Thank you everyone for hanging in there and continuing with me on this journey. It's been ride and half, that's for sure! You're reviews have been great and as always I look forward to reading them.

The series to date:

S3E1 The Restoration of Brothers

S3E2 The Honor of Horses

S3E3 Sorrow

S3E4 Follow the Storm

S3E5 The Annihilation of Doubt

S3E6 The Parting Glass

S3E7 The Road to Verdun

S3E8 The Weight of War

S3E9 Brotherhood & Devotion

S3E10 Echos of War

S3E11 The Fields of Verdun

Chapter 1

Lanterns hung from the rafters of the barn. Farm equipment was moved, a large table was placed in the center and the captains, lieutenants, and General Thorell stood around it as they contemplated the maps of the surrounding area. Porthos positioned stones and cups to hold down the corners, while explaining who was in what position and why. Thorell's lieutenant used dice made from the knucklebones of cattle to mark the positions of the Spanish General Sanchez and his men. The chateau was identified with a cup. Porthos spoke about the Spanish efforts to cross into French territory. Athos' realization of their plans after seeing Raboin's maps, and General Sanchez's failed attempts to cross into French territory.

Aramis explained and spoke about winter fever, and losing men because of too few supplies and a lack of food. While Comtois, Fain and the others spoke about Raboin's irregular behavior and the fears of his treason. Despite Thorell knowing most of it, the topics were still difficult to hear and accept, and at times, he didn't want to believe it. He kept his opinions to himself and just listened to the men who had managed to stop the repeated assaults and against all odds still held their lines.

Aramis pointed to the map and said, "This is the bridge we destroyed after we retrieved the supplies. We've determined that Raboin's lieutenant was intercepting Athos' messages to Treville and Treville's messages to us." He looked at General Thorell and said, "Our men are still missing and we presume they're dead."

Thorell nodded, winced, and then looked at the map. He contemplated the distance and the achievement as he leaned over the table and braced himself against it. He looked up, pushed himself back and said, "You and your captain led 30 men into enemy territory, stole back your supplies, and returned to camp to fight a battle —"

"Twenty-five, General," Aramis corrected. "Several stayed behind during the journey because of sickness."

Thorell furrowed his eyebrows and whistled. He looked at his captains as they, too, shifted in admiration. "Were you confronted on your journey?"

Aramis swallowed and nodded. "One casualty, sir." He took a moment to breathe and said, "Musketeer Jacques sacrificed himself and lit the barrel of gunpowder that kept the Spanish from crossing — he was caught in the explosion."

"Is there a musketeer in the regiment who is not willing to sacrifice himself for his king?" Thorell asked with a hint of an applause in his voice.

"No," Porthos responded flatly.

Thorell nodded, looked at the Musketeer Lieutenants and recognized men who should not be pushed or underestimated. He looked again at the map and then asked, "What would have kept the Spanish from crossing into France using the Ramus Bridge —?"

Porthos tossed another map onto the table and said, "The roads. They're too treacherous for a military of that size — a small group, a small company is fine, but anythin' larger would 'ave made them vulnerable to an attack once they were spotted." He pointed to Verdun and drew a line from the Spanish occupied Dutch Republic to Paris. "Sanchez must 'ave recognized that the most direct route for an assault would 'ave been 'ere — not only could 'e defend 'is men, but 'is men would 'ave the advantage — if," he stressed, "they overran us."

"And the cannons?" Thorell said as shifted and placed his hand on the loop of his belt.

"Twenty-two in all, sir," d'Artagnan said, and he looked at Marc and Levi.

"All disabled?"

"Yes, General," Porthos said. "A refugee helped us —"

"Outstanding," Thorell muttered in astonishment. "I want to meet this refugee." He rubbed his face with the flat of hand and then rubbed his eyes. "How did Captain Athos know how to disable the cannons? That's not common knowledge, nor is it common knowledge to use sand and boiled piss to extinguish Greek Fire."

"It wasn't Greek Fire, General," Levi said and then stepped around the tall captain he stood behind. "It was something similar, but not nearly as destructive — had it been Greek Fire," he shook his head with a wince, "it would have destroyed everything."

"Regardless," Thorell said with his eyebrows raised. "The damage done was significant enough to cripple Sanchez's military — at least temporarily — and hinder his ability for a frontal attack. Again," he said, "how did your captain know?"

"He reads… he read," Levi said and swallowed. He pulled open his doublet and exposed his blouse, but removed a ledger that he had stuffed between his folds of clothing. Levi shrugged when d'Artagnan and Aramis looked at him in question. "I borrowed one of the ledgers he brought with him… there's a significant amount of information in here about military strategy."

"Mother of all that is holy!" Aramis said, and grabbed the ledger from him as he looked at Levi in disbelief. He flipped through a few pages and then handed the leather-bound journal back. "Athos is — was," he corrected, "an avid reader." He rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, and worked to regain his composure.

Thorell nodded. "Still," he said and looked at those who had been struggling to fight a war while being betrayed, denied supplies, and witnessing the loss of their brothers. He looked toward the door as one of his men entered and watched him walk closer to the table. "What you have done with a third of the men that Sanchez has… is phenomenal. I've never seen the like… I doubt I ever will again."

"What do you mean a third of the men?" d'Artagnan asked.

General Thorell raised his eyebrow and looked at the faces of the men, who had suddenly looked at him in confusion and in disbelief. He turned, motioned toward his page to hand him a different map, and then carefully unrolled it.

"Captain Athos had the same map," Thorell said. He drew his finger along the backside of Sanchez's military and said, "You've been in the heart of this war. You've had what… two thousand soldiers in Verdun, maybe fifteen hundred, with your losses due to sickness and wounds?" He shrugged and said, "General Vires has been pushing the Spanish military south while I have been pushing them north — essentially putting them into a vice. General Raboin was supposed to push them east. Sanchez has the largest military force — that is why he could move so many cannons so quickly — when you destroyed them," he curled his lips into a smile, "you crippled him without even knowing it. Fifteen hundred men held back an army of nearly seven thousand — when Athos led you into enemy territory to retrieve those supplies," he tapped his index finger on the table, "you were surrounded — you've been surrounded this entire time."

"He never said anything," d'Artagnan said with a frown and slightly confused. "He should have said something."

Aramis rubbed his jaw and then pulled gently at the end of his mustache. "He didn't want us to know."

"He didn't want us to think about it," Marc said. "If we had, we may have doubted him." He looked at Captains Fain, Comtois, and Pruette.

"Why weren't we made aware of this?" Captain Duris said. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his feet.

Thorell squared his shoulders and said, "Because you don't report to the king."

Duris tilted his head, looked around the room, and then nodded.

"What about General Raboin — What about, Athos?" D'Artagnan said. He clinched his jaw, took a long moment to collect himself and said, "He's still hanging — we need to tend him." He shifted his feet, crossed his arms over his chest, and swallowed. "We can't leave him… not like that." He struggled to maintain his composure, but his eyes grew teary, and he flexed his jaw in response.

Several murmurs of agreement sounded throughout the barn.

General Thorell looked at the musketeers and then said, "I'm sorry, but our priority is Sanchez — we will attack before sunrise and force him eastward. I will put a regiment around the chateau to monitor Raboin, but at this point he is not going anywhere. My guess is he will realize the corner he is in and he will not be able to escape."

"So we leave him?" D'Artagnan said. He pursed his lips, flared his nostrils, and fought the tears that started to accumulate. "We leave Athos hanging?" He clenched his jaw, shook his head, and looked at the floor. "We can't… we can't do that —"

"For now… we must," Thorell said. "But we will see to him."

D'Artagnan blinked and looked away. He suddenly shook his head and said, "Athos wouldn't leave you…" he looked around the barn at the faces of men he knew and those he didn't and said, "he wouldn't leave any of you to hang… not like that!" He looked at Thorell and took a step forward. "We need to cut him down!"

"We will, Lieutenant," Thorell said and watched Porthos grab d'Artagnan above his right bicep and stop him from taking another step forward.

D'Artagnan looked at Porthos, who gave him a look of warning, and with a reluctant nod d'Artagnan backed down. He bit his lower lip when Porthos squeezed his arm in understanding. It was meant to be comforting, but at the moment, it was all d'Artagnan could do to stay still. To not rush from the barn for fresh air. He had never hurt so badly in his life. Not even when he lost his father. He missed Constance. He missed her smile, her words of comfort and common sense. He missed the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention. He missed the way she slid her hand into his when he least expected it. He wanted her to comfort him; he wanted to hold her, feel her against him, and most of all, he wanted her to tell him everything would be alright.

D'Artagnan looked again at the map as General Thorell laid out his plans. The others listened, asked questions, and devoted themselves to their duty. It was only then that he noticed that Aramis and Porthos had stepped closer to him, stood on either side and stood strong beside him.

They all listened to the words, and then the roll of thunder in the background as, once again, the rains fell.