Chapter 20: The Journey

Summary

     This chapter is crazy. I mean, the plot actually moves way ahead. The Fearsome Four split up involuntarily. And people on the ‘good’ side are in deep danger. Like I said, crazy. So, the Fearsome Four set off on their journey in the morning. They gallop smartly along on majestic black horses, and their servants are all armed with countless weapons. After a while of this uneventful riding, they stop for a nice breakfast. The Fearsome Four dine happily, but I noticed that all the servants have the task of preparing the horses out in the stables. Don’t they get to eat? They need a union, gosh darn it! At the diner, Porthos foolishly gets into a quarrel with an obnoxious cardinalist. The fight is harder than he thinks, likely because the man is a spy, sent there to kill or delay them. The rest of the gang sadly has to leave Porthos behind because they cannot afford to wait for him. Confident he will win, they tell him to catch up soon and they set off again. Later, however, they get into trouble of their own. A bunch of silly men are digging holes in the street, and they dirty Aramis. Offended, he speaks sharply to them. Suddenly, the men pull out rifles, and begin shooting the gang! Not so silly men after all! Aramis is wounded in the shoulder, and Mousqueton is hurt in the leg. Afraid that he is dying, Mousqueton falls from his horse gracefully. Frantic, the rest of them speed off on their horses (Mousqueton’s horse decides to come along). I hope Mousqueton escapes the assassins safely! After galloping madly away, Aramis admits that he is in great pain. So, they leave him and Bazin in a nearby town so he can rest and get his wound treated. Now only half of the gang is left!

     At nightfall, they stop in Amiens. The hotel keeper wishes to put them in the best rooms the hotel has, but sadly these two rooms are on opposite ends. Luckily, d’Artagnan and Athos realize the inherent shadiness of this proposal, and get a mediocre room together. The poor servants again sleep outside. Grimaud stays with the horses in the stable. Planchet is amazing, and volunteers to sleep on a bale of straw right in front of their room, so no intruders can get past him. Aww. He says that he is a Picard, so he proves his worth slowly. Okay then. D’Artagnan agrees, and they settle down for the night. As predicted, an intruder attempts to enter. However, Planchet notices and confronts him, and the intruder is forced to leave. In the morning, though, they notice the damage that the cardinal’s men did overnight. Grimaud has been badly beaten up by a pitchfork, and the horses have been wounded. Poor, poor Grimaud! Athos and d’Artagnan decide to leave quickly. When Athos goes to pay the bill, misfortune strikes again. He is ambushed and kidnapped! D’Artagnan and Planchet just manage to escape on two random horses.  They talk about how depressing it is that they are alone now, and how they also may very well be attacked any moment.

     They soon reach a city, and notice a man asking a ship’s captain to take him to London immediately. The captain tells him to go to the governor to get permission, because the cardinal has ordered everyone to be on the lookout for a group of four young French men who want to go to London, and to stop them. Gasp! That’s our Fearsome Four all right. The man explains that he has a note from the cardinal allowing him passage. The captain holds firm and tells the man to get it cosigned by the governor. The man and his servant cheerfully set off to the governor’s house. D’Artagnan then proceeds to prove that he is actually intelligent. He follows the man, talks to him long enough to establish that he is an agent of the cardinal, and promptly attacks him. Planchet also attacks the man’s servant, named Lubin. Planchet quickly wins his duel and pins Lubin onto the ground. After a while D’Artagnan also comes out victorious, but his battle is a bit more vicious; d’Artagnan has been stabbed lightly on the chest, and the man is hurt badly. Lubin suddenly begins to yell, calling for help. Planchet uses d’Artagnan’s handkerchief to gag him, and explains that Lubin is a Norman, so he is stubborn. My goodness, these regional stereotypes are incredibly weird and hilarious. D’Artagnan then finds out the man’s name from his belongings (he is the Comte de Wardes), and sets off, impersonating him. He goes to the governor, and hands him Wardes’s note from the cardinal. The governor accepts it. Then d’Artagnan, clever bugger that he is, tells the governor to watch out for d’Artagnan, and then describes him as the Comte de Wardes, and adds that d’Artagnan has a servant named Lubin! Well played, good sir.

     Their luck turns from there. D’Artagnan and Planchet board the ship with no problem. D’Artagnan examines his wound on board, and when he said he was fine, it wasn’t just macho bluster – the wound isn’t bad at all! They reach London safe and sound, and speed off to Buckingham. Neither of them can speak English, but they find the duke’s servant, who can speak French. He fetches the duke, and they hand him the letter. The duke is desperately worried about the queen, and very grateful to d’Artagnan. D’Artagnan and the duke get horses, and set off back at a fast pace.

Reaction

     Again, I loved this chapter. It was gory, sad to see the Fearsome Four split up, had some servant maltreatment issues, and I miss Madame Bonacieux, but the plotline is just too well-written and excellent for me to mind. I am, however, rather worried about Porthos, Aramis, Athos, Mousqueton, Bazin, and Grimaud. Whew! A lot of people to worry for, but now I like all of them and I want them to stay together and not die. D’Artagnan has partially restored my faith in him by his smooth handling of the Comte de Wardes situation, and his success in delivering the letter. You go, man! And of course, Picard or not, Planchet gained my favor from the first chapter he arrived.

     My favorite line was from the antagonistic banter between the Comte de Wardes and d’Artagnan:

"You jest, I presume."

"I never jest."

"Let me pass!"

"You shall not pass." <--- Hey, Gandalf didn’t say it first!