I got the next chapter done a lot earlier than I thought I would. Enjoy! And thanks so much for reading, reviewing, following, etc.

Porthos was not happy about being sent out, wanting to be with his brother. When they had finished the tasks Athos has asked them to do, he was still fuming.

D'Artagnan, seeing more clearly what Athos was trying to do, attempted to calm his brother down. "Athos is our brother, Porthos. You know he cares about Aramis as much as we do. Why are you so upset?"

"I've just seen him and Aramis talking sometimes, and stopping when I came along. What are they hiding? Now, he wants to talk to Aramis alone? Secrets again. I don't like it."

"He just figured Aramis wasn't reacting well to all of us being there, that's all," d'Artagnan responded. "You were upset that we had to restrain Aramis like that. And you're worried sick about Aramis, and frustrated that we have to be holed up here instead of getting him back to Paris. But we all are feeling upset about it, Porthos. Athos is just trying something to help Aramis. Let's let him do it."

But Porthos hung back. "How could he be afraid of us? We're his see that naked fear in his eyes. Seeing him shrink back when I touched him. I just wanted to reassure him, comfort him."

"He's not himself yet, Porthos. He has been through so much. I can't even imagine being locked in that black pit, and being forced to think he won't ever get out, that he would slowly die there. I don't know how I would have reacted. And then, to suddenly feel hands holding him down, and covering his mouth. It was just too much after what he had just gone through."

"What if he never…"

"Aramis is strong, Porthos. You know that better than anyone. He just needs time, and we need to be patient enough to give it to him"

Porthos was silent for a bit, then slowly nodded his head. D'Artagnan playfully punched him in shoulder, saying, "I think we've given them enough time. Let's head back inside."

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Athos really didn't know what the reaction to his question would be. He just wanted to take away the horrible sight of him being afraid of them.

Aramis lay there for some time, before his brows drew together, his face now registering confusion as he gazed at his brother.

The silence stretched out, and Athos' hopes sank as he feared that his idea had not worked.

And then he heard Aramis' voice, soft, hesitant and raspy, "I h..haven't b..been with h..her again." His words revealed his hurt at what he thought was the beginning once again of an accusation.

Athos' emotions were torn in two by his brother's words. He was so incredibly glad to hear him speak, and also to see that the fear of them was gone from his eyes. But Aramis' words told him his brother felt accused of continuing to be with Anne, which had not been Athos' intention, although in hindsight now, he could clearly see how Aramis could think that.

He knew he had been giving his brother a hard time about his feelings for the queen, especially after the announcement that she was with child. But this time, he had only meant to show Aramis that he was with his friends and not his captors again.

"Aramis, I…" he began, only to be interrupted by Aramis' barely audible voice, as he continued, "I'm s..sorry."

Athos didn't let him get any further before gently laying his hand on his brother's shoulder. There was no flinch this time.

"Aramis, my only purpose in bringing it up was to show you that it was your friends, your brothers that you are with now, not the evil men who kidnapped you."

"Why…"

"Why did we hold you down? Aramis, those men were searching for you. They were upstairs, above us. If they had heard us…heard you…"

"I'm s..sorry," he heard again, and in response, Athos leaned down to softly squeeze his brother's shoulders. "You do not have anything to be sorry for, Aramis. It was your life we were trying to protect, like you've protected ours so many times in the past."

Silence reigned once more, both of them reflecting upon what had just been said. Then, Athos asked him, "Would you like to try eating something? Broth? Porridge perhaps? I do not think you were given much to eat. You are skin and bones, brother."

Aramis replied, "I..th..think I g..given f..food and w..water every three d..days." Aramis' stuttering was very much concerning Athos as he listened, but his words shocked and angered him. He tried not to let Aramis see it.

So d'Artagnan had been right. They had been slowly starving him with that little an amount of food and water. They needed to get as much sustenance into him as he could take. Between the lack of food and water and his wounds, no wonder he couldn't stay awake and his mind was not functioning as normal.

It was then that Porthos and d'Artagnan came back. They were overjoyed to see Aramis recognizing them with a somewhat exhausted smile.

When Athos had relayed what Aramis had said about the food and water, d'Artagnan took off back up the steps he had just come down to see if Madame could spare some broth or porridge.

Pprthos came and replaced Athos, who vacated the chair by Aramis' bedside for his brother. Gone was Porthos' anger at the sight of Aramis awake and smiling at them. He didn't reach out to touch Aramis at all. But Aramis tried to lift his arm out to his brother, to which Porthos responded with a huge grin of relief, reaching down and grabbing his Aramis' hand.

When d'Artagnan returned with the broth, they were able to get Aramis to about a third of the bowl plus some water, before he fell asleep exhausted.

The brothers decided to check Aramis' side, ribs and the many bruises and welts as gently and thoroughly as they could while he was asleep, to spare him the pain. The wound in his side that had been so brutally kicked by Mattieu still looked angry and red. His wrists where the shackles had left deep grooves, looked close to infection, probably from the dirt of the floor rubbing into them. They intended to keep a close eye especially on his side and wrists, hoping they wouldn't get worse. Aramis had been through far too much torment already.

Pulling the blankets up to his chin, they silently looked st each other, grateful that he was sleeping peacefully.

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Mattieu was becoming more angry and more prone to take it out on his men the longer their search for the Musketeer grew. He knew Richelieu was going to tear him apart verbally if and when he heard about it, and quite probably have him imprisoned or executed for his failure to complete the assigment he had been hired for. He had his men searching around the clock in shifts, but they had found nothing, no clues, no sightings and no Musketeers.

Finally, he decided, "We will go back over the whole terrain again. Someone has to have seen something. Use any methods you have to employ to find that Musketeer and his friends. They will wish for death before I get through with them."

Even some of the most hardened criminals among them shivered when they heard this. Mattieu had a reputation when he was crossed or didn't get what he thought he had coming to him.