Season 3 episode 13 (the bonus episode) continues. It was a long day today and I'm sorry this is late. I normally don't like to post this late on Fridays, but I didn't want to miss a day. This is the final story for season 3... Thank you everyone who has followed along. I admire all of you who have commented - we all live busy lives, and taking the time to drop a note is gratefully appreciated! Thank you to everyone who has saved this or followed the series (We are a small but mighty community!) I can't believe we're here already.
If you're seeing this for the first time, here is the list of stories:
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 Echoes of War
S3E11 The Fields of Verdun
S3E11 In the Shadows of War
And the final episode: Reunions, Duty & Honor
Chapter 1
King Louis ran his hand over the handwritten reports before him. He gently placed his finger on the scripted note Raboin had written to his wife, and Thorell had included in his report. The message would find its way to Spain, and into the hands for whom it was intended. Raboin was a traitor to France, but his family was innocent, and Louis grieved for them. He would not deny them Raboin's last words. Louis sat at the end of the long mahogany table and listened to the fire snap and crack in the fireplace. The winds blew outside and caused several trees with their long irregular branches near the palace to slap the windows. In the weeks to come, the gardeners would trim them back as they prepared for the spring and summer months. Louis expected to see lush green grass, and an abundance of foliage and blooms. He longed for the afternoon sun warming his face as he stood in the gardens. He yearned to teach his young son to ride a pony as soon as he was old enough and enjoy the life around him.
Treville sat in the chair diagonally across from Louis. He kept quiet as the king had read both reports. He waited patiently and watched a palace servant add fuel to the fire. The log had shifted, and snapped as it protested the heat. He shifted his wine glass across the wood and listened to the sound of the smooth glass against it.
"Who delivered these?" King Louis asked, and pushed both reports away from the edge of the table as he leaned back in his seat. He rested his right elbow on the armrest of his blue velvet-covered chair and then pinched at the small patch of hair on his chin.
"A messenger from General Thorell's regiment," Treville said and shifted in his seat. "As soon as both reports were completed, I requested they be delivered to the palace. Given the lack of reliable messaging, I felt it imperative we have a full picture of what occurred in Verdun before the Musketeers return."
Louis nodded, glanced at the fire, and took a deep breath. "There is a lot to contemplate… much more to discuss."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
King Louis stood, flipped the tails of his doublet behind him, and walked to the fireplace where he stood for a long moment with his hands behind his back and his fingers laced. He twiddled his thumbs and then looked at Treville, who stood beside his chair, waiting.
The room had a faint scent of smoke. Soot from the fireplace had marred the edges of the stones, along the mantle and the hearth. A well-seasoned stack of wood lay cradled in a rack to the right, and a bucket for the ash stood to the left. The painting above the fireplace had hung in the same location since the room had been designed prior to Louis' reign. King Henri had favored paintings of wildlife, and the stags seemed fitting for the room. Large windows adorned each side and overlooked the gardens to the right and the stables to the left. Oil wall sconces hung throughout the space, and a large candelabra stood in the center of the table. Its candles remained unlit. A plate filled with dried fruits and nuts sat on the table near Louis' chair. It remained untouched.
"Have you read them?" Louis asked and looked at Treville.
"I have, Your Majesty."
Louis nodded. "Thorell's is much more… extravagant. He makes it appear that General Raboin served his country well."
Treville clinched his jaw and nodded.
"Captain Athos' is much more… concise. It lacks emotion."
Treville quirked his lips and said, "He's very strategic in his writings, Sire."
"I want to meet with him upon his return… I understand he was gravely injured." Louis rubbed the mantle and then returned to his chair. "He should have followed my orders more quickly, Treville. There would have been no need for further conflicts with Spain should Raboin have perished… earlier." He retook his seat and motioned for Treville to do the same.
Minister Treville cleared his throat, rubbed his thumb along the edge of the table, and said, "You didn't ask an assassin, Your Majesty. You asked a musketeer to find proof of Raboin's treason, and then handle the situation."
Louis frowned and shook his head in dismissal. "And as a musketeer he should have followed my orders."
"He did, Sire," Treville said. "He followed them, and he tried to carry them out while trying to understand the complexities of General Raboin's actions — and as he stated in his report, Raboin had hidden himself within the confines of the chateau. I have no doubt that Athos would have moved forward with your request sooner had he discovered the evidence, and had the opportunity to," Treville shrugged, "stop Raboin from further action." He ran his hand along the surface of the table and leaned forward with an elbow on the surface and looked at King Louis. "Had Athos acted earlier, he may have left France and Paris at risk of invasion. And," he paused, and contemplated his next words, "Athos is not a man who will commit cold-blooded murder — I do not believe you would find a musketeer who is. They are men of honor and men of duty… They will do what is necessary to protect you, to protect Paris, and her people, and ultimately, protect France. They will not compromise their honor, Sire."
King Louis looked at Treville in the eyes. "You miss being their captain?" He leaned back and rubbed his palm on the curve of the armrest.
Treville curled his lips into a gentle smile and said, "I miss leading a regiment of men who would fight to the death to do what was right — not what was easy… I miss the simplicity of duty and honor. What I do now is…" he shrugged and struggled to find the right words.
"Compromising," Louis said and looked at the fire. "You are now faced with making decisions not based on what is right, but what is best for France… and for me," he raised his eyebrows knowingly and looked again at Treville, "and sometimes that means hiding what you know, and knowing others are hiding information as well." He leaned forward, ran his hand over the surface of Athos' report, and took a deep breath.
"Musketeers are honorable men, Treville, but they are not perfect. They too know and understand the complexities of hiding what they know, of keeping secrets, and while they may not do what is easy, they do not always do what is best."
Treville swallowed.
"Regardless, I must respect their efforts." Louis smiled, tapped his fingers on the report, and chuckled. "They destroyed Spanish cannons, battled flames," he raised his eyebrows and broadened his grin, "they stole back what was stolen from them." He placed one report atop the other and gripped the pages. "Mighty men, Minister Treville. I can proudly say they are mighty in what they accomplished."
Treville nodded with an appreciative smile.
"When Captain Athos returns, I want to meet with him… alone." Louis stood, took the reports, and looked at Treville, who raised himself from a bow. "Keep me informed, and I trust you will prepare a reception." He walked toward the exit. Two guards opened the doors and bowed. "Something here at the palace, Treville… make sure it's grand."