I know it's only been a few days since I last posted a chapter, but this one hit me all of a sudden and it was written before I knew it. It's not overly long, again, but it'll start to give you all a bit of insight of what will be happening in future chapters. Don't forget to post a review for me!

Chapter XXI

"He's late."

Teeth grit firmly together in annoyance as feet shifted the weight of the body back and forth, gently rustling a few of the branches from the bush behind which he concealed himself. Between the heavy cloak of dark fabric upon his person and the shadows of the late hour of night it was almost impossible to otherwise tell that there as someone in the gardens who ought not to have been there, his impatience clear by the constant jerk of his head examining all directions. The clock had newly struck two, the party was long since over and he was anxious for the news that was to be brought to him by his hired messenger. And yet being there like this made him incredibly uncomfortable, for memories of every kind flooded back and mocked him silently within his mind.

A soft wing rustled the leaves of the surrounding trees and bushes as it pushed past them and swept up the edges of their cloaks. It was unusually warm for that time of year, warm enough that external clothing such as a heavy cloak was sure to make the wearer a little uncomfortable, and yet they remained where they were. Concealing themselves from the eyes of the wandering patrolmen was far more important than their personal comfort right then, for it would not do at all for them to be caught within the grounds of the palace. Several of the normal ways in and out of the area were being carefully watched for any signs of intruders who might want to harm the King. No doubt the orders came from either Athos or Aramis, both of whom he now knew to be in residence as well as "guests of the King." But there were several other ways that were not as closely watched, ways that had been created for the quick escape of the monarch if the time came that flight was necessary to keep him alive.

Oh, how he loved having such knowledge at his disposal.

There was but one other man who stood with him that night, shrouded by the shadows that formed from the looming moon above. He was there simply for protection, however, in case their meeting should be interrupted by any of those meddling musketeers that might report the news of the presence on the grounds to Athos or one of the others he knew to be at the palace. Apparently D'Artagnan had survived the wound that he had received that night at the Bastille, which only made his lip curl in anger at the thought of yet another foe to face in the future. His death would have proven to be a great asset to his plans, for the musketeers would have lacked the leader that they had come to rely so heavily upon over the past several years. Regardless though, none of them would be able to interfere, for as soon as they discovered what actions were at play against them they would be far too late to do anything about it.

"Do you want us to return later, sir?" asked his companion in a gruff tone of voice.

The first figure shook his head. "No," he growled. "We wait."

Their meeting was one of vital importance to the entire operation, for there was but one person who knew the information that he sought. New developments had forced their plans to change slightly, but upon learning the smaller details that had initially brought about those changes, it looked as if they could work more in their favour then the previous plan would. D'Artganan and his friends would certainly require some maneuvering to get around, but there was a whole other player in the game now for them to manipulate, one who could very well be the lynch pin of the entire operation. No, they had to wait for him to arrive no matter what pathetic excuse he might have for the delay.

After a further five minutes of waiting, a lone man appeared from the corner of the palace and hurried his way toward the thicker part of the garden where they waited. He too was cloaked against the night to prevent anyone from spotting his face, the hood pulled firmly upon his head which he ducked a little to create more of a shadow upon his features. Each step caused a shift in his body, looking about him to ensure that he was not being followed by any unwanted persons that night until at last he was safely concealed within the gardens as well.

"I beg for you to forgive my tardiness, but I am afraid-"

"Just tell me what you know," the first man interrupted, his whisper a harsh command.

The new arrival looked about him again, noting that the only other person present was the man who lingered behind the first. And since this person seemed entirely unconcerned with him being there, he knew it was likely safe for him to continue where his correspondence had left off.

"The girl is not well," he began quietly, adjusting his hold on the outside edges of his cloak. "She was removed from the ball and taken upstairs to her rooms after fainting. I got to the physician later on, and he said that she has a nasty wound on her side that has grown to be infected. If her fever does not break by tomorrow night then there is a good chance that she will not survive."

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but it was new information nonetheless. While there was not much to be gained from the death of the girl, he couldn't deny the fact that having her out of the way might also prevent further complications. She had already played a part in recent events and been rather detrimental to what was intended to be accomplished, proving herself to be just as meddlesome as the men who had helped to raise her. If he had known about her sooner then perhaps something might have been done about her. After all, removing her from the puzzle would also cripple Aramis, who seemed to be much of the brains behind their plans.

"And the others?"

Again, the informant glanced around him. "D'Artganan continues to recover, but he does not yet have full strength and I doubt that he ever will. The other three are in constant communication with the crown right now, though it is my understanding that Aramis is beside himself with worry over the girl."

He figured as much. The old man had always been sentimental when it came to the well-being of other people, and he had counted on nothing less when you remembered that he had practically raised his orphan child from the moment she had been left on the steps of the monastery. Others had asked around in his place to learn all that they could of the girl over the last few days, but unfortunately this was all they had managed to dip up. Nobody seemed to know where she had come from before then, had the slightest inkling of who her natural parents were.

"What of the Queen?"

No doubt having a young woman at court would affect her in some way. Even if the older woman had never admitted the words aloud, she had always made it clear that she had longed for another child, likely a daughter, over whom she could dote and fawn. In truth she was lucky to have conceived her sons at all with the lack of attention paid to her by the old king if the rumours were to serve true, so a stranger who was caring for another man out of the goodness of her own heart? It would strike a chord with Anne. Add in the fact that this girl had helped to save one of her sons from death and you could almost count her as extended family. That was the kind of attention that the Dowager Queen was likely to spend on this little nothing of a human being.

"I understand that she has taken quite a liking to the girl."

The first man nodded wordlessly as he gathered together his thoughts and attempted to sort them out. There were some changes to be seen now that an illness had manifested itself in the girl, but that didn't mean that their plans could not be altered either way depending on how everything turned out. And while he was sure that things would be much easier with her out of the way, he couldn't help but almost wish that she would survive her fever and recover. It would be much more entertaining to know that they could use her as a pawn, feeding information into her mind that would tear her away from those she loved and watch as they slowly broke down before her eyes. It would be the ultimate revenge for all of the trouble that she had caused since that night at the Bastille, when she had prevented the death of the very person who had deserved most to die for his treasonous crimes.

But revenge was in the works, being carefully pieced together so that there was not a single loose end to deal with when it was all over. This time there would be no mistakes, no errors due to misjudgment. This time there would be only the end, in which the rightful ruler would be replaced upon his throne and the people of France made to pay for their rebellion against his rule. Mercy would not be a word to connect to the crown any longer.

"Good," he decided slowly, the wheels of his mind turning quickly. "You will continue as you were before. Should she pull through and begin to make a recovery then you will write at once to alert me. I have plans for this girl, and I intend to make her suffer for her sins."

A thin smile worked its way onto the face of the informant, who nodded and bowed low to the man who addressed him. "It will be as you command."

He hovered there for only a moment before he turned himself away and hurried back to where he had come from, anxiously glancing about him all the way to ensure that he had not been spotted. And from where he stood in the bushes, a cold chuckle sounded deep within the throat of the first man. Things were turning out much better than he had initially planned. And while he was rather impatient to see those people suffer, he knew that he must remain calm and wait for them to come to him. It was all set and waiting for the moment they took one wrong step. There would be no turning back, no opportunity for mercy. If everything played out the way he desired, then they would first see the tangled mess of human flesh that he reduced that woman to before they met their own ends.

And with D'Artagnan and the others out of the way, there would be no one left to prevent him from terrorizing her into an early grave.