Authors note: This is a sequel to my story; 'Broken', I have tried to summaries that story within the narrative so you shouldn't need to read it, but by all means do – I won't mind, I'll wait!

I have messed about with the time line of the BBC series so this is slightly AU. 'Broken' had Lemay in it and this one has Richelieu, and Lemay is mentioned. But the BBC were rather loose with their adaptation of the source material, so why can't I be!

The Behaviour of Others

"Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace." —Dalai Lama

Chapter One

Now that they were alone, Porthos felt that he could properly relax. He hurt, all over, but he would mend. He lay in the bed staring at the infirmary ceiling listening to Aramis' breathing. His friend was asleep in the bed next to him. Porthos glanced across, the man did not look peaceful, he looked troubled.

The last couple of days had been a nightmare. Being attacked was not unusual for musketeers, they had many enemies, but being kidnapped by people who had false intelligence was another thing entirely. The kidnappers thought Aramis had information, Aramis did not have anything to tell them. Of course, the kidnappers did not believe him and Porthos had to suffer the consequences.

A broken arm and several beatings later they had been very nearly killed by their kidnappers after it became obvious that Aramis could not answer their questions. Porthos smiled again at the thought of d'Artagnan being their unusual saviour, despite being trapped in a cupboard for hours.

Now, he and Aramis were alone in the infirmary. Treville had ushered d'Artagnan off to sleep in his own bed and Athos was outside with a bottle of wine. He had said he would not go far in case either of them needed anything. But really, Porthos knew, he was concerned that Aramis was not fully recovered from the drug he had been given.

To add insult to injury the kidnappers had drugged Aramis, supposedly to render him unconscious whilst they escaped. But it soon became clear, when Aramis had attacked Lemay in a drug fueled rage, that it had not been a simple sleeping draught.

The marksman was mumbling again, he had been unsettled since he fell asleep. Porthos could not make out what he was saying. After a few minutes, he stilled.

One thing Porthos was sure about was that Aramis was not fit to work. Treville had given the others, including Aramis, assignments to hunt out the spy that they knew was connected to the Palace. Lemay had cleared Aramis to work, light duties for a few days, but still allowed him back out as if nothing had happened.

Porthos shuddered as he recollected how frustrated Aramis had been, chained to the wall, unable to help. Aramis had been restrained in such a way that he could not move more than a few inches, and until they undid one of the manacles binding him he could not even sit down. Despite trying to make light of the situation Porthos had been very concerned by his friend's reaction to the confinement.

He had tried not to show it to start with, but as their captivity had continued Aramis had become more withdrawn, to the point of not even answering the questions during the last interrogation. Since their rescue he had been quiet, which the others had put down to fatigue but Porthos knew it was something else. Aramis said he did not remember what had happened after the effects of the drugs had worn off, but he was clearly being affected by the events. Even if it was in his subconscious.

MMMM

He pulled at the chains again. He could not reach his injured brother. He could not help. He had been rendered helpless.

He reached for Porthos, with his free hand. He could not quite reach. His fingers just brushing the fabric of his doublet.

His mind was becoming fuzzy. His thinking not straight. He saw only the darkness.

He pulled the man away from Porthos. He needed to neutralise the threat to his friend. He wanted to kill the man.

Images flashed through his mind. He could not work out where they had come from. He guessed it was bits and pieces of their time held captive. But he could not clearly remember any of it. What he did know was that he had been restrained with manacles for some time and that his wrists were a mess where he had apparently pulled at them. His arms were sore and his muscles ached from the pulling.

But the worst thing was what he had done on their rescue. He had attacked and tried to kill Lemay. The doctor had been tending to Porthos and he had tried to strangle the inoffensive man. If Treville and Athos had not been nearby he might have succeeded.

The physician had assured him that the drugs were out of his system now, but he got the impression the others were keeping a close eye on him. He could not blame them. He was not entirely sure he felt free of the drugs himself.

But, he was determined not to let the others know that he was not fully fit to join them in seeking out the spy. He and d'Artagnan were to look for Ruiz, the man who paid the thugs to kidnap him. A job that was, hopefully, just going to involve asking questions and generally annoying some Parisian low life's.

MMMM

As d'Artagnan entered the infirmary he was pleased to see Aramis pulling his boots on. A tray on the table by his bed held the remnants of his breakfast. The musketeer looked a little tired, which was to be expected, but he was clearly ready to start work.

Porthos was eyeing his friend with concern.

'Are you sure you're OK?' he asked as d'Artagnan waited by the door.

'Porthos, I am fine, I slept well and although I ache a bit I'm sure I can manage a walk around a few taverns with d'Artagnan.'

Porthos did not look so sure.

'I'll see he doesn't come to any harm,' said d'Artagnan with a cheeky grin.

'See, I have a protector, stop worrying about me, you are just jealous,' Aramis turned to d'Artagnan, 'how about you, you have your own bumps and bruises to contend with…am I going to have to keep an eye on you?'

It was true that d'Artagnan was stiff. Falling down a flight of stairs in the middle of sword fight was not his finest moment. But his head no longer hurt and the bruises were not bothering him too much.

'We can prop each other up.'

'What a team we will make.'

'Just be careful, I'm not convinced either of you should be out and about yet.'

They looked round as the door to the infirmary opened again, Athos entered, removing his hat as he did so.

'Porthos, you are dead,' he said simply.

Porthos looked a bit confused, 'I don't feel dead, I hurt, all over, but that probably means I am still alive.'

Athos gave a rare smile, 'I was talking to Treville…this investigation is likely to take a few weeks, we have a lot of people to talk to at the Palace. And it is unlikely that these two,' he indicated Aramis and d'Artagnan, 'are going to find anything quickly either. So, we have decided to let it be known that you died of your injuries. That way we have a trump card, should we need it. An element of surprise…and besides you aren't going anywhere until that arm is healed, so Paris will be none the wiser.'

'Porthos; an element of surprise!' said Aramis smiling at the big musketeer, 'I am heartbroken at your recent demise my friend.'

Porthos managed a smile back, d'Artagnan could tell he was still not happy about them being allowed back to work.

'I shall haunt you,' he said, trying to hide his concern.

Athos was back to his usual stoic self, 'we will meet back here this evening to update each other and our dearly departed brother.'

With a nod to each of them Athos left the infirmary. D'Artagnan looked back towards Aramis who nodded.

'Let's go then, don't worry about us too much,' he said to Porthos as he held the door for Aramis. He did not think that Porthos would heed his words.

MMMM

Porthos watched them go. Aramis had put on a good act, he had managed to convince both Athos and d'Artagnan that he was fine. He had lied to them about sleeping well and played down his injuries. Porthos had tried to subtly catch Athos' eye but had been unsuccessful. He wished he could be out there with his friend, he realised the irony, he might as well be dead for all the use he was at this moment.

He thought that this might have been how Aramis had felt when he had been chained up. Although probably not as bad. He could understand his friend wanting to get outside, away from the infirmary, but he did not understand why he was lying about his well-being. Although, he supposed, that was typical of the man. But he generally only hid his own issues if others were in greater need. And that was not the case now, d'Artagnan and himself had both been treated and were not in any real danger.

But, thought Porthos, this was not a physical problem, this seemed to be a mental one. Porthos just hoped it did not cause them any issues and that he managed to get over whatever it was that was bothering him.

He vowed, to at least try, to talk to Aramis about it. He hoped that their friendship meant Aramis would not be embarrassed to talk to him about any inadequacies he was feeling after their ordeal.

MMMM

There was always a sense of trepidation for Athos when he had an audience with the King. The man was so contrary, one minute he behaved like a child, the next he acted as he should, taking affairs of state seriously.

Athos was glad that this audience would be led by Treville, being the more senior man. Despite his own nobility Athos hated dealing with the upper classes. He would use his own rank where necessary but avoided it generally.

Today the King was clearly on their side. He was taking the situation seriously. The attack on two of his musketeers had, for once, annoyed him enough to offer his assistance. He listened intently as Treville asked permission to speak with all the courtiers and palace staff.

'So, it is your belief, Treville,' said the King, 'that one of my courtiers is a spy? That they read the papers that you carelessly left lying around? And then passed on the information to some nefarious villains?'

The King was on their side, but he was clearly not going to let Treville forget he was partly responsible for the incident. Although Treville was unlikely to tell the King the reason the paperwork was 'carelessly left lying around' was because he had been distracted by the King himself.

'Yes, your majesty,' replied Treville, 'it is my belief that the spy saw the details of the shipment and the names of the musketeers who were to accompany it.'

Athos knew that Treville would not have intentionally put his men in danger. The only reason Aramis' had not been in possession of the information about the shipment was a last-minute change in personnel. Whoever had taken him and Porthos must have received the intelligence before the change was made.

'I want this spy found, Treville, I do not like the idea of someone involved in the stealing of priceless relics being here in the Palace.'

'Yes, your majesty, we will be as discreet as possible, we don't want to alert the spy that we know about them.'

'You have my permission to do what is necessary.'

The King left without another word. Athos and Treville bowed as he walked away, standing only when he had left the room. They were alone and could talk freely.

'For a man who only occasionally pretends he is God fearing he is certainly keen to protect his religious relics,' said Treville with a sigh.

It annoyed Athos that this whole incident was about stealing some religious relics. A couple of small finger bones belonging to some saint or other. The King had wanted them delivered to Dordogne for some reason, apparently known only to himself. Aramis and Porthos had nearly been murdered because of a small box of bones that were probably no saintlier than Athos was himself.

'When you can understand the working of his mind, the sun will cease to rise each morning,' replied Athos.

'Shall we?' asked Treville indicating the door.

It was going to be a long day Athos thought.

MMMM

'It's this way,' said d'Artagnan when he noticed Aramis looking a bit lost.

Aramis turned back and followed him saying, 'I was blindfolded on the way there and unconscious on the way out remember. Other than the room we were kept in I have no idea where the house was.'

'I forgot, sorry.'

They had decided to start their search for Ruiz, the man behind the kidnapping of Aramis and Porthos, in the house where they had been kept. They knew the house was empty so would not have to persuade anyone to let them have a look around.

D'Artagnan led the way, he paused at the door looking at Aramis who had stopped a few feet away looking at the house. Aramis looked confused.

'Are you OK?'

Aramis continued to stare at the house, he did not appear to have heard d'Artagnan. When d'Artagnan walked back to him he put his hand on the distracted musketeers shoulder. Aramis flinched, startled by the contact.

'Are you OK?' asked d'Artagnan again.

'What?'

'You were just staring at the house.'

'Oh…sorry, I just…I think I remember the steps going up to the door.'

D'Artagnan knew that Aramis did not remember the events of his and Porthos unwanted stay in the house. Perhaps returning to the scene of the incident would help his friend to unlock those memories.

'Perhaps you will remember more when we get inside?'

'Perhaps,' replied Aramis.

They entered the house, walking across the hall way towards the stairs that led down to the lower floor. D'Artagnan noticed that Aramis was moving slowly, looking about as if he were looking for something. Perhaps he was trying to remember.

'You were kept in a room down here,' d'Artagnan said as he walked down the stairs, 'these are the stairs I fell down when I fought Briand.'

'And quite a fight it was from what I have been told.'

'Not my most elegant though.'

They walked down the stairs and turned into a small corridor. Two doors led off the corridor, d'Artagnan walked over to the far door and opened it stepping back to show Aramis.

'This is my cupboard,' he said with a smirk, 'I felt such a fool when I realised I was trapped here, and could not get help for you both,' he paused glancing back at Aramis, 'I'm sorry I messed up. If I had gone back to the garrison rather than try to release you both on my own…'

Aramis stopped him with a raised hand, 'it all worked out in the end. You did what seemed best at the time.'

D'Artagnan nodded, although he still felt a bit guilty for his choices. He could have prevented some of the injuries Porthos received if he could have brought help sooner. He watched as Aramis stepped towards the other door and tentatively opened it. Aramis paused before entering as if readying himself for the sight.

The room was lit only be a small window high up in the wall. D'Artagnan stepped around Aramis who had stopped a couple of paces into the room. D'Artagnan had been told about the way Aramis and Porthos had been treated. He noted the manacles that had been used to restrain Porthos when he was beaten. The metal ring used to secure Aramis was on the wall opposite the door, one end of a pair of manacles was still attached, the other lying on the floor where it must have been cut from Aramis' wrist when they were rescued.

D'Artagnan looked back at Aramis and noticed the man looked withdrawn. He was staring at the manacles with a haunted look in his eyes.

'Perhaps we shouldn't have come back here,' d'Artagnan said quietly, 'let's go back and search the rooms upstairs, there's clearly nothing down here to help us.'

He gently steered Aramis back out of the room, the marksman allowed himself to be walked back upstairs. D'Artagnan was worried about the man's state of mind. But he knew from experience that sometimes people needed time to come to terms with an incident like the one his friends had been through. Despite Porthos coming off worse physically, Aramis had been forced to watch the assaults and been unable to do anything to stop them. Even if Aramis could not remember the events he knew what had happened from talking to the others. Perhaps the lack of proper memories was having more of an affect than if he could recall the event in detail.

MMMM

As Treville made his way towards one of the reception rooms at the palace Cardinal Richelieu appeared beside him. His approach silent, his intentions obvious. The Cardinal wanted to speak to Treville.

'Might I have a word?'

Although the Cardinal managed to phrase his statement as a question it was clearly an order. Treville stopped and turned to regard the tall man.

'I understand a couple of your musketeers have been attacked. The King appears to know what has happened, but I do not know the whole story. You will furnish me with the details.'

'The issue is being dealt with your eminence. The King has agreed that I can conduct my own investigation into the attack on my men.'

The Cardinal smiled. At least Treville thought it was a smile, it could just have easily been a sneer.

'You do not understand. I want to help catch the spy.'

Treville could not help hiding his shock at the statement. How did the Cardinal know about the spy?

'You are wondering how I know?' said the Cardinal, who Treville had often suspected could read minds, 'I am an intelligent man Treville. I knew about the relic being sent to Dordogne. I asked the King to refrain from letting the item be sent away, but he was insistent…the King is…' the Cardinal paused trying to think of a suitable word, 'childish on occasion.'

Treville realised there was no point in denying the incident or why it had happened.

'You want to help, how?' Treville asked as directly as he could.

'I believe what you need to draw out your spy…' replied the Cardinal quietly after glancing around to ensure no one was within earshot, '…is to lay a trap. And the trap will require some bait…which I am willing to supply for you.'

MMMM

'Richelieu is willing to potentially sacrifice four of his red guard for this?'

'Yes.'

'He is really quite ruthless.'

'Yes.'

Treville could not quite believe what the Cardinal had proposed. He had clearly thought the situation through. He was to prepare one of his own religious relics for delivery to a cathedral in the south of the country. It would be accompanied by four of his red guard. He would make it quite clear throughout the palace that the relic was precious and irreplaceable.

But, the Cardinal was not willing to relinquish the real bones of Saint Judoc. No, he would be sending a fake. But the spy would not know this, the spy would believe the real bones were to be delivered.

The plan was for the Cardinal to announce the information to the King at a time when many of the courtiers were in attendance. Treville and Athos would also be there to observe the courtiers and the hope was that they would see a reaction from one.

With luck, the spy would send a message to the people behind the attempted theft of the Kings relic. The hope was that they could capture all those involved and not just the spy.

Treville was impressed, the plan was good, although typically conniving. What shocked both he and Athos was the callous use of the Cardinal's own guards. If the men delivering the relic were attacked, they would most likely be killed or taken. The Cardinal had said this was a reasonable sacrifice to stop the people behind the thefts. It was obvious the Cardinal was more interested in preventing further theft of religious artefacts and he had no interest in avenging the attack on the musketeers.

MMMM

They searched the house. None of the rooms threw up any clues. There were no papers that told them anything, no property that looked out of place. Nothing.

Aramis was just about to call out to d'Artagnan who was looking through the kitchen again when he heard the floorboard creak in the hallway. He did not recall hearing the front door open and believing it to be d'Artagnan, he walked out to meet him.

It was not d'Artagnan. It was one of the men who had been with Ruiz and Briand. The thug that had held the gun forcing Porthos to allow himself to be chained up. The two men stared at each other for a few second. Both shocked to be coming face to face with the other. It was only d'Artagnan's arrival that broke their silent stares.

The man turned and retreated out of the house, back out onto the street. Without thinking, Aramis followed, d'Artagnan a step behind.

The road was busy with pedestrians and a few horses. But Aramis was able to see the retreating figure. He ran after him, dodging around anyone who was in his way. He knocked a man down who shouted curses at him as he sped away. There was no time for pleasantries or apologies.

Aramis was fairly sure he was gaining on the man as he turned into another road on the right.

MMMM