The Man In The Iron Mask

Four years later, two men—a falconer and a captain of the greyhounds—encounter D’Artagnan on the road as he returns from visiting Fouquet. He scolds the captain for speaking ill of Fouquet and tells him that if he were ever accused of anything like what was levied against Fouquet, he would be sure to keep people from speaking ill of him. In further conversation with the men, D’Artagnan learns that the king has recovered from his grief after the queen mother died a month prior. D’Artagnan is surprised to see that for the nearby hunt, the king is accompanied by his mistress, who is not La Valliere. The king soon spots D’Artagnan and approaches, inviting him to dinner. Colbert joins them and tells him of the arrival of an old friend from Spain: Aramis, now the Spanish ambassador to France. At dinner, King Louis arranges for his sister-in-law to return to England while Aramis and Colbert discuss Spain’s desire to sow discord between Europe and England’s “united provinces.” Colbert approaches D’Artagnan with an offer to lead troops in Holland to earn his marshal’s baton; D’Artagnan accepts. He and Aramis drink to one another and their absent friends.