5 - Musk
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In Spain, my mother would make sure my sisters and I took a walk daily, and Athos insisted I continue my exercise, vacation or no. As such, Porthos, Aramis and I had planned a small excursion through the land near my uncle's house, with the possibility of some stargazing once it got darker. Of course the addition of the stargazing was Aramis's idea.
Aramis was sitting by the fire with Athos and myself while we were waiting for Porthos. As a matter of fact, we had been waiting for three quarters of an hour, and Porthos had yet to arrive. Needless to say, impatience was setting in, particularly where Aramis was concerned.
'Shall we go?' Aramis said finally, rising from his seat determinedly, his agitation clearly showing on his face.
'Patience is a virtue, Aramis.' I said in a slightly teasing tone, smiling gently at his action and pulling my shawl closer to me.
'You're quite right, but sometimes it is a virtue easily worn thin.' He replied; offering his arm as I finally rose.
'You are a man of wisdom, Aramis, and I will trust your judgment.' I joked lightly as I took his previously offered arm.
'Athos, tell Porthos when he arrives, that he was late and he missed us. Make sure he is quite aware of the fact that he disappointed Marie terribly.' Aramis told my uncle, making Athos raise an eyebrow amusedly at my less-than-disappointed face. After Athos had agreed, we left the house through the back entrance and set off on our walk.
It was approaching evening, and the air was crisp and sweet, with the smell of early autumn surrounding us and intoxicating our senses. The sky was quickly changing, its colors going through their nightly procession. Aramis and I spoke quietly, as if afraid to disturb the atmosphere around us, and the resulting sounds were almost drowned out by the crunching of the leaves below our feet.
Evening quickly arrived, and just as quickly departed, leaving the early hour of night in its stead. Soon we were gazing up at the sky, sitting on a patch of grass we found, with a few of the small wildflowers that grew there still struggling against the brisk coolness of the season.
As Aramis pointed constellations out to me, and explained their histories, he absent-mindedly plucked the flowers from the ground, picking at the small white petals and throwing the bare stalks to the side. He continued instructing though, making me positive he didn't even realise he was doing it.
'Aramis...' I began, drawing his attention away from the sky for a moment.
'Yes?' He replied, a curious look on his face.
'You're destroying the flowers.' I said with a small smile.
Aramis looked down at the small flower in his hand. He had just picked it, so it had not yet been robbed of its petals. He looked back over at me and took a thoughtful pause before handing me the small, white flower. It almost seemed to glow in the moonlight as I took it from him, my smile growing a bit as thanks.
'Protect it from me.' He said, bundling up in his jacket, trying to escape from the chill of the night. He was touched by moonlight, and its silvery gleam made everything look ethereal, but when it graced a pensive face it almost seemed to reveal the soul. I glanced at Aramis for a moment and wondered what the moonlight was revealing about me, when a gruff voice interrupted my thoughts.
'Ah, started without me, did you?' The thick voice said from behind us. Turning, I saw Porthos, and couldn't help but laugh.
'You know full well you should have been here two hours ago.' I said, looking him in the eye as he threw himself on the ground beside us. His face was significantly closer now, and I could see a mischievous smirk on his face.
'Should I have been? Oh, dear, I must have forgotten. Forgive me, gracious Marie.' He said, his tone smooth as honey. All he received in reply was a knowing glance, however. I turned my attention back towards the sky before Porthos spoke again.
'What are you looking so intently at?' He asked, poking his head between Aramis's left shoulder and my right one and making me laugh once again.
'Oh, Porthos, you are hopeless.' I said, a smile lingering on my face as a remnant of the laugh that had just escaped me.
'Yes, yes, my dear, I am, but don't let on.' Porthos replied, shooting me a friendly wink with the end of his statement.
As we all went inside, Porthos swore he would make it up to me. His first idea had been his accompanying me on my walk the next day, but I declined, knowing full well he would most probably miss it yet again. I knew I was in for something, though, when his face lit up. He had obviously come up with some grand thought, and I knew I was in for something.
'I am taking you into town, to every shop and stand I see, and buying you something to make up for my egregious mistake,' He began dramatically, 'Something grand and wonderful!' He finished in that manner that was solely Porthos's: half playfully and half matter-of-factly, and he close his statement with a finalizing nod as if he would not hear of any resistance from me. I spoke my piece anyway...
'Oh, no, Porthos, I couldn't possibly--'
'You could possibly, and you will... even if I have to drag you into that carriage myself!' Porthos interrupted, finishing his stubborn declaration with a smile.
'You have done enough for me already. It is too much.' I told him quickly, with a manic shake of my head that made my dark hair bounce about slightly.
'I agree. That's what makes it so perfect, wouldn't you say?' He replied, crossing his large arms across his barrel chest with a big satisfied grin on his face. Shaking my head once again, I looked over to Aramis with a pleading glance. After a moment of meeting my gaze, Aramis began to speak.
'Porthos, she said--'
'Aramis, I will not hear of it. You can spend your time lecturing me after we come back from town.' Porthos stated stubbornly, cutting Aramis off and apparently settling the matter.
Aramis opened his mouth to speak again in my defense, but the look on Porthos's face proved that it would be a fruitless endeavor. Looking over at me with an apologetic expression, Aramis shook his head at Porthos and took a seat before the fire..
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I closed my eyes as the carriage jolted beneath me, opening them again a moment later to gaze out at the scenic view outside the window. Despite my previous protests I ended up in the coach anyway, and a large bundle was now resting in my lap. The fabric that kept it together was hanging loosely at the corners, and to look at it you would think that a heavy breath would make it fall apart, though I saw to it that the shopkeeper tightly secured it.
'Tell me what you bought, Marie.' Porthos said firmly, leaning forward in his seat across from me. I had made him wait outside the store while I shopped; only allowing him to come inside after my purchase was safely in the back of the shop being wrapped up by the aforementioned shopkeeper. Porthos, ever the curious fellow, had been trying to get it out of me ever since, and so far I had stood my ground and ignored him.
'No.' I replied casually as I continued to gaze sleepily out the window. After nineteen requests -I had started to count them- to tell him what was in the burlap-covered package, I had begun to almost enjoy refusing him.
'Please?' This time his voice was more pleasant, less demanding. With every request had come a different tone in Porthos' voice. Demanding, official, pleasing, joking. He was testing me, seeing what approach worked the best, and it was entertaining to watch Porthos cycle through every emotion had ever struck him.
'Porthos, you'll see it when the others see it, I've told you that already... repeatedly.' I said, leaning my head back on the upholstery behind me with a content smile.
'Well, it only seems fair that I'd be told what I bought.' Porthos sulked, crossing his arms and turning toward the window, looking very much like a child that had just been scolded for catching bugs.
'Yes, that is how it normally goes, isn't it? Aren't you glad I bring you new experiences?' I replied playfully as the trees outside the carriage fell away and my uncle's house came into view. Evening was fast approaching and the sky was a beautiful shade of dark lavender, a few stars threatening to peek out before I arrived. The air that came in through the window was cooling quickly and there was a soft fragrance in the air as the garden by my uncle's house drew nearer. As we finally approached the house, I pulled my cape back over my shoulders and adjusted the package in my lap. Porthos quickly climbed out and helped me out as well, sneaking in a few discreet glances over my shoulder at the lump of burlap in my hands.
The first thing that struck me as I entered the house was the comfortable warmth of the fire that was raging in the fireplace within, and as I went in further, the golden glow welcomed me. I set my package on the table, waiting until the others rose from their seats and gathered around to open it. I knew they were wondering what was in the package as much as Porthos was.
'What did you get her, Porthos?' D'Artagnan asked, looking up at his friend with a questioning glance.
'I really don't know.' Porthos replied bluntly, leaning on the table with one hand and receiving a confused glance from D'Artagnan in return.
I loosened the ties on the package slowly, smiling at Porthos's impatience as I did so. The warm, golden firelight that had so eagerly greeted me made something gleam as the burlap was moved about, and finally, a small group of trinkets were revealed: two books and a roll of a few pieces of paper accompanied a long, thin piece of material, a quill and two small, glass bottles.
'What's all this?' Porthos asked, his eyebrows furrowed. His intention was for me to buy something big and grand, not a few items that to anyone else would seem silly.
'There's something for everyone.' I responded with a smile, glancing down at the baubles that littered the table. I picked up the roll of paper and one of the books and walked toward my uncle, and Raoul, who was standing just behind him. I handed them their respective gifts with swift kisses to their cheeks: the roll for my uncle, and the book for Raoul.
'You didn't have to spend your money on us, Marie.' Athos said softly, shaking his head, but taking the roll nonetheless when I would not retract it.
'Oh, I didn't! It was Porthos's money.' I joked with a playful glance toward Porthos. Athos smiled a moment and unrolled his gift, smiling as soon as he saw what I had chosen for him: sheet music for the violin that was carefully resting on a desk in the corner.
'Thank you.' He said honestly, his voice soft and his face warm with gratitude.
'Well, it's a bit of a selfish gift. You know I love to hear you play.' I replied, earning a grateful embrace for my efforts. Behind him, a confused glance had spread over Raoul's face.
'Poetry?' He asked, raising an eyebrow and looking up from the maroon-colored book in his hands.
'I thought you could read it with Christine.' I teased, hearing a muffled chuckle from Athos as I moved to dive back into my pile of trinkets.
'I don't find it quite as amusing.' I heard Raoul say wearily, though he couldn't hide the small smile that was on his face all the same. I swatted Porthos's hand away as he poked through the pile before I picked up the next gift to be presented: the quill, and one of the small glass bottles. Handing them to D'Artagnan, I smiled a moment before speaking.
'Now you have no excuse not to write to me.' I joked with a transparent expression of mock-scolding on my face.
'What makes you think I would try to come up with one?' D'Artagnan responded taking the gift appreciatively.
'Well, you're a sneaky devil, aren't you?' I teased, shooting him a grin as I made my way back to the table. Slowly, I took the next gift and turned to my right with a knowing smile.
'And, finally, Porthos... for you.' I handed him the long, midnight blue strip of material, watching him as he finally received his much awaited gift.
'A... scarf?' Porthos asked, confusion and amusement in his voice as he held his gift up. With a smirk he took a step forward, 'No, I know what it is! A token of affection!'
'It's a sash!' I replied through a laugh, 'For the hilt of your sword.'
'No matter, I'll think of it as a token of affection. And from a beautiful lady, no less.' He finished his statement with a sly smirk, which I laughed off before continuing.
'It seemed like such a heroic and adventurous gift, I knew it was perfect for you, dear Porthos.' I replied, patting Porthos on the shoulder.
'Why, thank you. It is rather fitting, isn't it?' He said jokingly, mirroring my smile and tossing his sash around his neck good-naturedly.
All that was left on the piece of burlap now was a book and a glass bottle. I moved back to the table and picked up the book. I made my way to Aramis, and handed it to him with a smile. He opened his mouth to say something -most probably an objection- but he wisely decided against it and took the book, glancing at the spine. A small laugh escaped him when he had read what was printed there.
'Astronomy.' He said softly, looking down at the book fondly, and then glancing up, the look remaining on his face.
'I thought you'd like it.' I replied, looking down and turning back to the table before Aramis spoke again, this time with his eyebrows furrowed.
'This book smells like musk.' He mused, confusion in his voice. I let out a soft laugh before picking up the last remaining trinket from the table: a small glass bottle.
'I'm very sorry to disappoint you, but that's me, actually.' I finished my statement by lifting up the little glass bottle, it was filled with a clear liquid: perfume oil. It sparkled in the firelight like a precious jewel. Suddenly I heard a sniffing sound and my head instinctively whipped around. Porthos was directly behind me and he turned to Aramis as he spoke.
'It is her. She does smell like musk.' He said lightly, as if it were the most casual thing in the world to go around smelling people.
'Porthos!' Aramis scolded, earning a dismissive look from Porthos. I laughed as I folded the burlap neatly and put it to the side.
'You are wasting your breath scolding him, Aramis,' I said, shooting a knowing smile over at Porthos, 'He will never change… and I hope he never does.'
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A/N: This chapter took a ridiculously long time. It took long enough to write, and about a second for me to realise upon closer inspection that I didn't like how I had written it. So came the editing (see: procrastination) process. Finally, I got it in me to reread the whole thing, edit, reread and edit again. …And then the stupid friggen' diskette I had it saved on went haywire and had to be formatted before I had a chance to back the edit of this chapter up to a flash drive. So all that hard work went out the window, plus what I had started on the next chapter. (Oh, and then I started chapter six again on a flash drive. Guess what? It up and died, no computer will read it. I lost all the work on that drive. Something hates this story.) So, obviously, after that whole ordeal I didn't even want to look at this evil chapter…
Long story short (too late), I finally got up the courage and edited this chapter again. Honestly, I'm still not really thrilled with it, but I felt bad that I hadn't posted it yet, so here you go. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long, as I already have some idea of how it'll go, and I have a bit more time to write now. Thank you to everyone who reads this story for their patience, seriously. Please R&R and have a nice, warm day with tea.