Chapter Text
Chapter One
“Porthos!” Aramis cried as he hammered on Porthos’ door. “Porthos get up! We have to go!”
“What is it?” Porthos asked, bleary eyed, as he opened his door. Aramis had evidently just woke him up.
“We have to go, Athos and d’Artagnan have been arrested. They’re in prison.”
“What?”
“I ran into some Red Guards and they took great pleasure in telling me that Athos and d’Artagnan were arrested last night.”
“What for?”
“Crimes against nature,” Aramis replied, his voice full of concern for his friends.
“Crimes against nature? What does that even mean?” Porthos was still half asleep and his brain could not comprehend what was happening.
“Sodomy,” Aramis explained. “Now hurry up, we have to get to the prison.”
“Do you know the details?” Porthos asked as he quickly dressed.
“From what I heard they were caught in an alley last night in the middle of an act, what particular act I don’t know, but they were arrested and taken to the Chatelet.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, the Archbishop was calling for their heads earlier; you know how the church reacts to such things and lord knows how Rochefort is reacting to this.”
“Are they all right?”
“I don’t know,” Aramis told him. “That’s why we need to leave now and make sure they are.”
“Come on then,” Porthos exclaimed as he hurried out of the door. “No use standing around here all day.”
Aramis rolled his eyes, “I was waiting for you,” he said as he followed the larger man.
-x-
D’Artagnan sat on the floor of the cell near the bars trying not to think about what had happened. It all seemed so surreal; one moment he had been with Athos, half drunk and unable to contain his lust and the next they were both being arrested. He had been separated from Athos and thrown into a cell where he had spent the night being ignored by the jailers and jeered at by the other inmates. He didn’t know whether he wanted to cry or throw up.
He wondered how Athos was. Was he all right? Had he been ignored as much as he had? Had he been beaten? Was he hurt? These thoughts spun around and around d’Artagnan’s head until he couldn’t think of anything else. He just wanted this to be over. He wanted to know what was going to happen to them. If only he hadn’t convinced Athos it would be a good idea to go into that alley.
The two of them had been secretly together for a couple of months. One night, not long after his commission, d’Artagnan had shown Athos just how much he meant to him and pulled him in for a soft yet passionate kiss. Athos couldn’t believe that he was genuine so d’Artagnan showed him again. Things had rapidly progressed from there and the d’Artagnan had quickly realised that he was falling in love with the older man.
It had been his idea. His stupid idea. He had just been so full of lust and wine that he had wanted Athos there and then; he couldn’t just wait a few more minutes for them to head back to Athos’ room. No, he had to have him outside the tavern where they had spent the night drinking. Now they were both going to pay for it.
He quickly stood up, hard considering he was in chains, when he heard someone coming. For a moment he thought it was one of the guards coming to take him somewhere but it was Porthos.
“Thank god you’re here,” d’Artagnan breathed a sigh of relief. “What’s happening? Have you seen Athos, is he all right?”
“I ‘aven’t seen ‘im, Aramis had gone to find him,” Porthos explained. “How are you? Are you all right?”
“Scared,” d’Artagnan admitted. “No-one will tell me what’s happening. They locked me in here last night and the guards have been ignoring me. They haven’t even questioned me. It’s making me feel sick.”
“I’ll try an’ find out what’s goin’ on. Don’ worry.”
“That’s the problem I can’t do anything but worry. I’ve been sat here all night in chains worried out of my mind. Worried that I am going to die, worried that Athos is going to die and no-one is telling me anything.”
“Aramis will make sure Athos is all right, I’m here to make sure you are. Tell me what happened. Why were you so stupid as to get caught doin’ an illegal act in public?”
“It was just the heat of the moment,” d’Artagnan sighed. “After you and Aramis left we drank some more wine and we were just the wrong side of drunk. I didn’t think we’d get caught, I just wanted Athos so much that I couldn’t wait. Looking back it was the worst idea I could have had but at the time it didn’t.”
“We’ve all done stupid things,” Porthos replied.
“How many that could lead to your execution?” D’Artagnan groaned and leaned against the stone wall. “We’ve been so stupid,” a tear slipped down his cheek.
“Yeah yeh have but we’ll find a way out of this.”
“I don’t think you can. It’s not one of those situations where you can shoot someone and it all turns out all right. The church is against us on this one. I just want it to be over.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Porthos tried to comfort him. “It’s not like the guards are in any hurry to tell me to leave.”
“I think they’re scared of you,” d’Artagnan replied, a hint of a smile on his face.
“As they should be,” Porthos smiled back at the younger man. “Now, we should get comfortable, we may be here for a while.”
Porthos sat down on the floor outside the cell next to d’Artagnan, who sat in silence as his friend tried to comfort him. Nothing worked though and the seconds passed with an excruciating agony that both men could feel. After what seemed like a lifetime they heard Aramis.
“Come on,” he said to Porthos. “We have to go. They’ve taken Athos for questioning.”