Constant Companion (A 2011 The Three Musketeers Fanfiction)

Chapter Eleven

“Give this to Aramis,” the woman requested, handing me a scented handkerchief. “Hurry, little one. The streets are full of men who would bring harm to you.”

Pocketing the handkerchief, I hurried out to the street. When had my life become filled with so much adventure?

~*~

Finally, I found the right street. A beggar on my left called out for a spare coin. Other men watched me from the right, moving in the shadows. I kept to the middle of the road, uneasy. I breathed a sigh of relief as I found the right door. I knocked as hard as I could.

“Please. Please hurry,” I whispered.

After several seconds, I heard, “Coming! Coming! Hold your horses!” The lock was being pushed aside. “Its not a matter of life or death you know.”

The man who opened the door was no one I had seen before. He must be their lackey. “Actually, it is,” I informed him. “Please. I must see D'Artagnan immediately.”

He stared at me in amazement as I lowered my hood. “Who is it, Planchet?” Porthos called out.

“A-a young lady,” Planchet stammered out, backing up to allow me in. “For Monsieur D'Artagnan.”

A chair scrapped on the floor and then D'Artagnan came around a corner. “Constance!” he exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

I met him halfway. “You are the only one I could trust,” I said. “The queen is in grave danger.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his three friends sitting around a fire, but I kept focused on D'Artagnan in front of me. “The cardinal has had the queen framed as Buckingham's lover. The queen's diamonds have been stolen and we suspect they are in England now with Buckingham.”

I had to get the whole story out quickly before he could stop me. “King Louis has requested that the queen wear the diamonds at a ball he's throwing in five days time. If she doesn't, the rumors of her being unfaithful will be proved. The cardinal will have more power. You have to help her.”

There is was all out. I took a deep breath. Plachet edged around us to get close to the fire. “Calm down,” D'Artagnan said. He was staring at me in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

Keeping back a groan at the delay, I slowly recounted the afternoon I had just had, keeping to the main details. D'Artagnan's gaze didn't waver once. “You want me to go to England, retrieve the diamonds the queen suspects might be in Buckingham's possession, which will naturally involve breaking into some heavily fortified, highly impregnable facility.”

Nodding, I clarified, “The Tower of London.” At least he hadn't laughed yet, and he wasn't questioning my story. Not really. “Since the Cardinal’s spies are trying to implicate the Duke, it is the most logical choice.”

“Then, return to Paris, with every soldier, assassin, mercenary, bounty hunter -both sides of the Channel- out to stop me from doing so,” he continued. He gave a small laugh. “Did I miss anything?”

“All in five days,” I reminded. That was one of the key points I had tried to stress.

“A minor detail,” he responded, shrugging it off. “Anything else?”

“No,” I said. I waited for his answer.

He breathed out. “Well, then, I really only have one question for you,” he said. I knew what it would be, so that gave me a little bit more confidence. “Why in the world would I do that?”

There was only one answer, and I couldn't help a smile as I leaned forward. I closed my eyes and pressed my lips against his. Everything I truly felt, deep down in my heart, I tried to put into that kiss. When I pulled back, I looked into his eyes.

“England it is,” he said. I smiled in relief and happiness. He turned. “Diamonds. Buckingham, Tower of London. Five days. Queen's reputation and the fate of France as we know it. Who's with me?”

I regarded the three men seriously. I knew some part of me should have been ashamed that I'd given them such a display of my feelings for D'Artagnan, but the more rational side of me argued they had probably seen much more interesting things in life. I also knew D'Artagnan would need them to succeed.

Would they join us?

The waiting was the worst part as they exchanged looks. Athos seemed to give some signal and Porthos stood. “I would imagine the queen would be quite generous,” he remarked. He gestured dramatically. “Count Porthos. What do you think? Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?”

D'Artagnan glanced at me. I couldn't make any promises and held my silence. “Besides,” the large man said. “I hear the English woman are a lot like frosted bowl of champagne. Ice on the outside, but once you warm them up...”

Oh, dear. I'd just walked through a brothel, I reminded myself. I couldn't judge.

Aramis moved next. “Its not a great cause, but” he said, retrieving a bundle from the corner. He rolled it out on the table and displayed a wide array of weapons. “It will have to do.”

Planchet reached out a hand to touch one of the guns and Porthos slapped it away. All that left was one. “If Buckingham's there,” Athos said, looking even more serious than ever, which is saying a lot. “So is she.”

“Who?” D'Artagnan asked, voicing my question as well.

The look that came to the man's eyes was frightening. “Countess de Winter. Charlotte Baxon. Anne de Broy. Lady Cleric. Milady,” he said with coolness.

“Milady,” I breathed. I knew it! I knew she had some part in all of this!

At the same time, D'Artagnan repeated, “Milady? I know her. I saw her with Rochefort.”

Aramis shook his head. “She's switched sides. Again,” Porthos commented. “She works for the Cardinal, no doubt.”

“What are you going to do if you catch her?” D'Artagnan asked.

I knew the answer from look in Athos' eyes. He would kill her. I could only wonder what she had done to him. Before Athos could say a word, though, there came a shout from the street. “Musketeers! Open up and surrender!By order of the Cardinal!”