Spoilers: Takes place after episode 1.10, Musketeers Don't Die Easily and before episode 2.01, Keep Your Friends Close.

A/N: This story is dedicated to Celticgal1041 in honor of her birthday. Happy Birthday, my friend! I hope you enjoy the story.

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"Our most treasured family heirloom are our sweet family memories." ~~~~~ William Faulkner

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Chapter One: The Debt

"Ah, d'Artagnan," Cardinal Richelieu said as the young Musketeer entered his office. "Thank you for meeting with me."

D'Artagnan gestured towards the three Red Guards that had escorted him. "I had a choice?"

"Of course you had a choice," the older man replied smugly. "You could have chosen to refuse my official summons, and I could've chosen to put you in the Châtelet for the night."

"Some choice," d'Artagnan quietly muttered, though it was loud enough for Richelieu to hear judging from the expression on the other man's face.

The Cardinal inexplicably ignored the impertinence of his attitude though the younger man had the feeling he would pay for that comment somewhere down the line.

Suddenly looking as though the cat had caught the canary, Richelieu sent the guards out of the room. D'Artagnan had been accosted out on the street by the Red Guards who had escorted him into Richelieu's office. None of his friends knew where he was, and they wouldn't miss him for at least another hour. He could easily admit to himself that he was apprehensive of the other man's intentions but was still curious as to why he had been summoned. However, now that any potential witnesses had been sent away, the Cardinal could accuse him of anything; no one in authority, except Captain Tréville, would believe the word of a lowly Musketeer over the First Minister's.

The man in question had been sifting through some papers on his desk ever since he'd sent the guards out of the room. Apparently not finding what he's looking for, Richelieu turns towards shelving filled with scrolls and other papers and begins searching. D'Artagnan had no choice but to wait as the Cardinal searched for whatever it was the man was trying to find. Just when the Gascon was reaching the limits of his patience, the other man makes a muffled sound of triumph before turning from the shelving with a scroll in his hand.

"Do you know what this is?" the Cardinal smugly asked.

D'Artagnan had to bite his tongue to prevent an impolite answer from coming out of his mouth. "I'm sure I do not," he managed in an even voice.

"This is a list of all those in your region of Gascony who owe the Crown taxes." The older man paused as if he expected d'Artagnan to comment.

"And?" he said, playing along for the sake of ending the meeting as soon as possible.

"And I've recently discovered that the d'Artagnans of Lupiac in Gascony owe quite a large amount of taxes."

"How can that be? I thought the Crown seizing the lands was to pay off the debt."

"No, the Crown seizing the lands was the penalty for not paying the debt; it does not however remove the debt that you, as your father's heir, must now repay."

D'Artagnan could not believe what he was hearing. His family's farm had been razed to the ground by Labarge, and he'd received no reparations despite what the vile monster had admitted of his crimes before dying. Then the lands had been seized, he thought, in order to pay the taxes. His crops had been destroyed – there would have been no income to pay his debts. He'd had no choice but to allow the farmland that his great-grandfather had toiled and died on to provide for his descendants to go back to the Crown. It had been months since he'd lost his family's land, and yet he still felt the shame of that loss every day.

But that didn't mean he trusted what the Cardinal was saying to him. Given his past dealings with the older man, he could not trust what was being said to him, especially in regards to any documents being presented to him.

"Do you mind if I take a look at that document?"

"Of course not," the older man replied with a knowing smile, before handing it over.

The young Musketeer untied the ribbon holding the document closed and unrolled the parchment. It was not blank, as he'd once thought possible, so he took the time to carefully scan its contents. He recognized the majority of the names listed upon the document and thought the sums owed to be within a reasonable amount. The parchment even looked worn and had some notations in the margins about payments that had been made. He noted the amount he owed and handed the document back once he retied the ribbon.

"What happens next?" d'Artagnan inquired. "I'm sure you are well aware of the amount of income I receive as a Musketeer."

"Yes, I am," Richelieu replied, trying and failing to look and sound sympathetic. He sat down at his desk and, bridging his fingers together, looked up at d'Artagnan. "Well, obviously you need to begin repaying the debt. But, as I have allowed others to pay in installments – with interest applied, of course – it seems only fair to allow a Musketeer in good standing the same opportunity."

"My thanks, Your—" d'Artagnan began but was interrupted.

"But, as a gesture of good faith, I will require a significant down payment within the next three days, or I will have to demand the entire amount in full. And if you cannot pay, you will then be thrown into prison for failure to pay your taxes and stripped of your commission. Is that understood?"

D'Artagnan had to bite his bottom lip in order to keep saying from something that would make the situation worse for himself.

"Understood, Your Eminence," he eventually said. "And how much of a down payment do you require?"

"Fifty percent," Cardinal Richelieu said with a smug and satisfied smile.

"Fifty percent! How—?!" he exclaimed in surprise and anger before abruptly stopping himself.

He knew it would do no good to argue or bargain, especially when he was positive the outrageous amount he was being required to pay upfront was a form of revenge against him for his part in the Cardinal's confession before the Queen.

He forced himself to calm down, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "Very well, you shall have the money in three days' time."

"Excellent," the Cardinal said, practically crowing in victory over him.

"And if I'm called away on the King's business during the next few days?" d'Artagnan asked, wanting to make sure of where he stood in this 'arrangement.'

"Then I will expect your down payment the morning following the day you return to Paris; the same will hold true if you are ever on a mission for the Crown. You will never be penalized for late payments so as long as your duty to the King is the cause."

Before he said or did anything that could be used against him, d'Artagnan nodded in acknowledgement of what had just been said and quickly left the room, making sure to hold his head up high despite the heavy weight which had just landed upon his shoulders.

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Next time: Chapter Two: The Heirloom

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A/N: For those of you waiting for the story that won the Choose Your Own Adventure (CYOA) vote, it's getting ever closer to being finished. I estimate that I'll need two more chapters before it's done. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this story, which was one of the top three vote-getters of CYOA.

Many thanks to Celticgal1041 for proofing even though it's her birthday story. Any remaining mistakes are Richelieu's fault. ;o)

Thanks for reading!