Ellie stomped down the stairs of the Garrison, her hat pulled firmly down over her head, trying not to sneeze as she walked over to her horse.
"What's wrong with you?" Aramis asked as Ellie mounted her horse, sniffing as she glared at all four of them.
"It's the middle of the night, I'm cold and somebody," she turned to glare at Clairmont, who was watching them from underneath the stairs and gave them a cheeky wave, "has made me ill. Being sent to collect Louis' brother is the last thing I want to do right now." Ellie sneezed and groaned loudly, wiping her nose.
"Seconded," Porthos grumbled as he pulled his hat down over his head.
"The sooner we collect Gaston, the sooner we can come back," Athos said as he urged his horse on, giving Ellie a pointed look.
"For some reason, I doubt that very much," Ellie grumbled, following behind him, burying herself in her cloak.
~ 0 ~
"I swear to god if he doesn't open that door in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna bust it open," Ellie muttered, crossing her arms and sulking as she leant against the wall. "It's still dark, I should be in bed."
"Ok, so no one get on Ellie's bad side," Aramis announced, ignoring Ellie's glare as the door was finally unlocked.
"You're a heavy sleeper, Monsieur," Porthos said as Gaston swung open the door, glaring at them all.
"How dare you wake me in the middle of the night," Gaston told them, turning his nose up at them.
"The King wants to see you," Athos told him.
Ellie didn't hide her smirk at Gaston's terrified expression.
~ 0 ~
"Am I in trouble?" Gaston asked as they rode through Paris, Ellie at the back in-between D'Artagnan and Porthos.
"All we know is we must get you to the Palace without delay," Aramis replied.
Gaston frowned, his eyes glaring at Aramis. "Why such urgency?"
"Pull up your hood," D'Artagnan told him quietly as they neared the centre of the city. He looked over at the Duke, giving him a pointed stare and Gaston sighed, slowly pulling his hood up.
Ellie kept a careful eye out as they rode through the backstreets. It was still early, too early for anyone else to be awake, but the tavern was bustling with its normal clients, all wanting a morning drink. She knew the tavern, had popped in there a few times with Brujon and some of the older Musketeer's, but she wasn't a regular.
Ellie eyed Gaston suspiciously as he looked over his shoulder at her and D'Artagnan. She pretended to look away, focusing her eyes on the road ahead. Seeing that neither were paying him particular attention, he turned back and began rummaging in his cloak. Ellie turned back and watched him as he rummaged in his cloak, looking for something.
He was clearly looking for something important and froze slightly, smirking when he realised, he'd found what he wanted. Ellie watched him closely as he suddenly relaxed back in his saddle, content.
Suddenly, Gaston's horse spooked, the animal rearing up and throwing Gaston off onto the ground. Seeing it's fellow horse panic, Ellie's squealed, rearing up backwards, hooves flailing in the air. Ellie felt herself fall off backwards, simply falling for a moment before gravity won and she hit the hard ground with a thud.
Ellie groaned as she curled in on herself, clutching her wrist to her chest, panting through the pain. She'd almost definitely felt something crack in her wrist and he ankle was throbbing. Ellie moved slightly and pain shot through her back and she swallowed down the urge to cry out as Porthos rushed over to Gaston, the man crying out in, what Ellie felt, was overexaggerated pain.
Someone put a hand on her back and Ellie looked up. D'Artagnan crouched down next to her, his eyes looking at the wrist she was clutching to her chest and the slightly graze she had under her chin from scraping the gravel. He gently took her wrist as Athos and Porthos helped Gaston up.
"You alright?" He asked quietly as he ran his fingers over her wrist, feeling for any broken bones as the other three headed towards the tavern.
"I'm fine," she replied, clenching her teeth as she moved her ankle. She groaned as D'Artagnan grabbed her non-injured hand, pulling her to her feet and putting an arm around her waist so that she didn't have to put any weight on her injured ankle. Ellie felt her head spin, a sneeze beginning to sneak its way up on her as she stood up.
"Yeah, your definition of fine isn't the same as mine," he told her as he followed the others inside the tavern.
"And yours is better than mine?" Ellie questioned, sneezing. She looked up at D'Artagnan and giggled at his offended expression as her back spasmed. D'Artagnan gripped her waist tightly as her leg gave way, pushing the door open. There was already a gaggle of men surrounding Gaston, helping him sit down in a chair and pushing a bottle of wine into his hands to help with the pain.
Sylvie looked up as the door banged against the wall, hurrying over when she saw Ellie, leaning on D'Artagnan, blood staining her shirt from the cut under her chin. She grabbed a nearby chair and brought it over, setting it down behind Ellie.
"Here," she said, taking Ellie's other arm and gently helping her sit down.
Ellie leant forward, panting through the pain, as D'Artagnan handed her a bottle of wine. Ellie took a big swig of it, hissing when some dribbled down her chin into her cut.
"Go check on the duke," Ellie told him, nodding to where Porthos was standing. D'Artagnan sighed and headed over to Gaston, glancing behind him as Sylvie checked Ellie's ankle, propping it up on a stool.
"I've been robbed!"
Ellie looked up over to where Gaston was and saw him slice a man's throat, the man falling to the floor. Gaston spun around and stabbed another man, this one too falling to the floor.
"Hey!" Porthos exclaimed as the entire tavern stood up. More men came forward, trying to defend their fellow soldiers as Gaston continued his attack. One man pulled out his gun and the rest quickly followed as Porthos and D'Artagnan managed to grab a hold of Gaston and hold him back.
Ellie slowly stood up, leaning on the chair, as a tense silence fell over the tavern, two musketeers aiming their guns at the twenty men opposite them.
"You cannot kill me!" Gaston said haughtily as he stared down the barrel of Christopher's gun. "I am the Duke of Orleans. The King's brother!"
If the situation wasn't so serious, Ellie could've snorted at the twin glares both Porthos and Athos gave Gaston, the former trying his best not to punch the duke there and then.
"We're leaving now," Athos said clearly, "we won't come back."
No one put their guns down and Ellie slowly hobbled forward, hand hovering over her own gun.
"Athos is Captain of the Musketeers," Sylvie said suddenly. "He will keep his word."
The silence stretched out, no one moving a single muscle as they all glared at Gaston. Athos kept his gun steady, even as he glanced over at Ellie briefly, making sure she was safe.
"Lower your weapons, soldiers," Christopher ordered, dropping his own gun, glancing down briefly at the bodies of his friends.
"Get him out of here," Athos told D'Artagnan and Porthos. D'Artagnan led the way as the men made a path, Porthos shoving Gaston in front of him. Ellie followed D'Artagnan out the door, resisting the urge to stab Gaston herself. She'd be doing the world a favour if she did.
~ 0 ~
Ellie groaned quietly as they rode into the Garrison, Feron and Marcheaux standing in the yard, waiting for them.
"Oh look," Porthos said as Feron and Marcheaux turned to glare at them, "a family reunion."
"Gaston!" Feron exclaimed, hobbling towards them, "welcome, welcome. Barely five minutes in Paris and already three men are dead. Why are you here?"
"This man is a murderer!" Aramis explained, nodding to Gaston.
"This fool and his friends dragged me from my bed at an ungodly hour without ceremony or reason, save that the King has sent for me," Gaston complained, leaning down so that Feron wouldn't miss a word.
"The King?" Feron turned slowly to face Marcheaux who's face showed no sign of knowing about it.
"I fall from my horse through near exhaustion – "
"Whilst also spooking mine," Ellie muttered, quietly enough no one except D'Artagnan heard. D'Artagnan glanced at her and gently knocked her shoulder, giving her a concerned glance that she ignored.
"- they force me into that tavern where I'm attacked! Robbed! I feared for my very life." Gaston looked Feron in the eye, fake fear showing on his face.
"Three innocent bystanders are dead because of you," D'Artagnan replied coldly.
"You did nothing to protect me and the King will hear of it," Gaston shot back
"Let us see what he wants of your first, hm?" Feron said, turning Gaston to face him before he could attack anyone else. "Together. Come."
"The King placed the Duke in our custody," Athos said as Feron began leading Gaston to his carriage.
"A decision he may live to regret, don't you think?" Feron drawled as Marcheaux came over and escorted Gaston to the carriage.
Ellie growled and stormed off into the kitchens as Athos rode out of the Garrison, the remaining three Musketeers glancing between themselves at their sudden departure.
~ 0 ~
Ellie leant against the bannisters watching as Brujon fought against Simmons D'Artagnan watching on closely. Athos rode in, quickly dismounting his horse and running up the stairs, glancing down at Ellie briefly, noting the bandage tightly wrapped around her wrist. Ellie looked up at him as he walked past, raising her eyebrows at him in acknowledgement.
Brujon groaned as Simmons's sword hit his stomach, realising he was dead. D'Artagnan walked over
"Here," he said, patting Brujon's sides. "Leave yourself open like that and you're dead." Brujon sighed heavily. "This is not a game," D'Artagnan put a hand on Brujon's shoulder, "Do you understand?" Brujon opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, glancing over at Ellie briefly as D'Artagnan sighed. "Head over heart" he prodded his chest lightly, "every time. All right?
Brujon nodded, shaking himself slightly as Ellie smirked at D'Artagnan, knowing Athos was giving him the same look.
"Again!" D'Artagnan yelled and Brujon and Simmons started up again. Ellie slowly walked over to D'Artagnan, avoiding being hit by the swords.
"It's like looking into a mirror," Ellie muttered as she passed, chuckling as D'Artagnan glared at her, trying not to flip her off. She ducked inside the Garrison, smiling at the Musketeer's she passed as she searched for Clairmont.
She eventually found him hiding in the wine cellar, a book and a large piece of parchment spread out in front of him.
"You look like you haven't moved all day," Ellie said as she unbuckled her sword and set it on the table, putting her legs up on the chair next to her.
"Because I haven't," Clairmont muttered, scratching something down before flipping a page in the book. "I'm trying to help Constance out by adding up how much we've spent this month and doing the budget stuff since she's been so busy."
Ellie nodded, pulling a piece of paper towards her and reading it half-heartedly. "You're avoiding D'Artagnan."
Clairmont's head shot up. "No, I'm not."
"You answered that far too quickly, Clairmont," Ellie replied. She set the piece of paper down and side. "What's wrong?"
Clairmont sighed, throwing the quill onto the desk. He leant back in his chair, running a hand across his face. "I feel…inadequate."
"Inadequate?"
"That's what I said."
Ellie sighed. "Ok, why do you feel inadequate around D'Art?"
"Because he's one of the youngest Musketeer's ever, he's an amazing fighter and I just feel…crap around him."
Clairmont exhaled slowly at the end of his rant, feeling the weight being lifted off his shoulders.
"Oh that's complete bull, Clairmont," Ellie scoffed. "D'Artagnan is not an amazing fighter – trust me he nearly took my eye out last week – and if he knew how you felt he'd be really upset. It took him years to get to where he is, Athos and the others worked him to the bone to be as good as he is and he went to war, learning on his feet how not to die.
"Clairmont, you're not D'Art just as I'm not Athos or Aramis or Porthos. We're each our own person and we each fight differently. Yeah, D'Art can be a bit of a prick at times, but he means well. Listen, if you want me to, I can do some training with you, so you don't feel so 'inadequate'."
Clairmont nodded, "thanks, Lizzie."
Ellie smiled, "no problem."
The door behind them swung open and Brujon stumbled in, collapsing into the nearest chair and throwing his sword down onto the ground as he huffed.
Ellie stared at her partner, trying hard not to burst out laughing. "So, how was training?"
"Eh, psssh," Brujon moaned, not actually saying any words, just mumbling.
"That good, then?" Ellie chuckled, grabbing the bottle of wine and taking a big drink, not bothering to pour some into a glass.
Clairmont resumed his sums as Brujon slumped down in his seat, head resting on Ellie's shoulder as she leant back and put an arm around his shoulders. They could vaguely here the fighting above them, but the walls muffled most of the sound, turning it into a din. The candles lit around the room gave off a comforting, night-time feel and soon Ellie felt herself dozing off on to Brujon's shoulder, snuggling up against him.
~ 0 ~
Constance hesitated, hand hovering over the door to Ellie's house. She didn't want to tell her friend what D'Artagnan had just muttered to her, but she couldn't hide it from her either.
"Madame D'Artagnan?" Brujon asked, walking over to her, bottles of wine in his hands. "Is everything alright?"
Constance nodded, "everything's fine, Brujon, I just need to talk to Ellie."
"Oh, Lizzie?" Brujon gestured behind him, almost dropping the bottles he was holding, "she's coming. Clairmont said something stupid so she's proving him wrong."
"What did Clairmont say?" Constance asked as Brujon opened the door, several heads dotted around the room looking up to see who it was.
"From what I gathered it was something along the lines of: 'Red Guards and a fight."
Constance shook her head, following Brujon inside as he held the door open. He set the bottles of wine on a table and they were instantly taken, the cadets in the room pouring it out between them. Constance hadn't been inside Ellie's house for a while, the two women always meeting up in the small cafe around the corner from the Garrison or at the palace with the Queen. She was slightly surprised at just how many cadets were in the house, all with their own bed. Ellie had even opened the house up to some of the homeless children on the streets of Paris, allowing them to stay for however long they wanted and feeding them.
Ellie had always wanted to help the poorer people of Paris and when the house came up for sale, Constance didn't hesitate to help her buy it, asking Treville to give her a slight pay rise so that she could afford it. After clearing out the old furniture and bringing in some new items, Ellie, Brujon and Clairmont had all moved in, slowly recruiting more tenants as the cadets arrived. All the cadets had to do was contribute to buying the food and wine and try not to trash the place when Ellie wasn't there.
Someone pulled out a chair for Constance and she sat down in it, smiling gratefully at them as another one handed her a mug full of wine. Constance smiled as she watched the cadets interact with each other, some slightly drunk, others exhausted from a hard day of training. She never got to see this side of them all, spending all her time at the Garrison and rarely getting a chance to leave. Most of them were, even though they'd never admit it, intimidated by her due to her marriage to D'Artagnan and never wanted to offend her in case D'Artagnan came knocking.
The front door swung open and Ellie walked in, not waiting for Clairmont to follow behind as the door slammed shut again.
"Someone talk some sense into this idiot," Ellie yelled as she accepted a mug of wine from Brujon, kissing him on the cheek as he wrapped his arm around her waist. Constance smiled fondly at the two of them as Ellie subconsciously played with his hair.
Constance had been the first one to realise there was something between the two of them. Shortly after the boys had left for the war, Ellie had completely retreated into herself, accepting every mission Treville had and working herself overtime. She refused to admit what had happened with Rochefort and Liam had actually happened, instead internalising the pain and trying to forget.
Despite Treville and Constance trying to talk some sense into her, it took being shot in the stomach - and practically dying - to make Ellie relaise that she wasn't okay. It'd taken a year for Ellie to finally accept what had happened and it'd been a long six months after that, Constance helping Ellie every step of the way. Eventually, Treville had asked Ellie to go on a mission to England - a series of letters Louis had written to his sister needed to be sent across and he had demanded a soldier escort for them - with Brujon, Clairmont and a few senior Musketeer's back from the war on leave.
Eleven Musketeers had left. Only three had returned.
Their ship ran into a severe storm and was demolished, Clairmont, Brujon and Ellie all washing up on a beach in Scotland. From there they'd treked to Edinburgh Castle, worked their way down to London and then came back to Paris, the letter's safely delivered, if sligthly wet.
After that the relationship between Ellie and Brujon had blossomed, the cadet making Ellie a better person and accepting her despite her faults.
"Brujon said you had something to tell me," Ellie said as she sat down next to Constance, bringing her back to the present.
Constance smiled at her and sighed. "D'Artagnan mentioned you and Brujon in a conversation to me earlier today."
"Oh god," Ellie muttered.
"No," Constance put a gentle hand on ELlie's arm, "he hasn't realised - yet - he just said that he sees the way he looks at you and then went on a tangent about protection and boys, I stopped listening after a while."
Ellie shook her head, smiling. "So he hasn't figured it out yet?"
"No," Constance confirmed, "but you can't keep hiding it from them forever, Lizzie, they'll figure it out eventually."
" I know," Ellie replied, "I just don't want them to ruin anything. Not that they ever do," she added quickly. She looked over at Brujon and Constance could see the love she had for him in her eyes. "He's just really important to me." Ellie took a shaky breath in. "He saved my life."
"I know, Lizzie," Constance said, putting an arm around her friend, hugging her tightly. "I know."
Wow, it has been a while, hasn't it? I've moved countries, started a new college and only realised today that I accidentally spoilt the end to my own story - whoopdeedo. I'm now wondering if I should just post the ending and leave it at that - you all know what happens anyway!
God knows when I'll be back, we'll see. Until the next time, my favourite people :)