Chapter 10

Porthos rubbed his face, looked at the clouds that rolled in, and exhaled slowly. He was tired of the rain, the cold, and he was tired of the uncertainty of war and the betrayal that accompanied it. Captain Fain gently slapped Porthos' shoulder and walked toward his camp while in stride with Comtois, who continued to talk about options. They had men to see to, duties to assign, and problems to solve. They knew the risks to themselves, their men, and to France. They also understood that saving one man's life was not worth the risk of losing the war.

The Musketeers who had been ready to storm the chateau were gone and had returned to their duties with muttered curses, promises of revenge, and confusion about why things were happening as they were. They followed their orders, despite their personal fears, and put France above all else.

Porthos looked toward the battlefield, where Marc and Levi sat astride their mounts while their men stood guard. A show of force to let the Spanish know they would not back down, that their actions were being watched, and options were being calculated. He then turned and looked toward the companies behind him. Those who were ready to fight and protect their own, even if it meant fighting fellow Frenchmen.

The Musketeers may not have had all of the details, the information they needed to fully understand the complexities they faced, but they would stop at nothing to defend each other, their captain, France and her king. They would bond together and fight for what was right, not necessarily what was expected.

There was an audible silence, then a sudden gust of wind that caused the branches to sway, and was followed by the rustling of leaves. Porthos frowned and looked at Musketeer Monnot, who gripped young Billy Pagel by the collar and pushed him forward. The young man looked terrified. Too young to fight, he had been ordered to help manage the horses. But he stood before Porthos, red in the face, and shaking.

"What's this?" Porthos asked.

Monnot pushed Billy forward and said, "Tell him, or I will."

"Billy?" Porthos said.

Billy rubbed his hands together and looked at his feet. "I ah," he stammered. Slowly, he pulled out a bag of gold coins from his pocket and handed it to Porthos. He looked up, nostrils flared, eyes red, and he shrugged. "I didn't know, sir," he said. "I thought they just wanted to meet with the captain… I didn't know they were going to take him."

Porthos gripped the bag and squeezed the coins until he heard them grind together. His heart clenched, his breath caught in his throat, and his head suddenly hurt. He pulled back the strings, opened the bag, and then removed several pieces of Spanish gold.

"Did you know they were Spanish?" Porthos asked.

Billy frantically shook his head. "No, sir. I thought they were French soldiers… they said they were General Raboin's men — I believed them — but they told me they needed to see Captain Athos and wanted to know where his tent had been moved — I told them I didn't know," he shrugged again and then wiped his eyes with his arm, "but…" He pursed his lips, caught his breath in his throat, and choked back a sob. "They said they'd pay me if I found it for them — they said they would tell the general what a good job I'd done — I didn't know, sir. I really didn't know what they were going to do."

"You watched them take 'im?" Porthos said with a defeated sigh when Billy nodded. "Why didn't you say anythin? You knew we were lookin' for 'im, Billy."

Billy wiped snot from his nose with his hand and then wiped his hands on his britches. He shrugged and stammered, "I thought…" he licked his lips, "I thought they might kill me next, but I ran — I hid in the barn —"

"That's where I found him, Lieutenant," Monnot said. "I overheard him confessing to Kelpie."

"Billy," Porthos said. "Why didn't you come to me, to d'Artagnan — to any one of us?"

Billy looked up and shrugged. "I don't know, sir."

Porthos closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers before he took a deep breath. He looked at Monnot and said, "Confine him to quarters."

"Please don't tell my grandmother, Lieutenant," Billy pleaded. "She'd be so upset… with me."

Porthos looked Billy in the eyes and said, "You're not in a position to negotiate your terms, Billy. You're confined to quarters until I decide your punishment." He pulled his eyebrows together and said, "Had you said somethin' to one of us… we may 'ave been able to save our captain."

Billy looked up, wide-eyed, and then shamefully nodded. "And now?"

"I don't know." Porthos looked at Monnot and tilted his head toward the men's tents.

Monnot grabbed Billy by the collar and shoved him forward.

"Monnot," Porthos said and turned to look at him. "No visitors."

"Yes, sir."

Porthos nodded, exhaled thorough his nose, and closed his eyes.