Disclaimer: The Musketeers are not mine. I'm just borrowing the concepts and characters for a little while.
Spoilers: 1.08 The Challenge.
A/N: An episode bursting with potential for stories, and yet this idea pops into my mind first…
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"You think this is about glory?" – Tréville to Athos, 1.08 The Challenge.
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He was sitting at his desk, working on the duty roster for the upcoming weeks, when a bottle of Armagnac is set down in front of him.
A familiar voice, full of equal parts remorse and sincerity, says, "Thank you."
Tréville finishes writing before looking up to meet Athos's eyes.
"For?" he inquires, keeping both his voice and his expression neutral.
The last time they had spoken privately, Athos had disparaged his decision to personally accept the challenge on behalf of the Musketeers. He had hoped for an apology but wasn't really expecting one, so the younger man's gratitude was definitely surprising.
"You were protecting us, protecting him," Athos answered confidently.
He leaned back in his seat, hoping the new position would help to relieve some of the soreness from his shoulder. With all the damage to the area in and around the joint, there was still a question of whether or not the shoulder would ever regain a proper range of motion.
"Yes," he confessed, waving a hand towards a chair that was against the wall. Athos took the hint and moved it closer to the desk.
Tréville continued once the younger man was seated. "When I saw that Labarge was to be the Cardinal's champion… His reputation for brutality had preceded him, and I couldn't bring myself to risk any of you boys. I had to take on the challenge myself."
"I should not have accused you of wanting glory," Athos acknowledged, then admitted, "I know you better than that."
"You do know me better than that," he admonished, moving his uninjured hand up to adjust his sling's strap.
The captain had been surprised at the vehemence with which Athos had spoken against his decision and in favor of d'Artagnan. For a man who so rarely lost control of his emotions, the impassioned speech had enlightened him to just how highly Athos thought of his young friend. Unfortunately, it had had the unintended effect in that moment of reinforcing his decision.
He'd seen the influence d'Artagnan had on his three best men, especially on his best swordsman, who he'd noticed had eventually begun drinking less since the young man had joined them. If the Gascon had been killed during the challenge, he was concerned that Athos might never fully recover from the loss.
"I knew my decision would impact d'Artagnan the most, but there isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect my men."
"You could have died," Athos quietly reminded, then with a sincere voice queried, "Did you not think that your loss wouldn't have been a blow to us all?"
Tréville was taken aback by what Athos's question seemed to imply; perhaps the younger man thought more highly of him than he had previously imagined. Over the years, he had worked hard to promote the bonds of brotherhood amongst the Musketeers. However, in his role as Captain, he was often more than just a commanding officer to his men and was also a surrogate father, uncle, or brother to them. Athos had not divulged much about his previous life, but Tréville had never had the sense that the younger man had needed him in any of those capacities – until today.
He was at a loss as to how he should respond to the question and the silence between them grew. However, the silence was not uncomfortable and served to punctuate their recent exchange.
Athos was the first to break the silence. "Before you found out about Labarge, had you intended to name d'Artagnan the Musketeer's champion?"
"I did. I thought d'Artagnan deserved to have a chance to win his commission from the King just as much as you did. With Labarge as the Cardinal's champion, I was afraid that he would be too distracted by the loss of his farm to fight to the best of his ability."
Athos nodded his agreement with the assessment. "He is still learning to not let his heart rule his head," he paused, smiling slightly, "but he has his moments."
"That he does," Tréville confirmed, returning the smile. "How is he doing?"
"Well in body although considerably rumpled in spirit." The younger man looked thoughtful for a moment, as if he was carefully choosing his words so as to not betray a confidence. "He has had much to deal with of late, but his brothers are keeping a close eye on him. In fact, I am due to spar with d'Artagnan within the next hour."
Athos stood and pointed towards the bottle of Armagnac.
"I don't mean to presume, Captain, but with your arm… Would you like me to open that bottle for you before I go?"
Tréville picked up the bottle with his good hand and examined the label, noting the older vintage and recognizing the name of the distillery before handing it to Athos.
"Only if you join me for some."
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The end.
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A/N: I used a favorite quote from Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. Did anyone recognize it?
Thanks to nikonian for providing information that I needed for this story!
No beta; mistakes are more than likely.
Thanks for reading!