Beyond Blood

by Charon53

Summary:

Emilie passes away during childbirth, leaving her husband to care for their little boy. It is however so that not everything is as it seems. Gabriel returns to musketeering in a last effort to find his son. Will he succeed with the help of his old friends and save France in progress? Or will the heartbreak be too great?

Notes:

Hello Everyone!
Welcome to my story.
First, I must let you know that English is not my native language, so, please forgive me for any mistakes. You are more than welcome to correct me at any point!
Second, I do not own any rights to Miraculous Ladybug or the works of Alexandre Dumas. I make no money from it and wrote this for my own pleasure and to share it with you.

The idea of having the Miraculous characters merged with the Musketeers in this setting hit me and I could not let it go. Currently, it is still work in progress and I would love some feedback!

Chapter 1

 All right, to start, I will let you know of my 'casting' : 

Gabriel Agreste as Athos

Gorilla as Porthos

Armand D'Agencourt as D'Artagnan

Amelie as Queen-Mother

Félix as King Louis

Nathalie as Milady the Winter

I do not know who I should be casting as Aramis, so your suggestions are more than welcome!

~

Spring Paris 1638 In a small tailor shop in the direct heart of the city.

~

Two large windows of slightly yellow glass flanked the entrance door to the small shop. Just off-centre to the left, a sign hung from the plastered walls. 'Gabriel Agreste for your finest clothes' The sign said with a picture of a bobbin with needle and thread below it. The ground floor only had two rooms, a shop in the front which had a small counter that held bobbins. Cotton, silk and hemp in all colours imaginable. Above the door, a small brass bell hung, announcing every visitor that would enter the shop. The wooden floorboards would creak ever so slightly when the weight would be put on them, the straight walk from the door to the counter polished from daily use. Along both walls, three mannequins stood. On one side the newest waistcoats for the males, and on the other side three beautiful gowns which would have perfectly fitted the lady of the house if she would not have been with child right now.

In the back room, a large wooden table dominated most of the space beside a narrow staircase to the right and shelves for raw fabrics on the left. A tall male sat on a stool at the large table, slightly hunched over the fine silk fabric that was spread out. He carefully ran a small piece of chalk over the pale pink fabric, drawing out the shape of a gilet. The man paused and pulled over a small slate where he had noted down the name of the customer and the measurements. Removing the leather measuring strip from his shoulders, he re-measured what he had drawn so far and went to make small adjustments…

Going up the narrow staircase, the first floor opened up into a single living space. A wood-fired iron stove to heat the room and cook upon, a table with a whopping four chairs surrounding it. Next to the stove, there was a small cabinet, having two pots on top of it. In the cabinet, there was some bread wrapped in a rag as well as a half cabbage, a small jar of butter and several apples in a basket. On the other side of the stove, a bucket of well water stood. On the table, two wooden cups stood as well as two shallow bowls. The cutlery that was present was made of silver, and it was probably the most expensive thing that was present in the whole house that was not for sale. It indicated there was at least some wealth present. Further, the room held a large wardrobe and a two-person bed. It was all simple, not expensive carving in the wood, or silk bedsheets for that matter. Just a heavy woollen blanket for if it would be too cold in winter.

"Bonjour Madame Emilie!" A finely dressed male called after he entered the small shop. His dark eyes stood merrily as he always enjoyed visiting the Agreste shop for errands.

"Bonjour Monsieur Chastain." Emilie greeted back with a little smile. "I had not expected to see you back this soon. Was something not to the liking of the king and queen?" She inquired as Chastain put a wax-sealed envelope on the counter.

"As far as I am aware, she wishes for a second." He said before pulling out a second envelope. "This weekend, there will be a ball and the king asked for Gabriel to come to the palace so he could make some last adjustments to his liking. With this letter, he will be granted access to the grounds and palace." He waved with the second letter before he put it down on the counter as well.

"I will make sure Gabriel will receive the notice. Thank you, Chastain."

"Fare you well, Milady." Chastain brightly smiled and bowed before he left the shop, leaving the small brass bell to chime loudly as the door closed. Taking both envelopes, Emilie made it to the back, watching her husband for a moment.

"Oui?" Gabriel inquired as he looked up.

"The queen wishes for another nightgown, one similar to the one you delivered two weeks ago," Emilie explained. "And the king requested you come to the court so you can make some last-minute adjustments for the ball this weekend."

"That sounds like a big deal." Gabriel gave a small nod. He stood and carefully took away the pale pink silk he had been working on. "What kind of colour does her majesty request?" Gabriel inquired as he folded the fabric so he could finish it later.

"Give me a moment." Emilie offered a smile before she broke the wax seal of the right envelope and started reading. "It states that she loves the pale pink but often feels more in the mood of white with decorated with lace."

"With a long evening, I should be able to finish it before the weekend. It might grand us something extra if I can deliver it personally." Gabriel hummed as he got out a roll of fine cotton cloth.

"Do you have the lace that you want to use?" Gabriel looked through all the small rolls with different kinds of laces and ribbons.

"No need to run to the market, dear. This will have to do." Gabriel promised as he selected a roll of lace. Emilie nodded and watched for a moment as Gabriel dug up the parchment with the queen's measurements before he set out to work.

~

It was late in the morning on Saturday that Gabriel found himself waiting in front of the Louvre's gates while a Musketeer inspected his letter. "What is in the parcel?" The musketeer asked as he handed the letter back, carefully studying Gabriel's face.

"You know I am a tailor. In my bag are my Tailor equipment, and the parcel holds the new nightgown for Her Majesty the Queen." Gabriel explained as he went to tuck the letter away in case he needed it again. The musketeer nodded and opened the gate, closing it once Gabriel entered the court. A second musketeer escorted him to the king's quarters, no matter whether Gabriel knew the way. Doing his business with the King as well as with the Queen was quick and nearly inpersonal. The King recognised him vaguely still, but the Queen could not care less. They were already with their minds on the ball of that evening.

The ball however did not turn out as anyone had hoped. Shouts of Musketeers echoed through the courtyard. 'An intruder' it sounded. Before anyone in the ballroom noticed what was going on, it already had been too late… Through the doors of the balcony, a man dressed in filthy rags had entered, a wide-rimmed hat mostly obscuring the view of his face. A flash of candlelight had reflected upon the dagger before it had deeply sunk into the flesh of the King. The crystal wine glass the king had been holding, shattered to the floor in a million pieces. Only with a cry from other courtiers, the music had stopped. It was only a moment later that crimson blood tainted his lips and pale skin before he sank to his knees.

"Viva España!" The Assassin had cried before he bolted.

"Get the court physician!" Another courtier had cried out, pulling others out of their stupor. A pageboy ran, as quickly as his young legs could carry him. He knew where the physician was. He was with the Queen, who was resting in her chambers. She had gotten unwell during her afternoon stroll in the gardens. He did not care when the occupants of the Queen's chambers were startled when he burst through the door, or that one of the musketeers tried to drag him back out afterwards, and only when he was allowed to speak, he could explain the urgent need for the physician in the ballroom. Only a moment later, the pageboy ran, with the musketeer on his heels after the elderly physician who had not needed to run for a long time in his long life. It however was already too late when he arrived at the side of the king. The assassin had succeeded in his goal, but unknown to him, the queen was with child. So, the ultimate goal of stopping the French Royal bloodline had failed….

Weeks of mourning passed, six weeks to be exact, before Queen Amélie dressed in her colourful gowns once more, only for her maid to find that the corset would not fully tighten as she used to.

~

~

September 4th

~

"Gabriel?" Emilie called as she walked from the front of the shop to the back. The man in question looked up. "I believe it is time."

"What do you mean, it is time?" Gabriel asked, getting up from the stool and walking over. "Are you feeling well?" He asked, placing his hand gently against her cheek.

"My water just broke," Emilie told him and stood on her tiptoes so she could kiss her husband.

"Is there anything you need right now?"

"Non, I  think I will go upstairs, and I'll call for you when I need anything."

"I will come to check up on you every once in a while," Gabriel promised before he walked her upstairs. So said, so done. Every thirty minutes, Gabriel walked upstairs to check on his wife, making sure she was provided with everything she could wish for, within reason of course. Around six he went to lock the shop door. "Are you hungry?" He inquired as he was nearly upstairs coming to check on her.

"Non, but I am glad you are here." Emilie gave a little smile as she stopped pacing for a moment, rubbing her belly softly.

"I am going to make some dinner for myself then." Gabriel said and quickly made himself some porridge, letting Emilie finish his bowl when she found she was hungrier than she had anticipated. It turned out it was going to be a long night. Gabriel did his best, supporting his wife while she breathed through the pain time and time again. "I am going to get a physician, are you okay with staying alone for a few moments?" He softly asked as he smoothed out some hairs that were plastered against her forehead. He could see she was growing overtired.

"Please be back soon." Emilie softly replied.

"I'll run like the wind." Gabriel told her and softly kissed her before he ran to the nearest person he knew that could help. He felt very fortunate when he found the midwife was home and still awake. "Please, can you come help? My wife has been into labour for a long time already…" Gabriel panted and let the lady gather her things before hurrying back home.

"Let's see." The midwife hummed as she went to inspect Eemilie's current state. "You can push dear." She eventually said. Another hour of hard work passed before the Midwife was finally able to help the baby out. "Scissors or a knive?" The midwife urged as she gave the umbilical court a tug after she unwrapped it from the boy's neck. Gabriel sprang up and fetched a knife from the kitchen cabinet. He settled back to hold Emilie's hand, but there came no cries from the little infant even now his neck was free.

"Good job, mama." Gabriel softly whispered to his wife, gently giving her sweaty brow a kiss.

"I need to take the baby with me to the physician. Only then he might make a chance." The midwife hastily said as she wrapped the lifeless newborn in the woollen blanket.

"But…" Gabriel's voice trailed off as he tried to comprehend what had happened.

"Safe our son, that is the only thing you can do…" Emilie's voice was weak. The light of life was quickly leaving her.

"I am sorry." The midwife said before she ran down the stairs. She ran as fast as she could, but by the time she arrived at the nearest physician, the bit of life that was in the boy when she had left the tailor shop, had left as well. The physician had a look, but there was nothing more he could do for the boy. The midwife was about to return to the Agreste family with the physician in tow when four Musketeers surrounded them.

"In the name of the Queen!" One of the musketeers called. "You are ordered to come to the Royal Palace this instance."

"What is happening?" The Physician asked, squinting up at the lantern that another musketeer held.

"The Queen is in labour. The court physician needs urgent help."

"I will come as well. I am a midwife." The lady said. The Agreste family could wait. She had connections at the court and all of them had whispered the Queen might give birth to twins, and that was something she wanted to witness. Quickly, She and the Physician climbed on the back of the musketeers' horses before they rushed off to the palace. They brought them to the entrance of the Queen's quarters before rushing off to their other duties.

"I am the Physician and this is the Midwife, as requested." The man told the musketeer that was about to keep them from entering. With a small nod, they gained entrance. The Queen's chamber was hot and crowded. Under her cloak, she was still holding the dead Agreste boy. The physician jumped to work, alleviating the queen some of her pain, but she still had a long way to go. It was the dawn of a new day when the new Dauphin was born. The shrill cries were received with a round of applause that intensified when the physician held up the boy to the crowd. The now Mother-Queen however had no time to admire the cries of her newborn as a new contraction hit her. Nearly an hour later, the exhausted woman delivered a second babe. This one was way smaller and did not cry out like the first one. A nun who was present, rushed off with the smaller baby to be able to properly tend it in the antechamber where there luckily was no crowd present.

"I am a midwife, please let me tend to the other child of the queen." The midwife said as she went to follow the nurse. Only after a moment she was let in and found the nun was doing an excellent job with the tiny infant. It was a boy as well, gaining a nice pinkish colour now that he was breathing, but he did not cry.

"This will create a problem. Two Dauphins. We cannot have a fight over the throne." The nun thoughtfully uttered as she watched the small infant.

"I might have a solution." The midwife carefully offered. Carefully, she put the bundle she was still holding next to the squirming infant. It was almost too good to be true.

"We do not need a third infant…" The nun pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"Non, but we can swap the infants. The father lost his first child, and his wife is probably dead by now. He is a kind man who often enough makes deliveries to the palace. He can raise the Dauphin's twin and give the boy an honest chance at life. No war for the throne." Both women stood in silence for a while until the door to the antechamber opened. The head of a musketeer popped in.

"The queen is asking for her other child."

"The little boy unfortunately was too weak to breathe." The nun almost instantly replied and took the bundle with the Agreste boy in her arms to she could show the baby to the queen still and give her something to mourn over. The Midwife stepped aside so she was blocking the view from the door as the royal twin was still upon the table. She quickly found some bedlinens to wrap the little prince in. She cleaned up before she carefully hid the boy under her cloak. Once the nun returned to the antechamber, she found the room clean, and no trace to be found of the midwife or the other infant.

It was well after noon that the midwife returned to the small tailor shop. She found everything silent. The floorboards loudly creaked under her light step as he walked upstairs, finding Gabriel still in his blood-stained clothes next to his now-dead wife on the bed. The man did not even notice her. It was only when the midwife spoke that he came to himself.

"I arrived just in time." She softly told the man as she came closer, removing her cloak so she could display the bundle in her arms. Gabriel blinked several times before he carefully reached for the bundle. "I know it is a lot, but you better find a wet nurse quickly, otherwise he might still not survive." Gabriel mutely nodded, feeling rather overwhelmed. So, his little boy had made it after all…

~

The coroner arrived that afternoon to collect Emilie's body. The widowed tailor felt numb. He carefully held the bundle in his arms the whole time. Only when that same bundle cried, did Gabriel look at it. He did not have a single clue what to do. He tried rocking the bundle, but after several more minutes of crying, he decided this was not going to help. He only then remembered the words of the midwife. He needed to find a wet nurse. The baby was probably hungry. By luck, he found a little bit of leftover milk from the porridge they made yesterday and tried heating it a little. When he found that he had nice lukewarm milk, there was the next hurdle. How could he feed his boy the milk? He could not sip it from a cup. The rim of the bottle of milk was probably the smallest he had at hand. With the bottle of milk in one hand and the baby on his other arm, he sat down and carefully tried dribbling the milk in his son's mouth, hoping he would not choke the boy. It was a slow and precarious process, but eventually, Gabriel managed to get all the milk into the boy without spilling too much.

"That is it." Gabriel softly whispered when the boy finally stopped crying, it however did not take long. Soon enough the boy started crying once more… Gabriel eventually decided to change the boy, changing the bedlinens where the boy was wrapped in for a folded cloth and a different blanket, but the boy kept crying.

"What is it you need?" He asked the boy, knowing he would not receive a reply. Shaking his head, he carefully put the bundle in the middle of the bed and dressed in some fresh clothes. Taking the bundle back in his arms, he wholeheartedly hoped he could find someone quick that could help him figure out what he was doing wrong. Gabriel mostly aimlessly wandered through the emptying streets, only receiving scowls from those who were not that fond of the wails of an infant. It was only when Gabriel's ears picked up the faint crying of another infant that he stopped walking to listen. Sure, there had to be someone close to another small child that could help him out… Looking around, he found himself on the corner of a street in front of a small bakery. The faint crying however stopped before he could pinpoint the source. He had been to the bakery only a couple of times ever since he opened his shop. Taking a leap of faith, he knocked on the shop's door, hoping that the people of the shop were able to hear it.

The first time knocking yielded no result whatsoever. The second time Gabriel knocked a voice called back. "The shop is closed!"

"I know, I had hoped you could help me with something different!" Gabriel called back. After a moment, a face popped out of the first-floor window.

"Oui?" The man asked, which was the baker of the shop.

"I heard the cries of a babe… I need some help with my own…" Gabriel took a deep breath. "Can you help me or point me to the parents of the other child I heard?"

"Who is that, Thom?" A female voice sounded, and the head of the baker disappeared for a moment.

"My wife will come down." The baker called Thom said as he popped his head out of the window once more. After that, the man's head disappeared once more and the window closed as well. A moment later, a small black-haired lady came to open the bakery's door to let him in.

"What is the matter?" The lady inquired as she closed the bakery's door, looking Gabriel up and down. The wailing infant was rather hard to miss.

"I do not know what I can do…" Gabriel started but trailed off. Sabine, the baker's wife continued to look at the man. The man before him looked lost, panicked, tired… at whit's end…

"What have you already tried?" She inquired as she reached to take the wailing bundle from the man's arms. Gabriel let her take his son. She rocked the boy for a moment before she gently put her pinky in the infant's mouth, reducing the desperate wails to mere soft whimpers. Sabine softly smiled at the small baby.

"I tried giving him some lukewarm milk… and I cleaned him up…"

"Your wife?" Sabine inquired.

"She's…" Gabriel shook his head and lowered it. He could not bring himself to speak the actual word.

"I am sorry." It was clear enough for Sabine to understand what happened. "How old is your child?" She partially unwrapped the boy and held him against her chest, rubbing soothing circles against his small back.

"Just a day old…" Gabriel replied and watched as his son squirmed. As soon as the child passed some air, he seemed to settle a little easier.

"As if I didn't think." Sabine smiled satisfied. "You need to burp your child after every time it had something to eat or drink," Sabine instructed and Gabriel nodded. Sure, she would know what would be right, Gabriel mused. "Why don't you go upstairs and sit with Thom, my husband. Then you can also meet our little girl, Marinette. I will go see to the needs of this little one, if you want me to, that is."

"I can pay for your services," Gabriel said with a nod as he went to feel for his coat pocket, only to realise he had not pulled on his coat.

"Don't worry about that now. You did good seeking help." Sabine gently assured. She could not let this infant go hungry now, could she? She gently ushered the nearly shell-shocked man up the stairs before she went to the back room where she sat down so she could try to feed the baby.

"What was it, Sabine?" Thom asked as the large baker looked up from where he was slicing some bread. It took Gabriel a moment to catch on that the baker meant his wife. "Where is she?"

"She is looking after my son," Gabriel replied, looking around the meagre furnishings of the living space.

"Sit." Thom invited and walked over with the plate with sliced bread. "Feel free to take some." He invited and went to pour some cups of well water. Gabriel sat down, and only then noticed there was a pair of big bluebell eyes curiously watching him. In the corner on a blanket, a small girl sat, with a simple wooden figurine in her hand. "That is little Marie Antoinette, but we call her Marinette," Thom explained. The little girl cooed at hearing her name. "What is your boy's name?" The baker inquired as he sat down with a small jar and knife, going to butter some of the bread.

"I don't…" Gabriel started, realising he never finalised the discussion with Emilie about a name. "No name yet…"

"You have a few days to come up with a name yet. How old is he?" Thom then took a large bite from the bread.

"A day old." Gabriel gave a small nod but quickly declined when Thom made another effort to offer him some bread. Thom went on with some idle chatter to fill the silence once he had finished eating. Gabriel did not feel anything for some chatter. That is why Emilie was usually in the shop in the front. Gabriel swallowed hard. He had no one to run the show now… He would need to do everything himself. It would not be a problem for him to run the shop and make clothes, but to simultaneously raise a baby… No embroidery would be able to adorn the most expensive orders anymore…

"Here you go." Sabine's voice shook Gabriel from his musings as she came up the stairs with the newborn in her arms.

"It had been over an hour since he almost stopped moving. Glad to know he had not turned into stone." Thom good-natured joked. Gabriel looked up as Sabine put the bundle with his son in his arms.

"He fell asleep a few minutes ago." Sabine gently said and stroked the boy's cheek before she stepped back.

"Merci." Gabriel gave a small nod as he watched the face of his peacefully sleeping boy. "What can I give my boy until I found a suitable wet nurse?" The man eventually asked.

"The best way to sustain your little boy without a wet nurse is to feed him rice water or a very diluted porridge, but no chunks." Sabine softly explained. Gabriel nodded, glad for any bit of information that could help him. "If you don't have a special cup, use a spoon."

"I will need to go to the market first thing in the morning," Gabriel told the sleeping infant in his arms.

"He won't sleep till morning, I can assure you," Thom said with a small chuckle. Gabriel then looked up at Sabine.

"He will grow hungry every three to four hours." She said with a nod.

"I have something," Thom said after a moment and as he passed his wife, he gently squeezed her shoulder. He rummaged through a cabinet before he pulled out a clean handkerchief. He then went downstairs, returning a few minutes later. "I put some flour in the handkerchief. It will probably last you to the evening so you do not need to drag a wailing child over the market." Thom winked and put the bundle on the kitchen table in front of Gabriel.

"Merci…" Gabriel said as he looked at the bundle. These people had been so kind to him even though they were practically strangers. "I will return tomorrow after I have been to the market to pay for your help."

"Don't worry about this too much. You will have bigger things to worry about right now." Sabine said. "If you need more help, we will be happy to help." She offered a little smile.

"Merci beaucoup," Gabriel said once more before getting to his feet after setting the handkerchief on his boy's blanket.

"Good night," Thom said before walking Gabriel out.

"Have a nice evening." Gabriel greeted before he walked back the two streets to his tailor shop. Once home, Gabriel put his boy in the wicker basket they had intended to use as a crib. The handkerchief with flour he left at the table before he went to change the stained bedlinen. Once he had finished, he sat down on the bed, exhausted. As he went to look into the wardrobe for his nightwear, he came across a small piece of slate. Emilie's handwriting was on there, several boys and girls' names that she had selected. Adrien. It was the only name underlined. Maybe Emilie had known, felt it somehow… Gabriel softly let out a breath as he shook his head before he redressed and tried to go to sleep. However, no sleep came to him, no matter how tired he felt. His right side felt, cold, empty… No soft breathing in his ear, no sleep-filled accidental knock or content sigh. Just silence… That was until the new arrival decided to let his caretaker know it was time for some more food. Gabriel was startled before he went to seek a candle and a match so he could see something. He then went to try and prepare some mixture of the flour and water, feeding it to his little boy. His Adrien. It was the first of many long nights to come.

~

TBC

Chapter 2

Gabriel had not slept the remainder of the night, getting up twice more to attend to his little boy's needs. In the morning, he made sure his boy was all clean and had a full belly before he took the boy and a basket on the walk to the market. Emilie was the one who usually did the market runs… The man deeply sighed as he cast a look at the boy who was asleep in his arms. He was the last thing he would have from his beloved wife… It took him far longer than he wished to find everything he needed for his little boy. Milk, Rice, some pins and more woollen blankets. Once his basket was filled, he made his way to the bakery of Thom and Sabine so he could repay these people for their kindness.

"Gabriel!" Thom happily called out when he entered the little bakery shop.

"Good morning." Gabriel nodded. "I have come to repay your kindness."

"Sabine is upstairs." Thom nodded and motioned to the stairs.

"Merci." Gabriel nodded and carefully walked upstairs with his boy and the basket.

"Oh!" Sabine softly gasped when he noticed Gabriel's face as he came into the living area. "Come in, how are you?" She inquired and momentarily abandoned her play with her daughter to tend to her guest.

"I don't think I have slept at all last night, but I think I managed to tend to my son." Gabriel sat down at the table and put the basket down on the floor.

"Hmm, yes, in time that should get better." She kindly said. "Have you already picked a name for your boy?"

"I found a small list of names my wife liked…" Gabriel looked at the lady. "It will be Adrien Emmanuel Gabriel Agreste." Gabriel softly said, the smallest of smiles ghosting over his lips.

"Adrien?" Sabine repeated. "I think it is a wonderful name."

"Merci." Gabriel softly hummed before he fetched a pouch from his coat pocket. "This is the payment for your help." He explained and put it on the table.

"This is way too much, Gabriel. I can't accept that." Sabine softly exclaimed as she found out how much there was actually in the pouch.

"You must. I think 50 Livres is a proper amount taking into account I might need your help a couple of times in the future." Sabine did not look happy but did not argue either.

"Is there anything I can do for you right now?" Sabine asked after she put the money away in a safe place.

"I do not believe so. I'll comve over when I think I need help." Gabriel nodded and took his basket before he got up.

"All right, good luck with your little boy. Don't forget to change his bottom often enough." Gabriel nodded and thanked her once more. He said Thom goodbye before he went home. There he tended to the needs of his son before he put the boy down in the wicker basket and took that down in the backroom so he could be close to his boy while he worked on the orders of his clients.

 ~

Emilie's service was short and nearly impersonal. He was not the only person that week to lose a beloved one… Gabriel watched as they lowered the wooden box into the ground, gently rocking little Adrien to keep the boy quiet. No one cared for the tears he shed, and maybe the worse part of it all was that Adrien would never have any memories of the beloved lady that his mother was. Once he was left alone, Gabriel kneeled in the fresh dirt. He prayed for her, hoping she would become Adrien's Guardian Angel, just like she had saved him. Only when Adrien demanded his attention, Gabriel got up and returned home to take care of his little boy.

~

~

Gabriel started to make weekly visits to the bakery of Thom and Sabine. Once, but mostly twice a week he came by. Sometimes Sabine invited Gabriel to come over for dinner, or Gabriel made a little dress for little Marinette from some scrap piece of fabric he had lying around. All too soon, but too many sleepless nights later, baby Adrien was sitting up, occupying his dad's lap and making a mess of everything while Gabriel made the greatest effort in feeding the boy his porridge. Not long after that, the boy did not want to stay in the wicker basket anymore, trying to climb out of it and get to crawling. Only later that week, Gabriel found himself moving all his stuff from the bottom shelves so the boy could not ruin anything or hurt himself while he explored the backroom. One of Adrien's favourite toys turned out to be a small clay figurine with grain kernels in it, making a rattling sound. The boy's giggles and curious glances were able to lift even the darkest moods of the lonely tailor. Often enough, Gabriel found himself taking the boy in his arms when he lay into bed, unable to sleep. The boy in his arms reminded him there was everything to play for. Even when the boy grew ill in his second winter.

He found himself getting dressed in the middle of the night with a wailing toddler in his arms. It broke the man's heart that he could not console the boy, no matter what he tried.

"Hush now, Adrien." Gabriel softly told the boy as he gently rubbed his back. The wailing only increased when he put the boy down on the bed so he could pull on his shoes. "Turn the volume down, I have heard you." Gabriel shook his head as he pinned his cloak around his neck before he took his son back in his arms. He made sure the boy was underneath the cloak, shielding him from the biting wind as he went to track through the snow that was falling. Only a fool would be on the streets in this weather, and Gabriel was more than happy he had a warm house to return to. When Gabriel arrived at the physician's house, he knocked. It was god awful long wait for the man to finally open the door. The man was still half asleep, and quite a bit agitated he found himself with a guest including the wailing child in the middle of a freezing night.

"Oui?" He asked.

"S'il vous plaît, help my boy." Gabriel softly sighed.

"Come in, quickly." The man urged, too tired to deal with a wailing child, but he knew that if he turned them away, they would insist until they got helped anyway. He took the man and his child to the small practice room. "Put him on the table so I can examine him." Gabriel did as was asked, wincing when Adrien started crying even louder. The physician quickly examined the boy.

"Well?" Gabriel inquired when the man seemed finished. He took Adrien back in his arms to softly soothe him. The boy was crying so severely he was having even more trouble breathing.

"Your boy has an excess of yellow bile." The physician said before he walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room and rummaged through several small bottles. "Do you have money?" The man asked as he turned around, with a small brown glass bottle in his hands.

"I can pay." Gabriel agreed and paid for the medicine.

"A small spoon twice a day until the bottle is empty." The man instructed as he tucked the money away.

"Merci." Gabriel agreed and took the bottle before covering up Adrien with his cloak. The physician then ushered the man out of his house so he could get back to bed himself. Gabriel hurried home once more and tried feeding Adrien a small spoon of the syrup that quite smelled like lavender. It was only starting to get light when little Adrien finally fell asleep, a godsend. Gabriel lay down with the boy on his chest, trying to sleep for a bit. He however found he could not fall asleep. After an hour of trying, he got up and dressed once more before paying a visit to Sabine and Thom.

"Gab!" Little Marinette cooed as soon as Gabriel's head poked above the floor. The girl stood and toddled over to greet the man.

"Maybe later I will play a bit with you." Gabriel softly told the girl as he made sure to close the little gate and gently stroked the dark hairs of the girl that offered him a toy.

"How's Adrien?" Sabine inquired.

"Still congested, but finally he has fallen asleep." Gabriel tiredly sighed as he put down his cloak in front of the stove so the snow could melt.

"I suggest you go home and sleep as well." Sabine pointed out.

"I will in a moment." Gabriel agreed. "I just wanted to ask you if you were willying to watch my boy for tonight. I do not wish for you to watch my sick son, but I very much would like to visit the church."

"You even less want to bring a wailing child to disrupt the mass." Sabine added with a nod.

"I went to visit the physician…" Gabriel softly said.

"What did he do?" Sabine inquired.

"Gave me this." Gabriel went to show her the bottle.

"No leeches?"

"Thank god no."

"Do you think it will help Adrien?"

"I hope so. It was expensive enough." Gabriel softly sighed.

"Let me make a little bed for Adrien. Then you can leave him here already. Then you can sleep, or work in peace for a bit." Sabine gently said and went to scurry around to make a little cot for the boy. Carefully, Gabriel put his boy down in the cot next to the stove, hoping Adrien would stay asleep. Adrien stirred and whimpered, but stayed asleep.

"Good boy. Sleep on." Gabriel softly told his son, gently running his thumb over Adrien's feverish cheek.

"You know he will be in good hands here. Go home and take care of yourself." Sabine gently said and watched as Marinette curiously came to inspect the asleep boy.

"You can't play with him now, love. Adrien is sick and needs loads of sleep." Sabine explained. Marinette then turned to Gabriel, offering him her toy again.

"Only a few minutes." Gabriel told the girl before Sabine could scold her daughter again. Marinette gave a bright smile and went to get her other toy so they could play. True to his word, Gabriel played with the little girl for a few minutes before he went home to sleep and visit Church in the evening. It felt strange to leave his boy behind, especially now that he was ill. It however allowed Gabriel to sleep through the night, knowing his boy was safe. It was only in the afternoon the next day that Gabriel went back to Sabine and Thom to check on his son. He brought along a basket with food as he was on his way back from the market.

"How's Adrien?" Gabriel asked as he put his basket on the table before picking up Marinette and settling her on his arm.

"Currently asleep. Every time he awoke, he asked for you. Only once he cried for a bit." Sabine listed. "I gave him his medicine and Marinette has been a very good help taking care of Adrien." Sabine softly chuckled.

"Did you now?" Gabriel asked the girl, receiving a vigorous nod in return. "I see." Gabriel gave a soft chuckle himself. A soft whimper drew the attention of all occupants in the room. Gabriel put Marinette down when she started squirming in his arms and watched as she made it over to the small cot and Adrien.

"Sleep." Marinette softly told Adrien while gently stroking the boy's hair.

"Papa?" The boy hoarsely asked before coughing.

"Papa is here." Gabriel said as he came over, kneeling on the floor. The boy whimpered once more, lifting his arms into the air. "Don't start crying now." Gabriel told Adrien as he took the boy in his arms, taking the boy to sit with him at the table. "I know you feel sick, but I can't so anything more about it." Adrien sniffled and softly whimpered, but kept it at that. Sabine brought over the blanket and tucked it around the boy.

"You want to stay over for dinner?" Sabine inquired as she went to check what she had left to make dinner from.

"I'd like to. Take anything from my basket if you like." Gabriel offered and cuddled his boy close. Sabine offered a little smile and took a piece of leek from the basket. An hour passed before the good smell of stew filled the living space and drew Thom upstairs as well. Gabriel made sure Adrien had his medicine before feeding his boy a little stew. No matter if the was the doing of Gabriel's prayers or the medicine that he gave to his son, Adrien soon enough started recovering, gaining back his appetite and a healthy hunger for playing with the few toys he possessed.

~

Soon enough, little Adrien was toddling around the shop, charming every single client that entered with his big green eyes and cute giggles. Adrien quickly learned about the fact that playing cute was the perfect way that would get him out of trouble when he caused mischief. Marinette would come over often enough for the two of them to get into mischief. It would not be the first time that the two of them destroyed a piece of craftsmanship, which in turn made Gabriel work through the night to repair the damage done. In return, it would not be the first time Gabriel found his son covered in flour when he and Marinette had been 'helping' Thom in the bakery.

"Papa!" Adrien happily cried, running from the front of the shop to the back, all around the table. "Look!" The boy insisted before racing back to the front and coming back only moments later.

"Be careful, Adrien. You should not run indoors." Gabriel said, still focused on the buttonhole he was sewing up so the edges could not fray.

"No look." The boy pouted as he stopped running, coming to a halt next to the stool his father was sitting upon. When Gabriel still did not look at him, he grabbed two fists full of his father's coat and pulled on it. 

"We do not deliberately pull on clothes, Adrien." Gabriel said and finally looked at his boy.

"Look!" The boy told him again. He had dressed in a pair of his father's boots and cloak. The matching hat had been too high up for him to reach.

"I see." Gabriel hummed. "And what did you expect from me?" Adrien gave a small shrug and was about to get back to running when Gabriel caught his boy.

"Papa!" Adrien giggled and squirmed when his papa put him down on his lap, one boot sliding from his foot and landing on the floor with a plop.

"I caught you." Gabriel softly told his son, a small smile appearing on his lips as joyful big green eyes met his own grey-blue ones. Adrien kept watching his father's face intently until a pair of fingers tickled his side, making him all giggle and squirm again.

"Papa!" The boy shrieked again in joy. Gabriel softly chuckled before he stopped and let the boy catch his breath.

"Are you going to play by yourself or are you going to watch papa work?" He proposed and took the other boot from his son's foot, setting it next to its companion. 

"Papa." The boy decided after a thoughtful moment, turning around and settling himself against his father's chest so he could watch as his father finished up on one buttonhole and proceeded to the next. Before long, Gabriel had his son nestled against his chest and wrapped in his cloak, fast asleep on his lap as he worked. For a moment he paused and looked down at the mob of unruly blonde hair, hoping that this was a little moment he would never forget...

Chapter 3

Paris, 1643

~

At the time, Adrien was about five years old when he lay on his belly on the shop floor, having two slates in front of his nose. On the upper, Gabriel had written the alphabet; on the second slate, Adrien was supposed to be copying the letters to practise his writing. It was raining, so there was no way his papa would let him play outside.

"Can I go to Marinette?" Adrien asked as he rolled over so he would be laying on his back, studying the wooden boards that made up the floor of the second floor.

"My answer won't change, Adrien. You get the same answer as when you asked five minutes ago." Gabriel absentmindedly replied as he was pinning down the bottom of a skirt so he could sew it. Adrien whined and rolled back. He spent another ten minutes copying the letters with a little piece of chalk and erasing it with a wet rag to do it all over again. After a bit, he decided that anything was better than writing the letters over and over again. So, he got up to his feet and tiptoed to the backroom where his father was still busy with the skirt.

"Adrien!" Gabriel scolded when the boy bumped into him, making him prick his finger.

"I could not see what you were doing from all over there…" Adrien pouted and watched as a droplet of blood welled up on his father's finger.

"And now what?" Gabriel asked, pulling out a handkerchief so he could wipe off the blood so it could not stain anything it was not supposed to. "If you want to sew, I can show you how to do it, and you can make yourself a patchwork blanket of the leftover scraps." Adrien nodded and scurried off to seek out the best pieces of scrap fabric that were in the basket in the corner. Gabriel then made sure to finish his work first before he sat down with his son to teach him.

"I found everything I need." Adrien announced when he put a bobbin of bright green yarn on the table.

"Just give me one moment." Gabriel called and finished the skirt. "All right, come here." Gabriel softly called and settled himself on the stool at the table. Adrien then in turn crawled on his father's lap. Gabriel then wrapped his arms around his boy and carefully showed the boy how to get the thread through the eye of the needle, and on how to nearly sew the patches together. After showing him how to sew two patches together, he gave Adrien a third and let him try himself. "Good job." Gabriel softly praised when Adrien had attached the piece. The stitches were crude and uneven, but for a first try, it was good work. "Do you think you can work on this further?"

"Oui, papa." Adrien beamed the cutest smile up to him.

"Then you can ask me if you need any help." Gabriel told his son and stood, putting the boy back on the stool so he could continue his work. Gabriel helped the boy twice with how to change the thread so he could continue. Once Gabriel finished his daily work, he watched his son for a moment, who was very focused on getting a round part sewn to a straight part.

"I can't get this right!" Adrien whined when he noticed his father was watching him.

"How about I show you that tomorrow?"

"Not now?" Adrien asked.

"Now I have to go make dinner, otherwise you'll have to go to bed hungry." Gabriel hummed. "Why don't you put your craft on the shelf? There it will be kept all safe."

"Oui, papa." Adrien softly said and eased himself off the stool before he carefully put his work on the lowest shelf that still had an empty spot.

"Good boy." Gabriel told him and gently ruffled his hair before taking the boy upstairs where he went to heat some stew. When it started to get dark Gabriel lightened two candles. Adrien sat on his chair and quietly swung his feet while he watched his papa. "Here you go." Gabriel said as he put two plates on the table before handing the boy his spoon.

"Merci, papa." Adrien politely said and waited until his papa sat before he started eating his dinner. Gabriel gave a little smile, and when they finished eating, he went to clean up the dishes and empty the pot.

"Oui, Adrien?" Gabriel asked as he felt some fingers poking his back and side.

"Can I go play with Marinette tomorrow?" Adrien asked when Gabriel turned to look at him.

"We will have to go to the market tomorrow morning, and what happened to making your patchwork blanket?" Gabriel asked and wiped his hands on his breeches when he finished washing everything.

"I don't want to go to the market." Adrien complained.

"Even if we have a chance of spotting real musketeers?" Gabriel asked. Adrien pouted at that.

"The last time we didn't see any."

"Well, tomorrow is another day." Gabriel gently said. "Let's say, if tomorrow after lunch it is nice weather, you can go play with Marinette, okay?"

"Merci, papa!" Adrien happily said and wrapped his arms around his father's neck to hug. Gabriel stood with his son to hug him.

"But now it will be time for bed." Gabriel hummed and gently rubbed his son's back before putting him down on his feet. "Go get ready for bed for me." Adrien nodded and went to get himself dressed in his nightgown before crawling into bed.

"Will you tell me another story?" Adrien asked as he let his papa tuck the blanket all around him.

"What kind of story do you want to hear?" Gabriel asked as he settled down next to his son.

"A musketeer adventure!" The boy cheered.

"Inside voice, otherwise you won't get a story at all." Gabriel scolded. Adrien just face a cute smile before he got himself comfortable. "Once upon a time, there were three musketeers, they were among the first musketeers appointed by the king to protect him and his family…"

"I know that."

"Oh, why don't you make up a story then?"

"I can't tell good stories." Adrien giggled.

"Really? You are always full of stories and adventures when you return from playing with Marinette."

"Then I am not good at making up Musketeers adventures." The boy cheekily said.

"Shall I continue with my story then?" Gabriel asked with a chuckle.

"S'il vous plaît." Adrien nodded.

'Oui, well… There was this one time when one of the shoes from the king went missing, and it was his favourite pair of shoes. You know Musketeers are there to serve and protect the king. This was one of the few times the musketeers did not need to fight. They went on a scavenger hunt searching for the king's missing shoe."

"Ahw, papa. That is not exciting."

"I can assure you even when Musketeers do not fight, their life will never be boring." Gabriel chuckled. "It was so, that a stray dog had managed to get into palace and steal the shoe, and the Musketeers had to chase the dog all over Paris to finally get the shoe back. It was however so that when they brought the shoe back, it was all covered in dog slobber and mud."

"Did the king wear the shoes again?" Adrien inquired.

"By the time the musketeers returned with the shoe, the shoemaker had already visited and made the king a brand new pair."

"What happened with the shoes afterwards?"

"Well, if you ever get to the palace and look in between the roses beneath the king's quarters, you might still find them there."

"I'll remember to go look for them when I become musketeer."

"Sure you will. Now, sweet dreams, Adrien." Gabriel gently stroked the pale blonde locks back.

"Good night, papa." Adrien sleepily said and soon fell asleep. Gabriel softly smiled and then took the candles downstairs so he could do some more work. It was however way too early the next morning when Adrien shook Gabriel awake.  "Wake up, papa!" The boy loudly called next to his ear.

"Adrien..." Gabriel sleepily groaned. "Go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep anymore." The boy called back, bouncing on the bed. "Today is my birthday, right?" 

"Why do you think that?" Gabriel cracked open his eyes to look at the little light the new dawn offered.

"I heard you talk to Marinette's papa."

"Have you now?" Gabriel looked at his son and found the boy was way too excited to even try to get the boy back to sleep. "Then you remember things I do not."

"But..." Adrien started and watched as his father turned in bed, closing his eyes again.

"Go back to sleep, Adrien. We have to go to the market and I have more then enough chores to do after we return." 

"I don't want to go to sleep." Adrien told his father and shook the man's arm. 

"Then go downstairs and practise your writing." Gabriel sighed.

"No!" Adrien wailed. Anything but that! 

"Adrien Agreste." Gabriel now softly growled, turning back to face his boy. "Then lay back down, right now." After another glare from his father, Adrien laid back down and snuggled against his father's chest when the man pulled him close. "Your papa wants to sleep a little longer. The market won't be open for a while yet." Adrien gave a soft whine but did not further protest. He even managed to doze off for a little while longer. Several hours later, Gabriel did get up, got dressed and made sure Adrien and himself had some porridge for breakfast before they went to the market.

"No musketeers, again..." Adrien sadly said as he dragged his feet a little, not trying to keep up with his father's long strides. 

"Maybe next time." Gabriel mused as he kept on walking. 

"This is not the way home, it is the way to Marinette." Adrien perked up a little when he noticed where they were going. 

"Are you certain?" Gabriel lightly teased and let go of Adrien's hand when the bakery came into view. 

"Oui!" Adrien called before he dashed up to the bakery and burst inside, giving the lady that was about to receive her order quite a scare. "Hi!" The boy grinned.

"Good morning, Adrien. Is your father coming as well?" Thom kindly greeted him and made sure the lady had everything she ordered.

"Oui. He is just slow." The boy cheekily grinned. "Can I go play with Marinette?" 

"Just wait for your father here, and then you can go upstairs, okay?" 

"Oui!" Adrien impatiently waited and watched as the lady left with her basket filled with bread. Only a moment later, Gabriel walked in.

"Let's go upstairs then." Thom invited and let Adrien and Gabriel go up before him. As Adrien came upstairs, Marinette and Sabine were sitting at the table. 

"Congratulations!" They both called out, making Adrien.

"I told you, papa!" Adrien said, eagerly jumping up and down. Gabriel just gave a soft chuckle.

"There was no way I would go spoil the little surprise, and I really wanted you to go back to sleep." Gabriel shook his head and put his basket down in the corner. "How about you go say thank you to Sabine and Thom for the nice treat they made for you?" 

"Merci!" Adrien called out and went to hug both adults before climbing up one of the chairs so he could admire the treats that were on the table. There were little round cakes on plates and there was cream visible in the middle. "Can I have one?" Both Sabine and Thom nodded. They joined the table and all of them took a cake. Adrien licked his lips in delight after he swallowed the bite of the cake that was filled with cherries and cream. It was the greatest birthday ever!

~

-Little prince-

~

A little boy with the same pale blond hair and green eyes was also learning how to get around, especially when everyone would run for him as soon as he requested it, no matter if he asked with a please or if he shouted it.

~

"Your majesty?" A soft voice startled the Mother Queen out of her musings.

"Advisor Bourgeois, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She sat back on the bench of the small chapel where she had been praying.

"It is your's son's birthday, and you are here." André Bourgeois asked as he sat down next to the Queen, studying her delicate features.

"You know there were two, André…" She lightly shook her head. "Am I not allowed to mourn for my second child?"

"You are allowed to mourn, of couse, but there are certain persons at the court that are missing your presence. The whole court is currently celebrating your son's life and it might give the impression you care too little to be present."

"I spend more then enough time with my son, and those courtiers who object have no buisiness here at the court."

"I was not critisizing you, I promise." André briefly held up his hands.

"You are dismissed, Advisor Bourgeois." The queen said before she turned back to her prayers. Only when she finished, she made her way back to the palace. There, in the middle of the ballroom, on a little chair decorated with leaf gold, her son, the Dauphin sat. The boy was brightly smiling and clapping his hands at the juggler that was performing a full arsenal of tricks to entertain the young king. Courtiers stood around, watching the king and the entertainers as well, celebrating the Dauphin's birthday. The Queen herself found the ballroom too stuffy to be in on a hot summer day. Soon enough, she spotted Advisor Bourgeois in the crowd, pushing forward his little blonde daughter so she had a chance to see the entertainers as well. She was one of the few children that were part of the court. Only time would tell if little Louis Félix would grow to appreciate the efforts of the Advisor to make him and his daughter a thing.

She noticed as she watched longer, that the demandour of her son changed. He no longer looked delighted at the juggler and even started to look angry when the juggler continued since everyone but the little king seemed to enjoy it. "Dieudonné!" The queen called as she waited for the courtiers to get out of her way so she could walk to the centre of the ballroom. "Food shall shortly be served in the banquet hall." She announced, giving the footboy nearly a heart attack before he sprinted to the kitchen to inform the cooks of their urgent order. "I have a present for you, Dieudonné." She told her son, taking his hand before leading him away from the crowd, taking the boy outside where a fluffy white pony was waiting for them. Most of the courtiers however followed outside, curious to see where mother and child were going.

"Why only one?" The boy asked as he stopped in his tracks, yanking his hand free from his mother's. "Why is this only a small one?" He demanded as he stomped his foot.

"I spoke with the stable master. You only need one horse to be taught to ride upon. And we both agreed it is better if you are taught on a small horse since you are only small yourself still. As you grow bigger, you can ride bigger horses." The Queen tried explaining to her son, but soon enough the boy was on the ground, screaming his lungs out and kicking the gravel with all his might. The Queen sighed and walked off to her own private quarters. The nanny could take care of his son.

 The courtiers watched on as a nanny came and eventually managed to calm down the little king. "I-ehm believe it is time for dinner." She awkwardly addressed the crowd that was still watching them. She settled the king on her hip and took him to the boy's bedroom, intending in cleaning him up which consisted in quite a struggle to clean up the boy's face and brush the now dishevelled pale blonde hair as well as dress the boy in some clean, pristine clothes. After that, she took the boy to the banquet hall where most of the courtiers were already gathering at the lavishly set table. Dinner, like usual was a long affair, but this evening, all of the little king's dishes were served. After dinner had ended, it was time for the few children at the court to go to bed and the real party for the adults could begin.

Notes:

Dieudonné - given by God
Merci - Thank you

Please give me a review!

Chapter 4

Paris, 1647. (Adrien, Félix and Marinette are nine years old)

~~

"Marinette, time to go do your rounds." Thom called as he finished two baskets with bread and a small list of where what needed to go. "Can I go to Adrien afterwards?" Marinette asked when she came downstairs, grabbing her cloak from the peg next to the backdoor.

"We will see, it depends on how many orders we will get today, otherwise you will need to help your mother and I." Marinette sighed but nodded and grabbed the two baskets.

"Okay, I'll be back soon." She promised and checked the first name on the list before walking off to the first house to deliver the bread. So, several more houses followed before an elderly man approached her just before the end of her round.

"S'il vous plaît. You have something to spare for an old man?" The man asked as he practically blocked Marinette's path.

"I can't." Marinette softly said, looking with sympathy at the man before him. The man had quite a hump, his still mostly dark hair balding. He was leaning on some kind of cane.

"I have no money, but I can give you something in return." The man promised. He took a moment before his long cloak opened, for a moment revealing striking red boots before Marinette's attention was drawn by the jewel that the man held out to her. "They are made of glass, but I am sure they are worth enough for a small bread."

"Let me see." Marinette said and took the jewel inspecting it more closely. It was a small clip designed to hold hair together. There were five little black stones set in between red stones in a circular fashion.

"You seem very hungry." Marinette eventually agreed and gave the man the smallest bread in the basket. She then put the decoration in her coin pouch.

"Merci, young lady." The man nodded and shuffled off to the side where he could eat his bread in peace. Marinette continued delivering the loaves of bread except for the order that missed one.

"Pére, I am missing one bread for the last order." Marinette called as she came into the bakery.

"What do you mean?" Thom asked and took the baskets as well as the list.

"The basket was very full, could it have been that one accidentally fell?"

"Marinette, you know very well you can't swing around with the baskets. You need to be more careful." Thom scolded and gave her another piece of bread so she could deliver the last order.

"Je suis désolé, pére." Marinette apologised and kissed her father's cheek and took her basket before hurrying off. "Can I go to Adrien now?" Marinette asked when she returned from delivering the order.

"Off you go, but you will have to return for dinner." Thom replied before Marinette hurried off to go play with her best friend.

~~

Gabriel momentarily paused as a loud clatter sounded upstairs. A moment later he continued when no child came running downstairs with a teary face. Only when he heard the clatter a third time, he went to investigate what Adrien was up to. "Adrien Emmanuel Gabriel Agreste." Gabriel darkly growled when he found his son with his rapier in his hands. Adrien turned around and let the rapier fall to the floor, confirming the previous clatters had also come from the iron that fell to the floor. Adrien was certain. He was in big trouble… "What do you think you are doing?"

"I was looking in the closet for a toy…" Adrien softly said as he watched with big eyes as Gabriel walked forward, picking up the rapier from the floor.

"And you decide that a weapon makes an excellent toy? There was a reason why that was in the far back and on the bottom of the closet, Adrien."

"I know, but it is really awsome. I have been playing musketeer with Marinette for so many times. This is way better then just a stick or spoon."

"Yes, but if you accidentally hit someone or something with this, someone can get really hurt." Gabriel explained. "No matter how wonderful it looks like a real Musketeer or Red Guard, we do not play with weapons."

"But I want to be a Musketeer when I grow up…" Adrien softly said.

"No buts. We do not play with weapons." Gabriel sternly said before he fetched the sheath and put the rapier back in it so no one could be harmed by the blade that was still sharp after all these years.

"But I can already practise to become a musketeer…"

"If you want to become a musketeer still in five years time, I will make sure you can have the rapier and I'll teach you everything I remember from when I served at the court." Gabriel paused momentarily to watch the hopeful and excited look on his son's face. "But, Adrien, promise me you will never touch the rapier again without me giving it to you."

"Okay, I promise papa. I am sorry." Adrien softly said. He recognised the worried look on his father's face, making him feel guilty.

"Merci, Adrien." Gabriel softly said and put the rapier down before pulling his boy in a tight hug. "I love you very much, Adrien. I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you." The man softly whispered as he carded his fingers through the wild hair of his son. Adrien practically melted in his father's arms, knowing his papa's arms were the place where he would always be safe. His papa was a musketeer after all!

"I love you too, papa." Adrien softly said before he let go.

"Don't think you will get out of this without punishment." Gabriel seriously said before he went to put the rapier back in the back of the closet.

"Oh-okay…" Adrien was still a little disappointed to hear that. Gabriel gently gave his boy's shoulder a squeeze after he straightened.

"Go grab your coat. I have a whole list of things you need me to fetch from the market." Gabriel told his son and walked downstairs. There he waited for Adrien until he was ready before giving him a basket, the list on the slate tablet and a small pouch. "Be careful. Don't get into trouble and come home directly after you have everything."

"Oui, papa." Adrien said and safely tucked away the pouch before taking the basket and walking off to the market. Gabriel then sat back to continue his work. Adrien made his way to the market, taking the usual route his papa and he walked. He had nearly reached the market when he encountered a large mass of people, and he could hear metal clashing as well as two voices that we shouting. The boy could not resist going to investigate. Maybe he could witness a Musketeers fight! Adrien quietly made his way to the front of the crowd as he wanted to see too what everyone else was watching. Two red guards stood in the middle of the circle that had formed, together with a stranger. The stanger also had his rapier drawn, trying to defend himself from the Red Guards.

"Witchery is punished by death!" One of the two Red Guards called out.

"It is no witchery I practise or sell." The stranger replied. When the stranger's hat fell off, Adrien noticed he was balding, further the man seemed not too old. His hair was still dark. The man's skin colour was of a shade he had never seen before. It was near Spanish or Italian, but it was neither. The boy watched with open mouth as the stranger with striking red boots fended off another attack. "Just some tinkets and jewlery."

"You can explain that to the lord." The other Red Guard barked. A moment later, the man with the fancy red leather boots got worked to the ground in front of Adrien's nose. Adrien gaped and stepped back. He certainly did not want to get in the way. Once the Guards had disarmed the poor trader, they pulled him to his feet and proceeded to drag him off.

"You let something fall!" Adrien called out as he found a ring in between the cobbles where the man had been worked to the thr ground only moments ago. He picked up the ring and went to hurry after the trio, and he could swear the trader winked before they disappeared out of sight. Adrien stopped in his tracks and watched as the people went back to whatever they were doing before they watched the commotion. Only when most of the people had cleared away was Adrien able to find the way back to the market. He tucked the ring in his pocket as he went to buy everything his papa needed. By the time he came home with a full basket, he had already forgotten about the ring.

"Did you find everything on the list?" Gabriel asked when he walked to the shop he heard the little bell jingle and found his son coming in.

"I did." Adrien promised and handed his papa the basket and went to give him the pouch with the change.

"Very well." Gabriel nodded and took the basket and pouch. "Time to go scrub the floor. By the time you will have finished, it will be most likely dinner time."

"Oui, papa…" Adrien sighed, knowing this was part of his punishment. He went to fill a bucket with water and took a small piece of soap. Getting on his knees in the front of the shop, he wet the brush and scrubbed it over the soap several times before he set out to scrub the floor. As the bell above the door chimed again, Adien looked up to find Marinette.

"You have time to come outside?" She asked, she did not mind waiting until Adrien had finished.

"I need to scrub the floor…" Adrien shook his head.

"I don't mind waiting."

"There is no need for you to wait, Marinette." Gabriel said as he walked into the shop. "Adrien is currently serving his punishment. Tomorrow you may return and play together when the chores have been completed."

"Oh…" Marinette softly said. "Then I'll come back tomorrow."

"Je suis désolé." Adrien nodded.

"See you tomorrow then." Marinette said before she left again, obviously a little disappointed. She would ask tomorrow what had happened that earned him a punishment.

~~

Louis Félix watched as a diplomat kneeled before him with a little box in his hands. The Asian man kept his eyes cast down as he awaited the opinion of the young king. Louis took his time to study the beautiful cravat brooch. It was made of gold, inlaid with the finest of Emeralds and Sapphires. "These peacock feathers are modelled after the most beautiful peacock that roams in the gardens of Emperor Tirumala Nayak." The Indian diplomat eventually explained.

"And you did not bring that peacock along?" The king snorted, but he took the precious jewel out of its red velvet box. It was truly a wonderfully crafted piece of jewellery, with intricated small details, shimmering in even the tiniest amount of light.

"I fear his Royal Emperor is too attached. I brought some peahens instead." The diplomat rose to his feet and waved one of his servants forward that brought along a chirping box. Five not-so-little chicks were in the box, curiously looking up when the lid got lifted. Louis Félix looked at the peahens for a moment before he waved the servant away.

"Let someone take these animals to where they belong." The king once more dismissively waved his hand. He put the jewel back into the box, setting it on the little table next to him.

"If His Majesty will excuse me, I shall go freshen up myself before I shall be joining you for dinner." The diplomat bowed again. With a wave of his hand, Louis Félix sends the man away, not caring any less about the stranger. Only moments after the diplomat had disappeared, Advisor Bourgeous walked in, with his daughter in tow.

"What a wonderful brooche!" Chloé crooned as soon as she laid eyes upon the gift from the diplomat.

"It is not yours." Louis Félix replied with a shrug. The young boy got to his feet and made his way to the banquet hall, followed by the whole entourage that had been present with him in the previous room as well.

Chapter 5

Paris year 1651, Spring

 ~

"What do you think, papa?" Adrien asked as he walked over to his father with the shirt he had been trying to put together. He had just sewn the first sleeve to the back and front.

"Not too bad, even though the stitches look a little irregular." Gabriel mused as he carefully inspected his son's work.

"I think they look regular." Adrien said, making his father look up to him. "Do you need me to clean your glasses?" After a moment, his boy's face broke out in a wide grin.

"Adrien." Gabriel grumbled before he handed back the partially sewn shirt. "For undergarments, this is fine, certainly not for for any kind of high end customer or possible visible stitch."

"Oui, papa. I'll keep practising." Adrien replied before he settled back on the stool near the window to put in the second sleeve. Adrien had nearly finished putting in the second sleeve when the sound of commotion on the street drew both occupants out to see what was going on.

"Adrien Agreste, you are under arrest because of high treason against his Majesty the King!" The Red Guard called out as soon as the occupants of the Tailor shop came out. The Red  Guards dismounted their horses and one of them drew his rapier.

"My son did not do anything…" Gabriel told the Guards, hiding his son behind his back. He felt Adrien grab his waistcoat, tugging on the fabric.

"Get out of the way, old man." One of the Red Guards sneered. Gabriel did not move. Yes, his hair was starting to turn grey and he had a thin wire frame with round glasses up on his nose he needed for reading, but that did not make him old. He doubted any of the Guards could read at all. He had no rapier to fight these men, it was not likely he could fight four at once if he had one. It had been nearly fifteen years since he had last touched the rapier he kept in the closet.

"My son is innocent!" Gabriel insisted, but his plea was on deaf ears. "Adrien, run," Gabriel said as the largest of the Red Guards advanced upon them. Adrien let go of his father's coat and turned to run, trying to seek a way out. The burly man managed to shove Gabriel aside, delivering an easy kick to his legs. Gabriel attempted to deliver a fist to the man's face but missed by near millimetres.

"Papa!" Adrien cried, turning around and rushing back to his father's side, picking up his glasses to hand them back and help him sit up.

"I love you, Adrien…" Gabriel softly said as the other Guards towered over them. "Be strong, my boy!" Adrien tried fighting off the guards as they tried to grab him, hitting and kicking the men as hard as he could, but it was of no use. Gabriel quickly scrambled to his feet to give his son one last hug. Before he could manage to get a proper hold of his son, Adrien was cruelly ripped from his arms.

"Say night night to your little boy." A guard sneered, raising his arm with his rapier.

"Papa!" Gabriel heard Adrien cry before something solid knocked into the back of his head. A split second later everything turned dark and the man crumpled onto the cobbles in front of his shop.

 ~

Gabriel was unsure of many things when he was near awakening. The only thing he was sure of, was that his head felt like it had been hit with a cannonball. Distant voices were speaking and one might even be calling his name, but he could not bring himself to respond. He felt so heavy… He felt like someone had put a millstone upon him and had thrown him into the shallow part of the Seine… There were hands, touching him, pushing him… Tapping his cheek. He wished he could push away the annoying hands so he could continue sleeping. It was far too early for Adrien to be up… Gabriel's right hand twitched, but that was all he could manage. The hands kept pestering him, poking him. They seemed to multiply… The hands made him fly, letting him float to somewhere warm… Some of the annoying hands disappeared, but the voices stayed. He could not make out what they were saying, it was all too far away… All too soon the hands returned, tugging at his hair, hurting his poor head even more. He wished he could curl up into a ball, wishing to be just left alone, but found he could not resist as the hands made his head turn. Something soft touched his face… very gently rubbing it against his skin. This barely served as a distraction from the pain radiating and pulsating with every heartbeat. The stampede of oxen in his head made his stomach churn. When had been the last time he had eaten? What had he eaten? Maybe Adrien was awakening him for breakfast… Gabriel wished to call out for his son, but before he could muster the willpower and strength, darkness dragged him under once more.

 ~

"Maman, can I please go to Adrien and monsieur Gabriel?" Marinette practically begged her mother who was busy kneading a big lump of bread dough.

"Marinette, how many times have I told you…" Sabine started to scold her.

"I am too big to play and need to help in the bakery…" Marinette sighed and went to draw a figurine with her finger in the flour that was all over the table.

"I think it will be okay if you go to Adrien as soon as you finish your rounds." Thom kindly said as he put two full baskets on the table in front of his daughter. Marinette pouted for a moment before she took the two baskets with still steaming bread. She then ran off, to see how quickly she could deliver all the bread. She knew the route by heart since she had done it so often. She did not care that the spring rain was freezing. She could put on something dry as soon as she finished. It was late in the morning when Marinette finally returned with her baskets empty. She threw them in the corner of the kitchen before she dashed up the two sets of stairs and redressed herself.

"I am going to Adrien now!" She told her parents before she fled the bakery, only to skid to a halt when she noticed there was someone on the ground in front of Gabriel's tailor shop. Marinette stepped closer and quickly found out it was the owner of the tailor shop. "Monsieur Gabriel?" She cautiously asked as she kneeled in the mud that had formed because of the rain. Holding a finger beneath Gabriel's nose, she found to her relief that the man was still breathing. "This is not funny, monsieur Gabriel." Marinette insisted as she tried shaking the man's shoulder, but still received no response. This was not going to work… Marinette mused before she arose and went to try the shop door. Finding it open, she walked inside. "Adrien?" Marinette called as she walked into the back. She called once more as she made it up the stairs, but Adrien was nowhere to be found… That was when a little panic started to set in. Something must have happened, she realised and quickly made it back to the bakery.

"Marinette?" Sabine asked surprised when her daughter burst through the door, the panic clear on her face.

"Monsieur Gabriel… He was in front of the shop... I could not awaken him... I think he is hurt…" Marinette tried to explain, panting heavily. "Adrien was not there either…" Marinette shook her head and took her father's arm in an attempt to drag the man over to the tailor shop.

"Hold your horses, Marinette," Thom said, grabbing his daughter's shoulder. "Now explain again."

"We have to go help monsieur Gabriel." Marinette urged. "He is hurt!" Now that Thom was able to properly catch the rushed words, he quickly followed his daughter to the tailor shop. Gabriel had yet to move.

"Gabriel?" Thom loudly called as he kneeled next to the man and gently turned him over on his back.

"He was breathing when I found him. Adrien was not inside. I do not know where he is." Marinette shook her head lightly.

"Gabriel? Can you hear me, mon ami?" Thom called as he gently patted Gabriel's cheek, but that yielded no reaction. Thom shook his head and tried squeezing Gabriel's hand, in the hope the man would squeeze back. "This is not going to work." Thom stood and watched the unconscious man for a moment. He was soaked in the rain that was still falling. "Marinette, run to your mother and tell her to get a physician. Then come back and help me get Gabriel inside, then we at least can warm him and clean him up."

"Oui, Pere." Thom watched for a moment as Marinette ran off. After that, he went to the back of the tailor shop to clear the large table so they at least could put Gabriel down upon it. Only after a few minutes, Marinette had returned. "Maman is going to find and bring a physician."

"Do you think you can help me get Gabriel inside by carrying his feet?" Thom asked, looking at his girl.

"I can." Marinette agreed and carefully helped her father carry the seemingly still unconscious man inside. Together, they placed Gabriel on the large table. "Pere, I think monsieur Gabriel might be bleeding…" Marinette frowned at the odd stain on her father's apron, which had not been there moments ago.

"Go find some towels and rags," Thom instructed his daughter as he carefully turned Gabriel's head to the side so he could inspect the back of the man's head to see if he could find any injuries. Sure enough, when he had cleaned up some mud, he also found a small wound on the man's scalp, besides the rather hard-to-miss giant egg.

"What is it?" Marinette inquired as she came down the stairs with a large towel and some smaller rags in her arms. She could not remember ever seeing her father frown.

"Gabriel has quite a big bump on his head," Thom explained. "Let's get him cleaned up for now and wait until your mother returns with the physician."

"Shall I go get a clean shirt and a pair of breeches?" Marinette offered as she put the pile down on the table. Thom nodded.

"Oui, merci." He then took a rag and started cleaning the man's face. By the time Sabine finally joined them, Thom had already cleaned up Gabriel and dressed him in dry clothes.

"The physician was too busy to come." She explained when two faces looked at her.

"As far as we have found out, Gabriel has a head injury. Someone will need to stay with him because of that."

"Were there other pressing injuries? Otherwise, I shall return to the bakery."

"Non, just some bruises, that's all," Thom assured. "Marinette, do you want to stay here for monsieur Gabriel? Then you can also keep an eye out for when Adrien returns." The large baker looked at his daughter.

"I don't mind keeping monsieur Gabriel company. But, should we not put him to bed?" Marinette cocked her head slightly to the right as she watched the man who was still on the table. Thom gave a small chuckle and helped his daughter to carry the unconscious tailor upstairs to bed.

"Your mother or I will come to bring some dinner over tonight." He promised before he returned to the bakery with Sabine.

Marinette gently smoothed out the blankets as she watched Gabriel. She hoped the man would awaken soon. She wanted to know what happened… But until then, she took the embroidery ring with the cloth she had started upon the last time she was here so she could keep herself busy while waiting. She had nearly finished her artwork when she heard the little bell of the shop jingle, signalling someone had entered.

"Marinette?" Thom's voice sounded, and Marinette in response put the ring down and hurried downstairs to receive her father. "There you are, as promised, some dinner." Thom softly smiled as he handed over a basket that contained a large bowl of stew and a full bread, still slightly warm.

"Merci." Marinette gave her father a little smile and stood on her tiptoes so she could kiss her father's cheek.

"How's Gabriel?" The large baker asked as he walked upstairs.

"Still asleep. I'll save him some stew and bread for when he awakens." Marinette got herself some dinner and watched her father as he inspected Gabriel once more.

"He'll be sore when he awakens. Keep the chamber pot close as well."

"I hope he will awaken soon."

"Will you be okay sleeping here? Is there anything I should bring here?"

"I'll be okay." Marinette promised and quickly rinsed out the bowl when she had finished eating. "If I need to stay here longer then just tonight, I'll tell you tomorrow if I need anything else besides my night gown."

"Good night then, Marinette." Thom offered his daughter a bear hug before he went home, leaving Marinette to make a small cot for herself with the several blankets she found in the closet. It would need to do at least for tonight. It was in the middle of the night when Marinette awoke. For a moment she wondered what awoke her before the horrible retching sound came again, and she knew that was what awoke her. She softly cursed under her breath when she realised it must have been Gabriel. Marinette quickly got up and went to find a matchbox and a candle. After bumping her foot against the table in the dark, twice, and knocking something from the table, she managed to light the candle so she could see.

"Monsieur Gabriel?" Marinette walked over to the bed with the candle in her hand, lighting the second candle that was present on the floor beside the bed. "Monsieur Gabriel?" She softly asked again, carefully studying the man in the soft golden glow. A soft groan came as a response, the most action she had gotten from the man all day. "I am going to carefully switch your pillow, since you managed to get this one all dirty." Marinette softly said, and as careful as she could, she lifted Gabriel's head slightly. Then, she could pull the dirty pillow away and replace it with the clean one that was still on the bed. "There you go. Do you need anything?" Marinette softly asked as she lowered Gabriel's head back on the pillow.

"Adrien?" Gabriel weakly asked, cracking his eyes open so he could look at the girl that was present at his bedside.

"He was not here when I found you this morning." Marinette lightly shook her head and smoothed out the blankets. "I had hoped you could tell me what happened." Gabriel thickly swallowed and closed his eyes once more. The frown that married his brow made him look miserable.

"I-…" Gabriel started, but the man either did not remember or found he could not bring it into words.

"Don't worry about it now. Go sleep. I am sure you will feel a little better in the morning." Marinette gently said. A sigh escaped the man's lips and Marinette sat there watching the man for a while before she put out the candles and went to sleep herself.

It was Sabine the next morning that came to see how her daughter and Gabriel were doing. She found Marinette quietly eating some breakfast. "Good morning, how are you? How's Gabriel?" She softly asked. Sabine put a bag with some clothes down on an empty chair on the table.

"He woke up in the middle of the night to puke. I am not sure if he remembers what happened."

"If he feels up to move, you can take him to the bakery, I believe that will be best for now."

"I will. Merci for bringing my clothes."

"Will you be okay for now? Do you have enough food?"

"I have more then enough food to last me for several days." Marinette gave a soft smile.

"Your Pére or I will come check upon you tonight." Sabine said before she left her daughter alone once more. Marinette cleaned up before she settled in front of the window where she could watch Gabriel slumber and have enough light to continue with her embroidery. It was late in the afternoon when Gabriel awoke again. Marinette gently propped him up before offering him some sips of water.

"How are you feeling?" Marinette softly asked.

"Like I have been hit by a cannonball." Gabriel closed his eyes again and sank back into the pillows.

"Only your head?"

"Oui."

"I have some porridge if you feel like eating." Marinette then offered as she went to put the cup away.

"I have no appetite." Gabriel softly sighed. "Where's Adrien?"

"I do not know where he is, I had hoped you could tell me."

"I-…" Gabriel started but found he did not know. He went to shake his head but winced when it only aggravated the stampede going on in his head.

"What is the last thing you remember, Monsieur Gabriel?" Marinette gently asked.

"I- I was helping Adrien with his stitches as he was making a shirt…"

"Don't you remember going outside?"

"Why would I need to do outside?"

"I found you in front of the shop, covered in dirt and wet from the freezing rain." Marinette explained. "Adrien was nowhere to be found."

"I can't remember. I have to go find Adrien." Gabriel went to push himself up, but Marinette gently pushed him back.

"You can as soon as you can move your head without nearly blacking out." Gabriel sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "You can't be of any help to Adrien if you can't even walk straight."

"Laying in bed won't help either."

"Maman will have your head if you do anything but walk with me to the bakery." That made Gabriel look at her. "If you don't want anything to eat, you better go rest." Gabriel softly sighed and closed his eyes once more. There was nothing else he could do. Gabriel stayed in bed for several more days until he could sit up and move around without feeling like his head exploded. His memory of the incident however did not return

Chapter 6

Once Gabriel was out cold, one of the Red Guards held his hand over Adrien's mouth to muffle the boy's screams while a second went to bind his hands on his back with a crude piece of rope. A small crowd had gathered to watch the commotion and saw that two Red Guards practically half carried, half dragged the boy along when he refused to walk. The Guards brought him to a courtyard where a small horse-drawn cart was waiting. It was clear from the amount of iron used it was not a ride for pleasure.

"This here is a very dangerous criminal. He shall not adressed by his name." The elderly man dressed in a fancy robe and a few too many rings around his fingers told the two soldiers that belonged to the cart. "The letter contains instructions for the Prison Master on how to futher handle the prisoner." The man who eventually turned out to be the cardinal, handed over the letter to one of the two soldiers. The other got out a big key, opening the iron cage on the cart. Adrien's eyes grew wide. Dangerous criminal? He never did anything seriously wrong! He struggled against the Guards as they started pushing him towards the cart. Would this be the last time he would be in the fresh air? In a desperate attempt, he bit the Guards' hand that was still covering his mouth.

"Argh! You little son of a bitch!" The Guard called out, letting go of Adrien in shock. Adrien made another well-aimed attempt at kicking the other Guard's shins, but no matter what he tried, there was no way he could get out of the courtyard. It was but a moment before the two soldiers had him worked to the ground, and not a minute later, he found himself on the floor in the metal cage on the cart.

"Merci, my good men. May god be with you." Adrien heard the Cardinal say. Not a moment later, the cart started moving… Adrien had no idea how long he had been in the back of the cart, he might even have dozed off at some point no matter how bumpy the ride. It however was dark when the door of the cart opened and a soldier dragged him out.

"Walk and keep your mouth shut." The soldier sneered before giving him a rather hard push. A single torch lit up the entrance that was barricaded with a heavy metal gate. Adrien shivered as they walked through the gate into a dark corridor. They passed a third torch before one of the two soldiers opened a wooden door and pushed him into the room. This must be the study of the Prison Master… Adrien realised when he looked around and the soldier handed the letter over. There was a big fireplace, lighting up the study. A heavy wooden desk in the middle, with a lavish chair that was occupied by a large man, with an even bigger moustache. Along the far wall, there were several cabinets with drawers.

"Ah, oui. The special prisoner…" The large man mused as he read the letter. "All the precautions have been made." The man got to his feet and opened the lowest most right drawer. Adrien could not directly see what it was, but he was horrified when he realised what it was.

"Non, S'il vous plaît. Anything but that!" Adrien pleaded horrified. He tried backing out, but his back and hands soon banged against a solid stone wall.

"Your pleads come too late. You should have thought about that before you commited your crimes." The Prison Master sneered.

"But I didn't do anything. I do not know of what you speak!" Adrien insisted before he received a wack on his head from the soldier.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut." The man growled before taking his arm tightly and dragging him towards the Prison Master. The man was not moved a single bit by the fearful teary look in those big green eyes. The boy looked at him before he locked the iron mask over the boy's face.

"Welcome to your new forever life." The Prison Master laughed. "Go get him dressed properly and bring him to the last cell."

"Oui, monsieur." The soldier that whacked him replied and dragged him off to the next room. There, the soldier untied his hands. "If you try anything now, I'll personally will make sure this hellhole can get even worse." He growled. Adrien gave a small nod, wincing at the heaviness of his iron prison. As if this hellhole without an Iron mask was not bad enough already. Adrien quietly rubbed his sore wrists and tried watching the soldier as he got something from the cabinets. "Strip. I won't be friendly if I need to help you."

"Oui…" Adrien meekly said as he went to undress, dressing in the oversized rags the soldier handed him.

"Walk." He ordered when he had put Adrien's fine clothes away. Adrien did what was asked, even though he tried walking as slowly as possible. He watched as they passed rows and rows of cells. Dirty men, disshelved and underfed called out to them. Begging for food or attention. Some cells were holding up to a dozen prisoners, living on dirty straw and their own filth. The poorly lit corridors kept going on and on until they ended up at a dead end. The soldier tightly held onto his right arm as he unlocked the very last door. This was not just some iron bars to separate the cells. It was a solid wooden door with a little latch, just big enough to send a cup or a bowl through.

"I don't want to." Adrien whimpered, digging his heels into the floor.

"You don't have anything to want. In you go. Enjoy your private suite." The soldier growled and gave Adrien a hard shove, sending him stumbling into the cell. He tumbled to the floor, and before he could get back to his feet, the door slammed shut with a bang. The boy in the Iron Mask screamed and shouted, banging the door until his hands were bruised and his feet were sore from kicking it. Soon enough his voice was too hoarse to sound and Adrien only could weep silent tears. Twice a day, the small latch opened and a bowl with bread or porridge with a small spoon got sent in, along with a cup of water. Once a week, a friar would visit him, Adrien assumed every Sunday. He was allowed to confess and pray with the man, the only real contact he had with a person.

Soon enough, Adrien grew tired of shouting against the emptiness. No tears left to shed about his faith. He lost the energy to fight the wooden door with his hands, or the fight in the hope he could smash the lock of the mask by banging his head against the wall. Playing with the strands of straw at some point became the only bit of distraction he could find. Days blurred into weeks and weeks into months. The only break into that routine was when a soldier came in at some point. Adrien first had not noticed, but the minuscule bit of hope that was still present, suddenly surged in his chest. It made his heart beat fast and filled his veins with sudden energy. Was he finally relieved from this hellhole? Was he finally allowed to return to his papa?

"Don't get your hopes up too much." The gruff soldier commented as he locked himself into the cell with the boy. "Get over here." He grumbled and watched as Adrien came over. The Soldier bound his wrists with a rope before he got out a small key. Adrien drew a shaky breath as the mask got unlocked and fresh air rushed over his cheeks. Without further notice, the soldier grabbed the back of his neck and roughly guided him to dunk his face if the bucket of cold water he brought. Adrien gasped in surprise, swallowing a great deal of water in the process. Not that he would complain. With a small shoe brush, the soldier cleaned up his face and brushed his hair back. Red marks were present on the side of his cheeks and chin where the mask was starting to get too tight.

"Can it… Can it s'il vous plaît stay off?" Adrien softly requested.

"I've got you a bigger one." The soldier replied with a half-crooked smile.

"Non, I'll do anything." Adrien begged.

"There is nothing you can do." The soldier grunted and dried the boy's face with a rag and slightly ruffled the pale blonde hair. Then, he replaced the dreaded Iron Mask. He opened the door and put the bucket outside before he untied Adrien's hands, taking the rope with him before he locked the door once more. This became part of the routine. Approximately twice every year, the mask would be removed, only for a couple of minutes to allow a wash and a switch if that would be necessary.

When winter came and the damp walls started to freeze, Adrien wondered how his beloved papa was doing. If he was still making nice clothes for the customers and if Marinette would visit him to show him her embroidery. The straw offered him very little comfort against the cold and wished he could crawl into bed, into his papa's arms to snuggle when it was too early to get up just yet. He wondered if he ever would smell the lovely smell of Thom's freshly baked bread again, feel the soft texture in his mouth. People say that we are to enjoy the small moments to live a happy life. Two of those Adrien had when the friar came in and the man saw him shiver, his teeth chattering. His kindness allowed to have a pile of fresh straw to be brought into the cell. Later that same day, with his dinner, a large woollen blanket was pushed through the small latch. The blanket was old and smelly, but it offered great relief from the permanent chill.

Months melted into seasons and seasons into years. The boy in the Iron Mask grew into the Man in the Iron Mask. Adrien grew taller, even with the lack of exercise and minimum of food. Befriending a little spider offered a small amount of relief from the solitude. The last thing he had ever expected was when the frier offered him to escape the hellhole.

Chapter 7

Gabriel tried sleeping but found he could not. No matter he had not slept in nearly a week did not help either. With a single candle as company, he set out to finish the last order he had left, not knowing what else to do since trying to sleep was a waste of time. No matter that it was already dark, he could still look for his son. Soon enough, he found himself wandering into a busy tavern, there were enough people around he could ask. "Has no one seen my son? Pale blonde hair and green eyes. Adrien, Adrien Agreste…" Gabriel asked no matter that the drunkards had no ear for his question.

"Mon Amour, sit and have something to drink." The lady behind the bar called, patting the wood where an empty seat was still. "First round is on me." Gabriel sighed as he sat down.

"No chance you have seen my son?" He asked the lady as she put a mug with wine in front of him.

"I am afraid not." She sympathetically said before she went to the other patrons. Gabriel shook his head and went to sip his wine. He'd managed to stay dry for over a decade, none of his old comrades would believe him if he told them. He was certain about that. Gabriel sat back and observed the room while he sipped the wine as he had done so often.  Soon enough, the wine started to melt away at his worries and that gnawing feeling at the bottom of his stomach. For the first time ever since Adrien was taken away, he felt like he could breathe. One mug turned into two, and Gabriel stopped counting after the third. When Gabriel awoke in the morning, he felt a lot better no matter if he was quite hung over. He had no clue how he had gotten home or in bed last night, it was however clear that he had not bothered undressing. After eating something, he went to work, once more in the evening returning to look for his boy.

 ~

"I am going to see how Monsieur Gabriel is doing, is that okay?" Marinette asked as she put the empty baskets down when she had finished delivering the bread.

"Take some pasteries along." Thom nodded.

"We have not heard from him for a couple of days, have we?" Sabine asked as she wrapped a large piece of brioche in a cloth before handing it over to her daughter.

"Non, that is why I wanted to check on him." Marinette kissed her mother's cheek before she walked over to the Tailor shop. The door of the shop was open, but the shop as well as the backroom were empty. "Monsieur Gabriel?" Marinette called as she walked up the stairs. She found the man in question sitting at the table. It was however so that the man was loudly snoring, and an empty bottle of wine lay on the table. Marinette gently awoke Gabriel and helped him walk to bed so he could sleep off the alcohol. Even though this was the first time she had found him like this, it certainly would not be the last time.

~

"Maman, can you please try to talk some sense in Monsieur Gabriel. He is drunk again and does not want to listen." Marinette softly pleaded. It was nearly dinner time, so it was absolutely not the hour for decent people to be drunk.

"Give me one moment." Sabine said and quickly cleaned herself up before she made her way to the Tailor Shop.

"Monsieur Gabriel, I have returned." Marinette said as she came upstairs, followed by her mom.

"I think you had enough, Gabriel." Sabine gently took the bottle of wine from his fingers, it was half empty. "You are not helping anyone with this."

"If it helps me sleep, it helps someone." Gabriel replied. His grey-blue eyes were unfocused.

"You reek of wine, Gabriel." Sabine was shocked to say at least. This man had always been composed, strict and straightforward, but a drunkard she would not have guessed. "How many times is it that my sweet daughter found you like this and tended to your needs?" Gabriel did not reply. He did not know the answer. Sabine made sure the man had eaten something before helping him to bed. The two bottles of wine she found in the cabinets, she took home for safekeeping. They would all need to put in some more effort to help Gabriel not to slip down into the hole he was digging himself.

 ~

 Gabriel had a hard time, dealing with the loss of his son, dealing with the loneliness and the call of his old friend; wine. Between splitting his time sleeping off the alcohol and wandering the streets in search of his son, the orders of the tailor shop came to the last place. Marinette often was a great help in keeping up with the orders and he gladly paid her most of everything he earned. It took the man nearly a year before he had covered every street in Paris on foot, looking for his son. Eventually, he found someone who had witnessed the fatal day and was able to tell him it was Red Guards that took his son away as well as vaguely mentioning something about treason.

~

~

Paris, autumn 1652.

 ~

"I will be taking back my old position as a musketeer." Gabriel quietly said as he looked at Sabine, Thom and Marinette who he had invited over to share dinner.

"Are you sure that is the right thing to do? Is it not a little too radical?" Sabine asked concerned.

"It might be my only shot to find out where Adrien is, and certainly the only one if I ever might get a chance to see him again," Gabriel said with a nod. "I have nothing else to live for." All of them knew the man was struggling, no matter the effort they all had put in to keep him and the tailor shop going. Gabriel pulled a small brass key from his coat pocket. "This is the spare key from the shop and the house. All I ask is for you to keep an eye on it. Marinette, feel free to come in here and use everything to your liking as you always seemed to enjoy making new gowns and even help me out occasionally."

"You want me to…" Marinette asked as she looked with big eyes at the key the man offered her.

"Take it." Gabriel gently urged her. Marinette looked at her parents and only when she received a small encouraging nod from Thom, did she finally take the key. "I have no other way of possibly thank you for all the help over all these years…"

"Merci Monsieur." Marinette softly said. "I'll promise to take good care of the shop."

"Merci." Gabriel nodded in return. "If you ever need to reach me, you can write to D'Argencourt at the Garrison."

"When will you be going?" Sabine asked.

"I am expected in the Garrison Monday morning."

"That quickly, Gabriel? How long have you known?"

"My first letter about my re-entrance as musketeer dates back to March this year."

"And you did not bother to tell?"

 "What was there to tell? The only reason I am able to go back there is because of an old friend that still serves the musketeers. I however expected that my attempt would not be successful."

"Will you promise me to be careful? You can't continue searching when you are hurt."

"I cannot promise you that." Gabriel shook his head.

"Will you write to us if you are near or have found Adrien?" Marinette softly requested.

"I will write if I have found Adrien." Gabriel gave a small nod. "I can do that." Gabriel then got up from the table and fetched a bottle of wine. "Would you feel like sharing a good glass of wine?" Thom nodded and pushed his empty mug over the table. Gabriel made sure he had everyone provided before he sat down. Eventually, it turned into quite a good evening, wherein the adults had a good laugh at past events, remembering the good times.

Gabriel awoke near noon the next day with quite the headache he had not had since his early Musketeer days. After a wash and a good scrub of himself, he went to pack a satchel of things he wanted to bring with him to the Musketeer's quarters. There was not much he needed to bring except some clothes. Just to be sure, he added a small sewing kit in there, knowing that clothes did not have a priority, but fixing up a large gash in flesh would. Having his things packed, he went to seek out the rest he needed. Gabriel softly sighed as he dug through the closet and finally pulled out his old Musketeers uniform. It did need a wash, but it seemed no moths had touched it. Slowly, he ran his hands over the embroiled front, stopping for a moment as he encountered a small patch of a musket ball that had been fixed up. Emilie had done that for him… Pulling out his boots, he found the leather had cracked in age. He would need to get a new pair. A round of wax would be no help for the damage… Gabriel then set out to properly sharpen his rapier and clean up his hat. The remainder of the afternoon, he spend cleaning up all things and even used a piece of parchment to write down a detailed list of instructions for Marinette if she ever felt like running the tailor shop. Laying the parchment on the counter in the shop, He went to make himself some dinner from every scrap that he had left. The eerie silence only inforced Gabriel's feeling that he was doing the right thing. He could not stand the silence any longer. He went to bed early, not knowing what else there was left to do. As soon as Gabriel awoke the next morning, he went to get ready to leave.

"Monsieur Gabriel?" Marinette softly asked as she came up the stairs, watching as the man strapped the belt with his rapier around his middle.

"You are up early." Gabriel remarked as he looked up.

"Daughter of a baker, I guess. My parents are always up early." Marinette offered a little smile

"Have you come to say goodbye, Marinette?"

"Oui." Marinette nodded and walked forward. "Pére gave me some food that you can bring with you."

"Merci, that is very kind." Gabriel hummed and pulled on his cloak, the weapon of the Musketeers prominent on his chest.

"The uniform suits you." Marinette observed. She could only imagine how the man would have looked when he was her age and had just joined the ranks of the musketeers. Gabriel stroked his grey hair back before placing his hat on his head.

"It does not fit like it once had." Gabriel mused. "It will have to do for today."

"You look fine." Marinette said and walked forward, slowly walking around Gabriel so she could inspect the uniform at every angle. "I however believe the Musketeers uniforms are with blue instead of black."

"I am sure the King prefers blue over black unlike his father. That is why it only will need to do for today."

"Is there anything I can do for you before you leave?" Marinette offered.

"Non, bringing some fresh bread is more then I could have wished for." Gabriel replied as he took the buns that Marinette had put on the table. "I have left you a letter on the counter downstairs. If you ever wish to run the shop for yourself, everything is in the letter you need to know."

"You speak as if you plan to never return." Marinette softly said, gently grabbing the man's arm as he finished fastening his satchel.

"You are a good person and you have a soul that is too kind for most people." Gabriel gently said, placing his right hand over Marinette's hand that still held his left arm. "Do not ever change who you are."

"Monsieur Gabriel…" Marinette insisted.

"You must understand, Marinette, that being a musketeer is dangerous. I will gladly die in my attempt to rescue Adrien. D'Argencourt will notify you from my unfortunate faith if it would ever come that far. And in that case, you will be the rightful owner of the shop if Adrien is unable to return." Gabriel softly said and gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"You can't ever say that." Marinette shook her head and wrapped her arms around Gabriel's back to give the man a long tight hug. Gabriel sadly smiled and hugged the girl back for just a moment. At least three people cared for his well-being.

"Shall I walk you back to the bakery?" He then offered. "I was going to walk by anyway." Marinette let go and nodded. Gabriel made sure to lock his shop before he walked Marinette down to the bakery of her parents.

"S'il vous plaît, write to us, even if you have not found anything about Adrien just yet." Marinette softly said when they arrived at the bakery.

"I cannot promise anything, but if I find the time, I shall write." Gabriel softly sighed.

"Merci." Marinette nodded and quickly wiped her nose in the hope no one saw.

"You will do fine, and if there is antything, you can write to D'Argencourt and he will let me know." Gabriel softly told her and waved at Thom and Sabine when he noticed them in the bakery, behind the counter. "I must go now. I am certain we will mee again, Marinette." Gabriel gently gave her shoulder a squeeze before he walked on, continuing his way to the Garrison.

~

Gabriel knew, the moment he stepped through the gate and into the Musketeer's courtyard that he felt like coming home. Besides that, he had at least two dozen pairs of eyes upon him when he did so.

"That must be a musketeer if the old guard!" One of the cadets whispered a little too loudly. After a second the musketeer teaching the cadets recovered and called back their attention, running them once more through the routines of stances and poses.

"Mon Ami, Bonjour!" D'Argencourt loudly called, brightly smiling as he walked down the steps from his office.

"Mon Ami, merci for taking me back." Gabriel replied and walked up to him, vigorously shaking his hand. "I am impressed. Back in the day it was quite different."

"Don't remind me of that. I hope that in the years we have grown wiser and less reckless." D'Argencourt was still brightly smiling before he dropped the smile. "It is however so that you are here because of less favorable circumstances."

"One and a half year too late, I am afraid. I should have come here right after the Red Guards attack."

"Do not blame yourself. You know very well what that can do to a person." D'Argencourt placed his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. "Let's discuss this first in my study over a glass of wine." Gabriel nodded and followed the men.

"You left Treville's office nearly untouched." Gabriel remarked as he eased himself into one of the chairs.

"No need to change things when they are perfect." D'Argencourt walked over to the cabinet in the corner and pulled out two crystal goblets and a tumbler full of red wine.

"Then why change the uniforms?"

"Not my call, but it is however so, as you have seen, the old uniforms carry the air of legends." D'Argencourt eyes shone merrily.

"It appears so. And it seems like I was not the only one who made bedtime stories of our adventures."

"No bedtime stories, alas. But one or two stories about glorious fights do help keep the new recruits and cadets motivated." D'Argencourt lightly shook his head before he poured two glasses. He handed Gabriel one before he settled himself with his own glass. "I have written many people in your name, but none of them knew anything about your son. When I went to ask the Cardinal about any involvment of the Red Guards and himself, he only scoffed at me. There was no way he would give me a valid answer. Je suis désolé."

"You did all I could have asked for. Got any reply from our fellow friends?" Gabriel sighed and took a sip of the wine.

"Not yet. I have send out letters, but they have not reached them, or they have yet to write back."

"Do you have another plan?"

"You are not to act solidarily, Gabriel." D'Argencourt sternly said.

"All for one and one for all…"

"Precisely. Ever since you contacted me, I picked out two cadets that I am certain of that will make some fine musketeers someday. I have been teaching them myself in in several subject like tactics and politics. They will need a lot more training and that will probably take another year before they are ready." D'Argencourt held up his hand to silence Gabriel. "I know you want to find your son as fast as possible, but if we act rashly, it only make it worse. And it is a precaution if Porthos and Aramis are not williying to return."

"Porthos would most likely be in Paris still, but Aramis, he could be anywhere… If I can have a horse, I'll start looking for them tomorrow."

"We should give them some more time to answer the letter, Gabriel. Besides, you need a new uniform." Gabriel scoffed at that. "You don't have anything to wish about that mon ami. You wanted to return to the musketeers, then you'll need an updates version of your uniform."

"Then get me some fabric and I'll get my own uniform fixed."

"We have a few nice ladies who do this for us. No need to do it yourself. But, Gabriel, I do not believe you have been running and practising every day since your retirement. You also should work on your fitness and routines before you are ready to get back into battle. I know these are not the words you want to hear, but many things indeed have changed since I took over from Treville."

"You are the big boss now, gascon." Gabriel raised his eyebrows before finishing his wine.

"You should keep your mouth shut, old man." D'Argencourt snorted and finished his own wine. "Time is seldom kind to someone. Let me show you your sleeping quarters. You'll have to share with someone, alas, it is not me."

"At least I won't need to listen to your snoring." Gabriel said as he got to his feet.

"Then you have not heard yourself snoring after you had some wine." D'Argencourt patted Gabriel's shoulder with a chuckle and then lead him to the sleeping quarters. They went into a first-floor room, not far from the stairs. "You will be sharing your room with Nino Lahiffe. He is one of the two cadets I have been teaching."

"Very well." Gabriel nodded and put his satchel down on the empty bed.

"Breakfast at seven, lunch at one and dinner at seven."

"Too late for lunch then." Gabriel remarked.

"I am sure you can go to the kitchen and ask for some leftovers. For the rest, I'll leave you to settle in. For any questions, you are always welcome to walk in."

"Merci." Gabriel nodded and shook D'Argencourt's hand before he was left alone. Gabriel spend his afternoon checking out the Musketeer's quarters to see what had changed during his absence. Only the sleeping quarters had grown bigger like the stables, but that seemed all. Everything else was just like he remembered it. After dinner, of which he sat alone in a  corner, observing the others, Gabriel went to bed early. He knew he would have a hard time falling asleep. By the time his new roommate came to bed, he luckily was already fast asleep…

Chapter 8

FYI Gabriel is about 55 of age at this point. The other original musketeers are at least about 10 years younger. D'Agencourt at least 15.

 

"Aren't you a little too old to be a new recrute?" Gabriel softly groaned at the voice that awoke him.

"Not a new recrute." Gabriel muttered. His head was killing him and he was not in the mood to deal with nosy teenagers. The other voice snorted.

"Really, are you sure?" Now it was Gabriel's turn to snort. He then cracked open an eye. A lad was standing next to his cot, a nicely tanned skin and big dark eyes that were curiously watching him. "Then I challenge you to a duel. Noon, in the courtyard."

"You'll regret this, lad." Gabriel said as he slowly sat up.

"Sure, old man." The boy chuckled before he grabbed his rapier and left Gabriel alone. Gabriel then went to clean up, wash and then dressed in some regular clothes. After a quick breakfast, he went to get his measurements to the ladies that would fix him up some new uniforms. Then he went to get some new boots measured. It was nearly noon when he arrived back at the courtyard and found the tanned boy waiting for him. "Look who has decided to show." The lad smiled, stepping forward.

"Let me fetch my rapier, then we shall see." Gabriel nodded and quickly fetched his weapon. Yes, it looked a little silly to be fighting in his regular clothes. He also missed some degree of moving freely, but that would soon prove it was not a problem.

"Do you even know how to duel?" The lad asked as Gabriel walked up to him.

"Don't judge a book by it's cover. Nino, right?" Gabriel asked.

"Nino, indeed." The lad replied and shook Gabriel's hand. The both of them walked to the middle of the courtyard. "Ready?"

"Show me your best." Gabriel challenged. He started easy, blocking and parrying. It was soon that Gabriel found an opening in Nino's defence. With a quick movement, Gabriel was able to move close, working the boy to the ground with ease. He kicked the rapier out of reach so the boy could not attack him the moment he had his back turned. He held the blade of his rapier against the boy's neck."Was that your best? I have not even warmed up." Gabriel challenged and found himself smiling as he found many recruits and cadets had gathered to watch. He then tucked away the weapon before offering the boy a hand so he could pull himself from the ground. Nino pulled himself up with the offered help and quickly fetched his weapon and put it back in his shed.

"I, ehm, had not expected that." Nino awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

"I had expected as much. Never walk into battle when you do not know your enemy." Gabriel loudly said. "Let that be a lesson for you all. Learn as much as your opponent as you possibly can before challenging." He looked around at all the faces that had come to watch. "Is there anyone who would like to have a try? Anyone who thinks they can beat this old man here?"

"I!" A call came from a small group of musketeers that stood gathered together. Several of them stepped forward.

"Let's keep it a fair duel. You can all have a shot if you like." Gabriel invited. The musketeer that had spoken walked forward and got his rapier ready. It appeared to be the same musketeer that had been teaching the others when he had entered the courtyard yesterday. This one was not as easily defeated as Nino was, but it was only a matter of minutes before Gabriel had worked him against the ground. "Never underestimate you opponent. Looks can be deceiving." Gabriel continued to lecture. "Anyone else?" One of the other musketeers also had a go, but he was not even as successful as the previous one. All of the other musketeers who were thinking about challenging Gabriel by now started to back out of the idea of challenging him. "No one?" Gabriel asked, slowly turning around to look at all the faces.

"I think I had plenty of time studying my opponent." A voice sounded and the cadets quickly parted their way to let D'Argencourt pass through. A soft murmur started among the crowd.

"You know you cannot teach an old dog new tricks." Gabriel could not help but smile.

"Most of the tricks I know come from this old dog." D'Argencourt raised an eyebrow before he positioned himself a few feet away from Gabriel and got his rapier out. "Let's give these good lads an idea of how a proper duel looks like."

"As you wish." Gabriel gave a nod.

"En garde!" D'Argencourt called out and both males held the blade of their rapiers in front of their faces. "Prêts?" He followed and both of them whipped their weapons with the tip diagonally to the floor at their sides. "Allez!" Both of them got in the Attack position. Gabriel initiated the first attack, knowing his old friend would easily block it. Both of them started slow but soon started to build some speed, throwing more strength in their manoeuvres. Everyone watched in awe at the skill displayed before them. It was a good fifteen-minute battle where neither man seemed to have any advantage up to the point where Gabriel managed a good strike, cutting through some fabric and even managing to graze D'Argencourt's skin. The crowd gasped. No one had ever been able to come close to defeating the Captain of the Musketeers. Gabriel however knew it was but a shallow cut. It would bleed but that was all. He had no more time to ponder about it as his friend advanced upon him in counterattack. Gabriel blocked and did so with the streak of attacks that were launched at him. D'Argencourt could see on his friend's face that he was growing tired at some point. He smiled when he was finally able to break through Gabriel's defence. Within a blink, he hooked his foot around Gabriel's ankle and grasped his coat, delivering a hard shove. Gabriel knew the moment D'Argencourt broke through his defence that their duel was over. When the man delivered a good shove on his chest, he lost his balance, but D'Argencourt broke his fall when he held onto his coat. The moment his back hit the cobbles of the courtyard, everyone that was watching started to cheer.

"Well played." Gabriel praised in between his heavy breaths. He took the hand D'Argencourt offered. after helping his friend to his feet he put away his rapier.

"I haven't had this much fun in a very long time, mon ami." D'Argencourt patted Gabriel on his back. Gabriel tucked his rapier away safely as well.

"Well, this shows why you were the better pick in leading the musketeers."

"Without you teaching me I would have never." D'Argencourt chuckled. "As you see, my men, you have a lot to learn still."

"Wo is this man?" One of the musketeers asked, gesturing to Gabriel. He was seriously impressed by the spectacle of a duel he just had witnessed.

"I am sure you all aware of the adventures of Athos, Porthos, Aramis?" D'Argencourt asked with a little smile.

"Oui, Capitaine!" Echoed through the courtyard.

"May I introduce you to Gabriel 'Athos' Agreste."

"Serious?" Once again the mutters started up, most of them casting looks of disbelief.

"Very much so." D'Argencourt nodded. "Make use of the oppertunity to train with the old musketeer, and maybe, maybe one day you may come in the neignborhood of rivalling the skill of my friend here."

"But first, let me have a drink." Gabriel held up his hand to silence anyone who was thinking about speaking. Together with the Captain of the Musketeers, he sat down at one of the tables, and several recruits ran to provide them with food and drink.

"Capitaine, you should have that checked out." One of the musketeers pointed out, motioning to the gash in his shirt that now was stained with his blood.

"It is but a scrape. I have had worse." D'Argencourt waved his concerns away with ease.

"I do not care to count the amount of times either I or Aramis stiched up one of us… They have not seen battle, have they?" Gabriel inquired, watching as a shallow plate with grapes and cheese was put in front of his nose.

"We serve the king, which if there are musketeers on duty they serve within the walls of the palace grounds." Gabriel snorted at that.

"No wonder they drop their rapiers that easily. I also explained why they are impressed by some old stories and the bit of duel we showed them." Not to mention the Red Guards that swarmed the streets without control.

"The Cardinal with his Red Guards have way too much power."

"They always have been little pests." Gabriel shook his head before he took the mug that was offered to him and took a big swallow.

"Do you feel like helping out in here while we search?"

"That is the least I can do for the help you give me." Gabriel nodded. Both men shook hands and on request of one of the musketeers, the two of them settled to tell an adventure from their young days of musketeers.

"Do you remember the shoe crisis and hat flea infested dog?" D'Agencourt asked with a laugh…

~

The next day, Gabriel dressed in his old musketeer's outfit before he went downstairs to get some breakfast. He had intended to sit alone in the corner and eat his breakfast in peace, but that was not granted. When he sat down, it was only a matter of moments before the whole table was filled with musketeers, recruits and cadets alike. "Any chance you can tell another story?" One brave soul dared to ask.

"Non." Gabriel shortly said, who was not in the mood to speak at all. As soon as he finished his food, he got up and went outside, joining a group of cadets that were about to start their training. Gabriel did not need to be taught any of the positions but came along when they went to work on their fitness and strength. There was nothing worse than running laps on a muddied field, but there was little choice. By the time it was eleven, Gabriel was exhausted. He could barely remember the last time he had this amount of physical exercise.

"Go take a break." The musketeer leading the exercises came to tell him. Gabriel scoffed at the advice, but he had no breath left to reply. "I am serious. Go lie down for a bit. Lunch is not for another two hours and I believe you won't need the balance excercises we are going to go next." Gabriel glared at him but after another deep breath, he gave another small nod before he returned to the courtyard. There he sat down on one of the benches and went to clean up the mud from D'Argencourt's borrowed boots. Once they were clean, Gabriel went back to his bedroom with the intent to rest for a few minutes. It was however quite a surprise when he was awoken by someone shaking his shoulder.

"Are you coming for lunch?" The voice inquired. Gabriel slowly sat up and found Nino looking at him with a curious glance.

"I'll be down in a minute." He assured. Nino nodded and walked off. Good lord, he felt old. He napped for nearly two hours straight and he would have slept longer if it was not for Nino to awaken him. He pulled on his boots and washed his face to awaken himself before he went downstairs for some lunch.

"There you are." The same musketeer from this morning asked when Gabriel sat down with his plate of food.

"Oui." Gabriel shortly responded.

"I have permission of Captain D'Argencourt to ask if you want to discuss fighting tactiques with the musketeers. The captain himself will oversee the duelling of the recrutes and cadets so we have our hands free."

"All right." Gabriel replied, wondering what he could teach the musketeers that D'Argencourt had not taught them already. Once everyone had finished eating, The cadets and recruits gathered in the courtyard, ready to be instructed by the captain. Gabriel kept behind, guessing the dining room was the perfect place to sit and discuss. First, he asked them to see what they already knew and where there were questions. It appeared that the young musketeers had no knowledge of fighting more than one person at the time. Gabriel spent several hours explaining tactics and everything related to fending off multiple attackers at the same time. They would need to practise this as well, but that would be something for another day...

Chapter 9

It took a week before two uniforms were delivered to Gabriel's door. The man looked with distain at the blue colour, but he had no choice in it. He dressed in them, finding they fit pretty well. After breakfast, he made his way to the stables so he could saddle a horse. "The blue does not look bad on you." A voice sounded, and Gabriel found D'Argencourt watching him from the entrance. "What do you think you are doing?" The captain then continued. "There is no need for you to borrow a horse." 

"I have my uniform now. There are several places I want to check to see if I can find Porthos."  

"You are on duty to train the recruits. This will have to wait for another time." D'Argencourt told him, not looking very impressed.  

"I could not remember you were such a nag." Gabriel scoffed. "It seems you have more than enough time at your hands. Instead of complaining to me, you can teach the recruits." Gabriel continued saddling the horse.  

"Gabriel." D'Argencourt warned.  

"I need to find my son. I promised I won't do it alone, but therefor I need to find our old friends." Gabriel shook his head and made sure the horse was ready. He took it outside before he mounted. "I will be back by dinner time." Gabriel told the Musketeers Captain before he spurred the horse into throt, and the gate opened just in time before he came flying past. Methodically, Gabriel rode through Paris, checking out every spot he believed could yield a good chance of possibly running into his burly friend. However, no tavern or street hustler yielded any result. After a quick lunch and settling an argument before it became a fight, he went on, riding to the Red Guards quarters. He needed to speak to Richellieu. He was however met by a closed gate. He dismounted and knocked on the door. After a moment a hatch opened, and a face appeared. 

"Oui?" The face sneered in disgust at the sight of a Musketeers uniform. 

"I have come to speak to his Eminence Richellieu." Gabriel told him as he took his hat off. "I only need to ask two questions. The letters I send have not given me the answer I need."  

"Give me a moment." The Red Guard said and his face disappeared and the hatch closed. Gabriel waited and knocked after ten minutes, but no reaction came. He waited for another while before trying again, but that had the same result. After in total of an hour of waiting, Gabriel got back in the saddle, knowing the man would not return to speak to him. He then returned to look for Porthos as he made it slowly back to the Garisson. He would need to try again tomorrow. He made sure he was back in time for dinner, making sure the horse was all taken care of before he went to eat. 

~ 

The next day, Gabriel went to look once more for Porthos, but once more, he did not find anything unfortunately. Gabriel this time had a different approach in mind when he made his way to the Red Guard Quarters. Climbing on and over the walls of the courtyard were not as easy as he had hoped, and age did not do him any favor in it either. Another plan however did come into mind when a carriage arrived, full of fresh food. Suspending himself between the wheel axles of the cart, he just needed to hang on long enough to get into the courtyard. Luck was just in time as his strength began to waver when the cart started moving, and stopped several meters later, just in front of the kitchen's door. Gladly but carefully, Gabriel dropped himself, trying to be as quiet as possible. He could vaguely remember this place. He had been here a couple of times, over a decade ago… Once the courtyard was empty, Gabriel crawled from underneath the cart and went to find the way to the Cardinal's quarters. Two wrong turns later, Gabriel believed he had found the right way. Two Red Guards stood in front of a massive wooden door that was lavishly decorated. Only the finest for his Eminence, right? The Red Guards were no match for the old musketeer. One had his sword knocked out his hands, stuck into the plaster of the wall and surrendered easily, while the other one put up more of a fight, but had to give up when Gabriel drove his rapier into his stomach. He made sure to knock out the man that had surrendered. 

"I believe you can tell me where my son is." Gabriel said, facing the cardinal when he came out of his office to see what the noise had been about. 

"You really think I have the answer to that question?" 

"I believe so, yes." Gabriel put his rapier away. "Your red Guards assaulted me and my boy in front of my shop and they took him. Every order for the Red Guards has to go through your hands." 

"I do not know of what you speak." Richellieu spoke, eyeing the two guards that lay knocked out in the middle of the hallway. "I cannot help you."  

"That is not all I came for Richellieu. I also wished to ask if there was any chance to host a duel between the Red Guards and the Musketeers. It will make the perfect opportunity to learn and practice." Gabriel proposed. 

"Dueling is against the law. It was already when you started your service." The Cardinal snorted, nodding as several more guards approached. "Make sure you do not become a desperate man, making desperate decisions, Athos, of the King's musketeers." The Guards overmastered Gabriel, four against one. "Oui, I do remember you still. Age has not done you well. Abandoned by your brothers." The man chuckled. "Never show your face here ever again, otherwise I will make sure the Chatelet will be the last place you ever visit." Gabriel rolled his eyes but did not struggle as he got dragged outside. The Red Guards made a little game of 'Punch a Musketeer' letting everyone have a turn before he was thrown onto the streets out of the Red Guards Quarters. Gabriel softly groaned and before he could sit up, the gate slammed shut with a loud bang. He rubbed his sore jaw, knowing it would bruise. It was all worth it in the end, he was certain. Gathering himself, he slowly got to his feet and returned to the Garrison. 

"What did you do?" Nino asked that evening as he came in, as Gabriel was getting ready for bed.  

"Visited some Red Guards…" Gabriel replied before he went to pull on his nightgown, covering up his bruised chest and abdomen. 

"Visited? Wasn't it that you were not to investigate alone?" Nino bluntly asked, watching the man as he snorted, before a  moment of discomfort filtered over his face.  

"I'll live. Besides, investigating and going on a rescue mission are quite some different things."  

"If you say so. I'd like to hear the full story of that during breakfast tomorrow." Nino went to undress as well. 

"Not a chance."  

"You'll have to. No way you can cover up that." Nino hummed and showed him the small brass mirror, making it clear to Gabriel he had a giant bruise covering the left side of his face. 

"So?" Gabriel returned before he got into his cot, turning his back to Nino as he tried to sleep.  

"Good night." Nino shook his head and put the mirror down. Once he had dressed, he doused the candles and went to sleep as well.  

~ 

The next morning, Gabriel did not bother to sit down for breakfast. He just grabbed some bread and saddled his horse. He let the horse step while munching on his bread and drinking water from his skin. Gabriel sighed as he halted in front of the poor quarters. This was the only part in Paris he had not been into. He dismounted and got the horse in the nearby stable, leaving his cloak and rapier behind. He still had a dagger in his boot, but that was only for emergencies. Taking a deep breath, Gabriel set foot in the poor quarters, better known as the Miracle court. He walked on high alert, letting his eyes glide over all the faces that looked at him with fear and distain. They rattled with tin mugs and pots in warning. He continued walking in the maze that over a thousand people called home. He wished he could do something for these people, but there was no beginning or end in sight. Gabriel continued looking for his friend, but before long, a brave soul stepped out, rapier drawn. 

"State you buisness." Gabriel held up his hands to show he was holding no weapons.  

"Attacking an unarmed opponent defies every principle of chivalry, mon ami." A kid ran and ripped the pouch of his belt. He watched the child for a moment, but he did not care for the bit of money he carried. He turned his eyes back to the the man that held the rapier. He would recognise the features anywhere.  

"Who do you think you are, calling me your friend? Let alone speaking about the principle of chivalry?" The burly man asked. 

"Put away your rapier." Gabriel ordered and reached to take off his hat. "I know age has not been kind to me, but …"  

"Athos?" The man said after a moment, lowering his rapier. He looked absolutely flabbergasted. "Why are you here, in a Musketeers uniform no less."  

"D'Argencourt send several letters summoning you to the Garrison." Gabriel said, replacing his hat. "I asked him to do so. My son got abducted and I wish very much to find him. Going back to the Garrison was my last hope. D'Argencourt is still there, but he refused to let me go seek for my son alone." 

"One for all and All for one…" Porthos replied. "A son?" He inquired after a moment. 

"Oui, the most kind and sweet boy. Pale blonde like Emilie and the same green eyes. Not spotted here anywhere?"  

"Non. Never seen anyone like that." Porthos shook his head. 

"Will you come back to the Garrison? Become a Musketeer once more for the sake of an old friend?" 

"What 'bout 'Mis?" Porthos asked as he tucked away his rapier. 

"Letters have been send as well, but no reply either. It is however so that he is even harder to find than you, mon ami." 

"I shall come to the Garrison in 'bout two weeks time."  

"Merci, that is all I ask. Then I'll have two more weeks to find Aramis." Gabriel nodded. "Keep the money, then we will see each other soon." Porthos and Athos clasped hands and gave them a good shake. 

"Before you go, what 'append to your face?" Porthos was smiling ever so slightly. 

"Red Guards." Gabriel gave a small shrug before he turned around. 

"Two weeks." Porthos called after the man when Gabriel went to find his way back to his horse. It took him a while to get back to his horse and went back to the Garrison. By the time he entered the Musketeers courtyard, D'Argencourt was waiting for him in front of his office. 

"Gabriel!" he called; he did not look very happy. 

"I have found Porthos. He will come to the Garrison in two weeks' time." Gabriel called before he dismounted. He then took care of his horse first before he went to see if there was anything else D'Agencourt wanted to discuss. D'Argencourt was still waiting for him when he walked out of the stables. He then came into the office with the captain. 

"Have you completely lost your mind?!" The captain harshly snapped at him as soon as the door to his office was closed. Gabriel raised an eyebrow, watching him calmly. He threw an opened letter on his desk "Breaking into the quarters of the Red Guards, assaulting several of them and interrogating the Cardinal." 

"Now you are making an elephant out of a mosquito." Gabriel shook his head. 

"Do you deny your actions?"  

"I do not." Gabriel took a deep breath. "I snuck into the Red Guards quarters, yes. I knocked out two. I asked the Cardinal three questions. That is all." 

"Did it bring you anything?" D'Argencourt asked, studying Gabriel's face, noticing the bruised state. 

"Besides an adrenaline rush and quite a few bruises, no."  

"As expected, why would you think if I did not get an answer, you would get one?"  

"I had to try. I can't sit around idle any longer…" Gabriel shook his head. 

"I assigned you a full list of tasks. You neglected your duty the past few days." D'Argencourt sternly told him. "I could very much use your help now that you are here. Besides helping train everyone, they are intended to serve as a distraction until we gathered enough information to act upon." 

"To serve as a distraction…" Gabriel scoffed.  

"I cannot possibly imagine how it must feel to miss your child, Gabriel. We however cannot act when we do not know where to look in the first place." D'Argencourt sighed. "I thought better of you, Gabriel. This will be the first and only time I will let you off unpunished. If you ever try such thing again, I am afraid I have no other choice discharge you from the Musketeers, and not in good grace. This is the lightest punishment. You'll be send to the Chatelêt under the charges of high treason otherwise. Do you understand, Gabriel? My hands are bound, no matter how much I want you to find your son."  

"Oui, Capitaine…" Gabriel nodded.  

"Serve your duty and do not put a toe out of line." D'Argencourt warned once more. "Dismissed." Gabriel got up and returned to the sleeping quarters. Then he would need to be patient… He had no other option… 

 

Two weeks passed, and Porthos walking into the Musketeers courtyard was more than a welcome sight. Gabriel momentarily paused as he was running the cadets through sword techniques. "Bonjour, mon ami!" Gabriel called, as he returned his attention to the cadets, walking among them, correcting everyone who needed it.  

"Salut." Porthos greeted and observed them from a distance. It was only moments before D'Argencourt came out of his office to greet the new arrival. By the time Gabriel had finished with the practise, Porthos had yet to emerge from the Captain's office.  

"Dismissed. Go freshen yourself up before dinner." Gabriel called and went to do so himself before he went to the dining hall. 

"This spot free?" Porthos asked as he walked up to the table Gabriel was seated at. In response, Gabriel scooted over to make enough space on the bench. 

"Who is your buddy, Gabriel?" Nino could not help but inquire. It was more than obvious that these two knew each other. 

"This is the master in hand-to-hand combat. He can teach you the finest in fighting without weapons." Gabriel introduced, patting Porthos' shoulder. "With his right hooked, he can knock out one with ease. I can speak from experience." A soft chuckle ran along the table. "Guilliame du Vallon, but I am certain you have heard of him as Porthos." Quite some excited chatter started as they found out now the third out of four famed musketeers were among them. That evening became late, with quite a few empty bottles of wine. Everyone in the dining hall was plastered to the Musketeers lips. For them it did not matter if it was a story they never heard or already heard over five times. Porthos was quite a good help in teaching everyone who was willing. No matter Porthos barely spoke a word, the man's demonstrations spoke more than a thousand. It was because of him that everyone was taught properly in hand-to-hand combat, while Gabriel took the teaching with rapier over. 

Before long, the first frost froze the grass. 

~ 

Gabriel stood in the courtyard, watching as many people walked past the gates of the palace. It was freezing cold, and the musketeer that stood at the other side of the gate was shivering.  

"Do you have some food to spare for my boy?" A lady asked with a crying child upon her arm. 

"I have no food upon me. Je suis désolé." Gabriel responded. The only thing he was carrying was a small skin filled with wine. 

"I am certain the king won't miss a carrot if you take one from the kitchen." The lady pleaded.  

"I do not have the authority to get into the king's kitchen." Gabriel said. "I wish I could give you anything, but I cannot." He felt for the lady, especially the crying of the child that made his own father heart stir.  

"We are hungry too!" Some children piped in. They were about eight and covered with black streaks from ashes. 

"I have no food I can give you, and I cannot get into the kitchen to get you something." Gabriel explained once more. "Please, continue your way. There is nothing you can do here or gain anything by staying here." Gabriel's words were spoken to deaf man's ears. Before long, more and more people collected in front of the gates, demanding food. Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose, pondering for a moment what he was to do about the riot that was about to start. With the two of them and four other musketeers that were stationed nearby, they could never hold the mass of people if they managed to breach the gate. Before long, one of the ministers of the King came out to see what was going on. "I shall go speak with someone who might can do something for you." He called and after making sure a different musketeer took his place, he hurried off to speak to the minister. 

"There is no way we can feed all these people. There is too little food as it is." André Bourgeois said with a shake of his head.  

"Then go fix something. Words won't satisfy them anymore. If they breach the gate, we won't be able to stop all these people. They will destroy everything they can get their hands on. You better come up with something." Gabriel shook his head, glancing towards the gate.  

"Give me some time to see if I can get some food from the kitchen." André Bourgeois eventually said.  

"And if you can, send a rider to the Garrison, calling in the help of D'Argencourt and every other musketeer to keep the people on distance."  

"Give me an hour." the minister said before going back inside. Gabriel then walked back to the gate.  

"I have just spoken to one of the King's ministers. He shall send about the message and hopefully within an hour or two we can give you food." The shouting of demands stopped momentarily as a different murmur went through the group. They eventually returned to shouting demands, but no one made a further attempt to actually breach the gate. A pageboy rode off with a letter to the Garisson, and within several minutes, the whole Musketeers quarters had emptied out to defend the palace. Several of the musketeers were sent to fill up a cart with greens, cabbages and old bread to give the people what they had asked for. Several musketeers walked alongside the horse drawn cart to protect it from greedy hands, so they at least had a chance to evenly distribute the food. It took well over an hour before the musketeers present on the palace grounds got the signal that their help was near. 

"Everyone quiet!" Several of the musketeers shouted as they made their way to the gate through the mass of people. 

"I have brought some food in the name of the King." D'Argencourt started. "There was not a lot of food that could be spared, but we managed to grab everything we could. If you please be patient, we try to see that everyone gets a share." Cheers mixed with shouts and more people started pushing their way to the front of the gate. There was a serious risk of people getting tramped in their efforts to get a bit of free food. The inexperienced Musketeers did their best, trying to protect the cart. There was no room to draw their rapiers, it would have been too dangerous to use them anyway. Gabriel could not come to aid as he stood on the wrong side of the gate and was forced to watch as hunger turned usually decent people into beasts. In only moments, the cart was emptied of it's contents and the musketeers had to step in, pulling fighting people from each other. Only when the fights were settled, most people went to continue their way, leaving the musketeers to lick their own wounds as well as help those who had unintentionally been hurt. 

The riots for food became a daily occurrence, but it did not always result in them actually getting the desired food. More often than not, they dissipated when it became dark. 

~ 

It was only when spring had finally arrived and the cadets were not shivering during their exercises no matter how much they were moving in an effort to keep warm, when a lavishly dressed figure rode into the Musketeers courtyard. The three old musketeers that were overseeing the training of the younger musketeers looked up, just like everyone else. A large rimmed hat obscured most of the rider's face. 

"I had hoped for a more warm welcome…" The figure spoke, easily dismounting with a flourish of his long cloak. With a grande movement, the rider took off his head, displaying many dark lavish curls. With his hat to his chest, he made a theatric bow.  

"There is no one else who is capable of making such an entrance." D'Argencourt was the first one to speak, a tiny smile playing over his lips. "Welcome, mon ami!" Aramis stepped forward and pulled all of his old mates into a hug.  

"Forgive me for taking so long to arrive here. I was involved in quite a complicated matter that I needed to round up before I could depart to Paris."  

"I am glad you finally arrived." Gabriel said. 

"I was quite surprised when I received a letter, the urgency was not missed." Aramis explained. "I am quite ready to do whatever needs to be done." 

"We have yet to locate Gabriel's son." D'Argencourt lightly shook his head. "Let me catch you up." He motioned for Aramis to follow him and took him to the office. There he made sure to tell the man everything he needed to know. Porthos and Gabriel continued the training. Once the young musketeers were sent to clean themselves up for dinner, the two of them made it up to D'Argencourt's office to see what made the other two take so long. A hearty laughter sounded through the door before Gabriel had even the chance to knock. "Enter." Sounded after Gabriel knocked. In the study, he found two smiling faces over two goblets of wine.  

"Come and join us!" Aramis invited. 

"Dinner shall be served here for us." D'Argencourt agreed as soon as Porthos closed the door behind himself. Porthos and Gabriel settled themselves in the two empty chairs left and watched as D'Argencourt fetched two different goblets from the adjoining room before filling them with red wine. Before long, it turned into an evening like old, playing a game of cards and remembering the good old stories over a good meal. If any of them needed a fix of soul, this was the best that could be offered. It was far passed midnight when they all retired. 

~ 

The whole regiment was nervously excited as they gathered in the courtyard the next morning. Gabriel stood next to Aramis, Porthos next to him, D'Argencourt next to Porthos. The four greatest Musketeers that had ever lived stood in a row, facing many unexperienced individuals. Many a day passed wherein the old musketeers taught the new ones. Gabriel took care of the rapier fights, Porthos the hand-to-hand combat and Aramis worked on the marksmanship.  

Notes:

Hello Everyone.

I am alive! Even though I am still struggling a little with my health.
Nothing too serious luckily even though I finally found out I have been suffering from hypermobility for the past 10 years. ( now I only need to learn to live with my condition) Bravo for finally finding a doctor that would actually not simply dismiss me, telling me there is nothing wrong with me because I am a young woman and that is the reason by default why there should be nothing wrong with me... Don't let anyone tell you no and listen to your gut feeling!

Please give me a heads up!

Chapter 10

Gabriel stood guard in the courtyard in the blazing hot sun. Some of his colleagues quickly took off their hats to dab their brows with a handkerchief. They watched as the courtiers took a casual stroll next to the fountains and trimmed hedges. Ladies walking beneath their satin umbrellas chatting. It would not be the first case of a lady fainting due to the heat and lack of air. Maybe even he was succumbing to the heat. He could swear he had seen Adrien walking among the courtiers. Carefully, he rubbed his eyes, but now Adrien was nowhere to be seen. He was not going crazy, was he? Over the next few weeks, he continued to be mocked by the Adrien-like figure, taking him by surprise every single time. 

It was after Gabriel's shift had ended after a particular hot day that he went back to his room. He was a little surprised when he found the Captain of the Musketeers there. 

"Good evening, Gabriel. How did today go?" D'Argencourt inquired as he got to his feet and watched as Gabriel tossed his hat on his chest before walking over to the bucket with fresh water.  

"If I am going to see Emilie, I will need to have you lock me up at the asylum…" Gabriel shook his head before he splashed some water on his face and wet his hair so he could cool down a little. 

"Have no worries, mon ami. The heat will get to us all eventually…"  D'Argencourt gently patted his shoulder before handing him a towel. "You won't be the first seeing ghosts because of the heat and lack of water." He softly hummed and made sure to pour Gabriel a mug of water. "I have received a response from the last letter I send. None could tell me anything about a prisoner called Adrien Agreste. Je suis desolé." Gabriel's face fell a little and nodded. 

"The Red Guards from the Cardinal took my son." Gabriel eventually declared. "So, the Cardinal gave the assignment, and he knows about it, or the one who supposedly reported, Adrien." 

"That will be very difficult, Gabriel…" D'Agencourt said, twisting the point of his moustache thoughtfully. "You have visited him, and if he knows something, he won't ever admit." 

"I know but it is not impossible," Gabriel said as his steel blue eyes sparkled in determination and his lips formed a little smile. "I believe it is time to find an old friend of mine; Milady Sancoeur…" 

~ 

That evening, Gabriel sat himself in the corner of some back-alley tavern, carefully watching the patrons, his mug of wine still untouched on the table. It was not long after midnight that a stunning lady walked into the tavern. Dark curls dancing on her shoulders, full cherry red lips and a cold demeanor. It took a moment before Milady Sancoeur spotted him, but as soon as their eyes locked, the room seemed to freeze. Slowly, she made her way over to his table. 

"Milady Sancoeur." Gabriel greeted as she was within distance that he needed not to shout over the background noise. 

"Long time no see, mon Chér." Milady softly smiled. "I was wondering when you would come to seek me out again." 

"I have an urgent matter to discuss with you." Gabriel nodded. 

"About what matter?" She asked, moving closer. "The Red Guards and the Cardinal? Or is it your son of whom you dearly miss?" The smell of lilacs overwhelmed him when she got near, her buste only centimeters from his face. Her breath was hot against his ear. Gabriel thickly swallowed. 

"My son." He eventually replied. 

"Blonde hair, green eyes. Just like his mother, is it not?" She questioned, still far too close for comfort. "I can name several more women that looked like her."  

"Have you seen him?" Gabriel breathed, his heart thumping in his chest. 

"Non, I have not." Milady replied before she withdrew and watched Gabriel with glee. "I'll see what I can do." She purred as she rounded Gabriel's chair. She scratched the back of his neck with her long nails. "Is there anything else, mon chér?" 

"Non. Merci." Gabriel replied, eying the lady he loved once long ago. Maybe, deep down, he had never stopped loving her.  

"Are you certain?" She asked, rounding the chair, leaning close once more. "The grey hair does not look bad on you, maybe even suits you." She loved the mild panicked look that entered the pale blue eyes. Tugging at the strands that by now reached past his ears, she pulled Gabriel's head back. Passionately, she kissed the musketeer that once upon a time nearly had become her husband. Gabriel kissed her back, holding her face tenderly, nearly losing himself. After a moment, Milady drew back, smirking. "I am rarely wrong, mon chér." She whispered. With her thumb, she wiped away a smudge of her lipstick on Gabriel's cheek. "I will let you know when I found out something about your son. Adrien, was it, right?" 

"Oui…" Gariel's fingers graced over the spot she just had rubbed. Before he could say another word, she had disappeared among the patrons… He kept still for several long moments before he finally drank from his mug of wine, easily gulping the red liquid down. The light of dawn had already arrived before Gabriel finally made his way back to the Garrison… 

~ 

~ 

Paris, Summer 1654 

~ 

"Aramis! Porthos!" D'Argencourt called the two musketeers. They came up to meet him and Gabriel in his office."S'il vous plaît, sit." Gabriel watched as his old friends sat down next to him, and D'Argencourt started pacing behind his desk.  

"Why have you summoned us?" Gabriel asked, sharply looking at boss of the musketeer. "Adrien? Have you finally have found something?" He asked, straightening up. Gabriel was tired, tired of waiting. 

"When you told me the young King looked like your son, I remembered something. You must forgive me for not giving this any thought sooner." The man momentarily stopped pacing to look at his friend. "The Queen at that time gave birth to a pair of twins. The second boy, according to the report of the physician, was too weak to breath."  

"So, what you are suggesting is that the King has a twin?" Aramis asked, receiving an agreeing grunt from Porthos. 

"Oui. They needed to get rid of the second twin in order to not create a war over the throne. The king most likely figured this out and send Red Guards to find a boy his age, his mirror image…" 

"Adrien…" Gabriel whispered. The man had turned white as a sheet. There was not a day in between both birthdays… 

"It would also explain why you kept seeing your son, only it was the king." D'Argencourt supplied. "We need to do quite a bit more work, but if I could have a guess, the only place we need to seek in, would be La Bastille Saint-Antoine. Besides, this was delivered to me this morning…" D'Argencourt handed over a small letter. Gabriel read over the two lines that were on the paper. La Bastille, prisoner in the iron mask. It read, together with a prisoner number and a cell. Gabriel's blood froze. He would recognize this writing anywhere. It came from Milady Sancoeur. 

"I believe we know what to do. Are we all in?" Gabriel asked, handing the open letter back to D'Argencourt.  

"Just like the old days." Aramis smiled with an agreeing grunt from Porthos. 

"All for one." D'Argencourt nodded with a little smile. 

"And one for all." Gabriel agreed. 

~ 

Two weeks passed wherein the four musketeers secretly prepared a plan that would allow them to break into the most fortified prison of whole France. 

It was a warm summer evening that the four musketeers had gathered on the northern banks of the Seine.  

"Are we ready?" Aramis asked looking around as Porthos finished dragging the corpse from the little boat they had laying on the side of the canal of saint-Martin. 

"We are all set." Gabriel nodded and Porthos gave a soft grunt. 

"The only thing we need to do is get that under your robes." D'Argencourt motioned to the corpse that they had fitted with an iron mask.  

"All right." Aramis nodded and let the others help before under escort, D'Argencourt walked him to the gates. Aramis muttered several things in Spanish, letting D'Argencourt 'translate'.  

"Forgive us for bothering you so late, but this is the replacement friar for the prisoner because the usual friar fell ill." D'Argencourt explained. With a nod, the soldier took over from D'Argencourt and escorted the 'friar' into the prison, letting him pray with the prisoners that supposed to have their turn today. Aramis grew a little annoyed at the number of prisoners he had to visit with his unusual heavy load. It took him several hours and he feared it would be light before he was finally led to the very last cell. Aramis was not surprised when he found the prisoner huddled up in a corner with a ratty blanket wrapped around himself. Only when the door was closed, Aramis slowly undid himself of his heavy burden. Then he walked over to the corner before kneeling.  

"Adrien?" He softly whispered, gently touching the boy's shoulder in the hope not to scare the boy too much. The prisoner awoke with a start. In the little light of the candle, Aramis could not see the boy's eyes. "Adrien?" He asked again. 

"Who's asking." Adrien croaked. None of the other friars before had bothered asking his name. 

"A friend." Aramis softly told him. "I am going to help you get out of this miserable place, and then we will explain everything. I promise it will be something good."  

"I am Adrien." Adrien then softly replied as he sat up. "What is the plan?" Aramis waved the boy over. "Plague." He whispered. Adrien's eyes grew wide.  It was quite an effort for Adrien and himself to get the prisoner situated such that it only seemed he was a very fat friar. Only when he was certain he could carry Adrien without falling, Aramis got up and threw the candle in the straw, watching momentarily as it burned. Only when the rags of the corpse caught fire, he banged on the door with urgency, waiting for the soldier to open them. 

"Muerto!" Aramis exclaimed to the soldier as he hurried out of the cell. When the soldier peeked in the cell, he found fire. Not knowing how to communicate in Spanish, he pushed the friar into walking and hurried him down to the gate. Aramis kept up his rambling in Spanish. 

"What is he saying?" The soldier commanded when he found the other man till waiting at the gate. Aramis winked to his companion before rambling off the two sentences once more.  

"He says that the prisoner just toppled over, dead. He believes it was plague so he set fire to it so it cannot spread." D'Argencourt explained calmly.  

"Get out of here, quickly." The soldier ushered them away as he quickly went to cover his face with a handkerchief.  

"Merci." D'Argencourt nodded and went to escort the friar to where they came from. Only when they were back on the banks of the Seine, Aramis kneeled and let Adrien carefully fall on the sand.  

"You- you really got me out…" Adrien softly said, trying to seek out the man's face and the face of the other man that had spoken. 

"Like I promised you." Aramis nodded and helped him to his feet. 

"Adrien?" Gabriel called. His heart was in his throat and his mouth was dry. Adrien stiffened. He would recognize that voice anywhere, after all these years still. The mask prevented him from getting a look at his papa.  

"Get this thing off me!" Adrien urged, grasping for the lock, trying to tug on it. He knew very well it was of no use…

"Gabriel, I know it is your son, and you wish to have a nice reunion, but we better get to a safe place for now." D'Argencourt softly urged as he got into the boat. The eastern sky started to show the first signs of a new dawn. Gabriel took his son's arm and pulled it away from the iron prison and gently tugged him over into the boat as well. Porthos and himself set out rowing, working hard as they rowed upstream. Soon enough, they pulled up a small spot on the south bank of the Seine. Here there was just enough space among other boats to not be washed away by the current. "Only a short walk from here before we are in a safe place." 

"Can you get this off me?" Adrien urged again as he made a renewed attempt to pull on the iron. 

"We will have a try as soon as we are inside." D'Argencourt assured and walked them to a small chateau. He unlocked the door and locked it again as soon as everyone was inside. "In the shed over there, I am sure you will find something we can use." Porthos grunted in reply and went to investigate, taking the small lantern with him. D'Argencourt then proceeded to take them inside, lightening up the fireplace in the common room. After a moment, Porthos joined, carrying several tools.  

"Put you head on the stool and I'll try to be as careful and quick as I can." Aramis promised as he put a small stool in front of the fire. Adrien nodded and did what was asked. Gabriel sat on his knees beside his son to hold his head into place. With one hand, Adrien held onto the stool, and the other he held his father's wrist. It took the combined power of Porthos and Aramis over an hour before the lock finally gave in. Adrien sat up, and both he and Gabriel held their breath when the Iron mask finally came off. Only a moment later, the mask lay discarded in a corner and Gabriel found his arms full of his son once more.  

"Adrien. My sweet boy." Gabriel softly whispered as he held him close. He could not care less the boy was not his blood, this was still the child he raised. 

"Papa." Adrien whimpered in return. Before long, both of them were weeping. 

"How about some wine to celebrate our success?" D'Argencourt softly whispered to his comrades. He then ushered them to the kitchen to give father and son some privacy. 

"I am very sorry it took me so long to get you, Adrien." Gabriel softly said as he drew away. By now his knees started to ache. Adrien held onto his father's clothes. He was too upset to speak. Gabriel took his son's arms and slowly stood, waiting for Adrien to follow. "I am just going to get some water, okay?" Gabriel softly explained when he gently pushed his son to sit on the sofa, only two steps away. Gabriel filled two mugs from the bucket next to the fireplace and wet his handkerchief before sitting down next to his son. Adrien held the mug his father handed him. "Don't, let me clean that." Gabriel said when Adrien was about to wipe his eyes. Gabriel gently cleaned the grime and tears from his son's face. "That's better. Tomorrow we will draw up a hot bath and I am sure after that you will be feeling a lot better." Gabriel softly said, studying Adrien's thin face that was sporting some facial hair. His pale blonde hair was quite long and dirty and those beautiful green eyes were looking tired. 

"Musketeer…" Adrien softly said as he reached out and ran his finger over the musketeers' crest on Gabriel's chest. The boy hiccupped as he managed to calm down. 

"Oui." Gabriel softly said. "I joined the musketeers and called in the help of my old friends in a last effort to find you and get you back." Gabriel offered a little smile. "Drink something, son. Then we can go sleep. I am quite tired and I am certain you are too." Gabriel drank some of his own.  

"The friar?" Adrien asked, his eyes still fixed on Gabriel's face. His father's cheeks had thinned out, and he could not remember his father's skin ever looked tanned like it did now. Also, his father's hair was long, bound with a bow in a low tail, and it was nearly as white as snow. 

"Aramis." Gabriel nodded. "He does work as reverent when he feels up like it." He gave a soft chuckle. Gabriel then gently nudged Adrien's hand, reminding the boy he was supposed to drink something. Adrien softly sighed and drank his water, which only reminded him how thirsty he actually was. He drank a little more before he let his father lead him up the stairs, to one of the several big bedrooms the chateau possessed. From a cabinet, Gabriel took a nightgown and put it on the bed. "Will you manage dressing?"  

"You won't leave… S'il vous plaît…" Adrien softly pleaded when his father walked up to the door.  

"I won't. I'll only go and get myself dressed in my own nightgown and wish my friends a goodnight." Gabriel promised. "Go dress yourself and get into bed. I will be back in a few minutes."  

"Okay." Adrien softly replied and set out to change out of the rags and into a proper nightgown. Gabriel walked back downstairs and found him comrades sitting around the kitchen table with a mug of wine in their hands. 

"Well?" D'Argencourt inquired.  

"I don't know." Gabriel shook his head. "I am forever grateful to have him back."  

"Our task now is to prepare your son to replace Louis-Félix. It will be a hard one." D'Argencourt finished his mug. "We have to start as soon as possible." 

"Just give my boy a few days to rest and find himself…" Gabriel softly said.  

"We shall see tomorrow." D'Argencourt got up. "I will retire, I suggest you all do the same. Tomorrow will be another long day." Both Aramis and Porthos nodded and went to finished the last bit of wine in the bottle. D'Argencourt steered Gabriel back up the stairs. "Rest, mon ami. I am sure that tomorrow Adrien will have many questions for you."  

"I hope." Gabriel softly said and found Adrien standing in the middle of the hallway in the nightgown Gabriel had given him. "I'll be right there, Adrien." Gabriel promised. D'Argencourt gave his shoulder a squeeze.  

"Sleep tight, both of you." He said before he walked to the other side of the hallway before disappearing into another room.  

"I am going to get ready for bed. Go to bed already." He repeated before he quickly went to dress himself into his nightgown. Gabriel found his son still standing in his room, waiting. "Go lie down." Gabriel gently said as he walked over to the bed as Adrien laid down. Gabriel then moved to tuck in his son but stopped halfway through. "You are a grown man now, too old to be tucked in." Gabriel sighed, seeking eye contact with his boy.  

"I don't mind. I like it." Adrien replied. The big bed was very soft and warm. It felt a little strange but good that his papa tucked him in, like nothing had changed… 

"I am just very glad I have my boy back." Gabriel finished tucking in Adrien and walked to the other side of the bed. 

"Sleep tight, papa." Adrien was asleep within a minute. 

"Sweet dreams, Adrien." Gabriel softly said and listened to the soft breathing of his boy, but he had a hard time falling asleep. Eventually, Gabriel managed to fall asleep as well. 

 

~A/N Happy holidays!~

Chapter 11

Gabriel felt like he had not slept at all when the sun decided to shine full in his face. Tiredly he scrubbed his face and got up to use the chamberpot. Adrien was still fast asleep, and Gabriel could not help but softly smile. His little boy had grown into a man. And soon enough, that very skinny man would have to grow into being a king. Gabriel softly sighed and let his son sleep. He returned to his own room to dress in some comfortable clothes.
"Look who has finally decided to join us!" Aramis called out as he was making some cold cuts.
"What time is it anyway?" Gabriel asked, going to make some food for himself and Adrien.
"Nearly eleven." Aramis supplied and moved on to cutting some greens after he finished with the meat. "No need to look so surprised. All of us came to check upon you and your son at least once. I will start on boiling some water as soon as I finished cutting here."
"Merci." Gabriel nodded. He then took the two plates upstairs. Putting them on the table, he went to seek out some of his old clothes he had brought. It was obvious Adrien would not fit in his own clothes anymore. He eventually picked out a few items he could easily tailor to Adrien's current size after he finished bathing. After that, Gabriel went to awaken Adrien. "Adrien, my child, time to awaken and get up." Gabriel softly called and was awarded as the beautiful green eyes came to look at him. "Good morning."
"Morning?" Adrien croaked and slowly sat up.
"Nearly noon." Gabriel hummed and went to give Adrien the plate of food before sitting down at the foot end to have his own breakfast.
"Oh… Merci." Adrien went to eat the bread with cold cuts and enjoyed every single bite he managed to eat. He managed only to eat one slice and was slightly disappointed in himself when he felt full. It was so much more better then watered down porridge or stale bread.
"Have you had enough?" Gabriel asked as he stood, reaching for the plate.
"Oui." Adrien nodded and let his father take the plate.
"If you come downstairs with me, I hope you will have a nice warm bath waiting for you." Adrien nodded and followed downstairs.
"Good morning, your majesty." D'Argencourt greeted as they came downstairs. The bewildered look on Adrien's face was priceless was it not for the difficult situation they found themselves in.
"Adrien, if you come, your bath is ready." Gabriel called his attention after he put the left-over food back in the kitchen.
"Who's that?" Adrien asked as he followed Gabriel to the small washing room where a tub filled with warm water stood.
"D'Argencourt. You know him as D'Artagnan in my stories." Gabriel said and took the nightgown as Adrien undressed.
"Why did he call me that?" Adrien looked at him before he stepped into the tub, sighing contently as he lowered himself in the hot water. Gabriel tried to ignore the sight of Adrien's ribs. He had already felt them last night when he had hugged his son… It would take some time for him to gain some proper weight.
"It is quite the story, and it will clear up several things." Gabriel said. "I will tell you after you finish bathing. Some of my old clothes are on the cabinet, I will adjust them for you. Will you be okay or do you need anything or help right now?"
"I believe I will be okay." Adrien assured.
"I'll be in the next room if you need me, just call me." Gabriel assured before he let the boy alone to bathe in peace. "Was that really necessary?" He asked as soon as he spotted D'Argencourt. "The boy has enough questions as it is."
"Gabriel, we know we are on a very tight timetable. Adrien has to start training this afternoon if he will even have a chance to pass as Louis-Félix. The sooner he get's used to these things, the better he will do and can pretend he has never done anything different."
"The boy was in prison still mere twelve hours ago. Give him a break." Gabriel shook his head. "That he is not my blood, does not mean he has stopped being my son." Gabriel took a deep breath. "Tomorrow you can start with your lessons, but today, I am going to spend some time with my boy."
"Well said." Aramis agreed. "I packed your satchel with some food."
"Merci beaucoup." Gabriel nodded and waited for Adrien to finish. "Have you not forgotten to wash behind your ears?" Gabriel asked when Adrien cautiously stepped from the washroom. He was dressed in some of Gabriel's old pants, which was held up with a belt and a white undershirt.
"I feel clean." Adrien softly said and watched as Aramis put a pair of soft leather shoes down next to a chair. The warm water had been just lovely.
"Shall we go for a walk? My satchel is filled with food, and you certainly need a bit of sunlight and fresh air." Gabriel kindly said. "The Château comes with quite a few acres of land."
"And you will explain?" Adrien asked as he sat down on the chair to put on the shoes.
"I will explain." Gabriel confirmed. "We'll be back." Gabriel told the other musketeers and then took Adrien with him. He was quiet for a while, gathering his thoughts and thinking about where to start. "I am uncertain how to start the story, and how to tell you this without shocking or upsetting you." He softly sighed. "Please remember that I will love you no matter what, and whatever I tell you next, for me it will not change anything."
"Is the news that bad?"
"It is quite the news, but I have had several weeks to deal with the thought." Gabriel nodded. "The reason why D'Argencourt called you 'His Majesty' is because you are of royal blood." Gabriel paused and watched Adrien's face. "The little boy my wife gave birth to was a weak child, could barely breath. The midwife ran off with our little baby to get help from a physician. Halfway during the next morning she returned with a baby, but only since a short while I know it was not our baby she returned with. At the same time my wife was in labour, so was Her Majesty the Queen. She was blessed to give birth to healthy twins." Gabriel sighed. "The midwife switched our son for the youngest of the two princes."
"I am the younger twin brother of the king…?" Adrien thoughtfully asked.
"Indeed. This is also exactly the reason why the Red Guards brought a visit to us and took you. The King found out he had a twin and he had to be sure all the competition for the throne had to be eliminated. It was the reason the midwife switched babies, to avoid war for the throne, but your twin brother found out eventually."
"But… you are not my real father then…?"
"Not in blood, no. But for nearly sixteen years I believed you were, and in my heart, you still are."
"I am confused. What do we need to do now? I- I cannot keep living here in secret…"
"Your twin brother has not been doing a very good job. There is hunger in all of France. The taxes are way too high for the commoners to pay, let alone leave money to pay for anything else. D'Argencourt will ask you if you are willing to swap with your twin brother in the hope, we can content the commoners before we create a civil war."
"Will you be there with me?" Adrien asked. He understood the urgent need and that hungry people can do desperate things… He knew all about the hunger pains…
"As long as I can, I will be at your side, no matter what. There are however many things I cannot help you with, no matter how much I wish to. Aramis, Porthos and D'Argencourt will start training you as soon as we return in the hope you have gained sufficient skills to pass as your twin by the time the New Year's ball will be hosted at Louvre Palace." Gabriel pointed to a small wall and sat down upon it, bathing in the sunlight. Adrien laid down in the grass on the side of the road to do the same and let his father's, Gabriel's words sink in. "Adrien?" Gabriel called after a while. "I have some fruit if you feel like having a nice treat." He invited and opened a small container that held blackberries. Adrien sat up and scooted over until he was sitting with his back against the wall. Gabriel took several berries for himself before handing the container over.
"Merci." Adrien softly said and started to munch on the berries. They tasted like sweet heaven.
"I wish that I could just take you back to the Tailor shop and pretend nothing happened." Gabriel eventually mused.
"The Tailor shop… What did you do to it now that you are musketeer?"
"Marinette is keeping watch over it." Gabriel replied. "I should write to them that we found you and that you are doing well, looking at the circumstances."
"Can't we go over, I would very much like to see them."
"Not at this moment, I believe. I can discuss this with D'Argencourt, but I cannot promise anything."
"Do I have any say in this?"
"Not at this point, I am afraid." Gabriel sighed. "Currently, it is the matter of whole France that we get you royally educated. Only when the swap has been successful, you can go make proper decisions of your own. Then you can invite Marinette and her family over to the palace if you like." Adrien sighed when his father's hand came to rest on his shoulder. It was a comforting weight.
"What do I all need to learn?" Adrien eventually asked when he had finished munching on the berries.
"There are many things you need to learn. I shall go teach you sword fighting, like I promised you all those years ago." Gabriel gave a soft chuckle when Adrien twisted to look at him. "Aramis shall teach you to dance and D'Argencourt will take care of all the politics since he knows most about them. Porthos shall show you how to ride a horse properly. There are however many more things you need to know before you can pass as your twin."
"Etiquettes?"
"Oui, that is one among them. But you also need to learn how to act and how to speak. You are a kind good-hearted person, like I always hoped you would turn out when you grew up. It is however so that Louis-Félix has not been raised like this. He only cares about himself and will walk over anyone who is thinking about even getting in his way. You will need to act like that as well."
"Have you spent a lot of time with him?"
"Non, I have only observed him. The closest I have been, was when we were summoned to the throne room after a certain mission we had. He inspected us and looked at us with disgust because we were quite sweaty and smelling like horse." Gabriel shook his head. After a minute, he continued. "The first time I saw him it was in the middle of summer, and I was so certain I kept seeing you everywhere… I first thought the heat was getting to me, but even when it was not that hot anymore… I thought I was loosing it…"
"But luckily you did not." Adrien offered a little smile. It made him feel a little better, knowing his father never stopped looking for him, even though he knew he was not really a blood relative. "The Queen is still alive, right?" Adrien softly inquired after placing his hand on Gabriel's knee.
"Oui. As soon we are able to swap, you will be able to meet her and spend some time with her. It is however so that Louis-Félix has grown up with her. He was never very affectionate besides that what etiquettes taught him. As long as you will be pretending to be him, you will need to act distant. But as soon as everything settled, you will be free to do as you wish."
"Will I be able to see you still?" Adrien frowned.
"D'Argencourt can station me close to you. We can see each other, but when in open, a king would never just casually interact with the people taking care of his safety."
"You break me out of one prison to send me straight into another?" Adrien asked before he jumped to his feet.
"I wish there was another option." Gabriel softly said.
"There are many options if you would ask me." Adrien scoffed before he turned around and started walking.
"Stay on the path, Adrien…" Gabriel called after him. As long as the boy would stay on the path, he would eventually find his way back to the château. He then buried his face in his hands and sat like that for a while before he returned to the château.
"Where is Adrien?" D'Argencourt asked as he noticed Gabriel walking up to them, but found the boy was not.
"He walked off, angry, confused." Gabriel shook his head as he sat down once more in a chair that was in the shade of the building. "I would probably react the same, given all that happened and what he has learned in a matter of ten minutes." Gabriel sighed. Aramis came to join them, placing two extra mugs with wine on the table.
"I will go set up a plan for his lessons." D'Argencourt hummed and walked off. Gabriel pursed his lips and took the mug when Aramis nudged it over. He took a big swallow of wine and sat back, waiting for Adrien to return. The sun was setting, and dinner was growing cold when Adrien finally wandered back to the château. He was still very much confused about what he had been told, but his anger had ebbed away into emptiness.
"Papa?" Adrien called as he walked up to the man. He only then realised it was not really his father, making him feel very confused once more. It was after all the man that taught him everything, took care of him and made him feel safe. There he was, asleep on a chair, waiting for him to return. His heart hurt, just at the thought of his papa waiting for him to return… "Gab…" He started, but he could not find it in himself to call the man that.
"Hey, kid." Aramis greeted as he came outside when he heard a voice. "Your father insisted on waiting here for you. Time has done nothing for his stubbornness. Awaken him, then I'll ready some late supper for you both."
"Merci." Adrien agreed and stepped over to gently shake Gabriel's shoulder. The man awoke with a small start. In the fading light he needed a moment to recognise the face that was looking at him.
"I am glad you are back." Gabriel said before he slowly got up and walked with Adrien to the kitchen, where the other musketeers were sitting around a table.
"Dinner will be there in a moment." Aramis told them again and Porthos offered Adrien some grapes. Soon enough Aramis served two bowls of vegetable stew. Adrien felt a little uneasy but started eating as well after Gabriel tucked into his dinner.
"Today was quite a day, was it not?" D'Argencourt eventually asked after he returned from fetching a fresh bottle of wine and poured everyone a glass. Adrien looked at the man before he turned his eyes to the mug that was placed next to his plate. "Aren't you going to answer me, Adrien?" D'Argencourt asked as he sat down with his own mug.
"Leave my boy alone. Don't start lecturing him now." Gabriel ground out.
"Oui." Adrien shortly said and put down his spoon. He then stood and walked off.
"Aren't you going…" Aramis inquired.
"If he gets outside, we will hear the door." Gabriel sighed and finished eating. Only when he finished his wine he stood. Gabriel went to check the rooms and found Adrien in bedroom they slept in yesterday. He was on his knees beside a bucket, thirstily gulping from a cup. "Did you have enough dinner?" Gabriel softly asked when Adrien finished. The boy stood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"I had." Adrien softly replied and walked over to the side of the bed before sitting down.
"Good." Gabriel softly said. "You want to get ready for bed?"
"Do I need to deal with, what was his name again, tomorrow?" Adrien looked up at the person he trusted the most.
"D'Argencourt. Not if you really do not want to. It would be best if he would start, but I am sure that a part of these things I can teach you as well. You can choose with whatever lesson you like to start." Gabriel gently assured. Adrien nodded and softly sighed.
"Any chance you can teach me how to get rid of this?" Adrien then asked, scratching at his chin.
"I'll teach you how to shave." Gabriel gave a soft chuckle. "Right now, or tomorrow morning?"
"Can we do it now?"
"Let me fetch some things then. You can light several more candles so there will be enough light to see." Gabriel nodded and gently swatted Adrien's hands away from his face. Adrien then nodded and went to do as asked. A moment later Gabriel came back with his own shaving kit and went to show Adrien how he was to shave himself. "Don't worry about the cut, that happens sometimes. It happens to me sometimes still." Gabriel softly told Adrien and offered him a clean handkerchief so he could stem the bleeding when the boy had cut himself.
"This is no fun." Adrien winced as he looked at himself in the small brass mirror.
"There are even less fun things in life. I am sure you have seen your fair share of it already." Gabriel hummed and helped Adrien finishing shaving. "Go dress for bed, then I'll be right back as well." Adrien nodded and went to check if his cut had stopped bleeding. When it had, he went to change in his nightgown. Gabriel soon returned, wearing his own sleepwear. "Or don't you want me to?" He inquired. Adrien shook his head in response.
"You may sleep here if you want." Adrien assured, even though it felt a little strange knowing this man was not related to him.
"What do you want?" Gabriel softly asked and went to blow out all the candles except one.
"I don't know what I want?!" Adrien miserably exclaimed.
"How about I sleep in my own bed for tonight. Then you can decide tomorrow how you feel about it. Compare last night to tonight." Gabriel offered. Adrien took a deep breath before he crawled into bed. "Goodnight, Adrien." Gabriel softly said, offering a little smile before he blew out the last candle, setting it down on the table.
"Good night." Adrien softly said before Gabriel closed the door.
"Sweet dreams." Gabriel then closed the door and went to bed himself.

Chapter 12

Gabriel was up early the next morning. He could very well use the time to adjust one of the outfits he brought to Adrien's build. When he had finished, he made it to Adrien's room. "Good morning, Adrien." Gabriel greeted as he found him just awakening, right in time. Adrien widely yawned before he sat up.  

"Good morning." Adrien replied and watched as Gabriel pulled over the small table to the side of the bed and poured some water in a bowl. "What are you doing?" 

"Helping you, just like your twin would get." Gabriel explained. "Go ahead, wash your face and then I'll help you dress."  

"I don't need any help. I am not a child anymore." Adrien frowned but washed his face anyway. 

"I know, Adrien. It is however so that the king gets assisted while getting dressed." Gabriel told him and handed him a towel before pulling the table back to where it stood first. "From now on I shall serve as your valet. When you will be at the palace, you will have your brother's valet to serve you every need. You shall never be truly alone. His valet knows the king the best and it will be of uttermost important he won't notice. D'Agencourt shall discuss this with you since he will know best on how he treats his servants." After drying his face, Adrien let his father dress him, even though he was quite certain he was quicker when he would have dressed himself.  

"So, I have to get used to this?" Adrien asked as Gabriel finished buttoning up his coat and went to tie a silk with lace adorned cravat around his neck. 

"Oui. Very much so." Gabriel nodded and swatted Adrien's hand away when he went to try and loosen the cravat. "I know it is uncomfortable at first, but this is also something you should get used to. It is an essential part of the king's costumes."  

"Have you finished dressing me?" Adrien asked, a little annoyed at all the fussing.  

"Only your shoes still. I hope they will fit." Gabriel said and took a pair of black leather shoes with a big shiny buckle and a heel of nearly three thumbs high. 

"Really, you expect me to walk on that?" Adrien asked, raising his eyebrows. He sat down on the bed, watching as his father got on his knees so he could put the stockings and shoes on him. 

"Oui. Je suis desolé. The sooner you all get used to this, the better." Gabriel told him and softly groaned when he got back to his feet.  

"I don't want you ever doing that again if it hurts you." Adrien told him and gently took his father's arm to help him up.  

"Your twin would never be bothered by that, so, you should not either." Gabriel softly told him, gently patting Adrien's hand.  

"But…" Adrien sighed and wobbled slightly when he tried taking a step.  

"Your brother would have a strong opinion about everything." Gabriel nodded. "I find it very sweet that you care for my wellbeing." Gabriel gave a little smile before he went to fetch a brush.  

"But let me guess, you are just a servant in the palace and the king only cares about himself."  

"Exactly." He nodded and motioned for Adrien to come sit on a stool. Gabriel then went to brush Adrien's hair before tying it together with a bow. "Now you are all ready for your day. You can go downstairs where I am sure some breakfast will be served for you in the kitchen."  

"Merci." Adrien replied before he went downstairs. He was met with three smiling faces as soon as he set a step into the kitchen.  

"It is a splitting image." Aramis nodded.  

"Good morning, Sire." D'Argencourt greeted with a bow, making Adrien scowl at the address.  

"This looks alike even more." Porthos softly whispered to Aramis, making the other man bite his tongue not to burst into laughter. 

"Your breakfast is waiting for you in the adjoining room." D'Argencourt continued and motioned for Adrien to follow him into the other room where the table was lavishly set for one person. D'Argencourt pulled out the chair for him and Adrien sat down, knowing he had to. The Captain of the Musketeers took his time to explain every piece of cutlery on the table before he allowed Aramis to serve him a bowl of porridge with honey and fruit. Adrien ate, trying to be mindful of every etiquette rule that had been mentioned in the hope D'Argencourt would stop talking. As soon as he found his belly filled, Adrien stood and walked outside, feeling like he needed some fresh air. 

"Are you all right?" Aramis eventually came to ask. 

"Oui. Just needed some fresh air." Adrien assured with a small nod. 

"D'Argencourt is quite intense with his teaching, is he not? I have seen him teaching some cadets and that works fine for them." 

"Quite so…" Adrien nodded. 

"I believe I can say that Gabriel, Porthos and I all have a different way of teaching." 

"Can Porthos start with teaching me to ride horse this afternoon? He does not seem like a talkative type, and I do not really feel like talking…" 

"Still letting everything sink in of yesterday? That is perfectly fine. I shall ask Porthos to ready two horses." Aramis nodded and left Adrien alone. Adrien was granted an half hour of peace before Aramis walked up to him again. "In the washroom, I have put down a pair of riding boots and some more comfortable breeches. When you have finished dressing, Porthos will be waiting for you here with the horses."  

"Merci." Adrien nodded and went to redress. As soon as he came outside, he found the musketeer waiting for him, together with a large brown horse.  

"Time to get into the saddle." Porthos mused and showed him where to grasp the saddle so he could easily mount. The musketeer then walked over two dozen rounds, leading the horse and teaching the boy on how to sit in the saddle and move along with the horse. Adrien at first felt a little uncomfortable dealing with the large animal and was glad Porthos let him take it slow. 

"Do you have time for a late lunch?" Gabriel asked when they seemed finished for now. He had been watching them for a while. 

"Oui." Porthos grunted. He held the horse's bridle so Adrien could dismount safely. He then let go, letting the horse graze before talking inside to get some well-deserved lunch. Gabriel sat down with them to eat.  

"What's the plan for this afternoon?" Adrien asked when he had finished eating. 

"It would be best if D'Agencourt would start with teaching your politics. I however would like to give you the choice in whatever you would like to do." 

"As in?" 

"If you don't want to do politics, there are many other things you need to learn. You can also go for a walk or do anything else." 

"I'd like to go for a walk." Adrien nodded.  

"I don't want to mingle in this, but maybe you can do both. "A short lesson with D'Argencourt about court politics and then you can go walk. You'll have more then enough time." Aramis supplied. "You probably won't be getting into the saddle for the upcoming few days." Adrien thoughtfully nodded. 

"I guess I can do one hour of teaching…"  

"D'Argencourt is in the dining room, you can go there, and I am sure he will start with whatever he finds the most important." Aramis hummed and went to collect the dirty dishes. Adrien nodded and got up to find D'Argencourt. He tried his best listening to the musketeer and tried to follow everything. It was quite a bit of information the man managed to cramp into a single hour. Once he got out, he found Gabriel waiting for him.  

"What is it?" Adrien inquired.  

"I have written a short letter for Marinette. I thought you might want to read it, and sign your own name? You can also add something if you like." Gabriel offered, holding out the paper for Adrien to take. Adrien nodded and took the letter, reading it. 

 

Dear Marinette and family, 

I would like to let you know that Adrien has been found and is well taken care of at the moment. 

There are many things at play at this point, which is preventing us from returning, unfortunately.  

When all is safe, we will invite you for a proper reunion. 

Gabriel 

 

"Can I add something?" Adrien asked after he finished reading. 

"Oui." Gabriel nodded and took his son to where he had left the quill and inkwell. Adrien sat down and it took a moment before writing:  

 

I am doing well, and there is no reason to worry about me anymore. I wish I could come over and tell you about what happened.  

For now, I need to hide for a while, but as soon as I can, I'll come to see you. I hope you are doing well. 

Adrien 

 

Adrien shortly added to the letter and made sure the ink was dry before handing it over. "Who will go deliver it?" 

"Probably Porthos. He knows the ways best in Paris when it is dark."  

"Was that all?"  

"Oui. Try to be back at the château before the sun sets." Gabriel told him as he tucked the letter away. Adrien nodded and went for his walk, enjoying the peaceful surroundings and the warm sun on his face. Adrien spent the afternoon, wandering through the gardens and made it back to the château just in time for dinner.  

"Sit straight, Adrien." D'Argencourt reminded the boy. He held up his hand before anyone could protest. "I don't want to get into lecturing every meal, but I will remind you until you don't need any reminding. Now eat your dinner like I have shown you this morning at breakfast, then I won't need to bother you again today." Adrien cast his eyes down but did as he was told, trying his best to do whatever he remembered from his breakfast lesson. 

"Have you had enough?" Gabriel gently inquired when Adrien put his fork down, still having quite a bit of food on his plate. 

"Oui. Do I have permission to leave the table?" 

"Where do you want to go?" D'Argencourt  could not help but ask. 

"I am tired. I'd like to go to sleep." Adrien said and got up, not waiting for a reply. Gabriel finished eating and waited for the others to finish before he went upstairs to check on his boy. 

"Is everything okay, Adrien?" Gabriel asked as he watched the boy who sat at the window, looking outside.  

"Oui. I believe so… I just want to be alone for a bit if that's okay." 

"All right, if you need me, I'll be downstairs, adjusting some clothes so you can wear them." Gabriel kindly said and then left him alone, picking out several things to work on them. Adrien watched as in the cover of darkness; a cloaked rider left the gates of the château. For some reason, he found he could not fall asleep. At some point he had heard the others come up the stairs to go to bed. Too many thoughts were dancing around in his head. Too many things he suddenly needed to remember… Adrien returned to his bed and tried once more to sleep, but when he was still wide awake after a while, he went to seek out his father's room. Behind the first door, he found an empty but clearly occupied room. It was so the same for the first room on the other side of the stairs, but this one had a copy of the bible on the nightstand which made him guess this was Aramis' room. The room after that, he found someone asleep in the big bed. Upon slightly closer inspection, he found Gabriel in there. Quietly he tiptoed to the empty side of the bed and got underneath the covers. He could not care any less that it might be childish. For a bit, he listened to his father's soft snores, who luckily had not noticed a thing of him joining. Before long, Adrien was fast asleep. 

 

Chapter 13

When Gabriel awoke the next morning, he was rather surprised to find Adrien on the other side in bed. He watched the boy slumber for a moment before he got up and got himself ready for his day. He then grabbed the outfit he had finished last night so he could help Adrien dress in it. "You decided somewhere last night you did not want to sleep alone?" Gabriel softly inquired as he buttoned up Adrien's coat. 

"I could not sleep…"  

"That is perfectly fine." Gabriel assured, seeing the uncertain look on the boy's face. "Let's go have breakfast before your lessons." He added when he finished tying the cravat. Adrien nodded and followed Gabriel downstairs. Once they entered the kitchen, they found the other musketeers were just about to start their breakfast. 

"Come join us." Aramis invited. "There is warm porridge in the pot." 

"Merci." Gabriel nodded and filled up two bowls, giving one to Adrien before sitting down himself. Adrien softly thanked him as well before he tucked into his breakfast, being mindful of everything he remembered of the etiquettes D'Argencourt had taught him yesterday. He felt the man's eyes upon him, judging him with every move. However, during the whole meal, he did not say anything. 

"I must return to the Garrison." D'Argencourt announced when they had finished breakfast.  

"How long will you be gone?" Gabriel inquired after he wiped his mouth with a napkin. 

"Several days. I have left two books in the study, which are for Adrien to read. I do not expect for him to finish them, but it will be appreciated the more he has managed to read."  

"Good." Gabriel nodded. 

"I'll do my best." Adrien nodded when the musketeers looked at him. 

"I do not expect anything less." D'Argencourt nodded. "Now, if you will excuse me." He said and pushed himself off the table and got to his feet.  

"So, what do you want to do today?" Gabriel asked as he collected the empty bowls. 

"From what can I choose?" Adrien asked. 

"Well, reading the books of D'Argencourt. Aramis can teach you how to dance, or I can start with your rapier training. You are welcome to go for a walk and or discuss the court life with one of us." Gabriel hummed as he went to wash up the bowls. 

"Can I do the rapier lessons first?"  

"Of course you can." Gabriel agreed. "Let me finish this up and then we can get started."  

"I'll got get some things ready for you two." Aramis said and got up. Gabriel left the bowls to dry and went to fetch his own rapier before he went outside with Adrien. With a smile, Gabriel offered Adrien his rapier. Adrien hesitated, looking from the rapier to the man he still regarded as his father. Aramis joined them and handed Adrien a pair of gloves before stepping back.  

"I am offering it to you. Go ahead, take it. This is also something you will need to learn. The king is a great fan of rapier duels." Gabriel explained. Adrien seemed to hesitate for another moment. He pulled on the gloves before he reached out and his hand closed around the handle. Gabriel gave another nod before Adrien pulled the rapier out of the shed.  He then went to grab a second rapier that Aramis offered him. The whole morning, Gabriel ran Adrien through sword and footing positions as well as balance exercises. 

"Can we take a break?" Adrien eventually asked as he nearly dropped the rapier. 

"Have you grown tired?" Gabriel inquired. 

"My arm has started to ache." Adrien sheepishly told him.  

"Very well. Let's go see if we can have something to eat." He agreed and took the rapier from his son. It was only when his own stomach rumbled that he noticed they had been busy the whole morning. "You could have told me earlier when you grew tired."  

"I did not want to stop, honestly. You seemed to enjoy yourself and I dreamed of the moment ever since I can remember." Adrien softly said as he walked inside, He offered Gabriel a little smile. Once inside, he found that food was still on the table, even though the two other musketeers were not in sight. 

"I know, but we can have many more moments like these." Gabriel kindly assured. "You want cheese or meat on a slice of bread?" The man walked over to the kitchen table as Adrien sat down.  

"Cheese, please." Adrien nodded and went to slice the bread while Gabriel made several cuts of cheese.  

"Merci." Gabriel hummed as he sat down himself and took the slice that Adrien offered him. 

"What are you going to do this afternoon?" Adrien inquired in between two bites.  

"I'll probably going to finish adjusting the clothes I brought for you. Other than that, I am not certain."  

"It will be the best if I go read, is it not?"  

"Oui. You best get a head start on that. There are too many things you need to learn in such little time." 

"Fitting sixteen years in but a half one…" Adrien softly mused, receiving a nod from Gabriel. 

"That is why D'Argencourt was so urgent about most matters." Adrien softly sighed when he finished eating. 

"Do you know where D'Argencourt left the books for me to read?" 

"Let me show you." Gabriel nodded and got to his feet, walking Adrien to the study that was upstairs. Large windows filled the room with light. There was a large bookcase against one wall and in the middle of the room there was a desk, equipped with everything one needed to write letters and do finances. On the corner of the desk, there were also two big books present, and after a quick check, it were the books D'Argencourt had spoken about. "Here you go. As king you will be reading a lot of documents." Gabriel pulled back the chair so Adrien could sit down. "I'll come and get you when it is time for dinner if you have not grown bored with reading by then."  

"Merci." Adrien nodded and pulled the first book close. Gabriel watched him for a moment before he went to his own room to go fix Adrien's clothes. Adrien set out to read the carefully penned down words. He managed to read quite a few pages but was uncertain if he remembered even a word of them when he got up to stretch his legs for a moment. As he looked out of the window, he could see most of the land that made out of the backyard. It made him wonder how the palace grounds looked like and if he could wander there like he had done here. The longer he stood at the window, the more questions and musings filled his head, making him realize he knew about nothing of the world he lived in. After a bit, he decided he had read enough for today and made his way back down. Going to look for his father, or well, Gabriel, he found the man in the common room, sitting in front of a window. Gabriel was working on a coat, presuming one for himself. Adrien could easily imagine his father sitting in the back of the tailor shop, making another fancy piece of clothing. It was not hard to imagine it would become his clothes, but it was hard to imagine that it would have to become normal that he was wearing such fancy clothes. 

"Do you think this is fit for a king?" Gabriel mused aloud, looking over the rim of his glasses at Adrien. The young man in question got startled out of his thoughts. 

"For me it is." Adrien agreed as he finally stopped hovering in the doorpost and walked up to the man. Gabriel tied off the thread before he handed it over.  

"How does the embroidery look?"  

"Is it Marinette's work?" Adrien asked as he inspected the fine silvery threads that made little flowers on the cuffs and around the edge of the buttonholes. 

"Non, it is my own handiwork." Gabriel hummed and got onto his feet. He took the coat once more from Adrien's hands. "Let me see if it properly fits."  

"Do you have so much free time as musketeer?" Adrien asked as he pulled off the coat he was wearing and let Gabriel help him in the coat he was about to finish. 

"Non, It has taken me nearly half a year to finish." Gabriel gave a soft chuckle and inspected the coat to determine if it fit nicely. "How does it feel?" 

"Too fancy for me to wear." Adrien grinned. "It sits well, I don't think it is too wide or too tight."  

"Then you can take it off. I believe dinner won't be taking long now." Gabriel softly hummed and took the coat once more when Adrien had pulled it off. "I am going to put these back upstairs and then I'll be joining in the kitchen."  

"See you in a moment." Adrien nodded and went to the kitchen, finding Aramis and Porthos together. Porthos was stirring in a large pot, grinning. Aramis sat at the table, wearing an equal grin.  

"Precisely in time." Aramis invited. "Shall I go fetch your father or would you like to alert him that dinner is ready?" 

"Father shall join us in a moment." Adrien replied before he sat down at the table, watching as Aramis got up to pour some glasses full of red wine. Gabriel arrived only minutes later and joined them, giving a soft 'merci' when Aramis served their dinner. 

"Do you not like wine?" Aramis inquired when Adrien had not even as much as touched the mug of wine during the meal. 

"I never really tasted it before…"  

"Go try it. If you look like your father, you will find you'll have quite a taste for it." Gabriel raised an eyebrow at his friend. Obviously, Adrien would not know about his little drinking problem. 

"I have never seen father drink wine except since we came here…" Adrien said, watching Gabriel curiously. 

"What do you want me to say?" Gabriel asked when everyone kept looking at him. "In my musketeer time I liked the occasional drink. When I became a father and had to raise my son alone, there was no time left for a tavern visit. I was certainly not going to leave my boy home alone or bring him to such a place." 

"Occasional." Porthos snorted in response. Aramis was smirking as well.  Gabriel shook his head in response and got up, leaving the room. 

"What did I miss?" Adrien asked confused. 

"Nothing that matters right now." Aramis assured. "When your father was part of the musketeers before he got together with Emilie, he used to be very fond of wine, so much he was hung over nearly every morning. At some point we even had placed bets on how long it would take before your father had worked himself into trouble because of his excessive drinking. It is however a very good thing your father saw the light and bettered his life for you."  

"I never knew…"  

"I do not believe your father ever intended for you to know. He has quite changed over the years, and you will find your father has also sides he never had the need to show you." 

"Like?"  

"You'll have to find out yourself, Adrien. But remember, he is still the same man that raised you and he has changed in a good way to give you your best chance." Aramis gave a little smile before he got up and collected the empty dishes. "You want the wine or not?" 

"Non, you can have it." Adrien assured and got up himself, going to look to where Gabriel had gone. "Papa?" He cautiously asked as he found a figure outside. 

"Ask all you like, Adrien." Gabriel responded, not turning around. 

"Are you angry?" Adrien asked after a moment. Gabriel turned around; he had not expected that question. 

"I am not," Gabriel simply said. 

"But…" Adrien started but did not finish.  

"I am not angry, Adrien, because this was something I should have anticipated. With you spending time with my old friends, one way or another you would have learned about my life before I became a tailor. Many things have changed, including me. When I look back I am certainly not proud of everything I did. Alas, we cannot change the past and only learn from it." 

"Will you tell me things, things you did not tell in the stories you told me when I was little?" 

"You are free to ask anything, but I am not just going to tell you these things as if they were another bedtime story."  

"I guess I understand that." Adrien said with a nod. "Are there many things you are not proud of?" 

"Mainly my wine-drinking habits."  

"Is that all?" Adrien inquired when his father kept quiet, looking past him as if he was in deep thought. 

"There is one other thing, but I do not wish to speak about that. Maybe when the time is right, I shall tell you." Gabriel then looked at Adrien. "Shall we go back inside?" 

"Oui." Adrien nodded and could not help but smile a little when Gabriel wrapped an arm around his shoulders in a half one-armed hug as they went back inside. 

Notes:

I am in fact still alive!

I hoped you missed me a little!

Chapter 14

"I believe it will be time for your first dance lesson." Aramis announced several days later when Adrien had finally finished his breakfast. 

"I guess." Adrien agreed before he got up and followed Aramis to a part of the château he had not visited before. They ended up in a small ballroom. It quite looked like the dining hall but without the large table in the middle of it. "Don't we need music and a dance partner?" He eventually inquired as he looked around, eventually catching on the beautiful ornate trim that decorated the ceiling. 

"I have that all fixed." Aramis replied after a moment when he put down a chair and a music stand. It was only moments later when D'Argencourt entered, carrying a violin. 

"Good morning, your majesty. Aramis." The man in question politely greeted with a bow before he sat down on the chair that Aramis put there. Aramis then walked over to Adrien.  

"I shall be your dance partner for now. It is far easier to explain and teach you this way then observing from the sideline." 

"But…" Adrien started as a little blush started to creep on his still pale face. 

"I promise you there won't be a single problem. I can dance the female part." Adrien meekly nodded at that and let Aramis place his hand on his middle before he went to explain the beats and the steps that went along for the specific dance. Aramis gave a small nod to D'Argencourt, who in return started to play a merry tune. The musketeer counted aloud as he guided the young man through the steps.  

"Je suis désolé!" Adrien exclaimed horrified and quickly stepped back when a look of discomfort washed over Aramis' face. He felt he had stepped on something bumpy and there was no other explanation then that he accidentally stepped on Aramis' foot.  

"Do not fret, I had expected it to happen at some point. You are learning." Aramis assured and offered a little smile. "Let's continue, no harm done." The musketeer assured and once they were back in the position they were moments ago, D'Argencourt started playing again. They repeated the song several times, and the routine of steps even more times before they decided it was time for a small break. After a big glass of water and a quick foot rub, they went on to a different song. This only had three beats instead of four. Aramis followed through the steps once more and they repeated it several times. They only stopped when Gabriel came to see what was going on. 

"I have prepared lunch for when you are finished here." He announced when the song had finished. 

"Perfect timing, mon ami." Aramis said with a laugh as he stepped away from Adrien. "I have grown quite an appetite." He waved at Adrien to come along. D'Argencourt carefully placed his violin on the chair before he followed to the kitchen as well.  

"How are things faring at the Garrison?" Gabriel inquired as he sat down. 

"Most things were quiet. I had to give some more detailed instructions to the musketeers that are currently in charge. I also worked through a small mountain of letters I had received in the whole week. There was a reply present." D'Argencourt explained before he handed over an sealed letter. "It is however that I need to make more return trips on a more frequent base to avoid someone starts missing me."  

"Merci." Gabriel then took the letter and put it down next to his plate. He would read that after they finished eating.  

"We have to start the winter preparations right now. We do not want a repeat of last year, even though my heart dreads the same result despite our efforts." D'Argencourt said, turning his attention mostly to Aramis and Porthos. Porthos gave a soft grunt in reply. He was certain he could be missed here for a couple of days. 

"Last winter?" Aramis could not help but ask with a small frown. Adrien looked rather confused as well. 

"I am afraid so. We need to put in a whole procedure to make sure we do not make the same mistakes and endanger the life of the king again." D'Argencourt gave a small nod. 

"Riots in front of the king's gates. The poor people were hungry." Gabriel shortly explained. Aramis nodded at that. 

"How are you going to solve this problem? It is not so that the fields of the farmers suddenly grew more grain and potatoes." The man questioned. 

"Not quite. We can however make sure our supplies are more bountiful. Also I shall have to see that we will have more storage place outside of Paris so we can indeed bring in more food when the need becomes critical." D'Argencourt thoughtfully explained. 

"But, surely last year has not been the only year wherein people were hungry? Must we not seek for a different solution that does not require the interference of the musketeers distributing food so they won't riot against the king?" Adrien asked, keenly looking at the Captain. D'Argencourt smiled at Adrien hearing that. 

"Very clever, Sire." D'Argencourt praised. "That solution will be put into place when our plan works. Then we can lower the taxes of our citizens which in turn they can spend on food. It however still requires a different approach for upcoming winter." 

"I see… How long has this been going on exactly?" Adrien then inquired.  

"I believe it was the year of 50 that the first tax raise was implemented so the king would be able to fund to build his palace." Adrien then turned to look at Gabriel.  

"Have you gone hungry as well?" 

"I have, but that was not entirely to blame only on the king's taxes." Gabriel hummed. "I also knew that Sabine and Thom struggled to buy with the higher flour prices and that less people are able to buy their bread."  

"If they are in trouble, we must help them." Adrien said, obviously determined to help out his friends. 

"They are not in trouble. You have nothing to worry about. If you have finished eating, I am sure the contents of the letter will prove that." Gabriel assured and lightly tapped the letter that was still beside his plate. Once everyone had finished eating, Gabriel leaned back in his chair. Taking the letter in his hand, he carefully opened it. Once he finished reading it, he held it out for Adrien. 

 

 Dear Gabriel, Adrien.

 

How wonderful you have finally written to us. I am overjoyed to read you are free again and reunited.

I dearly hope everything will settle soon, I cannot wat to see you again. Both of you.

Everything is fine from our side. The bakery is still doing well and I help enough people tailoring clothes.

 

Please don’t wait too long before writing again. With loads of love,

Marinette, Thom and Sabine.

 

"I am happy to read they are doing well." Adrien softly said after he handed the letter back to Gabriel.

"Oui, it is the best we could have hoped for. You are welcome to write them back, but for now there are little things we can share. Or am I mistaken?" Gabriel asked. "You may keep the letter if you like."

"Merci." Adrien offered a little smile and held the letter in his lap. "I do not think so. Writing about my lessons will not be interesting I believe." Adrien softly sighed and watched as Aramis and Porthos went to clean up the table. "May I be excused? If you have a matchbox for me, then I'll think I get some more reading done before bed."

"Excellent choice." Aramis responded and handed over the box he had used to make the cooking fire with.

"Good night." Adrien greeted the two musketeers after he took the matchbox. He then went upstairs, bringing Marinette's letter to his bedroom before he continued to the study.

"Have your eyes not grown tired yet?" Gabriel's soft inquiry startled Adrien from his concentration.

"What time is it then?" Adrien could not help but ask. When he looked at the candle, he found it would die soon. It was nearly as good as new when he lightened it earlier that evening, showing that quite some time had passed.

"A little after midnight." Gabriel offered. "If you want to continue reading, I'll fetch you a new candle."

"Non. I better continue in the light tomorrow." Adrien agreed. He then got up, taking the little candle along to the bedroom, going to dress himself for bed. As Adrien went to find his father, he found Gabriel as he nearly finished dressing himself. "Can I ask some questions?" Gabriel turned around squinting a little in the little light.

"Adrien. Of course. Will you sleep here tonight?"

"I believe so." Adrien nodded as he watched Gabriel who got into bed. "I was wondering… You served for the man that is my real father then…" Adrien's voice trailed off…

"Oui. I served the late king. D'Argencourt knew him far better, but I can tell you something about him, depending on what you want to know."  

"Was he a good king?"  

"He was a decent king. He made sure not to take too much from those who only had little. He had quite the thing for dressing up in the most elaborate way. He loved your mother a lot." Gabriel gave a small nod. "Back then it was quite the honour to serve the king in the way we did. I rather serve your father than I do your brother honestly." 

"Is he that bad then?"  

"Well, I am comparing it to the most sweet and kind person in whole France, so, I might be biased." Gabriel offered a little smile. "It is however so that you also should start addressing me with my given name. We can't have you slip up and call me your father." The man softly sighed. "Just calling me 'Musketeer' will always do as well. I do not believe Louis-Félix knows any of the musketeers names besides D'Agencourt."  

"Okay." Adrien softly but thoughtfully said.

"Are you going to stand there the whole night?" Gabriel then inquired. Adrien noticed the man was lightly smiling, not trying to jest but still amused.

 "No, I'll get in now." Adrien shook his head and finally walked to the other side of the bed and put out the candle before slipping under the covers.

"Do you have any other late night inquiries?" Gabriel asked, once Adrien had settled.

"I don’t think so." Adrien muttered before widely yawning.

"Tomorrow will be another day for many more questions." Gabriel assured. "Good night."

"Good night…"

Chapter 15

"From the moment you set foot on the grounds of the palace, your life does not belong to you anymore. Your task is to be seen and admired. To be praised for every breath you take. Dressing, shaving, eating and drinking. They are not just actions. It will all become part of the performance you will need to put onto display before the court. Pretending before the noblemen at court will be the least of your worries. The trusted advisors of the king will be harder to convince since they had the time to spend more close time to you, Louis-Félix. It is however so that this is only during the conferences which requires you to be direct and straight of mind. Taking it a step up is dealing with the king's mistresses of whom he often shares his bed." Adrien deeply blushed at the thought of needing to share the bed with a lady, not to mention a complete stranger… "I unfortunately can only tell you about the rumours that I have overheard of when I stood on guard. The ladies had not so quietly laughed over their tea and called the king 'A wild beast'. May God forgive him his sins... Your valet will be the hardest to convince of your performance. The king had four of them at his disposal at all times and these four men will relatively spend the most time with you. It is not uncommon for one of them to sleep at the chaise longue in your bedchambers. They are capable of reading your face in order to assist you in your daily tasks and are expected to handle before you even voice your needs. It is of uttermost importance to be aware of every single expression you put on your face. Even the small ones. A courtier will think nothing of it, but your valet will call for alarm as they are trained to when you as much as move one muscle wrong." D'Argencourt lectured as he half stood behind the mirror that was showing Adrien's reflection.  

"I believe I understand…" Adrien gave a small nod as he raised his eyes to look at D'Argencourt's who gave him a nod in return. 

"Under no circumstances, you will ever blush. Shyness or embarrassment are not characteristics that belong to your brother, Adrien. You are the king and the king is always right. Never forget that. Even when something goes askew or a little clumsiness happens. I have not intentions to scare you, but nothing less than perfection is expected of the king. Your brother had many years as practise and does not know any better since he has been taught to act like this since you came from your mother's womb. In the case something goes not go according to plan, you may always excuse yourself and retreat to your private chambers. If you must, you can even send away your valet if you truly need a moment alone to compose yourself. It is in turn however important the valet does not know, and thus the best  you can do is to send him to the kitchens to retrieve some drink or food. For the smaller mishaps, you can call upon a servant to clean up the mess. A king never says sorry, Adrien. Please, remind yourself of that. You can do so if you like when the switch has been successfully performed. It is also that I have never heard your brother utter the word please, so be careful with this as well." 

"I believe I need some more time to practice…" Adrien quietly said as the amount of burden only seemed to dawn upon him.  

"We have two months before the point of no return shall happen." D'Argencourt nodded. "Make use of all the time we still have left. To continue, you should never sound uncertain when you speak your mind. Everything the king says, he says and without thought. Your brother can be rude when he wishes to and no one would think any less of him. If you were to do that as commoner, you would have been spit upon and slapped in the face just as easily. There is even a court rule that dictates that the king's guests that dine with him are only to start eating when the king has, and are to stop when the king has finished. No exceptions for one is not finished." 

"That one I remember from the book you gave me to read." 

"Excellent, sire." D'Argencourt gave a small smile. The man then walked away from behind the mirror. He joined Adrien's side a moment later and held a small hand mirror out to him. "Use it so you can watch your expression at all times. You have to learn to keep your features bland, neutral. Your face currently is very easy to read. Your brother rarely displays any kind of emotion. Only when he is extremely pleased with himself he will allow himself to show a tiny smile. The only other emotion he show is when things do not go according his wish and he will burst out into anger. Have you ever been angry Adrien?" 

"I have been a bit angry with my father when I was not allowed to do something, but that was only short and a little bit. Mostly I have been angry and mostly confused when they had locked me up and no one would tell me why. I believe I felt that way as well when I went on that first walk with Gabriel, father." Adrien said after a long silence wherein the young man sought in himself if he could ever remember being angry.  

"Good. Please remember that feeling when you have to deal with your subjects. Most are angry about the injustice and that they are incapable of changing that injustice. Your brother's upbringing gave him a twisted view of injustice and that is where you can make the most difference to create the most wonderful and hopefully content united France. But before that can happen, you must pass as your brother. I believe this is all I wanted to share for now, unless you have questions?"

"Non, I do not have any questions. You made it clear enough what I need to do and what is expected of me. It is but very little time I get to adjust, unfortunately…"

"I know it is a great burden I place on your young shoulders. I am however afraid that this burden will never truly lessen. The Ministers and advisors will be in your service to lessen this burden as much as possible." D'Argencourt gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. "I am confident you will be able to manage this. You already learned many things in the few months we have been teaching you."

"Merci." Adrien looked up and found Aramis popping his head in the room.

"I have been instructed by Gabriel to send for Adrien. He very much wishes to continue the rapier lesson." Adrien looked from Aramis to D'Argencourt.

"You are dismissed, Sire." D'Argencourt gave a formal bow.

"Have a nice afternoon." Adrien smiled before he followed Aramis to the courtyard where Gabriel was already waiting for him.

"Good afternoon, Adrien." Gabriel greeted and offered him a pair of gloves and a rapier. "I think today is a beautiful day to get your first taste of a duel."

 "You think I am ready for that?" Adrien asked as he pulled the offered gloves on.

 "Well, you won't be duelling with me or D'Argencourt for that matter, but Aramis will help me run you through some basic information and positions.

"And if you like, in the end your father and I can give you a little demonstration of what a proper duel will look like." Aramis smiled.

That sounds like a good plan." Adrien agreed and went to take his position, Aramis coming to stand in front of him, several feet away.

"Let's start with a little warm up. Do you remember the positions and drills from the last several times?" Adrien watched his father and nodded. Gabriel watched as Adrien went to perform the drills, he corrected him twice on a minor thing, Aramis mirroring Adrien's actions in practiced ease. Once both participants were all warmed up, Gabriel went to explain all basics of duelling, briefly borrowing Adrien's rapier so he could watch the demonstration. Once that was over, it was Adrien with guidance of Gabriel that ran him through common duel steps.

Once Adrien began to tire, Gabriel took the rapier from him again. "Well done." Aramis praised.

"I have not come very far yet…" Adrien protested. He was already quite a bit fitter then when he had just gotten out of prison.

"But is already a lot better than when we started." Gabriel assured. "Just some more practice and you will be soon ready for your first duel. The cadets from D'Argencourt probably have about the same learning speed, but they spend far more time on running laps and had far more practice in the same time span."

"Shall we go give the boy a little show?" Aramis then asked, grinning. He knew he was probably not going to win, but that did not matter.

"The first one who draws blood?" Gabriel asked as he walked onto the grass.

"I don’t want either of you to get hurt." Adrien interjected before Aramis had the chance to agree.

"We will be careful, Adrien. Nothing we have not done before. We both have been far often been far more injured then just a little cut." Gabriel gently said. "I am sure you remember the bunch of scars I have?"

"But…" Adrien protested, a deep frown marrying his brow. Gabriel softly smiled as he walked back to his son. "Adrien." He softly said, his grey-blue eyes meeting the green ones. "I am but a servant. The king should not be bothered by the wellbeing of his servants."

"We'll be careful." Aramis assured, well, as careful as they could be handling sharp blades… Adrien let out a deep sigh before he nodded and stepped back so he could keep out of harm's way himself. Gabriel gave a satisfied nod before he returned to his position, opposite of Aramis. Adrien watched in awe and in fear as the duel started. Both men kept their duel professional, even so that D'Argencourt had walked up to the window to watch. The duel took a good fifteen minutes before Gabriel just managed to nick Aramis' skin, just above the elbow. Aramis in response held up his hand and rapier before stepping back. Once Gabriel saw, he lowered his rapier.

" You are still my better, mon ami."  Aramis praised.

"Even after all these years." Gabriel smiled and shook Aramis' hand. "How about a good glass of wine and some food?"

"Excellent." Aramis agreed and they put the rapiers away before they went to the kitchen. With a flourish, Aramis undressed so he could better inspect the wound. It was nothing more than a superficial cut, and by the time Gabriel had provided them with the drinks and snacks, it already stopped bleeding. Adrien could not help but watched the golden brown skin of Aramis. Some parts were littered with scars. Old battle wounds, he presumed. "I can exactly tell you where each of these came from."  Aramis offered before he caught the fresh shirt Gabriel tossed him.

"Oh…" Adrien said, not sure on how to respond as he recovered.

"Do not fret, these do quite well with the ladies. All marks of bravery."  Aramis grinned and winked before he went to take some grapes and a piece of cheese. Gabriel softly chuckled as well. Adrien after a moment settled with eating some bread with cheese and grapes as well.

"So, what will you be doing this afternoon?" Gabriel inquired once they had nearly finished eating.

"I think I'll go for a walk. The weather is decent. It won't last." Adrien hummed. "I think I'll bring along the little mirror so I can practice watching my face do things."

"That sounds like a good idea." Gabriel agreed.

"Perhaps we can do another dance lesson tomorrow. I have seen your dancing skills grow over these past few weeks. I think you won't need many more lessons." Aramis praised.

"Thank you. It is part of the teacher that does the trick."

 

~

 

All too soon, the summer started to come to an end. The leaves of the trees started to turn into wonderful golden colours as the nights started to grow longer.  

"What do you need those for?" Adrien asked with big eyes as Aramis dragged in two large muskets. 

"It is time for hunting." Aramis replied. 

"Hunting? Hunting what?" 

"The woods have an abundancy of Red deer. Their skin will make for a pair of wonderful soft leather boots and their meat will serve for many delicious meals." 

"I- I don't want to be doing that…" Adrien stammered. He did not want to kill such a precious animal.

"Your brother is quite fond of this activity. It might very well be one of the topics one of your guests will bring up to chat about. We can't leave you staring in the blank." Aramis explained.

"Do we really have to…" Adrien tried.

"Your father is saddling the horses and Porthos is fetching the hounds. If we get the chance to shoot a deer, we will, but it will not guarantee we will be successful. That is all about the sport."

"Okay." Adrien softly sighed. There was no way he could get out of this. Before long, Gabriel joined them. Aramis helped Adrien mount before the musketeer mounted himself. He then steered his horse around so he was next to Gabriel, handing over the second musket he was carrying. Only moments later, Porthos arrived with three dogs in tow. The dogs were yipping and yapping, excited at the prospect of a chase.

"Let's go." Porthos said after he settled in the saddle. It took a while before they finally with the help of the dogs, a startled deer jumped from the bushes onto the small path they found themselves on. With a shout of Aramis, they spurred their horses into a chase. It did not take long before Aramis was able to take aim. His reputation of the best marksman of the regiment proceeded him well. Adrien startled as a loud bang sounded, watching with big eyes as the blue smoke from the musket cleared.

"Let's finish this off." Aramis cried as they continued following the wounded Animal. Adrien had no choice to follow as the horse followed his buddies at his own accord without any input of his rider. It did not take long before they found the deer laying on it's side, injured. As Porthos tried rallying the dogs into silence, Aramis jumped from the saddle. After he handed his musket to Gabriel, he pulled his gun from his belt. "Thank you for your sacrifice. May god bless your offspring." Adrien heard Aramis say before he made a short prayer. Once finished, he had a well-aimed shot, putting the animal out of it's misery.

"We will have a lovely meal tonight." Aramis said as he put his gun back on his belt. He struggled a moment before he managed to heave the deer on his shoulders and transfer it into the saddle. "Time to go home and prepare some fine roast for tonight." Aramis announced before he pulled the reins, making his horse turn. Adrien's horse easily followed the others, recognizing the word home, knowing that meant loads of delicious hay.

"You can go inside, Adrien." Gabriel said as the Château came into view. "I will take care of the horses. I believe Porthos will go bring away the hounds and Aramis will start cleaning the deer."

"Do you need me to help in any way?" Adrien asked, secretly hoping he did not have to help out with skinning the deer.

"Non. You go freshen yourself up and possibly read some of D'Argencourt's books if you feel like it." Aramis replied.

"Okay. Merci." Adrien nodded and went to do as told once they dismounted. After Gabriel had finished with the horses and they were happily munching on their hay, he went to check on Aramis, who by now he received help from Porthos. Adrien came to the kitchen when Gabriel had called him. No roast was waiting for him, but the stew his father had prepared was not bad either. Before long, all of them leaned back, they bellies full. The clean-up was quick.

"Have you ever played a game of cards?" Porthos asked as he threw a deck of cards on the kitchen table while Aramis went to pour several mugs of wine.  

"No, I have not…" Adrien said and skeptically looked at the cards. They were quite smudged, making it hard to see the symbols. 

Chapter 16

It was several weeks later that D'Argencourt returned from the Garisson again, but this time he was carrying a box. "Sire? If you will excuse me, I have something for you." He addressed Adrien as he found them all in the kitchen, finishing their supper.

"Yes?" Adrien invited after he dabbed the corners of his mouth with a napkin. All these little things D'Argencourt had been teaching him were becoming routine.

"We can discuss this after dinner." D'Argencourt nodded as he put the box down before he quickly went to fetch himself some dinner. Between his bites, D'Argencourt updated the other musketeers about the fairings of the Garisson and court. Some of these were quite vital now that winter was not far away and the worries of the common folks came about again. It did not take long before D'Argencourt had also finished his dinner. While he and Adrien, together with the box went upstairs to the office, the other musketeers cleaned up the kitchen. D'Argencourt opened the wooden box. On top, there were several sheets with drawings and names. These where the important people Félix would know the name of. Ministers, his Valets. His mistresses… Below that, there was a two story Marquette with the layout of the palace with all the rooms and important places to be. D'Argencourt proceeded to explain the common walking routes the king took and what room represented. Once that was all clear, he went to explain in detail who these people were, some of their interests and their function at the court. There were quite a few, but it always could have been worse, Adrien told himself. As he went to walk later that afternoon, he took the sheets along, practicing the faces and names.

 

~~

 

The next weeks blurred together in reading and practicing. There was little opportunity for walks as it was raining for most of the days. So, when he could not practice his riding or rapier fighting, all the other lessons continued, filling the days non-stop. Sometimes he could even hear discussions of the musketeers. Usually, it was about Garrison stuff. About how to train and what to teach them. But sometimes it was about court politics which D'Argencourt filled him in on in his later visits, because that was quite important as well if he were to pass as Félix. One night he heard D'Argencourt express his concerns, finding Adrien far from ready, and that there was too little time to teach him properly, or the other stuff he had not been taught yet.

We knew it would be tight, even when we started." Gabriel answered. "But I am certain Adrien can pull this off. Have you not seen how hard he has been working all this time?"

"It is not enough. The Valets and ministers will see right through him. Félix has a heart shaped out of ice and stone. The difference is as clear as day and night." D'Argencourt argued back.

"We have no other option. It is this or nothing at all. Doing nothing is no option." Gabriel firmly said.

"I agree." A different voice piped in. "it is this or nothing. Doing nothing will only forsake the whole of France." It was Aramis.

"If you have things that you did not teach him yet, you'll have to start tomorrow to give Adrien his best shot at practicing and remembering." Gabriel said.

"Very well. There is no other option. It is our only chance. Adrien is our last hope." D'Argencourt. The silence that followed was thick like honey. Adrien retired to his room, lest he got caught eavesdropping. He settled in the windowsill, watching the darkness stretch out. The words of D'Argencourt stuck with him. He was the only hope for whole of France. It made him sick to his stomach, the idea he could ruin so many lives if he messed up…His papa, Gabriel still seemed to believe he could do it. But was he ready for it?

 

~~

 

"Good morning, Adrien. How do you feel?" Gabriel asked as he came into the bedroom, carrying fresh clothes and a pitcher of water.

"Is there a word that describes extremely nervous?" Adrien asked as he went to sit on the edge of the bed. "I barely slept last night."

"You will do perfectly fine. I am certain of it." Gabriel kindly said as he let Adrien wash himself before helping him dress. "Remember to breath." He kindly advised. "Everything is in place and D'Argencourt will be close at all times tonight." Gabriel stepped back once Adrien was dressed. "We will leave this afternoon with a carriage to the palace. You will have to hide under the bench for a short moment as we enter the grounds. After that Porthos and Aramis will take you via a backdoor into the palace. It will be the longest of wait before the ball begins, but we cannot get you in later, as it might raise suspicion." Gabriel continued to elaborate as they walked downstairs, to the kitchen for breakfast.

"A hard boiled egg with fresh bread and cheese for his Majesty." Aramis interrupted Gabriel as soon as they walked into the kitchen.

"Merci." Adrien nodded as he sat down.

"As soon as it will be time, we will bring you to the king's chambers via the servant passages and D'Argencourt will make sure Félix will be brought there. After the switch has been successful, it will be our task to bring Félix away to a secure place, applying the mask before he will be brought to prison." Gabriel finished explaining the plan before he went to eat his own breakfast.

"Any questions?" Aramis asked as he sat down, nibbling from a small chunk of cheese.

"I think I understand. Will one of you stay with me all the time I have to hide in the palace?"

"That depends where you can hide, but I believe one of us can stay with you if you like." Aramis nodded.

"And after the switch has been completed I will continue like nothing happened and return to the ball." Adrien tested.

"Precisely." Gabriel nodded. "So, this morning we can run you through the last things you might need reminding of. And if that goes smoothly, you will have a few hours left to spend in you own will." Adrien nodded to that, the mixed feeling bubbling up in his stomach, making him throw up the few bites he had consumed so far. "I know you will do just wonderful. Have confidence, that will help in every way, remember?"

"The king never hesitates and is always right." Adrien replied.

"That's it." Aramis nodded approvingly.

"Will you walk with me through the garden?" Adrien asked Gabriel after he had a few more bites.

"I will." Gabriel confirmed and went to finish his food before he got to his feet. In silence the both of them walked over the small gravel paths, watching the frozen grass that stood next to it. Both of them walked in silence. There was little else to say. Today was the big day where they had been training for. It very much felt like the silence before the storm. Gabriel could not help but softly smile as he watched Adrien. His little boy had grown into a man. A man that would proceed to safe their country. He was certain of it. "You will do great." Gabriel eventually told Adrien. "You worked very hard these last few months."

"I tried my best. I am not certain if it will be enough…"

"I understand you have doubts, but it will work itself out in time. Just remember that your brother is not as kind-hearted and wonderful as you are." Gabriel tried to assure.

"You can always write a letter and hide it behind a painting where D'Argencourt can fetch it for either himself or me if you want to write. Then we can exchange letters still for however long you need to pretend to be your brother."

"That is a good idea." Adrien agreed. "The first few weeks will be hardest, right?"

"Probably. But I am certain they will be over quick enough as well." Gabriel soothed as they slowly turned on the way back to the château. Once they returned, Gabriel went to clean up some of the clothes and other things. There were not a lot of other things, but these he did not want to leave until the next opportunity to fetch it.

"Aramis send me to fetch you, for early dinner. He said we needed to leave soon." Adrien brought Gabriel out of his musings.

"Yes, it is already getting dark." Gabriel agreed as he looked outside. Daylight was fading fast. The four of them had a quick and easy supper. It would be a long night to come. After a quick clean-up, they all piled into the carriage, ready to go to the palace. They rode in silence, watching the houses pass, all little lights of the houses that had occupants in them. It made Adrien think of the tailor shop and the Bakery. "You'll have to go hide now." Gabriel softly said as they approached the gates.

"Thank you for everything." Adrien said and leaned over so he could hug the man that raised him one last time. Gabriel gave a soft sad smile, gently patting the pale blonde hair.

"You will do wonderful. I know so." He encouraged. "I love you, Adrien. I could not have been more proud." He told the young man before Porthos and Aramis quickly ushered him into hiding as they slowed down in front of the gates. With a quick word and nod, the guards opened the gate and the carriage was allowed to continue. Adrien quickly stuffed his hair under a wig before he say back on the bench, letting the musketeers get out of the carriage before he did. The other musketeer had stopped behind the carriage house, giving enough shelter from prying eyes before he went to take care of his own stable duties.

"One for all." Gabriel said as it was their moment to part.

"All for one." Aramis and Porthos replied in unison before they took Adrien to the opposite direction, leading him via the backdoors, into the servant passages to hide. Gabriel went to find D'Argencourt to report their arrival. They were all ready for the moment when it would arrive.

Notes:

So, This is was kind of the filler chapter before the big stuff comes you all have been waiting for.
After this I have between 2 an 4 chapters left.

Love to hear your thoughts!

Chapter 17

"Sire, I must ask you to come with me, calmly and quietly. Word has been send an intruder has been spotted in the palace. We must leave for your private chambers to secure your safety." D'Argencourt quietly said as he went to stand next to the throne from where the king was contently watching his patrons dance. Louis-Félix gave a small nod before he arose and gracefully stepped down on the marble floor. D'Argencourt followed the king an made sure to offer polite nods to all the patrons. Only when the doors to the kings private chambers closed, the real work would begin. 

Adrien watched as his father and his friends caught hold of Louis-Félix as soon as he stepped through the doors. Instantly, Aramis clasped a gloved hand over the other man's face so he could not alert anyone else. "You must forgive me, sire." Taking a rag, Gabriel pushed it under Aramis' hand while Porthos restrained the struggling man to his chest. With relative ease, he bound the rag behind Louis-Félix's head to keep it in place. The deadly glare he received was not missed. The keen green eyes locked with a pair of similar green eyes. Even Adrien had been aware of his twin, now that he was finally able to see him up close, it made him feel rather strange. His mirror image, his brother. The switching of clothes was quite a thing and did not pass without excessive struggle and possibly a couple of bruises. 

"I believe the imposter has be caught, Sire." D'Argencourt addressed Adrien when he was properly clothed. 

"Excellent." Adrien responded with a nod, giving his brother a cold look he had practiced many times in front of a mirror. Only a moment later, Aramis pulled a jute bag over Louis-Félix head before they started dragging the 'imposter' out of the king's chambers with a lot of theatrics. 

"Let me escort you back to your party." D'Argencourt nodded when the other musketeers had disappeared from sight. Was it not for the detailed planning and descriptions D'Argencourt had provided that Adrien would have been overwhelmed once he set foot in the hall. No matter where he set foot, several pairs of eyes would be glued to him, no matter what. Looking straight forward, he returned to the throne to observe his surroundings and remember all the instructions he had received. He was very glad when the Captain of the Musketeers kept into his line of sight at all times. He tried enjoying the ball even if he only sat on his throne watching the others enjoy themselves. It was far past midnight when D'Argencourt left his position at the door and walked up to the throne. 

"Sire." He addressed Adrien with a small bow. With a small nod, Adrien rose and proceeded to follow the musketeer. He had been struggling quite a bit to keep a straight face and keep awake. It was quite a relieve when they finally arrived in the king's chambers. "Clemens?" D'Argencourt called as soon as they set foot in the bedroom, and an middle-aged man appeared through a nearly invisible door of the servant's passage. That instantly reminded Adrien that his play pretend was not over just yet. 

"Good evening, Sire." The man agreed and set out to prepare for the bed-time routine of Louis-Félix. Adrien offered a small nod to D'Argencourt before he left him alone with the Valet. He was convinced that the whole routine was a waste of time. He just as easily could have undressed himself before crawling into bed. He was however pleasantly surprised when he was finally into bed. This was what he imagined how it would feel like if he could ever sleep on a cloud. Clemens could not even wish him a good night before he was deeply asleep. 

 

~ 

 

It was Clemens the next morning that awoke Adrien. "Are you well, Sire?" The valet inquired when the king looked at him rather sleepy and confused. 

"I am well." Adrien nodded when the words sank in. He let Clemens pull away the blankets before letting him help to dress him. "What is the schedule for today?" He asked, not turning to look whoever entered his room as Clemens finished tying the cravat. 

"Good morning, Sire. Once you are finished, breakfast will be served in the dining hall where the Mother-Queen will be accompanying you. After that you shall meet with the ministers to discuss some urgent matters. After luncheon, the tailor will visit as would be the shoemaker. After that, there will be time to socialize with the courtiers where you can show off your new clothes. Dinner will be served at eight." The minister listed. Once Clemens had finished he walked out of the room and made his way to the dining room without further word. 

"Good morning, Dieudonne." The queen softly greeted when Adrien walked into the dining room. The table was lavishly set with all kinds of things, and Adrien could only think about that everything that was set out for the two of them was enough to feed a whole street. 

"Good morning, mother." He gave a small nod before he sat down at the head of the table. So, his mother was indeed fair, much more than the rumours he heard gave credit for. Pale blonde hair and the same wonderful green eyes that he like his brother possessed. Adrien had a hard time trying to keep stoïc and just eat his breakfast while his mind swirled with all kinds of questions he wished to ask the woman that birthed him. It was however so that besides the greeting, the breakfast progressed in silence. It was not long until it was time for the king to meet his ministers and advisors. 

 

~

 

In the next two weeks, it became clear to the ministers and the valets that the king was not feeling like his usual self. It might even be worse as he seemed to have a sudden change of heart. The hard look in the green eyes had softened, and the king was more willing to listen to proposals. It was the Cardinal that alarmed the ministers after the king had walked out of the meeting. 

"I am sure you have noticed the diverting behaviour of our king." The Cardinal said as he straightened, looking at the ministers of whom he received some reserved nods. "I believe something has transpired during the new-years ball as there was an intruder captured by the Musketeers." Now he turned his attention directly to D'Argencourt. "I believe you have come to know some information that has been strictly forbidden." 

"Of what do you speak? I serve the king. It is my duty to keep our monarch safe. That is what I did on new-year's eve." D'Argencourt responded. 

"I speak of the imposter you caught. It bore quite a resemblance of Louis- Félix, did it not? Or was it Louis- Félix you dragged out of the palace?" 

"What proof do you have to be accusing me?" From his scarlet robes, the Cardinal pulled on an envelope with a broken seal. 

"Please, read it aloud." The Cardinal requested as he threw the letter on the table in D'Argencourt's direction. 

"Musketeers brought in a Man in the Iron Mask. It was however so that approximately an half year ago that this Man in the Iron Mask died of plague. The Prisoner is detained in the original cell." The note read. 

"Care to elaborate?" 

"I do not know anything about a Man in the Iron Mask." D'Argencourt clearly said. "I will investigate the matter of which musketeers were seen at which prison?" He asked for good measure. 

"Don't play dumb. The Bastion." The Cardinal snorted in disgust. 

"Keep your accusations in front of you unless you have proper proof of someone's guilt." D'Argencourt shook his head and put the letter down. "If you will excuse me, I have to return to my Musketeers." The Musketeers' Captain said before he briskly walked off. How was this even possible? So, his plan was still doomed to fail after all the effort… 

"You have not heard the last of this, D'Argencourt!" The Cardinal called after him.

"Gabriel! Porthos! Aramis!" D'Argencourt called as he entered the Musketeers yard. "To my study." He ordered before going there himself. There he waited for the three musketeers to join him. "The Cardinal is hot upon our trail." 

"How?" Aramis asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"It appears the overseer of the Bastion has his alliance with the Cardinal. We should not have brought him back there." 

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Gabriel looked at D'Argencourt. 

"It will probably too late and risky to move him to a different facility at this point. I believe it would be best one of us will be stationed closely to Adrien at all times so no Red Guard can just depart with him." 

"What will the cover story be? What am I to tell Adrien? I have not been stationed to close to him ever since the swap." 

"You can tell him there is a threat and you are here just as a precaution. This should not be something Adrien should be worried about. It is I who made this mistake. The ministers had kind of noticed something was up with the king, but none are brave enough to defy him, except the Cardinal. I knew Félix has a deeper trust into the Cardinal and I perhaps had misjudged the trust the other way around." 

"Can't we get rid of the Cardinal?" Aramis asked, his dark eyes carefully studying the Musketeer's Captain. 

"That would send the court into anarchy." D'Argencourt shook his head. "Let's make sure you do not get a repeat of events, Gabriel. I believe that is the best course of action right now." 

"Then I shall make it for the Versailles right now." Gabriel responded as he arose. "I'll see one of you coming to relief me of my duty tomorrow morning." With a nod, he walked out and went to get ready for duty. 

Notes:

So, I hope you liked my introduction.

I would like your opinion!
Also, I'd also like to know who you would like to see in the role of Aramis, my initial thought would be Kagami's mother, Tomo, I believe was her name, but I am not certain about that.

Ps, for those who do not know a couple words French:
Je suis desolé: I am sorry
Oui: Yes
Non: No

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of The luck of the Agreste family...