El Impostor Espanol

Chapter 5 - The Return

"I hereby suspend you from the Musketeers."

Anna's eyes flashed open as the Comte de Rochefort's smug face filled her unconscious mind. She had been plagued with the memory of her abrupt dismissal ever since he had uttered those soul destroying seven words.

But the worst part had not been taking the letter from him or making her way back through the palace, convinced every Red Guard was laughing at her. No, the worst part by far was returning the Garrison.

Her feet had been like lead as she dragged herself into the courtyard where the Musketeers were still cursing at the dismissal of their beloved Captain and mostly ignored her and her iron grip on the flimsy envelope.

It had been Aramis who first noticed something was wrong when his attention had been caught by the woman shakily trying to pour herself a drink. They had all flocked to their table though, when she reached up to un-buckle the leather pauldron moulded onto her shoulder and let it fall with a definitive thud onto the table top.

She had spent the following days doing absolutely nothing; wandering through markets and exploring forgotten areas of the city she loved so much. She had fallen into a sort of routine; she would wait for Athos to leave for the Garrison before rising and then spend the day as far from the Musketeer Headquarters as possible before returning home in time to greet her love.

She still couldn't look him in the eye though, she knew he had so many questions, not just about her suspension but also Treville's demotion, and yet he had fought the urge to ask and she had not offered; knowing that once she opened that door - things would never be the same.

Today was supposed to be another one of her nothing days'; yesterday she spotted a market stall claiming to stock the same wine Athos' parents had been fond of back in Pinon and she planned to buy a few bottles for her Musketeer, lord knows he deserved it after putting up with her lack of explanations, especially as he hadn't been home in a few days - likely on a Musketeer mission.

Throwing back the thin sheet covering her, she let her feet fall onto the hard wooden floor before pushing herself from the mattress with a sigh. Yes, today was going to be another boring day.

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Athos knew his day was off to a bad start when he couldn't exactly pinpoint where he was or who was holding him up as the toes of his boots dragged along the dusty floor. He still couldn't figure it out even after he'd been deposited into a chair and his wrists and feet bound.

A hostage situation then? Wonderful.

He tried to summon the energy to lift his head but failed as it lolled instead, his eyes trying to focus as they refused to open beyond slits. He opened his mouth to speak but was promptly interrupted by the arrival of a cup of water being tossed in his direction. He couldn't figure out if the water dripping from his hair and face was a blessing or a curse; they were either lousy torturers or simply trying to get him lucid enough to properly feel the oncoming pain.

"Who are you?" It was those three words, croaked out from his own dry mouth, which told him all he needed to know about the situation; he'd been drugged. "Where is this?" His voice was stronger as he asked his second question but his no-doubt bloodshot eyes were inhibiting him from discerning his whereabouts.

No, this was going to be a decidedly bad day.

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