Well here it is, the final chapter and it is a long one for I did not want to split it into two. It has been proofread and edited but I'll say sorry now for any errors that have slipped through. I belatedly found some in the previous chapter!

It has been a mammoth journey of 33.5 months since the first post. It was, of course, never meant to take so long - for which I profusely apologise - but so much happened along the way personally that it became a complicated roller coaster ride of associations. For those who have stayed with me, read, reviewed and followed the story to the end, I cannot thank you enough, but the biggest thanks must go to Mountain Cat, who was my sounding board at the plotting stage of this tale and who gave me other precious, long-distance support at what was the lowest, darkest point of my life to date.

As I've already said, the 'R' stable of stories is set to continue. Who would have thought that so many suitable nouns for story titles could come from just one letter? Next up is 'Reliquary' and after that will be 'Reflections' so I will be back soon. I have started both of them!

So this story is complete and I'm not sure how I feel right now. Relief tinged with sadness perhaps? With the last word of the final chapter, there is a closing of another more personal chapter.

This one's for you, Mum. x

CHAPTER 56

I

With the corroborated accounts of Brondate, Athos and Gallegos and the written confession of the murdered Espinar, the former Ambassador de Calatrava was pronounced guilty of crimes against Spain and France and would face the consequences back in his mother country. It had become a mere formality in the end and there was little or nothing that the man could offer in his own defence so that he became strangely mute and accepting.

In deference to his former position, he was not imprisoned in the Chatelet but permitted, with the King's grace, to remain in the apartments provided for him on his arrival but he was heavily guarded by a formidable group of Musketeers both outside and within de Calatrava's rooms and who were, in turn, supported by an outer wing of the Cardinal's Red Guard.

Nothing was being left to chance in the incarceration of the treacherous Spaniard. Porthos had done a thorough search of the place, removing anything that the Spaniard might use to inflict harm upon himself – or worse. Windows were locked and the keys held elsewhere; anything breakable – be it mirrors or porcelain – were removed as were his straight razor and scissors and all jewellery, be it chains or with elaborate pins. He was left with minimal clothing and nothing that required a belt, lengthy ribbons or ties. Even the buckles were removed from his shoes. The remainder of his belongings were packed in readiness for the return journey to Spain; whether they would be returned to his family on his arrival would be Philip's decision.

He was kept under constant surveillance and denied any communication with anyone, other than the Cardinal Infante who went to his rooms and heard his confession that first evening after judgement. As he departed, Ferdinand asked if there was anything else de Calatrava needed but there was nothing of necessity. He was still provided with fine fare similar to that being delivered to the royal table, although his arrived already cut up and he only had one spoon.

The Queen's brother then planned to visit once daily to inquire as to his needs. If there was anything else de Calatrava wished to say, Aramis would be on hand to act as his interpreter.

It seemed that all eventualities had been carefully thought out. The day following the events in the reception room was deemed a day of relaxation. A Mass was said for the dead Mendez and all who had perished as a result of the plots, but it was for a small gathering in the palace's private chapel rather than a grandiose ceremony at Notre Dame. Ferdinand reminded them all that God heard their prayers for the repose of the lost wherever they were uttered.

So it was the morning after that when the formal signing of the Treaty was held at last. Louis signed with his customary flourish, witnessed by Cardinal Richelieu and countersigned by Ferdinand as representative of the King of Spain. Also present were Louis' Queen, Captains Tréville and Brondate, Athos, Aramis and Porthos. Several other Musketeers stood on guard in the great room.

With the final signature, there was a spontaneous burst of relieved applause, until a jubilant Louis stood and raised a hand to command silence.

"This Treaty has been a long time in preparation and has cost the lives of many but with the peace that now exists between our two countries, we must give thanks that the sacrifice they made has ensured that countless other lives have been saved. We will put behind us the evil machinations of those who attempted to sabotage the agreement and believe me when I say that they will pay for their actions."

He did not need to specify the probable execution of de Calatrava when he arrived back in Spain. The same punishment had already been set for Gallegos in Paris to coincide with the departure of the Spanish group.

"For now, we will celebrate," Louis announced. "We will depart for Versailles the day after tomorrow to hunt for three days but firstly, there will be a banquet this evening to mark the signing of the Treaty and to thank our dear brother for assisting us in the matter." He smiled warmly at Ferdinand who bowed slightly at the public acknowledgement.

"But before we go our separate ways to entertain ourselves before this evening, there is one more matter that I wish to address. Captain Tréville."

The sudden mention of his name broke the Captain's reverie. His mind was already racing as he thought about security details to be set in place within a day and a half. He – and probably Richelieu too – had hoped that with the events of the past few days, Louis might have abandoned his desire to head to Versailles.

"Sire," he said, stepping forward.

"I am reminded that you have been without a second-in-command for too long now."

"I was prepared to make my recommendation as soon as the Treaty was signed, Sire," the Captain said warily.

"You have no need to worry yourself any longer. As the overall Captain of my Musketeers, I have decided the matter for you."

Tréville's heart sank. Why had he delayed so long in making his own recommendation? Who would the King insist upon taking the position?

"Step forward, Musketeer Athos," Louis ordered.

Startled, Athos glanced swiftly at his brothers and then did as commanded, his cheeks burning as all eyes rested upon him.

"You have served us well for a long time now and you have often been brought to our attention for your bravery in your service to us and France, you and your comrades of course," and he gestured to Porthos and Aramis, who both grinned broadly on being mentioned.

"However," Louis continued, " it is because of your quick thinking that the Treaty was hidden to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. More than that, it was your quick actions that saved the life of our dear brother. In recognition of your heroic acts, we are promoting you to the rank of lieutenant within the Musketeer regiment. What say you to that?" and he beamed at the soldier.

The applause erupted again, the loudest coming from Aramis and Porthos whilst that of Cardinal Richelieu did appear somewhat half-hearted.

"I am honoured, Your Majesty," Athos answered hesitantly, "and will do all in my power to be worthy of the position."

"I would expect no less," Louis declared. "Are you happy, Tréville? I've solved your problem for you."

Tréville stepped forward to stand beside his new lieutenant. "I am delighted, Sire. There is no man better suited to the position," and he smiled reassuringly at his new second-in-command for he knew that, given the chance, Athos would begin to object about his suitability for the role. Although disappointed that he had missed his opportunity in making the appointment himself, he was nonetheless pleased with the King's selection. Athos might accept the appointment more readily, coming as it did from no less than the monarch .

For now, though, Tréville revelled in the knowledge that the man he wanted as his second was in place. Louis could be fickle in his decisions but Tréville could be thankful that the correct choice – the one he had long wanted - had been made. He had no way of knowing that, within a few short months, Louis would condemn the new lieutenant to death on the most circumstantial of evidence in a mockery of a trial, deliberately ignoring all the good 'heroic acts' the young man had performed for his King and country.*

II
Richelieu sat in the cavernous office designed to intimidate those who entered. Elbows on the desk's surface, fingers steepled, his eyes narrowed as he considered recent events.

He had failed to stop the treaty and he was firmly of the opinion that it had cost France dearly, but Louis would have none of it. With his Spanish Queen, he wanted to maintain good relationships with the country ruled by her brother, and he dismissed Richelieu's advice as nervous pessimism.

What good was he, Richelieu, as First Minister if he did not have sole sway over the King? He needed to give wise counsel that was accepted without question. Louis was not without brains – despite his incidences of irrational outbursts and strange declarations – but he really must learn to leave the planning and serious decision-making to Richelieu, for didn't the man of God always have the best interests of France at heart?

Then there was that dratted Tréville and his infernal Musketeers, not least the trio known as the Inseparables. Athos, Porthos and Aramis, along with their self-righteous Captain, were the constant thorns in his side, thwarting his plans. Now, to compound matters, the wretched Athos was blessed with the authority of rank.

It was imperative to destroy the regiment, disgrace it and its commander so that the King had no other alternative than to disband it. Why did Louis feel it necessary to have a personal force when the Cardinal had his own Red Guard who could shoulder more responsibility? And what need was there for Captain Tréville to give military advice? Hadn't he, Richelieu, overseen the country's armies and officers at La Rochelle? If he had proven that he was up to the task in a time of war, he could certainly fulfil it in a time of peace.

No. he had to get rid of Tréville, his men and their influence with the King. He would need to think of something …

He picked up his quill, dipped it in the ink bottle and reached for a clean sheet of paper. As he began penning a letter, he smiled to himself. It was a smile devoid of warmth and it did not reach his eyes. There was a risk in what he was doing but then there were risks in many of the things he did.

However, to underestimate the Musketeer Captain would be to undermine his own position, for he knew that Tréville had long-held suspicions about some of the things he had done and the most recent was the attack on the three Musketeers as they were bringing the treaty to court. Tréville had sworn never to cease his investigation into finding those responsible and Richelieu believed him.

The Musketeers had to be ruined before the Captain found his answers and there was one whose hatred of a certain Musketeer ran deep. Richelieu ought to be able to use that to his advantage. So let the Captain continue his search for his Mystery Woman. She was more than capable of evading his reach; she just had to be a little more careful in future.

It was time to bring back Milady to Paris from her sojourn at the Cardinal's country residence.

III

"Will you be wanting me to lead the escort for Ferdinand and de Calatrava back to Spain?" Athos asked later as he sat in the Captain's office.

Tréville handed him a freshly poured brandy before taking his seat behind the desk.

"First things first," he said. "A toast. Congratulations on your promotion," and he raised the glass before sipping at the dark amber contents.

"I can't help thinking that …."

"Stop right there," Tréville interrupted. "Cease your thinking and let's get one thing straight. You are the right man for the role and that goes without argument. There is no other man within the regiment that I would rather have as my lieutenant."

Athos dipped his head, embarrassed by the praise. "Thank you," he said eventually.

"And you need to get to grips with the role, so I need you here. First thing we have to do is plan the security for a hunting trip to Versailles at short notice."

"You have done that so often, you could probably do it in your sleep," Athos claimed, a slight smile easing the strained expression he had been wearing since returning from the palace.

He had borne, with some patience, the backslapping of many of the Musketeers when they heard of his promotion and the congratulatory bear hugs from his two brothers. The news had travelled fast so that Tréville had not even had the chance to make an official announcement at the garrison. Athos was a popular choice with many of the men and for the few who would not be so happy - one Delacroix, for instance – well, they would have to learn to live with it or get out; it was as simple as that.**

"I know that given Ferdinand's position and the seriousness of de Calatrava's behaviour that it should be you or me heading the escort, but Brondate is there, and Claude is more than capable of leading a contingent of Musketeers to do the job." Tréville refilled the glasses, his lips twitching to control his mirth. "Besides, I did not think you would welcome a sea journey."

Atos groaned. "It would not make a good impression with the regiment's new lieutenant hanging over the side of the ship most of the time."

There were few within the garrison who knew of his fear and loathing of open water and the fact that he was an appalling sailor.*** He was highly skilled in so many ways, especially with a sword in his hand, that it was difficult to accept that he had this particular weakness.

"Ferdinand is adamant about doing some of the journey by sea then?" he asked, absentmindedly turning the glass in his hands.

"He feels it would be faster than entirely by land," Tréville went on. "The sailing south should be good unless they encounter a summer storm. Anyway, Richelieu is arranging passage for them."

They sat in companionable silence, not for the first time but definitely the first in their new working relationship.

"We still have to find the mystery woman who is the link between Loret and Richelieu," Tréville said quietly.

"Perhaps we will never find her," Athos responded. "Perhaps she has outlived her usefulness to the Cardinal and moved on; that is if she is still alive at all. Her plan was a failure in the Cardinal's eyes. Aramis, Porthos and I were not killed, and the Treaty was not discovered."

"Perhaps," Tréville agreed, but he did not sound convinced. "It could be that she is lying low somewhere and just biding her time."

IV

Men and horses seemed to fill the garrison yard as final preparations were made for departing to Versailles.

Athos was attaching a bag to the back of the saddle that contained a change of clothing and other personal items when Claude approached and patted the neck of the big stallion.

"All set for your trip to Spain?" Athos asked, pulling his pistols from where they were attached to his weapons belt and stowing them in the two saddle holsters.

"As ready as we can be. We'll be settin' off the day after you lot get back from Versailles," Claude answered. "I 'aven't 'ad the chance to congratulate you on your promotion. You deserve it. Don't ever doubt yourself, lad; you're the right man for the job an' no mistake."

Athos paused in what he was doing and regarded the older man.

"Thank you, Claude. That means a lot."

Claude shrugged. "Yes, well, I'm not always known for givin' credit where it's due, but this 'as been a long time comin' for you."

Athos, curious, raised an eyebrow.

"He's been thinkin' about it for quite a while now," Claude added. "Was a bit of a shock to 'im when the King upped and made 'is announcement like 'e did. Fair took the wind out of 'is sails an 'e was disappointed 'e didn't get in first."

They both knew the 'he' whom Claude referred to was Tréville.

Athos felt an icy spasm of disquiet. "If he has been thinking about it for so long, why did the Captain wait then? He must have had his doubts about me."

Claude's face clouded over with the first stirrings of anger.

"That man 'asn't doubted your ability for a good while now an' don't you ever go thinkin' otherwise. What 'e worried about was the doubts you 'ave in yourself, boy. If it 'adn't been for them, you'd 'ave made lieutenant after Savatier."****

Athos dipped his head, unable to look Claude in the eye for the other Musketeer, his senior in age and years of experience, had a disarming ability to read him and he did not want the man to see that those potentially crippling self-doubts still existed.

"I do not want to let him down," he said so softly that Claude leaned closer to hear him.

"An' you won't, as long as you and your brothers don't do anythin' really stupid. From the moment you first walked through that archway into this yard, 'e saw somethin' in you, despite you bein' the wreck that you were. 'E saw it an' he 'ad faith in you. 'E's spent a lot of time on you, not just to 'elp you but because 'e believes in you. The quickest way you can let 'im down is to throw it back in 'is face by not tryin'."

"I will try, I promise, but …" Athos voice trailed off.

Claude reached out and cupped the back of his neck in a callused hand. "Then that's all 'e asks, boy. You'll make mistakes, you're not perfect an' 'e doesn't expect you to be; all 'e asks is you do your best an' I know you do that more often than not anyway. You 'ave what it takes to be an officer, even I can see that and so can most of the men in this regiment. We'll 'ave no problem followin' you so the sooner you accept that, the better it is for all of us.

Athos huffed and gave a wry smile as if he were still trying to absorb what the other man was telling him.

"I don't know about any of the demons you brought with you, lad, an' I'm not askin' you to tell me, but you've come on a-ways, changed a lot an' you're a lot more settled. I'm not thinkin' those demons 'ave all gone away but I reckon you've got a better control of 'em so it's only right you've got this now. I've said it once, an' I'm sayin' it again, an' if I 'ave to keep on sayin' it to you, then I will; you 'ave to believe in yourself, boy."

Claude squeezed Athos' neck gently and released him. As he turned to go, he glanced up at the balcony that overlooked the yard and saw Tréville standing there. Their eyes met for a moment and then Claude nodded to the Captain and walked away.

V

"D'you think 'is rank will take 'im away from us?" Porthos asked worriedly as he studied Athos' back. The Captain and newly appointed lieutenant were riding together ahead of them in the column that escorted the King and his guests to the Versailles hunting lodge.

"It might keep him more busy but, having said that, Tréville has long given him additional duties. Athos has been doing much of what's expected of a lieutenant for a while; now he has the official rank and remuneration to match it. I reckon it's more proof that the Captain has been training him for the role."

The two friends were genuinely happy for their brother but they both shared a fear that it might impact upon the relationship they had forged over nearly five years.

"'E'll be good at it," Porthos observed.

"Of course he will," Aramis agreed. "Whatever happened to him before he came to us, we've known since the beginning that he has strong leadership qualities; he deserves to have that recognised now."

"Maybe it'll help 'im some more," Porthos wondered.

There was no denying that Athos still had his moments of weakness and retreated into the solace of the wine bottles, although the frequency of his self-imposed dark bouts was not as extensive as when he first arrived at the garrison.

"Maybe it will," Aramis said thoughtfully, "but the important thing is that we will be there for him. He has our support whatever it takes."

In front of them, the two officers rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

It was Athos who spoke first. "Thank you again."

Tréville looked across at him and gave a warm smile. "You are welcome."

They rode on a little way before Athos felt able to express what was uppermost in his mind. "I was concerned that the King might have manoeuvred you into an impossible situation."

The Captain's eyes narrowed. "Never! You must not think that. I said I was delighted with his instruction and I meant it, every word. It is to my shame that I did not make the recommendation earlier; I certainly had plenty of time to think about it."

"I know that I am something of a risk," Athos confessed.

"But one worth taking," Tréville insisted. "There is still much for you to learn but you have an aptitude for absorbing information. You have a good, strategic mind and strong instincts and those can never be successfully taught. You are a leader; you've shown that often enough without the authority of rank and the men are more than happy to follow you. We work well together but you are not an automatic 'yes' man; I can't abide those. You don't challenge my authority, yet you question and make me rethink some things. There is strength in that combination which can only bode well for the regiment. I doubt that you would ever be complacent in what you do but, rest assured, I will have even higher expectations of you now and I will drive you hard."

At last, Athos smiled, "I would not have expected anything less."

"So the first test of our new working relationship is for the King to have a successful and safe hunting trip. Do you think we can manage it?" Tréville asked.

Athos pondered the question. "Well, you and I have planned for the King's safety on many occasions now and this is no different. We have done all we can to ensure a successful hunting trip, although we cannot always arrange for the animals to be there to hunt, nor can we predict unhappy subjects, disenchanted nobles, would-be assassins or other forms of treachery, but we will rise to whatever challenge occurs, as we always do!"

Tréville studied him carefully and then laughed aloud. "You're right. We are not known as the King's élite for nothing."

He laughed again and the pair happily rode on, leading the column comprised of the royal couple, Richelieu, Ferdinand, courtiers invited to the hunt and a large number of servants.

More importantly, they also had with them the men they led, firm in the knowledge that they would see a job well done and they would, as a brotherhood, face anything unexpected that came their way.

They always did.

A/N

* As seen in Season 1 episode 1 of the BBC series.

** Delacroix is a prominent character in 'Renegade' but is mentioned elsewhere too.

*** Athos' dislike of the sea is explained in 'Retribution'.

**** Savatier is a prominent character in 'Retribution'.