#count de la fere

[severias]

It is done

That does not look like Charles I but your get the vibe so it's fine

I was slightly inspired by Russian 20ya, yk the

I love Aramis did you know

[ougonnotaiyou]

Here are my Three Musketeers bookmarks.

Left to right:

1. Athos, “The Musketeers” (BBC TV series) version played by Tom Burke. A gift for @ja87.

2. Athos, the version from my imagination based on the books of Dumas. A present for a person who doesn’t have an account here.

3. Aramis as the cunning bishop of Vannes, my own version based on the books. A gift for myself. :)

[alekshyhart]

@zarashi100 , Well 👀, the auto-translator and I tried very hard, but we still can't be sure that we did everything right (we can't be sure that we did anything right at all 😰 🙈) …

In general, in fact, these are just questionable jokes. A few remarks:

There is nothing very important here, it's just a reference to a meme with a crying cat who has no words, there are only emotions 🐱 ...

This part is difficult to explain, because it is a catch phrase from a Soviet film based on a book by a Soviet writer. In one of the scenes, a man who does not know French well asks for alms. He doesn't speak quite right, that he hadn't eaten in six days: "Je ne mange pas six jours". Correctly: "Je n'ai pas mangé depuis 6 jours" Sometimes we use this incorrect French phrase to joke about the lack of money or complain about the salary, as if we will soon have nothing to eat.

3. When Athos was offered the rank of lieutenant, he said that it was too much for Athos, and too little for the count. We sometimes joke that it has something to do with craving alcohol 🍷. Even for the Comte de la Fere, this is too much. But d'Artanian forgot that Porthos was also a drunkard and that he drank much more than others.

Okay, I'm not sure I was able to translate or explain something correctly. But there was an attempt 😅.

[thebcnfblog]

13 Books

What’s up readers?! How about a little show and tell? Answer these 13 questions, tag 13 lucky readers and if you’re feeling extra bookish add a shelfie! Let’s Go!

Not tagged by @softest-punk but I saw it on their page and decided to get involved.

1) The Last book I read:

Just finished Tana French’s “Broken Harbour”. I LOVE Tana French, particularly her Dublin Murder Squad series. I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending. It required too much suspended disbelief for me. Too many characters descending into madness at the same time very conveniently. But it was interesting to consider how many issues we cause for ourselves by attempting to be someone we think we should be.    

2) A book I recommend:

Not to be basic Tumblr bitch but Neil Gaiman’s “The Ocean at The End of The Lane”. The way he can articulate the terrible things that happen in childhood, how we deal with them, how we carry the memories, and the effect they have on us for the rest of our lives left me shaken and breathless. ”You don’t pass or fail at being a person, dear.” I wish I didn’t need this reminder but I do, so thank you, Neil.

Plus, I find it fascinating to see the difference between people who can intimately relate to it and those for whom it is just a story.

3) A book that I couldn’t put down:

Stephen King “The Waste Lands” The third book of The Dark Tower series. A book series that started out so promising and ended with me throwing the final book against the wall in disgust and cursing Mr. King to high heavens. For all the issues the final books in the series had “The Waste Lands” was an absolute masterpiece. I remember reading it on a train to work and nearly missing my spot because I needed to find out what happens next.   

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more):

One book?? Right. Stephen King’s “Salem’s Lot”. It absolutely terrified me when I read it as a teenager. I loved the feeling of small town America invaded by the supernatural which he writes so well. Plus, vampires!  I have a habit of re-reading it every time I go home, don’t really know why. I probably should get around to reading it in English at some point. 

Sometimes I re-read books by accident. I consume so much crime fiction that occasionally I will pick up a book from the library and happily read it with no recollection of the plot only to be told by GoodReads I’ve read it years ago.

5) A book on my TBR:

I am beginning to think this list was made by someone who isn’t a reader. One book? I guess it has to be R.F.Kuang “Babel”. I really want to read it. It's like The Secret History but in Oxford! I know I will enjoy it but I only have it on Kindle. I prefer reading long books in their physical form but the library copy is in hardback so it’s cumbersome to carry around. Thus it stays on my TBR.

First world problems of a bookworm.

6) A book I’ve put down:

Dan Brown “Angels and Demons”. I knew about his reputation when I picked it up, but I wanted something mindless to read and thought it would be fine. Reader, it wasn’t fine. Terrible, terrible writing. I couldn’t deal. Turns out I do have standards even for my trash reads.

7) A book on my wish list:

Stephanie Foo “What My Bones Know: A memoir of healing from complex trauma” I’ve read so many books on trauma and complex trauma both for my degree and for personal understanding. Surprising no one most of them are written by men. I’m very excited to read female perspective on it, plus she talks about generational trauma which is such an incredibly fascinating topic. 

8) A favorite book from childhood:

Alexander Dumas “The Three Musketeers”. I was obsessed with this book. OBSESSED. I’ve read it so many times I could recite pages of it. It introduced me to my first problematic fictional crush Athos, starting my love affair with all the sad tortured blorbos which going strong till this day. I named my dog Count de la Fere after him. I wanted to be a musketeer so bad. Still kind of do.  

9) A book you would give to a friend:

It does slightly depend on a friend but Amor Towles “A Gentleman in Moscow”. I was so blown away when I read it. I gave copies to my friends. I talked to everyone about it: friends, people on the internet, strangers in bookshops or on public transport (In London! Imagine the horror!) One of my friends refuses to read the last chapter till this day because she does not want the story to end. This is probably my proudest book gifting achievement.  

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own

The OG problematic bae Lord Byron Selected Works. It’s a second hand school library's copy from 1950’s full of underlinings and scribbled notes. I love seeing evidence of other people engaging with writing and thinking about words. 

Such a problematic person. Such a great poet. 

11) A nonfiction book you own:

Cindy Crab “Things That Help: Healing our lives through Feminism, Anarchism, Punk & Adventure”. I found this book in the feminist bookshop in Brighton when things weren’t going so great for me for the umptheen time and it was like pouring healing salve on my soul. It’s not a book in a traditional sense but a collection of self-published zines collected into a little tome. It destroyed my very conservative idea of what a book is and how “professional” it should look that I did not realise I held until that moment. Most importantly, it reminded me there are other ways of being in the world that a conventional way of living.    

12) What are you currently reading:

Teo van den Broeke “The Closet”. It’s a memoir of a fashion journalist who tells of growing up, coming out and figuring out himself through clothes that were important to him. It’s written in an easy, conversational style. As someone whose wardrobe consists of jeans, leggings and t-shirts I find it so interesting to peek into fashionista’s world.   

13) What are you planning on reading next?

Isabella Hammad “Enter Ghost”. It is a book set in Palestine about staging Hamlet and possibly also a queer love story. What more could you want from a book? Cannot wait to start this one!! 

[showscourage]

showscourage ; an independent multimuse ; hosted by kitt ; 31 ; she + her . currently contained muses ; laszlo kreizler ( the alienist ) , lois lane ( snyder’s dccu ) , pete “ maverick ” mitchell ( top gun + maverick ) , will graham ( nbc’s hannibal ) , ulrich nielsen ( dark ) , jo march ( little women ) , howl pendragon ( howl’s moving castle ) , joe black ( meet joe black ) , einar liefsen ( oc paranormal investigator ) , athos de la fere ( bbc the musketeers ) , kerr avon ( blake’s 7 ) , edward rochester ( jane eyre ) , nick andros ( stephen king’s the stand ) , romeo montague ( romeo + juliet ) , haymitch abernathy ( the hunger games ) , uhtred ragnarsson ( the last kingdom ) , napoleon solo ( the man from uncle ) , clark kent ( smallville ) , ivar ragnarsson ( vikings ) , christine daae ( phantom of the opera ) , albert de morcerf ( the count of monte cristo ) , jay gatsby ( the great gatsby ) , finnick odair ( the hunger games ) , edmond dantes ( the count of monte cristo ) , monsieur gustave h. ( the grand budapest hotel ) , mike ross ( suits ) , denny colt ( will eisner’s the spirit ) , hild / finan / osferth ( the last kingdom ) , geralt of rivia ( CDPR the witcher 3 ; wild hunt / netflix ) , link ( legend of zelda ) , lady marian / robin of locksley ( robin hood ; prince of thieves ) , captain eyk larsen ( 1899 ) +  more to be added soon !

AES . SIDEBLOG

[takesheart]

TAKESHEART ; BETA EDITOR + ICONLESS ; an independent multimuse ; hosted by kitt ; 31 ; she + her . currently contained muses ; laszlo kreizler ( the alienist ) , lois lane ( snyder’s dccu ) , pete “ maverick ” mitchell ( top gun + maverick ) , will graham ( nbc’s hannibal ) , ulrich nielsen ( dark ) , jo march ( little women ) , howl pendragon ( howl’s moving castle ) , joe black ( meet joe black ) , einar liefsen ( oc paranormal investigator ) , athos de la fere ( bbc the musketeers ) , kerr avon ( blake’s 7 ) , edward rochester ( jane eyre ) , nick andros ( stephen king’s the stand ) , romeo montague ( romeo + juliet ) , haymitch abernathy ( the hunger games ) , uhtred ragnarsson ( the last kingdom ) , napoleon solo ( the man from uncle ) , clark kent ( smallville ) , ivar ragnarsson ( vikings ) , christine daae ( phantom of the opera ) , albert de morcerf ( the count of monte cristo ) , jay gatsby ( the great gatsby ) , finnick odair ( the hunger games ) , edmond dantes ( the count of monte cristo ) , monsieur gustave h. ( the grand budapest hotel ) , mike ross ( suits ) , denny colt ( will eisner’s the spirit ) , hild / finan / osferth ( the last kingdom ) , geralt of rivia ( CDPR the witcher 3 ; wild hunt / netflix ) , link ( legend of zelda ) , lady marian / robin of locksley ( robin hood ; prince of thieves ) , captain eyk larsen ( 1899 ) , rose dewitt bukater ( titanic ) , fitzwilliam darcy ( pride and prejudice ) , scott lang ( marvel ) , demelza poldark ( poldark ) , gaston beaumont ( disney's LA ; beauty and the beast ) , peregrin " pippin " took ( lord of the rings ) , dawsey callahan / zelda collier - mayhew ( mad men ocs ) , sherlock holmes ( enola holmes 1 / 2 ) , even bech næsheim ( SKAM ) , brakeman walter sully ( snowpiercer oc ) , lucerys velaryon ( house of the dragon ) sigrit ericksdottir / alexander lemtov ( eurovision : fire saga ) +  more to be added soon !

[unwhithered]

Padawan d’Artagnan and the 3 Masters

A thud. A groan.

“Come on now, get up. Again!”

On the sidelines of the gymnasium Porthos winces in sympathy as he watches the young padawan drag himself to his feet, infinitesimally more slowly than the last time, and square off with Aramis. His chest heaves with effort and if one looks closely enough, his legs are shaking. The Knight, in comparison, has barely broken a sweat, smiling and laughing as he dances away from the boy’s first wild strike, speaking too quietly to be heard when they cross blades, twirling his lightsaber showily when they break apart once more. Toying with the padawan like a loth cat with its prey.

“Now this is just getting cruel,” Porthos grumbles, watching his friend once again knock the padawan on his ass.

“Perhaps,” Athos agrees beside him. He casts Porthos a sidelong glance and shrugs one shoulder before returning his shrewd gaze to the next round. “But a necessary one.” Then, louder, “d’Artagnan, quit dropping your right shoulder! And move, don’t just stand there like a brick.”

“You’re beginning to sound like Treville.”

“I can’t tell if that’s meant to be a compliment or an insult. Either way, there are worse things to be compared to than one of the finest fencing teachers in the Order.”

“A compliment, you arse.” Porthos nudges Athos with his shoulder and is pleased to receive a good natured jostle in return. His friend has been far too serious since - well, for a long time now, but his mood has only worsened in the week since the Council assigned him a half-trained padawan. “We’ll make a decent Master of you yet.”

Athos snorts. Rather than dignify that with a response, he rises and holds out his hand. “Halt. I’ve seen enough.”

Aramis’ smile widens, if such a thing is possible, his eyes bright with good humor as he leans over to offer d’Artagnan his hand. The boy ignores it, turning off his lightsaber and stubbornly pushing himself to his feet. Ah, one that holds grudges. Aramis claps him on the shoulder anyway. “Well done, young one. We’ll make a duelist of you in time. Now, Master de la Fere, what do you say to giving me a real fight now that I’m all warmed up?”

The small crowd of initiates, padawans and knights that had left their own exercises to watch the sparring match murmurs. Anticipation echoes in the Force around them as Athos nods and casts aside first his belt, and then his tabard and overtunic at the edge of the mat. His remaining tunic hangs loosely from his shoulders and gaps at the neckline, baring a long stripe of pale chest and dark hair, as well as a glint of silver chain. He nods to d’Artagnan as they pass one another. “You did well enough. Now sit with Porthos and observe, perhaps you’ll learn something.”

“Don’t listen to him, boy.” Porthos thumps the bench next to himself in invitation and slings his arm around d’Artagnan’s shoulders when he takes the offered seat. “You held your own as well as any of us at your age.” It’s a lie, but a kind one. Porthos knows d’Artagnan has seen far too little kindness these past months. It pays off when d’Artagnan’s shoulders slowly relax beneath the weight of his arm. “Now, if it’ll make you feel better, we’re about to watch Aramis get trounced.”

“That does make me feel a little better.”

“You are about to watch more than a trouncing,” a deep voice interrupts them. 

All of the tension immediately returns to d’Artagnan’s body as he squirms out from beneath Porthos’ arm and bounces to his feet, bowing deeply despite his exhaustion. Porthos merely inclines his head. “Master Windu.” 

“Sit, padawan, you’ve earned it.” Once he’s obeyed Windu joins them on the low bleachers that surround the sparring mats. Before them, Athos activates his dual lightsabers with a snap-hiss and begins to circle Aramis, looking for an opening. When he finds one the fight begins in earnest. “Watch la Fere’s feet,” Windu commands, leaning in a little to be heard over the murmur of voices surrounding them. “See how he’s always moving, always leading the fight where he wants it to go. Your new Master may be the finest duelist of his generation - you have much to learn from him.”

“May be?” Porthos grunts, indignant at the perceived slight.

“May,” Windu repeats, his eyes sparking with something like mischief. The Master of the Order was hardly as aloof and serious as he would like outsiders to believe. “I would bet Kenobi could give him a run for his money, if we could ever get them both in the Temple for long enough to arrange a match.”

Porthos grumbles under his breath, but doesn’t disagree. Their age mate had killed the first Sith in a milenia, after all. Still… “I’ll take that bet.”

Windu only smirks and shakes his head, letting them lapse into silence as they watch the bout unfold. It’s less a fight than a dance, undertaken by two people who know each others’ steps by heart after a lifetime of training together - at least to Porthos’ eye. According to the hushed murmurs of surprise and delight from the still growing crowd of younglings and their keepers the whirl of bodies and blades, often moving so fast that they become a blur, is quite an impressive match. Even d’Artagnan, perpetually morose in their company, leans forward with interest when Aramis appears to have gained the upper hand, backing Athos into a corner of the mat.

Porthos, who has seen this exact scenario play out too many times to count, only huffs and shakes his head when Athos neatly disarms Aramis with one blade and holds the other close enough to his throat to singe his perfectly groomed beard. “Do you yield?”

“I yield,” Aramis agrees, but his smirk spells mischief. “And I call in reinforcements for the rematch. What do you say, Porthos?”

Porthos’ answering grin is predatory. “I say we give the people a show.” Abandoning his seat beside d’Artagnan, along with his cloak and studded leather tunic, Porthos leaps into the arena. Aramis calls his ‘saber back into his hand in the same moment that Porthos activates his lightstaff, but Athos does not wait for them to make the first move. The fight is joined with a roar that rises simultaneously from three throats.

[privateerstudies]

"you should've said that yesterday" + any combo of the 3 musketeers

Here you are! Angsty post-breakup (ish) Arathos (Aramis/Athos idk what the ship name is). Warnings for drunkness/excessive alcohol consumption and self-isolation

Athos is crying. He doesn't cry much, and when he does, he does so silently, but he has good cause for crying. Seventy-two hours ago, Aramis yelled at him and told him to get out of his house. Seventy-one hours ago (not that he's counting), Athos had packed together a bag and had left Aramis' apartments. He figured that, given some time to cool off, Aramis would be okay with talking to him. Athos had tried texting him, he'd tried calling, he'd even tried texting Porthos, but Aramis steadfastly refused to talk to him. So now, he is solving this in the other way he knows how, which is with solitary self-pity. He muses that the floor on which he is sitting is, in fact, rather lovely, and that he quite enjoys it. He hasn't been back to this particular apartment in over a year, but that's part of living with someone, he supposes. You leave places you used to frequent behind, and build new places to frequent. He's also relatively sure that this is one of the few places that Aramis will not think to look for him. Porthos he isn't sure about, but to be perfectly honest, he doesn't even think Aramis is looking for him. Porthos might look for him, if only to tell him he screwed up. Athos wouldn't actually even know if Aramis tried to call him back- his phone's been dead for over an hour. He'll plug it in at some point. Probably. Maybe not. There is, suddenly, a banging on the door, although Athos cannot be too sure that it isn't just a banging in his head. When it persists irregularly, though, he knows it isn't. "ATHOS," cries a voice through the door. "OLIVIER ATHOS DE LA FERE!!" The voice sounds a little broken and tired from yelling. "Please," it says softly. "Please." Athos drags himself off of the floor and flings the door open. He comes face-to-face with the man who threw him out just a day ago, looking broken and tired and dejected. "May I come in," he asks. "Of course you may," Athos says, and there is (or, at least, should be) something biting behind his words. "Athos, I am so, so sorry," Aramis says. "You should have said that yesterday," Athos bites out. "You should have said that yesterday." Aramis had said- *things* to Athos, ones that should not ever have been said, not if Aramis legitimately cared about Athos. "What do you want," Athos spits, and heis words turn to ash on his tongue. "You, I want you, I am so sorry, Athos please-" Himself is the one thing Athos can no longer give to Aramis. Not right now, maybe not ever. He isn't sure yet. "Get. Out," he says, instead of the million other things that are spinning in his head. "Get. Out." And Aramis leaves.

[1outofmymind]

Johann Chu reminds me of Athos, aka Count de La Fere from French writer Alexander Duma's novel series "The Three Musketeers".

Like Johann, Athos was in love with a woman, that married him to get a title, wealth and influence. But during a hunting incident, she fell off from her horse and lost consciousness. To help her breath, count undoes her corset for a bit, and suddenly discovers a mark - she was once punished for robbery. Shocked, count de la Fere hangs her up on a tree and leaves. Eventually, count de la Fere sells his castle, and leaves his county to become a musketeer. He takes an alias Athos, which ie actually a name of a real life mount, on which a male monastery in Greece is located, where no woman is allowed to step foot. He later becomes a mentor for main novel character - young d'Artagnan. Later, he meets this woman again, who manages to survive and became a Milady Winter, now she works as a spy for cardinal de Richelieu. Eventually, when she hurts d'Artagnan, he, Athos and other musketeers take revenge of her - they hire an executioner, who chop off Milady's head and throws it in the river together with her body.

Characters Athos and Johann are different, of course. But i described what i feel similar between them. And Shavee reminds me of Milady, however, the latter uses and hurts much more people and is smarter.

And like Athos, Johann doesn't seem.to be interested in women after Shavee.

[flowers-creativity]

Bad Luck: Epilogue

Fandom: The Musketeers Characters: Porthos du Vallon, Athos (Comte de la Fere), Aramis (René d’Herblay, d’Artagnan (Charles), Jean Tréville, Flea Warnings: Violence, whipping, racism, slavery, abduction, minor character death Summary: Porthos rarely had bad luck at the card table. But when he hit a streak of really bad luck, it was only the beginning …Soon, the other three Inseparables were desperately searching for their missing friend while he did his best to get back to them.

Notes: That's all, folks! *Looney Tunes melody*

Thank you so much to all of you who have followed this story - thank you for your comments and for your patience and for sticking with me till the end! I hope you enjoyed it!

I want to acknowledge that this is a delicate topic, writing about a black character experiencing slavery, especially as a non-black author (possibly why they chose to use d'Artagnan instead of Porthos in "An Ordinary Man"), and I hope I have treated it with the sufficient sensitivity. If there are any parts where I did not succeed in this, please feel free to let me know! Even if the story is finished now, I would much rather edit or rewrite as needed than leave anything offensive in it.

AO3 link

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20

The horses' hooves clopped loudly on the city's cobblestones. Porthos relished the sound and did nothing to hide his grin as he gazed up at the buildings around them as if he hadn't seen them in ages, far longer than what had been, after all, barely more than a month. They had been on missions taking them away from Paris much longer than that in their service to the King. But it was different, returning home when, at some point, you had doubted if you ever would. And this, Paris with its narrow streets, the stench of too many people and animals living too closely together, the constant din of traders hawking their wares and housewives gossiping, was home to him most of all of them, even if for a long time, his home had been a part of Paris no one liked to think about.

Now his home was the Garrison, and his grin impossibly widened when they passed below the arch into the courtyard. It made his cheeks hurt but it was a happy ache.

A few Musketeers milling about in the courtyard looked up at the sound of their approach, gaping at the arriving group. Porthos might have felt embarrassed at the attention, but he could always pretend they were going slack-jawed at the sight of the three fine horses Athos had purchased in Le Havre. The one Porthos was riding, bought in the small village where they had found shelter, was a good beast and had borne him home faithfully, but those three were something else.

Still, the notion was dispelled when he had dismounted and handed the horse's reins to Jacques who had dutifully appeared to take care of their horses and was definitely smitten with the new horses at first glance.

The first to greet him was Defoe, a fellow recruit from the general army who liked to play cards with Porthos, grumbling good-naturedly about cheating when he unavoidably lost. “Porthos! You're back!”

The joy on his face made warmth rise in Porthos' cheeks. He tried to suppress it as he grinned, spreading his arms and bouncing on his toes. “In the flesh!” he replied, and if it didn't sound quite as nonchalant as he wanted it to because his voice was a bit too gruff with emotion, no one mentioned it. He accepted an embrace from Defoe, followed up by back pats and claps to his shoulders from the others as they gathered around him, and basked in the warmth spreading through him. As much as Athos, Aramis and d'Artagnan were the brothers of his heart, these men were his family, too.

Above them, a door opened, and Porthos sensed rather than heard the heavy boots stomping up to the railing, and he felt rather than saw the icy blue eyes of their Captain settle on the group in the courtyard. There was a beat, and then the familiar gruff voice called down to them: “You four, my office! The rest of you, I'm sure you have some work to do. Hop to it.”

No one needed to ask who the four were he had addressed. Porthos exchanged a look with his brothers, and as one, they headed for the stairs, ascending them and presenting themselves before their commanding officer in his office.

Treville observed them, the shrewd blue gaze impassive as it raked over them. Finally, he gave a clipped nod and said: “Report.”

As usual, Athos took the lead, summarising in a few short sentences what he had already sent ahead in his messages and ending with their trip back, which had been wholly without incident – unless you counted some heated discussions between Aramis and Porthos himself because he was sick of being coddled and eager to head home. Their medic hadn't been too happy about his insistence to ride further and faster than Aramis considered advisable …

Once Athos had ended, Treville's gaze came to rest on Porthos, and he unconsciously straightened slightly. “Welcome back, Porthos,” the Captain said. “You are well?”

“Fine and fit, sir,” Porthos replied. And he added: “Thank you for sending the others after me.” Because as much as an attack on a King's Musketeer was deemed an attack on the King himself, and his retrieval the recovery of an asset of the Crown, he knew the Captain wouldn't have had to do it. And that was why, while they were the King's men, they were Treville's men twice as much.

The Captain waved his words away impatiently and addressed the next man: “Aramis?”

Porthos bit his lip in irritation as his friend took off his hat, raking his fingers through his curls, and gave him a short, slightly smug smile. “Maybe let him take it slow another few days until he's settled back in,” Aramis suggested. “But yes, he's healed well,” he allowed.

“Fine,” the Captain grouched. “Take the rest of the day, all of you. I'll see you at muster tomorrow.”

They nodded at him with various levels of respectfulness and turned when his voice made them halt once more. “Good to have you back, Porthos,” he said. “And if you ever … feel the need to talk about any of it: My door is always open.”

Porthos felt a sudden pressure in his throat at the offer, and he cleared it roughly. “Thank you, sir,” he replied.

Treville nodded and waved a hand at them. “Get going, then.”

Porthos was the last to file out, and as the others descended into the courtyard, he stopped at the top of the stairs, taking a deep breath. Below him, his brothers turned to look up at him, and d'Artagnan called: “What are you waiting for, Porthos? Let's find out how much dust your quarters have gathered.”

The dark-skinned Musketeer looked down at them and then around the courtyard in which a certain temperamental Gascon had challenged Athos, in which they had trained, fought, drunk, eaten, and bantered together, as three before that and as four since then. He blew out a breath and called out: “Comin'!”

He was home.

FIN

[belskayatanya]

Музыка Максима Дунаевского; Текст Юрия Ряшенцева\ Music By Maxim Dunaevsky; Lyrics By Yuri Ryashentsev

Дуэт д'Артаньяна и де Тревиля Д'Артаньян В Гаскони неизвестно слово "трус"! Де Тревиль Не знать мне шпаги, если вы не правы! Д'Артаньян У нас, гасконцев, лучший в мире вкус. Ничто нам не по вкусу, кроме славы. Скуластое лицо, особенная стать - Вот вам гасконский облик без изъяна. Поверьте, сударь, вам недолго ждать: Париж еще узнает, Париж еще узнает, Париж еще узнает д'Артаньяна! Припев: Бургундия, Нормандия, Шампань или Прованс - И в ваших жилах тоже есть огонь, Но умнице-Фортуне, ей-богу, не до вас, Пока на белом свете, Пока на белом свете, Пока на белом свете есть Гасконь. Пока на белом свете, Пока на белом свете, Пока на белом свете есть Гасконь. Д'Артаньян: Без славы мне в Париже не житье. Вся жизнь прошла, пора судьбой заняться. Де Тревиль: Так сколько же вам лет, дитя мое? Д'Артаньян: Ах, много, сударь, много - восемнадцать! Де Тревиль: Рука твоя тверда - вот верная черта Гасконского прославленного стиля! И я таким же дерзким был, когда Париж узнал гасконца, Париж узнал гасконца, Париж узнал гасконца де Тревиля! Припев.

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The Duo of d'artagnan and de Treville

D'artagnan. The word "coward"is unknown in Gascony!

De Treville. I don't know of the sword, if you are right!

D'artagnan. We, the people of Gascony, the world's best taste. Nothing is to our taste but glory.

Bony face, become very special - Here's a Gascon look without a flaw. Believe me, sir, you will not wait long: Paris will know, Paris will know, Paris will know d'artagnan!

Chorus: Burgundy, Normandy, champagne or Provence - And you have fire in your veins too, But clever-fortune, by God, not to you, While in the world, While in the world, As long as there's Gascony in the world. While in the world, While in the world, As long as there's Gascony in the world.

D'artagnan.: I can't live in Paris without fame. The whole life has passed, it is time the fate of to address.

De Treville.: How old are you, my child?

D'artagnan.: Ah, many, sir, many-eighteen!

De Treville.: Your hand is firm-that's the right line Gascon's famous style! And I was just as cocky when Paris has learned the Gascon, Paris has learned the Gascon, Paris has learned the Gascon de Treville!

Chorus.

Песня о дружбе.

На волоске судьба твоя, Враги полны отваги. Но, слава Богу, есть друзья, Но, слава Богу, есть друзья, И, слава Богу, у друзей есть шпаги.

Припев: Когда твой друг в крови - А ля гер ком а ля гер - Когда твой друг в крови, Будь рядом до конца! Но другом не зови - На войне как на войне - Но другом не зови Ни труса, ни лжеца!

И мы горды, и враг наш горд. Рука, забудь о лени. Посмотрим, кто у чьих ботфорт, Посмотрим, кто у чьих ботфорт В конце концов согнет свои колени.

Припев.

Противник пал. Беднягу жаль... Но наглецы несносны. Недолго спрятать в ножны сталь, Недолго спрятать в ножны сталь, Но гордый нрав, ей-ей, не спрячешь в ножны.

Припев.

______________________

Song about friendship.

In the balance the fate of your, Enemies are full of courage. But, thank God, there are friends, But, thank God, there are friends, And, thank God, friends have swords.

Chorus: When your friend is bleeding - A La guerre com a La guerre - When your friend is bleeding, Stay close to the end! But friend not call - In war as in war - But friend not call Neither a coward nor a liar!

And we are proud, and our enemy is proud. Hand, forget about laziness. Let's see who's got the boots., Let's see who's got the boots. In the end, bend your knees.

Chorus.

Enemy down. Poor guy's sorry... But insolent men are unbearable. Not long to hide in the sheath steel, Not long to hide in the sheath steel, But proud disposition, it-it, not hide in the scabbard.

Chorus.

Песня Атоса Невесте графа де Ла Фер Всего шестнадцать лет. Таких изысканных манер Во всем Провансе нет. И дивный взор, и кроткий нрав. И от любви как пьяный граф. Припев: Есть в графском парке черный пруд, Там лилии цветут. Там лилии цветут, Цветут. С невестой в дом войдет и брат, Священник молодой, Ведь их с сестрою, говорят, Не разольешь водой. Поет щегол, трубит олень. Для свадьбы выбран славный день. Припев. Невеста графа де Ла Фер Становится женой И в честь графини де Ла Фер Затравлен зверь лесной. Охота - в лес, трубят рога, Супруги мчат, к руке рука. Припев. Но что с женой? Помилуй Бог! Конь рухнул сгоряча, И граф, чтоб облегчить ей вздох, Рвет ткань с ее плеча, И платье с плеч ползет само, А на плече горит клеймо! Палач-то был мастак, и вот Там лилия цветет, Там лилия цветет, Цветет. Преступна графская жена, И брат ее - не брат. Сестричку с братцем сатана Венчал, как говорят. Что ж граф? Не муж и не вдовец. Обоих в омут, и конец. Припев. ---------------

Song Of Athos

Bride of the Comte de La fere Sixteen years old. Such exquisite manners Not in all of Provence. And a wondrous gaze, and a gentle disposition. And from love as drunken count.

Chorus: There is in the count's Park black pond, There lilies are in bloom. There lilies are in bloom, Bloom.

With the bride will enter the house and brother, The young priest, After all their with the sister, say, Don't spill water. Singing goldfinch, blows a deer. A glorious day has been chosen for the wedding.

Chorus.

Bride of the Comte de La fere Becomes wife And in honor of the Countess de La fere Hounded by the beast of the forest. Hunting-in the forest, blow horns, Spouses rush to hand hand.

Chorus.

But what about his wife? God Have Mercy! The horse fell in a temper, And the count, to ease her breath, Tears the fabric from her shoulder, And a dress with shoulders crawling itself, On the shoulder and a burn mark!

The executioner was a master, and here There's a Lily in bloom, There's a Lily in bloom, Blooms.

Criminal count's wife, And her brother is not her brother. Sister with brother Satan Married, as they say. What count? Not a husband or a widower. Both in the pool, and the end.

Chorus.

[iamanathemadevice]

With @tartapplesauce‘s kind permission, I’m reposting her insightful comments on the whole Catherine/The Return thing:

We see Catherine here at her worst, after five years of brooding on her wrongs, not her best. Probably she was never going to be a sweet wildflower but the person she was six years ago before it all went to shit? We don't know who that was. We have sympathy for Athos and Milady because we see the inside of their stories and know how they've struggled and suffered. We're looking at Catherine from the outside here and so we judge her more harshly.

For one, she and Thomas may actually have liked one another and who knows, might have been a way better marriage (he taught her to shoot and she learned well enough to feed herself, so compare this to d'Artagnan teaching Constance, our designated sweet and pure romance couple). Everyone was acting in a state of shock and anger that day when Milady killed Thomas, including Catherine, so yeah she probably disliked Milady from the start.

But it's only after five years of blaming her (rightly or wrongly) that she has come to *hate* her like this. I imagine Renard *is* her only option in this situation, Athos has plainly abandoned her with the rest of the estate, and I don't imagine she likes Renard any better than anyone else does. I also imagine that striking a deal with Renard might very well involve her marrying his son (Edmond has to marry someone, after all) and Renard would be glad enough to get a gentlewoman, even one in reduced circumstances. Since Edmond said that Dad had promised him the Pinon estate, that might be the bargain: marry Edmond, get to be lady of the manor after all. Not great but what better choice has she? And unlike Milady, she has been raised to know how to run the household side of the estate (I bet that was one of the clues that Thomas and Catherine picked up on that 'Anne' was not who she claimed [was] that she had no idea how to manage a large household or behave like a count's wife. Athos was too blind in love to notice, of course). If we didn't know about Athos and Milady, if we were looking at Athos from the outside, if this episode was our first introduction to him, I think we'd be every bit as critical about him and ignorant of how *painful* being back in Pinon is for him. Imagine this episode opening from the villagers' point of view:

They're being harassed by the Bad Baron. For five years they've been sending letters to the Comte de la Fere and have been ignored (and if they know the address to send letters, there's a fair chance that's because they've been sending the rents there). In desperation they decide to go to Paris and appeal to him directly. We first see Athos as a drunk in a dive tavern, who plainly does not want to know (but he's happy to spend their money on drink). 

And he's acting every bit the snobbish aristo we expect him to be. The villagers in a last resort drug and kidnap him to force him to deal with his real duties and responsibilities. Instead, he snarls and makes demands when they wake up, the first chance he gets he makes a deal with the guy hassling and attacking them, and when his friends ride in and the Feisty Village Maiden is kidnapped by the Bad Guys, does he care?

No, even these strangers want to help but the Count does NOT. He won't even go rescue the woman who has been carried off to some horrible fate (and that is the very least we expect him to do)! He simply heads off to who-knows-where (the mansion house) while the other Musketeers who *do* give a damn try and help these strangers in the village out of empathy and recognition of their rights. If that was all we saw or knew of Athos and didn't see 'inside his head' with the flashback memories, we'd think he was just as stuck-up and snotty as Catherine. (Again, her character seems to have been meant to do more in the series as a foil to Milady, going by the reappearance in a later episode and the photos from the last episode of her holding Milady at gunpoint as she waits at the crossroads, but that storyline seems to have been trashed with the wholesale changes in season three, so we never see Catherine get a chance to develop).

My reply: All very good points, but Catherine slaps Jehan and Athos, sides with Renard, tries to hang Anne again (which would have been a gruesome death she was apparently perfectly happy to watch) over a man she liked but did not love, simply because she’s not as rich as she dreamed of being.

So she might be better born, but she’s as vicious and venal as Milady when it comes to it. Milady was twisted by growing up poor and scrabbling in a dangerous city with grossly unfair class differences, then by being nearly raped (or something) by Thomas, and hanged by the man she really did adore (however she came to marry him).

Catherine was twisted by disappointment, but no one tried to kill her, she had a privileged upbringing, and even her current circumstances are a long way from the Parisian gutter.

The Pinon residents are the only real innocents here, as you point out.

[Also, isn’t she a little old to be a broodmare for Renard’s plans? He would want a young girl to bear him grandsons. I wouldn’t be surprised if Jehan was designed to remove Edmond’s virginity so he doesn’t try to impregnate a future wife through her belly button - which really did happen a lot in medieval times!]

[marquise-de-montespan-blog]

Count de la Fère. No-no, let's keep it suicidal.

[listen here]

[sweetrupturedlight]

it's like I forget. just how gloriously damaged and loyal and ridiculously handsome athos is. and then I see an edit or a gif and it's like the the first time I discover his flawed perfection. the love is strong with this one.