Evening My Lovelies

So I think I may have jinxed things when I said I was going to get back into writing more regularly as directly following that I hit a major bit of writer's block *sigh* It was thoroughly annoying as I know what I want to happen but it was writing the bit that leads up to that which proved to be the problem... I think I've managed it now so fingers crossed for the next few chapters :D

Notes On Reviews:

Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Nope :) We'll just get to enjoy the whumpage that it brings :D Oh, trust me Athos would have had to try very hard not to kill Corneau if he knew what he had given D'Art was going to do. Enjoy the new chapter! x

beeblegirl: Thanks for the review - I want them to stop it too but I am an evil writer so I'm afraid that's unlikely :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

pallysAramisRios: Thanks for the review - Cornea's going to pay for what he's done, don't worry about that :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

WelshEssex: Thanks for the review - I think all this worrying about D'Art is going to make Aramis grey lol :D Aw yeah, Porthos is great :D he's definitely been their rock this story and I thoroughly love writing him like that :D Enjoy the new chapter! x

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

Love you all!

Enjoy!

xxx

Chapter Seventy-Two: Torn

After separating from Athos, Treville made quick work of depositing a now alarmingly pale Corneau off with the men currently in charge of watching over their growing group of prisoners. The whole walk back to the camp had allowed a surge of unwanted emotions to bubble up inside the musketeer Captain and he was eager to get far from his men before he had to deal with them.

Thankfully his men seemed to understand he didn't wish to be disturbed and so said nothing apart from general acknowledgements when he left Corneau under their guard before turning on his heels and storming off back into the trees.

"What do you think that was about?" asked Favier quietly from his spot beside Issac, the pair having watched their Captain, and more importantly his prisoner, with eagle eyes since they first appeared back through the trees a few minutes earlier so had not missed their Captain's worrying behaviour.

What worried Favier even more, however, was when Issac failed to respond, the still fuming musketeer staring daggers, almost unblinkingly, at Corneau, though the traitorous musketeer seemed a bit too out of with from whatever Athos and Treville had done to him to notice the look he was getting.

With a sigh Favier reached over and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, gently calling his name before letting out another sigh when, once again, Issac failed to respond. He fully understood his brother's anger, he felt it too but as much as he thought of Ines as a little sister, and as much as he dearly loved her as one he was not by blood… He hadn't grown up playing by her side, protecting her from the rest of the world, spending years creating treasured memories together and he was sure it was how those memories were now forever tarnished by the memory of her death that was causing his beloved brother such pain.

"I'm going to kill him," spoke Issac sometime later, his voice laced with a deadly edge that would have sent shivers down the spine of even the strongest man, his eyes still fixed firmly on the traitor's form.

"Issac," breathed Favier, feeling thoroughly torn between not wanting to see his brother give into the pure and utter hate he could hear in his voice and wanting to see Corneau pay for all the pain he had caused, in blood.

"I'm going to kill him."

Pushing down his own anger at the man Favier forced Issac to turn away from Corneau and to face him, much to the musketeer's obvious anger and annoyance. "Think of Ines brother," spoke Favier gently, unease bubbling up within him as he saw the darkness in his brother's eyes.

"I am!" hissed Issac as he shook off his brother's hands before attempting to turn back around to return to glaring at Corneau, only to be forced back around by Favier who wasted no time in physically dragging his brother away, ignoring the spike of pain it caused his healing ribs to do so.

"Issac," he snapped, allowing some of his anger to bleed through, just enough that it silenced the next interruption Issac planned to make. "Don't do this," he stressed as he looked, pleading, into his brother's eyes. "Ines would never forgive herself if you sank to his level in her name… He will face the King's justice. He will pay for the pain he has caused with his life… Don't let him also take yours!"

Issac said nothing as he took in his brother's pleas, his fury warring with his desire to see the truth in Favier's words. Before too long it became too hard to look into his brother's desperate eyes and he stormed off, into the opposite direction of Corneau much to Favier's relief.

Meanwhile, in the forest, Treville was trying to process the sick feeling of guilt he felt for how he had allowed Athos to handle Corneau. It was unnecessary guilt, that was what he kept trying to remind himself… The man was a traitor, responsible for an impossible amount of pain and the death of many yet the part of Treville that still saw the man as one of his own had returned in the aftermath of their discovery of the man's weakness.

FLASHBACK

"What." hissed Athos, "Did. You. Give. My. Brother."

It looked as though Corneau was too distracted by the water to focus on Athos's question so Treville stepped forward.

"I had thought," he stated coldly as he knelt in front of the man, placing his hand into the water, the action gaining the clearly terrified traitor's attention. "That I knew all of what you and the others had endured during your capture but you never told me about how they used water as a method of torture… To bring you and the others to the brink of drowning before allowing you up for air."

Corneau said nothing but Treville could see the fear those memories brought him come rushing back to the surface.

"I imagine it would be excruciating…"

Unconsciously Corneau nodded and that was all Athos needed to force the man's head down once more, fast enough that he had no time to react, stopping a mere few inches from the surface of the river, close enough that the spray quickly coated his now ashen face. Athos held him there for several moments before forcing his head up, silently relishing in the fear he felt racing through the man who had so dearly hurt his family.

"The Captain," spoke Athos quietly in Corneau's ear, keeping the traitor's face in place with a painfully tight grip on the man's jaw. "He may not approve of the idea but after all you have done I have no problem in re-enacting it all until you tell me what you gave my brother."

END FLASHBACK

Thankfully enduring the experience one time was one time too many for Corneau and it didn't take him too long to break, apparently having decided that prolonging D'Artagnan's pain wasn't worth facing his deepest fear for, something Treville was immensely grateful for.

The problem for the musketeer Captain came when he thought back to how willing he had been to use such a crippling ordeal against the man who he had long considered one of his own. His rational mind kept trying to remind him what Corneau had done but the fear in his eyes had brought back Treville's own memories of seeing that look when he and his men had found Corneau after his capture and they were strong enough to quieten the rational part of his mind.

Unfortunately, he didn't have long to get himself together as sudden cries of alarm cut through the air, immediately drawing his attention back towards the camp, the man hesitating for not even a moment before he began charging back to his men.

In the camp a shadowed figure ignored the sudden bustling camp as he continued to stalk towards his target, waiting until the guards had taken a few steps away from their posts, their attention completely grabbed by the commotion going on further in the camp. Once he was sure they were sufficiently distracted he made his move, darting lithely out of the shadows and clamping a hand down on Corneau's mouth before dragging the now startled former musketeer out of the camp.