CHAPTER FOUR
On their way back to the Garrison, they stopped at The Wren for sustenance and a chance to discuss their thoughts. Barre had given them a demonstration of a substance that emitted a white, odourless vapour, but they had seen no evidence that it was anything other than a stage in his process towards the said panacea he had claimed he was developing to help cure disease.
On their return, they reported to Treville, or rather, reported that they had little to report. It was agreed that they would keep a watchful eye on the good "Father," as they were all uneasy about this self absorbed man.
oOo
Not long after the Musketeers had left, another climbed the stairs to Barre's domain. Handing over a bag of money, this man was also given a demonstration of Barre's current progress. He was not interested in waiting until these bombs were perfected however. He took possession of a draught of the by-product. Whilst Barre's back was turned, he also took possession of the formula, so proudly shown to him by the preening man.
oOo
Life in the Garrison continued as usual. Athos had occasion to roll his eyes at his brother's irreverent banter and made a note to straighten out their ever increasingly lax attitude. They were bored, he knew. He himself had spent more than enough time in the stables brushing his large black stallion, which was equally bored and also well able to roll his eyes in the same way as his master.
So it was with welcome anticipation that they answered Captain Treville's call back into his office with news of a new mission.
With no repeat of the incident on the stairs, they all made it into his office in a dignified way and lined up in front of their Captain's desk.
It was a mission to deliver eviction notices to several homesteads on behalf of the King. This was not a task they relished, but it was their duty to carry out the wishes of the State. Previously, it had been the remit of the Red Guard, but following the Cardinal's death, King Louis seemed somewhat erratic in his allocation of tasks for his Musketeers. True to recent form, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan had begun to make their disappointment known to Treville, when a sudden movement at the end of their line alerted them, and they turned.
Something was not right with Athos.
Frozen to the spot at the unexpected disturbance, they watched him falling, his balance completely gone, a look on his face that turned into confusion, and then pain.
Reaching for the corner of Treville's desk, he missed his hold completely and landed heavily on the floor and in that same instance, his body curled up and he made a terrible animal sound as he wrapped his arms around himself.
Everyone suddenly came alive then, shocked from their stupor.
Aramis had been standing next to Athos, and unconsciously had almost caught him as he fell, but now he dropped to his knees and tried to grab Athos's shoulders.
"Mon Ami, what is it?" he cried, starting now to rub his back. But Athos was not hearing, lost in pain as his body spasmed and he began desperately trying to pull air into his lungs.
"Breathe easy, Athos!" Aramis said urgently, but to no avail.
He shouted for Porthos to go for Dr Lemay but Porthos was already half way out of the door without a backward glance.
oOo
For a large man, Porthos reached Lemay's house in record time. No-one had dared get in his way.
Lemay opened the door to frantic hammering, coming face to face with Porthos's chest.
"I am Porthos du Vallon," he panted.
"I know who you are Musketeer; who needs my help?"
"Athos, our Lieutenant."
They quickly beat a path back to the Garrison, rushing up the stairs and into Treville's office.
Only to find Athos had recovered and was now sitting quietly in a chair, sipping water.
Dr Lemay was somewhat annoyed at being dragged through the streets to a non-existent emergency.
The next day:
Aramis had insisted that Athos stay in a room at the Garrison after his collapse the previous day. Athos had argued, preferring his own room but in the end had relented, mainly to quieten his friend. Athos was still asleep when Aramis strode in and threw open his shutters with a flourish, allowing the morning sun to flood into the room.
Walking over to his sleeping friend, Aramis frowned. It was unusual that Athos was still asleep as he usually slept lightly and rose early. Pouring a glass of water, he walked quietly over and sat on his bed.
"Hey, come on you, time you were up," he said with a smile in his voice.
Athos opened his eyes and peered up at Aramis, taking the glass of water handed to him.
His movements seemed sluggish though, and when he asked if the shutters could be opened as it was dim and he could not see Aramis properly, Aramis was more than a little concerned. He looked around toward the window. The shutters were indeed wide open still, and the sun was streaming in.
Just then, Athos grimaced, and complained of a sharp pain in his ear, but it is over as soon as it happened. He seemed to fall asleep then, his hand curled under his chin, but woke a few moments later and looked at Aramis as if he was seeing him for the first time. His eyes were clear now.
"Good morning," he said grumpily to Aramis; "What are you doing here?"
Aramis frowned, uncomprehending.
Athos did not seem to remember their conversation a few minutes before.
"I was worried about you Mon Ami," Aramis said softly, catching sight of the hand resting near his throat. There was an angry looking red welt across his knuckles. Aramis took his friend's hand in his own and studied it. Turning it over, he was surprised to see red blotches on the palm.
"How did you get this?" he asked.
Athos shrugged, non-committantly, pulling himself up against his pillows.
He looked around then, frowning.
"What am I doing here?" he said quietly.
He seemed to have no recollection of what had happened.
Tbc