Porthos saddled the horses. Felt his own flesh tremble as he worked. His afternoon chopping wood had not helped overextended muscles heal, and instead, he found himself suffering the consequences of fatigue, as his thighs twitched, trembled, and cramped. His back ached, and his shoulder protested to the new abuse. His need for exertion had overridden his sensibilities and while he ran his hand over his horse's neck, he wished he had made a different choice.
However, looking at the stacked pile of wood, he couldn't help but feel a sense of duty and completion. The firewood would last Richard and Sofie well through the summer months and into autumn. Their kindness and generosity, had allowed them all a moment of rest when exhaustion and injury had nearly devastated them.
D'Artagnan did his best to tie his bedroll behind his saddle with one hand, and the pain in his shoulder was evident as he hitched, winced, and shifted his upper body to compensate. He ran his hand along the rump of his horse and looked toward the door as Aramis was handed a bag filled with herbs and bandages.
Aramis shook Richard's hand, and nodded toward Sofie. "Again, we cannot thank you enough," he said, and tightened his fist around the neck of the bag. "We'll leave you the gray horse — he's strong, calm, and perhaps will make a good work horse." He cocked his eyebrow and shrugged. "Although, I don't know much about farm horses."
Richard smiled and nodded. "He'll improve the look of the harness." he said, and turned slightly as Athos stepped through the door. "Be careful."
Sofie made a few movements with her hands, pointed toward Athos, then Aramis, and nodded.
Richard chuckled. "She wants you to know he's," he tipped his head in Athos' direction, "still weak and needs to rest."
Aramis nodded, ran his fingers over his mustache, and said, "We'll tie him up if we have to." He placed his hand on Athos's left shoulder, then slipped his hand beneath his arm, and tightened his grip.
Sofie nodded, and raised the left side of her lips into a smile.
"Expect to see more landslides… the road to Paris this time of year is unpredictable and the closer you get to ravin du diable, the worse it will get." Richard wrapped his arm around Sofie's shoulders. "The rains have been heavy since you arrived."
Aramis inhaled deeply and looked toward Athos who raised his eyebrows. "Ready?"
Athos nodded, looked toward Richard and then Sofie. He gave a small but genuine smile and said, "I'm in your debt."
"No," Richard said, and pulled Sofie toward him. He kissed the top of her head. "Stay safe, get healthy," he said, "that will be thanks enough." He watched both men turn and walk toward their horses.
Porthos helped Athos into his saddle, handed him the reins, and then mounted his own horse. Aramis tipped his forehead with a two finger salute, and nodded toward them before he followed the others from the area.
Richard sighed, looked toward Sofie and rubbed her back. "Blessings, my love," he said, "we are not to question."
She patted his chest with the flat of her hand and nodded.
We're not done... not yet... I'll try and post again this weekend - it's been a crazy week!
