What Love Is Worth, Ch. 10

The Ball was two days away. Athos, Porthos and D'Artagnan would be arriving the next day. Christine's mind was in turmoil.

Being with Aramis was as natural as breathing and was better than even the best Christmas morning. She wanted to end the charade and give in to what her heart demanded of her, what it knew to be true…

…but again that voice – that scared voice – reminded her of the duty she owed her people.

She entered the kitchen where her staff – her family – sat with Aramis. John smoked his pipe as his men cleaned their bowls with hunks of fresh bread. Marie and some of the other maids sat darning. Claudine and Thomas were stretched on the floor by the fire, Thomas petting a very content cat named Hugo. She smiled warmly at them all, shaking her head when Cookie gestured to a bowl of food. She wasn't hungry.

Her eyes kept straying to the happy face of the marksman as he spoke to John.

"Aramis," called Claudine as she rose and settled herself in the lap of her mother, "Can you tell us a story?" This got the attention of all the occupants of the room.

With a soft chuckle Aramis grinned at his audience. "Have I told you the one about the Princess and the Trolls?" he said, looking pointedly at Christine.

Claudine, Thomas and Marcus shook their heads. Everyone else smiled and leaned closer.

"Once upon a time, there was a very handsome knight," he said and grinned at Christine before focusing on his audience. "This knight was brave and had a real love for adventure, riding across the lands to vanquish monsters and slay dragons with his brother knights. On the other side of the country lived the most beautiful princess in all the world. But she was more than just beautiful," Aramis said, as he looked again at Christine. "She was brave and clever but more than that, she was kind. She had the biggest heart of any person who dwelt in the land. One day, as the knight was wandering alone on his travels, admiring the beauty of the woods, he was suddenly set upon by two hideous trolls!"

Claudine gasped; Marcus and Thomas grinned.

"The trolls captured the knight and tied him to a tree and immediately began debating as to how they would eat him. 'Let's boil him in a stew!' said one. 'No,' insisted the other, 'Knights are best roasted on a spit!'" he said, as more and more of the adults grinned as they too fell under the spell of the marksman.

"The two trolls continued to bicker so loudly that the brave and beautiful princess was drawn to the ruckus. 'What on earth is going on here?' she scolded grasping each troll by the ear. 'How dare you capture this poor knight. And you are to eat him? There's hardly enough meat on the man to feed you both! Shame on you!' she cried." Cookie chuckled softly.

"'We're just so hungry!' cried the trolls as they rubbed at their sore ears and empty bellies. 'Well," said the princess, 'If you will let this knight go, I will teach you how to make the greatest chocolate cake in the land!' she declared. The troll brothers looked at each other, then, scratching their heads, as trolls are want to do when deep in thought, they nodded. They cut free the knight and the princess gave them her secret recipe for chocolate cake. The trolls got to work and soon, they were such good bakers that people came from far and wide to sample their wares. They quickly grew very rich and were so overjoyed that they decided to share their wealth with all the poor they could find in the land, ensuring that no one would ever go hungry again. They were such good trolls and their deeds and their cake was so good that, as if by magic, they were trolls no longer! They had somehow both turned into handsome men! For you see," Aramis paused dramatically to emphasize the moral of his story, "True beauty lies in good deeds and helping others, and even a troll can be beautiful if his heart is good. The silly, but still very handsome knight was so amazed by the goodness of the beautiful princess that he fell in love with her immediately when she had saved him, and spent the rest of his life as her most dedicated servant," he finished.

The crowd clapped their appreciation as Aramis grinned about the room.

"But what of the princess?" Thomas asked, "Did she love the knight as well?"

Aramis paused and said sadly, "I don't know Thomas. That may need to be a story for another day."

The children groaned as their parents and Marcel stood and ushered them off to bed, and Christine slipped out the kitchen door.

oOo

Aramis had seen her slip out as his story ended. He found her in the gardens sitting at a bench and looking up at the star-filled sky.

"Christine?" he called to her quietly.

"Sorry," she said rising and turning to face him. The torches had been lit in the garden and her face glowed in their light. "My mother always told me that should I ever need her, I should whisper to the stars and she would hear me," she said.

Aramis smiled, "My mother used to tell me something similar," he said sincerely.

She smiled at him in the cool night air.

"I liked your fairytale," she said to him softly.

"It was all true," Aramis protested as he smiled broadly at her.

"I am no princess," she laughed.

"No," he said thoughtfully, "But in my eyes, you are the best and most beautiful creature ever made and I have been in love with you since that day you saved me in the marketplace," he said, as he pulled her chilled hands to his chest, "And I swear to you, that I will love you and only you until long after this life has left me," he said, staring deeply into her opal eyes.

"Aramis," she whispered, "Will you let me do something?"

"Anything," he muttered as her body pressed against his. "I am yours completely."

She cautiously lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair. He dared not breathe.

Staring into the dark eyes that sparkled like ebony in the dim light, she pulled him close and kissed him, softly. Then she kissed him again. Her hand grasped his collar and she pulled him closer as they kissed each other in the herb garden, giving in to their desire under the starlight.

oOo

He greeted her with a smile from the stables as she dismounted her horse the next day.

Marcel had taken the boys for a hack through the woods to exercise the other horses. Aramis led Pegasus into his stall as Christine brushed the stallion's neck.

"Is everything prepared?" he asked her as he removed the saddle from the horse's back.

"Just about," she said. "Just waiting on the arrival of our guests…which should be soon."

Aramis nodded. "About last night," he began.

"Yes," she said, "It seems you are down to your last kiss."

"Actually," said Aramis as he stopped her hand from brushing down her horse, "I believe technically, it was you who kissed me last night," he said with an eyebrow raised and a roguish grin on his face.

She smirked and turning to face him, said, "Very well. I'll take responsibility for my actions yesterday. I wouldn't want you to feel like you wasted a kiss," she said, the challenge in her eyes once more – that look that drove him crazy.

"A kiss from you is never wasted," he said as he reached up to cup her face. As if on cue Pegasus shuffled and knocked the Comtesse off balance so she fell into the medic's chest against the side of the stall. They were caught off guard, breathing heavily, staring into each other's eyes.

Aramis couldn't help it – he kissed her passionately, unable to control himself. She met his passion with a fire of her own as she pressed into him against the stall's railing. He kissed her neck and she tangled her fingers in his hair. He turned and lifted her onto the stall railing, covering her neck and chest with his lips as he undid the hooks of her bodice and she whimpered softly.

"Mistress! Mistress! Christine! Aramis!" called two small voices.

Aramis and Christine froze. He hastily lowered her to the ground as she struggled to straighten her bodice.

"Aramis! Christine!" called Claudine as she burst into the stables, Thomas at her heels. "What are you doing? Why are you so flushed?" she asked innocently.

"Ah…there was a spider," lied Aramis.

"Yes," said Christine, "On my bodice."

"Yes," said Aramis, "And I was trying to…chase it off…"

The children looked at them sceptically.

"Why were the two of you bellowing like steers?" Christine asked as she adjusted her dress, changing the subject.

"There are riders on the road!" cried Claudine excitedly.

"Three," said Thomas. "They're already at the bridge."

"Well we should go and greet them," Aramis said as he grinned at Christine, his fire and desire for what had almost happened was as present in her eyes as his. He pushed the kids in front of him and turned to look quickly back at Christine.

"One now. This was definitely worth it," he said before he exited through the door. She blushed deeply and beamed before following him out of the stables.

Aramis walked ahead with Claudine perched on his shoulder and Thomas trotting at his side. He lowered the girl as the children ran towards the manor's main doors where the riders were waiting. Aramis straightened and looked back over his shoulder as Christine followed behind. He held out his hand to her, which she took laughing, her eyes beaming with the love her mind would not allow her to own.

The musketeers at the front doors watched this scene unfold as Aramis wrapped their clasped hands around her so she was pulled into his side. He said something to her that they could not hear and she laughed, leaning in closer to whisper something into his ear, her free hand pressed casually against his chest. Porthos, Athos and D'Artagnan all exchanged a look. Could things have worked out? Could the world be the beautiful bright place it was when these two were together?

She pulled away from the medic as they approached the group.

"Welcome to my home, brothers," she said warmly and embraced them all. "Welcome back," she said as she stood with her arms around Athos. "You must be hungry. I'll tell Cookie you've arrived so we can eat once you're settled. Aramis, can you help with the horses?" she said as she bustled inside.

"This way gentlemen," said Aramis with a grin as he turned and made his way back the way he had come.

The three exchanged glances and followed behind their fourth.

Aramis stood quietly as they settled their horses, his eyes straying to the stall rail with elation.

"I would ask you how your stay has been, but I for one am still savouring the quiet of your absence these last two weeks," drawled Athos, startling Aramis from his recollection.

Aramis grinned. "I've missed you too, brother."

"Seriously Aramis," said D'Artagnan, "How are you? You're unrecognizable from the wraith that haunted the infirmary two weeks ago."

"Ya," said Porthos, grinning widely. "Looks like the two of you managed to patch things up perfectly!"

Aramis' smile faltered slightly, "No," he said. "Not quite. She said that she'll give me her answer tomorrow. After the ball."

The group's elation dampened a bit at those words until Athos said, "How has your stay been? Have you enjoyed your time here?"

"This place is magical," Aramis gushed. "The people, the villagers, are all so welcoming. The orchard, the forest, the lake. Honestly brothers, I've only felt at home like this twice before, and the other times were with my mother and with you at the garrison."

"Yes," said Athos. "I remember feeling that way as a child."

Aramis shook his head. "That's not it," Aramis said. "Home isn't a place. It's people. It's her."

Athos smiled at his brother and the marksman returned it.

"Come," he said. "Cookie has been looking forward to you coming back since I arrived here, Athos. She's prepared all your favourite foods. Every one. And as I have been instructed, you should never keep a lady waiting!" he said grinning and led the others towards the house. Athos smiled as he recalled the wise words of Marcel from his own youth and followed.

oOo