And I had the week that came from hell
And yes I know that you could tell
But you're like the net under the ledge
When I go flying off the edge
You go flying off as well
Something I Need - OneRepublic
"Don't shut the people in your life out," she remembered Theo say the other night. If she lied to Athos now, that would be exactly what she did. It was what she had done for years, to Aramis and Marsac, to Treville, and now Athos, Porthos and D'Artagnan.
If she told him, she knew what would come next. They would act over protectively, and seek out Demont. That would lead to a confrontation and seeing how she dealt with just standing on his lands that was out of the question.
But perhaps she could find a way through this without having to lie or let go of all of her secrets. Considering how Athos seemed to have his own demons to battle with, he would understand her need to keep something to herself, wouldn't he?
"I'm... I'm not sure what to say," she stammered, averting her eyes. There was that look, that blasted look, in his eyes. He pitied her.
What if that is the only way he will ever look at you again? she shuddered at the thought.
"Perhaps we should find somewhere else to talk," he muttered, and glanced around them. He couldn't help but have a feeling of being watched – the forest was far too open for his liking, and the light was all but gone.
Letting his hands fall from her face, he guided her back through the trees to where their horses stood tied.
"If we hurry, we might catch up with the others before they reach the village," Athos observed, noticing a sudden change in her eyes.
"Athos, I cant go there."
"And why is that?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. Iris swallowed and glanced down the road. She was going nowhere near that place.
"This may sound strange as I've given you no reason to, but I need you to trust me on this."
"Where are you gonna go?" he asked with disbelief, watching her untie her horse. She shrugged and brought it back on the road.
"I'm sure I'll find something," she said and prepared to mount her horse.
"Iris, you cant mean that," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her on the ground. "Not only is it a bad idea to ride in the dark, but there's no telling when you'll find another place to rest."
"I'll take my chances," Iris muttered and made to mount again. His hand pulled her back and spun her around to face him.
"I'm not letting you ride away like this," Athos said decisively. Iris felt a small stab of irritation.
"I really don't need to be looked after like this," she shrugged his hand off her shoulder and was surprised to see a look of hurt flash over his eyes.
"You're unfamiliar with these roads, you have no light to help you along, and you're still upset from before. You are not going out there alone," he declared, looking at her sternly.
"And I'm not going down there," she countered, standing her ground. For a moment they stood like that in silence, waiting for the other to give in.
"Fine," he sighed, and much to her surprise he went to his own horse, "we'll simply find somewhere else."
"We – what?"
"If I cant let you go alone, and you wont come to the village, all there's left to do is to is for both of us to find somewhere else," he said dismissively, and untied his horse. Turning back to her, he raised an eyebrow at her look of surprise.
"No," she began, and felt heat come into her cheeks. "This is my problem, you shouldn't-"
"Those are your options," he interrupted and brought his horse over next to hers. "You come with me, or we take another way – together."
"In other words, I'm stuck with you no matter what," she muttered, slowly shaking her head. "People often call me stubborn, but it would seem I've met my match."
"Another thing," he added as they mounted their horses and began down the road they had originally come from," what happened before... I'm not going to let that slide."
Of course not, she thought and took a deep breath. This could turn out to be a long night.
The more distance they put between themselves and Demont's lands, the better Iris felt. It did however bother her that Athos had insisted on following her – somehow it seemed childish considering how he didn't know the circumstances. He shouldn't have to deal with this, as it was her cross to bear. Surely, by now he could be somewhere with the others doing whatever he pleased, instead of feeling compelled to watch over her.
They didn't speak much, which at the moment was something she preferred. When they eventually would find somewhere to rest their horses, and themselves, he would have questions. And seeing as he had helped her regain some form of control over her breakdown, and was now riding through almost impenetrable darkness, she felt that she owed him some answers.
Some, a voice warned in her head. You can only handle so much at the moment.
It would take them another hour till they spotted somewhere suitable. Down the side of the road they were on, lay a little inn. Exchanging a glance they made their way towards it. Iris was beginning to feel the exhaustion of the day – so many hours of riding and the stress of finding herself in the last place she wished to be had taken it's toll on her. Perhaps, if she was lucky, she could sneak off to bed before he started questioning her.
"I'll take the horses if you secure the beds," she offered as they dismounted. Handing over the reins, Athos walked towards the door as she brought the horses into the adjoining stables.
A few other horses were already there, and she found herself wondering if there was room enough.
What does it matter, she thought and almost smiled to herself, Aramis was right. I can sleep just about everywhere.
The front room of the inn was empty when Athos entered. A fire was roaring from a fireplace across the room, giving everything a warm glow. Down the hall he could hear the sound of talking and laughter and felt the itching for a bottle of wine again.
All in good time, he reminded himself and walked over to the counter to ring the bell. Not a moment later did the innkeeper – a middle-aged man with a pleasant smile – appear through a door.
"Good evening Monsieur," he greeted Athos, "I hope I'm not in trouble," he added jokingly as his eyes fell on the pauldron on Athos' shoulder.
"Even if you are, that's not why I'm here," he sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. Why couldn't he ever meet an innkeeper who simply handed him a key and let him on his way?
"You're in need of a room, yes? I watched you appear from the window, and I must say you're very lucky indeed. The only room I have left is just perfect for you and your wife."
Athos stiffened and let his hand drop to his side.
"My what?"
"Your wife - the woman you came with," the innkeeper continued as he began rustling through some papers on the counter. Athos watched him for a moment before realising what he had said.
"Oh no, that's – I'm not married," he hurriedly said, feeling his shoulders tense. That was half a lie.
The innkeeper looked up from his papers.
"I see," he said and winked with a knowing expression," your mistress then."
"That's not the case either," Athos maintained, suddenly very happy that Iris had taken the horses to the stables.
"Pardon me," the innkeeper said inclining his head. "You see, this place lies so secluded from everything, we're rarely visited from people with other agendas than a night with-"
"Yes, thank you, that will suffice," Athos held up a hand as he interrupted. Does this man have no filter?
A gush of cold air filled the room as Iris entered. The smile on the innkeeper lit up as he hurried around the counter to greet her.
"Good evening, mademoiselle," he said and reached for her hand.
"Good evening, Monsieur," she greeted with a tired smile.
"I was just telling your..." he stopped and gestured to Athos with a questioning look," friend?"
"Colleague," she corrected him and watched him narrow his eyes. A second later he shrugged and returned to the counter.
"Well, as I was telling your colleague," he returned his attention to some papers on the table," I have one room left." He stopped and looked up. "But of course, as the circumstances are different... you might not be interested."
"Circumstances?" Iris asked, glancing at Athos. He was slowly shaking his head, keeping his eyes fixed on a point over the innkeepers shoulder.
"Oh I'm sure it wont matter," the innkeeper said with a dismissive wave, and turned to retrieve a key from a board on the wall behind the counter. "There'll be plenty of room for both of you."
Before Athos could ask what exactly he meant by that, Iris had thrown a few coins on the counter and reached for the key.
"As long as I can get a few hours of rest, I'll be satisfied."
"I hope you will," the innkeeper said and gave Athos another knowing smile.
"I'll be a just a moment," he muttered, as the innkeeper gestured down the hall for Iris. When he returned to the counter, Athos cleared his throat.
"Would you by any chance know of anyone around here who can deliver a message to a village just under two hours travel from here," he asked. The innkeeper frowned slightly.
"I have a young lad who might be persuaded – for the right price of course. Is it urgent?"
"It will be," Athos admitted and threw some extra coins on the table. "If I could have something to write on and with. And a bottle of wine now you're at it," he added.
When the innkeeper returned with what Athos had requested, he brought it to a table near the fire and quickly scribbled down a few words.
Something has come up
We'll explain on another occasion
Continue to Melun without us,
we'll meet you on the way
Athos
Rolling up the note, he sealed it and handed it to a young man who had been summoned by the innkeeper.
"You know which village I speak of?" he asked. The young man nodded.
"Bring this to a musketeer called Aramis," Athos instructed and stood up. "You're likely to find him somewhere with lots of women and quite possibly a game of cards."
Andre was pacing in front of the fireplace, looking up at his father in disbelief every other second.
"... and that is where I believe she will stay for the night," the man before the comte ended his story. Garrett had laced his fingers in front of him and looked at the man with a thoughtful expression.
"And is she alone?" he asked calmly. The man fidgeted nervously.
"Well... no. There is a man with her. The same man from last time, I believe."
Andre snorted.
"What do you know, little miss perfect is at it again," he muttered under his breath, but was silenced by the look his father gave him.
"You will keep observing – from a distance. This is not Paris, there is no crowd to hide in," Garrett instructed.
"You cannot be serious!" Andre shot away from the fireplace to stand before his father. "She is practically standing in our backyard – she has never been this close before! Give me one good reason why we shouldn't take her now?"
Garrett sighed and rose from his chair. Even though Andre was slightly taller than his father, he always managed so seem smaller when they stood face to face.
"The same reason I've always given you. We cannot attract attention by doing that." He turned to the man who stood up straighter as the comte neared him. "This man who is with her – were you not instructed to kill him?"
"Yes, my lord," he said, averting his eyes.
"Why then," Garrett said silkily, "is he still alive? Furthermore, why is he with her?"
Andre let out an involuntary snicker that rubbed off on the man.
"Well, gee father. Why would a man spend a night – several nights – with a woman?"
"ENOUGH," Garrett turned around with a sudden fire, silencing his son again. "I want him gone. You let them finish whatever mission they're on and return to Paris. There you will find a way to get them out in the open, and then, by god, you do as you're told!"
Andre swallowed hard, and let his eyes fall on the ground.
"Yes father."
Garrett watched him for a moment and then walked over to a dresser and lifted a small wooden box from the bottom drawer.
"I've had this custom made for... a special occasion," he explained, carefully bringing the box back to his chair. Andre and the man both moved closer, and looked with interest as Garrett removed the lid.
Inside, on a carpet of expensive looking silk, lay a small dagger. The blade itself was small, but broad and incredibly sharp. The hilt was black, adorned with golden lines.
"I believe his death will be the right way to use it."
"Kill him with that?" Andre asked with disbelief, looking at his father as though he was mad. "That thing can hardly do anything more than a paper-cut."
"You judge too soon – don't touch it," he hissed as Andre reached out a hand. "Looks can be deceiving, boy. Did I not say it was custom made? It's supposed to look innocent. The blade is made to shatter upon impact, thereby creating more damage than a normal blade would. But -" he quickly said as Andre prepared to speak again, "- that is not all. The blade is laced with a poison. I'm under the impression that the effect when mixed directly with blood is quite... deadly."
He put the lid back and held the box out for Andre.
"I trust you will be careful with it – after all, it was quite expensive and it's the only one I have at hand."
Andre carefully accepted the box and an excited smile appeared on his face.
"I cannot wait to see it in action, father."
A/N
Thank you all for the reviews - especially those from guests I cannot reply to.
Here comes a fun fact; The dagger I'm describing was actually one of the very first things I had planned for this story - so keep an eye out for that!
Next up; Aramis get's a message, Porthos meets a man who cheats better than he does himself, and Athos is shocked to find that the plenty-of-room-for-both-of-you room... is the honeymoon-suite.
