Chapter Eight - Fever

Treville (with the four Musketeers).

Aramis wrung out the cloth and lay it on his Captains forehead again. The man was sweating profusely and had started to mumble a little. The fever was surely at its peak thought Aramis. He had already been sat with Treville for three hours watching as the man's illness got worse. The doctor had assured them that all the other people who had been through the fever had lived. They just had to wait it out.

'Aramis,' said Treville quietly, 'you must do something for me…'

'Anything Captain. What do you need? Water? Perhaps you can manage some broth?'

The Captain shook his head, closing his eyes as he did so in pain. Aramis guessed the man's head ached as he fought the fever.

'No, there are papers, in my drawer...you must burn them...please Aramis don't read them. When I am dead...burn them...make it the first thing you…'

'You're not dying Captain, you will recover.'

But Treville had passed out. Frowning Aramis wondered what was in the papers that he was to burn. Whatever it was, must have been damning to someone. But who?

MMMM

Athos sat forward as Treville opened his eyes and looked about himself with confusion.

'Captain,' said Athos quietly, 'you are safe, you are ill with fever…'

'Athos, you must burn the papers in the desk...don't read them, just burn them…'

The Captain had tried to sit up, grabbing Athos' hand as he did so. Athos gently eased the fevered man back down.

'What papers?'

'No, don't read them Athos, burn them. They cannot get into the wrong hands. When I am dead it will cause issues…'

Treville's voice trailed off as he fell asleep again. Athos looked at his Captain and wondered what was so important that no one could be allowed to know it. What secret was his Captain keeping from him?

MMMM

'Captain,' said Porthos, 'you need to drink some water. Aramis told me you didn't drink when he was watching you and you slept the entire time Athos was with you.'

Porthos lifted the Captain's head and held the cup to his lips. Treville sipped at the cool water.

'Well done,' said Porthos with a smile, 'you can have some more in a bit.'

'Porthos,' said Treville, focusing on the Musketeer sat at the side of his bed, 'take the key to the desk drawer when I am gone, burn the papers. Make sure there is no trace of them. They must be destroyed completely.'

'Where are you going?' asked Porthos before realising what his Captain meant, he grinned, 'you're not dying Captain.'

But Treville had drifted off to sleep again. Porthos glanced across the room at the desk, wondering what it was that needed to be destroyed without a trace. He knew the Captain kept some things from the men, it was necessary. And he knew he would not need to carry out his Captain's order for which he was glad. But he was still curious as to what was in the papers Treville was so keen to get rid of.

MMMM

'You're not dying, Captain,' said d'Artagnan after Treville had made his strange request.

The Captain looked at him for a few seconds his eyes unfocused before closing them and falling back into his fitful sleep.

Burning paperwork seemed like the wrong thing to do. Whatever was in the papers must have been important for someone, not just Treville. Why would the Captain have kept the papers himself if they were not important to someone? He was glad he would not have to do as his Captain wished. The man was still delirious, perhaps there were no papers.

D'Artagnan looked at the desk. He rose from his seat by the bed and took a few steps towards the desk. He was startled by the door being pushed open, Aramis looked at him. D'Artagnan knew he had not hidden his guilty look very well.

'Did he ask you as well?'

'Ask me what?'

Porthos appeared behind Aramis and spoke before his friend could, 'ask you to burn the papers in his desk?'

D'artagnan nodded, 'I wasn't going to, obviously.'

'And you were not about to look for them either, were you?' asked Athos who had followed Porthos into the room.

'No,' lied d'Artagnan.

Aramis grinned, 'we weren't about to look for them either,' he said, 'Athos overheard us talking about them and pulled rank.'

'Probably for the best,' said Porthos as he leaned over Treville and felt his skin.

'I think, gentlemen,' said Athos, 'that our Captain does not need to know that we have spoken to each other about this. With luck, he will not even remember talking to each of us about it.'

D'Artagnan nodded along with Aramis and Porthos.

Aramis crossed to the chair by the bed and sat down. Athos picked up the key to the desk and tucked it into his own pocket.

'I shall remove the temptation,' he said with a slight smile.

Aramis pretended to be slighted by the comment, Porthos chuckled and d'Artagnan smiled.

'With luck,' said Aramis, 'we will never need to know what is in those papers.'

The End.