Sometimes Salvation is Found in Agony

Chapter Eleven

Shortly before the attack…

After the others left to take their turn in keeping an eye on their friend as he tried to get a few of hours of sleep, Athos was sitting down with Treville outside of the garrison as he spoke with their captain about the fight ring going on at the tavern thanks to d'Artagnan getting the information from Madam Bonacieux and how Aramis was required to prove himself to the conspirators by killing one of the competitors.

"Aramis suspects that the ring was started as a way of earning the money needed for our criminals to live on while plotting and gathering the information needed to accomplish their goal of killing Richelieu," Athos was saying. "However, I doubt that the ring will end just because the killers have finally gotten what they needed."

"Once this is all over, I'll send some of the men in order to make sure that it gets shut down, for good," the Captain said. "And now Aramis has been taken to meet with the rest of them, including the ringleader behind this whole assassination plot?"

Athos nodded and answered, "At least we assume so. Porthos and d'Artagnan are with him."

Treville replied, "They'll make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid enough to get himself killed."

"I'm not so sure that that's necessarily what we have to worry about," Athos responded as he and their Captain stood from the table upon hearing a rider coming in fast, then grew cold upon seeing that it was d'Artagnan, his face letting them both know something was terribly wrong.

"Aramis is in trouble!" the boy cried urgently as he jumped down from his horse and ran over to them. "His deception was discovered because that girl who helped us find him in the village when he was captured was there and she told her new friends everything. She sold him out!"

Captain Treville moved toward the stable, as did Athos, to ready their horses, then spoke up as he asked, "Is he all right? I mean, is he in immediate danger?"

D'Artagnan helped them as he answered, "I didn't think so, but as I was riding back here after leaving Porthos behind to keep watch, I saw a small army of the Cardinal's guards in the distance, riding toward the forest. They are fully ready for battle and when they find the camp, they'll kill everyone, including Aramis and Porthos, unless they can stay alive long enough for us to get there."

"D'Artagnan, go and gather as many of the others as you can and tell them to ready themselves for a fight as quickly as possible," Treville replied, then watched as the Gascon rode off again to follow his orders. "I should have known that Richelieu would pull something like this. He must have sent Rochefort and some of his other guards to follow us so that they would be able to take out the criminals before we could have any of them brought in for questioning and trial."

"It doesn't matter why," Athos responded in frustration as he was finally finished, then mounted his horse, followed by their captain. "What matters is that when the Red Guard attacks, Porthos will charge in to find Aramis and they'll both be in danger. We need to get to them. We can deal with the rest later."

Later…

Once they made it clear of the battle after the rest of their friends came riding in to defend them, Porthos finally stopped so that they could rest as he gently set Aramis down on the ground again and helped him lay back against a tree. The musketeer was still conscious, but it was clear that he was hurting badly and his blood was seeping through the bandages over his shoulder, despite his effort to keep pressure on the wound. Claudette stopped with them, but began to pace back and forth angrily as she struggled to make up her mind about what to do next.

Porthos finally caught Aramis' eyes, then turned to look at the woman with them and spoke up saying coldly, "You'll only wear yourself out by continuing to do that. I suggest you rest, while we wait for our friends to rejoin us."

Claudette heard the resentment in the musketeer's voice, then answered, "I don't know why I'm even here with you. Your friend there murdered Reynard, a man I loved like a brother, who is the actual brother of the man I love, and you expect me to believe that you really want to help me?"

"Aramis does want to help you, although I don't understand why, and your so called brother…" Porthos replied angrily until he was cut off.

"It's all… right, Porthos," Aramis spoke weakly as he reached out to put his hand on his friend's arm to try to calm him down until he quickly let go to be able to keep his hand against his shoulder. "She's up… upset."

Porthos looked down at his friend and pulled Aramis' hand away, then replaced his own hands over the wound to apply stronger pressure as he responded, "She's upset? And what about you, Aramis? She's partly responsible for you nearly getting killed and you are trying to defend her? Why?"

The younger man looked at Porthos sadly as he answered, "She could have… have killed me. But she did… didn't. Most of what her friends… told her… was a lie. She deserves… to know… the tru… She wants…"

"Stay with me," Porthos quickly said when Aramis became too weak to continue and started to lose consciousness. "Do you hear me, Aramis? Don't you give up on me. You've come too far to die now. We're going to get you back home, so that we can patch you up, just as we did before. You stupid fool."

"Caut… cauterize…" Aramis tried to say. "You need to… caut…"

Porthos shook his head upon understanding, then replied firmly, "No. No way. The pain alone could kill you and you want me to burn your wound closed?"

Claudette spoke again saying, "If you really care about your friend, you have no choice. You have to cauterize it if you expect him to make it back to wherever it is you plan on taking him. He won't survive much longer so long as he continues to bleed out."

"And what do you know?" Porthos shouted at her again. "For all I know, you want to see him die!"

"She's right, Por… Porthos," Aramis responded. "Plea… please."

All of a sudden, Athos, d'Artagnan, and Captain Treville came riding in again and swiftly dismounted to make their way over to their friends, then Athos took a close look at Aramis' wound as he answered, "We have to cauterize the wound. He's going to bleed out if we don't."

Porthos cried angrily, "I know! And what about the pain?"

"He can handle it," Treville replied confidently as he looked down at the wounded soldier under his charge and care. "Aramis is far stronger than he realizes, even if he can't see it right now. He's the one with the most medical knowledge. If he says to do it, then we must do it."

"Do it," Aramis stated quietly and then closed his eyes in order to prepare himself for what was to come.

D'Artagnan stood over his three friends, then he moved and started to collect sticks so that he'd be able to make a fire for them as he looked over at the woman standing nearby and finally spoke up saying, "I suggest you make yourself useful and help us. You can start by helping me gather sticks. I take it that is why you're here?"

Claudette glared at the boy, then responded, "As I told the brute, I don't know why I'm here. I suppose it's because your friend claims to know information about my people and if he's right, I want to know. I want to know what he meant when he told me there is more to our attack against the Cardinal. Not that it couldn't be just another lie!"

"Aramis only lied to you in order to infiltrate your friends so that he could help us to stop you from making a huge mistake," d'Artagnan answered as he looked at her, then down again at his friend sadly. "We would all love to see the Cardinal dead as we've seen the terror he has created, but what you and your friends were trying to do…"

"It was a foolish plan," Athos interrupted as he stood and walked toward her, leaving Aramis in Porthos' care in order to help d'Artagnan with the fire. "It would have gotten you all killed as well as a number of innocent people, even if you did succeed. Then, the King would have demanded war in retaliation against any of you that might have survived and whichever province you come from."

She shouted, "And what of my people? Richelieu had my family and my friends, everyone in my entire village slaughtered! Am I supposed to just forget about that?"

Captain Treville replied, "We will do everything we can to find out the truth behind what happened to your people, then make those responsible for the attack pay, but as for the Cardinal, in time, I promise you he will answer for his crimes, but justice must be done; not revenge. Do you understand?"

"Not yet, but seeing as I am far outnumbered by the King's musketeers, I don't really have much of a choice," Claudette responded coldly as she finally gave in and helped the men around her finish their preparations. "I will help you save him."

"Good," Athos said nervously once they finished, then knelt down with Porthos as he looked sadly upon Aramis. "You have far more to offer, my friend. Your fight isn't over yet, so don't let us down. You never have before."