These next two chapters are the last of the ten-chapter update. It was fast because these were already written on Wattpad. However, after this, I'll upload a chapter once every other Wednesday. So, next update will be on April 17. Thank you to those who have taken their time reading this. Tell me what you guys think and if there's anything you want to see other than me posting ones based on episodes. (like chapter 4, which was an interlude between episode 1 and 2. Honestly, it be pretty boring if I just write based on episodes.).
Also, I'm skipping episode four because it is unnecessary to the story. Please don't hate me for it, but I promise it did occur. This episode was necessary because it acts as a catalyst for Cosette's guilt of hiding her secret from her friends. Anyways, enjoy the last of this ten episode update.
Chapter 9: The Homecoming
It was a very strange birthday celebration for Porthos. First of all, from what Cosette learned, this day was not actually Porthos' birthday. It was just a day he picked out since he didnt know his real one. Poor man. His mother died when he was very young and had no idea who is father is. Second, a drunk and unbelievably convinced Aramis to be a target with an melon on his head and Porthos was going to shoot it off him. She really did not understand her best friends' antics, especially something like this. It was both very terrifying and interesting. Sometimes, Cosette thought they loved putting themselves in danger.
Now, Athos was just smiling confidentially. So, it was obvious that Porthos has done this before multiple times. The man realized Cosette was panicking, especially wringling her fingers together once in a while.
"Don't worry. He's made this shot a hundred times," Athos assured her but Cosette gave him an incredulous look.
"He's drunk" Cosette pointed out.
Athos smiled proudly, his eyes not leaving Aramis. He did glance at Cosette at least a couple of times. "He's never made it sober."
And as Athos predicted, Porthos did didn't miss the shot. Cosette sighed in relief. However, it was far from over. When Porthos thought htey should try with a blindfold next, Cosette couldn't handle it anymore and she could tell that Aramis and Athos couldn't either. Aramis had that nervous look in his eyes, as if they tried it once before.
"No, no, we're done playing life or death games!" Cosette said.
"It is getting late, anyways," Athos said.
"Well, I'm going down to the Wren," said Porthos. He staggered away from his friends. Cosette looked at him worriedly.
"Um, aren't you guys going to walk with him?" Cosette asked, her eyes never leaving the drunken Porthos.
"I think he'll be fine, d'Artagnan," Aramis said. Cosette glared at him.
"Do I have to remind you the last time you were drunk when you thought those men..." Cosette began. Aramis cut her off by covering her mouth.
"We promised we wouldn't speak of it again," Aramis said. Cosette smirked, remembering incident. Aramis thought those men were women and he began flirting with them. And Athos wanted to know what the two were talking about.
"I hope you two aren't getting into trouble," Athos said.
"No way, Athos," Aramis said. He put an arm around Cosette's shoulders. "we've been clean for a long time. "
Cosette shrugged his arm off her shoulders.
"Look, the point is, Porthos and Aramis both act different when they're drunk," Cosette said.
"Yes, but now, I suggest you both go home and get some sleep," Athos said.
"Now, I don't think..." Cosette began.
"Don't start, Charles d'Artagnan," Athos said. See, Athos and the other Musketeers didn't know Cosette was a girl, and she chose Charles, for it was the name of her mother's father. She had loved her maternal grandfather. Now, he really was with her in spirit because of her alias. .
"Okay, okay, I'm going home!" Cosette said, rolling her eyes. She wished her brothers in arms goodnight and headed home to the Bonacieux household.
She thought that maybe Athos could be right BUT she also felt that Porthos was going to get in trouble and something bad would happen. She just hoped she was wrong.
Unfortunately, Cosette was right. Something bad did happen last night. Porthos had been accused of murdering an innocent man. She wished that for once she was wrong. However, the past three months Cosette has known Porthos, she knew that he would never attack anyone, not even murdering a young boy. She remembered that morning when Aramis and Athos came to Bonacieux Manor and told her what happened. They went to the prison that Porthos was being held at.
"You didn't kill him!" Athos snapped. It shocked them all to see Athos so out of character. Cosette looked at Porthos.
"Hey, is there anything you need?" Cosette asked.
They heard a man screaming. That was when Porthos answered, "A decent lawyer."
"That's not funny," Cosette said.
"I wasn't trying to be, kid," said Porthos. Cosette could not help but look at him sympathetically.
"There's been a misunderstanding," said Athos. "We'll clear it up."
"And you never know. We might get lucky with the judge," Aramis said.
Cosette, as she stood in between Aramis and Athos, glared at the man in her right because they were NOT lucky with the Judge.
"Get lucky with the judge, huh?" Cosette asked. Aramis shrugged his shoulders.
"Hm. What do I know about the judicial system?" Aramis asked. Cosette rolled her eyes.
She'll admit it: Cosette absolutely hated the judge. He kept demeaning both Treville and Porthos. Porthos was honestly and cordially telling his story but the judge did nothing but insult the young man, including their captain. Honestly, how could these men not want to attack the judge right now.
"Let me tell you something life has taught me, Captain! You can dress your dog in a fine suit, but once a mongrel, always a mongrel. A man lies dead, murdered! An example must be made! Porthos du Vallon... I find you guilty and sentence you to death. Sentence to be carried out immediately."
"This is irregular, sir! I will lodge an appeal with the King." Treville yells.
"That is your right, Captain. Take this man to the gallows."
Cosette had enough. She was going to leap across the banister however, Aramis and Athos stopped her.
"Attacking those guys isn't a very smart idea, d'Artagnan," said Aramis. She frowned, knowing he was right. When they were sure that Cosette wasn't going to do anything rash, they let her go. The trio watched as the guards stripped Porthos of his arm guard that bore the Musketeers' fleur-de-lis and drag him away. Treville ran to what was left of the Inséparables.
"Delay them," he ordered. Cosette, Aramis and Athos left without hesitation. the trio had to delay them. They rushed outside the door to the cart that Porthos was being held captive on. Cosette began panting, not realizing she lost Aramis and Athos.
"you know, most girls my age are either getting married, having children, or even dreaming about men," Cosette muttered as she ran ". But no. I just have to sword fight, get lacerations, and I just had to accept Treville offer to be a Musketeer trainee. " She quickly abandoned the thoughts, her head filled with worries about Porthos. Then, a miracle. She saw the cart Porthos was on.
"Porthos!" Cosette shouted, the worry clearly in her expression on her face. She has to get to him. However, she was too late, for a group of masked men had gotten to him first. They failed. They failed to delay the guards. However, one of the men that Cosette shot landed on the ground, she noticed a tattoo that he had. She, Athos and Aramis went to follow them. What was going on here?
Athos caught up with Cosette and realized the man that Cosette shot was a criminal based on the Fleur de lis branded on his shoulder. After a thorough search of the city, Cosette and the Musketeers journey led them to the Court of Miracles.
Cosette wasn't easy around this place. She saw that the inhabitants were taking whatever weapons they had and beating them against the banisters they were near. Either they were trying to intimidate them or they were just doing it because they were bored. But it was obviously the first choice.
"Why are they doing that?" Cosette asked in annoyance
"It's a warning," Aramis answered. He looked to see Cosette reaching for her sword. "Do nothing, unless you're attacked."
"So, where are we?" Cosette asked.
"The Court of Miracles," Athos answered.
"This is too dangerous. We should turn back." says Aramis.
"What about Porthos?" Cosette asked.
"He'll be safe for now," said Aramis. "He has friends here."
She moves as Athos put his hand on Cosette's shoulder. Now Cosette was filled with questions: why would Porthos have friends in the Court of Miracles? And how did Athos and Aramis know all these things? Her thoughts were interrupted when Athos came back for her by grabbing her by the wrist and whispered, "Do I have to tie you to my wrist? Do stay close, d'Artagnan. The Court of Miracles tend to take advantage of young Men."
"Would you two care to tell me more about Porthos? I feel I know you both more than I know him," said Cosette.
"Porthos was an orphan, born and raised here." Said Aramis.
"Among thieves?" Cosette said. She looked at the criminals around them. He never said a word. Aramis looked back at her.
"Little touchy about it."
"So, why do they call it the Court of Miracles?"
"Because entering it opens the eyes of blind men. And gives more cripples the use of their legs than our Lord ever did."
Athos said all those things to a young man as he expressed good as one who was in perfect health. He handed the boy coins.
"Buy an instrument," said Athos. "You have the hands of a musician." The boy nodded. Back to Cosette, she was going to help prove that Porthos did nothing of the sort to kill that boy.
"So, what do we do now?" she asked.
"I'll go into the Court to find Porthos. D'Art, Aramis, Go to the Wren. See what you can find out.
"Athos," Cosette said. He looked back at her as she put a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you don't die in there." Athos raised an eyebrow.
"Good luck to you, too, d'Artagnan," Athos said, giving her one of his rate small grins. Cosette nodded. She went to follow Aramis to the Wren, where they would talk with the drunk woman that Porthos had mentioned earlier. of course, it wasn't hard finding her.
"Pardon, Madame," Aramis said. He took off his hat. "I am Aramis of the Kings Musketeers." He pointed at Cosette as he sat down. "This is my friend d'Artagnan."
"Musketeers huh?" The drunk woman said. "Here to talk about that young man who got shot?"
Aramis and Cosette were shocked to hear she knew. Apparently, news travels fast in Paris.
After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is it raining Musketeers outside?"
" I'm guessing you saw our friend here," said Aramis. He was sitting across from her while Cosette stood by a nearby beanpole with her arms crossed.
"Yes. Tall, better-looking than you." Aramis was a little shocked. The women around here found Aramis to be the handsome one.
"There's no accounting for taste," Aramis said. Cosette gave nothing but a smile. "Did you talk to him?
"He bought me a drink. He was a gentleman."
"And did you notice anything unusual, Madame?" Cosette asked.
"There was an argument involving a young man."
"Did you know this young man?" Aramis asked.
"Never seen him before," said the drunk woman. "He didn't look the type to drink here."
Aramis figured what the woman wanted. He offered her up a bag of money. The drunk woman smiled.
"Now I look properly, I can see you're the handsome one," the old woman said with a smile.
Aramis and Cosette went back to the scene of the crime where Porthos and the dead boy had been found. One question was on their minds: "Where's the blood?
"I saw a man take a musket ball in a street fight once. Pff! Contents of his skull painted a pretty picture all around. And yet there's not a drop of blood...or a shard of bone."
"He wasn't shot here." Cosette said. Aramis nodded. Cosette helped him back up.
"Perhaps we should pay a call on the victim himself. See what he has to say about it."
"I didn't know you could talk to people from the other side, 'Mis," Cosette joked
"Unfortunately, D'Artagnan, I cannot," Aramis joked back.
Cosette followed Aramis to the morgue but she could tell her was worrying about Porthos.
"Aramis, I can see you are worried," Cosette said. He looked to her in confusion. "About Porthos?"
"D'Artagnan, I am not worried," Aramis deadpanned, but he refused to admit that Cosette was right. "Porthos is surrounded by friends. For now, he can take care of himself in that Court of Miracles."
"Uh, yes, you are worried about him. He's your best friend. So are Athos and me."
"You are more than just friends, D'Art. They are our family. Brothers. Brothers to us all."
Cosette stopped. She was unsure how to respond to that. Instead she smiled.
"You think of me as family?"
Aramis nodded at her with a smile and put a hand on her shoulder as Cosette smiled. She suddenly felt a tinge of regret. The more that Cosette was with these men the more she regretted not telling what she was. Aramis, Athos and Porthos had become like a second family to her. Very good brothers. And she couldn't let anything back. Cosette stayed in silence, making their way to the morgue. There, the person working on that poor boy began explaining their procedure. Cosette looked at the locket they found. She knew who the boy was now.
"Jean de Mauvoisin, a son of the nobility," the man at the morgue said. Cosette zoned out of the conversation, taking the key that the man told her not to touch. This science they spoke of didn't make any sense to her.
"Well, killing is not an exact science, Monsieur, but a messy business," Cosette admitted.
"And, as soldiers," Aramis said, wrapping his arm around Cosette's shoulders, " it is our business."
"The killer was no more than a foot away when the shot was fired," Aramis said. He put his hat back on. "This was no accident, d'Art. It was murder."