My Saturday Story is a crossover with Doctor Who. Using Peter Capaldi as the Doctor.
A couple of pointers. In this the Cardinal did not kill Adele just sent her away and Clara is his assistant. Set during S3 of Musketeers after Louis XIII dies but all are still musketeers and well just about anywhere during Capaldi's time in Doctor Who. :)
I don't own The Musketeers of Doctor Who I'm just borrowing them. :)
All mistakes are mine.
'So where are we going?' Clara asked excitedly.
'Wherever we're going,' the Doctor replied making Clara roll her eyes.
'More specifically?' Clara was desperate to know.
'The past,' the Doctor said as he could see her becoming more and more annoyed. He enjoyed teasing her.
The TARDIS landed with a metallic thrumming and Clara raced to the door. She pulled the door open only to find herself looking directly at an old-fashioned pistol.
'Er...Doctor?' she called.
'Yes, yes. The TARDIS for some reason isn't telling me where and when we are,' he said absent-mindedly.
'Doctor!' Clara called more insistently as the Doctor finally moved with a sigh only to face three added pistols.
'Ah, France 1635,' he looked rather guiltily at Clara.
Doctor Who theme tune.
'Gentlemen,' the Doctor said looking directly at the four faces he knew well.
'You're dead!' Porthos said with his aim not wavering.
'Clearly, I'm not,' the Doctor tried but Athos stepped closer. Those eyes had always disturbed the Doctor slightly.
'You can't be alive Richelieu,' Athos said quietly staring disbelievingly at the Doctor.
'Anyone want to tell me what's going on?' Clara asked as her eyes landed on D'Artagnan.
'Basically, Cardinal Richelieu is dead and he is currently standing in front of us,' Aramis reeled off.
'A rather good summation Aramis,' the Doctor said his mind working frantically.
'Cardinal Richelieu?' Clara looked to the Doctor trying to ignore the pistols.
'I got stuck in France in the 17th century and I had to make it work,' the Doctor said quickly. 'Plus, there were problems with the French throne.'
'Problems?' D'Artagnan spoke for the first time.
'Yes, D'Artagnan problems,' the Doctor was sounding exasperated now like he usually did when faced with those less intelligent than himself. So basically, everybody.
At that moment it started to rain.
'Great! Rain!' Clara was just wearing a long sleeved top that wasn't water-proof and the last thing she wanted was to be wet.
'Let's just go inside,' the Doctor turned and walked inside.
'Err...Doctor,' Clara started but D'Artagnan gave her push.
'Does anyone else have a problem with going inside a random blue box?' Aramis asked but he merely received shrugs in return. Just him then.
'What?!' D'Artagnan exclaimed as he followed Clara inside.
'This is not possible,' Porthos looked stunned.
Athos turned on his heel and ran back outside and then came back in. 'It's...'
'Bigger on the inside, yes,' the Doctor waved his hand dismissively. 'You are really good at stating the obvious.'
'You still tried to kill the Queen,' Aramis stormed forward with his pistol raised.
'Aramis,' the Doctor looked straight at the marksman. 'Why don't you use your brain for a moment? It was rather connected with the problems that I talked about moments ago.'
'France didn't have an heir?' D'Artagnan asked.
'Yes, D'Artagnan!' the Doctor brushed past a stunned Aramis. 'I never had you down as the clever one.' D'Artagnan looked confused. 'Will you put that weapon down, Aramis?'
Aramis lowered the pistol but kept a tight hold on it.
Clara was still eyeing D'Artagnan as the Doctor looked on.
'Explain,' Athos said tersely.
'Always to the point Athos. That's what I like about you,' the Doctor said as Athos raised an eyebrow. 'France needed an heir desperately and let's all be honest the King and Queen were rarely intimately related.' There was a series of nods from the musketeers. Clara's eyes though, rarely left D'Artagnan. 'So I knew the rough time of conception and Louis was being rather a jerk,' the musketeers were surprised to hear Richelieu talk about Louis like this.
'Wait, how could you know when the Queen would conceive?' Aramis asked with a confused expression.
'I worked it out from the birth,' the Doctor said as if it was obvious.
'Er...Doctor?' Clara spoke. 'You haven't told them about the TARDIS.'
'Oh,' he said as he realised this would make his explanation longer. 'This is the TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It travels through time and space,' he said to blank looks.
'It's a time machine so we can visit the past or the future,' Clara tried to clarify.
'Yes. Anyway, I found a document a couple of hundred years ago,' the Doctor missed the incredulous looks between the musketeers, 'and it suggested that Louis wasn't the father of King Louis XIV. Of course, you, Aramis, had been making eyes at the Queen for quite some time so I just needed to get you two alone.'
'You set me up?' Aramis looked shocked.
'Did you not enjoy it?' the Doctor looked exasperated.
'How could you have known that Aramis and I would look after the Queen and that there would be a chance for...it...to happen at all?' Athos asked.
'Good question Athos!' the Doctor hurried around the central station. 'I didn't but sometimes you just have to go with it.'
'So let me get this straight...,' Clara said. 'King Louis XIV of France was not the son of King Louis XIII.'
'Obviously Clara. Were you not listening?' the Doctor said sounding fed up but Clara just scowled. The musketeers shared a look that said, 'She's a force to be reckoned with'.
'So, you mean to say that the Sun King was technically illegitimate but still France's greatest King?' Clara waltzed over to the Doctor.
'Yes, that would be the grasp on the situation,' the Doctor answered a bit testily.
'It would make a great TV programme,' she smirked making the Doctor let out a rare laugh.
'You couldn't have known what I would do,' Aramis said as he stepped forward. 'I didn't know until I did it!' That statement was greeted by knowing snorts from his brothers.
'Aramis,' the Doctor placed a hand on Aramis' shoulder and Aramis finally placed his pistol back in its belt. 'The Queen was in love with you from the moment you saved her life and quite frankly you like anything in a skirt.' Porthos' laughter bellowed throughout the TARDIS as Aramis blushed. 'Oh, you actually fell in love with her,' the Doctor sounded far more friendly and compassionate now. The Doctor leaned to whisper in Aramis' ear, 'Don't give up on it,' was all he said.
'Let's go on a trip, shall we?' the Doctor flicked a switch and the TARDIS lurched causing Clara to fall into D'Artagnan as Athos crashed to floor. Porthos managed to hold onto a rail while Aramis was dangling from the main console.
'Ah,' the Doctor said as the TARDIS finally stopped. 'Versailles 1682.' He moved to open the doors and looked over the new Palace of Versailles.
'Versailles?' Athos asked as emerged rubbing his arm. 'Why have you taken us to the hunting lodge?'
The others joined them as they looked at the transformation of the hunting lodge that Louis XIII had used.
'Versailles in now the royal residence,' the Doctor said smiling. 'Now do you understand Aramis?'
Aramis was watching on with a lump in his throat.
'Louis XIV was one of France's greatest monarchs, from what I remember,' Clara said absentmindedly. 'The Sun King.'
'Your son, Aramis,' the Doctor said as Porthos and Athos placed a hand on each of Aramis' shoulders. D'Artagnan was occupied with Clara cuddling up against him.
'Clara, he is married,' the Doctor said absent-mindedly as D'Artagnan showed off his wedding ring.
'So?' she grinned making D'Artagnan blush.
'It will be a tough road Aramis but with all your help,' the Doctor indicated everyone with a swish of his hand, 'Louis the XIV will be a very successful monarch. Now do you understand why I did what I did?'
'Yes,' Aramis nodded numbly.
'Good, now we should go back after all France needs its Musketeers,' the Doctor trotted back to the TARDIS leaving the musketeers to stare at their legacy. 'Come on,' he shouted.
The musketeers made their way back to the TARDIS still struggling to believe what they had scene. The TARDIS jolted again but they all manged to hold onto something to stop them falling.
The TARDIS stopped but Aramis now had a permanent grin on his face. Athos opened the door but found that they weren't in the green fields they had originally left. 'Err... Cardinal?' he stammered.
'It's Doctor, Athos,' the Doctor sighed as they stepped out into the busy London street which just happened to have placard with an advertisement for the BBC TV series The Musketeers.
'Well, you have to admit they got the casting right,' Clara chimed. 'You all look remarkably similar.'
'Can we go home now please?' D'Artagnan stared at the poster staring back. Luke Pasqualino looked exactly like him. Athos felt the same about Tom Burke, Porthos the same about Howard Charles and Aramis the same about Santiago Cabrera. Even Peter Capaldi looked like Richelieu/The Doctor.
All hurried back into the blue box as it appeared that an army of women were descending upon them. The TARDIS lurched again as the men were somewhat shaken by what they had just seen.
The next time Porthos opened the door he was relieved to his horse munching on grass nearby.
'Well, we must part but it was great to meet you all again and sorry I was such a thorn in your sides,' the Doctor waved and went back inside.
'And it was so great to meet the legendary musketeers,' Clara beamed and hugged them all before entering the blue box. Suddenly, there was a metallic thrumming and the box in front of the started to disappear until it was gone.
'Right. Did that actually happen?' Porthos said looking unsure.
'Unfortunately, I think it did,' Athos also looked uncertain.
'Constance is never going to believe this,' D'Artagnan shook his head in dismay.
'My son will be a great King,' Aramis grinned as they all moved towards their horses.
A/N: This was done for the Saturday Stories in the Musketeers UK group on Facebook. Please let me know what you think. :)