The next dawned far too soon for Ellie's liking. She blearily opened her eyes and groaned, burying her head in her pillow again. Somewhere above her there were birds tweeting and Ellie wished she could just shoot them.
Ellie gave herself another minute before she dramatically flung her blanket off her and stood up, her legs cracking as she stretched. Everyone else was already up, their beds made neatly. Ellie grabbed a chunk of bread from her bag and munched on it as she trudged out of the hut they'd slept in and out into the village.
"Ellie!"
Jane waved at her from the little herb garden she was tending to, a broad smile on her face. Ellie waved back; all morning grumpiness gone.
"Good morning," Ellie greeted, approaching Jane as she carefully watered the herbs. "You're not about to put more flowers in my hair, are you?"
Jane giggled, shaking her head. "No, don't be silly, I know you've got a job to do today! Besides, the braiding was more fun."
Ellie hummed as the wind blew her hair into her face. She looked at Jane and smirked to herself. "I don't suppose you've got time to do my hair for me?"
Jane's head shot up and Ellie giggled. "What, now?"
"Well, it is annoying me," Ellie said, brushing it back, "and I am meant to be doing some actual work today."
Jane all but pounced on her.
~ 0 ~
Ellie, with Jane's help, managed to find her way to where Aramis and Athos were sitting. She waved farewell to the young girl, smiling fondly as she waved back.
"Don't even think about it," Ellie said, turning to glare at Aramis as she munched on a peach.
"I didn't even say anything!" Aramis exclaimed, raising his hands up.
"You were thinking it," Ellie muttered, taking another bit.
"Thinking what?"
"Oh, she'd make a great mother, look at her!" Ellie said loudly, doing her best Aramis impression. Athos snickered quietly and Ellie glanced over at him with a smile. "I'm never having children, ever, they annoy me"
"She doesn't annoy you," Aramis pointed out.
"Because I was only with her for approximately half an hour, any longer and I'd be ushering her off to someone else!"
Athos chuckled quietly behind her as Aramis rolled his eyes. Ellie paused and found herself smiling as she turned away from him.
"He's a deserter," D'Artagnan announced suddenly as he joined them.
"Who is what?" Ellie frowned, turning to face him.
"Bastien. A deserter," D'Artagnan explained, unfolding the jacket he was holding. "I found this hidden in his things." He handed it to Porthos, pointing at the design. "Same regimental uniform as the men we saw last night."
"He's working with the looters," Porthos summarised, anger beneath his words.
"Last night," said Aramis, "when they ran, they left empty – handed. They took no food, no blankets, nothing. Maybe they came looking for something else."
"What, Grimaud?" Porthos asked, frowning.
"No, they were desperate," Ellie replied. "Besides, if they were with Grimaud, surely they'd know where he was?"
"I agree," Aramis added, nodding, "I think they're looking for something they need."
"We split up," Athos said suddenly, standing up with a grunt. "D'Artagnan and I continue the search for Grimaud. You three deal with Bastien."
Athos stood up and walked off before anyone could voice their objection plan.
Ellie stepped closer to Aramis as D'Artagnan begrudgingly followed Athos. "Is that wise?" She asked Aramis quietly.
"No," Aramis replied quietly. He sighed. "But is he going to listen?"
"No," Ellie admitted, huffing. "Alright, let's go find Juliette, then."
The three of them wandered around the village, asking almost everyone if they'd seen Juliette. All of them had pointed them in the direction of the hut they'd been in last night.
They'd just turned the corner when Bastien had burst from the hut, Juliette chasing after him.
She glanced over at them, yelling, "Stop him!" before continuing her chase.
Ellie groaned as she sprinted after Bastien, ducking behind the large rock next to her when a gun shot came from above them. In the seconds it took them to reload, they crept further up the path, ducking behind another set of rocks as more gun shots came towards them.
Ellie quickly pulled her pistol out and began loading it, ducking her head down as a bullet hit the rock behind her.
"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed, looking at the dent in the rock where her head had been seconds before.
"Bastien's a deserter," Aramis said to Juliette as they waited for the looters to run out of bullets. "They're looking for something. Do you know what it could be?"
"We just want what is ours!" Bastien yelled from his side.
Aramis glanced down at Juliette, quickly realising that she knew exactly what they were looking for.
"Put the weapons down!" Porthos yelled back. "Then we can talk."
"Alright!" Bastien yelled back, the silence that followed indicating they were actually doing it.
There was a sudden yell of pain and Ellie's head shot over to see Elodie hiding in the bush, bow and arrow aimed at the men who were about to shoot Porthos from behind. Another yell and Ellie followed the whoosh of an arrow to another woman. This one stood above them, bow and arrow also aimed at the men below them.
"It's a trap!" Bastien yelled as more women revealed themselves through the foliage.
More bullets began flying through the air and Ellie quickly turned so that she was kneeling on the ground. She stood up, firing at one of the men below, the thud that accompanied his fall telling her she'd succeeded.
She glanced over at Elodie, frowning when she saw D'Artagnan suddenly standing there, pistols drawn and a man at his feet.
"Fall back!" Bastien yelled as his men fell all around him, arrows and bullets protruding from them. "Fall back!" Ellie got a glimpse of Bastien and the remaining men as they darted away. "We'll be back to take what is ours!" Bastien yelled, his final remark before he vanished.
Aramis glanced down at Juliette, her expression telling him that she'd known, all along, what the looters were looking for. He sighed as he leant back against the rock, clicking the safety back on his pistol.
"So," Ellie began, looking at the looter on the ground in front of her. "What are we going to do with him?"
~ 0 ~
Porthos unceremoniously threw the man onto the ground, the women gathering around behind them to watch on. He groaned as he quickly scrambled away, looking up at the four of them. He squinted against the sun, hands shaking as Porthos slowly approached him.
"Are you working for Grimaud?" Porthos asked, leaning over the man.
The man frowned. "Who?"
"You heard me."
"I don't know what you're talking about," the man said, shaking his head and scooting back a little more.
"We saw you running away last night," Aramis said, crouching down, "from the woman you just murdered."
D'Artagnan looked over at the man. "What were you after?" He asked, crossing his arms.
The man looked down and said nothing.
"Put him in a room with Porthos," Aramis grumbled, standing up and walking away. "Ten Minutes."
"Five would be enough," Porthos replied, cracking his knuckles.
"Stop it," Ellie warned, crossing her arms and looking at the man. "He'll talk."
"It's loot, isn't it?" D'Artagnan asked, walking forward and crouching down so that he was eye level with the man. "Isn't it? Stashed somewhere. What is it? Hmm? Gold?"
The man remained silent.
"You're the King's soldiers!" Aramis yelled, storming forward. "You've killed women for this?!" D'Artagnan and Porthos pushed Aramis back and the man growled. "You should be ashamed of yourself."
"It weren't me that killed her!" The man exclaimed suddenly. "She shouldn't have died." He hung his head and groaned. "It's not what we…it's not what we said. I might be a thief, but I'm no woman – killer! I don't know what I expected from a bunch of murderers and rapists."
D'Artagnan frowned, turning back to look at the man. "You're convicts?"
The man nodded. "The army said we'd be spared the noose if we'd fight." He scoffed. "As if we had a choice in the matter! I'd rather have swung than all this! They didn't want soldiers. They just wanted meat to throw at the enemy's pistols. We've seen things you wouldn't believe men could do to other men."
"Oh, believe me," Porthos said, looking down at him, "we would."
"So, you fled?" D'Artagnan asked, steering the conversation back.
"We wanted to run for the border, but Bastien made us come back for the gold. He said it was our only way out. And now we've got nothing else to show for four bastard years of war!" The man exclaimed, throwing his hands up.
D'Artagnan's eyes narrowed. "But you don't remember where you stashed it?"
"Yeah, we remember," he said, sighing. "In the caves. But it'd gone!" His shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Whatever you do to me, they'll be back. They will not leave until they find it."
D'Artagnan turned away and walked up to Aramis and Ellie, glancing back at the man.
"They're broken," Aramis said quietly. "Low on ammunition. We can take them."
"Most dangerous kind of enemy – one who's got nothing left to lose," Porthos replied.
"They're willing to die for this loot," Ellie pointed out.
All of them turned to look at the top of the hill as Athos horse came in view, evidently startled and without a rider.
Porthos and Aramis glanced at each other before they took off up the hill, towards Athos' horse.
Ellie gnawed her lip, glancing down at the man for a second before looking back up at the hill.
~ 0 ~
You never realise just how big a forest was until you either get lost in one or are looking for someone inside it.
Ellie was currently cursing just how large this forest was.
It'd only been twenty minutes, but she already felt like she'd walked past the same tree stump three different times. Every tree was the same colour and size and each side path only led her to be even more confused.
She was hiding her concern for Athos with frustration at the forest, but she was struggling. Because Grimaud had nearly killed Athos once and he'd only survived because Sylvie had shot the man.
But alone, in a forest, already injured?
Ellie shook her head, increasing her pace slightly as she realised, she was at the back of the group.
A twig snapped from the bushes up ahead and Athos suddenly appeared. He stumbled forward before falling to the ground, groaning.
"Athos!" Aramis yelled, running towards his fallen friend.
Ellie quickly followed, skidding to a halt next to him as D'Artagnan knelt down next to her.
"It was Therese," Athos said weakly as D'Artagnan lifted his head up. "She fled."
~ 0 ~
Ellie's knee bounced up and down as she sat on a rock, hands shaking slightly. She was trying not to listen to Athos as he groaned in pain, instead trying to block it out.
Poison.
He'd been poisoned.
If he wasn't already injured it might not have been as bad. But the truth was, he was already weak and trying to heal.
She lowered her head as another groan came from the cave, burying her hands in her hair as she tried not to think.
They still hadn't spoken properly after their argument earlier.
D'Artagnan silently sat down next to her, his knee brushing hers. Ellie closed her eyes as another anguished groan reached them and she dug her nails into her scalp.
D'Artagnan put his hand on Ellie's knee, rubbing it gently as she leant into him.
None of them slept that night.
Ellie had caught herself dozing off on D'Artagnan's shoulder but forced herself to stay awake. It felt like one of the longest nights she'd ever experienced but suddenly the sun was rising and the fires around them were being extinguished.
Elodie emerged from the cave and all four of them jumped up, looking at her expectantly.
She smiled. "He's still very weak."
Ellie immediately felt all the worry inside her melt away and she sighed quietly, running a hand down her face.
Athos was sitting up, looking exhausted, but he still smiled at them all as they walked in. Ellie hung back from them all as Aramis sat down next to Athos. Porthos knelt down and put a hand on Athos' neck, pressing his forehead to his.
D'Artagnan stepped forward as Porthos moved away, pressing a kiss to Athos' cheek as he hugged him.
Ellie locked eyes with Athos and gave him a small smile.
Athos smiled back, gesturing for her to come down.
Ellie stepped down the remaining stairs and crouched down in front of him, hugging him tightly as he kissed her cheek
"You had bad dreams," Aramis said quietly. "About Grimaud."
Athos sighed softly. "I learnt things from Theresa about what happened to him and his mother. She played us for fools – kept us here while he got as far away as possible. He could be in Lorraine by now."
"Oh," Aramis said, giving Athos a smirk, "You dreamt of Sylvie too."
Porthos chuckled as Athos stood up, glaring at Aramis.
Ellie followed as they walked out of the cave, D'Artagnan hovering behind Athos in case he fell over.
"Elle, come here," Athos said quietly, waving her over.
Ellie walked over as he began putting his uniform back on, wincing slightly. "Need a hand?" Ellie asked softly as he struggled to buckle up his doublet
Athos relented and Ellie stepped forward, nimbly buttoning it up.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Ellie said quietly. "I was scared because of what happened last time."
Athos' hand laid on top of Ellie's. "I understand," he replied, squeezing her hand. "Truly. I'm sorry too, it wasn't my place. No more secrets for now, ok?"
Ellie smiled, nodding. "No more secrets."
Aramis ran back into the cave, interrupting their conversation. "Juliette's been taken."
~ 0 ~
"Make the exchange down by the smithy, we'll cover up here," Athos said as he loaded up his pistol.
"We lose control of this, he'll kill everyone, including the children," Aramis said softly.
Athos turned his head and looked over at where the older women and children were gathered.
"Then we won't lose control," Ellie said simply, clicking the safety off her pistol and giving Aramis a determined look.
Porthos staggered up the hill, dropping the strongbox on the ground with a huff. He turned to face Elodie. "I'll be right here with you," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded at him and Porthos turned to face Athos. "Aright, what are we going to do with him?" He asked, nodding to where the looter was sitting.
Aramis held out a pistol to D'Artagnan as he passed. D'Artagnan approached the looter, pointing the pistol at him. "Your friends have taken Juliette." He turned the pistol away. "We haven't got long."
"Go on, then," the looter said. "Get it over with. I've had enough of waiting to die."
D'Artagnan crouched down in front of him. "We're all afraid of dying," he said softly. "The trick is just to find something worth dying for."
"It's too late for that," he said sadly, shaking his head.
"I saw you before, with Elodie," D'Artagnan said, pointing. "You could have killed her, but you didn't. "
Elodie walked forward. "If we give you this weapon, will you fight with us?"
The looter nodded, shaking with relief as he relaxed. D'Artagnan handed him the pistol and stood back up, giving Ellie a smug look.
Porthos walked over and held out a hand and pulling him to his feet. "Try anything, you're going to find out I'm not as nice as her."
"Yeah," the looter said, nodding.
The looter followed Elodie as she walked away, and Ellie walked up to D'Artagnan and Porthos.
"'We're all afraid of dying'?" Porthos repeated, frowning.
"I've heard people say it," D'Artagnan replied, shrugging.
"Yeah, in romance novels," Ellie muttered, shaking her head.
Aramis approached the group of children and older women Elodie was talking to. "I want you all to listen to Elodie," he said. "Do exactly what she says." He turned to face Elodie. "Get them all into the caves. Block the entrances." He gave the group a smile. "We know what we're doing."
"So, do we," Elodie replied, smiling.
Ellie walked up to her. "So, are you going to tell me what your secret plan is?"
~ 0 ~
Bastien stood on the hills above the camp, eyeing Aramis carefully as he carried the strongbox over to the meeting point.
Ellie was hidden behind a large tree, pistol rasied ready to fire, clear view of Jane who was waiting to give the signal.
"Weapons on the ground," Bastien called as Aramis dropped the strongbox on the ground.
Aramis stood back up, slowly turning around, to show that he had no weapons on him.
"Hands where we can see them," Bastien called again. Aramis sighed and raised his hands up, looking up at Juliette.
One of the looters came down the hill, pistol pointed at Aramis. He stopped slightly in front of the strongbox and put his pistol away.
Jane whistled loudly.
The hidden rope on the ground tied itself around the looters foot and yanked him to the side before he could comprehend what was happening.
Another whistle and the bridge the rest of Bastien's men were standing on collapsed underneath them.
Soon, bullets were flying around.
Ellie jumped out of her hiding place and fired back, throwing her pistol to the side as soon as it was spent.
The looters didn't have much ammunition and quickly went through it all.
Seeing them running down the hill, Ellie threw her pistols away and drew her sword, running to meet an attack.
She blocked it effortlessly, the metal sparking as it met. Ellie pushed him back and sliced down, making quick work of him.
Seeing another one turn his attention to her, Ellie ran up the hill, leading him away from the strongbox and towards the complex maze of rocks. She weaved between them, jumping over the hidden booby traps and roots.
All around her, the women were setting off the traps as the looters ran over them, burying them in nets and then jumping on them and beating them up.
Ellie barely dodged a dagger being thrown at her and she lost her balance, wobbling dangerously on the edge of a rock. She didn't see the looter above her.
He jumped down, tackling her off the rock and onto the leave covered ground below. Her sword flew from her gasp and Ellie lay there, winded.
Seeing the man standing up and running at her with his sword, Ellie rolled to the side, barely dodging his attack.
Ellie tried to scrambled towards her sword, but the looter pined her down to the ground, holding her back. She kicked his legs and using his yelp of pain as a distraction, rolled away. The looter tried to stab her, but she rolled away again, his sword slicing along her temple and down her face.
Ellie couldn't get up as the looter threw himself on top of her, raising his sword up high.
He fell back as a gunshot echoed behind her.
Ellie turned and looked at Athos as he lowered his pistol and ran towards her. He knelt down in front of her and pulled her to her feet, his eyes landing on the cut reaching down her face.
"You alright?" He asked quietly, titling her head so he could see it.
"Never better," she replied, smiling. She stood up, dusting the leaves off her doublet.
As she looked around, she spotted another of Bastien's men heading towards the loot. She gave Athos a wink and quickly vaulted up the rocks, climbing up them with ease.
"I forget she was in a circus," D'Artagnan said as he stood next to Athos, watching Ellie weave between trees and jumping over rocks.
Athos shook his head. "She has no concern for her own safety," he muttered.
"Well, neither do any of us," D'Artagnan replied, smirking at Athos as he ran off again.
~ 0 ~
Ellie chased the man through the trees, all the way back to the camp entrance. He tried to slow her down by knocking over tables and benches but Ellie jumped over each obstacle effortlessly.
As far as everyone else was aware, the rest of the looters had given up and surrendered and they were all dragging them back to the clearing so that Aramis and D'Artagnan could tie them up.
The looter, still determined to find something, barged past the women who were watching, and ran down the hill.
Aramis, Athos and D'Artagnan all looked up at the yells of surprise as the man came charging down the hill towards them.
The three of them drew their swords as the man spotted them, skidding to a halt. He glanced behind him as Ellie sprinted towards him, and dived to the left, jumping over the roof below him and towards the fallen bridge.
D'Artagnan and Aramis made to go after him but stopped as Ellie flew past them, still intent on catching the looter.
She ran up the hill after him and tackled him to the ground, the two of them rolling back down the hill they'd just run up as he tried to fight her off.
Ellie managed to get on top of him and straddled him as she pulled out her dagger, pressing it to his neck.
Aramis and Athos ran up to her, both staring at her in concern as she panted.
She looked up at them with a smile, ignoring the still bleeding cut on her face, the leaves in her hair and the cut lip she's gained. "I caught him!"
~ 0 ~
"I think that was the most dramatic take down I've ever seen," Aramis muttered as he cleaned the cut on Ellie's cheek. "Did you have to tackle him?"
"No, but where's the fun in that?" She asked, trying not to smile as Aramis rolled his eyes.
"You got blown up and buried by a building two days ago, yet you still felt the need to be dramatic," Aramis replied, shaking his head. "You were jumping off those rocks as if you were immortal!"
Ellie shrugged, leaning back as Aramis finished cleaning. "Aramis, I jumped of platforms thirty feet in the air when I was at the circus, that was nothing."
"Yes, I thought that might've had something to do with your ability to dodge trees and jump of rocks like a madwoman," Athos replied dryly, joining them.
"I have no regard for my personal safety," Ellie told him, chuckling. "Jumped off the garrison balcony at one point and almost gave Constance a heart attack."
Athos sighed, closing his eyes. "I wish you hadn't told me that," he muttered, shaking his head.
Ellie smiled, gasping suddenly. "Did Elodie give birth?"
Aramis and Athos turned to look as Porthos and Elodie walked up from the bottom of the hill.
Aramis smiled. "Yeah, Porthos helped her." He lowered his voice. "I do think he may be smitten."
Ellie laughed. "I honestly don't know what you're on about, Aramis," Ellie replied, watching as Porthos held Elodie's baby, a fond look on his face.
"Now, what's this about you jumping off balcony's?" Aramis asked, turning back to stare at Ellie as she giggled to herself.
~ 0 ~
Bringing the prisoner's back to Paris with them brought the mood down significantly.
Ellie had wanted to talk to them about her marriage and explain everything, but she didn't think she was going to get the chance.
She'd been silent ever since they'd left the village, keeping to the front of the group and just riding in a daydream.
"Alright," Aramis called as he rode next to her. "What's wrong?"
Ellie jumped slightly, looking at him. "Hmm?"
"What's wrong? Because you haven't said a word since we left and that was an hour and a half ago," Aramis replied, his eyes looking at her in concern.
Ellie sighed, playing with the reins. "I just…are you mad that I got married without you lot there?"
Porthos was the first one to answer. "No. Because you were living your life, Ellie. You were doing what made you happy – you didn't know if we were coming back."
"Do I wish I'd been there? Absolutely," Aramis said. "But I'm not mad, Ellie."
"Nor am I," D'Artagnan added, smiling.
"I do, however, wish Brujon has asked us, but apart from that," Athos said, smiling softly.
"He was going to write to you," Ellie told them. "He quickly realised that since you had no idea who he was it would be a bit weird. So, you're ok with it?" She asked quietly, turning in her saddle to look at them.
"More than ok," Aramis answered, giving her a reassuring smile.
"Still miffed about him not asking, however," D'Artagnan muttered.
"Spur of the moment," she replied, "I sort of proposed first. He did ask your wife, though, D'Artagnan.
"He did?!" D'Artagnan exclaimed. "Wait, Constance knew?!"
"Constance was there!" Ellie yelled, throwing her hands up. "I did tell you that! Treville walked me down the aisle and Clairmont was in charge of the rings."
"Treville knew too!" Aramis shook his head. "I'm offended."
"Oh, god, do I need to warn Brujon about an interrogation?" Ellie asked, recognising the glint in Aramis' eyes.
"Probably," Aramis replied, smirking.
Porthos nodded, puffing his chest out slightly. "He's got us for brothers now."
"Oh god," Ellie muttered, feeling an embarrassed heat work its way up her cheeks. "What did I do?"