Here we are at the end of this particular story. No I am not done writing in this series, I just felt that this one needed to end.

The Promise

Despite the many protests that neither of them was tired, it was not long before the two boys were tucked into bed, eyes blinking heavily from exhaustion. Since Aramis had resided in the garrison longer than the other three, his room was chosen as their main accommodations. It was easily the largest of the rooms and was situated just above Serge's kitchen and right next door to captain Treville's office. It also would give both Athos and Porthos some peace of mind knowing that anyone invading the garrison would have to go through Treville first. Not that they were expecting any trouble, but having children around, especially Aramis and d'Artagnan who attracted trouble, did strange things to Athos' anxiety.

While Athos fed them a light meal and oversaw a quick face and hand cleaning, Porthos went to retrieve an extra cot or two. There was no way that Porthos was going to be anywhere else for the next while and Athos had to agree. He was uneasy enough with the situation and he did not yet trust himself to be far from his friends.

D'Artagnan was feeling marginally better after telling Treville their story. Logically he knew they already had their answer from Porthos' friend Marinette, but it felt good telling someone with more authority. Captain Treville was like a father to his musketeers and especially to d'Artagnan who'd lost his own father last year.

Once the extra cots were brought in and set up, Porthos smiled at Aramis and literally tossed him into the bed closest to the wall. He turned to d'Art and held out his hand for d'Artagnan so he could do the same. "Into bed with you lot," he said.

D'Artagnan frowned, he didn't want to be tossed into the bed like a child and yet he could feel excited anticipation running through his veins at the prospect of such play. He was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that he was going to have to be this age for at least six months. He did not have any faith that the winter solstice would offer enough magic to fix this and knew they would have to wait until Spring. He was jealous of Aramis and his carefree ability to just let it be and have fun, though he also wondered if Aramis was just simply not able to control himself. In the end, d'Artagnan's ego and pride won and he refused Porthos' helping hand.

"Do I have to share a bed?" D'Artagnan asked.

"Until we sort out permanent sleeping arrangements this is going to have to do," Athos responded.

D'Artagnan nodded and crawled in beside Aramis, only to be assaulted by a four-year-old snuggling up next to him. "Aramis you need to give me a little bit of breathing space."

"My bed!" Aramis announced proudly. He pushed d'Artagnan's arm to the side with the intention of knocking him out of the bed. "You go and I stay."

"Hey, that's not very nice, Aramis!" Athos admonished, glaring at Porthos a second later as the larger man laughed.

"What?" Porthos asked. "Mis has a point if the pup wants to be all posh and not share then he can haul his arse out and sleep elsewhere."

"Porthos, language! Aramis you will be kind to your brother and d'Artagnan you will share this bed with him for at least tonight. We will figure the rest out tomorrow."

"See, Athos," Porthos said as he finished setting up the spare cots. "You are a natural at this."

"You two close those eyes of yours and rest," Porthos said as he covered them up with a blanket. "Athos and I will be back up in a little bit."

Once the two had left the room, d'Artagnan rolled onto his side facing Aramis and lightly tugged the wild, curly hair. "Aramis, are you awake still?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?"

"No, I'm scared."

"Oh Aramis, is this just as hard for you as it is for me? Can we make a promise?" D'Artagnan asked. He pulled Aramis a little closer into his arms when no answer was forthcoming except a suspicious little sniffle. "Let's look after each other. We are in this together, I promise. I've always wanted a little brother, did you know that?"

Aramis rolled over and looked straight at d'Artagnan. "I be the little brother now?"

"Yeah, you get to be my little brother for a while. Will that be okay?"

Aramis nodded and closed his eyes with a sigh. A tension that d'Artagnan hadn't really been aware of fled his own shoulders and he also closed his eyes and fell asleep.

The Understanding of Reality

When they'd arrived earlier this evening the place was filled with dining musketeers and those returning from their daily patrols. The Musketeer regiment wasn't large by any means, especially compared to the Red Guards. Usually ranging anywhere from 30 or so fully commissioned soldiers and another 10 recruits, the regiment was at its lowest membership in recent years. The regiment would dwindle in the coming months as those with families left to tend to them over the winter months. Now, however, it was quiet. There were only a few remaining men fiddling about the garrison, heading out for night watch or securing the area before they too went to sleep.

"What now?" Athos asked Porthos as they walked down the steps into the courtyard of the garrison. The boys were safely tucked away in bed, hopefully dreaming of pleasant things. Tomorrow they would have to sort out sleeping arrangements and clothing. Provided Treville let them stay. Porthos seemed sure that they boys would be allowed to remain in the garrison but the realist in Athos knew that it wasn't advised. There were just far too many dangers. Maybe Constance could help.

"Right now," responded Porthos, "I need to sit down and drink copious amounts of ale." The larger man stomped down the last couple of steps and sat down with a thud at the table. There was a large jug and several cups waiting for him as though Serge had predicted his need for ale.

"Drinking copiously is my thing," Athos responded with a small smile.

Porthos only snorted in response and poured himself a generous mug of alcohol. Athos, not enjoying the taste of the ale, chose to not drink. He had a sinking feeling that drinking wine was not going to be a regular occurrence for a while. If they meant to keep Aramis and d'Artagnan at hand while they were children, they needed to be as alert as possible. As if echoing his thoughts, Porthos finished off the mug and set it down on the table before pushing the whole pitcher of ale away from him.

"This situation feels insurmountable. I miss Aramis," Porthos whined. "What if they don't switch back?"

Athos took in his friend's slumped shoulders and sad eyes. He missed Aramis too and d'Artagnan. The gascon had wormed his way into his ice-cold heart, teaching him how to live again. He'd given Athos a reason to move forward in life by becoming his apprentice. He knew Porthos was looking to him to fix everything, but for once Athos had no clue how to do that.

"Do you think the Captain will kick the boys out of the garrison?" Athos asked quietly. "Maybe Constance could take care of them?"

Porthos grunted. "I made a promise to not abandon them… you did too."

"It is sad to think that after all this time we must be parted for this reason. I always imagined we would all four of us, die in honour, never leaving each other behind."

Porthos' eyes widened at Athos' comment. "What are you talking about, no one is leaving. Wait, does this mean you are staying? You would abandon me and the boys if Treville sends them away?"

"I cannot leave, Porthos. I need to stay and earn a wage so that I can support you three."

"You have more than enough money from your fancy comte days to cover that. You are always saying money is of no concern." Porthos snapped.

Athos continued as if he hadn't heard. "And then there is The King, what would he think if the four of us disappeared?"

At that Porthos threw his hands up in the air. "Who the bloody hell cares what the King thinks!"

"And Anne… me coming with you leaves us vulnerable. She has this idea that ruining my life is-"

"Athos, stop right this minute. Where is all this coming from?" Porthos interrupted. "None of that matters as long as we stick together. Aramis and d'Artagnan need to be our first priority. What is going on in that thick head of yours?"

"I don't… I can't…"

Athos brought his shaking hands to the scarf around his neck and yanked at it, finding the air suddenly hard to breathe.

"I could not possibly…" He gasped. Damn scarf would not come loose for the love of Go-

The scarf was removed suddenly by warm hands not his own. In his panic, Athos had not even sensed Porthos get up from the table and rush to his side. Porthos ground his thumbs into the back of his neck, pressing upwards and forcing Athos' head down as he kneaded the flesh. "Calm down, my friend. There is no need to panic right now."

"I do not know what to do, I have never needed to care for children before. Give me brigands or ex-wives, those I can handle, but children? Our friends are counting on us to fix everything for them. What if we fail? What if I fail them...?"

"Oh Athos," Porthos pressed into Athos' shoulders one more time before letting him go to sit next to him on the bench. "We will figure this out together, but we can't do that if we don't stick together. Marinette is working to fix this, but in the meantime, it is our responsibility to keep those two fools we call our friends alive. Treville will allow them to stay here, of that I do not doubt."

"Okay. I envy you and your ability to know exactly where you stand in this situation."

"Trust me, my friend," Porthos said softly. "Inside I am reeling probably worse than you but these are our friends. They deserve our loyalty and if that means raising them for the second time then so be it."

Athos blew out a puff of air that fluttered his bangs. Porthos was right of course, he was putting too much emphasis on everything that could go wrong before it was even happening. They had overcome the main hurdle in getting the information they needed to reverse this spell. The rest would either fall into place or it wouldn't. They needed to take it one day at a time.

"Now all we have to do is survive the next six months."

Athos groaned. "Maybe I will take a mug of that disgusting ale."

The New Day Dawns

The next morning dawned cool and crisp. A layer of frost had settled on every surface and shimmered in the morning sunrise. It looked like Winter was going to show her face early this year and test everyone's mettle. Treville made a mental note to have one of his cadets do an inventory of winter clothing and provisions so that the men that would winter here would be warm at the very least.

Treville stood staring out at the empty yard for a little longer, listening to the hustle and bustle of Paris begin outside the garrison's walls. Finally, he made his way back to his office to light a fire in the hearth and chase away the chill. It was far too early for anyone else to be awake yet and Serge wouldn't yet be up and about lighting the kitchen hearths.

The monotonous task allowed his mind to ponder over the previous day's surprises. Yesterday Athos and Porthos had presented to him two children, formerly his adult musketeers Aramis and d'Artagnan. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. There was simply no words for what had happened and he was having a hard time being empathetic to the situation.

He'd decided just before sleep swept him away, that the boys would have to remain here. There was no one else he could call on and honestly none that he would want to lay this burden on. He'd briefly considered Constance but her fool of a husband would end up screwing up an already delicate situation. Young d'Artagnan had been correct earlier, The King and Richelieu could not ever find out about this or what happened in the village. The two would incite panic among the citizens of Paris and cause an unnecessary witch hunt. That was only the beginning of what those two would do to ensure that they were safe from "magic." Treville didn't even want to consider what would happen to both d'Artagnan and Aramis if the Cardinal got his hands on them. One thing Treville knew for certain was that he would never lay eyes on the boys ever again.

The fire sparked to life and Treville sat back on his haunches enjoying the warmth and glow it emitted. The real problem of this was his regiment and their reactions. Treville had no doubt that the men would embrace having the boys around and would likely not even be bothered by the fact that Aramis and d'Artagnan were underfoot. It was the lying to their King that would be the real issue. Treville also had a solution for how they would ensure that the Cardinal and the King never find out about what happened. "Aramis and d'Artagnan" had uncovered a plot to rid France of the nobles and have gone on a long-term undercover operation. Treville would tell Louis that they would be gone for six months or longer. He had not yet thought of a way to explain the presence of children in the garrison, though. There would be time for that later he supposed.

He stood up to go to his desk to start the day's paperwork when suddenly a scream cut through the morning. Dropping his quill and papers on his desk he ran for the balcony.

"Captain," Serge shouted as he stomped out of his kitchens. "Did you find that little moppet, Aramis? He was helping his wee hands to the cookies I baked for a later treat for the men."

"What the devil is happening out here?" Athos growled as he came out of Aramis' room rubbing his eyes. He was followed by d'Artagnan equally as bleary-eyed.

"Found him!" Porthos called. He hauled a frightened Aramis out from behind the horse troughs by the scruff of his neck.

"Go and sit him at the table in the kitchens," Serge ordered Porthos. "Moppet is going to help me make a fresh batch."

"How did you know that was Aramis?" Treville asked.

"I'd know them eyes anywhere, Captain. You're expected in the kitchens shortly to explain just why my favourite musketeer is now a child."

Treville nodded and watched Serge go back to the kitchen before turning to Athos and d'Artagnan. "I suppose I had better get to explaining or I am not likely to get any breakfast."

"You handle him Captain, d'Artagnan and I will explain to the other men. It might sound more believable and be accepted readily once they see the evidence."

The End… for now.