Remy Laverne knelt by a mound of freshly dug earth; her black dress damp at the knees, her sleeve damp from where she had wiped away the tears that fell. Marsac, her friend from the beginning, a trusted companion, laid buried beneath the earthy hill. He knew almost everything there was to know about her, he was one of the few that knew the real her. Now he was gone again; he had been gone for five years. She had mourned him once already, believing he was dead. This hurt so much more - to have him back, only to die, to be killed by Aramis, in order to protect Treville. It was all such a mess.
Aramis had been searching for Remy, even though he knew where she would be. Nonetheless he searched the taverns, hoping to find her inside one. Part of him dreaded seeing her, after all there was no doubt that she knew he had been the one to shoot Marsac. He figured she must hate him for it- but it had been a necessary evil. Marsac had left him no choice and even though he would still regret it, he would do the same given a choice. But now he had to face Remy, he owed her that much and maybe the years they had known each other; watched out for each other, would mean she could find it in her to forgive him.
Remy sensed Aramis was there behind her, at the same moment he found her. She didn't turn, her eyes fixated on the sword left protruding from the grave, the sword Aramis left there. He drew closer to her, bracing himself - fearing a look of hatred, disappointment or disgust.
"Remy...I had no choice." She closed her eyes at his words, what could she say? What would she say? "He died doing what he believed was right, he died one of us, a Musketeer till the very end." Still she said nothing, entranced by thoughts and memories. She felt Aramis sit beside her and slowly she looked up at him, her cheeks damp, but the tears all but stopped. "I am sorry."
She breathed deeply and shook her head. "You- you have nothing to be sorry for Aramis. He came with only one intention, but at least, at least it was you and not the hangman's noose. At least...at least he died with his friend beside him." She closed her eyes as Aramis placed his arm comfortingly around her shoulders. He worried she would shrug him off, but to his surprise, she didn't. She leaned into the warmth of his body, letting his scent wrap around her.
"If I could have done it any other way, you know I would have."
"I know Aramis, it is what it is, I mourned him once, but at least now, I know he is gone, I do not have to worry about where he could be, whether he is alive or not." She breathed deeply, pulling away from Aramis. "You know, I do not blame you for this. You did what you had to do, he left you no choice, I just- I wonder if I had been there would it have been any different? Could I have stopped him?" She searched his brown orbs for an answer, for anything.
Brushing her hair away from her face, his calloused palm came to rest on her cheek, and he smiled sadly in accompaniment. "Do not do this to yourself Remy, he would have still tried to kill Treville, in his eyes, the only way to restore his honour, respect the Musketeers we lost that day was to kill who he believed was to blame. You could not have stopped him, just delayed the inevitable, you know that, you knew Marsac as well as I did." Remy nodded, he was right, but she still felt that had she been there, she could have made some sort of difference.
"At least, I suppose he is at peace now. He won't carry this burden any more." Aramis smiled softly. Even though he was here to comfort her, he couldn't help but feel relieved that she did not blame him for what had happened.
"He is, what happened won't weigh on him any longer." He kissed the top of her head before standing and offering her his hand. "Come on, we should go, maybe a drink?" He offered his most charming smile, one that usually either made her laugh or roll her eyes, but instead, this time, she took his hand. She pulled herself to her full height and returned a small smile. They held each others gaze a while before she leaned up, unthinking and kissed him softly. His lips soft and eager, but the kiss was tender.
Aramis hadn't seen it coming, often seeing her as just one of the group, just one of them. Of course he had thought her beautiful in her own way, so different from any woman he had ever met. But he had never thought of her like this, at least not until her warm, gentle lips met his. He had begun to wonder why he had never thought of her like this. As he began to return the kiss however, she placed a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't, not here, not by - by his grave." As she began to move away, Aramis caught her hand, capturing it in his own. "Don't, come on, we can come and visit him again soon, lets get a drink and something warm to eat." He shook his head and jerked his head away from the site. Remy looked back once more to Marsac's grave before down at their hands, linking their fingers gently and letting him lead her away