Chapter Text
Louis decides that he hates the new First Minister on the day the man moves into the palace.
He was having a Bad Day because Nounours - his beloved teddy - broke and the governess kept telling him that he had to do things he didn't want to do and he missed Papa and his Mama was busy and so couldn't give him a hug to make his Bad Day better. He went into the garden in the evening, all by himself because he was a Big Boy now, to get away from his Bad Day. The moment he saw the very tall tree, he just knew he had to climb it. The governess would never find him there and surely learning how to be brave and strong would help him be a better King of France one day. He started climbing the tree and hated the governess even more for making him wear these tight, itchy clothes.
'Majesty!' he heard someone call out behind him as soon as he made the first step on his adventure up the tree.
Louis stepped back down to the ground and turned around to find Aramis standing a few steps behind him. His Mama told him yesterday that Aramis was not his new servant but was instead replacing the old First Minister as his new First Minister and that he was there to help Mama and Louis run France. Louis gave his new First Minister a nod hoping that he would go away. He did not know his new First Minister well, but he knew that Ministers often made Mama Sad, and he was already Sad because of his Bad Day.
'What are you doing here all by yourself, Majesty?' ' the new First Minister asked and stepped closer. Now Louis was even more Sad. The new First Minister was not going away if he kept stepping closer, was he?
'Going up the tree', Louis replied, staring at the ground stubbornly. The new First Minister got down on one knee next to him, so now they were at eye level.
'That's not a great idea, Majesty,' the Minister said seriously. 'How about we go inside?' he asked and extended his hand towards Louis with a smile on his face.
Louis wanted to cry. People kept telling him what he should and shouldn't do, but no one would tell him how to make his Bad Day not so bad.
'I want to go up the tree,' he said, still looking at the ground and taking a step back.
'Perhaps another time Majesty, they are looking for you at the palace. It's getting dark,' the new First Minister replied, his hand still extended towards Louis.
Louis didn't want to go. He didn't! Obviously people were looking for him - that's why he wanted to hide in the very tall tree. The new First Minister didn't understand. Now Louis knew why Ministers made Mama Sad. This one seemed somehow...softer than a lot of them but he was clearly still a Minister and told Louis what he should and shouldn't do.
'No!' Louis replied, his voice high. He didn't want to cry in front of the new First Minister but his Bad Day was turning Very Bad and he just wanted to go up his tree.
'Please, Majesty, you'll catch a cold,' the new First Minister pleaded and tried to gently grab Louis' hand. Louis jerked back - he was the son of the King of France and he did not want to be grabbed by strangers on a Bad Day. He had seen the old First Minister try to grab Papa once and that made Papa Very Sad too. Maybe Louis could do what his Papa did when he was Very Sad because of his First Minister?
'Mind your place and leave me alone! I don't want you here!' Louis shouted through tears that were now flowing freely.
'Majesty, you will hurt-,' the new First Minister tried to argue.
'Go away or I'll have your head!!!' Louis sobbed more than shouted. He was not sure what it meant to have his new First Minister's head but people always listened to Papa when he said it to them. Mama was always Sad when Papa said it but Mama was not here and she would not know.
His new First Minister sighed and he was no longer smiling. Louis decided he looked much better when he was smiling and wondered if Ministers could also be Sad like he was now. This one looked Sad. He got up and almost said something again, but then decided against it, bowed and left in silence.
Louis started climbing the very tall tree again and decided that he hated his new First Minister because he had made his Bad Day a Very Bad Day. Hating his new First Minister somehow made Louis even more Sad.
*****
The Very Bad Day turned into a Terrible Day when Louis slipped, high up in the very tall tree, and plummeted towards the ground through the branches. He thought that he might go to the other world like Papa because he hurt very much. He wondered who would love Mama if he went to be with Papa, and cried at the idea of no one loving Mama.
He was surprised not to hit the ground after he was falling for some time. Instead he heard a quiet 'oof' and had a pair of strong arms wrapped around him. He opened his eyes to find that the new First Minister had caught him. Louis felt a bit bad for hating the Minister now, but the man had still tried to tell him what to do on his Bad Day.
'Apologies, Majesty,' said the First Minister and set him down on the grass very gently. Louis thought that only Mama and Papa ever bothered to be this gentle with him. Louis was confused because he hated the new First Minister but also enjoyed being held by him.
The new First Minister moved away to make room for...Louis' Mama!
'Louis, my God, are you alright darling?' she asked, her voice slightly higher than Louis was used to. He nodded in reply - he had a few scratches from the branches but he had to be Brave for his Mama, like her Musketeers.
His Mama pulled him into a hug and gently checked him for injuries. Louis was now much less Sad because his Mama was with him.
His Mama, who has been teaching him that he should never be unfair to the People of France. He realised it was probably unfair to hate someone who had brought him Mama on a Terrible Day. And to tell them he would have their head too. He thought the new First Minister must have a very good head to know exactly when Louis needs his Mama. He wanted to tell the Minister that, but he was no longer there when Louis looked up. His governess was hovering in the background, but the new First Minister was nowhere in sight. Louis still felt Sad and thought that he maybe hated the new First Minister a bit less after all.
*****
Nounours was sat on his bed, waiting for Louis when Mama brought him back to his room. His arm had been sown back on. If Louis didn't know that it had caught on a door earlier and come off, he wouldn't be able to tell that Nounours had been injured. He wondered who had treated Nounours - he had been with his governess for most of the day and she normally attended to this sort of thing.
His scratches had been treated by the palace medic and he had his Mama and Nounours with him. But Louis still felt a bit Sad.
'Mama?' he asked. 'What does it mean for a king to have someone's head?'. His Mama suddenly froze and pulled him back from their hug to look him in the eye. Louis wished he could be back in her arms on this Terrible Day.
'Why do you ask Louis?' his Mama asked, looking worried and Louis shrugged.
'I heard Papa say it to his old Minister,' Louis replied. He felt bad for not telling Mama the whole truth, but he supposed it wasn't a lie either.
'Oh Louis...' Mama kissed the top of his head. 'It means that you want to make the other person go away forever and be with God and Papa,' she explained. 'But Minister Treville was Papa's friend and Papa didn't really mean it when he said.'
Louis was really worried now that the First Minister had saved him. He said a silent prayer to God so that he wouldn’t take the Minister just yet.
'I was really sad today,' he said to Mama. 'Can Ministers be sad too? Like the First Minister - do you think he can be sad?'. Louis thought maybe he would feel less Sad if he understood this a bit better. He didn't like the idea of disappearing the new First Minister who saved him from falling and brought him Mama. Louis knew that must mean that he didn't hate him after all.
'Of course they can, darling,' his Mama explained. 'I have known Aramis for a few years and sometimes he does get sad. But don't worry, I don't think he's sad now. Don't tell him I told you that - it's our secret - but he's very happy that he can finally meet you and help us here at the palace.'
Louis squeezed Nounours harder. So the new First Minister... Aramis, Louis preferred saying Aramis, like Mama did. So Aramis had been happy but Louis made him Sad. Maybe Aramis left so soon after catching him because he was scared Louis would make him disappear? Louis knew he was smaller than Aramis but he had a whole army to command, so he probably could hurt Aramis if he wanted to.
'Ma...I think...' Louis hid his face in his Mama's shoulder. 'I think I made Aramis sad,' Louis broke into sobs and explained what happened before his fall. 'I...I...everyone kept telling me what to do all day and then Aramis too told me what to do and he didn't care that I was sad and I hated him for not caring,' Louis cried and burrowed deeper into his Mama's side.
'Oh Louis, sshh,' his Mama hushed him and hugged him tighter. 'You know, sometimes people will tell you to do things because you're the future king. But sometimes, like with Mama or Aramis, people will tell you to do things for your own good - because they care very, very much. It's hard to know which is which sometimes but... You did fall off the tree after all when you didn't listen to Aramis, did you not?'.
Mama was right. If he had listened to Aramis, he never would have fallen. And Aramis didn't really demand anyway, like the other courtiers. He asked and smiled at Louis and said Louis could climb a tree another time. Louis thought he might actually like Aramis a bit, now that he understood the Minister was only trying to keep him safe.
'Well, Aramis is sad now and...he probably hates me,' Louis sighed. He knew he was important and had people there to protect him but he still disliked the idea of someone hating him.
'I'm sure he doesn't sweetheart. In fact, how about we go and check with him? I'm sure he'd be relieved to know that you're not seriously hurt,' Mama suggested.
Louis wasn't sure how he felt about this. This had already been a Bad Day. What if Aramis scolded him like one of his tutors did just last week when he failed to bow properly? Louis was worried he might cry again if that happened.
'Can Nounours come with us?' asked Louis, thinking that he might not cry if he has Nounours with him. Mama stood up and took Louis' hand.
'Of course, sweetheart, Aramis will love Nounours too.'
*****
When Louis hears rustling behind the ornate doors that his Mama had knocked on, he gets a funny feeling in his tummy. He holds Nounours closer because Nounours was a gift from Mama and Papa and he makes Louis feel safe.
Aramis first looks surprised to see Louis at Mama's side. He bows and lets him and Mama into his chambers. Aramis and Mama sit in two armchairs next to the fireplace, with Louis safely nestled in Mama's arms.
'Is all well, your majesty?' Aramis asks.
'Louis told me more about what happened in the gardens earlier,' his Mama starts and Aramis suddenly looks much paler than before. Papa looked pale too before he went away, Louis recalls and hopes that Aramis doesn't go away too because of what Louis said. Louis doesn't like many people, even just a bit, and he thinks he might come to like Aramis a bit.
'Your Majesty, I...' Aramis starts but cuts-off mid-sentence and sighs. 'I'm sorry, I just meant to...'
'To save me from getting hurt! ' Louis interjected. He knew interrupting Ministers when they spoke was rude, but Louis thought this Minister was perhaps not mean like the others. Mama rubs his back and smiles at him. 'And...and I think you have a good head and I promise not to ever disappear you and I hope you don't hate me,' Louis blurted out in one breath, encouraged by Mama' s hand on his back.
'Louis and I had a talk after the medic has seen to him. He had a bad day, but he meant no wrong,' Mama added. 'Is that right, Louis?' she asked and Louis nodded energetically.
'Of course, majesty. I'm sorry to hear about your bad day', the new First Minister replies and the next time Louis looks up at him, Aramis is smiling a bit and is definitely not scolding him for ignoring decorum. Louis thinks that he definitely prefers his Minister when he's smiling and decides he'll try to make him smile even more. He wiggles out of Mama's lap, still clutching Nounours, and approaches Aramis. Nounours always makes Louis smile, so perhaps he can help make Aramis smile too.
He extends Nounours towards the Minister, not quite sure what to say. Aramis shares a strange look with Mama. They think Louis doesn't notice but he does, though he can't really understand why they’re looking at each other like this.
'Aramis actually met Nousnours earlier today,' Mama says and Louis looks up at Aramis and cocks his head, hoping for an explanation. How could Aramis possibly know Nounours? Aramis smiles so hard that his eyes crinkle and Louis definitely feels like this is a Much Better Day now.
'Well, Majesty, I have some experience with battle wounds from my time as a Musketeer. I helped a few injured friends on missions and...well, I heard your friend was injured so I thought I could help him too,' Aramis explained.
Louis reels from the knowledge that the Minister whom he hated not long ago saved both him and Nounours today. Louis definitely didn't want him to go be with Papa anytime soon. Any other Minister would have given up on Nounours, so this one really is special.
Both Louis and Mama have ignored decorum in Aramis' presence all evening, so Louis doesn't think twice before he clambers up into Aramis' lap and throws his arms around the Minister's neck. He’ll hold on to him if that’s what it takes to keep him safe. Neither Mama nor Aramis say anything for a while but then he thinks he hears Mama say that it's alright and Aramis reciprocates the hug and rubs Louis' back. Louis loves Mama's hugs a lot but hugging Papa was good in a different way and this feels almost like being hugged by Papa. It feels safe, like when Aramis caught him earlier. Aramis brought him Mama today, and saved Louis and smiled at him and saved Nounours even after his governess said Louis should just get another teddy. And now he was hugging Louis almost like Papa did. Louis suddenly feels exhausted and burrows into Aramis harder, wondering why hugging Ministers was generally forbidden because it felt great.
The next thing he's aware of is being tucked into bed by Mama, with Nounours by his side. His last thought before he falls asleep is that he really, really, really likes his new First Minister.