Chapter Three
Aramis watched d'Artagnan glancing towards the window for the fourth time in as many minutes. He knew what his friend was thinking about. There was only one thing on either of their minds.
Athos.
Aramis could not help but feel guilty. Despite Porthos wanting to take the blame, it was him that had set off the chain of events. If he had not killed Charon, the people of the Court would not have felt the need for revenge. Aramis wished that need for revenge had not taken the form that it had. The Court could have just taken out their revenge on him. They could have killed him. But no. They wanted to make him suffer. And that meant Athos was in danger. Deadly danger.
He sighed. It had taken a lot of willpower not to ignore the Captain's demand that he remain in bed until Porthos returned. He knew he should rest until the ache in his head subsided. But Aramis was sure that ache would not subside until he knew his friend was safe.
If his friend was safe.
The horrible possibility that Athos might already be dead was all that Aramis could think about. The waiting for any news was torture. Which was exactly what the people of the Court wanted. They wanted him to suffer. And he was suffering.
Aramis contemplated just walking out of the garrison and going to the Court to look for Athos. He knew that would be a suicidal mission, but he hated not doing anything. It had been hard to watch Porthos walking away earlier. He wanted to do something. Anything.
He flung the blankets off and twisted to sit on the edge of the bed. D'Artagnan shook his head.
'You know what the Captain said. You're not to leave the infirmary. And I'm not to leave the garrison.'
Aramis grabbed his breeches and pulled them on before reaching for his boots.
'I can't sit here, not doing anything,' he said. 'Porthos will need help.'
'I know,' said d'Artagnan. 'But the orders from the Captain.'
Aramis looked up, 'I can't stay here,' he said again.
'You know I'll have to stop you.'
'You can try.'
Aramis got to his feet and wavered for a few seconds. He reached out to the wall and steadied himself until the dizziness passed. D'Artagnan was standing at the end of the bed, one hand resting on the butt of his gun. Aramis turned to him as he slipped his doublet on and started to fasten it up.
'They took my weapons,' he said. 'Are you going to threaten me when I have no way to defend myself?'
'Don't make me,' said d'Artagnan.
Aramis could see the indecision in his friend's eyes. He knew that d'Artagnan was following orders. Orders that he did not want to follow. The young soldier was loyal to the Musketeers. But there would be more loyalty to his close friends. Aramis was sure of that. He took a couple of steps forward.
'I'm going to help Porthos look for Athos. You can either come with me or shoot me.'
D'Artagnan maintained eye contact with him for several seconds before taking a step back. Aramis was not surprised to find d'Artagnan falling into step with him as they left the infirmary.
As they stepped out into the light, Barbotin and Marc scrambled up from the table and put themselves in the way of the garrison gate. Barbotin shook his head and held out his hand in a gesture to stop them from proceeding.
'We've orders not to let either of you out of the garrison,' he said. 'The Captain said we were to confine you to your rooms if you tried to leave. Don't make us do that.'
Aramis disliked putting his friends in the awkward position of standing up to them. Soldier against brother soldier.
'You know what's happened,' said d'Artagnan. 'We can't just wait. We have to help.'
'The Captain said-' began Marc.
'I don't care,' interrupted Aramis. 'I am leaving and if I have to go through you both I will.'
'You're not armed,' Marc pointed out.
D'Artagnan pulled his gun and handed it to Aramis, who held it loosely in his hand.
The four Musketeers stared at each other for several seconds. Neither side could back down, and neither side wanted to make the first move.
The deadlock was broken by the return of Porthos.
Barbotin and Marc stepped forward to stop Aramis and d'Artagnan from getting any further across the yard. Porthos looked confused at the sight. He was about to say something when the Captain appeared above them, looking over the balustrade.
'Thank you, Clemont, Marc,' said the Captain with a nod to the two Musketeers.
Barbotin and Marc stepped aside, allowing Aramis and d'Artagnan to approach Porthos. Before they could ask him anything, the Captain spoke again.
'You three, up here.'
Porthos led the way. Aramis was itching to know what his friend had learned. The expression on Porthos' face indicated it was not good news.
They filed into the Captain's office and waited whilst he shut the door and moved to stand behind his desk, resting his hands on the back of the chair. He looked at Porthos expectantly.
'She knows he's there,' started Porthos. 'She said he's still alive. But she wouldn't, or couldn't, tell me where he was. And she would not let me search.'
'Not let you?' asked d'Artagnan.
Porthos shook his head, 'she said she could not guarantee my safety unless …'
He trailed off and looked away with a sigh and a shake of his head.
'Unless what?' prompted the Captain.
'Unless I went back there to retake my place.'
'Does she know more than she's telling you?' asked Aramis.
Porthos shrugged, 'it's difficult to tell. She might. She might not. She might be toying with me or she might have been genuine in her offer.'
Porthos paused before continuing.
'I think I know who might have him,' he said. 'The new leader of the Court's Army. A man named Asim. He had Athos' scarf. Wearing it around his wrist. I don't think he realised I had seen it. Or he was flaunting it because he knew I was outnumbered and couldn't confront him.'
'At least that confirms where Athos was taken,' said d'Artagnan. 'We have to search for him.'
The Captain shook his head, 'it's too risky. If Porthos is not welcome there, none of you will be. And we know they have a formidable defensive group of men in there. They know the place, we don't. They have nothing to lose, we do.'
'I could do what Flea wants me to do,' said Porthos. 'I could retake my place there. Then I would be allowed to search for him.'
'You know that must be a trick,' said Aramis.
'It probably is, but what choice do we have?'
'I could sneak in,' suggested d'Artagnan. 'They don't know me as well. I could go in disguise.'
'No,' chorused Porthos and Treville.
'It would be too dangerous,' continued Porthos. 'Not alone.'
'Then I will go with him,' said Aramis.
Aramis turned towards the door. He could not see any reason to continue to talk about what they needed to do. Athos might not have the time to wait. He reached for the door handle.
'If you try to leave this room, Aramis, I will have you arrested.'
'What for?' asked Aramis tersely without turning around. 'We can't do nothing.'
'We are doing something, Aramis,' said Treville. 'We are planning our strategy.'
Aramis opened the door, about to step through.
'Aramis, I will strip you of your commission,' Treville said, his voice dangerous.
Aramis hesitated.
'The Captain's right,' said Porthos. 'I don't like it any more than you. But we have to approach this differently. This requires stealth. Something you're good at. Don't risk your life and Athos' life by rushing in there. You don't know what it's like in there.'
The need to rescue his friend was overwhelming Aramis. All he wanted to do was charge into the Court and tear it apart looking for Athos. He took several deep breaths. He forced himself to calm down. After a few seconds, he pushed the door shut, staring at the wood for a few more seconds before turning to look at the other soldiers.
Porthos and d'Artagnan had sympathetic expressions. Treville looked annoyed. Aramis could understand.
'I believe we can use both of your plans,' said Treville. 'Although a little more thought needs to go into this first. I believe the two of you can search for Athos.
Treville looked at Aramis and d'Artagnan before turning to Porthos.
'Porthos, if you are willing to infiltrate, then do so.'
Porthos held up his hand to stop the Captain speaking, 'it's too dangerous for them to go in there.'
Aramis was about to protest, but d'Artagnan beat him to it.
'We're going. We know it's going to be dangerous. But this is Athos we're talking about. He'd want to search for any of us if we were the ones that had been taken.'
Porthos did not look convinced, 'I know what it's like in there. You two wouldn't last five minutes.'
'We're going,' said Aramis decisively. 'Are you going to help us?'
Porthos glared at Aramis for several seconds before nodding. His dislike of the plan was clear on his face. Aramis could tell his friend wanted to be the only one of them that went into the Court to search for Athos. He understood his friend's reticence, but it would not stop either him or d'Artagnan from helping in the search.
'I'll help you,' he said. 'But you have to listen to what I tell you and follow my advice. I don't want to be responsible for either of you getting hurt or killed.'
'You wouldn't be responsible,' countered d'Artagnan.
Porthos did not respond. He stared at them both for a few seconds before looking away.
'The place changes a lot. I can tell you a few places that he might be being held but I doubt I'll be able to accurately describe how to get to them. I've not lived there for years.'
'Whatever you can tell us will be useful,' said Aramis, pleased that the disagreement was not going to affect their plan.
'We'll start by making you both look the part,' said Porthos.
The Captain managed a grim smile, 'good. Do what you have to do. I want my Musketeer back in one piece. But and this goes for all of you, I do not want you to put yourselves in unnecessary danger. I do not want to lose any more men.'
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D'Artagnan and Aramis followed Porthos to a disused room in the garrison. Cadets sometimes hid away in the room if they wanted to get out of chores or away from any of the commissioned men who wanted an easy sparring session. Some rickety chairs and a table that wobbled were the only furniture.
Porthos held the door open for them before beckoning one of the stable boys over. He said something to the lad, who nodded. Porthos dropped a few coins in the boy's hand and gave him a friendly shove towards the garrison gate.
'What was that about?' asked Aramis.
'You need to look the part, and that means you need to dress the part.'
Porthos gestured their clothes.
'I've just sent Ben to get you some clothes. I asked him to pick some that are not too tatty-'
'Where is he getting them from?'
'Poupart,' replied Porthos, unable to hide a grin.
'Poupart,' repeated Aramis. 'You want us to dress in dead men's clothes?'
D'Artagnan wrinkled his nose at the prospect, but Porthos had a point. The chances that the amiable keeper of the dead at the mortuary could find them suitable clothes was high. Any unclaimed bodies became his property, which included anything on those bodies.
'You need to look the part,' reiterated Porthos. 'You'd be recognised in seconds otherwise. Aramis, you are a target for a lot of them. Asim and his men will not be the only ones that are out to get you. If you flounce in there with your long coat and fancy feathers, you will be shot or stabbed before you've gone more than a few feet.'
Aramis muttered something about not flouncing anywhere but did not respond to his friend.
'Now, listen carefully,' continued Porthos, 'you will be going in there as street dwellers. That means that you will not be welcome in the better houses and buildings. Be careful not to stray into anyone's territory unless you are sure they are not there.'
'How can we search without going into the buildings?' said Aramis with irritation. 'We can't just wander the streets and hope to find him.'
'I'm not saying don't go inside, just be sure that the building is empty or a communal one where you would not stand out as a trespasser. The better maintained the building, the more likely it will be to be guarded, or the more violent the dweller will be when they return.'
'Don't get caught,' said d'Artagnan. 'That's what you're saying?'
Porthos nodded.
'I think we can manage that,' said Aramis, his tone a little dismissive.
Porthos glanced at Aramis for a second before continuing.
'There are several buildings that are probably still used by the senior members of the Court. If Asim is the one that has Athos, I would imagine they are using one of those buildings to keep him. They are clustered towards the middle of the Court. They will be the hardest to get into. I will probably be able to get in there-'
'But not quick enough,' countered Aramis. 'You've got to build trust and we don't have that kind of time. We need to be in and out.'
'You might not get close enough to those places,' said Porthos, his irritation with his friend starting to bubble to the surface. 'I lived there for years, provided they believe I have returned permanently, I should have free rein.'
Aramis shook his head, 'you know that won't be the case. You'll be watched. They won't leave you alone for weeks. We can sneak in and search far better than you'll be able to. You're providing us with a distraction.'
Porthos sighed loudly; he glared at Aramis.
'You know I'm right. We're the ones that will be in a better position to find him. Why are we wasting time? We can move about unnoticed-'
Porthos stepped up to Aramis, grabbing him by the collar of his doublet and propelled him back a couple of feet to the wall. He held Aramis against the wall and leaned into him. His expression dangerous.
'You will listen to me. You will pay attention to my warnings about the people in there. You will not rush in and ruin our chances of finding him alive. I know you two have the better chance. But the places he is likely to be are going to be the hardest for you to get into.'
D'Artagnan was about to intervene when Porthos stepped back. Aramis remained where he was leaning against the wall. The two men stared at each other for several seconds. The tension in the room was thick.
'I know you feel this is your fault, that you set this in motion by killing Charon. But if I had never lived there, never left there, never gone back there …'
Porthos turned away, shaking his head.
'Sorry,' said Aramis.
Porthos looked back. The pair were silent for a few moments. D'Artagnan waited for the unspoken apologies between the two to finish.
'Describe the places he could be,' he said, keen to move on from the self-recriminations of his friends. 'We need directions, landmarks, anything that can guide us.'
Porthos nodded. Aramis nodded. The tension dissipated. The three of them returned their attention to the task of saving their friend.
Porthos spent some time describing the routes he thought would get them to the various places he thought Athos might be. He included landmarks and alternatives if one way was blocked or too dangerous for them to go down. Aramis made a few suggestions in case they were separated from one another. Keeping themselves alive and unharmed was as important as rescuing Athos.
Ben returned with a pile of clothes. He lay them on the old table and retreated from the room. D'Artagnan wondered if the boy was pleased to put the clothes down and get away from the stench. Aramis picked through the assortment of shirts and breeches. He handed a set to d'Artagnan who looked at them with distaste.
'Some of this is better than I used to wear,' remarked Porthos. 'Before I joined the Court's army and worked my way up.'
They stripped their uniforms off and folded them up. D'Artagnan suspected Aramis was doing the same as him and delaying having to dress in the clothes of people who had recently died.
The brown breeches d'Artagnan pulled on were ripped at the knees, the tough fabric fraying. A rough piece of cord was threaded around the top of the breeches acting as a belt. He expected the original fine thread or string had been sold or reused. The shirt was covered in stains and marks. D'Artagnan tried not to think about what had caused the stains. The stale smell gave him a good indication without having to use his imagination. A thin leather jerkin with a tatty grey sash to hold it closed, was covered in scuff marks and a couple of slashes. The simple brown shoes with a worn string acting as a fastening, over itchy stockings, finished his ensemble.
He looked up to see Aramis buttoning up a doublet that had more patches than original material. The black jacket was too large for Aramis, who resorted to strapping a frayed leather belt around it to keep it out of his way.
'You can't go in there unarmed,' said Porthos. 'But whatever you take must be discreet.'
Aramis nodded, 'I'll take a small medical bag as well, I can wear it under this along with a dagger.'
Aramis pulled up the lower part of his oversized doublet and indicated the second belt he was wearing around the breeches that were also on the large size.
'I guess Poupart didn't have much to give us,' said d'Artagnan.
'Or he's annoyed with us for some reason and wanted this to be awkward,' muttered Aramis with a shake of his head as he slipped his feet into a worn pair of shoes.
They looked up as the Captain pushed his way into the room. He looked Aramis and d'Artagnan over and nodded his approval.
'I meant what I said. Do not risk yourselves unnecessarily. That goes for all of you. Porthos if you need to walk away, then leave. Aramis, d'Artagnan, keep yourselves safe. Don't get yourselves noticed. I may have little experience of the place, but I suspect things happen quickly there.'
The Captain paused for a few seconds before continuing.
'You may be searching for a dead man. And I do not want to lose any of you in the process of that search.'
The thought that they could be trying to rescue a man that was already dead was unpleasant.
All they could do was cling to the hope that Athos was still alive and try not to get hurt in the process of rescuing him.
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