The Future's in Our Hands

by YoureMyTicket

Aramis felt a pang in his heart, remembering what the King had told him outside the mausoleum, to not have been the one who taught his son how to ride, but he focused his mind on the fact that he was here now, and there was still so much for Louis to learn. (Post season 3. Part six of the "Fortunate To Be Loved By You" series.)

10. Christmas with the Bourbons

It's good to be home

"How come your belly isn't sticking out like Sylvie's?"

Anne smiled at her son from across their assembled battlefield of toy soldiers on the floor. "Because this baby hasn't been growing as long as Sylvie's baby has." She leaned back and smoothed a hand over her bump. "It's sticking out a bit though already, see?"

Standing up, Louis came over and crouched down to press a tiny hand to her stomach. "How long has the baby been in there?"

Her smile fell. She had to be careful about this. "Several months now, darling, since before Papa died. You understand that Papa and I made the baby together, yes?"

Standing straight, Louis was quiet for several seconds, his face pinched in thought. "Mama, will Captain Athos die soon or later?"

Anne frowned, not understanding what Athos had to do with the baby, or why Louis would think he should be dead soon either. "What do you mean, darling?"

"Marie-Cessette doesn't have a Papa, and Papa said his Papa died when he was a boy, and now you and Papa made a baby so he had to go to Heaven-"

"Louis, no. That's not how it works, sweetheart." She held his hands, wanting so much to tell him that he still had a father. A father who was fit and strong and alive. A father who loved him devotedly. A father who was probably coming down the hall as they spoke. But she couldn't, and in this moment she hated Louis for being right. She was being punished. In keeping this secret she had to let her own child suffer.

"Papas do not have to die for babies to be born," she reiterated. "Think of all the papas we met on the tour, or who live and work here in our home. And Porthos is Marie-Cessette's Papa, remember him?"

"Then why did my Papa have to die?" he whined, tears filling his eyes.

She reached up to card a hand through his hair, her heart aching for him. "Because he got very ill and there was nothing we could do to make him better."

Louis wretched his hand from her grasp. "Making the baby made him ill!" he shouted, and then took off through the open doors into her bedroom.

MMMMMMMMMM

"Louis, come back!" came Anne's raised voice from Louis' room, and seconds later he saw Louis run through the doors of her room, past the antechamber, and right into his legs.

"What's the matter, Sire?" He knew Anne was going to talk to Louis about the baby before their small council meeting tonight, but judging by Louis' sniffling, it didn't go well.

"I don't want a new baby," Louis replied, his face pressed into Aramis' coat. "I want my Papa back!"

He glanced over at Anne, now standing in the doorway of the antechamber, and it broke his heart to see her on the edge of tears herself.

"Sire, I haven't cleaned my sword in a while, would you like to come back to my office and help me?" he asked, looking back down at his son.

Louis sniffled. "I suppose."

Meeting Anne's eyes, he silently told her he would take it from here, and after she nodded her approval, he turned with Louis and led him back to his office.

"Here we are," he said once they had arrived in his office. After turning the two chairs in front of his desk to face each other, he told Louis to pick a seat and fetched some oil and a couple of cloths along with his sword belt from where it hung off the back of his chair. He tended not to wear it around the palace, especially when he was only going to see Anne.

He held up the hilt to his son. "Would you help me get it out of the scabbard, Sire?"

Nodding, Louis wiped away a few errant tears with his sleeve and sat up straight.

"You have to listen to what I say though, all right? This is not a toy. Now, hold it with both hands," he instructed, and Louis obediently complied, wrapping both hands around the handle.

With a hand on the hilt, Aramis started to pull away the scabbard. Once an inch of the blade was revealed, he held it between his thumb and forefinger. "We'll rest it on the arm," he said, and lowered the blade to rest on the arm of the chair once more of the scabbard had been pulled away. "Good, now don't move." Slowly, he took his hand away and removed the scabbard completely. He hung the empty sword belt on the back of the chair. "You can try lifting it, but just a little, no higher than my hand" he said, his hand hovering above the blade. Cautiously, Louis lifted the sword, stopping the blade a couple inches below Aramis' hand.

"Well done, Sire. Set it back down." He took the sword from Louis. "Is it heavier or lighter than you thought it would be?"

Louis' little mouth twisted in thought. "Lighter."

"Good, it's supposed to be light. That way, you can hold your sword with one hand without your arm getting tired too quickly while you dance around your opponent, making quick cuts and delivering little bee stings," he explained, using his free hand to poke and tickle Louis, eliciting a few giggles from him. Anne had told him that Louis was ticklish.

"But in order to keep the blade working to the best of its ability," he began as he sat down, "you have to take care of it. Will you hand me a cloth, Sire?"

After Louis handed over one of the cloths from the desk, he watched closely as Aramis proceeded to wipe off any dirt or debris on the blade and then gave him the second cloth which Aramis then put a couple drops of oil on.

Bracing the sword against his leg, he slowly began to smooth the cloth down one side of the blade. "Your mother had lots of siblings growing up, did you know that?" He glanced up at Louis, who shook his head. "Six younger brothers and sisters. Your father had lots of siblings too, your uncles, of course, and your Aunt Henrietta-Maria recently came to visit. Both your parents came from big families and I'm sure they wanted the same for you, but for whatever reason, that wasn't God's plan for them. They had to wait a long time for you to come along, that's why you're so special."

"I thought it's because I'm king."

He smiled. "That too. But you see, Sire, your parents wanted you to have more siblings, but it was very hard for them to have children, that's why your mother was so excited to tell you about this new baby."

"But what if making the baby made Papa ill?" Louis grumbled, and Aramis realized that Louis had equated having to losing one in order to gain the other, that these big changes in his life were connected.

"Your father was already ill before he and your mother made the baby, Sire. And I think...I think that because he knew he would have to leave you soon, he didn't want you and your mother to be lonely." The first part had been easy enough to say, and the rest was what they'd told the council, and rehearsed for the courtiers, but he suddenly found it quite hard to repeat those lines to his son and lie about the late king's intentions, even to the person most likely to believe them.

"But we have you now," said Louis.

He felt his heart squeeze at the simple statement. "And I hope to be there for you and your mother always, but this baby will be a part of your family, your brother or sister. You will share the same blood, and have a bond that no one can break."

MMMMMMMMMM

She was sitting by the fire, talking with Louis' governess, Marie-Catherine, who stood when she saw her charge enter the room with Aramis. Louis looked contrite as Anne got to her feet, and nervously pulled at the end on his sleeve, but she had to hide her smile when she caught him glancing over at Aramis and then copying his stance.

Aramis bowed. "Your Majesty. His Majesty the King would like to have an audience with you." He looked over at Louis, and gave an encouraging nod. "Go on, Sire," he loudly whispered.

While Louis began to walk forward, she stepped around her chair to stand next to it and shot Aramis a questioning look. He answered simply with a half-smile before she had to return her attention to their son, who was now standing before her.

"Sire," she said, and gave a small curtsey, going along with the formalities.

"Mama, I'm sorry for running away and upsetting you. It was..." Louis looked back at Aramis, who smiled reassuringly at him. "It was not something a good musketeer or a king would do," Louis continued, lifting his chin, "and I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you, darling, come here." Getting down on her knees, she enveloped Louis in a hug, and they held each other tightly. "I know this has all been very hard for you," she said, rubbing a hand up and down his back. "A lot has changed, and change can be frightening, but it can also be good and exciting, like an adventure." She pulled away, but kept her hands on Louis' arms as he stood in front of her. "I know you're very brave though, Captain Athos wouldn't have made you a musketeer if you weren't, and you and I will go on this adventure together."

"What about Aramis? Will he be going with us?"

Her eyes flickered over to him, her heart soaring at the look of hope on his face. "Would you like him to?" she asked, and was filled with joy to see Louis nod his head. "Then yes, Aramis will be there with us. Marie-Catherine too," she added. "All right?"

Louis nodded again, and after telling him to bid Aramis a good-night, sent him off with Marie-Catherine to start getting ready for bed.

MMMMMMMMMM

"I should have expected that he wouldn't take it well," Anne confessed once the doors were closed between her and Louis' rooms and they had started their small council meeting. "Even if it were under normal circumstances. My own governess used to tease me about how I had instructed my servants not to interact with those from Philip's household when he was born." She quirked her lips. "I was quite put-off about not being the center of attention anymore, especially to some squalling, drooling baby."

"How old were you?"

"Three and a half," she answered, laughing softly. "And I interrogated them along with my ladies as to where exactly Philip had come from."

Aramis smiled at the thought of a tiny Anne with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "Did you get an answer?"

"Probably just a vague 'from God' or the like."

"I was told that as a child as well, but along with the details. It's much harder to skirt around the process when you have a child growing up in a brothel." He had even been in the room when his younger half-brother, Raphaël, was born. His mother and many of the other ladies did their best to protect his innocence, but there was only so much time he could spend playing outside.

He swirled the wine in his glass, and wondered where Raphaël had ended up. Pauline could only tell him that he left after their mother died of a fever, likely the same one that had claimed their baby sister two weeks before. That was all in the past now though, and he had to focus on the future, on the family he had right in front of him. "Obviously, I didn't pay very close attention to their lessons on prevention," he said in a low voice, and was pleased to see Anne seal her lips to stifle a laugh. Grinning, he leaned back in his chair. "Now," he began, resuming a normal volume, "shall we go over who's going to be arriving tomorrow ahead of the Christmas festivities?"

MMMMMMMMMM

"Aramis."

"Mhm?"

"You're staring at her," d'Artagnan lightly admonished.

"A little," Aramis admitted. It was hard not to. Anne looked resplendent in an emerald green gown as she chatted with courtiers, proudly resting her hands on her bump now that the formal announcement of her pregnancy and the child's quickening had been made.

"And you've got a big stupid grin on your face."

He tore his eyes away from Anne and faced his friend. "Wouldn't it be more suspicious if I looked morose over the news?"

"Fine, just...point your smiles somewhere else."

Aramis sighed. "You have eyes on Condé?" He was trying not to be too obvious in watching the man.

"Yes, still talking to Bellevoix, but Chavigny has come over and joined them."

He followed d'Artagnan's line of sight, and after locating Bellevoix and Chavigny, was able to spot the man. It still surprised him to see how short and slight Condé was, how young. He wasn't exactly tiny, but based on his reputation, one would've thought him to look like Porthos, a large and imposing man, and while Condé had all the airs and graces of a royal, it shocked him to see how young he was. He knew him to be only a couple years younger than d'Artagnan, but with his smooth and delicate features he looked even younger than that.

"Was that a Christmas gift?"

"What?"

D'Artagnan looked pointedly at the leather band he now wore on his left wrist and had been absently rubbing his thumb along while his hands were clasped together. The band was about half an inch wide, and had a design similar to his first pauldron.

"Yes, we-" he titled his head in Anne's direction "-exchanged last night." He lifted his arm and gave d'Artagnan a closer look at the bracelet. Turning a bit of it inside out, he revealed a slit in the leather on the underside where one could see locks of light and dark hair plaited together. "It's got locks of hair from the three of us," he explained. "The baby's hair will be added once it's long enough." He lowered his arm. "She had an ulterior motive for having Constance give us those haircuts after all."

He looked over at Anne once more. "Constance made a plait for her to keep in a bracelet as well." Anne's bracelet was not made of leather, though, but metal, and decorated with precious stones.

"And what did you get her?"

"A book."

D'Artagnan, as expected, raised his eyebrows. "A book," he repeated, his eyes continuing to conduct sweeps of the room. "Was it a cookbook? One specifically for cooking edible fish?"

"The first copy of a biography of her mother, translated into French," he answered seriously, crossing his arms. "You do realize you just insulted the Queen Regent and my wife's cooking," he added in a low voice.

D'Artagnan glanced over at him and did a double-take upon meeting his stare. "My deepest apologies," he quickly said.

Aramis gave a light shrug. "Perhaps for her birthday, though."

Constance came over then, after having gone to retrieve a glass of wine. "Did d'Artagnan tell you we got a letter from Athos and Sylvie saying they got back from Douai all right?"

"Not yet, my love."

"They brought home one of the dogs," Constance added.

Aramis looked at them in surprise. "Really? Which one?" He grinned. "Little Aramis?"

"What, do you think Athos misses yelling your name that much?" d'Artagnan replied sarcastically. "No, they took home Baby Drogo."

"Athos is trying to drop the 'Baby' part, but Sylvie's decided it's all she's going to call him. We'll be thinking there's two dogs when each of them writes," Constance laughed.

"Oh, look how adorable my little husband is," he heard someone say to the side of him. It sounded like a child's voice. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted a little girl, but she wasn't just any little ten-year-old girl, she was Mademoiselle, the Duchess of Montpensier, and Prince Gaston's eldest daughter. And the little husband she was referring to had to be Louis, who was standing up ahead next to his mother.

"Quiet, Anne Marie!" said the woman next to the young girl, shushing the child. "Be thankful Her Majesty is even allowing us to be here." She glanced down at the plate in Mademoiselle's hands. "And if you're just going to stand there with that last cake then give it to Lenoir to get rid of, you look like a servant."

Aramis recognized the woman as well, and remembered the hush that fell over the guests when her arrival was announced. He turned back around and leaned closer to Constance and d'Artagnan. "Don't look, but Gaston's wife and daughter are right next to us."

"The one he married in secret?"

"No, the dead one."

D'Artagnan shot him a scathing look.

"But the girl is her step-daughter," said Constance.

"Correct-I said don't look!" he hastily added when d'Artagnan turned his head.

"Minister!"

Too late. The Duchess of Orléans had spotted them and was now coming over with her step-daughter.

"Madame, Mademoiselle," he greeted, getting a good whiff of the Duchess' heavy perfume when he bowed. "May I introduce Captain d'Artagnan, of the Musketeers, and his wife."

"A pleasure to meet you all," the Duchess politely replied while d'Artagnan and Constance bowed as well. Behind her, the man she called Lenoir had returned, but stayed in her shadow. "So many people to meet."

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "May I offer my deepest condolences to you and your family," he said, hoping that he didn't sound too disingenuous.

"Thank you, Minister." Her gaze fell. "I tried to convince him to be happy with what we had, to not let his ambition make any more enemies, but he was very much like his father; never satisfied. My brother as well, sadly."

Mademoiselle gasped then, and tugged on her step-mother's skirt. The Duchess looked past him, and he watched her lips part before swifty dipping into a curtsy, her hand on Mademoiselle's shoulder, pushing the girl into one as well.

He sensed Anne before he saw her, and at the sound of her clear voice addressing Gaston's wife and daughter, he went into a bow himself.

"The King and I are so glad you could come," said Anne as they all straightened. Anne had told him that although the late king had eventually given his approval for Gaston's second marriage, Marguerite was the Duke of Lorriane's sister, and therefore not exactly welcome at court, but she had been so often with child during the several years she and Gaston were officially together that she didn't go out much anyway.

"Yes, well, after everything that happened, I thought I ought to pay my respects in person, and pledge my fealty to the new king." The Duchess bowed her head to Louis. "Congratulations are also in order as well," she added, gesturing towards Anne's stomach. "I had hoped to also find myself with child after the Duke's passing, he had so badly wanted a son, but alas, only daughters."

"And how are your little ones?" Anne kindly asked.

Before the Duchess could answer though, a raised voice broke through the discord.

"You know I loathe the Spanish," the comte de Chavigny loudly stated to Magistrate Bellevoix, causing conversations to pause and heads to turn in the direction of the disruption. The Foreign Minister's cheeks were flushed and his brow glistening with sweat. "But their First Minister is right about one thing: priests exist to pray and queens to give birth!"

"How odd," said the Duchess beside them. "The comte de Chavigny didn't seem so drunk when he was with us a few minutes ago."

While Bellevoix glanced nervously at the small crowd of onlookers, Condé kept his eyes on Chavigny. "I do hope our Queen Regent is not included among the Spaniards you loathe," the young man said in an even voice.

Chavigny gave an annoyed sigh as he rubbed his forehead. "No, no. But someone should step in while she's busy doing her womanly duty, someone like you, not that musketeer." He emphasized the "you" by swinging his arm out towards the man, and Condé had to take a step back to avoid the wine that sloshed over the side of Chavigny's glass and spilled onto the floor.

Having heard enough, Aramis, with d'Artagnan right behind him, began to walk over to Chavigny.

"I have an army to lead and a war to win," replied Condé. His dark eyes flickered up at Aramis. "And I believe 'that musketeer' you speak of is right next to you."

He smiled as Chavigny turned and looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Tell me, Chavigny, if priests exist to pray and queens to give birth, what is it that us ministers do? Drink?" He put a hand over his heart. "You must forgive my ignorance, I'm still quite new at this."

Chavigny recoiled and looked around, only now becoming aware of all the eyes on him. "Minister! You-I-I didn't..." he sputtered.

"I think it's time you retired, my dear comte," advised Condé.

Aramis agreed. "I think that would be best."

Chavigny looked dazed as he nodded, his fingers reaching back up to rub his forehead. "Yes, I'm feeling...quite unwell all of a sudden."

"Allow me to see you out," offered d'Artagnan, and, accompanied by Bellevoix, proceeded to escort Chavigny out of the room.

"Minister," began Condé, drawing Aramis' attention back to him, "Chavigny has known me since I was a boy and only has my best interests at heart; I hope you aren't too offended. From what I hear, you are doing a fine job."

He shook his head. He knew what the other ministers thought of him. "I understand. I had similar doubts when I first took on the position."

"But now you don't?"

"Not at all," he answered, and held his hands up as he lightly shrugged. "Turns out all I have to do is drink."

Condé smiled at the joke, making him look even more boyish, and when he saw Anne approaching them, his smile did not falter.

"Monsieur le Duc," greeted Anne, once again coming to Aramis' aid, though this time she left Louis with Constance. Their son had a look of mild confusion on his face as Mademoiselle chatted animatedly at him, while the Duchess looked on with interest at Condé and Anne. She quickly averted her gaze when she caught his eye though.

"Your Majesty, I'm sorry you had to hear all that," Condé apologized. "I didn't realize Chavigny was so far into his cups already. I assure you he means you no ill will."

"I know with my condition that my regency has become somewhat irregular," she admitted. "I am sure there are those who worry I've taken on too much, but the council, Chavigny included, has been a great support in helping me carry out my duties."

"Of course, and I am glad to see you looking so well, Majesty. Pregnancy becomes you."

Again, Aramis agreed with him, but his skin prickled as he watched Condé converse with Anne though. The way the young man had come to his and Anne's defense in front of the crowd had not reassured him of his loyalty. Instead, it made him think of Rochefort's behavior when he had been brought back to court; punching Perales for his slight against the King, paying Anne compliments, all so he could get close to her...

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. He wanted Condé gone.

MMMMMMMMMM

"You were on your feet too long," Aramis said to her from where he sat at the end of his bed. She was stretched out, leaning back against the pillows and with her foot propped up on his leg while he massaged it now that the day's festivities were over.

"I had to show this off to a lot of people," she replied, running a hand over her stomach, happy with how well the day went, even with Chavigny's outburst. He had apologized profusely later on, and even offered her his resignation, but ultimately she refused it with the hope that he would work harder as a result to prove his loyalty and his worth.

"And you did so beautifully," he smiled, and returned his attention to her aching feet. She softly groaned when he started pressing and rubbing his thumbs into the sole of her foot, the scent of the oil on his hands warm and relaxing. "Are you aware of Mademoiselle's designs on Louis? I heard her refer to him as 'my little husband.'"

"Oh, the King put that idea into her head when she and Gaston visited a few months before Louis was born." That was another time when Louis had a change of heart and had wanted to welcome his treacherous brother back into the family, as well as to gloat about her being with child. He had given Gaston permission to officially marry Marguerite then, and Gaston had swiftly left so the two of them could start having children of their own.

"The Cardinal didn't like it one bit," she chuckled, remembering how his eyes had nearly popped out of his head after Anne-Marie had walked up to her and hugged her belly, saying how she couldn't wait to meet her little husband. "I suppose his talk with her didn't discourage her as much as he or I had hoped. But I'm surprised that Madame didn't snuff out the idea, especially once her daughters were born." She sighed. "I don't want to think about it though, Louis is far too young. What did you make of Condé?" she asked, changing the subject.

Aramis paused in his ministrations and bowed his head. "I'm going to send him to Catalonia," he stated. "To fight in the revolt."

"Why? He is our best general."

"Porthos is our best general."

"Aramis, you know I believe that Porthos can achieve greatness, but he doesn't have the same experience and reputation as Condé does, not yet."

"Having Condé supporting the Catalans will draw more of Spain's forces away; they don't want France to gain a foothold on the other side of the Pyrenees."

"I didn't think we had that good of a chance in being successful in that venture." Louis had already sent men there to aid the nobles against her family's rule, but they faced not only the Spanish army, but the Catalan peasants who had grown increasingly hostile against both the monarchy and nobles who ruled over them.

"Well, if the Great Condé is so magnificent, he's the one who can succeed, and if not, then we'll have kept him busy for a while," he said, and lifted her foot off his leg before he began crawling up the bed. Settling against her side, he laid his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I still don't trust him, Ana, and I want him as far removed as possible, at least until the baby's born." He squeezed her hip before drawing his arm back and cupping her stomach. "And then he can return for our son's christening."

---

Historical background/inspiration:

-When Anne's brother Philip was born, Anne, "having enjoyed the undivided attention of her mother's servants for almost four years...reportedly questioned her ladies and servants closely concerning where her brother had been before he was born and warned her servants not to associate with those of her brother"- Martha Hoffman, Raised to Rule

-Condé was only 21 when he led his army to victory at the Battle of Rocroi

-An inventory of Anne's belongings after her death included "among the list of many-coloured gems, a bracelet containing the hair of the infant Louis" - Antonia Fraser, Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King

-A French translation of a biography of Anne's mother (written by Diego de Guzman, Philip III's almoner and Anne's tutor as a child) appeared in 1620, perhaps under Anne's patronage - Martha Hoffman, Raised to Rule

-Gaston had two wives. The first was Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier, who died six days after giving birth to her daughter Anne Marie. Anne Marie, referred to as Mademoiselle (and later La Grande mademoiselle), became the new Duchess of Montpensier and heiress to her mother's family's immense fortune. Gaston's second wife was Marguerite of Lorraine. It was supposedly love at first sight, but with France and Lorraine being enemies at the time, they were refused the king's permission to marry. They married in secret anyway, Louis XIII and Richelieu later found out, and Louis had the marriage declared null and void. On his deathbed Louis finally gave his permission for them to marry, they re-married and were only then allowed to come to court as a couple. It was quick, but in the show Gaston's first line does refer to the Duke of Lorraine as his brother-in-law.

-Mademoiselle "had secretly set her heart on marrying the young king. While the queen was pregnant with him, she used to tell Mademoiselle, "you shall be my daughter-in-law': and when Mademoiselle visited the baby, she called him 'my little husband'" - Ruth Kleinman, Anne of Austria

-Philip IV's first minister, the Count-Duke of Olivares did not get along with Philip's first wife, Elisabeth of France. According to Wikipedia, Olivares "once famously remarked, when she presented a political view to the king, that priests existed to pray as well as queens existed to give birth."

-"To remove Condé from Paris, Mazarin arranged for him to lead anti-Habsburg forces in the Catalan revolt known as the Reapers' War. By 1648, this had become an increasingly bitter, multi-sided conflict between the Spanish, the Catalan nobility supported by France, and the Catalan peasantry" - Wikipedia

A/N

-Hey everyone, sorry this took a while to post. I thought I had a good idea, but it didn't work out as I thought it would so I had to rework it. The next chapter is mostly done, I just have to finish a scene, so hopefully it will be ready in two weeks, but the one after that is done, and then the same mostly done situation with the chapter after that :)