Sometimes Salvation is Found in Agony

Chapter Three

The musketeers rode to the palace, where they knew that their King would be waiting for them to learn about what happened with the attackers. Though the attack wasn't made against him, Louis feared that someone wanted to harm the man who has been his counselor and father figure for most of his life and the musketeers knew it, the King having made that clear to them long ago.

"Were there any survivors?" Louis asked very quickly and fearfully upon the musketeers walking into the throne room. "Did they tell you anything? Please, tell me you know why those men and women would attack the Cardinal."

"There were two survivors, Your Majesty," Athos replied after he and the others bowed before their King and Queen and then stepped forward. "The others left us no choice, but to kill them, though we found out that they attacked today, only to test us to see how the musketeers and how the Red Guard would react."

Captain Treville spoke up asking, "Why would they want to know how each of us would react? What were they really after?"

Athos continued as he answered, "If they were telling the truth, which I believe they were, then they weren't there to rob the Cardinal's carriage as they appeared to attempt. There are more, more men and women out there somewhere, who are planning an assassination. They want Cardinal Richelieu dead, though they refused to tell us anymore than that. We don't know why."

"Did they not tell you who they were or where they were from?" Queen Anne asked, not out of concern for the man who had tried to have her killed, but because she was worried about the people that Richelieu had most likely hurt somehow, which would explain these people's retribution.

"Unfortunately no, Your Highness," d'Artagnan replied as he stepped forward to stand beside Athos. "But should Your Majesties wish it, we will do our best to find out."

Athos nodded in agreement, then looked over at Captain Treville for confirmation on their next probable assignment and added, "We will stop them, before they can follow through with their plans."

The Captain stepped forward to stand with the men under his charge and responded, "The musketeers will discover what's going on. You have my word, Your Majesties."

"Very good," Louis answered and then looked over at the Cardinal. "You see, Cardinal? I told you they would do their job. The musketeers will not let them harm you."

Richelieu nodded, but then spoke up finally as he stated, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Though I wish to put some of my men out there, led by the captain of my guards as well, just to increase the number of those seeking out the men and women who wish to have me killed."

The King nodded and replied, "Of course, Cardinal. By all means, do as you must. Now, if you all will excuse me, I must retire for lunch now and then go lie down for a nap. I am hungry, but mostly exhausted after this morning's most exhilarating events. Queen Anne, do you wish to join me?"

"I shall join you for a meal, Your Majesty, but I am not tired, so I will then go to the library to read for awhile until this evening's meeting with our visiting dignitaries," Anne responded as she laid her hand over the top of her husband's and then turned back to the musketeers in hope of catching Aramis' gaze, though the man she truly loved kept his head turned downward or away from her, as he had ever since the Cardinal had nearly killed him and he realized that he couldn't love her.

"Very good," Louis answered as the two finally stood to exit the main hall.

The Cardinal exited the room behind the King and Queen, while Treville turned to face his men and spoke up saying, "So, we have an assassination plot against the Cardinal to put a stop to. I have to admit that's a change. You may not have gotten the prisoners say, but do either of you have a notion as to why the others may want to see him dead?"

Porthos replied, "Because, for once the people are putting their anger where it truly belongs. It's nice to know that they aren't truly clueless."

"I agree, but unfortunately we need to find them before they try anything," their captain responded. "Do you know where you are going to begin your search?"

"The others looking to have the Cardinal killed are hiding out around here somewhere and if anyone may know of their whereabouts, it would be the individuals who hang out in the worst tavern in the city; the thieves and killers we have yet to come up against," Athos answered as his comrades nodded their heads in agreement. "We should go down there and…"

As they were about to turn to leave, Aramis spoke up again and said, "What if we were to go about this in another way? Surely the others involved in this plot will know that we will be looking for them, so they'll be more careful and keep themselves hidden at all costs. Even if they are around Paris somewhere, we already learned that these individuals are not willing to be very forthcoming. We need to go about this in another way."

Athos looked at Aramis worryingly as he asked, though he had an idea what his friend was going to say, "So, what exactly do you suggest we do?"

"Send me in disguise in order to try to speak with the people as if I were one of them," Aramis replied as he took off his fleur de lis, then pulled off his sword in its scabbard and handed them both over to the others, who looked at their friend in surprise. "I can weed out the people looking to have Richelieu killed and find the assassin before he strikes, but we won't do it as musketeers."

"Your plan is a good one, but if anyone is going to do this, it will be me," Athos objected as he was their leader.

Aramis quickly responded, "I have a better chance at convincing them I am on their side and not simply pretending. You know that I'm right."

Athos shook his head again as he reached out, placing a hand firmly on Aramis' shoulder, then answered, "You don't have to keep trying to proving yourself, Aramis. You are as good as any one of us."

"I'm not doing this because I have something to prove!" he cried angrily as he pushed Athos' hand away, then pulled down his jacket and shirt enough to reveal a part of the ugly, barely healed scar in his left shoulder. "Maybe I am, a little, but there's more it than that. If there's any one of us who hates the Cardinal enough to be able to fool them, it is I. I overheard what you said in the Bastille after I walked off. You want me to stop walking around like a ghost. You think I'm acting reckless, but my duty is now all I have. Whatever I was before, whatever it was I did outside of being a musketeer, I am no longer that man. I can't be, but I can find the men trying to kill the Cardinal. The bastard deserves to be brought down by our terms, not by anyone else's."

"Aramis, I…" Porthos began until he was cut off.

Aramis interrupted, "Don't. I don't want to hear it. Please, just allow me to do this. You know that I can, Captain."

Treville nodded, looked between the others, who were all shaking their heads in objection, then turned back to Aramis and replied, "Very well. I believe that you can. However, if the others see that you have been compromised, in any way, then we will pull you out, even if we haven't gotten the information we're looking for. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," Aramis responded and then walked off again, without so much as another word to his comrades.

"You shouldn't have given in to this, Captain," Athos said worryingly. "It isn't that we're afraid he'll mess up and kill the Cardinal himself."

Porthos quickly continued, "It's that we're worried he's going to get himself killed, Sir. He is not in his right mind. You heard him."

Captain Treville nodded and then answered, "Yes, I heard him, but maybe he needs to do this so that he can overcome the anger he's holding against himself. Does it have to do with whatever it was you spoke of down in the Bastille? I know that he's hiding something that he blames himself for and that you three are helping him keep his secret."

"Aramis blames himself for much," Athos answered carefully, so as to not reveal anything about their friend and their Queen having fallen in love. "He fears he will get us killed, more than he fears his own death. We don't fully understand why, but we have been trying to do all we can to help him, though he is making it very difficult."

"As you all do when our missions become personal," Treville replied as they walked outside to their horses upon leaving the walls of the palace. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Porthos spoke up responding, "No Captain. We'll get him through this."

D'Artagnan added, "And we will find the men behind this new plot before they can strike."

"I trust that you will," their captain stated and then mounted his horse. "Now, go and find your comrade and make sure that he is fully prepared."

"Yes Sir," Athos answered as Treville began to ride off, while the musketeers mounted their own horses. "Let's go back to the church. No doubt Aramis will be there as he usually is. We should all light a candle, for luck."