Chapter Two

Three hours ago...

'A hat can shield your eyes from the sun, and protect you from the rain…'

D'Artagnan laughed as Aramis plonked his own hat on his head.

'One day I will get one...I've managed this long without,' d'Artagnan replied as he reached up to remove the offered headwear.

The men were good, they found themselves surrounded in seconds. Aramis was pulled off in one direction as d'Artagnan was punched by one man. The punch left him briefly stunned, he found several hands on him, manhandling him. He tried to look around for Aramis. He caught a brief glimpse of some men grouped against the wall of the side street. D'Artagnan guessed that Aramis was somewhere beyond the men, on the floor. It looked like they were kicking his friend. He tried to struggle free of the men holding him but could not. There were too many. He was pulled away from Aramis. He turned and saw a large carriage waiting with the door open. D'Artagnan guessed he was going to be pushed into it. He dug his heels in, trying to stop the men from moving him.

He was bundled up the steps, knocking into the door frame in the process. He realised he was not being held by as many men so fought back. A lucky punch saw one of the men stagger back, he tried to get up but was pushed back and hit, hard, several times about the head and face. D'Artagnan did not pass out, but did find the ability to coordinate any kind of retaliation had left him. The men finished pushing him into the carriage. Three men climbed in with him and kept him lying on the floor. Pinning him uncomfortably down.

D'Artagnan felt something damp on his face and realised he was bleeding, the drops of blood falling to the floor of the carriage.

He had no idea what had happened to Aramis and he had no idea why he had been taken by the men.

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Now….

Reunited, the three Musketeers walked purposefully along the road where the carriage had been found abandoned. When they reached the spot they looked around a little dismayed.

The area was run down, there were several large empty houses in various states of repair. A couple had clearly been taken over by homeless people, it reminded Porthos of the Court of Miracles.

They guessed that Robert was holding d'Artagnan in one of the houses, but there were too many to search. D'Artagnan would be the needle in a large haystack for them.

Athos took a few steps towards the closest house, 'it would be logical to start at the closest house,' he said looking back at the others.

Aramis followed him but Porthos found he could not due to a small old woman tugging at the sleeve of his doublet. He looked down at her as she looked up at him with watery eyes.

The others turned back as the woman spoke.

'You won't find what you're looking for in there,' she said as she pulled her shawl tighter around her bony shoulders.

'What do you mean?' asked Porthos glancing up at the house.

'They didn't go in there.'

'Who didn't go in there?' asked Aramis walking back to the old woman.

'Your friend, he wasn't taken into that house.'

'How do you know why we are here?' asked Athos as he moved to stand next to Aramis.

'I'm old, I don't do much these days, my daughter brings me food. I just sit and look and listen.'

She paused, looking at each man in turn.

'Your friend, he was trying to escape the men. He'd been tied up and gagged...they were being quite unkind to him.'

Porthos glanced across at Aramis who looked angry.

'Where did they take our friend?' asked Athos.

The old woman pointed at the house next to the one they had been going to search.

'In there,' she said, 'they moved in a few days ago, threw out all the people that had been living in there. They cared little for who they were making homeless.'

Aramis turned and immediately started to walk towards the house, Athos nodded his thanks to the woman as he turned and followed.

As the woman released her hold on Porthos sleeve she said, 'go and find your friend, you all look like you are missing a part to make you whole.'

Porthos managed a small smile before replying, 'we are. And we will find him...thank you.'

MMMM

Two hours ago...

He had continued to fight as much as he could. Once he had regained his senses after the beating he received in the carriage he found that he had been bound and gagged. He wondered if he had been unconscious, he did not remember them binding his arms behind his back.

They forced him to walk along a path towards a big house, he was pushed up the steps and through the impressive door. Across an entrance hall and down some stone steps before he was pushed into a small room with a wooden bed and threadbare mattress.

The men stood him in the middle of the room holding him firmly, he was turned to face the door.

A tall broad man with blond hair was standing in the doorway watching him as he continued to pull against the men who were holding him.

'I have men in the corridor, even if you were to escape from this room how far do you think you will get?' asked the man.

D'Artagnan stopped his struggle, watching the man as he approached him slowly. The man looked him up and down for a moment.

'I imagine you do not recognise me?'

D'Artagnan did not move. He did not recognise the man but he did not want to answer his captor's questions either.

'My name is Charles Robert...I guess you recognise the name?'

D'Artagnan hoped he had not reacted too obviously. He remembered the weeks trying to capture Robert. He remembered how devastated Aramis had been when he found out he had killed the wrong man. He remembered how Athos and Porthos had been forced to talk sternly to Aramis to get him to see sense. To get Aramis to accept that he had no choice but to kill the man who would have killed both him and d'Artagnan.

'Your friend, Aramis, killed my younger brother...I believe you might have been there as well. I know that there were two soldiers when George was killed.'

D'Artagnan wondered how Robert could have known what had gone on in that house all those months ago.

'I have men who were watching out for my little brother as he led you and Aramis a merry dance. They saw Aramis push my little brother onto those hooks, killing him.'

The man stepped forward and pulled the gag from d'Artagnan's mouth.

After a couple of coughs, the young Musketeer responded, 'Aramis had no choice. George was killing him and had been about to kill me.'

'I thought you might protest your friend's innocence, but I know different.'

D'Artagnan knew it would be pointless trying to argue with the man.

'What do you want with me?'

'To make Aramis suffer...I've been watching you and the other Musketeers. They treat you as if you were their brother, their younger brother. I want Aramis to know what it is to lose a brother.'

D'Artagnan shook his head.

Robert smiled conspiratorially towards d'Artagnan, 'I have already begun to torment him. I sent a letter to your Captain saying I had kidnapped Aramis in retribution. Poor Aramis will be thinking that you were taken by mistake...but it was all part of my plan.'

'Why?'

'I told you, he has to suffer the loss of a younger brother...and you are the closest he has.'

The man nodded to the two men holding d'Artagnan who turned him and pushed him against the wall. One of the men cut the rope from his arm, cutting into d'Artagnan flesh in the process. D'Artagnan hissed in pain, certain the move had been deliberate and not an accident. They moved him roughly to the small bed and forced him down onto it. He tried to pull away but could not. They grabbed his wrists and tied them to the corners before catching his flailing legs and doing the same with his ankles.

D'Artagnan pulled at the restraints. He was uncomfortable, the ropes were tight and scratched at the skin on his wrists.

'You will die, slowly, and he will watch. Then I will maim him. I'm not going to kill him, I shall just leave him injured enough that he cannot be a soldier any longer. He will be left to live with the loss of his brother and his livelihood.'

Robert sat on the edge of the bed and leaned over d'Artagnan. One of the thugs who had tied him down held his head still so that he could not headbutt Robert.

'Do you like my plan? I think it is very good.'

Robert rose from the bed, he turned to the men, 'we'll begin shortly, we need to give Aramis a bit of time to start searching. I don't want our young friend to be too badly injured by the time we catch his big brother. Aramis needs to get to see most of the show.'

Robert glanced back at d'Artagnan with a cruel smile before leaving the room.

MMMM

D'Artagnan only had to wait thirty minutes for Robert to return. One of the men had remained in the room with him, he had not been able to try escaping. Although he did not think he would be able to escape, he was very firmly restrained.

'Shall we begin?' asked Robert.

He leaned over d'Artagnan who tried to pull away but could not prevent the gag being tied around his head.

Robert continued, 'when we have Aramis as an audience we will want to hear you scream, but for now I would rather not listen to you.'

Robert stood back and nodded to the man who had stayed with him. The big man, who appeared to have limited intelligence stepped forward, pushing one fist into the palm of his other hand menacingly.

D'Artagnan admitted to himself that he was scared. There was no way he could protect himself or fight back. He just had to hope that his brothers would find him.

The big man loomed over him for a few seconds as if deciding where to start. A snarl played across his lips before he drew his arm back, hand fisted ready.

The first punch was to his stomach knocking the air out of him. D'Artagnan instinctively tried to curl up but could not due to the restraints. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, only opening them wide when the second punch hit him just below the ribs. More punches followed.

D'Artagnan could not take a breath, his vision swam when his eyes were open. He tugged at the ropes, he knew his wrists were being rubbed by the coarse material, but he wanted to get away.

He felt weaker with the impact of each punch. The man did not let up, each of the punches had force behind them. It felt like hours of pain raining down on him before he heard Robert tell the man to stop.

His eyes were closed, he did not want to open them but managed it in time to see Robert leaning over him pulling the gag from his mouth. He gasped in air and instantly regretted it as bruised and probably cracked ribs complained. He coughed and winced and gasped for several seconds.

When he had settled himself enough to be able to focus, he saw Robert sat on the edge of the bed looking down at him.

'We will be back, with Aramis. I'm not sure how long we will be. I dismissed most of the men after we took you. But my two loyal lads will get him soon.'

Robert glanced back at the man who had just beaten d'Artagnan. The man smiled.

Robert patted d'Artagnan on the shoulder before rising and walking from the room. The big man followed him out. The door was left open. D'artagnan looked longingly at it, but he knew he could not escape.

If Aramis was taken when he was alone, there was a good chance Robert might get away with his plan. D'Artagnan just hoped Aramis was not alone. Despite the pain he was in d'Artagnan hated to think what Aramis was going through. He would be thinking that it should have been him not d'Artagnan that had been taken. The man would be blaming himself for the turn of events.

D'Artagnan stared at the plain ceiling and wondered what would happen next.

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