Updated: Monday 25th/9/2023

Chapter 5: First Sight

Athos, Porthos and Aramis set out the next morning after their talk with renewed energy. Somehow, they found themselves more alert and less moody then they have been in months. But none told the other about their reason for being so.

None of them sharing that they had heard their dead Brothers voice the night before. Giving them the strength to go on. Maybe if they shared it, they might have found some meaning to their encounters. They might not have seen D'Artagnan but they have felt him next to them. They had felt him touch their shoulder. They had heard him next to them and that had seem to rejuvenate them somewhat.

But the Three still looked haggard and weary.

Athos and his Brothers got to a fork in the road and had to make the choice between the two paths he was about to take the left. But then something inside of him told him to take the right.

"We go right", Athos tells them strongly.

"Any reason?" Aramis asks curiously.

He shrugs, "I just think the right path is the way we go"

They didn't question Athos any farther. As they both felt the same way Athos did. That the right path was the one to go with.

The Three Inseparables travelled down the right road and for a couple of hours until they reached a town.

"Should we stop of keep going?" Porthos asks Athos.

Athos doesn't reply for a minute. Something in his heart and soul was telling him this might be a place to get answers. But the truly confusing part was that Athos realised he didn't mean about the bandits. But something else entirely.

"We stop here", Athos decides.

"I agree", Aramis and Porthos state.

They too had the strange feeling about this town. Something was here or someone. They slowly entered the town. They got strange looks as soon as the people saw their pauldrons of the Musketeers and they could hear the whispering starting.

"This is eery", Porthos mutters as the whispers continued to follow them.

"I agree. Something is defiantly going on in this town", Aramis replies.

"And we must get to the bottom of it", Athos states his eyes looking around suspiciously, "Keep one hand on weapons. We don't know what we have got here"

It didn't seem like anyone was going to attack them. But they needed to be ready if these looks and whispers turned into something more.

"Where is the local Inn?" Athos asks a young boy.

"Just down there a ways and then turn right. You can't miss it", the boy replies pointing the way for them.

"Thank you", Aramis replies.

"Are you here to help the other one?" the boy asks them curiously.

"Other one?" Porthos asks confused.

But before the boy could answer his Mother calls him and the boy runs off before he answers Porthos.

"This just keeps getting stranger and stranger", Porthos mutters, "And I know strange being in the Court of Miracles"

Athos and Aramis snort at that. As they make there was in the direction the boy had pointed to them.

Sure, enough the Inn was plain to see. They dismounted as a stable boy comes out to help with their horses.

The boys' eyes widen, "Musketeers?"

Athos eyes the boy suspiciously, "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all", the boy says hurriedly, "I am Ruben and I take care of the other one's horse too! I promise to take as good as care with your horses as I do with his! But I have to say it is about time your guys arrived!"

This was starting to get on the Trio's nerves. As they didn't know who these townspeople were speaking of and what it had to do with them.

"What do you mean by that boy?" Athos asks dangerously.

"You'll find him inside. My Father should be able to help you locate him! I better get to tending your horses so you guys can go in!" Ruben says not answering their question in excitement.

"Is this putting anyone else on edge?" Porthos asks his brothers.
"I believe it is. But it is really too late to back out now", Athos replies with a tired sigh running a hand through his hair.

"Lets just be VERY cautious, shall we?" Aramis asks them rhetorically, "I don't want to be tending to anyone today. My day off", he jokes.

Athos and Porthos snort at that.

They casually and cautiously walk inside. It was pleasantly warm inside and well lit. It surprisingly had its fair share of patrons.

Athos leads them too a table and takes a seat with Aramis and Porthos quickly joining him. In minutes an older man comes up to them.

"How can I held you?" the man asks them.

"Some wine and stew would be nice", Aramis says for them.

The man suddenly takes notice of their pauldron.

"Ah…ah sure", he stutters out, "It…it will be right out. Just give me a few minutes", he says hurriedly as he dashes away.

And they spot him whispering to a woman before hurrying up the stairs to where the bedrooms were located.

"Do you think we should get out of here?" Porthos asks his Brothers.

Athos eyes were eyeing everything with calculating eyes. As he noticed the woman the supposed Innkeeper talked to must be the man's wife and she was watching them cautiously. Like she didn't know what to make of them. But she was wringing her tea towel nervously.

Too nervously.

"We hold tight for now", Athos decides as he didn't 'sense' danger.

But something was definably going on here.

What he couldn't be sure of. But something was definably amiss here.

As he starts a quiet talk with his brothers, they didn't here the hurried stumbling steps coming down the stairs.

They didn't know the those hurried, stumbling footsteps and the tap of a cane belonged to the very person they missed the most and thought dead.

Suddenly a voice they had not expected to ever hear again calls out to them and the Three Inseparables jump out of their seat's hands on their weapons. As they were startled out of their conversation. It took a moment to register the voice and try and dismiss it as impossible.

But as they looked at the figure leaning in the doorway, they couldn't deny who that voice belonged too.

Somehow.

Somehow their prayers had been answers.

Somehow their younger brother was standing in the doorway leading to the stairs looking far from healthy, but he was alive, and he was looking at them with amazement and relief.

As they were sure their faces showed that and much, much more. Because this was defiantly their Younger Brother D'Artagnan standing in the doorway and he was saying their names with a smile gracing his face…

(Line Break)

D'Artagnan sighs as he starts to get up from another break after doing a bit of exercise this morning which had made him more than a bit sore and tired. So sore he might even have to take one of Helena's mild pain draughts to be able to get through the rest of the day.

He had been staying at the Inn for several months. He had only been able to manage the stairs of the Inn couple of weeks ago and Phillipe and Helena said going up and down those stairs were also good exercise for his leg.

His leg still giving him a world of trouble. But at least he could feel the whole leg…well most of the time. Phillipe and Helena had been impressed by his progress and said they couldn't not see him making a full recovery one day. Phillipe had given his dozens of different exercises to help strengthen his leg. That made him feel a lot of pain and be exhausted by the end of it. But he could see small improvements even now. But sometimes he also had setbacks.

But he had finally again a couple of weeks ago no longer needed someone in his rooms at all times. He would just have help from Phillipe, Helena and the Innkeeper in the Mornings and Afternoons.

But being alone made his nightmares of his captivity worse and he remembers the pleading in his dreams for his Brothers. He didn't want to be alone. But he had no choice at the moment and it wasn't fair that now that he was on the mend to make Phillipe or Helena stay with him all night.

Anyway, last night had been easier then most as he dreamt of his brothers and talking to them. Like he was right next to them and they could hear him and feel him. But not see him. Which was weird for a dream. But what wasn't weird about that dream?

Oh, how much D'Artagnan wanted to go home. He missed his Brothers and that dream only made the longing worse. But he knew if he was to travel alone at this stage of his recovery, he probably wouldn't make it there alive. He could ride a horse for short periods of time at the moment with a slightly different saddle that a local Blacksmith helped design.

But there was no way he could defend himself at the moment. So, returning to Paris was still being put on hold unless his second message to Treville got through. Which he didn't think it did. He had been here 4 and a half months and no one had come for him. Something smelled and felt off to him and he didn't know what.

As he knew if his Brothers saw that letter there would be no stopping them from coming to his aid and storming this Inn in order to find him. So, for them not to show up after the first message was worrying AND alarming.

He often wondered how his Brothers were. It had been over 7 and a half months since he 'disappear' or to them 'killed' and he was worrying just how bad they had taken everything.

Sometimes the thoughts of what could have happened to his Brothers nearly sent him hobbling to his horse and taking off to Paris right then and there. But he had to remind himself if he did that and got killed and his Brothers found out things would be ten times worse.

So as much as he hated it D'Artagnan had to play the waiting game. To heal enough so he could make the journey to Paris alone. That dream last night didn't really relieve his fears.

He winced as he stretched himself out over the side of his bed. As getting his clothes and boots on and off were quite an effort for him. His healed bones had taken to aching in cold weather or when he didn't move them enough and sometimes his newly healed bones decided to protest sometimes at certain movements or when his body just decided to betray him at random.

That was the most annoying part of his recovery. Besides the fact his right leg was still in quite a bad state still and sometimes had such bad cramps and spasms he was crying out in pain. Phillipe and Helena had given him strong pain and muscle relaxing draughts for when things got too bad. But he tried to not have the pain draughts as much as he should. But the pain most of the time was so bad he had to have it. And his Brothers knew how bad he hated pain draughts so they would be worried he was taking a many of them.

But then were the other times his right leg was numb and tingly and that was just fun. Hear the sarcasm. As he really had trouble moving around and he had to use crutches to do so instead of just using the cane as he was doing when he could feel his leg. But the problem of using crutches was that his arm muscles weren't anywhere like they used to be and using crutches were exhausting or he was just unable to be able to move himself around on them because he was still so weak.

He HATED being weak. And in front of strangers too!

He was broken out of his thoughts by a hurried knock on his door.

"Come in" D'Artagnan calls with a groan.

The Innkeeper Tom comes in looking a little bit frazzled.

"What's wrong?" D'Artagnan asks him looking worried.

"Musketeers have turned up. They are going to be sitting down to eat", Tom tells him nearly out of breath.

"How many?" D'Artagnan breaths in happiness and he felt a surge of energy/adrenaline enter his body.

"Three", Tom replies.

"Can you help me down there? I need to talk to them. Hopefully they are here to help", D'Artagnan tells him gripping Tom's hand and using the hand and his cane to help pull himself up.

He winces at the pain shooting through his leg.

"Alright?" Tom asks him looking at the young man who he had become fond of with worry.
"It is not as bad as it could be", D'Artagnan replies honestly, "I can still manage going down the stairs"

"Really?" Tom asks sceptically, "And can you make it back up again?"

"I will have too. I need to see who they are. As I don't know why after nearly four months and a couple of messages, three Musketeers turn up here. It just doesn't seem right. I don't believe they are here for me. But I need to let whoever they are know I am alive and maybe they can get a message to Paris for me", D'Artagnan replies.

Tom nods and lets the young Gascon hobble out of the room. Leaning heavily on the cane. Tom was just there to make sure he didn't fall if his legs gave out under him. He was not meant to take the stairs alone when his leg felt unstable. Which was basically nearly all the time. So D'Artagnan didn't really bother about that rule as not everyone could be around him 24/7. So D'Artagnan thought it was a stupid rule.

It takes him longer then he liked for him to make it down the stairs and steady himself so he wouldn't fall flat on his face in front of his Brothers-in-Arms.

But when he looked around the room and spotted the Three Men at one of the tables his heart launched and his legs felt weak. He would recognise them anywhere. Nothing could make him forget what they looked like. Even as haggard as they looked now. They looked marginally better then he did. Ok he was stretching that just a little. But it looked like they hadn't had a goodnights sleep in a while.
"Athos? Porthos? Aramis?" D'Artagnan asks uncertainly thinking he might just be hallucinating on the pain draught that Helena had left him.

The affect was instant all Three sprang up and their chairs thrown back with the force of their jump and their hands on their weapons. They froze like he did as their eyes meet.

He saw the disbelief in their eyes. Like they weren't sure they could trust that he was right in front of him.

"Athos? Porthos? Aramis? Are you alright?" D'Artagnan asks them finding his voice again after taking his three friends in that he nearly hadn't seen in 7 long months.

He begins to smile, a true smile that has been missing from his face for those long 7 months.

And somehow, he always knew it would be his Brothers who bought back his smile and deep within his mind he added they would be the ones to bring back his confidence…

~~Author's Note: What Do You Think? Please Review:)~~