For aramis_chan, just because.
Fool's mate
by Arithanas
For the Béarnese gentleman, a charming letter from His Eminence could not mean something good. Not that he had much choice when the most powerful man in France summons you, then you better stand before his presence on time. Ah, if Athos was still in Paris... but it was too late to try to find the advice of his old friend, who had gone God knows where.
Among sighs and snorts, d'Artagnan prepared himself to give his best presence before Cardinal. After passing the brush through the worn brim of his hat and over his high riding boots, he selected his best doublet and pondered whether it would be necessary to wear the uniform of a Musketeer. He decided against it, because it had never seemed a good idea to bait a wild beast in its own den. With one last shrug, d'Artagnan closed the door of his garret in the Hotel de la Chevrette and made his way to the Palais-Cardinal.
Little did this intrepid Gascon see on the way to his rendezvous, Paris had long lost its first charm and what remained, was concealed by that dirty April rain. Since he did not expect to find anyone in particular - not Rochefort nor his friends were in town-, his mind was lost in the designs that lay ahead when stopped right in front of the great Prime Minister. His footsteps on the stone stairs, polished by many feet that came to this mansion, sounded dull and soon he was escorted by a servant to the rooms of his Eminence.
The Cardinal was in front of a panel reviewing some large sheet of paper. In another time, d'Artagnan would have risked a brief look, but now he no longer had too much curiosity and tried to reserve it for when it could be more productive or, at least, less harmful. As soon as it seemed desirable to His Eminence, he separated from the paper and looked at the lieutenant with uninterested eyes.
"M. d'Artagnan," the Cardinal murmured by way of greeting to his visitor.
"At your service, Your Eminence," promptly answered the Gascon with martial attitude.
The prime minister pointed to a table in front of the fireplace, where there was arranged a chessboard of rich varnished woods. The order was clear and, for a moment, d'Artagnan found himself confused, especially when he was not renowned for his ability in the aristocratic pastime. However, he obeyed and sat down at the table. The cardinal sat rigidly in front of him as a servant served some appetizers and put wine in silver goblets.
"Do you play?"
"It is not my forte, Your Eminence," said the Gascon, wondering where this would go.
"In any event, you are a man of genius, I will be glad if you make an effort."
D'Artagnan began to play, his fingers trembled as he took out the first pawn from its square. Some moves were exchanged in silence; Cardinal and Lieutenant paid little attention to the refreshments in front of them, for the moment, the world was limited to those 64 black and white squares.
"Your Eminence," d'Artagnan tried to get the attention of his opponent.
The Cardinal put his knight in the square that corresponded to his strategy and made a small sign, allowing him to speak. His aristocratic white hand played with his beard as if pondering the wisdom of that move. This simple gesture made d'Artagnan feel wary.
"Is there a reason why we dedicate time to this game, Your Eminence?" he wanted to know, trying to see what position he could attack. "If so, I regret to report that I failed to find it."
"M. d'Artagnan... A man is known in war, politics and chess," the cardinal said monitoring the manner in which d'Artagnan tried to neutralize his attack. "In war, I've seen your performance, gentleman, and I have evaluated this bravery in its true dimension... It has been rewarded, if I recall correctly..."
"I am still in debt, Your Eminence"
"Never mind, never mind!" Replied the cardinal as he placed his queen in a position of danger. This movement, done in a hurry, did not seem to please him. "As for politics, I think I had the pleasure of sampling what you and your friends called 'Musketeer style politics' and it cost me dearly, I must add."
The hand of d'Artagnan trembled when he lifted the knight from the chessboard. The obvious move was to use his piece to capture the queen, but the Cardinal's last comment seemed quite apropos for the situation.
"Is of her do you want to talk?" The lieutenant asked deciding that it was the best he could do. His hand removed the piece, and placed next to the intact goblet of wine.
"No, she was a great loss at that time. A regrettable loss, but no one is indispensable, or, let alone, irreplaceable."
The eyes of the Cardinal seemed elusive as he placed his pawn to receive promotion to queen. D'Artagnan replaced the piece and that was enough for him to realize that the game was lost. The king, he had castled earlier, was helpless against the new queen. Both contenders looked over the chessboard, both of them aware of the value of the other.
The cardinal stood up from his chair, the refreshments was untouched, the room was heated, but it was darker. Richelieu made a small nod to thank him for the game of chess before approaching the door.
"Polish your sword, Lieutenant," he said before crossing the doorway. "Soon we will have war against Spain."
The Gascon was aware that he had been evaluated and, in all probability, he had been found to be faulty, but now he understood why Rochefort had decided be loyal to him.