Chapter Seven

Aramis was back in his room. Back staring at the ceiling. It was early evening a few hours after the shooting. He had not been confined to his quarters but being told, publicly, that he was not allowed on duty for two days was punishment enough. He had wanted to remonstrate with the Captain. He had wanted to plead his case. But there was nothing to plead. He had allowed one of his cadets to get out of hand. He should have been watching Charles more carefully. He should have been aware of what was going on.

He heard the firm tread of Porthos approaching in the corridor outside. He contemplated pretending to be asleep for a few seconds, but he knew his friend would know. He pushed himself up to sit as Porthos opened the door.

'Are you going to hide in here for two days?' asked his friend with a smile.

Aramis shook his head, 'I thought it would be best to keep out of the Captain's way for a few hours. How is the cadet that was shot?'

'He'll be fine. You were right, the injury was not bad. He'll be sore and won't be moving easily for a few days. He's gone back to his parents to recover; they live close by.'

Aramis sighed and shook his head, 'I should have been paying more attention to them.'

'You were doing what you were supposed to be doing,' said Porthos. 'You were giving your cadets one-to-one attention. That was the whole idea. The small group meant you could spend more time with them individually. But even in a group of seven, you cannot watch them all.'

'Has the Captain decided what to do about Charles and Jacques?'

'He didn't have to,' said Porthos. 'Charles has already gone. He slipped out of the window in his room. No one's seen him.'

Aramis was shocked, he stared at Porthos for a few seconds. He had expected the cadet to try to talk his way back into the Captains' favour. He was one of the better swordsmen amongst the new men. It did not make sense for Charles to simply slip away into the city.

'And Jacques?'

'The Captain has left him to simmer overnight. But I don't think he'll do any more than have a word with him. It wasn't his fault.'

'Good,' said Aramis. 'I just wish it had not happened at all.'

'Well, it did. And you are not to blame-'

'Not entirely to blame,' corrected Aramis. 'I should have split Charles and Jacques up. They were not engaging with the other cadets. Initially, I thought it would be Jacques that would be the bad influence on Charles but it's clear now that Charles was the one that kept Jacques from mixing with the others.'

'We can't know what they are going to be like until we start working with them. That's why they have to go through a cadetship.'

Aramis nodded, 'what was the Captain's mood when he found out Charles had gone?'

'Annoyed that he could not find out the reason why he acted the way he did. Charles must have known he was putting other lives in danger… And he obviously regrets giving you such a public dressing down.'

'I deserved it though,' said Aramis despondently.

'Even if you did, you didn't deserve to be spoken to like that. You're still recovering-'

'And that's the problem,' interjected Aramis. 'I've not accepted my limitations, and someone got hurt.'

Porthos shook his head with a sigh. Aramis got the impression his friend was annoyed.

'Are you going to join us for dinner?' Porthos asked.

The rapid change of subject implied Porthos had decided he would not convince Aramis that he was not at fault. Aramis realised his slow recovery was affecting his friends. The thought made Aramis feel worse.

'I don't think I would be good company tonight,' Aramis replied.

Porthos looked at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds before nodding.

'I'm going to ask Serge to send some food up for you. And I will be checking that you ate it.'

Aramis was about to protest at the apparent mothering from Porthos but thought better of it. He nodded his agreement of the terms.

'Get some rest,' said Porthos as he turned to go. 'We'll keep your cadets busy for the next couple of days.'

Aramis watched his friend go. He had every confidence that the cadets would be looked after. But he wondered if he would be allowed to continue with their training once his enforced leave was over.

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The following morning after an early breakfast Aramis secreted himself in a quiet corner of the yard. He wanted something repetitive to do. He knew he would not be able to simply return to his room. He had slept well, which had surprised him. Perhaps, he had concluded, knowing that he was not having to hide his fatigue any more made it easier to deal with.

Sword work drills were not something he needed to do. But it was something he did on occasion anyway. They all did. Just practising thrusts and defensive parries helped to keep them in shape. He worked his way back and forth a few times stretching his arms and legs to increase the reach. Twisting and turning as he reacted to his imaginary combatant.

After a few minutes, he paused to shed his weapons belts and doublet. As he hung the jacket up, he realised he was being watched.

Jacques was loitering at the corner. The cadet looked younger now that he did not have his constant companion with him. He looked unsure of himself. The cockiness was gone.

'I wondered if I could speak to you. Are you allowed to be working?'

Aramis beckoned the cadet towards him, 'I don't think I could be punished for practising my footwork,' he said. 'Has the Captain spoken to you yet?'

Jacques nodded and looked down, 'he came to see me early this morning. He told me there would be no repercussions. George is going to recover, and he understands what happened. He doesn't hold a grudge against me.'

'You didn't do anything wrong,' agreed Aramis.

'I should have realised Charles was turning me against you all,' continued Jacques.

Aramis furrowed his brow. He wondered what the cadet meant.

'On that first day, when you let Paul beat me in the sparring… I knew that once I'd calmed down a bit I would apologise for my attitude… but Charles started talking to me and pointing out all the things that were wrong with you all. He spotted that you weren't wearing your pauldron. He noticed that Leon and Claude were the weakest of the group. I let him get in my head. I didn't even know he was doing it…'

Aramis reflected over the previous weeks and thought about each time he had seen the pair together. Charles was always the one slightly leading them.

'Do you think he wanted something?' asked Aramis with concern.

Jacques shrugged, 'I don't know. When I showed some sympathy for what you had been through, he got annoyed. I kept my thoughts to myself after that.'

Jacques stepped a little closer; he glanced around to ensure they were alone before he continued.

'I had a cousin, my best mate… He got involved with some traders from somewhere. They started to give him this powder. I don't know what it was. But he used to take it. He said it made him feel good. He tried to get me to take it but I refused…'

Aramis could guess where the stilted recount of Jacques' past was going.

'Then the traders stopped coming by… he ran out of the powder. He got really depressed… He…'

Jacques took a shaky breath; Aramis could see he was holding back tears.

'He hanged himself. I found him.'

The cadet looked away for a few seconds before continuing.

'I really do understand what you went through. I haven't experienced it, but I've seen it.'

Aramis did not know what to say.

'If you think I should leave, I will,' said Jacques after a few seconds of silence. 'My father will be disappointed but perhaps I'm not cut out for this life-'

'No,' said Aramis. 'You are a promising cadet. I'm sure you will get your commission. I've already lost two of you, I don't want another either walking away or being asked to leave.'

Jacques managed a weak smile, he turned to go before pausing. He looked back. Aramis detected humour in the young man's eyes.

'You need to watch your left leg,' he said. 'If you stretch too far, you'll lose your balance.'

They exchanged a grin. Aramis nodded.

'I'll practice that,' he said.

Jacques nodded and walked away; Aramis could tell the young man was walking taller and straighter than he had done for a few days. Perhaps the manner of his friendship with Charles had been affecting him without him realising.

Aramis went back to his drills and watched his footwork as he did so.

MMMM

'Again, Leon, you've almost got it. Jacques, put more force into it, I can tell you're holding back. The enemy will not hold back. Leon needs to be able to do this.'

Jacques nodded and redoubled his efforts. He grappled with Leon, grabbing him over the shoulders, trying to use his height and bigger build to his advantage. But somehow, despite the odds, Leon got him on the ground with enough force to knock the air out of him.

A moment of silence followed before Jacques coughed as he gasped for breath between laughs.

'How did you manage that?' asked the stunned cadet.

Leon, who had landed partially on top of Jacques, pushed himself to his knees and glanced to his right. Aramis and the cadets followed his gaze. Porthos was leaning against the wall watching them, a smug expression on his face.

'That's not fair,' protested Paul. 'I asked you for extra help and you refused.'

Porthos shrugged, 'you didn't offer to watch the gate for me for a couple of hours, did you?'

Paul looked at Leon, who gave him a cheeky grin.

'And that, messieurs is a valuable lesson. When you know something about a person, it can help you. Porthos can be bought for the right price,' said Aramis with a sage nod.

They had been working hard over the previous days, catching up on what they had lost during Aramis' enforced leave. The cadets had welcomed Jacques into the group, and the six were working well together. Aramis was sleeping well. And it was not lost on him that his cadets were keeping an eye on him and occasionally suggesting they would like to take a break as a way of offering him the chance to stop for a while.

His stamina was back to its original level, and his strength was not far off. He had even managed to hold out in a sparring session against Porthos to demonstrate some of the more underhand techniques to all the cadets.

Aramis noticed Leon glance towards the steps, he looked apprehensive.

'Aramis,' called Treville before beckoning him to his office.

They had been aware of the Captain sitting at his small table reading through some correspondence.

'If you will excuse me,' said Aramis. 'Perhaps you could practice your bribery skills on Porthos for a few minutes. I'm sure he has plenty more dirty tricks than the ones he's shown to Leon.'

Porthos smirked and nodded as he wandered across to the keen cadets.

Aramis glanced at Leon, who still looked concerned. The youngest cadet was still worrying that he would be asked to leave. He may have been improving and have caught up with the other cadets, but he was still the least accomplished of them.

Aramis joined the Captain on the balcony.

'I've been watching young Leon,' began the Captain. 'You were right. He is improving, but I am still not convinced he is good enough.'

Aramis was about to protest but the Captain glanced at him. His expression alone enough to stop him.

'When the other cadets are back from their field training exercise, I will make my assessment of them all. It's likely the older lads will get their commissions first.'

Aramis nodded, 'my cadets will understand that,' he said.

'And that gives you more time to get Leon up to scratch,' continued Treville. 'He needs a little more polish.'

'Thank you, Captain.'

Treville nodded and went back to his quiet observations. Considering himself dismissed, Aramis was about to walk away.

'I'm pleased you are recovered,' the Captain said quietly.

'Thank you, Captain,' said Aramis again.

He returned to the cadets giving Leon an encouraging smile as he did so. The relief spread over Leon's face.

With the rest of the cadets away for a few days, Aramis' cadets were getting a lot more attention from the other Musketeers. Aramis had already caught d'Artagnan and Athos giving them extra help with their sword work, and Porthos was thoroughly enjoying demonstrating hand-to-hand combat using Paul as his victim.

A clatter of horse's hooves caused all the men to look over. D'Artagnan, his face flushed from the pace he had been pushing the horse looked up at the Captain who had risen from his chair.

'I've just heard there's a protest… A group of labourers are going towards the palace… I don't know… if they were exaggerating but it sounded like a hundred men.'

'Where did you get your information from?' asked Treville as he made his way down the stairs.

'A couple of stonemasons, they've given us good information before,' replied d'Artagnan as he got his breath back.

Treville turned to Porthos, 'gather all the men that are here. We'll leave immediately.'

Porthos ran towards the mess issuing instructions to another couple of men as he went. The tension mounted instantly within the garrison yard.

Aramis looked at the Captain who shook his head, 'not yet, Aramis.'

Aramis was about to protest but stopped himself as the Captain continued.

'But if this is a mass protest there may be casualties. I need people to ready the infirmary and garrison for our return. Your cadets are ready for this.'

Aramis nodded his understanding, appreciating the trust the Captain had placed in him. He may not have been ready to go back into combat, but he could be relied upon to deal with the consequences of that combat.

As Treville began giving out orders to the men that Porthos had been able to round up, Aramis turned to the cadets who were all watching wide-eyed.

'We'll keep out of the way whilst they prepare to leave,' said Aramis, ushering the cadets to the side of the garrison.

They watched as the commissioned men formed up, checking their weapons and looking towards the Captain for instruction. The garrison was a little depleted at that moment. Several commissioned men had gone with the other cadets on their field training exercise. Others were already out in the city or at the Palace. Aramis wondered if the ones at the Palace were already dealing with the protest.

As the Captain ordered the men to head towards the Palace he glanced at Aramis.

'This might be nothing. They will probably disperse peacefully, but we need to be ready.'

Aramis nodded, 'we will be.'

Treville followed his Musketeers from the garrison.

Aramis turned to the cadets. He made a lightning assessment of the young men and which roles they were best suited to at that moment.

'Jean, Simon, you two need to get the infirmary ready. Prepare all the beds and clear the table in case we have to do some field surgery. Get the fire going in there and clean water on the boil. Make sure everything that might be needed is at hand.'

The cadets nodded and hurried off.

'Pierre, watch the gate. Let me know the instant you see any of our men returning. Don't let any merchants or visitors in. Be firm with them.'

Pierre, who Aramis knew was good with people, walked purposefully towards the gate.

'Leon, can you act as a runner for us? We may need to get messages around the garrison when the men return. Stick close to me for now, and the Captain when he returns.'

'But I'm not the fastest, Jean is?'

'But you are the quickest on your feet, you will be able to get through a crowd of people.'

Leon nodded his understanding. His small stature meant he could slip through a crowd like mercury slipping between cracks.

Paul and Jacques stepped forward, waiting for their orders. Aramis was impressed with the cadets; they were all ready to do whatever was needed of them.

'Go to the mess and tell Serge what's happening. We may need to use the mess as an overflow infirmary. Get the tables moved; he will know what needs to go where. He will probably get you fetching and carrying. If this becomes a standoff, the men will be tired and hungry when they return. Serge will want to be ready for them.'

The two cadets smiled, understanding that Aramis was thinking through all the possible scenarios. It was better to be over-prepared than to have missed something.

As the cadets walked towards the mess, Aramis turned to Leon.

'You know which room is mine?' he said, pointing towards the sleeping quarters.

Leon nodded with a frown.

'In the chest at the bottom of the bed on the left-hand side, you'll find my medical bag. Bring it for me. I know the infirmary is well stocked, but I like to have my own tools.'

Leon smiled, 'we'll be ready for anything,' he said.

'I hope so. We don't know what is going on at the Palace and what state the men will be in when they-'

The sound of gunshots stopped Aramis mid-sentence. He and Leon turned towards the sound. Paul and Jacques were halfway to the mess but also stopped and looked across to the garrison gate.

Pierre was pushing the gate shut and wrestling the wooden bar into place to hold it closed.

The cadet stumbled back from the gate; his hand pressed firmly onto his side. Aramis could see blood staining the cadets light coloured doublet.

Pierre looked at him, 'armed men,' he said. 'Lots of them.'

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