Athos watched from the balcony as Ellie sparred with Clairmont. She was clearly the superior swordsman and Athos could see the years of training she'd put into it. He smiled when he noticed her dodge to the left and swing back, something he used to do when he was younger.
The wood creaked next to him as Porthos joined him, leaning on the bannister. Ellie's laugh echoed up to them as she managed to knock Clairmont to the ground, sword pointed at his throat.
"She's changed," Porthos said quietly, watching Ellie pull Clairmont to his feet, dusting down his shirt for him.
Athos didn't say anything. He didn't need to. They'd all seen the change in Ellie since they'd gotten back. None of them had quite figured out what it was yet, but Athos was almost certain he'd figured it out.
Aramis joined them next. He stood next to Athos, silently un – buttoning his doublet as he watched Ellie and Brujon begin to spar. He smiled softly as he watched her spin around, sparks flying as swords met.
"She's good," Aramis said, nodding in approval as Ellie fell to her knees, spinning around on them and standing up again, meeting Brujon's attack.
The other two musketeers hummed in agreement.
D'Artagnan joined them last. He jogged up the stairs, slowing down when he saw them all standing. He settled himself between Porthos and Athos, crossing his ankles as he leant his arms on the bannister.
"She's got him," D'Artagnan said after a while, a small smirk on his face as he saw Brujon's potentially fatal mistake.
Athos nodded. "She's noticed it."
They watched as Ellie caught Brujon's outstretched foot with hers, causing him to fall backwards, dropping his sword. Ellie immediately put her sword to his throat, panting hard.
"Nicely done," Aramis said, smiling as the watching cadets applauded.
Athos watched closely as Ellie pulled Brujon to his feet, her hand holding his a moment longer than normal. She looked at Brujon, smiling, her eyes sparkling.
"It's him," Athos said suddenly. So suddenly that three pairs of eyes swivelled to look at him. Athos sighed. "Ellie, she's changed."
"We noticed," Aramis said, leaning on arm on the bannister, rest the other on his hip.
"It's Brujon," Athos told them. "The way she looks at him…I've only ever seen that look on D'Artagnan when Constance is around."
Porthos frowned. "I'm lost."
"She loves him," D'Artagnan said, watching Ellie hug Brujon, standing on her tip toes so she was tall enough. Brujon wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her head. "And he loves her."
Porthos and Aramis turned back to look at Ellie and Brujon, eyes widening when they too saw it.
It wasn't anything big. Just, the little things they did around each other. Ellie pulling the straw out of Brujon's hair, Brujon's hand around Ellie's waist as she explained something to Brujon. The way they looked at each other.
"How long?" Porthos asked, watching Ellie with a fondness and pride he hadn't felt for a while.
Athos shrugged. "We've missed four years of her life, who knows where and who she's been with."
Ellie glanced up at the balcony, noticing the four musketeers standing up there for the first time. She met Athos' gaze and raised his eyebrows at him, asking him a silent message. He nodded, but his eyes weren't mad. Ellie smiled to herself as he disappeared inside, the other three not far behind.
"You ok?" Brujon asked quietly, pulling her against him.
Ellie nodded. "Never better." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.
She never normally felt nervous walking into the tavern. Normally, she was too excited to get a drink and put her feet up, often bouncing ahead of the others to grab a table. This time, however, she actually paused before entering, hovering to the side of the door as people around her entered and left. Despite Constance's promise that she would be fine, she felt almost sick with nerves.
"Oi!" Someone yelled at her. "If you're going in, go in. If not, bugger off!"
Ellie glared at the man as he waddled away and forced herself to step inside the tavern. She spotted them almost immediately. They were rather conspicuous with their hats, swords and pauldrons, despite Athos and Aramis having abandoned their doublets on the back of their chairs. Ellie weaved her way through the tables, trying to avoid having any drink spilt on her.
Porthos noticed her first, smiling at her as he pulled out a chair for her. "This is a surprise!"
"Hardly," Ellie replied, sitting down and almost immediately abandoning her doublet.
"You said you were spending tonight at the house," D'Artagnan said, pushing a mug filled with wine at her.
"I was, but there's a rat."
Athos frowned. "A rat?"
"A single, solitary rat. It's got the entire house in a tizzy, Clairmont tried to shoot it, so now there's a hole in my floor and I had had enough." Ellie picked up her mug and sighed. "I told them to bug Constance if anything else happened."
"I'm sure she'll be appreciative," D'Artagnan chuckled.
"She's done it to me before," Ellie muttered. "I'm simply returning the favour. Ooh, is that pork?"
They all chuckled fondly as Ellie stretched over the table, Aramis moving her mug before she could knock it over, reaching for the pork next to Athos.
For a couple of hours, it was normal. D'Artagnan drank too much, as usual, and nearly passed out on Athos before he forced him to drink some water. Aramis and Porthos went on, in length, about their new uniforms and how much the ladies liked them.
It was only after three hours that Ellie noted the lull in the conversation and knew it was time.
"I know you know," she said suddenly, staring down at her mug of wine.
"Know what?" Porthos asked.
"Me and Brujon. I saw you watching us this morning."
Athos studied Ellie's face for a moment. "He makes you happy."
Ellie nodded, even though it wasn't a question. "He makes me a better person."
"How long?" Porthos asked, leaning forward, resting his arms on the table.
"Three years."
"Three years!" Aramis exclaimed and Ellie giggled.
"We met about a month after you lot left – I accidentally punched him, long story," she added at D'Artagnan's curious glance, "and then we got put together on patrol. I fell for him first but didn't realise it until we went to England."
Porthos nodded. "I heard about that mission. Something about the King's letters to his sister or something."
Ellie nodded, swallowing the remaining drink in her mug. "Louis was worried that Spanish spies would infiltrate his correspondence with his sister. He wanted a musketeer to join the British envoy to deliver the letters by hand, therefore insuring that the letters weren't tampered with.
"Treville asked me to deliver the letters. You're wondering 'why', I can tell. I wasn't in a good place after the whole Rochefort affair, I was working myself to the bone, I was grumpy and quite frankly a bitch. So, Treville asked if I wanted to get away from Paris for a bit, take a break. I jumped at the chance. Any chance to get away from the constant reminders. Four months after you left, I boarded the ship with Brujon and Clairmont."
"Something happened," Athos said, noticing Ellie's hesitation.
Ellie didn't reply, shifting slightly in her seat. She sighed. "We left from Calais. It was meant to be a straight route to England. But there were storms during our journey and we went majorly off course – ended up somewhere near Norfolk. We were about to re – route ourselves when the ship got hijacked. They killed nearly all the guards onboard, arresting the rest. We sailed north for a while before another storm hit. This one tore the ship apart."
The table was silent, hanging onto every word. Ellie fiddled with her mug as she tried to sum up the courage to talk again. Aramis put a hand on her leg, rubbing it gently and Ellie sat up a little bit straighter.
"I woke up on a beach, Brujon and Clairmont next to me, bits of ship strewn across the beach. We were the only survivors of the entire crew. I still had the letters – Louis had sealed them in waterproof leather – and knew I still had a mission to complete. The only issue, however, was that we were in Scotland.
"We headed towards the nearest village where we were kidnapped by a bunch of thieves, somehow got involved in a clan war and nearly destroyed a lovely little town. That was when I nearly died. I got shot, badly, and Brujon and Clairmont almost came back without me.
"But I was fine. We carried on, headed south and eventually made it to London where Louis sister was impatiently awaiting us. We handed over the slightly well-loved letters and boarded a ship back to France. All in all we were gone for eight months."
"All for some letters?" Porthos whistled. "Wow."
"It worked, though," Ellie said, shrugging. "Once Treville was sure I wasn't about to die, he let me start training the cadets. I quickly became their 'leader'. I bought the house with Brujon, turned it into the Cadets Lane and that was that. Feron arrived shortly after that and you know the rest."
Silence fell over them all as they all took in Ellie's story. Porthos handed Ellie his drink, noticing how her hand shook slightly. D'Artagnan was the one to break the silence.
"When did you tell him?"
Ellie laughed. "We actually got into a fight on the way to England. I just yelled it out and he sort of, glitched. Clairmont conveniently disappeared whilst we had it out, appearing again when he knew it was safe because he'd heard a loud bang."
"What bang – oh." Aramis, despite himself, blushed.
"Yeah…"
"You've had a full four years," Athos said quietly.
Ellie shrugged. "No more so than you three. Aramis, you don't count."
"Thanks."
Ellie suddenly yawned, stretching her arms so far, her shoulder clicked. "Damn those boys," she muttered and there was a chuckle. She leant against Porthos, curling up against him as the conversation moved away from her. Porthos put an arm around her, gently rubbing a circle on her shoulder and Ellie slowly felt her eyes drooping until she fell asleep completely.
Ellie giggled as Brujon rolled over, the cushions on top of him falling to the floor.
"I don't believe you," she said, leaning on her elbow and searching his face for any sign of a lie.
"It's all true, ask Clairmont," Brujon replied, smirking. "He's the one who started the whole thing."
Ellie jumped slightly as a loud crack of thunder echoed outside, setting off the dogs in the house next door.
"Summer storms, got to love them," Ellie said, standing up, Brujon's shirt falling down her legs. She opened the window and leant on the sill, watching the sky as lightning forked across it. The people who were still out were quickly seeking cover in the nearby taverns and buildings, leaving the streets practically empty.
"At least we're not patrolling," Brujon said as he joined Ellie at the window, wrapping his arms around Ellie's waist and resting his head on her shoulder.
"Mm," she said, leaning into him. "Only because Athos took us off the rota."
"The perks of having the Captain as your brother," Brujon muttered, turning Ellie around and kissing her. Ellie leant into the kiss, running her hand through his hair. Brujon lifted Ellie up, turning around and lying her down on the bed, running his hands up her thigh as Ellie moaned.
"Ellie! Someone at the door for you!"
Oh, for heaven's sake," Ellie muttered, rolling out from under Brujon and storming down the stairs to answer the door.
"So close," Brujon muttered as the door slammed shut behind her.
Ellie stormed through the house, her glare daring anyone to mention that she was wearing Brujon's shirt and nothing else. She swung open the door and glared at the four men in front of her.
"What?" She snapped.
"Good evening to you to, Ellie," Aramis said, smirking as he leant against the wall. "We interrupt something?"
"Judging from the look on Athos' face, I'll say you interrupted him too," Ellie shot back, and Athos glared at her as Porthos sniggered. "What do you buffoons want?"
"We're needed at the Louvre," D'Artagnan said, crossing his legs.
Ellie crossed her arms. "It's the middle of the night."
"Isn't it just?" Aramis muttered and Ellie smacked his arm.
"This isn't optional," Athos said tiredly, giving Aramis a not so subtle side eye glare.
Ellie huffed. "I'll meet you there." She took a step back and slammed the door shut behind her.
Aramis turned to look at his brothers. "Did she just slam the door in our faces?"
"Yup," D'Artagnan said.
"Who do you think she's with?" Porthos asked as he mounted his horse.
"Who do you think?" Aramis replied. "I don't want to know just what they're doing, however."
"Good, let's get going," Athos grumbled, setting off.
"Two grumpy Musketeers, just what I've always wanted!" Aramis exclaimed, following after him as Porthos chuckled.
Ellie groaned as she quickly pulled on some trousers and her doublet, bucking her weapons belt to her waist.
"It's the middle of the night," Brujon said, watching her from the bed.
"Yes, Aramis made that very clear," Ellie muttered, shoving her hair on top of her head, not bothering to wear her hat. "I'll be back god knows when."
"I know, have fun," Brujon replied, curling up on the bed. Ellie stuck a finger up at him as she left, closing the door behind her and running out the house.
The four of them walked into the surprisingly awake Louvre, stopping when Louis emerged, looking half asleep.
"Right, mount your horses, you've got a thief to catch," Louis said as Henrietta emerged from behind him.
"There are only four Musketeers?" Henrietta said, frowning.
"Where's the other one?" Louis asked, sighing heavily.
At the moment Ellie came running in, looking slightly worse for wear. "Sorry, sorry, I'm here –"she stopped, staring at Henrietta. "Your Majesty."
"Elizabeth," Henrietta greeted stiffly as Ellie bowed. "This thief is fast, powerful and dangerous," Henrietta continued as Ellie stepped back to stand next to Aramis. "This is no ordinary man."
Louis just rolled his eyes. "They're perfectly capable, sister. Now, off you go."
The five of them bowed and began heading out the room.
"Elizabeth!" Henrietta called and Ellie froze, gritting her teeth and turning around. "I do hope this isn't going to be a repeat of Scotland."
"No, Your Majesty," Ellie replied, turning around and raising her eyebrows at D'Artagnan. She resumed her walking, going faster than before.
"Are we ever going to find out what happened in Scotland?" D'Artagnan asked as Ellie all but ran from the building.
She stopped and spun to face them. "The day I tell you what happened in Scotland is either the day I die or the day you lot get me piss drunk and make me tell you."
With that, she spun around again and marched off, leaving the four behind.
"She's bossy," D'Artagnan muttered.
"She's Elizabeth," Athos corrected, following after her.
"Why would the Queen of England travel without an escort?" Aramis asked as he walked up to his horse.
They'd gotten to the Garrison stupidly early the next morning. The rain had stopped but the ground was still covered with puddles and mud, making it rather miserable to be walking around.
"And how are we supposed to catch this thief?" D'Artagnan added, raising his hands in annoyance. "They didn't even give us a clear description."
By the time Ellie had gotten back to the house, everyone else had fallen asleep. She'd just laid down next to Brujon, not actually getting to fall asleep before she had to be up and down at the Garrison.
"Using our detective skills, D'Art," Ellie quipped, smiling at him as she mounted her horse.
"And how was your night?" D'Artagnan shot back and Ellie kicked him in the arm with her foot as she passed.
"We'll start the search in Saint – Antoine," Athos said, interrupting them before a fight broke out, "the most likely place to sell stolen jewels."
Porthos rolled his eyes. "Only an idiot would stay in Paris after robbing the King's sister."
"Two words – needle, haystack," D'Artagnan grumbled as he got on his horse.
"I've got two more – move, now," Athos ordered.
"I've got two better ones," Aramis said, "coitus, interruptus."
"I heard that!" Athos called and Ellie laughed as Aramis smirked at her.
Saint – Antoine had always been a slightly dodgy area. It wasn't far from the Court of Miracles and had a booming black market which often featured stolen guns and armour.
Not that Ellie knew that.
It wasn't often the Musketeers made their way down there, often choosing to just let them get on with their nefarious business, so it wasn't surprising that nearly everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at them as they rode through.
As they rode past the market, Ellie thought she caught sight of someone familiar. She glanced over at the others and saw that Porthos had noticed the man too. He pulled his horse to a halt, turning to face the man as he stood in the shadow of the house. Ellie frowned, trying to figure out why she knew the man.
"Porthos?" D'Artagnan asked, as he came to a stop.
"I know that face," Porthos muttered.
"Same here," Ellie added, staring.
"Now is not the time," Athos stated, clearly wanting to get moving again.
"No, I recognise it too," Aramis said.
"Oh, that is not a good face," D'Artagnan moaned and it suddenly hit Ellie who it was.
"That's Bonnaire," Ellie said. "You've got to be kidding me."
"Bonnaire!" Porthos yelled and Bonnaire's face went from cocky to terrified as Porthos and Ellie charged towards him, the others right behind them. Bonnaire ran off, skidding around the corner and down towards the canal. Ellie jumped off her horse, D'Artagnan and Athos behind her, and ran down the street, following after him.
She ran out into the street adjacent to the market, the road filled with people. She shoved her way through, yelling to Athos as she caught sight of Bonnaire's hat.
"Over there!" Aramis yelled, pointing as Bonnaire disappeared down an alley. Ellie groaned, running after him again, skidding on the mud as she round the corner too quickly. She'd lost sight of him and slowed down, slowly walking through the crowds.
Out the corner of her eye she spotted Athos heading over to a wagon that was rocking slightly. She looked at him and he nodded. Aramis appeared behind her as the wagon moved even more and Bonnaire shot up, tossing the cloth that had hidden him off.
"Musketeers!" Bonnaire exclaimed. "How lovely to see you all again." He put his foot on the side of the wagon, resting his arm on his leg and raising his chin. "Emile Bonnaire, my friends, arisen from the dead."
Bonnaire looked down at them all, his face falling at the distinctly unimpressed faces staring back at him.
Bonnaire let out a very high-pitched scream as Porthos held him upside down over the bridge, his wig falling off into the hands of a watching boy below.
"Diamonds? Me?!" Bonnaire exclaimed, chuckling nervously. "Why and how would I have come into diamonds?"
"You ran for a reason," Athos said simply.
"Yes, well, any sane fellow would," Bonnaire replied and Ellie wondered how he was still trying to worm his way out of it. "Last time our paths crossed, you threw me on a Spanish prison ship, despite my having the Cardinal's blessings."
"I will throw you off of this building," Porthos yelled. "Where are the diamonds?"
"I am sure that there is a better way to resolve this and I say, 'Let bygones be bygones'."
"Drop him," Athos said.
Porthos let go of one leg and Bonnaire screamed. "Oh, the diamonds! You mean the diamonds! Yes, yes, yes. Yes, now I recall."
"How convenient," Ellie muttered. "And a shame, I was hoping Porthos would drop him."
"It must be all of six years since we last encountered one another," Bonnaire said as they walked down the stairs. "I think we can safely say that we've all worn quite well."
"The diamonds?" Athos asked, sighing.
"Yes, er, about that, look, can I have your word from one gentleman to another…"
"You, you're not a gentleman," Porthos scoffed.
"No," Bonnaire admitted. "But I am gentle." Ellie slowly turned her head to look at D'Artagnan, raising her eyebrows. "So, from this one gentle man to you four gentlemen – and gorgeous gentle lady," Ellie nearly punched him then and there, "can we guarantee that, upon receipt of the desire information, you're not going to toss me into the streets and…"
Ellie tried not to smile as Porthos threw Bonnaire into the streets, stepping out after him. "You sold them? Course you did."
Athos stepped out and picked Bonnaire up, shoving him up against the wall. Ellie stepped out the way of a passing couple and walked over to the wall of the bridge, leaning against it and glaring at Bonnaire as Athos stood over him. She ignored Aramis reuniting with yet another lost love, never taking her eye off the man in front of her.
"Aramis will ever a woman's name on every page in his memoirs," Ellie muttered to Porthos as Athos called Aramis over.
"The money for the jewels, we'll take that," Athos said, turning back to Bonnaire.
"I would love to give you the money," Bonnaire said and Ellie sighed. "I would, but sadly it is not on my person. My partner has it, alas."
"No." Porthos shook his head. "A dog like you has no friends."
"Yeah, but I didn't say friends, did I?" Bonnaire looked at Porthos. "Did I? I said partner."
Porthos growled and pulled out a dagger, marching over to Bonnaire.
"Porthos!" Athos exclaimed, intercepting the man before he could actually kill Bonnaire. Ellie raised her eyebrows, shaking her head as she moved from behind Porthos and stood next to Aramis, glaring at Bonnaire.
D'Artagnan brushed past Ellie, straightening Bonnaire's ridiculous clothes. "Porthos, we shouldn't upset this man," D'Artagnan said and both Porthos and Athos turned to look at him, frowning. "He is the equivalent of all four of us combined." Bonnaire smiled, making a move forward only for D'Artagnan to shove him back against the tree.
"Thank you for not including me in that," Ellie muttered and D'Artagnan nodded in her direction.
"Take us to the buyers, quickly," Athos ordered, turning to face Bonnaire. "The Queen of England demands it."
Bonnaire froze. "I'm sorry, who?"
Aramis tapped Bonnaire's shoulder, leaning on the tree behind him. "You robbed Louis' sister," he explained.
"No!" Bonnaire exclaimed and Ellie rolled her eyes. She stepped forward and raised her knee, hitting Bonnaire's lower half. The man groaned, bending over to try and shield himself.
"The buyers, now, Bonnaire," Ellie snapped, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him into Athos. "I've got better things to do than this."
The day had gone from wet and miserable to dry and actually rather nice. Ellie had undone her hair, putting her hat on top of her head to keep the sun out of her eyes and had un-buttoned her doublet.
"You look happy," Aramis said as they rode down the path next to the river.
"That would be because I am, Aramis," Ellie said, turning to smile at him. "I'm just happy."
D'Artagnan scoffed. "We're working with Bonnaire, how can you be happy?"
Ellie shrugged, patting her horse's neck. "Reasons." D'Artagnan
and Aramis exchanged a look, the latter shrugging at the silent question.
"Much further to this buyer?" Athos asked from the front of the group.
"Anyways, as I was saying, do you know how long I was in prison for?" Bonnaire asked causing Ellie to groan loudly.
"And he's talking again." She turned to Aramis. "I am no longer happy."
"Five years," Bonnaire continued, despite no one even asking. "I was tortured – they would tie my body to the rack, pull my poor limbs beyond the pale."
"And yet, Bonnaire, you're still the same height," D'Artagnan said. Ellie chuckled and next to her Aramis was smiling at Bonnaire being caught out.
"It just pulls your bones out of your sockets, actually," Bonnaire backtracked. "But…before I made my meticulously planned and daring escape, I suffered every day because you would not heed my pardon. But I would like it to be known –"
"How is he still talking?" Ellie muttered.
"- and give me a moment because I am a touch emotional…I forgive you."
"For what?" Ellie asked, frowning. "We didn't do anything, you did it all by yourself."
"But I still forgive you," Bonnaire continued. "All of you. Despite the many hardships I have had to endure…I find I bear you no ill will."
"Can I shoot him?"
"No, Ellie, you can't."
"Fuck's sake, D'Art, you're no fun."
"That's Lady Francoise there," Bonnaire said, pointing to a very well-dressed woman walking towards the pavilion. "The diamonds I sold her were to be a gift for her darling Serena."
Bonnaire had led them to Lady Francoise's estate; a grand white house set in a backdrop of lush green fields and trees. It was paradise. If you ignored the plantation set right next door to it where Francoise probably got all of her money.
"Right, so what's our plan?" D'Artagnan asked, leaning down so he could look past the tree. Ellie slid to the side slightly, avoiding D'Artagnan's sword as it nearly stabbed her in the leg.
"Well, since you're the one who asked…" Athos said, trailing off. D'Artagnan slowly turned to look at his friend as Athos raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, this is going to be good," Ellie said, smirking as D'Artagnan groaned but walked down the grass to the pavilion where Lady Francoise had disappeared too.
Ellie, knowing nothing was going to happen for at least ten minutes, sat down on the grass, leaning against the tree. She put her hat over her face and settled down for a power nap.
"So, Elizabeth."
Ellie swore quietly, moving her hat back onto her head to glare at Bonnaire who was staring down at her. "What?"
"You've really…flourished since we last saw one another," Bonnaire said. Athos snorted, failing to hide it with a cough and if he hadn't been so far away, Ellie would've punched him.
"Ahuh, it's called aging," Ellie said, pulling her hat back down.
"But you really are a beautiful lady," Bonnaire said and Ellie stood up and in one swoop, pulled her dagger out and held it against Bonnaire's neck.
"Whoa," Aramis said from behind her.
"Elizabeth," Athos warned, but Ellie ignored them.
"Say that one more time, Bonnaire and your fancy clothes won't be so blue," she hissed, pressing the dagger against his throat. "And I'm sure you're rather attached to your life."
Bonnaire swallowed against the dagger. "Yes, I am. And I am sorry. I did not mean any offence."
Ellie rolled her eyes as Aramis put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her away. "Whatever, Bonnaire." She sheathed her dagger and walked over to the tree furthest away from Bonnaire, sitting down and pulling dagger out, twirling it between her fingers, glaring at Bonnaire the entire time.
"Can you, can you make her stop doing that?" Bonnaire asked Athos, staring at Ellie nervously.
"I could," Athos said, leaning against the tree. "But then I'd ended up with my throat silt and, like you, I'm rather attached to my life."
Bonnaire flinched as Ellie threw her dagger into the tree in front of her. Luckily for all four of them, D'Artagnan emerged from pavilion, gesturing for them to follow him.
"He has perfect timing," Aramis muttered to Porthos as they followed D'Artagnan, Athos hovering next to Ellie in case she tried to murder Bonnaire again. D'Artagnan chucked a bunch of ropes at Bonnaire, the man barely catching them in time.
"So, who's Serena?" Athos asked as they caught up with D'Artagnan.
"D'Artagnan shook his head, leading them behind the pavilion and into a field. "That is Serena," he said, pointing to the white horse stood in the field.
Ellie burst out laughing, surprising nearly everyone. "Oh, please tell me you got slapped." D'Artagnan sighed. "Oh my god, you did. Oh, this is hilarious."
"Is she ok?" Bonnaire asked Athos quietly.
Athos sighed, pinching his nose. "Honestly, I've no idea."
D'Artagnan cleared his throat and gave Athos an expression. "May I continue?" Athos nodded. "Thank you. The diamonds have been woven into her tail."
"Unbelievable," Porthos muttered. "Labourers toiling in that field and in this one, a horse wears diamonds!"
"Oh, what it is to have money," Ellie added.
Aramis hummed in agreement. "And they wonder why civil war looms in England."
"Stay here," Athos said, confidently walking up to Serena. "This won't take long."
"This is going to be good," Ellie whispered to D'Artagnan, smirking as Serena whinnied and raised a hoof at Athos, startling the man and forcing him back. "Rope," Athos said, holding out his hand. Bonnaire handed it to him, watching as he tried again.
As Aramis, Porthos and Athos tried to get the rope around Serena, Ellie sat down in the grass, D'Artagnan standing next to her, both of them watching, highly amused.
"Do we tell them?" Ellie asked, giggling as Aramis barely avoided being clipped by Serena.
"Nah," D'Artagnan replied, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "This is too good."
"D'Artagnan, Ellie, fancy helping us out?" Porthos snapped and the two of them shrugged.
The chaos continued for another five minutes, none of them getting any closer to actually putting the rope on Serena. At one point Aramis angrily chucked his jacket on the floor as Porthos and Bonnaire ran into each other trying to avoid being hit by Serena's hooves.
After ten more minutes, Aramis came over to the tree where D'Artagnan and Ellie were sat, picking up his water bottle and taking a long sip from it. Athos joined him a moment later, panting heavily.
"Aramis…" Athos panted, "shoot the horse."
"Serena?" Athos nodded but Aramis shook his head. "No, I'm not shooting a horse, Athos."
Athos sighed, pulling his own gun out, clicking the safety off and aiming it at Serena.
"Athos," Aramis sighed, shaking his head.
"Wait," D'Artagnan called, pulling Ellie to her feet and walking over to Athos. "Give me the rope." Athos begrudgingly handed the rope to D'Artagnan, glaring at him as he passed.
"Can't believe you were going to shoot a horse, Athos," Ellie tutted as she passed, narrowly dodging the punch on the arm he was going to give her.
"Be careful," Athos called as D'Artagnan approached the horse.
"Trust me, I used to be a farmer," D'Artagnan said. He gently hit Serena with the rope, causing her to bend her leg down. When her head was lowered, he simply threw the rope over her head, successfully catching her.
Ellie glanced over her shoulder and laughed at the bewildered expressions behind her. She pulled out an apple and gave it to Serena, patting the horse on the neck. Then, D'Artagnan and her bowed down, Ellie smirking slightly.
"You could have done that before," Aramis said.
"Well, of course, but where's the fun in that?" D'Artagnan replied, shrugging as he rubbed Serena's nose lovingly.
"Bonnaire, grab the diamonds," Athos said, evidently done with the horse and Bonnaire.
"Me? Er, no," Bonnaire said, shaking his head.
"Well, aren't you the fearless highwayman?" Aramis said, stroking Bonnaire's ego.
"Yes, yes, I suppose I am," Bonnaire said. He threw the rope down on the ground and walked up to Porthos. "Pass me a blade," he faltered as Porthos just shook his head, "someone." He moved on to Aramis who handed him his sword. "Yes, I suppose the horses tail will just grow back, won't it."
"Your head won't if you try anything," Porthos countered and Ellie giggled to herself.
It was physically painful to watch Bonnaire try and cut the braid from Serena's tail. Ellie gave up waiting and walked over to Aramis, grabbing the water from him as Bonnaire finally cut it off and chucked the braid to D'Artagnan.
"Come on, give it back," Porthos said as Bonnaire swung Aramis sword about. Bonnaire reluctantly handed it over and Porthos then slapped him in the face. Ellie choked on the water, nearly spitting it out as Porthos walked over with a shit – eating grin on his face.
"How long do you think I'd have to serve to buy Constance just one of these?" D'Artagnan asked, looking at the diamond fondly.
"Well, there are other ways to keep a woman content, aren't there?" Aramis asked
"You can say that again," Ellie muttered, taking her hat off and running a hand through her hair. She stopped, staring at the three men who were staring at her. "What?"
Luckily, Porthos came over before anyone said anything. He snatched the braid out of D'Artagnan's hand, ripping a diamond out of it before handing it back to him.
"Erm, Porthos?" Athos asked, frowning as his friend threw the diamond into the field next door.
"They'll find that and put it to better use," he explained, and Ellie shrugged.
"Alright then," she said, clapping her hands. "We done?"
"No," Athos said, grabbing her shirt and pulling her back. "We've got more to find, come on."
Ellie groaned as she sulked back to her horse. D'Artagnan put an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the horses.
"Got plans?" He asked, glancing down at her with a teasing expression.
"Oh, shut up," Ellie snapped, elbowing him in the side.
A/N: hello. rather typical of me to update this in the middle of a pandemic. but seeing as i've got a lot of spare time now (haven't we all?) i'm going to aim to finish this...soon...