Evening My Lovelies

Notes On Reviews:

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the reviews - (Chapter57) Well at least you got a little binge read out of it :D I was hoping you would remember that quote :) (Chapter58) Hehe It wasn't originally going to be a musky but I just couldn't resist when the idea hit me :D (Chapter59) No worries, I'm just grateful you take the time to review/read whenever you get the chance :D x Enjoy the new chapter! x

beeblegirl: Thanks for the review - Yep, don't want to get him angry :) Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysAramisRios: Thanks for the review - Haha I'm glad you liked that, I imagine Treville's well versed in how to handle our boys at this point lol :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Sixty: Informing The Others

Thankfully for the men back in the barn, it didn't take too long to regain control over Ethan after his outburst at the attempted attack on his red guard companion Marin who, much to the surprise of the majority of the musketeers, was being looked over by a clearly concerned Aramis, having been brought over to the marksman by Talbot, the former musketeer dropping the younger man off before returning to his vigil over Glenn and Fredrick.

"It's fine Aramis," stated Marin dismissively, though he couldn't hide the slightly warm look in his eyes at the man's concern. "He just winded me, I'm all right."

To his side Porthos snorted, "Just let him do his thing kid," he said with a grin, a teasing grin on his face as he looked to his brother, "He's not going to stop otherwise."

Much to the amusement of both men Aramis let out a little huff but didn't refute his brother's comment, choosing instead to continue to assess the young red guard's ribs, stopping only when he was reassured they hadn't been damaged in any way from the blow.

It was after this that Aramis glanced over his shoulder to where he had last seen Athos, slightly surprised the lieutenant hadn't stepped in when Ethan first spoke up, only to frown in confusion when he spotted D'Artagnan resting in his spot, alone… no Athos in sight.

With a frown forming on his face the marksman straightened and began to scan the room, concern and confusion building as he continued to find no sign of their brother.

"'Mis?" asked Porthos, instinctively lowering his voice as he looked to his brother in concern, the man's expression not having been missed by the larger musketeer.

Without taking his eyes off of the crowded barn Aramis spoke, his voice equally as quiet, "Where's Athos?"

This made both Porthos and Marin pause, the pair instinctively looking over to D'Artagnan, knowing full well that the lieutenant had barely left the boy's side in days, the fact he was no longer there put both men on high alert.

"Come on," said Porthos as he stood and made his way over to the lone Gascon, inwardly not liking the fact one of them wasn't with him given how close they had come to losing the boy only days prior and how dire his health condition still was.

"Whelp," he called gently as he and the others settled themselves around the young musketeer's side. He hated that he had to wake the sick boy up but they needed answers and given D'Artagnan was very likely the last person to see their now absent brother they had no choice but to ask.

Still, he couldn't ignore that pang of guilt he felt when he saw how much of a struggle it was for the Gascon to open his eyes. Whilst the boy's health had begun to show signs of improvement since they received supplies from Issac and Henri he was still incredibly sick and became exhausted very easily.

Instinctively taking hold of the younger man's hands after he delved into a painful sounding, yet blessedly short, coughing fit, Porthos did what he could to ignore the guilt he felt and focused instead on the problem at hand. "Do you know where 'Thos went?" he asked gently, torn between the desire for answers and not wanting to overexert his sick little brother.

To the trio's collective relief the Gascon let out a small hum as he weakly nodded his head. It alarmed the men how much effort it seemed to take the musketeer but D'Artagnan slowly rose his unheld hand to point toward the barn door. "He's with Treville."

Worry was replaced with curiosity as even Marin knew it would have to be something serious to pull Athos away from D'Artagnan's side, even while being surrounded by their brethren.

Thankfully for their ever-growing curiosity, they didn't have to wait too long for the duo to return, though it immediately became clear all was not well.

"Look at his hand will you Aramis," instructed Treville as the duo arrived at their side. Curiosity blossomed on both Porthos and Marin's faces but they were quickly overshadowed by Aramis who, despite his injuries, practically leapt at the swordsman, dragging him down to sit beside them whilst simultaneously pulling Athos's injured hand towards him, quickly assessing the damage.

"What on Earth did you do?" exclaimed Aramis in alarm as he, ignoring his own twinges of pain, reached over to the medical bag he had taken to having at his side at all times. "Did you punch a wall?"

"A tree actually," corrected Treville with no small amount of amusement when it became that Athos intended to remain stubbornly silent. The look on Aramis's face was definitely worth the glare he received from the swordsman and after a short, quiet chuckle the musketeer Captain turned his attention to Marin. "Might I have a word?" he asked, gesturing to the younger man to follow, which he did with a smidgen of hesitation and a heap of confusion, leaving the inseparables alone once more.

"What's going on Athos?" asked Porthos with obvious concern, the self-inflicted injury reminded the larger man all too much of how reckless his beloved brother had acted when he thought they had lost their youngest and that comparison sent chills down the musketeer's spine.

For a moment it looked like Athos was going to continue to remain silent, his face completely free of any emotion even as Aramis began work to clean his split knuckles. However, all it took was another, more insistent call of his name from Porthos for Athos to speak, his voice almost inaudibly quiet as he spoke three words which caused both men to immediately freeze as a maelstrom of emotions erupted inside their chests.

"We've been betrayed."