Updated: 29th/09/2023


Chapter 8: Return of Shadows


After spending the day looking through nooks and everything in between for some clues on how the Falcon's men were getting into and around the Court. D'Artagnan had an insane idea.

If the Falcon was so keen on setting him up. Maybe he could bait the Falcon with himself. He knew if his brothers found out about this, they WOULD kill him. But at the moment they needed to find information to save lives.

So, he snuck up on Flea.

Again.

"Damn it Charles! Will you STOP doing that!" Flea growls cuffing him, "I thought I taught you better than that young man!"

D'Artagnan just smirks, "I think those lessons got lost around the same time as the Christmas party when I was 10. When Charon snuck me some wine because he and some of his friends thought it would be funny to see a drunk 10-year-old and you nearly castrated him for getting a ten-year-old drunk. But after that whenever Charon snuck me wine, he was more careful and I in time became used to its effects so you didn't notice"

Flea grumbles at that, "If he was still with us, I would have castrated him now! Giving children wine…I could kill that man if your Brother hadn't taken care of him!"

D'Artagnan smirks this would have been amusing if Charon was still alive. They had never gotten along. The only time they did was when Charon was trying to humiliating him by getting him drunk. D'Artagnan after the first time getting smashed had taken it as a challenge and soon was able to trick the King of the Court and till the day, he died D'Artagnan was sure Charon had NEVER forgiven him for the trick.

"So, what is so important you needed to sneak up on me?" Flea asks him.

"Would the Queen of Miracles let me do her the honour of escorting her to tonight's feast that I heard was being put on in memorial to those that had been murdered?" D'Artagnan asks her.

Flea's eyes narrow at him dangerously.

"You don't normally stick your neck out", Flea states, "What are you planning?" she asks him with suspicion.

"Nothing", D'Artagnan lies shrugging, "I just thought that I should get back into the swing of things around here. Three years IS a long time for me to have been gone"

"You never really showed up at these feasts unless you had mischief planned and it was normally with Christian and Tristan! You guys liked to see your handy work!" Flea retorts.

D'Artagnan gives her his best innocent look.

"I have nothing planned with Christian and Tristan", D'Artagnan replies truthfully.

Flea didn't know what to believe with him.

'Porthos you're going to kill me if something happens. But I can't exactly keep him away!' Flea thinks.

"Fine. It sees the Shadow and Phantom is coming back to Court. Don't make me regret this! Or I am feeding you to those sharks of brothers that will be coming for you and me if whatever you have planned goes wrong!"

D'Artagnan grins wickedly at her.

"I expect nothing less my Queen"


(Line Break)


D'Artagnan's friends hadn't actually seen their friend for most of the day. After he gave Eric, Chelsea, Seraphine and Stephen a message to deliver. But they could sense something was up.

As they walked into the feast, they NEVER expected what they saw.

And they wondered just what their old friend was doing.

D'Artagnan was actually easy to see when they arrived at the feast. It seems the shadow of the Court of Miracles had come to dine in public with Flea and his friends around him.

And they could only court the number of times that happened without pranks being involved on one hand.

"What the hell is he doing?" Rozalin hisses next to their group.

"I don't know but I don't like it", Henri replies eyeing the room.

"Something feels off", Nico says softly.

"Damn if he does something stupid, I was throwing him FIRST at those brothers of his. As they weren't happy today with what they heard", Chelsea replies.

"When are we going to tell him about how it went?" Seraphine asks.

"After this. Whatever this plan of his is", Eric replies.

His friends saw D'Artagnan laughing with Flea and a few others. He appeared to look relaxed. But his friends could see the tension in his body and saw how his eyes scanned the room. Like he was looking for something.

"Best keep our eyes open", Paul mutters knowing the signs of their old friend well.

"These sort of plans always go down so well", Bianca grumbles.

"You mean the ones he doesn't tell us a thing about until it is all over?" Rene asks her.

"Yes, those exact ones!"

"I think I'll kill him if it turns out like the last plan of his like this", Marcus grumbles, "Our Little Brother has to stop this shit"

"Basically, exactly what his Musketeers brothers said. You're all going to get on swimmingly", Chelsea retorts.

"We'll see about that", Matthew and Marcus grumble taking a large sip of brandy.

The girls snicker.

"Men. They can get so jealous", Oceane snickers amused beyond anything.

"So, who do you think he is looking for?" Jaqueline asks.

"Who says he is looking for anyone?"

He in fact was looking for someone. He was trying to find out if 'the Falcon' had any spies here. But so far nobody had stuck out to him.

But D'Artagnan was absolutely SURE that this Falcon would have spies here. And that they were being VERY cautious. Something they weren't when they murdered people. Which had him a little unnerved.

So, he had told Flea he was going to step out of the shadows, but still with his face half hidden, for the evening and have a meal with the Court. Flea and his friends had been noticeable shocked at this and suspicious. But they didn't comment.

For now.

D'Artagnan had seen Eric, Chelsea, Stephen and Seraphine sneak in and could see from the looks on their faces that his Brothers weren't exactly happy and they were taking GREAT delight in it. This stunt he was pulling tonight wasn't going to help matters with either side of his mismatched family.

But sacrifices MUST be made and gambles MUST be taken.

He had learnt that over the course of his life growing up here.

D'Artagnan may have a home at the Garrison now with Athos, Porthos and Aramis. But a part of him would always believe this was his home. Sure, everyone here was poor and they were thieves. But they had taken him in when he was gravely injured and looked after him. They taught him their tricks and as time grow and his skills surpassed theirs, they never held it against him.

Even when he retreated into the life of the Shadow of Miracles they understood. And many of those old faces who had seen here tonight so far had welcomed him back. Many were curious about his return and others had scolded him for being gone so long and leaving his friends behind without word.

But he welcomed the comments and there was one or two insults thrown his way. But he had long ago become accustomed to ignoring those few that couldn't accept him.

If they didn't accept him back when he was here full time or now, they sure wouldn't if they found out he was a Musketeer.

So, like everything at the moment he was walking a VERY fine line.

"Do you think Charles will become the new King of Court?" someone asks.

D'Artagnan tries not to laugh at the thought of him being King. That was laughable. He would NEVER be able to do it. And he NEVER wanted the job. At least that was one thing Charon trusted him about, about not going to try and steal 'his' Throne. Even through D'Artagnan had never trusted that man.

"Only if Flea steps down", an old man replies, "I believe we should have a King"

"Women can do good work too and Flea has done so much for us!"

"But what about all these murders?" another hisses, "She isn't doing anything to stop that!"

"And how can she? It is not like we can get help from anyone! Everyone would rather see us hang!"

D'Artagnan winces internally at that. Yes, many would want to see that. But his gut told him the Musketeers were different. Maybe if given the chance…they accepted Porthos and if they accepted his past when it comes out in the open could there be an alliance between the Musketeers and the Court of Miracles?

That was an interesting thought he would pounder another day. After he survive whoever was setting him up and survived the next meeting with his Brothers.

D'Artagnan could tell that his brothers that were in this room right now were not happy with him.

Flea stands up and calls for silence.

But the room was getting to rowdy.

He groans and does something he knows he was going to regret.

D'Artagnan gets up and slams his fists on the table. HARD.

"EVERYONE QUIET YOUR QUEEN WANTS TO SPEAK!" he yells.

Everyone looks at him startled and his friends were giving him the look.

Flea also gave him a look before turning to everyone.

"We are here to celebrate the lives that have been lost to us in the past few weeks. All of them taken too soon from us", Flea says to everyone, "…we may not have the means to have a proper goodbye for those that were cruelly taken from us or the means to get help. But we have one thing those people outside the gates, we have a community that stands united in our times of trouble!"

Everyone cheers in agreement.

D'Artagnan notices a man that didn't look happy with Flea's speech.

"Who out there can say that?" she asks them.

"NO ONE!" they roar.

"Are we going to be cowered? Are we going to let these people who are murdering our people continue to do so?"

"NO!"

"Will be bullied into giving up?!"

"NO!"

"Will we be run out of our home? The home only some of us have known?"

"NO!"

"We will let our children cower in terror?"

"NO!"

"Are we going to let them take our freedom?"

"NO!"

D'Artagnan could tell this man wasn't liking the fact Flea was gaining the crowds control over what was happening inside the gates of Miracles.

He had to supress a smirk.

"This is my home and I will stand with you against those that try and make us hide. Will you?!" Flea yells.

There seemed to be some hesitant.

"I WILL!" D'Artagnan roars from besides Flea, "As the Shadow of Miracles I stand firmly at your side Queen of Miracles and our people!"

His friends were shocked to have D'Artagnan publicly announce his return like this.

Suddenly his friends call out. Standing by him as they ALWAYS have.
"WE WILL! THE INNER COURT OF THE SHADOW OF MIRACLES. THE SHADOW RUNNERS STAND WITH YOU!" Marcus roars from his place and everyone of D'Artagnan's friends.

The so-called and so coined so many, many years ago group that ran with the Shadow of Miracles and protected the people helping get them things they desperately needed.

The so-called right hand of the King/Queen of the Court. His own private Court under the King/Queen here. They were called the Shadow Runners.

Excited whispers come over the room and exclaims of disbelief. The titles of Shadow of Miracles and Shadow Runners hadn't been heard from in such a long time. And nobody had really admitted their entry before now.

"We are yours to command our Queen", D'Artagnan replies with a bow for everyone to see, even if his face was half hidden, "Myself and my Shadow Runners will be working to protect you and our people once again. You have my word. My word is my bond"

Matthew and the others bow down with their leader.

"We too give our word and our words are our bond, Queen of Miracles, Shadow of Miracles what is your command?" Matthew asks them loudly.

The others two speak up with the same words. Starting after Matthew and Marcus with Chelsea and Henri, Stella, Lucas, Jean and his twin Jeanne-Maria, Jasmine and his sisters Ivy, Laurel, Holly, Rosalind and Violet.

Christian and Tristan say the words with unusual serious faces.

The two sets of twins Michael and Michelle, and Ignotus and Ignatius agree next.

Sarah and Juliette follow with Isabella, Rene, Jaqueline, Oceane, Louis, Eric, Bianca, Nico, Nicholas, Zoey, Susan, Ramona, John-Paul, Phillipe and Adrian.

Stephen and his twin Stephanie say it with blank faces along with Paul, Pierre and Desdemona.

Patience, Richard, Rebecca, Rozalin, Catherine, Orion, Odette, Carlisle, Eleanor, Alexander, Euphemia, Apolline, Seraphine, Teresa, Francisco, Delphine, Desmond, John, Kieran were quick to follow.

With Draco, Andrew, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett put their selves up.

D'Artagnan noticed a few of his Shadow Runners didn't publicly say anything and he knew why and give them subtle nods of approval.

He saw the man he noticed early basically silently snarling.

D'Artagnan gives a subtle gestures of his own language 'Shadow Hand' to his Shadow Runners in the mans direction. A couple of Shadow Hand directions back had them follow the man as he stalk out in an absolutely fury.

That was when D'Artagnan saw a flash of light out of the corner of his eye. That would have been missed by normal eyes.

"FLEA!" D'Artagnan yells pushing her to the ground as a gunshot goes off, he manages to miss the bullet and he pulls out his gun and shoots and at the same time he lets a knife fly.

He was better then he ever let on to Aramis and his bullet and knife struck true and a masked figure falls to the ground with his gun from behind a curtain.

People where screaming and trying to find cover.

D'Artagnan saw his people rushing to secure the gunman.

"Flea you alright?" he asks her.

Flea nods shakily, "Go. I have things here!"

D'Artagnan rushes through the panicking people to where the shooter lay with Apolline over him.

She looks at him, "You're aim was true like it always is. He has only minutes left"

D'Artagnan kneels down and unmasks the man. There was nothing familiar about this face. Which he kind of expected.

"Who are you?" he asks him.

The man spits weakly at him.

"Who sent you?" D'Artagnan asks him.

The man says, "The Falcon is rising so-called Shadow of Miracles and you and your Shadow Runners and your Queen will fall with the rest!"

"I think you'll find we are hard to kill", D'Artagnan replies drily, "Now who else will fall?"

"I'll never tell you", he gasps out.

"And I believe you. But I leave you with these words. The Falcon will NEVER win as long as my family stands", D'Artagnan tells him.

"I'll leave you with MY last words. He comes for you Charles Alexandre D'Artagnan. He knows. He remembers. He returns", he rasps as his eyes go glassy and he takes his last breath.

D'Artagnan huffs this was not good. Who was it?

He yanks his knife out of the mans chest and sighs.

"Who did he mean?" Matthew asks his 'Little Brother'.

"I don't know. But I believe it will led to nothing good", D'Artagnan replies.

Violet comes over, "Flea and the Shadow Runners are regaining control. What is your order Shadow of Miracles?"


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