Evening My Lovelies

I'm loving how much love there's been for this story already even after just a few chapters, definitely a good way to start the new year :D crossing my fingers that it stays that way as we continue into the story.

Notes On Reviews:

FierGascon: Thanks for the review - That it is, don't worry things will slowly become clear :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

Jmp (Guest): Thanks for the review - Thanks :) You too! Enjoy the new chapter! x

beeblegirl: Thanks for the review - Yay, glad to hear it :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Definitely with a good hearty helping of whumpage so no worries there :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - Haha, I like what you did there :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

Tidia: Thanks for the review - They are on their way to Aramis and the others, should reach them in a few chapters time :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

WelshEssex: Thanks for the review - Thanks, same to you :) Action and drama are on the way I promise, we've just got the slowish chapters to get through first :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysd'Artagnan: Thanks for the review - Well they've put some of the dots together, the rest will have to wait until they meet up with the others. Enjoy the new chapter! x

Uia (Guest): Thanks for the review - Will do :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

MicheeO: Thanks for the reviews - (chapter2) Sorry but just couldn't help it :D Haha I like the way you think and technically I suppose it could be as the subject would be dead so they wouldn't be bothered by a headache then lol :) (chapter3) Haha I was wondering if the village name would come up in a review. I'm kinda regretting choosing it as it now means I have to go back and copy and paste it whenever I mention it because I keep forgetting both what it is and how to spell it lol XD It came up in a google search I did for French villages and it sounded pretty in the description so I went with it :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

p.s Hope you all have an absolutely fabulous 2019!


Chapter Four: On The Trail

Not one to stand by when someone he cared about was in trouble, Porthos did not take the accusation against Aramis and those who were with him well, going as far as to throw a punch into a nearby tree, much to the surprise of D'Artagnan who jumped at the action.

"Injure your hand and you'll be of no use to him if he needs you," commented Athos nonchalantly as he grabbed their bag of medical supplies that was resting on the ground next to him, shifting his position slightly so Porthos could sit in front of him, something the larger man did reluctantly. "Does anything feel broken?"

With a grunt Porthos shook his head, his eyes narrowing as he merely sat there watching his brother clean his now bruised knuckles before wrapping them to prevent the scrapes he had earned from becoming infected.

By the time he was done the hour they had allotted themselves for a rest was almost over so, with their thoughts locked firmly on their absent friend and those he had travelled with the three musketeers began to pack up their camp, each of them at some point glancing up towards the sky, silently trying to work out how many more hours of daylight they had left before they would be forced to stop once more.

Thankfully they were lucky in this instance as it was summer, meaning the days were longer and nights shorter, this meant they were able to cover more ground than Athos had planned before the darkening sky and limited visibility made it impossible for them to continue any longer without putting themselves and their horses at risk.

Dinner that night was a fairly silent affair, the three men too exhausted and, if they were being honest with themselves, sore from the extreme amount of riding they had done that day so it wasn't a surprise to any of them that they were all ready to bed down for the night practically the second after they had finished their meal, though Athos had the sense to remember to assign watches, not wanting to be caught off guard by brigands during the night.

The next several days followed this pattern with the three men barely speaking, only stopping their ride when they were forced to and falling straight to sleep the moment they laid down in their bedrolls.


It was early afternoon on their third day when they finally reached the town of Lyon, something that was a very welcome sight for the three tired and sore musketeers. They were torn between continuing to their final destination or stopping in Lyon but the exhausted, heavy breathes coming from their horses made that decision for them, none of them willing to further risk their mounts in case they needed to make a quick escape with their absent friends.

This meant the trio made a stop at the first inn they found before spending a decent amount of time rewarding their tired mounts with a brush down before leaving them to rest and eat while they made their way into the inn itself.

Much to their delight, they were able to get not only a room and meals but also a warm bath, something their sore, tense muscles greatly appreciated, even if it felt slightly wrong to be enjoying it while their friends were potentially in danger.

"There are still a few hours of daylight left," said Athos once they were all fed and bathed, the trio sitting in their shared room making quick work of the late lunch brought to them a few minutes earlier., "We should see what we can find out."

"The way some people gossip I wouldn't be surprised if news of this supposed murder has made it to the people here," agreed Porthos

"Someone might have followed them from here," added D'Artagnan, straightening slightly when he saw his words had given him the complete attention of both his brothers. "The letter said a musketeer killed an innocent but I can't see 'Mis, Issac or Favier raising their blade without good reason so maybe trouble found them here and then followed them when they left, it could explain why the author thinks it was an innocent that was killed."

Pride flashed in Athos's eyes as he nodded at his protege and the trio spent the next few minutes finishing their lunch while discussing their plans to discretely search for information of their friends

Porthos had been given the job for seeking out any rumours of their missing friends eventually found himself in a packed tavern, the man making quick friends with several rowdy and talkative locals as they began a game of cards, the musketeer keeping his ears opened as he listened to the snippets of conversations he could make out from all areas of the room.

Athos had decided to check in with the town's guards, knowing that men as armed as their friends would have been would have garnered at least a bit of attention from those in charge of protecting the town and said guards would likely have noted when the musketeers left the town and how they seemed when they left.

D'Artagnan decided to try and locate which of the several inns in the city their friends had stayed in during their mission, rationalising that if they had been followed then they would probably have been watched from there given the crowd the stalker would have been able to blend in with. Also, he realized that Aramis's habitual flirting would likely have remained in the memory of at least one pretty barmaid.

None of the musketeers particularly liked the idea of splitting up but agreed it was the best way to get as much information as they could in their limited time frame and as such they didn't then see each other, after splitting up after their meal, until night had fallen and they returned to their room for the night, the three men then spending the next hour or so going over what information they had found and coming up with a plan for the next day, each man wanting to get an early start.