The Spanish Lady (A Three Musketeers Fanfiction)

Explanations

By the end of the day, Porthos seemed to have accepted Aramis' explanation. At least, he was no longer glaring and ignoring Aramis. Still, when the shift changed and the former priest spotted Maria walking in the gardens at dusk, he hurried to catch up to her. An apology was in order, and it had been put off too long.

"Doña Maria?" Aramis called out as he entered the tall hedges. "Doña Maria, may I speak with you?"

There was no answering call. Sighing, Aramis began to make is way through the maze. "Doña Maria, I want to apologize to you," he said, loudly. "It wasn't my intention to embarrass you or insult you. When señorita Marquez opened your door, she didn't say you were...bathing. Will you forgive me?"

Again, there was no response, though he did hear strange, muffled sounds. "Maria?" Aramis called again. He turned a corner and finally spotted the woman.

One of the Comte's guards had the woman pinned against the cobblestone wall that surrounded the maze. She was struggling against the man, trying to get free of his grip and kiss.

"Leave her alone!" Aramis shouted, running forward. He unsheathed his sword as he move.

The guard lifted his head and turned. Without hesitation, Aramis stabbed the man in the shoulder. Dragging her right hand over her mouth, Maria shoved the guard away. Startled, Aramis kept his grip on his sword and his blade pulled free of the man. Groaning, the guard fell to the ground.

"Why would you trust anything that spoiled child says to you?" Maria demanded, facing Aramis.

Dumbfounded, Aramis glanced down at the guard. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"I am fine," Maria answered, waving her hand dismissively. She glared at Aramis and put her hands on her hips. "Now, explain to me why you trusted, of all people, señorita Margarita Marquez. Are you such an idiota that you would believe a word she says?"

"What were you doing out in the forest this morning?" Aramis demanded "I'm not the only one who has explaining to do!"

The guard groaned again, but was ignored. "¿Soy yo quien debe explicarse?" Maria exclaimed, her tone frustrated. "¡Increíble!You want to know what I was doing? Fine! You musketeers already had me followed, why shouldn't I tell you? I was delivering a message for the queen."

"And you had to sneak out to do it?"

"I didn't pick the place, Aramis," Maria snapped. "That is where the queen instructed Margarita to tell me to go." She shook her head. "This is getting off topic! You listened to Margarita. Why?"

"How else was I supposed to find you?" Aramis asked. "Short of knocking on every door, I had no choice but to accept that she was telling me the truth about which room was yours. It was important to talk"

Maria glanced down. "Pistol," she said. Aramis looked down to see the guard lifting a pistol. Aramis stabbed the man's arm and kicked the pistol away. "Still, you could have said something before just walking into my chambers, Aramis. That is what was so insulting!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Apology accepted," Maria said to Aramis, her tone still cool. "Shall we walk to somewhere a little bit more pleasant? I'm sure this man will want to drag himself off to his friends and find a physician."

Aramis offered his arm. "You know Porthos was furious when he found out," he told her as they walked down the darkening path. "D'Artagnan says he even threatened to kill me."

"I knew I liked Porthos for some reason," Maria answered. She giggled. "I suppose it was a bit amusing. The look on your face when you realized what I was doing…¡Estabas atónito!For one whom Porthos assures me has had many mistresses over the years, you are easily embarrassed, Aramis."