Relief in the Rain (BBC The Musketeers)

Relief in the Rain

Athos stares up at the dark sky littered with grey clouds which showers glittering drops of water onto the Earth. With arms resting on his knees and a bottle of wine in hand, he closes his eyes and focuses on the sound of the rain.

The droplets shower onto Athos' face, some curving its way around his cheekbones while others trail down the bridge of his nose until they both drip off at the edge. The rain takes a similar course on his hands as they trickle off his fingers, dropping down into the puddles forming below in soft splashes while water begins to seep into his hair, causing the wet strands to attach itself to his face. Opening his eyes, he huffs a large sigh before taking a swig from the bottle.

Today's mission didn't go as planned.

They were assigned to collect some wagons of gunpowder for the King. It was meant to be a simple task, one that shouldn't have had any complications, but they didn't anticipate the Spanish catching word of their mission. They were greeted with an ambush once reaching the location of retrieval. Athos had miscalculated the Spaniard's line of attack which resulted in their failure to catch the set-up diversion in time. Due to his careless mistake, they lost a few carriages to the hands of the enemy.

This slip up contributes to the Spanish's advantage against France and it can put Paris in much harm's way if they gather enough gunpowder for an attack. Retrieving the cargo back may be difficult though as the possible area he has in mind as to where the Spanish may have taken the wagon is close to the border between the two countries. They cannot risk storming the place unless they are certain of its location.

They wouldn't be in this predicament if he hadn't failed to lose them in the first place.

The sound of squelching footsteps approaching snaps Athos out of his musing and he reflexively pulls out the musket from his belt, pointing it towards the noise.

Once he gets a glance at the large figure that comes around the corner, he lets his arm drop and rests his head back against the wall.

The orange glow illuminating from the inn window shines onto Porthos as he strides over. The lieutenant didn't fail to notice the look of concern written on his brother's face as he approaches with brows slightly scrunched. Porthos plunks himself down beside him and Athos hands him the bottle of wine. He takes a sip before handing it back.

"How'd you find me?" Athos inquires.

"I knew you'd be drinkin' somewhere, but when I di'n't find you after checkin' your room or the inn's bar, I thought you might be outside," Porthos replies.

Athos raises a brow at him inquisitively. "What made you believe that I'm not in danger?"

Porthos' mouth goes into a tight line. "I still consi'ered it a possibili'y, but your belt was no where in sight which means you 'ave weapons to defend yourself if you're in danger. Had no where else to look for you so outside was the only other option," Porthos explains bluntly. "And here I find you musing in the rain," he adds as he gestures to the weather.

Athos doesn't say anything, his mind still occupied on the mission, creating a stillness between the two. The only sound that breaks the silence is the pitter patter of rain and the wine that sloshes about when he drops the bottle back down after taking occasional sips.

Having been lost in his thoughts, Athos flinches when a weight rests on his shoulder. He cranes his head to Porthos who has a worried look that shows he is not oblivious to what occupies his mind. Athos sighs as he averts his gaze before speaking.