The shooting was the only round where the four musketeers would not be taking it in turns to compete against each other, as all four could go at once. To make life more interesting, Treville had decided to introduce an element of speed into it. Thus, each musketeer would have to load and shoot at a target five times. While accuracy would be the primary factor, their speed would also be a feature of deciding the winner.
The targets were set up at one end of the garrison. To Treville, and to the audience, they looked fairly unassuming – the same as they had any other day. To the foursome, however, they were truly terrifying. Porthos mused that he would prefer an army of attacking Huguenots at this moment; the prospect of imminent death was preferable to the thought of protecting Madame Rodier and her lapdogs.
Treville decided that he would keep the musketeers waiting a few minutes before beginning this round. If anyone had asked him, he would have said that this was teaching his soldiers a valuable exercise in patience. The voice in his head, however, pointed out that the main reason for this was for the entertainment of watching them panic. Athos, as always, was standing still, looking eminently unruffled. The other three, however, were providing much more amusement. Porthos was not a patient man at the best of times, and this was not the best of times. He was shifting about in front of the targets, growing steadily more unnerved. Aramis seemed to be in communion with his musket, muttering to it earnestly. D'Artagnan, in contrast, was looking rather pleased with himself, having done better than expected in the previous round. However, his smugness was slipping the longer he waited.
Treville was tempted to let them stew all day, but reluctantly decided to be kind. He moved to the side of the targets, and announced the start.
Aramis, as predicted, was extraordinary. Really it was unfair, Treville thought, that a man could be so talented with firearms, especially a man who had caused him so many headaches. By the time the other three were loading for their fourth shot, he was taking his fifth, each one a perfect bullseye. Porthos was next to finish, but the results were not nearly so good. While Porthos, despite Aramis' teasing, was a more than capable shot, having to load at speed had flustered him, and he had not taken enough time to aim. Two shots had missed the target entirely, and the other three were nowhere the middle. It looked like Porthos' commanding lead was over.
Athos finished third, having loaded and shot with the calmness that defined him. His shots were good; although none had hit the centre, they were all close. Just behind him was D'Artagnan. His relative lack of experience showed in the slightly longer time it had taken him to reload, but his shots were very good. In fact, considered Treville, they may be good enough to overtake Athos, despite the longer time to finish. A closer look confirmed his suspicions – D'Artagnan had two bullseyes, and the other three were also fairly close to the centre.
Treville smiled – this was going to be even closer than he had thought. D'Artagnan was now in the lead with 4 points, Aramis and Porthos were each on 3, and Athos had 2.
A.N. Reviews appreciated - thank you for reading.