Round 3

[bbcmusketeerskink]

Welcome to the BBC The Musketeers kink meme

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non-con/dub-con
abuse (physical and mental)
issues such as racism, sexism, homo-/trans-/-bi-/ace-phobia etc
character death
suicide
self-harm
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http://bbcmusketeerskink.dreamwidth.org/557.html

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Mod contact post
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Free For All Round 1
http://bbcmusketeerskink.dreamwidth.org/1823.html

Comments

Fill: sine qua non 2b/3 [Richelieu/Treville, Aramis/Porthos, pre-Athos/d'Art, warnings in thread]

[kyele]

The three of them do. Treville stands up from behind his desk and comes around. “There you are,” he says in relief. “I was expecting you yesterday. When you didn’t come I thought that wound must be worse than I thought. Here, let me see it.”

Porthos holds up the injured limb for inspection. “It’s fine,” he says again, long-suffering.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on it,” Aramis adds.

“Good,” Treville says. He’s unwound the dressing and is inspecting it. “What are you using on it?”

Aramis begins describing various treatments. With the practice of long experience, Athos tunes him out. Porthos is obviously doing the same. The two of them share a rueful look.

“That should do well then,” Treville says, wrapping it back up and letting Porthos go. “All right. Here’s the tally.” Treville produces a sheet of paper with figures on it in careful columns and hands it to Porthos. That’s another piece of Aramis and Porthos’ success: they have no need to pay an accountant to keep their books. Porthos does it all. He has a gift for numbers.

Treville knows it, and Athos and Aramis know it, but everyone else who learns it finds it a surprise. No one expects it of a former slave and gladiator. At least not one of such humble origins. Porthos had grown up as a common street thief in Nubia, the offspring of a disgraced merchant’s daughter and a patrician who hadn’t cared enough to financially support the girl he’d gotten in trouble. Porthos doesn’t owe his education to his father, as some other bastards with noble ancestry do. Nor does he owe it to his mother, who’d cheerfully abandoned her child at age five when her parents had finally offered to take her back. Porthos had simply picked it all up himself. The other thieves had apparently laughed at a boy who’d rather steal a book than an apple, but Porthos’ skill at ciphering had let him pick up odd legal jobs, too. And though he’d eventually been caught three times for stealing and been legally enslaved, he’d been nearly fully grown when he’d been hauled before the judge that third fatal time. Too old for rehabilitation or placement as a house-slave. Instead the judge had offered Porthos a choice: mines, galleys, or the arena. Porthos’ gift of numbers extends to counting odds as well as counting pennies, and he’d calculated – correctly – that the arena offered the shortest path to freedom. He couldn’t have known at the time that his choice would also bring him Aramis. But the odds are ever in Porthos’ favor.

Now Porthos looks up and nods. “The calculations look right, as always, Captain.”

“Glad to hear it,” Treville says, smiling. He reaches into his desk and pulls out a large cloth bag. Athos is familiar with them from years of being a gladiator, and he knows exactly how strong the cloth is, how much weight it can support. This bag creaks as it’s set down. The weave loosens where the coins press against it, and through the gaps sparks of gold shine through.

“Feel free to count it,” Treville invites, as always.

“Thank you, there is no need,” Athos replies. He reaches out and picks up the bag. It’s heavy in his hands. He sets it back down again. Aramis and Porthos each do the same, and they look at each other, grinning.

Treville smiles, too. “Well, now that you have it, mind telling me what you’re going to do with it?” he asks. “Money’s useful, but there’s still some things it doesn’t buy. Do you need a hand? Some of the lads could use strength training anyway. And you still haven’t told me who this friend is. Do I know them?”

The three Inseparables exchange a quick look. Aramis takes a step back and closes the door to Treville’s office, prudently.

“Captain,” Athos begins. Then he corrects himself. “Treville,” he starts again. “Actually, we were hoping to help you.”

The Captain blinks. “Me?” he says in surprise. His gaze takes in all three of them.

“That’s right,” Aramis says. Porthos nods.

“That’s – that’s kind of you,” Treville says carefully. “But I don’t need – why, anything.” He touches his collar; the gesture looks automatic, like he doesn’t realize he’s doing it. “All my needs are provided for. And you certainly shouldn’t buy anything for the stables – ”

“I think perhaps you aren’t realizing exactly how much money is in that bag,” Aramis says. “We’re not talking about the stables. We’re talking about you.”

“I looked at the rolls of sale,” Porthos adds. “For older gladiators and war veterans of comparable age and skills. You’re expensive, but with that purse and what we’ve saved – ”

“We’re talking about buying you,” Athos says, coming right out with it. “We’re talking about your freedom.”

“What?” Treville says blankly.

Aramis breaks out into a wide smile. “It’s true,” he says. “We haven’t asked for an official price yet – ”

“Didn’t want to tip our hand,” Porthos interjects.

“ – but the processing never takes more than a couple of days and – ”

“Wait,” Treville says, holding up a hand. “You can’t be serious.”

“As a heart attack,” Porthos says.

“Think about what you’re saying,” Treville says carefully. “Surely you’ve better things to spend that money on. Athos could buy out his business partner and own the forge. You two could expand – ”

“We’ve got enough for our needs,” Athos says firmly. “We’d rather help someone else.”

“Then let me advise you to choose another. There are plenty of slaves in the stables that would be better able to start from scratch.”

“You wouldn’t have to start from scratch,” Aramis says eagerly. “Porthos and I could use an assistant. And there’s work at Athos’ forge, too, if you prefer that.”

“Those are jobs for young men,” Treville says desperately. “Some new boys just arrived last week. Why not buy one of them? They could start as an apprentice at the forge and learn a trade – ”

“Captain,” Porthos interrupts. “We want to help you.”

Treville’s eyes dart between them. Unease curls in Athos’ gut. This isn’t going at all the way he’d expected. A certain amount of protesting they’d been prepared for, a certain amount of the Captain’s natural modesty and self-sacrifice. But they’re going well beyond that now. Treville looks almost like a cornered animal, searching for an escape.

“What’s really going on?” Athos asks abruptly. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Some reason you don’t want us to free you?”

Aramis catches on to this rapidly. “Is it the Senator?” he demands, face darkening. “Does he have something on you?”

“No, it’s not like that – ”

“A family member?” Porthos breaks in. It’s not uncommon for families to be sold into slavery together. Or – God, none of them had ever even considered it, but what if Treville has a wife? A child? Any child of Treville’s would be Richelieu’s property too –

“No,” Treville protests, cutting off Athos’ line of thinking. “It’s just me.”

“Then what is it?” Aramis presses.

“Whatever it is, we’ll help,” Athos says.

“I don’t need your help,” Treville says roughly. “Choose someone else. Or use the money for another purpose. I don’t care. But don’t speak of this any further. I don’t want to hear it, do you understand?”

“Captain,” Porthos says in bewilderment. “Are you saying you don’t want your freedom?”

Treville’s face blanks. He presses his palms flat against the table. Despite this, Athos can still see his hands shaking.

“I’m saying you should leave,” Treville says. He’s not making eye contact with anyone; his gaze goes right through the three Inseparables, fixed on something distant only Treville can see. “I don’t want to hear any more of this.”

“But,” Aramis falters. “Captain – ”

“I said leave.”

“Captain – ” Porthos tries.

“No.”

Athos reaches out. “Treville.”

Treville recoils. “Get out,” he hisses, suddenly furious.

Athos backs away. He doesn’t know what’s going on here, but he knows the sight of a dangerous man ready to attack. Beside Athos, Porthos grabs Aramis by the shoulder and tugs him back, too, when Aramis would have continued to press forward.

“We’re leaving,” Athos says as calmly as he can.

The Captain doesn’t respond. He just watches them, flat and cold, as they retreat.

---

“What in the name of all the gods was that?” Porthos bursts out, as soon as they’re safely outside the stables, standing in the closest square and blinking under the harsh sun.

Aramis shakes his head. He walks straight over to the closest fountain and sinks down on its rim, ignoring the water that splashes on him.

“Something is wrong,” Athos says, understating the case significantly.

“Treville told us to get out,” Porthos says blankly. “He snapped at us. We offered him his freedom and – ”

“Something is wrong,” Athos repeats. “Our challenge now is to figure out what.”

Aramis looks up from his contemplation of the fountain’s stone. Porthos stops mid-word.

“Unless either of you were planning to give up,” Athos adds as an aside.

“Never,” Porthos says swiftly.

“I wouldn’t leave Treville in the Senator’s hands if I could prevent it. Not for all the gold in Rome,” Aramis says vehemently, the first time he’s spoken since pleading with the Captain.

“But what do you have in mind?” Porthos asks.

“The Captain refuses to let us help him,” Athos says. “There must be a reason. We must discover what it is.”

“But what?” Porthos says. “He denies that it’s the Senator – ”

“True. But he may have good reason to lie.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past Richelieu,” Aramis says.

“At any rate we should rule the Senator out before we proceed to other, less likely causes,” Athos says.

“How?”

Athos shrugs. “We go to the source,” he says. “Nothing happens at the stables without everyone learning about it shortly after. Therefore, any hold the Senator has on Treville must be consolidated when Treville is not at the stables.”

“He goes back to the Senator’s dwelling every evening,” Porthos says.

“And doesn’t return till after dawn,” Aramis says.

“So it is there that we must seek our answers,” Athos says. “We’ll go to the Senator’s dwelling this evening and watch his behavior.”

“The Senator’s not going to let us in the front door,” Porthos objects.

“A certain amount of sneaking may be involved,” Athos concedes.

“I don’t know of any good way to sneak into a patrician’s dwelling when you’re as famous as we are,” Porthos says. “If we were nobodies it would be easier – but everyone will recognize our faces, especially after the match we just fought. We’d never be able to pass as members of the household.”

Athos sighs. He’d been hoping Porthos’ past experience as a thief would be of help breaking into the Senator’s house, but apparently not.

“Wait,” Aramis says slowly. “The Senator lives in the city. Remember? ‘A patrician should not hold themselves apart from the people’.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested we go haring off to the countryside.”

Aramis shakes his head. “No, I mean, his dwelling’s not isolated at all. There’s no gardens or courtyard or anything setting it apart from the streets. And isn’t there a service alley that runs right past the compound?”

Porthos makes a considering face. “Are you suggesting we spy on the Senator from an alley?”

Aramis shrugs. “It’s a little unsavory, but considering the cause…”

“There’s no guarantee we’ll see anything interesting,” Athos points out. “For all we know the alley faces the kitchens and the servants’ quarters.”

“The servants’ quarters could be interesting,” Porthos says. “We don’t know where Treville sleeps.”

“I think it’s a safe bet that, whatever’s going on, it occurs while the Captain is awake,” Athos disagrees. “Which means we need to concern ourselves with where the Senator spends his time.”

“Well, the Senator’s dwelling is on a major street,” Aramis says. “The rear of the building will be the quietest. If I were the Senator I’d put my offices and chambers there.”

“It’s worth a try, anyway,” Athos decides. “There’s very little risk to it. If we don’t learn what we need, we’ll simply try another approach.”

“Then we’re agreed?”

“Yes,” Porthos says.

“All right,” Athos says. “We’ll meet back here at sunset, and follow Treville from here – just to make sure he really does go back to the Senator’s dwellings.”

“Agreed,” Aramis says.

“Come on then,” Porthos says. “We’ve got work to do before then.”

Re: Fill: sine qua non 2b/3 [Richelieu/Treville, Aramis/Porthos, pre-Athos/d'Art, warnings in thread

[(Anonymous)]

Oh no,these boys are too sweet for their own good! And poor Treville. Having to be so cruel to them can't have been easy, and he can't even tell them the reason.

I can't wait for the next part. o__o

Re: Fill: sine qua non 2b/3 [Richelieu/Treville, Aramis/Porthos, pre-Athos/d'Art, warnings in thread

[kyele]

Thank you for the lovely comment :) I'm sorry it took me so long to reply and get the final chapter up. Life slowed me down from my planned posting schedule. But the fill is complete now and I hope you like it!