The tavern was warm and spacious, with a crackling fire embedded along the far wall- the mantelpiece was adorned with watercolours of the surrounding landscapes and the local river, and, pride of place above the hearth was a large stuffed and mounted boar's head, its black eyes staring down at the bar area as the door opened and four weary musketeers stepped inside.

Their boots clanked against the grey stone flooring, and as the noise filtered around the regulars stopped their conversations and turned to the newcomers, watching as they approached the bar, placing their hats and gloves on the wooden surface before sitting down on the stools, wiping tired faces with their hands.

'We're looking for a room,' Athos muttered, flattening down his windswept hair and sitting back in his chair. 'Four beds if you have one, but we don't mind two separate rooms.'

'Don't tell me I've got to put up with this one's snoring all night?!' Aramis protested, nodding his head at Porthos, who rolled his eyes and chuckled as Aramis groaned. 'I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, then...'

'For the last time- I do not snore!'

'You only say that because you cannot hear yourself!' Aramis insisted, turning to his friend. 'You could help moor ships with your snores!'

'Lies, absolute lies...' Porthos snorted, shaking his head.

'I've got two rooms with two beds each,' the barman replied, finally getting a word in.

'That would be perfect, thank you.' Athos nodded, producing his leather money pouch and paying the money. 'And a hot meal and some wine, if you please,' he added, nodding his head at the barman as he walked off to the kitchen.

He sighed as he heard arguing from behind him- Aramis was trying to convince Porthos that his snoring could be heard as far away as the Spanish border, with Porthos vehemently denying such a travesty.

'Alright- Aramis, you will sleep with me. D'artagnan, you can sleep with Mr Foghorn here.' he added, smiling to himself as D'artagnan immediately groaned and Porthos opened his mouth to argue Athos' name for him. His smile faded somewhat when Aramis rubbed his hands together, sidled up to him and, with a huge grin on his face, proclaimed with glee- 'Sleepover!'

Both men turned as the barman cleared his throat, 'We've got Venison pie for supper, and I'll show you to you rooms to put your bags?'

'We have no bags, but please show us the way, thank you.' Athos nodded. Together the four of them were led back out the door and into the grounds of the tavern. The place was situated on a cobbled road in a small village about sixty miles from the city; the surrounding area was thick woodland; Aramis was reminded of quaint chocolate box villages, and was quite insistent that they stop and spend the night; he had also seen a very small church he was eager to explore.

Their rooms were two wooden shacks next to each other, warm and cosy-looking. The barman handed them the keys and walked away, leaving D'artagnan and Porthos to dart in their shack, already arguing about who was to get the bed nearest the window.

Aramis grinned, muttering 'children...' under his breath as he stepped inside- he laughed as Athos threw his hat, from the door, to land neatly on the bed nearest the window.

'Mine!' he said simply, shrugging as Aramis laughed. 'What? Can't let you three have all the fun all the time, can I?'

'Of course you can't, my friend!' Aramis grinned, before shaking his head in mock-anger and stepping outside.

They spent the next few hours enjoying each other's company in the tavern, drinking good wine and eating good food- their mission had been an easy but tiring one, and each man was thinking of his bed as they stumbled back through the courtyard to their neighbouring shacks, ready to turn in for the night.

After a nightcap under the stars each of the four men climbed into their beds, ready to drift off before an early morning start to get back to the city.

Aramis was just slipping into slumber when he heard a small gasp, hardly noticeable in the midst of night-time cricket chirrups and the hoots of owls. He listened for a few seconds, before pushing his face further into his pillow and going back to sleep, figuring it was just his imagination.

He opened his eyes again as he heard bed springs creaking alarmingly, before all the breath was knocked out of him as something very large landed on his stomach and legs.

'What the?!' he groaned, breathing hard as he sat up, wiping bleary eyes as he looked to the end of his bed. His eyes widened as he saw who had jumped on him. 'Athos?' he muttered, frowning as he drew his legs up to let the swordsman have more room.

'What on earth is the matter?'

'Is is still there?'

'Is..what?'

'Is is still over there?'

'Is what still over where?!' Aramis whispered, shaking his head as he peered into the darkness of the room. Athos looked terrified; his eyes were wide and his skin had a sheen of sweat on it; his hands were curled into Aramis' bedsheets, the knuckles white.

'Athos, what's wrong?' he asked, panic spearing his chest- perhaps he had been slipped some sort of draught in his wine when none of them were looking? He reached out a hand and touched his friend's arm.

'It was on my bed!' his friend muttered, pointing with a shaky hand to his bed. 'On the covers- I don't know where it went!' he looked over to Aramis, who looked perplexed. 'It was the biggest spider I've ever seen, Mis!' he explained, feeling heat rise to his face as Aramis' mouth threatened to upturn into a smile.

'I swear it was about the size of my fist!' he insisted, shaking his head and leaning back against the wall. 'The little bastard must have got through the window- it was black and furry and-'

'Stop it, you're giving me goosebumps!' Aramis muttered, rubbing his arms.

'I hope you're happy to have a bedmate tonight,' Athos muttered, pulling Aramis' bedcover over his own legs and shaking his head. 'Because I am not getting back in that bed!'

'Relax, I'll get it...' Aramis chuckled, before swinging his legs onto the cold floor.

'No, it might eat you!' Athos hissed, shaking his head. 'I swear it could eat a rat if it put its mind to it!'

'I never knew you were afraid of spiders, Athos?' Aramis asked, trying not to laugh as he slipped on his boots.

'You wait till you see it!' Athos muttered, before leaning over the bed, peering into the darkness. 'It could be anywhere...'

'Its probably long gone by now.' Aramis replied, before standing up and walking to Athos' bed. 'Where did you say it was?'

'On my bed- I woke up and the damned thing was just walking across by blanket as if it owned the place!' Athos muttered, shuddering. 'I threw the cover off and jumped over here...'

'Almost crushing me in the process!' Aramis reminded him with a smile.

'Yes...sorry...' Athos muttered in a small voice. 'I didn't know where else to go.'

Aramis chuckled again, before grasping hold of Athos' bedraggled bedsheets and tentatively giving it a shake.

Athos watched, wide eyed, as they waited for something large and furry to drop out of the sheets. He relaxed when nothing nightmare- inducing made an appearance. 'Perhaps it scuttled back to its own bed?' he muttered as Aramis stepped backwards.

'Yes, with Daddy spider waiting for him to give him a clip around the ear for being so late, no doubt...' Aramis chuckled.

Athos had just opened his mouth to reply when he caught sight of Aramis' white nightshirt. Only, there was a dark patch on the back, by his shoulder. A large, black, furry, dark patch...

'Aramis it's on your back!' he cried, kneeling up and pointing.

'What?!' Aramis exclaimed, craning his neck to try and spot it in the darkness. His eyes widened as he spotted the black mass on his shoulder.

'Get it off!' he yelped, turning on the spot to try and throw the spider off. 'Athos get it off me!'

'I'm not touching it, you idiot!'

'Athos I swear to god if you don't get it off I'll-'

'No don't come over here, it might jump on me!'

'They don't jump, you child!' Aramis muttered, before he ripped off his bedshirt and threw it with all his might into the corner of the room, where it landed with a soft flump.

'Oh, well that's great!' Athos growled, shaking his head as Aramis jumped back on the bed, goosebumps erupting over his bare back in the moonlight. 'Now its probably loose and it'll come scuttling back up here!'

The two men looked at each other, eyes wide, before they both seemed to have the same idea at the same time...

Porthos was deep in sleep when he heard the door to the shack bang open- he sat up, peering around; two figures were tiptoeing into the room, bedsheets and pillows in hand.

'What's the point of tiptoeing if you've just banged opened the door?' he asked them, shaking his head as Aramis shrugged.

'Sorry, the situation calls for it.'

'What situation?' the larger man asked, looking from Aramis to Athos, who looked sheepish.

'There was a...problem... in our room.' Athos muttered.

'Really? What?' Porthos asked.

'It was a-' Athos began, ready to swallow his pride, when Aramis butted in.

'There was a spider the size of a small rabbit in our room!' he muttered, voice dark, 'We only just managed to get away!'

Porthos snorted and relaxed into his bed again, shaking his head. 'You mean you saw a daddy-long-legs and came running?'

'No, it was...quite sizeable...' Athos muttered, throwing his pillow and blanket on Porthos' bed and climbing up, leaning against the wall and pulling the cover around him, making sure to cover his feet. 'I'm not going back in there, since this idiot here managed to lose it!' he grumbled.

'I didn't lose it, it attacked me!' Aramis insisted, nodding his head. 'I barely escaped with my life!'

'Whatever- you can go and get my hat in the morning!'

Porthos snorted and moved his legs as Athos got comfy- Aramis turned to the only other bed. D'artagnan was curled into his sheets, one arm around his pillow. 'Aw, look at him!' he chuckled, before taking off his boots and padding over to the bed. 'Too bad I've got cold feet!' he laughed, to which Porthos chuckled and Athos rolled his eyes.

'Poor lad...' he muttered as he closed his eyes. There was a few seconds of silence before he smiled as there was a sudden indignant yelp from the Gascon, followed by laughter from Aramis and Porthos.

As Aramis got comfortable next to a grumbling D'artagnan he popped his head above the covers, giving Porthos a stern look. 'Athos, if Porthos starts snoring you have my full permission to kick him out the bed!'

'You know I'd never do that, Porthos...' Athos muttered, a smile on his lips. 'I'd just smother you with a pillow instead.'

'Charming!' Porthos snorted, shaking his head with a chuckle.

'...is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on here?!' D'artagnan's voice drifted into their conversation.

'Nah, its late- go back to sleep!' Aramis laughed, before stealing the Gascon's pillow and covering it with both arms and his head. 'Night everyone!' he called, voice muffled from the material, before he laughed as D'artagnan groaned and instead stole both their blankets, wrapping himself tightly around in a cocoon.

This was going to be a long night, Athos mused, but, he supposed, he wouldn't like it any other way.

I hope you enjoyed this!

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