King Henri had been fastidious when it came to military strategy. He had collected maps, military journals from his generals, writings from kings, and he had collected loose bindings from nobility who had fought and defended their lands. It far exceeded Cardinal Richelieu's assortment, which had become a permanent part of the collection upon his death. Henri had seen value in studying both the winning and losing sides of battles. He had learned from his father and he shared what he could with his son — despite the brief time he had with him. King Louis too had taken pride in continuing his father's tradition of learning and increasing his knowledge base of military tactics and strategies. He wanted to be informed of his generals' decisions and he took a key role in military planning. Though not as advantageous as his father, he was a strategist, and he took pride in his knowledge and his utilization of tactics to protect France from her aggressors.

Athos stood in the king's war room and found himself surrounded with shelves filled with books, loose papers, rolled maps and scrolls, as well as scribbled notes and military weapons that had long since been retired. He searched for information about General Raboin and his lieutenant, Grimaud. And, he searched for military tactics, treasonous activities, and potential Spanish strongholds.

Athos rubbed the back of his neck as he flipped through the pages of an antiquated bound book that was starting to fail at the spine. Loose papers threatened to spill but exposed detailed notes and drawings of lands near Verdun and Reims. He examined the battles and read the journals of the general who had served under King Henri and as far back as King Henri II. It was the insights from the generals and military leaders he craved.

Where had the enemy struck from?

What defensive tactics were used?

How many men were lost in any given campaign?

Who came out the victor and why?

He ignored the strong scent of dampness and aged fabrics, and focused on the information contained around him. He could hear doors opening and closing down the hall. The mumbles of voices, and the clangs of dishes as the hours wore on. There was more to read and little time to read it in. What he wanted above all else, was to know who General Raboin was as a man, a leader, and as a general outside of the rumors and accusations. But the information was not forthcoming.

Athos had unbuttoned his doublet and loosened his scarf. On occasion, as he shifted position, his belt would chime as the powder tin hit his hip.

Athos took a deep breath, glanced toward the window as the sun started to set, and watched the hues of the evening hours approach. He turned suddenly when the door to the room opened and the king's secretary, Monsieur Geoffroi, entered. He was a short man, with white hair that despite being trimmed stood wild around his head and spiked upward and outward. White eyebrows were far too long and spread upward onto his forehead. His long, broad nose, hung like a beak over his upper lip, and his long white beard tapped the collar of his shirt. He was thin, with bony hands, and a crooked right index finger. He had always been a pleasant man, but quiet. He said very little, but observed everything. He documented the king's meetings and kept a living history of his leadership.

"Captain Athos," Geoffroi said and smacked his lips together. He shuffled across the room as he battled a bad hip, and organized a few leaves of papers into a journal and then carefully tied it shut before replacing it on the shelf he had pulled it from. "Can I help you find anything?" He turned, scratched the right side of his head and raised his eyebrows which exaggerated the size of his hazel eyes.

"Military tactics on General Raboin?" Athos questioned. "Do you have any information?" He replaced the book on the shelf to his right.

Geoffroi scratched his head and then snorted to clear his nose. "Ah, yes, the king's cousin — an unfortunate fool if you ask me. He was well known in his day," he chuckled, "when he was trying to impress the queen regent." He shifted and walked toward a shelf near the window and removed a thick book. "Are you looking for military tactics and information about the man himself or are you trying to learn how to manage him?" Geoffroi quirked an eyebrow and curled his lips into a subtle smile. "A good captain needs to know how to manage those above him, as well as know how to be managed." With the book in hand he turned and looked at Athos. "General Raboin was a beloved nephew of King Henri's, but," he shrugged and stepped forward and placed the book on the table and started to flip through the pages, "King Henri was not a good judge of character."

Athos frowned and cleared his throat. "What is it you're implying?"

"Raboin had the potential," Geoffroi paused with a grimace, "to become an outstanding general. But, like so many before him, he allowed himself to become," he licked his bottom lip with the tip of his tongue as he contemplated his choice of words, "overwhelmed with the power the position afforded him." He shrugged. "His proficiency and popularity amongst foreign leaders was something to behold back in the day," he raised his hand toward his temple and waved it gently a few times, "it still is... when he needs it to be."

"Why?" Athos questioned and crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against a bookcase. "What inspired the change?"

Geoffroi looked at Athos and quirked an appreciative smile. He thought about the question, and the tone of voice in which it had been asked. "Grief," he said quietly, "can change a man… it can tear them apart… create a shadow of what he once was." He looked Athos in the eyes. "Or it can force them to renew themselves."

Geoffroi removed a different book from the shelf across from them. It was covered in dust and had been left idle for years. He puckered his lips and blew, causing the dust to swirl and billow before disappearing. He opened the pages and the papers wrinkled as they threatened to tear. He paused suddenly, and ran his hand along the names written across the page. Once he found what he was looking for, he paused and looked at Athos. "General Raboin lost his wife and two sons to a fire fifteen years ago."

Athos stepped toward him and looked at the date.

"That's when he changed." Geoffroi ran his finger across the name and pulled his hand away. "He has — on many occasions — found himself in this very room seeking knowledge about what the generals of old did, in order to broaden his military knowledge." Geoffroi scratched his jaw and looked at the books that spanned the length of the room and were nestled tightly within the bookshelves. "But after the deaths of his family… he came to read about the scandalous affairs of nobility — which, in the long run, earned him a bit of a reputation and further destroyed his relationships with those he threatened to expose." He continued to look through the pages. "Rumor has it he has since remarried, but I cannot confirm that."

"He was practicing extortion on nobility?" Athos said and stepped close to Geoffroi and the table.

Geoffroi chuckled and nodded. "It's the reason he was denied a title, lands, and a position within the king's cabinet. When King Louis found out, he revoked his offer to place him in a role of Duke… Raboin has never forgiven him." He tapped his right temple. "People rarely see me, but I know much, Captain Athos. The king's conversations, his doubts and frustrations, his nights of turmoil as he contemplates passing a sentence of death onto someone — it's even worse when it's someone he knows." He raised his eyebrows in acknowledgement. "Raboin is a general who has lost himself, and in his effort to rediscover who he is," he shrugged, "he has destroyed himself, his reputation, and his position within King Louis' circle. However," he took a deep breath and looked once more at the pages of the book. The elegant handwritten script that flowed across the parchment, and the edges that had yellowed over time. "It's because General Raboin is still respected by foreign leaders that our dear king," he snapped his fingers, "is still suffering the influence of Richelieu who admired Raboin, and Rochefort, who nearly destroyed him."

Athos ran his hand over over his nose and mouth and looked at Geoffroi. "King Louis has kept Raboin in his position because of influences and appearances?" He asked, and placed his hand on the page of the book to force Geoffroi to look at him.

Geoffroi cleared his throat and stepped back from the table and looked at Athos, who stood to his full height. Not a big man, but tall, lean, and imposing enough to cause Geoffroi to swallow and shift uncomfortably. "King Louis needs evidence, Captain. I'm sure you remember your near fateful day when wrongly accused. Perhaps you can be gracious in your assessment of the king's decision making."

Athos took a deep breath and stepped back. "You appear to be a man who knows much more than what you are saying," he said, tilted his head, and looked hard at him. "France is entering a war with a potential threat from within… you are the king's secretary."

Geoffroi squinted as he looked at Athos and then glanced around the room. Many of the books had been written in his hand, documented copies of meetings, and conversations with those in power. Books that would one day be destroyed and rewritten by those who knew nothing about the details of which they documented. "What I tell you, Captain, cannot leave this room — I have made a living because I keep my mouth shut and my ears open. The king knows he can trust me and I am allowed to observe and write what I do because of it."

Athos nodded, clinched his jaw, and said, "Tell me."

Geoffroi rubbed his bony hands together and motioned toward the unlit fireplace, and took a seat in a chair. Athos followed and sat across from him. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and waited.

"I have served under King Henri, the Queen Regent, and of course, King Louis… what isn't written in those books, Captain," he pointed toward the stacks, "is what history will look back on and question. They will only make assumptions about what happened, but I know." He tapped his temple with his crooked index finger and nodded. Geoffroi shifted forward and gripped the armrest of his chair. "While Margaret of Valois — King Henri's first wife — was in exile for her support of the Malcontents, Henri had an affair with young chambermaid —"

"I'm not interested in rumors and affairs, Monsieur Geoffroi —" Athos leaned back and sighed.

"You're impatience, Captain, is not becoming an officer of your caliber," Geoffroi said and raised his eyebrows.

Athos, regretting his annoyance, swallowed and nodded in acknowledgment.

Geoffroi shifted uncomfortably and continued, "That child was placed in the home of Henri's sister, Catherine and her husband, Henri II — the Duke of Lorraine." He looked at Athos, who raised his eyebrows in realization. "The subject of Raboin is much more complicated than you, Minister Treville, or even the other generals understand. If King Louis needs evidence, Captain, find it for him and see to it that you carry out the orders he has given you."

Athos rested his left elbow on the armrest and rubbed his forehead. "Does the king know?" He looked at Geoffroi and waited for an answer.

"What the king does or does not know is not for us to debate — Your orders and my orders are what matter." He took a deep breath and looked across the room at another shelf filled with books and rolled maps. "Raboin is unconventional. He's become aggressive, temperamental, and he makes rash decisions that are not for the best. His last military endeavor cost him the lives of over half his men and several thousand resigned their commissions because of it. At the time of the loss of his first family, the northeast was seeing less activity — which is why he is positioned where he is." He took a deep breath and chewed his bottom lip before he said, "You're a strong leader, respected by your men, and admired by your peers," Geoffroi said and he looked at Athos. "If you can win his men, you can hold the northeastern lines. Thorell is a good general and he is the most qualified to protect that border, but…" He shook his head and ran his hand along the armrest of his chair and focused his attention on a long chip of wood that was missing on the handhold. "But, his military force will be stretched thin along the eastern side… trust me, Captain, we will see action all along there in the months to come."

Athos nodded in agreement. He frowned, and then cocked an eyebrow. "I don't remember you being in the room while the King discussed the Musketeer's assignment."

Geoffroi smiled and then chuckled. "Remember, I see and hear everything." He stood and walked to a shelf and pulled down several maps. He blew on them to remove the dust that billowed and puffed around his face. He coughed once and then carried the maps to the same table he was been working at earlier. "These," he said, "are maps of the city of Verdun, the river and waterways, bridges, nobility of note, and military positioning that were used in the past." He handed the rolled maps to Athos, who took them.

"Take them with you, Captain. Those may come in handy for a man leading the charge." Geoffroi dusted his hands and then coughed again. "Do you have any other questions?"

Athos tucked the maps beneath his right arm and looked at the books in the room. "Raboin's lieutenant, Grimaud?"

"Lucien Grimaud is listed as General Raboin's lieutenant. His birth and upbringing are somewhat of a mystery, but given his history within the French military, it's not a wonder as to his current position. However," Geoffroi shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "Grimaud is best known — at least to those who live and work within that lifestyle — as an assassin, and, from what I understand…" the secretary shrugged with a look of concern, "he's a good one."

Athos frowned and then looked from left to right as he thought about Raboin and his need for grandeur. "Why would a general have need of an assassin?"

Geoffroi chuckled again. He sounded sinister, as though the information he was about to share was somehow a key element to France winning the war. But instead he simply shrugged again, and smacked his lips together. It was an annoying sound that resembled fish flopping in a shallow bucket. "Raboin is not the first general to commission an assassin, nor will he be the last, but he is the first to commission one as a high ranking officer. Grimaud's military history is part of the reason few questions have been raised about him. I can only assume as to why, but that is neither here nor there, after all, I'm just the king's secretary." He shrugged again and then dusted his hands on his doublet. "Watch yourself, Captain. Raboin has been angry with the king for many years and the Musketeers are the king's regiment. He will not make your life, or the lives of your men, easy."

Athos nodded, exhaled slowly, and adjusted the maps beneath his arm. "Thank you, Geoffroi," he said as he turned to leave. He looked over his shoulder as he reached for the door knob. "Do you have any documentation that I might," he hesitated, "borrow, that might give a brief history of Grimaud and Raboin's duties over the course of the past couple of years?"

Geoffroi tapped his foot on the floor and pulled his eyebrows together in a frown. He suddenly snapped his fingers and walked across the room and removed a narrowly bound book. He handed it to Athos. "Raboin does not act with imagination. Everything he does — all of his military strategies have been done before and by far greater generals. There is little of Grimaud in this booklet."

Athos took it and quickly shoved it next to the maps beneath his arm. "Again, my thanks."

"I trust, Captain, that you will keep our conversation between us?"

Athos nodded and said, "Sometimes it's best to keep what you know silent."

Geoffroi tapped his temple with a crooked finger, raised his eyebrows with a nod, and watched him leave.