Evening My Lovelies
Hmmm I'm not too sure what I feel about this chapter. This is the first chapter of this story I've had to write the day it gets published thanks to my insomnia playing up again which is making me not able to sleep when I need/want to and so end up sleeping when I shouldn't be i.e. when I'm supposed to be writing. This meant that I have now caught up to the already written chapters I had done.
Anyways back to this chapter... I'm afraid it's a bit of a filler today but I hope you like it regardless x
Notes On Reviews:
pallysdeeks: Thanks for the review - Athos's knee is going to be playing up for a bit but it means he can stay beside D'Artagnan and give us cute brotherly moments :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - As hard as it was for him to admit D'Art does respect the fact that Remy saved Aramis's life and was instrumental in saving his as well. D'Art's arm is going to be a cause of great pain and worry for a fair while but it'll get better eventually. I could totally see Treville helping D'Art out if I was to have a seriously evil moment and made him lose his arm, though I could see it being painful for him to be around the garrison and not be a musketeer anymore. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Tidia: Thanks for the review - Hmmm knowing my evil brain like I do I think it would be wise to worry :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
GingietheSnap: Thanks for the review - Yay glad you liked it :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Issai: Thanks for the reviews - (chapter26) Our boys will see why Aramis did what he did with regards to Remy once they've calmed down and slept a bit... Tensions were a bit too high in that chapter for them to think clearly about something like that. Damn why didn't I think of a metal goblet... We'll have that happen in a later chapter when the uncle returns :D (chapter27) D'Art's arm is going to be causing a lot of pain and worry for a while but I planning for it to eventually heal up okay. Our boys are putting off telling him about his uncle for as long as possible both to save him emotional pain and because they worry how he'll handle it given his current health. Hmmm I think Athos would probably force himself to walk on that damaged knee if he had no other choice and had to do it. They will eventually reach Paris. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Katie (Guest): Thanks for the review - Yay glad you liked the cuteness of the chapter... I figured we've had some serious chapters and need some cuteness to even it out :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
criminally charmed: Thanks for the review - You know, I was having a bit of a rubbish day at work then I got your review about dragons and it cheered me right up :D Dragon's would definitely be cool to add ... and now I'm imagining our boys decked out in shining armor preparing to fight a dragon... Now that's a nice mental picture :) ... Sorry got distracted ;) Glad you liked the brotherly moments, we'll be seeing more of them coming. Enjoy the new chapter! x
f1gymnast: Thanks for the review - Lack of food definitely isnt helping his recovery but his brothers wont let him go hungry from now on :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Maryg (Guest): Thanks for the review - You're right to be worried about D'Art, though I do plan to have him recover fully eventually. I do have some more whumpage planned for all of our boys but we have a bit of a wait until that happens. Hurt Athos is going to be watching over our poor injured pup so expect cute brotherly moments between the two :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
KarenF (Guest): Thanks for the review - I'm glad you liked it :) Expect more bromance to come :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Helensg: Thanks for the review - Hehe lots of squishy feels :) Not so many in today's chapter but I have more planned :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
MicheeO: Thanks for the review - For me that's a valid question :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
WelshEssex (Guest): Thanks for the review - I figured something must have come up when you didn't review yesterday as you're always so lovely enough to review every chapter :) As long as you enjoyed it though that's all that matters :D D'Art will definitely recover with his brother's help and regular food :) Athos's going to be stuck with D'Art for a while as they both heal so expect some cute brotherly moments to come :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - Glad you liked it. It was hard for D'Art to admit but he does respect Remy for helping Aramis. I doubt he'll ever be able to forgive the man for what he did to his village. Oh I am FAR from through with our lovely pup :D I've lots of plans for him and our other boys so expect drama to start happening fairly soon :D Grouchy/grumbly Athos is fun to write and imagine though he's slightly more relaxed today as our boys have started the journey home. I'm not sure where the competition bit came from but I liked it so I'm glad its been well received. We've got a bit more banter happening today but as I said at the start of the AN, I'm not entirely sure how this ended up turning out so if its rubbish I do apologize. Haha I thought you might like that snuggly moment, I have another one planned for tomorrow so you have that to look forward to :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
As always much love and many thanks for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading
Love you all!
Enjoy!
xxx
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Travel Pains
They were barely a few hours into their ride when Porthos noticed it. At first he had assumed that Aramis was simply trying to compensate for his injury, not wanting to risk jarring it on the ride but as time passed the larger musketeer realized there was something more serious going on.
"…'Mis?" he called quietly, not wanting to bring attention to the matter in case his growing suspicions were wrong.
Aramis said nothing in response but did turn his head to send his friend a quizzical look, silently asking what was wrong, the marksman having heard the worry underlying his brother's words.
"Are you okay?"
Aramis's confused look instantly vanished to one of surprise, evidently not having expected Porthos to have noticed anything wrong with him.
"Oh don't look so shocked," teased Porthos as he lightly slapped Aramis's leg.
"Never mon ami," grinned Aramis, though Porthos could tell it was strained and this made him all the more worried.
"You took some of that pain draught right?" asked the larger man, a theory building in his mind as his eyes subtly roved over his brother's form, frowning internally as he saw the sweat building on his friend's brow and the paleness of his skin.
Aramis nodded, though it made Porthos's eyes narrow. "I made enough for everyone.
Porthos scowled, his eyebrow rising as he stared now his now squirming brother, "That's not what I asked you 'Mis."
The lack of response from Aramis was telling enough and Porthos fought to contain the outburst of anger that he almost released. A loud outburst would only attract attention and they were trying to avoid scrutiny as much as a group their size could.
"Why?" he growled, anger and concern fighting within him for dominance as he stared hard at his brother.
"It… slipped my mind," admitted the medic sheepishly, a faint pink tinge appearing on his cheeks. "I was so wrapped up in checking over D'Artagnan and making sure Athos didn't jostle his knee when we move him back into the wagon that I completely forgot to take my draught. I had taken one when I first woke up so the pain was manageable, it's only really the last hour or so it's come back."
"And you didn't think to mention it?"
Aramis shrugged with his good arm, "We're stopping soon anyway, I thought I would be okay until then. Besides it can't hurt to have one more person clear-minded enough to watch for trouble –"
"That's what they're here for!" hissed Porthos as he pointed to the musketeers leading the group, who despite having noticing the growing tensions between the two, said nothing, giving the two men what privacy they could.
"You're hopeless," sighed Porthos, frustration leaking into his voice before he sat up straighter and raised his voice enough to address their entire group. "Find somewhere to stop."
Thankfully his order was followed without question from the other men and without protest from his brother and ten minutes later the group found themselves stopping in a small clearing by a stream.
With Athos out of commission with his injuries Porthos stepped up to take charge of the group and began issuing out instructions to water the horses and make some food while he checked on his wounded brothers.
"Is this really necessary," huffed Aramis as Porthos helped him down from his horse, the marksman's embarrassed tint returning when he stumbled slightly as his feet hit the ground.
"'Mis you were five more minutes away from falling off of your horse with the way you were beginning to sway," retorted Porthos as he helped his friend sit down before passing over his medical bags.
"Now I'm going to check the kid and 'Thos are still asleep. While I'm doing that find what you need for me to use on that shoulder of yours."
"Oh no," dismissed Aramis with a slight tease to his voice in his efforts to lighten his brother's mood. "I've seen your needlework, you're not coming anywhere near me."
Porthos barked out a laugh at the overly dramatic expression on his brother's face before smirking at the man. "Good thing you don't need stitches then." Nodding to the supplies he added, "I'll use any old thing if something's not out by the time I get back."
Just as he was walking away Porthos heard Aramis mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "yes mother," making the larger musketeer chuckle quietly as he approached the wagon.
"Figured you'd be asleep," mused Porthos as he leaned against the side of the wagon to talk to his brother.
Athos nodded in greeting and merely glared down at his knee in response to Porthos's concern, making the man nod in return as he realized that the pain had returned and had made it difficult for the swordsman to sleep.
"How'd he handle the ride?"
Athos looked down at his baby brother, the Gascon's head still nestled in his lap and the swordsman's arm was wrapped around his body in a light yet protective manor.
"He was out for most of it, which is probably a good thing," responded Athos as he lifted his gaze from D'Artagnan to Porthos. "He showed some signs of distress but I'm not sure if that was from pain or a nightmare."
Porthos nodded, "I've got Blaise making some food, should be ready soon. Are you going to be okay helping him or do you need a hand?"
"I'll be fine," nodded Athos, his own stomach grumbling quietly at the mention of food. "Stay with Aramis, from what I could hear it sounds like he needs someone to watch him right now."
Porthos snorted, "Aint that an understatement. He's been in increasing pain for at least half of our ride because it 'slipped his mind' to take a pain draught before we left and then was too damn stubborn to mention it until I brought it up."
Athos's eyes widened in worry and he stretched his neck so he could see over the wagon railing to his brother who was sorting through his medical supplies by their quickly made fire.
"You've got him?" Athos asked, hating that his full attention could only really be given to one injured brother at a time.
"Oh he'll be taking better care of himself from now on," promised Porthos with a look that almost had Athos feeling sorry for the medic. "I'll beat that lesson into him if I have to."
Letting out a breathy chuckle Athos shook his head fondly at his brother's words, "A bit counterintuitive don't you think?"
Porthos shrugged, a slightly maniacal look in his eyes that had Athos laughing again.
"If it stops this happening again…"
Tilting his head to one side Athos smirked, "fair enough."
The pair spoke for a few more minutes before Porthos returned to Aramis's side, the medic staring at him, equal parts eager and worried.
Quickly understanding what was being silently asked of him Porthos repeated what Athos had told him about how the pair was handling the trip, only to frown when Aramis then tried to get up.
"What do you think you are doing?" asked Porthos as he lightly grabbed the wrist of Aramis's uninjured arm.
Aramis blinked, "They're in pain, I need to check on them."
Porthos smirked before pulling his friend back down to sit on the ground, ignoring the scowl the medic sent his way for doing so. "Oh no you don't. Athos can watch over the boy for a while until they've eaten and we're on our way again but that shoulder of yours needs looking at and I'm not going to let you put it off any longer."
Aramis huffed, "Fine… But I'm checking on them after."
Porthos laughed as he started unwrapping the bandages around his brother's shoulder, "I'd expect nothing less 'Mis."
Over the next hour the group rested, ate and checked over their injuries. As each person was eager to get back on the road the process went by fairly quickly and the inseparables were almost as happy to be moving on again as they were that D'Artagnan had woken up with an appetite for the first time since they found him, meaning they didn't have to coax the Gascon to eat anything.
Just before the group set off again Porthos made his rounds to his injured brothers', handing them a vial of pain reliever. He made sure to stand and watch as Aramis drank his, earning him a scoff and an eye roll from the man before they mounted their horses.
They continued in this pattern for most of the day, riding for several hours and then breaking for at least one. It wasn't the fastest of journeys but they knew they had to be careful with their friends' injuries.
By early evening however it became abundantly clear they would have to stop for the final time that night as both Athos and D'Artagnan were suffering from the constant jarring of the wagon.
Athos had been more silent about his suffering, choosing to try and push his pain to one side with his focus on D'Artagnan but eventually the pain in his knee became far too much for him to ignore and even had a scream passing through his clenched jaw when the wagon rode over a dip in the road.
Alain, who had been driving the wagon at that point had apologized profusely but was shrugged off by a snappish Athos who was trying to get control of the fiery inferno of pain that had ignited in his knee.
D'Artagnan's pain, unlike his mentor, had made itself known much earlier on as the Gascon was too weak and drained to put any energy into hiding how much he was hurting. Tears would occasionally trail down the boy's cheeks despite Athos's attempts at comfort and small whimpers of pain could be heard whenever the wagon jostled too much.
Each of the musketeers looked guilty at every sound of pain but there was little they could do. Their current path was the only one available to them and aside from avoiding obstacles as best they could there wasn't anything any of them could do to make the journey smoother for those in the wagon.
It was after the pothole incident that Porthos and Aramis decided that enough was enough and that they would be stopping for the night despite it still being light enough to continue for a few more hours.
Athos had tried to protest, not having wanted to waste any more time than was necessary in getting his injured and possibly targeted brothers back to the safety of the garrison.
Unfortunately his protests when largely ignored once Aramis reminded him that pushing their already weakened bodies, especially D'Artagnan's, just to get a few hours closer to home could have devastating consequences.
That had silenced Athos's protests fairly quickly and also had the swordsman watching his young charge with renewed vigor for the rest of their journey until they were able to find somewhere safe to stop for the night.