Sometimes Salvation is Found in Agony

Chapter Twenty-Six

Aramis was holding his own against Valentin while the two of them continued to fight each other until one would end as the victor, and one was dead, both knowing that this was the only way one of them was going to walk away. The musketeer was weak and growing weaker as the fight wore on, but Aramis never gave up easy and he wasn't planning to let Valentin win so long as he remained breathing. His comrades were counting on him to make sure that this criminal couldn't carry on with his plan to kill the Cardinal.

Valentin noticed the soldier was beginning to falter and spoke again saying, "You're looking worse than what you did during our first encounter."

Aramis forced his opponent backward as his sword slashed across the criminal's chest, slicing into him, then answered, "That may be, but I am still here and will fight you for as long as I have to. You will most likely strike me down. However, I will most certainly be taking you with me. My soul is prepared for death. I doubt you can say the same. Hell is hot, but God willing, it is as you deserve."

"The only one dying here today is you, Aramis," Valentin responded when he suddenly cut a large, deep gash across Aramis' wrist that held his blade, causing the musketeer to drop the weapon as he fell back a few steps and held his free hand over the wound in order to stifle the blood flow as he waited for the criminal to strike another blow against him, though it never came.

"I don't think so!" Athos replied angrily when all of a sudden he, Porthos, and d'Artagnan came riding swiftly into the clearing and jumped from off his horse in between their brother in arms and the criminal threatening his life as he raised his own sword in order to continue fighting for Aramis. "You threaten all of us when you try to kill a musketeer. Try fighting one of us who isn't wounded. See how well you fare against me."

Once Athos took over for him, Aramis collapsed weakly to the ground and Porthos ran over to help him, then he looked over at his concerned friend and asked sadly, "You never will… give up… on me, will you?"

The larger man answered worryingly, "Never. You need to stop trying to get us to."

"I'm all right, you… you need to help Athos," Aramis continued weakly as he backed himself up against the tree with Porthos' help. "He can't… he can't… kill…"

"Don't worry, we've captured Marque," d'Artagnan responded as he rushed over to join his friends, while their prisoner remained tied to his own horse that was now tied to a tree in order to keep him from escaping. "If Athos kills Valentin, we will not have lost our chance to learn the identity of our true mastermind."

Porthos growled, "I for one hope he does succeed in killing him. Hell can have its minion back."

All of a sudden, Athos thrust his sword up into Valentin's chest as the musketeer was forced down to the ground on his back, then d'Artagnan replied, "It looks like the underworld is about to."

"About to what?" Athos asked out of breath as he slowly made his way back over to his friends and then knelt down before Aramis. "That doesn't matter. How is he?"

"I'm fine," Aramis answered.

Athos caused Aramis to wince as he carefully lifted his wrist to get a better look at the newest of the long list of wounds his friend had received over the last few weeks and then said in frustration, "No, you're not. Your wounds aren't healing and you're only getting worse because you won't forgive yourself. Cardinal Richelieu is winning over you, Aramis."

The wounded soldier slowly fell unconscious as Porthos pulled him closer and tried to keep him awake, though to no avail, then he responded sadly, "What are we going to do?"

"We're doing all we can do," Athos replied as he and Porthos carefully lay Aramis down on the ground with a coat beneath his head, then laid Porthos' coat over him to warm him up, despite the fever that was slowing rising within him. "His survival is up to him. We just need to be here for when he's finally ready to recover."

"Actually, I think he was asking you what the plan is," d'Artagnan stated. "Right now."

Athos answered, "We'll let Aramis rest before heading back to Paris. In the meantime, we can interrogate our prisoner. Here is a good a place as any. He'll tell us what we want to know."

Porthos smiled menacingly as stood and moved toward Marque, then responded, "At least I'll have something to help me pass the time."

"Are we really going to let Porthos be the one to question him?" d'Artagnan asked Athos in concern, knowing how angry their friend was over how much pain the man who has been his closest friend has been in ever since the Cardinal sent him the letter revealing Adele Bessette was dead.

"Don't worry," Athos replied smugly. "Porthos knows when enough is enough. He'll get Marque to tell us all we want to know and then we'll be able to watch his execution when this is all over."

Six days later…

The musketeers finally arrived back in Paris, Athos and d'Artagnan on horseback as they escorted their prisoner, Marque, behind them, while Porthos was driving a wagon that held Aramis inside while he fell in and out of conscious, as his fever continued to rise, despite his comrades doing all they could to keep it down.

Captain Treville greeted his men as they came riding into the garrison, then when he looked inside the cart and saw Aramis in poor condition once again, he said worryingly, "I see that you weren't able to find him in time."

Porthos grumbled, "The fool nearly got himself killed again."

"At least we were finally able to bring down those responsible for this assassination attempt," Athos continued in frustration as he looked over at Marque, though the Captain could tell from their faces that there was something more they weren't saying.

"What are you not saying?" Treville asked.

Athos looked at d'Artagnan as he ordered, "Why don't you take our prisoner where he belongs. And see to it that his wounds are treated by the prison's physician. We can't have him dying before his trial."

The young Gascon nodded and did as his friend asked, then Porthos dismounted and carefully lifted Aramis out with help from another musketeer so that they could carry him inside their barracks, while Athos answered, "Our prisoner is the only revolutionary left, despite the few that may have escaped the battle that took place in Marseille. They will no longer be any trouble. Marque was one of the leaders. The man in charge of it all is dead, except… except that we learned of something more troubling, which I'm certain there will be nothing we can do about it."

"I don't understand," Captain Treville responded.

"We learned that there was someone else who instigated this whole plot and we have nothing, but our prisoner's word that it's so and we both know how well that goes over when Richelieu is the true villain," Athos replied coldly. "Marque claims that the Cardinal and Count de Rochefort set this whole assassination plot in motion."

Treville shook his head in frustration, then answered, "I should have known. All of this was nothing more than a distraction and an attempt to bring about the takedown of the musketeers."

Athos nodded as he responded, "Exactly, but what was the distraction for?"

"I believe it was to make sure that we were all too busy to properly investigate the Queen's sudden illness," the Captain replied.

"Is she all right?" Athos asked in concern as Porthos rejoined him. "Do you suspect she was poisoned?"

Captain Treville answered, "She was in a bad way for a few nights, but she's finally begun to come around, thanks to Madam Bonacieux taking good care of her. Doctor Maloraux claims Anne only collapsed because she became over stressed, though I am not really sure I believe him. I have no reason to suspect otherwise, as she is going to be fine in time, though she will have to continue to remain in bed for a while and leave most of the duties to Louis. But her baby…"

Porthos asked fearfully, "The baby is going to be all right, isn't it?"

"It's too early to tell," the Captain answered sadly. "She has hardly spoken to anyone since her collapse. I have a feeling there's only one person who can help her."

"Who would that be, Captain?" Porthos asked nervously, both he and Athos seeing that the man knew that they were hiding something from him.

Treville stared at them suspiciously and then responded quietly so that only the two musketeers could hear him, "I know the Queen is unhappy in her marriage to Louis and have for some time. For a time since her assassination attempt, I could see that she had found happiness, as I saw the love in her face, until it was lost again when Aramis was almost killed during your mission bringing down the thieves plotting to assassinate our King and Queen a month ago. If Aramis and Anne have found love, I hope you four understand that it cannot ever happen again. They can never be."

Both Athos and Porthos saw the sadness in their Captain's face and knew then that he didn't plan to share the truth to the King, then Athos replied, "Aramis knows this all too well, Captain."

"I see," Treville answered as he finally understood why Aramis has been so distant from his closest friends and weary of himself as one of the King's musketeers. "Aramis' actions are punishable by death and as your captain, I should have the rest of you flogged for hiding this from me, but you have all been punished enough, especially him. This secret must not be revealed to Louis, or not only will Aramis be executed, but Anne could be too. As for Richelieu, he will not tell Anne's secret so long as we keep his own discretions a secret as well, but we must keep a close eye on him just the same. Now, tend to Aramis and when he's well again, do what you must to get him to see our Queen, so that she too can find peace. I will speak with Louis to let him know that our mission is finally over."

"The Cardinal knew he couldn't tell the King, so instead he revealed our secret to the Captain," Porthos said once Treville rode off. "Luckily for us, the Captain is on our side."

Marque's trial had commenced days after his arrest and then the criminal was executed for his role in Cardinal Richelieu's assassination attempt. The Cardinal had once again manipulated a number of people and caused many to suffer and die for his own purposes, but despite it all, Richelieu could not be held accountable.

Aramis recovered in days once he was able to be treated properly by Louis' personal physician. However, he hardly spoke, but when he was told about the Queen's poor condition, the young sharpshooter's countenance changed and as soon as he was able to ride again and walk without help, he rode to the palace with his comrades behind him. Captain Treville and a number of other musketeers had gone out to see the rest of the prisoners being held in the Bastille, giving Aramis the opportunity to visit Anne without the risk of being caught

When they walked inside the King's and Queen's quarters, they found that Anne was finally sitting up with help from Constance and the other women working for her. She sat up straighter and smiled as the man she loved stepped forward after the musketeers bowed before her, but her smile faded when she saw the sadness in his eyes and how pale his skin was from his latest illness due to his injuries. With help from Constance, the Queen weakly rose form her bed, but no words were spoken until everyone left in order to leave her and Aramis alone.

Aramis was the first to speak as he said softly, "Forgive me, Your Highness. I have no excuse for not answering when you called on me before we left for our latest mission."

Anne shook her head as she responded, "No apology is needed. I am happy to see you. When I learned you had become wound and had fallen ill again…"

"The fault was all mine, Your Highness," he quickly interrupted. "My friends and our Captain would agree that I was a fool for trying to take down the criminals alone. They were right. How are you feeling?"

"I'm going to be all right, though Louis insists that I leave as many of my duties as Queen to him and the Cardinal," she replied sadly. "Mostly out of concern for his child. I can still feel the baby inside of me. I know in my heart our child will live, just like his father."

Aramis was about to say something more when Anne started to fall weakly to the floor until he rushed forward and caught her in his arms to keep her from falling. They stared each other in their eyes for several moments until suddenly the love they felt took over and they began to kiss passionately until the musketeer stopped himself as he gently helped her sit comfortably on her bed again. Tears formed in her eyes as she put her hand to her lips. Aramis stood back, then looked away in shame.

He spoke nervously, "I be… beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to cause you pain. Loving you and our child will forever be my greatest joy, as well as my deepest agony."

Anne looked up at him again and answered, "I will forever love you too, Aramis."

"One day, we will be together, but until that day comes, we will remain strong, not only for each other and our child, but for my brothers in arms, for our King, and for Paris because it is our duty," Aramis responded. "And we will not fail them. As I once promised, you shall have no better servant than I."

"We won't fail," Anne replied to herself as he finally left her alone once again to rejoin his comrades waiting for him just outside of the room.

Athos spoke first asking, "Are the two of you all right?"

Aramis smiled as he turned to his friends and answered, "We're going to be, thanks to you three fools. Thank you once again, for saving me."

The End