No matter how I tried, I could not get Constance to speak to me. I did not return to her house as I did not wish to risk Bonacieux seeing me, but I tried to corner her when she went to the market. She avoided me, refused to speak to me even when I called her name and caught her arm. Each time she would pull herself free and run away from me with an expression of terror. I could make no sense of it, other than to assume that something had frightened her into cutting herself off from her friends and lover. D'Artagnan was heartbroken, though he tried to hide it. I did not want him to worry for Constance or try to rescue her, concerned that this might only cause more harm than good. Until I knew for certain, I would keep a careful watch over my friend.
At the very least, it did not look like Bonacieux was harming her, so I could settle that in my mind. I would have continued my investigations, but upon the request of Captain Treville, I was asked to join the escort of the queen in her journey to Bourbon-les-eaux, an annual event she undertook with the purpose of bathing in their waters which were supposedly meant to increase a woman's fertility. I was honoured to be asked and readily accepted. I was to act as her maid, but also a guard.
It appeared that Captain Treville had been aware for a long time that I was not a defenceless woman, and knew that I could handle a sword very well. I had laughed when he told me that he knew, I should have known that nothing escapes him in his own barracks. "Were it appropriate, I would have invited you to practice with my men, but times being as they are…" he had trailed off, and I understood his meaning. Encouraging a woman to fight and train alongside was an unseemly notion and would have relegated me to rumours and suspicion. I was grateful the captain had allowed me to practice in private all this time without saying a word. "What would you say your best skill to be?"
"The sword is a strong suit, but I am also practiced with the bow and arrow," I revealed, which caught his attention. "Perhaps it is now considered a primitive tool compared to muskets and pistols, but the arrow is relatively silent. It is better for hunting, and if you wish to be unseen and unheard." Treville had smiled and asked no further questions. However, upon the day we were to set out as escort to the queen, I found my horse had been saddled ready for me. Upon it, a bow and quiver full of arrows hidden under a rolled blanket.
It was a wonderful gift and expertly made, and I readily anticipated practicing with it when I had the opportunity. My mare, a pretty dappled grey, was a serene creature who did not fuss even when the other horses whickered and stamped, eager to set off and stretch their legs. I rode beside my brother to meet the queen, who was as lovely as ever. When I curtseyed to her, she had gently touched my arm to bid me rise, something which I had not expected. "Please be at ease, we shall be getting to know one another for some time, so we should not be so formal with one another," she invited, allowing me to relax.
"As you wish, your majesty." It was impossible to dislike Queen Anne, for I could not find a single fault in her character. She was modest and kind, as well as endlessly patient. She did not complain of fatigue or the condition of her travel as we escorted her to the legendary lake where she hoped to receive the blessings of fertility. I expect, being the wife of the king meant that she was constantly under pressure to provide for him the heir of France. I would not wish to be in her position, but I did not allow myself to pity her. Coming to know the queen, I expected she would not desire to be pitied. She knew her duty, and was doing all in her power to meet the expectations of others.
Upon arrival, I helped the queen step down from her carriage to where we were to make camp. Raising the tent for the queen was left to the men, so I attended to the queen by spreading a cloth upon a flat rock so that she could take rest, her other two maids attending to her as I brought something to eat and drink. She invited us to join her, which I initially declined. "I told you, Madeleine, we need not adhere to formality here. You may rest easy," the queen assured me, then patted the empty space next to her. "Come and join me. I find your company to be refreshing."
"I am honoured, your majesty." Glancing to the other two maids who were whispering and giggling together as they began to unpack the queen's belongings from the single chest she had brought, I allowed myself to sit beside the queen, however I made certain to sit a little forward so that I was below her, still wanting to provide a certain sense of decorum. She was my queen, after all. I could not dispense with all manners so readily. All the same, Queen Anne exhaled softly once I was settled beside her, seemingly relaxing with my presence as we overlooked the lake.
"The first time I heard the rumours of this lake, I made a promise with myself that I would come here every year until my first child was born," she began to confess, and so I listened politely as the queen gazed across the lake wistfully, staring pensively into its shimmering blue waters. "It has been several years, but still God has not granted me a child."
"As far as I understand, God has little to do with the mechanics of creating a child," I found myself saying rather crudely, which caused the queen to gasp in shock, but before I could apologise she began to giggle, covering her mouth politely whilst beaming.
"Indeed, I suppose you are right." Blushing from embarrassment, I sought for the right words to comfort the queen, whom as I looked upon in this tranquil, beautiful woodland sat before the sapphire waters of mystical renown, thought he to look rather lonely.
"Something will only happen if you truly wish for it, your majesty." I settled upon being honest with her, since I expected she was tired of other people telling her that she was still young and things would happen in time. "A woman knows her own body, just as much our bodies know our minds. If you truly wish for a child, then it will happen." At this, the queen stared at me for a long while, her light eyes gazing at me in amazement at my candidness. Finally, she withered a little, seemingly shrinking in size as an expression of relief exhaled from her lips.
"I am glad you understand." How could I not? Although one could find much worse in a husband, I could understand how Anne would not be entirely enamoured with the king for a husband. She was far too sensible for him, their characters differed like night and day. We settled into a comfortable silence and enjoyed the pleasantness of the afternoon. Once the pavilion was raised, I assisted the other two maids in preparing the inside for the queen, complete with a bed, linens, covers and furs. It was small, but the queen did not require much.
Once we were settled, the queen did not hesitate to bathe. She stripped down to her undergarments, wearing a light chemise of expensive fabric. I brushed her hair until it was loose and wavy like threads of translucent bronze. We three maids were similarly dressed in plain clothing, our hair covered with cloths to be as modest as possible. Our escort retreated to the clifftops above to oversee the safety of the surroundings as it would not be proper for them to watch the queen bathe. This was exactly why Treville had asked me to go with the queen.
He trusted me to protect her, and I would not disappoint him. I cast white rose petals upon the path, following the other two maids, Caroline and Paulette. When we reached the water's edge I removed the white cloak which covered the queen's modesty, allowing her to step into the water. I cast my gaze around us, watching for movement or any sense of danger. I sensed nothing, however I did turn my head to look towards where I heard the clashing of blades. It seemed my brother and companions were already restless. I shook my head disparagingly.
They should be taking their duty more seriously, but I made no comment and simply continued to watch over the queen. She swam for several minutes, washing herself with the water before returning to us, rising from the depths like Aphrodite from the ocean. Offering her my hand, she took it and allowed me to help her step out of the water whereby we hastily clothed her in a heavy blanket to dry her. Such was the simplicity of my duty. I attended to the queen, but there was very little for me to do with Caroline and Paulette also there. I became somewhat little more than a conversational companion, conversing with Queen Anne and entertaining her with songs and music.
When she slept, I watched over all three of them, listening long into the quiet night before rising from my place on the floor and going out into the fresh air. The sky was alive with stars, beautiful and distant, shining down upon me as I climbed the steep slope of the cliff to where my horse was tethered. I greeted her quietly, patting her neck before going to my saddlebags where I then retrieved the bow and arrows. I had no idea where Treville had managed to find such a fine bow, they were not a popular design these days.
And yet, feeling the wood in my hand, my fingers began to remember their old technique, strengthened by years of hard work. I walked a small distance away from the camp where I could hear the men snoring peacefully. One of them would be awake, so I did not want to disturb them with my practice. Thankfully the moonlight was strong enough that I could see where I was going, my eyes adjusting rapidly so that when I fitted the quiver strap across my chest, I was able to reach for an arrow and ready it upon the bow. I had pre-emptively worn gloves, allowing me to pull the string taut against my cheek as I aimed the arrow tip at a knot in a tree. With a breath, I released. Thunk. The sound was deeply satisfying, the arrow lodging itself into the warped grove with little effort.
After a few practice shots my arms ached from being forced into a position they were no longer accustomed, but I rubbed the aches away and continued, wanting to familiarise myself with the bow once more as it had been some time since I had last used one. Thomas had taught me. The memory brought me comfort and joy, thinking of him in a manner which was not associated with grief or pain. I could hear his voice whispering to me, gently moving my arms into better position, pulling my hair away from my face if it caught upon the wind.
I released another arrow. Another perfect shot. I selected another tree, this one further away to increase the difficulty. Becoming focused upon my practice, at first I did not hear someone approaching me from behind until a twig snapped. All at once I whirled around, arrow knocked upon the bowstring to aim it for the person trying to approach me, only to hear Porthos' voice as his hand rose up quickly in surrender. "Whoa! Easy, it's just me." Giving him a look, I lowered the bow and allowed the arrow to rest upon it.
"It is unwise to approach an armed lady from behind, Porthos."
"I'll keep that in mind," he breathed to recover from his alarm, frowning at the bow in my hand. "What's all this? How come you know how to shoot?"
"What? Can a lady not know how to shoot?"
"No I mean…" fumbling for words, I chuckled after amusing myself with Porthos' rather flustered expression and released him from his misery.
"My brother taught me. Thomas. It has been some time since I have used a bow, but Treville packed this for me after I mentioned I knew how to use one. Thomas would take me riding when I was younger. Hunting," I smiled at the memory. "I never killed anything, though. I had not the heart for it."
"Could've fooled me, I thought I'd end up with one of those arrows sticking out of my chest for a second there," relaxing and lowering his hands, Porthos came a little closer and asked to see. "I heard something out in the woods, woke me up. Athos is on watch, so I said I'd come take a look."
"I see, I apologise for waking you. Next time, I'll go a little further."
"Don't worry about that, you should stay close to us. Especially in the dark," as Porthos looked the bow over carefully, he attempted to pull back the string with the arrow upon it, but lost his grip and the arrow sprang away, falling to the ground only a foot or so from where he stood. He stared at it bashfully. "Maybe this thing isn't for me."
"It just takes a little practice. Here, let me show you." Taking another arrow from my quiver, I showed Porthos the proper way to knock the arrow and hold it in place. "Lower your draw arm, your elbow should not be so high. You want to anchor the string towards your mouth, it is a good measure to help rectify your stance," touching Porthos by the elbow, I lowered it so that it would be more comfortable and proper before touching his waist to turn him sideways on. "Loosen your grip on the bow, too much tension will only work against you, you must let the bow do the work." Stepping back, I scrutinised the stance before moving to stand behind Porthos whilst silently reaching for another arrow. "Do you see the arrows in the nearest tree? Aim for those and see if you can strike the mark. Take your time. I find it helps to breathe three times and release upon the third to focus upon the target." Drawing the arrow free, I twirled it in my fingers so that the feathered plume pointed upwards.
Following my instructions, Porthos inhaled and exhaled rhythmically as I counted down, listing each breath as I gradually lifted the arrow towards his head, trying to hide the laughter from my voice until we reached the final count. Before Porthos could release, I tickled his ear with the arrow I held. He yelped and sprang aside, releasing the string which sent the arrow cascading wildly into the night, never to be found again. Shuddering against the sensation, Porthos pawed at his ear whilst grimacing, all whilst I chortled and snorted, trying to laugh quietly but failing spectacularly. "That wasn't fair!"
"Oh, but your expression was worth it!" Giggling uncontrollably, Porthos growled and made a lunge for me, dropping the bow to the ground. I squeaked and darted behind a tree, using it as a shield as Porthos lumbered after me.
"I'll get you for this, Madeleine!"
"Only if you can catch me!" Chanting merrily as I sprung out of Porthos' reach, I circled through the trees as he pursued. I was quick and sprightly, darting underneath Porthos each time he made a swing at me, dancing under his arms and even kicked his backside in retaliation. "That is your retribution, sir!"
"Oh come on, that was months ago!"
"I still remember, you rascal," darting once more out of his reach, I circled another tree and waited, listening for Porthos and his lumbering movements. It was eerily quiet, so I straightened, listening closely only to realise too late that he had managed to sneak up behind me. Lunging for an opening, I attempted to escape but this time, Porthos flung himself to cross in front of me. I burrowed directly into his chest where his arms immediately snapped to trap me against him where I looked up to see his mouth twisted into a grin.
"Gotcha," then he ruffled my hair, claiming victory once and for all. "You'll have to be quicker than that, love."
"I shall certainly keep that in mind." Breathless from our chase, Porthos eventually released me from his grasp, allowing me to step away and begin retrieving the arrows from the trees as well as collect the fallen bow. It was a miracle neither of us had stepped upon it. "You should get some rest, it must be time to change watchers soon. When do you take watch?"
"Just before dawn." A few hours from now. Porthos did not return as I urged but instead helped to collect the arrows, wrenching them free of the bark and depositing them back into my quiver. "Just when I think I know you, I find out something new." Turning my face towards him, I gave him a mysterious smile.
"Such is the nature of a woman, Porthos. You might know me your entire life and still not know everything."
"Then I shall look forward to the next secret I uncover," stepping back, Porthos performed a rather flamboyant bow in jest. Humming softly, I replied with a curtsey before Porthos took me by the hand to lead me back towards the camp. Athos was resting his back against a tree, the low flames of the campfire gleaming in his eyes when he glanced towards us. He said nothing, but I felt him watching us as I returned the bow and quiver to my saddlebags, securing them before going back to the slope. I wished Athos and Porthos goodnight then slipped quietly down to return to the tent where Queen Anne, Caroline and Paulette remained fast asleep, breathing lightly and none the wiser that I had left at all. I settled back into my place, returning to my own watch as the night dreamily wore on.