throw it on the fire with everything else.
the musketeers no longer exist. or haven't you heard? throw it on the fire. jussac hastily adds the emblem to the fiery blaze, it is instantly consumed. rochefort watches it burn, then walks to a balcony overlooking a vast courtyard.
musketeers.  a hundred faces turn upward to regard him. and on each the same expression -- absolute loathing for the man in black. rochefort is not intimidated by this sea of con- tempt. he revels in it.
by joint edict of his majesty king louis xiii and his eminence cardinal richelieu, the musketeers are officially disbanded. in preparation for the coming war with england, your ranks and commissions are hereby transferred to the infantry. you will be contacted and told where to report. until that time, you are instructed to return to your homes.
the cardinal's guards are more than capable of assuming that.  responsibility.
you are hereby ordered to disperse. should even one of you resist.  the entire corps will be arrested and imprisoned. 'all for one, and one for all.'
your eminence. rochefort and jussac instantly fall to their knees. armand du pleiss the cardinal richelieu steps out of the darkness and into the light, his long crimson robes swirling about him like clouds of blood. his face is long, shrewd and intelligent. his eyes are penetrat- ing. he smiles his crocodile smile. richelieu observes a duty roster on one of the walls. it contains the names of all the musketeers, past and present.
all but.  three.
i'll take those tunics, musketeers.
you ought to know. three witnesses stood against me.
you are hereby ordered to surrender your commissions and make yourselves available for reassignment in the king's army.
you will become outlaws. hunted men.
are you refusing to serve your king?
i'll tell him you said that.
i'll make sure his emminence the cardinal gets the message. but i can't promise he'll be pleased.
he's a foolish boy. and barely that.
and the queen?
there they go! after them!
fall back! i'll take him myself!
it's magnificent. where did you get it?
your father.
well now it belongs to me. i collect swords. i take them from the men i kill.
soon enough.
i'll give you a hint. it's not the louvre.
well, you're the first person who was ever happy to be here. unfortunately, your visit will be a short one.
you killed one of the cardinal's guards. an offense punishable by death.
also punishable by death.
you know them?
the musketeers. d'artagnan says nothing. he will not betray them. rochefort leans close.
tell me where they are, and i will be lenient.
i will give you your father's sword. a long beat. d'artagnan eyes the gleaming saber, forged in the crusades. he nods, gestures for rochefort to come closer. as if to impart a secret. rochefort tilts downward, d'artagnan rises up.  and whispers.
fool. like your father. rochefort storms from the cell. he nods at a grizzled jailer on his way out, indicates the chains and manacles on the cell wall. the jailer scurries over to d'artagnan, inert in a shallow puddle of foul water. he lifts, drags him toward the chains -- but d'artagnan's eyes pop open, the jailer reacts with surprise, and.  cut to:
you're going to go through with .  everything?
on your knees.
this is the boy who killed jussac.
silence! rochefort punches d'artagnan in the head, knocking him to the floor. the cardinal frowns.
they'll be dead by dawn.
milady left at midnight. by private coach.
he's wishing he'd never heard of the musketeers. down below, the horse cart reaches the scaffold. a man- at-arms drops the tailgate, d'artagnan steps down. he is taken into the custody of a captain of the guards, and several men-at-arms carrying muskets.
your eminence. the musketeers have been sighted riding north on the road to calais.
i told you not to worry about the musketeers. they are dead by now.
the king's birthday celebration?
and our plans?
he can do it every time. rochefort signals approval to a solitary marksman positioned far away on one of the roof parapets. the marksman rises from a shooter's crouch, bows curtly, and begins to reload his musket.
none. he believes that man should honor no kings before god.
yes, your eminence.
i'd stake my life on it, your eminence.
not for long.
by all means. let's discover if you are as brave a man as your father was. and as foolish.
he died for his king and for france. but most of all.  he died on the end of my sword. as will you. rochefort smiles a taunt. d'artagnan raises his sword, whispers to heaven.
one thing's certain. you're no musketeer. but d'artagnan remembers athos' advice. "always find your enemy's weakness." he shoves a thumb into rochefort's good eye. rochefort stumbles backward. d'artagnan plunges his sword into monsieur cyclops's heart.
i might.  have been.  mistaken.