"The world isn't split into good people and Death Eaters."
Sirius Black, Harry potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The pelting October rain bore down in sheets, covering the city streets of Paris in a glistening extension of the Seine. People darted here and there on short journeys to fetch their necessary supplies and rushed home again, eager to be out of the torrent of cool rain. Despite her traveling cloak and hat, Amorette was soaked through to the skin; and not out of willingness. She tugged on Baxter's reins desperately as droplets of rain rolled down her face and into the hollow between her breasts. The horse had been behaving oddly for a week or two, and Amorette was coming to the conclusion that the horse would soon no longer be rideable. She had ventured out on errands earlier in the morning before the rain had begun, and had envisioned visiting Marie before she returned to the Louvre. Now though, it appeared that she would be going nowhere fast.
Baxter had taken the notion to come to a standstill in the Latin Quarter of the city and it was all Amorette could do not to scream at him to move onwards. The option of leaving her horse seemed futile to Amorette as she would only force upon herself the walk across the river in the rain, but she quickly supposed that she was getting just as wet here fighting with Baxter's reins. She tugged again but her horse wasn't for moving and Amorette wondered just what it was that had spooked her horse in such a way. The deserted street brought no help to her, and Amorette wondered if she could make for the garrison a few streets away and return with help. Knowing her luck though, Baxter would take her short absence as his excuse to finally move. Pulling on the reins was becoming futile as the earth beneath her boots was quickly growing to resemble a thick muddy concoction.
Baxter kicked up his hooves suddenly and despite the splatter of mud that landed on her dress and face, Amorette felt relief that he was finally making movement. That died quickly though as she realised he really didn't have any intention of moving. Perhaps her horse thought mud splatter would drive her to leave him alone. Movement at the end of the street caught her eye. Two figures walked against the rain, bound in leather cloaks and hoods. Amorette called out to them, hoping they would hear her over the sound of the downpour. The taller of the two turned sharply to glance at her. Amorette strained her eyes to see the figure through the rain, noting that a familiar chin jutted out of the shadow of the hood. For a second they looked towards each other before the figures carried on walking with a little more haste than before. Amorette stamped her foot in indignation and was about to let out a growl of annoyance when the other figure, now being pulled along by the first turned to glance at her.
Despite the grey ambiance the rain had created, Amorette was clearly able to discern the strawberry blonde tendrils of hair that fell loose of the hood. "Marie?" Amorette cried as the reins slipped from her hands and she took a few steps away from Baxter towards the figures. Both turned to glare at her again before they broke into a run. An icy cold dread began to form in Amorette's stomach that had nothing to do with the rain.
"Cometess?"
Amorette whipped around to greet the voice that had echoed behind her and found Aramis gently stroking her horse's mane. Baxter was responding to his touch, seeming to appreciate the careful gesture and Amorette spared the horse a sharp thought of anger before her mind drifted back to the two figures who had run from her.
"Is he still giving you trouble?" came another voice as Athos emerged from the other side of Baxter.
Amorette nodded, not trusting herself to speak lest her teeth might chatter.
"How could this graceful creature cause any trouble eh?" Aramis asked, more to the horse than anyone else. Gently he took the reins and tugged lightly and Baxter began to follow.
"Well that's just ridiculous!" Amorette snarled. "I've been stuck here unable to get him to move for the best part of an hour in this horrid weather!"
Athos gave a rueful smile as he too turned to watch Aramis gain ground with the horse. "Perhaps our resident horse whisperer can guide him back to the stables for you?"
"There's no whispering about it," muttered Aramis. "He simply needs a firm hand to get his nerves in check."
"Something's obviously spooked him but I can't for the life of me tell you what it could have been," said Amorette as she moved forward to gently pat Baxter's back.
Aramis threw her a thoughtful glance. "You're sure there's been nothing?" Amorette shook her head. "Then perhaps he was picking up on your own uneasiness Cometess? Great animals like this are want to do so."
It was a mark of how worried Amorette was by the two figures running from her a few seconds before that she couldn't manage to school her face to answer in the negative. A single raised eyebrow of Athos' was enough to tell Amorette that he wasn't taking their conversation lightly. Amorette knew she was defeated as the two musketeers stopped moving, and her horse was once again stationary in the rain. They waited with baited breath as Amorette decided how much or how little to tell them. Her hesitance only made the atmosphere between the three of them more tense. Athos stepped closer with a look that might almost have been pain gracing his face for a few seconds as he tried to lock eyes with her.
"You know that help I mentioned a while ago?" Amorette asked. "I think I might need to call upon it now."
The Rue Perdue, much like the rest of Paris that day was completely deserted. Athos and Amorette stopped a few yards from the door of Buckingham's secret lodgings and glanced around them. Aramis was no longer with them, having decided to walk Baxter to the stables. Turning back to the doorway, it was a few seconds before Amorette realised that it was ajar. In her mind she hoped and prayed that Marie and Neville had simply been running to get out of the rain and hadn't seen her clearly. She knew that there was little chance of that though. They had seen her, and had run from her. Amorette wanted more than anything to find them both within the lodgings but something told her that she was never going to see them again.
Together she and Athos crept inside the lavish apartment that looked like a hovel to outside eyes. There was a still coldness in the air that told them both that no fire had been lit in the rooms that day. Everything seemed to be in its place, with nothing untoward. Amorette dashed into the back rooms, calling out for Marie as she went. It was when she reached the girl's bedchamber that her fears were confirmed. The bed had been stripped of the counterpane and the drawers lay open and empty. There was no hint whatsoever that the girl had ever been there, apart from the gentlest scent of her perfume. Amorette kicked out at an empty trunk in frustration; following with a whimper when a sharp pain in her foot registered.
She jerked backwards and returned to the parlour as Athos called her back. Just as she re-entered the room he plucked a folded piece of parchment from where it sat on the mantelpiece and offered it to her. "It's addressed to you."
Amorette hesitantly took the parchment from him and tore it open to find Marie's untidy scrawl before her.
Amorette,
I want you to know firstly how grateful I am to you for the friendship and aid you have bestowed upon me most willingly. I could never have dreamed to find such a steadfast friend in a Frenchwoman. Without you I would still be trapped in Madrid with no prospect of any sort of life at all. Without you, I would never have met Captain Neville. Both of you showed me such kindness and respect and that is something that I am not accustomed to. You believed my story without any doubt and couldn't try any harder to have my voice heard.
When all else failed, you also ensured my safety. You and Neville are surely the two best people that anyone could ever hope to meet. Secondly, I wish you to know how very sorry I am. I know you wanted me to be introduced to the Queen, and to tell her of my parentage but I would not have been allowed to leave as you promised I would. I am under no illusions that despite your best efforts, I'd have been forced into a life that I never wanted. Despite all that I still did not wish to leave you. I've never known my mother, and I suppose I have come to look upon you as a mother figure. I owe you and Neville both so much, and I hope one day you will understand my reasoning. You see, you are the dearest friend to me, but I love Neville. I think I know you well enough now to know that you'll not blame me for making such a choice in leaving with him. You yourself know what that all-consuming love is like; to not be able to even know your own mind because your every thought is for someone else. I know that you will find comfort in our happiness. We do not leave because we want to run from our responsibilities, but because we want to be together!
In time I hope you can forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye, or of saying any of this to your face but I do not think I could look upon you again whilst you cried. I saw how hurt you were to be apart from the man that you loved and that to me gave me the ultimate answer. I've tried to fight the feelings I have for Neville though I doubt you will believe it but seeing you hurting so much made me realise it was foolish to think of living my life without Captain Neville. He and I are happy together and I do not want you to worry about me. Neither does Neville.
I don't know how long it will take you to find this letter, but when it does I hope it does not sadden you too much. We do not actually know where our travels will take us, but we are certain in our love for one another and that in itself should reassure you. In truth I am excited to discover what our lives will be!
I want to convey again how grateful I am to you Amorette. I hope that you never forget how much I appreciate the love and friendship you showed me because it really is quite special and so are you. If my sister the Queen is anything at all like you, then I am sure she is a wonderful woman. The torrid secret of a bastard sister could only be bad to the reputation of such a woman!
So I bid you adieu my little friend. I would happily write more but Neville tells me we have little time left. I do wonder if we shall ever meet again someday in the future. One does hope you will have finally grown a little by then!
Your friend forever,
Marie Hernandez.
Marie had signed her letter cleverly, using her father's name which was not something that she often did. Amorette let herself sink back onto the couch behind her as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Athos was still stood by the fireplace watching her carefully.
"Oh this is all my fault," she grumbled as she pulled a handkerchief out to dry her tears.
Athos shook his head, not understanding the severity of the situation. "The girl you wanted to follow; if you still wish to do so we should go now."
It was Amorette's turn to shake her head. "No. We cannot follow her now. Perhaps I might have if I had not read her letter but I think the right thing to do is let her go."
"I don't understand any of this," Athos muttered as he took of his hat and ran a hand through his hair.
"It's my fault. I drove her away because I introduced her to a man." Amorette let out a wry chuckle even as tears still welled in her eyes. "But who am I to tear her away from the man that she loves? She has done no wrong. She deserves happiness."
Athos moved closer, his bewildered expression still present. "Are you going to tell me what all of this is about Madame; or do I have to create a whole suggestion of a scenario in my head?"
"I'll tell all of you together if you can wait until we reach the garrison. I don't want to keep re-telling the story."
Amorette stood up and stuffed her handkerchief into a pocket of her dress, noticing as she did so that her cloak was dripping rainwater onto the floor. Before she could move any further though, Athos drew her into his arms and for a moment the wet surface of his doublet against her cheek didn't even bother her as she felt his warm breath on the top of her head.
Baxter seemed to be resting peacefully in the stables of the garrison, and Amorette began to ponder again what it was that was making him act so oddly. Finally out of the rain, she took up position of the window seat in Treville's office that she had occupied before, but this time Athos sat down beside her.
Treville stood behind his chair and turned it to face Amorette before he sat. "What is all of this about then Cometess?"
Amorette looked around at them all as they stared at her expectantly. Strangely, this time she was glad to feel Athos' arm just brushing hers as they sat alongside one another. The warmth that radiated from him served to remind her that what she had done and the secrets that she had kept had been for the benefit of a friend. Amorette did not expect the warmth to remain, however. She knew how Athos felt about her keeping secrets from him and this was only going to add to that long list. She hoped though, somewhere deep down inside her that their newly found closeness would stand her in good stead. Perhaps he would simply take everything that she was about to tell him at face value and consider it all rationally.
"I suppose to make this as understandable as possible I must start at the beginning," she mused quietly. She was entirely unable to glance in Athos' direction, but the shrewd stare that Treville was directing her way was unnerving and Amorette suddenly found an area of slightly plucked, wet material of her skirts very interesting in that moment. She continued to talk into her lap, not willing to witness the strange and confused glances she was to receive in a few seconds time. "When I was in Madrid I made the acquaintance of a young woman called Marie. For a while I knew very little about her at all, except that she was under some sort of house arrest in the Buen Retiro Palace. Before I knew the truth, I did know she was important in some way, a political prisoner perhaps? She was treated well enough and never wanted for anything on the surface, but the girl was watched day and night by the King of Spain's spies. She was practically still a child, and yet someone was hovering over her shoulder at all times. I never saw so myself, but I heard from others that when she put a foot wrong there were terrible consequences for her. It was only as the royal family went on their summer progress and left her behind that I truly became acquainted with her and found out who she really was."
"And who was she really?" D'artagnan asked, ever eager to hear more.
Amorette sucked in a breath and looked up at the youngest musketeer. Her eyes settled upon his own brown ones as she spoke the words she had promised not long ago never to utter. "She is the Queen's sister; half-sister that is. They share a mother."
Everyone looked scandalised, all except Treville. Amorette knew that he would probably find every fault with her story and disbelieve it entirely no matter what proof she brought to the table. "Cometess do you know how many stories like this I have heard over the years? Although I usually hear it from the 'sister' herself."
"Captain I am not asking you to believe me. Circumstances have changed now, and it matters not what you think of what I'm telling you any-more. I did see Marie's proof for myself. I saw many documents and letters that prove her lineage and place her father in the right place to have had relations with her mother. Most of all though, it was her appearance that convinced me. She and the Queen bare an uncanny resemblance to one another."
Aramis was shaking his head incredulously. "Then why did this girl not come forward if there was every chance that she would be believed?"
"She was scared," Amorette muttered. She glanced back to Treville and his expression had not changed. "I understood her fear. When she realised that I was French she was begging me for help even before she knew that I was a confidant of the French Queen. In Madrid they all knew exactly who she was and what she could do. They wanted to smother her out of existence slowly, like a secret that never even was. No one wanted the truth to get out because she posed a threat to the Spanish King's rule. Having an English father, I am not ignorant of the tale of the two boys in the tower. Edward IV's sons and heirs were placed in the tower of London for their 'safety' and their Uncle Richard of Gloucester usurped the throne from the eldest. There were a few sightings of the boys in the gardens or at windows, but in time those began to grow rather thin until there was no trace of them at all and all of their servants had been dismissed. Those two boys died in the tower, there's no doubt of that in many minds."
"What has that got to do with anything?" Porthos queried.
D'artagnan was the one to answer. "Cometess, you thought she'd be killed if she stayed there; and that was what confirmed your suspicions about who she was?"
"Exactly!" Amorette replied with a small smile. "I knew they would kill her. She was pleading with me day after day to help her. I didn't really know how. When I became aware of my departure date she grew more anxious, desperate for me to bring her with me. I was reluctant because it would be dangerous for not only us but for her too. If we were caught hustling her out they would kill all three of us!"
"Three?" It was the first time Athos had spoken and Amorette felt the burn of his cobalt blue gaze upon the side of her face.
It took her a few seconds to pluck up the courage to glance towards him. "Yes, three. Captain Neville of the Red Guards was in Madrid also. The Queen had sent him to act as some sort of protection for me but he didn't blend in very well. He took to staying elsewhere in Madrid and we would meet outside the Palace to converse. I discussed Marie with him and he too felt that it was far too much of a risk to try and take the girl with us so we agreed that we would come back to Paris and try to set up some sort of scheme to get her out. I didn't very much like the thought of leaving her though. We knew there was every chance that she could have been dead upon our return. On the night that I collected those letters for the Queen, Neville and I changed our plans at the last minute. We cleverly devised a way for Marie to slip away to bed early, leave her watcher behind and come and meet us.
"If I'm honest I'm still not entirely clear about the events of that night. I let Neville handle Marie whilst I fetched the letters and tried to make my escape. It was chaos though. Men were giving chase and I thought I'd never reach the meeting point we had arranged. As you already know I was wounded slightly and that seemed to throw them off my scent. They left me for dead and hurried on, searching for other conspirators no doubt. What they didn't know was that Neville and Marie had already left the Palace and waited in the gardens. I don't know why this thought is in my head, because I saw and heard nothing clearly that night, but I think my father was there."
"Why does that not surprise me," Athos growled.
Amorette forgot herself for a split second and covered his hand with hers to try and alleviate the anger that she began to sense. The gesture was noticed by all others in the room and Amorette hastily tore her hand away as soon as she realised what she had done. She grimaced as Athos gave her a wary look. The others would have perhaps thought nothing of it if she had kept her hand in place as the comforting gesture of a friend. Her quick reaction to flee though said everything about their closeness.
"I think my father orchestrated it all, and told the Spanish that there was a French spy in their midst. None of that matters in regards to Marie's story though. I met Neville at the meeting point just outside the Palace and he got us out of there. I couldn't leave her behind, not after everything that she had told me." Amorette stared around at them all and it was only Treville who she could read clearly. His disbelief was obvious. "What can I say," she said with a shrug. "The girl tugged on my heartstrings. She was so lonely and she wanted to be reunited with her sister. She had no family in Madrid with her mother and father dead, and her only hope was to plead with the Queen of France for her life. She would surely die in Madrid; we could give her a chance to live."
Athos scratched his bearded chin thoughtfully. "Does the Queen know about any of this?"
Amorette shook her head. "No she does not. When Marie got across the border into France I thought that was it. I thought we were safe and that she would begin her new life. She was still frightened though. She was worried about being introduced to the Queen. What if her sister didn't believe her; or did believe her and saw her as a threat? Either way she would end up dead. She knew she was the bastard daughter of a Queen who was long dead. She doubted herself so much but I think it was Neville really that had her stalling all of this time. I knew there was some form of connection there but I thought once we reached Paris and he returned to his occupation; that the time apart would place distance between them. The bond only grew stronger though and I didn't see any way to stop it. A while ago, around the time of all that business with Jerome Weston she told me she was ready to meet the Queen. I didn't believe her but she asked for a week to get her affairs in order. That week came and went, then two...four. I think in my heart of hearts I knew that it just wasn't what she wanted any more. She left with Neville this morning. When I first saw them out there in the rain I knew it, but I kidded myself that they'd simply gone for a stroll and I'd find them when I went to her lodgings. The letter confirms it all though."
Amorette passed the now damp letter to Aramis and in turn they all read it though in silence. Athos had already perused it on their way back to the garrison and Amorette had the strange sense that even if he pretended not to, he believed every word that she had said.
Treville sighed heavily as he read the letter and handed it to Porthos. "Cometess I have no reason to believe that you would lie about this, and you give your account so simply and precisely that I do believe that you are a believer in this girl's story, but without the proof I am of course going to have my suspicions that this girl duped you and Captain Neville-"
Porthos interrupted with a snort. "Fell in love with a Red Guard? I didn't think that was possible. I didn't think they had hearts!"
"Is that all that you got from that letter?" cried D'artagnan indignantly. Swiftly he glanced up at Amorette. "I think this letter says all we need to know. I believe you Cometess."
Amorette offered him a small smile even as thoughts of defending Neville launched through her head. "Neville is a good man Porthos. His commission in the Red Guards does not define him as a bad person. I'm sure Captain Treville has seen one or two musketeers who have not been entirely good over the years."
"There have been a few," the musketeer captain mused quietly.
"That's because the world isn't made up of good and bad people Porthos. Men aren't divided into good and bad and then enlisted in the musketeers or Red Guards respectively. Neville could have taken those letters in Madrid and gone off with them. He was tasked above all else with getting the letters back to France even if it meant leaving me behind. He didn't though, he waited. He waited far longer than he should have for me, and didn't bat an eyelid when I showed up half dead. He carried me on one arm and a hysterical and terrified Marie on the other and got us out. If that isn't a good man, then I don't know what is. You've brawled with him in the street over nothing countless times; that makes me angry you know!"
Porthos huffed and accepted a gracious defeat. Treville quickly took back the reins of the conversation. "Do we tell the Queen of this Cometess?"
Amorette violently shook her head. "We cannot. Marie was the proof. Without her and her letters it's just a story; a story that would likely get me locked up for telling it." Amorette stepped briskly forward and snatched the letter from Porthos. Swiftly she held it above the lone candle burning on Treville's desk and let the letter curl into ashes. "It's also the only way to ensure Marie's safety, wherever she ends up. If she changes her mind, she knows where I am." She threw Athos a wry smile then added, "It's not as if I'm going anywhere is it?"
Unbelievably; where Amorette had expected to see only a stoic stare beneath the brim of his hat, Athos offered her a warm grin.
"Has something happened between you two?" Aramis blurted. "Coy looks here, furtive hand touching there; you're like a pair of teenagers!"
"Don't be ridiculous," Amorette chuckled even as she felt her cheeks burn red. "What a notion Monsieur Aramis!"
"Of course, how foolish of me. I forgot that you two have hearts of stone where each other is concerned, Madame Desrosiers."
Amorette blanched as she realised what Aramis had just done in using her married name. "That's not fair," she murmured.
"No, it wasn't. I'm sorry," offered the marksman with a guilty smile.
Athos stepped forward as Amorette stuffed her soaking wet hat back onto her head with a soft "ugh."
Amorette felt his hand gently placed against the small of her back as Porthos guffawed. "A notion indeed!" he cried. "Five Livre says there's a lot more going on than coy looks and hand touches Aramis! In fact, far more than we dare think-"
Athos shoved Porthos' shoulder roughly for his trouble and the great man fell forwards in his chair as he stifled a laugh. Amorette was sure that her face now resembled a ruby red tomato. "I should get back to the Palace, I'm expected there," she mumbled; very aware that all eyes were upon her and Athos.
"I'll walk you!" he announced from behind her as Amorette turned and made her way towards the door.
Athos threw his friends a disapproving look as he grabbed his own hat. "Not another word," he snarled at Porthos as he made his way past. When he turned away from them though, he couldn't help the natural smile that grew there. He met Amorette at the bottom of the steps and together they set off into the streets. He stole furtive glances at her as they walked but she didn't return them.
Eventually, Amorette snapped. "Why do you keep looking at me like that Athos?"
"I just wonder why you didn't tell me all of that about Marie. You know you can trust me."
Amorette sighed as they made their way along the Rue St Honoré, dodging the many puddles that the rain had created. "I know I can trust you, but we've been through all of this before. Marie asked me not to speak of it. Now that you understand the subject matter, surely you can see why I had to keep it to myself." Athos stopped where he stood and Amorette turned to face him. "Oh what now? If you want to have another argument with me then I'm not inter-"
Athos placed a hand either side of Amorette's face and leaned down to kiss her before she could say anything more. For a few seconds she was shocked at the open display as the brims of their hats jostled for position with one another. Athos kissed her tentatively, somehow aware that she felt anxious kissing in public. He didn't seem to care though, and he was the one with more to lose. His tongue danced across her bottom lip, seeking entrance. Amorette felt a low sigh escape her mouth into his as she suddenly gave in and sagged against him, letting her lips part so he could kiss her fully. She flung her arms around his neck as he pulled her chin up higher to meet him.
Was there anything more liberating than knowing that the man she had loved all her life might just love her in return? Amorette was lost in him, the smell of his leather doublet, the scratching of his beard against her own chin, the movement of his arms as they wrapped themselves around her waist. Everything around them seemed to fall away in just a few seconds so that they were no longer standing on a main thoroughfare of Paris with the raindrops tumbling down.
Why else would he attempt such an open display of affection; other than as proof of his love? Reluctantly both of them pulled away slightly as a rumble of thunder broke their tryst. They grinned at each other guiltily as Athos took her hand in one of his. "We should get you out of this rain."
He pulled her along with him, entering the palace grounds through the Jardin des Tuileries and propelling her along ahead of him along the path as the rain grew heavier still. It was as they reached the entrance hall that Amorette glimpsed the carriages that had arrived outside in the courtyard.
Athos wrapped an arm around her waist from behind. "I completely understand why you did what you did to conceal the girl," he whispered into her ear. His closeness sent shivers down Amorette's spine that told her their affectionate embrace would have carried on further in her own rooms had she not at that second seen the crest of arms upon the carriage door through the window. "I felt every word that Marie wrote in that letter. You were a true friend to her as you are to everyone in this world. I meant what I said before. It's what is in your heart that truly defines you as a person."
The duke of Buckingham hurled himself through the door, shaking his black hair of water as he did so. He stopped short when he saw Amorette, the arm around her waist now conspicuously absent. Athos was now a few steps behind her and Amorette turned and gave him a small smile of thanks as he turned on his heel and left her alone with another of her oldest friends.
She took a deep breath and bravely uttered, "George, can we talk?"