The clunk of a key in its lock jarred me awake. Dawn had come. At first I was at a loss, blinking blearily in the hazy light of torches to remove the sleep from my mind, only to realise that they were taking my brother away. "No, no you cannot take him. Please!" In my rush to rise the stool went flying, my hands dove for my brother as they pulled him from the cell. "No! No!" My pitiful sobs echoed in that dark, desolate place, muffled only by my brother's neck as I buried myself against him. I felt the chains dig into my middle from where they had shackled him, restricting his ability to return my embrace.
"Be strong, sweet sister," he murmured with all the brotherly love he possessed, "I shall always be with you."
"No, that is not good enough! They cannot kill you, you are innocent!" But my begging and cries fell upon only deaf ears. A guard hauled me away from my brother with a tight grasp, forcing me to release him though I clung on down to my last fingernail. "No! You beasts! Monsters! YOU CANNOT TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Athos was forced to move onwards, his voice returning in an echo as he bellowed for them not to hurt me. I twisted and writhed like a viper, bearing my teeth in a vicious snarl as the guards attempted to cart me off in the opposite direction, seeking to cast me out back into the streets. I refused to go. I had to save Athos, to delay his execution if even by a moment to give Aramis and Porthos every chance to return in time.
Feigning feeble womanly misery, I went lax against my captors, allowing my sobs to grow fiercer and increasingly ridiculous until they lowered their guard. Sometimes, being a woman had its advantages. Such as now, for instance. The last thing these kettle-topped guards could have possibly expected was for a small woman such as myself to have any strength to speak of. However, one did not work tirelessly every day without building strength. The moment I felt that their guard was lowered, I ripped myself free and turned on them. Striking hard and fast, I slammed one of their heads against the wall with so much force that I felt the metal vibrate through my hand.
The other blinked in shock, gaping at me as I whirled around without a moment of hesitation to ram my knee upwards into their gut, doubling them over before I slammed their head down as well. They groaned upon the floor, dazed and in pain. It would have to do, they would not be getting up anytime soon after that, let alone be able to walk straight. Turning upon my heel, I fled after where I had seen them take Athos. I ran for all I was worth, and his worth too. I was a flurry of movement, catching the last echoes of my brother's voice gradually falling into silence. They were going to give him a private execution. I almost laughed. At least they were considerate of his dignity.
I continued after them, throwing open the doors and passing the guards before they could realise what had happened. Soon I had several of them at my heel, demanding I halt. I had never been one for taking orders. The moment I burst into sunlight, my head naturally turned towards the ground where my brother stood, facing the line of muskets. A garbled shout of protest and fury erupted from my chest, shoving aside one of the guards to make him stumble and fall into the others, clearing the way to the stairs. I lunged for them and all but flung myself directly to the bottom step. "Madeleine, this is madness! No, no don't!" Ignoring my brother, I staggered to a halt in front of him, putting myself in front of the muskets. "Madeleine no! Move! MOVE!"
"I will not!" My brother tried to push me out of the way, desperately begging with me to stand aside, but as I gasped for air and fought to recover my breath, I remained utterly still. It was a terrifying thing, staring down the barrel of several muskets aimed at your heart, but I did not waver in my resolve. "I am not going anywhere."
"Sister I beg of you…beg you…please stand aside." I had never heard my brother beg like that before, and when I looked over my shoulder, I was astonished to find tears in his eyes. Tears for me. I do not think he had ever cried for me before. "Do not shoot! Remove her from this place!" His pleading intensified when the clicking sound of the muskets being armed met our ears, practically tearing himself from the wall in a bed to reach me. I remained standing between him and the muskets, one hand lingering helplessly in the air. I had not thought beyond this point, nor had I considered the possibility that they would shoot me too. Truthfully? I wouldn't have minded if they did. What purpose would my sad, pathetic life have if not to be there for my brother?
Thankfully, I never needed to answer that question. Aramis, dear dashing devilish Aramis, returned. His voice thundered over the small courtyard for all to halt, that the execution had been overturned by order of the king. Athos was a free man. The moment the words reached me, all strength left my body. I collapsed from exhaustion, relief, and the sudden drop I felt as the fear fled. Behind me, Athos called to me as I slumped to the ground, holding my head in one hand as I trembled. It was over. An entire night of terror and sickness only to vanish in a single moment. I blessed the sweet sensation of it all.
When large hands grasped at me, I recognised Porthos as he fussed over me, lifting my face to see that I was alright. His warm, familiar face brought immense comfort, and I found myself able to relax and lean into him. With a body as sturdy and strong as his, it was easy to feel safe and secure in his presence. "Looks like you doubted us there, sweetheart." He said to me as he rubbed my back, letting me recover myself against him. My mouth twisted into a smile.
"Not for one moment." As he chuckled richly, I began to bring myself up to my feet. Immediately Porthos jumped to support me, lending me his hands for me to push against, but no sooner was I on my feet, I was whirled around into my brother's arms, now free of their restraints. He embraced me until I could no longer feel my body or draw breath into my lungs. His hand burrowed deep into my hair and gripped so tightly I felt him pulling at the roots. I welcomed each and every sensation, grasping onto him with all of my own strength in return. My brother, the only person alive on this earth who truly knew me, who could understand me in a way no one else could. Without him, it would be like losing the ability to breathe.
Eventually loosening his grasp upon me, I smiled at my brother as he brushed my hair into order, glancing me over one last time before looking to his dear friends and brothers in arms. A wry smirk touched his face. "I thought I'd finally shaken you two off." Thankfully we could laugh and chuckle now, I was silently thanking God that the unthinkable had not happened.
"Believe me, there are easier ways." Now that everything was resolved, I was keen to leave this place. My brother went first, where we discovered none other than the young man d'Artagnan standing at the foot of the stairs. I was surprised to see him here, but quickly I realised that he must have had a hand in my brother's exoneration if he was present. My brother nodded to him in thanks as he passed, but I stopped in front of him.
"You helped prove my brother's innocence?" I questioned, wanting to hear it for myself. As d'Artagnan looked at me, he mutely nodded in affirmation. A flood of gratitude swept through me, exhaling from the force of emotion as I held back the tears of joy which demanded to be released. Instead, I rose up onto my toes to reach the young man's face and kissed him upon each cheek. "Thank you. You have my eternal gratitude," glancing to my brother who was waiting for me, I smiled warmly. "He is a thick-skulled fool, but he is my thick-skulled fool." This made d'Artagnan chuckle.
"It was nothing, my lady." Of course it was not nothing, but I admired his humility. I kissed his cheek again for good measure to express the depths of my thanks before ascending the steps to my brother's awaiting hand. I took it, felt his fingers squeeze mine before he folded my hand into his arm to escort me out of that desolate place. As we walked away I prayed that we would never have reason to go back there, satisfied to put this entire experience behind me as Porthos and Aramis regaled us with the details of their success. For all their hard work, it would seem I owed them a drink. It was the least I could do.