Come morning, D’Artagnan wakes up and discovers that Constance is already up and dressed. When he says that he had something else in mind, Constance takes him out to the cart and they head to the garrison. She reminds her husband that the garrison needs to eat and they need a cadet guard to bring in provisions.
At the garrison, Aramis and Porthos are sparring with the recently returned Aramis.
Constance and D’Artagnan arrive at the granary in Saint Antoine and a woman, Sylvie, watches from a nearby catwalk. The Duke of Beaufort rides up and Constance tells her husband that his lands feed most of Paris. As Sylvie watches, the Duke rides inside and discovers that the granary is empty. He rides out and tells the gathered people that the harvest that they raised is gone. Inside, Lucien cuts the granary keeper’s throat.
The people ask what the granary keeper says, and a man comes out to tell them that the refugees driven by the war killed the keeper and took the grain. Sylvie, one of the refugees, runs off. D’Artagnan and the cadets with him stand guard, and D’Artagnan sends Clairmont to get Athos and the others. Meanwhile, Sylvie runs to her father, Hubert, who is preparing his people to defend their new homes. He insists that their cause is just. Sylvie tells Clementine and the others to hide the children and arm themselves, and finds another man, Leon, preparing to leave. He tells Sylvie that he’s not going to face the mob and be slaughtered, and Sylvie slaps him. Shamed, Leon goes to help Clementine hide the children.
As the citizens take the food from the garrison wagon, D’Artagnan and the cadets form a defensive line. The Duke watches and then rides off.
Athos and Porthos charge at Aramis again, and he holds them off. Clairmont arrives to tell them of the riot.
The Duke meets with Feron and is furious that Lucien murdered his keeper. Feron says that it is too late to put the grain back and invites the Duke to have a drink with them. The Duke wants to settle with the King and make their profit. Lucien says that they should wait, sure that the price will go up. He tells the Duke to wait one week, and then Louis will double the price and the Duke can settle his drink. The Duke refuses to drink with Lucien, and Feron points out that Lucien is only trying to help him. After a moment, the Duke gives in.
At Saint Antoine, Marcheaux and his Red Guards arrive and order the crowd back. He tells his men to arrest the ringleaders among the refugees. When Constance objects, the Red Guards holder her back and D’Artagnan protests. Marcheaux advises him to keep Constance on a leash, and tells his men to arrest D’Artagnan. The Red Guards then break down the refugee settlement gates and start beating anyone who gets in their way. Sylvie runs to get a bundle and tries to leave. She sees two Red Guards beating Hubert, and tries to get him away. He sees the bundle and the papers within, and tells her to burn them before they’re all condemned.
As the Red Guards leave D’Artagnan and the refugees away, Constance warns Marcheaux that he has no authority to make the arrests. Feron arrives and says that Marcheaux has his authority, just as the three Musketeers arrive. Constance tells them what happened, and Feron warns that if they get involved then they will all face the consequences. He says that the people of Paris will go hungry because of the refugees, and he’s sure the refugees will confess to the location of the missing grain before they are hanged. Athos points out that as Parisians the refugees should get a fair try, and Feron says that they are no Parisians.
The Duke meets with Louis, Feron, and Treville, and complains that he’s ruined. Treville wonders where the Red Guard were, and Feron insists that they were breaking up the ensuing riot. Feron says that they should import a new consignment but warns that it will be expensive. Louis complains about the cost, and Feron insists that Louis cannot let his people starve. He offers to provide a financier with the proper contacts, and Louis agrees to meet the costs... this time.
Sylvie goes back to the refugee rooms to get her gun, and accidentally drops one of the pages. Athos comes in and searches the place, and finds the page. He realizes that it’s a call for liberty, and Sylvie steps out, her gun aimed at him. She insists that the call for Louis’ head has nothing to do with the Duke’s charges, and Athos points out that she can’t kill him in time to stop him from retaliating. After a moment, Sylvie lets him take the gun and says that the pages are Hubert’s work. She couldn’t destroy his life’s work.
Athos shows the page to Treville, who recognizes then symbol on it as belonging to the Army of Suffering. They were ordinary men and women who lacked food and shelter, and petitioned King Henry for fairness. Henry ignored them and the symbol appeared everywhere. The king then eliminated them. Treville tells Athos to destroy the paper and any others, because Feron will use them to influence Magistrate Bellavoix. He assures Athos that D’Artagnan will be released in the morning, and insists that the people must see there is still some justice.
In the prison, Hubert wonders why D’Artagnan defended the when they mean nothing to him. The Musketeer says that he couldn’t stand by and let an injustice continue, and Hubert invites him to sit with him. The other refugees glare at D’Artagnan, but Hubert insists and explains that D’Artagnan’s kind took everything from them. D’Artagnan insists that they fight for their freedom, but Hubert doesn’t see any difference between the Spanish king and Louis. The old man insists that it is no rebellion to fight against injustice, and suggests that the two of them are not so different. Hubert insists that there is a better world coming, and D’Artagnan promises that he will have a fair trial.
At Versailles, the Duke advises Bellavoix to hang the refugees. Feron agrees with him, while Treville asks for proof. Bellavoix sides with Treville, demanding proof, and Feron offers to provide it. Bellavoix says that pending the production of the evidence, the executions are set for the next day at noon.
At the prison, D’Artagnan tells a guard to bring a physician for Hubert. The guard points out that all of the prisoners will be executed the next day so that there’s no point. Meanwhile, Marcheaux tells a captive Leon that they have to make it look real, and that Feron has a special task for him. He tells him to make it convincing and then starts beating him. Leon scream sin pain, and Hubert hears him. He tells D’Artagnan that they’ll break Leon and he’ll condemn them all, and D’Artagnan promises the old man that they’ll fight it... somehow.
Athos and the others meet with Sylvie and asks if she more of the flyers. They warn that the flyers will condemn D’Artagnan and all of the other prisoners, and Sylvie insists that Hubert inspired the people to fight for a better life. Clairmont arrives and tells his superiors that he found something.He takes the Musketeers to a street trader, who is selling grain at premium prices. Aramis tips over the grain barrel, and points out that the grain bag has the King’s mark on it. The trader says that he bought the grain from a stranger on a wagon, and insists that he didn’t know the man had stolen the grain. Porthos plays good cop while Aramis threatens the trader, and he says that the wagon was branded with the sign of a star.
Athos and Porthos track the wagonsmith, Nortier, who says that all of his wagons are being used by the army. The Musketeers figure that Nortier knows more than they’re saying, and they find limestone dust on the wheels of the one cart. Nortier says that the one wagon is promised and the rest are out, just as another wagon comes in with the same dust on the wheel. Porthos rides off to check the only limestone quarry in Paris.
The Red Guards take Leon away, and Hubert figures that they got a confession from him. D’Artagnan promises Hubert that he has friends who can help him, and Hubert dies.
Lucien takes Leon to plant the grain sacks in the settlement. Leon draws off Clementine, the woman on watch and Lucien kills her, and then Leon plants a sack with the King’s mark. Lucien then meets with Feron and admits that he is disgusted with the Duke’s greed. Feron warns him that Louis favors the Duke, and they still need him for now. The Governor takes some of his pain medicine, and Lucien warns him that he takes too much. Unimpressed, Feron invites Lucien to join him, but Lucien refuses, saying it is better to suffer than lose judgment. Lucien stops him from taking more, warning that his work is not yet done. Feron holds up his knife and says that his work is at hand, and tells Lucien to let him take his medicine. Lucien pushes the knife back against Feron’s throat for a moment, and then releases him.
The next day at the prison, Constance meets D’Artagnan as he is released from the prison. He’s furious with what Paris has become and insists that they’re going to free the prisoners. Constance agrees and says that they’ve been coming up with a plan, and warns that Feron is favored by Louis. She assures her husband that Marcheaux doesn’t scare her, and explains that Treville brought him and the other Musketeers back to fight a different kind of war. Feron is the greatest danger to Paris, and the Musketeers need to fight him.
Athos takes Sylvie back to the settlement, and he tells her to get out while she still can. She finds the sack in the wagon and realizes that they were planted. The refugees find Clementine’s corpse and Athos confirms that the killing wound was inflicted by a soldier. Marcheaux arrives with the Red Guards to search the settlement, and Athos and Sylvie try to get out. The escape route is cut off, and Athos fights the Guard. He’s amused to see Sylvie hold her own against the Guard, but finally intervenes when she is overwhelmed.
Back at the garrison, Athos shows D’Artagnan and Aramis the sacks and points out that Feron no longer has his proof. D’Artagnan warns that Leon may have been forced to give a false confession, and Athos figures that they need to find a man. Aramis says that Porthos is following a hunch, and D’Artagnan tells Sylvie that Hubert died during the night. She explains that Hubert was her father.
At the court, Bellavoix tells Feron that he will not proceed without guilt of the prisoners’ guilt. Treville arrives and shows Bellavoix the sack, and explains that the sacks were placed there. Feron claims that other refugees must have planted them, and Treville points out that they wouldn’t have murdered one of their own. The Governor insists that further evidence may come that night, but Bellavoix says that there will be no executions until the evidence is forthcoming.
Porthos follows the wagon tracks to the limestone quarry, Men are at work, and Porthos sneaks up on them. He spots Nortier there with the sacks, and approaches the men on guard. Nortier arrives and draws his sword, and Porthos takes on the men. He defeats them despite their superior numbers , and loads up the wagon. Lucien watches from a distance and lets the Musketeer go so he can find the man who led them there. He has the wounded Nortier strung up and is furious that he kept some of the grain for himself, leading the Musketeers to him. When Nortier offers to pay to make up for his crime, Lucien says that he grew up following the armies, and learned to never let anything go... and then guts Nortier and has his men return Nortier’s horse to him.
The Musketeers confront Marcheaux and D’Artagnan points out that he tried to frame the refugees. He wants Leon handed over. Outside, Sylvie sees Leon ride up on a horse and realizes that he’s a spy for Feron. She draws her gun on him but he ignores her and goes inside. Sylvie follows him in and Athos says that he’ll see that justice is done. She doesn’t believe him, and Athos warns that if she kills Leon then a part of her will die with him. Marcheaux shoots Leon dead and says that Leon was a spy for them. He claims that Leon betrayed them and organized the theft of the Duke’s grain and frame the refugees. As Athos leads Sylvie away, D’Artagnan warns Marcheaux that they’re not fooled and his death will not be an honorable one. Realizing that they can’t win at the moment, Aramis takes D’Artagnan away.
The next day, Treville and Feron meet with Bellavoix. The Minister of War demands that Marcheaux be court-martialed, and Feron points out that Treville has no proof. He says that Leon was shot by accident and the Musketeers are responsible, and points out that the prisoners have been released. When Feron wonders where the grain is, Porthos and the cadets arrive with the stolen grain and says that they have plenty.
Anne goes to wake up her son, the Dauphin. She finds Louis there, watching his son as he wakes up. The boy hugs Louis, who tells Anne that all of the Musketeers have returned to Paris. He notes that the life of a celibate monk didn’t suit Aramis, and the Dauphin nods in agreement. Anne says nothing and quickly leaves.
When the Duke learns that Louis has the grain and he has nothing, he confronts Feron and Lucien. He warns that Louis wants him to give the grain to the people of Paris as a grand gesture,Lucien promises that he will deal with the Musketeers, and the Duke is furious that Lucien speaks to him after how he has failed. He warns that if he ever sees Feron or Lucien again then he’ll kill them, and storms out. Feron reminds Lucienthat Louis favors the Duke and an important man,. When Lucien goes after the Duke anyway, Feron stops him
At the settlement, the children thank Athos for his efforts on their behalf. Sylvie says that she’s staying and kisses him. Once she leaves, Athos joins his comrades, who have seen the whole thing. Lucien rides up and offers to shake Porthos’ hand for returning the grain. Porthos reluctantly agrees and notes that Lucien is riding a horse like one he saw at Nortier’s stable. Lucien says that he acquires it in a recent bargain, and Athos wonders where he’s seen him before. The mercenary says that he’s merely a concerned citizen and suggests that their paths will cross again.
Written by Gadfly on May 8, 2016