Chapter 37
Thanks for reading this story. Thanks to NicoleR85, to Fangirling007, to LeFemmeMusketeer, to LadyShadowAthos for their review. I did watch the last episode and yeah! I loved it. So much is going on this season, especially between Athos and Milady and I got inspired to add more drama to my stories. Thanks to all the followers and the one who favourited this story.
New Chapter, read, enjoy and review.
Here I was, following my fellow musketeers in the yard of the Palace at dawn. A certain Tariq Alaman wanted to show some device to the king.
"Nellie, what is the matter with you?" D'Artagnan asked me.
"Nothing. Why?" I asked him in return.
"You look like a wounded beard." He observed casually.
"You would too. If someone pulled you out of bed this early in the morning." I countered. D'Artagnan, Aramis and Porthos all gave me pointed looks. "Too early."
"I hate getting up at this unearthly hour, Treville." The King still in his nightgown marching down the stairs.
"See, I'm not the only one." I whispered to my friends.
"Why do people harp on the beauty of the sunrise?" He continued as we bowed to him. "It happens every day with tedious regularity." What a shocker!
Tariq moved to the statue in the yard. Aramis, Porthos, D'Artagnan and I moved closer to him. I looked over his shoulder, I saw he was pouring some white powder at the base of it. He then placed a wick over it and pressed it down with a stone.
"Please, move back, back." He said to us and we stepped back. "Please, your Majesty, back."
"There's barely enough powder to fire a musket." Aramis remarked.
Tariq lit the fuse and few seconds later, the statue exploded. D'Artagnan put his arm over my head as the statue exploded. A could of dust and smoke surrounded us and I was sent in a fit of cough as I moved closer to Tariq and the King.
"A few grains of this miraculous powder could sink a galleon." Tariq explained. The King looked at Tréville with a stunned look. "I am prepared to give up its formula."
"At what price?" D'Artagnan asked him.
"The Spanish have kidnapped my daughter." Tariq answered. "They are holding her here in Paris. I want her back. Do we have a deal?"
"Let's take this conversation inside, shall we?" The King suggested.
"Why can't just people do things out of the goodness of their heart? Why is it always I give you this if you do that?" I complained walking up the stairs behind Tariq.
"This is how the world works, Emma. You have nothing without nothing." Porthos chuckled behind me.
The King decided to hold a private council with only Rochefort, Tréville and Alaman. We musketeers were to wait until the Spanish ambassador arrived at court as he has been summoned by the king.
D'Artagnan was right, I looked like a wounded bear, I acted like a wounded bear. All of this because of one woman; Milady De Winter. Now that she is back in our lives, she is going to mess it up once again. As for Athos, I didn't ask him the question. The problem is that I wanted to know but I didn't want to face the consequences, the aftermath of asking this question. Did I seem distant? Well I was distant. It's just happened, it's something I had no control over. I wanted to ignore this and maybe I'm stupid not to. But it was there. At any time, she could make an appearance and be involved in some evil plot.
I stood leaning against the wall away from the four others. Thinking or not thinking, don't really remember. Isolating myself like I did for the last few days.
"Emma." Athos said stopping at my side. "What is the matter with you?" I glanced up at him.
I exhaled deeply before answering him. "Now is not the time to speak about this." I pulled away from the wall as the ambassador arrived.
"Spanish agents in Paris? A joke is being played on you, Sire." The ambassador exclaimed outraged. "Tariq Alaman is a most notorious liar."
"Were you aware he was here?" The King asked him tightly.
"I am astonished to hear it." The ambassador answered. "But suppose for a moment it were true. If you were minded to hand the traitor back, Spain would regard this as a great act of friendship." Silence fell on both men. "Among his many crimes, Alaman fled Spain in possession of a vital cipher machine."
Again silence fell but this time on the entire room as everyone was analyzing his words. Well, I can't tell for the others but I know I did.
"I'm told he might be willing to offer just such a device for the return of his daughter." The King finally spoke. "I understand she has been kidnapped by your agents."
"Naturally, I deny the allegations." Why doesn't that surprise me? "But I will make enquiries." The ambassador promised. He bowed down and then left the room.
"General Balthazar will exchange Samara for the cipher machine at the Place de l'Eglise at six." The Captain explained as we all entered his chambers and office.
"On a market day? It'll be packed." Athos remarked.
"Ambassador Perales has brokered a handover with the kidnappers." Tréville replied closing the second door of his office.
"Balthazar hopes to hide himself amongst the crowd." Alaman said.
"And he might succeed." I retorted.
"You know this man?" Athos asked him.
"All too well. I once thought of him as a friend." Alaman answered. "He was my most trusted lieutenant. What I never knew was that he always hated me."
"Well, what makes you say that?" Porthos inquired,
"I was born the wrong colour." Alaman almost shrugged. "An issue you may both be familiar with."
"All too well." I sighed sitting on the Captain desk.
"Nothing we can't handle." Porthos added.
"We were ordered to destroy a village, kill every man, woman and child. Loyal Moors, like me, innocent people, whose only crime was their race." Tariq continued. "I refused, Balthazar didn't. That was when I understood what type of man he really was."
"It would be helpful if we could see the cipher machine." The Captain suggested standing next to me.
"At the square." I exchanged a quick look with Athos.
"You don't trust us." D'Artagnan pointed him with his finger.
"I have no reason." Tariq countered.
"Musketeers are men of honour." Athos told him.
"The King of Spain swore he loved me, then had me arrested on false charges." Tariq retorted. "He was a man of honour too."
Back at the palace we finalized the arrangements of the meeting with the ambassador Perales. Alaman doesn't trust us and who could blame him. His daughter, Samara was in danger and a man he considered a friend was behind all this. Why should he trust us? However that doesn't that we have to trust him and it seemed that I wasn't the only one to think this.
"I don't trust Alaman…Something's wrong." Porthos shared my thoughts on the subject.
"We promised them the cipher and we don't even have it." D'Artagnan added.
"Alaman swears he will produce it." Athos reasoned.
"And we should trust his words for it?" I questioned.
"The only thing I believe is that he truly loves his daughter." Aramis said.
"Quickly ladies, bring hot water." I heard someone said from the stairs. "And clean sheets for the Dauphin, hurry. Madeleine get some towels." It was Constance. Did I tell you that she was now a Lady in waiting to the Queen? I don't remember if I told you. Well, now you know and if I already told you, well, I'm sorry. Anyway, back on tracks.
"What's going on?" D'Artagnan asked her.
"The Dauphin is ill. A fever." Constance answered.
"Constance, he's in good hands." D'Artagnan assured her.
"The physician is a very learned man. I'm sure he know what he's doing." Constance replied somehow doubtfully.
"I meant your hands." D'Artagnan corrected. She smiled weakly and left us there.
"Smooth!" I smirked patting D'Artagnan on his shoulder.
Athos entered my chambers later that day as I was about to get out. "Now, tell me, what is troubling you?"
I blinked at first not knowing what he meant by that question and I remembered. I gulped before answering, fixing my gaze on my feet. "I saw it. The look in your eyes when you saw Milady." I exhaled and looked up at him. "And whatever D'Artagnan told you made you even more troubled."
"You fear I might have feelings for Milady." I remained silent at his assumptions. "I already told you that she is no longer part of my life."
"That was when she was out of Paris, when you thought she will never be back. But she is now. And no, I don't fear that you have feelings for her. I fear that you love her still; I fear the hold she still have on you." I explained. "So, do you still…?" A knock on the door interrupted me.
Aramis passed his head through the door. "Time to go." He said shortly and immediately I fled the room. I literally rushed down the stairs. And the conversation was over for now.
I walked on my own around the marked watching out for Balthazar's men. I stopped near a stall and briefly glimpsed at Aramis who was posted at a window. Across from me, I could see Athos and D'Artagnan. Porthos was with Alaman and walked to the rendezvous point together. And it seemed that Alaman has brought the cipher with him. Balthazar's men were arriving slowly, two were behind me by the archway. Two more were by the bread behind D'Artagnan. Porthos and Tariq stopped a bit further away from me. Balthazar met them there with a young woman who I presumed to be Samara and another man.
"I swore I would hunt you down, Tariq." Balthazar said as a form of greetings I think. I feigned not hearing anything but I don't think that Balthazar was paying much attention to me. On the other hand his two men might.
"And I swore I would kill you, Balthazar." Tariq countered.
"Give me the cipher." Balthazar asked him immediately.
"The girl first." Porthos replied.
From the corner of my eyes I saw the man handed Samara to her father and that's exactly when Aramis should have fired. But nothing happened. Tariq handed the cipher over. My hand moved to my pistol hidden under my cloak.
"It's a trick." Balthazar yelled after a few seconds.
After that everything happened so fast. I shot one of Balthazar's man as he drew his pistol out. I ducked at the other was ready to shoot me. Instead he shot an innocent person. I struck his legs with my sword and he fell on the ground. I dodged a sword, kicked a man in his gut, thrust a man with my sword. In a few minutes, the market was emptied. Only the injured people and the dead ones was left. Balthazar has disappeared with Samara and Porthos. The market was left in chaos.
