Disclaimer: I do not own Albert the Fifth Musketeer or the characters

Chapter Four

The doctor looked up, just as he finished helping D'Artagnan eat his broth. "Ah, you're here. Excellent. Your lunch is on the table."

Without a word, Albert stepped over to the table and sat down. He saw his lunch was a little more filling than his breakfast was, but he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to eat it.

Monsieur de Treville approached the doctor. "Can we talk?"

"Of course. Come with me." He led the Captain out of the infirmary, and into the room he'd turned into his office. "What's wrong?"

"You were right. When I got there, Albert was crying. I don't know how long he'd allowed that breakdown to last. He's blaming himself for everything again. And he was starting to protest the idea of eating something."

"Goodness, this is more serious than I thought."

"What should we do?"

"For now, I think you should inform His Majesty that all of the Musketeers are out of commission. As much as it pains me to say it, he's going to have to depend on the Cardinal's Guards."

"If it wasn't for those blasted Guards, my Musketeers wouldn't be laid up!"

"I know, Sir. I believe that's what the Cardinal wanted."

"It does make sense. The only other time he's had so many Guards fight my Musketeers was just after the disbandment."

"We'll give young Albert a little more time, but if it's necessary, I'll keep him in here as well. He can bring projects to work on if he has to stay."

"Understood."

D'Artagnan had been propped up, it was safe for him to move a little. "Albert?"

"Oh, hello, D'Artagnan."

"You've been blaming yourself again, haven't you."

He would never lie, so he just nodded his head quietly as he slowly chewed on his food.

"But why? You already know it's not your fault," Aramis asked softly.

"I tried to tell myself that...but then I found myself believing I was at fault a lot more."

"What brought this on?" Athos queried.

"I was making some crutches for D'Artagnan and Aramis to use so they could get around, and then I recalled that if I had been there on time, they wouldn't need them. I tried to tell myself not to inflict self-blame, but then my mind argued that it was my fault. No matter how much I tried to argue back, its defence was stronger. I...I broke down again..."

D'Artagnan frowned sadly. "Oh, Albert..."

"Then, Captain de Treville came to tell me it's time for lunch, and no matter how much he reassured me I'm not to blame, I found I couldn't even believe him." He pushed his plate away. "I can't eat any more, I'm feeling sick to my stomach."

"Then, you should lie down for a while," the doctor offered as he and Monsieur de Treville re-entered the room. "You can try to eat again later, though I think for the time being, we should keep you on broth."

Captain de Treville looked firm. "I am about to inform His Majesty that neither of you are able to take missions. I believe I know what happened."

"What happened, Sir?" Porthos questioned.

"It's Cardinal Richelieu." He turned to Porthos, Athos and Aramis. "This is like the day the Musketeers disbanded, and only you continued to show loyalty to the crown. How he'd sent many Guards against you in order to completely eradicate the squad, and the good name of the King's Musketeers."

D'Artagnan nodded. "There were almost as many Guards against us the day I'd joined."

"Yes. And I believe the Cardinal is so sore about always being shown-up by all of you, that he decided to try again. And he'd had his Guards time it so then Albert would not be present at the time." He turned to the youngest and smallest male in the room. "They made certain you weren't there when they attacked, so it's not a case of you being too late."

"It's a case of me not being there at all..." Albert whispered, self-blame filling his mind again.

"No. It's a case of the Guards plotting an ambush. Even if you were there, they would've found some way to try to get you away from the others so they could attack at full-force with little worry of your special ammunitions." He straightened his hat. "Now, I will be off. Make sure that you all get some rest." He eyed Albert. "You especially, Albert, lack of sleep won't help you."

"I know, Sir. I'll try to sleep."

"See that you do." He left the infirmary.