Disclaimer: I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer or the characters. They are the property of their respective creators.
Notes: Phew, been a while, huh? I think my last one posted here for this series was back in 2012... Sorry about the long wait, had no inspiration for fics. But, after rewatching the majority of the series, new ideas have struck. Heh, you'll soon see what I mean as you read this.
This is a friendship fic. Enjoy!
It was common knowledge between the Musketeers that one of them has yet to even meet the King of France. Something always keeps it from happening; whether it was that certain Musketeer's dislike of receiving honours and medals for a job well done, or keeping an eye out for the Cardinal and his henchwoman following up with their plots against the monarchs.
Even when the King personally visited Monsieur de Treville's mansion to inform the Musketeers of a bet made with Cardinal Richelieu in regards to who could find Blackcross and his tortoises first, Albert did not meet the King, simply because according to the Captain, he spoiled what was to be a perfect line-up.
There was always something to keep them from meeting, so while the King had often heard the Fifth Musketeer mentioned many-a-time, he still remained a complete mystery to him.
D'Artagnan rolled his eyes. "This is actually getting ridiculous," he groaned as he saw Albert ride away from the Louvre, in the direction of de Treville's mansion.
"It can't be helped; he just doesn't like medals," Aramis commented.
"Still, there has to be some way we can get him to meet His Majesty."
"I doubt it. Just last week they almost met, but because the horses needed to be fed, he chose to do that instead," Athos spoke.
"The week before, he kept a watch out for the Cardinal when certain he was going to try something else."
"Before that, one of his inventions had been damaged during our mission, so he returned home to fix it as soon as possible," Aramis supplied.
"Before that, he insisted on preparing something for D'Artagnan's birthday dinner and hurried home almost as soon as we entered the palace grounds," Porthos added.
"That was delicious. Anyway, before that he went to that field of flowers just outside the city gates," D'Artagnan commented.
Captain de Treville turned to them. "You are about to present yourselves to our beloved monarchs. Leave this conversation be until afterwards." He led the way into the throne room.
After gratitude had been offered for them successfully retrieving the mystic stone, and medal presentations for a job well done (all while Richelieu watched with a silent fury), the Musketeers left the Louvre, while de Treville lingered so he could report to the monarchs. "Now, where were we? Oh, yes! The time before that, he helped a lost girl find her way home," D'Artagnan resumed.
"Before then, it was a personal day for him, so he hurried home almost after we rode through the city gates," Aramis added.
"His uniform was a bit dirty before that time. Naturally, he couldn't present himself like that," Porthos spoke.
"Before that mission, his mule was ill, so he was taking care of it."
"Let's not go all the way back to his first day as a Musketeer, and simply say there have been many, many reasons why over the last two-and-a-half years he has not presented himself to the King," Athos stated, wanting to end the conversation.
"I wonder if he had a certain reason this time, or if it was just because he doesn't like medals," D'Artagnan pondered.
"We can always ask why when we get back," Porthos suggested.
They returned to de Treville's mansion, and after settling their horses in the stable, they made their way to Albert's workshop.
Surprisingly, he wasn't in there. They didn't see him working on an invention, reading a book or brewing up more ammunition.
They searched through most of the mansion, but there was no trace. There was only one place left to look.
D'Artagnan opened the door to the petit male's bedroom and smiled softly.
Albert was tucked into bed, quietly snoring as he slept. He seemed to be smiling.
He closed the door and turned to the others. "He's asleep. He must've had a few late nights leading to this mission."
"Looks like he found a good way to reward himself again," Aramis whispered. "Let's let him rest, he deserves it."
The other three nodded and they quietly vacated the area.
It seemed there was always going to be a good reason why Albert would never present himself to the King of France.
The Musketeers decided to just accept that fact.