Adélie (A Three Musketeers 2011 Fanfiction)

Kidnapped...Again

Closing her eyes, Adélie rested her head against the wall. She'd managed to evade the ladies in waiting, and the guards that the Cardinal had sent after her. She wondered if she stood here long enough whether D'Artagnan would eventually find her.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. "What do we have here?"

Gasping, Adélie opened her eyes and spun around. She found a short man with black hair standing only a few feet away. "I've seen that face before," the man continued. "Though I never would have expected to find it on a child. Nor would I have though it to be pretty. You're little Adélie, aren't you?"

"Who are you?" Adélie demanded, pressing up against the wall. This man, smiling though he was, frightened her even more than her kidnapper had.

"De la Meries' the name," the man answered. "Comte de la Meries. I believe I sent an…associate of mine to collect you earlier this week. A good friend of mine in England is eager to make your acquaintance."

Trembling, Adélie tried to sidestep away, but the man raised an eyebrow at her. "I know," Adélie responded. "I fell off a horse and hit my head."

"Did you?" de la Meries queried, frowning. "And I gave orders for to be treated with the greatest of care. Well, no matter. I suppose I will just have to take you with me. I was just about to leave for England anyway. I know a very important person who is very interested in meeting you."

"No, thank you," Adélie responded. "I have to go now. They'll be missing me."

The man scowled for a moment, and then his face cleared. "But I am to take you to your mother, dear Adélie," he said. Adélie tilted her head. "You do want to see her, don't you?"

"My mother?" Adélie repeated. She frowned trying to think. A hand curled around her wrist.

"Come with me, Adélie," de la Meries commanded, tugging on her arm. Unwillingly, Adélie let herself be pulled down the hallway. 'Now, I know your mother is going to be very happy to see you. After all this time, I expect her to be surprised to see her little Adélie."

"She wants to see me?"

"Of course she does," de la Meries answered. "Would I lie to you, my dear child? Now, to London."

London? Wait. She couldn't go to London. D'Artagnan wouldn't know where she'd gone. And D'Artagnan had said her father cared, so HE wouldn't be very happy if she just left. Besides, this man was the reason Kitty had died, not to mention the wound on her own head.

"No," Adélie said. They'd reached the courtyard. "No, I can't."

Impatiently, the man pulled her arm harder. "Come, Adélie," he snapped. A carriage was waiting. "Do you want to disappoint your mother?

Startled, Adélie looked at the woman who was just stepping out of the carriage. "My mother is here?"

"Can this be Little Adélie?" the black haired woman asked, kneeling down. "How precious she is! You have my thanks for finding her for me, Comte. Come to me, my little Adélie."

Her hand reaching out, Adélie froze. "You're not my mother," she said slowly. She shook her head and stepped back. "No. Kitty said my mother had beautiful gold hair. You're nothing like my mother."

The woman shrugged and stood up. De la Meries sighed, tightening his grip. "Well, it was worth a try," he said. "But you are coming with us, child."

"No!" Adélie screamed, digging in her heels. "Let me go!"

"Adélie?" D'Artagnan's voice called out from nearby.

Jerking roughly on Adélie's arm, de la Meries grabbed a hold of her shoulders and lifted her up. "Let me go!" Adélie screamed, kicking at him. "D'Artagnan! Help!"

De la Meries tossed her through the open door of the carriage. Climbing in right behind, the woman grabbed a hold of Adélie and held her still. De la Meries closed the door and climbed up with the driver.

With Constance right behind him, D'Artagnan ran into the courtyard. He searched around for Adélie, still hearing her screams. He spotted the carriage that was rushing away. "Constance," he said, turning to her. "Get a message to Athos. He's at the Musketeers' Headquarters. Let him know what happened."

"What are you doing?" Constance asked in bewilderment as he bolted away. She stared as he leapt onto the back of a horse that had been saddled and was waiting for its owner. As D'Artagnan galloped away, she headed back into the palace to carry out her instructions.

~*~

Shaking his head, M. Treville leaned back in his chair. "This is grave news," he said, regarding the three musketeers that sat on the other side of his desk. "If Buckingham has found support here in France, if this war continues any further, it will make things that much more difficult for us."

"De la Meries may be the only one," Athos told him. "But there's no way to be certain."

"I will have to consider this very carefully before I inform the king," Treville mused. He glanced between the three men who were some of his best musketeers. "You are all on leave, are you not? How did you come across this information in the first place?"

Porthos looked over at Athos. "Buckingham sent an agent of his to de la Meries, to take something that would be used against me," Athos answered vaguely. "I was taking it back."

"Monsieur Athos!"

The unmistakeable sound of Constance Bonacieux's shout was muffled by the closed doors, but there was no missing the panic in the young woman's voice. Springing to his feet, Athos strode to the door and flung it open. With Porthos and Aramis right behind him, he stepped out into the corridor.

Taking the steps two at a time, Constance was rushing up towards them. Musketeers who had been engaged in swordplay, or general goofing off, now stared after the woman in shock.

"Constance, what's happened?" Aramis demanded.

Panting for breath, Constance reached them. "D'Artagnan sent me," she said, trying to get her breath back. " Adélie wandered away from us, and someone took her. D'Artagnan was going after them."

"Who was it?" Athos demanded.

Constance shook her head. "I didn't see," she answered. "But whoever it was, was in a carriage. There was a crest on the door that I couldn't see."

"De la Meries," Porthos said, looking at his companions.

"Which way were they going?" Aramis asked.

Athos shook his head. "They're leaving the city," he said. "They'll be going towards England to report to Buckingham. We'll have to split up to cover each way out."

He took off down the stairs with Aramis and Porthos seconds behind him. Constance was left standing with Treville.