Chapter 4: An Ordinary Woman
Things had been, how should you say, uneasy between Athos and Cosette lately. For the past couple of days, the two hardly made eye contact not because of hatred or anger but rather strain. Cosette began wondering if keeping the secret from Athos was a good idea. The latter knew she, Porthos and Aramis were hiding something. Something majorly important.
However, Athos had to put his personal feelings aside. The four Musketeers, called Les Inséparables by the unit of their comrades, were busy watching over the King. Apparently, Louis wanted to learn more of the commoner life and disguise himself as one of them. Despite Athos and his friends' protest, the King was insistent about his plan.
"We should show him what it's really like to be poor in Paris," suggested Porthos however, when Athos looked at Porthos with a look. The muscular man added quickly, "Or not."
"Or, we could show him who we really are, by the looks of it."
Cosette looked at Porthos, who wasn't saying anything. She couldn't help but think of that terrible secret. Athos looked at them confused.
"Am I missing something?" Athos asked. None of them answered. Porthos and Cosette looked away from her drink, her realizing this was the first time he spoke to her since the journey. Cosette hid her worried expression. She looked at Athos, scared. She shook all fear out of her body. This was it! This was her chance at telling Athos who she was. She didn't care about his reaction any more. She knew what the consequences would be, but Athos on time would forgive her and accept her answer.
It was settled. No more secrets.
"Athos, I need to tell you something," she admitted. Porthos stopped looking at his drink. He knew what Cosette was doing to tell Athos. He nodded to her in encouragement. She seemed. The mentioned Musketeer nodded wordlessly, waiting to accept her response. However, before Cosette could say anything, she and Athos heard King Louis accusing his rival of cheating. Cosette could tell that there was trouble based on the body language of Louis's Challenger
"Oh no," said Cosette. They rushed over to the King when all hell broke out as a brawl in the tavern. Athos grabbed Cosette because she was the closest Musketeer near him.
"Get him outside," he whispered in her ear. "We'll follow you."
He shoved her towards the door. The young woman reached the young King.
"Your Majesty," Cosette nodded. She should be used to royals by now, but she wasn't to King Louis. Sure, she was friends with the Queen but the King was a different case. The tavern owner quickly told them to leave so the King wouldn't be lynched. She couldn't help but comply.
"Thank you. We won't forget." Cosette began but the door closed before she could finish "...this."
She rolled her eyes. How could anyone who is helping them act like that? It seems kind of suspicious to Cosette that the tavern owner would lead them out here. Especially because he locked the door. She saw Louis, who was dazed and drunk.
"That was wonderful. The life of a commoner is so exciting, so exhilarating, so..." Cosette could not help but smile at the king's drunken state. He sure was different. However, she didn't expect to see at least three men jump the King and the young woman. No matter how hard Cosette resisted, she could not break out of hers and the king's captors. No matter how hard she tried to get to the King z the men were stronger. She felt a sharp pain through her head and knew nothing more.
A minute or two later, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis left the tavern the same doorway that the tavern owner showed Cosette and Louis. However, there was one small problem: there was no Louis or D'Artagnan. The trio grew very worried. Where was their sister? Where was the king? Porthos and Aramis exchanged nervous looks.
"D'Artagnan!" shouted Athos. No response. He called her name again. Still nothing. "Your Majesty!"
The King didn't answer either.
Yes, they were concerned about both individuals. If the King was discovered then he'd be held for ransom. But Cosette? If she were discovered by their kidnappers, then she was royally screwed. Taken advantage of because of her gender.
Or worse, they were both dead and then they were screwed. Aramis remembered the reactions Constance and Henry. They defended Cosette when Rochefort doubted the king's safety would be put into her hands. He was glad that Constance was there for Cosette and that his sister found a man who would defend her honor.
The trio were immediately relieved that there were no bodies matching the king's description. However, Aramis and Porthos were worried about a woman. Athos didn't know Cosette was a woman.
Athos left. Aramis and Porthos stayed behind and asked the mortician Poupart, "There is also someone else we're looking for. A girl of sixteen. Short dark hair and brown eyes."
And to Aramis' relieve, Poupart answered, "No, there is no young woman matching that description."
Aramis and Porthos left the morgue, slowly trailing behind Athos as they spoke quietly so he wouldn't hear them.
"At least we know she's still alive," Porthos said, trying to reassure Aramis.
"If Cosette had been there..."
"But she wasn't. And neither was the King."
"Yes, but what if the King or Cosette are dead, out of the city. Dead and we wouldn't even know it. I don't know what I'd do if we lost our King," said Aramis. "Or our little sister."
"Aramis, if you're blaming yourself for their abduction..."
"But it is our fault. We promised Captain Treville would look after her. Protect her. Just as we did the king. And now we failed to protect Cosette, our little sister."
"Listen, Aramis, we will find her," Porthos assured him.
Cosette woke up, she found her hands were bound in chains and connected with the King's. As they walked, he continuously blames her for their kidnapping. She decided to ignore him. She respected him, but sometimes, the king could be a spoiled brat. actually, she would rather be chained to him rather than Milady. However, she didn't say anything. She was confident that those three idiots she called her brothers would find her and the King. No matter what the cost.
Hours into their travel, Cosette had been forced to carry one of the men, Pepin was his name. He had a wife and daughter. eventually King Louie realize that she was struggling and didn't want to die, so he gave her a hand by having Pepin's other arm around the king's shoulder. She was actually relieved when they finally made it to a camp. Louis and Cosette were together. Actually, Cosette was relieved that the king didn't say anymore, especially because he got the idea of revealing himself to their captors but luckily, she talked him out of it.
Back into the real world, they forced the prisoners to give up all their worldly possessions. The King begrudgingly took his ring off while Cosette had nothing to give but she did have her mother's necklace hidden in a secret compartment in her boot. (she hardly left without it). One of the captors were making their way toward the King, demanding to see his hands as he pointed a pistol. It was because of the ring that made him suspicious.
She wouldn't let them hurt Louis. The Captor pointed his gun at her and the King.
"Oh, you are a problem that's easily solved," said the gunman. She braced for the fire when…
"Wait!" shouted a familiar voice Cosette d'Artagnan hoped to never hear again. And to her surprise, her greatest nightmare came true: The voice belongs to none other than her, Milady de Winter. The last she saw her she ran away after Athos spared her life. Now, things had just gotten worse.
"Killing them would be a mistake," says the treacherous woman. Charlotte sighed in relief. She can tell that Milady and the man were arguing.
Honestly, Cosette did not think this could not get any worse.
She was wrong.
Pepin revealed that they were heading to the Spanish Galley.
"Galley slaves!" shouted the king.
"Keep your voice down!" Cosette shouted, looking at the men who weree staring at them suspiciously. Seriously, was the king trying to get themselves killed?
"We are not beggars or criminals," said Louis, gesturing to himself and Cosette.
"None of us are," said King Louis. "my wife and daughter will think I abandoned them. Fled into the night like some coward. "
"This is outrageous and against the laws of France," said Louis.
"The authorities don't care. We could petition the king, but nothing would change," said Pepin.
"If the king knew about this, he would stop it immediately," said Louis.
"He is very fair-minded, generous, clever..."
"He's a buffoon," said Pepin. Preening and prancing in his palace, totally ignorant of the people that he governs."
However, Cosette interrupted him.
"Louis is our King, and a good man," said Cosette, as she glanced at Pepin. "He deserves our respect."
Cosette missed the nearly grateful look on Louis face. He was actually not shocked to see that Cosette spoke of him like that. She did, after all, win him over when she showed loyalty and virtue during her duel against Lebarge nearly a year ago.
Defending her Captain. Actually, Louis just learned that Treville was D'Artagnan's godfather from Anne when they were taking care of their son, Prince Louis. He could see now why Treville was so fond of her. And that father son relationship d'Artagnan and Treville had made him thinking of his son.
Late in the afternoon, the king and Cosette were free to speak alone. The young woman looked at the King. She doesn't know he's thinking about his son. But she decided to talk to him.
"Pepin has a right to his opinion, but his views aren't shared by everyone," Cosette said. Apparently, the King didn't realize he was thinking about it subconciously.
"What does it matter? France will be rid of me soon anyway."
"That's not true."
"My father was a great King, much-loved. I'm always found wanting, compared to him. I know that. I was only eight when he was assassinated. A child, fatherless. Robbed of so much. It's not the hardship of the galleys that I dread the most. It is a life apart from my son."
Then Louis did something Cosette neer expected him to do: Louis had asked abuot her father.
"Your father?"
"He was killed when he came to Paris," said Cosette. "Killed when I was fifteen years old. While mother died when I was ten years old."
"But when you were a boy, he taught you things? How to hunt and shoot. Live your life with honour?"
"Yes," said Cosette. She smiled. Her father taught all his daughters, despite the fact it was a man's job. All the girls were taught how to hunt in case of emergency.
"All that was taken from me. And now it will be taken from my son, too," said Louis.
Cosette thought to herself. No child, not even a Prince, should grow up without a parent.