Suspicious Minds

Chapter Eight

After an unsettled night Athos assembled his men at dawn to await the King. Much to his annoyance Etienne stuck close to his side, acting as if he hadn't thrown Athos' world into turmoil. He caught a glimpse of d'Artagnan but the boy refused to meet his eye, instead very pointedly turning his back. Aramis, by contrast, was watching him openly. Afraid that he would give himself away Athos ducked his head so that his eyes were shielded by the brim of his hat. He was surrounded by people and felt more isolated than he had since walking away from his land after ordering the execution of his wife.

When Louis arrived with his courtiers Athos was able to put his unease aside to concentrate on the task of protecting his monarch. The huntsmen brought up the dogs which were excitedly straining at their leashes. Athos mounted and manoeuvered his horse towards the front of the milling crowd. When Etienne kept pace with him he turned with repressed fury.

"You will guard the rear," he said.

Etienne frowned. "As you command," he replied, his tone brittle.

Athos ignored him, relieved to be free of his oppressive presence. Not that it made it any easier to speak to his friends. They stayed on the fringes of the pack of riders, guarding the flanks. As they rode Louis chattered on and Athos kept enough presence of mind to respond with non-committal comments at appropriate intervals. One thing he could rely on was that Louis wouldn't notice that he was distracted. The King was far too self-absorbed.

The morning progressed favourably. Louis brought down a deer to the tune of much fawning congratulation. They also bagged a brace of partridge. By the time they reached the spot chosen for lunch the King was in excellent spirits. While Louis and his favoured companions sat in the shade of a canopy to eat Athos stood behind him in the full glare of the sun. When Etienne wandered over to stand beside him he clenched his jaw and resisted the urge to order his cousin out of his sight. It didn't help to recognise that his words and actions were those of a guilty man and that was the last impression he wanted to give.

One of his worst nightmares was feeling helpless and that was exactly how he felt that day. He needed to speak to Aramis yet any move in that direction would lend credence to Etienne's accusations. His treatment of d'Artagnan also weighed heavily on his mind as he began to suspect that he had been tricked into disowning the young man in order to isolate him from his friends.

While he had been growing up his family had been of paramount importance to him. He had been particularly close to Etienne and had adored his younger brother. When he met Anne he had given her his heart unconditionally, believing his life to be complete. In one brutal moment he had lost her and his brother but he had never expected to lose Etienne to betrayal. Worse he had in turn betrayed the men who had become as close to him as brothers, believing implicitly in the sincerity of his cousin. How could he have been so blind?

"Have you thought about what I said?" Etienne asked.

"We are on duty. Now is not the time to discuss such matters."

"Your friends have abandoned you," Etienne said conversationally. "You have few options open to you."

"Be silent," Athos snarled.

Louis looked round curiously. "Is there a problem?"

"No, Majesty. Forgive me."

The King frowned but then his face cleared. "Tell the huntsmen that we will be ready to leave shortly."

Athos bowed and walked away, his thoughts seething. When he glanced back he saw that Etienne was watching him with a half-smirk that sent his temper soaring. He passed on the King's message and then gave instructions to the guard to mount up. He saw Aramis heading in his direction and stood indecisively.

"We need to talk," Aramis said.

Aramis didn't know how right he was but the only way Athos could think of to protect his friend was to force him away. "There is nothing to discuss."

Aramis grabbed his sleeve to prevent him from moving. "You are destroying d'Artagnan by your actions. Is that what you want?"

"What I want is to be left alone." He glared at Aramis and shook his arm free. "You have your duties. I suggest you attend to them."

"You're a cold-hearted bastard," Aramis hissed.

Athos swallowed the urge to beg for forgiveness and understanding. Instead he gave a cold smile. "It's taken you long enough to work that out."

Aramis' thoughts and feelings were plain on his face as he narrowed his eyes. "Don't worry. We won't make the same mistake again." He turned and stalked away.

TMTMTM

"I'm sorry," Aramis said. "I tried to reach him but Etienne has done too much damage."

"You did your best," d'Artagnan said unhappily.

"We should knock some sense into him." Porthos cracked his knuckles and glowered.

"I think the time for that is past. We will just have to accept that we have lost him." Aramis looked to where Athos and Etienne rode side by side behind the King. "It is perhaps not so surprising that he has chosen to take his cousin's side in this. What I cannot understand is why Etienne worked so hard to separate Athos from us."

"Perhaps if we found out the identity of his mysterious benefactor we might have our answer," d'Artagnan said. He was watching Athos like a whipped pup who was desperate to recapture his master's affections.

Seeing the young man so devastated made Aramis' blood boil. He could understand Porthos' desire to inflict pain on Athos but, sadly, couldn't see that making any difference. Athos had never responded well to coercion. "When we return to Paris we will take it in turns to watch him. There is a mystery here, my friends, which I am determined to unravel."

"We could 'ave a little chat with Etienne," Porthos suggested evilly.

"Not every problem is solved with violence," Aramis chided.

"No, but it'd make me feel better."

"I don't think Treville would thank us for beating his newest recruit black and blue, however tempting it might be."

"I'm not ready to give up on Athos," d'Artagnan said quietly. "We just need to get him to listen to us."

"I fear we will be wasting our breath. No, the key to this is Etienne. We must find a way to discredit his lies. Maybe then we will have a chance to persuade Athos of the error of his ways." Aramis kept his tone positive because he could see how much it meant to d'Artagnan to have hope. He just wished he shared the young man's confidence. He had known Athos a long time and the malice with which the older man had spoken did not encourage him to believe that they could overcome the poisonous falsehoods that had sundered their brotherhood. Athos did not trust easily and his faith in d'Artagnan had been shattered.

D'Artagnan meanwhile felt that the bottom had fallen out of his world. The loss of his father had left him adrift with only thoughts of revenge for company. His initial wholly misconceived hatred of Athos had turned into admiration and then into love for an older brother. Athos had taught him and nurtured his talents, all the time contributing to his growing feeling of self-worth. The day Athos had put the pauldron on his arm had been one of the happiest and proudest moments of his life. That his words and actions had in part led to the rift between them was heartbreaking. He should have realised that Athos would side with his beloved cousin. Instead he had acted like a child and done irreparable damage to their relationship. He was thankful that Aramis and Porthos had stood by him but a large part of his soul had been ripped asunder and he didn't know if it could ever be mended.

Tbc