Aramis walked through the streets of Paris. He had done so for hours now. He felt bad for all he had done: leaving the musketeers, leaving D'Artagnan without making up, he helped a girl who murdered her husband, let escape both her and the woman who's claimed the crime, brought his friends into danger, as Lynn had said he did and finally he had run away and had left Lynn alone.
Again he had left his friends. Again he heard D'Artagnan's words in his head. D'Artagnan had been right. What for a man was he? Wether he wanted to be a musketeer or a man of the church, he couldn't be any of them if he kept flying away, letting down people.
He reached to his chest where still was that empty place. He was on his own now and he didn't like that.
The moment he had heard Athos's voice in the tavern, he had known where he belonged. He might not longer be a musketeer but he was still a gentlemen, and a fighter. He shouldn't give up without at least trying. He couldn't go away without doing what should be done. He had to face Athos Porthos, D'Artagnan and Treville. His pride would not allow him to ask them to come back but at least he would tell them he had been wrong to leave. He would properly tell them goodbye.
With those words Aramis was headed to the garrison. Not far from his destination, though, he was hold up by a group Red Guards who ordered him to come with them. Aramis resisted.
"May I ask for what reason the Cardinal wants me to be arrested?"
The greatest of the guards answered: "He doesn't."
Aramis didn't need more to know he had fallen into a trap. He also had wondered why Milady hadn't killed him out cold. Now he knew. She wanted more than only killing him and the others. She was playing with them. She wanted to kill their reputations.
Before he could even think how to act, the guard beated him on his head and he fell unconscious.
D'Artagnan, Athos and Porthos had started after their brother, soon after they got outside the inn. They didn't understand where Aramis had gone too without saying anything, even to Lynn. Lynn herself didn't dare to stay alone and so D'Artagnan was assigned to stay with her while Athos and Porthos went on a search for Aramis. D'Artagnan first ahd protested with the slight feeling they were shutting shutting him out, but then he couldn't totally blame them. After all, he wasn't supposed to even be here. But while he kept an eye on them as Treville had asked, he felt that it was the only thing he could do. Athos, Porthos and Athos were his friends and whatever happened, it should not come between them.
A couple of hours later they were still alone. Lynn could see the young musketeer was nervous, anxious to go actually do something more exciting than babysitting her. She knew she would regret when she said: "You can go if you want."
D'Artagnan looked at her, cursing himself she apparantly had read his feelings. "I can't. I have promised to stay with you. As a gentleman, I cannot break that promise. I will stay."
"All right. As you wish, Sir." Lynn whispered. D'Artagnan sighed. She was right. He became crazy froom sitting here and doing nothing while his friends were in danger and one of them even seemed to have gone mad. D'Artagnan didn't see immediate danger for Lynn anymore apart for the fact that as long as Aramis didn't want to leave her, she caused them to be trapped and an easy goal for Milady.
The door went open and Porthos came in, panting. D'Artagnan, who had finally calmed down enough to sit down, leaped to his feet. "Porthos! What is it?" Lynn hurried to make place for Porthos to sit down at the table. The big musketeer didn't sit down, however. "Has Athos returned?"
"Not yet." D'Artagnan answered. "I expected you two together. What happened?" He frowned at the unusual tension in his friend.
"Red Guards. We passed the scoundrels. Before we even knew it, we were taken. I could easily free myself though but I didn't got a clear look at what happened to Athos."
"You left him alone?" D'Artagnan wanted to ask. But that wouldn't be fair, so he asked again: "What happened?"
"I suspect Athos hasn't put up much of a fight."
That made no sense.
"Did he want them to arrest him?" Lynn asked.
"Looks like it." D'Artagnan mumbled.
Porthos spat. "I don't know about you but I'm beginning to hate this whole affair. First Aramis disappeared, blamed and considered a fugitive, than we got attacked by Milady and now both she and Aramis are gone and Athos has ben arrested."
"Wait!" D'Artagnan ventured. "That's it! Porthos, you genius."
"What?" Lynn asked. Porthos's arrival seemed to have awoken her attention.
"Care to enlighten me?" Porthos grumbled.
"The Red Guard is under command of the Cardinal and so is Milady. Maybe she can have them once in a while. As far as I know Athos I dare to guess he suspect Aramis to be arrested by the Red Guard, on command of the Cardinal or Milady herself. Even the Cardinal isn't insensitive for her flattering."
"The bastard!" Porthos beated the table as if the thing itself had caused their friends any harm. He stood up and stalked to the door. D'Artagnan was still debating with himself who exactly Porthos had just called "bastard."
"Porthos, wait." D'Artagnan rose from his chair.
Porthos wouldn't yield. "Our friends have no time. And so don't we. You are either with me or against me, but I'm going straight to the Cardinal, right now. It's your choice."
D'Artagnan sighed heavily but he knew he had no choice. He wouldn't make Porthos change his mind. After all, it's the musketeers's way. All for one, and one for all.
(To be continued)