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Chapter Two

Porthos and d'Artagnan ran in the direction they had heard Aramis shout. It sounded as though the marksman was trying to call for help but had been stopped mid-shout.

They found themselves in a clearing, two men were holding a struggling Aramis on the ground, the marksman was being prevented from speaking by one of the farmers covering his mouth with his gloved hand. Athos was lying, apparently unconscious in the centre of the clearing.

As they skidded to a halt, guns drawn and aimed at the men who were holding Aramis on the ground they found themselves surrounded. Farmers appeared from all around the clearing. Porthos realised how stupid they had been to run straight into the trap. When Aramis had shouted for help the farmers must have retreated out of sight.

D'Artagnan pulled his sword and tried to push some of the men off but was tripped to the ground by the handle of a scythe, before being punched by one of the burly men leaving him unconscious.

Aramis was still struggling against the men holding him but stilled when a hand scythe was touched to his throat. He glared at Porthos who was still aiming his gun at the men holding him.

Porthos glanced around and realised that the farmers were threatening the lives of all his friends. A knife had been placed at the back of Athos neck and a spade was poised over the prone form of d'Artagnan.

MMMM

An hour later…

'Aramis…'

'Aramis, please wake up…'

Athos opened his eyes a little, he heard Porthos calling for their friend a few more times before he managed to turn his head a little and focus on his surroundings.

He was lying on a stone floor in what must have been a cellar. A large empty wine rack lined the wall he was facing. There was a dim light, a torch must have been burning nearby.

Porthos was still asking Aramis to wake up. Athos wondered why Porthos was only speaking to Aramis and not to himself. He could not remember how they had come to be in the cellar. He remembered Aramis and himself being surrounded and Aramis being grabbed but nothing beyond that.

His head ached a little but he was not concussed, of that he was sure. He moved his fingers and slowly turned to lie on his back, he did not appear to be injured.

'Athos,' said Porthos.

'What happened?'

'Please check on Aramis first,' said Porthos. Athos detected a sense of desperation from his friend.

Athos pushed himself up to sit, he glanced around the room. He was sat on one side near the wine rack. Porthos was leaning against a stone wall opposite a barred doorway. D'Artagnan was lying awkwardly near the door, the young Musketeer was unconscious but appeared to be breathing normally. Aramis was lying a couple of yards from d'Artagnan. The marksman looked dishevelled, he had a bruise on his cheek, his doublet was ruffled. It was obvious the man had been in a fight. A dark stain and accompanying pool of blood on the leg of his breeches told Athos why Porthos was so anxious about their friend.

'He's been stabbed, I think it's still bleeding.'

Athos crawled across to Aramis, he checked the stab wound to the man's leg. He quickly pulled his scarf from his neck and began to tie it firmly around the wound. The marksman did not stir. Athos pushed his friend onto his back and quickly checked him for any other obvious injuries.

'I don't think he was hurt anywhere else, one of them pushed him into the wall. Then they stabbed him...I couldn't get him to wake up…'

Athos looked across at d'Artagnan.

'He was knocked out when we came to find you, he's not woken up since…but he has stirred a couple of times...'

Athos rearranged d'Artagnan to lie on his back and double checked him for any other injuries when he found none he turned to Porthos who had not moved. Athos wondered why his friend had not already dealt with their unconscious brothers.

Porthos looked down when he realised what Athos was wondering, he lifted his left hand up, a manacle with a chain was keeping him restrained. The man could not move from his position sat by the wall.

'Where are we?'

'I don't know…'

Athos watched as Porthos continued to look at the floor, the man looked as though he had done something wrong, as if their current plight was somehow his fault. Although Athos could not understand how.

'Tell me from the beginning, what happened?'

Porthos sighed and finally looked up at Athos, 'we heard Aramis shout for help. We rather stupidly ran straight into the clearing. You were already unconscious and Aramis was being held by two farmers. The others had hidden, they came out, surrounding us. D'Artagnan tried to fight them off but was tripped and knocked out. They were threatening each of you, I 'ad no choice but to surrender.'

'I understand,' said Athos nodding.

'The leader of the farmers, a man named Luc, he said they were taking us, he didn't say why...I protested, telling 'im he had no right to detain us, telling him we're Musketeers, but it made no difference. They grabbed me and I tried to shrug out of their grasp, I pushed them about a bit...Luc took exception to me...he had them bind my arms behind me, then they gagged me and blindfolded me.'

Athos frowned, 'did they have a cart?'

'No, I guess they carried you and d'Artagnan. Aramis was forced to act as my guide. He told me they had our guns trained on you and d'Artagnan the whole time. If he had tried to run, or release me they would have killed you both.'

'How far have we travelled?'

'I'm not sure, I couldn't keep track of the route. Aramis said he was keeping an eye on our surroundings so that we would be able to find our way back...I'm fairly sure we went across some sort of bog. The ground was wet and it was difficult to walk through. There were places where Aramis was forced to walk ahead of me and lead me. We had to be in single file...I 'ope he remembers the way back. I don't think we'll be able to guess.'

Athos looked across at the still form of the marksman, the bruising to his face looked worse in the short time he had been talking to Porthos.

'We're in a big house, Aramis said there weren't many farmers guarding the place. If we can escape from here,' Porthos indicated the cellar, the chain keeping him restrained clinking as he did so, 'we should be able to get out of the house easily. I don't think it's far from here to the bog we came through.'

Porthos paused looking across at Aramis and d'Artagnan. Athos realised his friend did not want to tell him what had happened next.

MMMM

Porthos looked back at Athos who was waiting for him to continue. He sighed, Athos needed to know what had happened and he felt responsible. If he had not annoyed the farmers when they were first taken Aramis might not have been injured.

'We were brought down here, into this room. The farmers were still annoyed with me for trying to fight them off. They could have just left us in here, but they wanted to humiliate me more…' Porthos paused holding up the manacle, 'they chained me up...I couldn't stop them…'

Athos moved from where he had been knelt next to d'Artagnan and crouched in front of Porthos.

'Whatever happened, Porthos, it can't have been your fault.'

Porthos shook his head, he was not ready to accept that he was not at fault yet.

'After they had chained me up, keeping a gun on you two the whole time to stop Aramis from reacting they began to leave...a couple of the farmers were taking an interest in d'Artagnan...an unhealthy interest.'

Athos nodded, he understood what Porthos was intimating.

'They asked outright if they could have him. Luc did not react either way. One of them bent down and grabbed his arms and started to drag him out,' Porthos paused shaking his head before looking at Aramis again.

'Did Aramis stop them from taking him?'

'Yeah,' said Porthos sadly, 'he pushed the one who was dragging him away and punched out at the other. The first one grabbed 'im by the arm and swung him round. He crashed into the wall, hit 'is head. He was stunned. They kicked his legs out so he ended up on the floor and one of them stabbed him. Luc told them to stop and ordered them out. I begged them to let me go so that I could deal with his wound, but Luc just shook his head and left. I don't think they care about our welfare.'

'This was not your fault,' said Athos.

'I could have helped Aramis when he was defending d'Artagnan…'

'It might not have made a difference, they might have shot one or both of you. They clearly do not need us all for whatever they want us for.'

Porthos looked at the ground again, unconvinced by Athos' words. Athos returned to Aramis and checked the wound on his leg, then crossed to d'Artagnan who was beginning to stir.

MMMM

Athos knelt by the young Musketeer as he blinked a few times trying to focus. He looked up at Athos who watched him with concern.

'I'm fine...I think,' he said as he allowed Athos to help him to sit.

D'Artagnan took a few seconds to look around, his eyes settling on Aramis.

'He is injured but is breathing fine at the moment. How is your head?'

'I don't feel dizzy,' replied d'Artagnan glancing across at Porthos, 'what happened after I got knocked out?'

Porthos looked at the ground. Athos sighed.

'It is not your fault Porthos,' said Athos.

Athos spent a few minutes retelling the sequence of events to d'Artagnan who was shocked at what had happened and why Aramis had been injured. Athos laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

'We will not let anything happen to you,' he said realising the man needed a little reassurance.

'Why are they keeping us alive? If they are prepared to...assault us, they clearly do not care about us.'

Porthos looked up again, 'Luc said we're to be executed as an example.'

Athos frowned, 'an example of what?'

'The lad that escaped from us, 'e told Luc that we attacked him and his friends, not the other way around. They're gonna kill us to show that they won't take the tax hike easily.'

As he spoke Porthos had been looking at the manacle that was keeping him prisoner, he looked up.

'If I had a thin knife I could pick this and maybe the lock on the door,' he said with a determination Athos was pleased to hear.

Porthos had been quite worryingly maudlin since Athos had come around. The Musketeer still needed to be persuaded that their predicament was not his fault but there was time for that, thought Athos. The first thing they needed to do was get out of the room they were being held in.

Athos rose from d'Artagnan's side and began to look around. D'Artagnan looked at Athos for a moment his face one of concentration.

'What?'

'Didn't you and Aramis have knives in your boots when you left to look at the farmers camp. Were you searched?'

Porthos shook his head, 'they only took the obvious weapons from us all as far as I know. I don't know if they had checked your boots before d'Artagnan and I reached you.'

Athos had bent over and was feeling the inside of his right boot, he shook his head when he did not find the small dagger. He and Porthos looked over at d'Artagnan who was crouched by Aramis checking his boot. D'Artagnan paused, a smile playing briefly across his face as he pulled out the knife the marksman had secreted there.

'Mine might have fallen out when we were brought here,' said Athos as d'Artagnan passed the small dagger to Porthos who set to work on the manacle.

'Try to wake Aramis, we're gonna need him conscious or we're gonna be guessing the way out.'

Athos moved to the other side of the marksman and leaned forward to gently shake the unconscious man. Aramis was pale but breathing steadily. Athos hoped the man had not already lost too much blood.

'Aramis…'

The marksman took a deeper breath as his eyes fluttered open. It took him a few seconds to focus on Athos.

'Can you remember where you are?'

Athos knew they needed to assess their friend's well-being as a priority. Aramis was essential to their escape.

Aramis appeared to be thinking, Athos watched as his friend ordered his thought.

'D'Artagnan…'

Aramis tried to sit up, Athos pushed him back down.

D'Artagnan leaned forward so that his friend could see him, realising why he was concerned.

'I'm fine, I'm here.'

Aramis calmed down and looked between the two men and nodded.

'They tried to take you,' he said.

'And you stopped them...thank you,' said d'Artagnan leaning forward and helping his friend to sit.

Once they had moved Aramis to sit it was clear the man was struggling to stay upright. Athos glanced across to Porthos who was watching them with concern before returning to picking the lock on his manacle.

'Can you remember the way out?' asked Athos again.

Aramis thought for a moment before nodding slowly as he closed his eyes.

D'Artagnan shook Aramis slightly, 'stay awake then.'

Aramis managed to open his eyes again, but it was obvious he was not going to remain conscious without them keeping him focused.

MMMM