Evening My Lovelies
Holy hell we're only 2 reviews away from having 500! How awesome is that! :D
Okay so today... Today I brought someone in I hadn't initially planned to bring in but I'm really glad to write in again :D Plus I did a teeny tiny bit of someone I've never written before which was interesting.
Oh and on a slightly related note: What do we want to happen to Antoine?
Notes On Reviews:
Deana: Thanks for the review - It's going to get worse :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
IsubiCraven: Thanks for the review - Welcome back :) Hope you had a nice binge read. Glad you liked the chapter. Thank you so much for your lovely words of encouragement :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Hopefully it all clears up quickly for you but yeah that doesn't sound like fun. I felt a bit mean for D'Art about how he learned the truth. I was tempted to have Antoine to not be bothered about what almost happened to Corinne but I wanted him to have a teeny bit of humanity left. Your welcome for the cliffy we have another one today. Enjoy the new chapter! x
criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - Our boys are on their way to find him but to convince him about the whole Aramis thing not being his fault is going to take a lot longer. Ooooooh I'm liking your evil idea about Corinne... we'll have to see how it goes as to whether or not that happens. Enjoy the new chapter! x
FierGascon: Thanks for the review - Glad you liked it, though we've got another cliffy today as well. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Maryg (Guest): Thanks for the review - Yay I'm really really glad you liked it. I loved delving into his slightly broken mindset. We're close to the reunion now, should be good. Hopefully you dont end up dying from a sugar overdose before the end of this story. Enjoy the new chapter! x
f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - Delving into D'Arts damaged mind was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to writing more of it. We're close to a reunion now though convincing D'Art that what happened to Aramis wasnt his fault is something that will take a lot longer. Enjoy the new chapter! x
pallysdeeks: Thanks for the review - Athos will be getting his chance very soon :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
MicheeO: Thanks for the review - I know! Only 2 reviews away from 500! :D Things aren't looking good for our pup that's for sure. Enjoy the new chapter! x
WelshEssex (Guest): Thanks for the review - Glad you had fun :D Hmmm It is D'Art we're talking about so I can't promise he wont do anything stupid :) I loved delving into D'Art's broken mind and we'll be seeing a bit more of it in the coming chapters. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - YES! I'm so glad you liked it :D I was really worried that it wouldn't any good considering how quickly I had to write it. I'm really relieved that you liked my take on the confrontation. I had to continue to remind myself that D'Art is really injured so I couldn't have him attack his uncle like I kept writing. D'Art's broken mind is really interesting and fun to write, though our boys are going to have quite the task to fix it when they all reunite. Enjoy the new chapter! x
As always my lovelies many thanks and much love for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading
Love you all!
Enjoy!
xxx
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Unexpected
When Aramis next opened his eyes he could feel a slight weight on his hand and felt a surge of hoping filling him that it was his youngest brother, that they had found him and brought him back to the safety of the garrison. Unfortunately that hope was destroyed when he weakly turned his head and saw just who was holding his hand.
"W-What…" he croaked, his voice hoarse as his face scrunched up in confusion at the sight of the person before him.
With a small amused smirk at the musketeer's confusion the man put down the book he had been silently flicking through and instead picked up a small goblet of water, lifting the musketeer's head slightly as he brought it to his lips.
"Drink. It'll help the throat."
"W-What are you… doing here?" Aramis asked weakly, his body crying out for more rest despite his own personal desire to stay conscious until D'Artagnan was returned to them. "Y-You shouldn't be here."
The man simply shrugged before leaning back on his chair. "Hello to you too princess."
"Remy," sassed Aramis weakly as he attempted to glare at the man sitting beside him.
"Your Captain's currently talking to some of your friends who have come back to the garrison and the doc went to get something to eat. I figured now was as good a time as any to check in."
"…Why?" Aramis asked hesitantly, though part of him was touched the man would risk so much to come here. The marksman had no illusions that one or both of his brothers would have mentioned the man to Treville, who in turn would have told the other members of the regiment. At present Remy had his life and freedom only because of Aramis mercy but there would be nothing he could do to repeat his previous actions if one of the other members of the regiment found the man here.
"I came to Paris after you let me go," stated Remy with a seriousness not often displayed by the young bandit. "I saw your group return to the city and followed for a bit, curious about what was drawing in the crowd. Imagine my surprise when later that night I see that boy you tried so hard to protect stumbling out of the back entrance to the garrison looking to the world like a dead man walking."
"You saw him!" exclaimed Aramis with more energy than he felt as he tried to push himself up into a seating position, only to then collapse under the strain.
"Easy princess," scolded Remy with a teasing smile that barely covered the concern on the man's face as he helped settled the now panting medic back onto the bed.
"I guessed something was going on so I followed him." When Aramis once again perked up at this Remy was forced to press down on his uninjured shoulder to stop him from moving. "When I realized someone else had spotted your boy I figured you'd want to know."
Panic shot through Aramis then, all pain and exhaustion now gone as he stared, wide-eyed, at the man before him. "Who?" he demanded with a strength that surprised even him.
"A man I like to refer to as a rat but I think you all know him as Antoine D'Artagnan."
"Do you really think he would have gone here?" asked Porthos as the pair turned the corner to the Bonacieux residence.
"Its unlikely but I would rather know for sure," grimaced Athos as he glared at the steps leading to the door.
Porthos noticed the expression and, despite the circumstances, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle before patting his friend on the shoulder. "I got this 'Thos."
As he waited for someone to open the door Porthos found himself hoping that it would be Constance. None of the inseparables were pleased with Monsieur Bonacieux after he blackmailed and guilt-tripped the young red-head into staying with him, denying both her and their brother a chance at true happiness and so he wasn't sure if he could maintain any sense of politeness if forced to deal with him.
Unfortunately it seemed luck was not on their side today as the door opened to a very unhappy looking man.
"What do you want?" snapped Monsieur Bonacieux as he glared at the two musketeers.
"We are looking for our friend D'Artagnan and w-"
"Well he isn't here!" snapped Bonacieux as he interrupted Athos's explanation. "He hasn't been by here in months, finally learned where he's not welcome. Now I don't know what trouble that boy has gotten himself into now but I'll have none of it brought to my home, now leave!"
It took all the self control both men had to not slam the man against a wall for the way he spoke about their brother but they managed to resist and by the time they had calmed themselves Bonacieux had stepped back inside his house and slammed the door in their faces.
"Charming fellow that one," grumbled Porthos as he moved to stand back by Athos's side, the two men frowning as they tried to think where else to check.
They had both guessed that, after everything that happened, D'Artagnan wouldn't want to be found but they were becoming increasingly worried for him with every lead that turned out to be empty. Porthos had even contemplated reaching out to Flea in the court. The chances of his brother managing to hide out there were slim to none but the court had eyes and ears everywhere, it was possible one of them may have heard or seen something.
He had voiced this idea to Athos who had reluctantly shut it down. There were still people in the court who wanted Porthos's head and would not hesitate to use whatever means necessary to get it. Even if they reached out to Flea directly there would be no assurances that word would not reach someone it shouldn't and then they would all be in more trouble than they already were.
Neither man was handling their emotions well. They both hated and feared being away from Aramis so soon after the man received such a serious wound but there was little they could do. If Aramis was right, as he usually was, then D'Artagnan's mental state was shaky at best and with him like that it was they who stood the best chance at bringing their brother in safely… that and no one outside their group even knew D'Artagnan was responsible for the shooting.
"Where to now?" sighed Athos as he tried to bite back a wince of pain as his knee flared up.
"You need to rest," stated Porthos as he forced his brother to sit back on a nearby crate. "I might not be able to send you back to the garrison but you can at least rest that knee when we're not moving. Don't need 'Mis angry at me for that."
"We need to find him," stated Athos, worry for his protégé and brother outweighing the anger he felt for what the boy had done, at least for the moment.
"We've looked in all the obvious places," sighed Porthos as he leant up against the wall. "Without some kind of lead I don't know where we go from here."
"Looks like I've come at the right time then," drawled a voice that had the two men instantly drawing their weapons.
"You!" growled Porthos as he pointed his blade at the man's throat, recognizing him from Quentin's camp.
"Easy big guy," smirked Remy as he held up his hands, though it was his next words that made the musketeer's falter. "Princess sent me."
Athos looked confused but Porthos, who had heard the nickname before only hardened his glare at the man. "If you hurt him!"
"Please," scoffed Remy as he lowered his hands, though he made sure they were visible at all times to ensure the musketeers had no need to be any more suspicious of him then they clearly were. "If I wanted to hurt Aramis I would have done it a long time ago. I have information he said you would need and I owe him so let's just get this over with."
Athos's eyes narrowed, "What information?"
Remy smirked, "I may happen to know not only where you can find your misplaced pup but also who he is currently with."
Antoine watched from across the room as his nephew slept. He could tell the younger man was in a bad way simply by his labored breathing and the mass of bandages covering several areas of his body.
Part of him knew he should feel something when he looked at the boy, they were related by blood after all, but instead he felt nothing but anger and envy.
Before D'Artagnan had been born Antoine still had a chance to get the farm back. His debts hadn't been that large then and the simple sale of the house and land would have easily have covered them. This changed however the day he received a letter stating his sister-in-law had just given birth to a boy. Now, unless something terrible happened to the boy as well, the farm would go to him if anything happened to the lad's father.
This served as the starting point of Antoine's anger at the boy and it only continued to grow as the years progressed, especially when his daughter, the only person besides his wife he actually cared about, grew close the boy.
As the years passed his disdain for the boy continued to grow and reach all new heights, so much so that when Quentin had finally had enough of his excuses and demanded payment, he had no issues selling the boy out.
Antoine had heard rumors that Quentin was looking to acquire a musketeer. He had no idea why and nor did he particularly care to ask but after hearing that he knew the now young man he despised was his ticket to freedom after all.
It hadn't taken much to get the musketeer racing away from the safety of his garrison's walls and into the trap waiting for him and if it wasn't for his own survival being at risk then Antoine was sure he might have felt, at least, some guilt for tricking the man.
He was pulled from his musings by a harsh sounding series of coughs from his nephew and with a disgusted grimace he rose from his chair to move closer to the boy, grimacing at the state the young man was in.
Staring at the boy Antoine realized he would need to do something. The young Gascon knew the truth now and whilst he had alluded that his comrades suspected they were not the ones with the means to prove them, unlike the unconscious boy before him who had ousted him on several things that could condemn him.
Knowing he would lose his daughter forever if she ever learned the truth Antoine came to a decision. D'Artagnan was in a bad way health wise judging by all appearance so he doubted many people would question it if the boy didn't survive.
Accepting the plan forming in his mind Antoine wrapped his hands around the unconscious boy's throat and had just begun to squeeze when he felt the all to familiar bite of cold steel against his neck.