The Female Musketeer

Chapter 45 | Bisou Bisou

Mr Bonacieux sat across from me, looking rather displeased. I had never see him so upset.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

I felt like a child again, getting in trouble by my father.

I shake my head.

"I have invited you for Dinner multiple times in the past few weeks. You have declined every single one. How is an Old man suppose to take that in any other way besides, you simply wish not to visit."

"It's not that, I promise. I enjoy our visits, truly. I just have been busy. My shifts have been upped in these past weeks."

He isn't much convinced but doesn't pry.

"Well I talked to Treville. He says you've finished your shift of the day, so you will come tonight. Constance is coming tonight as well."

"I wouldn't miss it."

We get up from the picnic table, and he gives me a hug before limping off.

As he goes, I catch a rare sighting of Athos. He's dragging himself on from his shift, trying to scurry to his room.

"Athos!" I shout. He ignores me.

I run over and stop in front of him.

"So you're ignoring me now?"

"Not now Daria, I'm tired." He tries to go past me but I put my hand on his shoulder to stop him. He shakes it off.

"Not now!" He shouts at me. The venom of it causing me to jump back. He tries to step towards me, as if to to apologize. I step back again.

"I don't know what going on with you. Or what you're hiding. But I am done with the secrects. I care about you Athos, we all do. Aramis and Porthos have been worried sick about you. You walk around here drunk most days, and when your not drunk your hiding away in your room. If you are gonna drink yourself into the grave, I will not sit around and watch you. I am done with the secrects." I stomp away.

I felt bad about what I said. Maybe it was harsh, maybe it wasn't harsh enough. I didn't see Athos again for the rest evening. After putting on a decent dress and cleaning up. I step outside of my room. Porthos and Aramis sit, drinking at the tables. I stroll over to them.

"Another dress? Daria, you're scaring me." Porthos jests.

I do a spin for them. As much as I loved my uniform, it felt nice to free myself from the hot leather once in awhile.

"Date night?" Aramis inquires.

"Dinner with The Bonacieux's & my brother. What about you two? Any plans?"

"Just this." Porthos lifts a mug up in the air before bringing it to his lips.

I nod, rocking on my heels.

"No, Daria. We haven't seen him."

"I wasn't gonna ask that."

"No but you were thinking it. We are worried about him too. We've never seen him this...distracted? He's always been pretty self destructive but this level is new to us."

"Most of us don't talk about our past to some degree. The person you are before you become a Musketeer, is a wildly different person. But Athos doesn't say anything about his past. Hell, he won't even tell us his last name." Porthos adds.

"That isn't strange to you?"

"Athos is a strange man. But he's loyal and someone I trust to fight beside me without stabbing me in the back when I'm not looking. He's a survivor like us."