1 comments/ 6360 views/ 0 favorites Athos Ch. 01 By: tamKitten69 Chapter 01: New Arrivals On returning from a long journey, a young man arrived at his home in Berry. On first view of this man, an observer would note his pale blue eyes which burnt with all the fire of youth and his long dark hair that gently rested on his shoulders. This young man of merely 25 years was M. Agnan Comte de la Fere, returning from a trip to Paris. The young Comte's father was troubled by his son. M. de la Fere was nearing the end of his life and wished his only son to be married before he died. The young Comte was 25 years and had no wife to give him an heir to the La Fere estate. The young Comte seemed more interested in hunting in the woods than seeking a wife and so M. de la Fere called his son to his study upon the young man's return. Agnan entered his father's study. The room itself was lavishly decorated with artifacts which M.de la Fere had collected from his travels around the world. The young Comte had rarely been invited into his father's study. The last time the Comte was in this room was when his father told him his mother had died. As the young man recalled the memory of that awful day, he felt his heart fill with tears. Before the young man was able to gather his emotions, he felt his right cheek become slightly damp and quickly wiped the tear away before his father was able to see his grief. M.de la Fere beckoned his son to come closer to the desk. "Son, I am an old man of poor health and I have no grandchild. Why is this? Why do you show no interest in finding a wife to give me a grandson?'' The young Comte thought for a moment, then answered his father, "Father, forgive me for saying so. I can not find a woman worthy of bearing the rank of 'Comtesse de la Fere.' The girls in Berry are beautiful but are just that...girls....and would not live up to the title." "But, son," interrupted M.de le Fere, "you spend all your time in the woods and fighting the servants. How can you find a wife if you do not look for one?" "If she is worthy of the title, she will be drawn to me father." At hearing this, M.de la Fere was slightly annoyed. "So you say you wish to seduce a woman with your rank and power? That is no way to find a wife. A woman who falls in love with power alone will not be faithful." Seeing that he had dug himself a hole, Agnan looked for a way to escape his father's trap. "All I am saying is when the time is right I will know and so will you." M.de la Fere did not wish to argue with his son and therefore gave him permission to leave, le Comte bowed gracefully and left the room. When he had left the room, le Comte headed to the stables. His father had given him a lot to think about and he always found peace in riding around the woods on the edge of the estate. Because it had not been long since he returned from Paris, his horse had only just been unbridled and was finishing off a bucket of water. He ordered the stable boy to re-tack the horse quickly and sat on a near by hay bale. While he waited, le Comte carefully recalled every word of the conversation he'd had with his father. After a very short wait, le Comte had mounted his horse. As soon as the stable boy had opened the door, le Comte put spurs to his horse and set out for the woods at full gallop. In a matter of seconds he was diving in and out of the trees and jumping over fallen trees and small rivers. Le Comte stopped for a while to rest his horse when he noticed a coach heading towards Berry. Normally le Comte would not have given any other coach a second look but he seemed compelled to follow it to Berry. He quickly remounted his horse and cantered towards the road, staying behind the coach but unable to see inside because the curtains were closed. The coach stopped outside a local inn, The Golden Sun. Le Comte halted a few steps away from the coach and saw a young man get out of the coach first. The man was dressed in priest's clothes and le Comte was in the middle of surveying this stranger when he saw a beautiful young girl step out of the coach. She was as beautiful as the dawn. Le Comte had never seen such beauty. He was transfixed by her and was intent on speaking to her, so he walked his horse towards them. The man saw the Comte coming over and tried to rush the girl into the inn but le Comte was already upon them. Le Comte dismounted his horse, walked up to the two strangers, bowed low and said, "Good day to you both. I am Comte de la Fere the Seigneur of this district.'' The priest was still a little on edge but showed all the grace of a gentleman. "Good day to you, sir. I am M.de Breuil and this is my........sister Anne de Breuil." Anne smiled sweetly and held out her hand for le Comte, which he kissed gently. Anne blushed slightly although le Comte did not notice. Le Comte kept his eyes on the girl. "What brings you to Berry?" M.de Breuil hesitated a little before answering, "We have heard how quiet it is to live here and come to see if it is true." "As seigneur, I have rights in welcoming newcomers. Therefore I invite you both to my house this evening for dinner. Anne looked at her brother and tilted her head slightly. "That is every kind of you, M.le Comte. We would be honored to join you this evening." "Very well. Is 6 o'clock convenient for you?" "Yes, Comte." "Then I shall see you both this evening at 6." "And now I must bid you both good day and take my leave." Le Comte bowed to the two strangers, put spurs to his horse and head back home. Athos Ch. 02 Chapter 02: The Dinner Comte galloped home as fast as his horse could carry him. He bounded up the front steps taking three steps at a time and headed for the dining room where the young man had his page gather all the servants in the house. Comte ordered half the maids to polish and clean everything to its finest shine, the other half were to fill all the rooms of the house with the most fragrant and beautiful wild flowers from the meadow on the edge of the estate, the cooks were to prepare a feast fit for the king, Louis XIII himself. Agnan then went to his chambers to find his finest suit. Meanwhile back at the inn M. de Breuil was passing nervously while Anne sat by the window admiring the country view. "Please stop that pacing, Breuil!" "You shouldn't have accepted his invitation, Anne." "If my memory is correct, dear brother, I do believe it was you who accepted Agnan's offer." Breuil sighed heavily and sat on the edge of one of the beds in the room they had rented. Anne, seeing de Breuil's despair got up from where she was sitting and knelt in front of the troubled man, placing her hands gently on his. "Agnan's offer is not all that troubles you, brother." "We must be careful, Anne, to not draw too much attention to ourselves....if they should send someone ..." "Hush!" Anne interrupted Breuil. "Let's not speak of that now. We must prepare for the dinner. Go order a carriage to take us to Comte's house." Breuil knew there was no point in continuing the conversation and therefore left Anne to change while he found the innkeeper. Agnan's page was frantically trying to select a suit for his master to wear. He couldn't understand why this evening was so important. All he knew was the two guests were new to the area and one of them was a priest and yet his master was acting as if the king himself were coming. "May I ask why tonight requires so much effort, sir?" the page finally asked. "Will you stop asking questions and pass me that suit over there!" replied le Comte. Too busy worrying about the dinner to answer his page. Agnan had tried on every single formal suit he had, each one more dazzling and flattering than the last. Finally he tried on his last suit, a dark purple with silver thread on the edges and a diamond on each wrist. This was his best and favorite suit although he'd never worn it before for fear of it being ruined. "Ah, sir! This is indeed the best you have tried on," admired the still confused page. "Yes, yes, I agree. I will wear it this evening," he said to his page, and then to himself thought, "Madame will be impressed. I just hope my efforts are noticed." The time passed all too quickly for both Agnan and de Breuil. Agnan's servants were tired, because Agnan had made them re-clean, cook and pick flowers since he came out of his chambers. Agnan was frantically making sure everything was perfect for his guests. M. de la Fere, the father, was troubled by the early stages of gout and had retired to his chambers for the evening. Just as the last flowers were being placed on the table, a valet de chamber announced the arrival of the de Breuil's. Agnan jumped to his feet and went to meet his guests in the ante-chamber; this room was decorated almost as a shrine to the la Fere family, with the walls covered by portraits of past Comte de la Feres. The largest of these was Agnan's grandfather who had served with king Henry IV and was given his sword in return for saving the king's life. This sword was passed down to Agnan's father and one day it would be given to him. Breuil was still dressed in his black priest's uniform (he had attempted to beat the dust out of the fabric) because he hadn't taken anything else when Anne and he left their home. Anne however was wearing a navy blue dress with a small pattern on the hem. Although the dress was very plain and simple, Anne wore it as if it were the finest dress in the whole of France, "Greetings," said Agnan to his guests when he entered the room. "Good evening, M. le Comte," Anne replied, holding out her hand for Agnan to kiss which he did with all the gentleness of the lightest feather. Then bowing to Breuil he said, "I hope your accommodations at the inn are suitable." "Thank you, Comte, they are quite suitable." "Are to still planning to live here in Berry?" Just as Breuil as about to answer a servant entered the room and announced that dinner was on the table. Agnan naturally offered Anne his arm which she took with a smile. Breuil followed behind with a heavy heart. He knew all too well how Anne seduced men. He also knew he had lost her to Agnan. The dining room was the smallest room of the house although it was still large; it was decorated simply yet still very lavishly. The main attraction was the large window that overlooked the courtyard and the meadow which was glowing bright orange and red from the sun setting in the distance framed by the red and gold curtains hanging on both sides. The table was filled with enough food to feed a small country; every extravagant dish known to man seemed to be laid out in front of Agnan and his guests. "Monsieur, you shouldn't have troubled yourself to prepare all this for us, "Anne said when she entered the room. Agnan lead Anne to her seat, pulled out her chair and replied with a smile, "Nonsense. Are you both not guests in my house?" "My family is renowned for treating our guests like royalty and I do not intend to break with tradition." As the servants poured out the wine and served the food Agnan turned to Breuil, "Do forgive me, Monsieur, but I believe we were interrupted earlier. Are you planning to live here in Berry?" Breuil looked nervously at Anne before he replied, "Yes, monsieur, we are." "Then you will need better lodgings...unless you intended to live at the inn." "No, Mon ..." "There is a small cottage on the edge of Berry that is for sale. I am on good terms with the owner and would be honored to buy the house for you both." Before Breuil could answer, Anne replied with a warm smile, "Thank you, monsieur, we would not want to inconvenience you in anyway." Agnan's heart seemed to melt when Anne smiled. He was completely under her spell and would do anything to please her. "It would be my honor, Madame, to assist you both in anyway that I can." "Now let's begin our meal...Bon Appetite." Dinner passed very pleasantly. The conversation ranged from politics to religion and many other topics. As the clock stuck 10, Comte and his guests retired to the ante-chamber. A messenger was announced into the room. He was in a long brown riding coat and was covered in dust and clearly he'd been riding all day if not longer. The man bowed low to Comte and his guest before he spoke to Agnan, "Please forgive my intrusion, Monsieur. If I had known you would have guests I would have waited until morning. I have here a letter from my master." He held out a sealed envelope to le Comte. De Breuil went very pale and began to shake while Anne kept a sweet smile on her face. Agnan was wary of the stranger. What could be so important that it could not wait until morning. Why had he rushed in getting his letter to Agnan and, moreover, who was his master? Agnan quickly snapped himself out of his train of thought and took the letter from the messenger. "Thank you, good sir. Will you be joining us in a drink?'' "I am honored by your offer, M. le Comte, but I must return to my master at once." "May I inquire as to who your master is?" "I can not give you his name, Comte, as he wishes to remain anonymous." The man bowed low again and bid Agnan and his guests good night. De Breuil took this as their queue to leave; Agnan led Breuil and Anne to the door and bid them good night, although Agnan would have loved to spend more time with Anne he was eager to read the letter. Almost as soon as he has shut the front door he'd opened the sealed envelope and read its contents as follows: Dear M. le Comte de la Fere, I write to you to inform you that I have sent my daughter and her guardian to you to work in your house; I know this is short notice but it is very important that she learn how to run a successful household and with no mother around to teach her I must send her to you to learn these skills. It is also important that her servant remain close by at all times, for reasons you will soon discover, she will arrive soon after you receive this letter. From a devoted servant Agnan went over this letter several times and each time a new question came to his mind; who had sent him the letter, why had he sent his daughter to him and what was the reason her servant had to remain close by? Agnan decided he would find out the answers to his questions tomorrow when she arrived. For now he was content to retire to bed and dream of Anne. Athos Ch. 03 Now with the reader's permission we will leave Agnan to his dreams and travel to a young couple at an Inn not far from Berry. As they checked in the innkeeper noticed the woman had an unusually pale completion with dark hair, she was slim but muscular and appeared to be of rank, her dress was a pale pink with gold thread on the edges odd few butterfly patterns, she was well-spoken with the grace of royalty yet she was not dressed as royalty nor of any high rank, the innkeeper assumed she was of a low ranking family who held no power in the court of France nor in any other country. Her companion as obviously her servant, his dark-skin was only slightly lighter than his long coal colored hair, he was very muscular (probably from working at the plantations thought the innkeeper) and wore a simple brown riding coat and trousers with a thin white shirt under his coat. His shirt had some rips and a few fresh blood stains probably from fighting off highwaymen along the road. He had no wounds on him however so the innkeeper assumed the blood belonged to the thugs. As the innkeeper led them to their room, the woman placed her right hand across her stomach hunching over a little as she walked, the servant offered his arm for support but she refused not wanting to attract attention. When they arrived the servant ordered two fowls, some wine and a bowl of hot water to be sent to them. As soon as the innkeeper left and the servant had shut the door a loud thud was heard, the servant turned to see his mistress collapsed on the floor her hand covered in blood. "Monique!" he cried as he rushed to help her to her feet "I am fine Bernard do not crate such a fuss." She said in a faint voice "Madame you're wounded let me help you." Bernard led his mistress to the nearest bed in the room and sat her down "You must at allow me to tend to your wound Madame." He began to cut away the fabric around her wound with a small knife he kept in is ridding boot, although it would have been easier to remove the dress itself, society's etiquette did not always allow for the easy way to be taken. "It is barely a flesh wound it will heal." Her voice began to get weaker and her skin cold from loss of life's essence Bernard sighed at her stubbornness but carried on cutting through the layers of fabric until the wound was fully visible. The wound was deep but from the angle of the entry mark hardly any damage had been caused. "Heal it may Madame but you will be long dead before then." "Bernard you are the world's most disobedient servant..." she smiled graciously at him "And also the world's most loving friend." Monique had barely said the last syllable before she passed out from blood loss, Bernard knew he had to stop the bleeding and quickly took out a medium sized leather pouch from his coat pocket; inside was a small bottle of healing ointment and a long bandage. A knock was heard at the door and before he went to answer, Bernard placed his mistress in a sleeping pose and covered her wound with the bed sheets so no one would suspect. Opening the door he saw a young boy carrying a large tray on it was; two cooked fowls, wine, bowl of hot water, two plates, glasses and 2 pairs of knifes and forks. The tray was much too heavy for the boy, but he carried it to a table in the room, he then bowed low to Bernard and left clearly not taking any notice to the woman lying on the bed. Bernard quickly uncovered his mistress and began to clean her wound with a cloth and hot water; he also placed another cloth on one of the plates and covered it with the ointment. He cleaned it as best he could and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, Bernard put the ointment covered cloth over Monique's wound and placed the bandage around her to hold it in place. Monique awoke early next morning, still very weak from last night's event she slowly sat up on the bed and scanned the room for Bernard. He was in his usual place; next to her on the floor using his riding coat for warmth. Monique never understood why he always slept on the floor, she had told him many times he could sleep in the spear bed or share hers if there wasn't any other but he always chose the floor, he wouldn't even use a chair to sleep on. Monique assumed it was a habit learnt from Bernard's old Master, she remembered that terrible place and her mind slowly wondered to the day she first met Bernard. The weather had been warm and pleasant, her father decided to bring his family with him on a trip to the Caribbean. They'd met with a good looking gentleman (she had blocked out the memory of this man from her mind) on the ship and he invited them to stay with him at his sugar plantation. She soon regretted her parents' decision to accept his offer, the man turned out to be a tyrant, having slaves beaten for no reason -- one morning he had three brutally beaten just for not serving eggs with breakfast -- Monique was barely ten years of age and this unusual sight of the general torture of innocent humans greatly upset her, he soon discovered a river running through land and a small forest similar to one near her home in France. She spent many afternoons playing in the forest while her parents where out, only coming out for lunch. One day Monique was sitting by the river reading when she heard a noise, which sounded like leaves moving, and faint moans, she went to investigate. Monique had gone but a few yards when she found the cause of the strange noises, to her horror she saw a young slave boy, he had obviously just been beaten by one of the overseers. Monique was stunned and rushed to the boy's side, he was startled by her but was in too much pain to run, he just lay there and awaited what he thought would be another beating. "Do not be afraid I won't hurt you, my name is Monique." Monique had spoken in French, and the boy didn't understand her, she tried again this time in English. Monique's father traveled constantly and had insisted she learn to speak other languages, which she was secretly grateful for at the moment. "Please do not beat me again!" the boy replied with fear in his voice "I won't beat you, I'm here to help" with that she ripped off part of her dress, wet it in the river and started cleaning the blood from the boy's wounds. "What is your name?" 'My Master calls me "clumsy" but the overseer calls me "lazy".' "Those aren't names, your parents must have given you a name." "My father was sold before I was born, and my mother died in child birth." "That's awful." Monique's eyes began to fill with tears A silence came over the child, the odd tear falling from Monique's cheek and landing on the grass. Finally the boy spoke "What name would you give me?" Monique thought for a while before answering "I've always held a fondness for the name Bernard." "Then I shall be called Bernard." The two new friends spent the afternoon playing, Bernard felt like he was free for once in his life, and Monique was glad to find some happiness in this place of tears. A month past and it was time for Monique and her parents to return to France, Monique and Bernard had spent every day together, although they had little time to play she helped him with his work load when ever she could and comforted him after he'd been punished. Monique did not want to leave him here and the day before she was to leave she went to her father, "Father must we leave here tomorrow?" "Yes Monique, I have business to attend to back home." "And I thought you didn't like it here." "I don't but....." Monique turned her eyes to the floor "What is it Monique?" "There is a boy here...he is a slave boy....we are friends and I can not bare the thought of leaving him here to suffer." "I see and what do you want me to do." "Buy him from his Master; bring him into your house as a free servant." Monique's father gave her a questioning look "Monique I doubt that I would be able to afford to buy your friend and even if I could it would be against the King's law." "Please father I've never asked you for anything, he will be of no trouble and I can look after him I will even pay him wages from my own allowance." Monique's father sighed he could find no logical reason to argue with his daughter. "Very well I will speak with Monsieur and see if he will sell your friend." Almost ten years had pasted since then, Monique's parents had died 4 years ago and with no siblings or other family members Bernard was all she had left -although she had freed him from her service- Bernard could now speak fluent French, was able to read and write and was a master sword's man. Bernard was a free man; he chose to stay with Monique for her protection (even though she could protect herself), last night they'd been ambushed by a gang of armed thugs Bernard had tried his best to save his Mistress but only succeeded in disarming himself, Monique had fought off the thugs but not before suffering a sword thrust to her stomach. Monique slowly got off the bed and walked over to Bernard, the morning sun was just starting to shine through a gap in the curtains resting near Bernard. Monique smiled, the sun's light looked like a halo above his head (she would not have been surprised if it had been a halo) she gently knelt down and whispered in his ear. "Bernard, forgive me for waking you but we must leave if we are to reach Berry by noon." Bernard opened his eyes, seeing his Mistress stand over him with light beaming behind her he thought for a moment an angel had come to take him away. "Mon...yes Madame I will gather our things." "Bernard how many times must I say you do not need to call me Madame?" "At least once more Madame as always." Monique put on her cloak to cover her stained dress and went to find a stable boy to saddle their horses, it took only 15 minutes before they were on the road again and on the way to Berry where they would find the people they'd been sent to retrieve. Athos Ch. 04 A BIG Thank You! to my editor for everything you've done with this story. ---------------------------------------------- Chapter: 04 How Monique made a change to her plans Agnan awoke early next morning, to the sound of the birds singing their morning songs. As he arose from bed and walked to his wardrobe, he noticed the letter on a nearby table. Agnan had almost forgotten about the letter and its mysterious sender; he shrugged his shoulders and continued dressing. An hour later he ordered his horse to be saddled, for he had important business with the owner of a small cottage on the outskirts of Berry. The cottage was built from stone; almost like an odd castle, it had a small round tower with the main house strangely placed on the side like a young child had taken a tall tube and a rectangular box and placed them together. Although strange in appearance the house had a beautiful setting, the red morning sun was just rising over a mountain behind the little cottage and gave the gray stones of the cottage an eerie glow, Agnan felt almost envious of the cottage. Our young Comte rode up to the cottage at a steady pace. Dismounting his horse, Agnan walked gracefully to the wooden front door but before he could knock a frail old man opened the door slowly. "Good day to you sir." said Agnan while bowing. "Good day. May I ask who you are and why you are on my land?" the old man replied slowly and clearly. "I am M. Agnan Comte de la Fere and I have come here on the rumor that your beautiful house is for sale." "I am honored by the interest you have taken in my humble cottage, Monsieur, but do you not have a grander home on your own?" "Ah, you are right but I wish to buy your house for a friend." The old man smiled as if he knew the reason behind Agnan's generosity. "Very well, Monsieur, I will sell you my house for five hundred francs." Agnan was slightly taken back by the old man's eagerness in selling his home but thought little of it, the deal was made and Agnan promised to return that afternoon with the money. While Agnan was admiring the sight of the strange cottage, two shadows appeared riding along the road to Berry, past the little forest where they halted suddenly. Both were dressed in long brown, heavy riding coats and a large black hat which made it impossible for anyone to see their faces and anyone who happened to spot these two shadows racing along the road would presume it to be men eager to arrive at their destination. One of the riders dismounted his horse and pulled a bag from a pouch on his horse's saddle and disappeared behind a bush, while the other waited for his companion. His ears were met with the sound of rustling and twigs breaking; the rider couldn't help but silently laugh as he listening to his companion lose the fight with a bush. The rustling was broken by a voice, "Bah, hang it!" A short silence passed before the other rider emerged from behind the bush disheveled, with a few twigs and leaves in his now long, flowing hair, the mounted rider smiled partly to his battered companion, partly to cover a small laugh. "Not one word, Bernard!" Monique said half angry, half embarrassed while she tired to straighten her patched pale blue dress. Bernard dismounted his horse still with a smile on his face, walked up to Monique and brushed some dirt from her shoulder, then brought his left hand close to her cheek and brushed the leaves and twigs from her hair. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "How is it that you can fight off twenty men without acquiring a single scratch and yet you lose a fight with a single bush?" Monique giggled realizing her foolishness. Before she could stop herself, Monique put her arms around Bernard's neck and they embraced each other as if the world around them had melted away. What felt like an eternity passed before the two separated, still lost in each other's eyes. Monique was the first to regain her senses and break the silence, her voice was barely a whisper . "We must continue if we are to complete our mission." Bernard's eyes became glazed and a look of worry washed over his face. "This will be the last... the order has promised." "The order has promised many things, Monique." Monique's eyes glazed with tears as she quickly moved away from Bernard and made a movement to remount her horse, still standing on the road, pawing the ground with impatience. "You are not bound to the order as I am. If you wish to leave, then do so." Kicking her horse Monique left Bernard and galloped towards Berry at fast has her horse's legs could carry her. Let us respectably leave Bernard to gather his senses and return to Agnan who has returned to his home and is relaxing in his usual manner - dueling servants in the garden. As Agnan was preparing to begin another duel with a second servant, a valet entered announcing someone at the door requesting to speak with him. "Did he give a name?" "She, sir," the valet corrected. Agnan's ears pricked up. "Maybe it was Anne but she would give her name," he thought to himself, "unless she did not want anyone to know she was here." Then to the valet, he said, "Very well. Send her in." Within two minutes a young woman appeared with the valet. She was wearing a pale blue dress which had been poorly patched in places. The woman herself had a fair completion; her long black hair was slightly matted and she was covered in dust from the road. The girl appeared to be very shy and timid; she had followed the valet with her eyes to the floor and her hands behind her back. Although she was beautiful, Agnan thought her looks barely compared to Anne. Agnan approached her and bowed gracefully "Welcome to Berry. I am Comte Agnan de la Fere and you are?" "I am Constance de Vullon, at your service, Comte," the girl replied gracefully. "Ah, yes, the girl who's father has sent to work for me. But I was under the impression that a servant would be accompanying you, Mademoiselle" "Bernard!" she thought, and then aloud, "Yes, I did have a servant with me but...he...he fell ill during the journey and will not be joining me." Agnan cocked his brows. "This girl is very odd," he thought to him-self before saying to the girl, "I am sorry to hear that...I hope he hasn't caught anything serious." "Oh, no, nothing serious, Milord," she replied, then mumbled under her breath, "Only the deserter's bug." "Very well." Agnan rang a small bell and an elderly woman appeared. "This woman will take you to the maid's quarters and will explain the rules of the house and your duties." Constance bowed to le Comte and followed the woman to her new home. ----------------------------------------- Thanks for reading please leave a comment. Athos Ch. 05 A Holy Knight Asks for Help from Another Meanwhile Bernard searched for an Inn to spend the night. There were a few Inns in Berry but none were close enough to the la Fère estate, Bernard wanted to be as close to Monique as possible in case she needed help. The stubbiness of a lover's heart can take over the brain and make its own decisions when faced with separation from the one it beats for. Although Bernard knew there was no where near the la Fère estate, save for sleeping in the woods or in the grounds, he still searched knowing no where would be close enough to her unless he could be by her side where he'd been since she saved him from the overseers whip. Finally, he came to the last building on the main road leading out of Berry, The Golden Sun Inn. This place would have to do for now, with some difficulty Bernard check in and wondered what he would do next. He and Monique had never been separated since she'd freed him, even when they'd returned to her home. His room had been opposite hers, yet he rarely slept there because monsters from his past would find his dreams in the dark he would sneak into Monique's room and sleep on the floor next to her, where the nightmares wouldn't find him. Monique had offered the other side of her queen sized bed countless time but he'd refused, something told him it wouldn't be acceptable. So Monique had used her monthly allowance to buy Bernard his own mattress and sheets, during the day his bed would be hidden under her bed and at night Monique would take it out ready for when Bernard would come in. As Monique was lead away to the maid's quarters she heard le Comte send for Anne de Breuil. De Breuil? This will make things easier; I must speak with Agnan's father. By the time Monique arrived at her temporary home she'd learned Senior Comte had taken to his bed with gout and no one is permitted to see him. I will wake until everyone has retired. Monique sat on the floor in the warm sun beam coming from the small window and cleared her mind... "Bernard..." As the full moon raised in the starry night sky, Agnan's father settled into his large oak bed just as sleep begin to claim his body he heard the door to his room open. He saw a small figure approach in the dark as quite as a mouse creeping in the kitchen for scrapes of food. "Messier le Comte, my name is Monique Sinclair I'm from the Order." The small mouse whispered as she turned her right hand to reveal a gold ring, it bore the coat of arms of the Order of The Holy Knights, two hands protectively covering a beaming sun, the old Comte looked at his own family ring flipping up the de la Fère code of arms to reveal the same symbol on Monique's ring. "I didn't know the Order allowed women in." "They had no choice, but that is not important now I have been sent to capture a runway nun and priest who are wanted by the church." "Their crime must be great if the Order is looking for them, what have they done?" "You know has well as I do they do not tell such information to Actaeons, I do know how ever that they were seen here in Berry." "Other spies?" "Yes and by your son, I do believe he is taken with the traitorous nun." "Anne de Breuil? She and her brother arrived here yesterday." "First I must allow Anne to entrap herself and her lov...accomplice, then she will be the rightful property of the Order but I will need your help Sir." "How so?" "As a maid I can not know everything that goes on in this house, as a newcomer the other workers will be suspicious of me I do not have time to win their trust, you however have full access to everything in your household." "I see, you wish me to spy on my own house." "For the benefit of the Holy Knights Messieurs, any information regarding Anne de Breuil." "I shall see what I can do." "Thank you Sir, now I must leave in case I am seen missing." Before the old Comte could open his mouth to speak the little mouse that entered his room had disappeared into the night. Oh how I wish my debt was fully paid, she thought before settling in for a night of restless sleep. She woke 18 years old again lying on the marble floor of the dinning hall in her childhood home. All around her were the massacred bodies of friends and relatives, cold and drowning in blood. Through the haze Monique remembered gracefully dancing around the room with her father, her white wedding dress flowing like dove's wings caught on a genital breeze. The wedding was arranged to help her parents pay off their debt, Monique knew nothing about her "husband" but the love of her family couldn't see them go hungry, so she agreed to the marriage. Her only joy was Bernard had decided to stay with her, despite his obvious hatred of the man she was to marry, but the happiness of the day was destroyed when an army of men dressed in black stormed the château killing everyone in the household, even the bride suffered a fatal stab wound to the heart. Monique woke with a start, breathless and drenched with sweat from the nightmare of the memory of her parents death, which had haunted her for four years. Why did I survive? An old question creaked slowly through mist of a fading dream, Monique felt cold and afraid for the first time in years old night terrors from her childhood taunted her from the dark, terrors Bernard had kept away every night since they'd met but he wasn't here. "Where are you?" she whispered into the night "I'm here with you." She heard him reply in her mind "No, your not here you left I am now truly alone" she replied back to the blackness focusing on a human shaped shadow in the corner. "I'd never leave, ever, I'm here with you whenever your hurt I'll come running just as you did all those years ago" "Bernard, I..." "Hush now Mistress, lay back down and rest I'll keep the nightmares away" Monique felt suddenly tired again and feel back into a dreamless sleep. Meanwhile in a room at a small inn Anne de Breuil plotted to steal a priceless artefact, one more valuable than the items she'd tricked her "brother" to take from the convent something which could help her on her way to the rank she deserved.