Waves crashed beneath a small naval vessel as it sailed under the moonlight across the English Channel. Aboard were five men, two of them down in the ship's hold, overlooking the map of a dominating fortress. The other two were heading below deck to join their comrades.
"I'd hope that her standing with the queen would give her some leverage of safety," D'Artagnan mentioned to Aramis. "But I don't trust any forces working for Rochefort. I only trust him to cross lines, and play by his own rules."
"Not unlike Milady." Aramis agreed.
"Aramis? May I ask you a question?"
"Of course." Aramis smiled.
"A personal one...about Athos."
"Athos?" Aramis raised an eyebrow.
"What did Milady do to him?" D'Artagnan asked. Aramis sighed, shaking his head.
"He believed he loved her." He said in a hushed voice. "You'll not repeat this to anyone, D'Artagnan." The boy nodded. "They were both in love. She was a valuable asset to our cause, and a tremendous assistant in our missions. We'd just completed a mission to Da Vinci's vault in Venice, and then...she turned over our prize to Buckingham. She'd lured us where he could thwart us and snatch it from our hands."
"Oh." D'Artagnan mumbled.Small wonder that Athos is so prickly. Having believed he had a true partner for life to serve his country with, only to have all he stands for go down in flames. He must feel his any efforts toward a great cause worthless. "And he's been bitter ever since, eh?" D'Artagnan cleared his throat.
"One can hardly blame him." Aramis nodded. "Come, he's waiting for us." The two young men descended down into the hold, where Porthos and Athos were hovering over the map of the Tower of London. "So, have we come up with a strategy yet?" Aramis addressed them.
"I believe so." Porthos grinned. D'Artagnan scanned the parchment on the table. Constance had described Buckingham as the most powerful man in England. As such, he would indeed require an impregnable fortress, and Buckingham definitely had that. The Tower of London was heavily secured, the outer walls crawling with guards, every gate, every doorway, every outskirt structure, even the moat. Not to mention how massive the entire vicinity was!
"It's larger than I expected." D'Artagnan admitted. "But, that's good, right? The bigger the castle, the easier it will be to sneak in under their noses." The musketeers gaped at him incredulously. "Sorry." D'Artagnan grinned sheepishly. Aramis shook his head.
"Hopelessly incorrigible." Porthos chuckled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you, lad!"
"Your adventure lust is insatiable, boy." Athos chuckled fondly. "We can't outshoot them, but we can outsmart them." He said confidently.
"And...considering that Milady is involved, how exactly do you imply that we do that?" Porthos crossed his arms.
"The diamonds will be in Buckingham's personal vault. Locked up in the most secure level of the tower, next to the Crown Jewels." Athos began explaining. "The lock is state of the art. Requires a key that Buckingham carries on his person at all times. The corridor leading up to it is a booby trap-"
Just then, Planchet waddled next to them bearing a wooden tray of food. "Excuse me, sirs!" He smiled. "Tempt anyone with some bread, cheese? Oh! You haven't finished the debriefing yet." Planchet shrank back guiltily. "So sorry, sirs! Not trying to be a nuisance. Just trying to be helpful."
"Planchet, shut up, you blabbering fool." Porthos snapped.
Athos cleared his throat, then continued. "Then it gets worse. A lot worse. We have to cross three stone walls and a moat. And there's just a couple hundred well-trained soldiers with a per-election of not being robbed. Most likely Buckingham already knows we're coming, thanks to Milady, those numbers will be greater."
"Why don't we just tell Buckingham that Milady is using him?" D'Artagnan suggested.
"Because he wouldn't believe us. We're his sworn enemies."
"And Felice?" D'Artagnan mentioned.
"That all depends." Porthos said.
"On?"
"On whether Milady is using her to gather information. She may be trying to obtain intel on Captain de Treville, and the king's favor on us."
"Most likely, she's using the girl as leverage. She knows we won't leave London without the diamonds, or Felice." Athos added. "It makes sense that she would set up the lass as a distraction to prevent us from getting the diamonds."
"But don't worry, lad. We'll save your sister and bring back the diamonds." Porthos assured D'Artagnan. Aramis nodded silently. D'Artagnan swallowed, nodding too.
"As long as Buckingham is taking the bait, he'll treat the girl to showing off his glory. So, no, D'Artagnan, I don't believe he will keep her in the dungeon. On the contrary." Athos agreed.
To be honest, neither of those options are entirely reassuring, D'Artagnan told himself. At least Felice surely wouldn't be in fetters in a dank cell underground. However...that was small comfort. The sophisticated duke seemed to think everything he desired in life would instantly be handed over to him on a silver platter. And he fancied Felice. But what did that really mean? Would he play the gentleman and treat her decently, or...would he reveal himself as the charlatan that the musketeers knew him to be?
Meanwhile, back in London, Milady and the Duke had been involving themselves in certain 'pleasantries', and were taking a short breather."Do you really believe Athos will come?" Buckingham asked Milady, admiring her porcelain legs as she exposed a stocking garter.
"Never a doubt." Milady murmured calmly, twirling her fingers around his dark curls. "He's angry. He wants revenge, and to our slight disadvantage, he is more clever than we give him credit for, to have contemplated our plot."
Buckingham rolled his eyes, slightly put off. "Yes, well. You say that, but his 'superior' intelligence lacks strategy. He's much too impulsive, and will follow his current emotions before considering the implications."
"At least until the true action begins. He'll naturally favor misdirection and deception. He knows we're expecting him, but that just steps up the game." Milady winked.
"She knows us. What we look like, how we move, how we think." Athos pointed out.
"He'll divide his forces, independent teams. Each with their own force of entry to maximize their chances." Milady explained. "He's a skilled diver. He'll take the aquatic route through the trader's gate. Aramis will undoubtedly rely on agility and stealth. Check every tower, every rooftop. Porthos, on the other hand, will employ brute strength. One of his preferred methods is getting captured by the opposition.
'They'll naturally search for the girl in the dungeon, never guessing how generously you have acted. They'll assume the worst and scramble around searching for her, all attempting to play up as the true musketeer.
All the more reason, to take none of them alive.'" Milady began roaming her silky hands all over Buckingham's chest. "One more thing, they may try and drive a wedge between us. Claim to have secret information about some plot to get us to turn against one another, like say, I'm a double agent working for the Cardinal...or you'll be lucky to get rid of me. "
Buckingham looked surprised. "Indeed? Then perhaps he is not so clever, after all." He tugged her closely up against himself. Unlike Felice, she relished in it. "Get rid of you. Why, I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth."
"That's how it's done. And that's exactly what she'll expect. So, we do the unexpected." Athos stated triumphantly.
"I like where this is going." D'Artagnan piped up, all ears.
"We go in broad daylight, one man hiding in plain sight. With all the extra security, there will be a lot of new faces. That's their weakness. But you, D'Artagnan, you're the wild card. We are the decoys. Now, we'll try and create a distraction, keep them occupied, keep them away from you as much as possible, and get your sister out of there. But ultimately, it's down to you. You wanted to be a musketeer, wanted to serve France: this is your chance!"
"Well then, when do we start?" D'Artagnan beamed excitedly.
While Porthos and Athos checked their location outside, and Planchet muttered as he did his best to clean up the dishes that Porthos had strewn about once he'd regained his appetite. D'Artagnan found Aramis sitting on the landing stairs to the upper deck, leaning against a wall, reading his small book of prayers.
"Aramis?" D'Artagnan whispered.
"Yes, lad?" Aramis glanced at him.
"Buckingham, he'll...he'll be charitable toward Felice. R-right?"
Aramis's eyebrows deepened solemnly into his face. "If he doesn't enjoy her as his plaything."