They could now hear voices, many voices, heading towards the location.
Treville said, "I think people at the palace have heard the explosion and probably the gunshot, as well. They should begin arriving in a few moments. We will not speculate with them about who did what. Just describe the incident and injuries, if they ask. We need to ensure that Louis hears of Philippe from us and no one else, or our plan might not work."
He had no sooner finished speaking when people began rushing towards them, voices raised in shock and excitement over the scene before them.
Servants as well as aristocrats began throwing questions at them, the unexpected and shocking event causing some of the servants to forget their places and vie with dukes, comtes and marquises in their silks and satins to get their questions heard first, so eager were they to find out what happened.
What the Musketeers had not expected was that Louis himself would show up, but come he did in full court regalia, which looked bizarrely out of place in the rubble and devastation of the gardens.
They told him a simple version of what had happened, and he said that he would see to it that his Musketeers would have his own personal physician, Dr. Lemay, to care for them. Obviously, the King had not been informed of Lemay's previous visits to tend Aramis after the other attacks had happened. Trust Constance to make sure of that.
Louis also made sure a guard detail was set up to keep watch over the area, as he said with a shudder that he didn't want the shooter returning. Of course, the King's probable reason for protecting the area was in case he himself, or the Queen, happened to come to the garden.
Aramis didn't awaken during the whole time. Porthos was begining to worry, as his brother's temperature had not gone down. If anything, he felt warmer than before, which he knew wasn't a good sign. He thought to himself, it's probably nothing. Reaction is all', trying but not succeeding in convincing himself.
Treville could see the conditions of his men, something they themselves were either not fully aware of, or more likely, working hard at hiding from him.
Porthos, now that the adrenaline that had kept him going had run out, looked exhausted. They all did, for that matter. The big man also looked like he might have a massive headache, probably from having received a concussion than had d'Artagnan, just having pushed it off while he was trying to rescue his brothers. Sometimes, adrenaline helped in that way, too.
D'Artagnan was finally falling asleep, his forehead furrowed with the aftereffects of his concussion.
Athos was stubbornly resisting rest, sitting on the ground next to Aramis, arm still wrapped around his ribs. Each time he tried to shift position to ward off cramps, he would grimace with the pain it caused him. He probably thought he could forego being seen by Lemay once they were back at the garrison, Treville surmised, but he was going to insist upon it-for all of them, whether they protested or not. These men meant too much to him for him to do otherwise.
Aramis. The Captain's frown deepened. He didn't like the temperature that was developing. It was what they had been afraid of happening. With all the debris, it was bound to have affected his wound. He hadn't awakened or even moved since succumbing to unconsciousness during the removal of the bullet.
Even as the thought ran through Treville's head, Aramis became restless, tossing and turning. He began to shiver as if he was freezing, but the weather was mild for the time of the year. Then, he began to mutter, "Why was I...the only one?" he cried out in a broken voice. Then, he yelled, "Get away! You will not...feed...on m..my brothers!"
With that, things became clear, not only to Treville, but to his three brothers, all of whom were awake now.
"Aramis!" Athos softly spoke to him. "This is not Savoy, mon ami. There is no snow or cold. There are no dead Musketeers here, brother. But the Captain is here. Porthos, d'Artagnan and I are here. Can you open your eyes for us, Aramis?"
But there was no response. Aramis continued to shiver, and winced in pain when he jarred his body with his restless movements. He remained unconscious and unreachable, as his temperature move slightly higher.
The palace servants finally returned with a large wagon, and despite vehement protests from Athos, Porthos and d'Artagnan that they were well enough to ride, Treville ordered them to desist their protests and to make themselves as comfortable as possible in the wagon-immediately. The knew better than to complain any more and silently and unhappily complied.
As soon as Aramis was made as comfortable as possible on several blankets, and several more had been tucked in on either side of him to cushion him from the jolting of the wagon, they took off at a sedate pace.
When they finally reached the garrison, Treville called loudly for several of his men, giving orders to have each of his injured Musketeers carried into the infirmary, staring pointedly at the three who were awake as if daring them to protest.
They found Dr. Lemay inside waiting for them. They all liked and respected the King's physician. He got to work immediately.
Every one of the Musketeers insisted on Aramis being seen first.
After examining his patient with four very attentive and anxious pairs of eyes at the bedside, he said, "Whoever cleaned the wound and took the bullet out did an excellent and thorough job of it," seeing them all turn and look at Treville.
In normal circumstances, that would have been enough to make his recovery chances excellent. But...," and he hesitated.
Athos quietly asked, "We are, unfortunately, well aware of the possibility of infection, Doctor," and we know that he may already have one. His skin is too warm to the touch, and he has been delirious."
Lemay nodded, confirming their suspicions. "He needs plenty of fluids given to him. I know I do not need to tell you that the wound needs to be kept as clean as possible. I will leave some medicine here for him, along with instructions for when and how much to give him, which will not be easy to do as he is unconscious and may remain that way for a while yet. Please send for me if his condition changes at all, either better or ..." He stopped, not wanting to add the end of what he had been about to say.
He then examined and treated Athos, Porthos, and d'Artagnan, giving them instructions for plenty of rest and fluids. He gave some pain meds to Athos, as the ribs were giving him quite a lot of discomfort. He told them, "I know you want to be at Aramis' bedside as much as possible, but see that you get your rest or you may make yourselves worse, which would not help any of you or Aramis," he said, softening his words with a smile, as he knew how much they loved and cared for each other.
Rising, he took his leave,face still grim at the condition of the young man whose politeness, affability, and medical skills he had come to respect and admire very much.
Aramis' brothers looked at each other after he had gone, dismay at having their suspicions about Aramis' conditions confirmed. They settled in for the night, none of them taking to their beds per Lemay's orders. Al three of them felt their place was with their brother.
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Treville came back after checking the garrison's activities, wanting to make sure that his men had complied with Lemay's orders. He found that ARamis had still not awakened, and sighed. Why, he silently asked himself, did Aramis always seem to have the worst luck with injuries?
After checking his other three injured men and sitting with Aramis for a short time, he rose to take his leave, saying, "I have arranged a meeting with Louis this afternoon. I did not want to leave the issue too long, with Philippe still running free. I will fill you in when I return."
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Louis greeted Treville warmly as the Musketeer Captain was ushered into the royal presence.
"Majesty." Treville said.
"Something up, Treville?" Louis asked, not wasting a moment in idle talk, wondering about the urgency of the request for this meeting.
"I wanted you to hear it from me before word gets out, Majesty," Treville told him. Then, we will follow your orders." Treville knew how much Louis appreciated the flattery given him, if it was given by someone he respected. The Captain usually dispensed with the Court 'techniques' that the nobility used ot get what they wanted, but in this one instance, he was hoping it would assist him with what he wanted Louis to do. Desperate times called for desperate measure, he assured himself.
"Majesty," Treville began, "it is difficult for me to tell you this. You believe that all the men of your Court are men of honor, integrity and loyalty, as they should always be. But Majesty, there is one among them not to be trusted-a wolf in sheep's clothing, as it were. He would pull the wool over your eyes if you let him. But you are not a fool, Majesty, to let him get away with it."
By now, Louis was intensely curious, as well as angry that there was someone who worked against him, and if against him, then against France herself.
"Who is he?" an inndignant Louis demanded. "Who is the worm in our Court?"
Treville was hard-pressed to keep hidden his exaltation that his plan was working perfectly so far.
"Majesty, this man worked hand-in-glove with the man who beset your Musketeer Aramis, arranging over and over to kill him and make it look like an accident. Then, when we discovered who his partner was, this nobleman hid him in this very palace in his rooms," something Treville had suspected and had checked out, having seen for himself the evidence of Bernard's "weapons room" in Philippe's suite that morning.
Louis was livid by this time. He wanted the man hung, at the very least, although he thought to himself, he hoped to devise something more humiliating an prolonged. The King was not usually so bloodthirsty, but in this instance, he wanted as many people as possible to witness the man's downfall.
Treville continued, "We do need to be careful, Majesty. This man's father is, besides being a high-ranking noble, also an honorable gentleman, one who will be horrified by his son's actions. He may turn his back on the son who has disgraced him and and his ancient family name. Or he may feel that, as his father, he needs to defend him against these charges. We do not know for sure, although I would be willing to wager that he will defend justice."
"Treville, I want the name of this cretin. He is to lose his freedom this very day."
"I believe we have a much better way to end things with justice, Majesty," if you will but hear me out. And I wish you to take credit for the plan," these words causing Louis' eyes to open wide in both surprise and a little glee that his Captain should suggest it be his idea. "Tell me about your plan, Treville," Louis said.
"It would be far better to not have the execuation be a public hanging, Majesty. It would rebound onto his father and the family name, and his father and the other members of his family have done no wrong. His crimes could blacken the family name for generations, as well."
"What do you propose then?" Louis asked.
"The young man was unable to pass the requirements to become a Musketeer, a dream of his. He was not good enough with either a pistol or a sword. He publicly derided both Athos and Aramis on your palace grounds for telling him so. I propose that we tell him if he agrees to a duel with Athos, his murderous activities will not become public. I believe he is enough deluded by his abilities that he will eagerly take the duel on to prove he would have been good enough. His execution will come at the end of Athos' sword."
"Excellent idea, Treville," Louis exclaimed.
"And if I might suggest it, Majesty, I would like, as I said before, for the idea to look as if it came from you. There might be questions if the Captain of the Musketeers suggested one of him men fight a duel with someone who had been rejected by our regiment. But no one would dare question it coming from you."
Louis was so quiet for a moment that Treville began to fear that he would back out and reject being the instigator. Then, Louis began vigorously clapping his hands, saying, "They would not dare! Yes, I will do it, Treville. We will be a team. Together, we will bring down this villain!"
