It was nearing midnight by the time Aramis was stealthily creeping along the corridors of the Cardinal's residence. He was heading towards the study; it made sense that it was where a workaholic like Richelieu would spend most time, and would therefore keep his favourite possessions there. While his means of entry had not been unpleasant by any means – he gave a slight smile in fond recollection of Juliette, with her bright blue eyes and curly blonde hair – it had nevertheless taken longer than anticipated, meaning that he was beginning to worry that Athos was ahead of him. He had no idea how Athos had planned on gaining entry to the Cardinal's private apartments, knowing full well that bedding pretty housemaids was not his style, but he was more than confident that he had managed it somehow.
And indeed he was right, for at this moment Athos was uncomfortably ensconced in a cupboard close to the Cardinal's study. Getting in had been relatively straightforward – it really was remarkable how few people actually took time to look at the tradesmen that entered and left the residence throughout the day (although, given that the security consisted of the Red Guards, Athos mused, maybe it wasn't all that surprising that he hadn't been noticed). He had now been crouched in the cupboard for over two hours, waiting for everything to become quiet and still.
When he hadn't heard any sounds for several minutes, Athos judged it safe to emerge. He was just opening the cupboard, however, when he caught the sound of footsteps proceeding softly along the corridor outside his temporary (and hideously cramped) residence. Swiftly he retreated, only to reopen the cupboard a crack and listen closely. There was something familiar about the steps of the person approaching. Something very familiar indeed.
Athos smiled slightly as he heard Aramis begin to pick the lock of the Cardinal's study. While both of them had taken several lessons in lock-picking from Porthos – a skill that had come in useful more times than he cared to admit – Aramis had always had the greater talent in this field, and was now saving Athos both time and irritation. He judged his moment carefully, and emerged from the cupboard just as Aramis got the study door open. It was almost a pity, though Athos as he rushed forward, that the element of surprise had to be exploited by overpowering Aramis as quickly as possible – he would have enjoyed savouring the way his expression had altered from triumph to bewilderment to intense annoyance.
This surprise, coupled with the fact that an annoyingly large part of his brain insisted on wondering how on earth Athos had crammed himself into such a small cupboard, meant that Aramis was less than prepared for the scuffle that ensued. However, the initial shock was replaced by slight relief that the stay in the cupboard hadn't done Athos any good – he was moving with less than his usual fluidity, enabling Aramis to press the advantage that slightly greater speed gave him.
Neither musketeer drew a weapon, aware that even the Red Guards were not so stupid to ignore the sounds of swordplay in the Cardinal's quarters. The fight continued for several minutes, before Athos grew impatient and launched himself bodily at Aramis, who (slightly smugly) dodged lightly to one side, and turned to watch the amusing spectacle of Athos crashing headlong into the wall.
Except that Athos crashed headlong into the door. The door that was no longer locked. The door that was in fact being opened from the other side by the Cardinal, who was working late, as was his habit, and who had been distracted from his work by faint noises from the corridor.
Really, thought Aramis, seeing his fellow musketeer land squarely on France's First Minister, this could not have gone any worse.
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