Au Revoir Le Chateau
So, Im so glad, that so many of you came with me to season 3. Welcome back. I wanna say thank you to SerenJ for the Follow, to Aingealsuh for the comment . Hope you all like the second chapter as much as the first.
"Yes, your esteemed cousin hasn't sent us the flight details yet, but we can expect their arrival. My men will prepare the hotel and the rooms. Further teams will be in the vicinity at all times. All necessary information will come to me and I will forward the relevant ones to you."
The older man was apparently satisfied with this statement and nodded. "Then let's hope that Anne can convince my brother to come."
"And once they are at the coast and in our territory, what then?" the younger man asked.
"Then we'll take Paris."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
During breakfast the next morning, Anne tried to interest Louis in the planned trip. It was just the two of them, so there weren't any distractions.
"So, Louis, did you think about it?" she asked.
Louis placed his knife and fork back on the plate. He hadn't eaten much, but he wasn't hungry any longer. "I thought for some time about it and you are right. Maybe I should, - we all should – leave the chateau and take a vacation. And a little trip to the Cote D'Azur would fit very well."
Anne smiled and raised her orange juice. "Good, then it's decided."
Louis tried to curb her enthusiasm. "I expect everything to be planned and organized."
"Yes, of course, you can leave everything to me," Anne said. Nothing could dampen her spirit now. Louis raised his orange juice as well and they clinked their glasses to seal the deal.
After they had both taken a sip of their juice, Louis continued. "I'll have to speak with Treville. He has to take care of our security during the journey and our stay."
Anne nodded. She had expected this and was perfectly okay with it. And it would certainly be in Constance's interest as well.
"By the way, who is the woman I saw coming out of your room? You seem to have spent a lot of time with her lately," Anne asked, trying to sound casual.
"You'll get to know her soon enough. She will accompany us as well, so plan for one more person."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Nathan was in the surveillance room with a mild hangover. Henry, Marc and he had celebrated last night, and maybe they should have stopped after the fifth beer. Now he was paying the price for it. He dissolved another fizzy tablet in a glass of water and went through the recordings. The outside camera at the garage showed a dark figure taking a car and leaving the grounds. Nathan zoomed closer.
"Treville, why did you take a car at that time of night, when you've got your own?" Nathan asked himself. He had a bad feeling about this. He copied the license plate and followed the car on the traffic cams. "And what are you doing in that area of Paris?" The situation turned more and more fishy. And in Paris he had a lot more possibilities. Like a lot of major cities, Paris was more or less covered with traffic cams and private as well as public surveillance cameras.
It was child's play for him to hack into them. The cameras covering ATMs were very helpful as well. He watched Treville walk along the streets, before he stopped at a streetlight and got into a car. They drove for a short distance, before Treville got out again, walked back to his car and drove straight back to the chateau, but that last part didn't interest Nathan any more. It was much more interesting to find out, whose car Treville had gotten into. Quickly he ran the license plate through the DMV data base, but couldn't find anything. Then he had another idea. The government and the tax authorities know everything. He checked their register and lo and behold, he hit paydirt.
The car was registered to Victor Savoy.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Finally, the day had come. D'Artagnan could finally leave the smelly, dark and sterile hospital and return to the chateau and, more importantly, to Constance. He had already packed his bag and was just putting his cell phone away, when the door to his room opened. "Look at that, he's all packed and ready to go." Aramis and Athos entered.
The three men greeted each other with a quick embrace. "Well, you can't duck out of work any longer," Aramis teased. D'Artagnan had to laugh, just like Athos. "Looks like it," he replied.
Athos took D'Artagnan's bag and all three finally left the hospital. The car was parked only a short distance away and it took only a few minutes for Athos to drive out of the parking lot, with Aramis sitting beside him. On the backseat, D'Artagnan looked out of the window, enjoying the peace and quiet. At first, Aramis had jokingly brought him up to speed, but the closer they got to the chateau, the more they fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.
When Athos took the car up the driveway to the wide outside steps, the memories surfaced again in D'Artagnan's mind.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Two weeks ago
D'Artagnan was in the ballroom with Treville and Louis. Marmion was still holding them hostage, killing everyone whose luck had run out. He had been been forewarned by the unusual movement of the cameras and had been on the alert, just like Treville. Athos, Aramis and a group of guards stormed the room. Treville protected the king, shielding him as much as possible with his own body. D'Artagnan tried to help the others, taking out one of the armed guards. Bullets were flying everywhere, Aramis and Porthos were in a firefight with other servants, who had taken cover behind the pillars.
Suddenly a cold feeling started in his stomach, radiating outward and burrowing deep into his bones. His face lost all color and a fog seemed to separate him from the others. He couldn't hear and see clearly any longer and even thinking became next to impossible. He looked down at his stomach, his hands automatically going to the spot where the feeling of cold originated. A few seconds later, he felt something thick, warm and liquid between his fingers. He raised his hand and found it covered with blood.
The realization hit him like a freight train and before his mind could react, his body had already collapsed. The last thing he noticed, before he hit the ground, was Athos running towards him, then everything went black until he woke up again on a stretcher. A slight jostling told him that he was probably being carried down the stairs. When it felt like he was on level ground again, Constance came to his side, taking hold of his hand.
He couldn't see her clearly, but he noticed the tears running down her face. He wanted to raise his hand to wipe them away, but he was too weak. One of the paramedics came over and wanted to pull her away, but D'Artagnan didn't let go of her hand. Constance argued wildly with the paramedic. He wanted to help her, wanted to understand what was happening, but he couldn't concentrate on their words, he only saw their lips moving. Everything went black again.
The next thing he remembered was the hospital. The uncomfortable, slightly scratchy bedclothes and the sterile, white walls. He slightly turned his head and hissed. He must have been hit more seriously than he had thought.
Captain Treville was sitting beside his bed. The man had apparently fallen asleep, making the younger man wonder how long he had been there already.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Louis was on his way to Treville's office, purposely taking a detour to avoid the ballroom. Once there, he entered without bothering to knock. "Treville, get yourself ready, we're going to take a trip."
Treville immediately stood up when he noticed who had barged into his office. "Sire, I don't understand."
"Anne wants me to go with her to the Cote D'Azur. Somehow she managed to convince me."
"Well, I know from firsthand experience, that she's a hard woman to say no to," Treville said, smiling, and offered his boss a seat.
Louis sat down. "Now I know that as well."
"I think it is a good idea. The vacation I mean. Everybody needs some rest, even you." Treville sat down again as well.
"Yes, that's what she said as well. In the end, I agreed, but on one condition. You will make sure that we have full security on the other end of France."
"Well, that will be very hard to organize. We have no one on site, no knowledge of the area and not enough manpower."
"Then you will leave the chateau with a skeleton crew and everyone else will come with us. You'll quickly familiarize yourself there, that's what I pay you for. You have my complete trust."
Before Treville could say another word, Louis left again, leaving him alone with a momentous task.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Oh, Constance, this will be so great! I don't remember the last time I lay on the beach!" Anne was beaming broadly.
"I know, it's been years for me, too. We wanted to spend our honeymoon in Havana, but well, you know how my husband is."
Anne nodded. "That's why you have to come with us. It would only be half as good without you and you know it. Come with us," she tried to convince her friend.
"Anne, I can't. D'Artagnan has only just been released from the hospital. He needs me, his wound is still bothering him and he is still weak," Constance argued.
"Well, D'Artagnan needs a vacation too. You know how persuasive I can be and it just might be that D'Artagnan definitely has to come with us to the Cote D'Azur," Anne said, smiling conspiratorially at Constance.
"Well, in that case, I might reconsider," Constance said, smiling herself.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Two weeks ago
Constance and Anne had been rescued by Aramis and were still in the gallery, protected by some of the other guards. Suddenly, new orders came over the radio and the two women were led to the Northern gate at the foot of the outside steps. An ambulance arrived and Anne grabbed Constance's hands. "Oh God, Constance, someone has been hurt."
"Not necessarily, it might just be a precaution," Constance speculated. A group of men came out of the door and hurried down the steps, while the paramedics hurried to meet them.
Constance and Anne desperately tried to find a familiar face in all the people, but there was such a hullabaloo, that they couldn't get anyone to tell them what was happening. The paramedics came down the steps again, carrying a stretcher.
Anne pressed a hand against her mouth and her breathing stopped for a second. Constance immediately realized who was carried down the stairs there. "No!" she cried out, and before Anne could stop her, she hurried towards the paramedics. "No, D'Artagnan…D'Artagnan, what happened?"
Constance grabbed his hand and hurried alongside the stretcher as it was carried towards the ambulance. Again and again, she tried to talk to D'Artagnan. He roused slightly and looked around and into her eyes, but he couldn't really focus. He seemed to be in another world and that frightened her. He, who always made her feel safe, who was always beside her and protected her, was now lying on a stretcher, hurt and completely out of it, and was carried into an ambulance. She was about to climb into the ambulance herself, when someone held her back. "No, Mademoiselle, you can't come with us. We need the space."
"No, I need to come with you, I'm his girlfriend! You don't understand, I have to come with you". The paramedic kept holding her back.
Porthos came over and nodded to the man. "Constance, the paramedics need every inch of space they have. I promise, I'll take you to the hospital, but please let them do their job."
Constance stopped struggling and the paramedic climbed back into the ambulance. The doors were closed in front of her eyes and she watched as the ambulance raced away, sirens blaring.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A man and a woman were lying amid rumpled sheets in a big four-poster-bed. "Mon amour, I have a surprise for you," the man said conspiratorially.
"Oh? What is it, my love?"
He gently pushed a strand of hair out of her face, that had become loose during their frolicking. "We are going on a trip," he said, kissing her neck.
"Oh, a trip? Where are we going?" she asked, reveling in his caresses.
He stopped his ministrations and looked into her face. "To the Cote D'Azur. I have some business to attend to there."
She put his arms around his neck. "Oh Louis, you will still have enough time for me, won't you?" She looked at him, pouting.
"Of course, Milady."
She snuggled against him like a cat. "Then it will be my pleasure to go with you."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"We will stay at the hotel in Nice, I already forwarded the address," Anne said, checking her laptop to make sure the statement was correct. Treville nodded, taking notes of the important points. They were sitting together in a small room furnished only with a large round table and a few pieces of upholstered furniture. They had met to discuss important details, so that the journey could be organized as well as possible.
"We'll have to take a number of rooms, since the king expects me to provide security. I can only guard one location."
Anne nodded. "I'll check up on it. If you send me a list, it should be okay."
"And we would need more time for reconnaissance. Can't the trip be postponed?"
Anne looked at the security chief and shook her head. "Unfortunately not. I know it's a big challenge for you, but we need to leave as quickly as possible to finalize the project. A delay would result in massive losses."
Treville had already worried about that, but it had been worth a try. He looked at the list again. When the king travelled, he did so with a sizeable entourage. His four best men, Anne and Constance, Louis himself and his new paramour, Marc, Vincent, Henry, Nathan, he himself and six additional guards had been selected for the trip. He just hoped that it would be enough.
Meanwhile, the remaining guards would upgrade the chateau's security standard. Which is why he had thought about leaving Nathan at the chateau, but he wanted to keep an eye on the young man, just like Henry. Maybe the two of them would prove themselves in an unfamiliar environment.
"And I thought, that D'Artagnan's convalescence could also benefit from a change of scenery. A little distance would be good for all of us," Anne added. She had been waiting the whole meeting for a good moment to mention her best friend's boyfriend.
Treville suppressed a smile. He had been thinking the same thing, but he had expected Constance to ask him herself. "I already had him on my list before you suggested him, but that's just one more good argument in his favor."
"Good, then it's decided. I think it should be possible to accommodate everybody at the hotel."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Nathan returned to the guard room from the gym in the basement, still slightly sweaty, so he wanted to take a shower, before he went back to work. Marc had just come back from his patrol and would be off work soon. "Hi Nathan, did you get settled in alright?" he asked.
Nathan shrugged his shoulders and unexpectedly pulled Marc out of the room. He didn't want the two guards in the room with them to hear what he had to say. Once they were in the corridor, Nathan leaned closer to Marc conspiratorially and lowered his voice. "Last night I saw Treville clandestinely meet with Savoy," he said, without mentioning, that he had been actively spying on the man.
"I'm sure that's nothing. Treville is one of the good guys, I'm sure he acted on Louis' orders." Marc trusted his boss and he had known him for a while now. Treville wasn't the kind of man who would be disloyal to his men. Nathan wasn't really convinced, for him the whole thing looked far too secretively, but before he could say anything else, Levrefe came along the corridor towards them.
"Hey, you two. Meeting, Treville wants to see all of us in the guardroom."
The two young men nodded and went back into the room.
A few minutes later, all of the security men on duty – and that was pretty much the whole personnel – were assembled. Among them Aramis, Porthos and D'Artagnan. The latter was greeted and embraced by his colleagues.
When D'Artagnan had a little peace and quiet again, he stood together with Aramis and Porthos, talking softly. Nathan and Marc watched them. "They sure keep among their own little group…." Nathan noticed and Marc nodded.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Half an hour before the meeting, Treville and Athos were sitting together. Treville wanted to inform his second-in-command beforehand, that was only fair. He had just come to the end of his explanation of the current status.
"Captain, that sounds impossible to take so many men and leave the chateau with only a minimum of men," Athos said, not exactly enthusiastic about the idea, and with the inclusion of D'Artagnan and Aramis. They wouldn't really be a hindrance and he trusted their experience and expertise, but the fact was that with their injuries they weren't up to full duty.
"I know, I considered all of this and brought it up with Anne and Louis, but you know the king." That wall he needed to say It was common knowledge at the chateau – what the king wanted, the king got. "We just have to make the best of it. Anne will send us the info as quickly as possible."
Athos nodded, there wasn't anything he could do about it anyway. Both men got up and headed for the guard room, where the others were already assembled. Athos joined his friends and Treville began to speak.
"I have called all of you together to make an announcement. The king and a few of his closest confidantes will take a trip to the Cote D'Azur and it will be our job to provide security there. I have decided to take the majority of you with me, since this is the only way we can guarantee a safe stay. During our absence the chateau will operate with a skeleton crew under the leadership of Levrefe and Durrand."
He gave the men a moment to digest these news. A murmur went through the ranks. When the room fell silent again, he continued. "I will put up the new duty roster and you will be fully instructed later. I ask all of you to lend a hand. We are going through a difficult time, but we will get through it and come out all the stronger for it."
Porthos put up the list. Athos had already informed his three friends, that they had the honor of being chosen for the trip. Aramis and D'Artagnan were looking forward to it. The trip would give them the possibility to spend more time with their ladies and who wouldn't look forward to a trip to the coast, with beautiful women and the ocean.
Some of the men were disappointed that they hadn't been selected, but had to remain behind in Fontainebleau. Others were glad they could stay put, since they knew that the Cote D'Azur would mean a lot of work, and were hoping for a few quiet days ahead of them.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
That afternoon, Anne and Constance were sitting together. They still had to book the additional rooms, and Louis' jet had to be prepared. They only had two more days.
Anne constantly conferred with Feron regarding the organization, exchanging e-mails both with him and with his assistant. Feron had offered to put them up at his villa. Anne felt uncomfortable accepting that invitation, since it wouldn't exactly be a small group. The security men alone would be a large number and she didn't want to put even more strain on Treville, so they had eventually decided on a hotel in the vicinity.
Once everything had been planned, booked and organized, Constance said goodbye to Anne and went back to her own room, where, surprisingly, D'Artagnan was already waiting for her. As soon as she saw him, she dropped everything and ran over to him, stopping at the last second, so as not to jostle his wound.
"Did you hear? We're going on a trip, to the Cote D'Azur! Isn't it wonderful?" Constance beamed at him. God, how he had missed her smile. "I know, darling, but I'm afraid I'll be more of a burden than a help," he grumbled. His wound still bothered him. He couldn't work out or do anything useful. He was a man of action and sitting around doing nothing was not exactly his strong point.
Constance tried to distract him by sitting in his lap, peppering his face with little kisses.
"I don't think the doctor would be too pleased…" D'Artagnan protested, but did nothing to stop her. Instead he pulled her even closer.
"Really? He told me I had to stimulate your circulation.." Constance answered, gently pushing him onto his back on the bed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Once Constance had left, Anne had quickly sent all the necessary information and data to Treville, before she went to bed. It had been an exhausting day after all. Before she fell asleep, she decided to phone Jeany.
"Anne, has something happened?" Jeany answered, slightly worried.
"No, no, I was just busy up to now. I hope I'm not disturbing you."
"No, don't worry, I had a client here at the gallery until now anyway."
"Ah, that's okay then. I just wanted to let you know that we'll take a trip two days from now. I thought maybe you would like to come with us."
Anne and Constance had spontaneously thought of that during the planning. Why not combine business with pleasure?
"Oh, where are you going?"
"We'll go to the Cote D'Azur. I'm not sure how long we'll stay, but I expect it will be at least two weeks. It'll be good for all of us to get away and have a little vacation."
"I can imagine. You've all been through a lot. Unfortunately I can't come. My calendar is full at the moment with the studio and a new vernissage, but maybe I can take you up on your offer next week and just follow you then?"
Anne was disappointed. She had grown very fond of Jeany and had been looking forward to spending the time with Constance and her.
"Of course, I'll just send you your ticket, or maybe the jet, that's no problem."
