Updated: Monday 4/09/2023
Warning: Lots of OC's might or might not be a big part of the story
Chapter 3: The Court of Miracles
D'Artagnan ditched the clothes he had took from the guard and winced internally as he stole a plain black coat without anyone seeing him. This cloak will help him get into the place he would be safe in. Well safe is not the right word. But it is a place that he could easily survive there. He had done it for many years before he joined the Musketeers. It was his home for many, many years before he left and then found a home with the Musketeers and his brothers. He had never thought he would be seeking shelter there again.
Life just hated him!
And he knew Porthos was going to give him hell for this and he wasn't looking forward to that conversation that would no doubt also involve Athos and Aramis. He wondered if they would accept him when they learn the truth. He hoped since they accepted Porthos then hopefully they would too.
He climbs onto the roof's and started rushing over the rooftops. Careful to make sure he wasn't seen leaping across the rooftops. He knew these rooftops like he knew the streets of Paris and he basically had a map in his head of the Paris rooftops so he knew exactly where he was even through, he wasn't on the ground.
On a couple of the rooftops, he had to get creative when making the change. He wasn't afraid of falling. He didn't fall unless he wanted too.
"If only Athos, Porthos and Aramis could see me now", he mutters, "I think I would give them a heart attack"
He twists left and did two quick jumps in quick succession. He was closing in and thank goodness it looked like he still had it.
The looked down from the current rooftop and sighs in relief.
He had just crossed into the Court of Miracles. He would be safe here. Well as safe as one could be in the company of thieves and beggars. But he knew every twist and turn, every nook and cranny, of the Court and could easily remain undetected here if he wanted too.
"Now I just have to find Flea and boy she going to love this", D'Artagnan mutters, "She is going to scold me good"
He makes a series of jumps down the walls of a thin alley and merges into the crowd like he hadn't just been scaling down the walls.
He heads deeper into the Court. He thought the best place to find the Queen of the Court would be in her quarters and if she wasn't there, he could wait and rest.
Turns out Flea wasn't in her rooms but he was easily able to enter and looked around the place.
"Flea you never change", he mutters as he saw the room was basically set up how he had always know it as a child.
He slumps into a seat and rubs his pounding head. He shouldn't be doing this. He shouldn't be back here. But it wasn't like he could help it. This would be the one place that nobody, (but Treville), would ever think to look for him. Afterall nobody would believe that HE would have been raised by the Court. He didn't lie to Athos, Porthos and Aramis about coming from Gascony. He had spent three years to get connected to his roots.
But he DID lie about his Father dying there. His family had been dead a long time. That day at the inn he had been there when the traveller he had been with was attacked and killed with the name Athos on his lips. The traveller had become a friend and so he felt he needed to honour the man and catch his killer.
That path was actually one he was proud of. As the many other paths he had, had in his life he wasn't exactly proud of. But one needs to eat. One needs to be kept warm. And it was here that those things were needed the most. And he had been the one with a few others to go out and gather supplies for everyone. Especially in the winter months.
Boy had those sucked.
Suddenly he heard someone approaching the room. His senses were already on alert. But only a few people knew that his senses were already heightened. Due to an accident that had cost him his sight for a month. His senses had NEVER settled after that. He didn't like to tell people about that. Because it could be useful. But again, he felt guilty keeping this from his brothers. Especially when they were trying to have private conversations.
Maybe after all of this he could come clean.
The door opens and Flea herself enters.
"Hello Flea", D'Artagnan says softly.
Flea jumps and spins around to find the source of the voice. When she saw who was sitting in her room, she was shocked. He had not been here in three years. Why now did he suddenly appear in Court?
"Charles?" she asks.
D'Artagnan smiles at her, "In the flesh"
He gets up as she rushes over to him and pulls him into a hug.
"Where have you been young man?" she scolds him whacking his shoulder.
D'Artagnan winces playfully, "You still have the fiery temper. I have been around. You saw me a few months ago"
"But you haven't been really here in over three years! You just up and disappeared one day, not even a note! And didn't contact us and for the longest time we thought you dead!" Flea exclaims upset.
D'Artagnan hated to upset her. She had been there with him through most of his hard times. She had rescued him from basically a death sentence.
"I'm sorry Flea. I needed to find out about my family Flea", D'Artagnan replies, "I was 4 after all when you guys found me!"
"Yes, and how can child be so cute and then turn into this?" Flea teases.
"Hey!" D'Artagnan exclaims, "No need to get mean Flea and by the way I AM still cute. Athos, Porthos and Aramis can never say no to me when I put on those 'puppy' eyes that you guys say is an unfair advantage"
"I hate those puppy eyes", Flea mutters.
D'Artagnan just smirks at her.
"Why are you here?" Flea asks him, "And what the HELL happened to your face!?"
"Can we sit down and talk about this? I have been in a literal hellhole for 4 days and I would like to actually eat some proper food and have a good drink", D'Artagnan tells her.
Flea sighs in exasperation.
"I will get food and something to clean your cuts and head up with. Hopefully I don't have to stitch you up this time", Flea tells him going to leave the room, "How can this boy find THIS much trouble", she mumbles leaving.
D'Artagnan sighs sitting down again. It was good to see Flea. It really had been a long time since they had really seen each other. Flea had basically been the one to raise him. Charon didn't really have a relationship with. There was ALWAYS something about him that rubbed D'Artagnan the wrong way. And his gut always screamed at him that Charon couldn't be trusted. When Charon's plot had been revealed he REALLY wanted to collect on some of those beats he and his friends made. But he hadn't found the time.
Oh well he would just add it to his list of things he had to do while here.
After about half an hour later Flea returns with her some food in her arms. But she had returned with thirty-three people, carrying the rest, he hadn't seen in years and by the looks on their faces he was in trouble.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" one of the women yells.
"Nice to see you too Chelsea. I am fine thank you for asking", D'Artagnan says sarcastically.
The men snicker at that.
They were his friends. Chelsea, Stella, Henri, Sarah, Juliette, Isabella, Zoey, Paul, Susan, Delphine, Seraphine, Patience, Richard, Rozalin, Apolline, Matthew, Marcus, Oceane, Rene, Adrian, Desdemona, Michael and Michelle, John-Paul, Asriel, Ignatius and Ignotus, Orion and Odette, Francisco, Euphemia, Pierre, Christian and Tristan.
"What no Jean, Jeanne-Maria, Eric, Bianca, Nico, Louis, Teresa, Stephen, Stephanie, Rebecca, Eleanor, Alexander, Jaqueline, Desmond, John, Nicholas, Kieran, Lucas, Ramona, Phillipe, Catherine, Orion, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Draco, Andrew, Rosalind, Holly, Laurel, Violet, Ivy and Jasmine to make this a meeting of Shadows?" he asks rounding out his main groups of friends.
"They weren't close by", Flea tells him putting the food and drink down.
"Thanks for getting them Flea. I am so going to enjoy THIS conversation", D'Artagnan mutters to her sarcastically.
"Just be thankful we haven't killed you yet!" Stella yells angerly.
"As it is such an appealing idea!" Zoey yells at him.
"I think we should do it!" Oceane exclaims, "Bugger the consequences!"
"Calm down love", Rene whispers in her ear.
"You're an ass", Susan tells him whacking him.
"I could actually kill you right now", Apolline growls, "But as a Healer I have a duty"
"Too bad. I hope we make him squirm", Marcus states, "Are little brothers all this bad?"
"He was a coward to just leave in the night like that!" Seraphine exclaims.
"And a bastard!" Delphine adds whacking him too.
"And a whole lot of other names that I women shouldn't say!" Patience adds.
"Oh come can't we say them?" Rozalin pouts.
"I have you know my parents were married when they had me", D'Artagnan retorts.
"Nice to see you Charles", Christian and Tristan say together.
They were twins and an amusing pair. They liked pranking people and D'Artagnan had often joined in when they were younger.
"Can't believe you're back", Richard tells him.
"It was not cool of you disappearing like that", Adrian says to him.
"I agree it is good to see you", Henri says to him, "The girls have been worried!"
"And you weren't?" Juliette asks him rolling her eyes.
"But you shouldn't have taken off like that!", Isabella tells him whacking his head as she goes past to sit down.
"Not even a note!" Paul scowls at him.
"Do you realise how many sleepless nights we had worrying over you!" Isabella exclaims.
"You are a complete ass you know that?" Stella growls at him whacking him on the head.
These whacks were making his headache worse. What is it with girls and hitting him?
"And then you appear briefly a few months ago and didn't even stop to say hi!" Chelsea explains whacking his shoulder.
"Do we mean so little too you?" Juliette asks him.
"Do you know how much trouble we got into trying to find you! Your my little brother in everyway but blood and I felt like I failed you!" Matthew growls at him whacking him on the head before settling down on one of the chairs.
"I have a concussion Matty and you and everyone else whacking my head is NOT helping!"
"This reunion is going down so well", Henri states sarcastically.
"All we need Jean, Jeanne-Maria, Eric, Bianca, Nico, Louis, Stephen, Stephanie, Rebecca, Eleanor, Alexander, Jaqueline, Desmond, John, Nicholas, Kieran, Lucas, Ramona, Phillipe, Teresa, Catherine, Orion, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett, Draco, Andrew, Holly, Laurel, Rosalind, Violet, Ivy and Jasmine to complete this party", Christian says speaking up.
"Want me to find them Charles?" Tristian asks with a smirk on his face, "Shouldn't be that difficult!"
"Don't even think about it!" D'Artagnan growls, "This is enough of a party as it is!"
There was no way that he was going to get yelled out by Thirty-One others! Even if they were his 'gang' from back when they were children.
"Let me see the damage to your body", Flea says with a sigh looking resigned.
He takes off the cloak and his tore and dirty shirt. Many in the room wince at a few of the bruises. Matthew looked down right pissed.
"It is just that and my head. Oh, and maybe a few cuts and I defiantly have a concussion", D'Artagnan tells them.
Flea and Sarah come over to examine him and he doesn't wince as they probe his head wound. He had long ago learnt how to deal with pain. And he hadn't really ever made a sound due to pain. Not after what happened to him as a child.
Aramis and the others had been amazed when he was first injured with them and didn't so much as flinch when Aramis examined him and they were amazed again when Aramis had to stitch him up and he didn't flinch. The same with setting his arm.
"That head wound his going to have to have stitches", Flea says shaking her head.
"Figured", D'Artagnan replies.
"And your ribs are just bruised. You'll be find after a few days", Sarah replies having looked at them.
"How do you get yourself into so much trouble?" Henri asks amused sitting down with the others.
"My brothers tell me it is a habit", D'Artagnan says drily.
"I bet you have given them a few grey hairs then with your luck", Christian snickers.
Flea was dapping his head wound with some brandy before getting out the needle and thread.
"So, who are these brothers?" Tristian asks amused.
"And why have you been doing with yourself?" Christian asks.
"And what the hell are you caught up in!"
"THIS TIME?"
~~Author's Note: What Do You Think? Please Review:)!~~
