A/N: This is a work of fiction and, as such, is not necessarily historically accurate. Also, I am not Alexandre Dumas, a wonderful (though sadly dead) French author, so I do not own this material.
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The Musketeer in the Iron Mask
He now slowly tore up the scroll of paper which d'Artagnan had so generously handed over to him.
The young man thought to himself: "I'm lost!" And he made the Cardinal a low bow as though to say: "Lord, Thy will be done."
The Cardinal walked over to the table and, without sitting down, added two lines to a sheet of parchment, two-thirds of which were already written on. Then he set his seal on it.
"That's my death sentence," thought d'Artagnan. (pg 715, The Three Musketeers)
And as these thoughts flew through d'Artagnan's head, the Cardinal put down the pen and looked up, sighing. "Monsieur d'Artagnan, I am not a man easily impressed, but I want you to know that your testimony has moved me greatly." D'Artagnan, ever insightful, sensed a 'but' coming. "I cannot, however, ignore the fact that you're charged with corresponding with enemies of the State, with intercepting State documents, and with attempting to frustrate your generals plans. The law is the law, Monsieur, and the law condemns you. I must uphold the law; it is my duty before God."
The young man bowed his head, waiting for an absolution that would not—no, could not—come.
It never did.
"You will be taken immediately to the prison at Pignerol in southern France," Richelieu continued.1 There under an assumed name—Eustache Dauger, if that is acceptable to you—you will be given a generous amount of freedom so long as no one ever sees your face." The Cardinal paused for a moment, deep in thought. "A mask might be necessary," he continued. "But you will not be harmed; you have my word.
"Do you understand?"
D'Artagnan felt as though a rug had been pulled out from beneath his feet. Surely anything, even the indignities of a public execution in the Place de la Grève, would be better than this. He had come to Paris to dedicate his life in service to his monarch not to be incarcerated in a prison reserved for embarrassments to France!
But d'Artagnan was careful to ignore these thoughts and keep his face blank. Even if he attacked the Cardinal—which would go against almost every principle his father had instilled in him—it would not buy enough time for an escape.
And so, with a heavy heart, d'Artagnan resigned himself to his fate. "I understand, Monseigneur."
"Then let it be done." The Cardinal called for Rochefort, and the dark man stepped forward to escort d'Artagnan from the room.
When they were at the door, d'Artagnan paused and called back to the Cardinal, "Monseigneur, if it is not too much trouble, I would ask of you one small favor." Richelieu looked hard at the young man before nodding. "Please tell my friends that I was sent to fight for France on the front lines. Wait a few weeks, then inform them that I died courageously from a bullet to the throat. My last words were 'One for all, all for one.' I want them to remember me fondly, you see."
The Cardinal bowed his head. "I swear it will be done."
With that, d'Artagnan swept from the room, his back straight and his head held high, the perfect image of a Musketeer.
He would never return
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Over the next few decades, 'Eustace Dauger' was transferred to several different prisons. Little is known about his life, only that he had few human contacts and briefly served as a valet Nicholas Fouquet. More than thirty-five years after the first records of his imprisonment were written, 'Dauger' died in the Bastille and was buried there in relative anonymity.
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"I wonder who he was," the man, Didier, wondered as he continued to dig.
His companion, Amaury, snorted. "He's dead. Does it really matter?"
"Well, don't you wonder why he always wore a mask?" When Amaury didn't answer, Didier continued, "I bet he was a relative of the king, competition for the throne, you know? Or maybe he was a foreign diplomat, or some great warrior who—"
Amaury smacked the man over the head. "Shut up. Help me bury him."
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And though he died a prisoner, d'Artagnan's legend will live on in the tales of the D'Artagnan Romances (in which The Three Musketeers is included). He will live on as "L'Homme au Masque de Fer," the Man in the Iron Mask.
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A/N: A few notes on this story:
1) Pignerol is now a part of northern Italy.
2) Artistic license was taken here, both with the dates and causes of death (the prisoner died in 1703 of unknown causes, d'Artagnan died in 1673 when a musket ball tore into his throat at the Siege of Maastricht) and with the identity of the prisoner (Dauger is the likely candidate, but Dumas suggested it was the twin brother of King Louis XIV).