Title: A Restlessness in Common
Author: JenF
Chapters: 2 of ?
Disclaimer: I do not own the The Three Musketeers, D'Artagnan, their friends or their enemies. If you recognise something, it's probably not mine. I'm just having fun.
d'Artagnan stretches his gun hand out, flexing his fingers to release some of the tension that has built up over the last hour. He thinks he's been crouching behind this wall for most of the afternoon but he lost track of time some while ago. Not that it really matters, he'll stay here all week if that's what it takes to get Aramis back. None of them will leave here without their fallen comrade, that much he knows.
He studies the courtyard below him, taking note of where Aramis might have been held, where his captors, cowards that they are, might be hiding. There are three sets of stable doors, all of them closed, and a crumbling block which, d'Artagnan presumes, used to house the serving staff. The manor house has long since been destroyed.
The musketeers have the advantage of height – d'Artagnan can see clearly everything below him and, with only a little adjustment of position, all around him. The scenery is bleak without being depressing – a few shrubs and trees sparsely scattered around. The summer heat has dried any moisture from the ground and when the air shifts, it takes the dust with it.
d'Artagnan looks across to where Athos and Porthos are settled in their positions. He catches Athos' eye and nods briefly. He's ready for whatever is to come. He'll fight for Aramis, for Athos, for Porthos without question, without a second thought. They would, he knows, do the same for him. What he doesn't know is why they haven't yet made a move.
And then Porthos launches himself out of hiding to yell to Aramis, and that's when everything falls apart.
d'Artagnan watches in fascinated horror as Porthos falls, hears Athos' cry and then, when it's too late, far too late, he hears footsteps falling on the cracked, dry earth behind him. He whirls round, his pistol held firmly in his hand, other hand already going to the hilt of his sword, but his actions are pointless.
The man behind him, kerchief across his face making it impossible for d'Artagnan to identify him, is fast. His foot flies out with deadly accuracy, knocking the gun from d'Artagnan's hand. d'Artagnan feels the shock waves reverberate up his arm, loses the feeling in his fingers instantly and somewhere in the back of his mind he finds the time to hope it's only temporary.
Instinctively his other hand grips the hilt of his sword but the unmistakable sound of a pistol hammer being drawn back freezes him in place. He lets his hand drop – Athos and the others may think he's hotheaded but he knows when to accept defeat – and looks the man in the eye. He can't be sure because of the kerchief covering the lower half of the man's face but he thinks there's a smile under there and it makes him feel sick.
"Turn around," he's ordered. The voice is soft, softer than d'Artagnan was expecting, but determined and the musketeer thinks it best not to argue at this stage. He raises his hands in surrender and complies with the order. He finds himself looking directly at Athos and he can't decide which feels worse –the look of controlled panic on his mentor's face or the feel of cold metal at the back of his head which he knows he stands no chance against.
"Stand up," the voice behind him commands, the words accompanied by a gentle nudge with the muzzle of the gun at his head. Not breaking eye contact with Athos, d'Artagnan complies, climbing from his knees to his feet. At this angle he realises his assailant is shorter than him and he wonders if this is going to give him an advantage or not. Athos, opposite him, shakes his head and d'Artagnan wonders how he knew what he was thinking. Resigning himself to his fate, for now, d'Artagnan relaxes slightly, allowing himself time to assess the situation, looking for options, looking for a way out of this mess.
He's not surprised to have his hands pulled behind his back and he lets it happen, watching Aramis below him. The beleaguered musketeer has been watching Porthos and Athos, seemingly transfixed on Porthos' fate. The older musketeer hasn't reappeared since he fell and although d'Artagnan is worried by that, Athos doesn't seem inclined to rush to his rescue. There must, d'Artagnan muses, be a reason for Athos' inaction, but he can't for the life of him think what it might be.