Aramis swung his gaze to Athos, who was wearing a look that could only be described as confounded. Unlike D'Artagnan, he didn't seem angry. In fact, he looked as if he could not believe it had come to this.
"He- just threw my apology back in my face, and I just… I didn't know what else I could say," Athos said.
"You let the kid vent his anger, and take it, you idiot; otherwise how sincere could your apology 'ave been?" Porthos said.
Athos saw the truth of Porthos' assessment of the situation.
"Of course you're right; he mentioned how his father would never have said the things I did, and I sarcastically called his father a saint. He took great offense."
"Hmmm, I wonder why," Aramis said. "Alright, let us let cooler heads prevail, and tomorrow you two will talk, not duel, understood?"
Athos gave a weak nod. How the hell did this just happen?
Once he returned to the Bonacieux residence, both Jacques and Constance immediately noticed there was something profoundly sad about their boarder. D'Artagnan looked as if he just had his father die in his arms all over again.
Constance instantly asked: "What happened?"
D'Artagnan seemed taken back by the question. He suddenly fell apart, sobbing uncontrollably.
Constance shot her husband a glance. While Jacques didn't particularly harbor any good will towards D'Artagnan, even he realized this was a moment in which he should not intrude.
Constance resisted the urge to grab the young man in a fierce embrace.
After another few moments, D'Artagnan pulled himself together. "Apologies, Madame…"
As he caught his breath, Constance showed the necessary patience before asking him to explain what had occurred to get him to this state.
"B-before I left on my mission, Athos said some things to me while inebriated. Just now he apologized for his hurtful words. I told him how angry and hurt I was, and he said something about my father that…
"Things escalated and- I am to duel with him tomorrow at noon."
"WHAT?! You cannot be serious!"
"He insulted my father, Constance; it's a matter of honor!"
"Oh, this again- honor always trumps common sense! So you are willing to lose your life, or the life of your friend, to uphold some code of honor?!"
D'artagnan threw her a mirthless smile. "I have no illusions of besting Athos. I- expect it will be me that will fall."
Jacques held back a sardonic grin, not being able to help thinking, then this may be my last chance to ask him for his past due rent.
"Wait- you said that Athos apologized. Why did he mention your father?"
"I mentioned that my father would never have said the hurtful things he said that night. He called my father a saint sarcastically…"
Constance's head was spinning. She closed her eyes, shook her head and asked, "Wait. Did you or did you not say that Athos apologized? Did he or did he not?"
"He did, he did, but then-"
"So you responded poorly to his apology, and he responded poorly to your comment about your father. It sounds as if both of you were a bit ungracious towards one another. Surely there is a way to get past it that does not involve muskets?"
"Swords."
"Swords!? Against Athos!? Are you mad?!"
"Quite possibly," D'Artagnan replied, with not a small amount of terror suddenly in his eyes.
Ruminating on Constance's comment about the fact that Athos did apologize, he began to wonder if he was indeed ungracious in his response. After all, Athos laid bare his true feelings for him; he suddenly recalled Athos comparing him to his own son, if he had one.
His own son. And D'Artagnan threw his flesh and blood father in his face. He realized that Athos could have taken his words as if he were comparing him to Alexandre D'Artagnan and intimated that in the comparison, he had been found wanting.
He realized that Athos' words came from misguided love, not any real feeling that he didn't have it in him to be a good Musketeer. He began to realize that Athos did care for him, very much, as he did Athos. It was difficult to remain angry after that realization. Constance was right- he had been ungracious.
But how did this work? He didn't think there was any turning back now.
Despite their best intents, Porthos, Aramis and Athos tried to find D'Artagnan in the Garrison the next morning, before noon, and nowhere near the Wren, to underline the fact that Athos wished to talk, not duel. However they could not find D'Artagnan anywhere.
They went to Treville; while they realized that doing so (asking if their Captain had seen the boy) could get D'Artagnan in trouble- what if he did not report to the Garrison and Treville needed him?
"Yes, D'Artagnan approached me early this morning. He asked if there was anything pressing, or if I truly needed for him to train today. The manner in which he asked led me to believe that I best dismiss him for the day and let the boy deal with- whatever it is that was so obviously troubling him.
"I'm assuming that you three know what's going on with the boy?" Treville asked.
"We- had words yesterday and- I was looking for him to clear the air," was all Athos would say. Admitting to a duel that he would ensure would never occur was something that Treville need not ever know about.
Treville nodded. "See that you do. He seemed- bereft. He thanked me for my patronage and had an air of, well, finality about him. I don't know how to describe it better than that."
He doesn't expect to survive the day, Athos thought. He truly expects to salvage his honor by dueling with me, but is saddling up for the probability that his older brother, who loves him, will kill him.
Meeting him prior to the allotted duel time was not to be. D'Artagnan was a ghost prior to noon. The Inséparables had no choice but to meet him at the back of the Wren at the appointed time.
Athos made sure that he went to the Wren absent any weaponry at all- no sword, no musket, nothing. In this way, he wished to signal to his younger brother that there would be no duel today.
As they arrived just before noon, all three Musketeers stood around, nervously pacing to and fro, in anticipation of their youngest's arrival.
Suddenly, D'Artagnan arrived. The first thing his brothers noticed was a complete lack of rage, or anger of any kind; in its place was a tentative fear. It could also be described as contrite nervousness.
Athos suddenly astonished everyone, including D'Artagnan, by walking right in front of the boy by kneeling in front of him, bowing his head, and saying "D'Artagnan. I apologize for my unforgivable comment regarding your father yesterday. It was a cheap retort not worthy of you or the memory of your departed father. I would do anything to take it back."
Athos paused, and then managed to muster the courage to look up.
What he saw was a momentary blur of movement. Then, suddenly, D'Artagnan had engulfed him in a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry, Athos! You apologized and I ignored it! Can you ever forgive me?" He was sobbing now, as if all the events since the mission's end came bubbling to the surface. And thanks to Constance's wisdom, the boy was reminded of Athos' confession, making him realize that he had a need to protect him.
Athos replied, "Forgiveness here is mine to ask of you. I should have taken your understandable rancor with more grace and humility. Please, D'Artagnan, never feel that it is I who owe you forgiveness."
D'Artagnan smiled through his tears. He missed the smiles of relief that were shared between Porthos and Aramis.
After a brief pause, D'Artagnan tentatively asked Athos, "So- we do not need to duel?"
Porthos jumped in. "Oh, yeah, you definitely dol! Ya think I'm gonna miss the duel of the century just because you two made up? What the 'ell do you think I bothered to show up here for in the first place?! An' who's takin' bets?"
"Shut up," Athos said.
They all walked back to the Garrison together.
"Treville said he dismissed Julien," D'Artagnan said.
"The Captain let 'im off easy, you ask me," Porthos said.
"I'll miss him. He was funny and…I don't know. I liked him. I'll miss him," D'Artagnan repeated, while wearing a fond smile.
"Miss a young man who let you down? Who abandoned his duty? Who left you exposed?" Athos shot back.
"It- it was fine," D'Artagnan replied, but stopping short of supplying more details, remembering his vow to Treville.
"You are too quick to forgive, D'Artagnan. While I am grateful for your forgiveness of me, willingly forsaking your brothers on a mission is an unforgivable offense. I am with Porthos regarding the justice in Julien's punishment," Athos replied.
D'Artagnan didn't know what to say. "He was a friend. I enjoyed- I'll still miss him, is all. He mentioned where he lived once- I believe I shall look him up."
Aramis looked over at his young brother and smiled. D'Artagnan had a big heart and unlike Athos, he considered Julien's gaffe a forgivable mistake rather than a breaking of a code from which he could never be exonerated.
Athos, however found himself choking down an angry response, fighting his urge to get the boy to see his point of view on the matter. Did he not know how angry his brothers were when they heard of Julien's forgetting to accompany him? Did he not know how unworthy Julien was of his forgiveness, given his transgression?
But two things prevented Athos from speaking: one was a sincere desire not to erode the truce they had both just made regarding his apology. The second was his reluctant acknowledgement of D'Artagnan's capacity for love and acceptance. Suddenly, he found himself smiling as well at the boy's good-natured innocence.
Suddenly D'Artagnan remarked, "Athos! I cannot believe I came this close to killing you, what with my superior swordsmanship skills!"
Looking over at his three brothers, all now wearing smirks, D'Artagnan feigned ignorance and asked, "What's so funny?", disregarding the fact that he was also smiling.
"Oh, so the polite, conciliatory part of your day is already over?" Athos asked.
"I'm just saying, it would have been a shame for me to have ended your illustrious career as a Musketeer before you got too old and decided to quit."
"So, you bought him a few weeks, then," Aramis said.
"Athos' gain is our loss," Porthos said.
"Having fun, are you?" Athos asked.
And it was afterwards that D'Artagnan understood that brothers can also hurt one another with words, as family is wont to do occasionally. But what makes them family is the capacity to forgive, and to realize that there is no bond stronger than the ones between him and his newly adopted brothers. For even though he has not known these men for very long, this episode between Athos and he proved that the bond was unbreakable.