A/N: Sweetie gets hurt, but will be okay :)
How could I live with myself if I abandoned my duty?
I no longer know when to expect your return, since every day brings obstacles to prevent it. All I can say is that I am very upset about it and bear this delay with great impatience; and if sixteen knew all that fifteen suffers on that account, I feel sure he would be touched.
MMMMMMMMMM
Constance was sitting with Anne in the gardens when she heard someone's crunching footsteps on the gravel coming closer. Turning her head, she saw Chavigny approaching them.
The soft smile on Anne's face fell when Constance informed her of his approach.
Chavigny stopped at Anne's side and bowed. Anne just looked straight ahead.
"Yes, Chavigny."
"Your Majesty, please forgive an old man's bluntness, but the First Minister has been in exile for three years now; if you won't name me as his replacement, I'm afraid I must resign my position and retire to my country house."
Anne continued to look forward.
"What is your decision, Majesty?"
"The country house," was Anne's terse answer.
Constance watched Chavigny's mouth open and close twice before he finally bowed and departed. After a few seconds she heard Anne exhale softly. "He will come back," she said, and Constance knew she wasn't talking about Chavigny. "He always comes back to me."
MMMMMMMMMM
"She has soundly refused me," Chavigny announced.
"Can't say I didn't warn you, Chavigny," the Prince replied from behind his desk. "If she was going to make you First Minister she wouldn't have waited this long. I'd say you spoiled your chances after causing that scene at Christmas all those years ago."
Chavigny bristled. "Women can be vindictive like that," he conceded. "But even if we accept that she held a personal grudge against me, why has she not named anyone else?"
"She's holding out for his return," answered the Prince.
"You mean the musketeer?"
The Prince nodded. "And she's succeeding, I might add. Have you noticed how she keeps 'forgetting' agreements she made and pushing off meetings or, lately, setting them for the day after the King's birthday? She'll have the boy recall Aramis back to Paris after his majority, I'm sure of it."
"You think she still wants him as First Minister? The man brought civil war to Paris! He sent you on that useless campaign in Catalonia!"
"That campaign wasn't a complete waste. Without it, I wouldn't have stumbled upon Raphaël."
Raphaël inclined his head in thanks. "My brother could have seduced Her Majesty. An art he learned at our mother's feet." René had always been a charmer, cooed over by all the prostitutes and beloved by Madam Desjardins. There was no doubt in his mind he used that charm and the dirty tricks he learned there to climb so high.
"Will we see about delaying the King's majority then?"
The Prince lifted an eyebrow. "We? I thought you were retiring to your country house."
"But the council…"
"Don't you think it would be suspicious for you to remain here after giving your ultimatum to the Queen?"
"Well, not if you-"
"You may play a part in selecting representatives, but you can do so from the country. Until then, I thank you for confirming the Queen's position."
He was glad when Chavigny left without another word; the man was an ungrateful nuisance, not heeding the Prince's warning and then presuming he would help him out of the corner he backed himself into.
"Your Highness, if I may, how do you intend to get enough support for your measures with such little time left before the King's birthday?"
The Prince sighed. "We'll have to do something drastic. Something that emphasizes the King's vulnerability and allows me to be seen as his savior once more."
MMMMMMMMMM
The sun was just starting to set when Aramis heard hoofbeats approaching the house. He glanced over at Athos, and judging by the glower, he'd heard them as well. The man had accepted Milady regularly coming to his home, but he still didn't like it.
While Athos and Sylvie began to usher six-year-old Rauol and three-year-old Bertrande to bed, Aramis got up and went outside, eager for news from Anne.
"How are they?" he asked as always, taking hold of her horse's reins while she dismounted and then tying them to a paddock post.
"Well," Milady replied, her usual answer so long as no one was ill and nothing important had happened.
"Condé still parading around Paris like a peacock?" he asked bitterly. When the Spanish had heard of the civil unrest in Paris, they had directed some of their resources to promote the conflict, however, it also allowed Condé to answer Anne's call and direct his own forces to Paris. The people of Paris, proud as they were, refused Spanish aid, though, and Condé was able to quell the rebellion and restore order to the city with agreements from the Parlement and little blood shed. The problem now was that he had been given a taste of great power, and was becoming insatiable in his demands.
Milady hummed in agreement. "He's getting dangerously full of himself. The Queen might not tell you in her letters, but some might describe his behavior towards her and the King lately as insolent. Even the Parlement is becoming tired of him and his demands, not to mention how he and his men are practically looting the city. But it's hard for Her Majesty to say no to her savior without upsetting him and his army."
He suppressed a growl. "And what of my brother? Is he acting all high and mighty as well?" While hearing of Condé's behavior angered him, he almost expected it, a man of his upbringing and stature looking down on the child-King and the Spanish woman acting as regent.
Milady shrugged a shoulder. "He continues to nip at Condé's heels and look at all three of them as if they have halos. I don't think you'll ever get any support for your return from him, though; now that you and your dirty bastard blood have gone he thinks the Holy Trinity is ruling France."
He rolled his eyes. "And yet it's fine for him to be at Condé's side."
"Yes, well, serving God's plan as penance for the sin of his birth and all that. Imagine if he ever found out about the King's origins though, I think his head would explode."
MMMMMMMMMM
She was having a picnic out on the grounds with her sons when she saw the Prince of Condé coming up the stairs, Gaston's eldest daughter, Anne Marie, at his side.
Wondering what his latest demands would be, she got up and walked over a few steps to meet them. She had already given in and agreed to make him master of the king's household when Louis came of age, what more would he ask for?
"Monsieur le Duc, Mademoiselle, good day to you," she greeted.
"Your Majesty," said Condé. "Such a beautiful day I thought I'd come early for His Majesty's lesson and speak to you about some propositions I would like you to consider. I stopped at the Luxembourg Palace along the way and offered to take Mademoiselle with me for a visit as well, I hope you don't mind."
Anne gave him a tight smile before turning to Anne Marie. "You know you are always welcome here, Anne Marie."
"I thought I might give His Majesty his birthday present early," explained Anne Marie, holding up a small book. Although the girl had become more refined and restrained as she got older, it was still obvious that she hoped to win Louis over and become queen. Once they had gotten past Louis majority, and Aramis was back, they should focus more on finding her a husband.
"Of course," Anne replied. "His Majesty is just over there, playing with his dog," she told her, motioning toward the other side of the grounds where Louis and Sweetie were chasing each other.
Anne Marie promptly set off, and as she neared the two, Sweetie caught sight of her and started to run over to her, excited to greet another person to play with.
Anne Marie shrieked and put out her hands to ward the dog away. "Your Majesty!" she called out to Louis.
"Sweetie, come," Anne sharply commanded, diverting Sweetie away from Anne Marie, and as the dog came closer Anne could see the large globs of drool hanging from her mouth. Swiftly stepping to the side, she let the not-so-graceful Sweetie run almost straight into Condé's legs. The agile Condé took a step back to avoid being knocked over, but had not been quick enough to avoid Sweetie wiping her mouth across his breeches.
Stifling a smirk, she made note to give Sweetie a treat for it later.
MMMMMMMMMM
Louis sighed when he heard Anne Marie's shrieks, he couldn't understand why she was so afraid of the dog. Sure Sweetie was big, but she was harmless, and so what if she got drool on her?
Anne Marie curtsied. "Your Majesty."
"Mademoiselle."
"I have a gift for you," she said and presented him with a book of what looked to be poetry. "An early birthday present."
"How kind." He would have rathered if she offered to go riding, it was one of the few things he enjoyed doing with her.
"May I read some to you?"
He didn't quite want to, but knew it would be ungentlemanly to refuse. "You may."
"Come, Sire, let us sit by the fountain," she proposed, and he motioned for her to walk on.
"Are you looking forward to it?" she asked after a few steps. "Being king in your own right? Not having your mother as regent anymore?"
"I suppose, but my mother will still be one of my advisors so I don't think it will be terribly different. Not for a while, at least." He still had much to learn.
"You'll be able to choose a new First Minister for a start," stated Anne Marie. "I heard that Chavigny is retiring to the country because Her Majesty wouldn't name him, did she tell you?"
"She did."
"I don't quite understand why," Anne Marie continued. "He certainly seemed highly qualified for it. High-born, he's been to all the top courts of Europe, and he was your father's Foreign Minister. But then again I suppose Her Majesty doesn't want another coward to be serving you."
Louis paused in his step. "What do you mean?"
Anne Marie stopped and turned to him. "He was supposed to arrange a marriage for me when I was a girl but he was too scared to see it through. Not that I regret it, of course, it would have been a betrayal to Your Majesty-"
He shook his head. "No, I-what do you mean 'another coward'? Who was the first?"
Anne Marie's eyebrows pinched together, giving him an incredulous look. "Why that Aramis, of course. Running away in the middle of the night all those years ago instead of answering for those taxes he imposed and trying to arrest Broussel. I'm glad Her Majesty is no longer under his spell."
Nothing Anne Marie was saying was making sense. "His spell?"
Anne Marie lowered her voice. "They say he was giving her a love potion. The snake," she added in a normal voice. "You know he killed my manservant-"
"That's enough!" Louis declared. He wouldn't listen to another second of this slander. "Aramis is no coward. He's saved my life, my brother's life, my mother's and my father's, and he has the scars to prove it. And he left to protect me and my family. Now if you want to know why my mother turned away Chavigny, then perhaps you should go and talk to her," he stated, leveling his gaze onto her wide eyes.
Thankfully, Anne Marie quickly realized that he was dismissing her, and after regaining her composure said, "I hope you enjoy your gift, Your Majesty" before giving him a deep curtsey and leaving.
He huffed, fighting the urge to throw Anne Marie's gift into the fountain. Meetings with Anne Marie always tired him, but he had almost lost his temper over the things she was saying about Aramis and his mother.
Mama had told him that Aramis left that night because she told him to, because the mob had wanted to kill him and would have stormed the palace to do so. Louis knew Aramis was a great fighter, he had even bested d'Artagnan in that duel on his birthday, but he would have been vastly outnumbered even with the help of the guards, and neither he nor Mama wanted to be hurting Louis' subjects.
His mother then had to exile Aramis to appease the mob and the Parlement, to stop them from sending those people to see him all through the days that followed. He knew that people didn't like Aramis because he wasn't noble and because of the changes he had made in order to try and win the war, but he had hoped that Aramis could return once the Prince arrived with his army, after all the Prince had Aramis' brother working as his aide. But he quickly found out that the Prince didn't want Aramis back either. Still, Mama had told him that an exiled Aramis was better than a dead one.
What was this about a love potion, though? Surely such a thing only existed in stories, if not then Anne Marie probably would have tried giving him one by now, and he certainly didn't love her. And Aramis wouldn't trick his mother like that, he'd always taught him to respect women, especially his mother.
The more he thought about it, though, his mother had become more serious again since Aramis left. She still smiled and laughed with him and Philippe, but not as much as when Aramis was here. Neither did he. Could it simply be that they both missed their friend, though? Or was Aramis more than a friend to his mother?
He looked down at the book in his hands and thought about how Constance and d'Artagnan acted together, how they kiss and touch each other; how Constance fusses with d'Artagnan's hair and how d'Artagnan will often put a hand on Constance's back as he escorts his family back to the Garrison after a visit with Mama. Mama and Aramis would often spend a lot of time together, and he remembered they would sometimes stand quite close to each other, but he had certainly never seen Aramis and Mama behaving like the d'Artagnans.
But what about when he wasn't around?
Before he could contemplate further, though, there was rustling in the bushes behind him and then hands were on him, a cloth covering his mouth as he cried out in surprise.
MMMMMMMMMM
Beside her, Sweetie's head perked up. The dog let out a low growl from where she lay next to Anne and then suddenly sprang up with a bark before running off towards Anne Marie as the girl walked towards them.
Anne was about to call out to the dog, but then she realized Sweetie was not heading towards Anne Marie, but past her. Had she not heard Louis call her?
A moment later she heard a man shout out in pain along with the vicious growling of a dog.
She and Condé looked at each other before he started off, running towards the sounds.
"Guards! To the King!" she shouted as she grabbed fistfulls of her skirts. "Stay with Philippe!" she hurriedly instructed Philippe's governess before running after Condé, her heart hammering in her chest as she desperately wished that Aramis were here.
Turning the corner of the tall hedges, she saw the great white mass that was Sweetie on top of a man, her jaw clamped on his arm as he struggled to throw her off. Louis was getting to his knees some feet away.
Her son started crawling towards the two, and then shouted "No!" as the man picked a knife up with his free hand, the blade catching the sun as he swung it towards the dog.
Sweetie yelped before falling to the side, and as the attacker got to his feet Condé was there, lunging forward and thrusting his sword through the man's chest before catching the other man's left hand as it weakly swung at him with the dagger.
"Louis!" she cried as she reached him, and got down on her knees to take him into her arms and shield him from any further danger.
"Who sent you?" she heard Condé ask behind her.
"I do this for my country," answered the man with a heavy Spanish accent.
Anne looked over her shoulder just before Condé twisted his sword, the man grunting before his body went slack. With a shove, Condé withdrew his sword, the sound churning her stomach as the man fell.
"Sweep the area," Condé instructed the guards. "Make sure there aren't any others."
"Louis, are you hurt?" she asked, releasing her hold on him so that she could look him over.
"Sweetie!" cried Louis, pushing past her and going to the dog's side as she got to her feet. Whining and crying out as she tried to put weight on her right foreleg. "Mama, she's bleeding!"
She came up beside him while the dog nuzzled into Louis' shoulder, and indeed saw the white fur stained with red above her leg. Sweetie was standing, though, and the wound wasn't gushing blood, so Anne hoped the cut wasn't too serious.
"Your Majesty!" cried Anne Marie, running up to Louis and falling to her knees just behind him. "Are you hurt, my King?!" She grasped at his arms, but Louis shook her off, and sharply told her to leave him.
"Anne Marie," she said, gently touching the girl's shoulder, "please, give the King some space."
Looking sullen, Mademoiselle took Condé's offered hand and then went to stand some feet away.
She motioned for a couple of nearby pages to come over. "Call for the Master of the Hounds as well as Doctor Delorme to tend to His Majesty's dog," she told them. "Quickly!"
Beside her Louis sniffled, and she turned back to see him undoing his sash and then maneuvering it around Sweetie.
"Here, Your Majesty," said Condé behind them, offering his handkerchief. She took it from him and held it over Sweetie's wound before Louis tied off his sash to keep it in place. She wasn't sure it would do much with so much fur in the way, but it would bring Louis comfort.
"Are you all right, darling?" she asked again, lightly pushing his hair away from Louis face while she looked him over again for any visible injuries. "What happened?"
"I don't know, all of a sudden someone grabbed me and was shoving a cloth into my mouth," he replied while gently stroking Sweetie's fur. "Then I felt a blade at my throat and he was saying that if I went along with him I wouldn't get hurt. Sweetie came running up to us though, and he had to let me go to fight her off."
Breathing shakily, she briefly closed her eyes, thanking God that Sweetie had noticed something was wrong, and that Aramis had brought her here in the first place. A smile managed to tug at the corner of her lips, even miles away Aramis was still watching over them.
MMMMMMMMMM
He heard a pair of tiny feet bounding over to him before a head of tight dark curls appeared at his elbow.
"Who are you writing to?" asked Raoul, peering at the letter he was writing.
"A dear friend," he replied.
Raoul stepped closer and rose onto his tippy toes to get a closer look. "Is your friend named Ser-a-fin?" he asked, sounding the last word out.
"Raoul, don't pry," Sylvie gently chided from the doorway.
He glanced up at her and waved his hand to signal it was all right. "Not quite," he answered Raoul. "It's a nickname."
"Do you have a nickname?"
"Sometimes, my friend calls me the Sky."
Raoul's nose scrunched up. "The Sky? Is it because you're so tall?"
He laughed. "Perhaps."
"That's enough, darling. Let Aramis write to his friend. Why don't you see what your father's up to."
With a giggle Raoul scampered off, but Sylvie remained at the door.
"Serafin?" she repeated. "After the order of angels?"
He nodded. "Once I became First Minister, Her Majesty and I developed a system of code names and numbers we could use in notes and messages." There were even a few symbols. Two of which they'd use to sign off with that symbolized their love and devolution to one another.
"Numbers too?"
"Mostly numbers, actually." He sighed. "But they're so…unromantic."
Sylvie smirked and crossed her arms. "And you're ever the romancer."
"I can't have her falling in love with another man while I'm away."
"I'm sure she's too busy securing your return. The King will reach his majority soon; that should change things."
He inhaled deeply. "If I should return, Philippe, he won't know who I am. He won't remember me," he lamented. "Even the King…it won't be the same." It was Louis who he wondered about the most. How many of their interactions would he remember? Most? Only some? Would he be happy to see him again? Cautious? Indifferent? Anne could say little about them in her letters. She had written more than once that their "Confidant" Louis had missed him, but Aramis couldn't help but wonder to what extent Louis had meant it. Above all he hoped that Louis did not feel abandoned by him.
"I wish it didn't have to be this way, but Aramis, it's for the best," Sylvie gently reminded him. "If you and Philippe had become too close while he was still a baby, he might've thought you to be his father."
"I am his father," he grumbled, putting the quill down and leaning back against the chair.
Sylvie walked further into the room and took a seat on the other side of the desk. "Did you ever consider running away? The Queen giving up her crown and that of the King's so you can all be a proper family?"
"It wouldn't be that simple."
Heavy footsteps sounded and Athos appeared in the doorway holding a yawning Bertrande.
"Athos gave up his title," Sylvie pointed out.
"Anne is not a simple comtesse. She'd still be a Spanish princess. And unless we revealed the boys' true parentage, I'll be seen as having kidnapped the King of Spain's sister, the King of France, and his heir. Whether people believed it or not, do you think Condé or any of his opponents would let us live in peace? Or our own opponents for that matter? People who blame us for the war, for their hardships?"
He waited for Sylvie to offer a retort, but she gave none, just a look of sympathy.
"You also haven't tried the Queen's cooking," added Athos.
He shot Athos a withering look before turning his attention back to Sylvie. "Sylvie, believe me, we've thought of it, dreamt of it. We're just too far into this to take such risks, to put the boys through something like that. If things get worse and we're forced to, then so be it, I will take my family away, but for now, we intend to stay and fight for France."
MMMMMMMMMM
After a fitful night of tossing and turning, Anne gave up on trying to fall back asleep once dawn broke, and after getting dressed went to see how Sweetie was doing. She had directed that she be kept in one of the guest rooms for a few days, not wanting to be moving the injured dog around too much as well as to keep her close for Louis' sake.
Stepping into the room, she asked the young boy watching over Sweetie how she was doing.
"The wound agitates her, Your Majesty," the boy answered. "She paces and tries to lick at it, but she's starting to tire now since she was up all night."
After offering to keep Sweetie company while the boy went and had some breakfast, she walked further into the room and saw Sweetie sitting behind one of the curtains with just her head sticking out.
"Are you hiding, you poor thing," she cooed. Sweetie's head perked up upon seeing her and she took a few steps toward her, holding her leg up and whining a little.
"Oh, stay there," she told the dog, and kneeled down next to her, petting her as she twice walked around in a circle before sitting down.
She continued to say words of comfort and praise while stroking her fur, and once Sweetie finally laid down, Anne murmured her thanks for being there, for giving her and her family such warmth and protection in Aramis' absence.
A few minutes later the door opened and she looked up to see Louis, still in his nightclothes.
"How is she?" he asked, stepping into the room.
"Finally settling down."
As Louis walked over to them, Sweetie's tail thumped against the floor. She was too tired now to lift her head, but Anne saw her eye watching Louis as he approached.
Kneeling down next to the dog, Louis stroked her fur. "Could you not sleep either?" he asked, looking up at her.
She shook her head. "Too many racing thoughts."
"About me being attacked?"
She nodded, pained to think he couldn't sleep for the same reason.
"Do you think people will stop trying to take me once I'm of age and you're no longer regent?"
Her heart completely broke at his questions and the answer she would have to give him. She put her hand over his where it rested on Sweetie and squeezed it. "I hope and pray with all my heart for that to be true my love, but I don't know. I just don't know. But listen to me, Louis," she continued, and waited for him to look back up at her, "if, if someone succeeded in taking you from me, I would do whatever it took to get you back. You know I would."
Louis nodded sadly. "Aramis would, too," he added, mending her heart with his surety and then making it swell when he gave her a half-smile, Aramis' smile. "He'd come out of exile to get me, and fight off whoever took me with his bare hands like he did at the church after Papa died."
"You remember that?"
"Only bits of it."
"You're right though," she said, "He'd move Heaven and Earth to get you back."
"I want him back, Mama. He should be here with us." He straightened and held his chin up, resolute. "I'm the King and I want my First Minister to be here. If Aramis would do anything to get me back, then I want to do the same for him."
Louis' determination and desire to get Aramis back, his love for him, filled her with pride and joy, with hope and her own renewed determination. "We'll do it, darling. We'll get him back."
MMMMMMMMMM
"D'Artagnan, the door please," said the Queen upon him walking into her chamber.
After closing the door, he turned back around, surprised to see that Milady had appeared in the room. He knew she was still working for the Queen, and was currently acting as messenger between Her Majesty and Aramis, but he hardly ever saw the woman. Something was up and he assumed it had to do with the attempted kidnapping of the King the day before.
They eyed each other briefly before he approached the Queen sitting at her desk.
"Your Majesty," he bowed, "I hope the King is doing well after yesterday's attack."
"He is, thank you," the Queen replied. "He is making sure Sweetie is being well taken care of."
"I'm glad to hear it."
The Queen gave him a small, grateful smile before taking a deep breath. "I called you here because I believe the King to still be in danger of those behind the attack."
"I heard the man was a Spanish soldier who had escaped the Chatelet that morning. Do you believe the Spanish will try to take him again?"
"I don't believe that the Spanish were ultimately behind it."
"Who do you think was?"
"Condé, of course, finally overreaching himself and showing his true colors."
"You really think the Prince was behind it?"
"How lucky for the kidnapper that Mademoiselle would come to the palace the day he escapes and would lead the King towards the fountain which happens to be near one of the entrances to the tunnels," said Milady, dripping with sarcasm.
"And then how lucky for Condé to be there to stop him," finished the Queen.
He considered their theory. "But he couldn't have accounted for Sweetie."
"Then the King would have been taken and hidden away until the Prince could heroically rescue him," answered Milady.
"Which wouldn't happen until after the King's birthday, I'm sure," added the Queen. "He wants to delay the King's majority, I'm certain of it. My brother would not try to take my son from me."
"It does sound like Longueville's original plan," he conceded, "giving the Spanish the means to get rid of Porthos so that Longueville could get what he wanted without him looking guilty."
"Birds of a feather will flock together, as they say," stated Milady. "Raphaël was also notably absent."
"Hmm, a go-between, perhaps. What about Mademoiselle? Do you think she was in on it?" he asked.
The Queen shook her head. "No, Condé wouldn't trust her with such information. It is likely that he simply manipulated her; planted the idea in her head to present the King with her gift by the fountain."
"The kidnapper could have threatened her to get the King to comply or the other way around if she hadn't left when she did. Double the ransom, double the heroism for Condé."
"I believe you, Majesty, but do you have any proof of this?"
"Not yet, but in the meantime I intend to have Condé arrested and held for questioning.
"Arrest the Prince?" he repeated.
"I cannot risk any more of Condé's plotting between now and my son's majority. It will give us time to find evidence of his plans-" she glanced over at Milady "-as well as time for you to deliver this," said the Queen, picking up an envelope off her desk and handing it to him. "I need you to bring this to Porthos."
"Porthos?" he repeated. He was never sent to give messages to Porthos.
"I want this delivered to him directly and I know I can trust you to do it."
He eyed the letter curiously as he accepted it. "May I ask what you intend to do, Majesty?"
"The King desires the return of his First Minister," she answered. "Porthos and his army will ensure his safe entry into the city along with providing additional protection for the King's coronation later on."
"Are you sure that's wise? Having Aramis return with an army?"
"He will be returning with the royal army to bring back peace and order to the city," the Queen replied matter-of-factly, sounding like she was rehearsing a response for the council.
"Very well, Majesty." He very much wanted to be rid of Condé and his men and have Aramis back, but he worried about how Condé and his allies would react to his arrest. His favor had worn thin with Parlement and the people, though, which did give him some assurance that they would not rise up as they did after Broussel's arrest. How they would all react when Aramis returned could be a different story.
He tucked the letter into the inside of his doublet. "Is there anything else?"
"No, but, d'Artagnan," the Queen started, her voice softer, "thank you. I know this might be dangerous, but the King and I, we want him back, and when my son is crowned…I want his father to be there."
MMMMMMMMMM
There was a heavy banging on the door.
Opening it, Raphaël was taken aback by the sight of Captain Meilleraie and several royal guards behind him. He was further stunned after the Captain pushed past him and announced that the Prince was being placed under arrest.
"On what charge?" the Prince asked, standing up from behind his desk while men approached him on each side.
"Conspiracy against the King."
Raphaël's eyes darted over to the Prince, unsure if he would deny it. They had conspired against the King, but it was for his own good and that of France. They had heard from Mademoiselle after the failed kidnapping attempt how much the King still admired Aramis. His brother still had a hold on not only the Queen, but the boy as well.
The Prince stayed silent, though, and Meilleraie continued, "You will be held for questioning as well as for the safety of His Majesty leading up to the day of his majority, upon which, if no evidence has been found, you will be released."
The Prince cocked an eyebrow over the condition as did Raphaël. He and the Prince's allies only had to stay quiet for a few days. "So be it," the Prince finally answered, "just take me somewhere warm."
MMMMMMMMMM
I shall see you in a fortnight no matter what happens. In saying that, I am beside myself. Think, I ask you, what will happen when twenty-six sees twenty-two. I shall say no more about it since you know the rest because of [crosshatched vertical lines] and [star], who are in perfect friendship despite everything that has been done to separate them.
Historical background/inspiration:
-"It seemed she was prepared to do anything to ensure the king's safe passage into his majority, especially since the ceremony required the cooperation of the Parlement. Thus, in July Anne yielded to often-repeated importunities and dismissed Mazarin's creatures from the royal council…At the same time, however, she managed to get rid of the troublemaker Chavigny. Chavigny had thought his opportunity had come; he seized upon the occasion of the apparent purge to put an ultimatum to the queen: either she name him first minister or he would retire to his country house. 'The country house,' Anne replied laconically, and so Chavigny departed" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-While Mazarin was exiled "Anne did not choose another first minister...Clearly Anne considered Mazarin her first minister whether he was present or not" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-"The queen consented to their meeting [of the Estates General] and set the date for 8 September, several days after the king's birthday-a delay to which the Parlement did not object and which Gaston persuaded the nobility to accept…8 September passed without the king's showing any sign of departing for Tours to open the meeting of his estates." -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-"When the aristocracy took up arms against new taxes in the Fronde rebellion, Condé was recalled to Court by Anne of Austria. He quickly subdued the Parlement of Paris, and the Parliamentary Fronde ended with the March 1649 Peace of Rueil." -Wikipedia
-"The Parisians, though still and always anti-cardinalist, had refused to ask for Spanish aid, as proposed by their princely and noble adherents under Armand de Bourbon, prince de Conti, and having no prospect of military success without such aid, the noble party submitted to the government and received concessions." -Wikipedia
-"For the time being, the Parlement gave no trouble; it was the prince of Condé who caused problems. He felt the regent and Mazarin were not appreciating his services sufficiently, and he seemed insatiable in his demands. The governorships held by him and his family already gave them potential control over a sizable portion of the kingdom. He was also to be grand master of the king's household when the king came of age and the full household was formed…He wanted more, however: a strategic strong point in Normandy for his brother-in-law, Longueville, the admiralty for his family, and for himself the revival of the extinct dignity of constable of France, which would have given him power over the entire military establishment." He did not get the latter two, though. -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-He [Condé] displayed supreme confidence, however, and more than once treated the queen and the king himself with insolence." -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-"There was a suggestion that one of the opera singers Mazarin had imported must have slipped her [Anne] a love potion" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-Mazarin called himself "Heaven, the Sea, or twenty-six [and sixteen]; the queen, Serafin, Zabaot, as well as twenty-two [and fifteen]; and the king, twenty-one, as well as 'the confidant.' Both Anne and Mazarin, however, used the same symbols to express devotion: for Anne a vertical line crossed by three short lines, for Mazarin four intersecting lines forming a star. They invariably ended their letters in that fashion, Mazarin with one or more stars and Anne with three crosshatched lines" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-Anne felt strong enough to accuse Condé formally of treasonable commerce with Spain-an accusation that was true enough though unsupported as yet by more than shrewd suspicion. Condé asked for a trial to clear himself, but his behavior toward the king and queen became so discourteous as to approach lèse-majesté" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-Mazarin "asked for permission to delay his return while he recruited troops in Germany so that he could come back with at least a small army for the king's service and also for his own protection" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-"The peace of Rueil lasted until the end of 1649. The princes, received at court once more, renewed their intrigues against Mazarin. On 14 January 1650, Cardinal Mazarin, having come to an understanding with Monsieur Gondi and Madame de Chevreuse, suddenly arrested Condé, Conti, and Longueville." -Wikipedia
-Condé, Conti and Longeuville were arrested "when they came to attend a meeting of the royal council…Condé offered no resistance, however; he said only, 'So be it; just take me somewhere warm.'" -Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria
-At the beginning and end of the chapter are excerpts from Anne and Mazarin's letters to each other (first one Anne to Mazarin, second one Mazarin to Anne) from Ruth Kleinman's Anne of Austria