When Cosette heard that they were heading to her old hometown to capture Martin Lebarge, her stomach dropped. Cosette had not been there since her father's death. Returning home was quite hard for her, as she had to avoid being seen by people who knew her too well. He had been terrorizing her home and murdered two fellow Musketeers.
Captain Trudeau of the Red Guards was killed trying to apprehend him. The Musketeers tried warning him but Trudeau did not listen at the cost of his own life. Most of his men immediately turned against the Musketeers and all four of the Inseparables began fighting them until Captain Treville broke them up. They took Lebarge to the Chatelet prison while Cosette retired back to the Bonacieux house. She greeted Constance with a "hello." The two women hugged but they immediately departed from each other when Constance's husband came into the room.
He reminded Cosette she was behind on the rent. She, in turn, told him she had not heard from her brother-in-law or received income from him yet.
Well, you've put yourself in a reckless position. You and your family are farmers who neglects his land and a would-be Musketeer with no commission in sight. I could point out your folly, but, err...perhaps it's not necessary."
Cosette could hardly imagine what it would be like if he knew she was a woman. Constance looked at her best friend sympathetically
"Gentlemen! Finally, we have the opportunity to prove what we have always known. That technically..."
Honestly, Cosette did not know what she was walking herself into. She took a place next to Athos but behind Porthos and Aramis.
"What's going on?" Cosette asked.
"There is to be a competition between the Musketeers and the Red Guards," Athos answered.
"Yeah, each side will choose a champion," Porthos explained, "to settle the issue of which regiment is greater."
"As if it were in doubt," said Aramis. Cosette rolled her eyes. Honestly, she still could not get Aramis at all.
"How will this champion be chosen?" Cosette asked.
"There will be competitive trials..." answered Treville, "and a 30-livres entry fee."
"30?" asked all the Musketeers.
"It forms a prize purse. Winner takes all."
"Why didn't you say so before, huh?" said Porthos, earning a chuckle from the crowd but a shake of the head by Treville.
"This isn't about money. This is about the honour of the Musketeers. One man amongst you will have the honour of representing me."
Cosette was initially excited in this whole ordeal until she realized one thing. She couldn't use this opportunity into entering the competition. She was not even an official member of the Musketeers. It was quite aggravating. Her friends could participate but Cosette couldn't. It was a dream that she wanted. To be a Musketeer and prove to her sisters that she was capable of taking care of herself. She, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis were sitting together at lunch with Cosette was sitting on one of the steps the long way.
"Well, gentlemen, may the best man amongst us win." said Aramis.
"Only those of us who are allowed to compete, Aramis," Cosette reminded her brother. She removed her pistol from her belt and playing with it.
"You are a Musketeer in all but name*" said Athos. "All you lack is the King's commission."
"Go to Treville. Ask him," Aramis suggested.
"Well the thought didn't occur to me," Cosette said. She smiled. "Maybe I will."
"There is just the thorny issue of the entry fee," said Porthos from across Athos and Aramis. He drank from his glass. "Anyone got it?"
"My pockets are empty and the cupboard is bare."
"Yeah, I just pawned my cupboard."
"Porthos, my friend, I think it's time for us to go fishing for a patroness," said Aramis, flashing his best friend a smile. When Porthos and Aramis left, Cosette did not hesitate for a second while going to enter Treville's office.
"Onkle, I need your permission to compete. I'm ready," Cosette told her godfather. Treville had allowed her to call him "Onkle" ever since they worked things out from that case with the Bernard family. She was in his apartments.
"There's no guarantee you'll win," said Treville. "You know that."
"I'm not asking for a favor, only for the chance to prove myself."
"You'd be up against the very best."
Cosette smiled genuinely and softly. "I know."
"Cosette, there's no easy way to tell you this. I've just received a list of charges against Labarge from the Cardinal and a letter from your brother-in-law."
Cosette was shocked, her smile quickly disappearing when she had seen that Jacques had sent her a letter. She looked at both of the documents.
"Your family farm was one of the properties destroyed by Labarge. Apparently, he did it as a warning to other local landowners. He knew your father was greatly respected amongst them."
Cosette looked at her brother-in-law's letter. He apologized immensely towards her in the letter, addressing her as sister and that he would find another way to give her a small income. . He always was a brother towards her, as was his brother, Adam, and essentially named his and Amelie's three-year-old daughter after Cosette's middle-name, Marie Dubois, the girl Cosette thought of when she was holding Baby Henry Bernard. There was always a letter attached by Marie but Jacques said she was too depressed to write a letter because of what happened to the farm. Marie was relevent to this because she loved the d'Artagnan farm as mucha s Cosette did. She remembered Marie being born in Gascon, and walked her first steps there. She remembered her mother playing with her and her sisters before her sickness. Her father humming and her sisters often dressing Cosette up and they remembered their grandparents' stories. ALl the memories of that one place. Gone.
"That farm was my only source of income." Cosette said. Not to mention it came from her paternal family generations back since her great-grandparents.
"I'll make sure justice is done, if that's any comfort."
"Justice won't pay the rent, " Cosette said. She walked away, not waiting for Treville's response.
Cosette cried for what felt like forever. No one asked her what she was crying about. Some of the Musketeers we're too busy focusing on their training for that contest with the Red Guards. However, she saw that wasn't dignifying of her to be sitting on the floor crying. Someone in Cosette's position shouldn't reveal herself like that. To her, men of the musketeers' regiment acted with professionalism while at work. When, she looked up, two of the Musketeers, Edward and Philippe looked to her.
"D'Artagnan, are you alright?" Edward asked.
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Asked Philippe.
Cosette shook her head.
"Nothing wrong," said Cosette. "I'm just a little tired."
"Well it's just we saw you were upset," said Philippe. He did not dare use the term "crying".
"Seriously Philippe, Edward, I'm fine," D'Artagnan responded. Luckily, those words were enough to convince them. Honestly, she was feeling like crap. She left the garrison, and was joined by Constance. The two women walked around the marketplace as Cosette was financially relieved of tears.
The contest is my only chance," said Cosette. "I have to win that prize, I just need to raise the entrance fee."
"30 livres is a lot of money," said Constance.
"You don't have to remind me. First I lose my father and then I lose his farm. That farm was the only connection I had to not just my father. It's been the home of my grandparents and great grandparents for as long as I can remember. No money, no prospects. I honestly can't think ..." She stopped herself. Constance put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Everything will be fine. You'll raise the money and... you'll win the contest. I know you will."
"Yes, but where am I going to find 30 livres?"
And with that Constance was not sure how to respond.
Cosette returned to the garrison, hoping that an idea would come rushing through her head. However, instead Athos told her they were training again. This time, they were alone because Aramis and Porthos were doing who knows what with their patronesses.
"D'Artagnan, I heard about your farm," Athos said. Cosette shrugged her shoulders.
"It was just a farm," Cosette said.
"But it was more, wasn't it?" Athos asked.
"Yes, because it was my great-grandparents' home, Athos. Was in my family. We were the fourth generation to own it. And now it's gone. Because of him, I need this commission if I'm too be a Musketeer."
"You have done all you could. Now its best for you to leave justice to the courts. You fought for this chance. Now fight to prove you're ready.
"Yes and I can be," said Cosette. She noticed Athos was giving her strange looks. The woman looked at her comrade annoyed. "What?"
"You're too modest D'Artagnan and you have natural talent, but too often you let your emotions run away with you. Talent won't keep you alive if your heart rules your head."
"Yes, but can we just get on with it?"
"My point in a nutshell," said Athos. And his smile just appeared to aggravate her even more. The two friends began sparring on each other. Their swords touched one another. Throughout the swords clanking, Athos shouted, "I hear an ordinary prison isn't good enough for Labarge. He's in the Bastille, living in comfort..."
Every word that came out of Athos' mouth, Cosette went harder. As they kept going, Athos continued provoking his best friend, telling her about this madman seemed to be working. "His every whim attended to. Imagine him there, living the life of a king. Every soldier has an Achilles heel. Control that, and you control the fight."
Cosette had enough from her mentor.
"So, Labarge is in the Bastille, is he?" Cosette snapped. She walked away, with Treville watching the whole conversation. Now, Athos wished he hadn't gone that far
"I was trying to provoke him." Athos answered.
"You succeeded. Just, keep an eye on him. Unless you want to lose another recruit again."