fiction. I would love to find out what you think of my work.
Disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters from The Musketeers. They originally belong to Alexandre Dumas, and since then several film and T.V companies, ending with the latest reincarnation from the BBC.
Warnings: In general there will be sexual content, slash and violence. Maybe even death. If homophobia and racism offend you I will apologise, however to remain true to the era I could not write without reference to them. If homosexual relations offend you then I ask you not flame me. This is your warning in advance. I will put warnings up for each chapter as I go. The only swearing is that which would have been present in that era.
Prologue.
Bonjour, mes amis. You have come to me like so few before you searching for the truth of the Musketeers of old. Well take a seat and I will tell you what I know. You prefer to stand? Very well then, where shall I begin?
They have been called many names over the years, even in their infancy and active eras. They were known as 'The Musketeers of the Guard' (Mousquetaires de la garde), 'royal musketeers' (Mousquetaires du roi) while their full name was 'Musketeers of the military Household of King of France' (mousquetaires de la maison militaire du roi de France). They were a fighting company of the military branch of the Maison du Roi, the Royal Household of the French monarchy.
They were founded in 1622 when Louis XIII furnished a company of light cavalry with muskets. The Musketeers fought in battle both on foot and on horseback, while also forming the royal guard for the king while he was outside of the royal residences. The Musketeers of the Guard wore an early type of military uniform with a tabard (known as soubreveste), indicating that they "belonged" to the King, and an embroidered white cross denoting the fact that they were formed during the Huguenot Rebellions in support of the Catholic cause.
Shortly after the Musketeers were established and then a second company was founded to report to Cardinal Richelieu. At the cardinal's death in 1642, the company passed to his successor Cardinal Mazarin, who disbanded his Musketeers in 1646. He revived the Musketeers in 1657 with a company of 150 men. At Mazarin's death in 1661, the cardinal's Musketeers passed to Louis XIV.
In 1664, the two companies were reorganized: one company took the name "Grey Musketeers" (mousquetaires gris) from the colour of their matched horses, while the second were called "Black Musketeers" (mousquetaires noirs), mounted on black horses. At roughly the same time, the size of the Musketeer companies was doubled.
The Musketeers were among the most prestigious of the military companies of the Ancien Régime, and in principle membership in the companies was reserved for nobles. With the reforms of Michel le Tellier, which mandated a certain number of years of military service before nobles could attain the rank of officer – many nobles sought to do this service in the privileged Musketeer companies.
In 1776, the Musketeers were disbanded by Louise XVI for budgetary reasons. Reformed in 1789, they were disbanded again shortly afterward during the French Revolution, before being again reformed on July 6, 1814, and definitively disbanded on January 1, 1816.
I am impressed, mes amis, you stayed through all the facts now with our history lesson over we will commence with the tales of those I know you are anxious to hear of. We all know the story of the Three Musketeers. We all remember how Athos, Aramis and Porthos came to be the most well-known Musketeers, the world over. Their history is as convoluted as the tales come to be told about them down the years. If you take a seat my children I will tell you their true story.
An: I hope I didn't dump too much information on you, promise that will be the last history lesson I give you.
Translations:
Bonjour, mes amis – Hello, my friends.