Evening My Lovelies :)
Sorry this is a little late, I got a bit distracted by YouTube again
Also a bit of IMPORTANT information. The next chapter is kinda an important one so if I dont upload it tomorrow just know that it's coz it wasnt quite ready yet. I'm 99% sure I should have it done for publishing tomorrow but I have the whole thing planned out in my head and I want it to be perfect, even if it means waiting another day. Like I said, chances are it'll be up as normal tomorrow but just a heads up :)
Also I'm kinda hoping you lovely people will send me 6 reviews for this chapter so I can hit the 400 mark *bribes with cookies* :D
Notes On reviews:
Deana: Thanks for the review - :D I'm not quite sure where that came from but as soon as the idea hit me I couldn't not include it :) glad you liked it. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Tidia: Thanks for the review - Hmmm considering how he's been acting I'd say no :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review: He should but when it relates to the inseparables, it's stuff he's already considering so it's harder for him to ignore... Plus it means I can write scenes like the ending of today's chapter :D The question Ortiz asked will be mentioned tomorrow so I wont keep you all waiting for long. Enjoy the new chapter! x
pain in the mikta: Thanks for the review - Is it evil of me to say that the beginning of your review made me smile? :) Aramis has some quite... creative, ideas for how Ortiz should go down. Our boys will put D'Art back together before too long. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Issai: Thanks for the review - True but the Kings also a petulant child so he's not going to like anything D'Art found. The question Ortiz asked will be addressed tomorrow so I wont keep you hanging for too long :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
watlocked: Thanks for the review - Your review totally made me smile :D I'm really happy you're liking my baddies as I'm having SOOOO much fun writing them :D If you were bawling for D'Art before, I'm afraid you might be doing it again at the end of this chapter. Yeah Louis wouldnt be our Louis if he was kind and considerate... Guess we're stuck with douchey-King. I have no idea where the slap to the head came from but I'm so glad I included it as I'm loving the image of it :D Hope this was worth the wait. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - Our poor boys are screwed if - when he goes by his heart he's too hot-headed but when he goes by his head he does himself more harm than good. I know Athos is a big preacher of the head-over-heart but I think given this situation he wouldn't be able to stop his heart from ruling... That and he's more fun to write that way :) Everything Ortiz said to D'Art in terms of his brothers were things that D'Art was already thinking which is why its harder for him to ignore :( I couldnt resist the idea of our boys threatening one of their own to get info on D'Art so I'm glad you liked it :) The mission to stop Ortiz's people continues but as he said to D'Art, he has more people than those they know about. I'm hoping you like what I decided to do with D'Art. Enjoy the new chapter! x
As always much love and many thanks to everyone who follows/favourites/reviews/reads this story, love you all!
Enjoy!
xxx
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bar-Brawls, Wine & Tears
Galen was not a happy musketeer when he and his men returned to the garrison a couple of hours later. Although their mission had been a success and they had managed to apprehend Dupond, the man had not made it easy for them.
"Jesus Galen," Porthos remarked, eyes wide as he took in the grouchy musketeer approaching his table, "You look like hell!"
"A little head's up that the tavern he was found in was full of his allies who don't take kindly to musketeers would have been nice." Snapped Galen as he pulled his hand a way from where it was putting pressure on a cut across his cheek, grimacing at the amount of blood on the rag in his hand Galen replaced it back to the still bleeding cut.
"Shit," swore Porthos, eyes immediately filling with guilt, "tell me we didn't lose anyone," he begged.
At the look of pure guilt in the larger man's eyes Galen allowed his anger to subside, "Thankfully they were mostly drunk by the time we entered, Claude got the worst thanks to one of Dupond's men but he'll be fine once the wound's stitched and he's rested his pride a bit and to be quite honest the bloke deserved it."
"I'm sorry," said Porthos, mentally planning to berate Flea and Marie the next time he saw them.
"It's nothing," smiled Galen, his anger now gone and replaced with fond irritation as Aramis attempted to get a look at his bleeding cheek. Swatting the man's hand away for the third time since joining the men at their table he added, "Like I said there's no serious injuries, even mine looks worse then it is."
"He's right," confirmed Aramis when Porthos looked to him for confirmation, "Head injuries just bleed a lot."
"I take it you managed to apprehend the man?" Athos asked, his eyes still not moving from the garrison gates.
"Oh ye of little faith Athos," smirked Galen, "We got him and several of his men that were the most sober, the men are just a bit behind me, should be here soon with him.
"So," Aramis grinned, relieved that the mission had been a success, "Tell us all about it."
"We're on lockdown and going slightly crazy with worry over the whelp so could do with the distraction," added Porthos when he saw the curious look on Galen's face.
The musketeer nodded, eyes filling with sympathy for the men before him. The entire garrison, or at least those who had been in it at the time, knew what the youngest member of their brotherhood was being forced to do and what he was threatened with to do it, mainly due to the angry rants the three men did when their Red Guard escorts finally left them at the garrison.
"Well…"
FLASHBACK
"You the men Porthos sent?" asked a voice hesitantly, causing Galen and his men to turn to the shadows to locate the source of the voice.
"Aye, Porthos is too injured to come so we've been sent instead," Galen stated, angling his shoulder so that his musketeer pauldron was facing the shadows.
After a moments pause there were shuffling sounds followed quickly by the appearance of a scruffy and worryingly thin young boy who couldn't have been more than thirteen.
"Dupond hasn't been out yet," the young boy stated, looking at the musketeers with a mix of awe and fear, something that tugged at Galen's heartstrings, musketeers should be a source of safety to citizens of France, including the worst off. To see a small child so obviously afraid of him and his regiment, hurt.
"Didn't realize the Court was making spies so young," scoffed a voice at the back of the musketeer group.
The voice made Galen sigh in frustration… Claude. He had been against bringing the man, knowing that he was of the belief that those from the Court were untrustworthy pieces of trash that, at best, should be ignored and left to starve. He had been one of the few more outspoken members of the regiment in terms of Porthos's joining, a fact he had come grudgingly accept after Porthos took a bullet to the shoulder for him on a mission once, saving his life. The only reason he was here was that Galen was not willing to be caught off guard and so needed the extra manpower.
"Kids are quick and can get away at the first sign of trouble and are often overlooked, especially in this part of town," Leroy growled, his anger growing at the man as he saw the hurt look in the child's eyes. "He's much less conspicuous than we are so why don't you shut up and let him talk." He snapped before winking at the now grinning boy.
"What's your name lad?" Galen asked kindly, ignoring the grumblings coming from Claude.
The young boy seemed hesitant to answer at first but eventually decided that if Porthos trusted them then he could too, "Elroy."
Galen smiled at the boy who seemed to straighten up once he had given them his name, "Well Elroy, what can you tell us about the situation inside?"
Elroy frowned, "Dupond knows the Queen don't like 'im and that the kids, we follo' the Queen. Can't go in without 'im makin' me. Place seems pretty full though."
Galen nodded, concerned about the lack of information but not willing to let the kid put himself in danger. "Our thanks Elroy, here," he said, handing the now wide-eyed boy some gold coins from his purse, "get yourself something to eat."
"Y-Yes sir!" beamed the young boy as he clutched the few coins to his chest before bowing and fleeing back into the shadows of the alley.
Leroy, Galen and some of the other men shared a soft chuckle at the boy's reaction to the money before they returned to the mission at hand.
Unfortunately no focus could have prepared them to walk right into a tavern full of drunk, musketeer-hating, armed men.
"Jacques Dupond!" Galen called, him and his men immediately noting which man reacted to the name.
"Lookie boys!" exclaimed Dupond, his words slurring slightly, "Musketeers!"
At his words all hell broke loose.
Galen's men were quickly outnumbered and it was only because of the fact that many of their opponents were too drunk to even see their own drinks that they were able to disarm and disable most of them.
The few men that weren't as drunk as the rest seemed to target both Galen and Leroy, something both men were fine with. They were both running quite hot with anger at the moment and this provided the perfect outlet for it.
"It's been a while since we've had a good old fashioned bar brawl," remarked Leroy with a grin as he blocked a blow from a broken wine bottle, only to then return the bottle back to it's holder, cutting off part of the man's mustache as he did so.
"That's because we've stopped going to the taverns that the Red Guards frequent," stated Galen, quickly head-butting the man in front of him.
They were pulled from their banter, which was both amusing for them and annoying for their tipsy opponents, when a cry of pain came from the other side of the room where Claude was dueling with Dupond.
"CLAUDE!" The two men roared, neither of them might have liked him but they sure as hell weren't going to let him die.
Quickly knocking their opponents unconscious the pair made their way over to their injured brother, trusting the rest of the men to watch their backs.
By the time they had made it over to Claude's side he had managed to knock Dupond out with a bowl and was now clutching his side and breathing heavily.
"How bad?" Galen asked, kneeling to get a better look at the bleeding wound.
"Deep but aint fatal," grunted Claude as he fought back curses as Galen inspected the wound. "Fell onto the broken glass when I fell though," he added, glaring at the unconscious man they had been sent to collect.
"You're correct in your assumption that it's not fatal, I'll wrap it for now as it needs proper tending to, which we can't do here. We'll look at it back at the garrison."
Claude nodded and Galen left Leroy wrapping the wound while he went to address the rest of the men, giving them instructions to transport those they could to the garrison jail while he rode ahead to inform the inseparables and Treville if he had returned.
END FLASH BACK
"Sounds like you had fun," grinned Aramis, though the grin faded as he realized that D'Artagnan still had yet to return.
"… 'ad worse fights," shrugged Galen, wincing slightly, "Just wish I had some warning I would be sore in the morning," he added, smiling so Porthos knew he was forgiven before moving to accompany his men that had just returned to the garrison.
ROYAL PALACE
"You're sure of this?" King Louis asked as he flicked through the notes D'Artagnan had made
"I have no doubt in D'Artagnan's words," Treville said, lifting his goblet of wine to his lips as he spoke, holding it there as he added, "If he thought it to be a lie he would have said so."
"I suppose," grimaced the King as he slowly raised his own goblet to his mouth.
It was at that point that Treville noticed a slightly off smell to the drink, one he wouldn't have been able to notice had they not having just been speaking about it.
"STOP!" Treville yelled, instantly realizing what the smell was and acting with more speed then someone would have expected by the obvious tiredness the man was sporting, the musketeer Captain knocked the wine goblet from the King's hand.
"TREVILLE!" exclaimed the King, outraged at his Captain's actions.
"It's poisoned sir," Treville breathed, his heart pounding as he realized how close to death both he and the King had just come.
"W-What!" exclaimed the King, fear and panic clear in his voice as his face paled so dramatically Treville was concerned the man was about to faint.
"Someone's tampered with the wine," Treville said, pouring his own goblet into a nearby flowerpot.
This then led to several agonizingly long minutes for Treville who was forced to listen to the King's panicked ranting.
"T-That's it!" stuttered the King, fear warring with anger, "This needs to end," turning to one of the guards who had rushed into the room at Treville's yell, "summon the executioner, I want this Ortiz dead!"
Turning back to his Captain Louis ordered, "Treville, go back to your men, no doubt they'll be wanting to see this come to an end. I also want to know how on earth someone managed to tamper with my wine!"
Eager to get back to his men Treville nodded and marched out of the room.
OUTSKIRTS OF PARIS
"Sorry father," sobbed D'Artagnan as he knelt before the simple headstone that marked his father's grave. "Me becoming a musketeer was my dream and you supported that, e-even against the w-whole village, b-but" taking a deep breath he tried to wipe the tears from his face, only for new ones to quickly take their place, "I-I failed father" he cried, his whole body trembling as quiet sobs stole his breath. "I-I put my b-brothers in danger and they got hurt, bad, now lots of p-people are in danger and I-I … I just don't know where I fit in anymore, o-or if I deserve to." He admitted quietly as tears streamed down his face.