The Mighty Fall

Chapter Five

Chapter 5

 
 
We all stood within the sea of black and red suited men, waiting for something not one of us knew of. Suddenly the sky blackened out, causing all of us to look up. The ship above us just nearly missing the palace, almost scraping the top. The men quickly scurried out of the way like a colony of ants as a large anchor dropped, coming quite close to hitting them as it made impact with the cobblestone. As it was landing, it managed to knock of one of the flags waving above the palace, causing to to clash right before us. The aircraft slowly descended, men moving out of the way as it landed with a very audible thump. Out came a man none of us wanted to ever lay eyes on again. I feared for Athos’ reaction.

“Buckingham.” He stated in disbelief. If looks would kill, I would’ve had him dead on the ground by now. The glare I sent him was one of hatred and repulsion.

“Blue..” The King simply said as he shifted his eyes from his outfit to Buckingham’s. He strode down the steps.

“Your Majesty.” He bowed before him. I could see as he sent subtle glances our way. I swear I wanted to gut him then and there. Watch as he bled out on the floor at their feet.

“Love the outfit. Very retro. We were all wearing those in London. When was it, last year or the year before?” He said, artificially complimenting him.

“Lord Buckingham, I trust your journey wasn’t too uncomfortable.”

“Not at all. No. On the contrary. Handles like a dream and keeps me one step closer to heaven.” He said, adoring the ship that towered above us all.

“Cardinal.” He looked to the said man and kissed his ring. “Of course being a servant of God, you have no need for such crude devices.” The Cardinal chuckled. I swear he was putty in his hands.

“King James is most eager to hear your peace proposal.”

“Lord Buckingham.” The Queen had finally walked up to join the trio.

“Anne. Your Majesty.” He bowed before her. “I must say your beauty is far more radiant than I remember.” Oh, please stop. I swear if Athos didn’t have a death grip on my arm, I would’ve launched at him before one could blink.

“You’ve met before?” The King seemed a bit upset.

“A long time ago.” She answered simply.

“An evening I shall cherish forever.” I could tell the King was getting frustrated. Who in their right minds wouldn’t be by this guy?

“Right. Well, shall we?” They began walking away from the ship and we all bowed.

“Now this is a pleasant surprise.” Buckingham stood over us. I could feel Athos tense beside me, but out of respect, I remained still, teeth clentched to contain the beast of words I was tempted to release.

“Another acquaintance of yours, I see.” The King commented.

“We’ve met, yes.” Athos replied.

“As I recall, last I saw you, you were on your knees as well. Most unfortunate habit.” He smiled down to us.

“It’s a habit I shall have to break during our next encounter.” Athos said, unmoving, no emotion visible. I swear I was ready to launch at this pompous ass.

“I look forward to it.” Buckingham replied.  

“You know, as I recall, you’ve been on your knees plenty of times in the past few years, my Lord.” I said, void of emotion. He was taken aback at my comment, but simply looked back to the Cardinal, trying to compose himself.

“In the meantime, shall we talk peace?”  The group of royals walked away and Athos released a breath I knew he had been holding in, biting back his tongue.

“When the chance presents itself, I’m gonna kill him myself.” I said harshly, releasing my clentched fists. Athos looked to the ground, unmoving. I put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. “He will pay for what he did to you. What he did to us. I promise you that.” He gave me a small smile before we filed away.
 
In the meantime, Athos and I just wandered the court yard. It was quiet. D’artagnan had set off in search for his fair maiden and Porthos and Aramis had gone off somewhere unknown to us.

“I can’t believe that guy! So arrogant! So selfish! The way he just paraded himself about like he’s a God! He’s- he’s-” Athos stopped in front of me, taking my arms, causing me to stop and stare at him; silent.

“It’s over with." He said sternly. "What you did back there, what you said to him, it was very risky. That guy can have you killed in mere moments. Yes, he’s every word you describe him as, but he’s still dangerous, Alexis. You could end up getting yourself killed because you feel as though you should stick up for me. And I don't want that happening.” He said. I remained still, a bit shocked at his sudden action.

“I’m sorry Athos. I just can’t stand him saying such things to you. I guess I need to take it down a bit, huh?” I laughed shamefully, looking to the ground.

He gave a chuckle, shifting from his previous demeanor and agreed. We continued walking on, taking the atmosphere in.

“And Alexis?” Athos finally spoke once more, stopping to look over to me.

“Yes?” I asked a bit confused. He pulled me in for a cautious hug; a soft one filled of warmth and comfort.

“Thank you.” He said into my golden hair. “What for exactly?” I asked in an almost hushed tone, still engulfed in the hug.

“For being there for me.” I smiled to myself, hugging him tighter.

“Wow, does 'heartless Athos' actually have a heart?" I joked as we pulled away, quirking a brow. We broke away fully and he gave me a slight punch to the arm, smirking. "I'm kidding. I'll always be there, Athos. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

It was not long before Buckingham took his leave. And thank God for that. I swear, everywhere I went within the palace, I could feel his sourness and the burden of his visit like a cloud over us.
His ship finally took off, lifting the cloud of anger and frustration with him.