Evening My Lovelies
Ooooh we're so freaking close to 200 reviews! We're not even at 20 chapters yet!
We're back with our boys Porthos and Athos today and let's just say... neither are exactly happy :D
Notes On Reviews:
Deana: Thanks for the review - He's in quite a bit of pain unfortunately but he'll be alright eventually :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Poor D'Art's going to suffer similarly to how Aramis did after Savoy and its going to lead to the two of them having quite the heart-to-heart... or at least that's what I'm planning, hopefully I can write it as well as my imagination can picture it :D Things are unfortunately looking quite bleak for our boy at the moment and he's only going to get worse before he gets better :D Quentin is the baddie our lovely Issac and Favier have been chasing so expect to see them fairly soon as well :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Tidia: Thanks for the review - Originally he wanted D'Art but I can see him settling for any musketeer now that he's seen the pups condition... and how Aramis reacted :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
GoGirl212: Thanks for the review - I'm sooo glad you enjoyed the protective side of Aramis, I really really enjoyed writing it, usually in my stories Aramis is more medic mode whilst his brothers do the protective thing so it was fun to mix it up a bit and really explore that side of our lovely medic :D Athos and Porthos are working as hard as they can, we've got a few chapters until they find them but they're on their way. Enjoy the new chapter! x
FierGascon: Thanks for the review - I know :( It'll get better soon I promise! Enjoy the new chapter! x
Katie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Issac and Favier will indeed be coming back (I love them too much to leave them out!) We've got a couple more chapters until they arrive but they'll be popping up again very soon :) I'm so glad you liked the chapter, even if it did knock 10 years off of you XD Enjoy the new chapter! x
watlocked: Thanks for the review - Mwhaha I know :D and now I'm going to be even more so by making you wait to see what's going on with our injured boys :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
The dreamer (Guest): Thanks for the review - Why thank you that review really made me smile :) If you like D'Art/Aramis brotherhood you'll like some of the later chapters I plan to write. The attack on his village is going to become for D'Art like Savoy is for Aramis so our medic will be reaching out desperately to help our pup. Providing I can do the scenes I'm imagining justice when I write them they should be good and emotional :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Maryg (Guest): Thanks for the review - Ah but you'll die a happy person surrounded by lots of D'Art whump :D Hmm your review's made me want cookies now... i'm quite annoyed I don't actually have any, then again it is almost 2am here, probably not the best time to be eating cookies anyway. We'll be back with D'Art and Aramis tomorrow so I wont keep you waiting long. Enjoy the new chapter! x
criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - Haha like the name :) and I agree, definitely Sinatra :D I Loved writing Aramis as the protective big brother, its a lot of fun so I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. Enjoy the new chapter! x
f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - D'Art's going to get a little worse before he gets better but don't worry he wont be dying. Aramis is more hurt then he'd like to admit but we'll see a bit more of that in tomorrows chapter. Unfortunately our medic is a bit too wrapped up in tending to D'Art to give his wound the attention it needs. It'll be a few chapters until I can clear up what's going on in Quentin's head but all will be answered eventually I promise. As for who sold out our pup... You'll have to wait and see, I've got a great scene planned and I don't want to spoil it by dropping any hints :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
pallysdeeks: Thanks for the review - Athos and Porthos are working on getting a location, they'll be heading off to rescue our boys before too long. Poor Aramis is worse off then he wants to admit but he's going to have a tiny bit of help from an unexpected source in tomorrows chapter :D You'll have to wait and see who sold out D'Art, should be quite the emotionally charged scene if I can write what I'm picturing. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Issai: Thanks for the reviews - (chapter13) Yeah, you'd think they'd have learned not to split up by now *shakes head* Porthos and Athos are working on getting to them but some trouble's going to happen first :D It felt a little wrong to have Aramis miss but I figured he's tired and panicking... probably didn't spend a lot of time trying to aim, plus he was distracted by D'Art. (chapter14) Issac and Favier will definitely be showing up very soon, our boys are going to need the back up. With D'Art as bad as he is our lovely medic is not going to give his wound the attention it really needs as you'll see tomorrow. I'm glad you liked the Savoy mention. D'Art's going to be relying heavily on Aramis for support once he starts recovering and his nightmares really start :D The traitor is still alive but he wont be by the time the story ends, that I can promise. Enjoy the new chapter! x
MicheeO: Thanks for the review - I don't care if it was only a joke it's a brilliant idea! I have the whole scene planned out in my head, now I'm just waiting until we can get to an appropriate point to include it. It would but I can't kill him... seriously hurt him and bring him to the brink? yes i can do that but no i can't kill him. Enjoy the new chapter! x
WelshEssex (Guest): Thanks for the review - We'll be clearing that up fairly soon so you hopefully wont be questioning it for much longer. The wound is definitely worse than the medic want's to admit but we'll be seeing more of it tomorrow when we're back with him and D'Art. Porthos is going to be worried and pissed... not a good combination for whoever he decides to vent on :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - Ooh 3 reviews from you don't I feel special lol :D I can't believe how well this story is doing already! to be almost at 200 at this stage is amazing. I hadn't really noticed how close I was until your review and I'll admit I'm a bit stunned at the response from every for this story so far :D Aramis is definitely channeling his inner animal when it comes to these bandits... well apart from one that you'll see more tomorrow as for some reason, again I have no idea how it happened, the two have quite a bit of banter but as I said you'll see that tomorrow so I wont say any more in case I spoil anything for you. D'Art's in a very bad way right now and he's going to get a bit sicker before he starts to improve and given the situation that they're in, which will be explained a bit more in tomorrows chapter, our lovely Aramis is quite right to be worried... although he wont actually be dying, I can't kill the pup! :D The moments when D'Art's awake are simply the best to write as I really get to delve into the worried big brother that is Aramis whilst also having brotherly moments between the two. Aramis's wound is more painful then he's going to admit and unfortunately he's a bit wrapped up in worrying about D'Art to give it the proper care it needs. Issac and Favier will definitely be returning to the story very soon so stay tuned for that! :D I'm sooooo glad you like MicheeO's idea! I have the entire scene and the aftermath planned out in my head and am now just waiting for the perfect moment to include it in to the story. If I can write it half as well as the scene in my head is then we should really be in for a treat! Enjoy the new chapter! x
As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading
Love you all!
Enjoy!
xxx
Chapter Fifteen: Protective Instincts III
Porthos knew something was wrong as soon as they approached the cave. With a stern look to the two women that had them nodding at the silent order to stay both still and silent, the larger man dismounted his horse, silently drawing his blade from its sheath as he moved to the entrance of the cave.
Without even stepping inside Porthos felt the bad feeling he had grow massively. Unwilling to wait for Athos for back up Porthos let out a low growl and stormed his way into the cave, his body primed for a fight, ready to defend his brothers should they need him.
Only to freeze when he arrived at the spot they had both been only hours before. The small makeshift camp was a mess, a dead man dressed in the same garb as the bandits who had attacked them earlier was lying near the entrance whilst there was clear signs of struggle all around, as well as two very familiar, empty pistols.
"'Mis," snarled the musketeer as he lightly traced the engraving on one of the firearms. He would recognize that pistol anywhere, Aramis had been particularly ecstatic at how well the engraving had come out and spent nearly every spare minute over the next few days polishing the pistol as well as practically fawning over its "exquisite" marksmanship.
After doing a search for any signs of where their brothers had been taken too Porthos was forced to leave the cave, empty-handed and angry.
"Monsieur Porthos?" asked a hesitant voice and the larger musketeer cursed himself for forgetting the two anxious women waiting for answers. Too wrapped up in his anger to verbally respond to the unasked question he settled for shaking his head, the anger and pain in his eyes telling both women exactly what they needed to know.
"B-But Aramis said it wasn't safe to move him," whimpered Corinne quietly, her fear for her cousin leaking through the strong persona she was desperately trying to convey.
Maria increased her grip on the younger woman, bringing her into a tight embrace before she turned her attention to Porthos.
"What do we do now?"
Porthos sighed, worry and panic for his brothers clouding his judgment for the moment but he forced himself to push it to one side. Worry and panic wouldn't bring them back, wouldn't keep them safe, only action, clear, well thought out action would do that so that's exactly what he needed to do.
"We wait for Athos," announced Porthos as he moved to tie up the horses. "There's no point us doing anything until we know what's going on, so we need the guy 'Thos is chasing. For now… Get some rest, we'll probably be moving as soon as we get a lead so best rest up while you can."
Neither woman looked overly happy with the plan to do nothing but seeing as frustration was practically leeching out of the musketeer they both thought better of voicing their disapproval.
After a few minutes Porthos knew he had to do something, sitting around doing nothing was not helping the murderous thoughts going around in his head.
"I'm going to get firewood," stated the musketeer as he moved to his feet. "Don't move from here. If more bandits come take the horses and run back to the village, we'll come find you there," then, without waiting for any sign of acknowledgement from either woman he stormed off into the forest.
By the time a haggard looking Athos rode into the clearing with a battered and bruised bandit tied to his horse the trio were settled around a small fire eating some meat they had managed to catch.
Athos raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think I was gone that long."
"Had to do something," grunted Porthos before turning his attention to the bandit, "He awake?"
Athos felt himself tense at the tone of his brother's voice, "Not currently," he stated with a barely noticeable smug grin tugging at his lips. He was not ashamed to admit he had been particularly… determined to see the man caught.
"Get 'im down and wake 'im up. They've taken 'Mis and the whelp."
Athos paled at his brother's words and wasted no time in forcefully dragging the unconscious bandit off of his horse and over to a tree where he and Porthos proceeded to tie him to it.
Not bothering to hide his smug grin Porthos pulled him arm back and backhanded the man right across the face, the shock of the hit forcing him back into consciousness.
"Bloody hell," whined the bandit as he fought off the dizzy spell that assaulted him when Porthos hit him.
"Where. Are. They!" snarled Porthos as he grabbed the man by the throat and pushed him back up against the tree, inwardly smirking when the man grunted in pain.
"Do your worst musketeer," snaps the man with as much venom as he can muster before letting out another grunt of pain as Porthos pulls him back from the tree just enough to hurt when he forces him back into it.
"Where. Are. They!" repeats Porthos in the same deadly tone he used before, only now it seems far more intense as it becomes apparent the bandit isn't going to give him the answers he's after easily.
As Athos expected the bandit once again refused to answer, only this time he spat in Porthos's face, something that significantly annoyed both musketeers.
"Porthos," stated Athos firmly as he placed a hand on the larger musketeer's arm, squeezing it just enough to get him to loosen his grip around the now suffocating bandit's throat.
"You would do well not to test us monsieur," said Athos coldly as he turned his attention to the restrained man who was now gasping for breath. "After everything you and yours have done you're lucky my friend is showing restraint. That can end at any time. Do. Not. Test. Us."
The man paled at Athos's words and the cold, hard promise lying underneath and it seemed to weaken his resolve as his eyes widen in fear as Porthos tightened his grip, once again, around the man's throat.
Decisions and arguments whirled around inside the man's head, the very idea of giving up information sickened him but he could see how prepared the two men were in front of him to do whatever it took to get the answers they wanted. He knew that his boss, who was far from a forgiving man, would not look on him favorably should he find a way out of this situation and return, even without speaking.
When Porthos's grip cut off even more of his minimal air supply, making his lungs scream in panicked protest, his decision was made. He would have to take his chances with the musketeers and hope that their sense of honor that they were known for would prevail over their anger at his actions.
"We were only afta the brat!" exclaimed the bandit slightly breathlessly, once again gasping for breath when Porthos's hand releases him.
"What?" growls Athos darkly, the man's words bringing out an expression on the musketeer's face that only ever appeared when his brothers were in danger.
"T-The boy," stammers the bandit, all fight now gone after seeing in both musketeers' eyes how willing they would be to do anything to get the information they sought. "We had orders to grab the boy… Your friend, the other one. He wouldn't leave and… well… two's better than one."
Porthos looked very much like he would like nothing more than to throttle the disgusting man in front of them but Athos, being the ever reasonable one, stepped forward, pulling the man's attention back to him and giving Porthos a minute to calm himself down enough to think clearly and realize that killing the man before they have all the information they need is not going to help their missing friends.
"You had orders to grab D'Artagnan, why?"
The bandit shrugged, "Boss's orders. He got away once, boss doesn't like not getting what he's promised."
If at all possible the dark look on Athos's face grew even darker as he realized this could very well confirm his suspicions, suspicions he desperately wanted to be false, suspicions he would willingly give anything to not be proven true.
"Promised?"
Noticing the dark look makes the bandit gulp and pale further but there was no turning back so, with some reluctance and resistance, he explained how someone had gotten into debt with his boss and had promised the man a young strong musketeer as payment to clear said debt.
He didn't get much more out in terms of explanation as Porthos, in his anger, launched a punch at the man's face, hitting him hard enough to knock him out.
As Porthos turned to speak to his brother he noticed the look on the man's face. "You knew," he breathed, disbelief and anger filling his voice as he stared, eyes wide and full of hurt, at his brother.
When Athos said nothing Porthos felt his anger redirect as he pushed his friend hard enough to make him stumble back and blink out of the thoughts he had apparently gotten lost in.
"You knew," reiterated Porthos, his voice coming out as more of a growl as he focused on not punching his friend.
Sparing a glance at the two women in their party, both who had luckily missed the explanation from the bandit; Athos muttered a curse under his breath before pulling Porthos further away from the group.
"I suspected," admitted Athos, his frame tense as he prepared himself to dodge any punches his brother might feel like throwing his way. To his surprise though his admission seemed to make the anger drain from his friend, leaving behind only the hurt.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
Athos sighed, "I wasn't sure, I had no proof and what good would it do to bring it up before I was sure. D'Artagnan had moments when he was awake, what if he woke up when we were discussing it, how would that help him? To know that his village was most likely targeted because of him?"
Porthos was silent after Athos's rant, in truth he hadn't considered that, he had been so wrapped up in the fact that Athos had suspected that he hadn't even considered why his brother hadn't confided in them.
"What do we do?" he sighed, the anger and hurt now both gone leaving him with only the worry for his brothers reaming.
At this the dark look returned to Athos's eyes, "We wake our friend up, get a location out of him and find our brothers."