For Treville
Disclaimer: You think I own The Musketeers? What a compliment!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you have the best 2018!
It was a new year.
It was a new start.
For most people.
But for d'Artagnan, Athos, Aramis and Porthos, nothing had really changed.
The week had just carried on like normal.
No new year.
No new start.
Their 'new starts' had started last year. Aramis had become a Minister, Porthos had become a General, d'Artagnan had become a Captain, and Athos had become a Father.
These were great achievements. All of them were happy. But there was always a lingering thought at the back of their minds.
Would Treville be proud?
That man had been a father to them all, and when they had lost him, their worlds came crashing down.
He had died, his musketeers around him, so quickly.
They hadn't been able to say goodbye.
For Athos, becoming a father himself was an emotional journey. He had a new life to take care of, and he vowed to love it with all of his heart. He wanted to do to his child what Treville had done to him – make him feel worthy.
For Aramis, becoming a Minister was a huge change from being a musketeer. But he was able to be closer to the new King and the Queen now. And he wanted to make them feel what Treville had made him feel – protected.
For d'Artagnan, becoming a Captain meant so much to him. He was doing something he loved with all his heart, and he wanted to continue doing it until the day he died. He wanted to teach his children how to sword fight, and how to handle a gun. But most importantly, he wanted to make his musketeers and his cadets know what Treville had made so clear to him – they were never alone.
For Porthos, becoming a General meant he had to be away from Aramis, d'Artagnan, Elodie, and their baby. But it also meant that he could properly protect his country and his friends while he was away fighting, which meant more to him than he could ever say. He wanted to do to his soldiers what Treville had done to him – make him feel strong.
They all believed they had made these happen. So yes, they concluded, Treville would be proud of them.
Each one missed the man so much, that sometimes it would be hard to cope with their new jobs. Emotions would suddenly come rushing to them after a particularly long day, and they'd have to find somewhere to be alone for a few moments. Somewhere they could cry to themselves for the father they had lost.
But then Sylvie would find Athos, and Anne would find Aramis, and Constance would find d'Artagnan, and Elodie would find Porthos, and they'd give them a hug and tell them everything would be okay. Treville loved them, and he would be so proud of them.
So, no. For the four musketeers, this new year was not a new start. They could never live a new life without their Treville.
But Athos would continue to make his child feel worthy, and Aramis would continue to make Louis and Anne feel protected, and d'Artagnan would continue to make his cadets feel like they were not alone, and Porthos would continue to make his soldiers feel strong.
That was what Treville made them feel.
He made them feel worthy, protected, not alone, and strong.
But above all else, he made them feel loved.
And they would carry that with them for the rest of their lives, because they wanted to make him feel proud.
They knew that the man would want them to start over. They knew he wouldn't want them to cry over him. They knew he would want them to have a happy life, and remember him fondly.
So they would try to look at this new year in a positive light.
And they would try to take this new start as a good thing.
For Treville.