Evening My Lovelies :)
I'm loving this chapter XD Really hoping you all enjoy it as well.
I'm also hoping that I can get at least 5 of you to review it so that I can reach 450 reviews (thats completely awesome to think about!)
Athos is a bit of a bad-ass in today's chapter so to those of you who like that, you'll enjoy this :D
Notes On Reviews:
Deana: Thanks for the review - Yeah our guys aren't exactly having it easy. Aramis's leg is definitely causing him pain, not that he even really registered it whilst D'Art was in such a bad state. Well what's a baddie without his henchmen lol :) Ortiz's henchmen are particularly mean, but are they a match for Athos? Read and see :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Debbie (Guest): Thanks for the review - I know right! D'Arts just too lovable :) The musketeers that arent really fans of his are ones like Claude who are from stuck up noble families who dont like the idea of those of 'lesser classes' joining the regiment. Ortiz is developing quite the obsession with D'Art, Mainly as he's the first person he couldn't get to bend to his will, either through threats of niceties/bribes. Enjoy the new chapter! x
AmazingWriter123: Thanks for the review - You'll find out what's going on with Athos straight away today so don't worry, I'm quite evil so I can't stop whumping our boys :D Glad you liked the protectiveness from the other musketeers, I'm loving the camaraderie and brotherhood between the regiment at the moment. Thierry's name is pronounced tee-eh-ree (at least in my head it is) Enjoy the new chapter! x
Tidia: Thanks for the review - Gotta keep you all on your toes somehow :D D'Art will be having some thoughts about the scar when he wakes up but we'll have to wait for that. Enjoy the new chapter! x
pain in the mikta: Thanks for the review - hehe I know :D but thats why you all love me XD My evil mind is constantly like "how can we whump our boys today" lol Yeah we're gonna need a new Ortiz hate-o-meter :) Enjoy the new chapter! x
watlocked: Thanks for the review - Mwhaha then my evil mind's plan worked :D fear not we'll be finding out what happens to our dear Athos straight away. Porthos and D'Art have suffered the most recently so it's only fair that it's Athos's turn... Plus he always seems to get out the lightest when I get to whumping. Cardinal might be making an appearance tomorrow, he's not completely better but is on the mend. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Helensg: Thanks for the review - Glad you think so. Means I'm doing my job right :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Issai: Thanks for the review - In Athos's defense no-one told him they werent to leave alone. Treville figured they'd be too busy by D'Art's side to even think about leaving. Ortiz definitely has an obsession with our pup, he's the first person that Ortiz couldnt break no matter what he did so he's kinda on a mission to do so. Enjoy the new chapter! x
Lilac Lavender: Thanks for the review - It's Treville's fault really as he didnt think to tell our boys about not leaving alone. He figured they'd all stay by D'Art so he wouldnt have to worry. Athos was never gonna talk, especially about D'Art though I did enjoy writing him so defiant. Our other boys are still by D'Art's side but not really in the position to defend him. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait :D Enjoy the new chapter! x
Still can't believe how well this story has been received by you all so THANK YOU! so much for following/favouriting/reviewing/reading. Love you all!
Enjoy!
xxx
Chapter Forty-Four: Ambush Aftermath III
"I'll find out for myself."
Athos watched with growing horror as the man sauntered off, leaving him to the merciless beating of his companions and with the growing anger at the threat of danger to his brothers.
"Hell no," growled the swordsman under his breath as he struggled to protect his head from the barrage of blows being dealt to him.
Before long Athos saw his opportunity when one of the men moved so he was nearer the musketeer's feet, not that the man realized that Athos assumed.
Without hesitation Athos kicked his legs out with as much force as he could, relishing in the stream of pained curses that came from his opponent as the man collapsed to the ground.
Stumbling to his feet Athos turned to face his now enraged opponents. "You two can still walk away from this," Athos said, his voice full of barely controlled anger. He really didn't want to waste time on the men before him but he had a feeling they wouldn't take his advice.
True to his expectations the two men laughed mockingly at him before advancing.
"Have it your way then," smirked Athos, quickly spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
Athos immediately focused his attention onto the man he had kicked earlier, knowing that the force of his kick would have weakened the man's leg. Taking this into consideration Athos kept using attacks that would put pressure on the weakened leg, all whilst making sure to dodge or block attacks that came his way from both men.
Before too long the man's leg gave out, causing him to fall down to one knee. Athos refused to waste the opportunity and was quick to punch the man, who was too shocked by his sudden collapse to notice the incoming blow, in the head, knocking the man out instantly.
"You'll pay for that musketeer scum," growled the other man as he picked up Athos's own sword, which they had discarded after dragging him into the alley earlier.
Athos bristled at the sight of his beloved sword in the hands on a low-life like the man currently wielding it but reigned in his irrational anger and focused on the fight about to happen.
It became glaringly obvious quite quickly that his opponent had little to no training with how to handle a sword, something that almost offended Athos seeing as how it was his sword the man was using.
The man's attacks were sloppy at best but given how exhausted and in pain Athos had been before receiving the earlier beating, several of the haphazardly swung blows managed to hit, drawing blood, leaving several small gashes in his skin and majorly growing the man's confidence.
Growling as the tip of his own blade skimmed across his face, dangerously close to his eye, Athos decided he had had enough, his brothers were in danger and he couldn't afford time staying on the defensive anymore.
He waited until the blade was being swung near his head again before quickly thrusting out his left hand, gripping his opponent's wrist tightly in his grasp.
Before the man could respond with anything beyond a surprised look Athos sharply twisted his wrist, causing his to yell out in pain and lose his grip on the blade.
Athos's right hand shot out and caught the blade, flipping it in a dramatic flourish before plunging it into the man's chest.
Flicking the blood off of his blade Athos spared the men one backwards glance before limping his way towards the garrison, his left arm coming to wrap around his chest as he struggled to get a full breath.
Julian shook his head at how easy it was to get into the garrison. Ortiz had been correct in his assumption that Treville could have sent most of his men out hunting for him, thus leaving the garrison unprotected.
He had contemplated just walking in through the front gates, he doubted the two men on guard would be able to stop him if he really wished to, but that would then delay him further from his mission and increase the risk of being spotted so he had instead opted to jump onto one of the watch towers from a nearby roof, mentally thanking the time he spent evading the law by using this particular method during his childhood.
Once he was inside the courtyard he kept himself hidden in the shadows as he moved towards the infirmary.
Again he contemplated entering through the front door but he had no way of knowing if the two remaining 'inseparable' members would be there. The group was almost legendary for how fiercely they protected their own and Julian was not willing to risk an encounter if he didn't need to.
Instead he found an open window and climbed in through there. Freezing when he spotted a sleeping musketeer in one of the beds in the room. Eyeing the man warily he toyed with the idea of simply slitting the man's throat and taking out a potential threat to his mission, his fingers twitched by his daggers as he thought about it. Only relinquishing the idea when a loud snore from the neighboring room caught his attention and reminded him of his task.
Keeping his steps light Julian maneuvered around towards the door, a smirk growing as he spotted a familiar musketeer asleep whilst sitting with his head rested on a patient bed… an occupied patient bed.
Slowly making his way forward Julian's smirk grew when he saw that the person occupying the patient bed was none other then the man he had been sent to see.
The Gascon was deathly pale, still and if it hadn't been for the labored and irregular rise and fall of his check Julian would have thought him to be dead.
"That's some luck you've got boy," whispered Julian as he lightly moved part of D'Artagnan's thick bandages to see the fresh burn scar that now marred his skin, "Shame it has to end now."
With that Julian gripped one of his daggers, raising it so it was just above the boy's heart.
Porthos didn't remember falling asleep but he deeply regretted doing so when a loud gunshot, followed quickly by a cry of pain filled the air.
Moving more on instinct then anything else at that point the larger musketeer quickly pulled his blade and positioned himself in front of D'Artagnan, facing directly where the shot had come from… Only to frown in concern as he saw who had been the cause of it.
There, leaning heavily against the doorframe was a beat to hell Athos, the lower half of his face covered in blood from a broken nose and the rest of it bruised and starting to swell. Several gashes littered the man's skin along with man bruises that were starting to form and that wasn't even including the rib damage that was obvious by the way his brother was trying to hold his chest with one hand, the other was weakly raised with the pistol, still smoking, held tightly in his grip.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Yelled Aramis as his gaze flickered between the beaten form of Athos and the man he was glaring at, who was currently squirming on the floor as he tightly gripped his leg where Athos's shot had hit him.
"…O-Ortiz's man," was all Athos managed to get out before everything became too much for him and his knees finally buckled sending him sliding to the floor.
"Athos!" cried Porthos as he leapt forward to catch his friend, hissing in pain as the swordsman's body collided with his injured wrist.
"It's fine," reassured the larger man as he heard Athos's attempted apologies that came out as more of a mumbled slur of words than anything else, "Let's get you over there so 'Mis can look at you,"
Whilst this was happening Aramis's sleep-dulled mind had finally caught up with the situation and even thinking he grabbed the sleep draught he had prepared in case D'Artagnan woke up. Glaring at the still cursing man, Aramis gripped his face tightly by the jaw, forcing his mouth open before pouring the liquid down his throat and forcing him to swallow.
The Spaniard had made the draught extra strong, not wanting D'Artagnan to try anything should he wake so it took immediate effect on the man and within seconds he was out cold on the infirmary floor.
Aramis then set to work wrapping the bleeding gunshot wound so the man wouldn't bleed out before they could question him before using a roll of bandages to tie the man's wrists and ankles together.
"Where the hell are the guards?" snapped the medic as he pushed himself up off the floor, grabbing his crutches before hobbling over to where Athos was currently being forced to lie on the bed by a very determined Porthos.
"Sent… them to get… Treville," Athos said between hisses and labored breaths.
"We sent you home to get cleaned of blood," sighed the medic with a small smile, though it quickly turned into a frown when he noticed the obvious discomfort Athos was in.
"In my defense I was clean until that guy and his goons found me," remarked the swordsman dryly, hissing in pain as Aramis pushed lightly on his ribs.
"Broken," Aramis confirmed grimly, "They'll need wrapping."
At his words Porthos left to get the necessary supplies.
"Any other injuries aside from the obvious?" Aramis asked, gesturing to the array of bruises and small gashes that littered his skin.
Athos was silent for a moment as he took mental stock of what hurt before turning back to his awaiting brother. "Back of my shoulder," he said nodding to the aching joint, "Ortiz hit it when we fought, it's why D'Artagnan had to cover me."
Aramis's frowned deepened but decided to not press matters so simply helped his brother remove his tunic so he could wrap his ribs.
"That aint gonna be pretty in the mornin'" remarked Porthos as he returned to see the already forming bruises that littered his brother's chest.
"Athos," growled Aramis, the tone of his voice instantly sending warning signs to the two musketeers, "Why did you not see fit to tell me Ortiz stabbed you?"
"WHAT!?" exclaimed Porthos in obvious worry as he rushed to stand behind Aramis, who was now situated behind Athos, facing his back, gasping when he saw the slowly bleeding stab wound to his brother's already injured shoulder.
"I wasn't aware he had done," remarked Athos dryly, not overly surprised by the news. He had gathered that something was wrong with how much his shoulder had hurt but the adrenaline and then worry about D'Artagnan had pushed his concerns far from his mind.
A small quirk of a smile came to Athos's lips as he heard the muttered curses coming from his Spanish friend in his native tongue. "If you're going to insult me, at least do it in a language I understand." He said, hissing as Aramis placed an alcohol soaked rag on his wound.
"You don't listen to them in whatever language I use so why should I," snapped the concerned medic, ignoring any further comment from his brother as he set to work stitching the wound.
"Aramis," Athos said softly, gripping the medic's wrist and he went to wrap his ribs.
The apologetic look in his brother's eyes was enough to soften Aramis's anger and he sighed, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Athos's own. "Next time, tell me." He said, his voice slightly pleading, "Even if you think it's nothing."
Athos nodded, squeezing his brother's hand gently before letting him get back to work.
"Least we know how Ortiz got the better of you now," remarked Porthos with a growing grin, "I was beginning to think you'd lost your touch."
Athos scowled good-naturedly at his friend, "I'll gladly prove that, that isn't the case if you wish."
"Oh no," declared Aramis, instantly shooting down the idea, "Neither of you are in any state to be fighting at the moment, one seriously injured brother is all I need right now."
His words reminded them all of the still unconscious Gascon and their eyes immediately turned to watch him.
"No change?" Athos asked despondently.
"He's not gotten any worse," said Porthos optimistically, hoping to cheer up his friend.
"But no better either," sighed Athos, proving that Porthos's attempt failed.
"WHAT. THE. HELL. HAPPENED. HERE!"