Hey guys! Sapphire here! I'm back! With a new Musketeers story for you! For those of you who just showed up, this is the third in my series. The first one is All for One, and the second is One for All. I recommend you go and read those before you tackle this one.

If you have that done, enjoy the new story!

ST

I crept over the rafters in the barn's ceiling, keeping a careful watch on the four men beneath me, playing cards.

My target was on the other side of the barn. Said target was a hostage, hanging from the barn beams by his arms, and he had a bag tied over his head. I didn't have long, since staying in that position for too long could be lethal.

I quickened my pace, I was supposed to get him, and get out, then Porthos would break the door down on the other side, where I had come from, and he, Athos, D'artagnan, and Aramis would burst inside and subdue the captors.

My job was simply to sneak through a barn window from the side I came in from, and get the hostage away from the dangerous area. I was supposed to get him to my horse, then ride back to the town not far from here with him so he could receive medical attention.

The five of us had been summoned to the small town because of the threats formulating around the town about assassinations, then a nobleman had gone missing on his journey through the town, where he was last seen. He had been missing a week before we had gotten there, and the nobleman, barely 15 years old, had been being held for ransom. His mother and father were beside themselves with worry, and had begged the King to help them.

As a result, the Inseparables plus me were sent in.

I tried not to make any noise as I tread lightly across the scaffolding. Why would someone choose a barn of all places to hold someone hostage? It was obvious and out in the open. Porthos had found it easily. They hadn't even gone that far out of town!

I made it across the barn without too much trouble, and, after checking to make sure no one was looking towards me, I slid down a pole and dropped lightly to the ground.

I walked behind the man hanging and gently checked him over. He was still breathing, if shallowly, and he had injuries dotted across his body. But other than that he seemed to be alright.

Quickly, I cut him down and caught him before he hit the ground. I lowered him gently to the dirt and pulled the bag carefully off of his face.

He groaned as the torchlight assaulted him, and I quickly covered his mouth, tensing. But the stupid captors didn't even turn around.

I breathed a sigh of relief and the hostage, who was named Fernandez, opened his eyes to look at me blurrily.

"Sh." I murmured quietly, listening intently around me. I heard something strike the side of the barn, and knew that was my cue. "I'm with the King's Musketeers. I'm here to get you out. So try not to make a sound, alright? Can you stand?"

He narrowed his eyes tiredly, but nodded. I gave him a nod and pulled him slowly to his feet. I wanted to go faster, but any faster and he could injure himself more. Strained muscles weren't something to mess around with.

He, for his credit, didn't make a sound other than pained grunts, which were thankfully quiet enough so as not to alert the captors.

Just as we began to stagger towards the barn doors, the other side of the barn shook, and that door blew open with Porthos behind it, already shooting.

I sped up, being late myself as according to the plan, and Fernandez struggled to keep up with me. He was shorter than I was, and too thin since he had no doubt been poorly taken care of during his stay with the morons, so dragging him was relatively easy.

I turned the corner, only the moon illuminating my path, and cursed under my breath as a man stepped around the corner. We knew there was probably more men than the ones inside, but I was just hoping I wouldn't run into them.

But, of course, luck was against me.

The man started slightly, then he reached for his flintlock.

I barely managed to shove Fernandez behind me before the echo of the flintlock firing echoed around us. The ball had grazed my side, but it wasn't deep nor dangerous if I got it taken care of as soon as I could.

I whistled loudly, since stealth at this point was a tossup thanks to the idiot in front of me very loudly declaring that someone of interest was behind the barn. Hopefully my horse had heard me and would be here soon. Hopefully the teenager behind me would stay behind me.

I drew my sword and lunged forward. I easily rid him of his gun, not that it would do too much at this point, and slashed his chest. I kicked him in the stomach and he went down.

Then more people came at me from the other side of the barn, and I jerked the scared teen to his feet.

They began to run at us, all three of them, but the thunder of hoofbeats drew my attention away from them.

My warhorse ran beside us, and I practically threw the nobleman onto his back. Shadow threw his head, and I tossed a smokebomb at the approaching people.

White smoke filled the area, and I leapt onto Shadow's saddle, the teen behind me holding tightly to my shoulder. I spurred Shadow on, and the warhorse lunged forward, thundering away.

M

I leaned my chair back, twirling a dagger in my hand.

Fernandez was currently sitting in a chair across from me, his injuries doctored and wrapped, and he was watching me with a scrutinizing gaze.

We had gotten back to the inn without any trouble, so the only thing left to do was wait for the other four to show up.

Finally, fed up with being stared at, I threw my hat onto the table and met his unwavering brown gaze, "What?" I asked, trying not to snap.

He jerked slightly, then smiled sheepishly at me, "My apologies monsieur. But you seem to know my name, yet I do not know yours."

I blinked, I had forgotten about that.

I smiled back at him, putting my knife away and replying, "Ah. Sorry about that. Rogue Dieithr."

Fernandez tilted his head, "That isn't a French name."

I shook my head, "No. I'm Welsh."

His brown eyes lit up, "Really? What is it like?"

I tilted my head with a small smirk, "I think you are the first Frenchman to ask that."

He ducked his head with a blush dusting his cheeks, "Apologies."

I waved my hand, "I do not mind. Wales is…" I trialed off, a smile on my face, "Well, Wales is cold. It's green, the air is fresh. There is mountains and hills everywhere you look. I swear the freshest air there is, is at the peak of a mountain in Wales. The water is crystal clear, and there is plenty of meadows and forests to entertain oneself."

The teen was staring at me with rapt attention, and awe shone in his eyes. "Someday, I'd love to see it."

I laughed, "Thirst for adventure then? I'm the same. I amazed I managed to stay in Paris this long to be honest."

He tilted his head, "Really? Where have you been before? Was it nice there too? How many places have you been? Do you speak a lot of languages? Oh! Do you know how to fight well? You showed you could handle a sword earlier, but what else can you do? Would you teach me?"

I laughed, "You ask a lot of questions. That's good. In answer to your question, I've been to Wales, obviously, Italy, Spain, France, England, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland. I speak all the languages in each region, and a few more. My favorites beside Wales are Ireland, Germany, and France. I can fight with a lot of weapons, but I'm best with the sword, knives, and a bow. I might teach you, if we had the time. But your parents are worried about you, and wish to have you back with them as soon as they can."

He seemed to deflate at my last words, and I leaned forward curiously. "What's that look for? I should think you'd be excited to go home."

He shrugged, "Well, my parents and I had a bit of a falling out. That's why I was passing through here. I wanted to leave. To explore, and have grand adventures. They want me to stay with the estate, and be a 'regal Lord' instead of the child they say I am being."

I bit my lip, "Well, they are worried about you. I would suggest that you talk to them, instead of running away. Nothing is ever solved by running away. Also, if you want to have adventures, are you certain you're prepared to pay the price?"

He jerked his head up to me, "What do you mean? Like what happened here? I'm certain if I knew how to fight better, then I'd be alright. Also, after this I'll be a bit more knowledgeable. Isn't experience the best thing?"

I nodded, leaning back, "Yes. Sometimes. I have some experiences I could have lived without. Look, I'm not going to berate you for yearning for adventure, just….. Don't throw away the family you have because of your wanderlust. I've lost nearly all of mine, and I'd give almost anything to have them back."

"Almost?" He asked, suddenly looking paler than he had before.

I grinned, "Well, because of what happened to my old family, I gained more friends, and a new family. But that doesn't mean I don't miss the ones I used to have. I've had a lot of great adventures, met plenty of interesting people, but up until this year, I had been alone for most of it. Having adventures and gaining new experience is wonderful, but if you don't have anyone to share it with, is it worth it?" I pinned him with my blue eyes, and he looked thoughtful.

"I suppose… I'll have to fix what I have with my parents." He said finally, "You are right. I can't see myself having adventures if I can't tell my family about them…."

I clapped his shoulder gently, "That's a better way of thinking. Have as many adventures as you can, but know that it isn't always fun and games. There is heartbreak there too, but also happiness. It's a gamble, one that you have to be sure you're willing to take, no matter the price. And sometimes, that price can be very steep."

He nodded, "I understand. Thank you, Rogue. But, could you perhaps tell me of your own adventures? While we wait for the other Musketeers?"

I nodded, leaning back again, "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Alright, when I was about 16…"