The loud thud against the door and the sound of something falling heavily onto the wooden floor implied there was a fight going on. Porthos pulled at the handle. The door did not budge. He yanked harder as he heard a shout and someone swearing in the room beyond. He knew he had to get into the room to help.

If only the door was not in the way. If only it had not taken him what felt like forever to find the right room. The directions d'Artagnan had given before he passed out were limited. All Porthos knew was that d'Artagnan and Aramis had been confronted at the very moment they were going to leave with the papers. A few seconds later the pair would have been gone and Porthos would not now be trying to wrench a door open so that he could help Aramis.

Athos had waved Porthos away, telling him he could take care of d'Artagnan. Despite their orders being to leave any fallen man behind, they all knew they would not do that. If they had followed orders Porthos and Athos would have taken the papers off d'Artagnan's unconscious body and made a run for it. They would have left both their friends behind.

But that was not going to happen.

As Porthos had sprinted towards the house Athos had begun dragging the unconscious d'Artagnan out of sight, back to their hiding place. Porthos could only hope he would be returning - with Aramis - to find both d'Artagnan and Athos safe.

Another yell, more distinctly from Aramis this time, told Porthos that his friend was still putting up a fight against whoever had found them. Porthos wondered if he could risk shooting the lock open but decided against it. Despite the noises coming from the locked room no one else in the chateau seemed to have been roused. Porthos did not want that to change.

He stepped back and kicked firmly at the door. He felt it give a little. Smiling he steadied himself for another kick.

It took five kicks to sufficiently loosen the door.

The fighting inside continued. Porthos could hear more furniture being knocked over and a couple of grunts of pain. Porthos could not work out who was hurt. He hoped it was not Aramis. Porthos knew the attackers were armed, the injuries to d'Artagnan - the few Porthos could take in before he rushed off - showed that. Probably knives, possibly swords. Although Porthos had not heard the tell-tale swish of a sword, or the sound of a blade hitting something. And if there was a sword, it had not made significant contact with Aramis as he was still fighting back.

Porthos kicked the door again, and the lock slipped off, falling to the floor. Porthos pushed the door open revealing the room beyond.

Two men were fighting Aramis. A third lay on the ground trying to get up. Porthos was impressed. Aramis had single-handedly held off three men whilst minimally armed.

Neither Aramis nor d'Artagnan had been able to take guns or swords with them due to infiltrating the chateau whilst impersonating servants.

Porthos began to suspect the broken furniture was more Aramis' doing so that he could improvise weapons. The ploy had clearly worked. The man that was getting to his feet was cradling his right arm in his left. Porthos took a swing at the man, hitting him on the jaw and sending him back to the ground. He did not get up again.

A grunt of pain from Aramis refocussed Porthos. He stepped forward and grabbed the two men who were beating him by the collars and swung them back. He shoved one into the wall whilst tripping the other to the floor.

Aramis staggered back a few paces and leaned against a table, one of the few remaining intact pieces of furniture in the room.

Porthos made short work of rendering the two men unconscious. Leaving them in undignified heaps on the ground.

'You can't take … all the credit,' panted Aramis.

Porthos grinned, 'I got through the door on my own though,' he said. 'You alright?'

Aramis looked a little dazed, he lost focus for a few seconds before nodding.

'Nothing life threatening,' he said. 'D'Artagnan?'

'Made it back, Athos is with him.'

'You'll get in trouble for disobeying orders,' said Aramis as he allowed Porthos to pull him up straight.

'You'd have done the same.'

Aramis chuckled, 'wouldn't we all?'

'We would,' replied Porthos.

Aramis wilted a little, Porthos shook his friend, wondering if Aramis had taken a knock to the head and not realised.

'I've not finished disobeying orders yet. Not until you're out of here and the four of us are safely away.'

'Sorry,' said Aramis, 'I wouldn't want to ruin the trouble you're getting into.'

Porthos was heartened to see Aramis make more of an effort to aid in his rescue.

'Let's get on with it then,' said Porthos as he retraced his steps with Aramis, leaving three men and a lot of broken furniture behind.

The End.

Whumpee: Aramis. Featuring: Porthos.